Hermione twirled the silver band around her left ring finger, lost in thought. Her mind whirring with thoughts she couldn’t control. The band clinked on the side of the teacup as she brought it to her lips. The warm liquid soothed her nerves, but not enough to bring her peace. Not on nights like tonight.

                She caught Crookshanks’ tail as he stepped over her. He plopped onto his favorite pillow and sighed, looking up at her as if to say, “Go to bed, already.” She sighed and leaned over to bury her fingers into his thick orange fur. The fur gathered into a little pile as she stroked him. Her husband would be annoyed if he saw it. She collected the little pile and banished it with a flick of her wand.

                Again, she was back to worrying. She was too preoccupied to read or sleep, but it was nearing four in the morning. She had class tomorrow. Just as she was about to get up and try to go to bed, there was a loud CRACK! And then a thud. Hermione yelped at the noise but then leapt to the man’s side.

                Hermione immediately began a diagnostic spell and saw he was bleeding from several deep cuts and a rib was broken. Her fingers flew to the buttons on his outer coat but was stopped with a strong hand squeezing hers so tightly she thought her fingers would break.

                She looked into Severus Snape’s dark eyes and pleaded with him, “Please, Severus. You’re badly injured. I can help.” His eyes narrowed and his grip tightened further. His face contorted in pain and he released her hand with a shove. Hermione’s breath hitched, but she pushed the gesture out of her mind and went to work. She accioed a phial from her bag and held it to his thin, white lips. He glared at her and begrudgingly opened his mouth. His lips closed around the phial and he drank the phial down. There was a muffled snap from his torso and he muffled a scream of pain, biting on his hand.

                Hermione grimaced and gave him a regretful look. She smoothed the hair back from his face that was caught in a bloody cut and lowered her wand towards it. “Vulnera sanentur.” She murmured and the skin pulled back together. His layers of black robes made it impossible to tell where the cuts were on his body, so she started to unbutton his coat once again. She could feel his penetrating gaze on her, but she continued.

                She left his white undershirt buttoned and started the incantation again. The blood the was blossoming across his shirt slowly seeped back into his body as the cuts healed and soon she was to his legs.

                She gave him a quick glance up to his face before starting to undo his belt until his hands grabbed hers again. He sat up quickly and the color drained from his face. She knew he would be dizzy from the blood loss. Her face was inches from his chest and he had her wrists in a death grip. She craned her neck up to meet his angry dark eyes, “I need to heal you completely.”

                “I can take care of the rest, Miss. Granger.” He hissed out between pursed lips.

                “It’s Snape now. And would – you – let – go?” Hermione twisted and pulled her wrists trying to break free, but his grip was steel. His eyes drilled hotly into hers and she felt like she could melt under it. “Please, you need to let me finish. And you need a blood replenishing potion badly.”

                He shoved her away and she caught herself before she hit her head on the end table beside the couch in their chambers. She grabbed her wand from the floor where it had fallen and accioed a blood replenishing potion and held it out to him. He stared into her golden eyes for what felt like forever before taking the potion carefully from her hands, his eyes never leaving hers as he unstoppered it and drank the potion down. He finally broke his gaze to start healing his legs and Hermione stood up and grabbed Crookshanks from his pillow and walked into the bedroom to finally sleep for the night. Leaving Severus Snape behind in the dim light of the dying fireplace embers.

- - -

3 Years Earlier

                There was a light knocking on the heavy, wooden doors that opened to Professor Dumbledore’s office. A muffled, “Come in.” sounded from inside the office and Hermione entered. The professor was standing with his back to her, looking out the large windows onto the grounds bellow. His deep navy robes glimmered in the setting sunlight. His long beard was tied with a silver bow, offsetting his grim face.

                “Ah, Miss. Granger. Thank you for joining me.”

                “Of course, sir.” Hermione crossed the large office to his desk. “What did you need to see me about?”

                Dumbledore turned towards her and gestured to the chair opposite his as he sat at his large desk. He took a lemon drop and offered her one with a kind smile. Hermione, being polite, took one and popped it into her mouth. Dumbledore’s face slid into seriousness, “These are dark times, Miss Granger. I trust you are aware.” Hermione nodded. Dumbledore leaned forward in his high back chair, “I wouldn’t be asking this of you unless it was absolutely necessary, Miss. Granger. I need you to understand the seriousness of this request. The fate of many lives rests with your actions if you do as I say, do you understand?”

                Hermione’s mouth went dry. Dumbledore’s piercing blue eyes bore into hers as she nodded her understanding. Dumbledore sat back in his chair once again. “Two years ago, you were given a time turner to take classes beyond what you normally would have been able to. After that, you were told the turner was destroyed.” Hermione nodded again. “Of course, you’ll know that not all of them were destroyed as some may have wanted.” His eyes twinkled for a split second before his face turned back to its grim expression. “I am only asking you to do this because I trust you and I know you are the only one who could do this job.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

                Dumbledore paused, “I need you to go back again, Miss. Granger.”

