The Future Rescues The Past

Chapter 5 The Present

Hermione finished her tale and pulled the phial containing the memories of the future Severus Snape and held it up. "The last thing we need to do is view this and to tell you the truth I am frightened of what I think is in there."

Ron was visibly shaken from her tale. "I swear Hermione I would never betray you or the Order. Severus Snape hated me and it would be like him to make up that story."

Hermione looked up at the portrait of Headmaster Dumbledore. "Sir is your penseive still here?"

The portrait noticed the fright in her eyes. "Are you sure this is a wise course of action Hermione?" He asked in concern.

"It is sir as there is one among us that do not believe some parts of my story. Severus insisted that I show it and I am going to honor his wish as he sacrificed his life to send me back here."

Ron muttered out. "More like he had a guilty conscious and used the excuse to get himself killed because Hermione reminded him of his actions."

Hermione mentally counted to ten, remembering his words not to judge harshly.

Harry looked to Ron for a moment surprised at his words. His friend was hiding something. "I remember where it is." He went to the alcove and brought it over and placed it on the large desk.

Luna went up to Hermione and hugged her for a moment and released. "Ronald does not understand because he focuses only on you and no one else. Maybe he will change his mind when he views Headmaster Snape's memories."

Hermione looked to the blonde witch for a moment and poured the contents into the penseive and eyed it apprehensively.

Ron strode up and grabbed Hermione's hand tightly. "Well let's get this over with." He growled. "Waste of time really." He was pleased that Snape was dead. He remembered the hated teacher he never trusted always watching her.

Luna grabbed Harry's hand and walked over to Ron and grabbed his hand as they gathered around the penseive. "Shall we?" She asked in a dreamy voice.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Luna leaned down and placed their heads into the penseive and were immediately pulled in.

Albus looked out to the empty room as a grey ghost appeared. "Does this answer your questions?"

The ghost observed the penseive. "Some Albus but not all."

HGSSHGSSHGSS

The group shot out of the penseive and fell onto the floor heaving the contents of their guts out onto the floor.

Harry curled on the floor. Oh Merlin his and Hermione's death was horrible and the fact that they were defiant to the end did not help. The terrible acts of bringing the Order down and how Voldemort dealt with the small rebellions repulsed him. How could anyone do that? He knew exactly what he was dealing with now and knew that they would be successful because of the memories of Severus Snape of the future. He would not allow that future that to happen and if he would have to kill his best friend then so mote it. He saw that his dour Potions professor truly loved Hermione, witnessing the pitiful attempts to get himself killed and then the actions he did to get Hermione back to where she belonged. He knew the role of double spy that Headmaster Snape did but never realized the toll that it took on the man.

Harry stood up and pointed his wand to Ron as his friend did the same to him. "So Ron tell me what you think now!" He demanded. "That wizard practically forced her to promise to kill him to prevent the future from happening. He could have easily told her to kill you instead to prevent it!"

Hermione placed herself between her two friends. "The both of you stop it!" She shouted out. "We are here in the present and that future does not have to be! The future is already altered because the present Severus Snape is dead now, murdered by me. He gave us a do over and we need to focus on that!"

Harry and Ron looked to her in guilt and lowered their wands.

"I suggest the both of you go and cool off and think about what we need to do. We will meet in an hour as I have to talk to Headmaster Dumbledore of the Deatheater professors that remain in the school. With Severus at the Veil the school is no longer safe for us despite the fact that Flitwick is now Headmaster."

She watched her friends tuck their wands into their robes and leave, with Luna following closely behind Ron.

The office was empty and she fell into the Headmaster's chair turning it to face the portrait. "I murdered the man that I loved for the greater Good Albus. I pray that it does not go to waste."

The portrait glanced to the darkened corner for a moment and addressed the young witch. "I'm sure that the Severus Snape of the future knew what he asked of you. I am only a portrait and remember that he brought you to me in the future as the castle is timeless. I was placed in a closet for decades and do not know much of the future but I do remember one thing. He asked the castle to protect you to save us all."

Hermione thought of the words. Did the castle remember?

She stood up from the chair and approached the castle walls and placed her hand upon it and spoke "Founding Fathers I pray that you remember the request of Headmaster Snape to protect me. Please rid the castle of those that wish harm to me so that I can complete what he requested of you."

Hermione gasped out and felt the presence of the castle in her mind and demanded that she be present for dinner and that all would be well for her.

"Thank you." She whispered out and sat back down in the chair and looked to Albus. "Tell me about Tom Riddle Headmaster. I know you and Harry have discussed him in the past. Everyone knows about Voldemort but tell me of the wizard behind the legend."

Hermione conjured up a pen and notebook and looked expectantly to him and listened, jotting down thoughts as Albus spoke. "Headmaster I am going to turn around now and think for a while if you don't mind."

