Insufferable Know-It-Alls

By: Mortania.

A/N: This started out as a one shot, but now I think I'm going to tie in the Marriage Law Challenge. It'll be a nice breath of fresh air. And I'm planning on writing it in Severus' point of view. I know sometimes, he'll be a little OOC, or maybe it's the deeper thinking, seeing as how this is after the war and it's one of those he didn't die fics. He's not all bad, you know.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just merely taking the characters out for dinner and a movie then bringing them back home. JK Rowling owns it all.

PROLOGUE: CONFESSIONS

"Professor, I want to say some things." The girl which was the very bane of my existence stood in front of my desk, her arms crossed in front of her body. "And, for once, you're going to listen to what I have to say, do I make myself clear?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips, her brows raised. Curious and intrigued-not to mention temporarily speechless, I did something I think took her by surprise. I nodded, and leaned back in my leather desk chair, placing my fingers below my chin, tracing my lip with my index finger.

In all actuality, I knew she would stay and speak irregardless of what I had to say on the matter. Though all the times she had waved her hand in my class, she hadn't stopped at me ignoring her to go on and speak what was on her mind. It was useless to object in any way. She had just graduated this morning, after returning to complete her last year of schooling-however her childhood love interest hadn't decided to return and neither had boy wonder. Though he was responsible for my pardon, more about that later. I did owe her a moment to speak her mind, she was the one that figured out I wasn't dead, merely weak and too smart to die. Wretched witch.

"Good. First off, Sir, I want to thank you. For several things, actually. Thank you for teaching and grading fairly through all my years of schooling. While you were sometimes overbearing and unbearable, you were at least doing a decent job of teaching us what we needed to know to pass our exams and what we needed to know for the future. Thank you for the role you played in the war, while it was something that nearly cost you your life, it's admirable that you let yourself be a pawn in Professor Dumbledore's plan for such a long time, never complaining too terribly much, even when he gave the biggest burden of all to you-to kill him. Thank you, for protecting Ron, Harry, and myself from Professor Lupin my third year-it was stupid and extremely dangerous for you, and for us-but you protected us." She stopped to take a breath.

Would she thank me for everything I had to do to remain in good graces with the staff of Hogwarts? If she hadn't gotten herself in half those situations, she wouldn't have needed rescuing.

"I thank you for your assistance with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor-it was important. I also thank you for your blunt honesty about my teeth when Malfoy cursed me, it allowed me to tell Madam Pomfrey to take a bit more off of my enlarged teeth and fixed them. Thanks to you I don't have buck teeth, sir." What a thing to be thankful for, although, she was brilliant, I had to give her that, especially cunning for a Gryffindor. "Though, sometimes, you were a great arse, I appreciated all those things you did. When Harry, Ron and I were in school, every time anyone said something rude about you, I defended you. Because deep down, I think you're an honorable and sincere individual. When I thought you were dead, it scared me. You are brilliant, observant, creative, and an inspiration. You believe that someone should earn respect, and that's admirable."

Well, one thing could be said for her, she did know how to use words to inflate one's ego. It struck me as odd that she would tell me she defended me. What reasons could a Muggleborn Gryffindor witch that barely knew me other than as a Professor have to defend me? Unless, no, it was impossible. It would be a disaster, like Lily all over again, only this time, there was no Lord Voldemort. She was a girl.

"Now, for the part of my speech where you curse and hex me and tell me to get the hell out of your office." She paused, well, if she thinks she knows everything, then she's probably correct. She looked behind her and sat in the chair across from myself, and leaned forward to the desk. "With all the respect, I've come to realize it grew to an adoration. Though one should definitely never say they adore the cruel, I find myself strangely adoring you. The adoration lead to somewhat of a lustful feeling. When you spoke in class, when you would walk by me and I would catch your scent, it captured my attention and captivated me. First, I denied it, then I come to realize that it wasn't lust. I think I fell in love with you, Professor. I began to pay attention to the way you brew potions, your hands, they're skilled and graceful-beautiful when they're mixing potions-it just…" She shifted uncomfortably and stood and walked over to my bookshelves examining the titles. "Made me wonder what else you can do with your hands." She turned and looked at me, blushing.

