disclaimer: No...I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling is a genius!)

Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long to post! I will be posting more regularly now. I just went through this whole debacle moving from L.A. to Nashville to Chicago! Crazy! Anyway, hope you all enjoy the next chapters of my little story.

smiles- boots

Cold air seeped through the slightly open library window Hermione was seated next to. She frantically flipped through yet another yearbook and her eyes held a rather overwhelmed expression. She adjusted the neck of her sweater under her school robes, pulling it up around her chin as much as she could. Professor Binns had droned on for what seemed hours, this yearbook didn't seem to be getting her any closer to her mother, she was cold and she missed her friends. Deep down, perhaps she wanted to tell them why she'd been so withdrawn; perhaps they would understand. Harry would certainly grasp the sense of displacement she was feeling and Ron was so kind hearted and compassionate that it was almost to a fault at times. A warm smile spread across her lips as she recalled some of the more notable tight spots the three of them had gotten into over their years together as friends. It seemed a shame that something as seemingly insignificant as a postcard could come between them. She got up to pull another yearbook from the shelf. She had already gone through so many that all the names and faces were beginning to run together. She ran her fingers over the books and pulled out 1975. Her stomach grumbled impatiently and she sighed realizing she would probably be missing lunch as well as breakfast.

"Not now" she groaned, turning back to her table.

"Talking to yourself again Miss Granger?" Professor Snape emerged from the shadow of a nearby bookshelf.

"Oh…no sir…I just, I missed breakfast this morning"

"Oh did you? I didn't notice…" his voice trailed off as he scanned the table where she was sitting, noticing some old yearbooks stacked next to her. "Working on a history project, Miss Granger?"

"Something like that" she huffed. "Professor…when you were in school here, did you ever…"

"What I did when I was in school here is none of your business Miss Granger"

"I'm sorry sir…I just…never mind" she chewed lightly on her bottom lip. Professor Snape looked as though he was about to speak when Harry suddenly approached the table.

"Hermione? Can I talk to you?"

Severus watched the boy closely and Harry watched him.

"I'm sorry, was I interrupting?"

"Yes" Severus snapped.

"No" Hermione said in unison. She looked, wide eyed at her professor and then turned to Harry. "What is it you want?"

"I..." Harry felt the cold stare of his black haired professor piercing into his mind. "I just wanted to apologize again…Ron and I are really sorry about…about…you know… things". Harry was uncomfortable disclosing such personal matters in front of a professor…let alone Professor Snape.

"THINGS?" Hermione was livid. "Things? Your little ginger haired devotee steals from me and then you and that freckle faced freak spy on me because you think I have a secret boyfriend! Are those the things you are referring to Harry?"

Harry stepped back as Hermione closed in for the kill like a hungry lioness.

"Hermione- please…I didn't mean…well…I just…"

"I've had it with you and Ron and your accusatory assumptions!"

Severus observed the aggressive dialogue between his students with great curiosity. It was a side of Hermione he often thought existed but had never been privy to bare witness to; and he found it rather becoming of the serious little witch.

"And furthermore…" she shouted "You and Ron can find yourself a new partner for this week's Potions Project! I'm sick of being relied on for all the answers to your perfectly insignificant little problems!"

Harry's face was as stiff as if he'd just had a staring contest with a Basilisk. Hermione began packing her things into her book bag as her dark professor loomed in the background.

"Miss Granger, if I might interject for a moment – I feel it would be rather inconvenient to switch partners for your project this far into the work."

"May I continue my portion of the study alone?"

"Miss Granger, I hardly think-"

"Stop calling me that! It's not even my name anymore!" Poor Hermione could stand it no longer; she had to find out who she was and she was tired of waiting around for the answers to magically drop out of a silly old yearbook. She collected her things quickly and raced out of the library, with twin trails of tears streaming down her face. As she left, Harry also took his exit, leaving behind a very bewildered and surprised Professor Snape. He stood in stunned amazement for only a moment before bounding out of the library toward his classroom with fire in his eyes, Hermione's name on his lips and detention on his mind.

In the Slytherin dungeons, Draco was enjoying a small shipment of bonbons from his ever adoring and entirely oblivious mother. As he stuffed his face, he felt that someone was watching him and glanced over his shoulder to see a black crow perched on the fireplace mantle. The bird cocked its head to one side and seemed to be studying the flaxen haired wizard as intently as Draco studied him.

"How did you get in here?" he sneered and pointed a chocolate covered finger at the menacing bird. But as he strained his arm in an effort to shoo it away, he lost his balance and tumbled onto the floor.

"Draco? Is that you?" a voice chuckled. He looked up to see Thomas staring down at him.

"Well- don't just stand there! Help me up!" he quipped. "When did you get here anyway?"

"Oh…just a moment ago" he calmly replied. Draco stood and scanned the room for the rogue bird. Thomas also looked over his shoulder to make sure he and Draco were indeed alone. "So…friend…what can you tell me about Hermione Granger?"

"Granger?"