                Hermione let out the breath she had been holding. “What do you need me to do, sir?”

                “I need you to do what you do best, Miss. Granger. I need you to learn. As much as you possibly can before returning to this time to carry out your new duty for the Order.”

                “And what is my new duty, sir?”

                “That, I cannot tell you. What I can tell you, is that you will spend three years learning as much as you can. That knowledge may be the difference between life and death for not only you and your friends, but many more. If you agree to do this, no one can know about this. Not your friends, not your family, no one. Do you understand?”

                Hermione nodded her head. “But, sir, what do you need to me study? Surely it can’t be something I need to turner for to take classes like before?”

                “No, Miss. Granger. First, you will study for your OWL’s and then your NEWT’s. You will spend the rest of the semester studying with a friend of mine for those tests. And when you are done, you will come back to me on December 15th and I will tell you what you will be doing next.”

                “What do I do about my current classes? What about Harry and Ron? Who will feed my cat?”

                “You will, my dear girl. You will take your place while you’re studying. You will be a little older, but otherwise, you will be the same girl you were when you left. Just with more knowledge that will be integral to the order in the coming months.”

                “Yes, of course.” Hermione said slowly. Something about the way he said that made her feel like he wasn’t being completely truthful with her, but she pushed the feeling away. “When do I start?”

                “Tomorrow morning. Bring enough to get you by for a few months but remember that you will be here at the same time and will need things as well, so pack light. I will see you at dawn.”

                Hermione nodded numbly at how quickly everything was happening. Tomorrow she would leave for three years. She wouldn’t see Harry or Ron. She wouldn’t talk to her family. She wouldn’t hear Crookshanks’ snoring in her ear in the morning. But she knew this was imperative to the success of the Order. She knew she had no choice but to do this for them. War was sacrifice and if this was all she had to do, she would gladly do it.

                She stood from the chair before Dumbledore said, “Remember, no one is to know about this, Miss. Granger.”

                Hermione stopped and turned to look at him over her shoulder, “Of course, sir.” With that, she continued on her way out of his office. Closing his heavy wooden doors softly behind her.

                Hermione’s shoes clicked on the stone as she hurried to Gryffindor tower to find Harry and Ron. She needed one last night with them. She climbed the steps to the tower and said the password to the fat lady who swung open to reveal them sitting on the couch near the fire.

                Ron had a sticky bun shoved into his mouth and ink smeared across his cheek from where he had scratched with a inky finger as he wrote a lengthy essay. Harry was lounging across a sitting chair beside him throwing a small ball up and catching it. He looked at her as she walked in, “Hey, what did Dumbledore have to say?”

                Hermione threw herself into the chair opposite Harry, “He has something he wants me to do with him tomorrow morning. He wants me to study something with him. It shouldn’t take long. I should be done by breakfast.”

                “What is he having you study?” Ron murmured as he scribbled something down onto the last available spot on his parchment.

                “I’m not really sure yet. He wouldn’t tell me.”

                “Well, that sounds about right, aye, Harry?”

                Harry snorted and nodded, “Whatever it is, it must be important. Should be interesting to find out tomorrow.”

                Hermione smiled a small smile and nodded. Crookshanks leapt into her lap and pawed at her arm before butting his head into her. She grabbed him and brought him into her lap and stroked his fur.

                Ron made a disgusted noise,”Wouldja look at the hair that’s coming off that bloody cat? Blimey, ‘Mione, you could make a second one with all the fur it puts off!”

                She rolled her eyes, “Don’t listen to him, Crooks.” She cooed at the cat, “At least you don’t do a nose dive into my breakfast every morning.”

                “Oi! Pig is just small. Some of those envelopes are really heavy!” Ron said, his ears turning red.

                Hermione and Harry laughed at Ron’s embarrassment. To Ron’s chagrin, Pig decided now would be a great time to start circling over them like a feathered snitch on steroids and Ron sank in his chair. Harry and Hermione roared with laughter as Ron tried to calm the small owl down.

- - -

                Hermione returned to her rooms after a late with the boys. They stayed up later than was normal for her, until they started yawning and she could no longer prolong the inevitable. She said good night to them with a sad look on her face which made Harry ask if everything was alright with her. Certainly, she assured him she was fine and just was having fun. And he said he would see her in the morning and she could tell him about Dumbledore over breakfast. Unfortunately, she knew she would not be seeing him for a long time.

                She started packing a small, beaded coin purse with some clothes and books she liked to read for fun. She placed an extension charm on it so that she could fit everything she needed inside it. She put a picture of her, Harry, and Ron from last year. She packed a mouse toy that belonged to Crookshanks. She put on a small, sapphire ring on her right hand that her parents gave her. She made sure she left enough clothes for her future self to have and then decided she was ready. She slept with Crookshanks in her lap, purring pleasantly and keeping her warm until dawn came all too soon. Until then, she was left with a million questions racing through her head and no answers.