A/N: The world of Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I am just having fun
playing with her characters. This story is rated R for a reason. You have
been warned. I also have this story listed on Whispers, Adult Fan Fiction
and Lord and Lady Snape websites.. In case it gets deleted here.
Chapter Twenty-nine
"Sugar Quills!" Severus barked at the Gryffin guarding the entrance stairway to the Headmasters and Deputy Headmistress' offices. "Dumbledore's office," he told the staircase and it slowly wound itself round to the top level. Hermione banged on the door and it opened so that they could enter.
"Headmaster!" Hermione shouted as they rushed into his office and found no one there. Where were they? They looked frantically about.
"Hermione, Severus?" Albus asked from the upper level of the office, which lead to a rather impressive telescope and seating area with panoramic views.
"Albus, we have news." Hermione blurted out.
"I gathered that, my children. Would you care to share it with me?" Albus asked as he descended the steps to the lower level and approached them.
"Where's Callum?" Hermione asked glancing around and finding no evidence of any baby in the vicinity.
"He's fine, my dear," Albus said holding his hands up in a calming manner. "He is fast asleep. We have been practising his magic and he is quite worn out. Now, please tell me what has you so concerned."
"The book is not safe where it is, Headmaster. It cannot be restrained. It is only staying here as it thinks Hermione will go to it by the end of the year. If she does not claim it as hers it will leave to find a new owner." Severus tried to explain; it was very hard to think of something such as a book having the power to get up and leave somewhere if it desired to do so.
"I see," Albus said simply. Hermione just looked at him biting her lips nervously; she was somehow expecting so much more from the man. "What else did you find out?"
"The ingredients needed in order to make the potion that will hopefully allow us to destroy the book can only be found in Ancient Egypt." Hermione told him as he began to pace around his office.
"I see," he said again.
"Albus.what do you see?" Hermione exclaimed quite exasperated. Albus turned and grinned at her with a twinkle in his eyes.
"I see that you will have to obtain the ingredients by brewing the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion. This is the only possible way to open the book and hopefully, as you say, lead to a destruction of it." Albus replied.
"That's what Mr. Frontera said but I must confess, I expected you to have a different solution." Severus told him.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Severus. I'm sure if Hermione worked through the solution with her vast skills in Arithmancy she would also see this as the only option." Albus said as she grinned sheepishly; she had not decided to look at her own area of expertise, in any of this for some reason.
"I will of course check, Headmaster." Hermione replied.
"I know you will, my dear. Now, as the potion will not be ready for some weeks."
"Eight weeks, Albus." Severus told him quickly.
"Yes, I suggest you start as soon as you can. In the mean time, you have a little boy who would most likely prefer to sleep in his cot rather than on the settee under my telescope. I will get him for you." Albus told them as he ascended his stairs once again.
"Exactly what were you doing with our son, Albus?" Severus asked slightly amused and most definitely concerned as the Headmaster disappeared from view slightly.
"Oh, he seems to like colours and music so I taught him how to control those skills as best I could. He can change the colour of things rather well." Albus smiled fondly at them both. "I should warn you that he does not seem to be overly partial to black, Severus."
"He's only three months old, Albus. He doesn't even understand who he is yet let alone what magic actually is." Hermione said as she looked at her son sleeping quite soundly in the Headmaster's arms.
"Ah, but his magic seems to be quite instinctual. I feel he does have some concept of what he is doing." Albus handed Callum over to his parents. "It was fun for both of us at any rate and you should have no concerns as he is quite safe with me. I fed him just before he fell asleep so you should be in for a quiet afternoon and evening. Plenty of time to research Ancient Egyptian customs and possible ingredients you should collect I would think."
"Well, thank you, Albus. We do appreciate you watching him."
"Not at all, Hermione." Albus said with a twinkle in his eye as the small family left his office for their own chambers.
"Well, Severus. I suppose we should start our research if it is the Headmaster's desire that we go back in time." Hermione told him as he placed Callum in his bassinet and turned to face her.
"Hermione, confirm what he says with your equations. I tend to think the Headmaster is losing it with his old age." Severus told her and she smirked.
"Severus." He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "Okay, hand me some parchments and a quill, please."
"Here you go, love." He said as he stood over her as she started to work.
"Severus, this is going to take at least an hour to run through all of the possibilities. I suggest that you busy yourself researching Ancient Egyptian potion ingredients or something." She said waving him away from her so she could concentrate.
"I'll go and speak to Michael Creevy while you work. See you later, love." Severus said as he left their chambers and Hermione got to work.
Severus headed down to the staff room in search of the History of Magic professor but when he got there he was told that Michael was in his classroom preparing for the final exams. Heading off to the classroom Severus knocked on the wooden door. He couldn't' remember the last time he had been in the History of Magic classroom, most likely it would have been when he had been a seventh year student here himself. The door swung open and a happy "Hello, please come in," was heard from the back of the room.
