1 Chapter 1
A Reverie
It was a ridiculously rainy evening at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snape sat at his desk looking over the list of new faculty at Hogwarts. One name jumped out at him. How strange it would be to see her again. 'Professor Mia Cauldwell,' Snape mused. How ironic his life had been. It had been Mia Cauldwell that had befriended him as a student here at Hogwarts. He could remember that first night at the sorting ceremony when that damned hat had declared him a Slytherin. How desperately he had hoped to become a Gryffindor. He had spent countless nights considering how different his life would have been had he been given the chance to break away from the dark reputation of his surname and become an upstanding wizard. On his way down to the gloomy Slytherin common room he had seen her. Walking happily towards the Gryffindor common room, she had been taking everything in with all the awe and amazement of all the first years. And then her eyes had landed on him. A smile had crossed her face, a friendly wave had come from her delicate hand, and then she had been gone. Of course, Snape had seen her the next day at breakfast. To the horror of the Gryffindors and the amusement of the Slytherins, Mia had marched over to his table and introduced herself. From that day on the pair had been inseparable, much like that damned Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.
As they had grown up at Hogwarts, Snape and Mia had begun meeting in a concealed room found within a maze of corridors behind their respective common room fireplaces. Severus honestly couldn't remember how many nights he had snuck silently out of bed and into their secret meeting spot to brew some obscure potion, or sometimes just to talk. Mia alone knew his hatred of the Slytherins and all that they had stood for. She knew secrets that he himself preferred not to think about. And then, just like that, seventh year had been over and the pair had found themselves saying their goodbyes on platform nine and three quarters, promising to keep in touch and knowing that their relationship had officially come to an end.
Snape had gone his ways, down the dark path of Voldemort's followers. Mia had gone down the path of the righteous witch and become an auror. They hadn't met each other again for another ten years, when she had cornered him in the western woods of Romania after breaking up a death eater initiation. With so many memories dead and buried in the nooks of his mind, Snape marveled at the fact that this one stood out so vividly.
Flashback…
It had been a crisp December evening only a few days after Christmas. The death eaters had been assembled to witness the brutal initiation ceremony performed by Voldemort on a new member of their following. Snape had been standing dutifully, thinking of anything he could apart from what was going on right in front of him, when a group of about ten aurors had shown up. Snape had seen her before she had noticed him, pointing her wand at various death eaters and performing the disarming spell with relish. When she had finished with them, an auror behind her would summon silvery threads from the end of his wand and tie the death eaters up, tossing them in the snow behind him and moving on to the next. And then she had seen him. Their eyes had met, and like it or not, a grim smile had invaded the corners of their mouths. A second later he had turned on his heels and began running into the forest. Snow had begun to fall as he began his escape, and he could remember thinking about one Christmas Eve that the two had spent dancing in the forbidden forest. He reminded himself how history will repeat itself in funny ways.
He could feel her behind him as he ran. Soon they had found themselves miles away from the rest of the aurors. "Severus," she had called from behind him with a husky voice. He stopped, somehow knowing that the danger had passed. He turned to see her panting against a large tree trunk staring at him from about a hundred yards away. Her wand had remained in her robe the entire time. He replaced his in the inside pocket of his cloak and walked towards her. He stopped inches from her face. How badly he had wanted to kiss her when they had been in school. He had never been able to muster up the courage to do it. Their lips had been close enough to touch. And then she had spoken.
"What have you become," she had whispered in an almost mournful tone. That simple phrase had been enough to cause Snape to punish himself for his actions for all the years to come.
"What was expected of me," he had answered.
"You know that's not true, Severus. I know who you are. You're better than this."
"And will you do your duty and haul me off to Azkaban?"
"No, Severus. No matter who you pretend to be I know who you really are. You don't belong in Azkaban."
"Where do I belong?"
A flicker had crossed her icy blue eyes then. He knew what she was thinking. "With me," she had answered. His head fell as he began to inspect the snow at their feet.
"And what if I don't want to come with you?"
"Then you are a changed man," she had answered with a twinge of hurt in her voice. "Go, Severus. Just go." With that she had turned and began her disapperated on the spot. How badly he had wanted to call to her; to take back what he had said. And then, just like that, it had been over. He had never seen her again.
Until now. She had been his friend as well as his enemy. And now she was his colleague. How much stranger could his life become? Not only was she his colleague, but she had stolen the position that he had longed for so desperately.
Snape was relieved of his mournful reveries by a light rap on his door.
"Come in."
Albus Dumbledoor sauntered in and stood beside Snape's desk. "I see that you've been overlooking the new faculty members. If my memory fails me not, I believe that Mia and yourself were quite friendly when you were in school."
"Things change, Albus," Snape growled.
A knowing smile crossed Dumbledoor's face as he answered, "I see. Well, in any case, Severus, it is time for me to once again wrench you from these abysmal dungeons and insist that you join us at the start of term feast. The sorting ceremony will begin shortly."
"I'll be up in a moment, Albus."
"Very well," Dumbledoor had answered as he took his leave, shutting the door behind him.
