Years go by

A/N: Thanks to my beta, MadBrilliant. Please, pretty please, review! I love to read about your thoughts! And I cherish every review I get. Even if you hate it, I still want to know your opinion. All opinions are welcome!

***

October, 1999

Katherine was running down the halls to catch up with Professor Snape.

"Professor!" she yelled at him.

He stopped and closed his eyes in frustration before turning around. Damn this infernal girl!

Severus Snape had a new irritant in his life, and its name was Katherine Hannover. She was forever nattering and hounding his every step. She lived up to the name of her House mascot: the badger. Because that was what she did. Day or evening, she was forever questioning, needling, begging to try something new, or wanting to show him something "exciting" she had discovered in a book. His rudeness and callousness seemed to not register with the girl. He'd give her detention, but then he'd be stuck in a room with her, and then whose detention would it be? So, detention with Filch was the only resource he had to hold over her since he discovered detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest only resulted in her coming back to show him samples of all the interesting plants and flowers she had found!

"Miss Hannover, that will be 20 points from Hufflepuff for running in the halls and another ten points for yelling at a teacher!" he thundered.

She licked her lips and caught her breath. "I'm sorry, sir," she said. "Please, can I come with you to the Forest? Madam Sprout told me you usually go out this time of the year to replenish your stores. I could help, really I could! I'm really good at finding things and not just finding...I'm also really good at picking out the freshest bits!" Her words had tumbled out so fast, Snape barely had time to consider what she said. He closed his eyes in hopes of deciphering the mass of words that had spewed from her mouth, but then he decided he didn't care anyway.

"No," he snapped as he turned away.

Katherine jumped to his side and jogged along. Now the Potions master was beyond irritation. He stopped walking and faced the girl. She had that same hungry look for knowledge as Granger had, but without the irritating insecurity of needing to prove herself. No, she was infinitely worse. She knew she was intelligent and was ready to expand her education. Plus, she had no problems expressing that fact! Hell, even he knew she was hungry for more challenging work, but she needed to reign in that smugness, that damn infernal ease that made her slouch in class in boredom, ignore his insults, and push the boundaries in her Potions work, all because she was already beyond the curriculum for a second year. She was ready at twelve to take on fourth-year-level work. But, she needed to learn patience and humility if she were ever going to be his apprentice!

"Miss Hannover, I am a very busy wizard...far too busy to deal with you traipsing along and upsetting my work and concentration. Besides, I think you are overestimating your abilities a tad. You may have had a successful first year, but now that you are a second year does not make you a qualified person to select ingredients for my stores!" he said icily.

"If you would please give me a chance!" she began.

"This discussion is over!" he barked. "You get back to your common room this instant, or I will take another 50 points from your house. Am I understood?" His eyes were glaring menacingly at the twelve-year-old standing far below him.

She cowed, but did not break. "Okay, sir. I'll leave. But if I continue to do well in Potions, perhaps when I'm older, will you just give me a chance? Just one chance to show you?" she pleaded.

Snape glared at the little snippet standing so small in front of him. She is infinitely worse than Granger ever was! he thought.

"Perhaps," he mumbled as he swept out of the castle.

Katherine smiled as she watched him go. She was so happy. He was going to make her into the best Potions mistress in the world!

***

Snape did not know at the time; it was years later when Katherine told him her thoughts as she watched him walk out towards the Forest on that particular day. Katherine deeply respected her Potions master. She thought he was the most intelligent man she had ever met. She obeyed everything he told her to do even though, at times, she would test the limits of the boundaries, just to see what she could do, and at those times she would have to face his wrath. But she didn't care; in fact it was worth facing his fury. She knew that he was the best Potions master in Britain, and it wouldn't hurt to get the hide verbally ripped off her if it meant she might come up with something original or learn something new...even if it was how to not do something. Because for Katherine Hannover, failure just meant she had succeeded in learning how something did not work, and that could only bring her one step closer to true success! She was a true enigma for a wizard like Snape, who was by nature a "glass is half empty" kind of person.

She stood at the entrance gate for a long time watching him walk away. She was determined that one day he'd take her with him, and she'd show him! She would grow to be just as clever as him! She was determined to be a Potions mistress, and he was going to mentor her, even if she had to hound his every step and wear him down to do it! She was indeed a remarkable sight as she watched her teacher with determination. She was a very focused twelve-year-old.

***

November, 2000

"Miss Hannover, you will remain after class," Snape said sharply.