Severus walked through the door and was immediately taken aback by the difference in the classroom. When he had been a student he had had to sit in rows of desks set out as in an exam hall and stare at four bare stone walls, as the ghost would drone on about some Goblin revolt in the twelfth century or something. Now he was met with an array of colourful posters, some Muggle and some Wizarding, which would act out prominent scenes in history. A timeline ran around the room of the milestones in the history of magic and underneath a Muggle version ran around the room indicating key moments in Muggle history. The desks where set into groups of four now so that it could give rise to discussions, and the whole room was simply an altogether more pleasant working environment.
"Professor Snape, what a pleasant surprise. Please come in and take a seat. Can I get you anything?" Michael asked as he stood up from his desk with a pile of books.
"No thank you, Professor Creevy." Severus said as he moved to look at a case of Muggle historical artefacts from the First and Second World Wars, and then at a case right next to it showing artefacts from the war with Grindelwald, which had occurred not long after.
"Please call me Michael, Professor Snape." Michael told him as he placed a couple of books back onto his bookcase.
"Then you must refer to me as Severus. Michael." Severus told him as he continued to browse. "I must say I am certainly impressed with what you have done to this room, Michael."
"Wow, thank you, Severus. It really means a lot for me to hear you say that." Michael said, quite gobsmacked.
"Not at all," Severus said turning to face the younger professor. "There is something I need you to help me with."
"Name it. I am at your service, Severus." Michael told him and Snape nodded.
"I am in need of any information regarding the Ancient Egyptians and namely the time period that Sekhmet inhabited."
"Oh? May I ask why?" Michael asked looking curious.
"It is to do with the Book of Shadows and our plans to destroy it. We have to go back in time in order to recover the ingredients we need in order to brew the potion. Obviously travelling in time will need for whomever goes back to be able to blend in completely." Severus explained.
"I understand," Michael nodded as he thought. "I do have a number of books which would help you. You need books regarding the third dynasty in the Old Kingdom. Let me dig them out for you." Michael moved to a door, which would undoubtedly lead to an office. "Feel free to look around some more, Severus. I shouldn't be too long."
"Thank you," Severus told him as he moved over to look at a miniature version of the Round Table with a mannequin of Merlin and another of Sir Lancelot. He assumed they would be brought to life in order to show the younger students this part of history in a more entertaining manner.
"Here you go, Severus." Michael said returning ten minutes later with a pile of books. "I have a mixture of Muggle texts and a couple of Wizarding books specifically about the reign of Sekhmet and Ptah. If you need me for anything else then just let me know. This period of history was always one of my favourites."
"Thank you, I'm sure these will be of great use. I must be going now." Severus said as he took the books and made his way to the door.
"No trouble, Severus." Michael called over his shoulder as he turned back to his bookcase.
~~*~~
"Albus is right, Severus." Hermione spoke up three hours after she had begun her calculations. Severus had returned to find her still absorbed in her work and so had checked on Callum before making them both a cup of tea and settling down to read the books he had obtained from Michael. He looked up at her with a grimace.
"Very well, love. I guess we now have only the one option then." Severus said, "and it's not an option I overly relish."
"Have you found anything of interest?" Hermione asked nodding towards the pile of books.
"Some things. Sekhmet was a very intelligent dark witch. She lived in the reign of Ptah, who was her husband. In fact they got married as the influence of Memphis, which is where they lived, grew across the land. So they were a very powerful couple and I would think highly respected and feared. This reign of Ptah was within Egypt's Old Kingdom, which spanned from the third to the sixth dynasties. Sekhmet herself lived in the third dynasty."
"So what is the actual time span for these dynasties, Severus." Hermione asked as she sat up straight to listen to him and stretch out her aching back.
"Let me see," he said flicking through one of the books he'd already read. "Here we go, 2686 to 2181bc. To put that into context for you this is the time that the old step-pyramids were being phased out or changed into the pyramids in existence today, and obviously about four to five thousand years ago." Severus told her and she nodded as it became a little clearer to her. "Now Sekhmet appears to have had her own cult following because she did not believe that the universe had been brought about by divine thought and speech as Egyptians in the Old Kingdom did. She had a strong following at Memphis, which is where her husband Ptah was ruler."
"So this Old Kingdom was preceded by what?" Hermione asked, cutting in again.
"Oh, the Archaic Period, and then after the Old Kingdom was the First Intermediate Period followed by the Middle Kingdom, Second Intermediate followed by the New Kingdom, Third Intermediate and then the Late Kingdom." Severus looked up from the book he was reading. "Now, as you already know Sekhmet was the goddess of epidemics and diseases and was the patron deity of doctors. She would send out her terrors into the population unless placated and worshipped by what she referred to as her people. Her inner cult followers took the name of The Secret Circle."
"Have you found anything to do with crops circles?" Hermione asked, quite intrigued by what she was hearing.
"Well, Memphis was a rural community and corn was a staple food for the Egyptians. However, no real reference to the crop circles unless you mean the name of her inner circle. if you remember, The 'Secret Circle' was a name of one of the Muggle books on crop circles."
