Chapter 9: The Explanation
Snape lead Hermione into his office after muttering a few incantations at the back of the potions classroom.
Turning around just before reaching his desk, Snape quickly regarded his student with an expression of curiosity and suspicion before walking over to seat himself. He found himself momentarily questioning himself before shifting his gaze back to Miss Granger who sat herself down in an opposing chair looking far too small and the chair looking far to large for his comfort. Like a child prepared for a scolding, he thought and he caught her glancing up at him with a very odd expression. Perhaps embarrassment, he mused.
Clearing his throat, Snape thought he better get this conversation over with before Madame Pomfrey discovers her patient is no longer in the infirmary.
"Do you what a Time Turner is, Miss Granger?" Snape inquired as a pulled a stack of parchment from the inside of his desk drawer. Eying his movements in order to avoid his piercing gaze, Hermione shifted in her seat trying not to look to guilty at the mention of the one illegal object she had possession of in her third year but then again, she was never one for not answering a question she knew the answer to.
"Yes, sir, I am aware what a Time Turner is. It is a device capable of taking the wearer back in time at the designated turn of its dials. It allows the wearer full interaction in the past and then continues to work until the wearer shifts in time again. It is worn at all times in order for the magic to keep flowing." Glancing up at her professor, she could see him stare at her with a mix of fear and anger. She wasn't sure why, exactly, but Hermione knew what the next question from him could be…waiting…one..two..three-
She could see the he will not disappoint.
"Miss Granger, as much as you may or may not want to share this information with me," pausing ever so slightly emphasize his point, he continued "have you ever come across a Time Turner that wasn't illustrated in your ever-so-expanding collection of dusty handbooks and texts?" Narrowing his eyes, he regarded her seeing that she was choosing her words carefully.
"Yes, Professor. I have used a Time Turner. Professor McGonagall let me use it during my third year at Hogwarts so I could take all the extra classes I needed (or wanted, Hermione thought).
Surprised by her answer, and curious, Snaped further prodded her.
"How many classes did you take, Miss Granger?"
"Six, sir," Hermione answered, proudly.
Impressive, he thought smirking inside. Sobering a little, Snape had a mini revelation and realized that something in that timeline was not right. "How long did you use this device?" Snape questioned, picking up a quill and dipping it into some black ink. Scribbling some notes on the parchment in front of him, he looked up at the girl, regarding her sickly appearance and continued to write his assessment.
Hermione continued. "I used the Time Turner the entire year, sir. I used it everyday to go to two classes and I had to use it at night and on the weekends in order to keep up with the workload."
An entire year? Snape thought, So this must mean it physically aged her a year ahead of her class. He knew that she looked a bit older that her classmates but he always thought it had to do with her obvious maturity level over her peers. She didn't gossip or carry on like the other girls (and boys) in her class and rarely was ever seen socializing outside of the classroom unless it was out of necessity or the "Golden Trio" was out on another adventure. Sneering at the thought of Potter and Weasley prancing around Hogwarts with the items now in his possession made Snape wonder how much more these three got away with.
Looking at her brown eyes, Snape could see she was holding back something, something she wasn't going to tell him.
He could sense it and acted on his instincts. Pulling out his wand from under his volumous robes, he pointed the wand in Hermione's general direction and whispered the incantation:
"Legimins."
Black eyes meeting a surprised pair of golden brown, Snape entered Hermione's mind and started shifting through memories. Her first year getting attacked by a troll and lying that she was the one who wanted to find it. She was crying in the girls' bathroom, however, because her so called "friends" were mean to her and not appreciative of her intelligence. How interesting, I always thought those brats were inseparable since day one.
Next, he saw her brew a polyjuice potion in the girl's bathroom. When was this? Her second year? I can't give her credit, no doubt she was the one who pilfered my potions stores, the little chit. At least she was turned into a cat. That was almost worth the price of the ingredients.
Viewing more memories, Snape came across third year where she was using the Time Turner. Appearing in Trawlany's Divination class one day, so one memory thought out, she was useless in the craft and she reacted by throwing down the crystal ball and dropping the class. Interesting, I should have done the same thing in my year, mused Snape. I always thought it was a load of hogwash. Shifting past many sleepless night she had, Snape felt her mind close him off. More and more memories became to fade and he felt himself be pushed out of her mind. Reeling out of his student's memories, Snape felt himself launch backwards in his chair with such force that he fell off his chair and onto the floor.
Panting slightly at the forced exertion, Hermione blinked several times while a disorientated Professor Snape hauled himself from the ground.
"I DIN NOT give you permission to invade my privacy, Professor Snape," Hermione hissed, her hair flailing wildly as if an electric discharge came out from her roots. "If you need answers, you will ask me directly. I will not lie to you, nor will I expect it in return. If you want to ask me questions, use a verbal approach. It is more effective and polite." Hermione then sat down heavily on the chair, shaking slightly for using up most of the energy she saved up since her fall earlier.
Brushing himself off, Professor Snape bristled at the tone and words she used, but granted it was within his right to find the information he needs. He just didn't expect himself to be repelled and for her to know Occulmency. Wincing a little, Snape pulled his chair off the floor and sat back down, rubbing his knee he banged off the desk when he fell.
"At least if Potter learned one thing in his fifth year, it was for him to encourage you to learn an important skill, Miss Granger, but-" glowering slightly as Snape eyed his student "-if you ever speak to me in that manner ever again, you will find yourself scrubbing cauldrons for a month, no matter your physical capabilities at this present time, sneered Snape as he picked up his ink-splotched parchment, airing it to dry. Feeling the need to explain himself, Professor Snape continued. "I needed to invade your mind to ensure that you indeed have used the Time Turner for that length of time. I suspect your illness is not unlike something I have encountered before."
