A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters

This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Assignment # 8 Magical Theory Task #2: write about someone's patronus changing from their original form to a representation of the person they've fallen in love with. (Restriction: it cannot be Tonk's rabbit turned wolf patronus)

Word Count: 1545

Severus' patronus had always been a doe. It had always matched Lily's. That, he realized, was the problem. It had matched, not complimented, not the way Potter's did. For so long he'd been obsessed with Lily, with the one person who had ever shown him kindness. She'd turned on him, eventually, the same way everyone eventually did.

His father had when he'd discovered Severus had magic. His mother had by not leaving him, for allowing his father to beat him. He remembered how happy he'd been to get his letter, that, until recently had been his patronus memory.

Dumbledore had done worse than betray him. He'd allowed him to be tortured, he'd allowed Potter and his friends to nearly kill him, to humiliate him. That was why he'd never given the strange woman much thought. He'd first seen her on the street in Diagon Alley. Severus had been scoping out shops for sale. A part of him wanted to own his own apothecary. He who must not be named was rising and people were going to need protective potions, healing potions.

She'd been standing in front of one of the abandoned shops, her long curly brown hair trailing down her back. She wore a red hat and a rust colored cloak. Severus stared at her for a moment longer than he meant to. She turned to him and, upon seeing him, took off running down a side street. Severus blinked, wondering who she could have been, who would have run at the sight of him. He put her out of his mind, for a while at least.

His plans to help the war effort had changed once he'd found out Dumbledore was the champion of the Light, the secret Order followed his every word. Severus wanted nothing to do with him, or his group. He wasn't even entirely sure Dumbledore's side was right at this point. At least Lord Voldemort had never humiliated him, had never hurt him, broke him.

His old school friend, Lucius, was currently Lord Voldemort's right hand, he could put in a good word for him. Severus was planning to meet Lucius one night. He'd stepped out of the rented flat on the edge of muggle London. She was standing there, across the street. Same red hat, same curly hair, this time in a grey trench coat.

Severus could feel her watching him. She noticed him, her eyes finally meeting his. They widened and she turned darting off down an alley. Severus tried to follow, but she was gone again. That night, he didn't meet with Lucius Malfoy.

That night, he started brewing again, potions he knew that the world would need. Something about her, about the woman had made him change his mind. He still hated Dumbledore with a passion, hated most of the people who were in the Order, but there were innocents that needed help.

The third time he saw her, she was standing outside St. Mungos. He was bringing in a batch of potions for them. She was leaning against the wall, red hat and hair smooshed against the bricks. This time, she was wearing a red jumper and a pair of jeans.

If Severus hadn't seen her in Diagon Alley, he never would have realized she was a witch. He dropped off the package and headed back outside. She was still standing there, as if waiting for him. As he walked past her, she fell in step with him.

"You're doing the right thing," she said.

"Am I?"

"Yes, out of all the possibilities, this one has the most potential for good. You're needed elsewhere though, there's another place you can make a difference, despite the fact you're going to have to face him."

"Dumbledore."

"Yes, him. Trust me, I know how you feel, Severus."

"How do you know my name?"

"Long story, actually, maybe not anymore. I know you don't know me, have no reason to trust me, but Dumbledore's about to put out an ad for a potions professor. Answer it," she stated, before falling behind Severus. He turned to question her further, but all he saw was an empty sidewalk. He shook his head. Work for Dumbledore? That witch had to be mad.

True to her word though, such an ad did appear in the paper. Severus stared at it for nearly an hour before penning a response asking for the position. Yes, she had been right, he realized. He could make a difference in Hogwarts, one where Slytherins weren't targeted by that horrible man, one where Gryffindors paid for what they did and didn't skate on attempted murder.

He met with Dumbledore one rainy night. He overheard a prophesy, a horrible prophesy that involved Lily and her idiot husband, a prophesy about their son. He hated James with a passion, hated Lily for what she'd done to him. He mused what to do with this information. He got the potions position and told the one person he thought he could trust – Professor McGonagall. She'd always been fair to him at least. He told her his suspicions about the prophesy, how he didn't trust Dumbledore to do the right thing, not after seeing a pattern of the man turning a blind eye to things.

The fourth time Severus met the woman, she was sitting at the head table at Hogwarts. Her hat behind her chair, her curls finally freed. She wore a set of teaching robes and a red and gold tie.

"Hello, Severus," she said, giving him a smile. He nodded at her. She worked here, no wonder she'd known about the ad.

"I find myself at a disadvantage. See, you know my name, however, I do not know yours."

"Professor Hermione Granger, I teach muggle studies," she answered. He simply nodded, sitting down next to her. She was his age, he could tell that much about her. He did not remember seeing her in school though.

Severus' first year teaching was rougher than he'd anticipated. He'd never expected the students to be so hardheaded at not learning. Hermione appeared beside him more times than not, and despite his icy exterior, he was actually glad for her presence.

She knew how to get him out of his head, how to help him reach some of the more difficult students. He didn't forget his own personal mission. He reveled in taking points from any Gryffindor that caused trouble. The fact that Hermione wore those house colors didn't escape his notice though, and slowly, his preference for taking points faded slightly as they spent more and more time together.

It was the end of the year when he finally asked her out. He realized she was the one bright thing in his life and he wanted to take that further. She agreed, flashing him a smile. He found himself returning it. The thoughts in the back his mind reminded him of how everyone he'd ever loved betrayed him, but he quelled them, ignoring them.

One date led to another and then another. They were always together by this point. That's when the news came out. Lord Voldemort was dead. The Potter's had been attacked. Severus' hands curled into fists until he heard the rest of the news. They were alive. Scared and shaken, but alive.

Rumors swirled around the staff room, around the head table. Professor Dumbledore was stepping down. Severus prayed they were true. Soon his wish was granted. Professor Dumbledore was no longer headmaster of Hogwarts. That spot was soon filled by Professor McGonagall. Hermione and Severus celebrated that night, getting drunker and drunker.

"Marry me, Hermione," he slurred, raising his glass. She stared at him before laughing softly.

"You're not going to remember asking me in the morning, Severus. You are so out of it," she said.

"I mean it! Here, I have a ring!" Severus announced, pulling out a quill and transfiguring it into a wobbly silver ring. He slid it on Hermione's finger. She noted it still had a few feathery strands poking out of it.

"Alright, Severus, I'll marry you, if you remember this in the morning," she laughed, kissing him to seal the engagement.

The next morning, they both woke with aching heads. Hermione looked at the ring on her finger, it was little more than a quill twisted into a circle at this point.

"Still want to marry me?" she asked, holding up her hand for Severus to see. He blinked, staring at it. Slowly a smile crossed his face.

"Always," he said, kissing her.

The memory of getting his Hogwarts letter was replaced by her saying 'yes'. Then by the sight of her in a white dress saying 'I do'. It wasn't until the next year, when he'd been asked to fill for the Defense professor that Severus realized his patronus had changed.

No longer was it a doe, no it was a sleek, and obviously male, river otter, the perfect compliment to the otter that Hermione cast. A smile played on his face watching the otter. For once, everything had worked out, for once, he'd managed to trust someone and not have that trust betrayed. He was worthy of love, of trust, of this new life he'd found. And he couldn't be happier.