Hey Everyone!! I am overwhelmed with the response to this fic. I am so glad to see so many of you liking this.

So this is the next installment, I am literally editing this as I go. All of these are literally being posted from my phone because one more tumble of my phone out of my daughters hands and it is going to die.

So this is Rated M for violence, strong language, Lemons and a whole dose of other triggers so proceed with caution. It is also quite dark in themes, murder, mayhem that kind of thing.

As always please leave a, review it really does make me so happy. Speak soon bye!!

Chapter Two

Severus

It had been a long night, the Dark Lord was ruthless and furious at his followers for not only losing the Prophecy but for allowing the Order to interfere. His carefully laid plans all went to hell in a hand basket, Lucius and his ineptitude and capture drew his ire. Various Crucios werethrown around willy nilly at anyone who dared open their mouths.

Thankfully having been absent from the Ministry I had managed to escape his ire and even more importantly his wand. Upon hearing that Hermione Granger was in the hospital wing unconscious possibly dying it allowed Bella a slight reprieve.

All in all nothing was being done as of right now, possessing Potter and being discovered at the Ministry was not something the Dark Lord had planned but alas it had happened now and he was moving players into place and planning for the future.

Walking back through the gates of Hogwarts always lifted my spirits, I might hate teaching dunderheaded idiots but the castle itself provided it's own brand of comfort for me, always had ever since I was a boy. It was my home, truly the first true home I ever had. Listening to my father drunk and beating on my mother was not the idyllic childhood I wished I had. Going to Hogwarts changed my life, possibly even saved my life in some ways and regardless of anything else it was my home and always will be.

The sun was beginning to rise and I had to report to Albus before checking on Miss Granger. The girl was a enigma, for all my Occlumency training I could not breach her at all. That had never happened before, not for me, she was still unconscious when I left so with any luck she will be awake as the curse balances out both her magical core and health.

The girl was intelligent of course and was not as much of a pain to teach as the other two idiots, now she had grown and ceased her incessant hand waving. She was beginning to think for herself and not just regurgitate textbooks, sitting the top of her year and yet never had I given any thought to her as an Occlumens.

The stonegargoyle moved as I took my first step onto the staircase towards Albus office. I had been a spy for this man for fifteen years and I was always filled with trepidation when I walked toward his office. I didn't even bother knocking at this point, he knew me and knew I was coming so he never got offended by me showing up at strange hours.

"Ah Severus, come and sit. Can I offer you a drink?" Wanting a glass of firewhiskey I didn't really think tea was going to cut it and declined before taking a seat across from him.

Realistically there was nothing to relay to him of any real consequence, he was the one to battle the Dark Lord and as such probably knew more than I did. I relayed everything anyway before he nodded and smiled.

"What else is bothering you Severus?" The old man really was too observant for his own good. I am unsure whether telling him about Hermione Granger was something he needed to know. If the chit had decided to learn Occlumency then who was I to stop her. I just shook my head at him and made my leave to check on said girl.

It was a nasty curse she was hit with and one of Carmen Blacks own invention, Bellatrix Lestrange certainly knew her family magic and according to her this evening the Mudblood would be dead before the new school year.

Of course little did she know I had stopped it in its tracks. The curse will not go away and will likely live inside of her for the rest of her life but its progress was halted with my potion. I believe Bellatrix Lestrange will get a shock come September when she shows up at Hogwarts and Draco informs his family she is very much alive.

Making my way down the corridors I was met with the students heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Weasley and Potter were coming down from the direction of their common room with Hermione Grangers bag on their shoulder.

"Potter, Weasley." They instantly looked downcast upon seeing me and I honestly did not relish the thought of talking to the two, dunderheaded idiots but needs must.

"I am guessing since you are no longer sitting vigil, the third member of your gang is now awake and you have been chased by Poppy?" They both nodded their heads at me before I nodded and held my hand out for the chits book bag which weighed a ton.

"I am on my way to check on her and I shall deliver her bag. You both should enjoy the rest of the day because you will have Detentions Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays straight after dinner from now until you board that train home. Hagrid has agreed to oversee them." They looked horrified for a second before I cast a featherlight charm on the bag and shrunk it to place in my pocket.

"You lured a teacher into the woods and she was carted off by the Centaurs. Regardless of my own desire to dosomething similar to the toad of a woman it cannot go unpunished,not to mention you risked your lives riding to the ministry on bloody thestrals. You're both lucky I am only handing out detention and not taking every single house point from Gryffindor because of that stunt. " I turned from them both and slowly made my way to the hospital wing.

