Chapter 7

Ignoring her struggles, Junior filled whatever little bit of space that still separated them. Hand clenched in her hair, he pulled her face up to his, forcing his frustrations upon her with a kiss.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HER!"

The world had not only flipped upside down, but it had also managed a few back flips in the process. Hand on her heart, Hermione struggled to even out her breathing while she absorbed the sight before her and rationalized what in the bloody hell had just happened.

The sight of her husband choking the life out of himself was disturbing, to say the least.

Touching two fingers to her lips, Hermione muttered, "Enough, Severus."

Neither man seemed to notice her. Hermione panicked. Junior's face had a slightly purple twinge to it.

"Severus, I said enough!"

Snarling monstrously, Severus shoved his younger-self in the direction of the door. Junior collapsed upon the floor, gasping and coughing in his struggle to return oxygen to his lungs.

Teeth clenched, Snape stepped threateningly towards the boy's continued presence. Hermione grabbed his arm, forcing him to remember her warning.

With one finger extended, Severus threatened, "Go to your room now! And if you have any value for your miserable life, you will securely lock and ward the door... from the inside."

One hand still stroking his tender throat, Junior clumsily rose from the floor and fled the kitchen.

"Severus," Hermione called tentatively, in a sense begging him to turn around and look at her.

Back facing her, Snape ignored the apologetic tone of his wife's voice. His shoulders rose and fell in exaggerated movements in his attempt to compose his temper.

"Severus... I have no idea what happened. Honest. I could have...should have put more of an effort into fighting him... please, forgive..."

"Shut up."

Hermione inhaled sharply. At the feel of her throat tightening, she snapped her mouth shut and fled towards the door.

A strong hand clamped around her upper arm and yanked her back.

"What are you...?"

"I said, shut up."

A little frightened and thoroughly confused, Hermione was pulled tightly against her husband's chest. His arms came around her, almost painfully, as her lips were forced open for the second time that afternoon.

A satisfied groan whimpered in the back of her throat.

"I don't understand." Panting slightly, Hermione voiced the first thing that came to mind.

"Neither do I. But do not apologize again. I was...I am angry with myself."

"Him or..."

"Myself, Hermione. I vividly remember my first kiss with you. Unfortunately it wasn't our first kiss. So I apologize... for throwing myself at a very beautiful, and very married, woman."

"You don't have to explain."

"As you can see," Severus continued loudly, suggesting that he'd explain exactly what he wanted. "I did not have the most... moral... of characters. I hadn't been within Dumbledore's ranks for very long. I may've been fighting for the right side, but my motives in my day to day life were extremely... selfish."

"You were a horrible kisser."

Severus held her at arm's length, taken aback by her vivacious comment.

Hermione dared to giggle.

"I beg your pardon! I was only twenty-four and had very little experience. Besides... I haven't heard you complain since."

"I've had no reason too."

Hermione's teasing smile faded at the sight of his licentious grin.

"Nevertheless, you still deserve to be punished," Snape threatened.

"Wait a minute..."

"Silence." One hand clenched around her elbow, Severus pulled Hermione away from the stove. He then kicked a chair out from the dinner table before grandly lowering himself into it. With one not so gentle shove, Hermione was instructed to stand before him.

"I believe I need to wash that vile boy's taste from your mouth."

"Shall I fetch the soap?" Hermione asked mockingly, a smile pulling at her lips.

"Unnecessary. Get on your knees."

Eyes filled with excitement, Hermione gathered her robes in a bunch of fabric in front of her.

"I don't think so," Severus ridiculed. He yanked her makeshift cushion out of her hands. "I cannot allow you any measure of respite."

"My knees will scrape."

"Punishment," he reminded her. Severus extended his hand to her, palm up. Ignoring her accusing glare, Severus loudly cleared his throat.

Hermione finally placed the hem of her robes into his waiting hands and lowered her bare knees against the flagstone. Pressing her chest against his inner thighs, Hermione urged Severus to spread them further.

Snape feigned boredom, leaning against one of the armrests with his chin rested in his hand. But his quickened breathing... and tented trousers gave his enthusiasm away.

Hermione took her time unfastening his belt, intentionally rubbing her arms against his length.

"NOW, Miss Granger!"

"Yes, Professor," Hermione purred, her tongue brushed against the tip of his cock as she spoke.

