He hadn't been here in forty-five years, but remembered it like it was yesterday. Even just standing out here on the sidewalk, he was instantly transferred back to his youth. He could smell and feel it as if he was a child again.

If anyone needed proof that the success of his family lay primarily at Hermione Granger's feet, they only had to look here, to see his beginnings and the path he originally walked to know it was true.

He wouldn't say that being poor had a specific scent, but one only had to look at the street to know well-off people did not reside here. There was no happiness here. Once, he supposed it had existed on this street. Now those who still lived here were the forgotten ones. Those who hadn't thought to have another skill to fall back on.

It was why he'd backed Hermione's almost militant stance for all of the children, but especially Philip, to have something that they could do in case. In case whatever. In case Charlotte's husband was run over by the Knight Bus one night. In case Sylvia Prins nee Longbottom suddenly took ill.

Just in case.

He knew she was right because he had lived it.

The scent of his mum's cooking dinner from the night before, stale cigarettes, his father's whisky, and just age permeated the air. Funny, when he was a child the house hadn't been that old, probably about ten years or so when he'd been born. His current home was a prime example of a home being taken care of properly.

The … aura of this house, though, made it feel old and honestly sick. Did him being magical affect that? He wasn't sure. All he did know was that he'd hated it even as a child. He hadn't understood why.

Things like substance abuse, child neglect, and domestic violence weren't discussed. These were things his wife took seriously and reported on. At the very least, the healers at Hogwarts had taken her at her word. Albus seemed more … keen than Dippett at pushing the envelope on such things as mental health. Or ensuring Hogwarts' students were cared for properly year-round. He wondered if anyone who knew him from Hogwarts would ever think he'd be a more than adequate father nine times over and grandfather to almost thirty now, including the Harrison offspring. He doubted it.

That made him happy actually, rather than sad.

He'd beaten the odds.

He'd had help.

Albus.

A time turner.

He was about to do something that he swore he wouldn't do.

Make that something he probably shouldn't do.

Interfering with himself was probably a huge no-no.

He huffed in disgust as he stared at his childhood home, his right hand clutching the spot on his left arm where the Dark Mark had once marred his skin.

It was, truly, for the best however.

He cast a glamour over himself, aging himself by a good amount and made his way up the walkway that led to the house at the end of Spinner's End. He knocked, knowing on this date that he would be alone. His dad was off doing whatever he'd done during the day. His mum had an appointment.

He had no idea how he remembered that all these years later, except that having the house to himself was always exciting to him so it stood out. It didn't happen often, for certain. Especially this summer, his last before attending Hogwarts. He just … remembered.

God, he'd forgotten how … thin and unkempt he looked. Even muggle clothes didn't fit him properly. It didn't help that his mother couldn't afford to buy anything of quality for him.

How had Lily ever befriended him in the first place? How had he ever thought she could … love him? He shook his head, ridding his head of the thoughts. There was no use dwelling on such things. That was not why he was here today.

"Can I help you?" his younger self said, sounding sullen.

He cast a Notice-Me-Not at the last minute instead of the Muffliato. That was his, he'd be curious to see if he'd still invent it. He and Hermione had been … careful about casting it and other spells he'd invented. Things might be different, but he'd still need to know how brilliant he was when it came to magic. (His wife's words, not necessarily his.) If all of these things he'd come up with were already known he wouldn't get that, and there'd be a chance he'd go a different route. A potentially dark route. It was important, just as they wanted Thomas Riddle as a contributing member of wizarding society, that Severus Snape was, too.

"You don't know me, and I realize you're at the age where you're not inclined to believe anything an adult says," he said with a sneer. Sixty years of teaching told him this was true about this age bracket. "However, let me give you a piece of advice. I've seen you around at the park. I know what you are, that you'll be attending Hogwarts in September. You would do well to think of Lily Evans as a friend and nothing more. She is not the witch for you," he said. "Be her friend, enjoy her company, but do not mistake friendliness for romantic love. Trust me, one day you will know the difference."

"Yeah, sure," his younger self said. 

There was no sign whatsoever he'd even listened to what he'd said. He was clearly not interested, which Severus knew would be true. What eleven year old was going to listen to some random stranger telling him to stay away from a girl he thought he loved?

No one.

He'd had to plant the seed, though. Oh, he could have performed legilimency on him and showed him memories, but he wasn't here to do that. He didn't want to alter too much. He just didn't want him focused on the witch.

He left shortly after, knowing that he would not listen. He was already as stubborn as a mule at this age. And more than on his way to being infatuated with the witch in question.

He made his way to the other end of town, the nice part of town. He paused on the sidewalk to her house. How he'd wanted a house like this growing up. He'd prayed for a mum and dad who'd pay any attention to him that wasn't accompanied by a vile word or a fist. Parents who took care of their home so he wasn't ashamed of bringing her there.

