A snippet chapter before things start taking light? A possible answer in dreams? Will Hermione be able to understand the gravity of the situation before it is too late? Will the Marauders be able to stand their ground? Will the baby be in fact a Black? So many questions and so many nervous conflicts... let's find out soon.

XOXOXO

The labor was long and a hard-won battle. She never thought she would see Sirius's eyes grow to the size of snitches, but at that moment, they were. His vision beheld the exhausted witch and his new born son. She choked on laughter as the infant nestled comfortably in her arms. "Pads, look. Our son has finally arrived."

Sirius gingerly reached out to stroke the soft tuffs of black hair, "He is absolute perfection, kitten."

She leaned against his lips and kissed him, "Our little Corvus."

"How did we get so lucky, love?" Sirius asked softly, and Hermione sighed with a smile.

"A little piece of me and you, Sirius... at least you have this," she murmured; she was more tired now, and it had been getting worse as the days progressed.

The moment was interrupted by a knock and a quick entrance by an unwanted guest, "I understand that you will want to throw me out, but I had to see my godson," Remus interjected, and Hermione huffed.

"Get out," she snapped sharply and the boy in her arms fussed.

Sirius turned to the werewolf and his eyes shown the hurt that resided there, "I think it is best you leave, mate."

Remus glared and folded his arms, "Not until I see my bloody godson!"

"He is not your godson! He would have been your son if you loved me!" Hermione shouted and cringed at the child's hollers of anger at her outburst.

"But-"

"No, Remus, that doesn't count... you left me." her voice was torturous to the werewolf.

She rocked, and the tears freely left her eyes; this was supposed to be a special moment and now tainted by the anger of the recent past. "Hermione…" Remus started, and Sirius shook his head.

"Please, Moony. Please leave us be. She is already sick and dying, can't we just have a bit of peace before it happens?"

The werewolf held up his hand, and his face skewed unnaturally, "Please? I am begging you."

"I was mistaken, Moony…" Hermione trailed off quietly, "I just wanted my family together before I died, but it was all error. You cannot have someone who isn't yours to keep; not this time. Go home to your son and mourn your wife you lost a life time ago."

Remus pulled out the book from his bag and placed it on the chair, "We can always bring her back. We always will," he disappeared from the room as quickly as he entered, but Hermione saw the tears starting to form in his eyes.

"How many times will I always be brought back to this moment in time. It cuts like a knife and rakes my mind. I can only hope for a different conclusion..." Hermione sighed and shook her head as she nursed her son.

"What lapse are we on now?" Sirius questioned with a crushed expression.

"This is only our second time, Padfoot. The first time I ever brought you both back, you left me first."

"Now what?" The exasperated man retorted, and Hermione smiled at him through her tears.

"You hold your son, and we hope that next time it will be better. He will keep and always will come back to us. As the clock cycles minutes to hours and hours to days… so shall we until I can fix it. Corvus is our son forever."

Sirius took the child from her and sat in the empty chair, "Hermione…" he whispered but did not look up. "What happened last time? Everything seems so muddled."

"Remus mourned me, and you helped him bring me back. It will most likely be similar this time. You both won't be able to help it. I left you instructions on what to add to the spell. We cannot keep remembering like this; we will all go mad. You both are fragile from the Veil," She murmured, and his eyes watched her as she rested on her pillow.

"Why was this time so different?"

She took longer to answer, and the silence made him nervous, "Because, it is hard to be in love with another time. It won't be like this the next time… I made sure of it."

"Why is it lapsing?"

Her voice was raspy with tones of discomfort and pain, "You both won't let me love you enough to leave you alive…"

The witch sprang to an upright position as she gasped for air; another vision of a hidden past. She now knew it was evidence of her lapses and not odd dreams. The baby was one thing, but the confirmation that she caused their memory loss was another entirely. Lucius made it seem as if her death never happened, but every memory her death was inevitable... what was she going to do?

Sirius lazily reached for her as Remus groaned, "Witch, rest. Now is not the time to see if you can play with us sober."

