DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything dealing with Harry Potter.

Beta: the wonderful MoonyNZ

Dark Heart

Chapter 6

That infuriating, barbaric, archaic, self-centred, egotistical, chauvinistic…

"Evil thoughts?"

She stopped, fists and jaw clenched as she turned slowly to glower at the man standing behind her. He, on the other hand, looked very calm.

January had faded in February which, without anyone realizing it, soon turned to May. Students were studying hard for their end of the year exams while the teachers started to relax with them a bit. Everything had been running smoothly…until today.

Today he just had to return to his formal irritating self.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she answered with a steely edge to her voice. She stalked towards him and jabbed him hard in the chest. "How dare you!"

He rose a brow and crossed his arms as he leaned back casually against the frame of the door. "May I inquire as to what I did this time?"

She placed her hands on her hips as she continued to glare at him. "You know bloody well what you did, Severus Snape, so don't act all innocent."

He sighed. "I'm assuming that you're referring to the house points I docked from Gryffindor during potions." He stared at her angry form, "Or maybe not."

"You docked more points?" she demanded before shaking her head to get herself back on track. "No, that isn't what I'm referring to although I'm mad now about that."

He threw up his hands. "Alright, I give up. What sinister thing have I done this time?"

She jabbed him in the chest again. "You, you infuriating bastard, told Minerva that I would be better off working for that Bulgarian oaf that calls himself a Potions Master!"

He smirked slightly. "Actually, if you want to get technical about it, I suggested that she should talk to you about considering the position. You would do well and it would challenge you far more than you are being challenged here."

"I'm quite happy where I am, thanks," she retorted hotly.

"That may be so," he responded, "but the full limits of your knowledge isn't tested here as it would be working under Kirk Gorbintroff."

"I don't care," she returned, her eyes flashing. She growled low in her throat as she advanced on him. "You should have discussed it with me before going to Minerva. Now you have her convinced that I should resign immediately."

He shrugged. "She's never taken my opinions to heart before so why should I have expected her to do so this time?"

"I hate you."

"No, you don't," he responded easily before turning in a swirl of black and stalking away, her threatening growl causing him to softly chuckle.

o-o-o-o-o

Hermione ran her hands slowly through her hair as she sat in front of the questioning gaze of her entire sixth year class. Well, there were some others from other years but the most prominent were the sixth years who descended upon her immediately after the rumours started.

"I don't know who you heard that from…," she started but was immediately cut off by a fifth year Hufflepuff boy.

"Are they true, Professor?" he demanded.

"Yeah," cried a third year Slytherin by the name of Nicholas, "were you offered a job in Bulgaria?"

"Are you moving?" one cried while another said, "Are you planning on getting back together with Viktor Krum?"

She started shaking her head back and forth until a student, a sixth year Gryffindor girl with long black hair laid her hand on her shoulder. Hermione looked up into Samantha Greyright's eyes.

"Professor, you can't leave." The words were quiet as they echoed around the room. "You're one of the best professors here. Just because Professor Snape doesn't want you here doesn't mean…"

"Wait," Hermione said, holding up her hand. "What do you mean Professor Snape doesn't want me here?" She looked at all the students. "Has he been trying to get the Headmistress to make me leave?"

"Well," started Samantha almost hesitantly, "not directly. Some of us has just heard him making some comments to McGonagall about your abilities and the fact that you would be better suited in that sort of environment, not here dealing with us 'brats.'"

Hermione started to laugh softly. "Then he should be the one to go," she told them with a wide smile. "I happen to like it here with you guys."

"But is what he's saying true?" pressed another student, this time a fourth year Ravenclaw. "Would you be better suited working with that Potions Master in Bulgaria? Would you make more money?"

Hermione chewed her lip lightly in thought as she leaned back in her seat. "Yes and yes," the students hung their heads slightly in defeat, "but you forgot to ask whether I would be happy to which the answer would be a resounding no."

They smiled, a few of them moving forwards. "Really?"

She stood from her chair. "Look, I don't give a hippogriff's arse what Professor Snape has been saying and nor do I allow others to make decisions such as these for me. I am quite happy here and I plan on staying here for a very long time."

She set back down. "Now, since that is all cleared up, perhaps you can excuse me. I have exams I have to draw up and an argument I need to win with a certain interfering man."

They all smiled at her as they left and she felt a small victory- during that year she had gained one of the most important things she could ever hope for, their trust.

o-o-o-o-o

Minerva stared at the younger woman in front of her, unsure as to the illogical reasoning of her former student. She just didn't understand…

"Are you sure that this is what you want to do?" she asked for what had to be the thirteenth time in the past ten minutes.

Hermione smiled at her former mentor and now employer. "Yes, I am positive."

"Hermione," the Headmistress stressed, leaning forward slightly, "do you realize what you are turning down here? The opportunity that you are throwing away?"

A small laugh escaped from between Hermione's lips as she considered the question. "I might point out that if I leave, I am throwing away the greatest opportunity that has ever been offered to me."

Minerva frowned. "I'm afraid that I don't understand."

"This school was founded so that we can grant children with magical abilities a chance to learn how to harness their power and learn at the same time. By holding a job here, I am able to teach these kids, to impact their lives. For me, that is worth more than any amount of apprenticeships."

Minerva leaned back in her seat and studied the young woman. "You are a wonderful teacher, Hermione. The students adore you."

"As I do them," she returned easily.

The Headmistress stood in a fluid motion and sighed. "Very well, if you think this is the best decision then I guess I can't force you to leave…"

"And neither can Severus," Hermione was quick to point out.

Minerva laughed slightly as she walked around the desk to join Hermione. "No, he can't, though he has been harbouring these false illusions for a while that he can make others bend to his will."