Albus chuckled. "Always polite Hermione. Don't worry about me as I am used to it."

She smiled at the portrait for a moment and quickly wrote down her thoughts and tentative plan and let her mind drift and turned to a blank page and sketched absentmindedly. This office was his domain and no one could enter it except by his permission. Severus was a meticulous wizard and wondered if he kept a notebook like hers, writing down his thoughts. Surely Headmaster Flitwick had no time to move out his things as it had only been two days since his predecessor's death.

Hermione pulled open the drawers of the desk one by one and they were filed with mundane things related to the day to day running of the school. When she reached the sixth one she felt resistance and looked to it for a moment and pulled her wand out and began to break the magical enchantments protecting the drawer. Then it came down to a simple password. She tried several, all of them not successful. She growled out "Come on Hermione you can do this." The drawer suddenly opened up. Her name was his password? No one would have ever guessed it.

She looked down into the drawer and noticed two photographs and a large thick book. She picked up one photograph that was ripped in half and observed a red headed young witch smiling. This must have been the Lily that he mentioned that he could not save. Picking up the other one she smiled remembering when he took it at her insistence, her stating the logical reasoning that they must have a picture together in case the other died and they had to go on alone. She had the exact same photo safely hidden away.

Leaning back into the chair she watched the magical moving picture, Severus holding his hand toward the camera for a moment and pulled her into his lap, arms wrapped around her as he whispered in her ear and giving a slight smile to the camera as she laughed and whispered back into his ear and he held his hand out again. The picture repeated over and over again as she watched it.

She remembered those words "Witch I am going to love you and fuck you until tomorrow for this frivolity. Keep the photo hidden as it would be my undoing and against my better judgment that I allow it."

Hermione put the photos back into the drawer and pulled out the thick book and flipped to the last page and read his neat scrawl.

I will marry Hermione tonight and for better or worse she will share my name. This will be the best night of my miserable existence and I dare pray that Potter will be successful. I hold out hope for it as everything points that the Dark Lord will be successful in his endeavors…

Hermione slammed the book shut and tucked it into her robes when she noticed Harry, Ron, and Luna entering the office along with Headmaster Flitwick.

The short wizard saw Hermione in the chair and squeaked out. "Please make yourself at home."

Hermione shot out of the chair. "Headmaster I was just sitting here thinking what we must do." She stuttered out, her face turning a crimson red in embarrassment.

"Not to worry Miss Granger as the castle asked me to escort all of you to dinner. It hinted that you need to be there."

Ron spoke "Hermione we need to talk."

"After dinner Ron. I know what you want to talk about and it would be best if the conversation took place then."

The group left the office and followed Headmaster Flitwick through the castle to the Great Hall.

Harry heard clanking behind him and looked back noting at least three dozen suits of armor formed in a column of two walking behind them with swords drawn. "Merlin what's up with the armor Headmaster?"

"Not sure Harry as it might have something to do with Hogwarts demand that all of you be present."

They entered the Great Hall and watched all but six sets of armor place themselves at intervals on both sides of Slytherin table, swords held down with the point resting on the ground.

The group sat down and watched the hall fill with the staff and students of Hogwarts seating themselves. The hall was in complete silence as everyone noted the presence of the suits of armor around Slytherin table and watched Headmaster Flitwick climbed the stacks of books behind the podium and looked out to the Great Hall.

"Students and staff these are dark times and I plead that you do not do anything to garner notice of the Knights of Hogwarts. The castle has called them out only three times in its long history when it has felt threatened. With the death of Headmaster Snape it will no longer tolerate the presence of Deatheaters or those involved with Voldemort. It has commanded a siege status and no longer recognizes the puppet government of Voldemort or those that follow it."

Gasps of shock sounded out at the name silencing the hall.

"About time!" One muggle-born sixth year shouted out and clapped as others began to stand and do the same. All except Slytherin house.

Harry heard screams of pain and turned around watching the armor holding down six professors standing behind him as their wands drop to the floor. He watched the armor keep a hard hold on their wand arm breaking it as they picked up the dropped wands ad snap them in half. He took advantage of the opportunity presented and moved to stand beside the Headmaster.

"Everyone knows who I am. Tell Voldemort that I am staying here at the one place in the Wizarding world that defies him. Tell him to come and get me as he has failed for twelve years to kill me. You can tell him that he is a coward."

The armor moved at the end of Harry's words prodding all of Slytherin house at sword point to move towards the entrance as the rest of the students and staff followed behind.

Everyone noticed carriages at the entrance of Hogwarts along with an escort of armor sitting on horse armor carrying the flags of Hogwarts. The Slytherin flag was not among them.

"You'll regret this Harry Potter!" Ex-Deputy Amycus Carrow snarled out as he was shoved into a carriage.

Everyone cheered watching the carriages begin to move along with its escort.

