A/N: Not mine, and yes, it sucks! I know a few of me want to post faster… but my server is down! I have to send the chapters to my friend to post for me (Hello all, I'm Ann!) so until it's fixed, the up-dates will most likely be spaced a bit. But I'm trying my hardest to stick to the three days or less….

Also, I heard your not allowed to have lyrics anymore? If that's the case, I might have to edit my story (sighs) I guess this place doesn't like me very much….

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Each sour word,

sounds so absurd-

but lingers in the air.

while happiness-

-in an ashen dress-

fades into the years.

each lonely hour

my heart has slept,

has drifted back to me.

a splintered dream,

of awful things,

that now have come to be.

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Hermione found it rather hard to fall asleep on a bed set in the middle of Snapes classroom. She lay there for several minutes before she got up and started pacing. She knew deep down she needed to remember...

(Flashback 1)

It had been a late, sticky summers' night. Hermione, as usual, couldn't sleep- full of her worries for The Order and Harry. The Dark Side was steadily growing larger and larger by the day. Fudge had resigned, and the bloke who replaced him barely knew what he was doing either.

She didn't bother waking Ginny, who was sleeping peacefully on the other side of their room. She was well aware of Hermione's fears that they'd be discovered, for each night they shared their fresh worries and wonders of what could and possibly would happen.

Instead, she removed the thin sheets of her bed and began to pace the room. She had already read her course books 2ce and saw no reason to use them as a distraction. She was well past bottling her emotions inside of herself.

The time passed slowly. 1:01 AM, 1:02.. Hermione doubted her legs would be able to pace for much longer. Though her mind was wide-awake, her body was hopelessly tired. Still after 2 summers of cleaning, headquarters needed to be cleaned constantly.

She was just contemplating going back to bed when footsteps- which seemed to come right outside her door- stopped her dead in her tracks.

" Molly dear, please don't be afraid...Dumbledore just wants us to stay here a bit longer... we're safe as long as he's our secret keeper.."

"Arthur- everyone thought that Harry's family were safe as well, and look what happened to them.." it was Mrs. Weasley, and she seemed to be crying in the lowest voice possible.

They stopped walking. Hermione tried moving closer to the door, but her legs felt like they were stuck in cement. Rooted to the spot, she stood and listened in horror.

" Molly dear, if you don't trust that Snape is telling the truth, at least see sense and believe Dumbledore. The Order is safer now than it was 17 years ago. And Pettigrew isn't our secret Keeper.. we have Dumbledore. There is nothing for us to be afraid of.."

His voice trailed off, and Hermione had a strange feeling Mr. Weasley didn't believe the words coming from his own mouth.

The floorboards outside her room creaked, and for a moment Hermione thought that they had continued walking. However, someone seemed to be talking in a muffled voice- as if speaking from the embrace of another person.

" Shh, Shh... Molly, everything is going to be OK. Ron and Ginny will be safe at Hogwarts not knowing... and Bill and Percy can take care of themselves.. Charlie is on his way to Headquarters, and the twins are arriving tomorrow morning... I won't let anything happen to our children.."

There were more sobs and then they definitely walked off, floorboards creaking and a door being shut a few moments later.

Hermione shuttered. She remembered the night as if it were only the night before. And then there was the day before the start of term.. the only year out of her 7, where the Weasley's failed to bring them to the train station.

( Flashback 2)

" No, Ron, afraid we can't see you off this year," Mr. Weasley lifted a hand onto his son's shoulder, who was now taller than him. " We have important matters that must be taken care of immediately. As I was saying...hurry along...the Ministry will be here any moment to collect you..."

Ron had stalked off, going to the kitchen to retrieve his trunk. Mrs. Weasley and Ron emerged a moment later, Molly crying softly into a handkerchief.

" Oh Mum," said Ginny trying to smile but looking sadly at her mother as she embraced her , " you'd think we were leaving you forever.."

" Please, please, behave yourself. And you too Ron, Harry- Hermione-" she hugged them all in turn and Hermione looked close to tears as Mrs. Weasley hugged her the longest. " Take care of him, will you?" she whispered, unfortunately loud enough for the rest to hear. Ron's ears turned red.

"Of course," said Hermione, trying to smile as she let go and went to gather her trunk.

The memories made Hermione wince. The clues had all been there, and she had so many times to tell Ron the fate that was waiting for the Weasley's the moment they let their guard down.

She looked around the room desperately, trying to think of a way out of this mess. She knew she had to go through with everything, but she had to leave herself something...a clue...

And then it hit her, it was so, so simple.. but would it work?

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Snape entered the room, carefully carrying a goblet filled with thick purple liquid. His nose was wrinkled, as if it smelled horrible. A moment later and Hermione smelt that it was.

"Lay down, but keep your neck up. I don't need you drowning yourself," he instructed, handing her the goblet. She pinched her nose, not wanting to smell the awful potion. It reminded her of burning rubber.

"Whenever your ready. You'll awake when I'm finished." He stared at her, indicating to start drinking.

