"I trust everyone slept well and is ready to start their first day of this new school year. A couple of announcements this morning before breakfast," Severus said from the head table where he stood.

"Just a reminder to anyone not paying attention last evening or who may be forgetful. Please be mindful of any areas that are closed off. Workers are still here so a section or area closed off may not be safe for a variety of reasons. Madam Pomfrey does not need the year to start off with curious students visiting her infirmary despite the areas not suitable for traffic being readily identified. I assure you the castle is safe, many officials have verified that."

"Additionally, Professor Slughorn is not here this year as many of you may have noticed. I will be teaching potions in addition to my Headmaster duties while a suitable candidate for the position is found. Let's do our best to avoid detentions so that my workload doesn't become out of control."

He smirked slightly at that. The panicked look by the student body was amusing.

"Finally, we have a new apprentice joining us this year. Our first at Hogwarts in some time, most will recognize her despite the change in her name. Madam Hermione Snape will be an apprentice under Professor McGonagall while preparing to sit her NEWTs independently. She will also be assisting me in Potions, so first through third years the professor will be Madam Snape for your classes in both Transfiguration and Potions. I expect the same respect shown to all professors granted to her. I will continue to have office hours, however, I assure you that there is no one I know of to be more competent to assist me with these duties. I do not take your education, your safety, or the reputation of Hogwarts lightly."

This last announcement was met with whispers and stares, a few giggles and glares, too. Many female eyes went from Severus to Hermione, eventually landing on her finger and the physical symbol of both their engagement and their marriage. He wasn't exactly a vain man, but he was very glad he'd made the choice in rings he had at that precise moment. Everyone at the head table expected the reaction, which was why Severus had saved this series of announcements for today. Nothing had appeared in The Daily Prophet about their soul marks or being soulmates. Kingsley had been very considerate in ensuring no one unauthorized had access to their documents. Neither was ashamed, but they didn't want the additional stigma and attention that would come from being the first known soul marked bonded couple in centuries. So, there would be a lot of people wondering how this marriage came to be. Let them wonder was Severus' opinion.

"With that, enjoy your breakfast and your classes today."

He took his seat then.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" he whispered in Hermione's ear.

Normally, as an apprentice she'd be relegated to one of the seats at the ends of the table, but Minerva had graciously suggested her appropriate seat was to her husband's left with Minerva on her other side.

"Other than perhaps shocking those who don't read the Prophet."

He scoffed. "As if there are any."

"You may have a point," she said.

She made his tea for him, sliding it in front of him.

"Thank you," he said, knowing full well eyes were on them, obvious in their watching or not. She was aware, too, he had no doubt.

"You're welcome."

"Are you nervous?"

"Unbelievably so. More about your classes than Professor McGonagall's," she said.

"Best to get it out of the way as quickly as possible."

"I suppose you have a point."

"Of course I do."

They ate then, Severus scowling at anyone who remained focused on them for longer than was appropriate. Curiosity was normal, he realized. He didn't have to like it, though.

Her morning was full before joining him in his classroom for second year Slytherin/Gryffindor potions after lunch. She was early, of course, which he'd expected.

"All settled?" he asked. It was … odd to say the least seeing her at what was really his desk. It had been his since he'd come here as a professor in 1981. He wasn't partial to it. He'd bought it used, but it had served him well. He'd treated and charmed it so it was resistant to almost any accident that could befall it in this room.

"I think so," she said, brushing her hands along her robes.

"I'll introduce you and then retreat to my office, leaving the door open enough that should you need me I'll hear you."

"Thanks," she said. "Minerva basically did the same thing."

"Most will be thrilled to have you teaching them."

"I'm sure," she said wryly.

"Don't sell yourself short. You're the stuff of legends, Hermione."

"I didn't DO anything, though. You did something. Every day. For years, Severus. All I did was help Harry."

"As did you, my witch," he said, resting his hands at her hips to kiss her. "You kept The Boy Who Lived alive, no small feat given the past year. I say that not knowing every last detail of your time on the run."

"Yeah, so he could be led to his death."

"And yet, he still lives. Trust me, I was none too happy about that turn of events when I discovered the truth of his role either."

