Disclaimer: Once again, all characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except of course for Serena.

Serena opened her eyes and yawned, stretching her arms above her head. She must have fallen asleep shortly after the train had departed. She glanced out the window and saw that the moon was high in the sky, slightly obscured by some dark wispy clouds. Serena shivered when she saw that it was almost full. She knew that in a few days it would be completely full, and the dreams would return. It had become a monthly ritual since Thomas' death.

Serena shifted in her seat, pushing the morbid thoughts from her mind. She gazed around her private compartment marveling at the luxury of the room. She took in the red plush carpet under her feet, the soft brown leather of the seats, even the serene stillness of the room. Serena laughed slightly. No wonder she had fallen asleep. This was nicer than her room back at Andréa's.

She stood up and opened the sliding door of her compartment. Seeing a young man coming down the hall, she smiled slightly and waved at him.

"Excuse me?" she asked. The young man stopped and looked at her questioningly.

"Yes, ma'am?" he answered politely.

Serena winced. She hated it when people called her 'ma'am'. Especially one who couldn't be more than five years younger than she was.

"Do you know how long until we reach Hogwarts?"

"Well, ma'am," he began. Serena closed her eyes and breathed slowly and evenly to calm herself. She opened her eyes and he continued.

"We should be at Hogwarts within the hour." He smiled at her look of relief. "Are you a teacher there?"

"Yes. I am the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." At this the man raised an eyebrow, an unbelieving look on his face. Serena knew exactly what he was thinking. Everyone thought the same thing when they met her, and then found out what she taught. So, his next words though not unexpected, were still unwelcome.

"You teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? You don't look old enough." He looked her up and down, his eyes squinting slightly. "Is this your first teaching assignment?"

Serena clenched her teeth, smiling coolly. "No, it is not."

The man seemed to sense he had overstepped some boundary. He quickly said good-bye and continued on his way. Serena turned and slammed the door to her compartment shut. Still seething by the man's blatant condescension, she sat down and rubbed the sides of her head. Glancing back out the window, her eyes were drawn to the cloud-covered moon once again.

"Thomas," she whispered. "I still need to work on my temper. Remember that one time I got so angry with you, you pushed me in the lake? I believe you said it was to 'calm me down', but I still have my suspicions." A small smile settled on her lips. "Perhaps in time, you could have cured me of this 'ghastly temper' as you so fondly christened it."

Serena closed her eyes and leaned back against the headboard, wondering if the pain would ever truly go away. Drifting back to sleep, she was unaware that the clouds that had been covering the moon had disappeared, and that the compartment was currently filled with moonlight. She was also unaware that the charm around her neck was now glowing.

Severus Snape paced up and down the platform awaiting the arrival of Serena's train. He was still angry that Dumbledore had sent him like some servant to escort her back to the castle.

"She's a big girl," he muttered. "Why can't she find her own way?" He looked off into the distance seeing a small light and hearing a faint train whistle. Setting his mouth in a grim line, he watched as the train slowed in front of him, the wheels screeching and the engine releasing a burst of trapped air in a loud whoosh. Subconsciously, he straightened and watched the doors carefully, wondering at which one she would appear. At this time of night, however, not many passengers were waiting to get off the train, so it was not difficult to find her.

He stared silently, as she appeared at the door at the far end of the train. He stepped back into the shadows and watched as she struggled with her three bags. He smirked as she dropped one and cursed under her breath. Serves her right for packing so much, he thought. Standing on the platform, she looked around as though searching for someone. Still hidden in the shadows, he watched as the train departed and she stood there alone. The moon shone down on her red hair and made her face appear even paler then he remembered. She looked lost and a little sad. Sighing, he walked out of the shadows and towards the shivering professor.

"You really should have a warmer cloak," Snape said, his words coming out as a harsh reprimand.

Serena turned and met Snape's dark eyes. "Thank you for your concern, Professor Snape. I have a warmer cloak in one of my bags. I just forgot to pull it out." Her words were barely civil. Snape just stood there and stared at her, unsure of what to do next. She picked up a bag and eyed Snape. He simply returned her look.

