DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

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Chapter 64:

October 20, 1996

(present time)

Today is the day.

That was the first thing on her mind when she woke up on a Sunday morning. Hermione had been waiting for this moment for five months now. She was excited but at the same time anxious.

Behind her, Sev wrapped an arm around her waist and peppered the back of her neck with kisses while nuzzling her hair. "I love you, Hermione."

She turned to face her wizard and kissed him on the lips while cupping his face. "I love you, too. I am so thankful for everything you've done. I am so fortunate to have a partner like you."

Sev smiled at her affectionately and held her hand that was on his face, then kissed her fingers. "I'm the lucky one. And no need to thank me. I'll do anything for you."

"You've done a lot for me... to make me happy. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

"Let's get ready for the day, then," Sev chuckled. "We have to make a quick visit to the manor."

"I'm sure your mother's house-elves don't stop working. They were too excited as well," she said cheerfully.

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May 2, 1996

(five months ago)

"Somewhere... in the alternate universe, May 1st is the day of the Final Battle," Remus's voice cracked. Hermione could tell he was about to cry.

Hermione leaned her head on Remus's shoulder and patted his knee. In return, Remus wrapped an arm around her shoulders in his protective and brotherly way.

Since she was now living at Hogwarts and training with Poppy, she had more time to catch up with one of her best friends. But this time, they were in the Hog's Head Inn and joined by Sirius, Reg, Amelia, Alona, and Tonks. Her old friends and a new one.

Minus Sev, Alice, and Frank.

Sev was busy in his Potions laboratory, brewing the potion they had been experimenting with for months now. For Alice and Frank's condition. They hadn't told anyone about it apart from the healer in charge of Alice and Frank Longbottom at St. Mungo's. They wanted to get results first before telling the other healers and the family- Neville and Mrs Longbottom.

As promised, Severus had been helping with her research if the cure mentioned in the old books would apply to loss of sanity due to the Cruciatus Curse. They find out that it could... if the potions were modified for the patient.

And the potion was the reason why Severus wasn't here with them. She didn't want to go without him. She wanted to stay even though he wouldn't let her help with the potion-brewing until he was done experimenting; until he had the final recipe. But Sev knew how important it was for her to catch up with her friends - their old friends - so he asked Leo's help in convincing her to go.

"At least, this time, only Voldemort and his Death Eaters died," Amelia said softly. "There's no Battle of Hogwarts."

Remus heaved a sigh. "The Battle of Hogwarts," he grumbled.

"Drink, Moony." Sirius handed him a shot glass.

Remus held the shot glass but didn't drink it. Hermione carefully snatched the shot glass from him and drank the alcohol. She made a face that made the wizards laugh. "I honestly don't know why some people - Muggles, especially bend the elbow. It's bitter, and it makes me sick!"

"That wasn't water, Kitten. You should've just taken a sip," laughed Sirius.

"Stop laughing at her," Alona chastised Sirius goodnaturedly, handing her a glass of wine. "Here, hun."

"Thanks," she said to her female friend appreciatively. "You always know what I need."

On Remus's other side, Tonks was uncharacteristically quiet and staring at her glass of alcohol, Hermione noticed. Sirius followed her train of sight and reached out to pat his cousin's bubblegum pink hair. "You all right?"

Tonks perked up and forced a smile. "Yeah."

Sirius gave Tonks a knowing look, silently saying he didn't believe her. "Come on... We're all your friends now, not just because of the bloody war, but because you're important to our dear Moony."

Hermione leaned to Alona and whispered. "Which reminds me, you haven't introduced me to your husband and children yet."

Alone smiled and patted her hand. "My eldest is going to Hogwarts in September, and my youngest is about Leo's age. Will introduce them properly to you one of those days," she whispered back.

They returned their attention to Tonks. The young Auror was on the verge of crying. "Can you miss someone you haven't even met yet?"