"I know," she leaned up, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

The second year Slytherins and Gryffindors strode in then, glancing from Severus to Hermione and back again. They stood close enough to one another to suggest familiarity without being so close as to be inappropriate. She was his wife, after all, he wasn't going to pretend they were merely casual acquaintances. He'd waited too long, come too far to continue play-acting a role. The Headmaster position was his now to do as he could with it.

"Good afternoon, class. As I mentioned at breakfast, Madam Snape will be overseeing your teaching of this class this year. Should you have questions I will of course make myself available, but I assure each and every one of you that she is capable and I trust her impeccably to guide you on your potions journey. I will be in the potions professor's office for the first couple of classes, but she is your teacher. Questions?"

A hand shot up in the second row.

"Yes, Miss Tulle," he prompted.

"Is it true she's your wife?"

"That would be correct. Now are there any questions about Potions class or anything that I've said so far this morning aside from our marital status?"

Silence.

"I will leave you in Madam Snape's very capable hands then."

He met her gaze.

You will do fine, my witch. I believe the muggle saying is break a leg.

Severus stepped into his office, leaving the door open as he said he would.

"Good afternoon, class," he heard Hermione say as he took a seat at his desk. This one had no personal association with it. It was a standard issue from Hogwarts.

"Looking over Professor Slughorn's notes from last year, I'd like to review a few things. These are potions that the past year revealed to be quite essential despite the seeming basicness of them. Today we'll work on the Antidote to Common Poisons."

A hand shot up.

"Yes, Mr. Winslow," she prompted.

"Is it true that you saved Headmaster's life with this potion?"

"Not this exact potion, no. The bite Headmaster Snape received was a bit more complex, however, this potion did aid immensely in his being alive today. It helped Mr. Potter as well last year."

Another hand shot up.

"Miss Lowell?"

"How did it help Harry Potter?"

"Well," he heard her say and he could tell she'd come closer to the classroom's desk. Leaning against it perhaps? "As some of you may know, Messrs Potter and Weasley and myself aided the war effort. We had to stay in the woods for a while in a tent. None of us really knew exactly what we were doing as far as setting up the tent at first. We warded our perimeter, the area around the tent so no one would see or hear our location, however, we neglected to ward or protect the exterior of the tent itself. Mr. Potter was bitten by a rather large spider. Not poisonous as it turned out, but could cause complications if left untreated. We had no way of knowing that at the time. I had some of this potion ready and available so we were able to tend to the bite immediately. This avoided a trip to St. Mungo's where we couldn't go or a muggle hospital where we could have been spotted as well. And learned our lesson about protecting what was our temporary home."

"How did you know you'd need it?" Miss Lowell prompted.

"We had to prepare for anything and weren't sure when we'd be able to get to a lab or apothecary again. So I ensured that we had extra of everything I could think of."

Another hand shot up.

"Mr. Brown," she said.

"What was it like?"

"You need to be more specific, Mr. Brown."

"Well, my parents said you were clearly the brains of the three of you, you said ‘we' had to prepare for anything, but I'm guessing you meant you had to prepare for anything. What was it like being on the run like that and knowing Harry Potter's life would very likely be in your hands."

She sighed. He could hear her from the office. The questions were going to come, he expected them. It was why he planned on staying in this office for the first few classes. Once the headiness of it wore off, class would return to normal.

"It was scary, I'll be honest. I don't know about being the brains, Mr. Brown. I just did what I think anyone would do to ensure their friend, their best friend, was alive when all was said and done. I was very lucky that I had the knowledge, much of which was imparted on me by the headmaster, so that we could eat and remain healthy while we were gone." She stopped then. "I will admit I was very grateful to get back to a real bed when it was done, though."

Laughter followed that. Severus nodded proudly.

"Any other questions before we open our books and start on this potion?"

"Miss Tulle?"

"Are you going to keep teaching us potions?"

"I'm not sure I can answer that. As long as Headmaster Snape tells me to teach you I will do so. He may find someone who meets his very stringent guidelines quickly now that Voldemort has been dealt with."

"But we want you," she said.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, Miss Tulle. Even if I'm not teaching your class any longer, if and when that happens, I will always be available."

"Really?"

"Truly," Hermione said.

"Thank you, Madam Snape," Miss Tulle said.

