Chapter Nine - Nova Initia
(New beginnings)

Hermione was the first student to arrive at the potion's classroom that afternoon. She had left the Great Hall early after lunch. She was still not quite used to being surrounded by so many people. As much as her time as a fugitive had been worrying, frightening and lonely, at times she missed the peace and quiet of those days. She would settle back in she supposed but it was going to take time. Time and patience, she thought glumly.
Today would be only the second time she would have seen Professor Snape since their stay in the hospital wing. She had seen him at the Welcome feast of course, though her polite smile had been retuned with a cold, hard stare that had made her physically shiver but she hadn't seen him at all since then. He had not dined in the hall for any of the meals and she had not even seen him wandering the corridors.
She couldn't explain it, but she had thought that he might have been a little more pleasant toward her this year. After their week recuperating together, she felt that they had shared something, like they had some kind of connection. In fact, in the evenings when she sat by the fireside in the common room, usually alone with a book, her thoughts often wandered to the elusive potions master. She knew his story as much as anyone did after the innumerable articles in the Prophet, but she was fascinated with what she didn't know. How had he seemed so loyal to both sides for so long? Had he been truthfully loyal to Dumbledore all the time? What amazingly difficult and potent potion did he brew to save his life? She knew she would never be able to ask him any of these questions, but she was so intrigued it kept her awake at night. She wondered why he hadn't been dining at the staff table. Did his colleagues still doubt him? Surely not. He had been cleared by the entire Wizengamot and declared a war hero! Even Harry, who had more right than many to hate him, had spoken in his defence.
Her pondering was suddenly interrupted by a very familiar and extremely sneering voice...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He had three potions prepared for today's NEWT students. The classroom was filled with the comforting sounds of bubbling cauldrons. Severus loved that sound. It was calming, familiar, it was the sound of home. Each of the cauldrons contained a mixed poison. The 7th years today would be making an antidote for the poison of their choosing. He examined his student list once again trying to imagine which poison each individual would choose.
He had brewed three particularly gruesome and dangerous concoctions. So dangerous in fact that his students were not permitted to be closer than three feet to any cauldron and whilst they would be told what ingredients were used in each, they would not be told any of the instructions about how to brew them.
Draco would undoubtedly choose Tincta Veneno, a nasty poison that would cause the drinker to spontaneously combust within seconds. Severus himself had been intrigued with the fire poison when he had been a student. The Tormentis Carnem twisted the insides of anyone who touched the thick, paste-like mixture and the Fractus Corpus would break every bone in the body if the liquid was allowed to be transfigured and become airborne. He wondered what Miss Granger would choose. She would be appalled of course at his choice of demonstrative potions. He smiled unwittingly at the thought of her stern face, frowning at him over her cauldron, a loose lock of hair falling across her eyes...
Severus slammed his hand down on the desk, scattering papers on to the floor. He was sick of having Granger in his head! Since their week spent in the hospital wing his mind had often wandered to the frizzy-haired Gryffindor. He felt very uncomfortable about their encounter at Malfoy Manor. He had thought his days of keeping secrets was over but what had happened there was for no one's knowledge but his own. A part of him desperately wanted to discuss it with Dumbledore but the thought of sitting in Minerva's office and talking to a portrait did not appeal. He was also not ready to reveal his mad moment of empathy to anyone, not even his old friend.
Severus shook his head violently as if to clear his head of all ridiculous thoughts and had just collected his papers from the floor when the first of the student began to file in.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

'Do you not wish to attend this class today, Miss Granger?', Professor Snape smirked.

Hermione jumped as if someone had thrown cold water over her. Whilst she had been day-dreaming the rest of the students had arrived and already entered the class.
She turned her head to see the Professor glaring at her. She mumbled a quick apology without meeting his eyes and stumbled to her seat.

'10 points from Gryffindor for Miss Granger's disrespectful tardiness' Snape sneered.

Hermione blushed. As she turned her head away from the professors glare she caught Malfoy's eye. In the past his face would have been jubilant at the Gryffindor downfall. Now, however, he gave her a sheepish smile and a wink that said, 'nothing's changed'. At least, not in Professor Snape's dungeon.