A New Year Begins:

Potions Master Snape was beyond furious at the sight of his Sixth Year NEWTs Potions class. Sitting in the front row were Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode. The second row consisted of Greengrass, Parkinson, Malfoy and Nott. The first words out of his mouth as he glared at Crabbe and Goyle were, "What in the name of Merlin are you two doing here?" Then he directed his glare to the others and added, "I know that Greengrass, Malfoy and Zabini were the only ones here to get an Outstanding in Potions in Slytherin, but why are the other candidates not here?"

Draco grinned as he watched his Godfather fumble around on his desk for the class schedule which was now sitting folded up in his pocket. He could not resist patting said pocket as the Potions Master began slamming papers around on the desk as his frustration began to build.

Goyle could not resist yanking his chain. "Sir, did you say this is Sixth Year NEWTs Potions? I was told that this was Remedial Potions for OWLs."

Snape whirled around to face the unfortunate lad. "You were told what?"

Goyle repeated his statement.

Daphne Greengrass glanced around confusedly at the rest of the class.

Draco caught her look and began giggling.

Theo decided to get things sorted. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?" He asked rather calmly. "It is a known fact that you got an Outstanding mark in Potions."

Draco's giggling became a full blown laugh as he gasped and slid down the seat. He finally managed to say, "The NEWTs Potion class is upstairs. I'm only here to make sure the rest of you know you may also attend today's lecture if Professor Snape agrees."

Daphne glared around at the rest of the Slytherins. "You mean to tell me that the invitation I received to attend Potions Master Granger's Lecture on medicinal plants was actually valid?"

Severus stalked over to her with his hand held out imperiously. "This invitation if you please?" He was beyond incandescent with rage.

Daphne's hand shook as she handed over the invitation.

The blood drained from Snape's face as he read the paper. Daphne Greengrass had been invited to join the Introduction to Mediwizardry: Emphasis on Herbology class. The class was a lecture based class with various labs being offered after each topic was covered.

The rest of the class soon had their bags in hand and were racing up the stairs to get to the Great Hall where the lecture was being held. They were very careful to stay behind Snape though as he stormed through the halls in a towering rage. The idiots who qualified to take Potions were going to be very sorry that they were not where they were supposed to be by the time he finished with them.

There had been twelve Outstandings on the Potions OWLs and only three had been Slytherin; Greengrass, Malfoy and Zabini. If the other nine thought they could bugger off they were wrong. Their arses belonged to him and he would make sure they stayed in NEWT Potions, not some pansy-arsed class called Introduction to Medi-Wizardry!

Severus had planned to have Draco and Blaise act as assistants to help the other Slytherins who wanted to continue on with Potions. He had almost agreed to let any students who had missed an Outstanding by five points or less into his class, but cancelled that line of thought when he checked the numbers and saw that Potter's Exceeds Expectations had missed being an Outstanding by three points. Tracy , Millicent and Theodore would have to do Independent Study and take their NEWTs without his help.

The walk up the stairs did not cool his temper and he flung open the doors with the intention of slamming them. His objective was to cause a major disruption and throw the lecturer off balance. It was the best plan he could contrive at the moment's notice.

The professor lecturing had some crazy equipment where seemed to be sliding plastic sheets over a light that caused a reflection to appear on a large cloth screen. Instead of jumping and panicking, she looked up and said, "Hogwarts, neutralize disruption." Then returned to her topic.

Severus Snape found himself sitting at a table in the back of the room with a stack of parchment and a biro in front of him. The students who had followed him were arrayed similarly.

The voice finally penetrated his haze of confusion and he settled back to observe. Her voice was well modulated and he found himself sinking into the topic. "Whatever and wherever the species, it is a good rule of thumb to collect medicinal plants where they are reasonably abundant and growing vigorously. Note, however, that growth lush to the point of overcrowding can alter the properties and strength of medical compounds. Furthermore, the same species' medicinal strength can vary from region to region and sometimes from one site to another within the same region. Other factors that can affect medical strength are the season and a plant's stage in its growth cycle. That is one reason why pharmacologists and other authorities on herbal medicine warn against gathering and using herbs for self medication."(Footnote 1)

The class ended with the woman saying, "Since today was the first lecture and most of us are still working out the kinks of your schedules I left the doors unlocked so late arrivals could enter. You will find that starting next lecture that late will no longer be an option." Her honey-gold glare sent Snape's way left him in no doubt that she was referring to his entry.

Severus looked around finally and noticed that all the students in the Sixth and Seventh Year who had an Acceptable in Potions was in attendance. And then he listened in horror as Longbottom and Goyle began discussing the point she had made regarding the difficulty of identifying a certain plant in a region where it was not native. Goyle was adamant that cross pollination could and would affect the characteristics that are typical. However, biological variation, the results of differences in genetic make-up of individual plants 'hybridization' would account for height, leaf size, flower color or any other characteristic. He almost lost his composure and gaped at the two boys as they continued to sit and discuss the lecture while adding further notes and drawings to their parchments.

The woman did not wait for Snape to regroup. She finished putting her equipment in her 'wheely-trunk' and strolled down the aisle between tables. "Potions Master Snape, it is an honor to have you attend my lecture. I do hope it was somewhat approaching your approval?"

He stood and glared down at the woman. He could probably list every Potions Master in the United Kingdom and rank them by talent. Whoever she was, he did not recognize her as such. Her claim to be a Master would bear looking into.

She saved him the trouble of asking who she was. "May I be so bold as to introduce myself, Sir?"

Severus automatically extended his hand and watched in complete fascination as she gently took his hand in both of hers and proceeded to thoroughly observe it. She went so far as to raise his hand to her mouth and after sniffing his wrist, she licked the sensitive area between forefinger and thumb.

