Author's Notes: Let me start out this chapter by giving a great big thanks and an even bigger hug to my wonderful beta Colli, aka Grammar!Girl. She has been with me every step of the way for this story. Whether she's bothering me to write more or drooling all over the papers she reads, she's always encouraging me with this story. I couldn't ask for a better beta... she's been such a great friend too!
Chapter three is a turning point, I also think it's the climax of the story. The shit's gonna hit the fan in the coming chapters... If you think you know what's coming... guess again! I've been thinking about a sequel lately. It's based on an idea that Colli has fused into my mind. Even though it will talk about this story in reference, I think it will stand apart from this. Who knows, maybe it'll be a series!
Let me take a moment to plug some other authors and stories. On ff.net, in my profile, I have several stories in my favorites file (I'm too lazy to list them all). Read them! They are beyond excellent and I pale in comparison to these writers. Take a look through that file and read the stories in there.
Please read and review. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. Classes get in the way sometimes. Chapter four will be around in the next couple of weeks. It's still in the writitng stages, then it'll have be typed, then drooled on by Colli, and then I can post it... so look for it in two weeks or so! Thanks for the reviews in advance (see the end for special thanks!)

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Chapter 3
Time Will Tell

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That evening, after the sun had gone down, dinner had been served and the students were off studying in their houses, Severus had still not returned. Hermione had delivered the parchment to Dumbledore as instructed and he had informed her that Severus would likely be several hours. Hermione tried to take her mind off of it by burying herself in books, but she found herself reading the same paragraph in the same book over and over again. "For nothing so noble as truth, save love, can grace life with light," Hermione mumbled out loud. She closed the book of letters and left the library.

After an hour of aimless wandering, Hermione made her way to her chambers. She sprawled out on the bed and let out a hopeless sigh. It had been over two weeks, and it seemed like the sand in her time turner hadn't moved at all. She rolled over on her back and closed her eyes, thinking. What was she going to do when she got back? Would everything be the same or had she managed to mess up the timeline? What would she say to Severus?

Hermione stood up and stripped out of her robes. She threw a deep purple silk nightgown over her head and slipped her feet into some soft slippers she'd transfigured out of a spare pillow. She then strolled over to the window and sat down, looking out over the grounds. Severus had become very important to her over the past few years, and now to see him when he was young and before he terrorized students was not something Hermione thought she would ever see. She thought about telling him the truth. "He obviously knows," she whispered, remembering how he had called her Mia and then had kissed her. Her fingers came up and touched her lips, once again remembering the kiss that they had shared. She closed her eyes and smiled against her fingers. "But it's Severus," she whispered.

She opened her eyes just as a man in black robes came running up the path and into the castle. He was moving fast but appeared to be limping all the same. Hermione quickly threw on a night robe and ran out of her chambers and down the stairs. She ran towards the infirmary where she ran into Minerva. "Oh, good evening, Mia. Are you all right?"

"I saw Severus coming back. Is he all right?" Hermione asked out of breath.

"I was just going to find that out myself. Why don't you come with me," she suggested. Hermione followed Minerva into the infirmary where Madame Pomfrey was already fussing over him.

"Oh, Severus! Look at you! Just let me check you over!" she yelled as she struggled to make him sit on the bed. Albus was hovering a few feet away.

"I need to speak to Albus!" he shouted at Poppy. "Leave me be!"

"Severus, your ankle is likely broken and you're shaking from the effects of the Cruciatus. Let Poppy help," Albus said softly but sternly.

Hermione stood quietly off to the side, watching while Severus struggled to sit. "Halloween, Albus," he groaned. "He's going to make his move on Halloween."

"Minerva," Albus said urgently, "get an owl out to James. Tell him that the final preparations are underway and that the charm must be cast by the end of this week. Sirius must be summoned as well."

"I'll send the owls straight away," she said, and hurried out of the room.

Albus watched her go; his gaze then fell on Hermione. He took in her pale face and wide eyes then moved to her side. "Listen to me," he said quietly. "You know you cannot say anything. Even if it means not saving lives," he warned.

Hermione looked up at him with sad eyes. "I understand," she whispered. She looked over at Severus who was propped up against the pillows with his arms folded across his chest. His hair was free of its hold and hung loosely around his shoulders. His robes had been discarded and he wore black trousers and a white shirt. "Is he okay?"

"Yes, he is fine," Albus sighed. He laid a hand on her shoulder and led her to where Severus was laying.

"I want you to spend the night," Poppy was insisting. "You're weakened from the Cruciatus and if you pass out, I want you close by." She finished repairing his broken ankle and stepped back.

