A Face from a Dream

Next morning after Nissa had dressed, Sirius ran out of her office again; he ran down the corridor but instead of going outside as he did last night but ran into the great hall. He ran up the side of the Gryffindor table and stopped at Harry, who was very pleased to see him; everyone looked over wondering why there was a dog at the school and wondering if it was really Harry's.

Nissa walked up through the hall and stopped behind Sirius, everyone was talking now; but they were all wondering who she was.

"You didn't need to take him considering that you don't like dogs." Harry told her.

"I didn't take him; he decided to come with me." Nissa said calmly.

"And what's this Potter?" A cold voice asked behind her.

Nissa turned round, but what she saw she hadn't been excepting; the last person she had been expecting to see. She just stood there staring at him speechless, which he seemed to be doing the same thing. Then suddenly his whole expression changed, as though he knew her from along time ago; he then stepped forward and smiled at her and looked as though he wanted to reach up and touch her just to check to see if she was alive.

Sirius jumped forward and started to bark wildly at him, making him quickly move away from them both; especially Nissa. Most of the student's how had been watching were all laughing at the screen, as Harry reluctantly got up and helped Nissa to control Sirius and pull him out of the great hall.

Nissa was still quit shocked about what had happened as the four of the stood outside the hall, she looked at them all and then back through the gap at the man.

"Who was that?" Nissa asked Harry when they had got out of ear shot of the great hall.

"Snape." Ron answered.

"Professor Severus Snape." Hermione corrected. "Potion's teacher and head of Slytherin House."

"He's the reason why Sirius is dead, he's evil." Harry told her.

Nissa looked at Harry a little unsure; she had already been filled in by Remus on how Sirius had been killed; and kind of Snape's part in everything that was going on.

"Harry I know it hurts, and you want to balm someone for what happened; it's understandable it really is." Nissa told him softly.

Harry glared at her and then stormed off, Ron and Hermione smiled shyly at her; she nodded at them that it was alright to go after him. Nissa looked down at Sirius sat at her feet, he looked over at Harry making his way up the stairs and then up at Nissa.

"You should go to him." Nissa told him, he nodded at her and then ran after Harry.

Over the following week Nissa seemed to bump into Severus quit often on the corridors, as though he had really taken up to following her. And each encounter with him was stranger then the one before it. Everyone time she came face to face with him, she also saw this longing in his eyes for her to remember him from somewhere; but the only place she really knew him from was her dreams. And of course she wasn't going to tell him that; and she didn't really want to know where he knew her from either.

The whole was getting to her so she took up to avoiding him, so every time she saw him up the corridor towards her she would go the other way; or if there was a group of student's she would make sure that they were in- between her and him.

It had been a couple of weeks since the start of term, and quit a few of the teachers had picked up on her avoiding him; as had most of the student's. The bets of her staying as their teacher, were coming in fast most didn't think at this rate that she was going to last until Christmas some even thought that she would be leaving sooner.

Late Monday night Dumbledore came to see Nissa; he caught her on her way back to her office.

"Professor what are you doing out this late?" Nissa asked him.

"Albus, I have told you that you my call me Albus." Dumbledore told her.

"Albus then." Nissa said smiling slightly as they carried on walking up the corridor.

"I wish to talk to you about Severus Snape." Dumbledore told her. "It has come to my attention that you have taken up avoiding one of your fellow teachers."

Nissa stopped suddenly, Dumbledore turned slowly around waiting for her reply.

"This might sound stranger, well that's because it is." Nissa told him. "The first time that I saw him, when I turned round at the sound of his voice; and I looked into his eyes and face. It was as though I had slipped into a dream."

Dumbledore looked at her quit surprised and intrigued to hear more.

"I have seen his face since I was a child." Nissa went on, quit revelled to be finally tell someone about this. "When I was a child I used to dream about him quit often, it wasn't until I went to America that I stopped; and now that I've come back I've started to dream about him again. But the other week, when I finally came face to face with him. I don't know; all I know is that from my dreams he's a good man; but what I've heard about him here it doesn't seem like the same man."

"Well that is quit remarkable isn't it?" Dumbledore said after a moment. "You are right though about him, deep down he is a good man. Personally I think you should talk to him about this; just don't tell him that you and Sirius were together."

"Yes I do remember that they never did get along with one another, and never grew out of it." Nissa said. "Though I'm sure that I want to talk to him about this, it's quit personally; and I don't even know him."

Nissa went back to her classroom with quit a few thing's to think about after her talk with Dumbledore, as she sorted through her papers she changed into something a bit more relaxing; a pair of blue striped trousers and plain vest.

