Chapter 1

Hermione stormed into the Headmaster's office. She walked up to the old man's portrait, folded her arms, and tapped her foot.

"Professor Dumbledore," she called out.

The wizard slept on, almost peacefully, but she knew better.

"Dumbledore, wake up."

Nothing.

"Minerva is aware I'm up here, she's not going to save you, now open your eyes, Headmaster. I need to speak with you."

He slept on.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore! I swear, if you don't open your eyes this minute, I will light up your frame like a bonfire!"

Albus startled awake, cleared his throat, and looked to Hermione. "Ah, Miss Granger! How long have you been there? It's so good to see you!"

Hermione stepped closer to the portrait. "Don't give me your false platitudes! You should be ashamed of yourself. You played us all."

"I take it you've been to another memorial," Dumbledore said sagely.

Tears filled her eyes. "This one was for Professor Snape. How could you, professor? How could you let him die?"

"Well, as I have been dead for a year, there really wasn't much that I could do."

Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and pointed at the portrait. "You knew everything. You planned all of this. You knew Ron would leave us and need a way to return. You knew Harry would die and come back, for Merlin's sake! You must have known what would happen to Professor Snape." She couldn't help the tears that were falling down her face now. "Why didn't you save him? Didn't he suffer enough for you?"

Albus gave her a fatherly look. "Now, Miss Granger…"

"Don't Miss Granger me! There must have been something you could have done. Anything. But you did nothing. Just like you always do. Give them a hint and hope they figure it all out. If they don't, oh well."

"Miss… Hermione… please, let me explain."

Hermione froze, her mouth paused mid-speech.

"I had an idea of what might happen to Severus. There were a couple of possibilities. The killing curse… of course, there would be nothing for it. However, I thought that Tom might want a bit of drama in Severus' death. The snake would definitely do that."

Tears continued to fall down Hermione's cheeks. "Then why didn't you do anything?"

Albus looked down, shame filling his face. "There was nothing to be done."

"Liar! You knew what would happen. You probably knew how to stop it. Why didn't you do something?"

His eyes met hers, and she almost felt pity for him. His eyes were filled with regret. Her pity didn't last long as she reminded herself of how manipulative Dumbledore really was. He didn't deserve pity.

Dumbledore continued, unaware of Hermione's internal musings. "There was nothing I could do. I researched and read and dug things up. I actually came up with the perfect potion. One that was an anti-venin and a blood replenishing potion all in one. Mixed with a few spells, it was foolproof."

"Then why didn't you give it to him? Why did you let him die, professor?"

Albus frowned heavily. "The cure was the only way to save him, but there was one flaw. It was a cumulative dosage. Too much of the potion at one time could kill. It had to be administered in very small doses over a long time." He leaned closer to her. "For years even."

Hermione looked at him with trepidation. "How long?"

Albus returned to his former position. "For his entire life ideally. I calculated every option and found the latest he would be able to start it and have it be effective would have been when he was eighteen."

"His seventh year," Hermione whispered. "But Mr. Weasley was able to be cured without a long-term potion."

"You're right, but we were not just fighting the snake's venom, we would need to fight the extensive blood loss due to Severus' jugular being nicked. The blood replenisher aspect of the potion included a blood thickener. That's why it needed to be started so early in life. If it wasn't carefully administered in minuscule doses, the cure could have actually killed him."

Hermione's eyes narrowed at Dumbledore. "How would you have known that his jugular was going to be bitten? I mean, I know you are omniscient, but that seems to be a very specific thing to know."

Dumbledore looked grumpy. "I had hoped to not have to tell you the whole story. Of course, you would question how I knew. I should have anticipated that."

Hermione folded her arms in front of her. "Just tell me how you know."

Dumbledore sighed. "Believe it or not, Professor Trelawney uttered another prophecy."

Hermione snorted. "Right."

Dumbledore looked into her eyes. "Miss Granger, I may be a lot of things, but a liar I am not."

"No, you just leave out the most important details," she muttered under her breath.

Dumbledore arched his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, go on!" she demanded, waving her hand at him.

"It was the strangest thing. Sybill and I were sharing a spot of tea. We did that often, you know." He stopped and was lost in thought for a minute.

Hermione cleared her throat.

"Oh, yes, yes. She dropped her cup of tea and started prophesying. She said something about the 'dark one who hid all his light.' I knew immediately it was about Severus. She described his death, right down to the 'giant viper who tore out his throat.' She came out of the trance then. I didn't say a word about her prophecy." He chuckled. "We just continued with our tea."

"Did you tell Professor Snape about what you heard?"

