The usual disclaimers apply-the characters and background for
this story belong to JK Rowling. I'm just taking them out for
a quick spin. No profits will be obtained or sought in the
writing of this story.
*******************Meanwhile, In the Present******************
The morning sun filtered dimly through the green-tinted windows of Slytherin House. Draco stretched and yawned, grateful for the lie-in afforded by the leisurely Saturday morning. In his groggy state it took him a full minute to realize the he was not in his own room. This room was decorated in the green and silver that characterized the Slytherin dormitories, but it lacked the masculine elegance found in Draco's private quarters (obtained and paid for by his father, naturally). No, to say that this room was monstrously gaudy would be a gross understatement. It seemed that no surface was left unadorned by ruffles, frills, lace, or tassels. Silver lamé was in abundance, and Draco counted at least four shades of green satin. He wondered what he could have possibly done last night to land himself in the bed of a witch with such abysmal taste in décor. In fact, Draco had never before awakened in a witch's bed, as he always insisted on using his room so he would maintain the upper hand (a trait instilled in him by his father). He had never before awakened without his green silk pajamas before either, but this morning found him utterly naked. The witch in question lay in a heap of satin sheets (heavily ornamented in ruffles and silver lace, of course) with her back towards him, a tangle a dishwater blonde curls upon her pillow. Draco was calculating his odds of escaping unnoticed when the girl woke and turned to face him, revealing the smiling and unappetizing countenance of Pansy Parkinson.
***
The dawning morning was kinder to Severus Snape, at least initially. He woke up warm and cozy in his own luxurious bed after a night of amazingly erotic dreams featuring Hermione Granger. He had been greatly disturbed when he had initially noticed his student in this way several months ago, but had gradually come to accept the situation. She was after all seventeen and had been considered to be of age for a full year by the wizarding world. In fact the magical age of consent had been the onset of menses until Albus Dumbledore successfully lobbied to have it raised to sixteen in 1957. Student/teacher relationships were not prohibited by the Hogwarts charter, though they were heavily discouraged by the current administration. All that mattered little to Severus; the deciding factor in his mind was the fact that he would in no way act upon his affections until after Miss Granger's graduation. To be completely honest he would most likely never approach the girl romantically, as he had never seen any wisdom in seeking out rejection. He allowed himself to fantasize about her, categorizing the relationship as an enjoyable fiction. It was, after all, the only sort of relationship he would ever be likely to have.
Severus replayed last night's fantasies in his mind, enjoying his respite from the students. In his latest dreams Hermione was a goddess, and a rather passionate one at that. Past escapades had featured her in a variety of roles-naïve virgin, bawdy whore, and just about everything in between. He was in the midst of revisiting his favorite segment when a blood-curdling scream from the Slytherin dormitories broke him from his reveries. Immediately he jumped from his bed and dashed through the door that connected his quarters to the Slytherin common room, barely taking the time to throw on his dressing gown. Just as he stepped through the door Draco Malfoy sprinted past, screaming at the top of his lungs and clad only in a bedsheet. A horrifyingly frilly pea green bedsheet. With silver lace. And tassels. Severus was about to follow Malfoy to ask him the meaning of this unusual behavior (at least he hoped it was unusual) when he noticed that the students lounging in the common room were staring at him rather than the fleeing naked boy. He turned to a full-length Cheval mirror and noticed to his horror that he was not wearing his usual nightshirt under his dressing gown. Instead the full green skirts of a woman's robe brushed the floor. A fox-fur stole graced his neck looking for very much like a bushy untied ascot. The outfit was completed by a rather tatty hat featuring a moth-eaten vulture. Later he would wonder how the hat had managed to stay on his head in his rush into the common room. Internally admitting defeat, he glared at his charges and stalked back into his quarters, slamming the door behind him. The common room (predictably) broke into gales of laughter as soon as the curiously attired Head of Slytherin was safely out of sight.
***
Harry Potter stood before the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office, searching his memory for the current password to the Headmaster's Office. He remembered it was 'treacle toffee' and muttered the name of the sweet to the stone guardian, gaining entrance to the moving staircase. Dumbledore opened the door before Harry had a chance to knock, which wasn't at all surprising considering the elderly wizard's seeming omniscience. "Sherbet lemon, Harry?"