Katherine blew out a breath as she struggled to clean up what was another botched potion. Things were just not going well at all! She was now in her third year. It was a difficult time all around, having discovered boys, starting her period, hormones, and all that. She was easily distracted, and there was a boy that had begun noticing her: Marcus Luddington. Marcus was a Ravenclaw. He was, in Katherine's opinion, bloody brilliant, and he had the greatest smile she'd ever seen! More than once, she found her mind fixated on his smile rather than her potion. Snape was well aware of what was transpiring between the two, and he would be damned if he was going to sit back and watch his prospective protégé ruin herself over an idiotic boy!

She slowly gathered her books and noticed that Marcus was lingering by the door, waiting for her. She blushed as she slowly walked towards her Professor.

Snape was growing more irritated by the second. "Mr. Luddington, I demand you leave at once, or I shall be forced to remove you... bodily!" he snarled.

Marcus' smile vanished as quickly as he did. Katherine turned around and gave a hurt look at her Professor. She walked defeatedly up to his desk. He glared at her so menacingly, she thought she surely would burst into flames and die!

"Fifty points are taken for your abysmal performance in class today, Miss Hannover!" he snapped.

Katherine opened her mouth to object, but shut it and quirked her lips to one side as she saw his expression grow darker.

He sat down in his seat and appraised the young girl. "I am at a loss, Miss Hannover. Whatever happened to the young girl who pushed and cajoled me incessantly about the need to push herself to excel? What happened to the thirst for knowledge? I thought you wanted to be a Potions mistress? What has become of you? You are turning before my very eyes into just another moronic dunderhead that I am forced to teach!"

Katherine sighed and crossed her arms. He is right. Of course, he's always right! she thought with irritation. Her mouth quirked to the side, and she thought about what he said.

"I don't know, Professor. It's all becoming so complicated. I do want to be a Potions mistress, I'm just... distracted."

Snape's face softened. He knew what was going on, and he wasn't the person she should talk to about it. He wasn't so sure Pomona Sprout was either! Minerva. I'll let Minerva handle her. Her tough Gryffindor demeanor will sort her out!

"Miss Hannover," he said in his softest tone, "I want you to go see the Headmistress. Talk to her about your 'distractions.' Because I would sorely hate to see a good beginning come to a disappointing end. After all, I was starting to consider taking you along with me before long into the Forest in order to assist me replenishing my stores."

That did it! The old gleam was back! Her eyes snapped to attention, and she started to smile. "Do you really mean it, sir?" she said excitedly, gripping the edge of his desk.

"Possibly...I was thinking next year we could start. But you are to control your 'distractions' in my classroom. Am I understood?" he barked at the end.

Katherine smiled happily. "Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" she called as she sprinted from the room.

Snape sat back and sighed. Four more years and two more counting her apprenticeship; how am I going to survive? Retirement can not come fast enough!

***

Katherine did have a lengthy chat with Professor McGonagall and continued to talk with her as the months passed. A connection formed between the two witches, and the Headmistress at times would sigh to herself at the fact Katherine Hannover was not in her own house. She was sure she'd have made a damn fine Gryffindor!

Katherine would look back in later years as her third year being the most challenging academically of all her school days. She had to discipline herself to keep Marcus out of her mind while in class and studying. It was difficult because he did not make it easy on her. Marcus wanted her attention, and her lack of attention towards him during classes made him want to distract her even more! It was only in Potions class that he let her be. Professor Snape was like a hawk, ready to pounce if anyone came too near his baby chick. He had to learn that the hard way by gathering a great deal of detentions under his belt. Soon, he put two and two together. He knew Katherine was special. She was Snape's protégé. She was also a Hufflepuff. She had a fierce loyalty to the Greasy Bat whom she believed was going to shape her future as a Potions Mistress. She refused to allow him to speak disrespectfully about him in her presence. When she told him she was going to be a Potions mistress one day, all Marcus could think of was how famous she would be and how being attached to this girl would be a wise move for his future. So he began to "make nice" and obeyed the Potions master and did not interfere in her studies with him.

As the year came to a close, an understanding between the two young people had arisen. Marcus left Katherine at Kings Cross at the start of the summer with an incredible first kiss and a declaration of love. They corresponded over the summer holiday and each letter Katherine received was cherished. The young girl could not wait for school to start. As summer closed, she knew she loved him too. She knew he was the one she would spend the rest of her life with.