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Chapter 68
Hermione rarely saw Severus like this. He was always in control. They were in King's Cross. Hermione reduced their belongings. She followed him to platform 9 ¾, it was deserted. The Hogwarts Express was in sight but the place was empty. She saw as Severus kicked a rubbish bin and then slumped to a corner. His shoulders shook from sobbing.
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She went to get him and hugged him as he cried. "Oh, my love what did you see?" She feared the worst. It was not clear to her, not yet.
She held him as his whole body shook. It was like when they learned about Tom following Grindelwald. Only this was worse. Hermione had never seen him so out of control. She kissed his face and waited for the sobs to subside.
"You can tell me anything Sev." She said softly.
Severus hugged her tight. "I apparated to Manchester and Tobias pulled me from oncoming traffic." Severus explained every single detail. He looked exhausted by the time he was done.
"Oh, my love." She said and held him once again. Her heart broke for him.
"He's stopped drinking. I saw it in Tom's head too. He's been clean. He goes to meetings. He cares for his new muggle wife and that child. He said he was proud. Tobias said I love you to that little girl twice. He never said I love you to me. He didn't care. He beat me. He raped my mother. I know he did. He punished me and he made feel strange and I was a child. He never cared for me. Why was I not enough? Why does he love a stranger and a girl that is not his own?" Severus cried and raged.
"I was his son. I was his only son. I loved him. He despised me. He never liked anything about us. My mum, she blamed me and he hated me. Why couldn't he love me? He said she would be the best witch ever seen. Hermione, why couldn't he love me?" Severus yelled. He yelled and cried until the glass around them shattered. Hermione held him and kissed him gently. She looked around it was all broken, the windows on the train, the notices, all was in shambles.
She held him for what seemed to be hours. Hermione looked to the Hogwarts Express, the windows repaired themselves. Severus appeared to be lost in thought.
"We have to go." Hermione said lightly, almost gently.
"Where?" Severus asked. He was almost docile. He was suffering so much. It was quite a nasty shock. He just discovered that his father was well. Not only well, but thriving with a family of his own.
"Muggle London. We stay in one of the Prince houses. We need money. I will go back to Hammersmith and get some money."
"I don't want his money." Severus hissed.
Hermione grabbed his hands and kissed them, "it is your money. You are the heir once more. Wait for me here. I will be back in no time and we can look for a place together."
Severus nodded. Hermione went through the barrier and apparated to Hammersmith. She frowned at Minerva and Tom.
Tom looked at her, "how is he?"
"Very shaken. You should have never lied to him." Hermione reproached him.
"I did not want him to hurt." Tom replied simply.
"He needs time and space. I need money. We will live in muggle London for the time being. The flat in Notting Hill will do. She went to the safe and grabbed all the pounds in the safe. She also picked up Crookshanks.
She went downstairs. "Your father needs time to process. I would not advise you to go near him until he has a clear head. You saw what he can do. He is vulnerable. I have never seen him so out of control."
"Hermione, you have to stay here. It is not safe." Tom appealed once more.
Hermione hugged him. "You need to understand this Tom. Severus is very powerful. Nothing will happen to him. These wizards, they are no match for him. You saw him at the ministry. Surely, you must know. He could have finished all of them without you or Dumbledore. Do not worry about us. I know you feel guilty. He will forgive you but please give him time."
Hermione disapparated and entered the platform. She found Severus talking to the headmaster.
"How long have you known?" Severus asked tiredly.
"The moment Lily Evans entered school." The older man said.
"Ms. Granger. Good. We must board the train." He said and stood up.
"Headmaster, my husband and I will leave for Notting Hill." Hermione said.
"Nonsense, you must come to Hogwarts. We have a lot to talk about." The headmaster's eyes twinkled.
Severus followed him. Hermione had no other option but to follow them in turn. "I think it is best if we had this conversation in my office. I will leave you to sort your thoughts."
Hermione sat on one of the compartments. Crookshanks jumped to the seat in front of them. Severus rested his head on her lap. He slept the whole ride to the school. Hermione caressed his hair and tried to think of a way to not have Dumbledore know their secret. Severus long suspected that the old man knew that there was something off about them. They were careful around him ever since they came back. Severus was determined to not let the older man know that they were time travelers. They however needed Dumbledore to help Tom. The Ministry attack was too reminiscent of old times for both Severus and the headmaster it seemed. They found their kinship again. Severus always said that he did not trust Dumbledore but the fact was that the man was his paternal figure for years in the future and in the past.
Hermione sighed and tried to sleep with Severus. She could not. They arrived early morning. They rode in Dumbledore's carriage. Severus seemed in another world. They arrived to the castle and waked through the gates. Crookshanks shook her off as soon as they reached the castle. He went his way. Hermione and Severus ascended to the office and sat in front of Dumbledore. Hermione looked around. This was the first time she was in this office. Harry and Severus described it to her perfectly well. It was just as she had imagined it.
