Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for all of the kind reviews. I'm sorry to annouce to those who like the deleted scenes, that there aren't any in this chapter. My inner-humor muse seems to have left me for the time being... but if my muse comes back, I'll add them to the next chapter. Many many thanks go out to my favorite Grammer-Girl, Colli, who checked this over for me and encouraged me to post the beginning of this on our forum over at the Muggle Informer... thanks hon! Now, let's pop in the CoS DVD and watch the Dueling Scene again!!
As always, everything Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling (the goddess that she is) and I am making no money off of this story.
And as always, reviews are very very encouraged! On with the story!

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Chapter 2
What's in a Name?

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Rolling onto her side, Hermione opened her eyes as the sun poured into her room. "That's funny," she thought out loud. "My rooms never faced the sun before." Hermione sat up and looked down to notice that she was still wearing the red robes she had been wearing the previous day. The same robes she had been wearing when she and Harry had flown to the Ministry. She rolled her eyes and fell back onto the bed, suddenly remembering why the sunlight was pouring into the room. "These aren't my rooms," she moaned.

She sighed and reached for the hourglass that lay on the table beside the bed. She was careful not the disturb the slowly falling sand. It looked the same as it had the day before. She placed it back on the table and slid out of bed. Walking across the room, Hermione came to the old, black robes that Minerva had left her. She picked up the top garment and laid it across the bed. A sly grin crossed her face and she grabbed her wand and transfigured the robe. "Payback is a bitch," she mumbled.

A hot shower and a drying spell for her hair later, Hermione stood in front of the mirror and charmed on her make-up. Her hair lay at her shoulders, the layers curling up slightly. She laughed softly and thought of Severus as she looked down at the silvery-gray colored silk robes she had transfigured. Hermione grabbed another robe and transfigured herself a jade green cloak. The Severus from her time would have liked them, she thought, but never said anything. "Or would he have?" she mumbled aloud. "That man," she whispered.

The hall outside her suite was empty, but as she made her way down the stairs, she could hear the bustle of students having breakfast before classes. Hermione didn't want to draw attention to herself, so she walked toward the entrance to the castle and headed out the oak doors into the early morning sunlight. There was a fine layer of dew still covering the ground as Hermione wound her way around the castle and headed toward the lake. She pulled the cloak closer to her body to keep the cool September breeze out.

As she approached the gently rippling lake, Hermione could see the giant squid making lazy laps back and forth across the lake. As she made her way around the lake, Hermione's thoughts drifted to the small boy she had met the previous day; the small boy who would soon become the most famous wizard of their time. She had also met James Potter, a man that Harry himself had never really known, but Hermione had shook his hand. She ran a hand through her silky hair and took sighed. How was she ever going to get home. "And without messing up time," she mumbled.

After her second lap around the lake, her mind was clearer, and her stomach was demanding food. She started her trek back to the school when she saw a door on the south side of the castle close. She headed that way, but as she got closer, she could see nothing but a solid wall. Dismissing the thought, Hermione marched back up the front steps and into the deserted entrance hall. "Good morning, Miss Mia," a voice said as Hermione entered the hall.

Hermione looked down to see a house-elf standing before her. "Good morning," she smiled.

"Kipsy is told by the Headmaster to see that Miss be getting anything she needs," she told Hermione, reaching up to take the cloak Hermione had taken off.

"Are the students in their classes?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Miss. Classes started twenty minutes ago. Did Miss eat this morning?" Kipsy asked. Hermione shook her head negatively. "Kipsy will get Miss some breakfast and bring it to Miss' chambers." The house-elf practically radiated pride as she had something to accomplish for Hermione.

"All right. Thank you, Kipsy," Hermione said with a soft laugh as the house-elf disappeared. Hermione made her way up the winding and changing staircases back to her chambers. Kipsy appeared moments later with various fruits and croissants along with a pot of tea. Hermione ate her breakfast in silence, gazing out the window to see students emerging from the first class. Hermione saw a flash of red hair and squinted to see if she could make out which Weasley child it was.

Her breakfast completed, Hermione stretched and wandered around her quarters. 'Nothing to read,' she thought to herself. In the distance, Hermione heard the bells ring to warn students to be at their second class. As she ventured out into the halls again, the only sounds were her low heels softly clicking and the chatter amongst the portraits that hung on the walls.

