Inamorato

If it weren’t for the way his attitude towards other beings had been and his annoyance for incompetence, he would have been a pleasant person to be around. But, because of these worldly qualities he possessed, he neither had company to keep him company or a life of happiness. He was a miserable old teacher, a professor of potions, who worked at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A school where the young magically inclined came to learn the ways of magic and potion making. This was thus his fate, watching the children walk in and out of his classroom, day after day. It bored him. The same routine day after day, seeing the same faces all over again, as new ones tottered in, faces he rather cared little about.

Teaching was his life and he assumed this was what he would be doing, until he was killed off or ended up dying off in a gutter somewhere in Diagon Alley. He hated his life. He was almost fifty and he was still never made Professor of the Dark Arts. His dream job. He wanted to teach the young children how to wade of dangers and show them that they shouldn’t be afraid of the evils that engulfed their world. Year after year, he would watch as Professor after Professor was killed or who had left the field. And yet, Dumbledore had refused to give away that prize to his doorstep.

A couple of years had passed since the year of Potter, Granger and Weasley had destroyed the dark lord, and there was once again happiness in the magical community. He knew that teaching these kids potion making was doing little good. He was tired of the yelling and screaming and gloating that he knew more than them. He was tired of the appearance he had set out there for all of them to see. He was tired of this ambiance feeling of being the “least favourite Hogwarts teacher”. The only kids who had appreciated his teaching style was his house, and they never mattered that much anyhow. They just were being appreciative because of the extra points he would give them, for messing up a Gryffindors work. This he prized himself on. He knew that doing this wasn’t fair, but in his past, he loved watching them tighten their jaws and scowl at him behind theirs texts. It riled him up. Taking points away, expelling those he could, it was more fun then he even had at The Leaky Cauldron.

Beside the play of humour he had set for himself by ruining other students, he loved the way they would walk quickly in the opposite direction whenever he was near. But this was what he had set for himself. This was what he had decided how to act, when teaching the rats of Hogwarts. But, this was old news. He was tired of the act and was ready for a new play. This year was becoming more boring than he had experienced thus far. The kids were rowdy as ever and neither one student had failed to make a potion right this semester. Where they just trying to angry the beast?

He rolled out of his bed annoyed and took a shower and headed off to breakfast. He didn’t find use in looking in the mirror anymore. He wasn’t go to improve in age, and so he forfeited the idea of “making” himself look nicer by shooing his hair this way or that way. His hair flowed where ever it wanted to go anyway.

The Great Hall was quiet. He liked it this way. He always awoke before the kids, he liked to eat in peace, rather than eating with the noise of racket from thirteen year olds; chatting about who kissed who. It was annoying. When he sat down at the head table, breakfast was already sitting in multiple circular plates; pancakes, eggs, apples, oranges, bananas, bacon, sausage and the regular juices and milks. He took the usual pancake and egg and started to feed his face forcefully. He was starving, due to ditching dinner the night before. He had fallen asleep at his desk again, grading papers and had forgotten to head to dinner, which lately he had done on a regular basis.

He was about to shove another bite of egg into his mouth, when a cherry voice was heard from his left. He turned around and saw a beautiful brunette woman standing over him. Surprised, he coughed out half of the egg and stuttered an “h…hello,”

The brunette smiled sweetly, with a hint of a laugh and took a seat next to him, calmly.

~~

He tried to regain his composure, but her beauty was really stunning. He didn’t know if she was a vella or not, but the actual pheromones she was putting out there was overwhelming. He gathered all of his bravery and sat his fork down and looked at her once more.

“I’m sorry; I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.” Severus sat quietly trying hard not too sound like a loon.

The woman smiled back, and slowly pushed her brown locks behind her ears and took out her hand in a friendly handshake.

“Hello, I’m Jennifer Banshake; I am the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

She certainly was friendly, Snape thought, and shook her hand in return. He let go of her hand rather quickly and positioned his chair back to his food, which was beginning to get cold. Rather then sit there in silence; he swung his chair back to her.

“I’m Severus Snape; potions Professor.” He announced, surprising her by his booming voice.

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Snape. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The woman said, shaking her head in a friendly manner. “I read your thesis on the consternation method. I loved your view on the way you described the reaction to animals; very interesting work.”

Snape’s eyes widened. His work on the consternation theory was a life passion of his, and was a huge compliment that someone had actually read his article. When he had written the paper, which happened to be years and years ago, he didn’t think anyone had read it. Apparently he was wrong.

By the time they had finished their breakfast, students were already pilling out of the Great Hall and to their classes. When Snape looked up from her beautiful brown eyes, he noticed that he had talked to her for almost forty five minutes. He watched her say her goodbyes, and kept watching her until she left the Great Hall.

Late for the third time in his career, he trotted (yes, that’s right, trotted) down to the dungeons.

~~

Throughout her adult life, Jennifer Banshake loved teaching to children. She loved being the giver of answers and some questions. She loved developing young minds and setting those children on the paths of their dreams. She enjoyed creating images in their heads and creating knowledge for them. She was a dreamer of learning and she prided herself in achieving that one great feeling; knowing that she changed a child’s life.

