Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hermione sat at the teachers table and looked over at the students. Dumbledore had just introduced her as the new Arithmancy Teaching Assistant and everyone had clapped absently as she had stood and waved quickly. They were now staring curiously at her as she sat and regarded them with the same curiosity. Glancing over at the Gryffindor table, she gasped. There was Harry staring at her with a broad grin on his face.

She corrected herself. That young man, of course, was not Harry Potter, but James Potter. The resemblance really was uncanny. She almost expected to see Ron shoveling food into his mouth next to him, but the redhead at his side was a woman, not a man. She realized it was Lily Evans. Lily was looking at her also. She was beautiful. Hermione could make out her green eyes from where she was seated, they were so vibrant. She smiled at them and turned her attention elsewhere.

Looking toward the Slytherin table, she noticed Severus was watching her. She gave him a quick smile and continued looking down the table. She saw a man with long white-blonde hair. That must be Malfoy, she thought. His head was turned, and he was speaking to a young woman who also had platinum blonde hair. Could that be Narcissa? She was lovely. She didn't have that scrunched up, annoyed look that she had in the future. She actually seemed to be somewhat pleasant. Hermione didn't know if that was because she was speaking with Lucius or whether the roughness of the world hadn't yet jaded her outlook on life.

Hermione bit into her muffin and looked around the room some more. She was eager to meet all of these people and get to know them. She smiled to herself a little later as she rose from the table and headed out of the Great Hall. She wanted to check out the classroom in more detail before the students started filing in.

oooOOOooo

Not too much later, Hermione and Mallory got ready for the influx of students that were about to enter the classroom. Hermione sat in a chair next to Mallory. They were both behind the desk today. They both smiled as students started filing in. The seventh years came in grouped in small clusters, chatting to one another. Lily walked in with two girls that Hermione recognized from the Gryffindor table. Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black came in together. They looked like they had just been snogging. Narcissa's hair was a little unkempt and so was Lucius'. Hermione smiled to herself. Several other students filed in. Severus was the last to enter the classroom. He was alone and sat in the back of the room by himself. Hermione frowned. She hadn't realized he was a loner even in his youth.

She studied him for a minute. He was wearing a scowl and looking down at his desk. His long hair covered his face so she couldn't really get a good look at him. Finally he looked up at her. His black eyes studied her in interest before he lowered them back to his desk. He looked so young. He had none of that careworn look that he had in the future. His eyes shone brightly as if he looked forward to what was to come instead of having been beaten by his past. The contour lines of his face were strong. He was actually quite handsome. She wasn't sure why he was such an outcast now. He seemed like a normal teenager.

Mallory stood and addressed the class.

"Good morning, class! If you made it to breakfast, you will know that I have a new assistant. This is Professor Granger. She is a few months shy of receiving her teaching certificate, so she has opted to be a Teaching Assistant while she acquires the necessary credits to become fully certified. Please treat her with the same respect as you give to me." She eyed Lucius Malfoy briefly before turning the time over to Hermione.

Hermione stood and smiled at the class. "Good morning. I am eager to get to know all of you and to help you with this fascinating subject."

She saw Malfoy and several others roll their eyes. Why take the class if you weren't interested! she thought.

"Please don't underestimate me." Hermione continued. "Just because I do not have my accreditation, does not mean that I do not know my subject. I will be very demanding of all of you, but I will be fair also." She sat back down.

"Thank you, Professor Granger," Professor Rickta said in admiration.

She turned to the class and explained that Hermione would be observing for the rest of the week and would begin teaching the next week. She began the lesson. Hermione watched the students' reaction to Mallory's teaching. They seemed to be interested enough. She was happy that they took their NEWTs seriously. This was an important year for all of them.

Hermione found her eyes wandering between Lucius and Severus. Severus took copious notes, while Lucius sat back and just listened to the lecture. They were very different in their approach to studying.

Before Hermione knew it, the class was finished. Mallory disappeared into her room for a quick break, and Hermione watched as the students filed out. Severus seemed to be hanging back, taking an incredibly long time packing away his things. As he finally finished, he looked up at Hermione and headed straight for her.

"I have a question, Professor Granger," he said respectfully.

Hermione smiled at his politeness. Who was this nice young man in front of her? She would not have expected such respect from him, even if she was his professor.

"Is this about our meeting in the Headmaster's office, Mr. Snape?"

He nodded.

Hermione lowered her voice a little.

"This isn't really the place for such a discussion, Mr. Snape. Do you know where the Room of Requirement is located?"

Severus raised an eyebrow, not because he didn't know where the room was located, but that he was surprised that she knew of its existence. He nodded at her.

She looked at him for a minute. "Meet me in front of the room at six tonight. I think we can find the privacy we need for such a conversation up there."

