Summary: Hogwarts was playing host to the victory celebration to the defeat of one of the vilest wizards to walk the face of the earth. Professor Severus Snape newly reappointed Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and now Deputy Headmaster of same said school discovers a secret that he wished to be revealed.

Prologue

In the great hall, the victory celebration was in full force. Professor Snape sat at the high table watching the celebration with a glass of wine in hand and an impartial face. The golden trio was out on the dance floor making the best of what would be a new life ahead of them with peace for their world. But as he sat there, watching them spin around and around on the dance floor, he knew that now he could finally settle down and find someone to spend the rest of his life with and show the rest of the world that there was a little more to him than what meets the eye. He had lifted a few of the appearance detraction charms for they were no longer necessary. His hair was no longer greasy and his teeth were no longer crooked and yellow. No one had even noticed the difference.

As he sat there watching the trio and Miss Hermione Granger in particular, he noticed that she was not hanging all over Weasley like she had been at the end of last year and Potter had Miss Weasley on his arm. Hermione Granger was single and the most intelligent witch of the age. She deserved the very best, someone equally intelligent, challenging and above all older. She needed someone like him. But would she need him, he asked to himself as he watched her laughing at some joke from Mr. Weasley. Severus Snape needed to figure out some way to make her see him the real him that no one had seen since he joined the death eaters nearly twenty years ago.

The only one to see the real him died the fateful day that Harry Potter gained his scar. Severus Snape had been head over heels completely in love with Lilly Evans and Severus well he could only love from afar having missed his chance at happiness. He had loved her with everything he had and could not save her in the end. The tragic part of it all was that he still did love her. Yet, through it all he knew that he needed to let her go. The only one could ever take Lilly's place in Severus' heart was a seventh year student that thought he despised her. Life he thought was very cruel but he vowed that he would not live the rest of his life a lonely miserable old man. This time while he had the chance he was going to go after Hermione Granger and find the peace that he desperately craved.

As the Headmistress took the podium one last time, she announced the end of the victory ball with one last dance. Hermione Granger inched her way over and said, "Professor, would you care to dance sir?"

"I would be honored." He said as he extended a hand and led her on the dance floor. He took her in a professional stance and began spinning her around on the dance floor. He could smell her jasmine perfume. He realized how well she danced.

"Sir, I never knew that you could dance so well." She said.

"Perhaps there is more to me than meets the eye." He said with a slight smirk.

"Perhaps sir. Perhaps." She said.

As they finished the dance, he gave her a slight bow turned and then left to patrol while Hermione was left to ponder exactly what more the professor was actually hiding.