Chapter One: Clarisa

January 9th

I sat dressed in my black slacks propped against the running board of my bed by pillows, a tome braced against my legs. I adjusted the thin half squared glasses that were perched on the middle of my nose, my eyesight had worsened since the end of the second war.

I had been reading this particular book since before dinner the previous day, it had been wrapped within brown packaging paper with a note on top that read 'my love'. I smiled despite myself as I glanced beside me her firery red hair splayed above the black comforter she was laid beneath.

To think that she could love a man like me felt like paradise within my broken world, we were an odd couple yet oddly perfect for each other. She had come from a similar background as mine and had succeeded just as I had with the exception of having a dispositioned and awkward social appearance, she had thrived where I had failed to.

I closed the book after saving the page placing it upon my night stand, I turned back to find her crimson colored eyes half opened and a smile gracefully playing her soft pinkish lips. She opened her eyes even further as she sat up letting the blanket expose the top half of her body, I had not noticed the chill upon my chest until looking at her beautiful bare chest. I lifted my gaze back to her face to find one red eyebrow lifted and a devilish smirk,

"Well good morning to you too," Her lips found mine then left and I wimpered slightly as my lips felt bare without hers, "Have you been up all night again?"

I only nodded know she was going to scold me again but what I didn't expect was her planting her naked body on top of mine with the blanket over my lap as she recaptured my lips, I embraced her around her waist as I deepened the kiss. She was amazing.

She broke the kiss and straddled my hips vanishing my slacks before I could protest and who was I kidding, I couldn't even protest if I wanted to. She lowered her lips toward my neck brushing light kisses upon my sensitive skin, her hands were tracing the scars upon my back.

The first time I had taken her into my bed it had been on a whim, she had just started teaching the only avaliable position and had come seeking advice from me. Seeing her dressed in deep velvet maroon teaching robes with a black cloak similar to mine made me think twice about what I knew about her, she had been at the school during the beginning years of me teaching. I had known her years prior to that but only from I promise a made to protect her and becoming her temperary guardian until she went to live with her uncle, she had been one of my best and most favored students during my still on-going career.

After that night I had only thought it to be a whim of passion between us and considered nothing more until she approached me again, she had not been affected by the scars upon my body but rather perplexed by them. She was the first one who I felt comfortable enough to share what had happened to me when I was younger, I feared she would have ran that night from me and the comfort I felt evaported when she left back to her chambers.

But she didn't.

"Tell me about this one Severus..." She trailed the scar on my shoulder blade that ran from the joint of my shoulder stopping just shy of my back bone.

I stroked her hair as she laid her head upon my right shoulder, our bodies still twined together. I looked into her eyes before sighing softly,

"That one is from my father, I had put myself between him and my mother after watching him down two bottles of firewhiskey."

"Oh," She smiled then frowned as her index finger lightly trailed the scar again.

I sighed again as my fingers ran through her soft hair,

"He had went on a rampage yelling about how me and my mother were useless and worth nothing to him or anyone, then he tried to stab her and I stopped him by pushing my mother out of the way. The scar was a lot smaller when I was younger."

My tone had changed from being soft to it being filling with hurt, she had taken notice and placed her hand upon my cheek while kissing the other side.

"I'm sorry."

I closed my eyes laying my head against the running board, that event had happened so, so many years ago but it was still painful to remember. What that man had done to me did not go unpunished though as my magic had lashed out trying to protect and heal me at the same time, my magic had seared his arms when he had tried to reach for me.

During that night as I looked at my back in the dingy rusted mirror that hung upon my bedroom wall near the window, a black owl had come through my parted window landing on the mattress that was my bed. A letter within its beak.

"Severus?"

"Yes?" I looked at her while my arm was wrapped around her shoulder, "What is it Clarisa?"

"You didn't hear a word I said did you?"

"No." I said quietly as I looked away from her.

She slapped my chest playfully as she scooted to the end of the bed, wrapping our thin silver blanket around her slinder body. She stood and walked toward the bathroom dropping the blanket just before the doorway, she was unusually tall for a woman, standing at five eleven.

I looked up into the black canopy that stretched above my bed, I softly smiled as I closed my eyes relaxing completely.

My life had felt extremely complex at one point when everything had come crashing down around me right after the second war, I had been named a murderer, a savior, a hero, a traidor and anything else you could think of. I had been invited back to Hogwarts by Minerva and offered my same position and same head of house duties, when I had said yes and returned I had no idea that it would change my life...

I started to drift off when I felt something tickling my chest and abdominal area, I cracked my eyes open to see Clarisa standing over me and her hair brushing me softly. I stretched and opened my eyes up completely,

"You need to get up, your seventh year class starts soon and I must go and tend to my second years."

I raised a brow as I lifted myself up onto my elbows,

"Second years? Since when did Minerva start giving you anything less than fifth years?"

"Oh I don't know..." She rolled her eyes as she stood up, "Maybe when you had fallen asleep during one of her meetings."

"I can't help it," I put my hand to my face leaning myself upon one elbow, "She's so-"

"Like Albus?"

"Yes. More and more every day," I sat up and moved my legs over the edge of the bed, "I'm starting to wonder if it's the position that turns everyone in it to lunac mad genius."

"Well you were headmaster for a while and you are exactly that."

"Just because I know what I am," I stood grabbing her around the waist, "Does not mean you need to point that out thank you very much."

She giggled in my embrace as she buried her face in my neck trying to supress the laughter I knew was to follow, I squeezed her to me as I looked down at her.

She knew me better than anyone ever had; even Lily, as she looked back into my eyes and I could see the joy within them. She pressed her soft lips against mine once more and I instantly relaxed while her hands raked my back side,

"Get dressed, breakfast will be serving soon and I do not want to hear it from Headmistress McGonagall again."

"You and me both." I whispered as I conjured a shirt from the closet.

She let go of me as I put my white long sleeve dress shirt on buttoning it up with swift moving fingers, I placed my long sleep black button up over shirt after wards then pulled my teaching robe over my shoulders. I straightened everything then walked over to the door, Clarisa was already waiting for me with my wand in her hand.

"Have a good day Professor Snape."

I raised a brow at her then smirked,

"And you too Mrs. Snape."

"You know I don't use your last name when teaching," She swatting at me as I side stepped her hand, "It's Saverum."

"I know." I said darkly as I opened the door to my office. .