Hermione's eyes flickered to meet her professor's gaze with intense curiosity.
"It is not a physical ailment, per say, that you would be accustomed in experiencing in the Muggle world," Snape told Hermione as he got up from his chair and started to pace in front of Hermione's position with his teaching robes billowing as he continued talking, furrowing his brow.
"Miss Granger, as I am certain you are aware since you are the resident know-it-all, there are magical diseases and sicknesses a witch or wizard can catch causing the magic to usually drain from one's body. Some of the physical ailments act like Muggle diseases, however, your illness has not shown up specifically when I examined you." Pausing to look at his slender, long hands and gripping them into fists, Snape slowly turned to his student and regarded her carefully as if his next words weighed as heavy as the world.
"Miss Granger, I have reason to believe that your predicament is solely related to the use of the Time Turner in your third year."
Hermione gasped and put a small hand to her mouth in disbelief as Snape continued.
"Twenty years ago, when I first started working for the Dark Lord, he asked me to research and test the Time Turner on younger Death Eaters who just joined the ranks, such as myself. They were to use the device to attack Muggles in places they observed they would be at present time and then go back in time to sabotage and carry out their mission. Select few were chosen for this task and over time, as I examined on myself and others, I found us becoming weaker and increasingly ill."
Glancing in her direction again while continuing his pace, Snape softly spoke. "I found that over time, the device sucked the magical properties from oneself in order to keep the time turning magic working at such levels. I, myself, had to use the Time Turner, against my will, in order to find a solution as to why they were becoming increasingly sick. With the Dark Lord unaccustomed to failure, we had little choice but to keep using the Time Turner without any regards to our own health.
After a few months, I noticed myself, and the other Death Eaters, were not getting any better and it soon became apparent that some were not going to live for very long. The remainder of us, however, who did not use the device for as long, found ourselves feeling and looking older. A few lines here, a couple grey hairs there. A few tests, I realized that the Time Turner had a counter effect.
Pausing again, Snape stopped and looked at Hermione, who looked up expectantly for the 'great answer' he almost wish he could withhold. Wrapping her robe around her closer to keep out the chill, Hermione urged on.
"Please, sir, what is the counter-effect?"
"The effect of the device, Miss Granger, causes one to age according to the length of time the wearer uses it. The reason no one at the Ministry was aware of this side effect because individuals and Aurors would only use it for a few days per person. Myself and the other Death Eaters, however," Snape replied, unconsciously touching his left forearm, "used it for almost a year, just as you have. Some Death Eaters didn't survive this illness. Survivors, such as myself, somehow aged 10 years."
Gasping, Hermione stared at her professor. No wonder he looks so old, she thought. She knew that Professor Lupin and Sirius Black both graduated at the same time as Professor Snape but they looked no where near the age of the man standing in front of her.
As if he could read her mind, Snape replied "Yes, Miss Granger, I am only 39 years but the Time Turner, however, physically aged me ten years. I found the Time Turner has magical capabilities to age ten times the wearer's age, hence why the Ministry never caught onto people aging only a few months."
"I was only 19 years old at the time it aged me, and I fear, Miss Granger," Snape almost whispered "that you will endure the same fate if you survive your illness, which has left you fragile and weakened magically."
Shaking her head as Hermione glanced down at her lap, she muttered "Ten years, that would make me almost 30 years old! It almost seems impossible to comprehend. Sir," Hermione looked up in wide eyes and begged as Snape turned to write a few more notes on the parchment, "how long is the aging process?"
Sighing a little, Snape bite back a scathing remark at her pleasing voice and answered truthfully. "I am not certain entirely but you should be completely aged by only around three weeks. I haven't seen the effects on the female physiology so I cannot be certain how long or how painful it may be."
"Painful?" Hermione whispered.
"Yes, Miss Granger, if you could imagine the amount of energy and strength it takes to grow merely inches in a few months, imagine aging ten years' worth of experiences into a few short weeks. You are lucky that you are of age as opposed to being a child. I fear the aging process wpuld be that much more critical and severe. I would fear for your life, Miss Granger, if it were the case." Carefully placing his quill into the inkpot after scratching some spiky notes, Snape past by Hermione and activated the floo with the parchment in hand. With a simple command "Headmaster", Snape threw in the paper and a green flame erupted, encompassing the dark office with a ominous glow.
Once the last flame went out, Severus Snape tapped his hand against the fireplace as if contemplating his next words.
"Miss Granger, I believe I have told you al there is to know at this point. Professor Dumbledore will be apprised of the situation and you will be brought up to the infirmary at once to get proper medical attention. Madame Pomfry will surely be in a state if she finds her only patient missing and me in larger than necessary trouble. I already have enough of a headache from your screaming earlier," Snape sneered, curling his lip slightly.
"But sir, I have one more question!" pleaded Hermione.
"I will not repeat myself again, you insufferable chit," Snape retorted, becoming increasingly like the professor she knows from class again. "You will save you questions and hold your tongue until I call for you again. Save us both the trouble and rest or I will be forced to bind you to the infirmary until you grow as old as the ages." With that, Snape flicked his wrist and pulled Hermione off his chair and placed her before the fireplace. Throwing in more floo powder, Snape bellowed "Infirmary." And with that, Hermione was shoved unceremoniously into the floo and was carried to the infirmary before she could speak another word, her hair flying wildly around her body.
Glancing up at Hermione, the look on her face was positively murderous.
Insufferable girl, thought Snape. Maybe age will tone her down her stubbornness, or better yet, her hair, he mused as Snape picked off strands of long, wavy brown hair from his cloak before sitting down to mark more essays with his favorite red-inked quill.