March 30, 2011
[edited April 5th]

Many thanks to Christina Wynnwood (FF pen name) for being the Beta reader on this fic. I highly recommend her story in progress: An Unlikely Pairing.

My work features a Hermione and Severus relationship in which Hermione uses her own time shifter invention to visit Professor Snape in his past. How this works will become clearer as more chapters are released. The characters may appear Out Of Character because I am trying to portray the staff in their adult world that is not often seen by students. Let me know if any OOC really bugs you. I am not well versed in the Harry Potter universe, so expect a bumpier ride than usual.

This story is an Alternate Universe but I am attempting to frame it with canon events. If there are any glaring contradictions, please let me know. Since I am writing this without a solid outline, you are welcome to recommend HG/SS scenes from canon. Chapter 2 will reveal more about the AU nature of Hermione Granger.

M-rating for adult situations, including lemon-lime flavoring.

Chapter 1
A Very Vexed Severus Snape

"Granger," the Potions Master called out. A hand shot up. Severus Snape looked from the eager face and back to his parchment attendance list. "Her …"

Her name is the same.

He shook the thought from his head and continued, "My …"

… first lover. It can't be.

Looking at her again: "Oh, my."

The quill floating in front of the list faltered. Miss Granger was not marked in attendance for Potions.

"Hermione," the girl corrected him. "Not her-my-oh-my."

He glared at her for daring to correct him. If Severus had run afoul of his day earlier, he was convinced that he now had smashed headlong into it. Anger burned inside him at the cruel trick that he was allowing the little siren to play on him. How dare this diabolical creature torment him by showing up after all these years, not even in a form to satisfy his carnal needs?

"Greengrass," he barked, catching sight of a girl in a Slytherin robe. "Daphne?" He pondered the river nymph of her namesake.

"Yes, sir."

"Did I give you permission to speak, Miss Greengrass?" He scowled at the entire class and they all shrank back. All except for one boy. The progeny of his deceased nemesis James Potter and schoolboy crush Lily Evans.

He abandoned taking attendance for the moment. "What an honor it is, Class, that we should have a celebrity in our midst. Go ahead and give him a round of applause."

He watched his students timidly look over to Harry Potter. Most were cautious in their smattering of adoration. But Hermione Granger clapped vigorously, her eyes on her professor as if she wished to prove her applause skills.

Harry kept his head down. "Quiet!" Professor Snape yelled. "It appears that Mr. Potter is an arrogant fool who will not accept your pathetic veneration."

Finally the boy looked up, shaking his head and giving Severus a glimpse of the disgusting scar on his forehead.

Quickly completing the attendance sheet, the Potions Master laid into Harry Potter with a vengeance. He found great satisfaction in putting the pint-sized celebrity into place. He had hoped that his efforts to humiliate the boy would keep his own thoughts off of Hermione Granger. But each time he asked Harry Potter a successively more challenging question, the girl's overeager spirit grew more restless. She wriggled in her enthusiasm to show off her otherworldly knowledge.

At last young Harry Potter pointedly remarked that Hermione appeared to be in want of Snape's attentions. Resisting the urge to reveal her true identify in front of the First Years, he snarled, "Sit down." The sprite wilted into submission.

Class ended none too soon for the Potions Master.

########

"That Defense Against the Dark Arts bumberclunge failed to insulate Hogwarts from the penetration of a succubus."

Albus Dumbledore looked up from his cluttered desk. "Ah, Severus. Always a pleasure to see you. But you really ought to put away that wand before you hex my eye out." The Potions Master collapsed his wand and slid it atop his ear.

"Not falling into old habits, are you, Professor Snape?" Albus good-naturedly goaded, standing up and stretching. "I haven't seen you place your wand behind your ear since, when was it? Your Sixth Year?"

Taking three leggy steps forward, Severus tucked his wand into his robe and then he slammed his open palms onto the stout oak desktop. "What possible interest could you have in recalling my wretched schoolboy years while the First Years are at this very moment fraternizing with a shrewd demon."

The Headmaster pulled on his long, white beard. "First Years, then?"

Severus stood straight again, his black robe gently falling into place. "Yes." He rubbed his palms. "Pardon my outburst, Albus."

