Disclaimer: The characters and setting do not belong to me, because they belong to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Ok, I started this a million years ago, and just when I was getting to the good part, I lost all inclination to finish the story. I don't know why – I just couldn't finish it for some reason. Then the new books came out and everything has dramatically changed. So, I decided to take it upon myself to completely change the story to better fit the new books and finally finish it so that it doesn't plague me anymore that I left it hanging.
Obviously, this being a Snape/Hermione fic, Snape has to still be alive, so he is. That's the main thing that's different from the books, I think. Also, I have no idea who the new headmaster is, and I don't want to get it wrong, so I just refer to him as "the headmaster". I might have missed a few other minor details though, so please bear in mind that the bulk of this story WAS written a million years ago :-) Enjoy!
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Don't Cry – Chapter 1
By, Angelic Rosethorn
A young woman sat on a rock overlooking the lake in the moonlight. The long rope of her braided brown hair hung down her back, bared by the black halter-top she wore. She sat there, just staring pensively at the body of water before her. She seemed utterly at peace, but her mind was actually whirling. The students would be arriving tomorrow and she wasn't sure she was ready to teach. Harry had told her she could do it, but she just couldn't stop worrying. She had only been a student herself a scant two years before and now she was taking on the yet-again open position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
She thought about the last year. Of course, she had brought her parents home after the final battle and spent much-needed time with them. They were really the only family she had. After a few months with her parents - blissfully cut off from most of the wizarding world, recovering from the tragedies of her Seventh Year – she had received a surprise visit from none other than Ron Weasley. He had stayed with her and they basically picked up where they had left off, more in love than ever. Then, suddenly, she found herself with a ring on her finger and a wedding that was fast approaching. How had it all happened so fast, she wondered. Everything was going just fine, and then all of a sudden people were talking about her having CHILDREN. Bloody hell, she was too young have children. That conversation between her mother and future mother-in-law had been the final straw. She couldn't do it. She just wasn't ready to get married.
She tried to tell Ron; tried to make him see reason, but all he could see was that she didn't want to marry HIM, not that she simply wasn't ready to be married. In typical Ron fashion, he tried to win her over, but soon grew frustrated with her negative responses to his efforts. He just didn't understand that she wasn't going to change her mind, no matter how many boxes of sweets he brought her. Finally, he became fed-up and they had the worst fight they had ever had. There was screaming, crying, more screaming, and finally Ron's dramatic exit from her life. She had spent weeks in her old bedroom, crying away all the pain, more shut off from the world than ever. Finally, though reluctant to get involved, Harry came to her, determined to bring her back into the wizarding world.
Harry was more of a celebrity than ever, but rarely left the Burrow most of the year. Most people thought it was to comfort Ron from his broken engagement, but Hermione knew it was to be as close to Ginny as possible. Soon, however, he would be starting a job in the ministry. Of course, most people wanted to make him Minister of Magic for his heroics, but he turned them down. He decided instead to do what he'd always wanted and become an Auror. And what could the people say? After all, who but the slayer of the darkest wizard known would be better suited to the job? She wished he could be here now to give her some pointers, but he was far too busy getting his new home in order and getting his own impending nuptials underway. It was supposed to have been a double wedding, but of course now that wasn't going to happen, thanks to her stupid feelings of doubt.
Unconsciously, she hugged her arms to herself, rubbing her shoulders against the cold inside. She was so afraid of tomorrow; she wished someone were there to tell her that everything would be okay and that everyone would like her. A few tears fell down her face before she even noticed them. She gently reached up and brushed them off. That was when she decided to try and sleep. The only thing worse than being too nervous in her first class was being too tired on top of that. She stood gracefully, her long black skirt flowing around her, and began to glide across the grounds toward the school.
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Severus Snape looked out from the tower above the grounds and saw a most enchanting sight by the lake. A woman was sitting so peacefully, staring at the water. Her back was to him, and he itched to grab one of the many telescopes around him to see her up-close. As he was about to give in to the temptation, he saw her wrap her arms around herself. More astonishing was when she seemed to wipe her eyes. He frowned to see such a graceful and serene woman so upset. He wasn't sure why, but he had the insane urge to go down and comfort her. Then she stood and began to head toward the school.
He had never regretted returning to his home for the summer holiday as much as he did now. If he had only stayed, he would know who this person was. As it was, he'd only arrived merely hours ago. The new headmaster wanted to speak with him after his arrival, but he'd opted to postpone it until the morning. He wanted to make a visit to one of his favorite places in the school, the tower. Sometimes the dungeons were just too confining. He liked being able to breathe fresh air into his lungs once and awhile and see the outside world. Plus, the view was fantastic. Even more so tonight, he thought to himself. Yes, he would have to have that talk with the headmaster tomorrow morning so that he could discover the identity of that mysterious woman.
