Disclaimer: The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine. I just play with them.

Regarding Time Travel
Three

Hermione suddenly felt quite shy as she strolled into the Great Hall beside Snape. She couldn't help but notice the way hundreds of little eyes were glued to she and Snape as they made their way up to the head table, nor could she ignore the whispers that started as she took a seat between Snape and McGonagall.

"Hermione!" Minerva exclaimed once she'd sat down, taking her hand in her own and patting it gently. "It is just so wonderful to see you, my dear, dear girl! How was the walk from Hogsmeade?"

"Muddy," Hermione confessed, giving her friend a smile. "The path was horrific."

"Oh, I can imagine," Minerva replied. "We had the most wretched storms just a few days ago. Weren't they just horrible, Severus?"

"Yes," Snape said shortly as he took a sip from his wine glass, "horrible."

"I'm sure they made the path into a terrible, mucky mess," Minerva concluded. "I do hope your shoes weren't ruined."

"Oh no," Hermione said, "I just cast a few charms to wick the mud away."

"Of course you did," Minerva replied, beaming at her. "You always were able to think of just the right charms for every situation."

Their conversation waned momentarily when their meal appeared on their plates. Hermione, feeling as though it had been simply ages since she'd had that quick lunch before she left her flat for Hogsmeade, dug into the meal enthusiastically.

"So tell me, dear," Minerva began after Hermione had been eating for a few moments. "Was Severus able to help you with your potions quandary?"

"Yes," Hermione said, nodding, "Professor Snape was very helpful." She chose to ignore the snorting sound Snape made upon this pronouncement and flashed Minerva a quick grin.

"Well, that is very good news," Minerva said as she took a delicate bite of her piece of roast beef also choosing to ignore Snape. "So, Hermione, how is everything with Ronald?"

Hermione frowned as the subject turned to her relationship with Ron and looked down at her plate, turning her gaze away from her old friend and mentor. She pushed at her mashed potatoes with her fork and tried to think of a suitable answer. Hermione supposed she should have better prepared herself for this line of questioning as Minerva was always pestering her about marrying Ron. "Actually, Minerva," Hermione said as she looked up at her friend, settling for telling the truth, "Ron and I have decided to split up."

"No!" Minerva exclaimed, dropping her fork onto her plate and sending mashed potatoes flying. Hermione thought the older woman looked quite silly, her mouth hanging open like a fish and potatoes smattered onto the front of her pristine, tartan robes.

"Yes," Hermione said. "We just weren't able to spend enough time together, what with Ron's traveling for quidditch, to make the relationship work. So, we decided to give it up." She paused to shrug. "We're better at being friends anyway, I think."

"Well, that is just devastating! I was hoping the two of you would marry!" Minerva said, clucking her tongue. "Isn't that too bad, Severus?"

"Yes, I am devastated by the news," Snape drawled from his place beside Hermione, drawing her attention to him. She watched as he cut off a piece of his slice of roast beef, stabbed it with his fork, and stuck it in his mouth before turning his head slightly in her direction so that he might look at her and raise his eyebrow questioningly.

Hermione pursed her lips and looked back at her own plate, continuing to push her potatoes around with her fork. It bothered her, for some reason, that Snape looked at her that way. It also bothered her that he seemed completely indifferent towards the happenings of her life. Not that she could honestly expect him to have given half a damn about her, but was it too much to expect a standard "oh, I'm sorry, Miss Granger" from him when he heard that the potential love of her life had left her?

"You'll find, Miss Granger," Snape said softly, interrupting her thoughts, "that you'll receive the potatoes' full nutritional benefits if you eat them instead of simply just play with them."

"Oh really?" Hermione replied, deliberately mashing her potatoes with the fork to create a lovely grid pattern. "That is interesting, Professor."

Minerva cleared her throat loudly and suddenly, causing Hermione to redirect her attention to her friend and leaving Snape to dine once again in silence. "And how is Harry doing, Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged and offered her friend another small smile. "Oh, you know Harry. Doing his best to save the world all day, every day."

Minerva nodded, smiling back at Hermione. Minerva, Hermione noted, made no effort to hide the glow of pride that overtook her features at the thought of Harry and his accomplishments. "He's such a good boy."

"He is," Hermione agreed, nodding, and just barely noticing the scoffing noise Professor Snape made.

"Very good looking as well," Minerva continued, "and if I remember correctly, he's not seeing anyone…"

"No," Hermione responded quickly. "No, married to that work of his. Such a hard worker. Not interested in dating. Especially not girls he knew at Hogwarts or who know him as the boy who saved the world and all that," Hermione rambled, desperately trying to stop Minerva before she even suggested that she and Harry try to become an item. "He said he's thinking about dating Muggles. Exclusively."