Silence. Hermione, Alona, and Amelia shared sympathetic looks; Regulus sighed and sipped his drink. Sirius cast Remus a forlorn expression.

"I have only heard of him... Seen him from the memories of the other Hermione," Tonks continued, wiping tears on her cheeks. Remus pulled the young Auror to him and settled her on his lap. "I want to hold him... and talk to him."

"Dora, I..." Remus trailed off.

"I know this is a different universe, but at nights, I can't help but think of him. He appears in my dreams. A young and beautiful boy who didn't have his parents... I wonder what happened to him after Leo was sent back in time. If Leo's biological parents sent him back in time, it meant it was the last resort. Perhaps, everyone was dying... Or maybe, Teddy had already died... That's why he wasn't sent back in time with Leo."

Hermione's heart was breaking for Tonks and Remus. Sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the other children. Maybe the other Hermione and Severus couldn't see them anymore. Maybe they got separated. Maybe the other Hermione was desperate, and she knew she was going to die. After all, the other Hermione travelled back in time with her husband's dead body.

"I want to see him... I want to see my son. I want to know what happened to him!" Tonks was now crying openly.

Hermione had never seen the young Auror cry like this ever since they met in the summer of last year. Nymphadora Tonks was always the bubbly and humorous young woman who would do silly expressions and change her nose just to make people laugh.

But Hermione didn't know that behind those smiles and silly facial expressions was a grieving young woman. Nymphadora Tonks was grieving for a young boy who had probably died in the Battle. Grieving for the boy who was orphaned because of the war. A boy whose parents died thinking he could live in a better world once Voldemort was defeated.

But they were wrong.

Young Teddy Lupin was running for his life years later, even before he could start his formal magical education.

Hermione was pulled away from her musings by Regulus's voice. "I think it's better if you and Tonks go upstairs, Remus. She needs space to calm down."

With an appreciative nod to all of them, Remus carried Tonks in his arms and went to the counter to ask for a room upstairs.

"It would've been better if she was here with us," Sirius told Regulus. "You didn't have to send her away."

But Regulus smirked at his brother before taking a sip of his whiskey.

Sirius's eyes widened. "You know something!"

Regulus rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, I know a lot of things, all right? She will be fine. Trust me."

All eyes were on Regulus.

"What do you mean?" asked Amelia urgently. "You have travelled further?" she whispered.

"I might have travelled a few times to ensure we were going to win, and I've seen a lot. I know for a fact that you'll be snogging my brother before the night ends," Regulus said, followed by a smirk.

Hermione and Alona grinned at each other and giggled like schoolgirls, earning a glare from Amelia.

"Maybe Hermione Snape's greatest mistake was saving your poor arse," Amelia sneered at Regulus.

"Hermione Snape..." Sirius repeated the name, sounding amused and turned to her. "I don't think it rings a bell, Kitten. You'll always be Hermione Puckle to me."

"But Hermione Granger to Harry, Ron, and Ginny," she countered. Then, she fiddled with her wine glass, remembering something that had been bothering her for a few months now, just like Tonks. "Hey... Do you think she travelled back in time on purpose, or by accident?"

Amelia, Alona, and Regulus exchanged forlorn looks before turning to her again.

"At first, we thought it was on purpose," Alona admitted rather hesitantly. "We thought since everyone was dying in her time, she went further back, hoping to change something before she died. Her husband was already dead... and with such love and devotion to him, she looked ready to give up."

"Because, perhaps, she was thinking her son was safe in another universe," Amelia added.

"But then, we saw the clippings from Leo's time. We finally had a clear idea of what happened. We think it was an accident. Maybe, she and her husband were fighting Death Eaters, and she just fiddled the time-turner to get away."

Hermione stared at the amber liquid in front of her, elbows on the table, hands clasped together under her chin. For a few seconds, she didn't say anything. She kept on imagining that night the other Hermione saved Regulus. She didn't want to see the memory of it. Just the thought of Sev being dead was already crushing her heart. She didn't want to see it.

