Dear Readers,

I apologize for the long wait on this chapter I've been busy lately but I finally got this published. Severus in the first part is a bit out of his normal demeanor but in a way not really. If you realize what I mean pm me and maybe I'll add a character that symbolizes you for a few chapters. Thank you for the reviews on the first chapter and those who messaged me. I also changed Annie from a 6th year to a 7th year because I amped up her age to fit what I wanted. I hope you continue to read and from here it only gets better. Also there's a bit of language in this… you know the usual words like shit and stuff. It's also a bit explicit but I imagine you can handle it, nothing too descriptive.

Thank you all,

Ever

Back in her bedroom Annie laid in her bed, staring blankly up at her ceiling thinking of the long talk she had with her Potions Professor. How the tables had turned from her position of him this morning to now. What a terrible teacher you are she had told him and that maybe so but he definitely was not a terrible man. She thought back to their conversation…

"Why haven't you told anyone about this Annie? Your parents are practically neglecting you!" Severus said, his tone angered by their faults against this poor almost 18 year old girl. How long had this been going on? Why had they begun leaving her in the cold for her older brother?

"Because I felt if they hated me… telling anyone would only make them hate me more…" she whispered, staring down into the brown liquid as steam rose into her face, carrying the scent of chocolate to her pale nose. Up in Severus' room they sat at the kitchen table and as if to comfort the girl who sat with him who still had tears threating to fall down her cheeks he had made hot chocolate and set it down in front of her. Now she stared into it as if looking for the answers she was searching for, though only coming up with brown liquid and its light aroma.

"But Annie how long has this been going on?" Snape asked, leaning forward across the mahogany table, resting his head on his connected hands, a simple position of interrogation.

"Since I was 11… after my first day at Hogwarts…" Annie whispered as she gripped the mug tightly in her hands as they shook slightly, like she'd drop the mug and burst into tears at any moment. Severus leaned back in his chair astonished by the words escaping from her pale rose colored lips. His black gaze was frosted over with anger but deep inside it was really sorrow.

"Do you know why?" He asked, his tone soft unlike she'd ever heard it before, used to hearing his gruff dull voice. She slowly looked up from the steaming liquid to meet the eyes of her Head of House.

"Because I'm in Slytherin," She stated, placing the mug with a small but defiant tap onto the wooden table. "Everyone in my family has been placed in Ravenclaw since the first Hay to enter the doors of this school. But when I was placed in Slytherin I was made a disgrace to the family… I was shut out of everything…" Annie sighed and hugged herself as if to keep from falling apart. "I guess in the beginning I thought it was my fault, that I could've done something to prevent it… but as I get older I realized that the only reason they hate me is because I'm not them… not a perfect little Ravenclaw clad in blue but rather a sneaky Slytherin clad in green and navy. Of course it still kills inside that my parents hate me… but I guess in a way it's OK…" Annie picked up the mug and put it to her rosy lips to avoid eye contact with her Professor who tried to look her straight in her eyes-straight into her soul- to understand her feelings.

"But Annie… you shouldn't have to endure it! You are not useless and you deserve everything the world has to offer to you. No matter how much you tell me that you don't mind it I see it in the way you avoid eye contact that you do, that you wish you had that someone who was always proud of you like parents should be…" Severus heaved a large sigh, flopping back into the wooden kitchen chair which creaked in protest to this added weight.

Annie bit her lip against the tears that threatened to fall down her slightly pinked cheeks. After another sip of hot chocolate she opened her mouth as if to disagree but what escaped was a small broken sob. She let the now empty mug clatter on top of the table, stopping itself from rolling on the handle as she slowly let herself cry in front of her Professor. She felt like a blubbering idiot and now she was embarrassing herself in front of her teacher and her head of house. How would she be able to face him now that he saw her in her most vulnerable state? Suddenly she felt hands on her shoulders, along with a reassuring squeeze. Annie lifted her head, allowing her mass of tight curls to flow over her shoulder like dissipating flames falling down her back. She looked, for the first time that night, directly into his black gaze with shattered tears gracing the planes of her face.

Severus stared back at her as he continued to squeeze her shoulders between his slightly aged fingers. He wasn't used to this, comforting another. No one ever came to him for comfort but as she sat at the table weeping he couldn't just let her sit there alone without something. That's what got him to lift himself from the chair and behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He was a Professor, but he was also human though most of the students here would disagree with that and call him a bloody heartless excuse for a man and a lousy Professor at that but in all honesty he was human and he understood the feelings that battled inside her. Snape stood there and just kept his hands on her shoulders as his black cape fell against the floor, sliding behind his feet.

