They returned to the date and time they left, apparating to Hogwarts almost immediately upon arrival. Neither consulted the other, they didn't need to. They had to know. Had to see. The most obvious way to see if what they'd done changed anything was to come here. Both had agreed if they had to return to Atlanta they'd rather do it now than wait months to do so again.

"Oh, Severus," she said, throwing her arms around his neck when they saw that the grounds looked as healthy as they remembered them before the war.

Cautiously, both suspect that it was that easy, they pushed open the gates of Hogwarts and took a few hours to look at everything that they could think of for signs there was still anything suffering. It didn't appear so. In fact, things looked healthier than Severus remembered seeing them since even before Voldemort's return. Had his attempts influenced things even?

"Merlin," he said, stooping to examine if what he was seeing was real. He fought the urge to touch it. "I haven't seen one of these here since I was a student."

"What is it?"

"A lady's slipper orchid. Rare. Almost endangered I'd say."

"And you haven't seen one…"

"In probably twenty years. Certainly since I became a professor here."

He heard her breath hitch. He hadn't heard that sound from her outside of their bedroom. She was excited. He could admit, this was something to be excited about. Surely, this was an indication that what they'd done worked. She threw her arms around him again, kissing him soundly on the lips when he stood. The sound of a throat clearing behind them made her draw away.

"Hello, Hagrid," Severus said.

"Professor Snape. Hermione," he said. The half giant was looking at the two of them rather curiously. She knew when he saw the wedding band on first her ring finger and then Severus'. "Right, saw nothin'. Carry on."

"Thank you, Hagrid."

"I saw nothin'," he said. Hermione's lips quivered.

Her friend (and there was no doubt Hermione considered Hagrid a friend) was probably realizing he knew something no one else did because surely it would have made the news, something, if Hermione Granger had married Severus Snape.

"Should we tell him?" Hermione asked.

"We have other, more pressing things to worry about. First I think we should visit Mr. Hamilton and see what he can tell us about his family. Are you up for another apparition so soon?"

"I am so long as you're not rude to him."

"Hermione!"

"Severus, you cannot be surprised that I am shocked that you're going to willingly sit with someone and listen to him tell you over almost one hundred thirty years of his family's history. I am curious, though."

"Yes?"

"You taught him?"

"I did."

"Did you teach any of his cousins?"

Severus sorted through his memories, smiling a little as he noted some there that had to be relatives to the Wade Gerald Hamilton they'd met. Another indication they'd succeeded, he hoped.

"I did," he said with a nod. He knew those memories hadn't been there before but the integration of them into what he knew was flawless. "I am curious, and since he's a Hamilton he'll have information on Melanie as well. So yes."

"Okay." she said. She offered him her hand, which he took. He squeezed hers lightly.

"One thing we never did come to a decision on."

"Mm?"

"Where will my wife and unborn child be sleeping tonight?"

"Well, I presumed with you somewhere."

"Really, Hermione?" It was a sincere question.

"Well, your things are at your home and mine are at my home. One of us can certainly pack a bag for the next night or two…"

"Which home do you prefer?"

"Well, as I haven't seen your home, shouldn't the decision be yours since you have seen mine."

He huffed. "Very well. Yours. I will bring you to mine so that you can see it and we can decide from there about a permanent domicile for the both of us."

"Three of us," she whispered, reaching up on her toes to kiss him. He felt warmth on his face that had nothing to do with it being a warm day. He was blushing. Merlin. She saw it, too, judging by the knowing smile she gave him. "All right, take me to County Mead then, Severus."

He did just that, arriving a bit down the way from Wade Hamilton's pub. The two made their way there and smiled as they spotted the man they were looking for.

"Wade Hamilton," Hermione said.

"Yes," he said, eyes widening in recognition. "Miss Granger. Professor Snape. It's nice to see you again, Sir."

"You as well, Mr. Hamilton."

Silence as Wade was obviously processing. It was clear the man was deep in thought, neither wanted to interrupt him if he was busy.

"I never expected it to be you," he said, staring at Severus.

"I'm sorry?"

"Right, you don't know where that came from. For reasons unbeknownst to me I've been the keeper of our family documents for a while now. They were passed onto me from my father, who is still alive mind you. Anyway, there have been two letters for a Severus that have been waiting to be distributed to the person in question for years. I never stopped to think it might be you, Sir."

"Severus will do, Mr. Hamilton. Might we see these letters?"

"Of course. I have been instructed to give you copies of all of our documents as well."

"Excellent."

The wizard tilted his head a bit, regarding Severus and then Hermione. "Are we related somehow, Sir?"

"No, I'm afraid not, Wade."

"But you know why these letters are here for you?"

"I have my suspicions."

"I'll be back," he said. He returned a short while later. "It looks like I owe my great great great grandfather a few galleons."

No! Hermione's eyes met Severus'. There was something neither of them had stopped to consider when they discussed returning. If Scarlett's children were magical … They could still be alive.

"I was told it was us here, on the O'Hara land, who would get the visit since they knew you were from Britain."

Severus took the offered documents.

"And where is your grandpa Wade Hampton, Wade?"

