Summary: Hermione, a brilliant witch, always performs outstandingly in class. She earns hundreds of points for her house each week. One professor refuses to acknowledge this, as always. But when her focus is compromised and she makes a mistake, a string of catastrophes and tears ensue, mixed with lemony goodness and shameless smut.
Hermione sat up when the alarm charm she had put on her watch went off, beeping loudly. She hadn't set it to wake her up, because she hadn't been sleeping.
Ron had really pissed her off yesterday, what with his snogging Lavender all over the place, and then asking her if she was jealous, if she wanted a turn. She was furious – so furious that she had been awake all night, laying in bed. She was so furious she cried – or at least that was the excuse she gave herself to hide the real reason behind the tears being shed.
And on top of that, she had double Potions with the Slytherins this hour.
Oh, goody.
She hastily yanked on her uniform and made no attempt to tame her hair or do anything else. She was in a rush to get downstairs to eat before she had to be in class.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that some 1st year had puked all over the place and she'd had to take a detour, Hermione ended up being late for Potions.
Shit.
"Miss Granger, so good of you to join us this morning," Snape drawled lazily from his desk. "Care to explain the reason for your tardiness?"
No, she thought, but I suppose I don't have a choice, do I?
She sighed. "A first year vomited all over the staircase, so I had to take a detour and ended up being late."
He snorted, making her eyes narrow. "Kindly apologize to the class for delaying their learning."
Was he serious?
"Miss Granger," He growled when she said nothing.
She gave them a sarcastic roll of her eyes, causing several people to giggle, and said, "Sorry."
Snape hissed.
She sat down, taking a seat in the back, away from Ron, and pulled out her potions ingredients.
An hour later, her hair had turned bright bubble-gum pink, there was orange and green slime on her face that had erupted from her cauldron, and everyone else was done.
Snape hovered over her desk, and he tsked in reproach.
"Pitiful," He barked, waving his wand over it and vanishing it, leaving an empty cauldron.
"Again."
The entire class sat there and stared at her as she brewed her potion.
Unfortunately, the next potion was worse.
"Granger," Snape shouted. "Again!"
Malfoy groaned. "Professor, sir, can we be dismissed?"
"No." Snape said. "You will wait for Miss Granger to get her potion right."
And, three times later, Hermione had all seven colors of the rainbow on her hair and face, and every shade inbetween. Her robes had been singed and a chunk of her hair had fallen out, and she was in tears as Professor Snape scolded her for her lack of concentration.
"Never in my life have I seen such a pitiful attempt at this potion, Granger. Honestly, this was pathetic. Five times, you have attempted to brew it correctly, and yet you have failed miserably for each. Fifty points from Gryffindor."
Professor McGonagall had walked in just in time to hear the last statement of Professor Snape's.
"Severus, may I ask why you are taking so many points-" She began, but cut off when she saw Hermione, her favorite student, sobbing her heart out, looking like a ridiculous mess, and Snape sneering at her. The Slytherins looked gleeful, the Gryffindors murderous.
"What is going on here?" She demanded. "I came to see why my entire class was missing, and I find that you are not only abusing your power as a teacher to discipline students, but reducing a young girl to tears? You had better have a damn good explanation for this, Severus!"
The students gasped when she swore.
This had never happened before.
"Hermione, dear, come here," Minerva said quietly. The girl immediately rose and practically ran over to her.
Minerva examined her hands, which were badly burnt, and the rest of her face, neck, and head.
"You need the hospital wing before it gets any worse." She fretted. "Potter, kindly escort Miss Granger-"
"No."
She looked up expectantly at Severus.
"She will not leave until she has properly completed the assignment." Snape bellowed.
"That is quite enough, Severus," A cool voice breezed.
All straightened as the Headmaster entered the room.
Albus wrapped an arm about Hermione, pulling her close.
"Severus," He growled, his voice not the usual calm, but slightly enraged. "How dare you do this to one of my students?"
Snape was speechless.
"You knew that the mistake she was making was simple, yet very dangerous to her health and the health of others in this room. She is badly burned, Severus, and the mental scarring after such turmoil shall be worse."
"Turmoil!" Snape barked. "I made her redo the Potion, for chrissake!"
"You did not care to wonder the reason behind the slip in her usually perfect performance? To damage such a beautiful girl, to scar the most of extraordinary minds, Severus… what be your reason?"
"Her other teachers treat her like a prodigy. I will not. The class was assigned to brew a potion to be collected by the end of the hour. She failed to do so. I will not coddle her like an infant."
There was a moment's pause, and Albus said, quieter than before, "Your real reason, Severus."
Snape said nothing.
"Mr. Potter, if you would kindly accompany myself, Professor McGonagall, and Miss Granger to the hospital wing?" Albus murmured, and Harry rose. "Severus, my office. Professor Sprout will be up to look after the students, who will be free to use this time where they are stuck in the classroom freely."
The five of them exited the room, four walking quickly toward the hospital wing, and one furiously stomping in the other direction.
After Madam Pomfrey 'tsk'ed and 'tutt'ed over Hermione, who was now sleeping in her hospital bed with Harry sitting on the edge, gently holding her bandaged hand, and Harry told them exactly what happened, Albus and Minerva went upstairs to the Headmaster's office, where a very flustered Snape sat.
"Now," the Headmaster said regally, his wife's hand settling on his shoulder. "Let us have the story."