Sorry I've not updated fast enough I am trying to update all my stories (a bit hard... .) So here it is.
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Hermione had been up all night thinking on how exactly she was going to save Severus from enslavement. If she left without a word, whether she go into the past or to America, then Severus would have to marry Sybil so she couldn't do that. Hermione spent the last hours of darkness pondering how in Merlin's name she was going to get her old hated Potions Professor out of this. It wasn't as if she cared about his discomfort, or whether he was happy or not, no that would be implying she cared about him and that just wouldn't do. No, Severus was a fellow professor with nothing more in common with her then annoying students. Yet she couldn't just leave him without a way of escaping the Ministry's stupid law.
Hermione knew she had to go back into the past and convince Draco to relent on the marriage law even if it took some...extra convincing on her part. Yet she had to leave the present Severus with some sort of note perhaps? or contract that said she was determined on marrying him so that Severus would not be pushed off to Sybil any time soon. Yes, some sort of document that was it...
Then it hit her! Of course! Books had never failed her, why would they fail her now? "Why didn't I think of it before..." Hermione mumbled as she drew out a medium book from her shelves in the office. "Ah yes here it is, Legal certificates, loop holes, and Ways around the law." Fred and George had given it to her a few years ago as a joke Christmas present but when she read through it she found it enlightening and very useful when one gets caught in these situations. Leafing through the book her fingers searched through the certificates. "Certificate of death...no, Certificate of birth, Certificate of being a dunderhead... Ah HA! Here we go!" Hermione extracted a piece of paper signed and stamped by the ministry.
Now all that is left, thought Hermione, is getting that time turner from that blasted meddling women. I mean really she has gotten just as bad as Albus was back when I was still at Hogwarts, she seems intent, and content to see Severus and I marry! What absurdity! Well I will fix this, as usual it's left to me to do.
Hurrying out of her office she checked her watch, 4:30, good, for only Hermione Granger would be up at that un-Godly hour.
Little did she know how wrong she was...
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Severus had awoke abruptly at 4 with a pounding headache and a hazy memory of his dreams or what had seemed his dreams. Looking around he recognized his quarters, nearly sighing in relief he realized he was alone and in his rooms. Good, thought Severus, this time at least I ended up alone and in my own chambers...
How often had he went out and drank past his ability to contain alcohol to awake again early morning with some floozy in a foreign bed. Every time this happened he would immediately awake the woman and oblivate her memories of ever being with him, he never left one single women with a memory of touching him... if he had Merlin knows how his reputation would have been ruined, but worst would have been his pride.
Although he was usually drunk when these 'meetings', as he preferred to call them, happened sometimes he would go out with the sole purpose being to pick up some lonely, desperate woman. This had only happened twice, and once had been when he was very young. A few years after he finished Hogwarts he had a letter from Lilly asking him to attend her wedding. Well of course he had refused! What was he supposed to do? Watch as Potter lay her hands on his Lilly? Or watch the women he loved be bound to another man? No he refused to do it and so he had went out and drowned his sorrows with not only alcohol but sexual pleasure as well, but he hadn't of brought her back to his room's no, not her but the other one...
It had been two years since Hermione Jane Granger had graduated, but it had been nearly four years that Severus watched the girl nearly taking on the persona much like that of his Lilly. When Hermione had been in her seventh year he had... well he ...
-flashback-
"Well hello Severus, long time no see," the bartender greeted smiling with that annoying smile of pity. No one should pity Severus Snape.
"Yes well I've been busy," Severus snapped. The fact was that day he had seen Miss Granger with Ronald Weasley nearly hanging off her and it had ignited a jealousy that he had not known was there. He was not only angry at Miss Granger for chosing such a dunderhead but he was angry at himself for feeling anything for the stupid girl.
Severus looked around the bar seeing many familiar faces except one, it was a new waitress it seemed and she held such a strong resemblance to Miss Granger.