She heaved a sigh. "I think so, too," she said softly. "I think it was an accident. I have the tendency to panic and make rash decisions where Sev is concerned. I'm quite sure it was the same for her."

She was losing her mind, I reckon, when she realized her husband was gone, she thought. I just hope that wouldn't happen to me.

If the time comes for Sev to go because of an illness or old age, she would accept it.

But she'd lose her mind if someone purposely killed him. He and Leo were everything to her.

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May 10, 1998

(five months ago)

The hospital wing doos burst open. Hermione looked up from her lunch and, through the screen in the matron's office, she saw Harry and Neville rushing in carrying someone. She stood up and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I'll take care of this, Poppy," she said to the matron who was sitting across from her, also eating her lunch.

"Harry, Neville," she called as the two wizards laid someone on the nearest hospital bed. "What happened?"

"Hermione!" Harry sounded and looked really relieved upon seeing her. Now that she was no longer in her teenage body, she and Harry were almost the same height. He was just two to three inches taller now. Neville and Ron, on the other hand, were very tall, six-footers, so she had to look up at them when she was wearing flat shoes.

"What's happened?" And when she approached the bed, she saw Ron, and his face was bloody.

"He and Cormac McLaggen fought like Muggles," Neville explained, "because he was saying something horrid about Lavender."

Hermione cringed. "Never liked that boy," she muttered as she started cleaning Ron's face before healing him. "Was Lav around when it happened?"

"Thankfully, no," groaned Ron. "Don't tell her. I don't want her to worry."

"And what happened to Cormac? Tell me you, at least, managed to hit him as well," she said in a low voice.

Harry and Neville laughed behind her. "Oh, he was worse, but he refused to come here because of you. He's asking some Hufflepuff to heal him instead."

"Oh, well... Miss Fawcett is the only student assistant we have from Hufflepuff. He's lucky her heart is as dark as milk." After a few spells, Ron's face was clean and better. "The bruise will be there for a few days. Just apply this creme every five hours after you wash your face," she said, handing him a jar of green creme.

"Thanks, Mione," Ron smiled weakly. "You're the best."

She snorted. "That still wouldn't stop me from reporting you to your Head of House. That's part of my duty as a member of the staff."

"Oh, Morgana," Harry groaned. "Thought you're on our side."

Hermione laughed and turned to her bespectacled friend. She ruffled his dark hair. "You sound like James when I refused to support Gryffindor during Quidditch matches."

"Why didn't you support Gryffindor?" asked Ron from the bed.

She sat at the edge of Ron's bed and looked at her three friends. "Well, I was a Ravenclaw. And when it was Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor, I was supporting Alice's house. She was my best friend. And obviously, if it was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, I wore Sev's house colours."

"Why did the Hat even put you in Gryffindor four years ago?" Neville chuckled.

"Because little Hermione Granger wanted to be brave," she grinned at them. She patted Ron's knee. "I'm going to finish my lunch. Stay away from trouble, boys."

"Yes, Mum," the three said in unison.

She just shook her head and smiled at them before returning to Poppy's office.

"What was that, dear?" asked Poppy gently.

"Oh, you know, Harry, Ron, and Neville. One of them got into a fight with a housemate. Another typical day at Hogwarts."

Poppy chuckled. "Indeed, another typical day at Hogwarts. I'm gonna miss everything here when I finally pack my bags."

"Don't forget to send us postcards," she told the older witch with a smile.

When she returned to Sev's quarters that night - now their quarters, she found her two wizards on the couch by the fireplace chatting about a children's story they had read. She immediately joined them, sat between them, and peppered Leo's face with kisses. Sev pulled her to his side, held her close, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"What did you do today, my love?" she asked Leo.