"Oh," Minerva said, visibly disappointed. "I see."

"Yes," Hermione nodded, relieved that she was able to get her point across without having to spell it out for her friend.

"You know," Minerva said, leaning over slightly and whispering conspiratorially into Hermione's ear, "Severus is still single."

And with that, Hermione pushed her chair away from the table and stood quickly. "Well, dinner really has been lovely and it's been so wonderful to see you, Minerva, but I am positively exhausted, so I'm afraid I must go to sleep. Will I be staying in the same rooms as last time?"

"Well, yes, of course, dear," Minerva began, "I've had the elves take your bags from Severus's lab over to the rooms. But certainly you'll stay for dessert, won't you?"

Hermione stepped away from the table, pushing her chair back under. "Oh no, I'm just so exhausted. We'll talk more in the morning, Minerva, at breakfast and afterwards."

Hermione paused to turn to look at the back of Snape's head. "Thank you for the assistance with the potions today, Professor," she said quickly and after giving Minerva one last grin, she fled the Great Hall. Hermione practically ran all the way through the castle to her guest rooms, thinking the entire time about the immeasurable embarrassment that would have inevitably followed if Minerva had begun to try to fix Hermione up with Snape.

-

The house elves who had made up Hermione's rooms were either of a new generation or had somehow managed to completely forget her ill-fated attempts to liberate their entire race. When she entered her rooms, she saw that a fire was crackling merrily in her fireplace, but charms had been cast to keep the temperature of the room comfortably warm. On the table before the fire lay a plate of what appeared to be that night's dessert which she had been forced to forfeit by her urgent need to flee the Great Hall.

Strolling over to her bed, she saw that it had been made with the school's best linens, the ones that were always put on Harry's bed when he came to visit. She usually got the lowest thread count, scratchiest, cotton sheets the elves had stored in the very back of the linen closet. Hermione saw that they had unpacked her overnight bag, laying her nightie at the end of the bed. Taking the few steps to the wardrobe, she opened its doors and saw that her clothes for the next day had been hung up carefully, and that her empty overnight bag lay inside on the bottom floor of the piece.

She walked back to the bed, took off her clothes, and pulled on her nightgown. She then picked up her discarded clothes, folded them up neatly, and stuck them in her bag. Closing the wardrobe doors when she was done, Hermione turned to find her book bag. She quickly saw that the elves had considerately placed it beside the desk that was situated in a corner of the room beside the fireplace.

Hermione crossed the room and seated herself behind the desk. Leaning back in her chair, she stretched her back before pulling from her bag the two thousand paged volume on time turners she had brought with her for a little light reading before bed. She opened the book to the introduction, shifted in her chair so that she could seat herself more comfortably and tuck her legs beneath her, and began to read. She had just come to the second chapter of the book when she heard a quick, perfunctory knock on her door. Picking up her wand from where it lay on the desk beside her book, she took down the wards absently, and called, "Come in!"

She heard the door open and close as someone stepped inside the room. "Just one second, please," Hermione said as she reached into her bag, trying to pull out a piece of parchment to mark her place while keeping her eyes on the text.

"Oh, please take your time, Miss Granger," the low voice of her visitor drawled"I can most certainly spare my entire night to wait for you to mark you place." Hermione froze in her seat as she registered the identity of the voice's owner. Shaking her head, she grabbed up a piece of parchment, stuck it in the book hurriedly, and stood up from her seat, turning around to look at her guest.

"Good evening, Professor," she said, suddenly wishing she hadn't decided to bring her short black nightie. The damned thing didn't even have sleeves and the neckline was low enough that he could see, well, practically everything. Her discomfort grew greatly at this thought and led Hermione to cross her arms in front of her chest. "What can I do for you?"

"Inviting me to take a seat would be the most polite course of action," he said as his eyes quickly took in her form, making her feel, if it were possible, even more uncomfortable.

"Well, yes," Hermione replied, "by all means, have a seat."

Snape nodded, pulling his robes closer to him as he took a seat in one of the high backed leather chairs before the fire. He raised an eyebrow as he let his gaze sweep over her once again. "Won't you be joining me, Miss Granger?"

"Er," said Hermione, thinking of how high the bottom of her nightgown would ride up if she sat, "no. I'd prefer to stand if that's all right."

Snape sneered. "I believe you are allowed to do as you like, Miss Granger. You are a creature of free will, are you not?"

Hermione smiled, though she kept her arms crossed tightly before her. "Last I checked, yes."

"I've spoken to the headmaster about your experiments," he began suddenly, "and he agrees with me that such experimentation is very dangerous, especially for you to do on your own." As he finished, Snape crossed his arms before him as well and gave Hermione a look that seemed to dare her to challenge his statement.

