Time in a Bottle

TIME IN A BOTTLE

CHAPTER 2

~

If I could make days last forever

If words could make wishes come true

I'd save every day like a treasure and then

Again I would spend them with you

~

One month turned into two months, which then, in turn, became three. Before anyone knew it, Christmas was due to visit in a little more than a week, and even Severus Snape, greasy-haired, evil git extraordinaire, was worried over the disappearance of Hermione Granger.

He'd gladly cut off his tongue before saying so, however.

As he sat at the Head Table with the rest of his colleagues (he refused to think of them as friends) he unwillingly felt his eyes drift to the Gryffindor table where there was a notable lack of enthusiasm.

His gaze immediately sought out Potter and that side-kick of his, Weasley. And where he'd usually see the bushy hair of the brains behind the two, he now saw an empty seat, as there had been for the better part of three months now.

Three and a half months and not a trace of where Hogwarts' Head Girl had disappeared to.

Turning his eyes away from their table, Severus happened to glance upon the Headmaster. Albus Dumbledore, a man that Severus Snape both respected and loathed. He had been unusually quiet about the Granger girl's disappearance, which only led Severus to believe that he was withholding something about it. Even Minerva McGonagall, the self-appointed guardian of Hermione Granger, did not seem too worried about the girl's disappearance. Very interesting, that...

But, if there was one thing that Severus Snape hated even more than that nitwit Potter (both senior and junior), it was having information vital to the well-being of his students being withheld from him, which he was certain both Headmaster and Head of Gryffindor house were doing.

Now, one may wonder what may posses Severus to be so concerned over the well-being of the students he treats like vermin. The concern over his students' welfare dates back to a night that Severus Snape found the light, so to speak.

When he had come back to Hogwarts that fateful night seventeen years ago; that night where he placed his life in the hands of Albus Dumbledore when he had confessed to being a Death Eater; that fateful night when Albus had agreed with Severus, saying, "Yes, perhaps you deserve death, Severus, but I may have a more favorable proposition, depending on how you look upon it." The night that Severus Marcus Snape had renounced the Dark Lord and turned spy, had also been the night that he had made a promise, a vow, or an oath of sorts.

An oath saying that he'd watch and guard each and every one of his students so that the darkness that had once consumed him would never rework its evil.

And there was almost no doubt about it in his mind that there was something decidedly dark about Hermione Granger's disappearance.

Mentally shaking off his thoughts, Severus spared a quick glance down at his own house table.

Despite what most people at the school believed, not all of his Slytherins were junior Death Eaters. In fact, quite a few of them had confided in him of their dislike and unwillingness to turn to the Dark Lord.

Draco Malfoy, for one, viewed as the same smarmy, smug, arrogant, little wanker that his father had been at that age, had been placed in a position very similar to his own. Draco, due to circumstances beyond his spheres of control, had been forced to take the Mark on his sixteenth birthday, regardless of his lack of desire to do so.

The night that Draco Malfoy had been forced to take the Dark Mark, been forced to kill a harmless Muggle family sleeping in their beds, had not only been the night that his innocence had died, but also the night he had turned spy.

Severus was certainly not naïve enough to believe that Draco was spying because he believed in the cause of the Order. It was only the boy's Slytherin way of sticking it to his father by doing the one thing that would royally piss him off as nothing else would.

Catching the said student's eyes, they shared a brief moment of cold understanding and recognition.

Even Draco Malfoy had begun to worry over Granger's growing absence. And he, too, was convinced that Lord Voldemort was behind it somehow.

Severus wasn't exactly sure what had first brought out the idea that Voldemort was behind Hermione's disappearance. Maybe it was the fact that she was Potter's Mudblood, or too smart for her own good, but the idea had somehow lodged itself in his brain and it simply refused to be dismissed.

Perhaps it was Voldemort's odd behavior at the meetings as of late that had brought about his suspicion. In fact, now that he truly analyzed the situation, he could recall that the behavior change had occurred approximately around the same time the girl had gone missing, a little after Albus bid him to give Voldemort the age-defying potion, against Severus's better judgment. His introduction rants, as Severus preferred to view his pep speeches at the Dark Revels, were more, emotional- which certainly was never a word used to describe the Dark Lord before. It was almost as if when he would spout off the crimes of the Mudbloods, he was specifically referring to something that was done to his own person.

As a matter of fact, Severus could have sworn that Voldemort had even said something such as, "She thinks she can waltz into our schools and to take over everything and everyone in it!" When, of course, he really meant 'they', as in the Mudbloods. It was as if he was speaking about one person in specific, and not Mudbloods in general.

Quite bizarre, really.

Deciding to dismiss such thoughts out of his mind for the time being, Severus turned back to his untouched dinner, coming to the decision that he would speak with Albus that night about Hermione Granger and his suspicion about Voldemort's involvement in her absence.

So it was, of course, at that precise moment that the object of Severus's grudging worry suddenly landed with a sickening thud in the middle of the Great Hall, breathless, bleeding, and unconscious.

