A/N: If you are one of my followers, you might know by know that I am very bad at keeping promises when it comes to updates... I told someone (or on one of my A/N) that I wouldn't post any new story until I finished my other ones and yet... here I am.

I can't help it, Minerva is my muse... maybe I should start looking for another one...

This is an idea I had for a long time but was trying not to start writing because I didn't want to leave 'Hogwarts 1998' aside but, a couple days ago I really needed to write anything and this was the story I had more alive in my mind at that moment.

I hope you don't mind me posting another story, and I hope that you like it. So far, I have 3-4 chapters completed, so I'll be updating the story daily as long as can.

ENJOY!

1982

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Chapter 1

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Back to Hogwarts

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by Saeshmea

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He moved like a serpent among the people, looking for an empty place to sit down. It had been a few years since the last time he'd been in that train, but nothing had changed. The compartments looked exactly the same they did the first year he'd come to Hogwarts; the students were wearing the same uniforms and having the same conversations about being away from home; and even that feeling of insecurity that he thought to have left behind, seemed to have been waiting for him to come back in those old carriages.

He hated that feeling, and he tried to get rid of it, but the crowded space, the look of those smart kids, the whispers around him… it all was so familiar, that he couldn't help it but feel himself dragged back in time. He started to feel sick, and changed his search of an empty seat for that of a restroom where he could empty his stomach.

When he found it, in the last carriage, he was welcomed by a cue of another five or six people also impatient to satisfy their physiological needs, so he decided to walk passed them and outside the carriage. Strongly grabbing the handrail of that little balcony at the end of the train, he bended over and vomited on the tracks.

"Feeling better?" a voice, a female voice, a familiar female voice with a scottish accent, asked. He quickly cleaned his mouth with the end of his sleeve and turned around abruptly to see if his memory was playing games with him or not. It wasn't.

At the other corner of that little open space there was none other but Minerva McGonagall standing on her tall heels and staring at him. The last time he'd seen his former teacher was during his NEWTs, about four years ago, and he had to admit that he hadn't thought of the woman ever since then, so he didn't expect her to recognize him immediately, but she did.

"Mr. Snape," she said, "how do you do?"

"How do you do, Professor McGonagall," he politely responded once he found his voice back. The afternoon sun was shining like a holy aura behind her, making the professor look like a fallen angel, and Severus was having troubles to keep his eyes on her, but then the train made a turn and she was back to being just human.

"It's always nice to meet former students," she said, "specially the good ones," she added, and he noticed her delicate hand raising between them, and it took a moment to him to realize she actually wanted to shake hands with him, "although it's not usual to meet them in the Express."

Severus was so concentrated on the task given to his hand, making sure that his fingers wrapped hers in a very professional way, that his skin didn't sweat too much while they were touching each other and that he didn't squeeze her hand too strong to hurt her, but neither too soft to show his insecurity; that it took a moment for those last words of her to sink in his mind.

"Actually," he said after letting go of her, feeling proud of the final result of their handshake, "the Headmaster has hired me as the new Potions teacher of the school, Professor McGonagall."

"That's marvellous," she replied, joining her hands on the air and drawing a more noticeable smile on her thin lips, "I am sure you'll do a wonderful job."

There was a moment of silence, only filled with the noise of the train wheels and strong wind provoked by the velocity of the engine.

"I should be going back," she said, taking her hand to the door, "will you be alright?"

"I will," he replied, suddenly realizing that Minerva McGonagall had seen him vomiting only a few minutes before, a thought that made his stomach sick again, "thank you Professor," he tried to keep his composure.

"Please, if we're going to be colleagues you can call me Minerva," she said, and that seemed to make him feel better.

"I certainly will," he said, "I'll see you during the Sorting Ceremony, Prof-Minerva," he had to force his mouth to say it out loud, so used to talk to his former teacher with respect and formalities, but it felt really good to have her name embrace his tongue.

"Of course," she said, "welcome back to Hogwarts, Severus," and after that she went back inside, and he kept the door open to see her walking down the carriage corridor, admiring the back of her green tartan gown until she disappeared behind the cue of people waiting for the restroom and Severus realized she had said his name too.

The last time he had knocked that door he had been a student, this time he was a Professor of Hogwarts, but the sickening feeling on his stomach was the same. He wondered, as he waited to be invited in, if his insecurity would ever vanish. He'd joined the Death Eaters thinking that power would help him grow strong, but the truth had been that being among those despicable men with those radical ideals hadn't helped at all. Having to accept Dumbledore's mercy not to end up in Azkaban and coming back to Hogwarts to be surrounded by bully teengers wasn't going to be much of a remedy for his lack of confidence either, sometimes he thought that was the Headmaster's way to punish him for his sins.

"Come in," a voice said from inside the office, and Severus stepped inside.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster," he said.

"Welcome, Severus," Dumbledore greeted him, gesturing him to sit down, "I hope you had a nice trip."

"Indeed, Sir," Severus replied, sitting down.

"I've called you in here only to go through some formalities," he said, "signing some papers for the Ministry and that kind of things," he took some papers out of a drawer and sat down on his desk again, "once we're done I'll show you your private rooms so you can get ready for dinner," he handed him the parchments and a quill and pointed a spot to sign his name.

Severus obediently did as he was told and signed every paper, and once they were done, headmaster and Professor headed to the dungeons.

...

"I haven't told anyone yet about who is filling Horace's position this year," the Headmaster explained later as they descended the halls to the dungeons, "I'm planning on introducing you during the Sorting Ceremony, but I understand you already met one of your former professors in the train..." it wasn't a question, he was just pointing a fact, but Severus answered as if he was asking.

