Harry, Ron, and Hermione soon found out that Turner was nothing like Umbridge. As a matter of fact, they soon realized that they quite enjoyed her class, and eagerly awaited their next Defense Against the Dark Arts. Their first hint that it was going to be an enjoyable lesson was the moment Turner walked into the room.
"You won't be needing those." Professor Turner said.
Some of the class looked disappointed. But they soon looked overjoyed when they discovered she was referring to their textbooks and not their wands.
"Now, I see you had quite an...inadequate professor last year and therefore didn't get to practice any real defensive spells."
As one of the students began to interject, Professor Turner continued.
"I also know from an...er...inside source, that some of you formed a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts Society." She grinned mischievously, glancing at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry felt himself flush, Ron's ears turned red, and Hermione became immensely interested in her wand. After a brief introduction, they proceeded to spend the rest of class practicing some of the very defensive spells that Harry and the rest of the D.A. had mastered in their previous year. They left the classroom all chattering excitedly, heading toward lunch to discuss the rest of the day's classes.
"Ugh!" Harry groaned. "Potions next. If I didn't want to be an Auror so bad I'd have dropped it in an instant."
"Well, it'll be worth it in the long run, won't it? Considering what you'll be using it for," Hermione said wisely.
Hermione and Ron had also, reluctantly, agreed to take potions again. Ron, only because he didn't want Harry to be miserable by himself in Snape's dungeons. And Hermione, because she thought that having an extensive knowledge of Potions would help her go further in her career and since she had the highest grades of a sixth year, Snape couldn't refuse to continue to teach her. So, with a heavy heart, the three of them trudged down to the dungeons, praying this year would go better than any of their previous years. Every student was given a shock when Snape strode into the dungeons. Instead of projecting as many insults as he could think of at his students, he shocked them all by actually giving a compliment - to the most unsuspecting student.
"You did rather well on your O.W.L. exam, Potter. Needless to say, I was satisfied, otherwise you wouldn't be in this class."
Malfoy's smirk was wiped clear off his face. He was expecting Snape to criticize Harry for actually joining his N.E.W.T. class. Hermione and Ron, however, looked at Harry with bewilderment written all over their faces.
"What did you DO!?" Hermione whispered. "Bribe him over the summer?!"
"Of course I haven't!" Harry retorted.
There was no more time to talk, however, for Snape had already assigned a complicated potion for them to work on and Harry was determined not to give Snape a reason to fail him.
After their odd Potions class, in which Snape not only complimented Harry, but gave him full marks for his potion, they trudged to the Great Hall to enjoy a peaceful dinner after their first day of school.
After a few days, Hermione looked up from her Daily Prophet at the breakfast table and stared determinedly at Harry and Ron. Ron, who noticed this first, looked at her indignantly and said, in a rather defensive tone, "What?!"
"Oh, sorry. It's not you. I was just wondering, that's all..."
"Wondering what, Hermione?" Harry asked, quite interested.
"Well, has anyone else noticed that Snape and Turner are always sitting next to each other at the staff table?"
"Umm, Hermione, most teachers sit in the same spots every day."
"I know, but it just seemed...ugh! I don't know. Something's not right. I can tell."
Harry and Ron exchanged skeptical looks but decided not to press the matter. When breakfast was almost over, Hermione broke the silence again.
"Well, haven't either of you noticed that Snape has been rather...cheery since Professor Turner showed up?"
"Now that you mention it, he WAS taking to her right before our class with him. It was yesterday, remember Harry? He said that he was surprised that you took his course further but wasn't going to complain and that Hermione was really a brilliant student. Now when has Snape EVER said anything like that to either of you?" Ron said, quite breathless when he finished. Harry could think of nothing to say, so he agreed with his friends and quickly finished his toast as the bell rang to begin the morning classes.
****************************************************************************
Over the next few days, Hermione, Harry, and Ron watched Snape and Turner at every chance they got. After their first two weeks, they all agreed that they were more than just fellow teachers. Harry also wanted to ask Sirius why Turner had been watching him through the window, but due to their busy schedule, he was unable to do so until their first Saturday night. The school wasn't being watched by Umbridge anymore and, due to the return of Voldemort, Sirius had been cleared, meaning he could walk freely in the wizarding world again. His favorite past time, however, was to visit the school. Because of their attachment to Sirius, Dumbledore permitted Sirius to visit whenever he wished. Hagrid had even offered to let Sirius stay with him in his cabin, an offer that Sirius gladly accepted. Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew that Sirius was overjoyed to be anywhere but Grimmauld Place. So, one evening when Sirius decided to visit Harry and his friends in the common room, they asked him about his connection to their new teacher.
