Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize. Anything in the Harry Potter universe that you recognize belongs to JK Rowling. I'm just playing with her characters.

Author's Note:

Chapter 2 –

October 1996

"Miss Granger, might I ask you to see me after your classes are finished for the day, dear?"

Albus Dumbledore looked down at the head of the brightest sixth year student the school currently housed and waited for her acceptance to his request. Not that it was actually a request, something the seventeen year old no doubt already knew. They didn't call her the Brightest Witch of Her Age for nothing, after all.

Caramel eyes looked up from where they had been staring down at her homework, checking over her spelling and grammar. Something in the man's voice told her that this was no ordinary request to see him. He didn't want to see her to ask how her classes were going, or to see how Harry was handling everything. No.. something was very different about this request, though she couldn't put her finger on what exactly the difference was as the man's eyes were still twinkling delightfully and a small smile continued to play out on his features. Perhaps it was the tone of his voice that gave it away.

"Of course, Professor Dumbledore. I have Arithmancy last today so I'll be there shortly after it's over."

As they had chosen their NEWT level classes Hermione had made sure that she was in every class that she could possibly want, though she wasn't in so many that she would be in need of her time turner again. She had chosen to stick with the majority of her core classes, however. Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, History of Magic, Astronomy, and Care of Magical Creatures. She was truly debating on whether or not to keep up with Hagrid's class however. As much as she wanted to continue working for the betterment of such creatures, she didn't see herself working in that career for long. She had decided to take Apparition this year though, which meant that her schedule was extremely full.

The older man walked away and Hermione turned back to her homework, reading over the last few inches before they had to go to class. She always made sure her homework was perfect before she handed it in.

"What do you think that's about?" Harry asked as he gulped down his glass of pumpkin juice. Hermione grimaced at the sound but didn't reprimand him. Nobody listened to her when it came to their manners anyway.

"I'm not sure, but I imagine it can't be too important if he's willing to wait all day rather than talk to me now."

Rolling her homework up, Hermione slipped it into her bag and stood up. She wasn't terribly looking forward to making her way to Potions but that was only because Harry had seemed to be doing better than her in class. Harry Potter, was doing better in class than Hermione Granger. It was nearly impossible, and it was irritating her to no end. She couldn't figure out why he was doing so well when his text book was written all over and scratched out in more places than the original text shown through.

"That's true. If it were important he would have excused you from Professor Slughorn's class."

For nearly the entire class period Hermione stood over her cauldron sweating, her hair frizzing more than usual as she tried to best Harry at both production and speed. He'd never been this good at Potions before. It wasn't until she looked over and caught him cutting one of the leaves the wrong way that she began to wonder. Maybe she should take a look at that book of his.

She handed her potion in at the end of class and then walked out, not bothering to wait for Harry or Ron to make their way out of the room. Harry had somehow managed to be the first one done anyway. It had to have something to do with that book of his. "Is she alright?" She could heard Ron speaking as she pushed her way out of the door and headed off to her next class but she didn't stop to answer. Let them try and figure out what was going on with her.

"I'm sure it's just because she wasn't the first one done. I wouldn't worry about it." Harry's response irritated her more than she could explain. Thank goodness she had a class without them next. She didn't think she could have handled being around them for longer than strictly necessary if that's what they thought. It had nothing to do with not being first and everything to do with the fact that Harry seemed to be cheating somehow. She hated cheaters.

By the time the end of the day crawled around Hermione was wishing she had asked Professor Dumbledore what he'd wanted to speak with her about that morning instead of waiting. She had thought it couldn't be important if he'd wanted to wait, but not knowing what he wanted was going to drive her round the bend.

She hurried from the Arithmancy class to his office, only waving shortly at the friends she passed on her way. She didn't have to wait for Harry or Ron because neither of them were in the class with her, and she wasn't great friends with those who were.

"Cockroach clusters," she called out to the statues of the gargoyles guarding the office. They moved out of the way and she stepped onto the stone stairs, walking up quickly and knocking on the door before entering. The headmaster was waiting for her after all. She wasn't going to just sit outside waiting for him to call out for her.

"Ahh, Miss Granger! Thank you for being so punctual. We are actually just waiting on the rest of the participants to come and then we can begin our meeting." The old man's eyes were twinkling as usual but Hermione knew that something more than his usual playful manipulation was up. She hadn't done anything lately to warrant a meeting with the headmaster, let alone the headmaster and someone else as well. She was already a prefect and she couldn't be Head Girl until the next year, not to mention that wasn't something that was decided on so early in the term.

