Yeah, we've all been there.
We know how it goes.
When you'd rather disappear,
then you might as well be dead.
You might as well be dead.

Even I'll be holding on
when the days get too long,
it's hard not to just hold on.
You hope that it's the end,
tomorrow it starts again,
and its impossible to be strong.

January 1? 11:30PM
Hogwarts

Without warning Severus reached out a hand and we apparated away with a loud crack, leaving a stunned younger Severus and a very confused Dumbledore behind. I was so startled that a small, unimportant accident occurred during our trip.

We reappeared in a small, dark room. It was musty, damp and slightly familiar. Severus lit the room with his wand and I shuddered involuntarily.

"Severus?"

"Yes?" Severus responded tightly as he moved toward the heavy wooden door.

"Where are we?"

He paused for a moment before answering. "My apparition room at Hogwarts. I panicked and could think of no safer place."

Severus motioned for me to follow him through the doorway but my feet seemed to be frozen to the floor. I fumbled nervously with the edge of my shirt.

"I panicked too," I commented hesitantly, "and I might have done something stupid."

The sound of his feet faltering on the stone echoed through the small room. I smiled sheepishly as he turned around and gave me a questioning look.

"And that would be?" he questioned. I mumbled a quiet reply and waited in silence for the inevitable explosion. "YOU WHAT?"

"I got scared!" I exclaimed defensively, "You did the same thing!"

"I apparated us somewhere I knew would be safe!" Snape shouted, "I didn't send us back in time to Merlin knows when!"

"I didn't mean to!" I yelled back, "It was an accident…Hey wait a second…"

"What?"

Ignoring Severus I took a few tentative steps and then stepped through the doorway. I continued down the dark, damp hallway, running one hand along the wet stones. When I felt and heard nothing I turned around and gave Severus a questioning look. The castle seemed to affect me so much before, but now I could feel nothing.

"What is it?" Severus questioned once more.

"I don't feel anything," I replied warily, "Nothing at all."

"What do you…" his voice trailed off and his expression changed to one of understanding, "I see."

We exited the dungeons and made our way into the main part of the castle. The halls were dark and empty. "Invisibility cloak?" I suggested. Severus nodded in reply, pulling the cloak out from his pocket and draping it over the both of us.

"Where should we go?" I questioned.

"I think it would be prudent," Snape's voice caught in his throat as his attention shifted toward the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Severus?" I whispered nervously, "Severus, who is that?" A woman with bright, green eyes stood in front of the gargoyle. She had a long, forest green cloak pulled over her head.

I was about to repeat myself but was cut off by the sound of footsteps rushing toward us. A younger man in a matching cloak was hurrying toward the woman, a small bundle held securely in his arms. The man greeted the woman with a small kiss then whispered the password and the both of them disappeared up the stairs.

"Severus, who were they?" I asked again. I waved a hand in front of Snape's glazed over eyes and then snapped my fingers several times. His attention eventually turned back to me but he still appeared to be distracted.

"Lily," he stammered, "and James Potter."

"We have to follow them!" I exclaimed. I grabbed Snape's arm excitedly and began pulling him toward the gargoyles.

"Are you insane?" Severus spat forcefully, "Dumbledore will see us, he'll know we are there."

Severus was right of course. There was no doubt in my mind that Dumbledore had the power to see through invisibility cloaks and I highly doubted that any invisibility charm would work much better. I clapped my hands in glee as a brilliant idea popped into my head.

"Give me your hand."

"What, why?"

"Just give me your hand Sev," I directed once more.

"My name is not Sev," he snapped angrily, "It is Severus, Professor, Snape or even Professor Snape, but it is most assuredly NOT Sev."

"Fine…Give me your hand Professor." Severus shivered slightly as I spoke his title in parseltongue but he begrudgingly gave me his hand.

Severus gave me a strange look as I pulled him down toward the floor. I could feel his confusion grow even strong as I laid my right palm down onto the rock and then pushed his palm down with my left hand. Almost immediately I felt the castle respond. Snape must have sensed something as well because he attempted to pull away.

"Stop," I commanded softly.

"What in the world…"

"I'm asking the castle to help us," I explained as I remembered back to the time Remus was choking me in the infirmary, "It helped me before."

"But you said you can't feel the castle or hear it," Severus responded pensively, "Perhaps the bond between yourself and the castle does not exist in this time." Just as he finished his statement our hands began sinking into the floor.

"O it's still there alright," I replied as Severus watched our hands disappear in wonder, "The bond may not be as strong but the castle is stronger here in this time. It still seems to sense that we are connected somehow."

The floor seemed to undulate around us and Severus instinctively struggled to free himself. "Don't move," I ordered firmly, "Just trust in Hogwarts." Snape's expression was unsure so I flashed him a reassuring smile. "This castle has always been your home too Severus," I continued and his features relaxed slightly, "and you should know that you will always be safe here."

Severus nodded in reply and said no more as the last visible part of our bodies dropped out of sight. A few seconds later we watched two prefects stroll by above us, neither one of them aware that only seconds ago they would have stepped right on the tops of our heads.

There was no way to communicate to one another as we made our way through the thick, muddy liquid surrounding us. Severus had a tight grip on my hand and I gave it a firm squeeze in an effort to comfort him the best I could.

We moved like fish swimming through the walls and under the floor until we came to the stairs leading to Dumbledore's office. It wasn't a difficult climb but I forced myself to move slowly. The more we could do to keep from drawing attention to ourselves the better. I silently begged Hogwarts to shield us from Dumbledore's all-knowing eyes but without being able to hear her, I had no way of knowing if she could hear me or if she would comply.