He changed the glamour, knowing Petunia was likely around, she was a nosy shrew of a person even then. He heard giggling and saw Lily playing with a dandelion at the side of her house.

Perfect.

"Miss Evans."

"Oh, hello," she said, tilting her head slightly. She was clearly trying to decide if she knew this older man who addressed her by name. "Do I know you?"

"I've noticed you playing with that Snape boy," he said.

"Severus? What of it? He's my friend."

"You're an intelligent girl, you know what you're doing to him, and you'd do well to stop or you'll lose your first magical friend."

She gasped softly, looking a little confused by what he was saying. Did she not understand the wizard was already well on his way to being quite enamoured with her? Did she really not know?

"You need to be honest with him. He thinks you have interest in him like your parents love one another. He sees a … future with you."

"Oh," she said, her face falling slightly.

Those green eyes he'd oft admired, and that she passed on to her son, had a look of pity in them. He had to admit that it hurt. So even now, at this stage: before Hogwarts, James Potter, the death eaters, and Severus calling her a mudblood she'd never felt anything but friendly fondness for him. He huffed, shaking that thought off.

It did not matter.

"Save your friendship."

"I, did he tell you this?"

"He didn't have to. I have observed you both at the park for quite some time. It's obvious he's sweet on you and that you do not reciprocate. Before you go off to school, he needs to know."

She looked serious for a moment before nodding.

"I, thank you," she said.

She apparently didn't find it strange that he knew she'd be going to Hogwarts, or about the magical world at all. He supposed it was too new for her yet to find that odd. Had he told her about the Statute of Secrecy? It was so long ago now, he truly couldn't recall if he had. He must have cautioned her she wasn't to tell anyone.

He left then, having no idea if between the two conversations he'd had with them he succeeded in changing anything, but he had to do it. It wasn't for his sake that he did. If he could teach his own mother for seven years he could certainly deal with himself.

No, that was not why he'd done this errand.

Hermione did not deserve to see Severus and Lily studying together in her library with Severus mooning over her as if the sun rose and set on her. And he knew he used to look at her in that way. He used to think that about her. He'd stopped, before Hermione was even a student but she didn't deserve to see years of that drama unfold. With no war, it might go on for the entirety of their schooling.

No matter how she dismissed it when they'd talked about it last. No matter how strong and understanding she was. She was his wife, and it was his job to look out for her wellbeing. To protect her. To guard her heart. It didn't matter if that came at the expense of his younger self. Not to him.

He loved his children. Each of them, of Snape blood or not made him no difference. He did not nor had he ever envisioned growing old with any one of them. He would do anything for them, however, when he retired from teaching and embarked on the life of a retiree. Well, that spot doing it with him was reserved solely for her and what he had strived toward from the moment he saw her holding Thomas Riddle in her arms with love and affection in her eyes despite knowing who he was. What he could become. What Severus had done in his name.

He made his way back to Hogwarts then, finding her in their quarters.

"You look," she said, stopping as she took him in. She was good at reading him by now, forty-five years into things. There was very little he could get by her, not that he tried often. "Is everything okay?"

"It is," he said. 

He couldn't describe it, but he felt as if his conversations today had helped, had changed things. It had to. Lily had to do the right thing. That was all there was to it. If she didn't, well, his perception of her would change drastically for the worse. He'd always thought she was a good person, but if she said nothing about her true feelings. If she deliberately led the wizard on. Well, that was just cruel. He could not count on his younger self to stay away from the witch, but he hoped he could on her to realize he spoke the truth. If she valued him as a friend at all, she would tell him. Younger Severus would get over it. He wasn't certain Hermione would. He didn't think she truly understood how deeply pathetic and infatuated he was. She knew Severus Snape ten years after Lily's death. She did not know him when he was eleven.

"I love you," he said simply. "You have given me a life that as a boy I never would have believed to even be a possibility. Everything I could have dreamt of pales in comparison to this life we've built."

"And I love you, Husband." She tilted her head with a slight frown. He wasn't normally so … prolific with his endearing comments. She knew this. "Are you sure that you're all right?"

"I am now."

"Okay."

She knew something was on his mind, but recognized his mood well enough by now to leave it alone. He appreciated that greatly. This was not something he anticipated ever telling her. She did not need to know what he'd done today. "Well, would you like to take a walk with me down to the lake?"

He hesitated for a moment. Seeing his home and his younger self made him feel a little raw. And yet, perhaps a walk with this witch - his witch who he had gone on the excursion for - would do well to chase those demons away.

"Or, if you need to be alone…"

She'd noticed his hesitation. He did not want her to think his mood had anything to do with her. Of course, it did, but not in a bad way.

"I would enjoy that very much actually."

She didn't believe him.

He couldn't blame her.