Unless maybe there was something wrong with the test she'd taken. Had she filled it out wrong? Forgotten a question? But then why would they need someone else to be there? She'd been told that the matches weren't even serious any longer and she wouldn't have to worry.

As the door creaked open behind her she moved out of the way to take a seat in front of the Headmaster's desk, smoothing her skirt down on her thighs. She didn't look up to see who had joined them, just sat primly in the seat waiting for Dumbledore to tell her why she was there.

"Albus, what is the meaning of this?" The deep, velvet voice of her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor sent shivers up her spine as she turned to look at the man out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't a handsome man, or a nice one, but he was striking. Unlike the other man who had walked in as well.

"Oh good. Everyone is here." The second man was nondescript. He had plain brown hair, what she assumed were brown eyes, and a slight tan. He didn't have any features that stood out against any others and even his robes were just a plain black bearing the Ministry of Magic's seal. "My name is Samuel St. Johns. I'm here on behalf of the Ministry of Magic's Department of Marriage and Families."

Definitely has something to do with the test then, she thought as she tried not to appear nervous. She saw Professor Snape glance at her with a sneer and she quit shifting in her seat immediately. He really needed to lighten up and get over whatever attitude he had.

"I have good news. Miss Granger, as you have recently turned seventeen and filed your forms in to the Ministry, they were put in the system along with all others. Normally you wouldn't be paired up with anyone specific and if you were, they would be in your class so you would have to wait until they turned seventeen." Hermione nodded to show she understood, but she didn't. He'd said he had good news but she had yet to hear anything good come out of his mouth. Not the way he kept talking about what would normally happen. "However, you appear to be a special case. The Ministry of Magic is pleased to share with you the results of your test. You have been matched, quite strongly I'll add, to a student who took the tests nearly twenty years ago."

Hermione's eyes went wide in disbelief. "I'm sorry, twenty years ago? How would that even make them eligible even if we did pair? They wouldn't even be the same person they were twenty years ago. Are you sure they're still alive? And single?" She wasn't about to break up a marriage just because she'd paired up with someone who was old enough to be her father.

"Yes, by all accounts Severus Snape is single and still alive, considering he is seated beside you."

She laughed. An actual laugh escaped her lips without thought at the man's words. Professor Snape was looking ready to murder someone but she couldn't help thinking it was a joke. She would never have paired with Professor Snape. They were complete opposites, plus he hated Gryffindors and muggle-borns. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Tell me who I really paired up with. I won't laugh."

"Miss Granger, I have your tests results here. Yours and Professor Snape's matched with an 84% probability rate. That is quite high in these tests, I assure you." The man looked offended that she had laughed at him.

Taking the results out of his hand she looked at them both, at the spiky handwriting covering the one that was apparently written by her professor when he had turned seventeen. "No. No you can't be serious." But she'd seen that handwriting enough since she was eleven to have it memorized. Nobody could falsify those spikes with that precision, even if it was a much softer version than she was used to she could tell that it was written by the same man. "An 84% isn't all that high. Not when it comes to trying to pair people up for the rest of their lives. I demand a retake. He wouldn't even have the same answers as he had when he was seventeen." She couldn't even look over at him without wanting to shiver at the fact that she had been paired with him. "I demand a retake, and I want a different test this time. A more thorough test. I won't be subjected to this without proper testing."

"Now Miss Granger, perhaps subjected is a bit harsh considering the man is seated beside you."

The young brunette looked up at her Headmaster and then at the man in question, studying him with a frown on her face. Instead of issuing an apology to the him, knowing that he could very well take his anger out on her once they were outside of this office, she turned to the Ministry Official and said plaintively. "The most comprehensive test the Ministry has, if you will, Mr. St. Johns."

A/N: I would like to apologize now to anyone that has been waiting MONTHS for this second chapter. If anyone is still reading.. you rock. If you're disappointed with this chapter, or think it doesn't flow well or was rushed, that's because half of it was written in June 2016 and half was written in February 2017. The next chapter will flow more easily I'm sure since it will all be written at one time. You can all thank my beautiful wifey Marlene for this chapter being written by the way. She forced me.