'Cheers,' she thought bitterly to herself as she downed the potion. It tasted like paper, and she immediately felt drowsy. Snape reached out a hand and pushed her back against the pillow, watching her closely. Another minute and her eyelids fluttered shut, hand clutched around the empty goblet.

Snape took the empty cup from her hand and placed it upon his desk, when something caught his eye. Dancing silver light from the door of his office...

Severus looked to the bed where Hermione was sleeping soundlessly. He watched her chest as it fell up and down in rhythm. It couldn't hurt to know things that already happened...

Snape slowly walked over to his office, feeling somewhat guilty at what he was about to do .. but his curiosity was mounting all the same .. what would the know-it-all Granger not want him to see?

He reached his desk, fingering the black stone gently with his forefinger. It was extremely cold. He shivered, and very carefully, pulled out his wand and swirled the contents about.

He was looking into the Gryffindors boys' dormitories. Harry and Ron were sitting on their beds, talking about-

" -that slimy git," snarled Ron's voice, barely in a whisper, though it looked as if he were shouting. " two rolls of parchment! At this rate we wont have any time for Quidditch practice! What's wrong with Snape anyway?"

Severus couldn't hear Harry's response, and - forgetting to science of the pensieve- pressed his ear to the silver substance.

He lurched downward, in great surprise, and fell softly onto a third bed, just as Hermione arrived with Crookshanks in her arms. His heart pounded uncomfortably against his ribcage, forgetting that they couldn't see him for a brief moment.

" What are you two moaning about now?" she asked smiling, bending down and kissing Ron on the cheek. They all looked slightly younger.

"Hey M'ione, where's my kiss?" asked Harry laughing. Hermione scolded him and Ron chuckled.

" Ha, me and Harry-"

" Harry and I-" corrected Hermione at once. Ron rolled his eyes.

" Harry and I," he corrected himself impatiently, knowing it was best not to argue. " Were just discussing the worlds biggest git." Hermione raised her eyes and Ron sighed. "take a wild guess smarty pants."

Hermione glanced at Ron and saw his Potions paper in his hands.

" Don't tell me your still complaining about that essay Ron, you could have finished it by now!"

Snape started to shake. He knew perfectly well that students disliked him, but actually hearing a conversation was more than he was bargaining for.

He waved his wand and the scene dissolved in front of him, replaced with the chamber he

had caught Ron and Hermione inside the night before. And sure enough-

The door burst open, Ron and Hermione kissing each other so wildly that they each had trouble breathing. Ron waved his wand, locking and silencing the door. Snape watched for a few more minutes, before Ron had started unbuttoning her robes, hearing them fell to her feet with a soft "flump".

Snape waved his wand through several more of these, some more graphic than others, and then he came to one which he himself remembered.

They were inside his classroom. And- yes- there we was entering through the door, silencing the students short moment of chatter without speaking a word. Snape smiled to himself at the control he had over his class.

" Malfoy, collect everyone's homework," he instructed, turning his back to the class and started rummaging through his desk for something.

Present day Snape followed closely behind Malfoy as his past self looked through his desk for something. Draco was handing the top Slytherin papers back to their owners while exchanging a joke here or there. And then he stopped at Hermione.

"Here you are mudblood," Malfoy laughed, dropping Hermione's 'E' into her cauldron, which was warming up. The paper burned quickly and Severus smelled the familiar scent of ash.

Hermione shook with rage but held her ground, making sure she didn't say or do anything that would make Malfoy retaliate. Draco seemed pissed that she wasn't getting her revenge, and he bent closer to her. Snape held his breath and leaned in.

" Cat got your tongue Granger?" he hissed, grabbing her chest tightly. Tears welled up inside Hermione's eyes and he left go, making her gasp in pain.

Snape realized at once that this wasn't the first time Malfoy has harassed Hermione by the way she dealt with it. He started to shake with rage, remembering the times that he had been picked on at school.

" Watch yourself Granger," Malfoy drawled, and stalked away.

A sudden pang of guilt filled Severus. He shouldn't be here. What if he saw something else...?

The scene had once again changed. He was inside a bedroom (Hermione's of course) and in the distance heard someone coming up stairs, and voices in the distance yelling very loud. Moments later, Hermione herself has entered her room, tears filling her eyes. And visible just through them.. what looked like a red hand print across one cheek. She couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 years old.

" I hate him!" she cried out to no one, flinging herself upon her stuffed animal infested bed.

Severus was forced to remember the painful memories of when his mother and father were fighting and how he always got his share. With one last look to the crying girl, he closed his eyes and felt himself floating upwards toward the ceiling. A moment later, he had appeared.

For a horrible second he pictured Hermione waiting for him, arms crossed, tears in her eyes. But, thankfully, when he opened his eyes, she was still sleeping peacefully on the bed. He sighed and felt somewhat disgusted with himself. And angry. He shouldn't have done that. but he had to know...

'Why though?' asked a voice inside his head. ' you don't care for the girl...'

He shook himself, unconvincingly, and set off to work.