"At Tara in Clayton County, Georgia," he said. He sounded very much as if that should be obvious. Severus supposed it should have.

"All right, Wade, thank you. We're going to take what you gave us with us and if we need anything else, we'll let you know."

"It'd be nice if," he shrugged, glancing at the two of them. "Maybe you could settle the curiosities about those letters."

"You never read them?"

"No, Sir, no one has. They're in the same envelopes they were put in, sealed as they were the day they were written."

"We appreciate your integrity. We will fill you in on what we can when we have finished our research."

"Thank you," he said. The two men shook hands and Severus realized again that Wade noticed he was wearing a wedding band. He supposed that was going to be something people were going to notice, considering he hadn't been wearing one the last time anyone would have seen him except for his wife.

They apparated to her flat then.

"I see you eyeing your bathroom," he said, clearly amused. "Is the idea of showering really outweighing your curiosity as to what these letters say?"

She sighed. He could see that she thought about it for a moment. "No," she said.

"Let's read the letters and then I will join you. Trust me as much as I enjoyed our joint baths, I think I will like having you upright in a shower as well. I have no doubt your thought is to return to Atlanta and Clayton County."

"You are right."

They did take the time to prepare some tea. Weird to think they'd been gone for two and a half years, but everything was as she'd left it. He was familiar enough with her kitchen to know what she had on hand. Some of the items were specifically for him because he'd been a frequent enough visitor.

He opened the first letter, not recognizing the handwriting though both recognized it as being feminine. The second letter was from Rhett. Hermione had never had reason to see his handwriting before, Severus obviously had and recognized it.

Dear Mr. Denby:

I had all but forgotten what it felt like to use my magical abilities. It had been years, of course, since I had and as discussed I never did get formally educated. The ability to control, manipulate, and accelerate plant life did not seem to require any education. It was as much a part of me as the color of my hair.

So, before I informed my son of these abilities he likely inherited, I practiced. I took a trip to "visit an old friend" after seeing you and spent some time in Salem, Massachusetts. As of this writing, I still have plenty to learn, but I knew that Rhett would be more apt to believe me if I had something to show him. I was right, and even that short stay allowed me to show him enough to believe. (He informed me he told you that.)

All but one of my grandchildren were educated at Ilvermorny, Wade Hampton started late but didn't suffer for that. Miss Ella, much to her chagrin, was not magical. (And, yes, Wade Hamilton and Ella Kennedy are just as much my grandchildren as Bonnie, Rhett Jr., William, and Natalie are.)

The secrecy was not always easy, but the subterfuge was nothing new as I kept in touch with Rhett sporadically throughout the years. So not telling Steven about magic was just another thing I filed away as a sin that I imagine I will be taken to task for whenever my time here is up.

I don't know when you will read this letter. Or even if you will. I imagine one of the descendants, somewhere will get tired of keeping track of a letter from a relative they don't remember to a man they don't know.

I thank you for allowing me to become whole.

Please greet your lovely wife for me.

Eleanor Butler

"Oh, that was nice," Hermione said, eyes scanning over the letter again. "We did that. We put that woman in touch with her birthright. Gave her peace."

"We did," he said, setting the letter aside. The envelope had faded some over the years, but the paper she'd used while not clean as the day she wrote it had not decayed much.

Onto the next letter.

Dear Severus:

I sure wish you might have told me how much longer after Scarlett's passing I had to endure life without her. 1941 is when she was taken from us. Thankfully, it wasn't an illness or anything that took her. She passed in her sleep after an introspective evening at the family cemetery on the grounds of Tara. Maybe she knew? She was clever that way.

I don't know and doubt I ever will.

It had been years since I stopped to realize that Gerald and Ellen O'Hara lost three sons prior to Scarlett. Three brothers that if any of them had survived she may not have come to be. Is that what's meant by fate? Did her parents have to suffer such terrible loss again and again so that I might have her? I wish I could say that I felt awful at that thought, but I'd be lying as no one in my years prior to coming to Twelve Oaks that fateful day in April 1861 compared to her.

I know you understand this mindset.

Are there times that I wonder, given my true heritage, if she was made for me. Is such a thing possible? I don't know about a soulmate necessarily, but certainly she was a piece of me that until I saw her for the first time I had no idea it was missing. You should have seen her, Severus. It started as an "I have to have her" to "I need to have her, blackguard reputation be damned". I had maintained for years I was not a marrying man, I believe I even told her that at least once. It's difficult to remember anymore what was actually said and what was something I wanted to say (believe me there were plenty of those things). She is the only woman I've ever told I love, my daughters and granddaughters aside.

We took to heart your telling us to be prepared and I think she enjoyed living out the last decade or so of her life at Tara where it had begun. We worked hard, all of us, but after she passed I was a man on a mission. It gave me something to do other than merely to mourn. She wasn't supposed to go first. I was sixteen years older! She shouldn't have gone first. Damn magical blood. (This isn't the first time I've said that since her passing nor will it be my last I reckon.)

