Harry Potter 1. Meeting

Severus always waited until his first year class had entered the room, that first day. He wanted them to relax, to think that perhaps the rumors that the Potions Master were a little exaggerated. He liked to send the door flying; he loved to see the shocked and perhaps scared expressions. He knew that first impressions counted; once the fear set in, he would have less unreturned homework, less chatter in his class and best of all, less potions accidents caused by inattention. Of course this meant more death glares, more complaints after they left the room and they thought he could not hear them, more warning notes from Dumbledore.

That day however, as the door closed and the class seemed to cringe in a bizarre Mexican wave, the movement halted with one young girl. She turned her large gray eyes to his with a vaguely quizzical expression on her face. There was a slight hesitation in his step, an odd tingle up his spine.

He halted in front of the silent class, glaring menacingly at them. He took the roll, noting the odd girl was a Lovegood. Not surprising, they had always been a little eccentric. The class was, thankfully, a mixed group of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students. Most of the Ravenclaw students would have already read the textbook due to desire to learn. Most of Hufflepuff would be afraid of falling behind and read up on the first potions lesson due to their hard working reputation. There was one oddity, however. The strange girl, (he could now see a Ravenclaw crest sewn haphazardly on her robes) was sitting alone, and even the desks next to her were unoccupied. Most of the students seemed undecided whether they should be more afraid of Severus, or wary of sitting near the blonde haired child. Perhaps it was the wild hair-do. She had tied her hair into a bun on one side, and a fat plait on the other. Maybe it was radish earrings, or the necklace made from what looked suspiciously like popcorn. Severus realized that he had been staring at her, and quickly delved into his usual welcoming speech. He always said the same opening words, but changed the questions afterwards so that no two first lessons were the same.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of Potionmaking. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, some of you may not even realize this is magic. I don't expect you to understand the beauty of a softly simmering cauldron…" Severus watched the class as he spoke, gauging each student's reaction to his words.

Silence followed his speech, although they all looked a little awed so this was not unusual. He would choose the odd-looking girl to answer his questions; obviously her classmates had decided she was the odd one out, so why shouldn't he?

"Lovegood, tell me in which type of medicinal potion would earthworm powder most likely be added?" he barked suddenly.

She gazed at him dreamily. "Dentistry sir, usually with some form of ant added, whether burnt or otherwise,"

She started chewing gently on the end of her plait, and her eyes never left his.

"The use of Belladonna in a potion does what to the taker?"

"Causes drowsiness, or in large doses hallucinations," she replied steadily.

"And Sneezewort is used primarily in which potion?" Severus said steadily, although it was difficult. It was rare that any student matched his potions knowledge, especially when he asked questions beyond the first grade level. Even the other Ravenclaws had begun flipping feverishly through their books.

"Blood-Warmer, for people with chills," Luna answered blinking.

"Fine. Why aren't you writing that down?" Severus snapped suddenly at the rest of the class.

"And Lovegood, I must ask that you do not enter my class room with such a ridiculous hair style again. There is a dress code at Hogwarts and as I'm sure you're aware-" Severus started to say, but her musical voice interrupted him.

"My ear was hot sir," she said.

Severus arched an eyebrow.

"I didn't want to have sprites whispering in both ears all day, so I only exposed one. Having them whisper in one ear is better than two, my father always says,"

It was Severus' turn to blink down at the girl in silence. The class forgot themselves to titter quietly, halted by Severus' glare.

"See that you maintain dress standards, Miss Lovegood. Now, turn to page seven…today we will be brewing a potion to cure boils…"

He retreated to his desk as they started pairing off and the sound of chopping commenced. He could almost feel the gaze of the girl in front of him, even when he pulled a large textbook up that covered most of his face. It seemed Potions would be interesting this year.

A/N- this is writing for HPFC forum, and specifically for the "Fragment Challenge" issued by thelightningstrike. More chapters to come, enjoy!


	2. Dating

"Sir?" her voice was melodic, even in that single word.

Severus looked up, his dark eyes meeting hers. She was the only person who had seen his scars, since that terrible night in the Shrieking Shack. He had laid there, life seeping out of him, and sudden two green orbs caught his attention.

'_Lily!' _had been his first incoherent thought, before understanding hit. This was Potter, not his beloved, and he needed to pass on the important memories before it was too late. He had grabbed the boy's robes and gurgled;

"Look at me!" before passing out from the pain.

