In and Out of Time

Chapter Three: Questions

Chapter Two: 1943

"What exactly am I getting myself into, Malfoy?" she asked crossing her arms across her chest, covering the well polished Head Girl's badge that she never failed to have on. She seemed to have gotten her voice back under control, at least.

When Abraxas just smiled, she asked again.

"Well? What are you talking about, Malfoy."

Gryffindors, always so blunt.

"Yes?"

"I need to talk to you." Said Minerva the second Severus Snape had opened the door to his private chambers.

"Can it wait? I tend to enjoy sleeping in during my summer mornings." Well the man was still wearing his dressing gown.

"No."

"It's five in the morning, Minerva. What exactly do you need?" He didn't even try and hide the dervish tone from his voice.

"It's gone!"

"I see." Severus moved to shut the door in his co-worker's face before she managed to finish her line of thought. He really did not want to deal with Minerva and any problems she might have that required his help of all people.

"Don't you dare, Severus." She stuck her foot in the crack between the door and it's frame.

"Very well, I'm already regretting thinking about this question. What may I ask, is gone?"

"My memories."

0o0o0o0o0

The lab was a mess. It's usually pristine countertops were stacked high with parchments and scrolls. Ancient books that almost seemed alive were littered across the floor.

An irate Potions Master was hunched over a Pensive in the middle of the room muttering and probing the silver liquid inside. After a few more failed spells and a rather useless kick to a nearby table Severus stalked out of his lab back to his private chambers. There he found an exhausted Minerva eyeing his best Firewhisky bottle.

The last few hours had been spent in a flurry of research. If the topic of research hadn't been so disturbing and dangerous Severus would have already been writing his findings for the next academic journal to be published. AS it was he had a thick stack of notes he had no intention of returning to Minerva or handing them blindly to Albus. He wasn't going to openly provide the information for anyone else either.

However, he did pour and hand Minerva a glass of Firewhisky before doing the same for himself.

"What do you intend to do now?" Severus asked in between swallows of his drink.

"I don't know…"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Tom was both amused and annoyed to find himself locked in the Headmaster's office. It seemed that the old fool had other things to do with his time than babysit the castle's only time traveler. While he knew all too well that the portraits that hung from every inch of the room would report his each and every move to Dumbledore when he returned.

While this prevented him from perusing the room as he would have liked it did tell him a few things.

One: Dumbledore was not keen on the idea of leaving him alone.

Two: Tom doubted that Dumbledore wanted anyone else alone with him either.

Three: Dumbledore did not have the power to send him back to his own time.

Four: He needed an appropriately cunning plan and he needed it fast.

None of these facts provided Tom with any ideas of removing himself from the Headmaster's continued hospitality.

So he kept himself occupied by listening to the whispers of the portraits. Occasionally one or two of the paintings would whisper a word or phrase to loud and Tom would be able to hear it before the paintings peers broke in with loud 'shh's' and hissed 'be quiets'. With the accompanying shifty glances his way. Very subtle of them anyone could see why they were once the Wizarding World's best and brightest. The former Headmaster Dippet was staring rather uneasily at his once favorite student. He wasn't joining in with the surrounding conversations.

Well, that was one place to start.

0o0o0

The Grangers were the perfectly normal, well to do- type of people the Dursley's could only ever hope to be- whose only child just happened to be a witch.

Perfectly normal.

Just like the older gentleman sitting in the Granger kitchen wearing canary-yellow robes and clashing stripped socks.

Also normal.

If the Grangers were magical-which they were not.

Which is why Mr. and Mrs. Granger were sitting calmly across the table from the yellow clad wizard, sipping their tea and waiting for their daughter to come back from her jog.

Just waiting for things to become normal again.

It was a rather sensible way of handling things Albus had to admit. The Grangers were the easiest Muggle family he had ever interacted with over the years. They all had a healthy dose of common sense. Something Albus appreciated in people but often failed use himself being a fairly competent wizard, of course.

So when Hermione Granger walked in the front door to see her parents sitting with her Headmaster she took the view in stride and pulled herself a chair to join them. When no one moved to speak after she joined them, Hermione took the initiative to move things along.

"May I ask why you are here, sir?"

"We would like to know a little more as well." Chimed in Dr. Granger.

"I have an offer concerning Ms. Granger's academic studies this coming school year."

The Grangers glanced at each other in silence waiting for him to continue.

"I would like to offer Hermione the use of her time-turner once again. She handled herself well in her third year and I believe she could continue using the device. She's not required to take the- lets say- heavy course load she had last time, but she may if she wishes."

It was an odd offer and it showed in the faces of the Grangers. All three of them were looking at Dumbledore with varying degrees of confusion.

"I returned the timer-turner for a reason. Perfectly valid reasons that both Professor McGonagall and yourself agreed with me on. I do not wish to have it back. Time isn't meant to be played with…sir. I knew in time I would not be able to handle the consequences of twisting time to one's personal needs. It never ends well."

"I agree with you Miss Granger."

His response did little to change the confused looks everyone's faces.

"If you agree with my daughter's reasons and even openly admit that there are severe dangers to using this 'time-turner' then why are you casually offering it back to her?" The idea of his daughter's Headmaster putting his Hermione in direct danger didn't settle well with Dr. Granger at all.

It was possible that Hermione in the past had given her parents a slightly abridged version of past events.

"I will explain of course."

Albus continued after a beat.

"I must begin by saying it's for the Greater Good…"

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