I just wanted you to know, whenever you receive this letter, that your advice did not go beyond me. I may have encouraged, and assisted Ashley in reopening his family plantation, Twelve Oaks. My suggestion was simply that it would be good for young Beau and his brother, Jonathan, to learn to get his hands dirty and how the food that ends up on their table comes to be. All of our children learned the same lesson.

Scarlett loathed the idea of her children working Tara the way that she'd had to post-war, but she eventually came around when she realized the circumstances were different. This was a learning experience that eventually became essential to survival. And because we were prepared, we did survive. Just as she had when she'd had to. I'll never know the daily goings on at Tara during those years, but I know they scarred her. I know she did and saw things that she had nightmares about. I think that being back at Tara and seeing that we were ready for whatever came helped heal her.

I have watched my children, grandchildren, their children, and their children work the land and not take anything for granted. I have you to thank for that. Yes, with my work prior to marrying Scarlett we would have been fine financially. For the short term. I had no idea how long those hard times would last once they started. I do not blame you for that, I know that telling me what you did most likely violated the rules of your occupation. (My mother filled me in on what she suspected your occupation entailed.)

In the event we do not meet again, my family thanks you. I thank you. I have never gained friends easily. You were one of a few I trusted enough to be forthright and honest with. Belle (yes, she was my friend) and you. There were times I felt as if you saw parts of me I would have rather stayed buried. One day, I'd enjoy hearing your story, Severus, and what or who put that look in your eyes. It's a look I recognize well. I've seen it reflected back to me in the mirror as well as hundreds of soldiers from three wars now.

In closing, if I didn't say it outright during our last conversation, whatever you did to change whatever you did. Thank you. I truly loved my wife. I know many questioned my sincerity even when we married in 1868. She hadn't finished mourning Frank. I knew if I left without proposing she'd be married yet again when I returned. I wasn't going to make that mistake again. This is something I sense we share, people's not understanding and questioning I mean. Your wife is younger than you and seemed to come from an upbringing different from yours. I wanted nothing more than to live out our days together, content with what we'd built. I was able to do that and I know prior to 1871 we were not on the path to that being so.

Best,

Rhett R. Butler, Sr.

PS If you do ever have occasion to return, there is an apparition point at Tara. If you can recall where the cemetery is, for I have no doubt you were there even if I nor my wife ever showed it to you. Well, that is what you will want to aim for.

They finished their tea, they showered where Severus proved to her that he really did like her in the shower standing up, and then dressed for the day. They sent a patronus to their supervisor, Mr. Chapman, to let him know they had returned but still had some things to tend to regarding the assignment and would let him know when they were finished and ready to return to work for a new one. He was also informed of the change in their marital status and Hermione would now be Snape. They'd discussed this and Severus had insisted he did not mind either way. This meant that she had to take him at his word. She told him that she'd always thought she would keep or hyphenate her name, however, two and a half years of being Hermione Denby. Well, apparently she realized she wasn't giving up her identity by taking his name as hers. He also requested a portkey be ready for them to Jonesboro, Georgia. Neither were familiar enough with the area in today's world to arrive anywhere else.

Hermione took a few minutes to restock her backpack. He knew that she was glad that it looked like her old reliable backpack again. He was aware because she had searched long and hard for it when she replaced the beaded atrocity she'd used during the war. They stopped at Severus' home then so that he could do the same. They had no idea how long this portion of their assignment would take. (It would take as long as they wanted it to, really.)

"You are certain you are feeling well enough to do this?"

"Severus, stop, I'm fine."

"All right. I just, if something happened…"

"Really, I want to go! The last time we saw him he wasn't twelve yet. The possibility that he - any of the children - would still be alive really didn't occur  to me."

"I admit it hadn't to me either. I hadn't thought to their future."

"So, please, let's go."

Evidently, Mr. Chapman had not passed on the information regarding their marriage because no one said a word or stared at them any more than they usually did any other day. They made their way to the portkey office and were shown to a small room where theirs would activate in ten minutes. (Big surprise, no one else was traveling to Jonesboro, Georgia today.)

"Oh, Severus," she said when they arrived.

"I know," he replied.

He did know.

It was like a different town entirely from the one they just left (not that they'd had many reasons to go to Jonesboro during their stay in Atlanta). Gone were the dirt roads and the horse and buggy taxi stop for those needing to get from where the train let them off here in Jonesboro to an area out of town. In its place were paved roads and motor cars. The charming small town that had been Jonesboro was still drastically smaller than Atlanta, but there were businesses and activity everywhere.

Progress.

They made their way to an area that was secluded and apparated to the Tara grounds. Hermione allowed him to sidealong so that they were both certain to arrive in the same place.

They took a moment to pay their respects over Scarlett's grave. They also regarded Gerald and Ellen O'Hara's graves as well as those of their three sons and both of Scarlett's sisters. The cemetery had certainly gained some occupants since they'd last seen it. Eventually, they made their way from the cemetery in the direction they knew the house to be.

A young man almost a mirror image of Rhett Butler but years younger from when even they knew him answered the front door.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello. My name is Severus Snape. My wife, Hermione. I understand Wade Hampton Hamilton resides here."