I sat there, dumbfounded. It was what I thought it was. But how could it be? I lowered my hand and let it rest on the arm of my chair. I looked at her, for the first time, really looked at her. She was nineteen years old now, and was no longer a girl. She was actually not that bad to look at. Her bushy hair had somehow gotten tamer, her honey eyes sparkled with hope now, she had filled out in all the right places but was still slim and muscular looking. Her smile radiated the room, and it made me almost sick to my stomach that I was noticing this now. That I had failed to notice this before. I was unsure how I should feel. Flattered? Enraged? Stunned? She was an opinionated young woman, strong-willed. She had the world at her fingertips. This I had known for a long time, since she had began regurgitating the book's answers to me word for word. True, she had settled down a bit through the years.

I moved my hand back up to my chin. She was now staring at me, waiting to be shouted at, to be thrown from the room. I wanted to chuckle, but that would most likely scare her. Gathering my thoughts, I was unsure of how to respond.

"Professor, if I might add one more thought-" my face slacked, and I held my hand out in a please continue motion. "I have no ulterior motives, no hopes and no expectations from you by me telling you this. It's just, my courage and stupidity got the best of me this morning after Graduation, and I wanted to be the first to tell you that I've been accepted into the Most Extraordinary Potioneer's Society and into the Potions Academy of Europe…which I believe you, yourself attended. I want you to know that I'm fine with the fact that I shouldn't have said anything about my feelings for you, because I'm a stupid little girl with dumb feelings-and I don't regret it because if I did, it would be a lie."

I sat up straighter in my seat, what a remarkable statement. She had called herself a stupid little girl, and called her feelings dumb all in the same statement, that was probably a first for her. She was truly serious.

"Miss Granger, while I cannot say that I'm not surprised that you let your opinions get the better part of your judgment, I am surprised that you acted on this. However, you're welcome for all the things you thanked me for, but I must stress I only did everything I did because it was what was expected. It was what I had to do to survive. Though I was annoyed by your ability to regurgitate a book word for word back to me, your intelligence was a nice breath of fresh air among the crickets and cobwebs that were in your peer's minds. I was only an arse because of my role in the war. It was a privilege teaching you, in all actuality, Miss Granger." I could slap myself for allowing this information to reach her ears. I'd rather write it in a recommendation letter. "As far as whether or not I am a sincere or honorable person, that's to be questioned. You can't ask anyone that I've ever let get close enough to find out, either, because they're both dead." I sighed, it was true. There was only two people whom I had ever shown my honest sincere person to. Albus Dumbledore, and Lily Evans. "Congratulations on your acceptance to those two programs, Miss Granger. As far as the thing of importance of which you came here to spill to me, love someone else." I stood and walked over to my door, with my hand on the handle. "I believe Weasley is going to be waiting on you in London?"

"Professor-" She began, but Icut her off.

"You silly girl, I am not a nice man. You don't understand what love is. Love causes some people to be obsessive, possessive, and protective. It's dangerous when it's that kind of a love. I'm not capable of being anything other than those three things." I paused, "I'm still quite dangerous sometimes, and it would be frowned upon by society if I, your former teacher, were to try to have a relationship with you-who has the entire Wizarding World in awe."

"I'm not scared of you." She spoke defiantly. Seeing no other option, I swept over to her fast, pinning her between my arms and pushing my body against hers to the bookshelf. While I can't deny the fact that this was kind of pleasant, I didn't want to feel the uncontrollable sensation described in an old fairy tale my mother use to read me from Tales of Beetle the Bard. I looked down into her eyes and then pushed my lips against hers, roughly, then broke it, it was a hungry kiss, and I think she had started kissing me back. I grabbed her neck and looked her in the eyes. Everything she let me see in her mind, pointed to the fact she didn't care for Weasley.

Disgusted at myself, I stepped back. "Now, kindly remove yourself from my office, Miss Granger." She walked past me, and paused at the door, looking me in the eyes once more, a tear streaming down her face she sighed. "One day, you'll think of this and realize that I could be the best thing you never had."

And she left, leaving her scent and walking out of my life. Leaving her smell of Cinnamon, Apples, and Vanilla. I stood there, speechless and thinking about her words, until I felt the need to sit down, which I then walked around the desk and sat down, placing my head in my hands.

"Damn insufferable know-it-all." I muttered, flicking my wand at the door and closing it.