"You really need to talk to him, Erik," Hermione whispered in her library office.

Her husband knew exactly which him she was referring to. He looked surprised by her statement, though. No doubt. He didn't see his younger self every day any longer, so he wouldn't know. She'd put it off, but just couldn't any longer.

"Why?"

"He has been moody for a few months now, but the past few weeks he's been downright nasty! I swear he's worse than you were back then, taking points left and right for the slightest infraction. You are the only one who can talk him down. I don't think Remus can even stand to be around him right now. I'm not sure Remus has insight into his mind well enough these days to know what's wrong with him."

The library was empty at the moment except for her younger self. So it was most unexpected when the him in question came storming into the library and stalked, actually truly stalked, to a table Hermione knew her younger self often used. (Because it was a table she had been fond of, too.)

She and Erik both made their way out of her office in that direction. She wasn't sure what the confrontation was about, but she could tell by his gait and the scowl he wore that he was not in a good mood. It had been many years, and a different time, since she'd seen that look in his eyes aimed at her.

And it was obviously aimed at her because she was the only one here.

"Miss Granger. I did not give you the evening off to engage in such activities. One hundred fifty points from Gryffindor."

"But, Sir, we were…"

"I have eyes, thank you, and am perfectly capable of deciphering what you were doing, and it most certainly was not studying!"

"Professor Snape," came Viktor Krum's very distinct voice. "It is not what it…"

"It appears as if you are trying to take advantage of our brightest student. Are the articles that have already appeared about you while visiting us not enough to pad your already inflated ego with?"

"Professor Snape," Hermione said.

"Fifty points for talking back, Miss Granger."

"Severus," his older self said once they'd gotten to the area. "I think two hundred points is a bit excessive." Hermione had to stifle a smirk at him saying that. It was amusing to hear that he thought so, though.

"She requested the evening off to study."

"They have been studying," her husband offered. Thank Morgana for his years of experience at remaining calm because he gave nothing away in the moment. He didn't sound condescending or accusatory. He hadn't been here for very long, but he knew as well as she did that Hermione didn't do anything but study in the library.

"Unless there is a curriculum change that involves the inspection of one another's tonsils, I think not." He turned to the older version of Hermione then, pointing a finger at her. She tried not to shrink under his gaze. She, truly, hadn't seen this man so angry in nearly seventy years. "And you, Madam Prins, are supposed to be supervising."

She winced. He hadn't called her Madam Prins in years. That hurt, and she was pretty sure that fact was displayed on her face very plainly. He wouldn't understand why it hurt.

"I do, Severus. They have been studying and have not engaged in anything detention worthy."

"I beg to differ."

"Well, you certainly can, but taking points away after you've only observed them for a few seconds when Erik and I have been here…"

"Fine. The points can stay then, but as she clearly wishes to spend her time elsewhere these days, I will no longer require her assistance in my lab."

"Oh, but Professor Snape," she said and Hermione's heart broke for the tears that were no longer just shimmering in her younger self's eyes. They'd been there for a few minutes, but Viktor likely wouldn't have noticed them. Until now.

"Enough. You handle it as you see fit," he said pointing to her. "And you Mister Krum, just remember that she's the one who has to live with the reputation you leave her with. She is not a quidditch groupie!"

He stalked from the library then. Hermione, both of them, winced at the sound of the doors slamming behind him.

Well.

She'd watched Hermione and Viktor get closer over the course of the past few months. She knew what to look for, because she'd lived it before. She hadn't noticed Severus paying them any attention at all. So, this violent response was not expected at all.

She met Erik's gaze, concerned. Had she done something wrong after all, encouraging Severus to work with Hermione? She hadn't really been matchmaking. She just wanted her younger self intellectually challenged. And for them to spend time together so that they'd realize they had things in common.

Her husband, for his part, seemed amused. What in the world was so funny about that tantrum? A tantrum aimed at her ! He must have seen the look in her eyes, because he shook his head before she could open her mouth to scold him for finding amusement in her younger self's pain. He knew as well as she did how much working with him had meant to this Hermione the past couple of years.

"I will go speak to him and ensure the points are returned to Gryffindor. However, Mr. Krum and Miss Granger. He has a valid point. She's the one who the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly are going to talk about after your departure. And trust me, once they get started with someone, they will not relent. A bit more … discretion may be called for than engaging in such activities where anyone could have stumbled upon you!"

Severus started to leave and then turned around and regarded young Hermione. He did not know this version of his wife very well. His wife spent far more time with her than he did. He hadn't the first time either, but there were certain … traits that seemed to transcend the differences between their original time and this one. Her tenacity, while admirable (despite it driving him insane), would not help anyone in this instance. She would not help her cause if she truly wished to continue working with him going forward.

