Chapter 2: Spring is Coming

Anna didn't know why her heartbeat quickened as she neared the potions classroom. She thought her conversation with Professor Snape had gone well last night, but for some reason, her heart wouldn't stop pounding.

"The professor will dock points if you're late," Briar cautioned, startling Anna. She hadn't realized she had stopped moving and was just standing in front of the door entrance of the potions classroom.

"Nervous?" asked a boy with shaggy brown hair and bright green eyes as he opened the door for them.

Anna took a deep breath, "We should take our seats." She purposely avoided her best friend, Briar Falcin's, question as she knew it would only lead to more questions.

"I would be too if I had done what you did yesterday," Briar commented as they walked to their seats. "Why did you…" Briar was cut off by Professor Snape entering the classroom.

Anna and Briar sat down, as did the rest of the class. Everyone always fell silent whenever the professor entered the room.

Anna looked at Professor Snape. She hadn't seen him since last night and she was curious as to when they would talk again, or maybe he didn't want to see her again. The thought made her mouth go dry. Just then his eyes met hers and she quickly looked away.

Why was she so anxious? Anna closed her eyes and tried taking some deep breaths, but her heart just wouldn't stop fluttering. It made focusing on today's lesson a lot harder. There was so much she wanted to know: What happened to him? How did he end up at Hogwarts? But mainly she worried if he would even want to see her again, which made her heart ache more than she anticipated.

"Are you okay?" Briar asked after Anna had poured another wrong ingredient into their cauldron, causing it to almost bubble over. Anna was usually, well, perfect, and so for her to make a mistake, and this many, just seemed off. He used a spell to dry his robes.

"I… I'm fine," Anna stuttered while Briar used the same hot-air charm to dry Anna's robes.

"You don't seem fine," Briar grumbled as he looked in their potions book to see if there was a way he could save their assignment. Usually, it was Anna who fixed the mistakes, but he wasn't sure she was up to the task today.

"Sorry," Anna apologized, "I guess I'm not feeling too well..."

"I think we're going to have to start over," Briar sighed as he looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind Professor's Snape desk, "and there's not enough time."

"I have a free period after this, I'll stay and redo it," Anna offered, "It's my fault."

"If you're not feeling well, you should rest," Briar argued, "or maybe get some Pepperup potion from one of the other students." As annoyed as he was, he did care for Anna. He also found it ironic that they were supposed to be making a potion to help with colds when Anna wasn't feeling well. Too bad theirs didn't turn out right or she could have used some.

"I'm not that sick…" Anna tried to explain, but just then Professor Snape had come over to check on them.

"What happened here?" asked Professor Snape as he looked into Anna and Briar's cauldron to find a purple liquid when the potion should have been the color of red wine.

He had been watching the two from a distance and knew they were struggling. He had a feeling it may have something to do with his conversation with Anna last night. She was the top student in his class, in any class for that matter, so for her to be struggling with a simple Pepperup potion seemed off.

"It's my fault," Anna answered.

"Pro-"

"I'll see you after class in my office," Snape directed specifically to Anna in his teacher voice before Briar could say anymore.

"Yes sir," Anna felt her heart sink.

Professor Snape walked to the front of the room and announced, "Class Dismissed." He then left the room and walked across the hall to his office.

"It's not fair, I'm your partner, I should stay too," Briar complained as he helped Anna clean up their work area.

"But it was my fault," said Anna as she did a vanishing spell to make the purple liquid in their cauldron disappear, "And you have another class after this."

"If you're not feeling well…"Briar tried to counter.

"I'll be fine, Briar," Anna stopped him before he could finish talking. She still wanted to talk to Professor Snape about last night, so she would rather be alone with him, even if he was upset.

Briar sighed, "Good luck then." He grabbed his black book bag with the Hogwarts crest and left along with the other students. As much as he liked Anna, she could be stubborn and he found it best to let her be.

Anna shoved her potions book into her gray book bag before following the rest of the students out into the hall. Most were leaving the dungeons to go to their next class, but instead, she had to go across the hall to Professor Snape's office.

