Chapter 7
She exited the floo to step into the headmistress's office. It was amazing how comforting it felt to be in that office again, seeing Headmistress McGonagall sitting at her desk. She looked around at the different portraits, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach and a lump in her throat form when she saw the former headmaster portrait of Severus Snape amongst them all.
I forgot that Harry requested a portrait to be done for him..
"Well well well, Minister Granger, what an honour it is to be seeing you this fine morning." McGonagall said from her seat at the desk. Hermione beamed at her, walking over to greet her with a hug.
"Professor McGonagall, It's so- -"
"Oh please please you know you can call me Minerva, I just wanted to have an excuse to call you Minister Granger just once." Minerva said with a wink.
"Of course, Minerva. It's so good to see you again. How have you been? And the school?"
"Chaotic as always, dearie." McGonagall said with a smile. "Please, sit." She motioned to the chair in front of her desk. Hermione took her seat, smoothing out her pants and crossing her legs.
"The staff and I finished the budget list yesterday evening." McGonagall said as she too took her seat, putting on her spectacles. "I still have to interview a few more individuals for the occlumency extra curricular class."
"Do you have any favourites so far?" Hermione asked, taking the paper from McGonagall's hands to look over.
"Not as of now." She replied. "But I've been told Roswell Beetle the former auror is one of the ones who is expected to interview, and he is probably my candidate of most interest."
"I think he'd do exceedingly well at the job, Minerva. Please keep me posted on your progress with that position."
"Of course, of course. Which brings me to my next bit of news..."
Hermione eyed her curiously, preparing herself for whatever news Minerva was about to give.
"Horace Slughorn has given me his notice of retirement, Hermione. He told me he is willing to work up until the Christmas holiday, but I've announced the opening for the position just a couple days ago, to make sure I hire someone worthy in time for him to retire."
"You're kidding?" Hermione exclaimed. "I thought Professor Slughorn was going to stay another ten to twelve years?"
"He only came back as a favor to Dumbledore, dearie. After the war, he just felt a personal obligation to stick around a little while longer and help mend the heart of our school and help the students that were returning after the war. He's tired, and he has done his duty and for that I am grateful."
"That is very true, Minerva, you are absolutely right. He will be greatly missed at this school. A brilliant potions master."
"Well," Minerva replied. "Even within the couple days since I announced the position I have had an inquiry, someone who I believe to be a good friend of yours?"
"And that is...?"
"Ignacio Ironwood."
Hermione's eyes went wide. "You're joking, right?" Minvera shook her head with an amused smirk on her lips.
"Not at all. He owled me right away when he heard the news and told me you would be more than willing to give him a glowing recommendation. His exact words, but with much more enthusiasm."
Hermione chuckled, her turn to shake her head. "Of course he did. All kidding aside, Minerva, you would not regret hiring him as potions master. He would be more than a fitting candidate."
"I'll take your word for it, but you're the first I'm going to give a hard time to if he messes up in any way!" Minerva teased.
Hermione smiled at her, handing her back the budget papers that she looked over. "Everything looks great with the budget, profes- -Minerva." Hermione blushing a little at almost slipping up again. "Just let me know of your plan with the Occlumency class and who you end up hiring, and of course who you end up taking on as the new potions professor." Hermione smirked.
They both stood, curling around the desk to give each other another hug.
"It was so good to see you again, Minerva." Hermione whispered.
"Would you like to join us for dinner in the hall?" Minerva asked. "I'd be happy to conjure up another seat at the head table. I'm sure it would be exciting for the students to see their new Minister for Magic."
Hermione smiled at the kind gesture, taking Minerva's hands in hers. "I'd really love to, but I cannot stay long, I do have some business to attend to later this evening, so I do apologize but it will be a short visit."
Minerva nodded. "I understand. I'm going to make my way to the Great Hall now. I'll see you there shortly."
"I'm just going to take a short walk around the castle, just a little trip down memory lane." Hermione smiled and chuckled.
They both left the headmistresses office and Hermione took some time to stroll the halls she frequented so often in her youth. The countless moving paintings that waved, curtsied and bowed as she walked by. She gave them all big smiles, waving back and telling them there was no need for formalities.