Upon walking in I could see her sitting up and picking at a bowl of fresh fruit, she jumped a mile into the air with herwandoutbut relaxed instantly upon seeing me. That was not a normal response, that was a warriors response, a fighters response.

"Miss Granger, good to see you wide eyed and bushy tailed, pardon the pun." She glared at me for a second no doubt remembering the incident in her second year. I could not help a small twitch of my lips before I placed the bag on her bed in front of her. I indicated for her to move forward and upon seeing the vines under her skin had stayed in the same place as when I had left which meant the potion was working.

The aim of the curse was to slowly invade the heart and brain and drive the person mad before eventually strangling their heart and killing them. The scar was only six inches from her left hipbone, up to meet her spine, she was extremely lucky it didn't hit her chest.

"Everything looks well Miss Granger, it will scar and I would like to keep an eye on it someway or another over the summer to ensure that it does not progress any further. The potion I created has stopped it for now but I do not know if it is a temporary fix or not." I could see apprehension and confusion on her face before she just nodded her head at me.

Deciding to test my luck I delved into her mind again, my curiosity had gotten the best of me but just as quick as I had entered she hadthrown me out. I couldn't stop my eyebrow from quirking at her and she almost looked shocked at what she had just done before looking furiously at me.

"It's rude to drop into people's minds Professor, if you have a burning desire to know something I would prefer to be asked in the future. Such a Gryffindor action I thought would be unbecoming of a Slytherin." I could have scoffed at this girls insolence, she wasn't wrong and could probably get me sent to Azkaban if she wanted to but I just shook my head and took a seat at her bedside.

"How long have you been working on your Occlumency Shields?" She shrugged slightly before pulling her bag close to herself and lifted out a notebook that appeared blank with a ball point pen and set it down in front of her.

"Not too long, I haven't had anyway to test them so was unsure how strong they were." My eyebrows shot up and realistically I knew the girl was intelligent but even that had surpassed my expectations.

"Well they are strong, strong enough that even I can't get past them." She didn't say anything else and would not meet my eyes. She seemed different, almost older than what she had been last week. I couldn't put my finger on it but she was hiding something, she looked defeated and downtrodden. Almost as if the world was over, something else has happened to the girl this evening. It has changed her, forced her to grown up well beyond what she should.

"Once you are released from the hospital wing you are to report to me from Six pm until Nine Pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for detention from now until the end of the school year. I will come back this evening to check your injury." She didn't even question it and only nodded her head as I stood to leave.

"Miss Granger, is it true you assaulted Antonin Dolohov? Whatever did he say to you?" She rolled her eyes before picking up the pen and opening up the notebook to the first page which was blank.

"He was being rude and suggestive Professor, he is lucky it was his nose I broke and not his appendage between his legs which was also lacking aswell as his manners." I couldn't stop the smirk from overcoming my face. She was a fucking spitfire, how did I not know that about her.

I could tell she was confused by my expression and I just turned and walked away, I would erupt with laughter if I didn't. Schooling my features, the whole way to my quarters was difficult and it was only once my door was closed and warded did I let it out.

Laughter bubbled out of me and I couldn't stop it, seeing the incident in Longbottoms head was amusing but the young woman had turned into a bit of a strong young woman and if I was being honest with myself, it was amusing. Finally pouring myself a glass of firewhiskey for breakfast I sat and seen the new copy of the Potioneers Guild Newsletter sitting and finally managed to read it.

-/-/-/-/-

Hermione

Once he left the room I couldn't help but give myself a bit of a shake. It was almost like I was hallucinating, did he smile? The man really was an enigma, I didn't have time to think about Severus Snape. I had more important things to worry about.

Casting the necessary protection on the notebook had been easy enough but making my list was going to take longer. Call it a to do list, if I wrote down everything as I remembered it, it would make this whole thing easier.

Horcruxes were first, ring, diadam, snake, locket and cup not to mention the one in Harrys head. I still don't know what I am going to do about that one. I can't just go and murder my best friend and then apologise and say sorry just wanted to get rid of the piece of voldemorts soul that was stuck in your mind.

My parents, their practice and finances needed sorted. The house had no mortgage but it would need to be protected, possibly under charms or something else. I would need to aquire a few things and that was either the Sword of Gryffindor or some Basilisk fangs. A pensieve to view some memories of my own and I needed to do something about Draco Malfoy.

He was not evil, just a prat and he did the right thing in the end, I don't think I would be able to stop him from taking the mark but I could at least try and help him slightly. Amelia Bones gets killed this summer, I don't know how I can fix that but I have to at least try.

