Hermione sighed. "All right, my name is Hermione Granger. Sir, I've really messed up this time. You see, I…" Her nervous ramble trailed off as Dumbledore raised a hand. His blue eyes were twinkling in amusement.
"Ms. Granger, we all know it's safe to assume you're not from here. Well, I suppose you are from here, but not from this time." The white bearded wizard looked thoughtful. "Why don't you share how exactly you ended up here?" Hermione nodded, then launched into her story. When she got to the part about the time turner and how'd she gotten it, Snape's eyes widened and Preston Brinehart looked impressed. As her tale drew to a close, Dumbledore began pacing. Snape was the first to talk, startling her. He'd been motionless as a muggle statue against the wall, regarding her with a guarded look.
"You obtained a time turner from the Department of Mysteries?" His deep voice rose slightly in disbelief. She nodded curtly, ruffling slightly. He doubted her? "How'd you manage to even get into the Ministry, let alone that department?" He demanded stepping closer to her.
"Trust me, it's easier to just take my word for it." She growled, anger flaring up. "Besides, I don't have to explain anything to you, Professor Snape!" He scowled down at the seething girl.
"Well, madam, I'm not obliged to just take your word for it at this moment." His tone was slightly scathing, slightly mocking, before beginning to rise in frustration as he huffed "And why in Merlin's name do you keep bloody calling me Professor?" Snape fixed her with an accusatory glare. That was the last straw for Hermione. She leapt out of the armchair and turned on him.
"Alright, you bastard! You asked for it. The maniac called Tom Riddle, better known as Voldemort, was constantly targeting my friends and me. For 5 years, I have had to experience sporadic battles and confrontations between him and us. Last year, in an attempt to save my friend's godfather, we charged into the Department of Mysteries where we were ambushed by Death Eaters. And guess what? We may have survived, but he died anyways!" She had advanced forward and was in his face. (As much as she could be at least. A large height difference prevented it) Viciously she stabbed her finger into his chest. "In the end, it really doesn't matter how I got the damned time turner, alright? And you, Severus Snape, happened to be my Potions professor for 5 years and a spy for the light in the war against Voldemort." Face red and hair flying, she spun about and stormed back to the arm chair. In her rage, she had backed the Slytherin up against the wall and left him looking vaguely shell shocked. Sucking in a few deep breaths as she struggled to quench the rage inside of her, she looked up to find Dumbledore and Brinehart staring at her. She blushed.
"Atta girl" Brinehart finally said, clapping politely. She looked down at her feet in embarrassment to avoid looking at the portrait.
"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore. That's a rather, er… Touchy topic. I haven't really quite gotten past it yet." She whispered.
"It's quite alright. It'd be a difficult thing for anyone." He said kindly, patting her shoulder sympathetically. "Right now though, we've got to figure out what to do with you. As of now, there's no way to send you back that I'm aware of. Until I find something, we'll have to decide where to place you and how to integrate you into this time's Hogwarts." Hermione nodded, then watched as Snape stepped forward. A neutral mask was once again in place, covering his previous shock from her outburst. Already, she noticed, he was becoming effective at hiding his emotions.
"Sir, I'll just be going now." He started for the door, but stopped when Dumbledore waved a hand, effectively locking it. "Professor, I really don't feel…" Snape began protesting.
Dumbledore spoke over him, cutting his plea off midsentence. "No, you should be here Severus. You are going to be Miss Granger's guide until she gets settled."
"What?" Both teens' voices rang out at once, their tone shocked and the eyes wild.
"But he's a Slytherin!" Hermione pointed at the outraged boy. "I'm a Gryffindor. We just won't get along."
Snape stepped forward an nodded in agreement. "She's absolutely right, sir. That is just ridiculous." Preston Brinehart snickered in the background, and both students gave him resentful glances. The portrait just laughed harder.
Dumbledore smiled. "Miss Granger, I'd expect such unmasked stereotypical predjudice from young Severus here," Snape snorted, rolling his eyes. "but you strike me as the type that's against things like that. Am I right?"
"Of course I don't stereotype!" She declared, then flushed slightly and mumbled, "Oh, well, maybe I am a bit prejudiced on occasion. I didn't mean anything by it, er… Severus." The curly headed girl gave him a sideways glance, and he nodded in acceptance of her apology. They turned back to the elder wizard, but he had begun examining his beard.
An awkward silence descended upon the room. Hermione and Snape waited for Dumbledore to continue, but he seemed disinclined to. The Headmaster just stood there, appearing very fascinated with a split end on a hair in his beard.
"Gay baby…"
Hermione's head shot up from where she was watching her shoes (which were actually rather tattered she noticed) and she stared at Snape, who was the person from which the muttered comment had come from. "Excuse me?" She said, incredulous.
He shifted his weight awkwardly, and looked uncomfortable. "You know, the whole thing where every time there is an awkward silence, erm, a gay baby is born. Do they not have that in your time?"