As soon as we entered the room we spotted James and Lily Potter sitting in front of Dumbledore's unoccupied desk. The old wizard was either late for their meeting or the two of them were early. Baby Harry was sitting on Lily's lap, idly playing with her long red hair. James Potter looked exactly as I imagined him to look. He was a healthier, younger looking version of my father.

When Dumbledore finally entered the room Severus and I had taken up residence in the wall directly off to one side of his huge wooden desk. The sorting hat was sitting on the top shelf and it caught my attention almost immediately. I swear that I saw it wink at me! I tried to point it out to Severus but his attention was firmly fixed on the beautiful green-eyed woman sitting in the chair off to our right.

The mood in the room was sober as Dumbledore offered the couple the usual tea and candy. Both declined and it was obvious that they had not come for a social visit.

"I don't like this Albus," James stated firmly, "I don't like this plan of yours at all. How can you be sure that You-Know-Who can be tricked so easily?"

Dumbledore let out a loud, dejected sigh. "I cannot be sure," he responded wearily, "but I can tell you that Harry will have a much better chance at a normal life then he would if we allow things to continue as they are."

"But why can't we just remain in hiding?" questioned Lily, "We can keep him safe until You-Know-Who is defeated."

"Is that the type of life you wish for your child?" Dumbledore asked as he studied them both over his half-moon glasses. "Would you want him raised in a prison, with the both of you constantly fearing that one day he will be ripped away from you?"

James and Lily glanced at one another before shaking their heads. Fat tears began rolling down Lily's cheeks. James crossed the room to kneel down beside her, wiping the tears away with one thumb.

"It'll be okay Lily," James offered as cheerfully as he could, "You'll see. The plan will work fine and then that bastard will be gone and the three of us will live happily ever after."

Her husband's words seemed to give Lily a renewed strength and she straightened up almost immediately, drying her eyes swiftly with the edge of her cloak. "What do we need to do?" she asked Dumbledore in resignation.

"Nothing all too difficult," Dumbledore replied, "You only need to make sure that the traitor sees the mark on little Harry. Once he does then he should report back to his master almost immediately."

"How long do you think we'll have?" James asked hesitantly.

"I do not know," the old wizard responded sadly, "Tom thirsts for immortality and if he sees a chance to obtain it I have no doubt his actions will be swift and well-organized."

"But we don't know who the traitor is?" James stated thoughtfully.

"But you have a good idea of who it might be," Dumbledore replied quickly, "Trust your instincts." James and Lily both nodded in understanding as they shared a solemn glance.

"We should probably be going," James stated as he helped Lily to her feet, "It's not safe for us away from Godric's Hollow."

"It's not safe for us anywhere," Lily muttered angrily.

At the door Lily paused for a moment and turned back toward Dumbledore. The baby in her arms thrashed fitfully and the blanket shifted slightly, giving us a better look at the little boy's face. "Do you think this is right?" She questioned nervously, "Using him like this I mean…he is only a little baby…"

"It is the best that we can do for him," Dumbledore replied wisely, "We can do no better than that."

I stared at the infant version of my father, studying his tiny body from toe to forehead. To his tiny little forehead, with the tiny little…

My mouth flew open in a silent shout as I tried to gain Snape's attention. He was still ogling my grandmother and I was only able to point out my discovery as Lily turned to walk away once more. Dumbledore swiftly left the room through a side door and I immediately jumped out of the wall, dragging Severus along with me.

"Did you see that!" I exclaimed wildly. Severus clapped a hand over my mouth.

"Shhhhh…" he hissed softly, "Dumbledore may still be close."

"But Severus, you saw that right?" I asked after he removed his hand, "I'm not going nuts am I?"

"No, you are not crazy concerning this," Severus replied thoughtfully, "I saw it too."

"The scar," I mumbled as I absentmindedly stroked the scar on my forehead, "The lightning bolt shaped scar, it was there before he was hit with the killing curse and no one ever knew."

"Well obviously Dumbledore knew," Severus commented, "It was all part of some kind of plan."

"A plan to get rid of the Dark Lord obviously," I added, "I wonder what the scar had to do with it."

"Well we won't find out standing around here. I suggest we follow them."

"Good idea."

A door banging open off to the right startled us out of our thoughts. "Perhaps you two would like to explain what you are doing here before you follow anyone."

Severus and I slowly turned around to find Dumbledore giving us a cold glare with his wand held out in front of him. "Sir, I…" Severus began but Dumbledore cut him off.

"I know you are not the real Severus Snape. You appear to be much too old to be the Severus I know. And you," he commented, turning his attention toward me, "look somewhat familiar. Who are you and how did you get here?."

"Sir, I can explain…" Severus started once again, but I panicked and did the only thing I could think of.

"OBLIVIATE!" I shouted loudly as I pointed a finger toward Dumbledore's temple. Severus gave a startled cry as the spell hit the old wizard smack dab between the eyes.

I couldn't help but marvel at the strangeness of the situation as Dumbledore stared blankly off into space. For the second time in one day the most powerful wizard since Merlin had been obliviated. Of course each instance happened years apart, with the second actually happening before the first.

I'm certain Dumbledore would get a kick out of something so novel…if he were ever able to remember it that is.

dSz

dSz

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I think Severus should take that turner away from Jenny before they end up causing some real damage, either to the timeline or poor Dumbledore.

In the next chapter Severus and Jenny find out that traveling through time can not only be dangerous to the future but to their own hearts and minds as well.