Hermione could not help but to sigh. "I see."

"But," Snape continued, giving her a very solemn glare, "he promised to sleep on the problem and said that he hoped to have an answer to this, er, quandary in the morning. This month's password to his offices is gumdrop. He says that you are to meet with him in his offices when you've finished your breakfast."

Hermione felt her brow furrow for a few seconds as she stared confusedly at her former professor. This was not the turn she had expected their conversation to take. "Really?" she asked, taking a step forward.

"Yes," Snape sneered, "really."

"Oh! Thank you, Professor! I can't thank you enough!" Hermione exclaimed. "Thank you for going to Dumbledore, and thank you for trying to help me with this."

"Don't thank me for helping you. You make me sound entirely too noble," Snape said as he stood abruptly from his chair. "I am merely assisting you so that I might have the opportunity to observe and oversee the experimentation of a Michelson potion. This is a very unique opportunity for the both of us, Miss Granger, and it is not one that I will stand by and let go to waste because a little girl with no Potions training botches it."

Hermione nodded, but did not let Snape see her indignation at being called a little girl. "I understand."

Snape watched her silently for a few moments. "Indeed," he said, turning to walk toward the door. Hermione watched after him as he went, pausing in the doorway to sweep his gaze over her figure once more. "Pleasant dreams, Miss Granger," he said softly in a tone that Hermione could only think to describe as suggestive and smirked at her quickly before closing the door behind him.

She was far too busy gawking at his back, which was quickly replaced in her line of vision by the door, to respond.

-

Breakfast with Minerva was quite painful. Since Snape had decided to not grace the Great Hall with his presence, the older woman had took the opportunity to praise his every aspect in great detail.

"He shampoos now, you know," Minerva said as she buttered her toast. "And uses a very nice light conditioner that is just perfect for his hair."

"How nice," Hermione replied as she stabbed idly at her scrambled eggs with her fork.

"His last girlfriend had been very adamant that he care for his hair, and Severus seemed to like her a great deal, so he happily did as she asked," Minerva continued. "And he's certainly benefited from it. The conditioner is just perfect, you know. Just the right amount of moisture to balance the excess he has. Poor dear."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. It was difficult to imagine Snape having a romantic relationship. "When did he have this girlfriend?"

"Oh, they've only just stopped seeing each other," Minerva explained. "But their ending it was for the best, you know. She was one of those witches who are only interested in attending Ministry galas on the arm of a war hero who has an Order of Merlin pinned to his chest."

"Oh," said Hermione, "one of those witches." Hermione had met plenty of those sort of witches and wizards since she, Harry, and Ron had gotten their Orders of Merlin.

"But Severus isn't seeing anyone now, you know," Minerva said for what Hermione was certain was the thirtieth time that morning.

"Yes," she replied, "you happened to mention that."

"Did I?" Minerva said, failing to conceal the little grin that adorned her face. "Must have slipped my mind."

The rest of the meal had continued in much of the same manner. Hermione heard countless tales of Severus's recent academic accomplishments, how he had assisted in Hagrid in capturing a few dangerous magical creatures that had taken to inhabiting the forbidden forest, how he had taken up knitting and made Minerva a lovely set of mittens for Christmas.

"Knitting?" Hermione had interjected when her friend revealed this particular bit of information. "He knits?"

"Oh yes, dear," Minerva said. "He's quite adept to it as well. He has wonderful tactile skills."

"That's lovely," Hermione said, unable to hide the smile that Minerva's words conjured. "That's really nice."

When they had finished eating and talking, Hermione said one last good bye to Minerva in the Great Hall. She explained to her old friend that she did indeed have to leave breakfast early in order to attend her meeting with the headmaster, but to make up for cutting their visit short, she promised to write her at least once a week and to visit at least once every three months.

Hermione managed to get away from the Great Hall in a relatively short amount of time. As she walked through the hallways of the school until she came to the gargoyle that guarded the stairway to Dumbledore's office, she felt her anticipation build. She hoped and prayed that he would have an answer to her problem and that he would be able to find a way that would allow her to safely conduct her experiment.

When she came to the gargoyle, she gave the password, mounted the first steps to the staircase when they appeared, and hurriedly made her way to the top. She soon found herself standing before the door to the headmaster's office, knocking gently.

"Come in, Miss Granger!" she heard his cheerful voice call from within. She turned the doorknob, opened the door, and stepped inside his office, quickly shutting the door behind her with a decisive snap.

Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, grinning at her, and in one of the chairs before his desk, Severus Snape sat, scowling at her.

