Disclaimer. I own the plot and Professor Belle. But the rest I only borrowed. So enjoy my parts. This could be made into a short original story but I am too lazy to make up my own characters, so I have to borrow someone else's sorry!

OK so here we go. Two points of view in here so try not to get confused OK? Right here we go.


 



Chapter One

Looking out of her window Hermione mentally went over all the things she had to pack for school. She was wondering whether to take some extra books when she realized that she could get them from the library. She was just packing her potion ingredients when she remembered who she would be seeing when she got back to school! She had fallen in love in her fourth year and now this was the year she was going to tell him! It was her final year at Hogwarts so it was this year or never! In less than an hour she would be going to Kings Cross to catch the train to Hogwarts, and going to see HIM again! She got changed in to a simple T-shirt and jeans and surveyed herself in the mirror. She was by no means stunningly beautiful but she was attractive, even pretty. She had changed a lot this summer her hair had gone sleek and shiny (true it was due to immense amounts of her homemade hair serum) and she now a beautiful figure, well she would have liked a little less bum and a little more breasts but on the whole it was rather nice. Why could he not appreciate her? To him she was just another girl and a very annoyingly clever one at that. She picked up Crookshanks and walked over to the dresser and picked up a picture of herself, Ron and Harry. She had thought about him most of the summer. But every time she did she usually burst into tears, usually scolding herself for being melodramatic as soon as she started. He did not love her in the way that she loved him, he didn't even like her. Her futile attempts to show him how she felt had ended in her humiliation. When this happened she usually resorted to eating a whole box of chocolates and then sat there for the rest of the week looking solemn and sick.

~*~




He wandered round the house, packing items in his case and looking round every room to find those last elusive items that may have escaped his attention. He usually was well organized but he had failed to wake up this morning. This may have been due to the fact that in an attempt to try and numb the realization of what was to come, he had drunk a bottle of wine in one night. This would have not been too bad if it weren't for the fact that he made it part of his lifestyle to never consume alcohol. In less than 8 hours he would have to sit at that godforsaken table in the godforsaken hall and watch the rest of the godforsaken school assemble there.

He slowly walked over to the fireplace and took some floo powder out of the small silver pot on the mantelpiece. Throwing the powder into the flames he picked up his trunk and stepped into the flames and uttered, "Diagon Alley."

He felt a warmth around him and the feel of the wind rushing by his face and then he was still. Taking a moment to get used to the sudden stop, he stepped out of the flames and found himself in the rather full pub, known as the leaky cauldron. As always this place was full of hags, wizards, witches and other magical beings. Quickly and quietly, not wanting to be talked to, he picked up his trunk and made his way out of the pub. He stood in the small back alley, and began to rifle through his robes in the search for his wand. Eventually he found it and counted the bricks on the wall for a minute before tapping one of them gently. Magically the wall began to disappear to reveal the heaving busy street of Diagon Alley. Quickly he glided bat like to Gringotts and withdrew some money before having to disapparate to a Kings Cross. It was already 9.55am and if he didn't hurry he wouldn't be able to catch the train.

~*~




She arrived at platform 9 ¾ at 10am and met Harry and Ron at the other end or the platform.

"Hey Hermione" yelled Harry

She walked over and hugged both of them.

"Hey Hermione...you...erm...you look..." began Ron

"You look great Herm" finished Harry giving Ron a look that Hermione didn't see.

She was looking down the platform.

"Oh no" she thought, "there he is!" She had spotted the object of her affections at the other end of the platform and wondered,

"What's he doing here? He doesn't usually travel by train! Oh and I look a state!"

Quickly she began to make an attempt to straighten her hair and adjust her top. But her effort was in vain as he didn't even look at her.

When the whistle went they headed for the only empty compartment on the train, which was strangely at the front. They soon found out why this was, Snape was next door and no student wanted to be near Snape. He was notoriously evil and liked to take points off any student from Gryffindor! They soon settled down trying not to make sufficient noise to bring Snape in to the carriage.

Hermione sat apart from the others and began to look up potions and study 3 or 4 potion books very carefully. The others just thought she was still scared that Snape would give her detention and they didn't question her quietness. The journey to school was fairly uneventful unless you count the time Snape had barged in to the carriage and said, "will you ignorant children keep in down as I am trying to work!" in a voice so cold it made Hermione freeze. Hermione spent the rest of the journey telling the others to keep quiet thus confirming their suspicions that she was indeed scared of Snape. As Hermione read, Harry and Ron played exploding snap Ginny entered.