Headmaster Flitwick placed his wand against his neck and muttered "Sonorous". "Students you will go to your House where food is waiting. Classes are cancelled tomorrow so I can get guidance from the castle." Cancelling the spell and watched as the students walk back to the castle and followed behind them with the remaining staff.

The ghost watching the grounds chuckled. That

Soon everyone left leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna alone on the grounds of Hogwarts.

"What's next Harry?" Luna asked.

"Gather the Order and tell them to come here. We end it here and bring along the American contingent as well."

Luna nodded and began the trek to the castle gates so that she could Apparate away.

Ron grabbed Hermione's hand tightly. "Let's go to the Black Lake and discuss what has happened. Harry made me realize that there may have been some truth to the greasy git's memory."

Hermione allowed herself to be led to the lake. She felt Harry placing his hand into her free one, walking to the lake together.

Hermione sat down on the large rock. "Harry you were great in there. Your words fit in with what we need to do. Voldemort is going to be upset with you as he does not like to be called a coward."

Harry grinned and sat next to her. "I couldn't help myself. I have been manipulated for years and when I listened to Flitwick's words I realized that with Snape gone there was no one left except Voldemort to do that and he will not have that power over me. It all ends for better or worse because there is no one left except for young witches and wizards left to take up the fight. We are on our own."

Ron knelt before here. "Hermione…."

Hermione looked to him, seeing his remorse. "Ron there's no use in blaming yourself."

An awkward silence held out between the Golden Trio. Just a few days before they were a solid team but it seemed that a huge rift suddenly distanced them apart.

"Tell me why Snape decided that he should die and not me?" He whispered to her.

Hermione slid off the rock and knelt down beside him. "I don't know his reasoning for it Ron. Perhaps he felt that as the three of us has always been a team our chances of success would be better if we remained intact. He did not discuss the logic behind his demand."

"I love you Hermione with all that I am. I could not draw the courage to tell you in school but I always thought there would be time after all of this mess played out and we lived. The red hot pang of jealousy flared up with you mentioning his name alone. I saw him watch you but I never imagined that Snape and you would be involved. Harry made me realize that I could have done what Snape said based on my feelings."

She ran her fingers through fiery red hair. "Oh Ron! I'm not sure if you declared your love in the past would have made a difference because I love you like family. I cannot answer for the past as much as I cannot answer for the future."

"Do you trust me despite knowing the future?"

Hermione saw the expected rejection that he knew she was going to give. "Yes Ron I do trust you. I did tell you that the future I found myself in cannot happen as Severus died. It is up to us to meld a different future."

Harry pulled his best friends up and they all wrapped their arms around each other. "We will because we have each other."

They held one another and had a good cry for a few minutes before the two wizards pulled away and wiped their eyes and looked to her uncomfortable that they cried in front of her.

Hermione looked to her friends. "Even macho men need a cy every now and then."

Harry chuckled and placed his glasses back on. "I'm a scrawny man Hermione and not classified as macho. But we need to take care of the Diadem of Ravenclaw."

She looked to Harry. "That we do. Care to join me?" She asked in a light voice to lighten the mood.

They made their way to the castle and entered it arm in arm and halted as they saw a lone set of armor knelt holding a sword.

Harry went to take it and immediately stilled when he heard Hermione screech out "Stop!"

Hermione approached. "Knight of Hogwarts what's the purpose of your gift?" She commanded.

"Horcruxes." The tinny voice answered back.

The waited a few minutes for it to continue but all they heard was silence.

She pulled them back. "That sword is potential death. It's the sword of Gryffindor and because it is infused with Basilisk poison it is the only thing we have besides Fyndefire to destroy the remaining Horcruxes. I think Fyndefire would be hard to control while chasing a huge moving snake."

Hermione approached the armor. "Knight, if one takes possession of the sword are they destined to destroy the Horcruxes?"

"Yes."

She watched as Ron strode up and took hold of the sword, watching the armor fade from existence and looked to her. "It will be me and do not say a word Hermione. If he can sacrifice then I can as well. It should be me."

They went to the Room of Requirement and watched Ron destroy the diadem with the sword, black ooze emitting from it.

Hermione looked to the smoking husk of the diadem sadly. "It's a shame as that was rumored to contain the wisdom of the ages."

Ron barked out a laugh. "Leave it to you to regret destroying a Horcrux of an evil wizard based upon rumors of its properties."

Harry and Ron escorted her to her chambers, promising that they would talk about plans in the morning.

Hermione sat down on her bed and pulled the thick notebook from her robes. "I'm sorry to violate your privacy Severus but I need to read this to get a feel for things."

She opened the notebook and stilled for a moment as she thought she heard a voice whisper. "You deserve to know all that I was." Shaking her head for a moment she began to read, hoping she would find out information to help them defeat Voldemort.