She was sat at her desk marking the papers with Tabby and Sirius sat in front of the small fire she had created because it was getting cold at night; when there was a knock at the door. Nissa looked up from her work, hoping that it wasn't Severus.

"Come in." Nissa said loudly.

The door opened and Harry walked in with quit a few of his friends, they all walked up to the front of the classroom and sat down at the desks while Harry talked.

"And what can I do for you all?" Nissa asked pleasantly.

"We were wondering about the..." Harry started.

"You were wondering about the duelling club that I promised." Nissa said slightly smiling at them. "The school will be told about it in the morning."

"Oh." Harry said. "That was why we wanted to see you."

But before either of them could say anything else there was another knock at the door, and before Nissa could answer the door opened. They all turned round to see who it was; Severus Snape walked in, he stopped short when he saw them all sat there.

"I was hoping to talk with you; alone." Severus said, as she stood up and walked around her desk; making him stare even more as he took in what she was wearing.

"Of course." Nissa said. "We've finished here haven't we?"

Harry nodded just as Sirius pouched forward and started to bark and growl at Severus; Harry and most of his friends thought the whole thing quit funny.

"Harry can you take him with you; while I talk with Professor Snape." Nissa asked him.

"Of course." Harry said, and then pulled the dog out of the room with quit a bit of difficulty.

The door closed behind them, but Severus never turned round but kept his eyes all the time on Nissa; never taking them off encase he did she might disappear.

"Sorry about Sirius." Nissa said

"What?" Severus asked a little distracted by the name.

"The dog, Harry named him Sirius; because he looked so much like him." Nissa explained.

"Nissa." Severus said as she stepped closer not at all interested in the dog or its name. "It has been so long, to long."

Nissa stepped back against the desk as he came closer and grabbed hold of her around the waist and pulled her into him. But just then the door burst open, and Sirius ran the full length of the class barking and then bit Severus' leg; pulling him away from Nissa.

"You should go." Nissa told him as he tried to get out of the dog's grip, and Harry ran into the classroom after him.

Severus looked at her not wanting to leave without at lest having spoken to her first, but with the dog clawing at him he didn't really have much of a choice; he managed to push the dog off of him and walked out of the room, but before he left he looked at her one last time before he stormed back to his own room.

"Thanks, you have very good timing." Nissa said smiling at Sirius and kissed him on the head.

"Are you alright Professor?" Hermione asked her.

Nissa smiled at them all reassuringly, and then turned round to Harry. "You don't mind taking him for the night do you?"

"Of course." Harry said. "But considering Snape's behaviour, shouldn't he stay with you."

"You mean Professor Snape." Nissa corrected softly. "He won't be back tonight, I'll be fine; and I'll talk with him in the morning."

Harry finally agreed to take Sirius, yes he wanted him around because he reminded him so much of his Godfather; but considering what had just happened he also thought that he was better off with Nissa at the moment encase Snape came back.

....Nissa walked down the steps and into a dimly lit pub, she could only see men sat through out the pub; some grouped together and others sat of their own drinking.

Nissa looked into the balcony as she walked through, she knew there was someone sat up there but she couldn't make out who they were because they were somewhat blurred out and in the shadow's.

Nissa walked underneath the arch and into the next round, but stopped at the first seat; she turned round to the man who was sat there on his own, but there were a few more dotted around.

She smiled at him, for the first time in her life she knew his name; Severus Snape. He looked at her realising that she was stood over him, he smiled back at her and then looked round the room making sure that no one was looking. He looked just like Snape, though a little softer around the edges and his hair wasn't greasy.

Nissa reached out for his hand, at first he pulled them away not wanting anyone to see them; but she smiled at him warmly and then took his hand in hers and pulled him to his feet. She lead him through the tables and the people sitting at them. On to the dance floor, where couples were dancing to music she couldn't hear.

She placed his hand on her hip still smiling at him as he was to her, he pulled her close and took the lead; they danced together smiling up at one another until she rested her head on his shoulder to what must have been a slow dance....

(A/N: - A little preview for the next chapter, for when I can post it.

"It can't be you, it just can't be; you died." Nissa told him, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

She wanted to move, to move away from him; but she couldn't she was just sat there transfixed. He reached out and touched her face, she closed her eyes remember his touch against her skin; and she knew as she opened her eyes that it was really him.

Well I hoped you liked the story so far, and that you'll keep on reading when I manage to post; trust me its going to get better.)