Years in the past or not, the visit still brought back memories he'd rather stay very much in the past where they belonged. He wasn't sure how much he would actually enjoy going for a walk with her, but he was willing to try.

And vowed not to be an arse if it didn't improve his melancholy mood.

Along the way to the entrance they met up with two of their granddaughters, Rose and Erika.

"Grandpa! Grandma!" The girls hugged each of them. He got a little choked up at the gesture. The automatic love they had for him. Acceptance. The turn his life had taken, resulting in them being here.

"What are you two up to?" Hermione asked.

"We were going to go outside for a while. We just got done playing some gobstones."

Hermione glanced at Severus, no doubt not surprised his granddaughters were good at the game since their great grandmother had been more than proficient in it. Even if they weren't aware of that.

"We are going out as well," Hermione said.

"Oh! Can we walk with you?"

Hermione glanced at him, no doubt realizing he was ‘in a mood' even if she didn't know the where or why of it.

"I would love to have my girls with me," he said simply and Hermione nodded slightly. She truly was worried about his well being. Him not wanting to be with his granddaughters would have definitely told her something was amiss.

"Thanks, Grandpa," they said.

"Are you relieved that you do not have to worry about OWLs or NEWTs this year, Rose?" he asked.

He sounded as if he might be scolding her, but Hermione knew the tone well enough to know he was not. Rose, however, may not yet. He still gave very good Professor Snape tone, even (especially) to his grandchildren. No one could accuse him of being easy on them.

"Yes, but I have begun preparing for my NEWTs already."

"All well and good, but your grandmother will tell you the same thing. Take some time to do something fun once in a while."

"I am, I do, I promise," she said.

All of the grandchildren knew how much their grandparents, and therefore their parents, valued education. However, they didn't believe in making any of their children or grandchildren think that there was nothing to life at Hogwarts but studying every second of the day. A far cry from how they both behaved during their academic years here.

"Good girl. I cannot wait to see if you outdo your father next year."

Thomas had scored the highest OWL and NEWTs Hogwarts had seen in years. Everyone in the family knew that. They didn't know the actual scores. The other four were no slouches either, but they hadn't been able to outdo their oldest. Hermione and Severus were not at all surprised by his scores, of course.

"Do you really think that I can?"

Severus regarded his second oldest grandchild. Hermione watched them as he saw the hopeful look in her eye turn to glee when she realized he did, in fact, think that she could.

"Of course you can."

She gave a soft giggle then.

"And Erika? Are you anxious for your second year to be done?"

"Yes, Grandpa. I miss Mum and Dad," she said, sounding somewhat shy at admitting that.

"There is nothing wrong with that," Hermione said, running her hand affectionately over her granddaughter's hair.

"I feel so dumb, because I see you and Grandpa every day!"

"That may be, and we are happy that is so but we are not your parents," Severus said. "Hogwarts is not your home."

"I know, but you're still family, and Rose is here. And the others that Grandma teaches."

Their kids thought she'd done such a great job teaching them that teaching their children sort of fell to her. She could have said no, of course, but she didn't want to. The small room off of her library office, though, had to be enlarged to accommodate them all.

Severus nodded simply. He knew it could be difficult for some. Erika was very much her mum's daughter. "And next year your brother Magnus will be here."

"Yes, maybe that will make me not miss home so badly."

"It's normal, Erika," Hermione offered, reaching over to give their granddaughter a hug.

"Thank you."

They made their way to the lake. The two girls went ahead of them a bit, wanting to walk at a faster pace than their grandparents.

"It was nice of you to let them come along," she said, squeezing his hand.

"They were, actually, exactly what I needed today."

"Really?"

"Really," he said with a nod.

He watched them for a while, two of his close to thirty grandchildren. He was pretty sure, from what Willem had confided in him, that another would be here within the next year or so. Not to mention their oldest grandson had married within the last eighteen months so a great grandchild wasn't out of the realm of possibilities soon.

This was exactly what he'd needed. A reminder of what he'd gained. Of what he'd been a part of because of Albus' silly scheme.

Even if his younger self and Lily's did nothing with what he'd said while visiting them today leaving his younger self to moon after a witch who wasn't his and he knew now wouldn't make him happy. He couldn't imagine this life with Lily. Not one minute of it.

He'd made a life for himself. Despite feeling as if she'd irrevocably broken his heart, he'd let someone else in and built a life with her.

A good life.

Truly better than anything he could ever have envisioned with Lily. He'd gotten out of Hogwarts and, yes it had taken Albus' hair brained scheme and a time turner but he'd forged this. With this witch by his side.

These girls were a part of him, and this witch who so bravely at sixteen gave up everything to help save a world that really to that point hadn't done much to welcome her into it had given him everything he'd been missing but craved so deeply. Not only had she given up everything, but she'd done it to go back and try to help the wizard responsible for her misery.

She squeezed his hand and he returned the gesture.

