A/N  Italics denotes thought dialogue. In any given chapter, there should only be one person's thoughts in italics, so there is no confusion, but if I have to change that at any point, I'll try to make it obvious.  

Credits:  I have put little references here and there to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  It's one of my favorite movies.  Now my son, who is nearly 4, is watching it too, so I've renewed my interest in the flick.  Most of the passwords are from Willy Wonka, along with other references here and there.  As far as the rest of the story, I think it's mostly original ideas (other than the obvious JK Rowling stuff) or at least its common enough not to be considered someone else's idea (such as what a Head Boy or Girl might have or be responsible for or the idea of certain characters becoming couples) so I don't think I have to give any credits there, but if anyone feels otherwise, please let me know and I will do my best to give proper credit.

I'd also like to add that I am totally –not- a writer.  This is my first attempt ever at writing (other than required stuff for school) so don't expect too much  :P  Constructive criticism is welcome and greatly appreciated.  However, being that I am not a writer, this will probably take a while to complete.  Having to take care of my 4 yr old takes up a great deal of my time so I can't make any promises as to how quickly this will unfold. Please be patient  J

Content:  All parties involved in physical relationships are assumed to be 'of age' , but I haven't decided yet how detailed I want to get, so rating isn't possible at this time.  Also, I have not decided what pairings I am going to have, so assume slash at some point, just in case.  Slash, for those who don't know, is male/male pairings, so if this makes you uncomfortable, don't read.

Enjoy  J

Chapter One

            Hermione shuffled between the tall stacks of books in the library, running her hands along the leather bindings and muttering the titles of random volumes to herself.  She was pretty sure she was in the right section.  She had learned Monday that Snape would be covering Scoprire Occultare in class and she wanted to familiarize herself with it before Double Potions on Thursday morning. Where is it..? I know its here somewhere.  Frustrated with herself that she couldn't remember the particular tome in which she had read about the mixture, she began taking the most likely books off the shelf to bring with her back to her dorm.

            Arms laden with five very large, and surprisingly heavy books, she made her way back toward the table that she had occupied for most of the evening.  This early in the term, not many students inhabited the library, particularly this late into the evening.  But Hermione being...well... Hermione, she had been staying in the library until curfew every night since the start of the school year.  She was alone in the library and it was quiet; too quiet.  It was kind of unnerving being in utter silence, so when the bell sounded to alert the students that it was officially bed time, and well passed curfew, Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin and the stack of books she was carrying fell to the floor.  Sighing, and smirking a little bit at her lack of composure, she stooped to gather the books back into her arms.

            As she rounded the end of the shelves, she caught a glimpse of black robes and equally black hair hastily exiting the room.  That's odd.  Where could he be going in such a hurry at this time of night?  She shrugged, deciding that Professor Snape was never one that could be figured out, and continued to her table. Lying on top of her schoolbag was a crisp, pure white, parchment with a black silk ribbon tied around it.

            Back in 6th year, and also through the year encompassing the full out war against Voldemort, Snape had called upon Hermione to assist him in several potion-making endeavors.  As much as he loathed to admit it, she did excellent work, and he couldn't entrust such complicated work to just anyone. Hermione smiled when she thought of this.  It must have practically killed him to admit he needed her assistance, but she was flattered nonetheless.  Usually he just owled her or spoke to her personally when he needed an assistant, but maybe he had other things to attend to and just left a parchment with instructions this time.

            Odd.  Snape didn't really seem like the 'black silk ribbon' type, but she didn't really have the time to reflect on that right now. It was passed curfew, and Head Girl or not, Hermione didn't like being out after curfew.  She felt she should set an example for the younger students, and even though 'lights out' didn't really apply to her as Head Girl, she believed that it would be best to make a good impression.