"I played with Fang while Mr Hagrid was teaching about unicorns, Mummy," he told her. "And Unca Harry let me join them at the Gryffindor table at lunchtime. Unca Ron fell down the stairs. He has a bruise, but he said you healed him, Mummy."

"Oh, yeah... He told me he fell down the stairs," she said, turning to Sev and making a face. "So, what's up with you, Dada?"

"I sent Healer Jordan my final potion today," he told her softly.

"Oh?" She turned to him anxiously. Healer Jordan was the healer in charge of Alice and Frank.

"She wants to meet us next Saturday since it'll take her a week to check if the potions would work on them."

"I'm anxious," she admitted. "Can't we just ask Regulus to take a peek into the future?" she joked.

Sev smiled and pinched her on the waist. "Why don't you go up and ask Sibyll instead?"

She scrunched her nose. "No, thanks."

"You still don't like her even if she had made two accurate prophecies?"

She shook her head. "Just not fond of Divination. You know I love Arithmancy."

"Aunt Amy loves Arithmancy too, right Mummy?" Leo quipped.

She turned to her son. "How did you know that, love?"

"I heard Unca Siri tell her to check her calculations to see they're really compatible," Leo informed them. "Did you also check your Arithmancy calculations to see if Dada's the one for you, Mummy?"

She chuckled at her son's question. "No need, love. My dad, Grandpa Bob, knew that Dada's good for me."

Leo yawned. "I think it's time for you to brush your teeth and get ready for bed, young man," said Sev affectionately.

Hermione stood up to help Leo, but her son shook his head. "Mummy, I'm a big boy now. I can take care of myself. Thank you."

"That's wonderful, love."

"I should take care of myself, so I can take care of my little brother, too. Mummy, do you think next week there will be a baby in your tummy?"

Severus laughed beside her while she didn't know how to explain to her son that it was not possible.

"Not next week, son. Probably next month, hmm?" Sev answered for her. "But we cannot decide if it's going to be a boy or a girl."

"Okay, Dada. I'll get ready for bed now." Leo left them and ran to his room.

Sev wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned closer when Leo was gone. "You know what? I used Arithmancy on you before."

She turned to her wizard. "What?"

"Our sixth year. I used Arithmancy to check if you were ready to make love to me," he drawled.

She returned his teasing. "Well, why don't you make calculations again if I'm ready for baby number two?"

"Maybe I should do that," Sev replied, kissing her forehead. "After I check if you're ready to tie the knot."

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May 18, 1996

(five months ago)

Hermione and Severus were sitting in Healer Jordan's office. Stacey Jordan was in her mid-twenties and had been a student of Severus during her Hogwarts days.

"Miss Granger, Professor Snape. Thank you for coming," the healer greeted them politely, which they returned. The healer smiled. "Good news. The healing potion is working on them. My fellow healers also saw its effect on Frank and Alice."

Hermione felt a wave of relief wash her, and at the same time, her sight became blurry because of the tears. Sev reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Thank goodness," she muttered. She turned to Sev and kissed him, not minding the other person in the room. "Thank you. This is wonderful."

"Wonderful, indeed," the healer said happily. "The progress is slow, and it might take five months before the potion will have its full effect. The hospital is willing to pay for all the expenses for the potion, of course."

"Any potions for them that I have to brew will always be free of charge, Healer Jordan. They are family," Sev said politely.

The young healer looked at them with respect and admiration. "They are very lucky to have friends like you, then."

"What happens after five months?" she asked anxiously.

"They will be sane again. We'll all be able to talk to them and get proper responses. However, we believe they can no longer perform magic. Because of... what happened to them, their magic had been depleted."

"Som they're going to live like squibs," she said sadly. Alice and Frank were powerful. Bellatrix and her company ruined them.

"Yes. And apparently, like little children."

She turned to the healer, confused. "What do you mean?"

"They will be sane again. They will be able to talk to us again, but their minds, their thinking will be like a child's because the potion is still trying to repair the damage."

