Chapter 3

Authors Notes: This story is Pre-HBP. It is my response to the Make-Over Sex!God Snape challenge by Southern_Witch_69 & PlaidPooka. I'm not following the rules very well, as it is late, and I am going to have a couple chapters, so please forgive me. I've been out of the fan fiction loop lately due to work, so please forgive me and take this little piece of fiction as my peace offering. This is my first attempt at posting anything, so please be kind if you decide to review (which I would really appreciate). Challenge rules are posted at the bottom of the page. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful betas, Gelsey & Cocoachristy, for wading through all my mistakes and errors. If any other mistakes are here, then they are completely and totally my fault. I'd also like to thank my dear friend, Anijade, for being at my beck and call whenever I need her.

Disclaimer: This all belongs to JKR. They aren't mine. I'm just taking them out to dinner and a movie. I promise to bring them back as soon as the houselights come up and the credits begin to roll.

Chapter 3

Glass Pyramid

Snape stormed through the castle, hardly noticing his surroundings. He was livid, and at this particular moment he wanted nothing more than to be in his chambers. He soon found himself deep in the bowels of the Hogwarts dungeons, standing in front of a stone wall. The wall itself was just like every other wall in the dungeons, with the exception that it had the impression of a large serpent carved into the center. Snape muttered quietly under his breath and the serpent disappeared while a wooden door materialized. Without hesitation, Snape opened the door and entered into a comfortable sitting room. Without giving the room a second glance, he continued through to a door on the far end, which led to his bedchambers. He angrily slammed the door behind him.

With a quick wave of his hand, the fireplace came to life and began to cast a warm glow about the surprisingly spacious room. As the flames flickered back and forth, they sent dancing shadows across the walls of books that lined every bit of free wall space. Besides the bookshelves, there was also a large mahogany bed covered in a deep blue duvet. Mahogany nightstands sat on each side of the bed. They were covered with piles of papers and books. The last piece of furniture in the room was a mahogany wardrobe. It was placed on the wall opposite of the bed, between the bookshelves and the door which led to the bathroom. Without hesitation, the professor walked straight into the bathroom and slammed that door behind him as well.

With a barrier now between him and the rest of the world, he let out a deep, calming breath. He was angry, his muscles already bunching up with tension, and he had the beginning of what promised to be rather painful headache. He knew that the best thing he could do at this moment was to take a long, hot shower to relax his muscles and relieve the tension in his body.

He wasted very little time undressing before he stepped into the shower. The hot water immediately started to pelt down on his skin, and in no time his muscles began to relax. As the tension began to leave his body, he started bathing himself. While he was lathering himself, he thought back to what he heard the women say in the staffroom. He was extremely furious at the witches, but at the same time, he wasn't surprised to hear what they had to say. It was just infuriating to know that they would actually talk about him so openly amongst themselves, and not only that, but in front of Miss Granger as well. It was just another one of the many reasons he chose not to socialize with the other staff members at Hogwarts.

And yet for some reason, Miss Granger had defended him. That was a surprise, though not an unwelcome one. He couldn't remember anyone, besides Albus, standing up for him for any reason.

She must want something, he thought to himself. Why else would she have done it?

"Gryffindor stupidity," he said with a snort. No, he thought, she had no idea that I would hear her. That was evident by the way she reacted when she bumped into me on her way out of the room. And what did she say? She was babbling so incoherently that I doubt anyone understood.

She really isn't at all what I thought she would be. There is just so much more to her than meets the eye, he thought. She had really surprised him when she sent him her request to be his intern. He had only said yes because he believed that he could scare her off in matter of days. When that hadn't worked, he tried giving her trivial, brainless tasks, and yet she'd never complained. She did everything he asked without question, and to the best of her ability. Now that she had been studying under him for over a year, he could hardly imagine what it would be like without her.

The more he thought about her, the more he realized that he had long since stopped thinking of her as the annoying little know-it-all. She had somehow become a young woman with her own thoughts and opinions, which she inflicted upon him daily. Not that he really cared. He liked that she could think for herself. Her thought process showed that she had great potential in becoming a great Potions mistress one day. He had very little doubt in his mind that she wouldn't succeed. She was one of the most focused people he had ever known, let alone taught. Her studies came before everything else in her life.

"And those stupid women had the audacity to question her about her personal life," he muttered as he stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel.

Once he had the towel securely wrapped around his waist, he stepped up to the vanity. The mirror was charmed to repel steam, so he had a very clear vision of himself. He had no illusions about his appearance. He already knew that he was repulsive, and he could see it for himself as he stared at his reflection. He had a ghostly, pale complexion and greasy, black hair, which clashed against his skin. His other features seemed to have been scraped from the bottom of the family gene pool as well. His eyes were black and beady, and the size of his nose would rival any house elf. The build of his body was probably the only redeeming feature he possessed. He still remained lean and muscular at the age when most wizards were sporting a few extra stones. However, he would never want to show his body to anyone, as it was covered with numerous scars from his time as a Death Eater, and later on as a spy for the Order. He knew that if he even thought about having a physical relationship with a woman, it wouldn't be possible because of those hideous scars. He could hardly look at himself without disgust, let alone let another person look upon him.

Perhaps that was why he never really tried to go out and shag the world. When he felt the need, he would simply take care of himself or take a trip to Knockturn Alley. The women there had no scruples with the way he looked, as long as he was willing to pay. They had no memory of him as well since he cast a mild Obliviate when he was finished. This was how he had been living his life since he became a spy, and he just continued with it after Voldemort had been defeated. The system hadn't failed him yet. Besides, most of the women he knew held the same opinion as the female staff at Hogwarts. Why should he put forth the effort if no one was going to take notice anyway?

"Take notice!" he exclaimed as a thought flashed through his mind. He immediately turned and walked into his bedroom. He approached a bookshelf that was in the darkest corner of the room. He bent down and peered at the bottom shelf. He pulled out a red, medium sized, hardcover book. He then stood up and began to inspect its cover.

He remembered when Albus had given this to him as a Christmas present. At the time, he had thought that Albus had just sucked on one too many lemons. He had no use for a book on this subject, regardless of how rare it might have been. He had only kept the book because of its rarity. Perhaps now it just might be useful.

He carefully opened the book and found that Albus had left an inscription he hadn't noticed before. Or perhaps I wasn't meant to notice until the right time, he mused. It read: 'Don't judge this book by its cover, my boy. I'm sure you will find something in this one that might peak your interest.'

Severus shook his head as he closed the book and read he title aloud.

"Beauty Divine."

To be continued