            She dropped the books into her bag and tossed the white parchment on top, intending to read it once she got back to her dorm. Being Head Girl had its definite advantages, one of them being her own personal quarters, including her own fireplace and bathroom. She made her way to Gryffindor Tower and headed to the portrait that protected the common room from the rest of the castle. She rolled her eyes, realizing that she would have to utter the absurd password that Harry had come up with this week.  Being Head Boy and Girl, they were responsible for changing the password on the portrait hole weekly. Harry had 'won the toss' (they decided a simple sickle toss would be the fairest way to decide who picked the password) and chose their first password of the year. "Ron Weasley is a Vermicious Knid", she muttered, and the portrait hole swung open.  The joke was lost on most of Gryffindor house, including Ron.  Only the muggleborn, or those with close ties to the Muggle world, had any idea what it meant.  That didn't stop Harry from getting a good chuckle out of it, though.

            She sighed and shook her head at how someone who had been through as much as Harry Potter could come out and still be such a child at heart.  In a way she envied him, because she had set aside her own 'inner child' a long time ago.  She felt that she had seen and experienced too much to indulge herself in a little adolescent behavior now and again.  As she approached her own password protected portrait, she uttered the phrase 'Fizzy Lifting Drink' and chuckled to herself at her momentary lapse of reason when she had created the password. Ok, so maybe a little adolescent behavior snuck out every once in a while, but she certainly wouldn't make a habit of it.

            She walked through the doorway and took a deep, calming breath.  She had only been in school a couple of days and already these rooms were comforting for her.  Most of the students considered her to be unapproachable and bookish.  In a way, she was, but it still made being out in the castle somewhat tense for her.  Being in her own quarters, she could let her guard down, so to speak.

            She dropped her bag by the door...the parchment temporarily forgotten.  It was late, and she was too tired to think anymore.  She changed into her nightdress and climbed into her four-poster.  She decided that she would just get up earlier than usual to scan through the books she had retrieved from the library, before going to breakfast in the morning.  As she was drifting to sleep, she briefly remembered the parchment in her bag, and mentally scolded herself for not reading it before bed, but was soon in a deep sleep with all thoughts of the scroll left for another day.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

            Hermione blinked her eyes open, still a little confused from the dream from which she had just emerged. Why would I be dreaming about.... Snape?!  She gave an involuntary shudder.  It was an innocent enough dream.  She had just been working with him in the potions classroom.  It was really more of a memory that had manifested itself in her dreams, but odd nonetheless.  She and Snape had reached a sort of mutual tolerance over the last 2 years.  Working together they eventually put aside their differences and work together quite well.  He certainly hadn't used the phrases 'foolish girl' or 'insufferable know-it-all' for a while, in regards to her. They had what people would call a 'working relationship'.  But that didn't explain why he would suddenly be making an appearance in her dreams. 

            Oh.... the parchment!  I almost forgot!  She realized her subconscious must have been trying to remind her that she needed to find out why Snape would be requiring her assistance.  It seemed a reasonable enough explanation for the dream and she accepted it at that. She sat up and gave a bit of a stretch.   It seemed later than she had planned to get up, and decided she better get a move on. 

            She started her morning with her usual routine of showering, brushing her teeth (grinning inwardly that she had Malfoy to thank for her less prominent incisors) and finally twisting her still damp hair into a neat bun.  She didn't bother with make-up most of the time.  Sometimes on trips to Hogsmeade and for special feast in the Great Hall she would put a little extra effort into her appearance, but if she were honest with herself, she would admit that she had grown quite pretty over the years and the make-up really wasn't necessary. 

            Satisfied, she went back into her bedroom, and decided that she might as well use this time to peruse the books she obtained last night.  As she was walking to get her bag there was an obnoxious banging on her door followed by, "Mione!!  C'mon...we're late for breakfast!"  She swung her door open, and a sheepish looking Harry and Ron stood there grinning at her. "Breakfast?  It's that late?!?"  The duo shook their heads in unison and one of them muttered "Mione, Mione, Mione.  What are we going to do with you?"