Wandering into the library, Hermione avoided Madame Pince's glance. The fewer people she came in contact with, the less likely she was to cause a rift in time. Quietly, she made her way through the familiar stacks of books. Biting her lower lip in concentration, Hermione looked through the titles on time travel until she settled on four she liked. She spread herself out at a table and began reading, while her hand flew over a piece of parchment she had conjured up. Classes were still going on, so the library was completely silent. Yet, Hermione didn't hear the approaching footsteps or her name being called several times.

"Miss Lindon!" Severus stood before her with his customary scowl on his face. Hermione dropped her quill and her eyes flew up to meet his. "So you can hear," he remarked.

"I'm very sorry," she said. She quickly closed the books she had been reading and gave him her attention.

"For a moment I thought you just didn't answer to your name. I had called your name four times," he informed her.

Hermione winced and realized that she had indeed heard him, but thought he must have been talking to someone else. "I get wrapped up in my reading sometimes," she said softly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Yes, well," his voice trailed off. His eyes fell on the books she was reading, then slowly met hers. "Interesting reading topic," he said. He picked up one of the books and read the spine; 'Sands in the Hourglass.' "Studying time-turners?"

"You could say that," she replied. "Why do you care?"

He smirked and dropped the book, and picked up another. "I am curious about you, Miss Lindon. You fell from the sky yesterday, it turns out that you are a friend to the ever-trusting Headmaster, and you seemed to have a connection to the Potter child. That and the fact that you knew my name leave my thoughts unsettled."

"I have a way with children, Mr. Snape," she said. She discretely rolled up the parchment she had been writing on and tucked it into her robes. Severus had picked up another book, once again inspecting the spine.

"Katrina Du Bois?" he asked, opening up the book and flipping through the pages.

"Why are you so surprised?" she asked defensively. In truth, it was one of her favorite books, and knew that Severus shared in that feeling. Hermione watched as he flipped through the pages of the old book. "She was a very talented witch."

He glanced up at her, "Yes, I know. This is nothing but poetry and fluff," he said, tossing the book back down.

Hermione sighed and picked up the book. "These are the letters Katrina wrote to her lover who died during the Second Great War in First Age of Wizardry. It's not fluff, as you call it. It's passion and romance. It's beautiful," she whispered. She idly flipped through the book, looking for her favorite passage. She smiled and looked up at Severus, but all the while, she thought of him in another time.

"You keep getting these far off looks in your eyes. Are you sure you are healthy?" he asked, sounding as if he truly cared.

She smiled and nodded. "I'm a little disoriented, but no worse for wear. I've been in... America for a long time. I forgot how things work on this side of the globe." Again she rolled her eyes heavenward wondering where she came up with such lies.

"It has been several years since I have been in America. Tell me, what part of the country were you in?" he asked, sitting down in a chair across from her.

This was a test, she thought to herself. Racing through various conversations she and Severus had had over the past year, she could not recall him telling her anything about a trip to the States. She was going to have to fake it. "I spent some time in the early colonies, researching the works of early American witches and wizards who were persecuted for being who they were. Of course, my studies came up inconclusive."

"Why is that?" he asked.

Hermione scrunched up her face. Had Hogwarts changed so much over time that students of his contemporary didn't write the essay about the Salem witches? "Well, the witches that were persecuted weren't really witches because they died. Those that were witches simply laughed at the muggles' attempt at burning or hanging them and were banished from their towns. My research ranged from Salem all the way to Philadelphia," she concluded, and began wondering if there were ever any witches in Philadelphia.

"Fascinating," he said quietly, and reached across the table to snatch the book of letters out of her hand. "'Truth and trust go hand in hand,'" he quoted, after he opened the book to a random page. "'There are times when I wonder if the truth of my feelings for you is enough, but then I remember that it was truth that brought us together in the beginning; for nothing so noble as truth, save love, can grace life with light,'" Severus finished the passage and silently closed the book. "It is poetic, Miss Lindon," he said, meeting Hermione's eyes.

Hermione thought she could have lost herself in his obsidian eyes. "Yes, well," she began, "without her telling the truth about her feelings for him, how could their relationship have begun? He would have died in the war and never known,"

"Point noted," Severus said, standing once again. "I must go. I am due to teach a class in thirty minutes." He handed the book back to her, his fingers grazing hers. "There were no witches prosecuted in Philadelphia, Miss Lindon," he said, then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Perhaps you should consider the words of Madame Du Bois and speak the truth." With that said, he swept from the room, leaving Hermione speechless and panicked.

