Please don't kill me for this chapter. I updated early, so I should get artistic license, right? Do not freak out over Snape. Hermione is head over heels in love with a certain green-eyed Seeker. Sirius and Remus are not going to give Harry any competition either. They just like to think they will. Remember, I have a poll up right now, so if you want to vote, go vote. If you don't have an account, review with your vote and I will add it in.

***Chapter Edited as of 7-16-11. I fixed some major mistakes. Ouch. It might be helpful to re-read this chapter. Thank you to everyone who is going through the edits. (And reviewing to thank me for revising)***

Enjoy!

Hermione groaned as she woke up, bemoaning the lack of advancement in the pain potions Madam Pomfrey was using in this time. She had hardly been lucid yesterday, but she did remember throwing herself all over Harry's dad and telling everyone she was either a time or dimensional traveler. What if she had horribly damaged the time line? What if Harry was not born because she messed up? She shook her head. If she kept thinking this way she would never get out of bed.

Speaking of getting out of bed... Hermione sat up and carefully set the the covers to the side. She had her feet on the floor and was attempting to stand when Madam Pomfrey appeared. "Not on my watch, missy," she said sternly. "You will not get out of bed until I tell you that you can get out of bed. And that won't be until I have done a complete medical check up on you. Now, sweety, I know some of the things I may need to know are confidential, but I can assure you that the vow all Healers take insure perfect Healer-patient confidentiality."

Hermione sighed. Her attempt at leaving had been foiled by the unnatural senses of Madam Pomfrey. And she hadn't believed Harry when she had tried to tell him. How did she do it? Extra wards on the bed? A sixth sense?

Hermione chuckled to herself at that thought, then answered Madam Pomfrey. "Of course that will be fine Madam Pomfrey. But first can you tell me where my pack is? It has a lot of rather personal objects, as well as those that need to remain hidden for the good of this time line or dimension. It also has many of the ingredients needed to make the potion for Professor Lupin. Or rather, Remus Lupin. Sorry, I forgot Remus isn't a professor yet." Hermione looked close to tears, and her head was pounding. "Remembering to keep everything straight is going to be a huge problem for me. I'm going to have to keep my mouth shut for a few weeks. But yes, that examination is fine with me." Hermione flinched. She hated when she rambled, and she knew other people hated it too. She was going to have to find out what kind of potion took your common sense and not your pain.

Madam Pomfrey raised her wand and said a somewhat complicated diagnostic spell Hermione had only learned a few months ago. When Hermione saw the different lights that lit up on various places on her body, she groaned. If Madam Pomfrey wanted to ask her about every single one of these she was in for a long morning.

For almost two hours, Hermione answered questions about her past medical history. Everything from magical exhaustion in her first year, to Dolohov's curse in her fifth was covered. Madam Pomfrey healed the few remaining bruises and instructed Hermione to eat more and soon before allowing her to start her Transfiguration.

Two and a half hours after the disastrous escape attempt, Hermione left the Hospital Wing with a newly transfigured set of robes (all she needed was to get the Gryffindor patch from Dumbledore) and her shrunken pack in her pocket, and headed toward the Gryffindor dormitories on the seventh floor. However, she had to stop when she felt a sharp pain in her side, the one she remembered having a knife stuck in.

She sat down on a convenient window seat and smiled as she saw a group of first years laughing and having fun by the lake. The riot of Gryffindor colors in the trees and the fresh air had drawn many students out of the Common Rooms and into the grounds. It seemed like it had been years since she and Harry and Ron had been that innocent. She only realized she was crying when she felt something wet on her cheek. She wiped the tears away, laughing bitterly. Time always takes its toll on the young, and war only helps age a person. She spun around when she heard a familiar voice.

"Why are you crying?" A tall boy with long greasy hair and a large nose was regarding her curiously. Snape, at age seventeen... Before he became a Death Eater and betrayed the Potters. Before he killed Albus Dumbledore on the top of the Astronomy Tower. Even if I don't like Dumbledore, he didn't deserve to die like that.

Now was the time when Hermione would have to make a crucial choice. Try and change the time line, or leave it be? Act cruel toward future Death Eaters, and blame them for crimes far in the future, or try and save them. If she made a mistake, she might not even be born!

"I'm not crying anymore," Hermione said eyes glinting sharply. However, when she saw Snape's face stiffen, she softened. "And it was for no reason anyway. What's your name?" She thought she sounded stupid, thinking it obvious that she already knew his name.

"Severus Snape. And it was for a reason or you wouldn't be crying," he retorted. "I haven't seen you around here before. You're the new girl Professor Dumbledore told us about, right? Hermione Granger?" Snape actually seemed nice in this...place. Maybe if he had a friend he wouldn't become a Death Eater. Unless he wasn't already... Her thoughts were disrupted as he sat down next to her, black eyes strangely warm.