She made her way to the Great Hall. The students and staff all jumped to their feet in a burst of cheers and claps as McGonagall announced her arrival. She walked down the middle aisle, absolutely taken aback by the wonderful greeting. She choked back a sob, smiling big at everyone and waving back at them until she reached the head table, taking her seat next to McGonagall.
She didn't stay long, but it was enough for her to exchange pleasantries with some of her former professors and discuss certain plans they had for Hogwarts down the road. She nodded and took everything that everyone had to say, but in the back of her mind she was still focused on and a bit distracted by her task at hand. She said her goodbyes, thanking everyone immensely for their hospitality and kindness at dinner, excused herself from the Great Hall and made her way towards a secluded spot of the castle, tucking herself into the shadows of the evening to change into her clothes for the travel.
She put on her jeans, a t-shirt she wore around the house on her lazy days, and a lighter jacket. She stuffed the other clothes into her bag, shrinking the bag and stuffing it into her pocket. She retrieved the time turner from underneath her shirt,holding it carefully in her fingers and examining it.
This is it Hermione...this is your only chance, do not screw this up.
She took a big, deep breath, slowly turning each dial on the sides, one after the other. Seven turns for the one, six and a half for the other. The time turner then began to spin more rapidly, and Hermione could feel the world shift around her, the blur of people's bodies throughout the castle zooming by as she could see from her place in the shadows. After a certain period of time it all began to slow, and Hermione was brought back to the much more gloomy and dark Hogwarts that was currently involved in its battle with Voldemort. Bringing herself back to this dark time gave Hermione a shiver down her spine, and she took another deep breath before sneaking her way off of the castle grounds and apparating to the station of Hogsmeade.
The station was dark and eerily quiet. She tucked herself into a small entryway as she appeared, peeking around the corner to make sure no one else was near. She retrieved her bag from her pocket, casting engorgio to retrieve the phial and the invisibility cloak. She wrapped the cloak around her body, stepping out of her concealed spot as she did so, disappearing from eye view. She made her way down the street of Hogsmeade, passing by the Three Broomsticks on her right before trekking forward and up the hill to her left, towards the shrieking shack.
Staying a safe distance from the shrieking shack, she kept her eye out for any movement amongst the area, Severus in particular. She had the phial in hand and her wand in the other, bracing herself for any surprise that could come. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to control her breathing, making sure she wasn't too loud. Fifteen minutes or so had gone by when she felt her stomach turn into knots, watching Severus Snape appear from the shadows, making his turn to come up the hill towards the shack. Her heartbeat quickened even more as she slowly and quietly made her steps towards him. Her wand was at the ready in case he were to cast anything towards her. She clenched the phial in her hand when she felt her palm go sweaty with nerves, being careful not to drop it.
Severus came in view even more, his long black cloak billowing in the wind behind him. His face was serious, his lips set in a tight thin line and his obsidian eyes focused on the building before him. Hermione held her breath as she waited for him to get closer, just enough for her to speak.
C'mon Hermione, you can do this! She internally yelled to herself.
"Professor!"
Severus spun around in a blink of an eye, his wand at the ready, searching for the source of the voice.
"Who is that?" He spoke in a harsh, intense whisper. "Show yourself!"
Hermione pulled the cloak from her body, allowing it to reveal herself before him, her wand pointed at his face. Severus stood rigid, eying her intently, taking in the features he was sure he knew, but there was no way; they must've been an impostor.
"What are you doing? Who are you?"
"Professor, it's me. Hermione Granger" She stated, keeping her stance and voice strong.
"Do you play me for a fool?" He spat. "Leave this instant before I hex you out of existence!"
"Professor, stop. Lower your wand." She demanded. "I need you to trust me, your life is in extreme danger."
"My life?" He exclaimed. "Everyone's life is in grave danger under the hands of the dark lord, or have you been naive to what has been happening these last several months?!"
"Severus." Hermione began. Please, allow me to explain. "It really is me."
"How dare you address me by my given name!"
"Will you just listen!" Hermione pleaded, dropping back a step into a defensive position. "It really is me." She said. "I came back to this time to help save you. Voldemort is going to have you killed by Nagini, and I have the anti-venom to help save your life. Please. Just hear me out."