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Two weeks later, Hermione still found herself in 1981. Each morning she woke to find the hourglass exactly as it was the night before. The sand was moving slowly and Hermione didn't dare shake it for fear of being stuck in the past longer or worse, being transported back even farther in time.

Hermione was awakened one early October Saturday morning by a light tapping on her window. She sat up and looked out the window, expecting to see an owl, but saw nothing. She shuffled to the window only to be greeted by a flurry of crimson robes flying past the window. Hermione flung the window open and peered out to see what she assumed was Gryffindor's seeker diving fast for the golden snitch.

She crossed her room and checked the clock; it was only seven in the morning, and there wasn't even a Quidditch match that day. Curious as to what was going on, Hermione stripped out of her night gown, took a quick shower and threw on a rose colored robe she had once again transfigured from an old robe Minerva had left for her. She muttered a quick drying spell for her hair, she grabbed the jade colored cloak she had transfigured over two weeks ago and made her way out of her chambers and down to the main doors of the castle.

Outside, the sun was shining and the dew was still on the ground. She crossed the grass, heading for the pitch when something caught her eye. It was tiny and golden, fluttering about two meters in front of her. Her eyes widened when she realized that it was the Snitch and she whipped around looking for the seeker. Instead of seeing the red robe clad seeker, she saw a black robed figure heading toward the castle from the main gates. She couldn't imagine who would be coming to Hogwarts this early in the morning.

The figure drew closer, and by this time, Hermione could tell by the stride that it was a male. Instead of turning and going back into the castle, curiosity got the better of her and she stayed right where she was. "Heads up!" a loud male voice screamed from behind her.

Hermione whipped around to see the red headed male on a broom fly by her with his arm outstretched. The dew on the ground was slippery and Hermione lost her balance. Her arms flailed to compensate for her fall. Two strong arms caught her around the waist before she could hit the ground and she was hauled up against the person's chest. "That Weasley will never learn," the voice said.

Hermione inwardly groaned and slowly turned around to face the man she had seen walking up the path to the castle. It was Severus. Hermione pushed the hair from her eyes and turned back to see the young man on the broom land about three meters from them then dash to her side. Hermione came face to face with a young Bill Weasley. Hermione knew that he had attended Hogwarts more than a decade before her, but she couldn't remember what position he had played for on the house team. Judging by his height and apparent age, she guessed that he may have been in his final year at Hogwarts. "I am so sorry!" he apologized. "We weren't going to let the Snitch loose but Kevin thought it would be fun to see who could find it first. Kind of a cool down after practice," he babbled.

"Enough," Severus said. "Mr. Weasley, do be careful next time you decide to track down a snitch. Someone is likely to get hurt." Bill nodded and trotted off, leaving Hermione to stare after the young man. "And you, Miss Lindon," he began.

"Mia," she said, not looking back at him. "I'm tired of you calling me Miss Lindon. My name is Mia," she insisted. 'Actually my name is Hermione, but if I told you that, my world would be in serious jeopardy,' she said to herself.

Severus let out a sigh. "Very well, Mia," he said. "Whatever are you doing out here, standing around practically begging to be hit in the head with his broomstick?"

Hermione told him about seeing the snitch outside the window when she woke up and how she had come outside to see what was going on. "I didn't think I was going to need to protect myself from a runaway student on a broom." Severus nodded and turned away from her, heading for the castle. "Where are you going?" she asked, following him.

"I have work to do," he answered. As she followed him, he pulled out his wand and tapped the wall of the castle to reveal a door.

"It's you!" she said out loud. "Every morning when I come out here for a walk, someone closes a door. It's you."

"Well, it only took you two weeks to solve that mystery," he drawled. She followed him into the dungeons as he made his way through the halls. "Why, pray tell, are you following me?" he asked.

"Why are you out there every morning?"

"Did it not occur to you that maybe it's how I get into the castle in the morning? Perhaps I don't like passing though the throng of students in the morning," he said, not turning to her or slowing his pace.

"Well, why do you leave to begin with?"