"I'm here if you want to talk about it."

"I know. I do not at this time, but I thank you. And before you worry yourself to death. There is nothing wrong. I'm just having an introspective day, moreso than usual." He brought their joined hands to his mouth, kissing the back of hers before grazing it with his thumb affectionately.

"I can imagine," she said, glancing at him. She knew what this summer meant. What it represented. "You are allowed. Just know that I am here and I love you."

Their eyes met, and he realized she could imagine because she saw so much. She knew him too well, and even if she didn't know what he did today or what he was thinking about currently, she knew that his presence at Hogwarts in a couple months' time weighed on him. He doubted she would blame him either.

No doubt in twenty years her arrival would be weighing on her, too.

July 1971

She knew that Severus' mum hadn't taken him school shopping until now because he'd told her so. She hadn't had the funds until now even for what she had bought him. He admitted what she had bought hadn't been good, or all that he should have had.

She glamoured herself a bit, changing her hair mostly since no matter what age she was it was her most distinguishing feature before she made her way to Diagon Alley. She was very clear in her instructions that Severus Snape was to get exactly what she'd purchased and it was to be added to the purchases his mum made without being seen.

She didn't go overboard. Used robes still, but ones that she knew would fit him and didn't look used. She was methodical and compensated the shoppes for any discomfort their subterfuge might cause them.

Would he notice? Would he know she'd done this? Would he be upset with her? She hoped not on the last point. And she expected he would notice. He was an observant man. This wasn't another student she was altering the things of. It was him. He'd know.

It had been fifty years since her first year, so she sat at the Leaky Cauldron for a bit to go through it all in her mind, making sure that she'd remembered everything. Confident there was nothing more that she could do, she made her way back to Hogsmeade to meet her husband and children for dinner.

September 1971

The gargoyle alerted Albus to a visitor. A familiar, yet different visitor, and his interest was piqued so he allowed the young wizard entry.

"Mr. Snape, you should be getting ready for your first day of classes."

"I am. I mean, I'm already ready."

Albus smiled a bit, unsurprised by this response from this wizard. In all of the years he'd known him, the other version of him, he'd never been unprepared.

Albus sat back a bit on his seat, steepling his hands together under his chin as he regarded the boy. A boy who had no idea what he'd done. What happened to him.

"What's on your mind then?"

"I think there's been a mistake, Sir."

"A mistake?"

"Yes, Sir."

Albus was more than curious now.

"As to your being here? You received your letter. You accepted…"

"No, Sir, not my being here. My being chosen as a Gryffindor. My mum, all of my Prins side have been…"

"Yes, I knew your mother. Did you know that, Mr. Snape? I taught her."

"Yes, Sir," he said. "I mean, she mentioned it when your name was on my letter."

"I imagine she did, yes."

He regarded the boy.

"Why don't you think you belong where you were sorted?"

"I'm not courageous or brave."

"Well, in my experience, the hat sees things that we might not see in ourselves." He stood from his chair then and walked from behind the desk, setting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Do I strike you as a foolish wizard, Mr. Snape?"

His eyes widened a bit at the question. "No, Sir."

"Then trust me when I tell you that you were properly sorted. You have bravery and courage in spades." He stooped a bit here, setting his other hand on the boy's other shoulder. "Truth be told, Mr. Snape, I see a bit of cunning and ambition in you. I also see cleverness and wisdom. I also loyalty and the ability to work hard there, too. No one has only one house's traits, Mr. Snape. Well, I suppose there have been a few. The hat chooses based on where you're best suited."

"I still think…"

"Just think, you get to start a new tradition for the Snapes. You do belong, Severus. I speak the truth."

"If I was brave, I'd stop my dad…"

Albus winced a bit here. The elder version of Severus had not told him much about his youth. He imagined this was why. So that he would have an unbiased opinion about his younger self. As unbiased an opinion as knowing the older version of himself for forty-five years anyway.

"And if you tried to stop him and you were injured or dead?"

His shoulders slumped.

"You are eleven and a half years old, Mr. Snape. Cut yourself a bit of a break. You survived. You made it here. And now the future is what you make of it. Go to your classes, listen to your professors, and I have no doubt you will succeed."

"You really mean that?"

"I do. Now, if after next year's opening feast you truly feel as if you don't belong we can try the hat again."

His eyes widened a bit here.

"I can't make any promises its decision would change, but I'd like you to give it the year."

"Very well." Albus released him then and the wizard turned to leave.

"And, Mr. Snape," he said. The boy turned to face him. "Your coming here today tells me that you are indeed courageous and brave. You thought something might have gone wrong and you came to tell me rather than keeping it to yourself. You had no idea how I'd react or what I'd say. That's bravery."

"Thank you," he said, apparently not having thought of that.

The boy left then, and Albus wondered if he'd have more occasions to chat with this version of Erik Prins.

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com