Alright, it's been nearly a month. My bad. I've been so busy with exams and studying and end of year stuff, so I haven't really had time to write. Hermione finally makes an appearance this chapter, too. I've tried to keep it as canon as possible, but I've had to change some things, obviously. Hope it works...

On a side note, going to Deathly Hallows midnight premiere tomorrow night! I'm so excited!

Disclaimer: It's mine! *runs away laughing maniacally*

Nine years and ten months later
September 1st, 1991

Severus sighed. From his seat in the Great Hall he could hear the incessant chatter issuing from the mouths of six years worth of students. Any minute now they would be entering the hall, ending the blissful eight week break from them.

Finally, they had settled and fallen silent, and Severus watched as Professor McGonagall led the new group of first years through the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

Severus froze. He recognised every single child in this group. This was his year. It never really occurred to him that this would happen. The only difference was, as far as he could tell, there was no eleven year old Severus Snape among them. Of course there wasn't. He was thirty one now, not eleven. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dumbledore cast a glance at him, but Severus did not acknowledge it. His gaze had fallen upon a girl with out of control bushy brown hair, who looked both nervous and excited to be there. Hermione. What happened to the new timeline? He tore his gaze away and glared at Dumbledore. He had some explaining to do.

Severus watched as Draco and Pansy were sorted into Slytherin; and Hermione, Longbottom, and Potter sorted into Gryffindor. After Potter was sorted, Severus sighed. That was the point that he should have been sorted. In his mind's eye, he saw McGonagall calling out his name, and his eleven year old self ascending the stairs and putting the Sorting Hat on. He heard "Gryffindor!" and was jumped back to reality. That wasn't right. Focusing back on the sorting, he saw that Dean Thomas had just been sorted. Gryffindor. Of course. No wonder he heard it.

Severus sat through the rest of the feast, only half listening to Quirrell, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, who was rabbiting on about nothing; and going over what he was going to say to Dumbledore in his mind.

Eleven year old Hermione Granger walked into the Great Hall for the first time amongst the other first years. She was so excited to be there, yet also positively terrified. She'd read about this place, about the houses, and desperately wanted to be placed in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. She thought she'd fit in fine in Ravenclaw, as she knew she was intelligent, and she'd be with like minded people. Same time too, she would love to be in Gryffindor, as she knew many great wizards had come from there, and it was also the house of the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

She looked up at the staff table, learning the teachers' faces. Instantly, she saw Dumbledore, who was looking at someone somewhere off to her right. 'Probably Harry Potter,' she thought. 'Famous boy-who-lived and all that. I can understand the interest. I think he's fascinating.' Her eyes swept along the table, and paused at a man with shoulder length black hair, black eyes, and was wearing all black. She frowned. This particular teacher was staring at her, scrutinising her. Their eyes locked for a minute, then he broke eye contact with her and looked elsewhere.

She was brought back to earth when she heard her name being called, and she ascended the stairs to the stool. She sat down, and Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head. It deliberated for a moment, torn between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Finally, after a tense couple of minutes for Hermione, the Hat shouted "Gryffindor!"

She was elated. She leapt off the stool and ran down to the table whose students were wearing Gryffindor robes, then faced the front to watch the rest of the Sorting.

She saw the platinum blonde haired boy she saw on the train, Draco Malfoy being Sorted into Slytherin. She could have guessed. She hadn't known he existed until three hours ago and already she didn't like him. Finally, McGonagall called out Harry Potter's name. The Hall went deathly quiet. The black haired boy looked around nervously, then sat on the stool. The Sorting Hat took forever with him, but eventually settled on Gryffindor. He sat down opposite Hermione, who gave him a tentative smile, which he returned before looking up at the Head Table. Hermione followed his gaze, and saw the Headmaster raising his goblet to him.

The other boy Hermione met on the train, red haired Ron Weasley was also sorted into Gryffindor. She wasn't surprised. There were three other red heads at the table, who she thought must be his brothers, as they all looked very alike. Within another ten minutes, the Sorting was finished, and food appeared magically on all five tables.

Talk soon turned to lineage, but it was what Harry Potter next said that caught Hermione's attention.

"Say, Percy," he asked the Gryffindor prefect sitting next to him. "Who's that black haired teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?"

"Oh, that's Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin house."

"What's he teach?"

"Potions," replied Percy, "but everyone knows it's the Dark Arts he fancies. He's been after Quirrell's job for years."

Hermione looked back up at Professor Snape. He was watching her again. It made her feel rather uncomfortable, so she looked away. She had heard of the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor, so Potions classes with the Slytherins should be interesting.

After the feast, Hermione travelled with the other first year Gryffindors to the common room, and further on into the girls dormitory. She slept restlessly that night, with Professor Snape popping up in her dreams more than once.

"Alright, old man. What the hell is going on?" Severus was glaring at Dumbledore. "You said that timeline had been erased."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, surveying Severus. "Actually, Severus, I didn't. If you remember, I said a new timeline had been created. And it had been. If this were still the old one, an eleven year old version of you would have been standing among the first years tonight. I take it you recognised every child there?"

"Obviously. I could have given the Sorting Hat a break this year if I felt so inclined."

Dumbledore grinned. "Would you have sung as well, Severus?"

The younger wizard glared at him. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"In regards to...?"

"Hermione. Miss Granger."

Dumbledore frowned. "What about her?"

Severus sighed. "I never told you, did I?"

"Since I don't know what you're referring to, I'm going to say no, you didn't."

"Before I came here, well, to this timeline, Miss Gra – screw it, Hermione and I were in a relationship. We were, for all intents and purposes, seeing each other."

"Oh."

Severus frowned. "'Oh?' Is that all you have to say? What the hell do I do?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Severus, if you decide to... pursue her, I won't stop you. All I ask is that you wait until she is sixteen."

"Sixteen? That's years away!"

"She is nearly twelve, my boy. That's only a little over four years. Do you think that she would welcome the advances of a professor while she is underage? This is going to be a lot harder than it may have been when you were both teenagers."

Severus looked down. "It was much easier then. We were friends before Hogwarts, and we started seeing each other in our fourth year."

"You'll manage, Severus. Goodnight, my boy."

Severus recognised the dismissal. "Goodnight, Headmaster."