A/N Harry's first year at Hogwarts from Snape's perspective and that one incident that makes Hermione stand out in his eyes.

A short woman with grey hair tied in a tight bun and a white frilly apron was busily moving around in the kitchen. There were vegetables chopping themselves with a big knife and the dough was kneading on the other end. The stove had pots on all the four burners and the smell of spices was everywhere. She carefully took out a large cake from the oven and placed it on the table and busied herself with the icing. With precise hands she placed the cherries. Once done she gave it a final look over and apparently satisfied placed it on a higher shelf. Moving to the stove she started stirring the pots.

There was shriek from somewhere in the house and a young girl ran into the kitchen. Her hair was all dishevelled and she wore cute kitty pyjamas. The woman turned and embraced her.

'Grams I am ten.' She spoke with obvious pride.

'Happy Birthday dear.' Her gran replied as she kissed her on the forehead.

'Are you making all this for my party? Is my cake done? May I have a look?' The girl went on asking non-stop.

'Slow down pumpkin. Yes I am preparing for your little party. There will be a few people coming from around the neighbourhood and yes, I am done with your cake and No, you cannot have a look. It's a surprise. Her gran patiently replied. At this the girl pouted a bit.

'I am going to find Severus.' She shouted and was off.

'Well he should keep her occupied for some time.' The woman spoke as she resumed her work.

A man clad in all black was sitting in the garden with a cup of tea in one hand and a copy of daily prophet in the other. He seemed to be in strong disagreement with whatever article he was reading. His eyes narrowed as he progressed through the article. Distaste apparent.

'He did not have the audacity to speak to my face. Giving defence to that fool, what he is trying to achieve? 'He snarled as he threw the paper on the table and got up.

'What happened Severus?' Came the voice of the young girl from behind him.

'Nothing Important Samantha. You don't have to worry about the ridiculousness of my life.'

He then bent down and kissed her forehead. 'Happy Birthday.' He smiled slightly.

'Thanks Severus.' She beamed at him.

Samantha was the only one who could get Severus to smile. His normally brisk and stern persona crumbled with one look from her. She was the only link he had left to Lily and he loved her like his own.

'What are we doing today? Gran is busy in the kitchen and she won't allow me near the plants alone. I was hoping maybe we could brew something.' She said with a hopeful expression.

'Well I don't see any reason why we can't. I have a long list to go through for the hospital wing, maybe you could help me with it. But first we need to have some breakfast' He said as they walked towards the house.

'Her interest in potion could have rivalled her mother.' He thought as he saw the girl gulping down her breakfast. She never passed up any chance of helping Severus for the hospital wing supplies. It was the main reason he avoided working on any of his research when visiting with her. Some of them could be dangerous and she was too stubborn to remain away for long. For the last ten years he had been visiting them every Christmas and summer holidays. In the beginning he had been wary of approaching her but as time passed he had slowly overcome his anxiety. He had taught her basic magic and had been happy to see that she was a quick learner. Their bond had progressed and now spending time with Samantha was the highlight of his otherwise lonely life. His gran had done wonders with the child and she was already more competent than most of his second years.

It was early evening by the time they were out of the lab.

'Get dressed Sam, Its time. Guests should be coming anytime now.' Mrs Prince had said shooing Samantha to her rooms. She then turned towards Severus.

'Why don't you also get ready and maybe wear the blue robes I got you for Christmas.'

'I am not a child that needs instructions on proper attire. I will wear whatever I deem suitable.' He snarled.

'Don't you dare take that tone with me, young man.' She admonished with one hand on her hip.

'Why you insist on wearing black all the time I will never understand.' She said as she walked away.

Severus sat down with his head in his hand. He had not worn anything but black from the time he had kept that photograph of Lily on the table in Spinner's End. He had donned the black robes to grieve for her but had found himself unable to light the candle. From then on he had been working towards making himself worthy of it. It will be only after that he could light that candle that he would wear any other colour. His gran did not know about that neither did Samantha. All they knew about his past was what Dumbledore had revealed at his trial.

Samantha had been curious regarding her parents from the moment she was old enough to grasp the concept but his gran did not have the information to share and when she had asked him. He had said 'Your mother is dead' in a tone that had brooked no further question. He had never spoken about her father and she had never again asked.