Severus stopped and turned, but Hermione hadn't and she practically collided with him. "What are you talking about?"

Hermione scrunched up her face as she looked at him. "Don't you live in the castle?"

"What ever gave you that idea?"

"Well, Severus it's not like I haven't seen... oh," she stopped. She shook her head and thought about the time period again. He wasn't a professor yet, merely an apprentice. He didn't live in the dungeons yet. "So, you live..."

"Not here," he supplied, "yet you're under the impression that..." he waited for her to answer.

"Nothing. It's been a very strange morning, starting with the Snitch, and it ends here. Good day," she said, as she started to walk away.

"Wait," he said and she turned back to him. "if you're not doing anything, I could use some help with a potion I'm working on."

She gave him a lop-sided smile. "You're asking for my help."

"If you've got something better to do..."

"No, no, it's just that..." she didn't finish the sentence for fear of catching herself in another trap. "Sure, I'll be more then glad to help. What are you working on?" Hermione took off her cloak and laid it on top of his, across the back of a chair.

He strode into the empty laboratory and pulled out a cauldron and several vials and glass beakers. "I am working on completing a Polyjuice Potion."

Hermione's eyes widened in amusement. She coughed to hide her burst of laughter. "You don't say."

"You do know what a Polyjuice Potion is, don't you Miss... Mia," he asked.

"Yes, I know what it is," she answered. "I've actually made one before," she said, lighting a fire under the cauldron as he stirred the thick goo of the potion he had started.

"Really? How did it turn out?" he asked with sincere curiousity.

"It was a complete success," she said. In truth, her Polyjuice Potion had been a success. She had managed to transfigure Harry and Ron into the two Slytherin cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. Had she managed to grab the right hair, Hermione might have turned into a Slytherin, but in her haste, she grabbed a cat hair and turned into said creature. She shook her hair with a roll of her eyes. She tucked her hair behind her ear and measured out some of the boomslang.

"How have you been occupying yourself?" he asked as he added more ingredients then stirred the thickening potion.

"I spend most of my time in the library or touring the castle. I've forgotten how large it is," she told him and sat down on a stool.

He nodded but didn't answer as he concentrated on his work. Several minutes passed as Hermione watched his graceful movements over the cauldron. His brow was pressed together and his lips were pressed in a thin line. She watched as a strand of hair broke free of the band at the nape of his neck and fell in his face. He tried to blow it out of his line of vision but again it fell in his eyes. Severus swore quietly, but continued his work. "May I?" Hermione whispered.

"If you insist," he replied, not looking up. She stood and walked around the table to stand beside him. She stood up on her toes, reached to him and gently brushed the stray hairs away and tucked them behind his ear. She fell back on her feet and looked up at him. Severus was one of her best friends, but this was not her Severus. She bit the inside of her lip and continued to watch him. Feeling her gaze on him, Severus looked down into her eyes, and Hermione quickly looked away, her cheeks flushed.

When she looked back, she noticed that his sleeves were partially rolled up. She could see a black mark snaking its way up under the sleeve. "Severus, your arm," she said.

"What?" he mumbled, looking down. He moaned and rolled his sleeves back down. Severus immediately put out the fire and began cleaning up the mess.

"Where are you going?" she asked. She already knew though. Hermione had seen the Dark Mark on his arm when she was a teenager. She knew it had been activated and that he was being summoned.

"I must go," he said, finishing up. "You must not tell anyone about what you saw. Do you understand?" he asked her with more urgency in his voice than anger.

"I won't say anything," she assured him. Severus crossed the room with Hermione on his heels. "Can I do anything?"

He grabbed their cloaks and threw his over his shoulders before holding Hermione's out to her. She turned around and he draped it over her shoulders. By the time she had turned back, he was already halfway down the hall. She clasped her cloak and dashed after him. As she followed him outside into the mid morning sun, he stopped and turned back to her, thrusting a piece of rolled parchment into her hand. "Give this to Albus. It's important," he said.

Hermione looked up at him with concern in her eyes. She knew he survived because he was alive in the future. Her eyes widened at that moment. What if her presence changed that? "Please be careful," she told him.

He nodded once then turned around and headed down the path to the gates. Hermione watched him Apparate once he had passed beyond the grounds of Hogwarts.

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End Chapter 2

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Thanks for reading! Please review!