Severus shook his head. It did him no good to remember the pain of that night, and his long recovery. By the time Harry had returned, the poison had left his body paralyzed and still as the dead. Still, a note in his left pocket alerted Potter to the antidote, and after weeks of recovery he was as able as ever. Except for the disfiguring scars that graced his neck, with red and purple veins surrounding them.

"Sir?" she said again, gently touching his arm.

Luna's young face swam into view, a mere few inches from his own. Involuntarily he flinched; physical touch was something that was almost alien to him.

She was eighteen now, but still a Hogwarts student. McGonagal had arranged it so that any student adversely affected by the war could re do any course necessary. Luna had caught up, and graduated most of her classes already. She even assisted Professor McGonagal when her Headmistress duties clashed with her classes.

"What are you doing here, Lovegood?" he asked wearily.

The Potions room was empty, classes had long since left.

"I came to ask you on a date," she said the words as if they were the simplest things in the world, but they shocked him to the core.

"And how do you propose we do this, being student and teacher? There are rules against such things," he said bemusedly.

"Oh, I already asked Headmistress McGonagal. She told me I was an adult and could make my own decisions, and technically since I'm here by my own choice now, I can date whomever I want," Luna said airily. War had made her see that life was all too precious, and that time was not something to easily waste. Many young witches and wizards had come together after the war, and acted on impulses they might not have if the situation had been different. One of her best friends, Neville Longbottom, had already asked out Hanna Abbott, and the pair was looking at houses in Hogsmeade.

"If you can date anyone you wish, then why would you choose me?" Severus wasn't sure whether this was an elaborate prank or not, but if it was, it was not funny.

"I like you, sir. I always have, ever since that first potions class. I know you're lonely, and I know you don't talk to many people, but you speak to me, so I thought…?" She was as blunt as always with her feelings, but to Severus it was oddly reassuring. She did not judge his scars, his life, his choices.

"Fine," he replied gruffly. "Tomorrow is a Hogsmeade weekend, you may accompany me,"

He chooses to ignore the soft smile that lit up his face, and the odd feeling of hope it gave him. It would be a disappointment, like everything else in his life.

To his surprise, her company was not disappointing. She did not complain when he spent fifteen minutes browsing the Apothecary, but merely stood to one side looking on with interest. She had been an adept pupil, and did not ask why he was buying different ingredients. Instead she commented that the Fever reducing potions would be strong this year, when he picked up a large amount of Feverwort. At the Three Broomsticks, she smiled charmingly when he ordered two Butterbeers.

"My favorite," she said, smacking her lips with relish.

The other students laughed to see the comical pair, but feel silent when Luna reached over the lay her hand on his.

Her blonde hair seemed alive under the flickering firelight, and for once there was no talk of mysterious and usually invisible animals.

"It's getting late," she said suddenly, glancing at her watch.

"As a teacher, I am allowed to stay out as long as I need, and any student with me is allowed the same discretion," Severus said absently.

To his surprise the young witch frowned slightly.

"Does it worry you?" she asked.

"What?" Severus replied confused.

"The difference in our ages. I confess, these past hours I would not trade for anything in the world," there she was, the Luna who never hid how she felt.

The simple words seemed at that moment the most precious in the world, but as he looked at her, he was afraid he would see Lily. But there was no shadow of his former unrequited love, just a young, honest woman who had told him how she felt.

"Would you care to take a walk? We could stop at the Shrieking Shack before we return to Hogwarts," he said impulsively.

She smiled again and took his arm. They walked outside as snowflakes fell gently from above. It was not yet dark, and they easily found their way to the ramshackle house in companionable silence. After staring at the empty windows for a few minutes, Luna turned to him. At first he thought she would kiss him, although she would need to be on tiptoe to do so. Instead she placed her hand on his neck.

"They are not scars, they are a badge of honor. You gave your life to the war, let me give your life back," she whispered.

A tear joined the frozen snow on his cheeks, and he leaned down to pull her closer.

"I think I am beginning to see just why your friends value you so much. You always say exactly what is needed, when the people around you need to hear it most,"

And he pressed his lips to hers, and started to get his life back.

A/N- Second in a series of 'Fragments' for the Fragment challenge on HPFC forum. Should be more to come! As always, read and review, and check out my other stories -hinthint- ;D


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Harry Potter, Romance