"Are you ready Severus?" Albus spoke softly.
Hermione glanced at Severus and tried to communicate that he could not tell the older man anything about them.
Severus kissed her hand, "it is time. Hermione."
The headmaster smiled gently and looked at her, "Hermione, I know. I am just waiting for an explanation, as the accomplice that I am."
Hermione understood then. Dumbledore just needed confirmation for his theory at this point.
"We came from 1998. This is my time; Hermione will not be born for another two years." Severus began his tale and included every single detail from their journey including Lord Voldemort and the Horcruxes. Severus talked until he was hoarse. Hermione filled in the spots with Harry and the prophecy, the camping and the Horcruxes hunt. "We came to stop him."
"But you adopted him." The older man said gently.
Severus looked like a school boy. Hermione looked lost for words too, "we did." Severus intoned.
"There is no need to look at me that way Hermione. Tom has proven to be an excellent wizard with incredible moral fiber. He is perhaps a little too fond of power but I do not know anyone with his talent and intelligence who is not. I am trying to get a better picture of all of this."
"It was your idea. You worked on the timeturner yourself. I was to come back and kill Tom. Hermione came because I could not properly manage the timeturner. I had no experience with it and Hermione did." Severus said softly.
Hermione nodded, "the timeturner exploded. We ended up in King's Cross seven years earlier than expected. We planned to kill him. We both tried but we could not kill a little boy."
"He reminded you of your friend." The silver haired man said patiently. Hermione nodded, "he did. I couldn't. I wouldn't."
"So, you loved the boy who destroyed everything." Albus continued.
"We did, we do." Severus supplied. There were no tears, just a faraway look.
"How did you know we were not from this time?" Hermione asked the older man. She too needed answers.
Dumbledore smiled once again, "Tom Riddle was in our registry for years. I do not think you were aware but we had to obliviate Mrs. Cole when Tom was five years old. I was called by the Minister of Magic to help with the case. There was someone dead, a man who tried to harm Tom. Beat the freakishness out of him." The man said firmly. Hermione gasped.
"Tom's magic reacted as self-defense. It was very powerful, a protego charm that caused the man to hit a window and fall to his death."
"You never told Harry that." Hermione pointed out. It was most strange.
"I have no answer for that." Dumbledore replied softly.
Severus frowned, there was some of the fire back, "why did you not remove the child after the incident? Why not place him with a magical family?"
Dumbledore shook his head, "dear Severus, there were no candidates. This was managed in outmost silence. I advised against advertising it. We wanted the child to not be marked. The incident was not recorded. The unspeakables, the late minister and I were the only ones in the know. You will be happy to know that I am the only surviving witness."
Hermione frowned, "you knew. You knew when you came to our home."
"Of course, I knew you two adopted him. I also knew that you were magical. I thought you were foreign. The minister was happy that they boy was adopted by muggles. I must confess that I was surprised you two did not keep up the charade of being muggle in front of me."
Severus frowned, "Tom did not trust us until we showed him magic. I could not stop doing magic."
The headmaster nodded, "I saw you and I recognized the Princes in you. You must think me foolish, but for many years, I did believe that you were mine. My ego, you see. You were powerful, the only one who resisted my attempts at legilimency. Not even Gellert could at the time. I thought surely my dalliance with Atria bore fruit and it was you, a long-lost son. I thought of it until the moment that young Ms. Evans enrolled. I have to give it to Minerva. She tried her best to keep me out of the situation. I however managed to get a few minutes alone with Ms. Evans just after she was in St. Mungos. Lily told me all about her friend Severus. She told me about Harry and James. She knew everything. Her memories were awakening."
"You modified her memory." Severus accused him.
"I did. I however left a little way for her to regain them back. Your name and recognition of you. You see you and Lily are soulmates." Dumbledore explained just as gently. Hermione felt the blood drain out of her face. This was her worst fear. She suspected it, in her heart, she knew that it was such a strong connection. Why would Lily remember him? There was a deep bond. A deeper bond that she could not even begin to comprehend.
"I love my wife." Severus said fiercely, "I love Hermione. You are incorrect."
"My dear boy, I do not mean a romantic connection. I mean a deep magical bond. I believed you two sealed it when you were nine. Soul binding magic is deep, ancient and very little researched."
Severus looked away. "We made a pact when we were nine just before my tenth birthday. It was nonsense, child play if anything."
"It was not. You two were bonded by that blood pact." Albus clearly had information from Lily.
Severus raised her left palm and Hermione remembered their hushed conversations at night before they were intimate, after she learned about Lily. There was a line near the beginning of his left pinky fingers. "Lily said we would always be friends, like siblings if we made a blood pact. She saw it in a muggle film." He had said.
"She's like my sister." Severus yelled. Hermione placed a calm hand over his. "I swear Hermione. I did not know, you have to believe me."
"Of course I do my love. Of course I do." She said reassuringly but a there was a glimmer of envy, of jealousy for one Lily Evans.