The party had been a great success. Samantha was adorned among the neighbours and all of them had come laden with gifts. She had been overjoyed to see the bunny cake gran had made. Making the same wish same wish she made every year she blew the candles. Severus had little patience for all this nonsense but for Samantha he sat through the whole ordeal without a single complaint.

The rest of the summer had passed in a peaceful bliss with Severus teaching Samantha some new potions and letting her help him with other easy ones. Albus had summoned him to the school one day. The letter was very cryptic asking him to come immediately. He had been surprised to see Filius, Minerva, and Pomona already present when he entered the headmaster's office. The headmaster had ushered him and asked him to take a seat. Within a few minutes Quirell had come fumbling into the office. Stammering something about getting stuck in the vanishing stair. This was the fool Albus had recruited for DADA while rejecting his own application. Severus thought as he sneered at the man.

Silently calling their attention Dumbledore took out a package and unwrapped it, placing the content on the table. Severus could not believe his eyes. In front of him lay the greatest work of alchemy. The most amazing invention ever made. There in all its glory lay 'The Philosopher's Stone.' It had a red glow from within and dusky red appearance on the outside. Severus had longed to hold it.

'As some of you may have already guessed, this is 'The Philosopher's stone.' There was a general gasp from the others on hearing this.

'Till now it was hidden in a specially protected Walt in Gringnotts. But I have reason to believe that it may need protection better than what is available there.' Dumbledore went on to say.

'I will be placing it in the school and putting my own spells around it but I would also like all of you to add a layer to its protection. You are not to discuss your idea or the method to overcome it with anyone. Not even me. This way no one person would have access to it. I will be keeping it on my person till you work on this. Once all of you are done we will place it in the basement of the third floor corridor. Hagrid has already provided me with the perfect guard dog for the entrance.' He finished.

While everyone was taking in all what Dumbledore was saying. Severus was observing Quirell. The man had a hungry expression on his face and when Severus had tried to enter his mind he had been immediately blocked. In that instant he knew the man was hiding something. He was portraying the image of a bumbling idiot. No fool could have blocked him so easily. The question was 'Why?'

As the last week of the summer holidays arrived Severus had become restless. His general temperament which was normally sharp was bordering towards cruel. He had made Samantha cry twice while working. She had been distracted and cut the ingredients unevenly. Destroying the whole set. Normally he would reprimand her for such error but this time he had snarled with such obvious disdain that she had not spoken to him for the rest of the day. His gran had tried to talk some sense into him but had received the same treatment. Finally he had packed and left a day early saying that he needed to complete his work in solitude. It had been partially true. He needed the solitude but not to work but to prepare himself. This was the year when he had to start fulfilling his more difficult commitment to Lily. Harry Potter was scheduled to arrive at Hogwarts the next day and Severus Snape had no idea what to expect of 'The Boy who lived.'

Severus had spent the whole day pacing the castle. He had never once spoken about the boy in the last ten years. Whenever Albus had tried to cajole something from him he had snarled and left his company. The headmaster had even tried to ask him to deliver the boy's Hogwarts letter. The nerve of the man. Did he look like an owl and if intimidating Petunia was the goal then that oaf Hagrid was more than enough. He would be happy never having to look at her face for the rest of his life.

Finally it was time. He was sitting at the head table as the first years entered. His eyes had immediately found the 'Potter boy.' For a moment it was as if he had travelled twenty years into the past. His own sorting flashing in front of his eyes. It was with a jolt that he was brought back to the present as the sorting hat began its song. Then began the sorting and the boy ended in Gryffindor. 'How typical' Severus thought to himself. This was the going to be a very long year and Severus had a sinking feeling that it was just the beginning. All the fear and anxiety that he had been feeling had just been magnified tenfold. He was staring at the boy and with such hatred that a sharp pain went through his heart. Fate had just played the cruellest joke on him. James Potter was back from the grave to taunt him and was looking at him with those pretty green eyes of Lily.

Friday arrived too soon for Severus. He had double potion with Gryffindors and Slytherins first thing today. Lucius had already sent him a letter 'requesting' him to 'look after' Draco, Severus had automatically translated it and understood that he was expected to favour the spoilt brat and pamper him as he had been accustomed to at home. It was not like he hated Lucius. The man was powerful and resourceful and could be a helpful alley but his pompous manner and deceiving politeness always drove him to an edge. He knew that the man would not last ten seconds with him in a duel but it would be wise for him to cater to his demands if he wanted to maintain his cover as a death eater.

