Harry was carful to make sure that Dobby gave him anything he put in his mouth, from the water he sipped to the chicken and mashed potatoes he had for supper in the infirmary. Hermione ate with him that night, but chose to not be as careful with her food and drink.

"He's not out for me," she shrugged to him after Snape had left. "He won't harm me."

"Alright, just be careful," Harry admonished in return. "He's unpredictable."

"I will," Hermione promised with a soft smile. She reached out and squeezed Harry's wrist affectionately. "Thank you for forgiving me."

"Thank you for coming back to me," Harry smiled back. "It's getting late. You should go back to the dormitories. Madame Pomfrey wants to keep me here another day from the looks of things. I'll be safe enough."

"Good night, Harry," Hermione said as she rose from the bed, and waved to him.

Severus sat up late that night, thinking over the newest revelation about Dumbledore. It explained a lot. All at once, he knew what he had to do. He pulled his cloak about himself and left his chambers. He walked to the far end of the castle and knocked on Minerva's door. She opened it.

"Minerva," he greeted her, with a nod of his head. "I need your advice."

"Of course," she agreed, stepping aside, her voice belying her shock at Severus Tobias Snape asking her advice on anything. They settled in a couple of arm chairs by a crackling fire, and Minerva served two cups of tea. "What was it you wanted to ask me?"

"I'm sure you're aware of Mr. Ronald Weasley's absence?" Severus ignored his tea.

"Very, yes," she answered, sipping hers.

"Harry and Miss Granger have uncovered some - disturbing - information, and brought it to my attention tonight," he began, then paused.

"Which is…?" Minerva prompted.

"Before he disappeared, Albus Dumbledore gave Miss Granger a time-turner with instructions to give it to Mr. Weasley. Did you know about that?"

"No!" she gasped, beginning to fear where this line of questioning was going.

"Well, he did," Severus continued. "It turns out that Mr. Weasley and Albus Dumbledore are one and the same person, only a time-turned and aged version is the one we have come to know and trust."

"What?" Minerva asked skeptically. "Do you realize how crazy that sounds?"

"Yes, I do," Severus agreed. "But it does explain a few things. If Mr. Weasley has been meddling with time, he will have paid for it with a measure of sanity. Dumbledore has lost a measure of sanity consistent with meddling wizards. Mr. Weasley time-turned with a hatred of Harry fresh on his mind. Dumbledore has been doing everything in his power to act irrationally and irresponsibly with Harry's life and well-being, from placing him with abusive relatives, to tricking me in spying and wiping my memory of Lily and him. Harry and Miss Granger also got a confession out of Dumbledore." A shadow crossed Minerva's face.

"So he's been trying to change history then?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

"I wonder what our alternate time-line would have looked like," she mused.

"Much different, I could almost assure you," he speculated. "I know in my own past, Dumbledore was supposed to have encouraged my relationship with Lily. Perhaps I have a better insight into what my alternate time-line would look like, what with the memory wiping."

"Perhaps," Minerva agreed, her brow creased. "He encouraged a relationship for me as well," she added quietly.

"Who was that?" Severus asked, curious now.

"A very handsome and well-spoken young man," she said wistfully. "His name was Tom Riddle."

"Wait…what?" Severus blinked and laughed, then caught himself. "You're serious?"

"Yes, Severus," she said, bringing the mood to something of a dark level. "Dumbledore was my professor, and he encouraged me to go out with Tom."

"I never knew," Severus commented.

"I don't tell many people," she continued. "Having been the girlfriend of the most powerful dark wizard can't be something I would be anxious for everyone to know."

"So Mr. Weasley was trying to save Tom Riddle before he went dark," Severus concluded. "If he could just find him a good girlfriend, then perhaps Tom would never go dark in the first place, which would have radically changed history."

"But he went dark anyway," Minerva said.

"Yes, and then Mr. Weasley began to feel more desperate," Severus conjectured. "He began to toy with Lily and myself. Wait. What if - what if Lily and I were never meant to be in the alternate time-line at all?" Severus rose and began to pace.

"What do you mean, Severus?" Minerva asked, concerned, watching him.

"What if Lily was meant to marry James Potter?" he asked. "What if I wasn't supposed to marry her? What if Harry really was James' son in some other world?"

"Then the other world's Severus Snape would have also been a radically different man," she replied. "I think this Severus Snape is the better one, though." Severus paused and pressed his fists to his temples trying to think through the paradoxes of time and alternate realities.

