Taming the Snake

Chapter 1

Hermione had begun settling into the Transfigurations classroom she had come to know very well since she was eleven when she heard a loud and abrupt knock on the door. Her heart immediately began racing, even though it had somehow already found itself in her throat. She may have known Hogwarts as home for many years, but what she was in now felt new and somewhat scary.

"Come in." She somehow managed to squeak out through the blockage. She hated the idea of being nervous in front of others, always had. A million thoughts raced through her frantic mind as the old door screeched open on the other side of the classroom. She didn't look up from the oak desk in front of her at first, figuring it was Headmistress McGonagall come to see how she was settling. Hermione was always grateful for having McGonagall's soft and comforting eyes to lean on when she found she was in times of trouble, such as when she had lost her parents last week. Tears welled and her heart ached again at the thoughts of their confused and misunderstanding eyes searching her small face without a hint of recognition. She pushed the thoughts away and new ones rushed through her head as the deep voice echoed from right in front of her desk.

"Nice ring, Miss Granger. I assume you wedded the Weasley monster?" The brooding dark wizard said in his usual solemn tone. Hermione's head immediately shot up in shock and embarrassment before shooting back down to the jewelry on her ring finger.

"That's not a very proper greeting, Professor Snape, and no, Ronald and I are no longer together." She said, her face growing redder by the moment. The elder noted her pursed lips, smirking at the satisfaction of knowing the girl hadn't changed during the war.

"Then we needn't worry about him finding out that it was I who asked you to the Yule Ball originally and not the barbaric Russian bafoon." He smirked his iconic smile, knowing he had the upper hand in the situation.

He refused to admit to himself that the girl in front of him was one of only two females who could cause his heartrate to quicken.

"Oh please, professor, as if he is smart enough to figure that out. The boy is daft as a doorknob." The young girl returned the clever smirk, feeling somewhat proud of herself , even though her heart was still racing.

"So I suppose that ring has a purpose. If not Weasley, then who?" He sombered a bit, reminding himself that the girl was probably long taken and planning to start a family with the man who she was now happily married to.

"Me." She answered, smiling.

"What? That is ridiculous." He snapped quickly before retreating back into his shell. He was thoroughly embarrassed by his outburst, but his pride would not let him say so.

"I am no boggart, Professor Snape. This ring is a promise ring to myself. It is a Muggle contraption that states that I am the most important priority to myself. I got it after Ronald and I split." The girl explained, her younger self showing predominantly. The professor chuckled lightly as he stared at the girls happiness and passion. He had always been fond of her passion for education and reading, but could never have shown it.

Now wasn't then, though. The war was over, but his loyalties haunted him all the same. His heart sped just thinking about the mark on his left arm and fear filled him at the thought of her discovering his dark secrets. He had been alone all through these years and then one frizzy-haired girl had walked in Hogwarts' doors eight years ago, determined to smash his walls and get to know him. He despised her invasion of his privacy and loved that he had a friend at the same time.

"So you finally left the weasel to the dirt he deserves. It disturbed me violently when he almost chose the Brown girl over you in your sixth year. It took all my sanity not to rip the two of you apart as I was forced to watch your little 'reunion' scene on his hospital bed." Severus fake-gagged before smirking down at the woman.

"Good thing you didn't, too. Dumbledore would've had your head on his wall of house cups won all by Gryffindor." She returned the smirk, feeling proud of herself again. "Remind me, Professor, how many house cups has your house won?"

Snape's smile quickly switched to a frown as his eyes appeared to form a torrential rain of misery.

"None thanks to your bloody cheating house!" He snapped playfully. "Not to fear, though, Minerva is Headmistress of the school now and I'm sure she will reign fairly." He would never admit he enjoyed their witty competitions.

"Oh, yes. I'm sure the former Head of Gryffindor House will have no favorites. Yes, I'm sure." She concluded.

Severus watched in awe at the girl. She had been a know-it-all chatterbox in her school days, but now she was different. She was brilliant, gorgeous, and could match him in wits with no difficulty. The last girl to possess all three of those traits was his beloved Lily. No, he couldn't bear to think of her while looking into Hermione's eyes. He would not do that to himself or her.

He quickly glanced away, staring over to the desk. He refused to let himself care about anything or anyone, he had made that promise years ago when Lily died. All he ever cared about died or disappeared and he couldn't bear to lose the girl who looked to him with a sparkle of passion in her eyes. Imagining her hurt sent a large ache through his chest, though he refused to admit to himself why.

"Severus-" Hermione trailed off as she let her soft pink lips connect with his tight ones. The kiss only lasted a second, but it sent electric shocks through the pair. Hermione pulled away just after her lips had barely grazed his, her cheeks bright red.

"Well, Miss Granger. That was delightful." Her eyes shot up at his words, searching his face for some sign of sarcasm or remorse, but all, if any, evidence was hidden from her sight. She attempted to peek into his mind, but it was heavily blocked and guarded. "Did you not believe me, Miss Granger? Must you look for yourself?" He questioned, raising his signature eyebrow.

"Sorry, Professor. It won't happen again." She said, looking down. Her embarrassment filled the atmosphere, making her appear as if she were a simple student again in his classroom.

"I didn't say I didn't want it to occur again, Miss Granger." He said, giving her a small kiss. "And I think we are long past the use of professor." He chuckled deeply against her lips.

"Severus?" A small voice questioned from the doorway of the classroom, causing the two adults to jump apart. Severus went as pale as a ghost when he saw who it was who had called him.

"No way." He managed to choke out as Hermione passed out on the floor behind him.

Sure enough, Lily Evans stood in the doorway of the classroom, looking the same way she had just before she had died, except a tad bit older. Severus was sheet white, even paler than usual. A million thoughts raced through his head at once, his mind splitting into a million different questions.

Lily walked swiftly across the room before pulling him in for an intense kiss. Unsure of how to react, he wrapped his arms around her instinctively.

Hermione awoke to the scene, her heart shattering into what seemed like a million pieces. She didn't know what to do or say, for once in her life. So, she tore out of the room and into a strong set of arms. Her tear-filled caramel eyes looked up to find the platinum blond hair that had haunted her days at Hogwarts. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he rubbed her back.

"Come on, Granger. Let's get you out of here." He said before taking her hand and leading her to the Room of Requirement.

Hermione willingly followed as she frantically attempted to wipe her tears from her overflowing eyes. Draco opened the large doors, motioning for her to enter. She obliged and was caught by two sets of strong hands again as soon she entered. Her heart and head began to race again and she shrieked like a trapped animal.

Lucius Malfoy walked gracefully up to her, his evil smirk plastered across his face. He gently placed his hand under her chin, jerking her back when she looked away.

"Welcome to the Death Eaters, Miss Granger." He stated, placing the locket around her neck and sealing it there with a protective spell. He then lowered his malicious wand to her left arm and she shrieked once again as a black tattoo appeared on her skin painfully.

Draco looked away, unable to bear the dreadful scene. He knew exactly how his schoolmate felt in that moment, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling at all. Her throat let out one more screech before Lucius silenced her by causing her to black out. The only thought Draco had was, welcome to my hell, Granger.