1On Fire Chapter 1 "On Fire"

Author's Note: There are a few changes from the events of canon in my little ficlet. They will be obvious to most but hopefully won't detract from my story too much: In this fic, McGonagall is late coming to the Quiddich match rather than being in the stands from the start. As well, Hermione goes under the stands to set Snape's robes on fire, and she doesn't scoop the flames back into a jar.

" A fully grown mountain troll? Minerva, you must have lost ten years off your life when you saw the three of them standing there!", Pomona Sprout exclaimed.

It was the afternoon following Halloween and several of Hogwarts' staff were gathered in the staff room, as usual, for their daily wind-down after classes.

" More like twenty years, Pomona", Minerva McGonagall poured her tea with a sigh and sank gratefully into one of the overstuffed chairs populating the room.

" I do hope you punished them severely", Pomona stated,

"after all, this is an enormous transgression with which to begin their Hogwarts career."

Settled in, with her favourite blend of Oolong, the Herbology professor stretched her short legs out to the ottoman in front of her and sighed in satisfaction.

"Of course, I did", Minerva said, primly, sipping her tea, "I deducted points straight away."

At this remark a snort issued from the depths of a wingback chair near the fireplace.

"Have you something to say, Severus, asked Minerva, her eyebrows lifted,"By all means, don't hold back."

The acerbic tone of the witch's voice caused Pomona to grin slightly and Filius Flitwick to look up from perusing his copy of the Daily Prophet.

Severus Snape lifted his quill from the homework parchment he was slashing great red lines through and tapped his lips in a mock-thoughtful manner. Although he'd never admit it, he enjoyed his verbal sparring with Hogwarts' Transfiguration Professor and wanted to use this opportunity to the best of his advantage.

"And how many points did you take, Minerva?" he questioned dryly, knowing full well just how many points had been deducted following the Troll Incident of the previous evening.

"Sufficient, Severus. I am well aware that you view my discipline measures as lax, but as I've said before, if the students were from your house-

"They wouldn't be sitting so comfortably today." Snape interjected.

"-you could discipline them as you see fit, but I know my Gryffindors, and they don't need such harsh discipline."

Both Pomona and Filius were quietly sniggering by now, this being an age-old argument between the two Heads of House.

"Well," drawled Severus, pulling his lanky form up out of the chair and summoning his quill and parchments,

"we'll see just how well your punishment worked as a preventative measure against further mischief with the Boy-Who-Lived and his two now faithful Side Kicks. Perhaps you would like to enter a wager of sorts?"

He paused, slanting his intense black gaze toward Minerva.

"I'm willing to bet those three miscreants will be up to their ears in trouble before the passing of a fortnight."

Minerva pursed her lips in a disapproving manner and sniffed.

"You know I only partake in wagers having to do with the outcome of the House Cup."

At that, Severus laughed outright and swept out of the room, his rumbling chuckle trailing behind him and mixing with the laughter of the remaining staff.

As Harry Potter's broom bucked and twisted in some bizarre attempt to unseat him metres above the quiddich pitch, Professor Minerva McGonagall was just arriving onto the field. She hurried toward the Staff section, intent on finding out what was happening that had everyone on their feet and looking high above the pitch.

Quickly turning the corner, she was just in time to see Hermione Granger slip under the stands, a determined look on her young face. Minerva watched, astounded, as Hermione crept up and used her wand to ignite the hems of Professor Snape's robes, nodded to herself, and turned away.

Only to be brought up short at the sight of her stern Professor staring at her, arms crossed and her mouth set in a firm line.

Overhead, the ensuing commotion as the flames were noticed served to drown out the voice but Hermione could clearly see Professor McGonagall's lips say

"Hermione Granger! Come with me!"

"Just what do you THINK you were doing, Miss Granger? Setting FIRE to your professor is classified as ASSAULT!. Such things are NOT taken lightly here at Hogwarts, I can assure you!"

