This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
The Golden Snitch:
Nautical Ship Challenge: Inappropriate Made Appropriate. Hermione Granger/Severus Snape S S Prudence and Potions.
Ollivanders: Wood: Walnut: Write about Hermione Granger.
Word count: 2450
"Severus, what happened?" Albus Dumbledore said, barely containing his grin.
"I was working on an anti-aging potion, sir, and it seems like it worked, a little too well," Severus replied.
"That's rather clear," Albus said, looking at the now sixteen year old form of his professor.
Severus huffed in annoyance.
"Well, seeing as you no longer allowed to be a teacher, we will just have to enroll you as a student, have you resorted into a House, until all this is sorted out," Dumbledore said.
"But…" Severus tried to protest.
"No buts, Snape," the headmaster said. So he shut his mouth and resigned himself to his fate. The only saving grace was the fact that the Slytherin students loved him, and they would take care of him as his house did when he was young.
The students were curious. What was happening? Why was the sorting hat out? Was it a transfer student?
"Students, there has been an unfortunate situation where we no longer have Professor Snape in position of Potions Professor. However, due to the situation being very unique, he will now be placed into 6th year with the rest of the students. Therefore he will now be sorted into a Hogwarts House.
All the students were shocked. "At least there is no chance of him ending up anywhere other than Slytherin," Harry muttered to his friends at the Gryffindor table.
"Ah, you again," the sorting hat said to Severus.
"It would appear," he muttered sarcastically.
"You changed, Severus, I see courage and bravery and loyalty." The hat said. Thinking longer than anyone thought he would.
"You would be great in Gryffindor you know," the hat contemplated.
"Over my dead body," Severus insisted.
"Want to be Hufflepuff then?" The hat responded to his horror.
"No!"
"Well then… GRYFFINDOR!" The sorting hat yelled.
Nobody cheered or clapped, the students and teachers alike sat in awe. The head of Slytherin House? A Gryffindor?
"Maybe the hat's getting old," a Weasley said.
"I heard that, Weasley," the hat piped up.
Hermione saw there was no room at the table, so she scooted up, making room for the new "student". He sat down beside her, wordlessly. He met her eyes, but said nothing.
He was too embarrassed, what would he say? Classes became weird, and soon he fell back into his old routine. Go to class; go to the common room, study, repeat.
One day he was looking for an extra credit book called 10 Potions And Why They Are Dangerous in the library, when he saw the bushy haired Hermione Granger pouring over the book in the library. His teenage body responded like it remembered the feeling. The blood rushed and he realised that Hermione was very attractive. She had become a woman.
"Hey, Snape," she said looking up, noticing the man starting at her. "Sorry I'm hogging the book, will be done in a bit, want to come sit down?" She asked kindly. He nodded, surprised at how easy she was to accept this new development. Many of the students teased him, since he no longer had power over them. But her — she was different.
"Must suck being a student again, I don't envy you," she said softly. Severus nodded.
"Seems like it's becoming permanent. I can almost not remember being a clinical old man," he said. Hermione giggled to this.
"You insufferable know it all," she said between laughs.
"Oh, that's right, I wasn't very nice to you," he replied.
"Yeah," she said, scratching something down.
"I'm sorry, think it's part of being an old man that never knew true love," he said. Then was horrified at how much he confessed.
"I thought I loved Victor Krum, you know," she said, making conversation. She blushed as if she said something wrong, then looked down at the book in front of her.
"Is it easier having done this before?" She asked when Severus said nothing.
"Not really, "he said with a hollow laugh.
"Don't you remember everything?" The Gryffindor had given up pretence entirely and her curious eyes sought him out.
"Actually, no. I also imagined it would all be the same, but it's like those are memories of a dream of another life, the details faded away," he admitted.
"That's curious, do you know how long It's going to last?" Hermione asked.
"I don't," he said, shaking his head.
"Well, you have me this time," Hermione supplied and her comment made him wonder. Is this what friendship is like? What he had with Lily, was he just a childhood friend she outgrew?