Not many can say that they have truly ever caught Severus Snape off guard, but at that very moment, Hermione Granger was added to that very short, esteemed list.

The whole Hall seemed to be virtually set on pause for at least one full minute before everything then proceeded to play on fast-forward.

Several students ran to the prone figure huddled on the floor, in the lead, of course, were a very relieved looking Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Minerva McGonagall actually hiked up her robes and broke out into a dead run, which was quite the spectacle, indeed, in order to get to the girl.

And then Albus Dumbledore rose gracefully out of his seat and literally demanded the attention of the entire school body, "Silence!" his confident voice boomed that commanded nothing but he be obeyed.

And he received just that.

"Thank you," he said mildly, into the deadened Hall, "now, I would like all of you to return to your seats while Professors McGonagall, Snape, and I take Miss Granger to the Infirmary. I ask that anyone wishing to visit Miss Granger," here, his eyes settled meaningfully on Harry, Ron and Ginny, "refrain from knocking down the Infirmary door in order to visit her. I understand that it has been quite some time without her and that you are all anxious to visit, but there are more important matters to see to first. Now, everyone, back to your suppers."

With that said and done Dumbledore proceeded to levitate the prone girl on a magicked stretcher and led the way to the Hospital Wing as if he were the leader of a High School marching band, followed eagerly by Minerva McGonagall, and very reluctantly by a confused Potions Master.

And, if there was one thing that Severus Snape truly hated being, it was confused.

"Albus, this whole disappearance reeks of conspiracy, and if you insist on holding your tongue then I will shake it out," he gruffly ground out alongside of Albus and Minerva.

"Indeed there is, old man," Albus readily agreed, "but you will have no need to shake it out for you will soon be in on it," he continued as they charged into the Infirmary.

"Voldemort is involved in this, is he not?" he decided to announce his suspicions with this one question.

A brief glance between Minerva and Albus that spoke more than any words ever could was all of the confirmation that he really needed.

"Yes, but not in the way that you are thinking," Albus allowed, gently placing Hermione's form on the bed furthest away from the others.

Before Severus had a chance to inquire about that, Madame Pomfrey came bustling towards them importantly.

"I see she has returned to us," was her meaningful response at seeing Hermione's unconscious form.

Minerva faintly looked as if she was valiantly suppressing an uncharacteristic fainting spell. "Yes, she has, Poppy. Will you be able to take care of her?"

Poppy Pomfrey huffed indignantly, "Of course I will, Minerva. I've had many years to prepare for this very moment, after all."

The implication of those last words was most certainly not lost on Severus. "Years?" he asked suspiciously, his confusion growing along with his curiosity, much to his annoyance.

Albus spared him a quick glance, stating, "Yes, Severus, years. Miss Granger has recently returned to us from a visit to 1944."

There had always been a list of many colorful adjectives used to describe Severus (slimy, awful, bastard, and git being amongst the top few), but 'clueless' had most assuredly never been amongst them.

"I'm assuming this has something to do with that insufferable time turner of hers that seems to be missing?"

Instead of confirming this, for no confirmation was truly needed, Albus turned importantly to Minerva, saying, "Minerva, please inform Arthur, Molly, Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Tonks, Mad Eye Moody, Kingsley, and Mundungus Fletcher of our current situation. Also contact the remaining members of the Order and have them all come to Hogwarts as soon as humanly possible. We must work quickly if we plan to prepare Hogwarts for his arrival."

Minerva lost what little color her strained face had contained. "Albus, you don't think he'd really-"

"Yes, Minerva," he cut her off gravely, turning his sad, blue eyes to Hermione's form. "Unfortunately, I believe it to be inevitable. He'll come for her sooner or later, and I'm betting on the former."

"Who will come?" Severus breathed, slightly disturbed at Albus's prophetic demeanor.

"Voldemort will come, Severus, and he'll be coming for Hermione," he announced.

Severus only lifted one arch, black brow in clear question, prompting Albus to elaborate, "You obviously are slipping in your old age, Severus,"-which was truly rich, coming from him- "Hermione was transported back to 1944, Minerva's and, more specifically, Tom Riddle's seventh year."

Severus snapped his head to look down at the girl with a startled frown, the next words that Albus Dumbledore would calmly say ricocheting throughout his mind with a reverberating echo that would cause his head to ache for quite some time afterwards.

"You are looking at the girl who turned Tom Riddle into Lord Voldemort."

As if in response to that, Hermione let out a moan. Her eyelids began to flutter and before anyone could react, she sat up in the bed, fully awake, shouting one word in a mixture of affection, sorrow, and a bit of fear.

"Thomas!"

The shout bounced off the walls and sliced into Severus with startling accuracy.

Silence reigned once again as Hermione blinked once, then twice, and then cocked her head to the side in clear question as her eyes bored into a much older Albus Dumbledore than she remembered last seeing.