And now as Annie lay in bed, thinking back to it she wasn't sure what to think about her Professor. She turned on her side, feeling her head sink into the too soft pillow as the smell of fabric softener surrounded her as she pulled the fresh sheets over her head. After a few more condescending thoughts she fell asleep.

"Hoot, hoot, hoot," Annie heard the soft hoots next to her right ear as she turned her head, allowing the arch of her fire colored hair to lift off of the white pillow case.

"Okay Panda I'm up," She mumbled sleepily as the fog of drowsiness threatened to claim her again as her owl continued to hoot. He ruffled his black and white feathers as he hooted once more before hopping off his perch and onto Annie's shoulder. "You coming with me today?" she asked softly and he hooted in response. Annie smiled at the black and white owl before grabbing her books and taking a deep breath before walking out of her quarters and into the Slytherin Common room.

Apon entering the Common room she heard a sly snicker coming from behind her. Annie turned toward the direction of the snicker to see Draco's forever-set-in-a-scowl face. She heaved a soft sigh before parting her rosy lips slightly to say "Feeling yourself up in your trousers again Malfoy? You really shouldn't make it so obvious because some students-girls mostly- find it unattractive." She flashed him a coy smile before turning on her heels to head out to class.

"Actually I was laughing at the fact that in that pretty little head of yours you still think you won in potions class!" Malfoy called after her as Crabbe and Goyle suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her path to Herbology.

"Not sure if I should take that pretty as a complement or a trigger for me to kick you where the sun don't shine," Annie quipped as Panda hooted at the two boys blocking their path before hopping off her shoulder and disappearing down the hallway. Draco narrowed his cool blue eyes at her as he shoved her against the halls wall.

"You think you're so tough… it's kind of cute," he says with a smirk causing Annie's eyes to widen. "Crabbe, Goyle, keep watch." Suddenly Draco's lips crashed onto Annie's as his hands snaked past her robes and under her shirt. Annie struggled against his weight but he proved to be too strong for her as his hands began to undo her bra. He grabbed at her waist, his fingers digging into her flesh causing her to wince slightly. After a few moments he moved to her pants, she was wearing dark jeans under her robes and once he had the button undone and was about to lower the zipper when he was thrown off of her.

Annie slid down the wall once his weight was removed, shaking violently while burying her face in her knees as tears fell freely down her face. Her vision hazed with tears she couldn't see who her savior was though she did hear a lot of screaming as she lifted her head slightly a pair of arms reached for her and she flinched.

"Return to your classes, Dumbledore will deal with you later," a harsh voice whipped through the hallway and Annie could hear the defiant taps of running shoes against the floor. She let the clear tears roll down her cheeks as strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her to her feet.

"Are you alright Ms. Hays?" The voice asked and she turned her head in the direction of it only to see the sleek black hair of her potions professor. Now not only had she embarrassed herself in front of him by breaking down into a fit of sobs last night now here she was again in tears in front of him. She slowly shook her head, indicating that she wasn't alright as tears continued fall from her thought to be dried eyes. Snape's face remained solemn as he lifted her into his arms and began to walk toward the Hospital Wing. His long black cape flew out behind him as he carried the student into the Hospital Wing before placing her on one of the beds as Madam Pomfrey sauntered toward them, a chipper smile on her face until she looked down at the silent 7th year.

"What happened here?" she asked, giving Annie a soft smile somewhat in reassurance. After Severus lowered his voice and gave a quick recap of what occurred not even 10 minutes ago and Madam Pomfrey sucked in a breath before shaking her head. "That boy is nothing but trouble." Her cool hands pushed Annie's Robes aside as she searched her for any wounds. "She seems to have only a few minor injuries which are just some bruising on the waist and chest."

Severus looked down at Annie as she lay there, completely silent staring at the ceiling. "Are you ready to return to class Ms. Hays?" Annie slowly turned her head in his direction before slowly shaking her head but indicating that she would if she had to. The Potions Master turned his head in the direction of Madam Pomfrey "Would she be allowed to stay here for a bit until she's ready to return to her classes?"

"Of course, I see no problem with it," she replied, turning her gaze back onto the young witch and giving her a light reassuring smile and Annie gave her a slight upturned lip in response. Severus nodded slowly as Panda began hooting again and Annie looked over at the owl, wondering when he had come into the picture.

"If it wasn't for this owl cutting into my class prep I probably wouldn't have gotten there in time," Severus muttered his tone still dull and slightly uncaring as usual as the owl hooted again. After a while of listening to her Potions professor drone on she began to tune the world out as her eyes began to drift shut as if she could dream away the nightmare that was life.