"Remus, my Remus," she whimpered, and it was ice water to his mind.

"Love, what's wrong? Is it the baby?" He asked and tugged her to him.

Hermione nestled into him, and Sirius groaned before rolling closer to the body he was tangled with, "Don't be selfish," Sirius grumbled and buried his face in her hair.

"I just need you both with me, I love you," she mumbled, and Remus ran a hand over her cheek.

"Forever," he reassured her, and a tear escaped her eye.

"Forever," she repeated, and he coaxed her back to slumber.

0o0o

"Tell me again Granger why I should help you," Draco snapped as they were having tea in a Muggle restaurant.

"Because changing the course of time is never easy. Because from the moment we found out we could bring back them from the Veil, we have been stuck like this. Because mostly I am desperate to keep them alive now even though we have our answers as to how. They won't see me parish; it is written to be that way. We both know that…" she paused and glanced at the door, "Because your wife's death should be prevented as well."

Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked, "You are asking me to help you implement this… insane phrasing into the spell so we can bring them back this time and reset our memories? I have to admit I am growing fond of our dalliances in between our lapses now…"

"Draco, please…" her voice strained, and she rubbed the back of her neck. "I need a chance to find an answer without losing them and without my death. We both know what we have to do."

"All because twit one and twit two won't see you die?" Draco's face scrunched which gave way to his real feelings to her death.

"Because death is never an answer if it can be helped. Will you read it with me this time to reset the spell?"

The blond wizard nodded and sighed, "Alright, Granger. I will help you under one condition. If we live through this after the lapses, I demand… middle names to be my namesake."

Hermione groaned and smiled, "Of course you would pick such a moronic condition."

Draco grinned, "Of course, we are half way to the loony bin as it was. Let's bring your boyfriends back for the fiftieth time."

"It has not been that long…"

"Or has it?"

Hermione rubbed her face and shook her head, "Just don't be Draco Malfoy today."

"I am every lapse, always will be, Granger."

0o0o

The more she read the books, the more it started to all come back to her. They all were sitting in the Malfoy library as she poured over books she had read so many times. She felt shaky and nauseous today but had not spoken about it. Hermione did not want to alarm them or tell them the critical issue; she would grow sick, and her death was undeniable after her baby was born.

Was it punishment? A sickness from the Veil? There were no scars or markings this time. Somewhere in these books, she had to find the answer… but if that was the case, then why had she gone to all this trouble of losing their memories almost every lapse?

"Hermione," Remus murmured and surfaced her mind to the present. "Come have a look?"

The woman lugged her swollen body from the armchair and went to the desk he was sitting at. "What is it, Moony?"

He pressed her fingers to the pages and looked up with a smile at her, "Look, Veilweavers…" he trailed off, and she gasped.

"Moony, you are brilliant!" She exclaimed, and he moved back so she could rest on his lap.

Draco made an expression of distaste as he glanced up from his book, "If I find something, would you sit on my lap?"

Sirius chucked a book at him and grumbled, "Don't talk to her like that."

The werewolf ran his bearded chin along her shoulder line, "Look there… seems like this," he paused and ran a finger along the scar on her neck, "Is important to our situation."

"Remus," her breath hitched, and she felt his smile on her shoulder.

"Later, love."

"Have you told them yet, Granger?" Draco asked and held up his book.

Hermione glared at him and purposely ducked her eyes down to the pages in front of her. "Not your business, Malfoy."

"Have you told them, Granger," He repeated with a droll tone.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the blond, "Told us that we have been lapsing many times over?"

Remus cleared his throat, "Maybe he is referring to the residue of the lapses."

"I am speaking about the fact that you tossers won't let the lapse end with her death."

The animagus glowered at Draco, "She is healthy, and so is the baby. I told her to stop worrying."

Hermione jerked slightly, and Remus ran his fingers on her arm, "We will figure this out."

"I hope so." Her voice was small as she was very unconvinced this would be any different than before.