"But Professor Snape was...well it looked like he was...He could have been...Someone was hexing Harry's broom Professor! And Professor Snape was staring right at him and his lips were moving like he was cursing the broom and I had to do something..."

Hermione's voice trailed off as her professor's face darkened.

"Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall took a deep (and calming) breath.

"Do you mean to tell me that you believe a trusted Professor of this school would deliberately harm a student?"

"Well", Hermione faltered, "He really doesn't like Harry..."

"And that is grounds to assume he's guilty of attacking a student?"

"Well", Hermione's voice was getting smaller and the eleven year old witch looked up at her stern professor through her eyelashes,

"He was looking at him without blinking...and he was moving his lips.."

"A prayer perhaps?" Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows,

"Or how about a counter curse- which may involve unbroken eye contact and an audible verbal chant?"

"Oh." Hermione whispered, chagrined.

"Oh, indeed" bit out the professor.

"And where was our esteemed Headmaster, undoubtedly The Most Powerful Wizard Of Our Time, whilst this supposed hexing was taking place? "

"In the staff seats, near Professor Snape..." mumbled Hermione.

"In. The. Staff. Seats. And you think Professor Dumbledore would not be able to recognize and prevent a dangerous situation, leaving it up to you, an untrained eleven year old witch, to save the day by setting fire to your professor?" McGonagall's voice was rising and her usually slight Scottish accent was becoming more pronounced.

Hermione said nothing at this point, recognizing that further comment would be unwise and unwelcome.

"I have never been witness to such foolhardy actions from a first year student for decades! First the Troll, and now this!"

"Perhaps Professor Snape was correct in his assumptions that I was too lax with you.

"At any rate, I feel that he deserves to hear your explanation and your apology, Young Lady"

Professor McGonagall took her seat behind her desk and stared thoughtfully at Hermione for a few moments, the fingers of her right hand tapping the desk lightly.

Hermione was mortified, now that her actions were sinking in. Her mind raced with possible consequences, the first being expulsion.

"Please Professor McGonagall, don't expel me! I love Hogwarts! I just didn't stop to think! I'm really sorry and I'll never do it again!"

"I don't think expulsion is the answer Miss Granger."

Hermione sighed with relief and her legs trembled with the effort to keep her body upright.

"However, this is a very serious matter. I think I will let Professor Snape decide your punishment."

Hermione's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"But, but-"

"No buts, Miss Granger. You are in no position to argue with me. You will seek out Professor Snape in his office tonight. He keeps office hours Saturdays following the evening meal.

"Yes. You will seek out Professor Snape in his office. You will explain the events of this afternoon, in detail.

"You will ask his forgiveness and submit to whatever punishment he decides upon. To be certain, I will send along a signed note, transferring my authority over to him in this matter."

As her professor took out a piece of parchment from a drawer and summoned a quill, Hermione thought the floor should just open up and swallow her. She didn't think she could stand to have her Head of House so upset with her. And Snape! He'll kill me... I'll have detention for the rest of my life...

"I'm really sorry Professor!" Hermione's voice trembled and her eyes filled with tears.

"I'll never do anything like this again! Please don't send me to Professor Snape! He hates me!"

"Ridiculous, Miss Granger. Professor Snape may not like you, but he doesn't hate you, I'm certain. He simply does not appreciate the Gryffindor mindset. I have heard him comment on your prowess in potions often enough to know he doesn't hate you.

Hermione's mind boggled at the idea that Snape may have said something nice about her.

"Although, he will be terribly upset, I expect. One does not react lightly to having a student set one's robes on fire."

Professor McGonagall conjured a drop of wax and sealed the note that she had been writing. She stood abruptly and strode around her desk to where Hermione stood, literally shaking in her shoes.

"Take this to Professor Snape and do exactly as I have said. If you do not, I will know and your consequences will be very grave indeed. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, professor," the little girl whispered and reached out a trembling hand to take the note.

"I will expect much better behaviour in the future, Miss Granger. I would hate to see the Hogwarts career of such a promising young mind cut short due to careless acts of misbehaviour."