"Yes," Hermione nodded.
"We need to start the time potion off. There's not a great deal to the brewing itself other than time. I will need to calculate the amount of ingredients needed though in order to transport the drinkers to the correct time frame." Severus told her, changing the subject slightly.
"I would assume the best time frame to go to would be at the height of Sekhmet's power. Do you agree, Severus?" Hermione asked just as Callum began to stir in his bassinet.
"Hmm. that might be dangerous but it would be the time that she would obviously have written the book so I do believe that it's the time that should be visited." Severus replied as Callum began to fuss a bit more.
"Right, then you start the potion off and I'll take a look through these books of Michael's, after I've fed Callum of course." Hermione said as Severus nodded and headed for the door that would lead down to his office.
"The first stage should only take an hour. I will see you in the hall for dinner." Severus said as he turned to face her again.
"Okay, have fun." Hermione said as she waved him goodbye and reached for the now crying baby.
~~*~~
"Did you find anything in the books, Hermione?" Severus asked as he took his seat next to her at the head table, stopping only briefly to look into Callum's empty basket and then along the line of teachers to find him bouncing up and down on Harry's knee quite happily.
"Well, no as a matter of fact. I didn't get the chance to as your son decided he wanted to play." Hermione told him as she tutted amusedly and couldn't stop herself from smiling.
"My son?" Severus asked raising his eyebrow in reply.
"Yes," she smiled. "How's the potion coming along?"
"Fine, the next stage will be in three days when it must be stirred ten times anti-clockwise." Severus said as he helped himself to potatoes and roast beef.
"That's all?" Hermione asked him incredulously as she started to eat again.
"Yes, I told you that the main problem with the potion is the timing and the length of time it takes to brew. It's quite simple otherwise." He told her.
"Okay, then the next thing we must do is research Ancient Egyptian potion ingredients." She said as she speared a potato with her fork.
"You forget the fact that we have final exams coming up, love. We have too much to do in that regard first." Severus told her.
"Very well, in three weeks the students will have finished exams and then we can devote all of our class time to our research." Hermione conceded with a sigh.
"Agreed," Severus said as he chewed on a mouthful of beef.
"Hey, 'Mione. When did you teach Callum to do magic?" Harry asked loudly and chuckled as people started to glance up in his direction and laugh themselves.
"Well, it certainly suits you, Harry." Hermione grinned as she noticed that Callum had turned Harry's usually black hair a bright shade of green. "Callum doesn't much like the colour black, or so I'm told." She told him, glancing to Albus who was chuckling merrily.
"Watch out then Severus. your son will be after you next." Harry warned.
"Its just as well I cast a protection spell on myself then isn't it, Potter?" Severus said as he grinned at his son who was babbling incoherently and smiling brightly. There had been many occasions when Severus had wanted to hex Harry Potter himself, he wouldn't have chosen one that would simply change hair colour though- but his son was certainly learning.
"I don't think Callum realises that his hair is black as yet either. I dread to think what he will do when he does." Hermione told them.
They finished their meal before heading back to their own chambers to continue on with their research into Ancient Egyptian customs and life under the rule of Ptah and Sekhmet.
~~*~~
Exams passed in a whirl and soon the school year was over and done with. The students had headed back to their own homes and Severus and Hermione were embarking on total research of Egyptian Potion ingredients from the ancient world and brewing of the Time potion. The potion would actually be finished in one week and then could only be used for up to three days after completion without the use of stasis spells.
Callum was now five months old and was able to pull himself upright on the furniture. He was just starting to take his first steps and was still very much intrigued with his ability to change the colours of whatever he wanted. Hermione had stopped breast-feeding and Callum was now starting to eat mashed up foods as well as having his milk.
Hermione and Severus had narrowed down three of the ingredients they would need to collect in order to brew the potion, which would open the Book of Shadows but the fourth one was pretty much eluding them. This fourth ingredient was the one, which was represented by the symbol for air. The other three ingredients were similar to ones they had already tried but with current day evolution and genetic manipulation, particular strains they had needed of specific plants had died out over the last four and half thousand years.
It had been decided that Hermione would travel back in time with Michael Creevy. They would only spend up to one week in the past before they could use the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion again, which would be under a stasis spell, and return back home. The potion would need to be altered in one way only; waterlilly extract would be added, which would negate the effects of the potion rendering it useless for time reversal and therefore take them back to the time of brewing.
Severus was going to stay in the present and look after Callum. This was decided upon because Hermione was feeling the call of the book all too often now and it was becoming quite hard to ignore. Also, one of Callum's parents had to stay and Hermione would simply blend in better with Michael in the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Michael was thrilled about being asked to go. He had studied Ancient Egypt in great depth and therefore was also an ideal choice.