He smiled, "thanks, Granger."
"I wasn't expecting you or Potter to be this nice to me," he admitted.
"Oh yeah?" she asked.
"Yeah, he really is a lot more like his mother than I believed. His father would have tortured me relentlessly," he said.
"You knew Harry's mom and dad?" Hermione asked him. He just nodded.
"It was a long time ago," he replied.
As time passed the two of them became close. They studied together, went to classes together and when Severus wasn't with the golden trio it was just the two of them.
He had become part of the group he hated, and now he would admit that it was jealousy. He had never been a part of a group like this. There was a reason those on the outside looking in where jealous of a group of friends this close, all of them longed to be a part of this, and somehow he had managed to get in, all the while just being himself, albeit a slightly less sarcastic, more tolerant version.
Once he became friends with the once golden trio, the Slytherin's stopped picking on him. There was something to be said for safely in numbers. None of them felt like messing with anyone one that was friends with the chosen one. All except Draco; he loved to mock and tease them. His godfather being his age was something he wasn't going to let him ever forget.
"Hey look, it's Snivelous," Draco and his friends retorted spotting only prudence and potions. Hearing the old nickname made his blood boil, Draco must have heard it from Lucius Malfoy. He never would have told the child.
Flashback:
"Oh hey, it's Snivelous! Levicorpus!" James Potter yelled, whipping Severus upside down, dangling in the air.
"Who wants to see me take of Snivelous's underpants?" James continued the Marauders and the rest of the students laughing hysterically.
"Oh sod off Malfoy," Hermione piped up.
"Oh, I spy Snivelous got himself a girlfriend," he replied. Crabbe and Goyle were in hysterics as the three left them in the library.
Now that the two of them were alone, Hermione blushed and Severus couldn't help but wonder. Surely she was just standing up for her friend? She was so virtuous.
It wasn't sudden sparks and fireworks. It was a slow friendship that caught fire. It was slow at first, barely showing smoke, and then before they knew it they fire overwhelmed their relationship.
"Harry, I think I'm in love with her," Severus admitted.
"Ah mate, that's creepy," Ron chirped from his top bunk.
"No, we are the same age now, there is nothing wrong with it," Severus insisted.
"I suppose, but are you going to stay like this then? Growing up again with her? It's a lot to process." Harry asked.
"Why not?" Severus asked.
"Well then Sev, if that's what you want then I'm happy for you both," Harry said smiling.
"So; when are you asking her out?" Seamus asked, and Severus jumped, he thought Seamus and Dean had been asleep.
"Uhm, I don't know, I'm not even sure she likes me," he confessed. A lot about Severus might have changed throughout the years, but he had never understood how girls minds worked.
"Buy her flowers, or a book, Hermione isn't that complicated," Ron insisted.
"Oh like you know anything about women," Dean piped up.
"I know more than you both," Ron shot at them.
The two met each other's eye and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Severus asked them.
"You would do better taking our advice mate," Seamus said.
"We are gay, we know more than you think," Dean added. The two of them were sharing some Droobles Best Blowing Gum, and Dean blew a big blue-bell coloured bubble in Ron's direction, which Seamus caught. "Mine," he said with a smile.
"Hey, we all know Hermione loves books," Ron said indignantly.
"Yeah, but I think they mean that the gift needs to have some thought behind it, be romantic you know," Harry added.
"Thanks everyone, I think I know exactly what to do," Severus said as inspiration struck him.
"Headmaster, I have thought about it a lot and I'm going to remain this age," Severus said to Dumbledore.
"Why the change of heart?" He asked.
"I think I'm in love, sir," Severus said blushing.
"Well, I will miss having you on my staff then Severus," Dumbledore replied. "But good luck," he added. He winked at Snape, and Severus almost believed for a second that Dumbledore had known all this would happen.
Severus went to Hogsmeade to go shopping for the perfect gift for Hermione. He found the book they both bonded over in the library. As well as a silver necklace with a place for a photo. The frame was in the shape of a heart. But he left it empty; it was her choice whose photo she placed there.
