Author's Note:
This is my first Multi-Chapter fanfiction on this account.
Edited as of 5/4/2017
Disclaimer:
If you recognise, I don't own it.
Location
Hogwarts-The Great Hall
Date
Thursday
March 23, 1978
"Only Potter would consider making such a fool of himself an act of affection," Severus Snape sneered at the spectacle going on at the Gryffindor table.
Only a few minutes into the dinner, James Potter had jumped onto the table to profess his undying love for his new girlfriend. Lily Evans had had the good sense to try to pull him down, but the Head Boy had only ended up manoeuvring her onto the table with him. To Severus' displeasure, the Great Hall had erupted into jubilant cheers when Potter had dipped Lily for a dramatic kiss.
All the Great Hall that was, except for the Slytherin table.
Severus and the rest of the Slytherins had watched the display with sneers. The staff, as always, had smiled indulgently at Potter's antics. He didn't need to ask to know that there would be no reprimands for interrupting everyone's dinner or for the rather disgusting display of public affection. Despite it being in clear violation of the rules. Only yesterday Severus had seen some fourth year from his house get scolded for snogging in the corridor.
"At least try to hide your jealousy, Snivellus. It's unbecoming for a Slytherin to show such obvious envy over a Gryffindor Mudblood," Winona Nott rolled her eyes at him, poking primly at the little food she had on her plate.
Severus fought the urge to roll his eyes back at her. The simpering fool was one to talk, the mutt known as Sirius Black had told all of Hogwart's about how desperate she had been to be welcomed into his bed. For once, Severus had not felt the need to disbelieve Black. Everyone knew how loose Winona was.
He shoved another spoonful into his mouth, ignoring his fellow Slytherins sitting around him. None of them bothered to try and involve him in their conversations. Their efforts had been futile since he first sat down at the Slytherin table the night of his sorting. They had given up around his second week in the miserable hell hole he was forced to go to school in. Thankfully that unfortunate seven-year sentence known as his schooling would soon be coming to an end.
Glowering at his own plate, Severus chanted the number of days until the end of his last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
85. 85. 85. 85.
The two numbers were all that held him back from taking out his annoyance on the imbeciles he was forced to go to school with. His time with them would soon be over. Potter and Black would manage to get themselves killed after leaving school no doubt, and Winona would be forced into a loveless marriage with Patrick Parkinson who had left school three years earlier. The rest would fade off into mediocre and meaningless lives, living off their large inheritances that included harpy wives and the same superficial relationships with the same acquittance's they sat with today.
He, on the other hand, would go on to greatness alongside the single-handedly most powerful man in Britain.
His thoughts were interrupted by the clank of a knife against a goblet. Praying to Merlin that it wasn't another declaration of love from Potter, he looked up with a pre-decided bored expression. It was in fact not Potter again, but the Headmaster himself standing up at the head table. The ageing man held up his probably alcohol filled goblet, his mouth curled into an amused half smile.
"Now, before you continue on with your dinner after that absolutely poetic update on Mr. Potter's love life, I must interrupt you again," Dumbledore announced to the hall.
Severus sat up a little straighter in his seat, intrigued by the interruption. Dumbledore had not made an announcement since the disappearance of Rachel Abbott over the Yule holiday. He looked around to see a majority of his classmates doing the same, trying to see if one of their own wasn't present. Missing person ads had been popping up in the Prophet weekly now. It wouldn't be a large surprise if the latest was a member of their class.
"We have the pleasure of hosting a new student from America. She had attended the Salem Institute there until recently where she found herself in need of a relocation. I hope you all make her feel welcome during our time with us. As always with new students, she will be sorted into her house," Dumbledore smiled knowingly at them.
Titters of gossip and excitement spread through the tables. All the houses were hoping the exciting new girl would end up in their house no doubt. As far as Severus knew there had never been a transfer student at Hogwarts with the last century at least.
Despite the rarity, Severus didn't find himself that interested and pushed aside his plate and pulled a book out of his bag. He had no interest in what would most likely be an embarrassed child with no culture or manners. Americans were known to not have class. Lily's parents had often told stories about the more interesting characters they had met during their trips to America. It was likely this young girl would be no different.
The rest of his housemates feigned the disinterest he naturally held. He was almost surprised they had stopped themselves from standing up to get a better look when the sound of the doors opening echoed in the Great Hall. The words of his book were hard to process over the gossiping now and the loud click of heels. The rest of his classmates apparently didn't even have enough manners to pretend they were not gossiping about the girl when she was in the room.
"Why she must be a sixth year at least!" Winona finally opened her mouth.
Severus had to admit it was a record for her, the longest she had ever stayed silent. The sentence did have him looking up though, catching a glimpse at a clump of massive chestnut curls in between the bodies of Ravenclaw's blocking the Slytherin tables view. As the new student got closer to the head table, Severus realised that Winona was right. Another record for her. This was no embarrassed first or second year. She was an older student with a confident walk, her head held high as if she could not hear the whispers about her. He could catch glimpses of her face and proud tilt of the head as she made her way forward.
Severus closed his book. She had the look of a Slytherin. That now piqued his interest. There could possibly be a new member of his illustrious house. He continued to watch. The platform shoes the girl wore clicked loudly against the wood, as she stepped onto the raised platform. It was then that he got his first real look at her.
"Ugh. I hate her already. Look at her hair! There's no way that could be natural!" Winona whined, her hand going up to her own artificially done curls.
