Hermione Granger opened her eyes on Friday morning, and stared at the green velvet canopy above her. She wondered why it wasn't scarlet. She rolled over on her side looking for a window, she found one, but instead of bright sunlight shining through, all that was visible was the lake's blue waters.
The events of the day before came flooding back to her, spilling the Tempus Novo potion, and getting stuck twenty years in the past. She wondered how long it would take Dumbledore to fix the problem.
She slipped into her Slytherin uniform, and looked at herself in the mirror. 'Green and silver doesn't look so bad on you.' she thought.
The clock on the wall said it was eight fifteen and she had better hurry if she wanted to eat before her first day of classes as a Slytherin.
Hermione left the girls dorms and walked downstairs into an empty Slytherin common room. Apparently everyone had already left for breakfast.
"Hey wait up!" a voice called from upstairs. Hermione looked up to see Stella Sinistra skip down the stairs. "We can walk together!"
"All right," Hermione smiled.
"I don't think I introduced myself yesterday," she said, panting from running downstairs. "I'm Stella, Stella Sinistra. I'm a sixth year."
"Haylie Greene, seventh year," Hermione continued smiling as they left the Slytherin common room.
"Oh I know you're name!" Stella beamed. "The whole school is talking about you!"
"Talking about me?" Hermione gave a tiny laugh. "Why on Earth would they be talking about me?"
"Well you're the new girl who pulled her wand on James Potter and his friends. That takes guts!" Stella, who was shorter then Hermione, jogged to keep up.
"Well James Potter and Sirius Black were being absolutely dreadful to Severus! I couldn't just stand there and watch them torment him."
Stella smirked at Hermione. "Do you like him?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Severus! Do you like Severus? He's been looking for a girlfriend you know. He's had some rotten luck in the love department lately."
Hermione couldn't believe she was having this conversation with someone who would later become one of her professors. She also found it rather amusing that they were having the conversation about Professor Snape.
"You're being awful quiet!" Stella smiled happily. "You do like him don't you?!"
"I never said that!" Hermione laughed. "I've only just arrived at Hogwarts yesterday!"
"I swear I won't tell anyone!" Stella giggled before ducking into the Great Hall. She was already sitting with her fellow sixth years before Hermione had a chance to say anything else. She sighed and took a seat next to Severus.
"Haylie!" He smiled. "Tell me, how was your first night in the castle?"
"It was fine," Hermione said sweetly, helping herself to some breakfast.
"Haylie, I must say, you look great in Slytherin colors," Lucius said from across the table.
Hermione blushed slightly before saying "Thank you."
"Are you excited for your first day of classes?" Bellatrix asked, her mouth full of french toast.
"Oh very! I'm very interested in what kind of assignments I'll get here! What's the schedule for today?" she asked, her eyes glowing.
"Double Potions, then after lunch, it is Care of Magical Creatures and then Dark Arts," Severus said energetically.
"Double Potions?" Hermione groaned. "On my first day too…"
"You don't like Potions class?" Lucius asked.
"No it's just that…" she spoke slowly. "In my other school, the Potions professor was a bit of a prat." She smirked at Severus. "He gave us so much homework."
"Sounds horrible!" Severus said.
"Yes, but he isn't such a bad guy once you get to know him," She continued to smile. "So is it Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon?"
"No, that's on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays and Fridays it's Dark Arts." Severus said.
"You've never taken a Dark Arts class, Haylie?" Lucius looked at her suspiciously.
"Well….I…." she started.
"Headmaster Dumbledore is trying to do away with it," Lucius said bitterly. "It would be a real shame if they did."
"Yes, could you imagine Hogwarts with out a Dark Arts course?" Severus frowned
"It's not right," Lucius scowled. "Hogwarts should be teaching it's students their full potential. Honestly though, we will never be working to full potential as long as they're letting mudbloods in."
After breakfast she followed Severus, Lucius and Bella upstairs to the third floor where the old Potions room was. It was the same place she ended up after getting sent to this time.
Hermione noticed all the desks seemed to be taken so she squeezed in with Lucius and Severus at their lab table.
"Severus!" James Potter's voice rang out. Hermione glared at him.
"Leave us alone, Potter." She said, patience wearing thin. She felt like she was talking to Draco Malfoy.
"He didn't say anything!" Sirius said from beside James.
"Yes, I really just wanted to know," James smirked. "When do you two start detention?"
"Good Morning, class!" A pleasant witch bounced into the class, stopping what could have been an ugly scene.
Hermione heard Lucius and Severus mumble something next to her, but she didn't pay attention.
"Today we will be starting to brew a mild Veritaserum, which you will be testing with your partners next week. So, let's hope you brew it correctly!" she smiled sweetly. "You'll find all the ingredients you need in the cupboard, so let's get started."
