A/N. Happy Thanksgiving everyone in America! Here's another chapter for you all. It's a not happy enough to reflect the holiday, but it gets better eventually. Severus has a few dark things to work out with himself, and that is going to take a lot of time, and possibly the help of a certain bushy haired know it all. Anyways, enjoy, and review, and I may post another chapter later this evening!

I OWN EVERYTHING. Oh wait, no I don't. Only someone as brilliant as J.K. Rowling could have come up with characters as amazing as Severus and Hermione.

Hermione watched as her last class of the day filed out. She waved her wand, putting the classroom back in order. She had been teaching the sixth years how to properly defend themselves against a relentless attack of spells, using dodging techniques as well as distracting methods and silent spells.

Only one had managed to successfully complete a silent spell under pressure, a tall, straight blonde haired Ravenclaw. Hermione had been pleasantly surprised at the lesson though, everyone had showed great improvement. It was the middle of her second week teaching, and she was proud of what quick progress the students were making. Her hands-on method must be working, she thought to herself, feeling rather pleased. Hermione glanced at her watch. Quarter to five. She had time for a quick shower before dinner, she noticed. She quickly finished cleaning up, and hurried out, closing the door behind her. As she turned to head towards her rooms, she stopped abruptly. In front of her was a very solid body clothed in black. She looked up to see the sneering face of Severus Snape.

"Oh, er, hello Severus," she said, slightly embarrassed.

Severus looked down at her, raising an eyebrow coldly. "I advise you to look where you are going in the future," he said softly. "Not everyone can be expected to make way for you, Professor," he added scornfully.

Hermione blushed, looking down. He was her colleague, she told herself furiously. He shouldn't have the power to make her feel like a first year.
"I do not expect anyone to make way for me, Severus," she said as forcefully as possible, drawing herself up to full height. "Nor will I ever. Good afternoon."

Giving him a haughty look, she stepped to the side and gestured for him to continue on his way.

Severus looked at her coldly, and swept past her.

Hermione scowled, and headed towards her quarters. Muttering to herself darkly about distant potions professors, she undressed and hopped in the shower. After washing herself and rinsing, she stepped out. Wrapping a towel around herself, she walked into her bedroom and started to get dressed. She glanced at the calendar that was hung above her dresser. Her birthday was a week away. She had forgotten it was coming soon, she will be 25 years old. She grinned, remembering how furious McGonagall had been when she found out Hermione had over used the time-turner her old Transfigurations teacher had let her use in her third year. Over the course of the year and attempting to cram more classes in than time would allow, she had lived the year three times over, making her age two years older than she normally would have been. Hermione didn't mind, it wasn't as if she felt older. But McGonagall had to have her birth certificate changed in order to compensate for her age. 25.

Hermione grinned again, maybe she would owl Harry, Luna, Draco and Ginny and have a nice evening at the Three Broomsticks to celebrate her birthday with. Yes, she would enjoy that immensely. She hadn't seen Draco and Ginny in almost a month, she was far too busy with planning class schedules and getting ready to teach to have any time to herself, or her friends. She smiled as she remembered how Ginny and Draco had found each other. After hating each other on principal while they were in school, after the war Draco had taken up a job at the Quibbler of all places. He had been determined to shed his reputation, and he had thought the quirky magazine would be a good place to start. Draco and Luna had formed a fast friendship, and when Luna started to date Harry, he and the blonde boy had made up. Harry started having Draco round for dinner and it was through Harry and Luna that Draco and Ginny started to tolerate each other. It grew into more than just mere tolerance, and they started to enjoy each others company. A few months later and Hermione had received a very excited sounding letter stating that Draco had asked Ginny on a date, and it went from there. They were approaching their second anniversary, and Ginny was expecting a proposal any day now. Hermione grinned. The two really were great together, and Hermione enjoyed Draco's conversation greatly. He was always so informed on the happenings of the Wizarding world, having said before that it was very unbecoming to seem ignorant. Hermione had a good friendship with Draco, and she loved how she could talk with him about the latest Potions discoveries, something she couldn't do with Ron without being told to shut up.

Hermione finished dressing, and exited her rooms, heading towards the Great Hall for dinner. After her meal she retired early, wanting to get a head start on the new book she had ordered, Wizarding Communities; The Protections and Charms used to hide Entire Villages by Nathanial Silverton.
Hermione pulled her most comfortable sweatpants on, and a camisole. She parked herself in front of the fire, and opened her book. But instead of reading, she found herself thinking of Severus Snape. He's always so cold and distant, she thought. Why? The war was long over, there was no need to treat everyone with such blatant dislike. Now was the time to make friends, and enjoy life.