"He's just going to have to learn to live with the fact that I will never bend to his wants," the bushy haired witch found herself retorting.

Minerva laughed and lightly pushed Hermione from the door. "I guess you will just have to teach him a thing or two about getting his way."

Hermione smiled back at her as she vacated the office, walking down the spiral steps. She obviously wasn't paying that much attention as she crashed into a figure at the very bottom.

"Umph!" she cried as she was knocked backwards, falling painfully on her rump.

She looked up as she stood to find herself staring at the dark haired Potions Master. Her eyes narrowed. "After knocking me down you could at least offer to help me up."

He quirked one brow, his eyes gazing at her coolly. "And what if you were the one to crash into me. You obviously weren't paying attention."

"Oh hush," she snapped as she dusted off her robes, mentally calling him everything she could think of- both muggle and magical.

He leaned back against the wall as he allowed his eyes to take in every movement. "I assume you just got out of a meeting with the Headmistress."

Her eyes rose to meet his, the brown in them showing just how displeased she was with him. "As a matter of fact, yes I have."

He quirked a brow and pushed off from the wall. "Really?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, I'm so accustomed to lying about imaginary meetings with the Headmistress. You know me all so well."

The corner of his mouth started to twitch, betraying his desire to smile but he refrained. "I figure that Potter or Weasley would join you."

She started to walk away from him and, much to her chagrin, he followed her- not that she expected any different really after she discovered his fascination with following her. "Despite popular belief, we are not attached at the hips."

"That's good," he muttered behind her. She shook her head to dispel the notion of what his words could possibly mean.

"What do you want?" she finally asked as she neared the Great Hall and he showed no sign of leaving her alone. She stopped and turned to him, exasperated.

He stopped as well and surveyed her coolly. "I thought it would be obvious. I want to know of your decision."

She decided to play the naïve teacher for a moment- just to irritate him a bit as he did her- as she asked, "Decision? What decision?"

"You know very well what decision I am referring to," he growled low, stepping closer to her so that passing students wouldn't hear their words.

"Actually, there have been so many decisions to make in the past few weeks that I really have no clue what you're talking about," she rushed on, plastering on an innocent smile. "Care to refresh my memory, Professor?"

His eyebrows rose at that and he seemed to rear back a little. "Are we back to formalities then?" was his reply.

"I never knew we left that certain area," she retorted. "I merely wished to irritate you a bit by calling you by your given name."

"Hmm."

That made her snap. "What is it with you and that sound?" she demanded loudly, causing a few students to stop and stare at them. "Every time I say something, you always make that blasted sound!"

He threw up his hands. "What am I supposed to say then? Would you rather me get angry and snap at you? I can that if you wish."

"What I want is to be able to hold a decent conversation with you without being infuriated beyond belief by your bad conversation skills."

"Well excuse me for not being an insufferable know-it-all that feels it's my job to butt into everyone's life, turning everything upside down!"

"Yeah, because being a self-righteous wanker is so much better," she retorted sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "At least I don't lock myself away in the dungeons, scowling at anyone and everything that dares to venture to close."

He leaned down close to her face. "You know nothing of my life," he spat.

"No one does!" was her answer for him. "For someone to actually know something you have to be close and you wouldn't dare form that type of bond with anyone!"

"I don't rely on bonds to make me happy."

"Neither do I."

"Really?" he drawled condemningly. "Because I could swear that you would jump through hoops if it would make Saint Potter or Weasley happy."

Her fists were clenched by her sides as she hissed, "You know nothing of friendship so you wouldn't understand the sacrifices I'm willing to make for them."

"Sacrifices?" he laughed bitterly. "You speak of sacrifices? You naïve little chit, I have sacrificed far more than you could possibly ever understand."

"Maybe I would be able to understand it if you would actually open up to someone once in a while, but no, you are a hermit and you stick to your dungeon!"

By now they had gathered a full audience of both students and faculty, all watching to see who would win. The tension between the two was remarkable and they- the spectators- were quite surprised that they hadn't erupted long before now.

"I. Am. Not. A. Hermit."

The words were spoken with a slow calculated tone as he clenched his jaw, baring his teeth slightly as his dark eyes glared down at her, burning with an intensity unlike any she had ever witnessed.

"How many times to you actually venture up to the light intentionally, eh? Let's count, shall we: meal times, to irk me, and to quickly grab a book from the library."

"I come up here more," he said, drawing himself up.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, the monthly trips to the Apothecary to purchase more supplies so that you can once again lock yourself away from civilization."

"I do not!"

"Hate to tell you," she retorted, her hands going to her hips, "but you do."

He reached out suddenly and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. "You are an insufferable chit who thinks she knows everything but you don't." He stared at her. "I wonder, what aspect of your life is so lacking that you have to fill up that gap with an abundance of knowledge?"

She gasped, trying to pull away from him but not succeeding in the task. "I'll have you know that I am quite content with my life."

"Ah," he drawled, his tone condescending, "notice the word choice- content, not happy."

"I am happy," she said weakly in a tone that didn't even convince herself.

"Let's be frank now, shall we?" he said in a mocking tone. "Why didn't you accept the apprentice position with Gorbintroff? Was it because you thought you could be happy here or that you just didn't want to part with Potter and Weasley?"

"Neither," she answered honestly, "there is something else holding me here."

He went to open his mouth to question her further but she interrupted him. "And since we're being honest, do you really want me to leave?"

Their audience waited with baited breath for his answer- so did she come to think of it. The world seemed to slow around him as his black eyes bore into hers, his mouth a firm line as he considered his answer.

Then,

"No."

Sorry this took so long folks. I was trying to wait until they got the update alert thingy working again. In case you didn't get the email, I did update Changing Yesterday. For lovely stories, visit grangerenchanted (dot) com.

Cheers,

MiZZ AmAyA