AN; I'm sorry it took me so long to update this story, this past month was very busy for me. I will try to have the next chapter up later today or tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Review responses:
lxnicelle~That was one of my favorite parts of that chapter, I hope you enjoy this one just as much.
Blue night fairy~Maybe *hint* *hint* I hope you like this chapter.
DutchGirl01~Thank you for your review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Dougsdaughter1957~I totally understand what you mean. I hope you like this chapter.
Hermione and Tobias silently walked into the potions classroom, Tobias had no idea what to expect, but he assumed it would be something dreadful like cleaning the cauldrons. he was trying very hard to push the news of Lily's death out of his head, he'd wanted to ask more questions about her, but he knew they would only lead to pain. He missed Lily and had hoped that somehow he could repair their friendship, but how was he supposed to do that now that he knew that she wouldn't even live to be fourty.
Professor Snape was sitting at his desk grading papers, he looked up as the two made their way to the front of the classroom.
"Sit," He said, scribbling a harsh note on the top of the essay he was reading that would be sure to make the recipient cry.
Both Hermione and Tobias obeyed his order, pulling up chairs so they were sat in front of his desk.
"Okay," The professor sat his quill on his desk and looked up at both the teens. "Do you know why you're here?"
"Oh great," Tobias rolled his eyes at his older self. "You're going to give us a stupid lecture aren't you?"
"As much fun as that sounds," Severus answered, annoyed with Tobias. "I don't like to waste my time creating a speech that will simply go in one ear and out the other. I meant the real reason, yes you were very aggravating in class today but that's not why you're here, I would've given you both detention anyway. The reason you're both here is because there are some things you need to know. Firstly, Tobias no matter what you do stay away from Pansy Parkinson, or any Slytherin girl for that matter. As for the boys, the closest you can get to them is a friendly but distant relationship."
"Why?" Tobias asked, trying to be a problem.
"Because if you don't do the things I say it will put you on someone's radar that you don't want anything to do with." Severus answered, he wanted to tell him that he didn't need any Slytherin girls because soon enough he would have Hermione, but he resisted.
"Why do you need me here?" Hermione spoke up.
"Because miss Granger there is a second of all to all of this," Severus explained to her. "And you are part of it. You both need to make it clear to everyone in Hogwarts that you're great friends. That means working together on projects and studying together and anything else you can think of. Are you both up for it?"
Hermione and Tobias looked at one another, both trying to find the answer in the others eyes.
"Okay." They said in unison, glad that they were on the same page.
"Good," Severus felt a pang in his chest as he thought about Tobias and Hermione getting closer. "Now clean the cauldrons."
Severus got up from his desk and walked out of the classroom only stepping back in to remind them to do it "Without magic." And taking there wands away.
When Hermione and Tobias finished their job and got their wands back, they were ready for a good nights sleep.
"Well," Hermione said, wiping her eyes and walking out of the potions classroom. "That was tiring."
"I'm ready to go to bed." Tobias added, yawning.
"Thanks for being okay with everything" Hermione said, glancing over at him.
"What do you mean?" Tobias asked her.
"I just thought you would take is worse than that," She tried explaining to him. "I thought you would hate the idea of spending so much time with me."
"I've already been spending most of my time with you anyway," He reminded her. "I mean, who wouldn't want to spend time with you?" He added sarcastically.
"You'd be surprised." She mumbled just loud enough for him to hear. They reached the hall that would lead to the Slytherin common room.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Tobias said. "Presumably in the library at around sevenish?"
"I'll be there." Hermione confirmed, laughing a little at the way he worded things.
"Goodnight Hermione." He said as he started toward the dungeon.
"Goodnight Tobias." She yelled back, making her way to Gryffindor tower.
Severus watched as the two left his classroom, listening as they continued down the hall.
"That girl." Severus mumbled under his breath, rubbing his eyes. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out an old wrinkled photo of him and Hermione from his time in the future. They were standing in front of the lake kissing, neither of them had realized that Harry had been taking the picture. It was a still photo taken by a muggle camera, but Severus cherished it deeply, always keeping it on him or close by at all times. He knew that she knew that they had a relationship, or rather for her, will have. He remembered the conversation he had with her about it twenty years ago for him and this morning for her. He only wondered if she'd thought about how her professor may have feelings for her. He of course was still in love with the girl. This made him feel like a pervert for feeling that way about a student, but the truth was that she was his girlfriend before she was his student, she was the only girl he was ever in love with. Sure he had loved Lily, but he was never in love with her. He remembered all to well the day that he got back to the past, he'd only been gone for an hour in his time so no one really even noticed his absence. He had ran to his room in the Slytherin dormitory, forgetting momentarily that he was back in his time and throwing himself on the wrong bed, when he finally made it to his bed, he put a silencing charm around it, crawled under his blankets and cried all night. He knew that he would never be with Hermione in the same way again and it tore him apart.
As he stood from his desk, satisfied with his work for the day, he felt glass break from under where his hand was on his desk. He lifted his hand to reveal Tobias' and Hermione's potion. He saw the blood seeping from his hand and knew that he wouldn't be able to make it to the hospital wing. He remembered that his assignment was to make truth serum, it would be perfect considering who made it, and now it was in his bloodstream. There was no telling what he would blurt out if he was forced to talk to someone. He slide down behind his desk, praying that no one would find him.
Tobias walked into the common room and was immediately bombarded with questions.
"Detention already." Pansy said. She stood up from her place on the couch and walked over to him, wrapping her hand around his arm. She smiled up at him, trying and failing to look alluring.
