A/N: The more my heart hurts the more I come back to this storyline. Originally this was going to be part of One Day, but now I've decided to post it as a prequel since my classmate suggested that I write a chapter or two explaining how Severus, Hermione, and Harry got together in the first place. Enjoy.

-GP23

2 Years Earlier

Muggle London, Post- Second War

In the far corner of a regular muggle coffee shop, Severus Snape sat enjoying the routine bustle of the building, a black coffee steaming on the table next to him, the latest copy of Potions Quarterly discreetly hidden behind the morning paper.

The chair across from him suddenly scraped the ground and a familiar voice began chattering at him in low tones, "So what do you think about the new theories emerging about Wolfsbane Potion? I personally think that the potion could be altered to remove the effects of a werewolf bite almost completely, but that would require ages of research that I just haven't the desire to work on at the moment…"

Severus' head snapped up and, ungracefully, he folded the paper and magazine into a mess. "Are you daft? Where do you find the nerve to approach me in public like this?" His eyes dangerously narrowed and his wand remained tight in its holster.

"Is the pot calling the kettle black? Where do you get off sitting in a public coffee shop in muggle London so shortly after the war when you could easily be spotted by a random witch or wizard?"

"Nobody cares about me, you daft girl."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm far from daft nor a little girl now, Professor Snape, and you of all men should realize that. You are also sorely mistaken, the Wizarding World would like nothing better than to finally get the point of view of the man who was Albus Dumbledore's private confidant and knew all of his deepest secrets. Rita Skeeter's replacement would love to get an exclusive interview with you."

Snape picked up his coffee and took a gulp from it. After a moment he set the mug down and spoke, "I would rather stick pins in my eyes than deal with any reporter from that infernal dumping ground called The Daily Prophet." A smile crept onto her face at the man's snarky comments. "Now, is there a purpose to you stalking me to this coffee shop or can I return to my paper in peace?"

"You mean your potions reading…"

He sighed and looked at her. "What do you want from me, Ms. Granger…or is it Weasley now?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she waved a bare ring finger in his face. "Hermione."

He highly dramatically rolled his eyes and pressed his fingers together. "Hermione, what in the world could I—Severus Tobias Snape—do for you on this dismal Tuesday morning?"

"Harry is missing."

"And?"

"I need your help."

He looked at her with an incredulous expression. "My help? What makes you think I want to look for Potter?"

"Cut the bullshit, Snape. You and I both know that I could easily blackmail you…"

He sighed, refolded his newspaper and magazine neatly, and knocked the remainder of his coffee back. "This fuckery…interrupting my peace and quiet…" he muttered to himself, pulling on his coat and standing. "Well are you coming along or am I embarking on this quest all on my own?"

Hermione jumped to her feet and followed the raven-haired man onto the street. Severus met her eyes briefly then began walking down the street; she walked quickly to catch up with him.

"So suddenly the boy-who-lived decides to fall off the face of the earth and you're expected to be the savior with me as your sidekick?" His tone was bitter to say the least bit.

"Harry has been gone for months…"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "It hasn't been in the news…"

"The Order created a cover for the entire thing saying that Harry was off enjoying travels and not missing. He quit his job, took a bit of money out of his Gringott's vault, some belongings from Grimmauld Place, and nobody has heard from him since. He's out here in the muggle world…the pressures of being a savior to the Wizarding World got to him. Even I have stepped out of the world of magic and into the comfort of being a muggle."

"How on earth do you expect me to help you?" She looked at him with a familiar know-it-all smile and he groaned.