The office was usually magically sealed, but the door had been left open, probably because Snape was waiting for Anna. Anna took a deep breath as she arrived outside his office.

"Come in," Snape said as he saw Anna standing at the entrance to his office. He was sitting at his desk and looking at some students' papers from an earlier class.

"I-I'm sorry," Anna's voice trembled as she entered, "I can do the potion again." She was so anxious and her calming techniques weren't working. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Crying was the last thing she wanted to do right now and she did her best to suppress the tears.

"I'm not mad at you," Snape hadn't meant to scare her before. He had a reputation to uphold and didn't want to let his guard down around the other students. He waved his wand at the door and it closed.

"Y-You're not?" Anna stuttered.

"No, not at all," reassured Snape as he left his desk and walked over to Anna, "You're the best student in the class. It's not like you to mess up. I'm worried this has to do with last night…"

Anna couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She began to sob, "I'm sorry, I don't know why…"She had been so worried he hadn't wanted to see her, and here he was worried about her. She felt so relieved.

Without thinking, Snape pulled her close to him. It was the first time he had ever hugged someone in a long time. He was in shock with himself for being so intimate with a student and even more surprised at how good it felt to hold another person.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Snape apologized.

"No, it's my fault," Anna wiped away her tears, "I let my mind get the better of me. I kept thinking you might not want to talk to me again."

Snape removed himself from her. She wasn't entirely wrong. He had considered not seeing her again. She was a student and he was a teacher. He wasn't supposed to get involved with students. However, he felt he still owed her his story, so here they were.

"Why don't we get some fresh air," Snape offered, taking Dumbledore's advice about the weather. He also didn't think his office was the most comfortable place to talk about their troubled pasts.

Anna nodded and followed the professor out of his office. The dungeon was empty now, but to get to the outside they would have to walk out through the great hall.

"Professor," Anna spoke as they walked toward the main staircase, "Maybe it would be best if we went separately?" She stopped, letting the professor lead the way.

"No need for that," Snape replied, "We won't be using the main entrance." He stopped at the foot of the staircase. Anna, curious, followed after him. She didn't know of any other exits near the dungeon.

"Dissendium," Snape waved his wand at the wall and a secret door appeared. He opened the door and gestured for Anna to go ahead. Anna had never been in a secret passageway before, though she knew the castle was full of them. Once through he closed the door and the passageway was sealed once more.

"Lumos," Anna cast a light spell so she could see as the passageway lacked any lighting.

The staircase was narrow and steep. But after what Anna had gone through, not much scared her anymore. She eagerly climbed the steps to the top. Where would it go? Would it take them off the school's grounds? Anna couldn't wait to reach the top.

"Lumos," Snape lit his wand as well and followed behind her.

At the top of the steps, there was another door, Anna looked back at the professor and he nodded, giving her the go head to open it.

She pushed open the door and they were outside. Snape followed after her, closing the door behind him. Anna looked back just in time to see the door disappear and be replaced by a stone wall. The secret passageway was hidden once again.

Anna turned back around to see what was in front of her. She could see the Great Lake, so they had come out on the south side of the castle. She also saw students scattered on the grounds, probably on their free period as well. It wasn't necessarily private or as exciting as she had thought it would be.

"This way," Snape motioned for her to follow him.

Anna, a little disappointed, followed after Professor Snape. They walked closer to the lake. It was more secluded by the lake due to all the trees, so luckily they didn't come across any students. Snape stopped when they arrived at a weeping willow that had so many branches you couldn't even see its trunk. He used his wand to cast a spell to part the willow branches, revealing a stone bench hidden underneath. The magic would stay put until he used a releasing spell. He let Anna enter first.

"Do you come here often?" Anna asked wondering how the professor knew about the bench as she wouldn't have known it was there had he not shown her. She sat down on the cool stone and set her school bag to the side of the bench. Though it wasn't as exciting as she had pictured, it was still magical and definitely secluded.

