Centerfold

Thanks for pointing out that it would be \"PlayWizard.\" I appreciate it. I\'m also really glad that you were all ready to see a more outgoing and daring Hermione. She always seemed to me to have a wilder side that she hid behind her books. And thanks for all of your reviews. I hope you continue to read. I can\'t just jump right to the nasty dirty sex, I have to develop the story, so it\'ll be at least one more chapter before the combined passions of Severus and Hermione begin to ravish each other. Let me know what you think!



Chapter 2

\"Miss Granger? Teach Potions? Come now, you\'re joking.\"

Albus merely cocked his head to the side and smiled at Severus.

\"Now, Severus, why would I joke about something as serious as Potions? Indeed, I would think you of all people would be pleased to hear that you will be leaving the post in such capable hands.\"

Severus was distracted at the mention of \"capable hands.\" He imagined hers would be quite capabel of performing any task he asked her to perform. Where had that come from? He despised Granger, and her most recent act disgusted him.

\"How do you think parents will feel knowing that their children are being taught by a-\"

\"A what, Professor? A Mudblood?\"

Severus had not heard her enter, and Albus had just gone on smiling. He was definitely plotting something. Perhaps he wanted a little entertainment after the past four boring, uneventful years at Hogwarts. He turned and sneered at her. The sneer faltered a bit as he saw her, though. She had certainly grown up. His eyes strayed from her gleaming (and noticeably less frizzy) tawny waves to her fiery eyes. They were green. He frowned. Her eyes had been brown the last time he\'d seen her. They had been just as angry, so at least that hadn\'t changed. Her long dark lashes enhanced the slight upward slant of her eyes, reminding him of a cat. She was wearing a man\'s white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. It looked as though she had missed a few buttons as he could see a bit of pink lace peeking out near the valley of her breasts. Her perfectly plump breasts. He felt himself stir as he noticed the shirt knotted above her navel, a tiny jewel glimmering in the lamp light. Her small waist flared out to her trim hips and legs encased in some very tight, very low-slung blue jeans. He noticed that her toenail polish matched her bra, and her small feet were encased in sandals that did not look like they were worn for comfort at all. At least he was still much taller than her, he mused. He looked at her face again and realized her lovely lips were smirking. He had been staring for some time, apparently. He drew himself up ramrod straight and scowled fiercely.

\"I assure you, Miss Granger, your parentage has nothing to do wiht my doubts about you becoming Potions Mistress.\"

\"Then what, pray tell, is causing these doubts?\"

She had looked puzzled at first, but now she just looked curious at his statement. Severus snatched the copy of \"PlayWizard\" off of the chair and slapped it down onto the table next to her. She looked at it askance.

\"I really don\'t see what your questionable reading material has to do with my teaching abilities.\"

Severus\'s scowl grew darker as he opened the magazine to her photos. She looked down and gaped.

\"That is why you are unsuitable for the position.\"

A few visions of her in different positions flitted through his mind.

\"Parents will hardly want a hussy teaching their children.\"

Hermione suddenly laughed. Dumbledore just waited silently. Severus wondered if he should offer him popcorn and soda. Then Hermione began to speak.

\"Where on earth did you get this, Snape? It\'s really quite remarkable. I can barely see the difference.\"

\"What are you talking about? Are you denying that you are the centerfold in this magazine? That is ridiculous. It looks exactly like you!\"

Hermione glanced at him from beneath her lashes.

\"You know what I look like without my clothes on? You must have abused your Head of House powers far more than I had realized to gain that kind of information.\"

Snape hissed angrily.

\"Then who is it, Granger?\"

\"Not sure. But I do know it isn\'t me. See? No bellyring, for one. No tattoo on my hip, or on my shoulder. Looks to me like someone did some splicing of my head onto someone else\'s body. She\'s a little too tall to be me, I think. Nice job, overall, but anyone who\'s seen me naked could tell you it\'s not me there. I\'ll call Ron and have him send someone to ask around over at \"PlayWizard.\" How much could I get out of them, I wonder?\"

She was looking into space. Severus was thinking about her tattoos. Albus clapped his hands smartly.

\"Well, since Hermione is not actually the witch in these pictures, we should have no problem once the actual culprit is found. Severus, I\'ll leave you to help Professor Granger get her things ready. So glad to have you back, Hermione. You\'re looking smashing by the way.\"

He winked and left. Hermione waved and Severus scowled.

\"Professor Granger still sounds a bit strange to me.\"

\"Why would someone wish to pretend to be you in that magazine?\"

It came out rather like he thought she was revolting. He did. Didn\'t he?

