AN: Im terrible sorry about Snape being so out of character, Angelina is a woman who Snape could never treat the same way as he treated others. She's beautiful, charming and has stood by him through his harsh childhood. He trusts her more than anyone he has ever before. Please forgive me and give this story a chance, it gets better later on.
Disclaimer: Im not JKR (clearly), I dont own HP (though I wish I did). I do this for my own sick pleasure in my spare time because no i do not have a life.
…Love, Hate and Severus?...
It felt good to be going back to Hogwarts. It's been nearly 20 years since Angelina Brooke had last seen the school but then she was a student. Today she would walk through the doors as a teacher. The Hogwarts Express brought back so many memories as Angelina stepped on to platform 9 and ¾.
"Angie hurry!" She could even hear Severus's voice calling after her. He had been her best friend ever since the first day at Hogwarts, even after she had been sorted into Ravenclaw. Angelina sighed warily; Severus was only that now; a memory nothing more. He had broken off contact when she had been transferred during the 7th year. The ride to Hogwarts was going to be a boring one and Angelina could bet her chocolate frog cards on it.
She boarded the train and sat in the first empty compartment she could find. The familiar sights and sounds brought back so many memories. A smile broke out onto her face as young students rushed past her compartment door. The door opened and a girl with a mane of brown bushy hair looked inside curiously. "Do you mind if we sit here? Everywhere else is full," the girl asked kindly. Two boys stood behind her about the same age but much taller. The taller of the two had bright red hair and freckles while the other had familiar messy black hair, round glasses and a lightening shaped scar across his forehead.
"Of course," Angelina said sliding down to the edge to make room for the three of them. The red head stared at her curiously for a moment. The girl took out a book and buried her head into it.
"Blimey! Are you the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher?" he asked wide eyed; this woman was gorgeous it couldn't be true.
Her appearance gave no indication to this so she smiled warmly, "Yes I am." He blushed slightly. Who could blame him? She had long dark hair, stunning blue eyes and a slim figure to top it all off. The children looked slightly uncomfortable with their teacher sitting next to them so she decided to help break the ice. "Would you like to play a game? I am going to guess each of your names and then you guess mine, if you get it right I'll give your house 5 points each," Angelina said as the girl's head came up from her book.
The children looked at each other and shrugged, what did they have to lose? She faced the boy with glasses and pretended to ponder on his name. He looked a little exasperated. Harry Potter looked just as James Potter had at his age, except the eyes they were shouting Lily Evans. "You are Mr. Harry Potter, the Daily Prophet has been writing some nasty comments about you but I doubt any of it is true," she said causing Harry to smile toothily at her compliment.
Next she turned her attention to the girl. She was a little more difficult but after a few minutes of pondering, unbelievably, she had it. The Daily Prophet could be a right nasty piece of work especially with Rita Skeeter writing on it. "And you must be Miss. Hermione Granger," Angelina stated simply. Hermione looked quite impressed and opened her mouth to ask.
Angelina smiled warmly and answered it before she could ask; "The Daily Prophet wrote an article about Harry and you last year, I recognized your picture. That Rita Skeeter is a nasty piece of work isn't she?" Harry scoffed and his face darkened drastically. She turned to the last boy. He looked so familiar, but she couldn't place a finger on it.
Red hair, freckles, and blue eyes she was so close. He looked quite a lot like that Dragon tamer that she had met in Romania. What was his name Carl? No it was Charlie Weasley. He had a little brother who went to Hogwarts didn't he mention it once. Ronald! "And last but not least you are Mr. Ronald Weasley," she stated with a satisfied smirk at his shock.
His face turned a rather violent hue of scarlet. "Now it's your turn. Who am I?" she asked lying back in your seat, arms crossed behind her head. There was no way these children would know who she was; she had been living in Romania for the last 2 years.
Ron and Harry seemed to be trying very hard to figure this strange woman out. Hermione just sat back and smirked almost obnoxiously. She shook her head in exacerbation, "Your name is Miss. Angelina Brook." She smiled very matter-of-factly. It was Angelina's turn to be impressed. Not only did she guess her name but her marital status as well.