Snape growled, hands clenching against the arm rests.

He should have remained in his room.

Junior was conscious of this foreboding awareness from the moment he opened his bedroom door.

That madman had instructed Junior to remain behind a locked door, no doubt for his own protection.

Junior's neck would be black and blue for a week, at least.

But he couldn't stop thinking about Mrs. Snape. The smoothness of the woman's lips still burned upon his own. The warmth and wetness of the inside of her mouth taunted him. Promised him an array of unknown pleasures. His cock engorged as dozens of scenarios involving said wet mouth flashed through his mind.

Grasping himself through his trousers, Junior groaned. Eyes closed, he also remembered the expert feel of her hand wrapped around his shaft.

And that single, eager stroke she gave him right before her beast of a husband exploded into the kitchen.

He should have remained in his room.

But Junior couldn't. He needed to speak to her again. He needed to see her again. Under a guise of extreme apology, Junior believed he could coax Mrs. Snape into sharing another... encounter.

Junior approached the kitchen door slowly until he was suddenly alarmed at the sounds of struggled, labored breathing issuing from within.

He imagined his future-self torturing Mrs. Snape in fashion similar to what was inflicted upon him. Junior should have known better than to leave her alone with the brute!

Wand raised, Junior exploded through the door.

He gasped, alarmed at the sight of Snape bent over in his chair, face red and sweaty with one hand clenched into a pillow on his lap.

Junior's concern altered to mortification when the pillow moved, and he realized it was Mrs. Snape's head.

"GET OUT!"

Mumbling a profoundly embarrassed apology, Junior whirled on his heel and fled up the stairs to hide in his room.

An explosion of curse words boomed through the house.

He should have stayed in his room!

It wasn't until Junior had settled himself quietly upon his four-poster was he finally able to discern the true recipient of Snape's wrath.

"RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE...I SAID NO, HERMIONE! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT FINISHED? THIS IS HARDLY APPROPRIATE NOW... CAN YOU AT LEAST STOP LAUGHING!"

Junior rolled his eyes, appalled and disgusted at what he was hearing... and especially what he had just witnessed.

He lowered his reddened face into his hands and groaned.

As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, Junior would have gladly switched places with the geezer. He'd be more than willing to allow Mrs. Snape to lower her face between his legs, to hell with whomever might hear or see them.

With that visual growing increasingly in detail, Junior reached for his wand and warded his door with locking... and silencing spells.

Today had finally come.

The potion that would send him back to 1983 would be complete this very afternoon. Junior's last day in this wretched house had finally arrived.

But to his absolute horror, Junior felt nothing but dismay at this realization.

Get over it, you daft fool! Get over her! I finally get to go home. I have no place here... in this reality.

Junior repeated this to himself over and over again, all the way down to the basement.

The old man didn't say a word of acknowledgement to Junior's presence. Thin-lipped and face completely dispassionate, Junior would have thought the man had forgotten the actions committed against his wife... if it wasn't for the red twinge to Snape's face and the beads of sweat upon his hair-line.

In fact, Snape appeared almost... nervous.

This is what I want, Junior reminded himself. I finally get to go home.

This is what I want...

"Do you remember the final step?" Snape demanded briskly.

Junior nodded. "Hellebore is added followed by three clockwise turns."

Snape placed the final ingredient into Junior's outstretched hand. The old man then reached into his inner-robes, retrieving that horrid object which had cause this hell weeks ago.

Junior tipped the Hellebore into the bubbling caldron, swallowing thickly as Snape placed the Time-Turner around his neck.

"... do such a simple step wrong, this potion will be useless..."

Junior's shaky hand extended, uncertainly grasping the stirring rod.

"... and it will take another month to complete a fresh batch."

"On with it!" Snape snarled behind him.

"Fuck off!"

Sneering in disgust, Snape whirled around, allowing Junior the breathing space he obviously desired.

This is what I want...

No!

... I've not had my fill of Hermione.

Junior sucked in one long, apprehensive breath and stirred the potion three times... counter-clockwise.

"It's fin-finished."

Face harder than stone, Snape whirled around and quickly filled a vial with the concoction Junior had created. He then shoved the potion into Junior's hand, instructing the boy to swallow it.

Palms sweating in anticipation of Snape's rage, Junior obediently gulped every drop.

Silent and thin-lipped, his older-self began winding the Time-Turner.

