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.