Severus growled, "I took your potion. I am fine," he insisted.

"I do believe Poppy is the nurse among us, and you are not. I don't want you collapsing on the road to Hogsmeade when you could just get a good night's sleep here," Albus said.

Severus scowled, his eyes forming slits. "Very well. Leave me," he ordered. Poppy left a vial of pain relief potion then disappeared into her offices. Albus led Hermione away. "She may stay," Severus said, gesturing toward Hermione, "because she did not pester me," he smirked.

Albus nodded to her then left the room. Hermione took a deep breath then walked back to the bed and sank into a chair beside it. "Did you deliver the note?"

"Of course," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine," he said, shifting his position so he could look at her. "I want to trust you, Mia," he said. "However, like the good witch Madame Du Bois said, 'truth and trust go hand in hand.' You are not telling me something."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in the chair and avoided his eyes. "There's nothing to tell," she insisted. "I saw you run into the castle and I wanted to see if you were all right."

"Mia, are you concerned about me?" he asked condescendingly.

Hermione looked up at him. "Is that so hard to believe?" she asked quietly.

Severus grunted as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, facing Hermione. He rested his forearms on his thighs and leaned close to her. "I saw the fear in your eyes," he said softly. "What do you know about what's going to happen on Halloween?"

Hermione stared into his obsidian eyes. Her emotions were on overload. If she slipped, time itself would change. So long as she kept quiet, James and Lily would die in a fortnight's time. "I just don't want to see anyone get hurt," she whispered. A single tear fell from her eye and streaked down her cheek.

Severus slid off the bed and crouched before her. He reached up and laid a hand on her cheek. He brushed the tear away with his thumb and gently caressed her cheek. Hermione's eyes closed and she let out a shaky sigh. "Promise me," she whispered to him, "that whatever happens on Halloween, you won't be involved." She opened her teary eyes.

Severus scowled but didn't respond to her demand. "Mia, what is it about you?" he asked mostly to himself. Severus moved his hand into her hair and to the back of her neck, gently pulling her to him. "I can't promise anything," he said, then he pressed his lips to hers. Hermione's eyes had closed again and she blindly reached for him. She snaked her arms around his neck to bring him closer. A soft moan escaped her lips as her mouth opened beneath his, deepening their kiss.

Severus' hand left her neck and he slid both of his arms around her waist, dragging her to the edge of the chair. Their knees were touching and they were both pulling to get closer to one another. Severus pulled Hermione's night robe open and caressed the silk of her nightgown that clung to her back.

It wasn't until Severus lost his balance that a pang of reality shot through Hermione. She tore her mouth away from his and sat back, her hands gripping the arms of the chair. "I can't," she rasped.

Severus ran a shaky hand through his hair and rose to his feet as she pushed herself out of the chair. "I'm sorry," he said, "I shouldn't have..."

"No, I just can't do this right now," she insisted. Hermione could feel the panic rising in her throat. "You should rest," she whispered, touching her fingers to her swollen lips and backing out of the room. He nodded with a look of confusion on his face. Then she turned and left quickly.

Severus sank down onto the hospital bed and groaned. "Mia," he said out loud, "you are a constant mystery to me." He picked up the vial of pain killer potion, raised it in a salute to her departed figure then drank it down. He settled back on the pillows and closed his eyes. He fell asleep trying not to think about Mia's possessive arms wound around his neck, desperate to drag him closer to her. He groaned as he miserably failed.

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Hermione quickly walked up the stairs to her room in the East Tower. Once she was safe in her rooms, the panic overtook her. "What have I done?" she moaned. Her cheeks burned and her hands shook. She walked unsteadily to the bed in the back room. She sank down, her body aching to be held by Severus again. Hermione crawled to the head of the bed and once again peered into the unmoving sands of the hourglass.

Hermione rolled over onto her back and pressed a hand to her aching heart. She fell into an uneasy sleep, searching for a way to rationalize her feelings. In the end, she dreamed of a tall, dark man and how she felt content in his embrace.

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Another ten days came and went with Halloween now only two days away. James and Lily Potter had taken Harry and gone into hiding. Not even the Ministry of Magic or Albus Dumbledore himself knew of their whereabouts. Only Sirius Black, the Potters' secret-keeper knew where they were hiding, and he was nowhere to be found either.

Hermione had gone into hiding as well. After the incident with Severus, Hermione swore off contact with anyone in the castle. She stayed in her rooms most of the day, having Kipsy deliver her meals to her room. Once a day, when she knew Severus taught a class, she would venture to the library to occupy herself.