It was another hour and seventeen pages later before Madame Pomfry came back in again to check on me. She did the necessary checks before asking if I needed anything else. After declining she left me to my own devices, I had decided to go through my bag, almost like an inventory.

Knowing I wouldn't have a visitor for a while I organised the books, my clothes, potions, ingredients until I had everything sitting in front of me. Casting the Undetectable Extension Charm was easier than it had been and it was then I decided to check my age.

Technically I was Sixteen, but with the time turner at this point I would probably be older and mentally I was older than that also. As I cast the charm I could see in Black and White Twenty Years and ten months, so my time from the future was added also.

I was of age, technicalities of course, on paper I wasn't but according to this I was. Time would tell if I still had the trace when I went home, I would cast something small and accidental which could be explained away to the Ministry if need be.

Although it will make it easier to change things if the trace was gone, it begged the question of whether or not I could do this by myself. I was but one person that only heard things second hand from Harry. There would be things I would miss, people would die and there would be nothing I could do about that.

Decfiding to pen a letter to Amelia Bones as a warning, knowing her background she probably would take the threat seriously and requeat a meeting. Some polyjuice or a glamour would help keep my identity a secret and perhaps I could use, that for all my future meetings.

Deciding to keep it short and sweet was probably for the better. I have never had any interaction with the formidable woman but after spending so many years with Susan I could tell where she got her strength and skillset from.

"Dobby..." I wasn't entirely prepared for seeing the little elf but as he popped into the hospital wing with a large smile on his face made my heart sink.

"Mistress Grangy what can Dobby be doing for Harry Potters best friend?" I smiled and asked if he could deliver the letter to Amelia Bones as discreetly as possible. He got all excited and popped away from me with my letter in his hand.

Hopefully I wouldn't completely cock this up. It was almost ten am when Professor Snape came back to check on me. According to Madame Pomfry I would be released the following day, I could still feel tenderness in my back but being able to get up and bathe myself felt amazing.

There was something about actually cleaning your body with something other than a charm which made you feel more human. I had just settled into my bed with a book and Madame Pomfry had left when the door to the Hospital Wing opened and Severus Snape walked in.

I had never really looked at him properly before, considering the last time I seen him he was bleeding out on the floor of the shrieking shack, he looked so much better. Thinking back to the final battle, he looked like a man whom had the weight of the world on his shoulders and being headmaster had aged him significantly.

Now he looked not as downtrodden, not as haggard. He wasn't the kind of man with whom as a teenager you would have a crush but now looking at him he commanded attention. His walk, his power, the unshakable stoicism that is forever etched onto his face.

He was a very impressive man, standing at around six foot four he had the build of a, swimmer. I could smell a faint hint of Eucalyptus coming from him, his hair had been washed recently, he had a shower and then came here. I had never really thought about him in any other way than that of a teacher, but Severus Snape was not hard on the eyes.

"Miss Granger, early bird catches the worm." I closed the book and set it in front of my body on the blanket of the bed before shaking myself out of it. Seeing him made me realise I had to get a hold of his Potions textbook at some point also.

"I always like to read before bed Professor. It's a habit I have not shaken as I have gotten older. Even if mg bedtime is ten am." He came to a stop at the side of my bed and asked me to lean forward to look at my scar.

Seemingly satisfied with it he gently pushed my shoulder back to sit against the pillow again and to my surprise sat down in the chair at my bedside. It was an uncharacteristic thing he was doing, and when he made eye contact I quirked my eyebrow at him again.

"Hoping to catch me off guard Professor?" He didn't say anything and sat like a statue with his back ramrod straight before taking in my book and its title. Considering it was a Potions book he seemed shocked.

"What made you pick this title?" I tried to think back to this point and realised once my Potions OWL was over I wanted to double check a source I cited for my exam and grabbed it from the Library. After telling him exactly that, he shook his head but his face remained as impassive as it always did.

"Always the need to prove your a know it all." I smiled at him and it seemed to catch him off guard before looked directly into his eyes again and he surprisingly held my gaze.

"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of a lifelong attempt to aquire it." For the first time his mask slipped slightly and I could see he was surprised.

"Albert Einstein?" I couldn't stop the smile that erupted on my face at the fact that he knew that quote. I must have offended him because his eyebrows shot up again at me and it was there and then I realised that Severus Snape was in actual fact a very expressive man.