"And, Miss Granger," he said, ensuring she was paying attention. "Do not approach him. Do not apologize to him. Do not speak to him until you have heard from either Madam Prins or myself on the subject. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir, we really weren't…"

"I know," he said simply. "You will not help matters if you do what I just said not to. Are we clear?"

If he knew anything about this witch, it was that she was not in the stacks snogging this wizard to the point of lewdness or impropriety. Other witches, he would not be so certain about, even though she was not his Hermione she was not that different.

He glanced at his Hermione and shook his head slightly.

Would he have developed feelings for her if they'd spent time together like their younger versions had been doing? He liked to think not, but then feelings were not wrong or illegal, so long as he did not act upon them.

Or make them known to anyone but himself.

Not even her.

It was interesting to think about.

She was, even at this age, capable and intelligent. Her endless hand-waving and turning in assignments inches longer than required no longer a factor, well, she seemed almost enjoyable. She pushed Harry and Draco, and even his grandson Stephen who was older, to their limits studying. This year, though, she'd stepped back a bit.

And now he knew why.

She was thinking with her heart (and probably her hormones), not just her brain.

Had she done this with Krum originally? The blush on her cheeks, as if she knew where his thoughts just went, gave him his answer. He hadn't presumed she had never been kissed prior to marrying him, but he just hadn't realized she'd gotten that familiar with Krum.

Who knew there were still things for him to learn about his witch?

He left the library then and made his way to the dungeons. He wasn't as fast as his younger self, but he hoped that would play in his favour. That young Severus would have had some time to simmer down.

He made his way to his former classroom, which was still technically his classroom he supposed, and then into his office. Since he was Severus, the wards would allow him entry. He'd never used that to his advantage before now, always acting respectful and asking permission to enter.

He didn't today.

"Miss Granger. Are you truly that dense as to come here after I distinctly told you not to?"

"It's not Hermione," he said simply.

His younger self spun around then, the pestle in his hand held as if he wanted to wield it as a weapon.

He probably did.

Who he wanted to use it on was up for debate.

He tried to picture himself at this age, with virtually no friends. The death eaters hadn't been friends, but they'd at least been an outlet for that need everyone had to engage with other people. Even for a reclusive person like himself who when all was said and done, didn't mind living in a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands.

He and Remus were still close from what Severus gathered, but Remus was busy with pack business more often than not. The wars involving Voldemort and death eaters may have been avoided, but the likes of Greyback had not changed very much.

"On a first name basis with students then, Professor Prins," he snarled.

"Acting like a jealous arse, are we, Mister Snape," he said, intentionally foregoing his earned titles of professor or master.

"You do not know what you are talking about."

"Mm," he said calmly. He gestured with his head to the cauldron his younger self was standing at when he entered the room. "So that's not the stick pin she gifted you with in that cauldron? And you were not going to attempt to destroy."

"I should never have accepted it," he hissed.

"And yet you did, and have worn it nearly every day since from what I can ascertain."

Silence.

He observed the … defeated way he stood, the slump of his shoulders. He recognized the look well. He'd seen it many, many times prior to 1996 looking in a mirror. The feeling of inferiority. Of not being enough. Of constantly being alone. Always on the outside looking in with regard to everything, not just intimate relationships. It had never been aimed at or because of Hermione.

"Does she know?" he asked his younger self.

"Of course not," he said with a sneer and a scoff of derision.

"Why not?"

"She's fifteen!"

"Mm, logical and problematic but not insurmountable, as she won't stay fifteen forever."

"Just because you are…"

"Do not. Do not insult me or my wife, Severus. Twenty-five years I have treated you as if you are my own. Insult me all you want, but do not insinuate that my wife allowed herself to be taken advantage of, or would encourage anyone to do anything illegal."

"Of course, she's just a paragon of virtue, isn't she?"

"If you have found fault with her, then by all means you are one of few. Believe me, Severus. I looked at first. Very hard. I, like you, failed to see how anyone could possibly be so good. Oh, she has a mean streak, but it's used to protect those she loves. That includes you. However, you do not know what you think that you know. So do not judge. And this is not about my wife, is it? It's about your own paragon of virtue. Kissing another wizard does not mean she's tainted."

"He…"

"It hurt seeing her at the ball with him, didn't it?"

Severus, for his part, thought she'd looked lovely. Happy. She'd, as she had the first time, shocked the entire student body and staff. How she managed to keep her date a secret either time was one thing he never had found out. Hermione wasn't revealing her secrets, either.