"He does," he said, eyes assessing the couple. He looked suspicious. Severus supposed he couldn't blame him. Wade Hamilton probably didn't get many forty-five year old visitors. Hermione at closer to twenty-five now due to the assignment would stand out, too.

"Would you inform him that Hermione and Severus are here to call on him. I am confident that he will wish to see us."

"Just a moment," he said. He closed the door a bit, not completely. They heard the sound of footsteps obviously ascending stairs. And then silence.

"He looks just like Rhett," she whispered.

"He does," he agreed. Not knowing who the child was it was hard to know if that was a reasonable thing to see in the young man or not.

She dropped her hands to her abdomen then.

"They can look like you and I will be very pleased," he said as if he knew what she was thinking.

"They? Severus?"

He chuckled. "I just meant any of our children. This one and any others that might come."

"Oh," she said, sounding relieved. Then she tilted her head regarding him as she settled her hand against his forearm. "And I'd say the same thing. I know you wouldn't want them to have your nose, I wouldn't want them to have my hair."

"Your hair at least with proper tools was manageable."

"True…"

Silence.

"But you are handsome, Severus."

"I seem to be an acquired taste, to one witch. So we'll hope they look like you."

She snorted softly, and the young man came back. He was mid teens, certainly of Ilvermorny age at the most.

"Please come in," he said.

They crossed over the threshold then and Severus noticed Hermione smiled the same as he did. The foyer likely wasn't to the grandeur it had been prior to the Civil War, but it had been returned to some of its glory. He'd noticed that about the exterior, too. Gerald O'Hara would be happy that his kin had taken care of what he'd worked so hard - and ultimately died - for. He led them up a flight of stairs and then a second one. A knock at the door was answered from a voice within.

"Thank you," Severus said when the young man pushed open the door for them, allowing them to enter.

Severus instantly cast his Muffliato spell as he let Hermione choose her seat before he took the other one.

Wade Hampton Hamilton regarded them, his finger running along the spine of the book he'd apparently been reading when they arrived. If it was anyone else, Severus would grow uncomfortable about now. He understood why this man was looking at them so closely, though.

"You look exactly as I remember you both," he said. Of course they did, since they'd just returned from their assignment so hadn't aged a day.

Wade, for his part, looked pretty much every bit of the almost one hundred forty years old he was. Still in good shape, and the tanned appearance of his skin suggested he spent some time outdoors. So getting around for certain, but there was no doubt he was in the advanced years of his wizarding life.

"Who sent you?" Wade asked.

"Originally?" Severus asked. The wizard nodded. "Your namesake, Wade Gerald."

"Of course. The County Mead inhabitants. What was the reason?"

"After the second Wizarding War, the vegetation around Hogwarts did not … heal. It did not come back. The war ended…"

"May 1998. I remember," he said with a nod. "I remember reports about you, too," he said. "I have never met anyone else named Severus. None of us had," he said, gesturing to the home to imply the others they'd come in contact with during those two and a half years with them.

"There was concern that without the vegetation making a comeback the inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest would go elsewhere, or die for not knowing what was happening. We were approached, our supervisor - and Hermione - believed there was a possibility of the idea bearing fruit. I, admittedly, did not, and thought that it was a ridiculous waste of our time."

"Do you still?" he asked. His lips curled up into a smile that he made no effort to hide, so he knew Severus' answer.

"No. Anyway, The Berg line had died out. I guess I don't know when Rhett passed, but he hadn't been educated so didn't know. And Bonnie…"

His eyes widened.

"No Rhett Jr? No William? Or Natalie?"

"No," Severus said simply.

"That's dozens of witches and wizards."

"Yes. We actually just left earlier today. To us. So, we have not looked through the information Wade Gerald gave us as far as your family's history."

"Well, I could tell you."

"We'd love to hear it."

"Or, not that I don't welcome your company, but you could go to Atlanta and get it from Rhett."

Severus' eyes widened.

"He's alive?"

"Miserably so, nearing one hundred seventy-five, thinking it's a cruel joke that his lifespan is apparently on the long side even for a wizard. Not because he's miserable necessarily, but seventy years without Mother…"

"He never remarried?"

"No. Women tried, but he wanted no part of that. He threw himself into us kids. Helping us, helping our children with their education, taking us on trips. He's based out of our Atlanta home. He's expecting you. We figured out who you were from the reports of the war. Figured it wasn't long afterward we saw you. She," he said, pointing at Hermione, "didn't look much younger than we remembered her being."

"We will go see him, for certain," Severus said. "But, why don't you tell us about Tara, and Twelve Oaks is still operational?"

"Oh, yes. We ended up buying most of the land around Tara. All eight of us have homes built here. Well, Rhett bought it really. We helped with what we could, but none of us had much at the time. This was during the Depression. The bank was practically giving it away to anyone who had the money to buy it. It was that or let coveted land for cotton and tobacco wither and die. Not to mention the trees that have peaches and pecans on them. We committed to working, though, and we did. His only stipulation was - and remains - that before we sell the land we ensure no one else in the family wants it. And we are to sell it for one dollar if they do."

