Here is the new and improved Chapter 1! It even has a name, which I neglected the first time.
The ancient oak door creaked open slowly, disturbing the dust that had long since settled on the cold stone floor. The candelabras on the wall flickered ominously, as if they knew somebody was in the dungeon classroom who most definitely was not supposed to be. The intruder's breath rose up in a chilly mist before her; she felt the gooseflesh rise up on her skin.
Hermione hated the dungeons. They always gave her the unnerving feeling that a greasy, foul monster was hiding in the shadows, waiting to swoop down upon her. Which there is, she thought grimly.
Sneaking down to Snape's private store of ingredients was not her idea of fun, but she needed Boomslang skin for yet another batch of Polyjuice potion. Hermione felt like it was the only thing left that she could do to help. After Harry discovered the existence of the Hocruxes, he made the noble decision that he was going to destroy them alone. Hermione and Ron were furious with him at first, but they eventually accepted his choice and vowed to help him any way they could before he set off on his journey to find and dispel of them. Both Ron and Hermione had spent several sleepless nights in the restricted section of the library, among towers of dusty volumes, researching ways to destroy the Hocruxes. Harry, meanwhile, became more restless each day, until he finally announced to them that he was going to depart at the end of the month.
Hermione sighed at the thought of Harry. He was leaving at the end of the week, and she wanted to make sure that he had a good supply of Polyjuice to take with him; after all, there weren't too many wizards with lightning bolt scars and green eyes out there, and Voldemort's followers were on high alert for any sign of Harry outside of Hogwarts. She was worried about him, but she also was confident that he could find a way to destroy each Hocrux, and eventually Voldemort himself.
Hermione reached the store cupboard. She tried the latch, unsurprised to find it locked. With a quick, whispered Alohomora, she had the cupboard open, coughing slightly at the dust. Her eyes flew over the different bottles of ingredients. Snape had apparently rearranged the contents since her last visit; the Boomslang skin was nowhere to be found. Silently cursing, Hermione started shifting bottles here and there, trying to see if it was behind a larger bottle. Beetle eyes, Bezoars, Bubotuber pus…Boomslang skin! Finally! Hermione thought. There was a small, flat package wrapped in parchment, labeled in spiky handwriting "Skin, Boomslang" behind an enormous beaker of undiluted Bubotuber pus.
Hermione carefully slid her small hand behind the beaker, not wanting to change the appearance of the contents in Snape's cabinet. The less she changed the better; after all, Snape was known for his extreme attention to detail. No doubt he would notice if a single vial of Chinese Chomping Cabbage essence was off by a few millimeters. She eyed the door to Snape's office, praying to the gods that he wasn't in there. Just a bit further…
Suddenly, the Bubotuber pus slid from the shelf. Hermione watched, as if in slow motion, the beaker hit the floor and shatter deafeningly at her feet. She jumped back, grabbing the Boomslang skin and pulling her hand quickly from the cabinet, upsetting a bowl, and showering herself in dried spiders. Several smaller bottles tumbled from the shelves, each one shattering on the unforgiving stone floor. She heard loud, hurried footsteps on the other side of Snape's office door and ran for it, abandoning any attempts to conceal the mess.
Hermione didn't see Snape slam the door open, cursing colorfully; Snape, however, caught a glimpse of bushy brown hair flying out of the classroom. He strode over to his cabinet, glaring at the mess and the wasted ingredients. A vein pulsed rapidly in his neck, and his pale face was turning a deep shade of red. Shaking with anger, he noticed something else lying among the conundrum formerly known as his ingredient store. It was a wand made of vine wood, with intricate designs carved into the handle. There was a very small "HG" neatly carved near the bottom. Snape grinned wickedly.
"Granger."