The professor walked happily over to her, smiling brightly. "You must be Haylie Greene," she said. "I'm Professor McKinnon."
That name rang a bell somewhere in Hermione's head. She thought hard, who did she know named McKinnon? Then she remembered Moody's photo with the original members of the Order. Marlene McKinnon was a witch who died sometime after the year James Potter graduated. Could this be the same McKinnon?
"Pleasure to meet you," Hermione smiled.
"Since you don't have a partner, you can partner with Mr. Snape and Mr. Malfoy," she said. "How are you with Potions, dear?"
Hermione grinned, she was here because she correctly brewed an extremely difficult potion, and as badly as she wanted to tell Professor McKinnon that, she bit her tongue. "I received an O on my Potions O.W.L.," Hermione said in her most matter of fact tone.
"Well that's fantastic, dear!" she beamed and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Potions isn't exactly Mr. Malfoy's or Mr. Snape's strong point."
"Glad to help," Hermione smiled.
"Wonderful!" Professor McKinnon said happily, before getting side tracked. "Peter! Peter, dear, that's a bit much powdered unicorn horn…."
It felt very odd for Hermione being in Potions class in Nineteen-Seventy Seven. Not only was her Potions teacher a sweet woman, who did not yell at anyone for making tiny mistakes, but she, Hermione Granger, was showing Severus Snape how to correctly add the ingredients for a Veritaserum.
"So do you just not like Potions?" she asked him quietly.
"I do like Potions; I just have never really gotten a grasp on it." He answered as he added a few Joberknoll feathers. "I mean it's not like it matters, this is my final year. I don't plan on getting a job in the Potions field. What would I do? Be the Potions Master at Hogwarts?" he laughed.
Hermione giggled at this. "So what do you want to do when you get out of here?"
"I'd really like to maybe be an Auror. I want to do something special with myself," he sighed. "Wouldn't it fun to be a spy? Work for a secret organization…"
Hermione smiled, but felt a wave of sadness on the inside. Was that why he joined the Death Eaters?
After lunch, she followed Severus outside for her first ever Care of Magical Creatures lesson as a Slytherin.
"Welcome class!" a middle aged wizard with graying hair said happily. "Today we will be starting the care of a very unique creature."
Hermione had flashbacks of all of Hagrid's 'unique' creatures. She noticed the class around her move uncomfortably.
"He's brought in some vicious looking animals." Lucius whispered. "Bella almost lost her arm to a baby dragon last year."
"These creatures require very special care, and they should be treated with great respect," the professor said as he walked over to a large basin. He reached in and held up a baby Kneazle.
Hermione felt her girly side take over and let out an "Aww!"
"This is a four week old Kneazle." The professor held up a tiny tan and black spotted cat, it looked almost like a tiny cheetah. "Your assignment until the end of the term in December is to take care of your Kneazle like it was your own. I don't have enough for everyone so you'll need to partner up and share the responsibility. Now come on, everyone come get one."
"Severus, would you like to be partners with me?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"All right then," He smiled.
They walked up to the basin and looked at all the kittens which were about the size of regular kittens. They all chirped and mewed looking anxiously up at Hermione and Severus.
"Which one?" Hermione asked him, completely taken with all of them.
"I like this one…" Severus reached down and picked up one with speckled black spots all over, large ears, and a white belly.
"That's a girl," the professor said to the pair of them. "You'll have to name her, and I don't believe I caught your name Miss…." He looked at Hermione.
"Greene. Haylie Greene, sir." Hermione offered.
"Very well Miss Greene. I'm Professor Kettleburn. Have you evey handled Kneazles before?"
"No this would be my first time, I do have a large cat at home that I take care of," said Hermione. She knew Professor Kettleburn; he was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher who retired the year before Hagrid started teaching.
"You there!" Kettleburn suddenly shouted, looking over Hermione's shoulder. She turned around to see James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter handling two Kneazles. Peter was holding one upside down by it's tail.
"All four of you have detention for improper handling of a magical creature." Kettleburn growled. "You also are receiving no higher then a C on this project, which is an absolute shame, as it counts as fifty percent of your final grade. I'm also confiscating your Kneazles; you'll have to do all your research in the library, boys."
"But, sir," James started.
"Fifty points from Gryffindor as well."
Hermione heard Severus, Lucius, and Bellatrix burst into laughter behind her.
"As for the rest of you, your Kneazle will be like your child. You must take care of it, feed it, bring it to classes if you'd like," Kettleburn said. "Just not transfiguration." He added, which stirred laughter from the students.
"What should we name her?" Hermione asked, petting the feline affectionately.
"Ive always been rather fond of the name Chloe," said Severus.
I wanted to tell you all thank you for your great reviews. Please keep them coming, the more reviews I get the faster I get the next chapter out.