"Yes, I'm Hermione Granger. It it really was for no reason, Mr. Severus Snape," She with a stray sniff. "I will be staying at Hogwarts for a while. How much did the Headmaster tell you about me?" She cursed the Headmaster in her head. Why in the world did he not feel it necessary to inform her of her cover story? Then again, she shouldn't be surprised. She had a fairly accurate idea of exactly how much Dumbledore loved withholding information from people.

"Just that you were a refugee and that your parents had died in your country. I'm really sorry you know, my dad died a few years ago. I wasn't exactly fond of the drunk bastard but I still miss how he used to be. So what was that you were crying about?" He actually had an expression of sympathy and concern on his face. He was almost handsome when the light hit his face that way...

"No it wasn't. I was just thinking about my best friend. And thank you," She was looking at him with compassion. That was a new expression. "I doubt many people here would understand. Would you mind showing me where the Library is later? I really enjoy reading," Hermione said.

"Sure, no problem. I have to go meet Professor Slughorn to talk about a potion's apprenticeship. But, maybe we could meet later? By the way, Professor Slughorn is the Potions Professor here," Snape was standing up and was almost a quarter of the way down the corridor before he turned and ran back. "Hey, what house are you in?"

Slytherin, please be Slytherin...

Hermione's eyes looked sad, as if she knew what his response to her answer would be. "Gryffindor," she almost whispered. "But I know about house rivalries and I'm going to be your friend anyway. Okay?"

"Okay. See ya' round Hermione!"

Snape had first been downcast, cursing his very nature. Why did he have to Slytherin? Now this cute girl who loved reading would hate him! But then she said, with a very cute look of determination in her eyes, that she would still be his friend. He talked away with a smile on his face, almost back to the dungeons before he realized what had been making him so depressed earlier. First, he had actually noticed a girl other than Lily for more than a minute. And second, she was a Gryffindor and still wanted to be seen with him. The day was turning out better than he had thought it would.

Hermione had said sitting in the window for a few moments, gazing at the children lost in thought. It was only when she decided to continue up to the Gryffindor common room that she left the thoughts of Snape alone.

She was in pain and tired by the time she reached the sixth floor, and had to rest again, this time in a small niche in the wall. She leaned her head against the wall and let the thoughts of Serverus come back.

She was cautiously excited about the possibility of saving Snape from becoming the bitter servant of two masters that she had known. He seemed young and innocent to her, not that she wasn't young herself. But he last time she had seen him he was a man aged by time and war, as she was herself. Playing a double agent had also aged him beyond his years. It was a pity that she had only seen him as a bitter traitor. But now she had a chance to get to know him and Harry's parents. If she ever saw Harry again she could tell him about his parents! Things he had always wanted to know, things that no one else would be able to tell him.

Her next thoughts were on how Snape looked at her. Hermione was unused to male attention because in her younger years she was a socially awkward bookworm and in her teens, Harry and Ron had kept most of the boys away. She had always been a little overweight, but several months of starvation can do wonders for a little baby fat. Now she was thin to the point of emancipation. The stretched skin across her face brought out her cheekbones, and with a shower and proper charms her busy mane had settled into manageable curls. She had always known her eyes were her best feature, and with the paleness brought on by captivity they stood out. Her robes hid her thinness and her pallor could easily be mistaken for fair skin. She looked half-way pretty right now and Snape had noticed. If only Harry was here...

Harry. Hermione had been in love with Harry since their third year. Her crush had started in a girl's bathroom that had been destroyed by a troll and had evolved into love by the time the two of them were riding on a hippogriff to save a never-convicted 'murderer.' Of course he had never realized it, but it took a lot of effort to get through to an emotionally deprived celebrity who hated his fame and had no problem jumping on trolls to rescue girls. So she had languished in unrequited love for four years since she realized she really truly loved Harry Potter, accepting Viktor's plea for her to attend the dance with him. She had given up on Harry in sixth year, deciding that Harry's best mate (Who was also her second best friend) was the only way to stay close to Harry. She had bungled that up nicely, and finally decided to come clean to Harry after the game. But that night had gone down the gutter with Ginny jumping on Harry and kissing him. But she had stayed supportive and seemingly happy for them. Time went on and only the Felix Felicis had stopped her from getting seriously hurt the night Dumbledore died. His generous gift had saved her life more than once.