"Why no. Why would I?"

Hermione felt like lighting up Dumbledore's portrait and chucking it out the window as it burned.

"So he could save himself, you horrid man!"

"But he couldn't save himself; he needed to be in that room. The prophecy had to come to pass."

"Dumbledore," Hermione said crossly. "How could you let Professor Snape be killed on the word of a batty Seer?"

"You forget, Miss Granger, that Seer uttered the prophecy that made Harry Potter the enemy of Tom Riddle."

"Yes, but…"

"But nothing. Despite Sybill's lack of ability at everyday Divination, her prophecies are always right."

Hermione threw her hands up in frustration. "You could have done something! You should have told him!"

"To what end, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore was angry now and glared at her. "So that Severus would know he had only a short time to live? Don't you think he knew that already? That his death would be horrific? He had previously told me he suspected that the snake might be set upon him. Did he need to have a mental picture of how he'd meet his end? Would that have been… helpful?"

Hermione glared at Dumbledore. After a bit, she finally had calmed herself enough to answer him. "I suppose it wouldn't have helped," she conceded.

"That's right."

"I still think…"

Dumbledore held up his hand. "What you think, Miss Granger, is neither here nor there. I didn't tell him because I wished to spare him a small amount of grief. Believe it or not, it pained me to see him under so much stress."

Hermione huffed. She sincerely doubted that Dumbledore cared one whit about Professor Snape's stress, but she knew it was a waste of time to argue anymore about it. She decided to go back to the topic of the potion that Dumbledore had created.

"So, the effects of the potion you made… wouldn't his thickening blood kill him? That seems like something that would be dangerous."

"I researched it extensively," Dumbledore explained. "If the potion was given all at once, or even only over a short time, it would thicken his blood so much, he'd die. I also had to consider if taking the potion over years would thicken his blood too much. It took me a while to create the potion in a way that it would build up slowly enough not to harm Severus in any way, but to protect him when the time was right."

Hermione huffed. "There had to be something else…"

"Hermione, I searched for other options. There were none. I refigured my Arithmantic calculations over and over again. I always came up with the same number. There was literally nothing I could do."

Hermione deflated. "If only there had been a Time-Turner."

"Oh, but there is," Albus said. He regarded her, a twinkle in his eye.

"Wait, you have a Time-Turner that can take you back twenty years?"

"I made it myself."

"You created a Time-Turner that can span years?" Hermione cried in astonishment.

"It took some time, but yes, I was able to create one that would get where I needed it to go."

She was angry again. Her hands turned into fists. "Then why didn't you use it, you old, daft, coot?"

Albus looked shocked. "Miss Granger, I remember you being a lot more respectful when I was alive."

She got to within an inch of the painting. "I give respect to those who earn it… Sir."

He cleared his throat, and she took a step back, all the while glaring at him. "Why didn't you go back and help him?"

"I couldn't."

She waited a moment and then blew her hair out of her eyes in frustration. "Why not?" she ground out.

"The Time-Turner only works one way. I fiddled with trying to make it be able to transport both ways, but the results were… less than desirable."

"So, you couldn't go back, because you'd never return."

"Exactly."

"Then why didn't you find someone who could?"

"And who would I send, Hermione? Who would go back in time, never to return... leaving all their family and friends here in the future, while they tried to convince a man they didn't even like to take a potion for the rest of his life?"

"There must have been someone."

"The only person I thought might go for it was also too involved in this war to be lost."

Hermione looked at Albus. "Who was it?"

"Why, you of course!" Albus replied with a smile. "You have an incomparable ability to care for those around you, especially those who have been wronged. Tell me, Hermione, would anyone else be in here arguing for a dead man like you are now? You are a champion for those who should have had a better end."

Hermione's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped in surprise. "Me?" She thought about it for a moment. "Of course, you're right. I would go in a minute if I thought I could save him."

Albus arched an eyebrow at her. "You could still go, you know." He didn't say another word, letting her process it herself.

Hermione's brow furrowed, and she looked to the ground. After a few minutes, she looked back at Albus. "It would work?"

"Yes," he said succinctly.

"But I could never return."

"No."

"My parents, friends… Ron… I couldn't see them again."

"Never, if you are to keep your secret safe. It could destroy the timeline."

Her eyes met his. "How can I do that?" Her eyes searched his. After a minute she asked a different question. "How could I not do that?" she whispered.

"Hermione, this is something I cannot decide for you. Know that if you go back, Severus will most likely be alive now. I do understand if the sacrifice is too great for you. Only you know if it is or not."

