I promise, it gets better after the first few chapters. All reviews are greatly appreciated. This is my first Hermione Granger/Severus Snape fan fiction. Actually, this is my first fan fiction ever.
Stepping through those great oak doors was like returning home after a long trip of being away. Hermione felt a rush of excitement rise inside her chest, and she smiled happily as she thought of her many years spent comfortably here. She recalled memories of sneaking around here, in this very spot, cowering under Harry's invisibility cloak as a prefect patrolled the hall. She looked around, taking in everything, and took time to examine the House Points. Of course, term had not yet begun, so the numbers were set back to zero. Only having ever been a student at Hogwarts before, she had never seen what anything at school looked like when the children were not present.
Her luggage she left in the carriage, trusting the house elves to bring it up to her chambers. (She had long since abandoned S.P.E.W., because in four years, she had only managed to acquire three members: Harry, Ron, and herself.)
Hermione walked slowly to the doors of the Great Hall, through which she could faintly hear the clattering of cutlery as the staff ate their lunch. She took a deep breath and pushed open the doors. Every one of the teachers' heads turned up to look at her. As she walked toward the Head Table, Hermione had to fight the urge to take a seat at the Gryffindor Dining Table, simply out of old habit.
Although she didn't realize it, all eyes followed her. She glanced up at Dumbledore and everyone quickly averted his or her eyes. Albus smiled pleasantly, and McGonagall did the same. This reassured Hermione, and she quickened her pace, surveying her colleagues. McGonagall, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Trelawney, and, of course, looking just as threatening and unapproachable as ever, Snape. Hermione glanced around the table, looking for a chair. To her dismay, she soon realized that the only available seat left was beside a certain greasy-haired Potions Master. (He had taken up his original post again after the defeat of Voldemort two years ago, when the Golden Trio were in their seventh year at Hogwarts.)
"Hermione Granger. How marvelous to have you back with us!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
Severus nearly choked on his drink of pumpkin juice when he heard her name, but luckily, somehow, no one noticed. He took a closer look at her. She had matured a lot, but she still resembled his young student. She looked very…good.
Hermione grinned widely up at all the old faces he remembered from her past, along with a couple of other seemingly new professors who she did not recognize.
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said to him. She quickly took her seat, situated between Snape and someone else she did not recognize. She helped herself to the food and drink heartily; she was positively starving.
"Good morning," the man beside her (not Snape) said. It took her a second to realize that he was directing this at her.
Quickly swallowing her food, she replied, "Oh. Er…good morning."
The man wore glasses and his hair was heavily sprinkled with gray and it was thinning, but other than that, he appeared young, fit, and healthy.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" he asked her.
Confused, she stuttered, "I- I'm s- sorry?"
"Hermione, you had better talk with me now, because tonight is a full moon, and you know you won't be seeing me again for days after that."
A sudden dawn of apprehension seized Hermione as she fought the strong urge to hug him. "Professor Lupin! It has been such a long time!"
"Indeed, it has. However, I am back here now, teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts once again."
"Defence Against the…? But what about, er…" She jerked her head toward Severus, who rolled his eyes at the fact that apparently she thought he was completely deaf and, judging by the way she was pointing clearly at him, blind too.
"Oh, what about Severus? He still fancies the Dark Arts, of course, but, uh, not nearly as much as…before," said Remus.
"Thank you, Lupin," Severus scowled.
Hermione turned to face her former Potions Master. He looked exactly the same. His hair was still thick, long, and black, his nose still terribly distinguished, as some might say, and his figure still tall and thin. It was awing to her how little he had changed.
"Good morning, Professor," Hermione said to him.
"Good morning, Miss Granger," he replied.
"You know, er, Severus, I am no longer your student."
"I am quite aware."
"Well, you needn't refer to me as 'Miss Granger' any longer," she informed him.
"Very well, Mi-" He sighed. "Hermione?"
She nodded, and then learned just a bit closer to his ear.
"Um, is how intimidated you felt on your first day back at Hogwarts as a teacher?" she asked curiously.
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, to see all of the people that used to be your teachers. Those who punished you, sentenced you to detentions, deducted House Points," she further explained.
He glanced at her quickly and replied, "No. I was not afraid, Hermione, though I suppose I was somewhat nervous. After all, who isn't? However, I came to Hogwarts on such…different conditions that yourself." He rubbed his left forearm where the Dark Mark had once been burned into his skin. (It had disappeared with a blinding pain the moment of Lord Voldemort's death.)
Hermione noticed this, and she could not stop herself from touching his left forearm lightly and asking him, "Does it ever still burn, even though he's gone?"
Severus' eyes snapped up to hers, and in an instant, she regretted the question. "No," he replied simply, "never." He did not feel like going into vivid detail of his years spent trying to evade the Dark Mark's pain and humiliation.
Hermione removed her hand from his forearm quickly and turned back to Remus.
"Professor Lupin, how have you been?" she asked.
"Please, Hermione, we're both adults here. Call me Remus."
"Okay. It just feels a bit odd, you know? I mean, I've only ever known you as being my elder. It's weird to call you 'Remus'."
"And yet you have no trouble at all calling me 'Severus', even without my permission?" Severus asked her, though not even bothering to glance up from his plate.
"Perhaps she has no trouble calling you by your first name because she only has trouble with people who she respects highly," Remus suggested jokingly and chuckled.
Severus rolled his eyes. "At least you think you're funny."
Hermione smiled, first because of Remus', and then because of Severus' retort back to Lupin.
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, until Dumbledore decided to stand and begin his yearly staff speech.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I do hope that you had a most pleasant lunch, and you had time to catch up with your colleagues. At this time, I will now introduce the new members of our staff. First, let us welcome back Professor Remus Lupin. He will be taking over Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. Sadly, Professor Flitwick passed away last year, and so Professor Hermione Granger will be teaching Charms classes. Professor Sprout decided earlier this summer that she would like to retire from her longtime position here as Herbology teacher, and her position will be filled by Professor Neville Longbottom."
Hermione gasped and smiled. Severus' head snapped up abruptly, and they both looked down the table to where Dumbledore was gesturing. There sat a smiling, yet still nervous and unsure looking, Neville Longbottom. He was still pudgy, but his eyes were warm and welcoming, much like Dumbledore's. He smiled and waved shyly to everyone. Hermione noticed that McGonagall looked very proud; all of the new teachers had come from her own House, Gryffindor.
"Damn, I had hoped I would never have to see that dunderhead again," Severus muttered.
Remembering how terribly Severus had bullied Neville at school, Hermione became a bit angry. Smirking, she said, "Oh, don't worry, Severus, I'm sure that he said the exact same thing about you. Of course, he may have replaced a word or two of your selection with 'greasy' and 'long-nosed.' Or 'big-nosed', of course; whichever you happen to prefer."
"You will not speak to me that way, Miss Granger," he said instantly.
"Oh, come off it, Severus. I am no longer your student, and you are no longer my Professor. We are colleagues now, and I would like for you to realize that. And further more, to act like it."
"You're only defending Longbottom because he is your old friend. Just an old grudge is all it is," Severus told her.
"Well, if that isn't calling the kettle black, speaking about 'old grudges' the way you are. And by the way, Severus, as of now, that is Professor Longbottom to you." At that, Hermione returned to her food, and there was silence for the rest of the meal.