"You're welcome, Miss Tulle. I'm excited to be your teacher. Now, let's open our books and collect our ingredients, shall we?"

He heard the sound of text books opening and a few minutes later, chairs pushing back and feet moving.

"Are you unclear on the instructions, Miss Milward."

"No," she said. This was followed by silence. He imagined his wife was remaining quiet for a reason but he remained ready to assist if necessary. "I just don't trust you. My parents didn't send me here to be taught by an apprentice."

She was a Slytherin and likely this would be a difficult year for the second year, Severus realized. One of many adjustments. Slytherins were accustomed to thinking of themselves as the muggle equivalent of the Big Man On Campus. This year, since most purebloods were Slytherins, the dynamic was likely to be a little different. Add to that his impression of Miss Milward (limited as it was since he was not her head of house last year, her first year) was that she didn't take well to change. Well a new teacher was going to set her on edge even more than she likely already was.

"Well, that's certainly your prerogative and I can respect your honesty. That does not change the fact that apprenticeships are part of the education process and you have a potion to assist in brewing. I doubt your partner will enjoy getting a zero for today because of your lack of trust in me. This is a first year potion that you've already done, I just want to ensure that you can do it well. If you'd rather not know how to brew something that could save your life or that of someone you care for then I'll gladly give you the zero, allow your partner to brew alone, and assign you some time with Mr. Filch. I'm sure he could find something of interest for you that would be worthy of your time."

Silence.

Should he go out there? Should he reiterate what Hermione had said? No, this was her class and if the students were going to respect her authority he could not interfere in this. He knew Miss Milward. She was a nice enough girl, but she didn't seem to like change. The last couple of years had been nothing but change and now a muggleborn witch who wasn't even officially an apprentice was teaching her Potions class.

"No, ma'am," she said finally.

"Thank you. Good luck, Miss Milward."

Severus sat back in his chair a bit, smiling at that. Perhaps she wouldn't have been so confident if he wasn't in the room right behind her, but he suspected that wasn't the case. She was a Gryffindor after all, and she'd proven more than once she was brave.

Soon the sounds of preparing this particular potion was heard, a few whispers presumably between partners. It was an interesting tactic, allowing them to brew the potion in pairs. Stressing teamwork and the fact that it was just a review of a previously learned potion.

"Good work, Mr. Brown and Miss Milward," Hermione said. She was obviously walking around the classroom now.

"Put a little more effort into it, Miss Lowell, but not too much. You want to grind it, not disintegrate it."

"Thank you, Madam Snape."

A little while went by, mostly of Hermione offering encouragement or polite corrections. This potion didn't require much in the way of cutting so there wasn't too much that could go wrong.

"Since all of you are on your final stages of brewing this potion, are there any questions related to it?"

Severus smirked slightly at that. Evidently she'd learned her lesson to be specific about what questions she was inviting.

Silence.

"Very well. When you've finished, bottle up your potions, put them on my desk, and clean up your stations. The first few potions we'll be doing will be review like this with your partner, so if you have an issue with today's partner you will need to make me aware of it before your next class."

"Yes, Madam Snape," a few responded.

One by one he heard the distinct sound of vials being placed on the desk and then the cleaning of stations.

The bell rang moments after and her first Potions class of the year was dismissed.

"You did very well," he said when he came out to the classroom after being assured everyone was gone.

"Thank you. I was surprised your Slytherin was so honest about her dislike of me."

"She doesn't dislike you. She doesn't trust you, it's not necessarily the same thing. Just show her that she can, in fact, trust you and she'll be fine. You are an unknown and while she's not a pureblood herself, she is related to some."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Of course she is," she said.

"Centuries can't be undone in a day, my witch. However, having them work in pairs was an inspired idea."

"I kind of thought so. I'd rather assign points to the individual then a house. At least at first. I mean, I know they go to the house anyway, but I'd rather the individual or team get the praise."

He smiled slightly.

"Any questions for me, Madam Snape?"

"No, other than when do the butterflies in my stomach go away?"

"Meet me in our room later and I will endeavor to distract you from thinking about them anymore."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

"I thought so."

"I suppose your desk is off limits?"

"My desk?"

"Well, you are the Headmaster, after all."

