A timid knock on the door harked Hermione's arrival, a bored "Enter" was its only reply. Severus Snape didn't even look up as she stepped through the door to his office, and it was only when he realised that she'd been standing there in silence for almost five minutes that he even bothered to raise his head. Shock hit him first, followed by a cold fury…What had she done? Hermione's hair had been straightened as far as magic would permit and had turned a fiery orange-red, her deep brown eyes were now a weak hazel and downcast, faint freckles scattered across her nose and the womanly figure Severus had tried to ignore had shrank to a willowy silhouette and grown an inch or so.
"What is the meaning of this?" His voice was hoarse but still strong, Hermione glanced quickly up then studied the floor again,
"I…I just…wanted to change for you. You never noticed me, never praised my work in class or with the order, never…" Her voice trailed off, "You just never noticed me, and I so wanted you to. Don't you see? I knew this would be the only way to do it. I know I'm not her and you won't love me, but you can pretend with me. I'll be her whenever you want me to be, after classes, in the evenings, weekends, even holidays. You can even call me Lily if you want, just please, please; want me like you always wanted her."
Snape rose to his feet and crossed the stone office floor until he stood before the imposter, pulling himself to his full height he looked down at Hermione and raised his hand to her face. Her eyes fluttered shut as his pale fingers caressed her cheek and followed the curve down to her jaw bone and finally her ivory neck. Hermione was lost in the disbelief that her plan had actually worked, until those tapered fingers slowly clenched around her neck and she gasped for air.
"Don't you ever pull a stunt like this again girl, becoming a poor replica of perfection won't get you what you want." As she still fought for the breath she craved, Snape dragged her to the door, he bent close to her ear and whispered "You're playing with fire Granger, I suggest you go back to your Weasley and leave me alone." He released her, and Hermione scuttled out of the doorway and down the dungeon corridor, he could hear her distant sobs as he shut the door and sank into a chair by the fire, his head in his hands.
Hermione had run around the corner and now knelt on the cold stone slabs of the floor, a shaking hand retrieved her wand and with a quivering "Finite Incantatem" her appearance slowly returned to its natural state. In his office Severus Snape poured himself a strong drink, swallowed it in one. "Lily" was all he said, a toast.
And as Hermione wept, Snape saluted his lost love time and time again, well into the night.