A Reverie
It was a ridiculously rainy evening at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snape sat at his desk looking over the list of new faculty at Hogwarts. One name jumped out at him. How strange it would be to see her again. 'Professor Mia Cauldwell,' Snape mused. How ironic his life had been. It had been Mia Cauldwell that had befriended him as a student here at Hogwarts. He could remember that first night at the sorting ceremony when that damned hat had declared him a Slytherin. How desperately he had hoped to become a Gryffindor. He had spent countless nights considering how different his life would have been had he been given the chance to break away from the dark reputation of his surname and become an upstanding wizard. On his way down to the gloomy Slytherin common room he had seen her. Walking happily towards the Gryffindor common room, she had been taking everything in with all the awe and amazement of all the first years. And then her eyes had landed on him. A smile had crossed her face, a friendly wave had come from her delicate hand, and then she had been gone. Of course, Snape had seen her the next day at breakfast. To the horror of the Gryffindors and the amusement of the Slytherins, Mia had marched over to his table and introduced herself. From that day on the pair had been inseparable, much like that damned Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.
As they had grown up at Hogwarts, Snape and Mia had begun meeting in a concealed room found within a maze of corridors behind their respective common room fireplaces. Severus honestly couldn't remember how many nights he had snuck silently out of bed and into their secret meeting spot to brew some obscure potion, or sometimes just to talk. Mia alone knew his hatred of the Slytherins and all that they had stood for. She knew secrets that he himself preferred not to think about. And then, just like that, seventh year had been over and the pair had found themselves saying their goodbyes on platform nine and three quarters, promising to keep in touch and knowing that their relationship had officially come to an end.
Snape had gone his ways, down the dark path of Voldemort's followers. Mia had gone down the path of the righteous witch and become an auror. They hadn't met each other again for another ten years, when she had cornered him in the western woods of Romania after breaking up a death eater initiation. With so many memories dead and buried in the nooks of his mind, Snape marveled at the fact that this one stood out so vividly.
Flashback…
It had been a crisp December evening only a few days after Christmas. The death eaters had been assembled to witness the brutal initiation ceremony performed by Voldemort on a new member of their following. Snape had been standing dutifully, thinking of anything he could apart from what was going on right in front of him, when a group of about ten aurors had shown up. Snape had seen her before she had noticed him, pointing her wand at various death eaters and performing the disarming spell with relish. When she had finished with them, an auror behind her would summon silvery threads from the end of his wand and tie the death eaters up, tossing them in the snow behind him and moving on to the next. And then she had seen him. Their eyes had met, and like it or not, a grim smile had invaded the corners of their mouths. A second later he had turned on his heels and began running into the forest. Snow had begun to fall as he began his escape, and he could remember thinking about one Christmas Eve that the two had spent dancing in the forbidden forest. He reminded himself how history will repeat itself in funny ways.
He could feel her behind him as he ran. Soon they had found themselves miles away from the rest of the aurors. "Severus," she had called from behind him with a husky voice. He stopped, somehow knowing that the danger had passed. He turned to see her panting against a large tree trunk staring at him from about a hundred yards away. Her wand had remained in her robe the entire time. He replaced his in the inside pocket of his cloak and walked towards her. He stopped inches from her face. How badly he had wanted to kiss her when they had been in school. He had never been able to muster up the courage to do it. Their lips had been close enough to touch. And then she had spoken.
"What have you become," she had whispered in an almost mournful tone. That simple phrase had been enough to cause Snape to punish himself for his actions for all the years to come.
"What was expected of me," he had answered.
"You know that's not true, Severus. I know who you are. You're better than this."
"And will you do your duty and haul me off to Azkaban?"
"No, Severus. No matter who you pretend to be I know who you really are. You don't belong in Azkaban."
"Where do I belong?"
A flicker had crossed her icy blue eyes then. He knew what she was thinking. "With me," she had answered. His head fell as he began to inspect the snow at their feet.
"And what if I don't want to come with you?"
"Then you are a changed man," she had answered with a twinge of hurt in her voice. "Go, Severus. Just go." With that she had turned and began her disapperated on the spot. How badly he had wanted to call to her; to take back what he had said. And then, just like that, it had been over. He had never seen her again.
Until now. She had been his friend as well as his enemy. And now she was his colleague. How much stranger could his life become? Not only was she his colleague, but she had stolen the position that he had longed for so desperately.
Snape was relieved of his mournful reveries by a light rap on his door.
"Come in."
Albus Dumbledoor sauntered in and stood beside Snape's desk. "I see that you've been overlooking the new faculty members. If my memory fails me not, I believe that Mia and yourself were quite friendly when you were in school."
"Things change, Albus," Snape growled.
A knowing smile crossed Dumbledoor's face as he answered, "I see. Well, in any case, Severus, it is time for me to once again wrench you from these abysmal dungeons and insist that you join us at the start of term feast. The sorting ceremony will begin shortly."
"I'll be up in a moment, Albus."
"Very well," Dumbledoor had answered as he took his leave, shutting the door behind him.