"Did you say eight children?" That number surprised him. They knew about Rhett Junior and William. Wade had also just mentioned another girl Severus presumed was another daughter.

"The six of us that belong to Rhett and Scarlett, stepfather but father in every other way it counted to Ella and myself. Beau and his brother, Jonathan Severus," he said, a knowing smirk on his face.

"She did not," Severus said, taken aback at the middle name.

"She did. Evidently, Dr. Meade told her she'd never carry another child after Beau. Tragic for if there was anyone who should have been surrounded by a passel of children it was Aunt Melanie. Anyway, Dr. Meade encouraged her, strongly, to do something to stop the pregnancy before it got too advanced. Being a God fearing woman, she refused of course. Melanie was convinced your potions allowed her to not just carry Jonathan but survive the delivery."

"I tried my best to ensure that was the outcome, yes," he said.

"She and Uncle Ashley were incredibly thankful."

"Anyway, there are almost two dozen homes scattered throughout the property now. The slaves quarters were all torn down. We're all close enough we can see one another when we want, but far enough away that we have privacy when we want that, too. Tara and Twelve Oaks are pretty much the same. Rhett worked very hard and spent more money than I probably want to even think about ensuring both plantations were thriving inside and out. It's the other plantations that we used for our needs."

"And all of you still live here?"

"Oh yes. It is home, it is our land, and our families struggled to keep this land and make it great. We travel, but we clear it with the others to ensure everything is cared for as it should be. I don't travel quite so much anymore," he said, sounding a bit downhearted at the admission. "And, well, our crops tend to be rather bountiful so they are rather coveted even today."

"Because of the Berg blood…" Hermione said.

"Quite. There have been times homes have sat empty, but never for long. Rhett Junior's son Benedict decided to spend two years in India, finding himself." Wade shrugged at this. "He eventually returned and there were bodies able to pitch in in his absence so it was not felt beyond that of him being missed."

"Fascinating," Severus said. He tried to picture remaining within visiting distance from his parents and he just couldn't fathom it.

"Go, see Rhett. He will appreciate seeing you."

"Was the boy who answered the door named for Rhett?"

"No. Well, yes, but not Rhett Robert. He is a Rhett, but they stopped using Rhett Robert after the fourth. Dad said he's not a monarchy and didn't want any more than that for fear people would think he was pretentious enough to believe they should be named after him."

Severus chuckled. It sounded very much like something Rhett would say.

"So, no, that would be Rhett James. He will be leaving soon for his third year at Ilvermorny. He just happened to be visiting me today. They do that, check in, make sure we're okay. I don't stray from the grounds very often anymore. It's … nice they do that since none of us go out much. It's mostly No-Maj here, so we prefer not to stick out. Not to mention our presence, people realizing we live into our hundreds could violate the Statute of Secrecy."

"Good," Hermione and Severus both said. "That he's attending school and checks in on you," Hermione added.

"Can we do anything for you, Wade?"

He chuckled then, looking out the window he was seated near. "No, I think you both have done more than any rational person would even begin to expect."

"It was no hardship…"

"Seeing today's world, looking at the things Rhett James and others of his generation have at their hands. Well, I bet it was a hardship to the muggleborn Hermione Granger."

"Severus made it up to me."

Wade chuckled. "I am glad to know that he made it worth your while, but you are still known as Hermione Granger so that tells me that you weren't married before you came to us."

"No," she said. "We are truly married, though."

"I never doubted that you were and wasn't suggesting otherwise, just that we realized the marriage had to be part of your coming to us then."

"It was. And truthfully, I think it was good for me. As you say, it's easy to take for granted that I can look up how to get from here to Atlanta in minutes on a computer. Or that I can watch a movie in the comfort of my own home that my dad saw when he was a boy. The curious side of me, though, truly enjoyed living in a way I was unaccustomed to."

He nodded a bit.

"Go and talk to Rhett, Severus. I'll be here and we'll have breakfast tomorrow with everyone. He won't give me any of his good bourbon if he thinks I kept you here too long."

Severus chuckled. Rhett always had been a fan of bourbon.

"Very well. We will see you tomorrow then?"

"Count on it. I doubt it'll be necessary as I'm certain Rhett will offer you a room, but if the need arises don't hesitate to come back."

"Thank you, Wade."

He stood then, hugging Severus. He wasn't sure how to react to the gesture, and it took him a minute or two but he eventually hugged the wizard back. He sought Hermione's eyes and saw no censure or anything there. Why she would, he wasn't sure.

He hugged Hermione then and Severus saw tears in her eyes.

"I remember you playing with us."

"I'm glad I could give you some memories, Wade."

"Me, too."

They apparated to a spot Wade told them about not far from Rhett's home. They made their way there quietly. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he was adjusting to the fact that they'd made such a huge difference.

Their assignment had been to stop a little girl from dying and if possible an unborn child from doing the same. How could he possibly have realized it would mean all of this? Old plantations still cared for and thriving? Generations still working and cherishing the land that the O'Haras and Wilkes' had loved.