"She knows everything," Ron said his head shaking sadly. Hermione flamed up, "I don't know everything Ronald I just have learned to take a look around before I open my mouth." Ron's ears turned a dangerous shade of scarlet, but he kept his mouth shut for the time being. Hermione glanced upwards towards the luggage rack. Angelina looked in the direction she had and saw her name written on her luggage, she then looked ay her left hand and smiled. No ring.
She laughed keenly at her own forgetfulness. "20 points for your excellent observational skills, which I am guessing is Gryffindor." Harry joined in as he too looked up. "It's just like Professor Lupin," Harry said with a warming smile. She stopped laughing almost instantly, "Professor Lupin? Do you mean Remus Lupin?" she asked very interested for the moment.
She wondered vaguely if he had stayed after all. The three looked at their new Professor with interest, "Yes, he worked here in third year," Ron said half suspiciously. "How do you know him?" Hermione asked skeptically. Angelina thought for a moment, "We were good friends."
--
"I am leaving for Hogwarts in a week," Remus said sadly. Angelina gazed lovingly in his eyes. "Do you have to leave?" she asked imploringly. He took her hands in his, they were rough but it didn't bother her one bit.
As she started into his eyes she knew the answer, his arms wrapped around her tightly. "Come with me," he whispered. Angelina pulled away from him and searched for an answer. "Marry me," he said tenderly. "Remus I-"
"I love you, come with me to Hogwarts," he asked again more desperately.
"I can't," she said pathetically. She dropped his gaze. He blinked slowly, "Why not?"
"Remus I have my work here too," she said turning away from him.
He seemed slightly annoyed now, "At the orphanage? You're not even getting paid!" he sighed tiredly.
Didn't he know what this job meant to you? "Remus it's not about the money, I love those kids there."
"There are kids at Hogwarts," he said with a small smile.
"This isn't a joke Remus. I'm not leaving the orphanage. Not for anybody, not even you," Angelina said as he stared blankly. His eyes darkened menacingly.
"So you admit to caring more about those damn kids than your own boyfriend?" he asked darkly.
She sighed, "It's not about who I care for more it's about who needs me more."
"I need you!" he shouted angrily.
"Not as much as those damn kids as you so put it," she said in a cool, even tone. "If you can't respect that then I don't know why you're here," she said on a final note.
He glared unforgiving at this woman who had taken his heart and thrown it back to him without a second glance, before storming out of the room.
--
"- Snape will get off your case." Hermione's voice cut through her memory. Did she say Snape?
"Excuse me who was that teacher?" she asked politely.
"Professor Snape? Do you know him," Ron asked.
"Another good friend," Angelina said smiling brightly. Her heart skipped a beat; Severus was working at Hogwarts. Harry dropped the chocolate frog he had just opened. It jumped out of the window and was picked up by the wind.
"Snape? You were friends with a man like Snape?" Harry asked, apparently this teacher wasn't as great as he thought she would be.
"Professor Snape, and yes I was," she replied coldly. Harry mumbled what was supposed to be an apology. Before Angelina could correct him, the compartment door opened and a boy with white blonde hair poked through the opening.
"Well, well Potty, Weasel and Mudblood," he said in a drawling tone. Harry dug his hand into his pocket, but Hermione stopped him. "That's right Potter, you'll have to behave yourself now that I'm a prefect." His shiny green badge glinted in the sunlight that was shining through the window.
"Excuse me, but I believe you should watch what you do while I'm here," Professor Brook said standing up. "And I don't approve of the language you've just used."
He didn't notice her until that moment and his eyes shone greedily. This was a woman who can catch a Malfoy's attention. His eyes traveled up and down her body and he smirked. "Who are you; I don't believe we've met. What would a pretty thing like you be doing with Potter?" he asked rather charmingly.
His eyes followed down the curve of her hips and she sighed almost expectantly. He cast a glare at Harry, if he had touched this prize there was going to be hell to pay. "I'm Professor Brook, and if you don't wish to have a detention this early in the school year I suggest you leave, Mr. Malfoy," she said as Draco's eyes widened in shock.
