Hermione discovered rather quickly that her timing was a little off. She'd hoped to arrive at night, but the corridor was filled with students! She dove behind a pillar to avoid a couple of Ravenclaws who were about to walk right into her. Thank heavens for the invisibility cloak, she thought, mentally hugging Harry for loaning it to her.
It must be between classes, everyone is in a hurry. She waited in her guarded spot for several minutes until the corridor cleared before emerging. She'd see if she could find Professor Snape. . . no, Severus, she reminded herself. . . in one of his classes, then tail him until he could get him alone. Since she was right outside the Potions dungeon, she might as well check there first.
The door was ajar, apparently this Hogwarts' Potions Master, Professor Gruber his name was, preferred fresh air. How convenient, thought Hermione as she tiptoed inside to get a better look at the students who were staring at their instructor as he wrote on the board.
No such luck, thought Hermione. This class contained Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, so was highly unlikely to contain Severus. The clock on the wall indicated that it was two in the afternoon. The last class of the day. She quietly left the room and made her way down the hall and up the stairs toward the nearest set of classrooms.
She peeked in on History of Magic and Transfiguration, amused to see that Binns had changed not at all and Professor McGonagall a bit more (the latter having significantly fewer gray hairs and wrinkles than in her own time), but saw no sign of her quarry. Wanting to exhaust all the main castle options before heading to the greenhouses or the Astronomy tower, she peeked in on the Ancient Runes class and saw what she'd come to see.
The sixth year Ancient Runes class was going over a lesson she herself had learned the week previously. The class held an assortment of students from all four Houses; mostly Ravenclaws, of course, with a few Gryffindors, one Hufflepuff, and three Slytherins. Two Slytherin girls sat next to each other in one of the middle rows, and the lone Slytherin boy sat by himself in the otherwise empty last row. He was hunched over his parchment, alternating between taking notes and chewing on the end of his quill. His lank, greasy hair fell around his face like a curtain as he gazed downwards, shielding the majority of his facial features from view. But he could be no other than Severus Snape, with the tip of his long nose protruding past the ends of his hair.
Hermione carefully entered the room and seated herself in one of the empty chairs in the last row, as silent as she could be. She had several minutes left to observe before the class ended. He stared at the parchment mostly, except for when the Professor showed an example at which he was required to look. When he looked up, gravity dragged his hair away from his face and opened it to Hermione's perusal. His eyes were quite expressionless as he absorbed the material, his mouth set in neither smile nor frown. He had none of the pained, "oh why am I here" look about him that she had always associated with his older self; the closest thing to an expression she saw was the furrowing of his brow when the professor touched upon a difficult point. Whatever else he was, he was definitely paying attention to the lecture.
When the lecture finished, Hermione watched as Severus carefully gathered his books and parchments together and began walking toward the door. Hermione rose and stood to the side watching as a Ravenclaw boy shoved past him, knocking his books to the floor.
"Watch where you're going, Snivellus…" the Ravenclaw jeered as he walked away. The rest of the students continued to push by, ignoring Severus' attempts to keep his books from being trod upon.
Only the two Slytherin girls paid him any further notice. They stopped, and watching him scramble to pick up his things, began to giggle. The taller of the two spoke through her laughter. "You'd think he's a Hufflepuff or something, a real Slytherin would have hexed that boy into tomorrow. But not Snivellus Snape, our house disgrace."
The girls laughed as they departed, one of them kicking Severus' notes out of
the way as she did so. Hermione felt the
anger rising throughout this entire scene, she'd never
had any patience for bullies of any sort and couldn't stand to see a person
picked on. She ignored the little voice
that reminded her that Professor Snape had been one of the biggest bullies
she'd known, for at the moment Severus reminded her far more of poor Neville
than her daunting Potions professor.
She looked around the room. All the students were gone, and the professor too had apparently vanished back into his office. No time like the present, she thought. She tiptoed around where Severus was still gathering his things and left the classroom. No one was watching, as students in Severus' time were apparently as wont to head outside after their last class of the day as in her own time. With one last look all around, she pulled off the invisibility cloak and after stowing it in her bag, walked back into the classroom.
She knelt to the ground beside Severus and handed him the quill that had dropped a few feet away. "Here, you don't want to forget this."
He looked up at her, startled. His gaze traveled to the Slytherin colors on her scarf, then back up to her face. He cautiously accepted his belongings, then asked "Do I know you?"
"No, probably not," she answered in what she hoped was a shy manner. "I'm nobody important."
Severus snorted, "Keep talking to me and I guarantee that will never change. You must be younger than you look, or you'd know that being seen with me is . . .impolitic . . . in Slytherin house."
"That's just stupid," responded Hermione. "If the sorting hat put you in Slytherin, then you're a Slytherin. With the Gryffindor population as high as it is, we shouldn't be taking sides amongst ourselves." Did she really just say that, Hermione wondered?
A small smile crept onto Severus' face, which disappeared almost instantly after. "True. Naïve and having absolutely no basis in reality, but true." Now that Severus had a firm grip on his belongings they stood and looked at one another. He towered over her, apparently having reached his full adult height already. All the better for him to think she's younger, she thought. At least until he trusts me enough for me to tell him otherwise. Which may take a little while.