Glancing along Peachtree Street as they walked to the house, the Butler home was one of very few they could see that remained from when they were here. They continued walking a bit, Severus gripped her hand, both seeming to want to head in the same direction.

"Oh, Severus," she said, sounding almost as sad as he felt.

Their home was gone. He supposed MACUSA had to raise it because of the magical enhancements there were on it. Still, it was a hard pill to swallow, considering they'd only come back from living in it a few hours ago.

In its place was a modern single family home. Nice, but not home. Not their home. Not the home their child was conceived in.

Wordlessly, they returned the other way toward the Butler home.

Hermione drew her hand away from his. "Actually, I'm going to go look around."

"You don't want to come with me?"

"Oh, I absolutely do want to come with you, Severus. However, I know you will tell me everything I need to know and that Rhett would likely enjoy talking to his friend privately. I don't need to be there for that. I don't need to be in another room, him thinking he's taking up too much of your time. He was … is … your friend. Take your time."

He slid his arms around her, tugging her to him so he could kiss her. It was a little more ardent of a kiss than standing in the middle of Peachtree Street called for, but Merlin he was a lucky man.

"Go, I promise I'll be fine."

He released her hand, watching as she crossed the street and entered what appeared to be a bookstore. He smirked at that. Of course it was a bookstore.

Severus pushed the gate open that would grant him access to the sidewalk leading to the front door once he'd arrived at the Butler home. He was fairly certain other than some fresh paint the fence was the same as before. He felt subtle wards there. Nothing dangerous, but something to make curious passersby move on from trying to figure out if the man who lived there had been doing so since 1869. They had not been there in 1873 Severus knew.

He rang the bell and smiled at the face that answered. This face he knew. One hundred thirty years didn't do much to alter it. Not really. Oh yes, there were lines where there hadn't been the last he saw her, literally two days ago. The hair was grey now but she apparently hadn't done anything to try to stop it. There was no mistaking that this was Bonnie Butler, though.

"Miss Eugenie," he said with a polite nod.

"Come in, Mr. Denby," she said politely.

"It's actually Snape and I think Severus will do considering, but thank you," he said, stepping over the threshold. He glanced at the foyer, taking a moment to let the familiarity wash over him. He hadn't spent a lot of time in this home, but he had been an invited guest into it with some regularity.

"I'll tell Dad you're here," she said.

"I can go wherever he is," he offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I don't expect or need formality."

She smiled then. Even today, this far removed from when she'd been a child of three he could see the physical resemblance between that toddler child to this woman before him.

Regardless, here she was whole and healthy. Alive and from the ring on her left finger, married. He presumed with that marriage came children, more magical Bergs.

She led him up some stairs into a room he'd never been in before. As it was evidently Rhett's personal chambers there was no reason he would have had need to be in here until today.

"Dad."

"Yes, my dear," he said, and Severus couldn't help but smile.

"You have a visitor."

"If it's that infernal Dr. Matthys, you can tell him to leave."

"No, it's Severus Snape."

Silence.

"Leave us, Bonnie," he said finally. "And thank you."

She squeezed Severus' hand on the way out. "I know he's pleased to see you, Sir."

"Severus. And thank you."

She closed the door behind him, leaving Severus to take in the grandeur that was his friend's bedroom. He saw the closed doors that no doubt connected to what had been Scarlett's adjoining room. Did he ever go in there? Did it look the same today as when she died in 1941?

"Hello, Severus," he said.

"Rhett. It's good to see you."

"Is it?"

"Yes. I never purposely lied to you."

"No, I suppose purposely you didn't. You're lucky I have lived the life I have."

Severus smiled, taking the offered seat Rhett gestured to.

"I am," Severus acknowledged.

"Is that why we got along as well as we did, do you think?"

"I expect so. I was not expecting you…"

"I admit I am continually astounded that I am still here on a daily basis."

"I am sorry," Severus said.

"Don't be. I had almost seventy years with her. I vaguely recall a time in my life that I would have challenged someone to a duel if they suggested such an end would befall me. Having a wife. Missing a wife. Utter nonsense and yet."

"I understand this train of thought."

"I imagine you do. Please, before I fill you in. Tell me about you and your wife."

Severus told him his story. From the beginning to now. All of it. He'd never revealed everything to anyone before. He'd always held back, embarrassed about this or ashamed of that. He pulled no punches with Rhett.

"May I see it?" Rhett asked, gesturing to Severus' arm.

He did something he'd never done before. He lifted his sleeve and allowed Rhett to see his Dark Mark. Faded to barely noticeable anymore yet still there. A reminder of what he'd become. The two and a half years they'd spent here he kept it covered or glamoured if shirtsleeves were called for.

"We've all done stupid things, Severus. You obviously realized you made a wrong choice and have worked to correct it. I may not have a tattoo to show off my past misdeeds but there are several."

"I know," he said with a nod.

Both men were quiet, Rhett seemingly processing all that Severus had told him.

"The first time my mother told me I thought she'd lost her mind."

"I can imagine."

"It made sense, though. The plant thing aside," he waved his hand with a low chuckle. "Though I can acknowledge even as a boy that our plantation outshone everyone else's. I should have died, Severus. Out in California. Running the blockades. In a duel. Of something like syphilis. Take your pick of what should have claimed me."