On Fire Chapter 2 Incineration

Six o'clock that evening found Hermione leaning against the wall of the dungeon corridor near the Potions Classroom. Her hands were trembling, she was sweating and felt like she would sick up the few bites of supper she had managed to choke down. She patted the cool stone wall behind her and tried to collect herself.

Harry and Ron had volunteered to walk her down, both praising her brave attempt at saving Harry and commiserating with her about the unfairness of their Head of House in sending one of her poor lambs to slaughter in the dungeons.

But Hermione wanted to do this alone. She didn't want either of her new friends to see her fear, or to be lurking near the office to overhear her getting yelled at. She knew Professor Snape would yell.

She could handle shouting, even though her parents were quiet people and never raised their voice to their only child. In fact, they hardly ever had any need to punish her in any way. If they did, a few words of reprimand were enough to reduce her to tears and promises to do better.

Taking a deep breath and summoning all her courage, Hermione purposely strode past the classroom door and paused at the next door down the dim corridor.

The large door was made of dark wood and had an ornate brass handle in the form of a snake. A yellowed parchment stuck to the door just above her head, announcing Snape's office hours in his cramped, distinctive scrawl.

Timidly, Hermione raised her hand and knocked softly on the door. Perhaps he won't hear me...perhaps he's not here...perhaps he's been sucked away by aliens...

"Enter." came the deep voice of her professor.

Gingerly, the girl pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The professor was sitting at his desk, the office surprisingly brightly lit with several candles placed around the room. His quill poised above parchment, he raised a brow and what looked like surprise flitted across his face.

"Miss Granger. To what do I owe this...intrusion?"

O Mary, Mother of God, help me now in this my hour of need ...Her childhood catechism echoed in her brain..."Ummm"

"Eloquent as ever, Miss Granger. State your business or leave, I am a busy man" He tipped his head and stared at her appraisingly.

"I...um...I...I have something to confess" There, she'd said it and she definitely had his attention now.

Snape sat further upright in his chair. " What could an innocent young Gryffindor, like yourself, possibly have to confess to the Head of Slytherin House..?"

I really hate the way he over-enunciates when he's being sarcastic..."Well, you see, Sir, this afternoon..you know, when something happened to Harry's broom..."

"Go on."

The words seemed to hang ominously in the thick dungeon air. Hermione was finding it hard to breathe.

"Well, I know it was wrong of me, and I'm really sorry, but you see, I was desperate, and it looked, well it looked to me like, like youwerehexingHarry'sbroom andsoIsnuckaroundand setfiretoyourrobes" The words tumbled out on top of one another and Hermione felt she would collapse with the effort.

Silence. Hermione kept her eyes resolutely glued to the floor, her heart beating a rapid staccato in her chest.

More silence. Hermione dared to take a quick peek up at her professor. He was sitting very still at his desk, except for the tiny muscle twitching at the corner of his eye.

Abruptly he cleared his throat. Hermione jumped.

"Let me attempt to clarify this...confession" His voice was quiet, but hard.

" You, in all your Gryffindor wisdom, rapidly assessed the situation when Mr Potter's broom began cavorting in an erratic manner, decided that the perpetrator was me, and setfire to my robes in an attempt to rectify the situation."

Hermione swallowed, and nodded, her face flushing under his intense scrutiny.

"I think Professor McGonagall should be involved in this scintillating discussion"

Snape rose from his desk in one fluid movement, causing his student to step back quickly and stammer,

"She-she already knows! S-Sir."

Quailing inside but pushing herself, Hermione went on, breathing quickly.

"She saw me. Professor McGonagall, I mean. When I lit your robes on fire. Sir." Her cheeks burned.

"She took m-me to her office and said that I was to come down here and explain to you. And to-" Hermione's stomach threatened to hurl, "to ask for your forgiveness, and-"

At this point she was certain she was going to sick up. She could feel it, climbing up her esophagus with acidic fingers.

A glance at his stony face was like a splash of cold water and she was able to whisper,

"And to submit to whatever punishment you wish to give me."