"Hey Ron can you lend me Pigwidgion because I need to send an owl to mum because I left all my quills at home." She said with a look of concentration on her face.

"Yeah sure" replied Ron and leant over to pig's cage to release him. Ginny sent Pigwidgion off and then left the carriage.


~*~



Silently sitting in the train compartment he looked around. The compartment was almost empty, apart from a tall dark haired woman. She was about 37 although she did look younger. She was talking to him a chatty and friendly way. He didn't hear her conversation. He was too immersed in his own thoughts. Was it right for him to like her? Even as a friend? He didn't know and these thoughts mixed with the hang-over had caused an immense headache.

"Afternoon Sarah." Severus finally acknowledged.

"I was wondering when you were going to say hello. Still not cheered up then?" Sarah smiled and picked a book of her bag and started reading it.

Severus got back to his brooding, something he was very good at.


~*~



When they arrived at school, Harry, Ron and Hermione climbed up the steps while trying to keep out of Snape's line of vision. This was because they knew only too well that he would deduct points from them there on the spot and they didn't feel that would be a good start to the school year. As Hermione entered the great hall she felt her stomach drop she suddenly didn't feel hungry and just took her seat with a slightly peaky look in her eyes. Harry and Ron noticed that she kept looking up to the staff table and eventually came to the conclusion that she was trying to decide who the new teacher was. She was very pretty, with dark hair, tanned skin, large brown eyes and what seemed to be a pleasant nature as she was politely deep in discussion with Snape who had lost the usual scowl off his face. A least half the boys from each table were now gazing up at the new teacher. They all tried to feign interest into who she might be but it was blatantly obvious that they were staring at her and thing that she was someone they would really like to get to know. Hermione scowled up at her for now apparent reason.

"They only like her because she's pretty!" she declared

"Well Hermione boys do tend to like pretty girls, unless of course they are gay in which case the like pretty boys!" declared Ron without averting his gaze form the teacher.

"Bet she is the new Defense against the dark arts teacher." Said Harry "She can't be that bad because even Snape likes her and he hated every other dark arts teacher didn't he?"

"I suppose so" came Hermione's sullen reply.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts all of you" said Dumbledore" I have few announcements to give before we go on with our feast. Firstly this is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Belle. The second announcement is that Professor Belle will also be taking Professor McGonagall's duties as head of Gryffindor house. The third announcement is that I want you all to enjoy the feast so eat up"


~*~



Can this woman not shut up? He thought to himself as he tried to appear interested in what this Sarah had to say. Personally he hated the beginning of year feast. It meant sitting there among a lot of rowdy children and staff and having to try and appear to be vaguely interested in their summer stories. It also meant that this was only the beginning to a very boring, frustrating year at the school. Which probably end with Harry Potter having a near death experience and then being hailed as hero for his stupidity.

Eventually they were dismissed and he wandered back to his room. His sanctuary. Few people had ever been allowed in his room. Only 2 to this date to be exact, and one of them had been Dumbledore. He wasn't a solitary man. Far from it, he was a compassionate man and had a certain regard for life, almost a love for it. it was like he and life had a silent agreement, he would keep to himself and not make his life to difficult to live and life would make sure he had somewhere quiet to live and enough to see him through. Even if it wasn't a happy life.

Opening the door to his room his stood in the door way for a moment before walking in. this was his life. A dark room and a job he hated. Throw in a bit of despair and heartbreak and a son and you had his life in a nutshell. Severus Snape. The cold man that everyone hated but didn't know why.


~*~



The next morning Hermione arrived very early and sat at the Gryffindor table and waited for Harry and Ron to arrive. When they did they immediately began to tuck in to a breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage and beans.

"Have you had breakfast already?" asked Ron thickly through a mouthful of bacon

"No I was waiting for you two," she said eyeing Ron's bacon but then helping herself to half a grapefruit and pumpkin juice.

"Try the real food its good," said Ron

"No Ron I have strict eating plan that I am keeping to. I, unlike some people" she said looking at Ron and his breakfast "I actually like to keep my body free of a fat overload!"

