Why Would You Hide. A Severus Snape Fanfiction (Stopped)

Chapter 1: The Start of it All

"Oh great, we've got potions again now!" Sighed Ron. "Just what I've always wanted!"

"You know, if you put anymore sarcasm into your voice it would be visible in the air." I replied.

"Oh very funny Amelia. Seriously though Ron, wouldn't it be better to go being positive than give Snape something to give you detention or take points away for?" Said Hermione, in her characteristically sensible way.

"Yeah right..." Replied Ron. "Because he's not going to take points away for anything else! Miserable git!"

"Oh for heaven's sake Ron! The poor man can't breathe without you criticizing him. He can be a bit strict but the way you react to his lessons makes a pretty good excuse for him!" I snap, regretting it immediately due to the withering looks I get from Ron and Hermione. "What!?" I exclaim.

"Why have you always got to stick up for him?" Said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "He is a miserable sod and you know it. Well, he is to everyone but Slytherin, and you of course!"

It was true Professor Snape always seemed to go easy on me, verging on almost nice. I have never had any inclination as to why, but he had never taken points away from me, and the only other people he was like this with was his own house, Slytherin.

"Maybe he is nice to me because I'm the only one who was nice to him when he arrived!" I say suddenly, making Ron jump. Snape had only arrived a year previously, after passing all his exams early, and with flying colours, and getting all the qualifications necessary to teach, making him only three years older than us yet still our Potions professor. Before he came, I heard snippets of conversations between a particular group of Hufflepuff girls planning to try and 'seduce him' as they said. However this quickly changed when he arrived. He was so nervous he couldn't get anyone to focus, and he kept dropping his things. After about a week he found his way around and became more confident, but not before a reputation and general opinion had been formed of him. And in turn, probably due to the obvious laughter when ever his antics and looks were mentioned, it became clear he pretty much hated everyone. Except Slytherin, when he was made head of their house. Well, he wasn't really nice to them, just didn't take points away from them. It appeared he just sort of tolerated them really. It was true he was actually nice to me, still is in fact! To this day he has never insulted me, when everyone else gets a usual torrent if they mess up in his class. But as I said, this is probably only because I helped him when he arrived, I gave him a chance. Just small things which must have meant more to him than even I realized. Like helping him to pick up his things if he dropped them, or showing him the way around the school for a bit. Or getting annoyed with people when they were horrible to him behind his back. Little things that are mainly habit to me, I never like to judge someone before I get to know them, which is why I didn't judge Snape by his clumsiness and looks. Both of which improved in a matter of weeks. However the same cannot be said for everyone else in the school, including Ron and Hermione, which upset me more than they know because I had expected better of them. But they joined in with the snide comments, and couldn't understand how I could be so nice about him. In fact, no-one could. But anyway...

"Yeah maybe..." Said Hermione wistfully as we walked down the stone steps leading to Professor Snape's classroom, in reply to my earlier remark.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, looking from her to Ron, who was clearly trying to stop himself from laughing.

"Well, he doesn't seem like the kind of person to be nice to someone because they helped him to pick up a book."

"I didn't just help..." I started, but stopped mid-sentence due to Ron sudden snort of suppressed laughter, which quickly turned into hysterics. I looked at Hermione, who would usually tell Ron off for something like this, but had also started giggling.