Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Now," she said as she stroked a finger along his jawbone. "Do you want to tell me why you've been using a Time-Turner?"

Severus' eyes went wide. "I beg your pardon?"

Hermione smirked. "Don't try to deny it. It's the only explanation for seeing two of you this afternoon. You had no idea I had just spoken to you a minute earlier. You're using a Time-Turner for something, Severus Snape."

"I'm doing no such thing!" he denied. Fear raced through him. What was he to do? She had figured him out in an encounter that couldn't have lasted more than five minutes. She certainly was quick-thinking. That, of course, was one of the reasons he loved her.

Hermione arched a brow at him. "Severus, as you know, I have extensive experience with Time-Turners. All the evidence is there. You were sloppy and got caught. Now, tell me what's going on."

She'll be angry. She'll not want anything to do with me. Merlin, what can I tell her? He argued with himself for a minute before deciding the closest thing to the truth would be the best way to go.

"I am using a Time-Turner, but it's not what you think. My future self came back to warn me about a choice I would make that would be detrimental to my future."

Hermione gave Severus a surprised look. "How far back did he travel?"

"Two years."

Excitement filled Hermione's voice. "Is he still here? Can I see him?"

Severus cringed. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"Oh, come on, Severus! I already know about him. What damage could be done?"

"Hermione..."

"Please?" She looked at him with big, pleading eyes.

Severus scowled. "Do not give me that face, witch. I will not fall for it!"

She started to rub his arm. "But, Severus, I just want to see him. It will only take a minute. Please?"

Insufferable woman with her irresistible eyes! She knows she's got me wrapped around her finger.

"All right, but just for a minute!"

"Thank you," she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Severus looked down at her, narrowing his eyes in mock annoyance. He grabbed her arm and linked his with hers before they set off for the castle.

"So, tell me why he came back..." Hermione said as they walked.

"I'll tell you when we're all together," Severus replied, frowning and gritting his teeth with worry.

The door opened, and Hermione stepped into Severus' room. Her eyes fell upon an almost exact replica of Severus Snape sitting on the couch, reading. The man looked up, snapped his book shut, and rose to a standing position, his fists clenched.

"What the devil have you done?!" he growled at Snape.

"She figured out we were using a Time-Turner and wanted to see you," Snape explained.

Severus' lips thinned to a slim line. "A word, please... privately?" he croaked out to Snape.

The younger man followed his twin into the bedroom. The door quickly slammed behind him. Severus wheeled around and glowered at Snape.

"You were adamant about her not knowing about us. Why did you bring her here?"

Snape waved his wand, casting a silencing spell before answering Severus. "She badgered me about the Time-Turner until I had no choice but to tell her about you. I just said you'd come back, but not why. She wanted to see you... insisted on it, even."

Severus' eyes narrowed. "So, you just waltzed her in here. Now what do we do?"

"She wants to know why you're here. I told her we'd explain when we were all together."

"You can't tell her the truth! What if she takes it badly? Everything we have done will be for nothing. Make up something... anything... just to get her off the track."

"No," Snape said with finality.

"No? Do you really want to lose her?"

"Of course not. We don't know how she'll react. One thing I do know is that a relationship is built on truth. I will not sabotage this relationship with lies. She has figured us out, she will learn the truth, whether we are the ones to tell her or not. It will be far worse if we lie now."

Severus' glare softened while he exhaled slowly. "You're right. Now that she knows part of the truth, we cannot hide the rest from her." He began to wring his hands together. "She will think we are trying to manipulate her."

"We are, aren't we?"

"Not like that, and you know it!"

"She may find the idea of a relationship with Weasley enticing," Snape said softly.

"I don't think so," Severus murmured. "She did only turn to him after she realized we were hopeless. We can only hope that she'll see us as wanting to fix this."

"Yes, our track record with women is so wonderful, we're bound to be lucky this time," Snape snapped. His shoulders sagged. "Let's just get this over with." He turned and exited the bedroom, closely followed by Severus.

Hermione looked to both men. "I can barely tell the two of you apart," she commented.

"I am only two years older. We should be virtually identical," Severus explained.

"Why are you here?" she asked Severus.

"I needed to warn myself of a possible problem in my future."

"What was that?"

"I'd rather not go into it," Severus said nonchalantly. He hoped she would just let this drop.

Hermione studied him for a minute. "Is there anything I can do?"

Severus scoffed. "You're already doing it."

