* rewrite of another fic of mine. I think I am making it better, or at least I hope.  Disregards third book. *

Third Year

                        The topic of summer break was on the minds of the students of Hogwarts as they joined together once again at the Great Hall.  The Sorting Ceremony had already taken place, and several new students were now seated according to their house.  A loud roar of laughter due to the roasting of a Hufflepuff student bounced off the walls and caused many of the new students to glance back at the Slytherin table in fear.  Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor Prefect, tried his best to calm the new Gryffindor Students by telling them boring information about how he became a Prefect.

            Ron was so sick of hearing that story for the millionth time, but it was so much better then listening to Hermione blab on about how prepared she was for this semester.  Only half listening, Ron and Harry picked at the remainder of their food and waited for dessert. Hermione went on about how she read about how to transform objects into other things, but at a greater scale then what they learned in Transfigurations Class last year.  She was so busy telling them about how interested she was in trying the knew spells in Professor McGonagall's class that she didn't noticed Ron's warning about a roll that was about to collide into her head.  Hermione stopped speaking in mid sentence as Ron and Harry looked around her to try to see whom the culprit was. 

            "Don't even bother Harry," Hermione said.  " I know it came from the Slytherin table.  It probably was Malfoy."  She let out a sigh, but didn't let it bother her.  Ron took this as the perfect opportunity to change the topic.

            "So, Harry, how bad was the Dursley's this time?"  Ron said as the desserts appeared.  Both Hermione and Ron grabbed for some pie as Harry told them of the horror of staying with the spoiled Dudley and his ridiculous parents.  The feast went on until the evening, when Percy lead them all back to the Gryffindor Tower and told them the new password for this semester.  It was Cherry Blossoms.  The new students were shown to their rooms leaving the return students in the common room to do as they pleased.  Hermione sat down and looked over her schedule.  She smiled a bit and them put it back in her pocket after seeing if Ron and Harry were in her classes.

Potions Class

            Snape retrieved his role book from his office as well as a few books about the potions his class was going to make.  Beginning of the year classes he always dreaded.  This was due to the students in his beginner's potions class.  They did not realize the importance of his class; instead, the students were rather 'wand happy'.  He had several students in past years ask when they got to wave their wands around.  Snape told them that they would be too busy to worry about that when they are waving their rags around after class in detention.

            Thumbing through the stack of books in his bookcase, Snape grabbed his last needed book and headed out the door to his first class of the day.  He loved the early classes.  Nothing like getting an early start on the day, even more so when majority of the students hated getting up early.  Snape could imagine the students in his class with their drowsy eyes attempting to remain open.  The memory of Neville doing the classic head-falling-off-the-arm stunt that caused him to knock over his cauldron and spilling its contents on the floor almost made the potions master laugh.  He rounded the last turn to his class and walked down the staircase.  He could hear the mindless chit chat of the students going on inside.  Silence passed through the room as Professor Snape entered and walked directly to his desk.

            Starting the class the same way he always did, Snape read through the list of names of the students on his roster.  Noting with much irritation, the Gryffindor's were in this class.  If Snape didn't despise eye rolling, he would have done so himself.  To make matters worse, Hermione Granger was in his class.  He disliked her know it all attitude almost as much as he disliked Harry.

            The class was now working on their potions and Snape prowled along his classroom peering at the nervous students.  Hermione, who was unfortunately paired with Neville, was desperately trying to make her potion correct despite Neville's mistakes.  Her voice was heard from across the room as she tried to stop Neville from adding the wrong ingredient.  Needless to say from the gasps and scattering students, Granger was unable to stop the chicken claws from mixing in with the potion.  Snape walked over and quickly waved his wand and took care of the mess. 

            "And it was such a simple potion, Miss Granger," Snape said mockingly.  "I would have expected you to complete it with no problems.  Did you not look over any books this summer?"  He turned his back and headed over to another student.

            Hermione sat down with a sigh and tried to ignore Neville's apologies.  She knew how to make the potion.  She read about it, and was fully aware of how and when to add the ingredients.  If it wasn't for her clumsy partner, she would have had it done by now.  She plopped her head down on the desk.  'Now he thinks of me as an idiot.' Hermione thought to herself.  'It wasn't my fault.  I don't know why he blamed me for it. I hope this does not lower my marks any.'  She rested her head on her hand and watched the other students fumble around with the ingredients.  She watched Snape pace around the room looking for some reason for him to correct or take points away from the students. 

            The class eventually came to an end and Hermione decided that she needed to talk to the Professor.  She walked up to his desk after the students left.  Standing there for a bit waiting for Snape to acknowledge her presence.  It wasn't until she coughed did he look up.

            "What is it?" 

            "Um." Hermione tried to speak. " I just wanted to let you know that I am well aware of how to make this potion…"

            "Then how come yours boiled over Miss Granger?" Snape said as he lowered his gaze back down to his roll book.

            "Because of Neville! He added the Chicken Feet to early!!" Hermione pleaded.  "If it wasn't for him, it would have come out properly."

            "Would it have?"  Snape said, closing his book and standing up from his chair.  "Are you so sure?"

            Hermione was about to speak, but second-guessed herself.  She was sure she did everything correctly; she made sure to read the directions straight from the book.  "Yes, I am sure I did," She finally said with confidence.

            Snape walked over to her worktable and picked up a bottle.  "Miss Granger, if you have read your directions here," He picked up the paper that had the step-by-step directions on it, " You will see that this ingredient here was supposed to be added before you dumped in the frog eyes, which I do believe that you had added in.  Neville was following the list correctly where as you were not."  Snape placed the bottle back down with a clang and grimaced at the way Hermione's mouth was gaping open.  "Clean up your mess, and copy this chapter, chapter two, twenty times by next class."  With that said, he turned around and went back to his desk.

            Hermione was in a state of shock.  She quickly walked over to her workstation and read the list and saw that she had indeed made the potion wrong.  'I must have been so caught up with what Neville was doing that I didn't pay attention to what I was doing.' Hermione mentally cursed herself several times as she managed to clean up her table in five minutes, which according to Snape, was five minutes to late.