Severus understood this way of thinking. There were many times over the past thirty years, going back to his student days, he probably should have died. He hadn't. He made it. For whatever reason he was here and had Hermione, and well, he couldn't help but wonder in a world where there was magic. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be after all.

"Tell me about when you first met Scarlett. I don't think I ever heard the story."

"Sure. It's probably my second favorite day."

"Second?"

"The first being when she told me she was ready to put Ashley aside and be my wife completely. So probably my third after the birth of my children. Maybe don't tell them that," he said with a wink.

Severus nodded with a chuckle.

"I had been invited to Twelve Oaks. The … good Southern gentlemen in attendance knew I'd been up north and had information. I think they believed I would fill their heads with fictional ideas that the war they were itching to get on with would go in their favor. I knew it wouldn't. Oh, I was a cocky son of a bitch about it. I knew either way they weren't going to believe me, so I may as well make myself look like the blackguard I was rumored to be instead of making them look like idiots. I'd traveled extensively. I'd seen and done things," he shrugged, getting a distant look in his eye that Severus recognized.

"If this is too painful…"

Rhett waved off his statement.

"Nonsense. It's just been years. I knew what the north had and what the south had." He sighed, shaking his head. Severus wondered if he was mentally back at Twelve Oaks right now. "Useless. I've never felt more useless in all of my days. Because even if I had swayed them, made them see there was no winning, they were just a few. There were hundreds of others just like them who thought because they had manners they'd win. Anyway, I said my peace and retreated to the Wilkes' library so that they could tell one another how wrong I was. I was content to seclude myself there until it was polite to leave."

He sighed then and got an almost wistful smile that made his eyes, nearly black as Severus' were, look softer.

"In came Scarlett and Ashley. She confessed her love to him. He rebuffed her, but honestly not in the way he should have. He fed her the polite lines that a man such as himself who cared for Scarlett as a person did. She ended up losing her temper - and let me tell you there is little more exciting and simultaneously scary than a hormonal Irish lass losing her temper. A vase was broken as a result. I was of the mind to stay on the couch, hidden and undiscovered, but I had to check to ensure she was all right. That was April 1861. The War started and she married Charles Hamilton within days."

He told Severus of seeing her at the bazaar and how of all the women in the room, the one stuck in a booth unable to dance because she was in mourning and it wasn't proper was the one who should have been out there. She was accustomed to being the belle of the ball, but proprietary dictated she could not. Rhett helped her shoot that down. He admitted now, one hundred forty years later that if he knew how things were going to turn out he might not have encouraged her to buck the old guard so strenuously.

And their relationship grew from there.

Seven years from the first time they met until they married. A war, two marriages, several deaths of family and friends, and two children came during those years.

"Some might say the deck was stacked against us. I say the exact opposite. Scarlett and I were not ready for one another in 1861. She would have driven me crazy at that age. She needed to grow and to learn about life. And I needed to grow and learn about myself, about love. I shouldn't have asked her to marry me when I did, but as I said in my letter to you I was afraid if I left again I'd come back to her married to someone else. That would not do."

"Our marriage was an accident," Severus said, telling Rhett the story of putting the wedding ring on her finger in preparation for their trip to Reconstruction Era Atlanta. There was no way they would have been accepted by the likes of the Butlers or Wilkes' if they didn't have that symbol of their commitment to one another.

"Do you really think that it was?"

"Well, my intention was not to bind her to me, but no I suppose I don't think it was accidental according to someone. Or something."

"So your grandson was really a bootlegger?" Severus asked a few hours later. They'd both made a good dent in Rhett's supply of bourbon as they talked. No doubt there was more in the house.

They'd both filled the other in. There were no taboo topics today. Rhett on the past one hundred thirty years from when (to him) the Denbys departed. Severus on what their assignment had been to begin with. There were some things he was prohibited from telling him. Physically could not. He found it interesting that he was able to tell him to invest wisely. He hadn't said, the stock market is going to crash and there's going to be a depression. He just suggested he learn to be more resourceful and invest wisely. Rhett was smart enough Severus believed to realize when he'd said fifty-five years that the other man would know that meant to take his money and run.

"Rhett the Third. He was. He was living near New Orleans at the time and used the Mississippi when he could. Being a wizard he could disillusion his boat. So his success rate was quite good. I can admit I was a bit envious he had that education. If I'd been able to disillusion … Well, I would have been an immensely rich man."

"Like grandfather, like grandson it seems."

"Yes, oddly Rhett Junior wanted nothing to do with the wandering or daring lifestyle."

"Or not so odd. I would imagine he learned his lesson from you that it wasn't glamourous or easy. Your grandson probably heard the stories, though, and thought they were cool or that it wasn't as dangerous as it really was."

"You might be right. Would you and your wife like to stay here tonight?"

"If it's no trouble. I think I speak for Hermione when I say that we would both like that very much."

"Not at all. Send for her."

Severus cast his patronus with no message. Hermione would see it and know it meant to come here since she knew where he was.

