This is an SSHG fic, but they have to build it up, so please be patient with me!

I haven't made that many changes to JKR's version, but here are the main ones:

Obviously Snape survives,

Ron and Hermione do not end up together (again obvious!)

Fred does not die (I just cannot bear to live without him :P)


Fifteen students stood crowded into a fifth floor bathroom. They formed a circle around the two boys who stood glaring at each other, their wands drawn. The bathroom was awash with emerald and crimson as the two boys barked insults at each other. The noise of their shouts and the resulting rabble from the crowd grew steadily, reverberating around the bathroom and spilling into the closest corridors. Suddenly, the raven haired boy bearing the serpentine emblem let out a mighty bellow and a flash of purple shot from his wand. The Gryffindor managed to shield himself in time, causing the curse to backfire. It careened into an ornate mirror, shattering the glass into a million tiny pieces that skittered into the sink below and flew wildly at the students. Most of the crowd ducked and shielded their faces, but the two challengers remained locked in their fury. The other boy roared as befitted his house and spun his wand around his face before sending a golden jet of magic at the Slytherin. In his haste the Gryffindor boy had let aim fall by the wayside and the spell skimmed his opponents arm, singing the robes there, before exploding against one of the cubicle doors. The resulting noise made the assembled shy away before the boys returned to their fiery duel.

Two corridors away, a bushy haired young woman was curled on her sofa reading when she heard the cubicle explode. She stood up quickly, setting her book aside and left her quarters to investigate the source of the noise. The same distance away on the other side of the bathroom a hook-nosed man looked up from his marking and frowned. He pulled on a billowing cloak and swept from his rooms.

Most of the teachers at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry held their quarters on the fifth floor because it was rarely disturbed by the troublesome din of the students. So, when Professors Snape and Granger heard the recognisable sounds of a wizarding duel their hearts immediately span into a frenzy of cruel memories from times past. However, they soon realised that some students must be out past curfew and they scurried towards the disturbance. Well, Hermione did, Severus cannot be described as hurrying; he glides.

Hermione reached the bathroom first. Her eyes registered the water escaping beneath the door from the broken cistern and her ears heard the jeering and shouting from within. She pulled out her wand and strode inside the room just as Severus rounded the corner.

"That's enough!" He heard her exclaim before he turned into the bathroom.

This was when he realised that the Sorting Hat had been right to place her in Gryffindor; she was very brave. She had marched between the boys and was glowering at them with pure anger, despite it being clear that this was no petty dispute and powerful spells had been cast. He watched as she drew both of their wands towards her without speaking a word. The Slytherin boy struggled against the restrains that she now bound them with and howled foul words at her concerning her blood status, her unworthiness to teach and even her informal attire. As the words left the boy's mouth Severus looked at Hermione for the first time. She was wearing soft silk pyjamas, the trousers of which fell to just above her knees and the top half comprising of a thin and flimsy camisole. Her hair fell haphazardly down her back and the muggle make-up she wore during the day, was barely visible. Severus knew that a lot of the student body respected Hermione and he also knew that a large proportion of the males, and a few of the females, found her attractive. However, he thought that the open-mouthed stares that were focused on her chest at that moment were incredibly distasteful.

He knew she was capable of dealing with this situation alone, but the rising anger that was apparent on her face as the Slytherin continued his tirade encouraged him to stay and watch the fireworks. He leant against the door frame, the students closest taking a step away from him.

"You disgust me!" The Slytherin boy finally yelled with as much loathing as he could muster.

"You idiot! Take that back!" the Gryffindor roared.

"Are you quite finished?" Hermione uttered quietly with undisguised anger brewing beneath her calm exterior.

"Nowhere near!" The Slytherin hissed making Severus ashamed of his stupidity and inability to read the severity of the situation.

"Do you permit me to punish your student Professor Snape?" Hermione said politely, not turning her head.

Severus quickly hid his expression of surprise and replied in his cold manner, "Go ahead."

The Slytherin boy looked up into the face of his Head of House as the hook-nosed man raised one eyebrow. The boy paled and looked back towards his Charms Professor, but she turned away from him after tightening his constraints.

"Mr Baker," she addressed the other boy, "you will serve a detention with me on Friday evening at 7pm. You're antics in this bathroom have also lost your house 150 points."

A collective moan rippled through the gathered Gryffindors as they were already trailing behind Slytherin and it was nearing the end of the year.

