A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters

Severus blinked his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was the ceiling of the Shrieking Shack. He blinked a few times to confirm. He wasn't dead. That much surprised him. He'd thought this was going to be the end.

He'd mostly accepted that fact. He'd put most of his affairs in order, everything except one thing. There had been one thing he'd never managed to find the right time for. Now, it looked as though he'd gotten a second chance to do just that.

Slowly, he lifted his head, he could see dried blood on his robes and he knew it was his. He blinked a few times, mentally going over what had happened, what his injuries were supposed to be. He didn't feel any pain. That worried him. Slowly, he sat up, feeling at the wound on his neck. It had been patched expertly and he tell there was little risk of it reopening. He recognized the skillful wrapping of the bandages, the tiny sutures underneath them.

"Hermione," he whispered, smiling as he thought about her studying healing, as he thought about her saving him. He knew she'd been taking classes on the same type of thing in the muggle world when she could. She had wanted to be the best, she had wanted to save people.

He could taste the antivenom potion on the edges of his lips. It had been one of the most difficult brews he had ever attempted, one of his own creation at that. He almost couldn't believe it had worked, and that somehow Hermione had known exactly what it was and what to do with it.

He sighed, standing. He knew he should head back to the castle, back to the world that thought he was a Death Eater, thought he was evil for what he'd done, for who he loved. He'd worked hard to dispel most of the rumors about what he and Hermione were. That didn't stop tongues from wagging, from people calling for both his job and his head.

He took a step forward. Something hit against his chest. He reached down and pulled a charm on a golden chain from under his cloak. He knew how it had gotten there. He knew Hermione had put it there, but for what reason?

She wasn't the jewelry sort of girl, and he'd never worn anything save for the silver ring on his thumb, a reminder of the family that had abandoned him and his mother, a reminder not to get close to people. He nearly scoffed thinking about that. He'd finally gotten close to someone and now, now who knew what would happen. Was she even still alive? She'd saved him, but had she been spared?

Severus looked at the small golden charm on the necklace. At first time charm seemed to be just a blank circle. Severus knew that here must be more to it than that. He squinted, then his eyes widened as he realized what he was holding in his hand, what she'd given him.

"Hermione," he whispered, his voice full of disbelief as the spell crumbled at his touch revealing what was really on the glittering golden chain. He held the time turner carefully, watching it spin hazily on its own for a moment. He knew what she wanted him to do, what she was offering. He looked around the abandoned shack, at his own blood on the floor.

He was dead to the world, they would mourn him, they would forget him eventually. He wondered what excuse she was going to have when he arrived, was she waiting for him? Did she know he had doubts? He wanted to throw the thing across the room.

She had so many expectations for him, about them, could he live up to any of them. He shoved his hand into his pocket, his fingers touching a sheet of parchment. He slid it out and unfolded it. The air filled with her scent, soft with a touch of vanilla.

My dearest Severus,

if you are reading this note, you're not dead, obviously and I will be waiting for you in a time where things will no longer matter. Five turns will do the trick, the turner is attuned to my own and I will see you when you arrive. I love you, Severus and I know we'll never know peace if we stay in this time. Five spins and you'll be in my arms again. Please, please don't think you'll let me down. I want nothing more than happiness for us, nothing more than a chance to be who we were always meant to be.

Love

Hermione.

Severus nodded, spinning the small hour glass. One, two, three, four, five. The world around him swirled. He could see time moving, speeding up, slowing down. He could see his past, see the mistakes he'd made. He saw Lily, he saw him betraying her in the worst way possible. He cried as time jolted, as he slowed down. Then it jolted, pulling him from the past to the present, past the present. The world around him built itself up again. The castle rebuilt itself as time flew past him.

He found himself standing in an alley, a small black painted door in front of him. It was nondescript, but he could feel the power coming from within. He could feel her power coming from within. She'd said she'd be waiting for him. He held his head high as he opened it and stepped inside.

"There you are, sir," Hermione's voice chirped. Severus felt his heart soar. She was here! She had been waiting for him. A quick glance around the small shop told him it was empty of people save for Hermione.

"Where are we?" he asked, noticing the long shelves against the walls. They were empty. There was a register sitting on a long counter. He could see the sun filtering in through the large windows facing the street.

"What did you tell me you wanted to be?" Hermione asked, sitting on the counter, her legs hanging over the side. Severus watched her swing them, watched the ease she oozed. She was more relaxed than he'd ever seen her, not a worry in the world. He smiled at her. She returned it, nodding encouragingly at him.

"I wanted to open my own apothecary. I wanted to brew potions and not be involved in any of the political mess the world had become."

"Exactly, and now, you're free to do just that," Hermione smiled, gesturing to the shop. "This is yours, you can name what you wish of course."

"Hermione, where exactly are we?" he finally asked.

"More like when actually, I mean, you did use the turner to get here. It's burned out now, I never did figure out how to set the spell as a two way, or to not destroy the device. Either way, we're quite a bit after the war. Most of our friends and family... They think we're dead, most of them are either dead or too old to worry about us now. "

"How far?" he asked, marveling at what she had done. She'd found a way to fix everything, a way only she could have come up with.

"Fifty years, give or take. No one knows us here now. No one knows you were my professor and I your student. I hope you're not angry. I didn't think you had anyone..."

"I didn't, but you did, Hermione. Your friends..."

"Were not the people I thought they were, Severus. I know how the future turned out, I saw parts of it, flashes of what would have been. I didn't like what I saw, married to a man I didn't love. You're the one I love, and if this is the only way... then so be it!"

"You gave up everything for me?" He couldn't believe it. Everything she'd had... he never would have asked her to do that for him. He didn't deserve that kind of love, that kind of devotion.

"I would do it again in a heart beat," Hermione answered. "Now, how about we start setting up shop? I've ordered a few basic ingredients, things I know how to use. I mean, I wasn't entirely certain you'd come, I hoped, but I was worried you'd self sabotage yourself and end up not coming," she babbled.

"I nearly didn't," Severus whispered, looking around the shop, his shop. No, it wasn't his shop. It was their shop.

"I'm glad you did, now, shall we see about starting our new lives together?" she asked.

"Let's. And let's get one thing straight right now, in this time, Hermione, I do not wish for you to be Miss Granger any longer. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?" he asked, slipping the silver ring from this thumb. It wasn't a proper engagement ring, but it meant so much to him. It meant he was done worrying about what had happened in the past, it meant he was done thinking about how people would betray him. He held it out to her. She gasped, knowing what the ring had meant to him.

This was the one thing he'd regretted when he'd thought he was dying, not asking, not showing her exactly what she was to him, not showing her how much he loved her. Hermione nodded, kissing him passionately.

"I would love nothing more. You were planning to ask me before this weren't you?" she asked. He nodded, shrinking the ring before sliding it on her narrow finger.

"I was. Now, here, in this new world, our new world, I think we should start our new lives together by accepting the roles we both have wanted since the beginning."

"I agree. I love you, Severus," Hermione stated.

"I love you too, Hermione and I always will," Severus answered, smiling as he started making mental notes about everything they needed for the shop, about the potions he wanted to brew and sell, and what he would say when he and Hermione were officially bonded.