The older man appeared to know, he looked at her, "Hermione, you have nothing to worry for Lily's and Severus' bond is deeply filial. They are not bound to share a life in the sense you two share. They are bound to protect one another, as one does with their siblings. His love for Lily drove him to protect her child. I believe his regret over her death caused Lily Potter to have a second chance." He said carefully.
Hermione nodded, "why did you wait until tonight to come clean? We have been back for over a year now. Why tell us now?"
"I thought things could go as usual. You two did not confide in me. I can only guess because of my part in young Harry Potter's destiny and my hand in Tom Riddle's story. But it all changed after the ministry attack. It dawned upon me that Tom and I were meant to work together. I risked everything to end Gellert. I ended his life. It had to be me, as we also bonded years ago and although that bond was obliterated years before our first duel. My love for him remained and I suspect his love for me as well. We were not like you two. Gellert and I destroyed each other."
"He killed Arianna." Hermione said simply.
Dumbledore's face crumpled, "we will never know. I beg you to stop speaking of that."
Hermione looked at the older man and realized that he was just but a man. A very smart and talented man but flawed. A lonely man.
"What happened in the Ministry?" Hermione asked.
"They all saw him. They saw Severus and realized what a weapon he could be. Tom and I discussed this. They will try to recruit you." The man said carefully.
"Who is they?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"Grindelwald had help to leave the prison. He has allies in the Eastern countries. He also has people infiltrated in the ministry." Severus explained. "I was going to tell you tonight. Albus and Tom are working together now. The ministry is aiming to nip them in the bud. Albus however failed to tell me about the recruiting aspect. This was why Tom was so anxious about me leaving the house."
"Yes, yes, Tom and I spoke this morning. Aberforth has intelligence that they are to follow you soon. They believe they will convince you and create a scandal. Imagine? The nephew of the staunchest muggle defenders, a pureblood fanatic." The headmaster finished.
"Tom was his follower. Druella Rosier and Cygnus must remember that very clearly." Severus pointed out.
"They do and they tried to blackmail Tom. He paid no heed, there were a few lines in the Daily Prophet when the campaign for Minister of Magic started but no one really paid them any mind. Tom is not shy of proclaiming himself as a half blood. Snape is a muggle name, not magical as you are aware. Minerva is also a half blood. It also helps that Tom has done nothing but elevate muggle borns and introduce favorable laws to enforce muggle and magical relations." Dumbledore pointed out.
Severus looked at him once more. "Did you know about Tobias?"
"I did. I visited your father when Lily came to us. He of course did not remember you. I only wanted to make sure. I needed to know whether your father was alive. I have to say there is nothing intriguing about your father. He rebuilt his life from addiction. He lives a happy life with his new wife and stepchild."
Severus's hands shook with anger. "You have not answered my question. Why tell me all of this now?"
"Simple, I knew it was time. Tom called upon me. He trusts me now. He did not seek my help to appease you or Minerva. He sought help to locate you. I saw you alone at Kings' Cross with so much uncontained magic." The old man continued.
"You took advantage of him. You knew he would not shield his mind against you. How could you?" Hermione said angrily.
"You must understand that I needed confirmation. I would not go ahead without it. I could not burden you with the knowledge if it was not necessary." Dumbledore defended himself.
"You are fond of talking away choices. You always have. You forced him to be a double agent for years. He spied for you because you helped his guilt. You never let him forget his mistakes. You Albus Dumbledore manipulated him, Harry and countless of others to do your bidding." Hermione exploded.
Severus half smiled but remained with his head bowed.
"Dearest girl, I cannot take responsibility of that because it did not happen. It will never happen thanks to you. I can only take my fair share for his role in Gellert's demise. I however do not deny that your accusations seem to befit me. Surely you must know that I care deeply for Severus and Tom. I see myself in them. A little more in Tom to be completely honest. I ask for your forgiveness Severus." He said openly.
"There is one last thing. As you are aware the research with the timerturners stopped. You know that the timeline is forever altered. I researched and managed to create this." Albus took a timeturner out of his pocket.
Hermione gasped. "It will take you to the future. It will take you to 1998 in this new timeline. You will be able to see the fruits of your efforts. Hermione is aging as are you Severus. I think this is because of you. You have reached your timeline. I think Hermione's progress will be halted once she reaches the age by which she traveled. You must have been nineteen?"
"Eighteen." Hermione gasped.
"I will give you a choice. You can both go. Severus will go back to being thirty-eight and you will be eighteen again."
Hermione looked at Severus who turned the artifact around. She was afraid that he would choose to go back. She did not want to go back. She refused to do so. Hermione wanted to live out her life now. They would find an older Tom. They would miss years with him and Minerva.
"I don't want to." Severus said openly. "Neither do I." Hermione seconded.
Severus aimed his hand at the artifact and it exploded.
The headmaster nodded, "I must beg you to remain in the castle. I must send word to Tom. He must be beside himself."