He continued to stare down at her, then raised his eyebrows inquiringly.
"What?" asked Hermione.
"You're blocking the door," he responded matter-of-factly.
She skittered out of the way. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," he chastened as he left. "They'll walk all over you if you do."
Hermione watched him leave, before donning the invisibility cloak again to follow him down the hall and down the stairs and over to a stone wall. Hermione didn't remember ever seeing a door there, but there one was. Several children were lining up to head through, so Hermione just pulled up the rear and followed quickly behind. She followed a few steps behind Severus and found herself in the Slytherin common room. She stayed close behind as he made his way toward his room. No one along the way spoke to him or acknowledged him; he apparently was something of a pariah in his own House. Who would have thought he'd someday be the head of the House that scorned him, thought Hermione. Rather ironic, actually.
Well, now she knew where his room was. He apparently shared with another boy, for there were two beds, though they were alone at present. Severus dropped his bag onto one of the beds, apparently his, and placed the books he was carrying on the adjacent desk. With nothing but a sigh, he seated himself at the desk and began to study.
Hermione had never been so bored in her life, watching Severus sit and read. She was unable to read along, for he sat hunched over his book much like he had in class, obscuring her view. Every few minutes she glanced over at his clock, which seemed to be moving at about the speed of an earthworm. After an hour, she'd begun to doubt the wisdom of following him in, since he'd closed the door after him and now she was trapped. Her heels were sore from standing, and she was afraid to sit down for fear of being heard or having the imprint of her behind seen on the quilt. She shifted back and forth, waiting for something to allow her escape.
Her small amount of Gryffindor patience near its end, she'd almost decided to expose herself and rely on his mother's letter being sufficient to ensure his cooperation when the door slammed open and a large, block-faced boy stomped in. The boy, obviously Severus' roommate, did not acknowledge him but merely began rifling through his own things, as if searching for something. Once he found what he was looking for, he strode back out of the room without a word, leaving the door open behind him.
Severus looked up from his book to see the door ajar, and with a sigh, rose to close it. Sensing her chance, Hermione raced out the door before he was out of his seat. She returned to the Common room, where several children were playing, in much the same way as those in her own House often did. Two boys of about her own age were playing wizard chess, while a small group of younger boys and girls were playing Exploding Snap. Hermione sat down on the floor against the back wall, out of foot traffic but well in view of all the doors. If Severus came downstairs, she'd see.
"So why don't you ask her out already," said the dark haired boy at the chessboard to his fairer companion. "You've been mooning over her for months now."
"Mooning? You must be imagining things," responded his friend.
Dark-hair snickered and shook his head, "Norton, you can't take your eyes off her. Now I admit she's no Florence Midgeon to look at, and she may even be part veela for all I know, but I can still formulate complete sentences in her presence, whereas you . . ."
"I what?" challenged Norton as he took a black pawn with his knight.
"You stutter."
"I. . .I do not. . .stutter," Norton spurted. "Just because I don't have your poetic turn of phrase, Gavin, does not mean that I stutter."
Gavin grinned and moved his queen, placing Norton in check. "Stop wasting your time trying to convince me and ask her out already. How about next Hogsmeade weekend? I'll be going with Prue anyway, and three's a crowd. We could double date."
"I can't," Norton's face paled at the suggestion. "You know she's dating Travers. He'll transfigure me into an egg. And crush me!"
"Do you need some skele-gro or something, because it sounds like you're missing a spine. I know you like her, you know you like her, she would have to be blind and deaf not to know you like her as well, so just do it." Gavin's exasperation with his friend was becoming apparent.
Norton directed his king out of harm's way before muttering, "What do I look like, a Gryffindor?"
"I'll dare you. Ten galleons if you'll do it."
"Well, I don't know. . ."
Hermione's fascination with the conversation was put aside as she saw Severus come down the stairs and head towards the exit. She scrambled to her feet and followed him out the door.
Severus walked quite fast, his eyes aimed low as to avoid eye contact with any passing by him. Hermione had to struggle to keep pace with him as he made his way up several flights of stairs to . . .the library. Madame Pince nodded to him as he entered, which was probably a friendlier greeting than she'd ever given Hermione. Severus nodded back and walked straight through to the stacks, as if he knew just what he was looking for. He barely stopped to pluck his chosen book from the shelf before whirling back to find a seat. The library was nearly abandoned, but still Severus chose a table off in the corner, a secluded table in an almost empty room. He sat down and began to read.
Again, Hermione found herself bored as she watched him. Was this what her friends felt like when they cajoled her to leave her studies in favor of a romp in the snow? She refused to let her thoughts go that way and decided instead that she'd pay Severus another visit. She sought shelter in the stacks to remove her cloak, then emerged to greet her charge again.
He didn't look up as she approached, and if she craned her neck, she could see that the book he was reading was "Curses and Countercurses: Advanced Course". Hermione had never seen this particular book on the shelves, which surprised her since she thought she'd seen them all. She pulled out a chair and sat down next to him, causing him to jump.
