She sniffed a bit, and just then they heard a voice, quite familiar, yelling loudly, accompanied by what sounded like a blasting spell.

"What's the bloody password?! Lemon drops, lemon drops! Chocolate frog! Sherbet lemon! Oh for the-" Albus rose in surprise and opened the door. They found Severus bashing the gargoyle.

"S-Severus?" She asked mildly.

"Minerva! Thank heavens."

"It's Iced Mice, by the way." Albus added helpfully. Snape growled out, "Strang taste was always", and entered.

"What is this? Is it a prank?" He demanded as soon as he set step inside the office.

"Ah. Certainly not. I have reason to believe that we are transported back to 1996. Your own fifth year, in fact."

Snape looked positively stricken. "L-Lily's fifth year." He said quietly.

"Yes, yes. And you aren't hired yet."

"So?"

"So I fully expect you to teach Potions disguised through Polyjuice."

Snape crossed his arms and hissed, "And act that sappy goody-shoe? Not a chance. And what about he himself?"

"Why, I shall allow him to retire. He wasn't that eager to agree to teach anyways."

"Then why must I use that…disguise?"

"Alright then. Just that your past self might recognize you."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Sure. I'll disguise myself. But I want to snap all I want!" Minerva shook with suppressed laughter. "What?" Severus stomped childishly, "Stop laughing!"

"I-I just didn't know snapping was so important to you…"

The man looked incredulous and lifted his chin. "Snapping is Slytherin."

With that he stalked off with his ever-present sneer. "You should head along as well, Minnie. Whatever changing the future nonsense, hold it. It's a whole three semester before they graduate and another ten before they die. Blend in, don't get found. The rest shall be discussed later."

"Potter!" Minerva called after the boy, surrounded, predictably, by Sirius and…Pettigrew. She grounded her teeth with a hiss as James skipped over.

"Professor!" He quickly shoved the bottle of sentimental soap he was about to use behind the back, "Why, what a lovely surprise to see you here."

"Yes…Professor Slughorn has retired. And so the detention…" "Shall be canceled." Sirius bounded over, mimicking her voice, laughing, "Great! Slughorn's gone!"

"…Will be done with the new Potion Master. Same time. And Black, ten points from Gryffindor!"

"…HEY! It's your own house!" Sirius flipped his raven locks hotly, pouting.

Minerva's lips twitched upwards slightly as she forced down a smile.

"And? Black, what are you possibly suggesting?"

Sirius pouted some more until James laughed and smacked his arm. "Paddy! C'mon. We're gonna be late for lunch!"

"It's a whole ten minute, Prongs!" Sirius whined, "I wanna bug Minn-Professor McGonnell more!"

Prongs winked and mouthed, Sentimental Soap? Sirius immediately grinned a huge smile and bounded off, snickering.

"AHHHHHHH!" The said soap was in effect at Lunch, and young Snape was hurtling into the doors, screaming loudly. His still oily hair flew everywhere as a cloud of soap flew in chase.

"Seeeeveerus! I looooooooove you! Coooooome!" It wailed, as the man whimpered and tried to shut the door. "Oh, Sev…" It moaned seductively as it slid within the gaps, "Stop…" The hall bursted into roaring laughter and applause.

James and Sirius grinned and jumped onto the seats to bow low. And that was when Minerva found the reserve to be properly stern.

"POTTER! BLACK!" She stormed at them, glowering, "Cast the antidotes at once! I mean the counter-spell! Whatever, stop this nonsense or you're dead."

James grinned and turned the items he had in his hands for the furious teacher to see. A magical water-spewer and a towel. "It's simple! Snivelus has to wash his hair with the soap."

Her face was still white with fury. "Detention! Why on Earth did you-"

Remus decided to step in, his face perfectly innocent and head-boy ish. "But Professor!" He protested, "We were simply trying to help our classmates! Dear Severus doesn't know how to take care of himself, we can't let his handsome hairstyle get oiled! We merely wishes to get him to wash his hair!"

Minerva had trouble to hold in laughter, her glare half-hearted and warming at every word. Oh yes, Remus always could get them out of trouble with his sweet-talking trap and responsible tone.

"Thirty points for Gryffindor!" Dumbledore erupted pleasantly, smiling at James, "For helping your classmate."

James and Sirius cheered in unison, grinning.

"Nice one, Moony!" Padfoot admitted.

Remus shrugged. "Yeah. I've got that knack. Like you two have for trouble…"

They both had mirrored looks of mock hurt, "Trouble? Never! It's-" "FUN!" The three Marauders finished in unison, Remus grinning and the other two openly laughing. "We're definitely doing that again."

Minerva smiled wistfully.

But then a certain professor stalking into the room stole their thunder.

Someone with slick blonde hair, glaring icy eyes, and a black robe, the same drawling pose, pointed chin, pale skin.

"D-Draco?" Minerva cried in shock the same time as Albus.

The 'Draco' gave a sneer. "Yes. I am the new Potions Professor. Draco Malfoy."

Lucius gasped, "Malfoy?"

"Yes, cousin." 'Draco' drawled back with a cold smile, setting himself down at the teaching table. Albus and Minerva pretended to be very interested in their lunch and held back laughter.

"Are you serious?" Minerva laughed out once they were safe in Albus' office, "Draco?" Snape glared. It was a good thing that Draco looked so natural glaring. "Like I have a choice. I don't have that much hair to make Polyjuice potion, Minerva-"

"Ah. You have been watching your memories?" Albus interrupted, picking up a discarded vial of memory Snape was using. He unscrewed it with a pleasant smile and poured it into the pensive. The two peered into the basin, and saw earlier that day when Draco had a newspaper with a head line about his father in Azkaban in one hand and another wrapped around Snape, crying into his robes, usually slick hair messed among the folds. The said man was hand patting his back and comforting him. Minerva broke out with a face of absolute disbelief.

"I didn't know you were capable of showing emotion." She remarked idly while Snape groaned into his hands.

He is my godson." He mumbled back awkwardly, "And he was hysterical."

Albus' eyes twinkled. "You really love Draco, don't you?"

Severus growled and closed his eyes. "Y-I miss him. He used to come to me just about every day glowing with how he riled Potter up and wrote letters to his mother together."

His voice became slightly cracked before he shook himself, glared once more, and stormed out, Albus' teasing voice trailing after him, "At least you're hair isn't oily anymore! I hear Draco gels it every day!"

And a curse was fired his way, blocked by the ever-faithful gargoyle.