The class started and Severus could not help himself as he reached Potter's name in the roll call.

'Harry Potter. Our new – celebrity' He sneered, providing Malfoy and those oaf bodyguards of him a reason to snigger.

Slowly he moved to the front of his desk and gave his customary speech.

'You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making, as there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.'

Hermione Granger had been waiting for this class with great enthusiasm. It was the only subject that remotely resembled anything from her Muggle education. She had been fascinated by chemistry and she was sure she would love to learn Potions. The speech by the Professor had entranced her and she desperately wanted to prove that she was no dunderhead. But then the Professor had completely ignored her. She had known the answer to every question he had put. She had prepared the ingredients to perfection but had again been ignored and Malfoy was praised. Well she was not to be deterred so easily. She would make sure that Professor Snape acknowledged her.

By the time class ended Severus already had a migraine. The whole day he was even more irritable than usual deducting points for apparently anything. By the end of the day the first year were convinced he was evil incarnate. He had resolved to ignore the boy completely but one look at his face and all his resolve crumpled. He may have sworn to protect Lily's son but there was no way he would ever coddle Potter's brat. With this thought he realised that he should write to Samantha. It had been a week she would get anxious. How he had compartmentalised the siblings in his mind was amazing. She was Lily's daughter and he 'the Potter brat'.

Minerva had persuaded Dumbledore to allow Potter to play Quidditch and of course Dumbledore had relented for 'precious' Potter. All their hero worship made him nauseous. Then there was Quirell. Running off to the forbidden forest on his own at nights. Severus was sure that he was something.

Halloween had always been difficult for him. It was the one night he indulged and drunk himself to oblivion. He just had to make his customary appearance at the feast and he could be off. It was with these thoughts that he was pushing food on his plate when Quirell came running in announcing that a troll had entered the dungeons. There was a sudden uproar but his eyes had not left Quirell who was slowly walking away. Severus knew exactly where he was trying to sneak off and immediately went after him.

'Well, well aren't you the clever one.' He said as he entered the third floor corridor to find him lurking there. The door to the chamber was already open. The dog growling trying to free himself from the chains.

'What do you mean Severus? I just came to see if everything was in order here.' He mumbled

'Don't try to get smart with me.' He hissed as he pressed his wand against his neck.

Suddenly Quirrel had hit him with his leg making his escape. Severus had slipped and the dog had seized the chance and bitten his leg before he could regain his balance.

Hermione was sitting in the common room with Ron and Harry. She could not believe that she had just lied to her head of house. Both of the boys were talking to her as if they have been friends all along. She had never had friends and she was not going to question her good fortune.

He gulped the whole drink in one go. 'The boy was a bigger fool than his father. Fighting off trolls'. He scoffed. 'Bravery and courage were no reason for plain stupidity. Idiocy had no limits. Fighting of trolls, the boy would end up dead before the dark ever returned. 'With these thoughts Severus continued his Halloween tradition and was soon drunk beyond sense.

He could not believe the audacity of Quirrell. The man had tried to curse Potter in front of the whole school. He was getting bolder and needed to be stopped soon. He knew he would have to remain at Hogwarts this Christmas. Taking a deep breath he sat down at his table and started writing.

Dear Samantha

I know my letters had been infrequent. The students have driven me to the edge. The first years this year are an obnoxious lot. Well it was to be expected with hero Potter joining the lot. The boy is mediocre, arrogant and a determined rule breaker and with everyone worshipping him he grows more and more impertinent. Then there is Malfoy with his pureblood superiority and 'holier than thou attitude', Longbottom seems to redefine the word 'dunderhead'. Not one lesson passes by without that boy bugling up something. Last but the most irritating is Miss Granger. The girl has memorized the whole syllabus and never ceases any opportunity to 'show off'. Every Potion lesson with the first years is torture.

Well that is enough whining from me. I hope you have been good and not driven gran crazy. Write and tell me all that is going on with you.

I am really sorry but this year some unexpected circumstances had arisen and I will not be able to come home for the holidays. I am sure you will have a great time with gran.

Love
Severus.

In ten years it would be the first Christmas he would be spending away from Samantha. He knew he was breaking her heart. He just hoped she would forgive him.

'What else do you what her to forgive you for Severus? Killing her mother, hiding that she has a brother? ' The voice at the back of his mind taunted. He closed his eyes and suppressed it as always.