"Sorry its just, most Wizards and witches probably couldn't tell me whom Albert Einstein was let alone one of his quotes, although I suppose it makes sense." He didn't say anything more to me but stood to leave before I could say anything else. I had found I quite liked speaking to him.

"What exactly makes sense?" I just shrugged my shoulders and didn't say anything else but it seemed to not be enough for him as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me.

It might have worked if I was actually a fifth year but realistically I am far from the naive, brown noser I once was. It wasn't intimidation that made me tell him, it was because I genuinely wanted him to know what I thought of him.

"When I was growing up I was always looked down upon. Amongst my peers in Primary School I was considered weird and never really fit in. I preferred the company of my books even then. Huckleberry Finn, Swanns Way, Moby Dick, I mean the list is endless. My father was convinced I was some form of child prodigy or some tripe, truth was I was just very lonely." He sat back down again and I found I was enjoying talking to him. Actually having a conversation with Severus Snape that didn't involve an insult was refreshing.

"When Professor McGonagall came and told me I was a witch it all started to make sense. My birthday is in September, just after the start of term so I had nearly a full year to wait before heading to Hogwarts. Every Week when I got my pocket money I asked my parents to bring me to Diagon Alley. I bought a new book, sometimes I went to the second hand book store and managed to find old school textbooaks cheaply." He slowly nodded in understanding and leant back to get comfortable in the hard chair.

"By the time I had started Hogwarts I thought all I needed was the knowledge of my subjects to help mefill this inadequacy of playing catch up. I stupidly thought I would fit in better and yet, my own Housemates thought I was a freak, the Hufflepuffs ignored me, Ravenclaws hated me because I was top of my year and the Slytherins basically thought I was scum." I was either hallucinating or he was a bit upset with me.

"I still don't understand what on earth that overshare has to do with me knowing Albert Einstein?" I just smirked at him and realised that his big bad death eater demeanour was just a mask for the rest of the world.

"Well you're entirely too confident for a Muggle born, but you also don't strut and spout all this nonsense like the purebloods do, so I am guessing you are a Half Blood, based upon your own knowledge of some semblance of the Muggle world. From my observations also a lonely child like me." He seemed impressed by my assessment and also offended by my reasoning and stood up again to leave, he didn't say anything else to me except he opened up his outer robe, clicked his fingers and reached into an inside pocket before pulling out a small but thick tome from it and setting it down on the meal trolley beside me.

"Volume Two. Enjoy Miss Granger, do not forget your detentions on Monday evening. Six to Nine in my classroom. Your two dunderheaded friends are spending the evening with Hagrid but you will be helping me brew, you are more than capable." I couldn't help but be excited at the prospect of seeing a real Potions Master at work.

"Thank You Professor." He merely nodded and left the hospital wing, seeing the second volume of my book filled me with excitement, I bet he has some extraordinary books. It was an underhanded compliment but it was there, my brewing ability which had never been praised in class was just called more than capable.

Coming from Severus Snape that was practically praise, wasn't it? Running my hands over the book he left behind I couldn't help but shiver at the protective enchantments he must have applied to it.

As a fifth year in the last time line I had just started feeling out magical signatures, by the time we were on the run and had been taken to Malfoy Manor it was as simple as breathing. Feeling the warmth of his magic as it enveloped the book surprised me, I could feel the element underneath the surface and it filled my veins with excitement.

The many layers of ones magic was all tied to an element, some people are more inherintly suited to a specific type of element, there was five in total, the common ones of course were Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Aether was one that was included but incredibly rare.

When I first started studying the magical elements I could actually feel the distinct differences, Ron was Fire as were most of the Weasleys, except for the twins. They were Earth as was Neville, Luna, Hagrid and Professor Sprout. Harry was wind as was Draco Malfoy surprisingly enough.

It surprised me to feel the lightness and energy of Severus Snapes magic. I had only felt that same type of magic in two other people. Remus Lupin and Narcissa Malfoy of all people. That day at Malfoy Manor the energy crackling from the Malfoy Matriarchs body was a vast contrast to the fire of her lunatic sisters as she carved into my arm and it gave me something tangable to hold onto.

The Quintessence element was a branch of a Witch or Wizard that one hardly ever came across and it felt extraordinary, it was in that moment I also realised, Severus Snape the bat of the dungeons had the same element as my own, who would have thought.

Considering I had already read the first volume in my last timeline I felt comfortable enough to set my own copy down and pick up the second volume and get comfortable before opening it and becoming engrossed. Something mundane before the war begins again.

That's us folks! I hope you like it, apologies if the gammer, punctuation isn't great. I am a sleep deprived mum of two