1994

It had already been a week and the homework Shaylah had accumulated only continued to pile up. She had chosen a large table in the library to sprawl out her books and parchment. Her quill was steady at work when a shadow fell over her. She stalled, waiting for the person to move but the shadow loomed. She shifted her eyes and found a figure in long black robes standing at the edge of the table. A look of irritation on his pale face. "Miss Epans, your essay on Dittany has not yet made it to my desk." He said gruffly.

"I'm sure you didn't track me down just to remind me." She muttered under her breath. She had found that this Severus was much more cantankerous than her own and she preferred him in small doses.

"What was that?"

"Um, yes Professor, I'm working on it right now." She slid the parchment which read Dittany and Its Many Uses across the top toward him.

"Very well. You're tutoring starts today, I expect to see you in my classroom after dinner." He turned on his heels and disappeared between the shelves.

Shaylah let out a small huff. She had settled into her new life as 'Miss Epans' for the most part but the pull of her old life still dwelled in the back of her mind. The irrational irritation this Severus showed toward his students often ate at her and helped dwindle the urge to think about him as her husband. He was in another life, but not this one. She wondered how they would ever end up together if she succeeded because she didn't think she could stomach this Severus and he looked at her like she was a pest. Much the way he did all the students.

Carrie's voice echoed through the library before the Librarian quickly shushed her. She joined Shaylah at the table, her curly black strands sticking out of her untidy bun like the legs of a spider. "Boy, Professor Snape didn't look too happy. Not that that's unusual."

"Yeah, I have extra tutoring with him tonight to get me caught up on what I missed." Shaylah admitted.

Carrie gritted her teeth. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"If I could ever catch up on all this back homework I would feel better." Said Shaylah, rubbing the tips of her fingers over her forehead. She hadn't been a student in a long time and even when she was, her school was very different. She still hadn't quite gotten the hang of the castle or the subjects but it was becoming more manageable. She had to attempt to pass classes, if she flunked out she couldn't complete her mission.

"I bet it's a huge change to adjust to but I think you're doing great Shay." Said Carrie as she placed a hand on Shaylah's arm.

Both girls smiled at each other. "Thanks Carrie."

The two studied in silence until it was time for dinner. Shaylah had made massive progress on her workload. Marsha joined them as they made their way down the stairs, Shaylah almost fell off the edge as one abruptly decided to move.

The Great Hall was bustling as they entered and dark eyes followed her to her seat from the Head table. She questioned why he looked at her at all. That flicker of recognition she had seen in his eyes when they first met, was he trying to recall how he knew her? If the theory was correct and all time ran concurrent, did this Severus harbor some of his future memories without knowing? She felt a headache begin to throb in her temple, perhaps those were questions for another time.

A Hufflepuff boy with shoulder length dark blonde hair tapped Shaylah on the shoulder. "Professor Dumbledore would like to see you after dinner." He said before rushing over to the Hufflepuff table.

"I wonder what Dumbledore wants to see you about." Marsha stated.

Shaylah shrugged her shoulders. "Probably all the missing homework." She chuckled. "But I'm supposed to meet Professor Snape right after dinner."

"Definitely see Dumbledore first." Nate said. He was a tall dusty blonde boy whose hair often hung in his eyes. He was friends with her three roommates and had quickly taken a liking to Shaylah. He sat with them at every meal.

After dinner, when Shaylah arrived in Dumbledore's office she didn't know what to expect. The knots in her stomach that she had grown so accustomed to seemed to only grow as she approached the large desk. The old wizard looked up at her from the parchment he had been scribbling on and stood with his arms wide. "Ah, Miss Epans!"

Shaylah gave him a shy smile. "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Indeed. You know time is a fleeting and fickle thing and I just wanted to make sure you were enjoying the time you had spent here thus far." Shaylah nodded. "You seem to be adjusting well and making friends."

"Yes sir, though I think Professor Snape might be upset that I'm late for my first tutoring session."

"I told Professor Snape you would be a tad tardy but you shouldn't worry about that." He clasped his hands together in front of him, the gold embellishments on his robes shimmering in the dim lighting.

Shaylah cocked a brow. "Why is that sir?"

The old wizard gave a great laugh as if she had told him a side splitting joke. She gave an awkward chuckle as if she understood but really, she had no idea what was so funny. "Perhaps another time would be better. Hurry off to Professor Snape, Miss Epans."

Shaylah stood as if in a trance for a moment, the Headmaster's words bouncing around in her head. He seemed to speak in riddles much like Severus had early on. When she deciphered the code he had spliced into normal conversation just for her. It was uncanny. This man couldn't know, there was no way he could but the subtle hints about time seemed so out of place.

Shaylah hurried to the dungeons, hoping that Dumbledore was in fact right about not having to worry about a furious Severus. When she swung open the door to the classroom she was sure he had been wrong. Severus stood from behind his desk, his palms planted firmly on the wood and his head sunk down between his shoulders as if he were about to spew venom. She watched the irritation bleed from his eyes before he straightened his back as if he hadn't just resembled a snake ready to strike. "Ah, you've decided to grace me with your presence." The sarcasm was not lost on her, but the tone was much milder than she had anticipated.

"Sorry Professor, Dumbledore asked to see me." She still stood in the doorway.

"Yes, well come in, don't stand in the door like a blithering idiot."

She closed the door behind her and made her way toward him. He gestured to a cauldron already sitting on a table to his right. Several bottles of ingredients littered the table. Wormwood, Asphodel, Sloth brain. They were making the Draught of Living Death. She had made this potion many times with Severus, just for practice. She could brew an excellent batch without hesitation, however she would need to falter. If she produced a perfect potion and really the only potion she was proficient at, he wouldn't tutor her anymore.

"We will be brewing the Draught of Living Death, it's a sixth year potion but if you're as dreadful at potions as I was told it won't hurt to revisit it." Severus joined her at the table and began to instruct her. He stood so close as to hover over the cauldron that her arm brushed him several times, causing goosebumps to cover her skin.

"Stir twice clockwise. Clockwise not counter-" His hand enveloped hers as he corrected her intentional mistake. Forcing her to stir in the opposite direction. "Are you dense? No wonder you can't brew."

His biting tone caused her to bite the inside of her cheek. "Yes Professor." She mumbled.

The potion was nowhere near what it was supposed to be, the color was all wrong and the consistency atrocious. He forced her to continue. When it came to the Sopophorus bean juice, she habitually crushed it with a dagger as Severus had taught her. She hadn't even noticed she had done it until he called for her to stop.

"Why did you do that?"

"What, Professor?"

"Crush the beans, I've never seen anyone do that." His brows knit together as he examined her face. The dagger was still gripped in her hand, hovering above a bean. She realized the only one who had ever done it was him. His mouth twitched as if he were about to speak but nothing came out. He walked around her and back to his desk. "You're dismissed for the night. Our next lesson will be Thursday after dinner."

"But Professor-"

"I said you're dismissed." His voice was raised but he didn't shout.

"Yes sir."

Shaylah practically ran back to the dorm, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe she made such a foolish mistake. She choked down the regret pumping through her as she entered the common room. Nate gave her a wave and gestured for her to join him. She shook her head. "It's been a long day, I think I'm going to bed."

"How did the lesson go with Professor Snape?" He asked as she passed.

She ran her fingers through her hair. "Definitely not like I had hoped."