Much to Hermione's relief, the top chamber of the time-turner appeared lighter in color as she stared at it one day while she was in the library. She assumed that it meant that the sand was finally falling. Late in the evening six days before Halloween, Albus invited Hermione to his office and requested to see the time-turner. "I see you are still with us, Hermione," he said as she entered the office.

Hermione gently placed the time-turner on his desk. "Yes, but as you can see, the sand is falling."

"Perhaps you will return to your own time before Halloween," he said.

"I know I cannot say anything about what I know, but I can only hope that I am not present that night," she replied.

Albus nodded. "Do not feel that you must hide while you are here," he said, changing the subject. "Think of time as a rubber band; it will snap back into place, my dear."

Hermione nodded and Albus handed the time-turner back to her. Hermione excused herself and left his office, tucking the time-turner into her robes. Her feet carried her to the dungeons and she sighed, not quite knowing what she was going to say to Severus, if he was even still there.

Hermione opened the unlocked door to the laboratory to find the room empty. "Severus? Are you here?"

"He's stepped out for a moment," Minerva said, stepping into view.

"Are you all right, Minerva? Your voice sounds a little scratchy," Hermione asked.

Minerva nodded and cleared her throat. "Poppy was out of Pepper-Up Potion, so I came down to ask Severus to whip me up some," she explained. "I have not seen you around lately," Minerva pointed out.

"Oh, I've been spending time in the library and with Albus," Hermione lied. "When Severus comes back, could you tell him I was here? I was just checking up on his progress with the Polyjuice Potion."

"Oh, I see. Have you ever worked on one yourself? I know they are very difficult," Minerva said.

Hermione smiled at the older woman. "I brewed on once, but I was much younger."

Minerva scowled, "Students are not permitted to brew such potions."

"Ah, well..."

"You brewed it illegally?" Minerva knowingly asked.

Hermione's eyes widened, "I would rather not say."

"Indeed," Minerva responded. "Severus must trust you a great deal if he is willing to allow you to help him with such a complicated potion."

"I think he's still feeling me out. He doesn't know what to make of me, I think," Hermione admitted.

Minerva thought about this for a moment. "It's not everyday that a lovely young woman waltzes into this place and converses with him. I'm certain that he doesn't know what to make of you. Severus has had some tough times these past few years."

Hermione nodded, remembering the Dark Mark. "Severus is very brave," she said. "I saw him the night he returned from..." she stopped mid-sentence.

"It is all right, my dear. I know about the Dark Mark. You must understand something," Minerva said, but paused and thought about her next words. "Severus is in a very bad position right now. He's trying to make things right and it might be killing him."

Hermione's eyes widened. She never realized that Severus had been double agent for so long. It completely changed her opinion of the Potions Master in a matter of seconds. "He is a constant mystery to me."

Minerva gave her a warm smile. "He probably feels the same way about you. I think your presence has been good for him."

"Oh, please don't say that," Hermione pleaded. "I'm afraid that my visit with Albus is almost over."

"You'll be leaving us soon?"

"In more ways than one," Hermione mumbled. Minerva looked at her curiously and Hermione sighed. "I would prefer to leave without him noticing."

"I highly doubt that you could pull that off," Minerva said sincerely.

Both women started when the clock on the wall chimed midnight. "Oh dear," Minerva whispered.

"I should go," Hermione said. "Please tell him that I stopped by. I hope you feel better," she said as she headed for the door.

"Thank you," Minerva rasped.

Hermione opened the door then snapped her fingers, remembering something. "Minerva, I wanted to ask about..." Hermione had turned back around to the older witch. "Oh Merlin! Minerva, your hair!"

Minerva's eyes widened as she touched her hair. The greying hair was flying in all directions, coming out of its normally secure bun. She gasped as if in pain and covered her face. She turned around, half hunched over as Hermione approached. "You need to leave," Minerva ordered, her voice raspy.

"Minerva, you're ill!" Hermione insisted, resting a hand on Minerva's black clad back. Hermione gasped in shock as she felt a rippling down Minerva's spine. Hermione pulled her hand away as Minerva's body convulsed for a moment then relaxed. "Minerva?"

"Leave," came the whispered voice.

Hermione froze. She leaned forward on the student table, her knees shaking. "Oh my..." her head whipped around and she peered into the back room where Severus brewed many of his potions. Hermione saw the smoking cauldron then turned back. "Severus?" she whispered.

The black clad body shuddered once then slumped forward, leaning on another table. "You didn't," she whispered. "Tell me you didn't!" she begged.

"I had to test it," he said, refusing to face her. "I didn't think anyone was going to be coming down here."