He nodded and turned to go. He turned back, about to ask her something, then decided to wait until later. He left the room. She frowned after him. She knew Albus had given her free reign as to what she could tell him, but she was nervous nonetheless. She hoped she could convince him not to join the Death Eaters. She knew if she could succeed in that, the Severus Snape she returned to would be an entirely different person.

Hermione got up and tapped on Mallory's door. She heard the bid for her to enter, so she did. She found Mallory sitting with a cup of hot chocolate in the same chair she had been in the night before.

Hermione smiled at her. "Taking a little break?" she asked.

"This is my morning ritual. I grab some hot chocolate between classes and gather my thoughts."

"What can you tell me about Severus Snape, Mallory?"

Mallory became serious. "He keeps to himself most of the time."

"Why is that, do you think?"

"He's a Slytherin, which pretty much excludes him from being friends with anyone in the other houses. The Slytherins either shun him, or befriend him for ulterior motives." She shrugged, at a loss for an explanation.

"He looks rather normal. What's the problem?" Hermione asked.

"He's quiet by nature and he's very intelligent. I think most of the students are intimidated by him. He is a bit intolerant of others. He's not one to be accepting of incompetence. Also, his upbringing has been less than stellar. That sets most of the purebloods at odds with him. You know how it is," she said to Hermione in a knowing way. "Unless you have been to all the popular parties and have loads of money, you're just not good enough to be spoken to. It makes me sad; because when you get to know him, you find out he's rather a pleasant sort. He's got a great sense of humor. The problem is no one wants to get to know him. It has turned into a vicious cycle too. Now he goes out of his way to avoid people, or is just plain disagreeable to them."

Hermione nodded her head, reflecting on all that Mallory had said. She suddenly felt an affinity to Severus Snape that she hadn't before. She too had been an outcast because of her intelligence. She had been lucky to be friends with Harry and Ron because for the first several years of her education at Hogwarts, most other students had turned their noses up at her. She answered too many questions and studied too hard for them to want to spend time with her or be her friend. She knew what it was like to have everyone be intimidated by you simply because you worked hard and had a knack for doing well in everything. Even in her later years, many students avoided her altogether, not wanting to associate with a girl who seemed to know everything.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude," Mallory said, nudging her out of her thoughts. "Would you like some hot chocolate?"

Hermione turned and grinned at her. "I'd love some," she said.

Mallory handed her a cup and Hermione settled herself on the sofa. The two women chatted for quite a while until it was time for the third period class to come in. They both got up and headed back into the classroom for another session with the students.

oooOOOooo

Hermione found Severus sitting in front of the wall where the door would appear. She gave him a quick smile as he scurried to a standing position. He only frowned at her. She stood in front of the wall, cradling her chin in her fingers and concentrating. She began to walk back and forth in front of the room.

I need a comfortable place to chat. I need a comfortable place to chat. I need a comfortable place to chat.

A door appeared, and she went over and opened it. Peering in, she smiled and then laughed out loud. The Gryffindor common room had appeared before her eyes.

"Sorry, Severus, this probably isn't your idea of a comfortable place to have a chat, but that's what the room gave us."

She pushed the door wide and walked in, closely followed by Severus, who was looking around the room. He grimaced at the use of red and gold. He had never been there, but he was willing to bet this was the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione went over to the couch by the fire and sat down. She started up a fire with a flick of her wand and waited for Severus to join her. He studied her as he sat down on the other side of the couch facing her.

"I take it you're a Gryffindor?" he asked blandly.

"Oh, don't be so put out," she chided him.

His eyes grew wide. She spoke to him as if they were friends, joking about his demeanor. He needed to find out about this enigma sitting next to him.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm Hermione Granger, Arithmancy Professor at Hogwarts." She smiled at him. "Granted, I come from 25 years in the future."

Twenty five years! Why would she come from so far in the future? Severus thought.

"Why are you here, and how do we know each other?" he continued with his drilling.

Hermione leaned back and folded her arms. "Before I say anything more, you need to agree that anything we discuss in this room stays here, no matter what happens or who asks you about it in the future. Can you do that?"

Severus nodded his head.

Hermione continued, "We know each other because we are colleagues here at Hogwarts."

"I am a teacher at Hogwarts also?" he said in amazement.

"Yes, you are a Potions master."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I become a Potions master?" he asked in incredulity.

Hermione nodded.

Severus smiled to himself at the thought. Hermione couldn't help but grin at him.

"What type of relationship do we have? How long have we known each other?" He looked at her suspiciously as he drilled her, rattling off the questions quickly, impatient for answers.

"We have known each other since I entered Hogwarts at age eleven, so eleven years."

"I was your teacher!" he exclaimed.

Hermione smiled. "Yes, and now I'm yours. You had better hope I don't hold a grudge."

"I was not a good teacher?" he asked in shock.

