A/N: I'm back! The break was good for me because I was kind of lost as to where this fic would head from now onwards. Anyway, it's getting trickier for me to weave all the plots together, so it'll take longer for me to finish each chapter. I only ask for your patience (and reviews, of course!). Once again, thanks everyone for supporting me!

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A New Life

It was after lunch when Severus Snape strode back to his Potions lab. He had an hour before the second years barged into his Potions classroom for their daily dose of sarcasm; and he intended to put his liberty to good use. Madam Pomfrey had accosted him a week ago with a list of Potions that needed to be replenished in the hospital wing. Severus had groaned when he saw the parchment opened to roll onto his dungeons floor, he really should talk to Poppy about ignoring the students' woes just so she wouldn't have to constantly restock the Potions he made for her.

Before Severus even entered his Potions lab, a whiff of acrid smell invaded his overlarge, hooked nose, causing his eyes to water in discomfit. Severus frowned in confusion. Who could be making potions in his private lab? He didn't think any of the staff, apart from Dumbledore and McGonagall, would willingly enter his domain. He had ensured his own privacy when he first joined the Hogwarts staff by being as hostile to everyone as Dumbledore would allow him to. His intimidation tactic had worked fairly well on the staff at large; most of them respected his need for privacy and solitude. However, Dumbledore and McGonagall, formidable wizard and witch that they were, had never been cowed by Severus' temper. McGonagall, being impatient and sometimes arrogant, had dismissed Severus' hostility towards herself; Dumbledore had simply twinkled himself out of Severus' tirades. Yet, Severus also knew that only Dumbledore would be so indiscrete as to brew strong-smelling potions in his lab. Steeling himself, he prepared for yet another necessary, but largely useless confrontation with the Headmaster.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Professor Dumbledore, what is a creature of the light such as yourself doing in the lair of one great bat?"

There was no answer and Severus scanned the room, slightly annoyed that he had not grasped the current situation fully. There was a cauldron of simmering potion, which accounted for the pungent smell, but there was no trace of the Potion maker. Knowing that it would help him figure out where the Headmaster was hiding, Severus paused and pondered Albus' reason for this intrusion. And because Severus was busy racking his brain, he failed to notice a figure creeping up on him from the open door and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. As a result, he jumped violently and swiftly pulled out his wand from his robes as he turned to face the intruder.

"Professor?" Mel said. "Is there anything wrong?"

Severus blinked for a moment before calming his slightly ragged breath. Feeling like an idiot, he stow his wand away and furiously worked to keep the blush from spreading to his ears. Of course, he should have remembered his new assistant; he had given her the password to his lab this morning and told her to get started on Poppy's list. How could he have forgotten that? He decided that his only excuse was that he had been a lone worker for such a long time; his mind could not immediately register the idea of an assistant.

Gruffly, he said, "It's 'Severus'. How many have you done?"

Mel held up five fingers. "The pepper-up potion," she indicated towards the simmering cauldron, "is the sixth one. I had wanted to make the Skele-Gro, but you were out of the main potion ingredient." She stopped and waited for him to speak.

"Are they all done correctly?" Severus asked for a lack of any thing better to say, and noticed that Mel nodded curtly as her eyes flashed in what was unmistakeably a challenge. So, he thought. She's not intimidated, like I thought she would be. Interesting.

"Well then, since you obviously are able to handle the potions by yourself, I'll leave you to it. However, I'll be checking them later for quality."

Severus turned to leave, but turned around at the last minute to face Mel. "By the way, did you happen to hear what I said when I first came in?"

Mel's hesitantly wicked smile was all the answer he needed.

Severus cursed silently; he could see his reputation going down the drain, "Just don't tell anyone, okay?" he warned sternly. Unfortunately, it sounded a lot like a house-elf's pleadings to him, but he hoped that Mel had not notice, and would see the warning as a real threat. He followed up with his best scowl for precaution.

His precaution came a second too late. The small smile on Mel's face had already bloomed into a fully-fledged smirk.

Furious with himself, Severus swept out of the Potions lab without saying another word.

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading to spare a glance at the grandfather clock standing in a discreet corner of her room, the single hand on the clock's face was pointing eagerly at 'dinner'. Hermione snapped her book shut and stood up, the clock had always insisted that she be punctual for all her meals. At first, Hermione was annoyed; she was a grown woman who did not appreciate taking orders from her furniture. Later, she felt suspicious, whoever heard of the Room of Requirement providing furniture with personalities? Let alone a self-important grandfather clock, complete with all the exasperating wisdom that only a barmy old codger would possess? However, in time, Hermione gave in to the clock's demands, and even began to appreciate its fussing; it had made her feel cherished and wanted.

