Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own a thing. Would love to be the proud owner of a Snape, but JK Rowling got there first. She owns all of the characters, settings etc. But you knew that.

--- Everyone wish Tara/Bebob good luck for her basic army training soon! ---

-Chapter Eight Snape's Chambers -

Remus and Jane were lounging on the grass by the lake, admiring the way the sunshine turned the usually grey waters into a shade of gold. Jane decided that she liked Remus, and was looking forward very much to him becoming her Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher when she eventually had proper lessons. He had also been offered the job of Head of Gryffindor which, to be frank, upset her somewhat; she wished now that she had been sorted into that house.

"How are you getting on with Professor Snape?" Remus enquired as he tossed a stone into the lake.

"I liked him very much yesterday, but then he told me about...about his past. I don't know what to think now. My mother always used to tell me that if I became a part of the wizarding world, I'd turn bad, bad like my father. Knowing that Snape was once bad like my father worries me. It sounds awful, but I'm dreading what sort of influence he'll have on me," Jane replied. She felt safe talking to Lupin; he seemed more kind-hearted than Snape.

"His past? Are you referring to his Death Eater past? I can assure you that Snape is no longer like that. And as for your father...do you mean to say that your father was a Death Eater?"

"Yes, and he still is. Rodolphus Lestrange is his name."

"Rodolphus Lestrange is your father!"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Promise me Jane that you won't tell anyone else about this. If he finds out about you, I don't want to worry you, but he might try to see you. I think Professor McGonagall and the rest of the Order need to know about this. Don't worry though; I promise we'll do our best to look after you." With that, Remus pulled himself up from the ground, stretched, and declared, "Let's go find Snape then! He really does need to get teaching you sooner rather than later if you're going to pass these O.W.Ls."

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The rest of the weeks of the Jane's holiday were spent studying and generally loathing Snape for all of the pressure he was putting on her. Though she had liked him in the beginning, she did not like him whatsoever now; he was bad-tempered, impolite, and she assumed his heart was most definitely not in teaching her. He was mysteriously disappearing when she was supposed to be having lessons with him. She did not know why, but it was beginning to annoy her somewhat.

On a sticky, oppressive morning in the last week of the summer holidays, Jane and Professor Snape were sitting in one of the dungeons, brewing a potion, when, much to Jane's surprise, Snape announced, "If you don't pass your O.W.Ls when you take them, you can always be my Personal Assistant, if you like."

Jane looked at him and snorted, and when Snape's face fell, she dropped her head apologetically and murmured, "Yeah, that sounds great, thanks." Why he was suddenly being nice to her she did not know.

Snape, however, knew exactly the reason. For weeks he had struggled, not knowing how to handle the situation that had developed between himself and Jane. Though initially he had denied it, he was now having problems keeping his feelings in. The fact of the matter was that, despite appearances, he did like Jane. Very much so. And now that she had snorted at his offer of becoming an assistant to him if she did not pass any of her O.W.Ls, he assumed that she did not like him for absolute certain. Why would she like him anyway, though? He was a grumpy, aging ex-Death Eater; hardly the most appealing of people. It was quite obvious that she, an elegant, exceedingly promising young girl would never, ever fall for him.

Ever.

---

"Professor! Professor!" Jane shrieked as she banged frantically on his door. Though it was gone eleven PM, she did not care; she was hysterical.

Snape stirred in his bed and stared, bleary eyed, at the door, which was shaking from Jane's thrashes. When he was awake enough to realise what was going on, he leapt from his bed, dressed only in a pair of black silk pyjamas. Jane would've found the sight funny if she was not so distraught.

"Jane, what is it?" Snape cried. This was the one time in his life that he did not actually have to feign concern; he was quite naturally distressed by the sight of his young protégé on the doorstep of his room with bloodshot eyes and shaking hands.

"I...Professor, I'm sorry, I just..." Jane could hardly speak in between sobs.

"Shh, shh, come inside," Snape whispered, gently pulling her into his room, and closing the door behind them. "Sit down," he murmured softly, pulling out a chair from the corner of the room for her. He sat on the bed, and, with his hand on her shoulder, enquired, "What's wrong, Jane?"

It took a few moments for the sobbing to subside, but after a while, gasping slightly, she stammered, "I can't do it, Professor. I can't take the O.W.Ls tomorrow! I'm going to fail them all, and Professor McGonagall and you have put so much faith in me, and I'm scared that I won't live up to your expectations, and I-"

Before Jane could continue, Professor Snape let out a large sigh and soothed, "I won't pretend to be good with comforting people, but I think you should know that...whether you pass or not, you've surpassed all expectations we ever had for you. You don't need exam results to prove that...the fact that, in the space of 5 weeks, you've learnt enough to rival most students is good enough! You will pass though; I'm confident of it. I promise you, Jane, if you don't get Outstanding in practically all of your subjects, I'll be very, very surprised...though not disappointed. I regret the fact that we've put so much pressure on you, but you'll do well. That's as much reassurance I can offer you. The words of an aging ex-Death Eater. I'm sorry, but I can't do much better than that."

Jane shuddered slightly. Ex-Death Eater. She was in the room of an Ex-Death Eater. A bad man, her mother would've said. He was comforting her, but even at this time of weakness she realised she should not allow herself to be taken in by him. Not caring that she was being blinded by prejudice, she rose from the chair, glared at Snape and spat, "Forget it. Forget it! Why would I want to be comforted by a Death Eater!" And, on that note, she fled Snape's room, breaking down into tears once more.

Snape sat in silence for a few moments. He had been nice to her, and yet she had thrown it back in his face. She shouldn't've knocked if she didn't want to speak with him. And how dare she speak of Death Eaters when she had only been a part of the wizarding world for 5 weeks? She knew nothing about them! Sadly though, this sort of outburst from Jane was not rare; since he had first mentioned that he used to be a follower of Voldemort, she had thrown random tantrums at him for the tiniest of things, yet till he could not deny that he liked her.

"Women," he shuddered. "Why are they confusing? I think she's taking this "bad wizard" thing too far – damn her mother for ever saying that!" With this, he pulled on a cloak, flung open his door, and ambled down the darkened corridor in search of Jane.

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Tara: Thanks so much for your support...and, luckily, I didn't find a man carrying a small country's worth of drugs in my garden after all...I never did discover out what that helicopter was doing above my house! I bet everyone else who is reading this thinks I'm mad now. Nevermind!

Snape's Opera Rose: I love Snape too! You have great taste!Thanks for the review :)

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---- Once again, I'm not sure I like this chapter...Snape was a little too out of character. I just wanted to convey the friction between them, really.

Next chapter: Jane makes a student friend (you'll never guess who...it's someone she has a lot in common with...think, people, think!) and takes her O.W.Ls.

Note: I sat down after dinner and planned out the entire rest of the story. I'm really looking forward to writing more. The plot is mad! ----