During her academic career, she had been known to be the collective girl, the girl who had everything going for her. She had been the only one who always answered the teachers’ questions and the one that always was on task. She had been an outstanding student. Before she had turned twenty five, she was on her way to achieving greatness. She would be the new Ministry Division head, for the Ministry of Magic. It was her dream job, at least at the time. This involved in creating new positions for workers, programs, safety routes, developing a new detective agency. Besides the Minister of Magic, Jennifer would become the “it” girl.

Before she was hired, she had gone through multiple of screenings, tests, and knowledge background. She had done well and was becoming the youngest female Division head that the Ministry had every seen. When she started the job, she was happy, content. She was able to set her goals out for her and become more successful than she had ever imagined. For years she worked for the Ministry, she created those jobs, she developed those programs, and she developed a new detective agency, which she was extremely proud of. But happiness only lasts so long. Times changed, people changed, including the Ministry.

When they asked her to head off her detective organization, she took the job with open arms, because as a hidden passion, she had always wanted to become someone who found the bad guys, recovered the undiscoverable and made the world safer for those around her. When she started the job, it was just like any other business. People did their work, got paid, and lived happy lives. But, for Jennifer, this paradise wasn’t an Eden.

She was working longer and harder hours than the she was accustomed to. She would be sent out on missions, which would return home weeks later, then to be sent on another the day after. She soon found out, that being in control of a mysterious agency was no picnic. Knowing full well that her services were required, she stayed to help protect her family and friends. She watched over the agency and became renowned in her detective skills. She was a worthy fighter, a cunning agent, and was known as “the one to save us.”

For years, she watched over her agency, helped when she was needed and developed many other capturing techniques along the way. But, yet she was still unhappy, but she knew that thinking of only herself would be selfish and that was something she would not be. By the time she was thirty-five, she had captured and killed more than two hundred death eaters and dark wizards of the time. She had, had a healthy career, and the people around her were safe.

When she met him, she instantly fell in love. He was a new agent to the division and she was his boss. He worked along side her when her duties were required and they became good friends along the way. They trusted each other and she knew that he was her everything. Their relationship sparkled over a year’s time frame and when he asked her to marry him, she gladly accepted.

She loved and cared for the man and would do anything for him. So, when he asked her to go on a secret mission to the Appalachian’s she thought nothing of it. She proudly took on the mission. Because, he was her everything and she would watch out for him, she loved him, she would do anything for him. So she went happily, to fight by his side. And when he betrayed her during a fight against good and evil, and when he happily cursed her to her death, and when she watched herself kill him in retaliated, she knew that she would never love another man again.

She hated thinking about bad and unhealthy times. It must have been the old gym bag she had taken with her to Hogwarts. It reminded her of the trainings they went through together and how she trained him to become a better fighting machine. She hated thinking about him, especially when she was just starting to move on with her life, away from the bad memories and away from the life she once led.

She squeezed the bag tightly to her chest and unzipped the top of it. She unpacked the bag of clothes and then moved on to another. She was going to be happy she said to herself, she was teaching children, something she loved, and her happiness wasn’t going to end. Not today, not ever. She was determined.

She was finally in a place where she could be free of the life she once had, free of him, free of pain and misery, and when the Hogwarts head mistress asked her to join their staff, she pleasantly took the opportunity to teach the minds of tomorrow.

Her first day had gone pretty well to say the least. Instead of flying to Hogwarts, she took the opportunity to ride the Hogwarts Express. This advice came from an old friend, Remus Lupin, who suggested that the ride there was “always pleasant”. He was right. When she opened the cart door to her desired seat, she met two Ravenclaws, who were interested to know of her journeys of “killing death eaters”. She found this somewhat humorous and explained one of her journeys to the young years. Apparently her reputation had been found out before hand, which she was surprised about.

Dinner was always tasty, she remembered sitting in the Great Hall when she had attended Hogwarts and had always loved the food, always warm and always different. The house elves were definitely getting paid more since the Elves enslavement law, set out by the Ministry’s Law Enforcement Specialist, Hogwarts own, Hermione Granger.

Her welcome was appreciated; many students thanked her for coming and thanked her as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She noticed many familiar faces and some not so familiar, she figured she would get to know them in due time.

The size of her quarters was some what different from when she was a student at Hogwarts those many years ago. She no longer shared a room with five other girls and she no longer had to hear Martha Borky snoring in the corner, making wheezing noises, which to her amusement was a plus.

As she unpacked the last of her things, she looked around her room, studied the atmosphere and formulated that this year was going to splendid. She was excited to start the New Year and get the education flow spinning.

When she finished, she decided that since it was nearly seven thirty in the morning that breakfast would be ready. When she reached the Great Hall, she sat down next to a dark cloaked man who smelt distinctly of aftershave. They had a nice “getting to know you” talk and without thinking anything of it, set off for her first day of teaching.