Then later on the hunt when Ron left them, she had seen them getting closer, and every day he did nothing caused her to cry herself to sleep at night, furious at her own cowardice. Later she realized he thought she was crying over Ron. Then Ron had returned and she had been furious with him. Really the only reason why she didn't kill him was because he had saved Harry's life. Then Harry said Voldemort's name and they were captured. Ron and Harry had been sent down to the dungeon of Malfoy Manor and she had been tortured. That was when everything went wrong. Dobby had transported Luna and Ollivander. Harry and called in his debt on Wormtail, and he and Ron had fled upstairs, trying to rescue her. When Dobby had returned, he had grabbed Harry and Ron and Apparated away, refusing to let 'Harry Potter Sir' get hurt helping Hermione. She could remember Bellatrix turning away from her, and seeing their faces before they were gone with a loud crack. Hermione was then imprisoned in Malfoy Manor for two months. She had been routinely tortured, but had avoided rape only by Voldemort's order. She had been starved, beaten, Crucio'ed... and then Harry had come to rescue her. He and Ron, along with Neville and Luna, had stormed Malfoy Manor to rescue her.

The attempted rescue had gone horribly wrong. Ron, Luna, and Neville had escaped. She and Harry and been captured and taken to the Dark Lord. She could remember everything... She and Harry were forced to kneel at the base of Voldemort's throne. Hermione had been taken away and Bellatrix had her wand to Hermione's throat, making her watch as Voldemort started torturing Harry. Voldemort was preparing to kill him with a silver knife, to make it as long and painfully drawn out as he could. Hermione had broken out of Bellatrix's grasp, running up to Voldemort and shoving Harry out of the way. She had started to beat Voldemort with her hands (note to self: a half starved girl does not have the strength to beat up an Evil Dark Lord: Do not try again), when he had cast a spell over the room, shoving the knife into her side at the same time. There was a rumble that felt like a small earthquake, a bright light, and Harry's green eyes, and the next thing she knew she was in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts.

Hermione took a deep breath, to hold back tears and reevaluate her current injuries. The only really painful ones were her side, which she could ignore, and the rapidly dissolving headache. Feeling well enough to walk, she made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room, stopping by the Fat Lady when she realized she did not know the password. Now she would have to wait until a Gryffindor let her in. Well, this is just lovely, she thought. Of course Dumbledore would forget to give me the password. That is so like him.

She perked up when she heard the rowdy voices of three boys rounding the corner. She knew those voices...

"Moony! How many times do I have to tell you! Minnie loves me!"

"Professor McGonagall merely tolerates you Padfoot. Believe me, everyone who knows you merely tolerates you. Now we are going up to our room, and we are going to quiz Prongs about this mysterious new student he and Lily rescued."

"Remus, do we have do? For all we know she really is just a transfer student."

"Wormtail! She appeared in a flash of light! She is not normal!"

"Yeah, Wormtail. She might be an alien or something!"

"Shut up Padfoot. She is not an alien."

"No, I am not an alien. Could you please tell me the password to Gryffindor tower?" Hermione smirked as she saw the faces of the three boys. One was small and pudgy, with beady eyes and a slightly elongated nose. The boy in the middle was aristocratically handsome and jovial, with shoulder length black hair and a large grin on his face. The last boy looked tired and old, brown hair and amber eyes peering out from a face that was etched with scars. As she laughed, the boys turned either a rather fetching shade of scarlet, (Peter and Sirius) or amusingly pale for a moment when they realized she had heard them talking about her. But Sirius laughed and leaned in close to whisper, "Ostentatious."

"Thank you. I think Professor Dumbledore forgot to give me the password," Hermione whispered back. Sirius chuckled and put an arm around her.

"No problem, beautiful. What year are you in?" Hermione shook her head with the weirdness of it all. The heavy arm around her shoulders belonged to a man that had died more than two years ago. Having Sirius Black back and flirting with her was going to be a huge change. She really missed Harry...

"I'm in seventh. Do you know where Lily Evans is? I really need to get my schedule from her," said Hermione, deftly squirming out of Sirius' hold.

"Uh... yeah. She should be up in her dorm right now," Sirius looked confused, then shook it off as soon as she went inside the portrait hole.

"I call first dibs," he and Remus said together. They looked at each other, and glared a bit. "No, I do!"

Peter started laughing. "She's hot but she is way out of Padfoot's league. I'm placing my bets on Moony!"

Sirius looked comically offended, but offered a small smile toward Remus. "We can both pursue the fair lady. But whoever she agrees to go on a date with first gets her, okay? Is it a deal?"

Remus nodded, "Deal."

Do you like it? If so, leave a review. If all the people who have an alert on this could review, I will post two more chapters this week. If not, no new chapter till Saturday. This is my bribe towards you. I like reviews, as they help give me a reason to write. I am going on Christmas Break soon, so expect faster updates and lengthy-er chapters!

Don't get too mad about the boys. I always like a story with several boys chasing one girl. It adds flavor and a chance for some fights...