It was the day before the potion would be ready to take Hermione and Michael back in time. School had already been out for five weeks and it was already the last week in August. Layton Frontera had been tried and deemed criminally insane and sentenced to life under to protection of St. Mungo's. Thankfully, Hermione had not needed to be at the trial; she couldn't stand to see Layton again in the state she had seen him in last. She was going to try to help Layton as soon as she could and did not need to be distracted right now.
The potion had simply required a full week of simmering in order to bring it to completion. Hermione and Severus had completed their lesson plans and set the new curriculae for their classes. Albus had decided that due to their staffing levels all of the teachers would return to teaching their own classes again- it would relieve some of the pressure at any rate.
Hermione had been spending as much time with her family as she could and they had visited Hermione's parents for a few days so that they could see Callum for the first time. It had been very hard to keep Callum from casting any magic in the Muggle world and Severus had had to mutter counter spells to many of his forays at colour changing.
Hermione had met with Michael on a number of occasions to run through plans of how they should act, what they should wear, where they could obtain the ingredients they would need and what to do if something went wrong. Hermione had decided that she would take a diary back in time with them and hide it in a place that would be accessible to Severus in the present. the future, where Hermione would be going. It had been hard to think of a place to hide the diary so that Severus would find it. They had decided that they would travel back in time to Hogwarts and leave it in the sub dungeons where the current Book of Shadows resided, before making a copy of the book and casting a communication spell with it and apparating off to Egypt. It was a complicated plan to understand, as all time travel seemed to be to Hermione but it would work. Hermione would write in the copied book and it would automatically be duplicated via the communication spell into the replicated diary in the Ancient Hogwarts sub-dungeons. Severus would find the book in the future and read it. a one-way communication system. perfect.
So, Michael and Hermione would leave first thing in the morning and would hopefully be back straight away according to Severus but in actual fact, one whole week after they had left since they would be spending time in the past.
It was Hermione's last night at home and after putting Callum to bed she and Severus had snuggled up together on the couch in front of a blazing fire.
"I will miss you, my love." Hermione whispered into Severus' ear as she lay next to him on the sofa. He tightened his embrace on her and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"I don't want you to go, Hermione. I can't bear the thought of being separated again." Severus told her almost pleading.
"It won't be for long and you will still have some communication from me with the diary." Hermione said gazing into his puppy-dog eyes and running her hand across his right cheek.
"It's not the same as speaking to you, holding you, making love to you." He said kissing her again and gazing into her eyes with a worried look on his face.
"Then we had best make the most of our time together tonight, Severus." She said as she wrapped one of her legs over both of his and turned so that her body was predominantly on top of his. She brushed his lips with her own and closed her eyes to savour the feeling.
Severus ran his hands down her back to cover her bottom and kissed her deeply as he pulled her into position so that she now covered his growing erection and could feel his need for her. She gasped as she felt the hardness through her robes and ground her hips against his.
"I love you, Severus. I don't want to be apart from you." She whispered against his lips as she looked deeply into his eyes.
"Then don't go," he pleaded as a hurt look came to his face. She sighed and shook her head as a tear came to her eye.
"I must, my love. I have to destroy this evil once and for all. Let me do this, Severus. You know I can't rest until it has been destroyed."
"Yes, I do know. I'm being selfish." Severus said quietly before being cut off.
"Not at all, Severus. We are married after all and I am asking you to let me travel into the past and away from you for a little while. I would be more than annoyed with you if you weren't asking me to stay." Hermione reassured him. He sighed heavily and rubbed her shoulders. "Look, Severus. I'll be back before you know it, only to me it will be a week and to you a matter of minutes."
"I know but if something does happen then I want you to know that I have brewed a second time potion and will come back for you." Severus tried to reassure her.
"Severus, you must look after Callum." Hermione insisted. "He needs at least one of his parents in his life. Don't waste your life coming after me if."
"Hermione, I beg you not to finish that sentence. I will come after you, I could not rest not knowing exactly what."
"No," she said placing a finger to his lips and silencing him. "Enough. I don't want to talk about this right now, Severus." Hermione said pushing herself up onto her elbows and staring down at him with a stern expression on her face. Severus was immediately quiet and there was silence in the room for a few moments as they both looked at one another.
"Come here," Severus growled in a low voice and pulled his wife back on top of him, immediately moving and rolling her onto her back. He kissed her deeply, slowly and passionately, probing her mouth with his tongue and tasting her mouth as his left arm held her back and his right hand wandered down to her bottom, caressing her as it went. She tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss and pulled him closer to her as she ran her hands up his back and into his hair. She raised her knees up to either side of his waste and pulled him closer to her, feeling his erection again and his weight pressed along the length of her body.
Severus groaned as his erection strained against his trousers and Hermione rubbed herself up against him. "Too many clothes," he whispered breathlessly as he broke from the searing kiss and tried to catch his breath.
"Easily sorted," Hermione told him before waving her wand and removing them of most of their clothing.
"Hermione, let's go to bed." Severus said huskily.
"No, Severus. Callum is still in our room. We can't do this with a baby right next to us."
