Author's Note: This chapter's song is I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty.

September 1, 1991

Finally, after all the waiting and preparation, September 1st came. Danielle was very aware of how Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the others in their year would be arriving that very day. Danielle found herself on pins and needles waiting for them to finally set foot on the grounds of Hogwarts. She spent a good part of the day wandering the halls of Hogwarts, filled with nervous excitement. It did not matter that she knew exactly what would happen tonight, she was all but tingling with anticipation.

Long walks always helped her dispel nervous energy, so she threw a pair of sneakers (or trainers, as she knew they were called here in Britain) and began to travel through the halls and grounds. She was not really aware of the sun reflecting off the Black Lake or the medieval architecture of the castle. She was letting her mind wander idly, and was so lost in her thoughts that she walked smack into a person going the other way.

"I'm so sorry, I…" and she stopped midway through her apology as she realized that the person she bumped into was Quirrell. His turban was knocked askew, and he quickly set it right.

"Not to w-w-w-worry, P-p-p-p-Professor K-k-k-katz," he stuttered in that nervous way he had cultivated. Of course, Danielle was well aware that his stutter and manner were nothing more than an act.

"I really should pay more attention where I'm going though," Danielle said smoothly to cover her discomfort. "I mean, the first and second years are probably so tiny, if I bump into them I'd probably send them to the Hospital Wing."

"I d-d-d-doubt th-th-th-that," Quirrell said, offering her a weak smile.

"Well, I'd best be getting on my way. Good afternoon, Professor Quirrell," she told him. He nodded politely, and they went their separate ways. Danielle let out a sigh of relief when she was sure he was out of earshot. Knowing Voldemort was sticking out of the back of his head gave her the willies.

To avoid any further mishaps, Danielle returned to her quarters to take a nice hot bath and get ready for the Welcome Feast. An hour later, she was dressed in her nice navy blue robes. Still feeling like an extra from one of the Harry Potter movies, she resolved to ask the Headmaster if she could possibly wear Muggle clothes while teaching. After all, she could use the excuse that as a Muggle Studies teacher, teaching her students about how to dress like a Muggle is a good lesson.

At last, Danielle and the other faculty gathered in the Great Hall. Dumbledore gave a few last minute instructions, than urged them to take their seats at the staff table. Danielle found herself seated between Professor Sprout and Professor Vector.

"It's show time," Danielle murmured to herself as the door opened and the students started flooding in. They were all dressed in their matching uniforms and dress robes, with only house ties and badges differentiating the students. Still, when Danielle glanced at the Gryffindor she started to recognize faces. The red headed twins were obviously Fred and George, though God knows if she'd ever be able to tell those two apart. A taller red haired boy with horn rimmed glasses and a self satisfied air was their older brother, Percy. A black girl with her hair in braids must be Angelina Johnson. But as for the rest, she was unsure as J.K. Rowling had never bothered to describe them. Danielle sighed and supposed she would have to learn.

The students chatted merrily until the doors opened again and McGonagall entered carrying the Sorting Hat and leading the first years. These children were easier for Danielle to identify as Rowling provided them with much more description. Harry, she had obviously seen before. But she was able to correctly identify (and proved right when the Sorting began) Ron, Hermione, Neville, Dean, Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Hannah Abbot, Millicent Bulstrode, Crabbe, Goyle, Ernie MacMillan, and the Patil twins.

The Sorting went exactly as Danielle expected. Even though they were going to change the future, nothing seemed to change were the students ended up. Danielle had wondered if her mere presence would upset things, so that Hermione ended up in Slytherin or Malfoy in Hufflepuff, but was relieved to see that the Sorting was unchanged.

Dumbledore said his few words (like Tweak), and the Feast began. Danielle made pleasant conversation with Professors Sprout and Vector (mainly mild gossip about how certain sorting were expected or not). She noticed Snape staring at Harry and Harry noticing. Then Harry flinched and touched his forehead. Danielle looked down at her plate feeling odd. It was exactly like in the book. Snape had since resumed speaking with Quirrell. She couldn't help but wonder if he felt as uncomfortable around Quirrell as she did. Perhaps he did, but knowing his skill at Occlumency he was probably able to hide the fact.

At last, when everyone had finished dessert (or pudding, Danielle really wanted to get the whole British slang thing down) Dumbledore made his official start of term speech. He began by introducing Quirrell as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Quirrell stood for the mild applause he received. Then he turned and smiled at Danielle.

"And all the way from the former Colonies, we have Professor Danielle Katz who will take over teaching Muggle Studies," he announced. Danielle stood and was greeted by polite applause. Then, one of the students gave a wolf whistle. Danielle glanced in the direction of the Weasley twins (because she was sure that was the direction the whistle came from) and frowned slightly. She again wished she could do Snape's single raised eyebrow trick. With a sigh, she took her seat.