"Ah I see Anne has caught your eye. You wouldn't be the first, the girl is new here. Got no home to speak of, I had to take her in. She's not like the other women though Severus, she's not taken a man to her bed so I'll warn yee away now." The bartender's tone was that of a mother wanting to protect it's little girl from getting hurt, but Severus had no intention of hurting her, or of speaking to her for that matter.
"I am not here for that I assure you. Just pour me another drink," Severus snapped angrily at the bartender who apparently thought he would take advantage of a young girl. Taking his usual two bottles of Fire Whiskey and a glass Severus walked over to his usual dark corner and had only poured his second drink when the girl came over.
"Good evening Sir, is there anything I can get you?" If Severus hadn't known Hermione was an only child he would have immediately thought the girl had to be her twin sister. Her bushy brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun but a few wisps had escaped to whip around her face, her honey brown eyes were only ruined by a spot of green in her right eye, and her body was small with only starting signs of maturing with curves.
"No." Severus snapped angry that she dared disturb him but also intrigued. No one dared to come near him given the choice, and no one challenged him except perhaps the Granger girl.
"You don't have to snap, I am just doing my job here so I may study potions, if it weren't for my studies I wouldn't need to serve ungrateful people like yourself!" Anne had retorted. Apparently the girl had enough of the comments, snappish attitudes, and misplaced anger. So now Severus was the target of her anger, and truthfully he deserved it and so he said nothing to her comment.
"Well are you going to say something!" Anne snapped after a moment of silence.
"Your studying Potions?" Severus changed his tone to a silky, soft, calm reserved for calming the worst of people who had a habit of getting angry with him.
Anne was startled by his calm answer, and more so startled by his change in attitude. "I, well yes, I wish to be a Potions Mistress, why?"
"I happen to know a few things about Potions..."
And that was how it started... just a few conversations related to potions, a small chuckle here and there and Severus allowed himself one small guilty pleasure, he called Anne, Hermione, in his mind. He felt a bit guilty and soon he was to feel much worse.
-end flashback-
Severus buried his head in his hands refusing to think about that night, he didn't need to re-open new wounds it would solve nothing. Let dead secrets lie, as the ironic saying went.
And this was a very dead secret.
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Hermione had easily broke through the charms and shields put up by Minerva around her office and chambers. Hermione was surprised that the Headmistress hadn't made stronger wards even if the war was over there was surely still a few death eaters lying around. For example the damned wizarding world had saw fit to appoint Draco Malfoy, famous son of Lucious Malfoy, death eater extraordinaire to be Minister of Magic, surely the whole world had gone mad!
Shaking her head in disappointment Hermione quickly went through the drawers in the office scouring them for the time turner.
"Oh for Merlin's sake! There are only so many places that it could be!" Hermione muttered since she did not wish to awaken the portraits lest they alert Minerva of a snooping Professor in her office.
"Ah Miss Granger please do be quiet, there are portraits trying to sleep but may I ask what it is your looking for?" Dumbledore's portrait asked his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. Damn the meddling man!
"Well, err, Professor, did you happen to perhaps see a time turner around here?" Hermione whispered looking up at the portrait of Dumbledore who at that moment was chewing thoughtfully on a lemon drop.
"Ah the golden little hour glass I take it?" Dumbledore offered and Hermione nodded excitedly. Just as Dumbledore opened his mouth again there was a 'creek' and grunt from the stairs.
Hurriedly and frightened Hermione stuffed herself under the office desk.
"Albus did I hear voices?" Minvera asked sleepily.
"No dear Lady, I was just talking to myself again, you know how it is. I get a bit bored early in the morning's so I was trying to keep myself company," Albus answered cheerfully.
"Oh well try to be a bit quiet Albus, I do have to deal with the students everyday now," Minerva answered in kind turning around to walk back up the stairs just as a small sneezing nose erupted from the room.
"Did you hear that Albus?" Minerva asked twirling around to peer about the room again.