"We'll draw the curtains round the bed and cast a one-way silencing charm." Severus told her as he pulled her towards their bedroom and she followed him quietly so as not to wake Callum on the way.
Chapter Twenty-nine
"Sugar Quills!" Severus barked at the Gryffin guarding the entrance stairway to the Headmasters and Deputy Headmistress' offices. "Dumbledore's office," he told the staircase and it slowly wound itself round to the top level. Hermione banged on the door and it opened so that they could enter.
"Headmaster!" Hermione shouted as they rushed into his office and found no one there. Where were they? They looked frantically about.
"Hermione, Severus?" Albus asked from the upper level of the office, which lead to a rather impressive telescope and seating area with panoramic views.
"Albus, we have news." Hermione blurted out.
"I gathered that, my children. Would you care to share it with me?" Albus asked as he descended the steps to the lower level and approached them.
"Where's Callum?" Hermione asked glancing around and finding no evidence of any baby in the vicinity.
"He's fine, my dear," Albus said holding his hands up in a calming manner. "He is fast asleep. We have been practising his magic and he is quite worn out. Now, please tell me what has you so concerned."
"The book is not safe where it is, Headmaster. It cannot be restrained. It is only staying here as it thinks Hermione will go to it by the end of the year. If she does not claim it as hers it will leave to find a new owner." Severus tried to explain; it was very hard to think of something such as a book having the power to get up and leave somewhere if it desired to do so.
"I see," Albus said simply. Hermione just looked at him biting her lips nervously; she was somehow expecting so much more from the man. "What else did you find out?"
"The ingredients needed in order to make the potion that will hopefully allow us to destroy the book can only be found in Ancient Egypt." Hermione told him as he began to pace around his office.
"I see," he said again.
"Albus.what do you see?" Hermione exclaimed quite exasperated. Albus turned and grinned at her with a twinkle in his eyes.
"I see that you will have to obtain the ingredients by brewing the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion. This is the only possible way to open the book and hopefully, as you say, lead to a destruction of it." Albus replied.
"That's what Mr. Frontera said but I must confess, I expected you to have a different solution." Severus told him.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Severus. I'm sure if Hermione worked through the solution with her vast skills in Arithmancy she would also see this as the only option." Albus said as she grinned sheepishly; she had not decided to look at her own area of expertise, in any of this for some reason.
"I will of course check, Headmaster." Hermione replied.
"I know you will, my dear. Now, as the potion will not be ready for some weeks."
"Eight weeks, Albus." Severus told him quickly.
"Yes, I suggest you start as soon as you can. In the mean time, you have a little boy who would most likely prefer to sleep in his cot rather than on the settee under my telescope. I will get him for you." Albus told them as he ascended his stairs once again.
"Exactly what were you doing with our son, Albus?" Severus asked slightly amused and most definitely concerned as the Headmaster disappeared from view slightly.
"Oh, he seems to like colours and music so I taught him how to control those skills as best I could. He can change the colour of things rather well." Albus smiled fondly at them both. "I should warn you that he does not seem to be overly partial to black, Severus."
"He's only three months old, Albus. He doesn't even understand who he is yet let alone what magic actually is." Hermione said as she looked at her son sleeping quite soundly in the Headmaster's arms.
"Ah, but his magic seems to be quite instinctual. I feel he does have some concept of what he is doing." Albus handed Callum over to his parents. "It was fun for both of us at any rate and you should have no concerns as he is quite safe with me. I fed him just before he fell asleep so you should be in for a quiet afternoon and evening. Plenty of time to research Ancient Egyptian customs and possible ingredients you should collect I would think."
"Well, thank you, Albus. We do appreciate you watching him."
"Not at all, Hermione." Albus said with a twinkle in his eye as the small family left his office for their own chambers.
"Well, Severus. I suppose we should start our research if it is the Headmaster's desire that we go back in time." Hermione told him as he placed Callum in his bassinet and turned to face her.
"Hermione, confirm what he says with your equations. I tend to think the Headmaster is losing it with his old age." Severus told her and she smirked.
"Severus." He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "Okay, hand me some parchments and a quill, please."
"Here you go, love." He said as he stood over her as she started to work.
"Severus, this is going to take at least an hour to run through all of the possibilities. I suggest that you busy yourself researching Ancient Egyptian potion ingredients or something." She said waving him away from her so she could concentrate.
"I'll go and speak to Michael Creevy while you work. See you later, love." Severus said as he left their chambers and Hermione got to work.
Severus headed down to the staff room in search of the History of Magic professor but when he got there he was told that Michael was in his classroom preparing for the final exams. Heading off to the classroom Severus knocked on the wooden door. He couldn't' remember the last time he had been in the History of Magic classroom, most likely it would have been when he had been a seventh year student here himself. The door swung open and a happy "Hello, please come in," was heard from the back of the room.