He suspected she was wrong. The new girl's hair did not gleam with a sticky sheen under the overhead lights as the majority of his female classmate's hair did. There were obviously no products in her hair. Sadly, that seemed to be the only remotely remarkable thing about her. Her pale skin, brown eyes, and small nose made an overall average picture. She was no raving beauty.
The students hushed as McGonagall stepped towards the girl, the sorting hat in her firm grip. Even Severus found himself filled with anticipation. His disinterested facade gone after he had seen the girl's almost haughty expression. Severus could remember his own sorting seven years ago. He had just seen Lily skip off to the Gryffindor table and had stood up to the critical gaze of his soon to be classmates. It had been embarrassing and unnerving. Yet, the girl did not look the least bit nervous.
She smoothed her floral skirt down as she sat on the stool, looking around the Great Hall with curious eyes. Her gaze jumped from table to table, stopping at the Gryffindor table. Severus nearly sneered when her eyes visibly widened at the sight of Black grinning at her. The mutt even had the nerve to wink at her, and Severus felt only distaste when the girl's pale cheeks flushed red.
No common sense. She would probably end up a Gryffindor and another one of Black's many conquests, he thought bitterly.
He opened his book again, forcing his eyes on the biography of the late potions master, Ronald Vane.
"Granger, Hermione," McGonagall called out.
Severus continued his reading, blocking out the excitement that filled the hall. Silence filled the hall for the first time that night as they all sat in anticipation to hear where this American girl would go. One paragraph later he heard finally the sorting hat yell out.
"RAVENCLAW!"
His head snapped up. The girl, Hermione, smiled broadly, stepping towards her house table without even having to be told which it was. Her house was on their feet, cheering at the honour of having the first ever transfer to Hogwarts. It was perhaps the most attention the House of Ravenclaw had ever received, Severus thought humorously. The rest of the houses clapped politely. He noticed his fellow Slytherins equally as irked as the rest of the houses about not getting the rare collectable that was Hermione Granger.
"BOO! BOO! SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GRYFFINDOR!" Black and Potter stood up at their table shouting.
Severus sneered at their actions. It was pathetic to see what should have been the heirs to two of the oldest pureblood families in Britain act like Muggles at a sporting event. Black truly was a classless mutt and Potter was not better.
Hermione did not seem bothered by the jeering though,; she sat at her table still smiling, her back to the Gryffindor table. Severus felt himself smirk at the annoyed looks Black and Potter shared at her lack of attention. The two of them sat back down at the table, pouting. He couldn't help but continue to stare as Potter put his arm around Lily and leant over to whisper in her ear. Worse yet, Lily didn't seem bothered or ashamed of her the spectacle her dearest had just made. She merely rolled her eyes and moved closer to him.
Now done with the pathetic actions of his classmates, Severus picked up his school bag and his book, ready to return to his dormitory. As he walked towards the doors, he allowed himself one last glance at the new girl. Curiosity getting the best of him. The Ravenclaws around her were all laughing and pulling her into a conversation, yet he was shocked to find her gaze on him. Severus felt himself nearly fluster under the weight of her stare.
Her eyes were locked on his and when he challengingly looked back at her, she did not duck her head in shame of being caught. Instead, her eyes filled with an emotion he could only pinpoint as sorrow. The last time he had seen such sadness in someone had been the last time he saw his mother, her frail figure sitting in a chair as she stared off into the distance.
Feeling unnerved, he turned away and left the Hall. Leaving the impactful look Hermione Granger had given him behind as well.
Author's Note [Also edited as of 5/4/2017]:
Well there you go folks. There is the first chapter. I'm now gonna take the time to talk to yall and explain a few things.
So basically, a majority of the time travel fics that I have read (if not all of them) take place from Hermione's POV which I can understand why. That lets us not be in the dark and know exactly what is happening, but I think we lose out on a lot about Snape when this happens. I decided to tell it from Snape's POV because the main plot of this story is about his reaction to Hermione and her being a part of this era now. It's less about her and her journey, and more about his. So we get some snarky Snape goodness by reading in his POV and get to see how this could have really changed the war.
Secondly, this story begins during the Spring Semester of the Marauders final year at Hogwarts. Which was 1978. The Hogwarts Semester starts on September 1st and goes to the third week in June, which in 1978 would have had the last day of the term be the 16th of June. So with this first chapter taking place 85 days before that, we are currently at March 23rd. In all honesty, I didn't want this entire story to take place during Hogwarts but needed enough time to do what I wanted to there, so 85 days until graduation it is.
There isn't a lot of specifics when it comes to the Marauders Era. We know things happened, but we don't know when. So I'm just trying to work with what we do know and what would be the most logical. In my end Author's Notes, I'll explain my logic, so that there can be some kinda context to why certain events are happening.
Thirdly, I have put Hermione in Ravenclaw because I feel like that would be the best fit for her. She would have a natural fear of being placed in the same house as her former professor and friend's family, and I simply can't see her placed in Slytherin or Hufflepuff. At this point in her life she would have learned a lot, especially self-taught herself a lot, that speaks to a Ravenclaw the most I think. Plus, this places her for out of the default friendships with either party in this story. She is not obligated to spend time with the Marauders or Snape because she is in neither of their houses.
Lastly, there will be plenty of OC's in this story. Mainly because we don't know most of the people that were in the Maurader era. So considering everyone marries their Hogwarts sweetheart apparently, a majority of the OC's will be the parents or relatives of the characters we know in the Golden Trio's era.
So far you have met:
Winona Nott
Mother to Pansy Parkinson
Aunt to Theodore Nott