Dumbledore continued his speech and Danielle let her mind wander a bit. Because she was young, pretty, and looked closer to twenty than the twenty-seven she actually was, lots of male students had expressed interest in her. It ranged from some unsubtle attempts at flirting to one student who had actually asked her to Prom two years ago. Of course she had turned him down. Men her own age were plenty immature, she didn't need to deal with even less mature individuals. That was one of the parts of teaching she was not very fond of. On the bright side, she would eventually age enough that boys would probably find her old and gross. She actually looked forward to it some days.

Dumbledore announced it was time to sing the school song. Danielle grinned, remembering how the same words needed to be sung to the melody of your choice. Everyone rose, and Danielle decided she would like to sing it to "Strawberry Fields," just because it was the first song that jumped into her mind. The cacophony and confusion was insane.

At last, after the Weasley twins finished singing it in the form of a funeral dirge, Dumbledore dismissed them all. Danielle was bidding her fellow professors good night, when Dumbledore stopped her.

"Care to join myself and Professor Snape for a night cap?" he asked.

Danielle was on the verge of saying no, she wanted to go over her plans for tomorrow and make sure she was ready, when something in his eyes stopped her. She realized he had some news. She quickly agreed and followed the Headmaster.

When they reached his office, she took a seat across from him at his desk. A moment later, Snape arrived. Once he was seated, Dumbledore offered them each a brandy. Once drinks were dispersed, he looked at them with twinkling eyes. This was a familiar scene to them. Danielle frequently had tea with Dumbledore and Snape over the summer. They had discussed topics that had to do with Danielle's knowledge of what was to come. Danielle spent hours filling them in on the important events yet to happen. They all debated what things were most important to change and what the best possible way to change things was.

There was a lot of disagreement on what to do. Every change they might make had to be thoroughly thought through, with consideration on what would actually happen if said change was made. This made Danielle think of the Back to the Future movies she had seen as a child and how a few small changes to the past almost resulted in Michael J. Fox's character not being born.

But no risk, no reward, right? Danielle had decided certain things might be better for Dumbledore and Snape not to know. Dumbledore wasn't the only person who could meddle with people's lives and withhold information.

And one very key piece Danielle was withholding was the fact that Snape was doomed. She'd shown them the film memory of Snape killing Dumbledore, a scene that left both men pale and shaken. But Dumbledore was philosophical about accepting his own death, and with the fact that he now knew about the curse on the ring before he ever set eye on it meant he could actually prevent his death. Danielle could think of no good way to save Snape. He needed to give Harry his memories in order to enable Harry to sacrifice himself, and as far as Danielle knew, that was a major component of Harry being able to live through that ordeal. If it had been as simple as a random Avada Kadavra hitting Harry, Snape probably would have blasted the kid the moment he saw him. This was a discussion she desperately wanted to have with Dumbledore, but Snape was always around, so she could never bring up the topic.

Certain things did have to remain the same, of course. Voldemort did need to regain a physical form in order to be destroyed, so most of the basic events surrounding the Triwizard Tournament would have to remain unchanged. Also, to guarantee Voldemort's rebirth, Peter Pettigrew would again have to find his way to him. Snape was particularly appalled by this, and Danielle could not blame him. But short of sending Snape himself to assist with Voldemort's resurrection, there was no other option.

Sadly, that also meant that Sirius Black was stuck in Azkaban for the next two years. Snape could hardly contain his pleasure at hearing this. He certainly was a champion grudge holder. But again, none of them could come up with a good option that would not result with any of them carted off to join him as a guest of the Dementors.

The plan the three of them formed was thus; for this school year events would be allowed to play out as they did in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The only major change would be that Snape agreed to keep an eye on Harry, Ron, and Hermione while they battled their way to the Sorcerer's Stone, hiding himself under a Dissolution Spell. That way, if they in any way strayed from previous events, he could rush to their aid and save them or help them get back on track.

Another major concern was the Horcruxes. Hufflepuff's Cup may or may not be in the Lestrange's vault. The best thing to do was wait on that one until close to the time it had originally been destroyed, otherwise they could break into the vault and find nothing of use to them. Breaking into Gringotts was a major undertaking, and it could not be risked twice. Slytherin's Locket was safe enough at Grimmauld Place, but none of them would be able to access it until Sirius returned to his childhood home. The Diary would arrive early next year and be dealt with then. And Nagini would have to be the last Horcrux to be destroyed before Harry killed Voldemort. So the plan was to go and retrieve the ring but not destroy it since Harry would likely need the Resurrection Stone, which meant Fiendfyre was not an option. And that particular Horcrux was exactly what Dumbledore wanted to discuss

"I finally discovered the location of the Gaunt's house," he told them.

"So we can go get the ring?" Danielle asked.

