Changing the Future
Title: Changing the Future
Team: Death Eaters smitten with Dark Tragic Heroes
Challenge: Time-Turner, Dark Snape
Rating: PG-13
Words: 100x10
Characters: Hermione and Severus
Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: Okay, look; I intended to use the ”Dark Snape challenge” and write him Bad, and you know I´ll back down at nothing so it could have been really nasty… But ”Dark Snape” sounds so romaaantic! And suddenly he went all Tragic Hero on me. And I kinda liked it… Okay, I´m crushing on him again! Who are you to judge? I still say I used the ”Dark Snape challenge” because that´s what inspired me, so there! Enjoy it. Enjoy him. Lick him. And if you can´t get enough, pop over to Ashwinder and read ”The Love You Take” by Subversa ;)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
She goes through her calculations seven times, thus making sure she knows what she´s doing. The Time-Turner leaves her standing outside the potions classroom, exactly thirtyseven seconds after his bark ”You´re dismissed!” to a class of sixth years, on a grey day in September.
She takes a deep breath before entering.
He´s standing in front of a window, back against her, but he senses her presence nevertheless.
”Why don´t you run along to the Library and look up `dismissed´, Granger”.
Ah, the edgy mood. Completely expected, though. He must have a lot on his mind, with the war so close.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
”This isn´t what it seems like, Professor.”
The Time-Turner dangles in the gloomy light, its golden chain wrapped around her finger-tips.
She waits.
”Of all the tedious…” He turns around. Sees it. And freezes.
It´s pretty fast, though; the way he regains balance, and calmly continues:
”Do tell.”
So she does. Tells the tale she came to tell. Gives her rehearsed speech.
About him being a hero. The saviour of the Wizarding World. And the truth about his death. She leaves nothing out.
When she finally quiets the silence is thick and the triumph she felt is replaced by uncertainty.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
But this was the right thing to do! She knows it! She´s found a way to let him know, to thank him, to give him some recognition!
”Brava, miss Granger!” He´s actually clapping his hands. Smiling cruelly, mocking her.
”You must be so pleased with yourself. What did you hope to accomplish with this little feat, hm? Is it the idea of my gratitude that is appealing to you? Or the false sense of power you feel when you get to return from the future, all cards on your hand?”
She´s stunned. Leave it to him to screw things up.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
She takes a moment to compose herself. This was supposed to be a dignified moment.
”No, not at all. You of all people deserve to know the truth.”
His smile is amused now.
”Well, now that I do, I´m left with no choice but to alter it. I´m not so keen on heroic death as you might think”.
She scrambles to find an answer.
”Please, sir! Don´t change it! You can´t…survive! There´s no telling what would happen. You promised to protect us!”
He just watches her and there´s a harshness about him that chills her. This obviously went horribly wrong.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
His lips move and suddenly the Time-Turner is no longer in her hand. She´s struck by a strong urge to flee, to just run as far away as possible, but she immediately realises there´s no point. Without the Time-Turner she´s well and truly lost.
”Sit down, miss Granger.” He´s tapping his lips with his index finger. She slumps down on a chair.
”It´s a complicated situation,” he muses. ”One must tread carefully when meddling with the future”.
It´s almost as if he´s giving a lesson but this is real. She hopes, wildly, that someone, anyone will come to save her.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
He sits down in front of her and swiftly lifts her chin. He´s too close, she tries to be brave but tremors at his touch.
”First I need to know what I´m dealing with,” he whispers. ”Legilimens!”
She feels him enter through open gates. He´s athletic, precise, skillful. There´s nothing she can do so she simply endures, feeling him infiltrate everyone of her memories from the past year. When it´s over he knows what she knows and he stares at her, paler than she´s ever seen him.
She´s crying, unable to help herself, and he hands her a handkerchief, distractedly.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
”So,” he says, and again; ”So. I see.”
”Yes,” she simply replies thinking there´s really nothing to say.