"Are their brains still going to develop as time passes by?" she asked.

"Of course," the healer said. "But it will be really slow."

"It's fine, I think. This is better than not being able to talk to them," she said happily, wiping the tears on her cheeks.

"So much better, indeed," Sev agreed.

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October 20, 1996

(present time)

Hermione was once again in the office of Healer Jordan after five months. She and Sev were waiting to be called, either by the healer, Neville, or Mrs Longbottom.

Five months ago, a teary-eyed Neville knocked on her and Sev's quarters at Hogwarts. He pulled her into a hug and kept thanking her and Sev for the news he received from St. Mungo's. Healer Jordan told Neville that a cure for his parents' condition had been discovered and developed by Hermione Granger and Professor Severus Snape. Mrs Longbottom was also elated and came to Hogwarts to personally thank them.

Today was the day she would see them for the first time since they had taken the healing potion. Neville often visited them, especially in the summer. When he was at Hogwarts, the headmaster allowed him to leave the castle on Sundays and make a quick visit to his parents.

Today was also the day the healers would decide if Alice and Frank could be released from the hospital and sent home. Only it would be a different home. Since Frank and Alice were tortured because of the First Wizarding War, their stay at the hospital was free of charge, and the ministry supported Neville and Mrs Longbottom financially. Mrs Longbottom had a small fortune but still needed help for Neville's Hogwarts education. They lived in a small cottage, too, and now that Frank and Alice could be released from the hospital, they needed a bigger house where the couple could move freely and the caregivers could stay. Mrs Longbottom didn't know if it was wise to buy a bigger house, but thankfully, Severus and Eileen offered the manor. The Prince family manor was inhabited by some house-elves and Eileen Snape. Severus had no desire to live there. He and Hermione preferred their Blackpool home. The Longbottom family were welcome to stay, but Mrs Longbottom preferred to live at her own house and just visit Alice and Frank as frequently as possible.

"Hermione..."

She slowly turned in the direction of Neville's voice. Her godson was standing by the office door. His eyes were red, but he looked happy.

"Professor Snape... They are ready to see you."

Sev stood up first and offered Hermione a hand. They walked out of the office to the private room of Frank and Alice on the upper floor. When Neville pushed the door open for them, she immediately saw Alice sitting on the bed and holding a big, colourful lolly. Mrs Longbottom was brushing her hair. Frank was eating what looked like Florean Fortescue's ice cream in an armchair in front of a coffee table where a set of Exploding Snap cards was waiting.

"Alice, dear, do you remember Hermione?" asked Mrs Longbottom gently.

"My friend?" Alice asked innocently. Hermione's heart clenched.

"Yes, dear."

"Oh, yes. She gave me a book on my birthday. Alice in Wonderland."

Hermione's heart was pounding as she moved closer to Alice's bed. "Hello..."

Alice turned to her, and she jumped off the bed. "Hermione! Neville showed me a picture of you. You look old!"

Hermione laughed and remembered an 11-year-old Alice. The way Alice was looking at her now was so much like the way she did when they were just first-year students.

"Hey, Neville! What took you so long? Let's play Exploding Snap!" came Frank's cheerful voice.

"Dad, do you remember Severus?" asked Neville gently.

Frank grinned. "You here to beat me in Exploding Snap, Snape?"

Severus smiled. "I'll try." He sat in the chair opposite Frank's.

"I remember him," Alice whispered to her. "He's your wizard. Have you two kissed yet?"

Hermione laughed at Alice who was giggling like a schoolgirl.

"You know what?" she whispered to Alice. "He's no longer my crush. We got married."

Alice's eyes widened. Hermione opened her outer coat.

"Oh, you'll be expelled! You're pregnant!"

Oh, Merlin, she thought. Being teased by Alice who talks like a child, younger than 11, is so much better than just seeing her stare into space, not knowing her own son. If I have to talk to her like a child for the rest of our lives, it's still so much better.