"I wouldn't say often," Snape answered as he sat down next to her, "but sometimes." They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again, "I believe I owe you my story…"

"Only if you want to, no pressure," Anna interrupted, as much as she was curious about the professor's past and how it might have been similar to hers, she didn't want to push him to talk before he was ready.

Snape sighed, he knew she was trying to be nice, but she was starting to annoy him. He rested his hands on his lap and looked out at the Great Lake, "I was seven when our village was attacked by Death Eaters," His hands formed into fists and he began to tremble again.

Anna rested a reassuring hand on his fist. She didn't have to say anything; her touch was enough to calm him. Professor Snape closed his eyes for a moment before continuing, "My father, being a muggle and coward, had run, leaving me and my mother to fend for ourselves. My mother was killed and I… I was certain I would be next, but instead, the death eater that took me had something much worse in mind…"

Snape's hands had clenched again. He had never told anyone what exactly happened to him, just talking about it made it feel like he was there again.

"You're safe now professor," Anna reminded the professor, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Snape uncurled his fingers, "Yes, thank you."

"How long were you held captive?" Anna asked figuring it was best to skip ahead. She didn't like talking about the details of her time as a captive either.

"Six years," Snape answered.

"How did you escape?"

"I was freed by Aurors from the Ministry of Magic."

They sat in silence for a moment after that, just watching the lake could be so calming. When Snape didn't seem like he was going to offer more details, Anna decided to try prying a little more, "Do you know what happened to your father?"

"Most likely dead," answered Snape coolly, "he wasn't much of a father, to begin with."

"I'm sorry," Anna's voice softened. She at least had parents who had loved her very much. She couldn't imagine going from a broken household to being tortured. It was the hope of seeing her family again that kept her going.

"The one thing that prevented me from giving up was the hope that my parents might be alive," Anna spoke, switching the focus onto her. She figured if she shared more, Professor Snape would be able to share more too. "I didn't see them die when I was taken. It was only after I had been rescued by Headmaster Dumbledore that I found out my mother had been killed and my father later died trying to find me," Anna could never talk about her parents without shedding a few tears. She used her robe sleeves to wipe her eyes.

Snape pulled a handkerchief from the pockets of his robes and offered it to her, "you miss them?"

Anna accepted the handkerchief and nodded as she dabbed her eyes, "I'm sorry."

"You apologize too much," Snape hadn't meant to sound annoyed, but he did mean what he said. When he saw Anna's teary brown eyes looked at him, his voice automatically became softer, "You are allowed to miss your family. Just because I didn't have a strong attachment to mine, isn't your fault." He gently caressed her face with his hand.

Professor Snape's gaze had caused her heart to flutter, but it was his touch that caused her heart to race, "Professor…"Just then the bell tolled. It was time for lunch.

"I guess we have to eat," The professor withdrew himself, dissipating the spark between them. He stood.

"Y-yes,' Anna stuttered as she returned to reality. She grabbed her schoolbag before standing. The professor was waiting for her to exit the willow tree first.

"W-Will I see you again?" Anna asked nervously as she approached him.

"Same time tomorrow," Professor Snape reassured and gently nudged her through the part in the willow tree. He still had more to tell her and there was still more he wanted to know about her. He realized now that keeping their relationship as strictly teacher and student was going to prove challenging.

The way Anna's face lit up when he answered her confirmed Professor's Snape's fears. Her bright eyes and kind smile set his heart on fire. He had never felt such strong emotions for anyone before, and it was proving more and more difficult to ignore them.

"I'll try not to mess up the potion tomorrow," Anna told Snape before giving him a little wave and heading back to the castle.

Snape watched as she walked away. He rested his hand on his heart, but even he couldn't stop his heart from fluttering. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to clear his head, before removing the spell on the willow tree and heading to the castle. He would just have to try harder to be less intimate with her next time.

When Anna arrived at the Great Hall for lunch, Briar was already sitting in his usual spot and waiting for her. He waved at her when he saw her. She returned his wave and felt herself begin to panic. What was she going to say to him? She hated the idea of lying, but she couldn't tell him the truth. She took a deep breath and walked over. If she took too long to sit down, he would only have more questions for her.