There was a fleeting memory, like that in a dream that came over him as he walked.
Flashback:
He was going to tell Lily how he felt. He was carrying a bouquet or white lilies and a book, her favourite Muggle Fairy tale. He spotted her with James and the others, and as he saw them kiss he felt his heart break as the flowers fell to the ground.
Then it was gone- was he crazy? Was he making the same mistake again? Letting a woman close enough to break his heart.
"Life is worth living, isn't it?" He said to himself. He wasn't sure if he would be happy if he got his heart broken again, but he knew she was worth trying again.
"Only I can change my life. No one else can do it for me," he said to himself as he walked back to the castle. He wanted Hermione to feel like a princess, although he couldn't always afford the most expensive presents.
He carried the flowers back to the Gryffindor common room. Red roses, with the delicate necklace in the centre of the petals. "Hermione?" He called hoping to catch her in the common room. She didn't reply so it seemed she was in the library, he checked there. Where was she?
He decided to wait for her to return and stashing the items in his room, he went to the owlery, this was where he saw Hermione, and Draco Malfoy? He had no idea what was going on, but they seemed to be talking close together. Was it? No, she wouldn't be.
"Malfoy, bugger off," she said. Her voice was soft, yet firm.
"Oh come on, you can't be serious," Malfoy responded.
"Of course I am," she responded haughtily.
It seemed like Malfoy was leaning in, trying to kiss her — before he could rush off, he heard a crack!
When Severus looked over, he saw that Malfoy was running away, nose bleeding. Severus rushed to her side, all secrecy forgotten.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She seemed shaken, but she nodded. He wasn't sure what to do, but when she crawled into his arms, he held her tightly, just letting her calm down.
"I'm really a very gentle person," she said. Severus insisted that he knew that already.
Once she calmed down, he needed to know what happened.
"Malfoy has been flirting with me," she said, rolling her eyes. "As if. . . " her voice drifted off.
"As if you would ever love a Slytherin?" Severus supplied, feeling his heart racing.
"No, as if he doesn't know," she said. Severus still had no idea what she was talking about.
"Know what? What does he know?" he asked.
"That I am already in love," she replied.
"Oh," he said. He couldn't ask, so he just held her. He was surprised she hadn't moved away from him yet.
"Can we go back to the common room?" She asked when it was clear the discussion was done.
He nodded, standing up, and putting out a hand to pull her up. Her hand lingered it his, causing sparks to fly throughout his body. As they walked, he wondered if he should still give her the gift, and he decided he might as well. He was feeling very protective over her, but he wanted to make her happy.
When they got to the Gryffindor common room, he told her to wait on the couch.
"I have something special for you," he said, and rushed upstairs to get the flowers and the book. He saw her sitting patiently waiting for him, and he couldn't think of a better moment to give it to her. No matter what she decides, she needed to be cheered up after what had happened that night.
He walked down with the flowers and the blue cover book in his arms. Hermione's smile lit up the whole room. He walked over to her and handed them over, shy now that he knew she had feelings for someone. "It's beautiful," she said, her nose in the sweet smelling roses, and then her nose touched the silver chain.
"Wow," Hermione said as she opened the locket. "You did all this for me?" She asked.
"Of course, I. . . I would do anything for you," Severus said.
"Even stay with me?" she asked. This question surprised him, surely she couldn't mean?
"Stay with you?" he echoed back at her.
"Not go back to your previous life, stay with me." she explained.
"Why would you want that?" he asked. She sighed deeply.
"Because I love you," she said. Her fingers ran over the title of the blue book in her hands, her eyes nervous and unsure.
"Herm, I am broken, I have wounds from losing the woman I loved before, so help me heal these wounds," he said, surprising her.
"You mean?" she asked.
"Yes, Herm, I love you too, and I want to stay and grow old with you," he said, putting her gifts down on the table and holding both her hands.
"So want to go for a frozen yogurt at Honeydukes sometime?" she asked.
"Yes, sounds lovely." he replied, pulling her in and holding her close.