"Oh that!" Sirius said, as he laughed his familiar bark-like laugh that the trio had become so accustomed to hearing. "She was....ummm... my girlfriend back when we were here at Hogwarts. Or, at least she was for our sixth and seventh years."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at him with mild amusement. Harry knew Sirius had been quite attractive while he was at Hogwarts but he never expected him to have a girlfriend.
"So, you know you're not getting out of this that easily," Hermione chided. "Tell us about her!"
"Well....okay. But don't parade all this information around."
"Okay." The three said in unison.
And from that Sirius plunged into quite a detailed story about his life at Hogwarts.
********************************FLASHBACK*******************************
"How do you think you did?" James asked Sirius.
"I dunno. I know I didn't get an O by all means, but I'm sure I managed at least an A." Sirius replied, as they made their way out into the glorious sunshine that made the grounds and the lake glitter.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Sirius said in a mock voice, "There goes your girlfriend."
"And yours!" James retorted.
Sirius's face turned red as two very attractive fifth year girls made their way onto the grounds and toward the lake. One, a tall redhead glanced over at James, Sirius, and Lupin and simply sneered. The other, a simple looking brunette, also looked over at them, but instead of sneering, grinned. Sirius looked away as quick as he could, but no matter. She had already caught his eye. She had to look away, however, as the other girl called out to her.
"Hey Rebecca! Come on!"
"Oh, ummm, coming Lily!"
She paused for a moment before reluctantly following her friend back inside the castle.
Rebecca and Sirius talked many times in their fifth year, but it took Sirius until the train ride home to ask her out. Naturally, she said yes, even though her friend Lily still didn't approve - she thought Sirius and his friends were delinquents. But, it seemed that she changed her mind, since she began dating James in their seventh year, and later married him.
However, during their sixth year, Lily watched Sirius and Rebecca while also keeping an eye on Snape. She was watching him for two reasons. One was to make sure that James didn't torment him anymore, although he did whenever he could. The second reason was what interested her more. It seemed that wherever Sirius and Rebecca went, Snape was there too. He seemed to have an endless watch on Rebecca, and it unnerved Lily. She told her friend about her suspicion but Rebecca shrugged it off.
"He's probably just got a crush on you, Becca." Said their fellow sixth year Aimie Lynch.
Neither Rebecca nor Lily said anything else about the matter, though after Christmas Holiday, Lily wasn't the only one watching Snape. It seemed that Rebecca and Sirius were watching him as well.
*****************************BACK TO PRESENT****************************
"There's not really a lot to tell." Sirius said. "I hate to disappoint you, but as you can see, ours wasn't some tragic romance story. It was pretty basic. The only tragic thing was that we were separated when I got thrown into Azkaban."
"Well, at least we know some more than we did. Thanks Sirius." Harry said.
"No problem. Let me know if I can tell you anything else. You know, if you guys ever want to hear more stories of me and your dad's crazy adventures, I'd be more than happy to be a story teller."
He was about to transform into his dog form to leave but Hermione stopped him.
"But why WAS Snape watching you?" she asked.
"Well, we never really figured it all out, we just thought he had a crush on her, is all. I mean, while I was in Azkaban for...what 12 years? I think they dated for a couple of months, but as soon as she heard the news that I'd broken out, she broke up with him. And I'm not saying she was dating him just so she wouldn't be alone," he added, seeing their questioning faces. "She really did like him. I don't know where that came from but I'm pretty sure that's how she got the job so easily. Snape put in the good word for her. It's all fine now, I mean, we're...ummm... well, she and Snape are just really good friends now." He finished hastily.
"But how do you know their 'just good friends'?" Ron asked.
"Well, I just...I just do." Sirius said, determined not to look at any of them.
"You're dating her again, aren't you?" Hermione suddenly asked, a mischievous grin on her face.
"W-w-well.... Maybe." Sirius said, utterly embarrassed now.
"So, that's why she looked at you and smiled at the welcoming feast." Ron said, finally understanding.
"Oh, Sirius. It's alright. You don't have to be embarrassed. It's just us." Harry said, offering words of comfort to his godfather.
Sirius grinned at them, appreciation shining from ear to ear.
"Thanks, you guys." He said simply.
Ron let out an enormous yawn, and Hermione followed him.
"Well, you guys are tired, so I'm gonna get goin'. I'll talk to you guys later." Sirius said, bidding them good-night.
"'Night, Sir-i-i-us." Harry said, in the middle of a yawn that he unsuccessfully tried to stifle.