"How'd it go?" Briar asked as Anna took her usual seat across from him.

"How'd what go?" A girl with short black hair, blue eyes, and a face full of freckles interrupted them. She took a seat next to Briar. Anna wasn't a huge fan of Ursa Hawthorne as she was nosier than Briar. Luckily she didn't have to share a dorm room with her.

"Anna had to stay after Potions class," Briar informed her.

"Yikes, what did you do?" Ursa asked.

"Messed up a potion," Anna mumbled as she began to fill her plate with food. They only had an hour for lunch and since she spent her free period talking to Professor Snape, she was hoping to still have some time to do homework.

"Wow, that's so not like you," a boy with fiery red hair and hazel eyes sat down next to Anna. Finley Parne was annoying, but at least not nosy, so Anna was able to tolerate him a little more than Ursa.

"I wasn't feeling well," Anna sighed before she took a bite out of her chicken and ham sandwich.

Everyone knew she was one of the smartest students in the school despite her late start. She had worked hard to get to where she was. With that status, however, came the pressure to be perfect, so any time she made a mistake it was easily noticed.

"How are you feeling now?" Briar asked.

"Fine," Anna said indifferently. The truth was this was the best she had felt in a while, but she knew coming off happy after seeing the most hated professor in the school would definitely create a lot of questions she wasn't prepared to answer.

"Even after being lectured by Snape?" Finley quipped.

Anna took her time to chew another bite of her sandwich. She had never been more grateful for having a mouth full of food. The chewing gave her time to think about her response.

"It wasn't that bad," Anna finally answered after she swallowed.

"Really?" Briar pressed.

Anna opened her mouth to respond, but Ursa butt in, "She's his star student and head of our house. He probably is just going to have her do it again, right?"

Anna, too stunned to speak, just nodded. As much as Anna disliked Ursa, Ursa had just saved her the trouble of figuring out what to say next and did the lying for her. This was the first time Anna ever felt grateful for Ursa.

"If you want help…." Briar was about to offer.

"No, it's okay," Anna interrupted him, "It's not a hard a potion. I was just not feeling myself. I'm fine now though." She quickly added that last part to easy Briar's worry.

"You sure?" asked Briar.

"Yes, but as I spent my free period being lectured, I wanted to try and get some homework done," Anna said as she grabbed her bag and stood up. She still had forty-five minutes before her Charms class, "I'll see you guys at dinner."

Ursa and Finley waved, but Briar stood up and walked over to her. "You sure you're okay?" He spoke in a voice only audible to her, "I have never seen you mess up that bad before."

Anna sighed. She hated lying and keeping secrets, especially since Briar was not only her first friend at Hogwarts but also her best friend. "I'm fine now," she assured him, but knew that wouldn't satisfy him, so added, "I just… sometimes my mind slips…"

Her history wasn't a secret. Almost everyone in the school knew who she was and had vague ideas as to what happened to her. As close as she was to Briar, she never told him more than what he had heard. It was then she realized that besides healers and Headmaster Dumbledore, the only other person she had talked to about her past was Professor Snape.

"If you ever want to talk…" Briar spoke

Anna nodded, "thank you." She gave Briar a hug before heading off to the library. Briar sighed as he watched Anna walk away.

"You waited too long man," Finley commented when Briar returned to the table. Everyone, but Briar, could tell that Briar was in love with Anna.

"It's not like that," Briar weakly argued as he sat down to finish his lunch.

"Mmmhmmm," Ursa piped in, "You just keep saying that." She then took a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"We're just friends."

"And that's all you're going to be with that attitude," stated Finley before taking a bite out of his chicken and ham sandwich.

Briar ignored them and continued eating. The truth was, he did like Anna, but if everyone else could see it, and Anna couldn't, then it wasn't worth jeopardizing their friendship. She didn't see him that way, at least not yet, and Briar wasn't going to tell her how he felt unless he had a feeling she felt the same about him.