"Merlin's teeth, didn't anyone ever teach you not to sneak up on someone when they're reading," snapped Severus.
Hermione giggled, "Sorry, I'll be sure to wear a bell next time. So who's the victim?"
"What do you mean?"
"Since you're reading up on curses, I figured you've got a target in mind," she replied, motioning toward the book. She ventured a guess. "It wouldn't be Potter or Black, would it?"
Severus eyed her suspiciously, "Why do you say that?"
Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes, "Come on now, Severus, everyone knows how much you hate them, even in my class." That was technically true. His older self had professed hatred for the two of them on multiple occasions. "They'd be natural targets for you." She recalled a story Harry'd told her after Professor Snape died about how his father had treated their Professor when they went to school together. "And they'd certainly deserve it."
Severus' eyes warmed a little at her words, though they still shined with something like disbelief. "What did they do to you?"
"Nothing," she replied honestly. "I just know how they treat others." Namely you, she thought.
"Well, whether they deserve it or not, I'm not likely to be able to do anything about it. The Old Bat defends them, no matter what they do. Anything for his precious Gryffindors," he sneered.
Hermione swallowed. Severus certainly still has a grudge against the headmaster, which does not bode well for asking for his help. She'd have to be creative. Or if worse comes to worse, rely on his mum's letter.
"Mr. Snape, Miss . . . anyway, aside from reminding you that this is a library, and that libraries are for study and not conversation, you might want to also consider that it is now suppertime."
Two young heads whipped toward the clock on the wall, which showed that it was, indeed, time for supper. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief that Madame Pince glossed over not having any idea who she was, and watched as Severus took his book to Madame Pince, requesting permission to check it out. The librarian granted the request with none of her usual complaints about grubby students. Severus must be a frequent denizen of the library, thought Hermione, or she'd never react so serenely. Unless she, too, has greatly changed in twenty years.
"Well?" Severus prompted as Hermione stood unmoving. "Are you coming to dinner, or were you planning on keeping Madame Pince company all evening?"
Hermione blushed, "Actually, I did come in here to do some reading, although I obviously got sidetracked. I'm really not hungry so I think I'll just stay here and study."
Severus shrugged and wandered out.
Hermione's stomach growled. She'd already figured out how to handle the issue of food, having been inspired by Fred and George's method of acquiring midnight snacks. Unfortunately, her plan required waiting until after everyone else had eaten and then approaching the house elves with sad eyes and outstretched hands. As guilty as she felt asking the house elves to take any special trouble on her account, she justified the action in that it was all for the good of defeating the Dark Lord. But for now, she had to wait.
*****
The house elves were really quite generous, thought Hermione as she sneaked out of the kitchens with about two days worth of food and the books she'd pilfered from the library and headed toward the seven flights of stairs that would take her to her lodging for the next several days, the Room of Requirement.
As anticipated, the room had just what she needed, resembling a muggle efficiency flat. She had a bed, chair, kitchenette, and bathroom, certainly everything she'd need for a short stay incognito in the castle. After stowing the majority of the food save what she planned to eat right then, she made herself at home.
*****
The plan required increasing Severus' exposure to Hermione while arousing as little suspicion as possible. The very next day, Hermione planned on seeing him barely at all. She arranged to be walking down the corridor in the opposite direction as Severus twice, offering nothing but a smile and a wave each time. In this way, Severus was hopefully becoming accustomed to seeing her around without it appearing that she was following him. And of no lesser importance was her need to visit Snape's mother. The day was Tuesday, and Mrs. Snape had indicated that Hermione had visited on a Tuesday. Since she didn't fancy waiting an entire week to pay the call, she would have to go today.
Covered by the invisibility cloak, Hermione made her way to one of the Hogsmeade passages that was known, as far she knew, only to those in her own House. She traversed the long passageway and emerged very near her destination. As she'd had the foresight to eschew her Hogwarts school uniform in favor of ordinary wizarding robes, she was able to walk through the town without receiving much notice.
After having a quick butterbeer for luck, Hermione approached the fireplace in the back of the Hogshead and retrieved her supply of Floo Powder. "The Whistling Snitch Pub in Snape Village," she pronounced, and stepped inside.
The pub's décor had changed since her last visit (or was it the other way around, thought Hermione) but overall the surroundings were quite similar. Hermione made her way to the Snape family shop as if she'd been there yesterday, encouraged by her butterbeer and the foreknowledge of success based on her conversation with the older Mrs. Snape.
The familiar stone building, with its sign pronouncing it "Quality Quills and Ink, Inc." also had not changed much in the twenty years since Hermione's last visit. The paint on the door was fresher, and the trees out front much smaller, but otherwise the same. Verifying that the "OPEN" sign was hanging in the window, Hermione turned the knob of the front door and stepped inside.
A/N: I'll give everyone one guess as to who the Potions Master is named for! Just kidding! It is a nod to Alan Rickman's role in "Die Hard" as Hans Gruber. And of course, thanks again to all the readers and reviewers! Your comments, praise, and criticisms when I unknowingly go off canon are appreciated!