Silence. Hermione looked everywhere but at her professor, waiting for the bomb to blow.

"Professor McGonagall said this?" His deep voice sounded mocking, disbelieving.

"She gave me this note for you." Hermione fumbled in her pocket and drew out the wrinkled note.

Snape reached out his hand but made no move toward her. Slowly, she inched forward and placed it in his open palm, the note a small splash of white on the calloused skin.

Scampering back to her place closer to the door, Hermione heard the parchment crinkle.

Silence.

Sweat trickled down her back. Her camisole stuck to her skin under her blouse. I'mdead, I'm so dead, I'm dead, I want my mum...no I don't, she'd kill me...

"It seems you are capable of following instruction at least some of the time, Miss Granger."

The professor's voice shook Hermione out of her thoughts. She raised her eyes to meet his piercing gaze..

"What to do, what to do.." Snape stroked his jaw thoughtfully. Hermione could hear his fingers rasp over the evening stubble on his face. He held Hermione's attention with his eyes boring into hers.

" I have found, over the years, that suiting the punishment to the crime is often quite effective in deterring further delinquency."

He's going to set me on fire?

"However, as incinerating students is frowned upon," He paused and walked over to the corner of his office,

"I will have to resort to another method that will produce the same results, albeit in a limited area of the anatomy."

What is he talking about? Anatomy? Hermione's thoughts were racing.

Snape picked up a wooden armless chair and moved it into the centre of his office.

" I feel, Miss Granger, that the situation warrants a sound spanking."

Hermione was dumbfounded. A spanking. A Spanking!

"But Sir! Hogwarts doesn't allow corporal punishment! I've read Hogwarts, A History and it states-"

"I am quite aware of what it states, Miss Granger. However, the fact remains that Heads of House do have the authority to discipline their students with physical punishments and,"

He held up a hand to silence her protest,

"Professor McGonagall has temporarily transferred her authority to me, to punish you as though you were a member of my own house, Merlin forbid," He added dryly.

"And since I feel this grievous offense against my person, causing extensive damage to my robes, merits a spanking, that is what you will receive."

Hermione's mind was spinning. Her dreaded potions professor, a powerful wizard and a very large man, was going to spank her?

Professor Snape seated himself in the straight backed chair and began to roll up his right sleeve. The sight of him in his white shirt and black waistcoat, out of his teaching robes, was every bit as intimidating as when he was in full professorial regalia.

"To me, Miss Granger."

I can't believe this is happening. This has to be a bad dream..I've never been spanked in my life...do wizards spank differently than non-magical people? Hermione stood, frozen to the spot, her eyes wide and terrified.

"Now, Miss Granger."

Fortunately for Hermione, her naturally obedient manner kicked in and she moved forward, closer to her Professor.

Snape suddenly raised his wand and Hermione gasped. A muttered word and the door behind her locked and the air stirred. A silencing charm?

He tucked his wand back into his left sleeve and reached forward and grasped Hermione's arm.

Pulling the frightened girl to his right side, he released her arm and yanked her blouse and camisole out of the waistband of her skirt with a quick jerk. Before she could do more than blink, Hermione found herself drawn across her professor's knees, her face and feet dangling far from the floor.

Methodically, he lifted the hem of her skirt up onto her back with practiced ease. Her right arm was moved up to her lower back, her hand held loosely in his large cool fingers.

"Obviously you have never been punished in this manner, Miss Granger. That is unfortunate, as it may have prevented your mischievous, foolhardy nature from escalating to this point."

"There are rules in this endeavour. You may cry out and you may squirm, but you may not hit, kick, or bite me. You will answer any and all questions in a polite manner. You do not want to violate these rules. Do you understand?"

Hermione was dying. Of embarrassment. She lay rigid over his thighs, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

"I understand. Sir."

"Very well. We will begin."

With that, Snape grasped the waistband of her yellow floral knickers and pulled them down to her knees.