\"Really, Snape, I\'m not vain about my looks, but I\'m not exactly a troll. Even you noticed that.\"

She smiled at his furious face and clenched fists. She hardly had to do anything to rile him. This was going to be great fun.

\"I suspect it\'s because I have refused to date a certain wizard. Has a lot of stock in everything under the sun. I wouldn\'t be surprised if \"PlayWizard\" was a publication he had some investments in. The fact taht a little Muggle-born witch refused him didn\'t sit too well with him. So, how did you come by this copy?\"

\"I confiscated it from a group of 5th years. Why did you come back? Being an Auror not all it\'s cracked up to be, Miss Granger?\"

He smirked when he saw her smile falter. Her eyes, which had been green earlier, turned a turbulent shade of grey.

\"It\'s Professor now, not Miss. Professor or Hermione, take your pick. Now, if you\'ll excuse me, I have to go unpack and see about the Potions room.\"

Hermione turned to leave, but after witnessing the terrible sadness that had been on her face an instant before she masked it, Severus stopped her.

\"I\'ll come with you, Granger.\"

She looked at him, impassive, then nodded once.

\"If you wish.\"

And they headed to the Potions room, both lost in their own thoughts, both more than a little confused. They had walked for a few minutes before Hermione spoke.

\"I imagine that you are pleased to have retained the position of DADA Professor. It appears, however, that the curse on the instructor of that particular subject has been transferred to Potions. Four instructors in four years. You haven\'t done anything, have you, Severus?\"

His usual frown deepened.

\"Professor Snape would be more suitable, Granger. And no, I haven\'t put a curse on the teaching position of the Potions class.\"

They continued to walk, he scowling, his cloak billowing behind him, she glancing about interestedly, her heels clicking on the stone floor.

\"Well, that\'s good to hear, even if I am only here in a temporary capacity. And if I\'m calling you \"Professor Snape,\" I\'ll expect the same courtesy from you.\"

\"You would like me to address you as \"Professor Snape?\"\"

She glared at him.

\"Certainly not! Honestly, I can\'t say that I know a woman on earth who would like your name attached to her title.\"

Two spots of color appeared high on his pale cheeks. Hermione looked quite cheerful at his reaction.

\"Here we are at last. I trust everything is as it was when I was here last?\"

Snape nodded.

\"Why are you here only temporarily?\"

He had spoken before he could stop himself. She looked surprised. Well, so was he. It was because he could see her lacy underthings. He would blame his confusion on that.

\"Professor Dumbledore and I have been corresponding since I left Hogwarts. I let him know I was willing to help should the need arise. It did, so here I am.\"

\"There is more to it, Granger. What about the Aurors? Last I heard, you and Longbottom were teamed up. Won\'t he need you to fix all of his mistakes?\"

Severus sneered at her. It faded when he realized the sadness was back in her eyes. Her face was white and strained. She spoke haltingly, as if it were difficult to form the right words.

\"I wouldn\'t have expected you to know. Only a few do. The Ministry didn\'t want to spread panic.\"

Her mouth trembled. He felt a strange urge to touch her. He quickly squashed it.

\"Neville was found at his grandmother\'s three days ago. He was quite mad. The Cruciatus Curse does that sometimes. Or perhaps his family is just more susceptible to it. In any case, his grandmother was dead. The best we could do was to take him to St. Mungo\'s.\"

Snape stared at her. The Cruciatus? But that meant...It couldn\'t. The Mark had not reappeared in the slightest.

\"Who?\"

She shrugged helplessly, a sad smile on her lips.

\"No one knows. With Voldemort gone, someone could have decided to try where he had failed. Starting with Aurors was a good idea, I must say. With us gone, so is the protection.\"

\"Then why have you left your duties? Isn\'t that-?\"

\"Think, Severus! If I am here, I can protect so many more. Hogwarts is my home, and I will protect all who call it the same.\"

Severus looked as if he wanted to say more, but Hermione continued to speak.

\"And I never want to hear you speak Neville\'s name again. He is a brave and honorable and selfless. He tried to save his grandmother at the cost of his sanity, and to me, one Neville Longbottom is worth more than one hundred Severus Snapes.\"

She turned on her heel, strode into the classroom and slammed the door in his face. Snape stood dumbstruck where she had left him. He could feel the anger roiling in his stomach, along with another emotion. What was it? Well, whatever it was, she had caused it. He was seething as he stormed back to his chambers. If the faint nausea was any indication, being in Hermione Granger\'s presence still sickened him, Professor or no. However, he stubbornly refused to examine why.