"Only Min-Professor McGonagall," he said, not sure of why he'd corrected himself but he'd felt as he should. Again, he hadn't thought of her since their encounter in the train, and he realized he would be meeting her again in the Great Hall later. For some reason, the thought amused him.

"Well, we're here," Dumbledore said when they reached the door of former Professor Slughorn's office, "you will have to re-do the wards, but I'm sure you'll have no problem with that," he said as he opened the door and passed by the small room with only an empty desk and a small fireplace and made his way through a second door, "you can decorate it as you please."

Severus followed the Headmaster into that part of the office where he'd never been and was welcomed by a cozy studio with its own kitchen and sitting area and a small corridor that would take to the rest of the rooms.

"So, what do you think?" Dumbledore asked.

"I always thought the dungeon's chambers were for the Slytherin Head of House," Severus muttered as he looked around the room, thinking the very little he could see was already better than his own house.

"That is right," the Headmaster said, "didn't I mention that to you?"

"I'm afraid you didn't, Sir," Severus replied, not believing the Headmaster actually wanted him to become Head of Slytherin.

"Well, it certainly was in the contract you just signed," Dumbledore pointed and Severu felt tricked, "so there's no going back."

"But I don't even know how to handle my position as professor," he replied, "I'm sure anyone else will be more suitable for the job."

"You're wrong," the Headmaster said, "it will be good for the Slytherin students to have a Head of House with experience in life, to guide them… in the right side. You do know what I mean..."

"But,"

"The Sorting Ceremony starts in half an hour," he completely ignored him, "I'll leave you now so you can get ready."

The older students were already there when Severus entered the Great Hall. He passed by their long tables feeling their stares, hearing their whispers… he began to feel sick again, but the feeling disappeared as he approached the professor's table; his table now.

There were still a few chairs empty, but he could recognize the faces of some of his former professors like Sprout and Flitwick. It was awkward sitting with them, it reminded him of those Christmases he had spent in the school and Dumbledore would invite the students to join them.

He decided to occupy the chair on the right corner of the table, this way maybe he would be able to avoid engaging in any conversation.

It didn't took long for the rest of the staff to join, including the Headmaster, and once everyone was sitting down the double wooden door was opened to let McGonagall come in with the first years. She crossed the room with the grace of a bella and climbed the stairs with the agility of a feline. A stool had been placed in front of their table with the Sorting Hat on top and a rolled parchment with the list of names of the newcomers. She began to read them and Severus listened to her voice as if she was reciting a Shakespeare sonnet. He found his eyes following every child sorted to Slytherin until they had taken a seat on the table of the right. They were going to be more than only his pupils, he would have to guide them, he would be somehow responsible for the paths they chose…

"Wesley, William," Minerva said the last name of the list and a redhaired boy climbed up the three steps and sat on the stool. She gently placed the hat on his little head and it started to move and whisper something, after a few seconds, it yelled:

"Gryffindor!" and Severus could see a shy smile, just like the one she'd given him on the train, on Minerva's lips. The boy jumped down his seat and ran to his table as Minerva put everything away and walked to her place at the left side of the Headmaster, who stood up to greet her and then asked for the attention of everyone in the room.

"Welcome to Hogwarts and congratulations on your sortings," he said, "before the feast begins, I would like a moment to introduce all of you," and he looked first to the students and then to the staff, "your new Potions teacher, Professor Snape," and he made a gesture to Severus, who waved politely to all the eyes focused on him but didn't stand up. "Let's begin the celebration, now."

Sitting on his left, there was Rolanda Hooch, engaged in a quidditch conversation with Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, so Severus had the feeling of being alone, which he appreciated. From time to time, he would raise his eyes and peek at the center of the table, where Minerva was exchanging words with the Headmaster, or turned around to the professor on her left, who he didn't know. Occasionally, Severus would think she had been watching at him too, but it had probably only been his imagination craving for her attention.

Back in his new rooms, Slughorn's old rooms, Severus couldn't take the image of Minerva McGonagall smiling at him at the end of the train that afternoon. He remembered how he used to raise his eyes from his notebook to peep at his former professor during classes, she would usually wear gowns very tight on her waist, always with tartan patterns, and sometimes with shyly low necklines that would let the student's imagination flow. He remembered his classmates talking about her and the other young female professors they had, but he was only interested on McGonagall. He found her intelligent, smart and elegant, and now that he was an adult, he would dare say that he also found her attractive. He wondered how old she was. Thirty? Probably thirty-five… Certainly not older than forty…

He walked into his bathroom and washed his face. He didn't know why he was thinking of that, he hadn't even thought of his professor since his NEWT exams until he'd seen her in the train. He had recognized her voice immediately, and he remembered thinking that maybe being back at Hogwarts wouldn't be that bad if it meant being colleagues with Professor McGonagall - sorry, with Minerva.

Severus looked at himself in the mirror. He was twenty-two years old, and her former student. She probably saw him as a kid, an insecure kid that had puked on the train track in front of her.

Severus felt sick one more time, but a tapping on his window distracted him and he walked back into the living area and saw a brown owl standing outside the small window of the dungeon. He let it in and took the rolled parchment that it was carrying:

Professor Snape,

After giving it a little more thought, I have decided that maybe it would be good for you to have some guidance in your task as Head of House. I have taken the liberty to arrange a first meeting between you and Professor McGonagall tomorrow evening.

Place: Professor McGonagall's office.

Time: Ten past seven.

Have a nice start of term,

Albus Dumbledore

P.S. Do not be late, she hates that.

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TO BE CONTINUED…