Hermione woke up really well-rested the next morning.

After flicking a glance at the clock resting on her bedside table she stood up and started her day at 10 past 8.

Deciding she still had enough time she took a quick bath.

Feeling refreshed Hermione stood in front of her wardrobe wearing a towel wrapped around her small form with dripping wet hair. Thinking about it being mid- December she decided on a warm and woolly Christmas jumper and a pair of black jeans.

Fully dressed and with her hair done, Hermione walked into her kitchen and prepared a light breakfast for herself to have enough strength for the day.

With her food settled on a tray, she walked into her living room and plopped down onto her couch eating her breakfast and reading a book for a short while.

That was what she planned to do at least.

The next time she looked at her watch she groaned internally.

Quarter to ten. Mental note: Never read before having an important appointment without setting an alarm clock.

Faster than you could say Hogwarts she was dressed in a warm pair of boots, her grey winter cloak and a grey set consisting of a scarf and beanie and her bag draped across her arm.

Grabbing her keys she left her flat and started walking towards the park where she was going to meet Severus again.

Breathless she arrived at the meeting point at two to ten and saw him standing there with his back turned away from her.

After glancing at the watch on her wrist she took a breath to calm down before walking nearer. Only a few steps away from him, she, how could it have been any different, slipped, and he turned around to catch her just in time like he did the day before.

This time, however, he wasn't able to hold his balance and so Hermione kind of tackled him to the ground landing on him.

Whilst falling Hermione did not really realize what happened but laying there on him, embarrassment was making itself clear on her face once she acknowledged the fact that it had indeed happened again.

Both of them were lying there on the ground for a few moments before either of them did anything about it.

Finally, Hermione could feel the chest she was laying on reverberating in a burst of really deep and throaty laughter emanating from the man under her.

"Hermione, Hermione. As much as I like to see you again I would advise you to not greet me like this every time we meet. I fear my old battered body won't make it soon. Added to that I may not always be there to catch you when you fall and be a pillow to your stunts. I'm not even that well suited to be a pillow. There's not enough upholstery on my old bones. That's why I have to ask you to refrain from greeting me like that."

He quietly laughed into her ear before wrapping his arms faster around her.

"Who said something about old? You're 41. Professor Dumbledore was old but not you and I have to resent your earlier statement. You are a great pillow for me. Anyway, it's not my fault you are standing right next to the exact same puddle I tripped upon yesterday."

She smiled warmly at him while trying to get up from him.

"Shall we?" she asked, sticking out her hand for him to take.
"Sure," he said, grabbing it and not letting it go after being securely put onto his two legs again.

"Then come. We won't be getting anything out of it if we are staying here other than probably catching a cold,"  joked Hermione and pulled him away from the park at his hand.

I never thought Professor Snape would let me touch him one day. I think I should relish this as longs as I am still able to. As long as he doesn't remember his past, was all she was able to think before she pulled him into a little alley.

"Uhm, Hermione. I don't think we'll get to Spinner's End if we go into dark little alleys." 

At that, all she could muster was a small smile.

"Severus, if you want me to help you, you will have to trust me. Otherwise, this won't work. Now, do you trust me?" she asked him with a rather stern expression.

Severus just nodded and looked her deep in the eyes.

"Good. Now, grab my hand and don't let go. You won't feel too good after this, but it is worth it."

He did as he was told and gripped her hand harder and she disapparated them to Spinner's End, Cokeworth.

After a few moments, she found herself standing on a patch of dirty green grass only partly covered by equally dirty snow in front of a row of rundown brick houses.

Next to her, Severus was standing seemingly fighting against the urge of throwing up whatever he had eaten for breakfast.

"Everything fine there, Sev?" she asked him with a concerned expression etched on her face.

Either he never liked apparating or he really forgot everything connected to his former life. She mused before wanting to proceed to his parents' house.

"Shall we, Severus? Which one is it?" she asked him standing right next to him, but she didn't receive an answer.

After a couple more moments she turned to him and saw that he had a rather distant look on his face.

"Severus? Sev, what is it? Severus?" asked a voice carried by the wind from quite a distance away.

Slowly the world around him began to shift and transform.

Instead of the snow, there was green grass warmed by the sun shining brightly down on him. Severus was standing right next to an old tree with a rusty swing set a few metres away.

The meadow ahead was beautifully covered in plants and flowers blossoming in a great variety of colours.

In the distance, he saw something red coming towards him.

At first, it was just a red dot that quickly became bigger and after just a few seconds a small girl was standing in front of him. She was maybe nine or ten years old and had flaming red hair and emerald green eyes that captured his senses.

Despite her being a mere child they were more or less on the same eye-level and that was what intrigued Severus.

Casting a glance down he saw that he wasn't wearing the clothes he wore when he arrived there, these were hand-me-down shirts and pants from someone far bigger than him but he kind of recognized these clothes and came to the conclusion that this must be his younger self seeing as the girl called him that and that he obviously was smaller than before.

"Sev. You won't believe this."

She threw her arms around him and despite not ever having thought about it, he did the same which deeply intrigued Severus.

"What is it that I won't believe, Lils?" he smiled at her.

"If you're just going to stand there saying nothing I will definitely not believe anything so tell me. What is it that has you so excited?" he laughed in jest looking at her whilst the two of them sat down on the grass.

My voice is so high, I must still be a young boy. That would mean that this is not happening right now and nothing I can do will change anything. This must be a memory from my childhood here. His ever working mind told him.

"I finally got it. It came today delivered by an owl. My Hogwarts letter!"

She beamed at him, and he just had to smile at that.

"You were right. I am a witch."

"See, I told you that you were something special. You know, it won't be long, and then we will be sitting on the train to learn new things others will never know anything about," he said not excited any less.

At that, the whole scene around him began to blur and shift and before long it was cold around him again, and he found himself standing next to Hermione on the snow-filled grass in front of the rundown houses of Spinner's End.

"Severus, what is it? What's up, please. Talk to me," she pleaded with him to finally show a sign of being there with her.

"Sorry, what did you say?" he asked turning left to look at the woman next to him.

At seeing the concerned expression there he remembered why they had come there in the first place.

"Hey, you were standing here like you were a statue for more than five minutes. You gave me quite the shock," said Hermione, smiling at him.

"I remembered something. Something that happened in my childhood."