Albus walked around to the front of the desk. "No harm done to this solid oak, Severus," he winked as he rapped it with his knuckles.

The professor looked at his own red and smarting hands before continuing his tirade. "A demon managed to finagle a Muggle name onto my student list and posed as a Potions student. This breach must be swiftly remedied, although you will not find Professor Quirrell sufficient to the task."

"Now I ask you to forgive my impudence." Albus looked straight into the eyes of the livid Potions Master. "I recall a certain incident involving Mudblood-name-calling. Let us both hope that this is not related."

Severus snapped, "That was Evans. This is Granger."

Albus walked away from the taut figure standing before him. Reaching the cherry wood credenza, he asked, "Shall we have a drink?" He conjured up two Hogwarts-logo-embossed shot glasses and poured from a decanter of scotch.

Severus refused the proffered intoxicant. "How might I clarify this exigency, Albus?"

The aged Headmaster gulped the shot as the glass disappeared. "Ahhhh," he smacked his lips. "If you aren't interested?" He lifted the other shot glass to his own lips. "Well, then," interrupting himself to knock back the drink swiftly, "let us discuss how it has come about that you are accusing an eleven-year-old of being a temptress."

Severus guarded his chest with crossed arms. "I suppose the demon has a cunning ability to appear younger now than when I first encountered it."

Albus placed a wrinkled old hand on the arm of his Potion Master's black robe. With a relieved exhale, he confirmed, "So your familiarity with this, ah … succubus, as you call her, involves a much older vision of Granger, am I right?"

The dark eyes of Severus Snape flashed dangerously. "I'm not a cradle snatcher, if that is what you are playing at. Perhaps you could explain to me how this ... this thing could appear to be my own age when I was a Sixth Year, and now, so many years later appears before me as a child."

Albus fingered his mustache. "Could use another drink," he muttered. He appraised the raised eyebrows on the face of Severus Snape. "Right, then. Two is enough for one night." Albus stroked his beard once again. "I assure you, Severus, that Granger is completely human, an extremely bright witch with a promising future. I myself cast the final vote for her acceptance into Hogwarts at the selection committee."

Severus took a step back and winced. "Then I have committed the unthinkable."

"Are you quite sure? Miss Granger is more intelligent than first appearances suggest. As for altering the fabric of time or space, I do not doubt her capacity to ..." He paused, letting his eyes drift toward the ceiling where, with any luck, his lost thought might be spelt out with a floating finger.

"I shagged her in my Sixth Year," Severus spat.

The Headmaster chuckled. "Did you, now? Oh, there is no need to appear so horrified. She appeared to be of age at the time, did she not?"

"She came to me," Severus snarled. "I didn't even know her." Why did I need to have her? He brushed his fingers through his black hair, leaving several strands hanging in front of his eyes.

"There, you said it yourself." Albus turned away from Snape, twirling the edge of his bushy white eyebrow with one hand. "I admit, Severus, I am quite relieved that your affiliation with Miss Granger is unrelated to your current tenure at Hogwarts."

"But how could this happen?"

Albus Dumbledore spun back around. His eyes gleamed. "It appears that you have finally met a witch as cunning as yourself, my good friend. But I must order you to take part in no investigation or action toward the child. The past will unravel itself."

Severus nodded. "I will do my best to suppress any memories …"

"Yes, that would be best. And for my part, I promise to keep my eye on the girl in order to mitigate any more complicating effects that her behavior may have on other staff."

A new expression crossed the face of the Potions Master. "So she might have done this same trick to others? To gain some sort of advantage, then?"

Albus shook his head. "Don't over think this one, Severus. By the looks of things, it will be several years until our gentle succubus shall pose any threat." His eyes twinkled.

With a nod, Severus turned to leave. "And Professor Snape," Albus called out, causing the stern man to break his stride. "Do come to talk with me if her feminine wiles prove to be too much to …"

"Thank you, Albus." Severus threw open the door. The Bloody Baron was hovering at the keyhole but quickly rose to the ceiling. With a grin the Baron gestured his frilly arm sleeve for Severus Snape to proceed out of the Headmaster's office. "Do not interfere with me, you bloody fool," Severus barked. The ghostly Baron gave an offended turn of his head before floating into the wall. The Potions Master stormed away, the tail of his black robe trailing behind, barely at pace.