Author's Note: Obviously, I don't own any of this except my OC. This isn't a quick fanfic, it's a slow burner, but it will be better once it gets going. Canon divergence and eventual Snape/OC pairing. Thank you for reading, please, please review and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1: The Frying Pan

I was distracted, staring out of my kitchen window into the back garden as I washed up the remains of my breakfast (not really remains considering the little that I ate), Shadow, my cat, twining around my legs, when I caught movement in the reflection in the glass out of the corner of my eye. I whirled around, pulling my Rowan wand from my boot and found myself staring straight into a pair of piercing bright blue eyes through the glass pane of my front door. My shoulders slumped in relief; I might not have seen him for ten years but I knew that gaze that had often fixed me across a desk very well indeed. Confused, I hurried through my kitchen and living room to the light blue, peeling, wooden door and opened it a crack, "Professor!?"

"Hello, Eliza," he smiled knowingly, his eyes twinkling.

"To what do I owe the pleasure? I mean, I haven't seen you in ten years," I opened the door a little more (you never know, after all).

"I have," he pushed passed me into the house and settled himself on the sofa ("make yourself at home," I muttered good-naturedly) "a proposal."

"Oh?" I turned to shut the door and almost jumped when I saw Professor McGonagall framed in the doorway. "Good eve- morning, Minerva, please come in." McGonagall rolled her eyes, brushing passed me [she had never been fond of the girl, she was just too... she couldn't really put her finger on it, it was just something about her manner that Minerva particularly despised].

"I'll make us some tea, shall I?" I slipped gratefully from the room and into the kitchen, I wasn't used to visitors and two at once was a little too much to handle.

...

I leaned against the wall, listening to the conversation in my front room...

"... sure about this, Professor. I mean is she suitable for us? She's very young-"

"31, Minerva, that's no younger than Severus."

"Yes but- well that's my second point, do we even need her? I mean, Severus is perfectly capable on his own."

"Maybe so but you know who's going to be joining our school this year and he knows her he trusts her. How well do you think he and Snape will get on? No, Minerva, she's our best option, we may need the extra protection; she is an auror after all."

"I just think- I mean- is she really- but- it's just- Alongside Severus! How do you expect him to react? Have you even thought that through?"

"I thought you were making tea, my dear," I jumped about a foot in the air, forgetting most of what I had just heard, as I looked up and found myself looking straight into those eyes for the second time today.

"Oh, umm, yes. Just... err... one minute."

...

I walked back to the living room, two mugs of tea floating behind me, another in my hands and swished my wand sending them to their respective drinkers. "So," I sat in my usual chair, my back to the front window and door, Minerva in the chair opposite, Dumbledore on the sofa to my right, "what exactly is this about?" I could see Minerva trying to dissuade Dumbledore out of the corner of my eye.

"Eliza," he began, "I know you left the wizarding community ten years ago and haven't returned since, except to fight ["seduce" Minerva coughed] dark wizards but I think it might be time for you to be reintroduced."

"But-," I began to protest.

Dumbledore continued, "Don't worry, I'm not expecting anything spectacular. In fact, I think we ought to take it really slowly."

"Then... What exactly are you implying?" I tucked her legs beneath me.

"I'm offering you a job. Eliza you've been very good to me but I just have one last favour to ask of you, will you come and work at Hogwarts?"

"H-Hogwarts? Y-you, I, what would I be doing?"

"Teaching," he continued at my raised eyebrow. "... Potions."

"Potions? I'm sure I read in the Prophet that you already had a potions teacher... Then again that could be ten years ago..."

"Ah. Mm, yes, technically we do, you would be teaching alongside our current teacher."

"In the same classroom, with the same classes, at the same time!?" My eyes widened with incredulity. Minerva nodded, agreeing with me for once, "I told you she would never agree to it."

"Yes, I'm afraid so, you'd also be sharing an office and quarters.

"Don't worry," he continued at my shocked intake of breath, " you will only be sharing a living-room and your rooms are at opposite sides of it."

"You seem very sure that I'll take the job. Thank you, but I'm happy as I am; taking out dark wizards that's good enough for me."

"You see none of your old friends except those you feel you have an obligation to see and we both know that if you continue as recklessly as you are you'll be mad or dead within the next three years."

I sighed, he was right and I knew it but I hadn't seen anyone except my old colleagues Frank and Alice Longbottom and my godson Harry for ten years, not since he was imprisoned. The traitor, I should have killed him myself... "Look, Professor, thank you for your offer but I'm married to my work, so I don't need friends and I'm willing to throw myself into it as much as is necessary to protect our world. I have nothing to live for, so I will do whatever it takes to save those who do have something to live for."

"'You never know what's around the corner,' isn't that what you always said to me, 'it's always when you least expect it, when things seem to have platoed that something huge comes along, for better or for worse.' I think you'll fit in well at our school, you know Harry's joining this year and, considering the position he's going to be thrown into, he could really do with a friendly face. Just do your best, there's no pressure, you'll be working with another teacher to help sink you in."

"Drown me more like," I muttered, feeling as if I had already been fully submerged.

"Good," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling as he stood. I recognised that look and knew it could only end badly for me, I glanced at Minerva as she followed his lead and the face she gave me seemed almost sympathetic, almost.

"Well then, I'll see you on the 1st September. I expect you'll travel by the Hogwarts Express and I expect you to come straight up to my office as soon as you arrive so I can introduce you to our current Professor. We'll see you soon... Professor King," and he and Minerva disappeared with a 'pop' leaving me staring open mouthed at the place where they had stood. I looked down at my half-shin-height coffee table and my own empty mug between two other mugs still filled to the brim as if I had been the only drinker all along, as if I had just imagined the whole thing. Sighing, I collected the three mugs manually (as I had become prone to do, reverting to my mostly-muggle upbringing once I started living on my own), feeling distinctly as if I had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

.

"Well," I muttered allowed (another habit I had sunk into) "at least I was used to the frying pan, at least it was comfortable."