"Mr. Weasley encouraged my relationship with Lily to make sure that Harry son of James never existed," he ground out. "What he forgot to take into account was the fact that time doesn't change, not really, not fundamentally." Severus took his fists away from his head. Minerva gave him a questioning look. "Harry was always my son. Mr. Weasley didn't change history. He made history happen."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a circle, Minerva," Severus hastened to explain, sitting again. "Mr. Weasley was trying to change history, but everything he was doing to change history was already in place before he did it. Harry being my son hadn't come to light before Mr. Weasley left this time. He was still under the belief that Harry was James' son, and therefore he believes he changed history. He didn't at all. He simply confirmed what already was. What if there isn't an alternate time-line at all?"

"I don't think we have to worry about an alternate time-line," Minerva said. "We just have to worry about how to conduct ourselves in our own." Severus nodded.

"I wish I knew for sure, though," he said. "I wish I knew." He paused. "It's like I don't even know myself anymore. So much has happened."

"I understand," she nodded. "Finding out you have a child - especially if you're not prepared for it - is quite a shocking thing." Severus raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Tom?" he asked, giving her an odd look. She nodded. Severus looked thoughtful. "I would say congratulations," Severus began, "but since I was unaware that you had a child, I doubt that is an appropriate response. What happened, if I may pry?"

"He was a boy," she smiled softly. "I put him up for adoption. Dumbledore helped with that. I don't know what happened to him. Perhaps Dumbledore knows, though I doubt he will tell me now. I did what I thought was best at the time. I just wanted him to be happy when he grew up."

"I'm sure he's fine, wherever he is," Severus assured her. "He's bound to be a wizard. Perhaps you even have known him as a student, but haven't known it."

"I wonder about that sometimes," she admitted, her gaze glossing over. "I wonder which of my students could really be my son, and then I wonder if it's not just wishful thinking."

"Was he raised in Great Britain?"

"Yes."

"Then I would think the odds of him having attended Hogwarts at some point is likely," Severus ruled. "Unless they sent him to one of the other European schools, or America, there are precious few other choices for a wizard's education." Minerva smiled.

"It pleases me to think I may have taught my son how to transfigure something," she said.

"It pleases me as well," Severus murmured, picking up his forgotten, now lukewarm, tea. He sniffed it skeptically. "This also means that the Dark Lord has a son somewhere. I find that thought worrying. Who knows what his son might be capable of? Not to discredit your blood in his veins, but will it be enough to keep him from carrying on his father's work?"

"We haven't had word of a rival power other than Order," Minerva said. "If he hasn't called attention to himself yet, I doubt he will. Though I can't know, because I don't know my son." She sounded sorrowful.

"Minerva, you've done everything you can," Severus assured her. "You were a good influence on Tom Riddle, I'm sure. Perhaps he would be even worse if not for that. I know a good girlfriend would have done nothing for my father. Apparently it did some good for me. Harry has no need for someone to save him from going dark. Perhaps Snape blood is being improved over the generations. Riddle blood can be as well." Minerva smiled weakly at him. Severus set his tea down without drinking any of it.

"Where did you get the tea?" he asked.

"I called for it from the kitchens," Minerva replied, curious. "Is something wrong?"

"There's belladonna in it," Severus explained, matter-of-factly.

"Severus, I assure you, I didn't - " Minerva began.

"I know you didn't," Severus cut her off. "I believe it is Mr. Weasley, also known as Albus Dumbledore, who is looking to conveniently dispose of an inconvenient problem. I have already spoken to Harry about the dangers of eating or drinking anything which hasn't come through that pesky little house elf - Dobby, I think, was his name. I feel vindicated that my concerns were not unfounded."

"Severus, do you know what you're accusing Albus of?" she asked.

"Yes," Severus replied, raising an eyebrow. "Assassination. I don't see why that's so shocking to you. We already know that he is capable of manipulating relationships, yours and mine, sentencing a child to years of abuse, and wiping a memory without consent. If he's willing to do all of that, it's not so far fetched to believe that he wouldn't shy from murder, if it were in his best interest to do so, if it were for the greater good, don't you think?" Minerva nodded sadly.

"I suppose," she agreed reluctantly. "How far do you think Albus will go with this?"

"If you mean how many people do I think he will seriously try to assassinate from Hogwarts, I believe only Harry and I are in immediate danger," Severus replied. "I warned Miss Granger as well, since he is obvious unpredictable and unstable, and I will warn you as well, though as long as the two of you seem to remain in his good graces, I doubt there will be much risk to either of you. Notice your tea was not laced with any poison." She nodded. "Of course," he continued, "if you feel safer you could - and I would certainly feel safer on your behalf if you did - you can always request that Dobby deliver your food as well."

"Well, thank you for the warning, Severus," she said somberly.

"I should probably be getting back to my chambers. It was good catching up with you, Minerva."

"Likewise," she said, rising as he did, and she showed him to the door. "Good night, Severus."