"Um...yeah." Tobias said, removing his arm from her grasp and moving around her to sit done on the couch.
"I wanted to ask you something." She sat down beside him, resting her leg against his.
"Yeah?" He waited for her response, wanting to get away from her as quickly as possible.
"Well, there is this trip to Hogsmeade this week end, which is a little town just out side of Hogwarts," She explained to him. "Anyway I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me?"
Tobias wasn't sure what to say, he didn't want to go with her, but he didn't want to get on her bad side either.
"As in a date?" He asked her.
"You could call in that I guess." She responded.
"I'm sorry Pansy but I have a girlfriend." He said, regretting the words the minute they left his mouth, there was only one girl that he had spent any time with, and that was Hermione.
"Who?" She asked immediately.
"You don't know her," He said quickly. "She's a muggle."
"Are you sure it's not Granger?" Pansy pushed.
"Yes," He told her. "Now if you'll excuse you, I'm quite tired and I would like to go to bed."
He stood from his seat and made his way to the boys dormitory, flopping down on his bed when he got there.
Hermione had headed straight to bed when she entered the common room, glad that Ron and Harry were no where to be found. She quickly changed into her pajamas and curled up under the blanket. She had no idea what she was going to do about the relationship she was sure her and Tobias would have. He understood her, she knew that much. He was able to study with her in complete silence and not feel the need to fill the quietness with conversation. She also knew that he got along with her friends, something that she was pleasantly surprised about. But then she remembered who he would grow into, Severus Snape, uppity potions master. The man was her Professor, the only Professor that had ever made her cry, and someone she had always hated. She wondered if it was all an act, maybe if she took the time to sit down and have a conversation with him, then maybe he wouldn't be as cold. She made a mental note to herself to stay after class tomorrow, before she fell fast asleep, dreaming of one person from two different times.
Tobias woke up bright and early the next morning getting ready for his day before heading down to the library, once again beating Hermione. He pulled out his arithmacy book and started working, not looking up when a stack of books was dropped on the other side of the table.
"How are you this morning?" Hermione asked him pleasantly. Pulling out her ancient runes notebook.
"Fine," He responded looking up from his work long enough to flash her a smile. "What about you?"
"Same," She said. They both sat quietly working on there papers.
"Pansy might think we're dating." Tobias blurted out after about ten minutes of silence.
"Why would she think that?" Hermione asked him.
"Because she asked me to go to Hogsmeade with her this weekend but I didn't want to, so I told her I had a girlfriend, she asked me who and I told her it was a muggle girl, then she asked me if I was sure it wasn't you, I told her I was sure but I don't think she believed me." He explained what happened to her.
"Oh." Was all she said in response.
"Are you mad?" Tobias asked her.
"No," She reassured him. "I mean, it's not like you said we were together, she came to that conclusion herself. I can't help what other people think."
"What if more people start thinking we're together?" Tobias asked, anticipating the answer.
"Then let them." Hermione answered, crossing out a section of writing in her notebook.
"You really don't care what people think of you?" Tobias questioned her, surprised at what she had told.
"Why should I?" She retorted. "Do you?"
"No," He reassured her. "But I've never really met anyone else who doesn't."
Hermione was about to respond when Harry raced into the library, disrupting their conversation.
"Tobias," He said, breathless from running all the way there. "Your brother is in the hospital wing."
"What, why?" Tobias asked, jumping out of his chair and shoving his things into his bag.
"McGonagall was walking past the potions classroom this morning, she noticed that it was unlocked and the door was open, Snape always made sure to lock it. She walked in and found him behind his desk with glass in his arm from a broken vile, the potion was already absorbed into his skin. She called Poppy and they took him down to the hospital wing." Harry was breathless once again when he finished explaining.
They started toward the exit, Hermione threw her books in her bag and followed.
"He's always been a clutz," Tobias said to Harry. " I'm surprised he hasn't gotten himself killed already."
They made it to the hospital wing in less than a minute, thanks to Tobias' determination. They entered as as Dumbledore was leaving.
"He's not awake yet," He explained to them. "You can stay as long as you need."
"Thank you Professor." Hermione told him when Tobias didn't respond.
Ron was sitting on one of the beds beside Snape, watching to make sure he didn't wake up. He looked up as the other three walked toward him.
"I told Ron to stay here." Harry explained.
"How is he?" Tobias asked.
"He seems fine," Ron told them. "He's been mumbling loads of stuff, but nothing I could make out."
As if on cue Severus rolled over and said something in his sleep. All four of them laughed at their potions master.
"Well," Harry said. "Ron and I should be going to breakfast."
"See you later then?" Tobias wondered.
"We can all meet in the library for lunch." Harry told him.
"Sounds good to me." Tobias turned back to Severus as the two boys left.
"What potion do you think it was?" Hermione asked, watching the older of the two toss and turn restlessly.
"I don't know." Tobias answered honestly, he just hoped for both their sake that it wasn't the potion that he had assigned for yesterday.
They both sat in silence watching the potions professor, waiting for him to wake up. Hermione took this time to notice how Severus looked almost like his younger self, without the scowl on his face he looked content. For the first time Hermione could see how Tobias would age into Severus.
Severus started to stir, his eyes fluttered open and shut.
"Wake up, you idiot." Tobias mumbled, standing over Severus.
Severus' eyes shot open, he looked around the room, panicking before his eyes landed on Hermione.
"Hermione." He said, grabbing her hand.