It was on Christmas day that Dumbledore had asked him to get the Mirror of Erised to the classroom. With Querrill after the stone he had wanted to add some extra protection with its help. Severus had not been able to help himself and had taken a look. Lily had come to him smiling and holding his hand. He had kissed her chastely and then a young girl came running from behind. As she neared Severus recognized the easy smile and eager eyes of Samantha. Tears came unbidden from his eyes. All he had ever desired was Lily and now his heart wanted Samantha as his own.

The next Quidiitch match Severus had volunteered to be a referee. It was the best way of keeping Potter safe. Dumbledore himself had come to keep an eye on Quirrel. The match was over quickly. Potter caught the snitch within ten minutes. After the match he had met Quirell in the forest and tried to intimidate his plan out of him. Then he had proceeded to instil the fear of all that is holy in him. He knew that man was not alone. There had to be someone behind him and he had to find out 'who?'

Severus had been trying to wheedle some information out of Quirrel with no success. He was getting anxious and had come to Dumbledore's office with his concerns.

'The time has come Severus. Firenze reported that Lord Voldermort was found in the forest drinking unicorn's blood. Harry himself saw him while on detention with Hagrid. Even if we throttle his attempt this time I am not sure how long we will able to keep him from returning. I have been called to the ministry. We will talk about this when I return.' The headmaster wearily replied to his concerns.

Without another word Severus left his office. He knew he would have to be extra cautious with Quirrell now. With Dumbledore out of the school he would surely try something. He proceeded towards the DADA professor's office thinking about how best to approach him only to find it empty. With hurried steps he went to the staff room but Quirrell was not there and no one knew anything about his whereabouts. With a sinking feeling Severus made way to the third floor.

He had been beyond livid to find the boy at the brink of death inside the chamber. Running to save the stone with those two dunderheads, it had been stupid even by Gryffindor standards. Dumbledore had found them just as he was coming out of the chamber and silently taken the boy from him. He might have succeeded in saving the boy's life yet again but it had been touch and go.

The whole school was singing their praise but Hermione was utterly ashamed. She had suspected Professor Snape of foul play when he was the one trying to save Harry. She knew the man was brilliant. It was apparent in his lessons. Just because he was stern did not mean he would kill his students. She could not believe her actions. She had put him on fire. Every being in her body was urging her to apologise but 'how?' The Professor would not give her a chance to speak.

She resolved that she would a model student to Professor Snape from now onwards. She was going to re-read all her potion essays for his feedback and improve herself. Till now she had been incensed by the amount of red ink on her potion's homework. But now she understood that he just had higher standards. She had let Harry and Ron's view of him cloud her judgement. With Harry in the hospital wing and Ron busy retelling his tales of heroism she had found herself with ample time and had looked him up in the library. She had been awed to see that the man had a double mastery in both Potions and DADA. He had around ten Potion patient in his name and around fifteen credited with substantial improvement. He was one of the prime brewers for St. Mungos and a Ministry acclaimed researcher. The man was genius. Hermione Granger had just found herself a role model.

The term end feast was over and Albus had found a way to reward the Gryffindors with the house cup. All those petty competitions did not bother him but how could the headmaster award points to those three for nearly getting themselves killed was beyond him. He collected his luggage and was about to leave when an owl flew in. He took the offered letter and opened it. A familiar handwriting greeted him.

Professor Snape

I did not have the courage to speak to your face so I have taken the coward's way out. I am writing to apologize for misjudging you. You are a brilliant man and an amazing teacher. I had no right to judge you without knowing the circumstances. I am not going to make excuses for my mistake but would like to seek your forgiveness.

P.S. I think you should know it was me who had put your robes on fire.

Hermione Granger

Severus was speechless. Never in his whole life had anyone ever apologised to him. The girl had thought herself a coward for doing this in a letter but he knew better. He could not bring himself to hate her not even for the fire. People had done worse to him but she was the only one who had ever regretted it. Throughout the year he had ignored her labelling her as an irritating 'Know-it-all' but in that moment he knew that Miss Granger was way more than that. In all his teaching career this was the first time he had a student with potential and he was not going to let it go waste. Miss Granger was going to receive the education she deserved, Severus vowed not realising that he had just made another commitment in his already complicated life.

A/N – I just thought Hermione's nature would not allow her to rest unless she apologised for her actions and I just wanted my version of Severus Snape to be moved by it. Hoping you like it.