A tear fell down her cheek, and she wiped at it furiously. "I don't know what to do," she cried in exasperation.

"The decision doesn't have to be made right now," Albus explained with a touch of empathy in his tone. "Whether you decide to go today, tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now, the result will be the same."

Hermione closed her eyes. She was truly torn. "I need to speak with those important to me before I make such a life-changing decision. I'll return when I've decided what to do. I promise it won't take a decade for me to decide, Albus." She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"Hermione," Albus called to her.

She turned around.

"You can choose not to do this and there will be nothing to be ashamed of."

She nodded. "I understand, sir," she assured him.

Turning she left the office, descended the stairs, and made her way from the castle. Reaching the Apparition point she Disapparated to Grimmauld Place. Walking quickly up the path, she entered the home. Crashing on the couch, she put her hands up and covered her face as she leaned back on the seat. Severus Snape's life was literally in her hands. She wanted to save him, but she also wanted to live her life. All the fighting and horror was finally over. She just wanted to see what her future would bring.

"You can carve a future for yourself in the past," she told herself, chuckling at the absurdity of her statement. Speaking aloud always helped her to work things out in her head, so she continued talking to herself.

"If I go back, I'll have to live through not just this war, but the previous one as well. Can I do that?"

She sighed. "I suppose my future is in my hands no matter where I am or what time I'm living in."

She turned her thoughts to those she'd leave behind.

"My parents would be easy. They don't even know I exist." She got up and moved into the kitchen. A spot of tea would be helpful right now. She busied herself with the preparation as she processed everything. She found the simple steps in preparing the tea grounded her.

"Harry and Ron… that would be different. Ginny and Luna… they'd be ok." She placed a spoon on her plate. "If I were to be perfectly honest, Harry and Ron would be ok, too. All those summers with no contact. They survived just fine."

Lifting the teapot, she poured the hot water into her cup and let the tea steep. She knew that this absence would be different. It was one thing not to talk to each other for months, quite another to never see or speak with them again.

"At least they'll know I'm alive and well." She carried her cup to her seat and settled back into the sofa. "Hopefully I will be," she said with a chuckle.

She took a sip and instantly regretted it as the tea was still scalding. She pursed her lips and flipped her wand at her mouth, silently curing her scalded tongue. "Honestly, they'll be fine without me. Harry has Ginny. Ron… well… Ron." She let her head fall back against the couch. Ron… It had all seemed so perfect with him. She frowned. Perfect for about a day. Their kiss in the Chamber of Secrets had been exciting, but then reality had set in. At least it had for her.

She loved Ron. She did. But she didn't think she loved him in a romantic way. Oh, she had, back in sixth year… before Lavender. Things had been picking up while they were on the run, but then he'd left. She'd been so excited when he'd kissed her in the Chamber of Secrets that all of those previous issues fell to the wayside. But in these last couple of weeks, they had been bothering her again.

"It's not that I can't forgive him," she mused. "I do forgive him. I just don't feel the way I used to about him." She closed her eyes. She'd been thinking about this for days and getting ready to talk to him about it. Maybe her disappearing from his life would be the best for him.

She sighed. "But what would be the best for me?"

She sat silently for a while, mulling everything over and sipping her tea. Before she had realized it, the cup was empty.

"The real question is what would be the best for Professor Snape?" She closed her eyes. How could she not help him? How selfish would she be to stay here in her normal existence when every single minute of his life was spent fighting that demon. He certainly wasn't putting his life on the line every day for himself. She had to go. After tearing Dumbledore's head off for his inaction, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she did nothing.

The sound of the door opening and voices in the hallway brought her out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes and looked to the entryway. She had planned to wait until tomorrow to talk with the boys, but now would be just fine.

Harry popped his head in the room. "Here she is, Ron," he called behind him as he entered.

He smiled at Hermione and sat down in the chair across from her. Ron bounded in and came over as well. Kissing Hermione, he plopped down and placed his arm around his girlfriend.

"What're you up to, love?" he asked her.

She chuckled nervously and flourished her empty cup. "Just enjoying a cup of tea."

Harry's eyebrows knit together. "What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

How she'd miss him. Her eyes filled with tears. She tried to wipe them without the boys seeing, but she failed miserably.

"Hermione," Ron said with concern as he wiped the tears from her eyes. "Why are you crying."

"I'm going to miss you both so much," she wailed. She threw her arms around Ron and buried her head in his shoulder. Harry moved quickly across the room and was sitting on the other side of her, rubbing her back.

"Hermione, we're not going anywhere. What are you talking about?" he asked finally.