”Please, sir,” she continues. ”Please, don´t change it. It was… awful! But we all fought so hard. We all did,” she says, putting emphasis on ´all´, ”and we won”.
”You really came here for my sake?” he says, he still seems so confused.
”You saw it, sir”.
”You don´t understand! I would have killed you, made you take Polyjuice Potion. I would have used you to buy my freedom!”
”No, sir, you think you would have, but I know it´s not true.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
”Miss Granger, stop this! I´m not a hero! I don´t even have ideals! If Voldemort had won the war, I would have accepted it!”
”I don´t believe you,” she holds his gaze, sobbing miserably into his handkerchief. He seems besides himself.
”I was never going to save any of you! But here you are, to offer me redemption and comfort in this misery and how can I not… How can I?”
He suddenly starts to cry and she reaches for him, impulsively.
”I never wanted to die,” he sobs into her hair.
”I know,” she says, ”I always knew that”.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
He clings to her with abandon and she holds on, letting him cry.
When he finally sits back, she wipes his face with his already wet handkerchief and he allows it with an almost childlike serenity.
He catches her hand, wraps her fingers around the Time-Turner.
”It´s time for you to return”:
”Sir,” she reaches for him again, pulls him with her as she moves to stand. ”You have to know, I will try to save you. I will try harder than ever before!”
He smiles, a crooked, sad smile and whispers:
”Not even you can change destiny, miss Granger.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It´s finished, what she came for, but she finds she doesn´t want to leave.
”I´ll stay,” she says fiercely. ”I´ll help you! We´ll figure something out, I´ve always helped Harry!”
He touches her hair, strokes it.
”You really are remarkable, miss Granger. You always do what´s right, which is why… you´ll leave, I´ll stay and we´ll perform our parts until the end.
When she walks away, it´s the hardest thing she´s ever had to do.
”I´ll do it for you, you know,” he says.
Tears together with the blurring effect of the Time-Turner clouds her vision and then he´s gone.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^The End^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Team: Death Eaters smitten with Dark Tragic Heroes
Challenge: Time-Turner, Dark Snape
Rating: PG-13
Words: 100x10
Characters: Hermione and Severus
Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: Okay, look; I intended to use the ”Dark Snape challenge” and write him Bad, and you know I´ll back down at nothing so it could have been really nasty… But ”Dark Snape” sounds so romaaantic! And suddenly he went all Tragic Hero on me. And I kinda liked it… Okay, I´m crushing on him again! Who are you to judge? I still say I used the ”Dark Snape challenge” because that´s what inspired me, so there! Enjoy it. Enjoy him. Lick him. And if you can´t get enough, pop over to Ashwinder and read ”The Love You Take” by Subversa ;)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
She goes through her calculations seven times, thus making sure she knows what she´s doing. The Time-Turner leaves her standing outside the potions classroom, exactly thirtyseven seconds after his bark ”You´re dismissed!” to a class of sixth years, on a grey day in September.
She takes a deep breath before entering.
He´s standing in front of a window, back against her, but he senses her presence nevertheless.
”Why don´t you run along to the Library and look up `dismissed´, Granger”.
Ah, the edgy mood. Completely expected, though. He must have a lot on his mind, with the war so close.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
”This isn´t what it seems like, Professor.”
The Time-Turner dangles in the gloomy light, its golden chain wrapped around her finger-tips.
She waits.
”Of all the tedious…” He turns around. Sees it. And freezes.
It´s pretty fast, though; the way he regains balance, and calmly continues:
”Do tell.”
So she does. Tells the tale she came to tell. Gives her rehearsed speech.
About him being a hero. The saviour of the Wizarding World. And the truth about his death. She leaves nothing out.
When she finally quiets the silence is thick and the triumph she felt is replaced by uncertainty.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
But this was the right thing to do! She knows it! She´s found a way to let him know, to thank him, to give him some recognition!
