A/N: Hope you guys like this story. It's been edited for content. If you want to read the original form, go to my website and you'll get the 'more-mature' version. That version is much better.

Talking Back

Hermione's week had not been going well. With the extra amount of work assigned in her charms' class as well as the already overly drawn out essay she was writing for Ancient Runes, sitting in Potions class was annoying her and she her nerves were standing on end.

"Mr. Longbottom, I can see you have failed to stir your potion the recommended 25 times before you added the sandalwood root," Snape commented as he walked past the struggling boy whose cauldron was smoking and smelling like rotted garbage. Taking his wand from his robe, Snape gave the boiling black mess a slight flick with his wand, removing the contents and moving the cauldron back to where it had been when they first entered the dungeons. He turned to Neville.

"Mr. Longbottm, it seems like you have failed once again," he said with a large smirk. Hermione had had enough. Turning around from where she was standing, her face covered in rage, she looked at Snape.

"Why don't you find someone else to torment Professor? If you could see past the end of your abnormally large nose, you would be able to see that Neville tries his hardest, only to be manipulated into doing poorly because you can't stand to watch someone other than a Slytherin excel in your class," she spat, her words full of spite.

Neville gasped, watching Snape turn to face the seething Gryffindor. The entire room went silent. It almost seemed as if the cauldrons ceased boiling in that one moment.

"40 points from Gryffindor Miss Granger, and one week's detention," he sneered, looking at the shaking student before him.

"Pity, I thought it would have been two," Hermione said, grabbing her books and bag as she walked out of the class, her robes flowing wildly behind her. Snape looked at the remaining students.

"What are you staring at?" he yelled, making his way back to his desk.

Never in all his years at Hogwarts had a student talked back to him, and of all people to do it, he would never have guessed it to be Hermione Granger. Without taking his eyes off the desk, he gave his wand another flick and every cauldron returned to the storage wall.

"Class dismissed," he growled, listening to the sounds of the students shuffling out of the room. Taking a seat behind the desk, he leaned back, his hands casually laced behind his head as he contemplated the previous events. He had been speechless. And it took a lot to make Severus Snape speechless. A faint grin appeared on his face as he recalled her last words.

Pity, I thought it would have been two.

That was a comeback worthy of any Slytherin. Minerva would have a field day with that little line. He still couldn't believe it, Hermione nose-in-a-book, would never hurt a fly, had the answer to everything, had her future mapped out by the age of 13 Granger had yelled at him as well as shown a little wit. He had to give the girl points, it took a lot to stand up to Severus Snape, and in his own classroom no less. Taking a piece of parchment from his desk, he quickly scrawled a reminder and then headed off to his own private chambers. He needed to do some thinking.

………………………………………………………………

Hermione stormed into the Gryffindor common room still fuming. Throwing her book bag on the floor, she fell into a plush chair near the fire, trying to rid her body of some of the tension that was making her head hurt and eyes sting. She couldn't believe it. No, wait, she could. But of all the professors to blow up at, she had to choose the one that hated her the most. Her head turned as the portrait hole opened and Neville, Harry, and Ron fell into the common room.

"Hermione, what the bloody hell were you thinking?" Ron asked, tripping as he made his way toward her. "Of all the people you had to yell at Snape!"

"Oh quiet Ronald. Don't look at me like that. Professor Snape has been hounding Neville for the past six years and I decided that someone finally needed to do something about it."

"Hermione, you didn't have to stick up for me. I'm used to failing in potions," Neville said, his body plopping down on the floor beside Hermione's chair.

"I wasn't just sticking up for you Neville. I was sticking up for any other student who has ever been bullied by Professor Snape. He's always gotten away with it and I'm tired of giving him the upper hand. As a teacher he should know better than terrorizing his students. If anything, he should help them, not frighten them."

Ron watched her, his head shaking. Harry merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Thank you Hermione. I would never have had the guts to do anything like that."

"You're welcome Neville, but I don't need thanks. I could care less about getting a week's detention and we can always earn the points back. If I was going to blow up at anyone, I'm glad it was Professor Snape. It made it all the more worthwhile."

Standing up from the chair, Hermione grabbed her book bag and made her way up to her room. She needed to do some studying before they went to dinner.

………………………………………………………………

Filing into the Great Hall, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville took their places at the Gryffindor table, saying hello to Dean and Seamus as they sat down.

"Hermione, did you really yell at Snape?" Seamus asked her.

She looked at.

"Where did you hear that from?"

"The whole school is talking about it. I heard that you told Snape his nose was too big and that he needed to take a bath because he smelled like garbage. Then there was something about you wanting more than a week's detention and that you hexed all the cauldrons as you ran out of the class crying."

Hermione stared at him, her mouth open in anger.

"First off," she said, her anger fueling her words, "I did not cry. What I told Professor Snape was that he needed to look past the end of his abnormally large nose and see that all he does is terrify his students into doing poorly and that the only people who excel in his class are his own Slytherins. And no I did not want another week's detention, I merely commented on the fact that I thought it would have been more than a week's detention and 40 points from Gryffindor. And as flattering as it is to think I would have the power to hex all the cauldrons, I did not. I was still too angry to do anything besides walk out of the room," she told him, grabbing her glass of water and chugging the contents down as if she hadn't had a drink in a week.

As she put her glass down, an owl came soaring into the Hall. Landing atop a dish of potatoes, the bird held out its leg to Hermione. Taking the letter, she unrolled the piece of parchment.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked as he, Harry and Neville crowded around her.

"Who do you think," she said, reading the chicken scratch that was Professor Snape's writing.

Your detention begins tonight. Please be at my office at 8 p.m. Sharp. If you are late, I shall add on another week of detention. Do not be late.

Glancing up toward the Staff Table, Hermione caught Snape staring at her. Smiling as if she had just gotten a present, she mouthed a thank you, watching his eyes narrow and his head turn as he said something to Professor Sprout.

"That's rotten," Harry said, glancing at Hermione as she looked back at the note. She merely shrugged.

"I figured it would start tonight. The sooner it's over the better. Are you going to eat that roll Neville?" she asked, reaching over to his plate and grabbing it off before he had a chance to answer.

"Thanks Neville," she said, getting up from the table and making her way toward the doors.

"Where are you going Hermione?" Harry yelled.

"I have work I need to get done before I have to go visit the dungeons. I'll see you guys later," she said, turning back toward the doors and heading back toward Gryffindor tower.

Ron turned to Harry.

"Is it just me, or is she uncommonly relaxed for being Hermione."

"No, it's not just you. I can feel it too. I wonder what's going on with her."

"It could be that time of the month," Neville said, glancing up from the pile of green beans on his plate.

Realizing the implications of that statement, all three boys' eyes widened and all at once their attentions were drawn to the plates of food before them, none wanting to continue the conversation.