Professor Neville Longbottom (A Harry Potter FanFic)

Chapter One - This Will Be Interesting

MOST OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK ARE THE WORK OF J.K.ROWLING, NOT MY OWN.

Chapter One - This Will Be Interesting

Severus Snape paced the corridoors of the now empty Hogwarts. The candles that hung from the walls cast flickering shadows across the floor, and gave the cold, stone school a pleasant, warm glow. The professors black cape flapped behind him and added a sense of drama around his strange person. His silky black hair hung on his shoulders and his overly large, crooked nose was in the air in an act of superiority and self importance.

Professor Snape was one of the most courageous and brave wizards of his era. He was supposedly killed by Lord Voldemorts Snake during the great war, During which the Dark lord was defeated. However, the snake never killed the professor. Thinking back, he could remember the sharp fangs of the snakes mouth sinking repeatedly into his neck. He could remember the blood draining away from him and the darkness swarming his vision. He cried as he lay there, and was found by the boy he had protected all those years. In those last tender moments of his life he was comforted by Harry Potter, but when he breathed his last breath the boy had laid him to rest.

One week later Snapes eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright in his hospital bed. He was confused, dazed and scared. He remembered dying but suddenly he was alive and breathing again! This was because the same muggle love that had saved Harry Potter had saved him too. Lily Potter had loved him like a brother, and it was this love which had protected him from death, and in theory saved his life.

It was ten years later now, and as Snape continued down the corridor he came face to face with a figure from his past.

"...Hello... Longbottom..." he mumbled in his dull, monotonal voice.

Snape had always been the same as long as  Neville Longbottom could remember. He always had an air of grumpyness and disatisfaction around him, and that used to scare him as a young child. But Neville was no longer the shy, timid child he used to be. He fought in the great war and was a true Gryffindor, Brave and courageous, and had been determined to save the lives of his friends. He was still quite the lover of herbology, but his nerdy tendencies were now admired not mocked.

Neville glanced up as Snape spoke to him.

"Hello professor. It is good to see you."

Snape was not used to such warmness towards him. A lot of the other teachers resented him, but this new teacher, a previous student of his, seemed to treat him with compassion and care.

"Uh...uh, yes, it is, in theory, good to see you too."

Neville gave him a courteous nod, and continued along the corridor towards his quarters schools. Snape gave a brief nod in return and hurried towards the great hall as he was already late for dinner.

When Neville reached his quarters, he dashed through the ivy clad door and grabbed his emerald cloak from its hook inside the room. The cloak may have been the colours of the Slytherin house, but on the back was embroidered a large, golden lion, the emblem of his true house, Gryffindor. Neville felt closer to nature when wearing the colour green but still felt loyal to his house.

The new professor quickly dashed out of his room and towards the great hall, the direction in which the headmaster Severus Snape had only recently gone. When he approached the large brass and oak doors of the hall, he could hear the beggining of year speach being given by none other than Severus Snape. Neville found it rude to just burst in when all the students were eagerly listening to the new headmaster, so he pressed his ear to the door and waited for Snape to announce the staff changes.

Soon enough Neville heard the names of his fellow professors being announced, and a great cheer as his own name was read out. Suddenly the huge doors were wrenched open and Neville stumbled into the hall, with every pair of eyes in the room watching him.

"Nice of you to make an entrance Professor Longbottom" Drawled Snape. He put emphasis on the word professor, and that made Neville realise that he was still regarded as an immature child. Snapes rude statement triggered a  wave of laughter throughout the hall. Most of the children respected him for fighting in the great war, but most of Slytherin house resented him because he helped put their death eater parents behind bars, or even six feet under.

"Why thankyou, Severus, I am glad of such a warm welcome!" Nevilles slightly aggrivated tone didn't go unnoticed by Snape, who fixed him with a hostile stare.

Neville went to join the rest of the Professors at the top table, and to his surprise, recieved wolf whistles from some of the girls in Gryffindor. Neville felt himself go red and his cheeks burned. He heard a familiar voice yell out;

"Miss Sandgate and Miss Watts, will you please stop oggling Professor Longbottom, He is a teacher and that kind of behaviour is inapropriate!"

Professor McGonagall's sharp remark was met by the sheepish grins on the faces of his admirers. By the time Neville had reached the table the children had calmed down, and the rest of dinner past without a hitch. Neville felt that he was really going to enjoy teaching at Hogwarts, until he glanced at Slytherin table and saw the spitting image of Draco Malfoy glaring up at him.

"Oh dear," Neville muttered to himself. His scared expression was met with an evil grin on the face of Falco Malfoy. Falco's father was Draco, a death-eater who had made Neville's and other childrens school lives a misery.

"This is going to be interesting..." Neville mumbled, a little louder than before. This bought him some very strange looks from the other teachers, especially from Snape.

"Very Interesting."