As he turned to leave, he clutched Hermione in a quick, one-armed hug, ruffled Harry's already untidy hair, and gave Ron a small salute before transforming into his dog form and tearing off down the corridor.
"You won't be needing those." Professor Turner said.
Some of the class looked disappointed. But they soon looked overjoyed when they discovered she was referring to their textbooks and not their wands.
"Now, I see you had quite an...inadequate professor last year and therefore didn't get to practice any real defensive spells."
As one of the students began to interject, Professor Turner continued.
"I also know from an...er...inside source, that some of you formed a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts Society." She grinned mischievously, glancing at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry felt himself flush, Ron's ears turned red, and Hermione became immensely interested in her wand. After a brief introduction, they proceeded to spend the rest of class practicing some of the very defensive spells that Harry and the rest of the D.A. had mastered in their previous year. They left the classroom all chattering excitedly, heading toward lunch to discuss the rest of the day's classes.
"Ugh!" Harry groaned. "Potions next. If I didn't want to be an Auror so bad I'd have dropped it in an instant."
"Well, it'll be worth it in the long run, won't it? Considering what you'll be using it for," Hermione said wisely.
Hermione and Ron had also, reluctantly, agreed to take potions again. Ron, only because he didn't want Harry to be miserable by himself in Snape's dungeons. And Hermione, because she thought that having an extensive knowledge of Potions would help her go further in her career and since she had the highest grades of a sixth year, Snape couldn't refuse to continue to teach her. So, with a heavy heart, the three of them trudged down to the dungeons, praying this year would go better than any of their previous years. Every student was given a shock when Snape strode into the dungeons. Instead of projecting as many insults as he could think of at his students, he shocked them all by actually giving a compliment - to the most unsuspecting student.
"You did rather well on your O.W.L. exam, Potter. Needless to say, I was satisfied, otherwise you wouldn't be in this class."
Malfoy's smirk was wiped clear off his face. He was expecting Snape to criticize Harry for actually joining his N.E.W.T. class. Hermione and Ron, however, looked at Harry with bewilderment written all over their faces.
"What did you DO!?" Hermione whispered. "Bribe him over the summer?!"
"Of course I haven't!" Harry retorted.
There was no more time to talk, however, for Snape had already assigned a complicated potion for them to work on and Harry was determined not to give Snape a reason to fail him.
After their odd Potions class, in which Snape not only complimented Harry, but gave him full marks for his potion, they trudged to the Great Hall to enjoy a peaceful dinner after their first day of school.
After a few days, Hermione looked up from her Daily Prophet at the breakfast table and stared determinedly at Harry and Ron. Ron, who noticed this first, looked at her indignantly and said, in a rather defensive tone, "What?!"
"Oh, sorry. It's not you. I was just wondering, that's all..."
"Wondering what, Hermione?" Harry asked, quite interested.
"Well, has anyone else noticed that Snape and Turner are always sitting next to each other at the staff table?"
"Umm, Hermione, most teachers sit in the same spots every day."
"I know, but it just seemed...ugh! I don't know. Something's not right. I can tell."
Harry and Ron exchanged skeptical looks but decided not to press the matter. When breakfast was almost over, Hermione broke the silence again.
"Well, haven't either of you noticed that Snape has been rather...cheery since Professor Turner showed up?"
"Now that you mention it, he WAS taking to her right before our class with him. It was yesterday, remember Harry? He said that he was surprised that you took his course further but wasn't going to complain and that Hermione was really a brilliant student. Now when has Snape EVER said anything like that to either of you?" Ron said, quite breathless when he finished. Harry could think of nothing to say, so he agreed with his friends and quickly finished his toast as the bell rang to begin the morning classes.
****************************************************************************
Over the next few days, Hermione, Harry, and Ron watched Snape and Turner at every chance they got. After their first two weeks, they all agreed that they were more than just fellow teachers. Harry also wanted to ask Sirius why Turner had been watching him through the window, but due to their busy schedule, he was unable to do so until their first Saturday night. The school wasn't being watched by Umbridge anymore and, due to the return of Voldemort, Sirius had been cleared, meaning he could walk freely in the wizarding world again. His favorite past time, however, was to visit the school. Because of their attachment to Sirius, Dumbledore permitted Sirius to visit whenever he wished. Hagrid had even offered to let Sirius stay with him in his cabin, an offer that Sirius gladly accepted. Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew that Sirius was overjoyed to be anywhere but Grimmauld Place. So, one evening when Sirius decided to visit Harry and his friends in the common room, they asked him about his connection to their new teacher.