"Eating plan? Since when?"

"Since I realized how much rubbish I'm putting into my body, Ron" she replied

Ron looked at Hermione's body and an expression of someone trying very hard not to choke came over it. Hermione didn't notice this. She was finishing her grapefruit and helping herself to some musli when Professor Belle came round with the Gryffindor timetables. This was due to the fact that Professor McGonagall had left last year to marry a French wizard who taught at Beuxbatons.

"Oh no we've got double potions this afternoon!" groaned Harry

"Yeah but we have got Defense Against the Dark Arts first lesson" said Ron gleefully

"Oh for goodness sake" snapped Hermione "She is a teacher."

But for some reason she had stopped mid sentence. Before Harry or Ron could question her, the bell went and there was a lot of frantic scuffling to get bags and get to lessons. All three of them were hurrying towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson along with the other Gryffindors. Ron dashed in to get the seats in front of the teacher's desk. Hermione was tutting and giving Ron a disapproving look as she sat down. Professor Belle entered and addressed the class with a smile.

~*~


Why was I the one that has to give her the message?' he thought as he walked down the corridor to the defense classroom.

He hated having to talk to this woman. She never shuts up. Luckily he knew this before she had started working here. He had known her very well when he was younger. Before he knew it he had reached the door to the classroom and looked in the small window at the door. all of the boys in the class were looking intently at the Professor at the front of the room. Most of the girls were either admiring her or giving the boys, probably their boyfriends, exasperated looks. Smiling inwardly at how these teenager boys had been overcome, simply by her looks. Just as he had been, when he was younger of course.

Knocking on the door he walked in.

"Professor, I have a message for you." He said handing her a piece of parchment.

She smiled and took it. While she was reading it he looked around the room, with a scowl on his face. The whole class had pretended to work. Again he smiled inwardly at how they did this, maybe he should have been a little less severe with these children, but why ruin a good thing?

Then he noticed that the one person he would have expected to be listening intently to this woman and writing down everything she said was in fact staring to space and the parchment in front of her was completely blank.

"Miss Granger will you please pay attention!" he said before he could stop himself.

Maybe this severity wasn't all an act, maybe it really was part of his character.

He watched as she jumped and blushed bright red. He had always quite liked her eager attitude to her work. He didn't want her to fall behind now did he? Why had he shouted at her? Damn!

"Please Severus," came Belle's calm voice, "Hermione is my student too and in my lesson and so I will punish and reprimand her should I think she needs it."

He looked at the woman in disbelief.

"Very well Sarah," he said in a quiet whisper.

Turning on his heel he left the room. The moment he closed the door he could hear chatter break out from within the room.

Why hadn't he just kept quiet?

~*~




"Hermione may I talk to you?"

"Erm... Yes of course Professor," said Hermione nervously.

When everyone had left the classroom Professor Belle addressed her again.

"I covered for you because you looked very worried. Now would you like to tell me what you are worried, about because I will understand" said Belle kindly

"Would you mind if I didn't tell you just yet Professor? It's just that it is very personal and I think I need time to think about him, erm I mean it before..." Said Hermione. She realized what she had said and blushed furiously again.

"Excuse me Professor I need to go." She said before leaving quickly.

She ran all the way from the Dark Arts classroom to Gryffindor tower and then up in to her dormitory and flung herself on her bed. She stayed there in that position for a further half an hour until she mentally shook herself.

"Hermione get a grip she was trying to help! You can't hate her because she's beautiful, she didn't choose to be like that. Grow up." she scolded herself. She got up and looked at herself in the mirror and dried her eyes and washed away the mascara that had run down her cheek and she stared in disgust at her reflection.

"Cheer up dear its not that bad" said the mirror sympathetically.

Hermione gave a load sniff and nodded at her reflection and redid her make- up. When she looked her normal self again she went down into the Great Hall for lunch.

As she entered the great hall Harry and Ron looked at her and gave her quizzical looks and gestured for her to join them. She sat down next to them and began to help herself to some soup. None of them said anything for a while and they ate their soup as they sat in silence.



Reviews welcome. After all they are what keep me writing. If no one reads it then there is no point in writing. And if you don't like it and want to tell me please be constructive about it. That's always nice.