"That desk?"

She smirked, eyes lighting up but he sensed she was not joking and that idea … excited him more than just a little bit. That she thought of it, that she suggested it, and that he wanted it to happen. Now.

"You know the password, Witch."

"I'm so glad you can trust me with such delicate information."

"Indeed. It was risky, I had to weigh the pros and cons."

"Which won?"

He chuckled. "The cons, obviously."

"Obviously."

She made her way to his office through their quarters before changing for dinner.

"I heard a rumor that you were here," she said as she made her way to him.

"Your information gathering proved correct."

"I'm very relieved."

She slid her arms around his neck while she leaned in to kiss him.

"Are the butterflies gone?" he murmured when she broke the kiss.

"You said you'd help me chase them away."

"It would be my pleasure," he said.

She wandlessly undid his robe before dropping to her knees in front of him. She worked the fastenings on his pants and sighed softly as she took his hardening length in her hand.

"I love when you're like this," she whispered.

"You do?" he asked, looking perplexed.

"Yes, I love feeling you get hard, knowing that I'm the reason."

She took him into her mouth then, her eyes on him as she took him as far as she could. Much easier to do when he wasn't fully erect. She bobbed her head a few times, sliding him in and out of her mouth before switching to licking and sucking on his length and head.

His soft groans and hands in her hair, encouraging her, told her she was on the right track. Assured he was fully erect, she shifted, hiking up her skirt before straddling him. She slid her arms around his neck and practically fused her mouth with his. His hands at her hips guided her onto him and she cried out at the feel of him inside of her like this. He let her have control for a minute or two before he took over. He stood from the chair, hands gripping her to prevent her from sliding off of him as he settled her on the edge of the desk.

"I believe you mentioned the desk."

"I did," she said, leaning back a bit.

"Is this what you had in mind?" he asked as he thrust in and out of her.

"Yes," she cried out.

"Merlin you're beautiful like this," he said, hands gripping her hips hard to keep her in place as he moved inside of her. "So welcoming and wet for me."

"Look at me," she whispered, lifting her head a bit. "I want you in my mind, too."

And he did just that. They both cried out at the enhanced intimacy. She loved knowing he could find out how good he felt and made her feel first hand. Especially when he hit that one spot that brought her over every time.

"Come for me, Severus," she whispered and he groaned softly, sliding his hands from her hips to her ass to cup her while he moved faster, deeper inside of her. She knew he worried he'd hurt her, having sex regularly was still new to them. She also knew that he trusted her to tell him if he actually did in such a way that wasn't pleasurable.

He gathered her against him once he'd finished, resting his head against her shoulder.

"You do recall that I'm not twenty any longer, don't you?"

"Well, you woke up this morning and didn't wake me so I had to make up for that."

"You looked so peaceful and I knew you were nervous about today, I wanted to let you rest."

"Tomorrow I grant you permission to wake me up in that fashion."

He huffed against her neck.

"You are a needy witch."

"Are you complaining, Wizard?"

"No," he said gruffly, kissing her neck before pulling away and gracing her with a faux glare.

"When we do decide to try for a child," she murmured, kissing him.

"Yes?"

She leaned in close to his ear. "Can we start our attempt in the Potions classroom?"

"As long as Professor Snape doesn't come out of your mouth I could be agreeable to that."

"Can the word detention be uttered?" She asked, nipping his ear.

"If you keep doing that, you can say whatever you want."

"Really now?" she teased, kissing the skin just under his ear.

"Yes," he said with a hiss as she sucked on the skin there.

"Will you spank me, too?" she murmured when she'd finished her attention to his neck.

"Fuck, Hermione. I'm going to get hard again if you keep talking like that."

"We do have a while before dinner," she said, kissing the scar on his neck. "Those butterflies were really bad."

He scoffed at that.

"I see how you are. And, yes, by the way, if that is something you'd like you know I'd do it."

"Would you?"

"Probably if I'm already inside of you from behind. The idea of harming you in any way…"

"I know, I feel the same way."

"Should we get cleaned up for dinner then?"

"If cleaning up means showering with you so I get you inside of me again, yes," she said quickly.

"That could be arranged."

"Then lead the way, Husband."

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com