Flames of the Heart – Chapter One.
Hermione Granger always prided herself in being one of the best students in her year. She was head girl, and the majority of the Hogwarts faculty respected her in a way that made her feel incredibly proud of her achievements. In fact, she was even practically guaranteed a teaching position for when she graduated in a few months time. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was retiring at the end of the year, sending a great deal of disarray throughout the staff members. Who would replace him? Who COULD? Naturally their eyes turned towards Hermione and she'd been offered the position mere days after Flitwick's resignation.
So why, Hermione thought, gritting her teeth in frustration, was she trying to break up a duel in the middle of the corridor one evening when she should have been filling out the necessary paperwork for the job? Four students, two of Slytherin and two of Gryffindor were firing hexes at each other from opposite sides of the corridor, yelling and trading insults like a couple of first years. Hermione sighed and, pulling out her wand, stepped right into the line of fire. The amateur hexes and curses glanced off her shield as if they were nothing and Hermione raised her voice to be heard over the crowd of students that had gathered to watch and laugh at the show.
"WHAT," Hermione yelled, frustration boiling through her. "Do you think you're doing?" She shot at both the Slytherin and Gryffindor trouble makers.
The hexes ceased immediately and a silence settled across the group of students and the four duelling students glanced at each other nervously. They'd seen Hermione Granger angry before, and although it was fun to watch from a distance, neither of them wanted to be on the receiving end of the Head Girls anger.
"We were... we were..." stuttered a skinny, large eyed boy from Gryffindor.
Hermione raised her eyebrows at the boy, daring him to go on.
"We were duelling to see who was better, you meddling little mudblood." Spat out the Slytherin boy, leering at Hermione, his arm around his female partner's waist. He looked old for his age, with a sculpted face and hair that fell in glossy blonde waves to his shoulders.
Hermione narrowed her eyes and fixed the Slytherin with an expression that made his sudden bout confidence fade away as quickly as it arrived.
"Actually," The second Gryffindor, another boy, suddenly chimed in. "Jeremiah thought it hilarious to curse us as we walked in the hallway."
"You lying little..." Jeremiah shot the Gryffindor a dangerous look, and before Hermione knew what had happened, he sent another curse at the boy over her shoulder. Chaos erupted once more, and nothing that Hermione shouted or did made any difference.
Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw a glimpse of a sweeping black cloak and greasy black hair enter the fray. Secretly relieved to have back-up, even if it were in the form of Professor Snape, Hermione started to make her way towards the towering figure, doing her best to block any jinx's that came her way.
"Miss Granger," snapped Snape. "DO tell me why you have not curbed this disturbance already!"
Hermione glowered at him and tossed her hair over her shoulder in annoyance – it wasn't like she wasn't trying!
"Well, Professor, I was just in the middle of it when you decided to make your appearance." She quipped, not caring that she was being rude.
She just had time to register the surprise on his face at her comment when she was hit by something. She gasped in surprise as a flaming warmth spread throughout her body, starting in her chest and spreading outwards, right down to her fingers and toes.
Then her vision went black and she felt no more.