”Brava, miss Granger!” He´s actually clapping his hands. Smiling cruelly, mocking her.
”You must be so pleased with yourself. What did you hope to accomplish with this little feat, hm? Is it the idea of my gratitude that is appealing to you? Or the false sense of power you feel when you get to return from the future, all cards on your hand?”
She´s stunned. Leave it to him to screw things up.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
She takes a moment to compose herself. This was supposed to be a dignified moment.
”No, not at all. You of all people deserve to know the truth.”
His smile is amused now.
”Well, now that I do, I´m left with no choice but to alter it. I´m not so keen on heroic death as you might think”.
She scrambles to find an answer.
”Please, sir! Don´t change it! You can´t…survive! There´s no telling what would happen. You promised to protect us!”
He just watches her and there´s a harshness about him that chills her. This obviously went horribly wrong.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
His lips move and suddenly the Time-Turner is no longer in her hand. She´s struck by a strong urge to flee, to just run as far away as possible, but she immediately realises there´s no point. Without the Time-Turner she´s well and truly lost.
”Sit down, miss Granger.” He´s tapping his lips with his index finger. She slumps down on a chair.
”It´s a complicated situation,” he muses. ”One must tread carefully when meddling with the future”.
It´s almost as if he´s giving a lesson but this is real. She hopes, wildly, that someone, anyone will come to save her.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
He sits down in front of her and swiftly lifts her chin. He´s too close, she tries to be brave but tremors at his touch.
”First I need to know what I´m dealing with,” he whispers. ”Legilimens!”
She feels him enter through open gates. He´s athletic, precise, skillful. There´s nothing she can do so she simply endures, feeling him infiltrate everyone of her memories from the past year. When it´s over he knows what she knows and he stares at her, paler than she´s ever seen him.
She´s crying, unable to help herself, and he hands her a handkerchief, distractedly.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
”So,” he says, and again; ”So. I see.”
”Yes,” she simply replies thinking there´s really nothing to say.
”Please, sir,” she continues. ”Please, don´t change it. It was… awful! But we all fought so hard. We all did,” she says, putting emphasis on ´all´, ”and we won”.
”You really came here for my sake?” he says, he still seems so confused.
”You saw it, sir”.
”You don´t understand! I would have killed you, made you take Polyjuice Potion. I would have used you to buy my freedom!”
”No, sir, you think you would have, but I know it´s not true.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
”Miss Granger, stop this! I´m not a hero! I don´t even have ideals! If Voldemort had won the war, I would have accepted it!”
”I don´t believe you,” she holds his gaze, sobbing miserably into his handkerchief. He seems besides himself.
”I was never going to save any of you! But here you are, to offer me redemption and comfort in this misery and how can I not… How can I?”
He suddenly starts to cry and she reaches for him, impulsively.
”I never wanted to die,” he sobs into her hair.
”I know,” she says, ”I always knew that”.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
He clings to her with abandon and she holds on, letting him cry.
When he finally sits back, she wipes his face with his already wet handkerchief and he allows it with an almost childlike serenity.
He catches her hand, wraps her fingers around the Time-Turner.
”It´s time for you to return”:
”Sir,” she reaches for him again, pulls him with her as she moves to stand. ”You have to know, I will try to save you. I will try harder than ever before!”
He smiles, a crooked, sad smile and whispers:
”Not even you can change destiny, miss Granger.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It´s finished, what she came for, but she finds she doesn´t want to leave.
”I´ll stay,” she says fiercely. ”I´ll help you! We´ll figure something out, I´ve always helped Harry!”
He touches her hair, strokes it.
”You really are remarkable, miss Granger. You always do what´s right, which is why… you´ll leave, I´ll stay and we´ll perform our parts until the end.
When she walks away, it´s the hardest thing she´s ever had to do.
”I´ll do it for you, you know,” he says.
Tears together with the blurring effect of the Time-Turner clouds her vision and then he´s gone.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^The End^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^