"She is with child. You are the only one we've told. It is still early. About six weeks along."

"You just returned to this time today?"

"We did."

Rhett chuckled. "That would be an interesting story to tell a child."

"I admit I thought the same thing. I was a little disappointed we had to wait as long as we did to try. She was worried about being pregnant and having a baby at a time she knew medical practices were not as advanced as she is accustomed. Understandably."

"You likely saved Melanie Wilkes' life," he said after some silence between them.

"I am aware. She was a good woman. I wasn't certain my potion would work, but as I couldn't stop her from getting pregnant I figured I could at least try to ensure she saw the pregnancy through."

"I assume when you left was when she left us originally?"

"You would be correct."

"And Bonnie before her?"

"Yes," Severus said.

"You know, the sad thing is, I can see that being the case. I can see that we were on a path to something catastrophic happening. I wouldn't have imagined it being Bonnie. I would have thought it would be a divorce."

"You would have divorced her?"

"I don't know. I'd like to think I wouldn't have, but my tolerance probably would have come to an end at some point. Ashley," he whispered. "I've long ago laid the bitterness to rest. I won't say he was a good friend, but he was a friend. We had nearly seventy good years. She gave me four children and two step-children who I love dearly. I'm only sorry that Ella was not a witch as well and had to watch the other children get their gifts and know that they would outlive her by a good amount. He should have handled the situation better. I'm not sure he did it intentionally. He and I were different in that he was trying to be a gentleman, trying to spare her feelings. Back in 1861 I would never have done that. He should have been honest, in the library that day, he should have told her he didn't love her and was not interested in her as a potential wife. It would have crushed her, but she was a resilient woman even then and would have gotten over it. She may not have married Charles Hamilton."

Both men were silent after that, realizing Charles Hamilton was Wade Hampton's father. Severus knew Rhett wasn't suggesting he wished Wade didn't exist.

"I understand. I sometimes wonder how different my life would have been, the choices I might have made, if I'd realized far earlier than I did that Lily was not the witch for me."

"And yet if you didn't, you might have settled for one who wasn't," he said, gesturing to the door as it opened and Eugenie ushered Hermione in.

She spotted him and smiled. A smile that was clearly meant for him and him only. And he realized Rhett was right. He could ‘would have' and ‘could have' himself to death. His path led him here and here was where he knew happiness lay. In his grasp. With this witch. He knew that while he hadn't met every witch in the last twenty years available to him, he knew the ones he had met couldn't hold a candle to this one.

"I can talk to Bonnie if you two aren't done yet."

"Rhett has offered us a room here tonight."

"Oh," she said. "Well, perhaps Bonnie can show me to it while you two finish up?"

"You are most agreeable, Hermione," Rhett said.

"Thank you, Rhett, and it's very nice to see you again," she said, offering him a smile. "Do you mind, Bonnie?"

"Not at all."

They stayed a week, looking at photographs and touring the various areas near Tara that now belonged to the O'Hara/Hamilton/Kennedy/Butler families.

"A galleon for your thoughts," Severus whispered as they were about to finally leave.

"Oh, they warrant a galleon?"

"Yours do."

"You are so sweet, Severus."

He scoffed. "Please do not let anyone hear you say that."

She laughed softly.

"I was just thinking it's odd for us to actually see the results of what we've done. I mean, I guess I can't speak for your previous assignments but mine to this point have been "move this" or "go find this book" or whatever."

"Right."

"But this … The grounds of Hogwarts aside. Look at this thriving family, five and six generations of them, and the plantations they still run. The land they still love and it extends back to County Mead where Gerald O'Hara originally came from."

"You are a romantic," he said, sliding some hair behind her ear.

"I guess I am," she murmured.

"No wonder you wanted to take this assignment."

"Mm," she said, looking as if she wasn't sure she should be angry or not at that statement.

"Something tells me that bodes very well for our future together."

She rolled her eyes. "So long as I'm not the one doing all the work to be romantic, Severus."

"I would never allow it to be one sided."

"That is exceedingly good to know. Now let's go home so we can turn in our reports and see about telling my friends…"

"I suppose if we must."

"We must. They're going to be fine, Severus. They know me. I love you, they're going to love you, too."

"Just promise me one thing, Hermione," he whispered, pressing his lips against her cheek.

"Uh huh."

"I want more than seventy years," he whispered.

He saw tears in her eyes and realized he recognized the difference due to his time with her between tears of happiness and tears of sadness. He wasn't sure he could tell the difference in anyone else, but his wife - his witch - he knew.

"Oh, Severus. Yes, as long as we both have breath in our bodies."

"While I contented myself not to survive the war I am pleased that I have and that I have an opportunity for a long life with you. I do not like thinking of your end, but, yes, that will do."

"That was a good answer?"

"It was an exceptional answer, but I'd expect no less than that from the cleverest witch of her age."

"Now take me home, Severus."

"Gladly," he murmured. He did just that, content that despite the things they'd accomplished for others with this assignment, feeling his life had truly changed for the better as well.

And, yes, he knew her friends would be fine, too.

~The End~

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com