"Like the very life had been sucked out of me."

He did not expect that answer out of this man. For that matter, he hadn't even realized.

He was just going about his business that night as Marie's spouse. He'd seen it - the Yule Ball - before, and his feelings for Hermione then and now were very different. So, while he'd appreciated her appearance (more this time than last), there had been no … jealousy in the mix. The feelings this wizard might have for the younger version of his wife hadn't even been on his mind. He honestly hadn't thought he'd develop feelings for her, but he supposed it stood to reason that he would.

He recalled seeing her originally and being impressed with her appearance, how much older than her fifteen years she appeared. For a moment, all eyes had been on her, and deservingly so. He hadn't felt anything but pride, though, so it hadn't occurred to him back in December to seek his younger self out. He certainly hadn't expected himself to admit it bothered him. He assumed he'd blow it off.

"Well, you have two choices the way I see it, Severus Snape."

"And they are?"

"Stick with your earlier statement, discontinue your arrangement with her, and be a miserable fuck for the rest of your life."

"Hey!"

"Do not interrupt me! I am speaking, and am quite positive I am your elder. So you will listen until I am done talking. Are we clear?"

Silence.

"So you can stick with that, and know that she will never speak to you again as a result, because you know that she will not if that is the path you choose. You probably hurt her more, ending your need of her assistance, than taking away all of Gryffindor's achieved points would have done. Or, you can inform her that you overreacted, and if she would like to continue assisting you, she would be welcome to."

"That still does not gain me…"

"Did you not hear me? Let me say it slower so that you can catch up to the rest of the class. She - will - not - be - fifteen - forever. Do you love her?"

"I think that I could if I allowed myself to. I have tried not to. She is very intelligent, and puts up with my moods. She's never left my lab once, despite my attempts at getting her to do so." Severus grimaced at this, knowing exactly what he was talking about. It was the path he almost took with Hermione when they first went back to 1926. Poking at her. Irritating her. Doing something so that she'd dislike him. "I have kept her at a distance," he said softly. "I have never truly known the feeling." He looked at him then, looking more raw and vulnerable than he had ever seen either of his selves look. "How do I know?"

"You know. Compare what you felt with Lily to this."

"Then yes," he muttered. He glanced at him then, head tilted as if he was processing. Sorting through things. "It was you," he said finally.

"What was me?"

"That day at my home, the summer before I started Hogwarts."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"No, it was you. The glamour was good, but there are enough similarities to your true face at this age."

He scoffed. "Severus. I didn't know you, or of you, until September 1971."

"Well, whoever he was, I thank him. I was rather bitter at first," he said in a rare moment of disclosure and candor. "As you know, Lily and I were able to regain a friendship of sorts eventually."

"I remember, and I am glad that is true. I'm not suggesting you do anything wrong, Severus, but if you stand by what you just told her, she will likely never speak to you again."

"I know. I just was not expecting to find her…"

"Yes, I am aware of how shocking that must have been, and likely how badly it hurt."

"Viktor can offer her more…"

"I think you underestimate what she wants, Severus. He's not the catch you think he is, and do you truly think she's going to sit at home while he cavorts around the world with said quidditch groupies hanging all over him? Do you see her becoming one of them?"

His younger self scoffed at the very idea. It was an asinine idea, for sure.

"In the meantime, allow her to get to know you, Severus. Again, I'm not suggesting anything improper, but if you hope to see her after she leaves Hogwarts, you have to give her a reason to want to. Or, you can watch her leave, and know that you let the brightest witch you'll ever meet get away."

"Better not let Marie hear you say that."

"I think I'm safe for now," he said with a wink. "They truly were studying, Severus. If you think my wife would allow."

"I know that she would not. I was just not expecting to get stood up for another wizard!"

"She doesn't stand you up for Draco, Harry, or Stephen?"

"No."

It was somewhat fascinating that she would choose him over her friends.

"Interesting."

"You truly think that she could…? I'm too old and I have never…" he trailed off.

"There's nothing wrong with that," he said quickly. He really did not want to have that conversation with him tonight. "And I don't know anything for certain, but I think that yes she could. Apologizing for overreacting would be a fine place to start. Again, I'm not suggesting anything illicit or untoward, Severus. She will leave here, though. I presume she'd head to the Ministry, and there will be wizards there who find her mind as intriguing as you do. You will be but a memory to her here in Scotland because she won't think you care two knuts about her. If you want to stand back and let that happen, then that's on you. However, if you'd like a chance at what my wife and I have, with a witch you find yourself caring for for the first time in over twenty years. Let her in. Tell her about your day, share a book you like with her, talk to her. There is nothing illegal or immoral about talking, Severus."