Frowning slightly, she turned her gaze to Minerva, smiling only slightly.

And then her eyes settled on his own person and Severus found it very hard, indeed, to not flinch in surprise. If pictures told a thousand words, then eyes must tell over a million, for Hermione's eyes were rifled with so much age, wisdom, and sorrow that seemed so unnatural on the usually light-hearted Gryffindor.

And it was all there for him to see.

If she noticed his shock, she did not show it. Instead, she sat there, drinking in the sight of him as if she was inanely pleased to see him; almost as if she wasn't sure if he was even really there at all.

"How long have I been gone?" she asked, her soft voice sounding awfully loud in the deadened Hospital Wing.

"Three months," whispered Minerva, watery eyed.

A funny sort of cynical half smile graced her features, "Three months here, but almost eight months then. Time is funny that way."

"I believe," Albus interjected, eyeing Hermione carefully, "that this night has been somewhat of a drain on us all. Minerva and myself have urgent matters to attend to, but will both be back with a few questions that need answering, Hermione," that being said, he turned his gaze over to Severus saying, "However, I think it best for Miss Granger to have someone watch over her for the next few nights. Severus, if you would be so kind as to stay and keep watch over Miss Granger?"

Under normal circumstances, Severus would have been loathed to do so, but these obviously were not normal circumstances, and Severus himself was beginning to see the severity of the situation with aching clarity.

Besides, Severus had a few questions of his own, and he had the sneaking feeling that only Hermione Granger would be able to answer them.

"As you wish, Headmaster," he accepted with a complete lack of sarcasm.

Albus offered a gentle smile for the room before briskly exiting the Wing. Minerva followed in his wake after a brief, but meaningful hug shared with Hermione.

Silence descended then, hard and unyielding. Severus found himself staring intently at Hermione who appeared to have forgotten he was even in the room at all.

"It's you, isn't it."

It wasn't an accusation, or even a question, really. It was a fact, a statement that did not need confirming.

Turning her gaze to him, Hermione was surprised to see that Snape was still in the room, even though she had heard Dumbledore bid him to watch over her.

"Y-yes," she answered although she knew she need not.

Snape nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. "It makes since then, what he has been saying at the meetings as of late."

Discretion was not necessary, they both knew, for it was obvious to Hermione he knew of her little trip to 1944, and Severus had known that Potter, Weasley, and Granger had known of his role as a double agent since their fourth year.

"He talks about me, then?" it wasn't the eager, hopeful question of a teenage girl who fancied a certain boy. It was more of a question borne out of a morbid curiosity.

"Never by name, of course, but yes, I believe it is you he refers to. I think it has been you all along," he muttered the last more to himself.

It was Hermione's turn to nod slowly, finally breaking their stare as she stared out the window.

Silence fell on them once again; contemplative on Hermione's part, and Severus just plain didn't know what to say for once.

"He'll come for me, you know," she spoke, eerily repeating Albus's own worries, "and he won't stop until he has me."

Maybe it was the fear in her voice that moved him. Perhaps it had been the stark certainty that her voice held, that if she knew only one thing for certain, it was that Voldemort would be coming to Hogwarts, and he'd be coming for her. Or, more likely, it was the shadow that had crossed her face, one so very similar to the one that haunted him.

Moving more confidently than he felt, he sat awkwardly in the chair beside Hermione's bed, letting the silence stretch a bit before whispering, "I will protect you."

Hermione blinked, startled. When she turned to met Snape's eyes, she saw no sympathy, pity, or compassion. Instead, she was met with a violent, determined fire that burned in the hidden depths of his onyx eyes. A fire that she had never before seen in him and yet it warmed her to her very bones.

And she believed him, without a doubt. From that night until forever, Severus Snape would be her ally and protector, through his own doing. And, if he could save her by his life or death, then he would do so with no thought of himself.

Understanding and gratitude shown through her eyes as she whispered in slight awe, "I know you will."

There were no false words of optimism shared or any empty promises and reassurances muttered. There was only that understanding that Hermione had needed above all else upon her return. The understanding that, perhaps, only Severus Snape could give her.

Neither knew what the future would bring for either of them. But, they knew with certainty that they would be able to face whatever it was as long as they had that understanding between them.

"Get some sleep, Miss Granger, I will watch over things," he ordered, neither scathingly, nor unkindly.

And before, Hermione could have sworn that she would never be able to fall asleep again without the aid of a Dreamless Sleep potion, but, with Severus Snape watching over her, she felt that not even nightmares could touch her.

Smiling softly, she complied, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Severus watched her sleeping form, in complete awe over the trust she had just bestowed upon him.

It was not everyday that a person put their complete, unwavering trust in him, and he always took it very seriously when they did.

As he sat, taking his new role as protector very seriously while he sat vigilantly over her, he suddenly felt very tired himself.

But, he would stay true to his word. He would stay up and watch over her, even though she didn't necessarily need that protection; not yet, at least.