"Now, could someone inform me of how many points Slytherin now lead by?" Hermione inquired from the silent crowd.

One smug looking boy with large muscles, whom Hermione recognised as a Slytherin beater answered her question, "That would be 370 points!"

"Wow, most impressive," she smiled sweetly at the beater.

Despite himself, Severus smile as his mind connected the dots before the students did.

"Well, Mr Macabre, I think your antics within this bathroom and your subsequent behaviour towards a member of staff will tot up to… let's say… 371 points?"

The gathered Slytherins began to grumble immediately as the Gryffindors cheered and called thanks to their Professor. Some Slytherins began to react towards them, but Hermione instantly interceded by continuing her speech.

"Also, Mr Macabre, you will receive a detention each night with me for the rest of this week and next. In addition to this, I will be referring you to the Ministry for using banned vocabulary and for expressing an opinion that has been outlawed among the wizarding community." Her voice became much more menacing as she said, "This type of behaviour is unacceptable and will not be permitted."

She then twisted her wand in a complex movement over the other two wands in her hand. They shook violently for a moment before releasing two bright streaks of light. She smiled a devious smile and raised her eyebrows.

"You stupid boy!" Severus Snape spat from the doorway glaring between the wands and the Slytherin.

"Yes, your Head of House is most certainly right there, Mr Macabre, not the most intelligent thing, using an illegal curse. This shall also have to be reported to the Ministry, will it not?"

The Slytherin boy did nothing but glower as Hermione undid their restraints and returned their wands

"You are dismissed, but you should all learn from this and Mr Macabre I shall see you tomorrow in my study at 7pm."

The crowd trooped out of the destroyed bathroom, Severus dragging Macabre into the hallway with some hissed words. Hermione watched them go before turning to repair the bathroom.

"Professor?" A tentative voice said.

She turned to see Hugh Baker stood in the doorway looking apologetic. She merely raised her eyebrows, knowing the confident boy needed nothing more from her.

"I just wanted to apologise for disturbing you and Professor Snape and also for causing damage to school property. It's just that… Macabre's been scaring and insulting some of the muggleborn girls in Gryffindor and he antagonised me. I know I shouldn't have reacted in such a way."

He stepped into the room and began to repair the broken mirror.

"It's okay Hugh, chivalry and pride are two of the reasons you were placed into Gryffindor, you should not apologise for them. In the end, the right conclusion has been reached and Mr Macabre shall get what he deserves, however, next time there are better ways to go about it." She smile sincerely at him.

Hugh laughed, "I'll try, but I can't promise you anything."

Hermione let herself laugh, "I didn't expect you too, I'm used to trouble makers like you," she laughed and he covered his mouth in mock surprise.

"Well, you are one of the Golden Trio, Professor," she smiled, but said nothing as her mind recoiled at the words. "which should make him treat you with more respect, 'cos to be honest, you rock Professor!" He laughed as the mirror joined itself back together looking as perfect as the day it was created. "Well, that's that, see you in class tomorrow, Professor Granger."

"Remember, I want 2000 words on the Colloportus and Alohomora charm," she said slipping into her teacher persona for protection.

"Yes, Professor," he called to her as he ran from the room.

The final shards of porcelain and wood floated back to their rightful homes under the gentle guidance of Hermione's wand, before she turned and left the room. She began walking down the corridor towards her quarters and the waiting book there. Before she had taken more than ten steps she became aware of someone else in the dark corridor. Lighting her wand with the obligatory, "Lumos," she stepped around the corner to find a red-faced Severus Snape hissing at Macabre. She was pleased and surprised to see that the arrogant boy looked in some way ashamed.

"I shall expect to see you in my study directly after your detention with Professor Granger," Snape stated before dismissing the boy with a wave of his hand.

"Don't keep him too long tomorrow, I'd rather not be up all night." He looked at her without his usual sneer, Hermione even thought she saw a flash of humour in his eyes.

Without knowing why she did it she spoke quietly as he brushed past her, "I thought we were finally getting somewhere with these idiots."

"We are Granger."

With that he carried on walking and she listened to his cloak sweeping the ground and his quite footfalls until her ears were straining. She let her mind wash with the words Macabre had said previously and then her synapses pulled her to darker times lurking in her past. A lone tear streaked down her face before she rushed back to her quarters and collapsed into bed, her book left open on the sofa.

____________________________________________________________________Hope you liked it!