Silence. He knew his younger self heard, though.

"Did you harm the stick pin?" he asked.

"No, I couldn't bring myself to do it," he said, turning to presumably remove it from the cauldron in question.

Severus was rather relieved that was the case. He wasn't sure older Hermione would forgive his younger self if he destroyed that stickpin.

"Would you like me to relay to her that she can join you tomorrow evening if she wishes to?"

"Tomorrow would be amenable, yes."

He snorted. "That is good to know. Just don't be an arse, Severus. In my experience, smart witches detest arses."

"No one else saw?"

"No, I believe the library was empty otherwise."

"Does she know?"

He scoffed. "I'm sure not. How would she have any idea? You just tried to take two hundred points from your own house!"

Silence. His younger self shuddered, almost as if he was coming down from the rush of his feelings. He probably was.

"When Lily was with James I'd see them sometimes."

"Yes." Severus remembered. And knew how badly that had hurt. Likely worse his go around than this Severus', but he had no doubt it hurt for this Severus, too.

"I always expected to feel that…"

"You haven't until now?"

"No," his younger self said with a shake of his head.

"I remember the first time I felt it," he said.

"Oh?" Eyes eerily familiar to him looked at him with interest.

"Shortly after Thomas was born. Marie, as you know, was young. It wasn't quite our intention to start our family that quickly. Anyway, I'd see sixth and seventh year wizards eyeing my wife with interest, even with the child, and she at eighteen, or the nineteen they thought her to be, was closer to them in age than me."

"What did you do?"

He laughed heartily at that.

"That's funny?"

"Well, I didn't do anything that you can do at this point. Shall I say, I made sure everything she could want from a wizard was provided to her by me."

"Oh," he said and his younger self blushed.

"Something to bear in mind for a few years from now, because if she reciprocates you will no doubt encounter the same things I did."

"And she never…?"

"No, I never gave her a reason to. For any of it. Not just sex either. Communication. Conversation. Trust. Honesty."

He chuckled then, thinking of the conversation they'd had about his younger self … joining them. If the age difference wasn't so drastic, he couldn't deny it might have been something fun to toy with. However, he was ninety when she'd suggested it. He didn't particularly feel like competing with his much younger self in matters of pleasing his wife.

"There was discussion once about a third joining us, but it was not a viable thing to act upon."

"She seems as jealous as you are."

"Oh, it wasn't another witch, and it wasn't my suggestion. The fantasy has proven thrilling enough, and trust me, Severus, after seventy years there are fantasies by both parties. With that, I will bid you goodnight, and will tell Hermione that she can return tomorrow evening." He walked to the door then, knowing it was time to leave. He couldn't resist, though. "It was you, Severus, the night that you two danced your first year as a professor. Just in case you do not believe anyone would find you attractive."

He returned to the library then, Krum was gone but younger Hermione was not. From the redness and swelling in her eyes, she had been crying probably most of the time he'd been gone.

"You may return tomorrow to his lab if you choose to."

"Really?" she asked, sounding so incredibly hopeful.

"Really."

She stood then and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you, Professor Prins, thank you so much. You have no idea. Those times, it allows me to truly clear my head. Those are the only hours I put everything else aside. I need it."

"You are welcome," he said, finally hugging her back, telling himself it was no different than hugging one of his granddaughters. Only it was his wife and, yet, it was not. He sighed softly as even her scent was her. That hadn't changed. "He's a cranky man."

"I have no idea what got into him. I asked him if it was a problem that I take tonight off. I truly do have an exam to study for."

"It's all right now."

"And I'm sorry, Sir. I already apologized to Marie. I mean, Madam Prins, but I didn't mean…"

"You have nothing to apologize for. You are a fifteen year old girl, and I imagine you aren't the first, or last, one to engage in such activities where you were."

"That's what your wife said."

"She is a very smart woman."

"She's so kind."

"She is that."

"You are so lucky, Sir."

"I count myself infinitely so, Miss Granger. Go on back to your dorm now before it gets past curfew and I cannot stop someone else from deducting points."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you again," she said, releasing him finally.

She offered him a lopsided smile. She'd fixed her teeth by now. How or why he wasn't sure, he knew Madam Pomfrey wasn't involved this go around. It was subtle. He wondered if anyone else noticed. He did because of the insult he'd thrown at her originally, several decades ago now.

"You are welcome. Good night."

"Night," she said, taking her things and leaving.

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com