"No thank you Professor. Actually, I came here because I am worried about Hermione. Ron and I can't find her. We were supposed to meet early this morning for a revision session in the library and she never showed up. She's not in her room and Madame Pince said she hasn't seen her since she evicted her last night. Nobody in the Gryffindor common room has seen her since yesterday either."
"Well it's certainly not like our Miss Granger to be tardy for an appointment, especially a revision session. Do you have any idea what she might have been doing last night after the library closed?'
"She has been borrowing my invisibility cloak to get food from the kitchens quite a bit lately, whenever she revises through dinner. Last night she missed dinner again so I left the cloak out for her. It was gone this morning."
"Why does Miss Granger use your invisibility cloak when her status as Head Girl allows her to be out of the dormitories after curfew."
"She doesn't want to appear to be abusing her Head Girl privileges, sir."
Dumbledore opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead cocked his head to the side as if listening for someone. "And here comes Mr. Weasley. I wonder if he has any information for us.'
"Good Morning Headmaster. Harry, I found this beside the portrait of Isadora the Irksome" said Ron, holding out the invisibility cloak. Hermione's Head Girl badge was nestled inside it.
"Mr. Potter, as Head Boy I want you to round up all the prefects and begin searching for Miss Granger. Mr. Weasley, I would like you to assist in the search, as you two are most familiar with her habits. I myself will call a staff meeting and instruct the professors to search as well. Thank you for bringing this to my attention".
Harry and Ron exited the Headmaster's office, breaking into a run as soon as they reached the bottom of the moving stairs. They barreled past the Potions Master as he made his way the Dumbledore's office. Snape bellowed at them to stop but they merely kept running, so he contented himself with taking twenty-five points from Gryffindor apiece. Scowling, he continued his on his way to confront Albus with the prank that he believed had been perpetrated upon his person. The icing on the cake had been the large red handbag that he found in the middle of his massive bed, quite visible since the house-elves had popped in to make the bed while he had been occupied in the Slytherin common room. Severus considered the incident to be quite serious, as he was certain that it had cost him a measure of the authority he held over his charges. This was perhaps more serious within Slytherin than the other Houses, as politics was and had always been of paramount importance among the Serpents. It had taken Severus a good many years to establish his power over the students entrusted to him, and he intended to remedy his potential loss of influence before it got any worse.
Severus entered Dumbledore's office, the expression on his face most unpleasant. "Ah, Severus, just the man I wanted to see. But then, perhaps not" said Dumbledore, taking in the younger man's scowl.
"Albus, I must inform you that I have just now fallen victim to a prank reminiscent of the Weasley twins. In their absence I suspect it was the youngest Weasley boy and his leader, Potter. I have, in fact, just had the occasion to take points from Gryffindor on their behalf, since they were speeding through the halls without regards to the safety of the other inhabitants of this castle."
"I'm afraid that you will have to return those points to the two boys, Severus. They were on a mission that I assigned them, and their speed in carrying it out is to their credit."
"What on earth could be so important that it necessitates them running through the halls at such a breakneck pace?'
"It seems that Miss Granger disappeared at some time between the closing of the library and breakfast time this morning. Mr. Weasley found her Head Girl badge, along with the cloak she had been wearing"
"Potter's invisibility cloak I'm sure. Why does it not surprise me that the Granger chit should turn up missing? She and the Potter gang are always sneaking about out of bounds. It was only a matter of time before one of them got into trouble. I expect that she'll turn up in some boy's bed."
"Severus, that was most uncalled for. Miss Granger has done nothing to impeach her character. You know as well as I that as Head Girl she is allowed more freedom that the rest of the students, excepting the Head Boy of course. I believe this matter is most urgent, especially in light of the dreams I had last night."
"I did not realize that you put much credence on dream divination, sir."
"The dreams I had last night involved Miss Granger turning up in 1977 Severus. I'm inclined to categorize them as recently acquired memories. Can you think of any reason that our Head Girl would be sent back in time 20 years?"
"Have Minerva and yourself seen fit to provide her with another Time Turner?"
"We have not. Since her third year experiences Miss Granger has been most reluctant to be anywhere near a time-travel device. If she has been set back in time it is not of her own volition, I assure you. The girl is most aware of the dangers of visiting the past. Now if you would be so kind as to excuse me I must call a staff meeting and organize a search, though I fear the effort will prove futile. Please go to the Staff Room and await your colleagues. I'm afraid we will have to discuss your prank at a later date. And I would advise you to remove that makeup."