She extricated herself from Ron and wiped her eyes. Sitting back so she could see both of them with only a slight turn of her head, she looked at each of them before beginning her tale.

"Today, after the funeral, I went to see Dumbledore's portrait. He told me there's a way to save Professor Snape."

Harry's eyes grew wide. "Why, that's brilliant, Hermione!"

She grinned at him. "Yes, it is, truly." Glancing at Ron, she noticed he wasn't quite so excited.

"What do you have to do?" he asked her.

"Dumbledore created a potion to save Professor Snape. However, for it to have worked, he needed to start taking it during his seventh year at Hogwarts."

Ron looked furious. "No!" he said.

"Ron, she'd just go back, give him the potion and the recipe, and be back by lunch," Harry explained. He turned back to Hermione. "Right?" he asked.

"She said she was going to miss us. She's not coming back." He turned to her. "You can't go, Hermione."

She looked to Harry. "Ron's right, Harry. If I go, it's a one-way trip."

"Well, Ron's right then, Hermione," Harry said emphatically. "You can't go."

"Harry, Ron, how can I not go?" she asked as her eyes pleaded with them one at a time. "He did everything for us."

"But you'll be giving up your future," Harry countered.

"I can have another future. Just not in this time."

"What about us, Hermione?" Ron asked. "I thought we were good."

She turned to Ron and reached out for his arm. She squeezed it. "We were, Ron, but not good enough. This last little bit has been wonderful." She frowned and changed the subject. "Maybe we should take this conversation somewhere more private."

Ron huffed. "Whatever you're going to say, you can say it in front of Harry."

Hermione looked to Harry and then back to Ron. She nodded slightly before continuing. "I know we've been good, but when we're together, I don't feel… what I feel for you… it's more friendship than love." She looked down into her lap. "I was going to tell you before, I swear."

"You'd choose him over me?" he demanded.

"Oh, Ron, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like, Hermione? We were good together. Now you're making up some nonsense that you feel nothing for me."

"Ron, I didn't say that."

"But you don't want to be with me, do you? We've worked so hard to get here, now you want to throw it away."

Hermione felt her anger rise within her. She took a deep breath to help her calm down, but it didn't help.

"We worked hard because you kept mucking us up, Ron. First, you paraded Lavender around to make me jealous, then you up and abandoned us in the forest." She rose and began to pace. "To be honest, I can't get past those things. I love you, but your leaving destroyed my trust in you. That doesn't bode well for a long-term relationship, does it, Ronald?"

Ron rose, anger filling his face. "If you care for me at all, you'll give up this foolish plan. It's lunacy, Hermione."

"Ron, I have to go." She got closer to him and reached out, taking his arms in her hands. "You know I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."

Harry stood and joined them. "Hermione, I understand what you're saying, but this is too much. No one would expect you to do such a thing."

She turned to him and pulled him into a hug. "I know, Harry. But I would always know that I could have done something, and I didn't."

Ron backed away. "I can't do this," he said. "I won't stand here and watch you justify leaving. Go ahead, leave. I don't care."

He stormed out of the room as Hermione watched him. Tears streamed down her face. She felt Harry's arms pulling her into him, and she let herself sob uncontrollably.

"He'll get over it."

"I won't be here to see it," she wailed.

He pulled her closer and squeezed her tighter. "Do you have to do this, Hermione?" he asked plaintively. "I don't know how I'll survive without you."

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I don't know how I'll survive without you either," she said with a small chuckle. "You have Ginny." She grinned. "She'll keep you busy."

He laughed. "That's true, but I'll miss my best friend."

"That's the worst part about this."

"Well, I guess I'll see you eventually. You'll be an old biddy by then, though."

She slapped his arm. "Harry!"

He laughed, but then became serious. "You'll come find us, won't you?"

She thought about it. "If I can. Dumbledore said I could never see any of you again." She thought about it for a minute. "You know what? I don't care if it's ok or not. I'll be gone by that time, so there won't be any chance of meeting myself. I'll come find you."

"Good."

"So, maybe you won't have to live without me for too long." She smiled at him.

"But what about you?" Harry asked.

"I'll survive. Maybe I'll become friends with your dad."

Harry laughed. "I doubt that will win you points with Snape."

She chuckled. "Probably not." She smiled at him. "It will be all right, Harry. I'll make friends. I'll be able to finish my seventh year. I can have a good life then."

"I hope so."

"Me too."

A/N: Many thanks to my beta Amortentia in my Veins. This wouldn't be what it is without her.

This story is complete on my hard drive, so it will be updated regularly. It's relatively long at 31 chapters, so enjoy the ride.