Severus walked through the door and was immediately taken aback by the difference in the classroom. When he had been a student he had had to sit in rows of desks set out as in an exam hall and stare at four bare stone walls, as the ghost would drone on about some Goblin revolt in the twelfth century or something. Now he was met with an array of colourful posters, some Muggle and some Wizarding, which would act out prominent scenes in history. A timeline ran around the room of the milestones in the history of magic and underneath a Muggle version ran around the room indicating key moments in Muggle history. The desks where set into groups of four now so that it could give rise to discussions, and the whole room was simply an altogether more pleasant working environment.
"Professor Snape, what a pleasant surprise. Please come in and take a seat. Can I get you anything?" Michael asked as he stood up from his desk with a pile of books.
"No thank you, Professor Creevy." Severus said as he moved to look at a case of Muggle historical artefacts from the First and Second World Wars, and then at a case right next to it showing artefacts from the war with Grindelwald, which had occurred not long after.
"Please call me Michael, Professor Snape." Michael told him as he placed a couple of books back onto his bookcase.
"Then you must refer to me as Severus. Michael." Severus told him as he continued to browse. "I must say I am certainly impressed with what you have done to this room, Michael."
"Wow, thank you, Severus. It really means a lot for me to hear you say that." Michael said, quite gobsmacked.
"Not at all," Severus said turning to face the younger professor. "There is something I need you to help me with."
"Name it. I am at your service, Severus." Michael told him and Snape nodded.
"I am in need of any information regarding the Ancient Egyptians and namely the time period that Sekhmet inhabited."
"Oh? May I ask why?" Michael asked looking curious.
"It is to do with the Book of Shadows and our plans to destroy it. We have to go back in time in order to recover the ingredients we need in order to brew the potion. Obviously travelling in time will need for whomever goes back to be able to blend in completely." Severus explained.
"I understand," Michael nodded as he thought. "I do have a number of books which would help you. You need books regarding the third dynasty in the Old Kingdom. Let me dig them out for you." Michael moved to a door, which would undoubtedly lead to an office. "Feel free to look around some more, Severus. I shouldn't be too long."
"Thank you," Severus told him as he moved over to look at a miniature version of the Round Table with a mannequin of Merlin and another of Sir Lancelot. He assumed they would be brought to life in order to show the younger students this part of history in a more entertaining manner.
"Here you go, Severus." Michael said returning ten minutes later with a pile of books. "I have a mixture of Muggle texts and a couple of Wizarding books specifically about the reign of Sekhmet and Ptah. If you need me for anything else then just let me know. This period of history was always one of my favourites."
"Thank you, I'm sure these will be of great use. I must be going now." Severus said as he took the books and made his way to the door.
"No trouble, Severus." Michael called over his shoulder as he turned back to his bookcase.
~~*~~
"Albus is right, Severus." Hermione spoke up three hours after she had begun her calculations. Severus had returned to find her still absorbed in her work and so had checked on Callum before making them both a cup of tea and settling down to read the books he had obtained from Michael. He looked up at her with a grimace.
"Very well, love. I guess we now have only the one option then." Severus said, "and it's not an option I overly relish."
"Have you found anything of interest?" Hermione asked nodding towards the pile of books.
"Some things. Sekhmet was a very intelligent dark witch. She lived in the reign of Ptah, who was her husband. In fact they got married as the influence of Memphis, which is where they lived, grew across the land. So they were a very powerful couple and I would think highly respected and feared. This reign of Ptah was within Egypt's Old Kingdom, which spanned from the third to the sixth dynasties. Sekhmet herself lived in the third dynasty."
"So what is the actual time span for these dynasties, Severus." Hermione asked as she sat up straight to listen to him and stretch out her aching back.
"Let me see," he said flicking through one of the books he'd already read. "Here we go, 2686 to 2181bc. To put that into context for you this is the time that the old step-pyramids were being phased out or changed into the pyramids in existence today, and obviously about four to five thousand years ago." Severus told her and she nodded as it became a little clearer to her. "Now Sekhmet appears to have had her own cult following because she did not believe that the universe had been brought about by divine thought and speech as Egyptians in the Old Kingdom did. She had a strong following at Memphis, which is where her husband Ptah was ruler."
"So this Old Kingdom was preceded by what?" Hermione asked, cutting in again.
"Oh, the Archaic Period, and then after the Old Kingdom was the First Intermediate Period followed by the Middle Kingdom, Second Intermediate followed by the New Kingdom, Third Intermediate and then the Late Kingdom." Severus looked up from the book he was reading. "Now, as you already know Sekhmet was the goddess of epidemics and diseases and was the patron deity of doctors. She would send out her terrors into the population unless placated and worshipped by what she referred to as her people. Her inner cult followers took the name of The Secret Circle."
"Have you found anything to do with crops circles?" Hermione asked, quite intrigued by what she was hearing.
"Well, Memphis was a rural community and corn was a staple food for the Egyptians. However, no real reference to the crop circles unless you mean the name of her inner circle. if you remember, The 'Secret Circle' was a name of one of the Muggle books on crop circles."
"Yes," Hermione nodded.