"Oh Minerva your so jumpy, that was just my annoying nose. It decides to talk once in a while you know." Albus answered in that cheery, relaxing, cooing sort of voice.
"Alright, good night Albus," Minerva said before returning to her chambers without futher a do.
Hermione emerged from beneath the desk utterly surprised by Dumbledore's...lies, and his cover up after she had sneezed. "That was close..." it came out as a mere whisper since Minerva might be still awake and on her guard to hex any intruders she catches in her office.
Dumbledore smiled at her and pointed towards the Sorting Hat and did a few hand gestures. Hermione raised her eyebrows in question. At first the only thought that came to her mind was that, Albus was even crazier in death, but then she realized he was trying to tell her where to find the time turner without having Minerva come back down again.
Nodding she lifted the Sorting Hat from it's resting place grabbing the golden hour glass underneath it before the Sorting Hat could wake and cause a large recuse. To her surprise the Sorting Hat did not say a word, nor did it wake even when she dropped it upon the shelf in her haste to get out of the office.
Dumbledore smiled at her offering a silent good luck and Hermione was then out of the office and running down the hall to her own chambers like a school girl scared to get caught playing a prank. Unfortunately she would not get too far without being caught by the feared bat of the dungeons...that's right she happened to run right into Snape.
Tumbling back she realized too late that the hour glass was spinning and at much too fast a rate for where she had wanted to end up. Unfortunately before she could stop it she felt that old familiar tug of her third year as her body was sucked through time to Merlin knows when...
--
Professor Snape had replaced his brick wall and bottled his emotions once more in order to exit his rooms in search of a head ache potion from Poppy since he had none left himself. Cursing himself for getting drunk without the proper potions in stock he had made his way to the hospital wing when he ran or rather Miss Granger ran in to him.
He had been about to come up with some smart comment before his eyes caught sight of the time turner and before he had time to haul her back so she could not be taken away...she was gone.
What had the foolish girl done now!? Gryffindors and their way of -running into things without thinking...or watching where they were going for that matter-. For all he knew she went back in time to kill Tom before he reached age five.
"Damn girl!" Severus muttered angrily as he raced towards Minerva's room's at 5 in the morning...on a Saturday, hopefully the women wouldn't bite his head off before he got out his reasons for being there.
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It had taken ten minutes or less to explain to Minerva what had happened and less the thirty minutes to figure out where Hermione had gotten the time turner.
"Albus you had something to do with this!" Minerva accused the former Head Master's portrait who was smiling and chewing on lemon drops as he listened to the two professors.
"Did I Minerva? I can't seem to remember, you know how it is. This old memory doesn't work as well as it used to..." Albus answered tapping his head.
Severus was furious, the old man knew and let the girl take the time turner! She could be anywhere! It could be dangerous! "You let her take the time turner without a word of where she was going! Of all the dunder headed things to do!" Severus couldn't even finish the words, he could feel the anger pulsing through him becoming essential to living as a replacement for his blood.
"Now Severus calm down, I'm sure Hermione can figure out what to do whenever, where ever she is. After all she was the brightest of her age." Minerva reasoned.
Severus considered her words and even though he didn't answer he knew she was right. Hermione was more then capable of taking care of herself after all the girl had been partly responsible for the death of one of the most powerful wizards ever to be born. Instead of confirming Minvera he just asked calmly, "Have her rooms been searched for clues as to where she might be?"
"Well no, I was unsure if we should I mean she isn't dead, and I would not like to go snooping through her things." Minerva answered agitated that she hadn't thought of it before Severus. Like Severus she was too stubborn to admit when she was wrong.
"Well she didn't have any trouble snooping through yours!," with a glare at Minerva he added, "Fine I'm going to be her husband. I'll do it."
Marching off he had no idea what he was going to find...
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Wel this is a slightly shorter chapter... much to my dismay and yours I assure you. But I figured it was a good place to end. I promise(hopefully) the next chapter will be longer! I hope you enjoyed this one.