"Professor Snape, I do not mean to be rude, but do you suppose that you could assist me with my bags or tell me where to send them?" her eyes glittered in the moonlight.

"No."

Serena's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"You shouldn't have packed so much. They're your bags. You carry them." He smirked at her incredulous look and turned to leave the platform. Not hearing her follow, he looked back over his shoulder and saw her still rooted to the same spot.

"Well? Are you coming?" He watched in amusement as she struggled to carry her three bags. Her face was red with exertion and he could hear her muttering in French under her breath. He didn't have to speak the language to know what was being said. He was sure that she was calling down curses upon his head and house in a very unladylike way.

Reaching the carriage that Dumbledore had arranged for the trip, he leaned against the door and waited for Serena to catch up. When she finally reached the carriage, she dropped the bags and stretched, placing her hands on the small of her back and groaning. It was all Snape could do from laughing out loud. Catching his eye, she glared at him. He pretended to yawn and asked, "What took you so long?"

Serena's eyes flashed and she opened her mouth to reply, when Snape suddenly picked up his wand and moved her bags to the top of the carriage.

Fuming, Serena pushed her anger down and asked as calmly as possible, "You couldn't have done that before?"

"No, I really couldn't," Snape replied innocently. He opened the door and gestured for Serena to step in. She marched to the door and stomped up the two steps completely ignoring Snape's hand. He stepped in after her and closed the door. Leaning out the window, he gave the driver a nod indicating that they were ready to go. Severus peered at the woman's profile in the moonlight noticing that even in the darkness her fury was still evident. Perhaps he had pushed her too far. Turning back to face the front, he was silent, unsure what he could say to apologize. He wasn't even sure himself why he did it. There was just something about this woman that rubbed him the wrong way.

Glancing back at her, he saw that she was staring at something in the sky. He noticed the anger on her face had disappeared and was replaced by something that looked like sadness. Ducking his head slightly, he looked out her window and saw nothing but the bright moon in the sky. Sitting back, he wondered what could have caused the sudden change in emotions. Just what he needed to complicate his life: an emotional woman.

The carriage suddenly stopped, and Serena looked around as though forgetting where she was. Her eyes settled on Severus and he saw a faint trace of the anger return to her face.

Snape stepped out of the carriage and held the door open as Serena followed.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Daniels." Severus said softly.

Her eyes widened, as she took in the huge castle. "Oh my goodness. It must be twice the size of Andréa's." Turning back to Snape, she nodded stiffly. "Thank you, Professor Snape for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come pick me up."

He wanted to apologize for his cruelty at the train station, but the words that came out of his mouth were anything but apologetic. "Yes, well, I was aware from the very first moment we met, that you would cause me more trouble than you were worth." He sneered, expecting her to tell him off. Instead, he was shocked to see a hurtful expression on her face. Turning, she swept up the flight of stairs, her skirt billowing around her legs.

He called after her. "Don't worry about your bags, Professor. I am sure that I can arrange to have some of your students carry them in for you. I wouldn't want you to overexert yourself for your first flirting lesson." Snape could have slapped himself. What was he doing?

She stopped and turned to look at him, a furious look on her face. "Don't do me any favors, Professor. I am, what you would call, a big girl and I can handle myself." She waved her wand and the bags flew over her head and dropped in a neat pile outside the huge outer door. Smiling at Snape's shocked expression, she turned back around and continued up the steps. Looking at the moon, she whispered, "Well, Thomas. Score one for the French girl. Although this man is going to test my patience and temper at every turn."

Snape watched silently as she entered the castle, wondering how she knew what had said back at the train station.

A/N: What do you guys think? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Please, please, please review! Not that I am begging or anything. LOL

Special thank you to Lady Assasin Moonbeam for being my first reviewer. It made me so happy; I was smiling like a maniac. So thank you!