Ta da! Bows to readers.My thanks to everyone who has enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. Also, a very, very special kiss to the person who helped me overcome some of the more difficult parts of this story. You know who you are and what you did, my fellow movie marathoner! Another half-boiled, slightly underdone chapter, I couldn't concentrate very well with the Half Blood Prince dominating my mind. :P

Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Blank Slates

Severus strode back to the dungeons, mercilessly deducting house points from several unsuspecting Hufflepuffs unfortunate enough to cross his path. He was infuriated. His young wife was clearly more trouble than he had given her credit for. For years, he had known that Potter and Weasley were the driving force behind the three's numerous death-defying exploits; arrogant and strutting bastards that they were, but he had thought of Hermione as the unwilling sidekick strung along in schemes that Severus was sure would test the limits of McGonagall's nine tabby lives. Now, however, it was clear to him that she was just as accomplished as her two counterparts at courting undue excitement. Frustrated, Severus summoned a bottle of Firewhisky from his private stores and downed half the contents before sitting the bottle down on his mahogany desk. Somewhat calmed by the fiery alcohol surging through his veins, he sat back on his chair to replay his meeting with the Headmaster.

Severus thought that he really should not have been surprised at Potter's presence in Dumbledore's office. Since the end of the boy's fifth year, Albus had, for some reason, kept Potter informed of most (if not all) of the efforts of the Order. Severus had voiced his initial disapproval of the Headmaster's decision; the boy did not need to feel any more self-important that he already did, but later, he privately conceded that the fastest way for the boy who lived to remove himself from Hogwarts prematurely was for him to go rampaging on some misguided, self-appointed mission. And since Dumbledore was allowing Potter into most of the Order meetings, Severus supposed he might as well use the given opportunity to throw out tantalising baits and hints to him then. He was, however, unsurprised that Potter blamed him for his friend's disappearance. After all, the kid has got it in for him since their very first meeting.

Severus was fairly confident that Albus had deliberately withheld some significant details about Hermione's disappearance from him, just as he was certain that there was more to the Headmaster's decision to appoint Sybill Trelawney as Hogwarts' Divination Professor than meets his scowling eyes. Severus was displeased. How was he supposed to do anything with the limited information provided by the Headmaster?

Severus had meant it when he told Dumbledore that he would not permit Hermione to be used against them through a lack of care on his part. He hated her intrusion in his life, yes, but when he had accepted Dumbledore's proposal, he made a tacit agreement with the Headmaster to protect the girl from harm. Severus despised backing out from his promises. Grudgingly, Severus Snape admitted that it would have been prudent for him to listen to his wife last night. Unfortunately, his pent-up frustrations at her attempts of reconciliation angered him, and he had wanted to drive his message home. He had thought that the name of Snape would be a successful enough deterrent for the likes of Malfoy; and had reasoned that Dumbledore could always be used as his excuse to discourage the Dark Lord from paying too much notice to his wife. Now, with Hermione out of his reach, he would be helpless even if he genuinely wanted to protect her. Worse still was the possibility that his behaviour might have undermined his efforts to prevent the Death Eaters from getting hold of her; could he have pushed her straight into their loving arms?

However, the Potions master was not a person to cry over split milk; Severus loathed the stuff. He would just have to wait for the events to run their course.

Harry and Ron returned to the Headmaster's office that afternoon, and had received a slightly different version of the story from Dumbledore. They stepped out of the revolving staircase, feeling discomposed, as though they had just finished a particularly difficult journey on a Thestral's back. As they walked away, Harry listened numbly to his friend's rage.

"What does Dumbledore mean, Hermione's stuck in the past? The greasy git! Snape was suppose to be protecting her, and what does the great dingbat do?' Ron paused to take a deep, angry breath, and continued, "He sends her running right into the past!"

Harry mumbled distractedly, "She's fine in the past, Ron, Dumbledore said she was; he saw her himself. But she disappeared from the past too, didn't she? Even Dumbledore doesn't know when she would end up after that." Harry grabbed Ron's shoulders, forcing him to stop and face him. Ron saw the despair clouding the usual gleam in Harry's eyes as he whispered hoarsely, "A hundred years into our future? Or into the middle ages? Ron, they prosecuted witches in the fourteenth century, they burn them!"

Ron was silent for a moment; six years of friendship had enabled him to read his friend like an open book. Harry was close to sinking into another depression, just like he did when Sirius fell through the veil in the Department of Mysteries. It had taken the combined efforts of Hermione and himself to coax Harry back to his normal self. Hermione was not here to help him this time; he would have to manage without her.

"Well, Hermione knows how to perform a Flame-Freezing Charm," he said carefully, and waited for Harry to respond.

When Harry remained silent, Ron ventured even more cautiously, "And also, can you imagine Hermione missing an exam?" Ron stopped to let his words sink in. "She'll be back in time for our NEWTS, Harry, she's Hermione, the girl who screamed because a boggart said she failed her tests."

Harry managed a slight smile.

Mel. She was Mel now, not Hermione. She would probably never be Hermione again.

Hermione had gone to see Dumbledore the day after she had arrived in the past. She had wanted to know about her chances of going home in the near future. Dumbledore was sympathetic, but had regretfully informed her that while she had every chance of returning, there was also a possibility that the after-effects of her encounter could send her further into the past. Hermione mentally threw her hands up at that thought, and figured that she would do better to try and fit comfortably into the current situation.

The first obstacle that Hermione found herself needing to overcome in order to live a near-normal life again was Severus Snape. It was her misfortune that she found a constant reminder of her pain when she had thought to escape it. Hermione was dumbstruck when she saw him appear in the hospital wing, and was even more uncomfortable when he had introduced himself as 'Severus', she would probably never know him as anyone else but 'Snape'. She was tempted to give 'Severus' the same cold shoulder she had given 'Snape', her anger and sorrow over Snape's treatment of her a constant ache in her heart, but her fairness won through in the end; No one deserved to be punished for something they have not even done yet. Hermione reluctantly decided to give Severus a chance. They would start from a blank slate.