As Hermione left for the Great Hall, she mused at the ease in which she had settled into her new life. It had only been three weeks since she arrived in the past, but the familiarity of Hogwarts had managed to keep her homesickness at bay for most of the time. Hermione felt guilt welling up inside her as she thought of home; Harry and Ron must surly be as worried as Dobby with a dark secret right now. She only prayed that Dumbledore had offered an adequate explanation for her disappearance that would convince her friends of her safety.

Her thoughts turned to her husband. Hermione was positive that he, at least, would not lament her absence. That made him one less person that Hermione would worry about because of their concern for her. Snape wouldn't be thinking about me, she thought. He'd be thinking about her, the girl worthy of him. Hermione was barely surprised when these thought failed to seized her heart like they used to. Absence might make another person's heart grow fonder, but Hermione was sure that in her case, it would only make hers harder. Hermione had also noticed the puzzling difference between her husband and his past self during her interactions with him. Snape was snarky, bitter, and cruelly sarcastic. Severus was just as snarky, but he was less bitter, and his sarcasm usually held a hint of humour in them, except when it was directed at the students. Hermione wondered what had happened in the thirteen years that had so drastically changed the behaviour and mannerism of the man.

She reached the Great Hall and headed towards her usual seat between Dumbledore and Severus. Hermione had initially wanted to remain inconspicuous in a corner of the High Table, but Dumbledore had insisted that she sat right next to him. Hermione had wanted to argue with the Headmaster, but was cut off by Severus telling her dryly that if he couldn't convince Dumbledore to let him wear lilac-coloured robes to class, she never would succeed with something so much less drastic. Hermione frowned in confusion at that comment, but laughed anyway at the ridiculousness of it all, and accepted the seat between the two men.

Dinner started in full swing, and so did the nightly dinner conversation. Severus dislike talking during meal times, but as usual, Albus and Minerva managed to drag him along like a petulant child in their favourite topic—Severus' bachelorhood. Tonight, however, there was something more to their usual good-natured banter; Severus could smell it in the air and feel it between his fingers. His sixth sense told him to practice caution with those two tonight. Sure enough, it started after the soup was served. Minerva put her spoon down after her first mouthful and said loudly, "Really, Severus, my dear boy. We've been telling you time and again to get yourself settled down with a good woman."

Severus blanched at her forthrightness; she was usually the sneaky one. If Minerva had gone straight to the point so early into dinner, what would Dumbledore, king of all things crude when dealing with Severus, say when it was his turn to speak? Severus broke out of his shocked reverie only to see McGonagall pointedly looking from him to Mel. Severus felt dread creeping up behind him as he finally realised the extent of her intentions tonight. Hoping to stop the ridicule, Severus gave the witch a pointed glare, daring her to continue. Unfortunately for him, the deadly glares, so effective in silencing most of the population of Hogwarts, bounced off McGonagall as happily as Peeves did the empty classroom walls.

An unperturbed Minerva leaned over the Headmaster to address an innocently oblivious Mel. "Don't you think so, Mel? Wouldn't a young woman like yourself fall head over heels for our Potions master there?"

Hermione raised her head in surprise at the direction the conversation was taking. Before she could properly formulate a reply, Dumbledore cut in, eyes dancing. "Ah, my dear professor," he said, turning to McGonagall. "The classic good girl falls for bad boy romance (Severus' eyes widened), very fitting indeed for our dear Severus (and popped). Wouldn't you say so, Mel?" he directed the last question to Hermione.

Hermione never knew a stronger desire to laugh and cry at the same time, and she opted for a tight smile. "Well, professors, I see what you're trying to achieve here. But unfortunately…" Hermione broke off and took her wand from inside her robes, and waved away the illusion charm around her left hand to reveal a ring around her third finger, "as you can see, I'm a married woman."

Severus wondered briefly at Mel's reason for hiding her marital status before Minerva's excited squeal sliced through his eardrums. He looked curiously at the ring. It fitted her delicate finger perfectly, gold and silver intertwining each other, with red and green stones glittering prettily in the middle.

Entranced by such a thing of beauty, he barely heard it when Minerva asked Mel where her husband had gotten the ring. But neither he nor his two colleagues could miss the sadness escaping into her voice when she replied, "He didn't, a mutual friend did."