Her concentration on his hand ended when his hiss of discomfort and slight jerking of the hand being examined broke the spell. She flushed lightly, but kept possession of his hand.

For some strange reason Severus felt safe enough to leave his hand in her possession. "You were about to tell me your name?" He inquired rather silkily. His obsidian gaze catalogued her features: long chestnut colored hair hung in a thick braid almost to her knees; a heart shaped, pale face; almond shaped eyes the color of old honey; and, a cupid's bow mouth. She was his idea of beautiful. She reminded him of someone…

Impossibly long lashes fluttered down to hide her eyes. A few seconds passed before she nodded to some internal thought. "Yes, I am Millicent Granger. I have masteries in both Potions and Medi-Wizardry. I have remained current in both fields and hope to remain here teaching for the foreseeable future."

Her name did not seem to mean much at this point. "You taught?"

Her infectious laughter had several students gravitating toward them as she admitted, "I was Head Girl Class of Hogwarts 1654. I then attended Cambridge Magical College of Medicine. After finishing my course of studies there I returned here and had the bad luck to attract the attention of one Duke of Azkaban. I did not know about the curse so I was caught completely off guard when I found myself kidnapped by the idiot and dragged off to his island. He certainly was surprised when I had my lady-in-waiting take my child to his father along with the information of what had happened to me."

His brain shut down. After blinking a few times he managed to mumble, "You are a dementor?"

Snape's hand was dropped and Millicent Granger stepped back from him. Then before either Snape or Millicent could think of a way around that particularly embarrassing moment Harry Potter stepped forard and began ushering Millicent away.

Hermione Granger, who had been walking with Potter, stopped and glared at Snape while hissing, "Oh, you're a dementor!"

Professor Snape noted that the Granger females' family resemblance was obvious up close. He was getting ready to speak when she launched into part two of her tirade.

"You really are a big, insensitive jerk. But, you knew that!" She took a deep breath and added, "What did you do, take classes in insensitivity?"

Her pose had Draco thinking about their latest batch of movies. He mouthed the word to Harry, "Broadzilla?"

Harry grinned at Draco and mouthed, "Turtle power!"

Snape's eyes opened wide as he beheld Hermione Granger in a fury. He had laughed off Draco's claim back in thier third year that she had a temper. Now that it was directed at him he found himself no longer capable of laughing off Granger's ire. Especially since he could not fail to notice Draco clinging to her right arm; an arm that a rather firm looking fist was anchored to.

Then before he could apologize, the woman had been escorted away and Snape was left standing there while his Godson and the rest of the Slytherin Ducal contingent glared at him. It was Dudley who finally broke them out of the moment. "Come on, Dray. Let's let Dr. Smooth here work on his presentation on how to pick up chicks while we go to Transfiguration."

Draco nodded. "Yeah! It's a good thing that blood adoption took with us. You get all of Harry's and my knowledge of the Wizarding world and I get to contemplate Posh Spice's navel." He licked his upper lip in a lewd manner while breathing deeply.

Neville looked at Draco, interest clear.

Blaise shook his head and directed Neville toward the Transfiguration room. "It does not take a genius to know that Draco has been watching movies again. Prolly that one where the Spice girls drive around in that big bus.

Snape took a few more seconds to gather his wits. He was capable of functioning after ten minutes of occluding before making his way back down to the Potions Lab where a group of Second Years were probably trashing the place.

He found it disquieting to make his way into the room and find every single student sitting at their own station paying attention as they quietly observed the Seventh Year Ravenclaw in his NEWT class demonstrate the difference between mincing and dicing while discussing ingredient preparation importance.

He sat in a seat at the back of the room and let the Ravenclaw finish his lecture. It was only as the student turned fully to face him that Snape saw the apprentice symbol his robe. "Mr. McDermitt, I was unaware that the Apprentice tradition had been reinstated. When did this happen?"

McDermitt bowed to him. "Master Snape, forgive me for intruding on your class. I have apprenticed with Master Granger. I approached her last week regarding an apprenticeship and after reviewing my package she approved me just this morning. She contacted me about an hour ago and explained that you were observing her lecture and might be late to this class and asked me to monitor it until you appeared. I saw your notes sitting out and followed them as precisely as I could "

Having explained, the Apprentice gathered his notes and made his way to the door. Before he could exit, Snape spoke.

"Might I use you again if I find myself in need of a monitor?"

McDermitt nodded. "Master Granger had encouraged me to spend time with you when I have free time and she is otherwise occupied."

The rest of the class period was taken up with brewing and Severus spent most of the time on automatic pilot as he corrected stirring techniques, and stopped a few minor accidents. Most of his thoughts were taken by the events of the last few months. He had not attended the Azkaban House Party, at first because his invitation had been mislaid, then because he was in a pique regarding receiving it late. Now he was missing several important bits of information.

The first free period he had he headed up to the Headmaster's Office. It was going to be strange seeing Minerva McGonagall sitting there dealing with issues that Albus used to handle. He had so many questions he felt he was likely to burst if something did not give soon.

She was going to have to call a staff meeting to explain all the changes that she had implemented in the last few days. Learning that Albus was as good as dead had freed up a lot of opposition to progress…

And that thought brought Severus Snape back to tear drenched honey gold eyes framed by thick black lashes and staring at him from a heart shaped too pale face. He sighed as he recalled that lovely little nose and a cupid's bow mouth that should have been smiling…

Disclaimer: I do not write canon, I do not make any money from this gig, and I do not envy JKR because her chapter on 19 years later is fanfiction almost as bad as Tara's...

Footnote 1. Magic and Medicine of Plants, Reader's Digest, p.27, Reader's Digest Assoc., Inc., 1986.