Reviewers:

LiL.CaT.AnImE: wow is it really as good as chocolate cake? I don't expect you to review every single chapter.

sweet as lemonz: I did try to make some of the HBP stuff fit in, good to know it turned out okay.

happygirl: glad you like it.

Chapter 8: The Things I Wish To Have Forgotten

I was surprised how quickly I adapted to teaching at Hogwarts. I have done many different jobs in my life but I've never taken to any of them as well as I took to teaching. My only guess as to why this is was that part of me never left Hogwarts, never left the building that had meant so much to me as a child. Which is probably why before I knew it, it was almost time for Christmas break.

Even though almost four months of school had passed I had yet to give a detention, even to those students who were no longer truly concentrating due to the impending holiday. However I was still keeping a close eye on Draco Malfoy, who was not doing well in my class and his insistent mutterings to his friends about me made it clear that he had no intention of trying to perform well. It also warned me that he would probably not shed a tear should anything happen to me, and that fact alone kept me alert.

"Mr. Malfoy, for the final time where is your essay?" I demanded during the last lesson before the break.

"I've been busy," he replied.

"Obviously not doing your work."

"Not for this class."

"We're going to take this up with your head of house," I said hoping that he'd listen better to Severus then he would to me.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I heard from my father that you dated Professor Snape."

"I wasn't aware that people is Azkaban had much contact with those on the outside." I knew I was overstepping my bounds as a teacher but at that moment I could have cared less.

Malfoy's face flushed slightly and he snapped, "Well I can see why Professor Snape wanted someone better then you."

"Detention tonight in my office at seven, and if you keep it up you will find yourself in the Headmasters office discussing why he shouldn't suspend you." With that I pivoted away from him and struggled to teach the class without betraying any of the anger I was feeling.

- - - - -

I was putting my photos in a place that Malfoy wouldn't see them so he couldn't suspect anything when Harry came into my office.

"What do you need," I asked looking up.

"Did you really date Snape, or is Malfoy just saying that?"

I fought back a scowl as I closed my desk drawer a little harder then necessary. "Yes we dated back when we were here as students. But that was quite long ago and means nothing now."

"What did you see in him anyway?"

"I hardly see how that's important, or any of your business. Now get out of here before Mr. Malfoy shows up."

Harry looked shocked at his sudden dismissal, but I think he must have realised he'd overstepped his bounds because he left quickly and quietly.

The truth was that Malfoy's words and Harry's questions had brought back a lot of memories that I'd done my best to forget. I'd originally ended up friends with Severus because we were paired together in first year Potions. At first he'd done his best to ignore me but after a few weeks we'd gotten into a habit of talking while we worked on our potion. The only time we'd fallen out of friendship was during third year after the Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin where I'd pegged Lucius in the head with the quaffle so he didn't get to the snitch before James. Severus had refused to speak to me for weeks after that and just as I was getting ready to give up on him as a friend he'd rescued me when I had been cornered by Lucius talking the older boy out of hurting me by appealing to the fact that he wouldn't want to be expelled.

After that I'd sent him a simple Christmas gift of a black eagle quill and when he'd questioned me about it I'd simply told him that I gave Christmas gifts to all my friends. I still remember how he'd said that there would be trouble if Lucius found out that he was friends with a Gryffindor, and how I'd replied that I wasn't afraid of Lucius, Severus had simply looked me in the eye and said, "you should be". But despite that we'd steadily become closer friends after that until we started dating partway through sixth year.

A knock on the door pulled me from my memories.

"Come in and sit down Mr. Malfoy." Handing him a stack of parchment and a quill I proceeded to hand out the task that I'd hated most of all when I'd been a student. "You will write the sentence 'I will always respect my Professors' one thousand times before you leave for the holidays. If it is not done by then when you come back you will complete those lines plus another thousand in the week following the break. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Crystal," he muttered resentfully.