Hermione looked puzzled. She looked into Severus' eyes. She could read nothing in them. The master spy was hiding his emotions well. She looked toward Snape. He too was hiding whatever he was thinking. She sighed. What was she doing already? Her head snapped up, and she made eye contact with Severus again.

"Do you mean this relationship?" she asked curiously.

Severus closed his eyes and nodded.

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "You came back to get him to ask me out?" Now she'd heard everything.

"I did."

A look of amazement crossed Hermione's face. "I'm flattered, but why?"

"Must you know?" Severus asked, his voice pointed.

"Well, this concerns my future, too! Yes, I must know."

Severus looked to Snape. He gave him a small nod. Looking back to Hermione he explained everything.

"You see, at this point in time, I was so blind that I let you slip away from me. I should have acknowledged your interest and pursued you, but I didn't know how, nor did I believe that you were interested at the time. After numerous attempts to get me to notice you, you finally gave up and turned your interest to Ronald Weasley." Severus rolled his eyes. "You fell in love with each other and were married the day I came here."

Hermione's mouth dropped open again. "I marry Ron? Really?"

Severus gave her a curt nod. Snape rolled his eyes.

"And you say that I love him, and he loves me?"

Severus nodded again. Snape looked sick.

"So, you have come back to... what?"

Severus came to Hermione's side. "I was a fool, Hermione. If I had just shown a little interest in you, none of that would have happened."

"How do you know that? How do you know that we won't break up and I'll wind up marrying Ron anyway?"

Severus' shoulders sagged. "I don't." He looked down to the floor. "In any case, I had to try. My life is empty without you in it. I have been suffering ever since you announced your engagement, knowing that it could have been us instead of you and him. I had to try and set things right."

"Are you sure that this is what's right?" Hermione asked. Her eyes flashed with anger.

"I... yes... I..."

"You just thought you'd go ahead and mess with my life. You had your chance, Severus. You blew it. What gives you the right to meddle now?"

"Hermione, I love you."

Hermione's anger still swirled around in her, but his words caught her off guard. How she had longed to hear those words from him, but now they were tainted with his deception.

"Wait," she gasped. "Just which one of you have I been dating?"

Severus looked to Snape. Snape straightened a little before saying, "The both of us."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What?"

"I was with you today, obviously." He pointed to his doppelganger. "He was with you the night you danced."

Hermione felt her anger swell again within her. "Is this all a game to you?" she cried. Her hands began to wave around in front of her as she imitated Severus' voice. "Let's see who can win Hermione. I'll throw myself in the mix and we'll ambush her together, then we'll see how she really feels about Ron."

"Hermione, I never..." Severus began.

"I am not some prize to be won by the man who can sweep me off my feet the hardest. Shame on you, Severus Snape!" She turned to Snape. "And you too!" Turning back to Severus, she poked him in the chest. "If you loved me so much, why couldn't you have just done something about it the first time around?!" She was shouting as tears began to stream down her cheeks. Her fists balled themselves up as Severus pulled her to him. She beat against his chest in frustration. "Why?"

"Because I am a fool! I could never see how someone like you could be attracted to me. I let you slip away without even trying! I badger myself every day for not saying or doing something before. Hermione, I just want a chance with you. If we come to the decision that this isn't going to work out, I will gladly back away and let you find happiness elsewhere. Even if elsewhere is with Ronald Weasley. I just want the chance that I threw away before."

Hermione searched Severus' face. He seemed sincere, but the fact that he was playing with her future kept her from forgiving him. "I need to think about all of this. When, and how, do you return to your time?"

"The Time-Turner I have is unique. It can be set to keep a person in a certain time for a set period. I will return tomorrow in the early afternoon."

Hermione's jaw clenched. "Tomorrow. I have until tomorrow to figure out whether I want to continue this or not?"

Severus looked down. His shoulders sagged. "You should take all the time you need. I will find out your decision one way or another."

Hermione pulled away from him. She looked to Snape, who was frowning. She frowned back at him. Straightening up, she looked Severus in the eye.

"I will come by tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll have an answer for you, but I will come by in either case."

Severus gave a curt nod. She nodded back to both Severuses and left.

"That went famously," Snape groaned after the door had slammed behind Hermione.

"We can only hope she works it out in our favor."

"Given our track record, we should just admit defeat now."

Severus met Snape's eyes. "Lily chose another, that doesn't mean that Hermione will."

"When has love ever worked out for us, Severus?"

Severus looked to his twin. "Never up until now. I'm hoping for a lucky break."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think we believed in luck."

"Neither did I, until I kissed Hermione."

Snape smirked. "Let's hope our luck doesn't run out then."

"Indeed."