"Yes Headmaster." Severus stalked out of Dumbledore's office, scowling furiously. It seemed he would do well to improve the lighting in the dungeons.
*******************Meanwhile, In the Present******************
The morning sun filtered dimly through the green-tinted windows of Slytherin House. Draco stretched and yawned, grateful for the lie-in afforded by the leisurely Saturday morning. In his groggy state it took him a full minute to realize the he was not in his own room. This room was decorated in the green and silver that characterized the Slytherin dormitories, but it lacked the masculine elegance found in Draco's private quarters (obtained and paid for by his father, naturally). No, to say that this room was monstrously gaudy would be a gross understatement. It seemed that no surface was left unadorned by ruffles, frills, lace, or tassels. Silver lamé was in abundance, and Draco counted at least four shades of green satin. He wondered what he could have possibly done last night to land himself in the bed of a witch with such abysmal taste in décor. In fact, Draco had never before awakened in a witch's bed, as he always insisted on using his room so he would maintain the upper hand (a trait instilled in him by his father). He had never before awakened without his green silk pajamas before either, but this morning found him utterly naked. The witch in question lay in a heap of satin sheets (heavily ornamented in ruffles and silver lace, of course) with her back towards him, a tangle a dishwater blonde curls upon her pillow. Draco was calculating his odds of escaping unnoticed when the girl woke and turned to face him, revealing the smiling and unappetizing countenance of Pansy Parkinson.
***
The dawning morning was kinder to Severus Snape, at least initially. He woke up warm and cozy in his own luxurious bed after a night of amazingly erotic dreams featuring Hermione Granger. He had been greatly disturbed when he had initially noticed his student in this way several months ago, but had gradually come to accept the situation. She was after all seventeen and had been considered to be of age for a full year by the wizarding world. In fact the magical age of consent had been the onset of menses until Albus Dumbledore successfully lobbied to have it raised to sixteen in 1957. Student/teacher relationships were not prohibited by the Hogwarts charter, though they were heavily discouraged by the current administration. All that mattered little to Severus; the deciding factor in his mind was the fact that he would in no way act upon his affections until after Miss Granger's graduation. To be completely honest he would most likely never approach the girl romantically, as he had never seen any wisdom in seeking out rejection. He allowed himself to fantasize about her, categorizing the relationship as an enjoyable fiction. It was, after all, the only sort of relationship he would ever be likely to have.
Severus replayed last night's fantasies in his mind, enjoying his respite from the students. In his latest dreams Hermione was a goddess, and a rather passionate one at that. Past escapades had featured her in a variety of roles-naïve virgin, bawdy whore, and just about everything in between. He was in the midst of revisiting his favorite segment when a blood-curdling scream from the Slytherin dormitories broke him from his reveries. Immediately he jumped from his bed and dashed through the door that connected his quarters to the Slytherin common room, barely taking the time to throw on his dressing gown. Just as he stepped through the door Draco Malfoy sprinted past, screaming at the top of his lungs and clad only in a bedsheet. A horrifyingly frilly pea green bedsheet. With silver lace. And tassels. Severus was about to follow Malfoy to ask him the meaning of this unusual behavior (at least he hoped it was unusual) when he noticed that the students lounging in the common room were staring at him rather than the fleeing naked boy. He turned to a full-length Cheval mirror and noticed to his horror that he was not wearing his usual nightshirt under his dressing gown. Instead the full green skirts of a woman's robe brushed the floor. A fox-fur stole graced his neck looking for very much like a bushy untied ascot. The outfit was completed by a rather tatty hat featuring a moth-eaten vulture. Later he would wonder how the hat had managed to stay on his head in his rush into the common room. Internally admitting defeat, he glared at his charges and stalked back into his quarters, slamming the door behind him. The common room (predictably) broke into gales of laughter as soon as the curiously attired Head of Slytherin was safely out of sight.
***
Harry Potter stood before the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office, searching his memory for the current password to the Headmaster's Office. He remembered it was 'treacle toffee' and muttered the name of the sweet to the stone guardian, gaining entrance to the moving staircase. Dumbledore opened the door before Harry had a chance to knock, which wasn't at all surprising considering the elderly wizard's seeming omniscience. "Sherbet lemon, Harry?"
"No thank you Professor. Actually, I came here because I am worried about Hermione. Ron and I can't find her. We were supposed to meet early this morning for a revision session in the library and she never showed up. She's not in her room and Madame Pince said she hasn't seen her since she evicted her last night. Nobody in the Gryffindor common room has seen her since yesterday either."