"Oh that!" Sirius said, as he laughed his familiar bark-like laugh that the trio had become so accustomed to hearing. "She was....ummm... my girlfriend back when we were here at Hogwarts. Or, at least she was for our sixth and seventh years."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at him with mild amusement. Harry knew Sirius had been quite attractive while he was at Hogwarts but he never expected him to have a girlfriend.
"So, you know you're not getting out of this that easily," Hermione chided. "Tell us about her!"
"Well....okay. But don't parade all this information around."
"Okay." The three said in unison.
And from that Sirius plunged into quite a detailed story about his life at Hogwarts.
********************************FLASHBACK*******************************
"How do you think you did?" James asked Sirius.
"I dunno. I know I didn't get an O by all means, but I'm sure I managed at least an A." Sirius replied, as they made their way out into the glorious sunshine that made the grounds and the lake glitter.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Sirius said in a mock voice, "There goes your girlfriend."
"And yours!" James retorted.
Sirius's face turned red as two very attractive fifth year girls made their way onto the grounds and toward the lake. One, a tall redhead glanced over at James, Sirius, and Lupin and simply sneered. The other, a simple looking brunette, also looked over at them, but instead of sneering, grinned. Sirius looked away as quick as he could, but no matter. She had already caught his eye. She had to look away, however, as the other girl called out to her.
"Hey Rebecca! Come on!"
"Oh, ummm, coming Lily!"
She paused for a moment before reluctantly following her friend back inside the castle.
Rebecca and Sirius talked many times in their fifth year, but it took Sirius until the train ride home to ask her out. Naturally, she said yes, even though her friend Lily still didn't approve - she thought Sirius and his friends were delinquents. But, it seemed that she changed her mind, since she began dating James in their seventh year, and later married him.
However, during their sixth year, Lily watched Sirius and Rebecca while also keeping an eye on Snape. She was watching him for two reasons. One was to make sure that James didn't torment him anymore, although he did whenever he could. The second reason was what interested her more. It seemed that wherever Sirius and Rebecca went, Snape was there too. He seemed to have an endless watch on Rebecca, and it unnerved Lily. She told her friend about her suspicion but Rebecca shrugged it off.
"He's probably just got a crush on you, Becca." Said their fellow sixth year Aimie Lynch.
Neither Rebecca nor Lily said anything else about the matter, though after Christmas Holiday, Lily wasn't the only one watching Snape. It seemed that Rebecca and Sirius were watching him as well.
*****************************BACK TO PRESENT****************************
"There's not really a lot to tell." Sirius said. "I hate to disappoint you, but as you can see, ours wasn't some tragic romance story. It was pretty basic. The only tragic thing was that we were separated when I got thrown into Azkaban."
"Well, at least we know some more than we did. Thanks Sirius." Harry said.
"No problem. Let me know if I can tell you anything else. You know, if you guys ever want to hear more stories of me and your dad's crazy adventures, I'd be more than happy to be a story teller."
He was about to transform into his dog form to leave but Hermione stopped him.
"But why WAS Snape watching you?" she asked.
"Well, we never really figured it all out, we just thought he had a crush on her, is all. I mean, while I was in Azkaban for...what 12 years? I think they dated for a couple of months, but as soon as she heard the news that I'd broken out, she broke up with him. And I'm not saying she was dating him just so she wouldn't be alone," he added, seeing their questioning faces. "She really did like him. I don't know where that came from but I'm pretty sure that's how she got the job so easily. Snape put in the good word for her. It's all fine now, I mean, we're...ummm... well, she and Snape are just really good friends now." He finished hastily.
"But how do you know their 'just good friends'?" Ron asked.
"Well, I just...I just do." Sirius said, determined not to look at any of them.
"You're dating her again, aren't you?" Hermione suddenly asked, a mischievous grin on her face.
"W-w-well.... Maybe." Sirius said, utterly embarrassed now.
"So, that's why she looked at you and smiled at the welcoming feast." Ron said, finally understanding.
"Oh, Sirius. It's alright. You don't have to be embarrassed. It's just us." Harry said, offering words of comfort to his godfather.
Sirius grinned at them, appreciation shining from ear to ear.
"Thanks, you guys." He said simply.
Ron let out an enormous yawn, and Hermione followed him.
"Well, you guys are tired, so I'm gonna get goin'. I'll talk to you guys later." Sirius said, bidding them good-night.
"'Night, Sir-i-i-us." Harry said, in the middle of a yawn that he unsuccessfully tried to stifle.
As he turned to leave, he clutched Hermione in a quick, one-armed hug, ruffled Harry's already untidy hair, and gave Ron a small salute before transforming into his dog form and tearing off down the corridor.