Turning away from the window, a very young looking witch sat nervously by a large black dog. Her blond hair fell in a cascade halfway down her back and she shifted uneasily. She smiled and petted him on the side of his head, stroking the ragged hairs. The Hogwarts Express chugged merrily on its way, from platform 9 and three quarters. A small briefcase was at her side, the golden letters on in inscribed in pretty cursive. Natalie L. Rouen. She looked into a hand mirror at her side. A dangerously beautiful black haired witch scowled back at her. She smiled at it. She laid her hand on the dog's head.

 "Well, were on our way aren't we.... Sirius." The last word was mouthed carefully. She smiled. They were almost there. She wondered how much it had changed in the many years. Going back to Hogwarts.

                             *    *   *

Professor Severus Snape scowled at the chattering voices of students entering Hogwarts.  Their excited blabbering was giving him a headache. Vaguely he remembered the past two years with that Potter child. This would be the third. He tried to forget. How many times had he tried to get Dumbledore to give him the Defense against Dark Arts position? After the first two failures he wondered what else would come in store. His thoughts were interrupted by Professor McGonagalls voice.

"If you please Severus," She said sharply, "We must be off to the sorting ceremony." Professor Snape's scowl deepened and he turned. A gleam of blond hair caught his eye and he turned quickly, but it had disappeared. He had only seen hair like that once, so long ago he near forgotten. He turned away and shook it off. It was time to see what new Slytherins would be joining this year.

            *                      *                      *

            The menacing scowl plastered on Snape's face was the expression of the night. Many students were wondering if it was permanent. Dumbledore looked around at the new students and smiled.

"Welcome students. I would like to introduce the new Defense against Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin." Lupin nodded in acknowledgement. The large doors to the dining hall burst open and a blond streak ran by. Leaping up in the air and clearing the table and barely nipping Dumbledore's pointed hat, finally landing in Lupin's lap a young woman stopped and looked at the stunned students. She tossed her blond hair back and a gasp rose from the students. Snape nearly choked, and McGonagall looked slightly ruffled. Dumbledore looked over with a twinkle in his eye.

"And may I introduce Professor Rouen. The assistant for Professor Lupin." She stood up.

"Please Dumbledore! Call me Natalie. You make me sound old!" The students laughed and broke the tension. They clapped politely as she bowed. Dumbledore smiled.

"Of course Natalie." He summoned up a chair for her and she parked it by Lupin. Turning and casting a look at Snape she caught him full in the eye. Blowing a kiss she whispered,

"Hello Severus. Long time no see" and winked at him.  Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"And our new Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be our very own Hagrid!" Hagrid beamed happily.  "Now for the feast!" 

                        *                      *                      *

Snape walked slower than usual to his office to lock it up. He still was in a state of shock. Natalie... Memories of past times swirled in his head.

Turning to be in full view of the mirror a younger version of Natalie smiled at a young Snape. "Severus. When I leave, will you miss me?" She smiles flirtingly. Snape doesn't answer but stares at her in wonder. How had he, gotten invited to a Hogsmeade special Halloween party with her. Natalie. She was the most popular, prettiest girl in all of Hogwarts. It wasn't right. A dark, beautiful witch in the mirror smirks at Snape. "Severus?".....

"Severus! PROFESSOR SNAPE!!!!" Natalie bounced up to him in the hallway. She still looked as stunningly beautiful as ever. The years looked like they hadn't touched her. She still had boundless energy. She smiled up at him. "Nothing? Well then that's the last time I say hello. Whatever happened to 'what have you been doing over the years' or 'Hello' I mean at least say hello!" She grinned. Professor Snape looked down for a moment.

"Hello Nat...Professor Rouen." He said briskly. Natalie grabbed his arm as if nothing had changed during the years. "Come. Someone wishes to see you." She led the way to her office, which was adjacent to Lupin's. A gorgeous, familiar full-length mirror was standing in the corner. He looked into it carefully. An alarmingly beautiful black haired witch stared back. "Natasha..." Snape said abruptly. Suddenly the mirror bent, and its silver tendrils reached out to Snape. The dark haired witch was out of the mirror. She jumped on Snape in one swift catlike movement and promptly kissed him on the lips. Snape fell backwards in alarm. "Hello Clarice!"  Said Natasha. Snape quickly pulled his dignity back together and scrambled up. Natasha grinned wickedly at him. "Oh never mind Snape, it's just you." She said shamelessly and jumped back into the mirror. "Oh see! Natasha is happy to see you too!" Natalie smiled. "So how about we, go down to Hogsmeade and..... catch up on old times." Snape smirked a little. "Okay. Why not."

*            *            *\

Hogsmeade was annoyingly buzzing with people. Some students, Snape noticed, had snuck out and had been consuming butterbeer by the gallons. Natalie was chatting happily on how her  muggle family was, and how her friends little sister was going to be attending wizarding school next year. He turned back to Natalie to face her. She hadn't let go of his arm.

"Severus," Natalie said sternly.

"Professor Snape." He said idly correcting her. She shrugged it off.

"You aren't paying attention to me. Whats wrong?" Snape looked away.

"Well," he said a bit icily. "Its not every day that the most  popular girl in school leaves you for ten years and decides that its alright to come prancing into life again like nothing happened." She looked taken aback, a bit stung. He bit his lip to not go on but it opened up anyways.

"You left, Nali," he said unconsciously using his nickname for her. "You left, and never returned my owls that I sent, and if you did it told me nothing. They were cold and heartless notes telling me that you were fine. And that was it." Natalie turned away, a sharp pang of hurt radiating from her.

"You wouldn't even care to find out, would you Seve?" She had used his nickname too.
            "Well maybe if you kept me updated on it during these ten years then I would have cared more." He said, his voice raising and growing colder. Wizards and witches close to them began to stare and edge away.

"So thats it Severus?," Natalie said her eyes shimmering with pushing tears. Severus snarled an oath of hatred and grabbed her wrist as she tried to run away.

"So that's it Natalie? Did it ever cross your blind conceited mind that I might have had FEELINGS FOR YOU?!"

End Chapter One.

Authors note:: DUN DUN DUN! OH MY GOSH! SEVERUS SNAPE ACTUALLY HAD A GIRLFRIEND? What will become of this and who exactly is Natalie and what in the living daylighted wizarding world happened to her? Find out next  time on....FANFICS BY ME!