Junior's heart plummeted from his chest. Finally taking in the sight of the caldron, he realized that the potion looked--perfect. Absolutely and gut-wrenchingly perfect.

"Impossible!"

"Quiet."

"I stirred it wrong!"

"I know."

But three-counter clockwise turns... The actual, final step had always been...

"You-you tricked me!" Beginning to feel the effects of the potion, Junior struggled to center his mind and body in this reality.

He wasn't ready to leave.

Hurling himself out of the chair, Junior lunged towards door.

A vice grip on the base of the neck hurled him backwards upon the floor. Severus Snape descended on him, face full of loathing.

"I never... I never said goodbye."

Despite everything this selfish creature had done, Snape couldn't ignore the anguished, familiar face below him. For the first time since the boy had arrived, Snape shook his head in pity.

The boy was disappearing before his very eyes.

"NO!" Junior yelled.

"You don't deserve her."

When Severus Snape arrived back in 1983, Dumbledore would claim that the Potions master had physically aged a good number of years.

His missing instructor materialized out of thin air. Snape landed directly in the same chair he'd occupied moments earlier when Dumbledore had left the young man alone in his office. Both feet heavily planted on the floor, Snape leaned forward and slouched oddly against his thighs.

The only facial features visible to Dumbledore at the distance from behind his desk were two furrowed brows cradled between long, lank hair.

Severus didn't acknowledge the Headmaster as the old man had expected. He hadn't begged forgiveness for his burglary of his invention, nor had he spluttered his typical stream of endless promises. Promises that he'd never betray the Headmaster again.

All this Albus had expected with growing disappointment, and he would have fired the man for it. The Headmaster was prepared to banish Snape from this school and revoke his membership to the Order. The resignation paperwork was laid out in front of him.

Snape breathed hard threw his nostrils. Long seconds of silence passed as he silently glared at the golden object still dangling around his neck.

Once the Time-Turner had completely stopped spinning, Severus finally made an attempt at speech. His voice cracked embarrassingly, but he managed a weak, "If you don't mind, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore was actually caught off guard, which was demonstrated by his flinch. "What is it, Severus?"

"Would you please remove this cursed Time-Turner from around my neck?"

Dumbledore sighed. This enigma of a man had gone from obsessively hovering over his creation to absolute refusal of touching it.

Little did either of them know, Severus Snape would never touch one again.

Slowly, the older wizard rose from behind his desk to stand before Severus. But the young man's body language hadn't changed.

Dumbledore softly rested his hand on the crown of the boy's head and slid his fingers down the nape of his neck until the chain was curled in his grasp.

It wasn't until the Time-Turner had been lifted off his shoulder's did Snape finally attempt to sit up.

He blankly looked up at the Headmaster, his face schooled with such dispassion that this exact expression permanently burned upon his features. It was a look that he'd come to master for decades to come.

"My classes?"

"It's only been a few minutes... here at least. You've been gone...?"

"A month." Severus nodded once before rising. "I've not created as much chaos as I've feared. O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s will be upon us before we know it. I'll be off then."

Dumbledore paled, suddenly clicking something into place. He should have recognized the signs the instant this man returned.

Once Severus had finally released his morbid self-censure at Lily's death, he had grown crass and selfish. He ate life with glutton enjoyment, totally unconcerned with those affected. Dumbledore didn't know which Snape was worse, nor which one he preferred interacting with on a day-to-day basis.

But now, it seemed Snape was back to square one.

"You'd mourned her," Dumbledore reminded the boy's backside. "Not forgotten... but you had finally accepted her fate."

"I had," Severus answered with such conviction he had never shown regarding the red-haired woman.

Yet this strange, soul burning sadness that lit vindictiveness behind the Potions master's eye told a completely different--a new--story. Snape was acting so...similar...to the reaction he had shown when he'd learned of Lily's demise.

And like he'd done years ago, this was the only reason Dumbledore didn't punish Severus for his transgressions.

"Severus... what have you done?"

Severus paused in the doorway, and a variety of emotions engulfed him at once. Pain, love, desire, lust, embarrassment, pain, resentment, envy, passion, and finally, scorn.

"Only time will tell, sir."

He only had less than ten years to meet...meet again...the woman of his dreams. His alluring, passionate soul mate that he was determined to hate with every fiber of his being.

The... End?