"Er," Hermione began, taking a hesitant step forward. "Good morning." Was Snape always so wretched looking in the mornings or had she done something particular to make him grumpier than usual?

"Good morning!" Dumbledore replied. "Please take a seat, Miss Granger, so that we can get right to business."

Hermione nodded and stepping forward, took the seat beside Snape's. She noticed that he had not ceased glowering at her.

Once she had sat down, Dumbledore gestured to the candy bowl on his desk. "Lemon drop?"

Hermione shook her head to decline, and Dumbledore continued speaking. "I thought long and hard about your predicament last night, Hermione," he began. "I know how much the pursuit of knowledge means to you, and I know that once you have assigned yourself a project that you are very, very reluctant to give it up."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir."

The headmaster smiled at her. "Then you will be pleased to learn that I believe I have found a way for you to conduct your experiment in a manner that will not only ensure your safety, but also allow someone else to benefit from your studies."

Hermione began to respond, but stopped when the words Snape had spoken to her the previous evening suddenly passed through her mind. She frowned. A unique opportunity for the both of them, indeed.

"But who will teach Professor Snape's classes while he is away?" Hermione asked.

She ignored the sputtering noises that seemed to erupt from the man beside her and chose, instead, to focus on Dumbledore's cheery expression. "Well done, Miss Granger," the elderly man said. "You have always been a terribly clever girl."

Hermione blushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you, sir."

"That is your master plan?" Snape hissed. "To send me along with the girl? I did not sign on for this, Albus. I simply said that I would watch over the girl's experiments to make sure she didn't blow herself up or put out an eye or something. I had no intentions of time traveling! And why on earth would you think to send me with her!"

"Who better to send, Severus," Dumbledore said, continuing to grin at his employee, "than a brave war hero, a powerful wizard, and a Potions Master who will be able to assist her in the event that something goes wrong with the return potion?"

"Anybody," Snape growled. "Anybody other than myself would be better, Albus."

Dumbledore tilted his head so that he could look sternly over the top of his glasses at Snape. "You're going."

Hermione watched Snape from the corner of her eye as his face turned from its usual pallid color, to a pretty red, to a lovely shade of puce as a vein in his forehead bulged outwards slightly. To his credit, he said nothing.

"I have given this much thought," Dumbledore went on, his expression remaining quite serious. "And if the studying of time travel I have done is correct, if you consume the potion within the castle, you are very likely to be transported into another time period within the castle. Am I correct, Miss Granger?"

"Yes," Hermione replied. "In most instances, this is usually what happens when one time travels. However, given that there are no accounts of the effects of this particular potion, we can only guess what will happen."

"True, true," Dumbledore replied. "However, on the chances that our guesses are correct, we can assume that you will leave this time, but you will never leave the castle. This will make your situation much easier.

"In order to prepare for the worst, I think it is wise that I send you on your journey with letters of introduction and recommendation. I also thought that it might be wise to send you along with something that is kept only by the headmasters of this school. Thought it might lend a bit of validity to your story," Dumbledore said, grinning at his two companions. "I also think it might be wise that you bring a few vials of Beautification Potion along with you."

Hermione, slightly affronted by the thought that Dumbledore was suggested her appearance could do with some adjustments, frowned. "Why is that, sir?"

"Because," Snape growled from beside her. "If we send ourselves back to a time in which we inhabit the castle, we will need to change our appearance to avoid recognition by ourselves."

"Oh," said Hermione, noting that Snape refused to look in her direction. "Right. Of course."

"I believe you have some in stock, Severus?" the headmaster asked.

Snape nodded, and Hermione could not help but stare at him, her eyebrow raised. "It's not for me," he snapped, though he still did not turn his glare on her. "I supply it to some of the elderly witches of Hogsmeade."

"Oh," said Hermione, smiling slightly. It was almost kind of him to provide the witches with the potion, but she supposed he only did it for profit.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I think this is going to be a wonderful experience for the both of you! A chance for two of my most brilliant minds to collaborate on a project! Wonderful. Simply wonderful. I'm sure the two of you will become fast friends!"

Hermione frowned and could see Snape grimace from the corner of her eye.

"Now," Dumbledore said, rising from his seat, "I believe we have covered most of the important bits. I suggest the two of you head back to your rooms and prepare yourselves for your journey! I'll prepare your letters and find you a token to bring."

He paused to look at his watch. "Let's meet in the Room of Requirement tomorrow after breakfast. I think that will be the perfect time to send you off."

Hermione nodded and bid the headmaster a good morning. She stood from her seat and moved to make her way to the door as Snape swept past her dramatically. At least, she thought to herself as she stepped through the doorway after him, it was going to be a very interesting experience.

-
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