Chapter One

Chapter 1

Hermione settled into her chair and gazed around the room at the portraits. All the former Headmasters were in different positions within their frames. Many snoozed, some weren't even present, and others looked at her curiously. Her eyes fell on Phineas Nigellus Black. He was glaring at her.

Hermione's eyebrows arched. "Have I done something to offend you, Professor Black?"

He scowled then and turned around, huffing to himself.

"Oh, he's just upset about the usual," Dilys Derwent said.

Hermione turned to the elegant lady. "What exactly is the usual?" she asked.

Black turned around then. Hermione could almost see steam escaping from his ears he looked so livid. "The usual is that we are still missing a colleague."

Hermione scanned the mass of portraits but could see no one missing. She racked her brain, mentally scanning Hogwarts a History. No, everyone was accounted for.

"Do you mean Professor McGonagall? She's just retired. Her portrait won't be added until her death."

Black seemed to swear under his breath. "I am fully aware of that! I was not referring to anyone living."

Hermione looked once again. She gasped. It was so obvious that her brain had just ignored it.

"Professor Snape is missing," she whispered.

Black finally calmed and smirked. "It took you long enough."

"Why isn't his portrait here?"

"Your predecessor could not bring herself to have one commissioned."

Hermione frowned. "Minerva always felt sorry for the way she treated him."

Black snorted. "Obviously not sorry enough to give him his rightful place on these walls."

Hermione shook her head. "No, there's got to be some other reason."

She pulled out a parchment and wrote a quick note. Summoning her owl, she sent the missive on its way and sat back, biting the tip of her quill while deep in thought.

It had taken several days for Minerva to answer Hermione's letter. Hermione was glad when it finally arrived. She unfolded the response and read through it.

Dear Hermione,

Minerva

Hermione looked crossly at the note. How could Minerva have forgotten about Professor Snape's portrait for twenty years? No matter, she would see that Severus Snape got his portrait.

Studying the list before her, Hermione read the seven names that were printed on it. These were names of the most preeminent artists in the Wizarding world. Two were located in London. Hermione looked at their names and descriptions, trying to figure out who would be the best to paint a former Headmaster's portrait. The first artist's name was Franco DiGregorio. He was originally from Italy but had spent his schooling at Hogwarts and stayed in Britain afterward to practice his art. He was quite old... one hundred twenty-five. His specialty was heirloom portraits.

The other artist was Jacob Fischer. He was quite a bit younger at age fifty. He specialized in portraits of live subjects, though. He wouldn't do, unfortunately, as all she had were pictures of the former Headmaster.

It had taken her a bit of time to find those pictures. She'd scoured the castle looking for photographs of him but had only found two. She also had a chocolate frog card that she'd gotten about a year after the end of the war, when Severus was finally considered a hero. A trip to the Creevey home had uncovered another photo of Severus seated at the head table, glowering at the students.

She pulled the photos out of her desk drawer and looked at them again. As she flipped through them, her hand stilled as she examined the chocolate frog card. The picture was actually very flattering except for the dark frown he gave her as she looked at him. Hermione mused that the facial features she'd thought of as harsh as a youth now seemed to be distinguished. His gaze was hawk-like, yes, but in some way she found his sharp features appealing instead of frightening, as she had when she was a child. She wondered if it had something to do with the fact that she was basically the same age as he was in the picture. Shaking her head, she moved on to the next photo. This one looked her over from top to bottom and turned with his nose in the air. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"You'll have to stay facing forward if you're going to be any help at all," she told the photo. Snape didn't move.

Moving on to the next... the Creevey photo... she saw Professor Snape's eyes sweep over the hall. A small frown, and what seemed like despair, crossed his features. She wondered about that. Given his position as spy, it must have been incredibly hard for him to play his role all the time. In an instant the pain in the professor's face had disappeared, and he was glowering once again.

Hermione sighed. Severus Snape had been so misunderstood throughout his lifetime. It really was a shame he hadn't survived. She wondered if he would have been able to lead a normal life if he had.

Gathering up the photos, she left her office and headed to the Apparition point. The only way she would know if Franco DiGregorio would be the right artist to paint Snape was if she spoke with him in person.

Appearing in Diagon Alley, Hermione gazed around her. She spied the small shop instantly. The brave storefront held its own even though it was smashed between the ever popular Madam Malkin's and Gringotts. The letterhead read DiGregorio Studio and in the window were several portraits, including a young lady in a long, 19th century Victorian dress. Her hair was black and curly, and she held an umbrella over her head. She smiled and waved at Hermione with a gloved hand. Hermione smiled back, thinking about how incredibly realistic the likeness was.

She entered the shop as a little bell suspended over the door rang. The interior of the studio was filled with more portraiture, and they all seemed to be gazing at her curiously. She smiled tentatively at them. A portly, old, balding man with glasses shuffled out from the back room. He looked at her and smiled broadly.

"How may I help you, signorina?" he asked Hermione in a thick Italian accent which made him sound quite fatherly.

She moved toward him and extended her hand. "My name is Hermione Granger. I'm the newly appointed Headmistress of Hogwarts."

The old man's eyes lit up. "Ah, Professore Granger, your reputation precedes you." Extending his hand, he brought hers to his lips, placing a respectful kiss on it. "I'm Franco DiGregorio. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Sir, I have a request. There is no portrait of Severus Snape in my office, and I would like to rectify that."

A tinge of excitement filled the old man's eyes. "You want me to paint Severus Snape?"

She nodded. "Obviously all I have to offer you are pictures. Will that suffice?"

"Let me see them," Franco requested.

She pulled the small stack of photos out of her robes and handed them to Franco. He flipped through them quickly. The photo that had turned his back on Hermione now looked curiously at the artist. Franco smiled, which caused Snape to scowl.

"Ah, you are going to be a difficult one, I can see that already!" he said to the picture. Looking back to Hermione he nodded his head. "These pictures will do. They give me several aspects of his silhouette and facial features. It shouldn't be a problem."

Hermione smiled. "How long will it take you to do this, Mr. DiGregorio?"

"Ah, please, call me Franco," he said. "It should be about six weeks."

"Please spare no expense. Hogwarts prides itself on the portraiture of former Headmasters, and I want this one to be as exceptional, if not more so, than its predecessors."

Franco's hands reached out, and he took hold of Hermione's once again. "Don't worry, signorina. I will make you a painting that everyone will be amazed at. That's what I do, after all!"

Nodding, Hermione smiled at him. "I can see that from your displayed work, Mister... erm... Franco. I knew the minute I saw the lady in the window that this was the right place to come."

Franco nodded, continuing to shake her hand. "Ah, I see you have an eye for quality. I will begin the portrait today. As I said, it should be ready in six weeks."

"Thank you. Just owl me when it is ready, and I'll arrange for it to be transported to the school."

Franco finally released her hand, but immediately reached for her shoulder as she turned to go. "No need. I will hang it myself."

"All right, thank you again."

With that, Hermione left the small studio, excited to see what Franco DiGregorio would create.

A/N: And so it begins!