As the cool air of the dungeon washed over her exposed bottom, Hermione thought this couldn't get any worse. Then his palm crashed onto her tender skin and all conscious thought fled her mind. Owwww

Smack...aaahhh...Smack...his hand covered most of her backside and seemed as hard as iron.

By the third smack Hermione was whimpering through her gritted teeth. Snape seemed intent on concentrating his attack on the area where her bottom met her thighs.

Spank...Hermione was starting to forget her mortification as her legs kicked out of their own accord...Smack..."oww"...Smack..."aahh"...his hand was moving higher now, focusing on the centre, the sting was getting more and more intense and Hermione writhed across his firm legs.

After six smarting spanks Snape paused in his assault to her seat, and rested his hand on her thighs.

"Miss Granger, you are a foolish. Little. Girl." More spanks accompanied his last three words; hard, stinging smacks that made her body jerk in response and the tears flood from her eyes.

"You must learn to control. Your. Impulses." Spank, spank, spank.

Hermione was sobbing now, her entire bottom felt to be in flames.

"Are you prepared to change your behaviour for the better?"

"Yes!"

"Yes, what?"

"Y-yes, I am! Yes, Sir!" Hermione gulped the words out through her tears. Her nose was running and her bottom was throbbing.

" Let this be a reminder to you as to what happens to naughty little girls who consider themselves above the rules and act without thinking of the consequences."

With that stern comment Snape resumed the spanking, lifting his right leg to further expose the junction of bottom and thigh. Spank..spank...spank...spank...spank!

Hermione thought that if her bottom had been flaming before it was certainly an inferno now, consuming her, taking her breath away.

She gave up and hung limply across her professors lap, crying like the sorry little girl she was.

It took her a few seconds to realize he had stopped, one heavy hand resting on her back, still pinning her right hand, and the other motionless on her legs.

Acute embarrassment returned and she struggled to get up. Immediately Professor Snape pulled up her knickers, released her right hand and stood her up beside him.

Hermione stood there, sobbing, trying to catch her breath, wiping at her face with her sleeve.

Wordlessly, Snape handed her a handkerchief and watched as she slowly composed herself.

"I..I'm really sorry Professor" her breath hitched.

"I'm certain you are."

Feeling completely chastened, Hermione struggled with her feelings.

"It was really wrong of me to set you on fire..." she knew what she wanted to ask but wasn't certain she was brave enough...

"You are forgiven, Miss Granger"

Hermione sagged with relief and without further thought threw herself into her professor's arms, her sobs renewed.

"There, there, Miss Granger" Professor Snape awkwardly patted her back.

"Wipe your tears, there you go" His matter-of-fact tone served to remind Hermione where she was and what she was doing and to whom, and she drew away; noting with some surprise that her greasy git of a teacher wasn't greasy close up, and he smelled faintly of aftershave or soap, reminiscent of her father.

Strong hands steadied her as she regained her footing, then they quickly and deftly tucked her blouse back into her skirt.

The little girl took a quick breath as the cotton fabric brushed against her bottom and her hand automatically reached back to rub the sting. She noticed her professor seemed to be hiding a smirk and waited for him to release some cutting or otherwise hurtful remark in regard to her discomfort.

To her continued surprise, the dark man said nothing. He rose and lifted the chair back to its former position.

"If there is nothing else to you wish to confess today, Miss Granger,"

Hermione's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. The throb in her bottom was like a heartbeat and temporarily robbed her of speech.

"Then you may go."

Professor Snape returned to his seat behind the desk and picked up his quill as Hermione made her way to the door.

"Although...you may be assured that I will be watching you Miss Granger. Any further misconduct may result in the same penalty...

Professor McGonagall was quite clear in her instructions. She placed you under my authority temporarily, but with the possibility of extension. There may be hope for you, after all. Good day, Miss Granger. "

Closing the heavy door behind her, Hermione paused in the hall, to further straighten her clothing.

Giving her backside another rub, she sighed and started up the hall, her thoughts already turning to the abridged version of her punishment that she would divulge to the boys.