Dum di dum…..

She passed through the infirmary and walked towards the exit when she suddenly saw a movement. She stopped and turned towards the beds.

Two figures were lying there. A boy and a girl. She walked closer until she was standing near the young man. She sat down on the edge of the bed and watched him. He was good looking and somehow, he seemed familiar.

Arden stirred. He had a major headache. He wondered what had happened. His eyelids fluttered and he raised his hand to his head. He started to rise up but a gentle hand stopped his movements.

His eyes opened properly to see who had stopped him.

"Mum. What happened?" He asked, still groggy.

Hermione was dumb struck. Mum? What the hell?

"You must be very confused. I'm not your Mother. What's your name?"

That sentence got him highly alert.

He raised up and leaned the upper part of his body against the bed head.

Arden observed his mother closely. Something wasn't right. This was his mother and yet she wasn't. This woman was much younger than his mother was.

"Arden. My name is Arden." He gave her a weak smile.

She smiled back.

"I'm Hermione Granger. I'm the head girl of Hogwarts. You and your friend appeared here yesterday and …"

"Friend?"

Hermione made a gesture to the bed next to him. Arden's head snapped around.

"Savannah. What happened to her? Is she all right?" He wanted to stand up but Hermione stopped him.

"She is all right, Arden. But she is still sleeping." He visibly relaxed. Hermione studied him for a moment before she stood up. She started to say something when Madam Pomfrey entered the room.

"Oh dear, you are awake. I will go and alert the Headmaster. Miss Granger, would you please stay with our guests?"

Hermione nodded but Madam Pomfrey didn't wait for her to approve. She had already left the room.

"So who are you?" Hermione asked, sitting down on a chair.

"I'm Arden."

"Smart ass. You know very well what I mean. Where did you come from?"

"What year is it?" Arden asked curiously. He was starting to guess what had happened. It seemed to be obvious that Savannah and he had somehow made a time travel. The only thing he wasn't sure of was how. How could they have traveled so far back in time?

"What year?" Before she could answer any further, Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape re-entered the room.

"Ahh, Miss Granger. It was very kind from you to entertain our guest. But I assume that your head girl duties are calling," Dumbledore said cheerily.

Hermione smiled. What a nice way of getting rid of me, she thought.

"Of course, Headmaster." She turned to Arden.

"It was nice to meet you, Arden."

He smiled at her and bent his head lightly.

"The pleasure was all mine, Hermione."

She turned around and walked towards the door. As she passed by Professor Snape she shot a quick look at him. He stared straight ahead, ignoring her, so she left, not looking back. If she had looked back she would have seen the heated gaze which followed her to the door.

"I see that you already found a friend in our Head girl," Albus said to Arden.

"She was so kind to keep me company, Professor Dumbledore."

Albus raised an eyebrow at that.

"Maybe it is time to tell us what happened to you."

Arden nodded.

"I was attending the last test of my N.E.W.T.S. when something went horribly wrong. Payton - my sister- Savannah –he nodded towards the other bed - and I were paired up for potions. I don't know what happened exactly. One moment I was adding dragon blood into my potion and the next thing I knew I was waking up here with Mu …. I mean, with Hermione sitting right beside me," Arden ended lamely.

Snape took a step forward.

"Potions? You had an accident in potions. What kind of potion were you trying to prepare?"

"I was preparing a charming potion, Professor Snape."

Snape shook his head. That was such an easy potion. Only someone like Neville Longbottom could screw a potion like that up. Dunderhead!

"Only one error would not be enough to cause an accident like this. You must have made several," he sneered.

Arden's eyes darkened.

"I can assure you, Professor Snape, that I didn't screw up this potion. It was an easy one. Potions is my best subject!"

Snape started to say something when Albus interrupted them.

"Well, well. You said that you were just finishing your N.E.W.T.S. Which year was it?"

Arden inhaled deeply. "We come from the year 2017."

Albus and Snape gasped. No one in the history of magic had traveled so far back, to his or her knowledge.

"Well you have travelled back 20 years in time, my dear boy," Albus said.

Arden nodded.

"I guessed that already, Headmaster."

"We need to find a way to return you as soon as possible," Snape immediately said.

"How did you figure it out," Albus asked curiously.

Arden swallowed. He knew that he needed to tell someone who he and Savannah were.

"You see, my full name is Arden Nathaniel Snape."

"I beg your pardon. I must have heard you incorrectly," Albus said.

"No, you haven't, Headmaster. I am the son of Severus Snape." He nodded in the direction of Snape, who stood there, disbelief written on his face.

"That is impossible. I have no offspring."

"Not yet. But I will be born in about three years."

The boy smirked, Severus glared and Albus chuckled.

"I have not even considered having offspring, young man," he hissed.

"That may be right at this point in time, but my Mother changed your mind on that topic."

"Your mother? And who - if I may ask - is your mother?"

"I can't. That would cause too much trouble. But believe me when I say that you are happily married to my Mother and have been so for 19 years."

Severus started to say something when Albus interrupted him.

"The boy is right, Severus. The more we know the worse the consequences could be. In the meantime, you and Miss.."

"Malfoy. Savannah Malfoy."

Snape and Dumbledore looked surprised at each other.

A Snape and a Malfoy from the future? How fitting.

"You and Miss Malfoy will be our guests until we find a way to return you."

Arden nodded.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. But where will we stay?"

"In which Houses are you two?"

"Savannah and I are in Slytherin."

Snape nodded in approval. At least, his future son was a Slytherin.

"I suggest that you stay in our guest rooms. This will be the wisest choice. You should go back to sleep, Mr. Snape. You need the rest."

Arden smiled and laid back down.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

Albus smiled and turned around to speak with Snape, only to discover he had left.

Poor boy. He probably needs a little time to think this all over.

The headmaster looked once more at the already sleeping boy before he left the room as well.

---

Severus sat quietly in the sanctuary of his dungeons.

A son. I have a son. And a quite handsome one as well. That means if the boy is telling the truth, then I am a Father.

I had never imagined being a father. Will the war be over? Surely he wouldn't think about marriage and children otherwise. Marriage. Who would marry me, anyway? I'm a Death Eater. He poured himself another fire whiskey and stared into the fire. He swallowed it in one swallow, and poured another one.

When was the last time he had been with a woman who gave herself freely to him? Happily married after all.

He couldn't believe it.

He rested his head and closed his eyes. He was feeling so tired. Tired of this damn war. Tired of living a double life. Tired of lying and hiding. He just wanted this all to be over.

One hour later he had finished the whole bottle of fire whiskey and opened a new one which was half empty now.

Severus stood up. He went to the bathroom and released himself before he washed his hands and splashed cold water into his face. He grimaced at the thought that he still needed to control the floors. Although just a few students chose to stay at Hogwarts during the holidays he still needed to make his rounds.

He cleared his throat and smoothed his robes before he left the dungeons.