"We need to start the time potion off. There's not a great deal to the brewing itself other than time. I will need to calculate the amount of ingredients needed though in order to transport the drinkers to the correct time frame." Severus told her, changing the subject slightly.
"I would assume the best time frame to go to would be at the height of Sekhmet's power. Do you agree, Severus?" Hermione asked just as Callum began to stir in his bassinet.
"Hmm. that might be dangerous but it would be the time that she would obviously have written the book so I do believe that it's the time that should be visited." Severus replied as Callum began to fuss a bit more.
"Right, then you start the potion off and I'll take a look through these books of Michael's, after I've fed Callum of course." Hermione said as Severus nodded and headed for the door that would lead down to his office.
"The first stage should only take an hour. I will see you in the hall for dinner." Severus said as he turned to face her again.
"Okay, have fun." Hermione said as she waved him goodbye and reached for the now crying baby.
~~*~~
"Did you find anything in the books, Hermione?" Severus asked as he took his seat next to her at the head table, stopping only briefly to look into Callum's empty basket and then along the line of teachers to find him bouncing up and down on Harry's knee quite happily.
"Well, no as a matter of fact. I didn't get the chance to as your son decided he wanted to play." Hermione told him as she tutted amusedly and couldn't stop herself from smiling.
"My son?" Severus asked raising his eyebrow in reply.
"Yes," she smiled. "How's the potion coming along?"
"Fine, the next stage will be in three days when it must be stirred ten times anti-clockwise." Severus said as he helped himself to potatoes and roast beef.
"That's all?" Hermione asked him incredulously as she started to eat again.
"Yes, I told you that the main problem with the potion is the timing and the length of time it takes to brew. It's quite simple otherwise." He told her.
"Okay, then the next thing we must do is research Ancient Egyptian potion ingredients." She said as she speared a potato with her fork.
"You forget the fact that we have final exams coming up, love. We have too much to do in that regard first." Severus told her.
"Very well, in three weeks the students will have finished exams and then we can devote all of our class time to our research." Hermione conceded with a sigh.
"Agreed," Severus said as he chewed on a mouthful of beef.
"Hey, 'Mione. When did you teach Callum to do magic?" Harry asked loudly and chuckled as people started to glance up in his direction and laugh themselves.
"Well, it certainly suits you, Harry." Hermione grinned as she noticed that Callum had turned Harry's usually black hair a bright shade of green. "Callum doesn't much like the colour black, or so I'm told." She told him, glancing to Albus who was chuckling merrily.
"Watch out then Severus. your son will be after you next." Harry warned.
"Its just as well I cast a protection spell on myself then isn't it, Potter?" Severus said as he grinned at his son who was babbling incoherently and smiling brightly. There had been many occasions when Severus had wanted to hex Harry Potter himself, he wouldn't have chosen one that would simply change hair colour though- but his son was certainly learning.
"I don't think Callum realises that his hair is black as yet either. I dread to think what he will do when he does." Hermione told them.
They finished their meal before heading back to their own chambers to continue on with their research into Ancient Egyptian customs and life under the rule of Ptah and Sekhmet.
~~*~~
Exams passed in a whirl and soon the school year was over and done with. The students had headed back to their own homes and Severus and Hermione were embarking on total research of Egyptian Potion ingredients from the ancient world and brewing of the Time potion. The potion would actually be finished in one week and then could only be used for up to three days after completion without the use of stasis spells.
Callum was now five months old and was able to pull himself upright on the furniture. He was just starting to take his first steps and was still very much intrigued with his ability to change the colours of whatever he wanted. Hermione had stopped breast-feeding and Callum was now starting to eat mashed up foods as well as having his milk.
Hermione and Severus had narrowed down three of the ingredients they would need to collect in order to brew the potion, which would open the Book of Shadows but the fourth one was pretty much eluding them. This fourth ingredient was the one, which was represented by the symbol for air. The other three ingredients were similar to ones they had already tried but with current day evolution and genetic manipulation, particular strains they had needed of specific plants had died out over the last four and half thousand years.
It had been decided that Hermione would travel back in time with Michael Creevy. They would only spend up to one week in the past before they could use the Tempus Fugit Aversus Potion again, which would be under a stasis spell, and return back home. The potion would need to be altered in one way only; waterlilly extract would be added, which would negate the effects of the potion rendering it useless for time reversal and therefore take them back to the time of brewing.
Severus was going to stay in the present and look after Callum. This was decided upon because Hermione was feeling the call of the book all too often now and it was becoming quite hard to ignore. Also, one of Callum's parents had to stay and Hermione would simply blend in better with Michael in the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Michael was thrilled about being asked to go. He had studied Ancient Egypt in great depth and therefore was also an ideal choice.
It was the day before the potion would be ready to take Hermione and Michael back in time. School had already been out for five weeks and it was already the last week in August. Layton Frontera had been tried and deemed criminally insane and sentenced to life under to protection of St. Mungo's. Thankfully, Hermione had not needed to be at the trial; she couldn't stand to see Layton again in the state she had seen him in last. She was going to try to help Layton as soon as she could and did not need to be distracted right now.