Hermione knew, thanks to Harry, that Snape hadn't had the best childhood, nor did he experience an enjoyable time at Hogwarts. After watching Severus's memories, she found that she disliked Lily. She never told Harry, knowing he wouldn't take too kindly to someone finding fault with his mum. Still, the cold way Lily had stopped her friendship with Severus irritated Hermione. No one should be treated like that, and it was plain to see that Snape did what he did in an attempt to impress Lily. Hermione shook herself, she shouldn't be thinking about what should and should not have happened in someone else's past. However, she vowed to treat Professor Snape with a bit more friendliness from now on. She had no desire to become close to the man, but that was no excuse to ignore him and shun him. Hermione nodded to herself, and turned back to her book.

~0o0o0~

"Severus, please. Come to the breakfast table more than once a month," Minerva said, sounding exasperated. "You need to come out of your quarters occasionally!"

Severus rolled his eyes. He was in the headmistress's office, enduring another one of her tirades. He had gone because Minerva wanted to tell Severus that the Minister of Magic was coming on Sunday, but it had quickly turned into a rant about how he had no friends, and needed to get out more. "Minerva, I am perfectly fine with eating in my quarters. The house elves are quite the enablers," he replied.

"Oh come off it," Minerva said in an annoyed tone. "You can't possibly be satisfied with tea and chess once a week with me, and otherwise hiding in your dungeons."

Severus scowled. "I do not hide, headmistress. I have things that need to be done, potions to be made," he said briskly. "Madame Pomfrey really is quite demanding."

Minerva glared at him. "You need to get out, and experience the world!"

Severus gave her a withering look. "Minerva, I was a spy. For the Dark Lord, of all people. And for Dumbledore. I have experienced the world."

The headmistress batted his statement away with her hand. "That isn't experiencing the world, Severus!"

"Yes, it most certainly was. I experienced much more of the world than I ever want to again," he said darkly.

Minerva looked taken aback as she noticed the murderous look the Potions master was giving her. "I, er, well, Severus, come on, you know what I meant," she said quickly, losing steam.

Severus sniffed, and stood up. "No, Minerva, I do not. And I refuse to do anything I have no wish to do. I will appear in the Great Hall when I decide I want to," he walked towards the door, turning to wish the headmistress a good evening before slamming the door behind him.

He stalked towards the dungeons in a foul mood. Minerva managed to bring up years of unpleasant memories that he had been trying to suppress. He shuddered as the images of the activities the Dark Lord made him do sprang up.

A fleeting memory of a little muggle girl being tortured flashed before his eyes, and he groaned, quickening his pace. The memory changed to one of the Dark Lord torturing a young muggle woman, and then telling Severus to use her in whatever way he wished.

Severus felt nauseous, he hated himself for the things he did, and he was haunted by unrelenting nightmares every night. He started shaking as the memories came faster, a flash of green light, and the sound of Death Eaters laughing cruelly as a little boy screamed while his mother fell to the ground. Severus desperately tried to employ occlumency, but to no avail. He cursed as the memories kept coming, and he couldn't do anything about it. The sound of sobbing, and a vision of a muggle girl holding her dead father. The scene changed and Charity Burbage hung suspended over a table, sobbing and pleading for Severus to help her, and he could do nothing but watch her be tortured, and then killed. Severus stumbled before reaching the portrait guarding his doors, and roughly told the dragon to open.

The dragon apparently noticed his panicked state, and opened without a word.

Severus went straight to the cabinet by the fireplace, and poured himself a generous measure of Calming Draught. Swallowing it down, he sat on the couch, sinking into the cushions as he felt the potion take effect. He stared angrily into the fire.

Maybe Minerva was right. Perhaps going out and enjoying himself is what he needed? Severus quickly dismissed the idea. He disliked almost everyone, and could barely tolerate the greetings the other teachers gave him in the halls. No, he wasn't the socializing type.

He preferred his cauldrons and his potions. The precision needed for potion making appealed to him. The delicacy that one needed for crushing a sophorus bean for the Draught of Living Death. The accuracy and dedication one needed to apply to making Polyjuice Potion. Severus rarely enjoyed any activity, but he loved potions. He didn't need anything more. He sighed, he needed a way to escape his emotions. He stood up and concentrated, a second later a long haired black cat stood in his place. The cat curled up on the rug in front of the hearth, and started to lazily flick it's tail back and forth.