Romance by Numbers (Harry Potter/Numb3rs, Snape/Charlie)

The first time Snape saw him was at a staff meeting. He walked in late to find an unfamiliar figure hiding in the shadows of the room. Snape leaned against a back wall and regarded the young man out of the corner of his eyes. Curly black hair marked the man of Semitic descent. His face was youthful but with tired eyes and an engrossing melancholy that aged him. Snape guessed the man to be in his early twenties at the oldest. The traditional black robes of the school hung off the young man awkwardly, showing off wide portions of the muggle clothes underneath.

Dumbledore’s eyes caught Snape’s in veiled reproach at his tardiness before clearing his throat. “Now that we’re all in attendance, I have an announcement to make. As you are all aware of, Professor Vector has taken an extended leave for her upcoming maternity and will not be with us this coming year. My advance congratulations to her and Professor Sinistra.” Dumbledore nodded towards the Astronomy professor. “Thus, I have the greatest of pleasure in introducing our new Arithmancy teacher, Professor Charles Eppes. I assure you all that while Professor Eppes is not an alumni of our school, he has the finest of credentials in his field. I hope you all will make him feel most welcome in his new home.”

A round of applause broke out as the young man in the corner stepped forward and nodded shyly. Severus clapped politely along with his fellows. He found his gaze trapped on the new professor as he stepped back into the shadows the moment Dumbledore continued with the meeting. Professor Eppes was obviously uncomfortable with the sudden attention. Snape could sympathize. From appearance alone he could tell the new professor was going to be a hit among the students. The girls would find his looks, combined with the sad shyness, a compelling attraction. He had no doubt that a number of the third years would be requesting a sudden addition of Arithmancy.

The new professor was surrounded by the more inquisitive staff members the moment the meeting ended, Professor Sinistra foremost among them. Snape slipped away amidst the clamor, shooting a pitying glance at the overwhelmed professor on his way out.

If he’d looked back a second later he would have noticed that the new professor’s eyes followed him as he left.