"Oh, you were an excellent teacher, Severus; but you were the most obnoxious, mean git anyone has ever seen. You yelled at everyone and demeaned your students regularly. You once called me an insufferable know-it-all in front of the entire class."

Severus frowned. "That was rude of me." He looked at her again curiously. "I was a mean teacher?"

Hermione thought about how to phrase it. "Let's just say that you were very strict and had no patience for incompetence. Everyone was afraid of you. They would turn and run the other way if they saw you billowing down the halls."

"Billowing?" he snapped.

"Oh, sorry; of course you don't know what I'm talking about. You have this knack of making your robes billow wildly behind you when you walk. It's very intimidating, although I've grown to admire it in recent years."

Severus narrowed his eyes at her. "If I'm such a horrible person, why are we friends?" he growled.

Hermione felt her insides turn. She had not meant for him to think he was so awful right off the bat. She leaned forward and looked at Severus seriously.

"Severus, you are not a horrible person. You are actually a very good person; you just don't like many people to know that about you."

Severus looked Hermione up and down, trying to figure her out. "Why would you want to know that about me?" he asked curiously.

Hermione huffed. "Now that you ask, I haven't the foggiest idea," she mused.

Glancing back at Severus, she continued, "Look, Severus, I really don't want to go into too much history today, but suffice it to say that I admire the person you will become and the things that you'll do. I know you don't know anything about me, but I'm a bit of a bookworm. Scratch that, I'm nothing but a book worm. And you, you're just plain brilliant. You're about the only person who I can have a decent conversation with. Everyone else just stares at me blankly half the time, not having the vaguest notion of what I'm talking about. I can honestly say that has never happened between the two of us."

He stared at her blankly, not knowing what she was talking about.

"Until this minute," she said blandly.

Severus cracked a smile. He had been teasing her! Hermione laughed at him. She couldn't believe this young man had let his sense of humor come through so readily. And he had smiled too! The older Snape would have veiled his humor in sarcasm, scowling at her whether she got his joke or not.

"You still haven't said why you are here," he stated while she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, that. It's about Lucius Malfoy." She sat back again on the couch.

"Lucius? What do you want with him?" His eyes narrowed at her.

"He is a dangerous person in my time, Severus. Dumbledore thought that if I came here at this time I could help him somehow to not become the monster that he is. You see, he has taken over the Ministry and has an Extermination Order on all Muggle-born witches and wizards."

Severus' eyebrows knit together in anger. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"It's simple pureblood bias. I'm Muggle-born, Severus. I've been in hiding at Hogwarts for over a year now. I've been going crazy. I think I drove Dumbledore crazy too and he wanted to get rid of me." She chuckled. "He wants me to 'mentor' Malfoy, perhaps convince him that Muggle-borns aren't the imbeciles he believes them to be."

Severus frowned. "You will have a hard time convincing him of that."

She nodded. "I know. We're not even sure anything will come of this, but I guess it's worth a try."

"I can help you."

She stared at Severus. She had not expected him to offer her help this quickly, if ever.

"How?" she asked.

"I am his friend. He is probably my only friend, actually. Everyone else I associate with just tolerates me."

Hermione frowned at him. She decided against bringing up Lily at this time. There would be plenty of other opportunities to speak of her.

"Severus, you can consider me a friend if you would like. I'm not sure if you think it would be weird to have a professor for a friend."

Severus stared at her for a long time. He felt a jolt inside of him. This woman who had just appeared out of nowhere was offering to be his friend. She didn't even know him. Well, she did, but not him now, and she was eager to become his friend. Why would she do that?

"So what's in this for you?" he asked caustically.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You are always one to think that everyone has ulterior motives!" Hermione said grumpily. "We were friends before; I would enjoy having you for a friend in this time. That's it. Nothing is in it for me except perhaps having someone to talk to now and again." She was getting angry and fought to keep her calm. "But if you would rather not, I can understand that," she said finally.

Severus looked sheepish. He hadn't meant to upset her. After all, she had offered him her friendship, and he had just thrown it back into her face. He looked down.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I would very much like it if we were friends."

Knowing this was the only apology she would get, she beamed at him.

"Good!"

She checked her watch. It was getting too late to discuss anything else in depth.

"Why don't we meet here again tomorrow at the same time? I'm sure you have lots more questions, but it's getting close to curfew and you must have tons of homework."

Severus nodded as they rose. Hermione glanced around again as they headed for the door.

"You can have the room create the Slytherin common room tomorrow if you'd like."

He smirked at her. "Won't that make you uncomfortable? We are arch enemies after all."

"I think if I can have you as a friend, a little green and silver won't hurt," she said sarcastically.

Severus chuckled, and they left the room behind them.

A/N: Next up: More of the future and an introduction to Lucius.

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