"Well it's certainly not like our Miss Granger to be tardy for an appointment, especially a revision session. Do you have any idea what she might have been doing last night after the library closed?'
"She has been borrowing my invisibility cloak to get food from the kitchens quite a bit lately, whenever she revises through dinner. Last night she missed dinner again so I left the cloak out for her. It was gone this morning."
"Why does Miss Granger use your invisibility cloak when her status as Head Girl allows her to be out of the dormitories after curfew."
"She doesn't want to appear to be abusing her Head Girl privileges, sir."
Dumbledore opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead cocked his head to the side as if listening for someone. "And here comes Mr. Weasley. I wonder if he has any information for us.'
"Good Morning Headmaster. Harry, I found this beside the portrait of Isadora the Irksome" said Ron, holding out the invisibility cloak. Hermione's Head Girl badge was nestled inside it.
"Mr. Potter, as Head Boy I want you to round up all the prefects and begin searching for Miss Granger. Mr. Weasley, I would like you to assist in the search, as you two are most familiar with her habits. I myself will call a staff meeting and instruct the professors to search as well. Thank you for bringing this to my attention".
Harry and Ron exited the Headmaster's office, breaking into a run as soon as they reached the bottom of the moving stairs. They barreled past the Potions Master as he made his way the Dumbledore's office. Snape bellowed at them to stop but they merely kept running, so he contented himself with taking twenty-five points from Gryffindor apiece. Scowling, he continued his on his way to confront Albus with the prank that he believed had been perpetrated upon his person. The icing on the cake had been the large red handbag that he found in the middle of his massive bed, quite visible since the house-elves had popped in to make the bed while he had been occupied in the Slytherin common room. Severus considered the incident to be quite serious, as he was certain that it had cost him a measure of the authority he held over his charges. This was perhaps more serious within Slytherin than the other Houses, as politics was and had always been of paramount importance among the Serpents. It had taken Severus a good many years to establish his power over the students entrusted to him, and he intended to remedy his potential loss of influence before it got any worse.
Severus entered Dumbledore's office, the expression on his face most unpleasant. "Ah, Severus, just the man I wanted to see. But then, perhaps not" said Dumbledore, taking in the younger man's scowl.
"Albus, I must inform you that I have just now fallen victim to a prank reminiscent of the Weasley twins. In their absence I suspect it was the youngest Weasley boy and his leader, Potter. I have, in fact, just had the occasion to take points from Gryffindor on their behalf, since they were speeding through the halls without regards to the safety of the other inhabitants of this castle."
"I'm afraid that you will have to return those points to the two boys, Severus. They were on a mission that I assigned them, and their speed in carrying it out is to their credit."
"What on earth could be so important that it necessitates them running through the halls at such a breakneck pace?'
"It seems that Miss Granger disappeared at some time between the closing of the library and breakfast time this morning. Mr. Weasley found her Head Girl badge, along with the cloak she had been wearing"
"Potter's invisibility cloak I'm sure. Why does it not surprise me that the Granger chit should turn up missing? She and the Potter gang are always sneaking about out of bounds. It was only a matter of time before one of them got into trouble. I expect that she'll turn up in some boy's bed."
"Severus, that was most uncalled for. Miss Granger has done nothing to impeach her character. You know as well as I that as Head Girl she is allowed more freedom that the rest of the students, excepting the Head Boy of course. I believe this matter is most urgent, especially in light of the dreams I had last night."
"I did not realize that you put much credence on dream divination, sir."
"The dreams I had last night involved Miss Granger turning up in 1977 Severus. I'm inclined to categorize them as recently acquired memories. Can you think of any reason that our Head Girl would be sent back in time 20 years?"
"Have Minerva and yourself seen fit to provide her with another Time Turner?"
"We have not. Since her third year experiences Miss Granger has been most reluctant to be anywhere near a time-travel device. If she has been set back in time it is not of her own volition, I assure you. The girl is most aware of the dangers of visiting the past. Now if you would be so kind as to excuse me I must call a staff meeting and organize a search, though I fear the effort will prove futile. Please go to the Staff Room and await your colleagues. I'm afraid we will have to discuss your prank at a later date. And I would advise you to remove that makeup."
"Yes Headmaster." Severus stalked out of Dumbledore's office, scowling furiously. It seemed he would do well to improve the lighting in the dungeons.