Unexpected Acknowledgement

Snape's fouler than normal mood had all the students speculating theories as to why; needless to say each house had a different one. Whispers could be heard throughout the school.

The Hufflepuffs thought perhaps it was a love affair gone wrong. The most common partners for him were McGonagall, Trelawney, and Pince. Madam Pince was in the lead simply because like turns to like -- or in their case, snark attracts snark. Had Snape heard that preposterous theory, he would have docked all of Hufflepuff's points. Love was not something he cared about or had time for if he had wanted it.

The Ravenclaws thought maybe a potion had gone awry. Snape would not have even dignified that with a response. As a Potions Master, he did not make an error and he was not that inept idiot Longbottom. When he made a potion, it was always correct. The House should be grateful he had not heard that particular rumor yet.

As the house with no sympathy or empathy, the Slytherins could have cared less. His mood didn't affect them, so who cared? If a few of the Death Eaters children were to whisper among themselves, they might assume it had something to do with the Lord's return but wouldn't have over-analyzed the problems. Snape would have appreciated the lack of privacy, as privacy was vital to the spy.

All the Gryffindors agreed that the mood was really was not much a change, since he singled them out all the time anyway. Of course, the ever-rational mind of Hermione Granger wondered if it had something to do with the Order or the like. She mentioned it to Harry and Ron, who proceeded to laugh off the suggestion and go back to their Divination assignment.

Of all the theories flying, the one closest to being accurate was Hermione's, but even that one was still flawed. His treatment of Potter - the pesky need to save the ungrateful brat's life - was starting to raise questions in the minds of the Lestranges, Lucius Malfoy, and Nott. Snape was worried his allegiance to Voldemort would be questioned and he did not know how to fool the Lord into thinking he was still loyal. The Wizard's Debt to James Potter - and his son by proxy - had started to hinder and Snape knew that his death would help no one.

Needless to say it was quite a shock to the already snarling man to find a note simply stating "thank you" on his desk. The handwriting had been disguised so he would not be able identify the writer. Attempting to sneer over the thoughtfulness of the note with a muttered "how sweet," but unfortunately the gesture had actually been nice. He would never admit that the note mattered to him at all since it went against everything he stood for, nevertheless it did. No one had ever thanked him for anything, and especially for risking his life to save the world.

After reading the note another time, he started to get ready for classes that day. Sneer ready for all the idiot children that came through his door.

Once she was outside the room, Hermione lifted the Invisibility Cloak off. She knew she was lucky about not getting caught by the professor, but she had to see his face. Sometimes everyone needed a little kindness thrown his or her way.