He left and Harry looked a little confused, "How do you know his name?" "He is a great resemblance of his father," was all she said on the subject. The way this new teacher knew everyone unnerved Harry. Why would she consort with someone like the Malfoy's and Snape? Meanwhile Angelina's thoughts were focused on reuniting with Severus.
--
The Great Hall changed very little since Angelina had last been seated in it; the only difference was the faces that were smiling up at her. Instead of taking her normal seat amongst her fellow Ravenclaw's, Angelina sat down at the staff table.
She was seated between a stern looking woman with tight bun and an overweight woman with fly away grey hair who quite frankly smelled like dragon manure.
"For those new to Hogwarts welcome and to those returning welcome back. We are pleased to welcome back all of our old staff and starting this term your new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Brook," Dumbledore said as the students settled down. At the mention of her name the newest Professor stood up and the students applauded. Angelina heard a wolf whistle from the Slytherin table and she could just imagine who it was.
A pair of coal black eyes settled on her and she instantly recognized the man, Severus. The feast passed in a haze, the Professor's mind never wavered from the thought of seeing Severus again. At last the feast ended, Dumbledore made some last minute reminders about the Dark forest and Mr. Filch's bans.
Angelina escaped to her room for the night, and was quite shocked. There was a beautiful canopy bed, blue walls, a fire place and a mahogany desk in the corner. The room was quite beautiful in her opinion and she wondered if all the staff's rooms were like this.
A knock on her door startled her from her thoughts. She turned around to come face to face with the man from her past. He looked quite the same as he did all those years ago, long black hair, lank, and strangely enticing. "Angie," he breathed with a smile.
"Severus," Angelina said coldly turning her back on him once more. The anger she had felt when he hadn't contacted her bubbled to the surface, almost palpable in the room.
"I believe I owe you an apology, and perhaps an explanation," he said sorrowfully. She said nothing but faced him once more. "After school had ended my life had changed, I never had a chance to write but when I finally did I didn't know what to say to you," he said seeming very small at the moment.
Angelina cocked an eyebrow, "A how've you been would have been nice," she scoffed sarcastically.
His lip twitched slightly, "I had so much to say to you but I didn't know how to put it in a letter. I didn't know how to tell you," he trailed of on the last bit of the sentence.
"Tell me what?" she pressed him further. He said nothing but lifted his left sleeve revealing an angry tattoo scalded on his arm. She gasped quietly, she had known a few death eaters but this was too much. He covered the mark once more and his eyes were unwilling to meet hers.
"Well that would have been a bit of a shock in a letter. Why Severus?" she asked looking at the man with a renewed sense of pity.
He shrugged non-committable, "The same reason anyone would follow him, power, control, wealth." He noticed as Angelina took a step back from him, this was not the man she knew when they were kids. "I'm no longer part of his – followers. I work for Dumbledore as a spy of course," he implored.
His voice shook with conviction and she smiled. Angelina pulled him into a tight hug, just like in the past when he would tell her that he would stop his father from hurting his mother any more. Everything was so familiar, the scents the touch.
He was tense but soon relaxed into her hug and wrapped his arms around her. They felt so welcoming around her and for a minute she forgot why she was upset with him. He pulled away and looked deep into her eyes. Angelina was just as beautiful as she had been when he had last seen her, if not more so. His eyes were as complex and deep as they had been when he was young; they were the one thing that brought her to get closer to him. He had been so young but had seen things well beyond his age.
"I'm sorry," he whispered gazing downwards.
"Help me with my classes and I just might forgive you," she said teasingly. He smiled at old memories, helping her with potions was one thing he had always done. Neither of them said a word for a few moments.
"I've missed you," the smile had vanished from his face.
"I've missed you too," she said truthfully. He smiled once more and kissed her on the cheek before leaving. Did he just kiss her?
She felt her cheek that was burning from the sensation of his kiss. She flopped down on the bed and closed her eyes blissfully. "Ang, you're too old to be getting a crush," she scorned herself out loud.
--