Severus looked into her big brown eyes, searching for something that would indicate that this wasn't the Hermione Granger he knew, but rather someone under a polyjuice potion. The voice was identical, which was an indication that it wasn't someone using that potion.
Hermione felt his eyes staring back at her as if straight to her very soul. She felt a tingling in her mind, a similar feeling to what Harry had described when Severus had performed legilimency on him.
Severus began to page through her memories, searching for the answers he was looking for. He watched as it showed the young witch with the big bushy curls and crooked teeth being visited by Minerva McGonagall, telling her for the first time that she was a witch. It jumped to Hermione's third year, where he revisited the moment that he shielded her, Weasley and Potter from Remus Lupin in werewolf form. He paged through more of them, and he stopped abruptly when he saw the memory before him. She and her friends had discovered him in the shrieking shack, blood soaking his white cravat, and big dark puncture wounds on his neck. Harry was knelt down by him, doing his best to apply pressure to the wounds, asking Hermione to search for something in her bag that could help aid the man, but they all just looked on in horror.
"Look at me." Severus heard his own voice say to Harry, who glanced down at him, fighting back the tears in his eyes.
"You have your mother's eyes."
Severus felt the memory abruptly cut out, Hermione putting up her shield of occlumency, staring now again into the eyes of an older Hermione Granger.
"Now do you believe me?" Hermione asked, observing the look of shock in her former professor's eyes that she had never seen before.
Severus stood in silence, processing what he had just seen, and what was indeed true; Hermione Granger had found some way to travel back this far in time. It was unheard of.
"Yes..." He said quietly in his low voice.
"I don't have a lot more time. I can't waste time standing here trying to explain everything to you." She said. "I just need you to take this anti-venom, please." She pleaded, extending her hand out and revealing the phial. Severus observed her hand for several moments before taking it from her palm before stuffing it into the inside pocket of his robes.
"Drink it, please. I want this to save your life. I didn't go through all of this effort just for it to fail. I only have one chance for this to work."
"Even if I take this anti-venom, what do you suppose I am to do if I'm still attacked? I'll bleed out."
"You just leave that concern to me. I have to go. Good luck, professor." Hermione flipped her invisibility cloak back on and disappeared from his sight, apparating away and leaving him standing alone, processing what had just happened.
He extracted the phial from his robes, eying the contents and watching as the iridescent green liquid swished about. With one final hesitation, he eventually released the cork from the phial, drinking its contents before making his way to the shrieking shack.
Granger had been right, Voldemort did indeed have a plan to kill Severus, and he was most displeased with what he still had to endure. As the Golden Trio exited the shrieking shack, the older Granger from earlier appeared in his view, his view that was slowly fading. He could feel his breath slow and the world go black. The words Hermione chanted were just a mumbling of words he couldn't make out, but he could feel the rush of healing magic overcome his body. She placed another phial into his mouth, which he could detect the distinct taste of a blood replenishing potion, feeling his body gain just a little bit more strength. He was still nowhere near able to stand, but he was able to flutter his eyes open, meeting the gaze of Hermione's big brown eyes.
"You're going to be just fine now, Professor." She spoke in a hushed voice. "I'm going to make sure someone finds you here at the Shrieking Shack and gets you attended to at St. Mungos."
Severus was unable to speak, he tried to in an attempt to thank Hermione for what she had done, but nothing was able to come out. Hermione noticed he was trying to say something and she held a stern yet polite hand up, indicating him not to speak.
"Shh don't try to speak or stand, save your energy, please."
Severus obliged, he hadn't taken an order from anyone else in his life for a very long time, but he was tired, very very tired, and he wordlessly listened to the woman. He gently nodded towards her hand, a quizzical look on his face as an orange light swirled with grey flecks.
Hermione smiled at him with emotions in her eyes he had never expected to see from the girl, and spoke quickly, "I'll explain that later. We'll talk about this in about thirteen years or so, okay? Please try to remember that after I leave."
Hermione apparated back to her concealed spot at Hogsmeade station, sucking in a deep breath before sinking to her knees, bursting into a fit of tears. She had no idea seeing the man like that again would bring up so many emotions, but she let herself sob for several minutes, taking in not just what she had to revisit again but the extent of what she may have just accomplished.
"Merlin please allow this to work." She said to herself, bringing the time turner back into her hands, to bring her back to her present time.