"Oh yes. Now, I know the first week of school is a remarkably busy time, so we shall wait until Saturday night to make our quest."

Snape nodded, but looked slightly less than pleased. Danielle didn't need Legilmency to know he was thinking of the painful taunting by the bit of Voldemort's soul that inhabited the last Horcurx. Dumbledore noticed the younger man's discomfort and smiled at him.

"Not to worry Severus, we are only retrieving it, so it will likely remain docile," Dumbledore reassured.

"In the final book, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had no trouble with the objects when they were only retrieving them. It's only if you try to destroy them or spend too much time with a Horcrux that it starts to make things difficult," Danielle offered, hoping that would help.

"I am not worried, only concerned since you have nothing to offer on the protections around the Horcrux, only the end effect," Snape said angrily.

"I can't help that Rowling didn't bother to write about it. I can only tell you what I read," Danielle snapped at him, completely annoyed. They had been over this before, and Danielle had explained about Dumbledore's blackened, dead hand. But since Rowling never wrote about the exact circumstances, she had nothing new to offer.

"Enough," Dumbledore sighed. He was not in the mood for yet another argument between Danielle and Severus. They had been butting heads all summer, and it was making him weary. Didn't these two see that they would be so much better off working together? Luckily, both of his younger colleagues respected him enough to table this ongoing argument.

"So," he continued, "not really knowing what we might face, we must plan for any and all possibilities."

"When exactly will we leave?" Danielle asked. At this, both men turned to look at Danielle as if she had sprouted a second head.

"You're not coming with us," said Snape.

"What?" Danielle cried, dismay raising her voice about three octaves.

"Danielle, we cannot guarantee your safety," Dumbledore began.

"And you would just slow us down and make things more difficult," Snape explained with some relish.

"This is bullshit! You wouldn't even know about the ring if I hadn't told you," Danielle said through gritted teeth.

"You have no magic, how do you expect to protect yourself," Snape said through teeth clenched every bit as tightly as Danielle's were.

"I don't need you, or anyone else to take care of me," she growled back.

Dark eyes locked on light, and the two of them looked as if they would merrily leap across the table and strangle each other.

"Enough!" Dumbledore cried again, even his extraordinary patience pushed past its limits. "Our aims are the same, and we need to work together if we wish to bring down Voldemort."

Although Snape and Danielle dropped their argument, they continued to glare daggers at each other.

"You will come with us, Danielle, but we must take precautions," he warned.

"Fine," she said, a small smile of triumph as Snape glare grew sharper.

It was agreed that they would meet at the entry gate to Hogwarts at eight o'clock Saturday night. Dumbledore promised to have everything prepared. Then, since the hour has grown late Dumbledore insisted they all retire to be ready for the first day of school. So Danielle and Snape bid him good night and made their way for the teacher's quarters. As Danielle was about to enter her rooms, Snape grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but it won't work," he said in a soft, but dangerous voice.

"I have no idea what you mean," Danielle said, wishing he would just get to the point so she could get to bed.

"This isn't a book any longer, Katz. You can't safely place a marker in it and walk away. Now, if you go somewhere dark and scary, you can get hurt," he whispered, sounding incredibly angry.

"Is that a threat?" she asked evenly, not breaking eye contact.

"You're a Muggle, and therefore more fragile," Snape argued.

"I am not going to shatter at the slightest touch, so I should be fine," she told him coolly. "So unless you have something constructive to say, I suggest you let go of me and let me get some sleep."

"You won't back down, will you?" he muttered in frustration.

"Nope. My dad always told me to stand my ground in a fight I believe in. This is one of them."

"Fine, but don't expect me to pick up the pieces when you break," he hissed, his face mere inches from hers in what her Acting for Non-Majors TA from college called the Kiss or Kill position. He was so close, she could feel his warm breathe in her face. It smelled like toothpaste, while Snape smelled strangely like the ocean. She wondered if it was the result of cologne. But no matter how incredible he smelled, she was still furious with him.

"I'm tougher than I look, and if you don't let go of me, I will make that deep voice of yours turn into a soprano for at least a week," she threatened. "Now let go."

He did, turning briskly and stalking down the corridor to his own apartment. He slammed the door as he vanished from sight. Danielle sighed and went into her own rooms and prepared for bed. However, she lay awake for a long time. She was annoyed by Snape's condescension and contempt. She planned on showing him just how capable she really was. He was the last thought in her head as she drifted off to sleep.

AN: Major conflict between our two protagonists. I feel like I Won't Back Down really sums up Danielle's attitude perfectly. Hopefully, these two will eventually see something, anything, eye to eye. Meanwhile, first day/ week of school and the collection of another Horcrux happening soon. Please review. How do you feel about the Danielle/ Snape interaction? Is Snape in character?