            Ron gave one of his teasing smirks, "Have you been snogging all night in the Astronomy Tower again?  What would the younger kids think?  What kind of Head Girl are you, anyway?"  Hermione huffed and grabbed her bag.  She pushed the two boys aside and stormed down the hall, letting her portrait hole slam behind her. 

            Ron and Harry both laughed, knowing that she'd be over her huff in all of 30 seconds, and scurried to catch up to her.  As she approached the portrait hole in the common room they heard her shout, "Ron Weasley is a Vermicious Knid!!" and she pushed to door open, stomping into the castle hallway.

            "Mione...have you lost it?  You don't need to say the password when -leaving- the dorms", Ron offered as he made his way out into the hall were Hermione stood with an irritated look on her face.

            "Yes, Ron.  I'm quite aware of that.  Who said I was trying to open the door?" she grinned and started walking casually toward the Great Hall for breakfast.  She usually didn't stay mad long and she felt she got her revenge, even if it was completely lost on Ron.  It made her feel good, and that's all that really mattered.  Harry thought the whole exchange was rather entertaining and with a smile, he grabbed Ron's arm and headed off after Hermione. 

            French toast.  My favorite.   Hermione smiled as she entered the Great Hall.  French toast days were always the best.  The whole hall smelled of maple syrup and cinnamon.   She situated herself at the Gryffindor table, followed by Ron and Harry. She set her bag down in the unoccupied seat next to her, intent on thoroughly enjoying the stack of French toast in front of her.  She could fully see the Head Table from her vantage point, when Snape stalked into the room.  She instantly remembered the parchment, and figured she better read it before he confronted her. There may be something she had to prepare for before meeting with him.  She reached into her bag and pulled out the scroll.

            "What's that, Herm?" Harry managed to mumble through his mouthful of sausage.  Ron glanced over at the parchment and gave Hermione a quizzical look.

            "Oh, just something from Snape.  He must need me to assist with some potions for Madam Pomfrey or something", she offered.  It was very likely that's all it was.  Madam Pomfrey probably had to restock after all the patients she had to attend to during the last few months of the war. She thought she heard Ron utter something along the lines of 'Slimy git' and she turned to look at him, rolling her eyes.  "Really, Ron.  He's not that bad.  You of all people should know that.  If it wasn't for him, you might not be sitting here right now.  I know he's not the most pleasant person to deal with as a teacher, but we've all seen what he had to go through.  Give him the benefit of the doubt, for a change".   She sighed.   Ron was definitely long to hold a grudge, even if he had no real reason behind it.   She didn't really think that he despised Snape as much as he let on but in a way she thought it might be just a little something for him to hold on to of life before war.

            To her surprise, Ron put his fork down and said, "You're right 'Mione.  I know I owe him a lot.  I guess I should give the great Bat a chance", but he said that with a smirk that told Hermione that there wasn't any real malice behind the comment.   With that she untied the delicate black silk ribbon and began to unroll the tube of parchment.  Ron and Harry, not being overly interested in her side projects with Snape, started on with their usual Quidditch conversation, discussing strategy and arguing about practice schedules.  Ron wasn't keen on the idea of getting up at dawn every other morning to fly around on a broom but Harry made him listen to reason and they settled on a pretty exhausting schedule.  Ron had made the team in 5th year and by 6th year the team realized that he really did have a head for strategy and voted him Captain of the team.  Harry was rather relieved at this because he knew, had it not been for Ron, he would have been stuck with the job.  Having that, on top of everything else he had to do with Prefect and now Head Boy duties, would have been a little too much.

            Tuning her best friends Quidditch conversation out, Hermione spread the scroll out in front of her, wondering what Snape had in store for her this time.  She focused on the first words printed on the parchment and frowned. This can't be right...  

            She blinked and reread the greeting, figuring that she -must- have read it wrong and her brain was playing tricks on her.   Refocusing, she tried to get the words to say anything but what they really did. 

Dearest Hermione,