Chapter 1 Strange Muggles
Severus folded his arms across his chest and watched carefully as the students slowly trickled into his classroom, complaining about their trivial 'problems'. These kids didn't know the difference between problems and inconveniences and he was willing to bet that they wouldn't have lasted more than five minutes in his world…even if they had magical abilities.
He wasn't blind to the fact that none of them had any real interest in what he was teaching. Chemistry wasn't the most popular subject. The majority of them had only signed up in order to be credited for taking the class and enabled to move on to something they found more interesting. With that understanding, it was hardly in Severus's nature to make things easy for them…meaning he was just about as unpopular of a professor as the class was a subject. At least, that's how it would have been at Hogwarts. For some strange reason, it was only partially correct here.
Despite the fact that Severus had only taken a nonprofessional interest in one student and had been extremely cautious in expressing said interest, there were a few students who seemed to have taken an interest in him, much to his amusement. A few of the female had convinced themselves that they could get him to pass them if they offered to sleep with him. He wasn't sure whether to take it offensively (as though a Professor like him could be bought with such offerings) or as a compliment (that they were seemingly attracted to him), but he had settled with taking entire letter grades off of their final grade for his class. He only had to fail three girls before the word got out that he didn't stoop to accepting bribes. Particularly in that form. He had expected to come across several muggle practices that he didn't agree with, but he hadn't been prepared to face women who were willing to exchange their self respect for a passing grade.
Of course, not all of them were of the same mind. The student that he had taken an interest in, against his better judgment, was a young woman who obviously had a decent amount of self respect. Her attitude, however, wasn't what had initially caught his attention. It was her name. Ember Delancy was a name more often heard in the wizarding world. His instincts had instantly taken note of that and sent him into suspicion. He had paid close attention to her during the first few weeks, but when he had discovered nothing to support his suspicions he had shrugged it off. However, he was far too tempted by his curiosity concerning her. It had nothing to do with the fact that he had found himself attracted to her…or so he told himself. He was curious because he could sense that there was something different about her. The war had taught him to quickly pick up on anything that was out of place, and there was definitely something off about her. He wanted to know what it was. He was drawn to her…and he was going to find out why. That jock who had the nerve to call himself her lover had sure as hell better stay out of his way.
Ember sat down in her chair, rolling her eyes at Caleb's griping. Every time she even so much as spoke to another guy he would explode on her. She could only imagine how he would react if he ever found out she was only with him because her roommate, Heaven, thought it was unnatural for any girl their age to not be involved with someone. Heaven was currently single. Ember got Caleb. She would switch places with Heaven in a split second.
However, that wasn't the way it was done in the muggle world. She was expected to be interested in dating, and if Caleb was the price she had to pay for her freedom, so be it.
She had been hiding in the muggle world for three years. It had taken her three years to earn her way into the university and make friends with Heaven, a witch who had chosen to live in the muggle world because her parents were muggles. Heaven had let her move into her apartment. Caleb was the new addition that had popped up last semester. He was hardly tolerable and hard to keep secrets from, but she some how managed both.
All she really wanted was to go home…but she couldn't do that without being caught and arrested by the ministry of magic. She had to accept that. The wizarding world didn't want her back…so she would settle for wondering where her professor got those strange almost robe like clothes from.