The potion had simply required a full week of simmering in order to bring it to completion. Hermione and Severus had completed their lesson plans and set the new curriculae for their classes. Albus had decided that due to their staffing levels all of the teachers would return to teaching their own classes again- it would relieve some of the pressure at any rate.
Hermione had been spending as much time with her family as she could and they had visited Hermione's parents for a few days so that they could see Callum for the first time. It had been very hard to keep Callum from casting any magic in the Muggle world and Severus had had to mutter counter spells to many of his forays at colour changing.
Hermione had met with Michael on a number of occasions to run through plans of how they should act, what they should wear, where they could obtain the ingredients they would need and what to do if something went wrong. Hermione had decided that she would take a diary back in time with them and hide it in a place that would be accessible to Severus in the present. the future, where Hermione would be going. It had been hard to think of a place to hide the diary so that Severus would find it. They had decided that they would travel back in time to Hogwarts and leave it in the sub dungeons where the current Book of Shadows resided, before making a copy of the book and casting a communication spell with it and apparating off to Egypt. It was a complicated plan to understand, as all time travel seemed to be to Hermione but it would work. Hermione would write in the copied book and it would automatically be duplicated via the communication spell into the replicated diary in the Ancient Hogwarts sub-dungeons. Severus would find the book in the future and read it. a one-way communication system. perfect.
So, Michael and Hermione would leave first thing in the morning and would hopefully be back straight away according to Severus but in actual fact, one whole week after they had left since they would be spending time in the past.
It was Hermione's last night at home and after putting Callum to bed she and Severus had snuggled up together on the couch in front of a blazing fire.
"I will miss you, my love." Hermione whispered into Severus' ear as she lay next to him on the sofa. He tightened his embrace on her and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"I don't want you to go, Hermione. I can't bear the thought of being separated again." Severus told her almost pleading.
"It won't be for long and you will still have some communication from me with the diary." Hermione said gazing into his puppy-dog eyes and running her hand across his right cheek.
"It's not the same as speaking to you, holding you, making love to you." He said kissing her again and gazing into her eyes with a worried look on his face.
"Then we had best make the most of our time together tonight, Severus." She said as she wrapped one of her legs over both of his and turned so that her body was predominantly on top of his. She brushed his lips with her own and closed her eyes to savour the feeling.
Severus ran his hands down her back to cover her bottom and kissed her deeply as he pulled her into position so that she now covered his growing erection and could feel his need for her. She gasped as she felt the hardness through her robes and ground her hips against his.
"I love you, Severus. I don't want to be apart from you." She whispered against his lips as she looked deeply into his eyes.
"Then don't go," he pleaded as a hurt look came to his face. She sighed and shook her head as a tear came to her eye.
"I must, my love. I have to destroy this evil once and for all. Let me do this, Severus. You know I can't rest until it has been destroyed."
"Yes, I do know. I'm being selfish." Severus said quietly before being cut off.
"Not at all, Severus. We are married after all and I am asking you to let me travel into the past and away from you for a little while. I would be more than annoyed with you if you weren't asking me to stay." Hermione reassured him. He sighed heavily and rubbed her shoulders. "Look, Severus. I'll be back before you know it, only to me it will be a week and to you a matter of minutes."
"I know but if something does happen then I want you to know that I have brewed a second time potion and will come back for you." Severus tried to reassure her.
"Severus, you must look after Callum." Hermione insisted. "He needs at least one of his parents in his life. Don't waste your life coming after me if."
"Hermione, I beg you not to finish that sentence. I will come after you, I could not rest not knowing exactly what."
"No," she said placing a finger to his lips and silencing him. "Enough. I don't want to talk about this right now, Severus." Hermione said pushing herself up onto her elbows and staring down at him with a stern expression on her face. Severus was immediately quiet and there was silence in the room for a few moments as they both looked at one another.
"Come here," Severus growled in a low voice and pulled his wife back on top of him, immediately moving and rolling her onto her back. He kissed her deeply, slowly and passionately, probing her mouth with his tongue and tasting her mouth as his left arm held her back and his right hand wandered down to her bottom, caressing her as it went. She tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss and pulled him closer to her as she ran her hands up his back and into his hair. She raised her knees up to either side of his waste and pulled him closer to her, feeling his erection again and his weight pressed along the length of her body.
Severus groaned as his erection strained against his trousers and Hermione rubbed herself up against him. "Too many clothes," he whispered breathlessly as he broke from the searing kiss and tried to catch his breath.
"Easily sorted," Hermione told him before waving her wand and removing them of most of their clothing.
"Hermione, let's go to bed." Severus said huskily.
"No, Severus. Callum is still in our room. We can't do this with a baby right next to us."
"We'll draw the curtains round the bed and cast a one-way silencing charm." Severus told her as he pulled her towards their bedroom and she followed him quietly so as not to wake Callum on the way.