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "Why didn't you just tell me when I first came in? I came down here to see how your progress was."

Severus slowly turned and looked her in the eyes. "I was going to, but then when you started talking to her, I thought you'd rather talk to Minerva than me."

Hermione smiled wryly then let out a short laugh. "You know... I thought her robes looked a little out of place."

Severus scowled. "I thought you had me figured out when you told me I sounded sick."

Hermione sighed again. "We're really having trouble with this trust and truth thing, Severus."

"Are you really leaving, Mia?" he asked. He walked around to her side of the table and looked down at her.

Hermione nodded and looked up at him. "I have a lot to get back to at home."

"Will I ever see you again?" he asked, resting a hand on the table and leaning closer to her.

"I hope so," she whispered, thinking about what the future Severus was going to say.

"I've never been a pleasant or kind person," he admitted. "Maybe it's that book you like that's made me think, but I think it's something else." Severus leaned down closer to her. As he bent his head toward her, Hemione turned her face away. "Mia?" he whispered in her ear.

"I can't," she whispered. "It's so complicated."

Severus sighed and let his head fall forward to rest in the crook of her neck. "No one ever said love wasn't complicated," he said softly.

"Oh, no," Hermione said with a strangled sob and put her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her hair. His arms wound around her waist and pulled her against his body.

"Whenever I'm near you, I forget who I am. I forget about this," he rasped, pulling back and exposing his arm. They both gasped as they saw the mark burning reddish-black on his forearm.

"No! You can't!" Hermione exclaimed, grabbing hold of the fabric of his robes. "You can't go!"

Severus stared at her. "This is about tomorrow night, isn't it," he growled. "You have to tell me!" He grasped her by the arms.

"I can't," she screamed back.

"Mia, innocent people are going to die!" he said, shaking her.

"More will die if she does tell." Severus turned to see Albus standing in the doorway. Severus relaxed his grip on Hermione but did not let her go. "Severus, you must trust her judgment."

Severus turned back to Hermione. They stared at each other for long moments. "Trust yourself to make the right decision," Hermione said.

"You're a seer," Severus said.

"No," Hermione said. His long fingers rubbed the flesh and muscles in her arms.

Albus laid a hand on Severus' shoulder. "You are not going in blind. Trust your instincts."

As Severus stared at the older wizard, he felt a soft hand rest on his cheek. Albus nodded and left the room. Severus turned back to Hermione. "I won't ask you to wait for me," she said, "because I know it will be a very long wait." Hermione let her hand fall back to her side.

"I don't understand," he said. She shook her head, refusing to tell him. "Mia, make me understand!" He placed his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look up at him again.

The mark on his arm continued to burn. Hermione felt her tears spill from her eyes, down her cheeks and through his fingers. Hermione reached up and gripped Severus' wrists. "Of all the things I want in this world, there's nothing I want more then to tell you everything. But, Albus is right. You just have to trust your instincts and be... just be..." Severus leaned down and gently kissed her lips. Severus pulled back and Hermione searched his eyes. "Just be the man I love," she whispered. Hermione leaned up and kissed him once more, then stepped out of his embrace and walked towards the door.

Severus leaned against the student table and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Will you be here when I get back when I return?" he asked.

Hermione paused in the doorway. She reached into the pocket of her robes and felt for the time-turner. She pulled it out and bit her lip when she saw how little sand there was left in the top chamber. She shook her head; it hadn't been like that a few hours ago. She had to get to Albus. "Only time will tell," she said.

Severus opened his eyes but when he turned around, he was greeted only with the sound of her retreating footsteps.

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End Chapter 3
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I want to take a few minutes to thank those of you who have been following along and reviewing!
Thanks so much to Nicolette, sq, Orenda, Serenity Raye, Katie, Ultimate Creed Fan, lost-in-my-thoughts, and Athena

Veritas Scriptor- I'm glad you couldn't figure out where you were going with your review! Because.. whatever you're thinking.. think again! Glad you liked the Dogma reference!

Leigh- It makes me feel very.. good that you've been inspired to write. Please let me know if you ever post your SS/HG fic!

Ezmereleda- That was my favorite outtake too ;) and I'm sorry.. but the tension in this is only going to get worse!

OzRatbag2- the whole "don't bugger up the future by playing with the past" is a big pet peeve of mine in time travel pieces. Thanks for the kind words, I wish I was getting more reviews too.. I think it has something to do with the whole "FanFic Elitist" movement.. but let's not go into that here!

Thanks to everyone else for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Check out my LiveJournal, my name is StarGazr1152
Please review!!