September 19th brought a birthday party for Hermione in Hogsmeade's newest building. Minerva was suprised when she read Hermione's Playhouse on the sign. She turned to the group and noticed the guilty expression on James Potter's face. She raised her eyebrow and waited silently for an explanation. "Harry flashed the idea in my head," he argued. "You know I can't tell him no. Besides Lily and Remus wasn't around at the time to get me to see reason!"

Minerva snorted in disbelief. "And here I thought you were the next Lord Potter," she countered much to the group's amusement.

"Why does she still make me feel like a disobedient eleven year old," James whined.

"You still act like one," muttered Remus before turning towards Minerva. "When Lily discovered this," he gestured to the building, "She pulled James' over the top ideas back and created something truly amazing that all of the children can enjoy."

Minerva smiled before carrying Hermione into the building. She looked around suprised. It was an indoor playground of sorts. Various play areas dedicated to specific activities like climbing, jumping, sports, board games, dolls, cars and a small library area for kids. "This is lovely," she breathed as she let Hermione down and watched the one year old toddle off to investigate.

"We plan to charge a small entrance fee to everyone that enters," James explained. "All profits will be deposited into a newly established vault for Hermione's Vision."

"What's Hermione's Vision?" Dougal asked curiously.

"A foundation in Hermione's name which Remus and I will control until she is big enough to be involved with," Sirius answered. "This is our part of her birthday gift."

Minerva smiled at her former cubs in gratitude. "This is a lovely idea," she whispered. "Children get a safe place to play, get to mingle with others from various backgrounds and get introduced to muggle culture without realizing it."

"If this goes well, we may add something similar in Diagon Alley," Lily offered. "This is a chance to bridge our worlds."

"Sev," Hermione screamed happily as the dark-haired wizard entered. She ran to him as fast as her legs would carry her. Minerva grinned as the man picked her up and spun her around in the air. Giggles errupted from her.

"She adores him," Lily commented with a grin.

"I think the feeling is mutual," Sirius commented. "I haven't seen Severus smile as much as he does while around our little princess."

"She certainly isn't excited to see any of us like that with the exception of Harry," Remus offered.

Minerva frowned as she thought about that. Hermione is very attached to Severus she admitted. Why? she wondered. She suddenly felt Harry apparate in her arms and saw several images. A grown Hermione, half starved and covered in bruises, crying on a just as rough appearing Harry's shoulder. A much older Severus laying on the ground in front of them. His form deathly still, dry blood on his neck, from a snake bite she assumed.

"I thought I had to avoid the bond to protect him and his role as Dumbledore's spy," she sobbed. "He died not knowing we were soulmates."

Harry gathered Hermione up in his embrace tighter before whispering, "He knew of it from the moment you became of age. He made me swear to protect you at all costs. He knew he wouldn't make it and he suspected Minerva wouldn't survive to protect you either."

"What?" she asked confused. "Why didn't he tell me?"

Harry tucked a curl behind her ear and kissed her forehead tenderly. "He wouldn't have been able to walk away from you and do what needed to be done. You surviving was the most important thing to him. He threatened to haunt me if you didn't make it out of this damn war alive. Ironically, Minerva did the same thing."

"She did," Hermione asked suprised. "Why would she do that?"

"She loved you more than anything," he whispered. "She left this with me for you." Harry pulled out a copy of Minerva's will and handed it to Hermione. "She was your biological mother. I realized that in second year but I didn't have the proof to tell you until now."

"She never told me," she wailed.

"She couldn't love," Harry answered softly. "She wouldn't have been able to walk away and she had to do that to protect you. She was raped by Death Eaters in the first war."

"I'm a product of rape?" she asked sadly. "No wonder she didn't want me. I would have been a constant reminder."

"She wanted you," Harry reassured. "Read her will. She only gave you up to protect you from your father. Could you imagine what would happen to you if those bastards realized you wasn't a muggleborn?"

"They would have captured me and tried to turn me," she guessed horrified. "Minerva gave me up to prevent that."

"She did," Harry whispered. "She left me a contact name in the Unspeakable Department after fifth year. She didn't trust the Order to protect me as I needed to be. Minerva knew your survival depended on mine and worked on a solution."

"Why an Unspeakable?"

"It's her brother Malcolm," Harry said. "She trusted him above all others. He discovered Minerva had a soulmate that died before the bond was established. Malcolm believes our timeline could have been better had the soulbond been completed. Minerva was a shell of her former self, broken by losing her family, her soulmate, you. The captivity stripped her dignity and any self worth she had."

"Can he change things?" Hermione asked hopeful as she looked at Severus' dead form.

Harry reached in his inner pocket and pulled out a thin gold chain with a sparkling reds and greens attached to gold. "This is not exactly a time-turner but a way to correct one mistake. Malcolm remembers the incident where Minerva was taken captive. She took a curse meant for Dougal McGregor, her soulmate. Malcolm speculates if their mother had carried her wand at that time, Minerva could have been saved. If Minerva is saved than so should the timeline."

"So we go back, convince Isobel McGonagall to carry her wand and come back to a better future?" she asked excited.

Harry frowned before shaking his head no. "We don't come back," he whispered. "We merge into that timeline and won't know if we are successful or not."

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to her brother in all but blood. "All of your family is gone as are mine, Voldemort is winning and it is looking bleak for us. What do we have to lose?" she said logically.

"I could lose you," he whispered sadly. "You are the most important person in my life. My parents were murdered before I could remember them. I can't remember a hug until a bushy haired know-it-all hugged me in first year. I don't know if I could survive without you."

Hermione hugged Harry tightly before kissing his cheek. "I love you Harry James Potter," she said emotionally. "You know we are going to have to do this. Our lives are on borrowed time as it is, Voldemort will not allow either of us to live."

"You're right," he said sadly. "Will you at least try to remember me?"

"With all that I am!" she promised tearfully.

Harry hooked the chain around both of their necks and activated it. He closed his eyes and muttered "please remember" over and over again. Suddenly a dome errupted around them and the memories stopped.

Minerva blinked her eyes in suprise and adjusted baby Harry in her arms. "Thank you Harry," she whispered emotionally as she looked at her daughter still in Severus' arms giggling like mad. "I shall not allow anything to separate you from your sister."

"What did he show you," Isobel asked as she walked towards her daughter from the back room.

Minerva smiled at her mother. "The conversation that led to your visitor and what had transpired first," she whispered. "Her soulmate was killed right after me. Their bond was not initiated."

Isobel looked at Minerva wide-eyed and then turned to Hermione. "Severus," she asked curiously.

Minerva nodded teary-eyed. "I shall make sure their future is bright," she whispered. "We need to get a few more laws passed and rid Magical Britain of several while we are at it."

Isobel smiled at her daughter. "We shall love," she whispered confidently. "Dougal has been making a list for us."