"Of course, I recognize the saying." She waved a dismissing hand. "I'm just shocked you of all people know it! It's very…. Muggle." Hermione cocked her head, trying to figure the young Professor out. Snape visibly closed up after that comment, his face going expressionless.
"I was raised muggle." He said stiffly. She just nodded, realizing his tone wasn't very friendly towards further discussion of his past. Just like his adult self, she thought. For some reason, the clear tension in his body and sad eyes tugged at her heart strings, causing her to want to avoid aggravating him and dredging up whatever hurt was plaguing him. Dumbledore finally began talking, but the tension in the dark headed boy didn't ease, and Hermione's thoughts were roiling like her feelings. One moment, she was spitting mad, ready to hex the infuriating man. The next, all she wanted to do was wrap him in a hug to comfort him and drive his demons away. 'What's going on with me?', she thought. 'I'm never like this'.
"Granger!" the object of her thoughts snapped, jerking her back to reality.
"Yes sir?" She gasped automatically, flustered. He glared at her from under his dark brows, then jerked his head towards the elder wizard standing their patiently. "Oh, I'm so sorry Professor. I was lost in thought" She apologized, blushing again under his penetrating scrutiny.
"Welcome back, Miss Granger." He teased gently, blue eyes full of a knowing look. "As I was saying though, you'll be placed in Gryffindor, but Severus here will be your student ambassador, helping you around the first few months. For the most part, you'll be in the same classes since I've decided to place you in 7th year." He raised a hand to silence her when she opened her mouth to object. "Yes, I know you were in your sixth year, but I've… acquired enough information in this meeting to place you as such." Severus looked vaguely disgruntled. Hermione slammed up her mental shields, propelling Dumbledore forcefully out of her mind and memories. He was a skilled at legilmenacy, and she'd completely forgotten. Despite her temporary lapse in protection, it was easy to reject him and he looked impressed, but not surprised. Snape looked on and appeared desperate to say something, but restrained himself.
"It's an honor, sir, for you to think so highly of me, even after such a stupid mistake that landed me a generation before my own." She offered an embarrassed half-smile.
Dumbledore gave a smile in return, his clue eyed gaze wandering to the Slytherin who was eyeing Hermione with a mixture of jealousy, respect, awe, and frustration. It made for a strange expression, and a hard one to read at that. "It'll be alright. Your appearing in this time… I feel you'll do great good here. Especially for certain people." The old man murmured mysteriously. Snape's head snapped around, locking his suspicious glare on the Headmaster while Hermione snuck a look at him.
"What do you mean, Headmaster?" He demanded. Dumbledore just gave a benign smile, then waved his hand at the door. It swung open.
"You'll find out in time, my boy. Time, after all, is a funny thing, don't you agree, Miss Granger? Now, you too frolic off now. I've work to do." Snape scowled blackly, then stormed out the door, muttering things like "Frolic? Who the bloody hell frolicks?"
Hermione smothered a laugh, and waved goodbye to Dumbledore and Brinehart. "Good bye! Thank you both!"
"Good day, Granger." Preston nodded. Dumbledore waved, then turned back to his massive oak desk. Hermione half ran out the door to catch up with her new 'guide' and down the stairs, skipping steps as she went. As she flew out of the entrance, she ran face first into something black and firm. Startled, she stumbled backwards and tripped only to land in the stony arms of the Gargoyle statue. It tightened its arms around her slightly, keeping her from falling to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Snape's face was expressionless. She scrambled to get her feet underneath her, sighing as the statue released her. Hermione frowned at the slight amusement that flitted across his face in response.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I thought you'd left me!" She huffed, then murmured a thank you to the gargoyle.
Snape raised one eyebrow in question. "Indeed? Well, I would never shunt a responsibility, let alone one dictated by Dumbledore."He sneered, looking her up and down. She fought not squirm from his cutting gaze as well as the eerie feeling of how true his words would ring true in the future. "And from my recollection, you are the one that ran into me. Why have you not apologized, or even asked me how I am?" Hermione began to bristle, but her rising temper soon died down as she realized he was right.
"I'm sorry, er…" She trailed off, once again unsure how to address the imposing teenager. "What do I call you?"
He looked at her carefully for a few beats, then gracefully shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well, obviously calling me 'Professor' Snape" He made a face and Hermione laughed "is rather inappropriate, so I suppose whatever you wish." Her face lit up, and he quickly added, "So long as it isn't derogatory. I've had enough of that bull shit." His words were laced with bitterness, and she felt immediately ashamed of her earlier explosion.
"Look Severus." She struggled momentarily to wrap her mouth around the previously forbidden name, and was pleased when it managed to roll of her tongue smoothly. 'I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to snap, I just… Well, I'm sorry." She didn't feel as if he needed nor wanted the justification, just the apology. He frowned, searching her face for something, then offered a barely there smile, just a quirk of the right side of his mouth, after seeming to find what he was looking for.
"Apology accepted." Severus the spun on his boot heel and began striding off. "Come on!" He tossed over his shoulder. "It is time for lunch. Keep up, now!" Hermione rolled her eyes and thought 'He's still the same controlling man' as she jogged after him.