A/N: Rating for the mention of rape.
Severus Snape stormed up to Albus Dumbledore's office, having just had a rather nasty encounter with Albus's wife.
"Albus!" Severus snapped, rapping his knuckles on the wooden door.
"Come in."
He pushed open the door, not glancing up at the man he was sure was sitting at his desk, up to his eyes in paper work.
"Did you forget your anniversary? Because Minerva's being absolutely horrible-"
"My, my, Professor Snape. I was wondering when I would have the pleasure of running into you," a familiar voice carried to his ears, but much too silky and mature to be her- the bossy, Gryffindor know-it-all he had only loathed because all of his colleagues adored her.
Severus looked up. A beautiful woman stood before him, clad in black shorts and a red tank top, two harness-like bands around each thigh, holding a gun holster on each; she looked at him over one shoulder, caramel hair framing her face and flowing down her back. A slow smile spread over her pretty face.
"And you are-?" he asked, the usual biting and sarcastic tone in his voice.
"Ah! It seems a re-introduction is in order!" Albus said, standing up as the woman turned around.
"Severus, meet Professor Hermione Granger, our new Tomb Raiding instructor."
Hermione looked at the slightly shocked Severus, who regained his composure in a matter of seconds and smirked at her.
"I was not aware we had a Tomb Raiding course," he said, sneering, "It does not sound terribly important to our curriculum."
"Well, maybe you will consider it important, now that I'm here," Hermione replied, turning back to Albus.
"Hermione, I think I've told you all you need to know. The wing you'll be teaching-and living, I might add-are located three corridors off the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Minerva is only one corridor over," Albus said, "Now, if you two don't mind, I need to find my wife."
"Of course, Headmaster. Thank you," Hermione shook Albus's hand and turned to leave.
"Headmaster," Severus inclined his head and followed Hermione out.
"So," he said, once they were outside the stone griffin. "This is where your brains have landed you. Tomb Raiding." He spat out the last two words with distain.
"Yes, it has. And I don't see why it is any of your business," Hermione said evenly, turning towards the marble staircase.
"I never said it was. But it seems you have taken on such an important job," he sneered.
"It does not matter what you think," she said coolly, heading down the stairs to a black dirt bike she always used; she had received it from Tonks and Ginny on her twenty first birthday, and she had never gone on a mission without it. This was no exception. "My job is more dangerous than yours could ever be."
"Don't you talk to me about dangerous," Severus hissed, watching as she turned slowly to face him. "You don't know what danger, or pain, for that matter, is."
"Oh really," she took a few steps toward him, "then you try being raped by your University Professor. You try being friends with Harry Potter, under constant watch, because there was the off chance a Death Eater could waltz in and blow you to bits. You try taking a bullet to the chest by the same Professor that tried to kill you not long after you started one of the most dangerous jobs in the Ministry. Then, and only then, can you talk to me about pain."
She roared the engine in the bike to life and looked at him.
"Good day, Professor Snape." She said, and sped up the marble staircase, shouting a greeting to Minerva McGonagall as she flew by.
"That woman," Severus seethed, "will be my undoing."
"Come now, Severus. She's wise beyond her years," Minerva said, reaching the bottom of the staircase and approaching him.
He snorted.
"Yes, I'm sure she is. But I must wonder about her mental health," Severus glanced at Minerva's now passive face.
"Give her a chance, Severus. You may learn a lot," Minerva said.
"I'm going to bed. I think I've had enough of women for today."
*
Hermione looked around her new quarters. The walls were stone, the floor concrete, the bed a canopy with beige hangings and sheets. She put down her suitcases and whipped out her wand, conjuring two paint cans.
"Hermione, what on earth are you doing?"
Harry Potter stood in the doorway, at least a head taller than her, and his bespectacled green eyes sparkling as he surveyed one of his best friends.
"Harry!" she ran and flew into his arms, giving him a friendly embrace.
She hadn't seen Harry in six months; the Raid in Egypt had taken at least that long to do.
"Hey, 'Mione!" he returned the hug and stepped back, "so, back to my question. What're you up to?"
"This room sucks," she said, grinning and popping open the lid of a paint can, "so I decided I'm gonna paint it."
"Need some help?" Minerva asked, sticking her head in the doorway.
"Actually, I was meaning to talk to you," Harry said to Minerva.
"Of course, come on, I need some coffee," Minerva said, and bid Hermione fare well. Harry followed her.
Hermione turned to the stone wall and changed it to drywall, then conjured a roller to dip itself into the paint can. The dark red rolled smoothly onto the walls.
*
"Alright, alright, let's get this started so Rolanda can get back to the Quidditch Pitch," Albus said, a week later at the last staff meeting before classes resumed. But it for Hermione, it was her first staff meeting.
Everyone laughed. Rolanda glared.
"I'm sure you've all met Hermione Granger, our new Tomb Raiding instructor. Now Hermione is doing research for myself and Jack Kilborne on Salazar Slytherin. We're attempting to find Slytherin's final resting place, so if anyone knows anything about Salazar Slytherin, come to her at once.
"With that aside, I have only to say that I sincerely hope you have your lesson plans finished! You can go!"
Albus beckoned to Hermione as she stood up to leave, an intense relief in her stomach to have gotten done with the shortest staff meeting of the century.
"Is something wrong, Headmaster?" she asked, as the some of the staff filtered out and some sat down around the staff room fire place.
"No, no. I would just like to warn you about your first class tomorrow," Albus said, leading her over to a couch, "with the fifth-year Gyffindors and Slytherins. Watch out for a boy named Adrian Dakota, from Slytherin. He is rather like what Draco Malfoy used to be."
Hermione nodded.
"Thank you," she said, smiling at him.
"Good night, Hermione. Good luck tomorrow,"
Hermione stood up and left, intending to get a good night sleep-something she hadn't had in quite a long time.
A/N: I know, it's short, and slow, but it'll pick up in the next chapter! I promise. Also, I'll probably be updating once every three to four days; please read and review!
