Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
A special thanks to AlElizabeth for beta'ing my story.
A/N: My Harry Potter beta, The Lonely God With a Box, asked for a story for her birthday.
Summary: What happens when one assumes that they are doing the right thing?
There was a mild explosion, a plume of smoke filtered through the cracks of the windows and door. The student waved their wand trying to get rid of the smoke with one hand while the other was searching through their notes to see what had gone wrong. Someone rushed into the room.
"What happened?"
"Something's wrong," said by the brewer, still flipping through their notes.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh," looking up as if just noticing that someone was in the room with them. "Yeah."
Footsteps could be heard coming towards them. The brewer looked down at her notes when she felt something wrap around them. They were about to speak when the door opened, and an irate Potions Master was standing in the doorway.
"Would you care to explain to me what it is you think you're doing, Potter?" Severus asked, walking towards the Boy Who Lived, looking at the slightly tilted cauldron, the array of ingredients on the table as well as some notes.
"Nothing, sir," Harry replied innocently.
"Really?" Severus said, looking up at the boy. "As it appears as though you have been attempting to brew a very complex potion that is far more advanced than your skill set."
Harry said nothing.
"I will ask you again," Severus said, towering over the child. "What were you doing? Also, where did you get the ingredients?"
Again, Harry said nothing.
"As it seems the cat has your tongue, maybe you can tell the Headmaster what you were doing."
Severus waved his arm over the table and all the ingredients, supplies and notes disappeared.
"After you, Potter."
"Yes, sir," Harry muttered and left out of the room.
Severus followed Harry out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The person under the cloak moved it to reveal themselves once again. Tears burned the back of her throat as she just witnessed her friend take the blame for her mistake. The cloak slipped from her fingers as she just stood there looking at the door.
She knew what she needed to do. She needed to catch Professor Snape and Harry before they got to the Headmaster's office. But for some reason she couldn't get her feet to move. When the first tear escaped and streamed down her cheek, she looked at the door and took a deep breath. Steeling her heart, preparing herself to take whatever punishment was deemed, she walked over to the door and opened it. Stepping into the corridor, she turned towards the direction she knew that Harry and Professor Snape went, but before she could take her first step…
"I was wondering when you were going to come out of there, Miss Granger," a silken voice said behind her.
Hermione froze where she stood. Her heart beating so rapidly she thought she would faint.
"I believe that if you have the audacity to steal from my stores, you can show me the respect of facing me."
Hermione lowered her head as she turned to face her Potions Professor. When she felt she had enough control over her emotions that she could look at her Professor and not breakdown crying, she lifted her head.
Professor Snape was leaning against the wall, arms folded as if he was literally waiting for her to come out of the room.
"Sir—"
Severus raised his hand before Hermione could say any more. "I do not want to have this conversation in the corridor. To my office." Turning on his heel, Severus walked, heading towards the dungeons.
Hermione watched his retreating back. She had never been to his office before and from what Harry and Ron had said, it wasn't a pleasant place to be. Honestly, she hadn't been in any Professor's office under these circumstances.
"Now, Miss Granger."
Hermione followed her Professor to his office. Each step was torturous; as she didn't know how much trouble she was in. Would she have to serve detention? Would she lose house points? Would she be suspended? Would she be expelled?
That last thought made her involuntary gasp. Expulsion. Was what she did enough to get her expelled? She did steal those ingredients from the Professor's stores. But would he really see to it that she gets expelled?
Maybe that's why Harry put his cloak over her. Maybe he knew what she did would get her expelled. Maybe that's why he was going to take the blame. The Headmaster wouldn't expel Harry. He was the Boy Who Lived. But they probably wouldn't think twice if it were a muggle-born like her. Again, tears burned the back of her throat and this time, she didn't try to stop them from overflowing. By this time tomorrow she was going to a disgrace to her family, her wand would be broken, and she will never be able to prove to herself that she could make it in a world that some shunned her because of her blood.
When Severus got to the stairs, he turned back to see if Miss Granger was indeed following him. When he saw her coming from the corridor into the stairway, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. Rolling his eyes to the ceiling, he turned and continued his trek to the dungeons. He did not want to discuss this matter where all could hear, and he always thought letting the child think about what was to come was always a good motivator for them to tell the truth. Though, he would admit to himself that tears were one thing he didn't want to deal with. Leaking brats, he thought, shaking his head.
The walk to the Potions Master's office didn't take as long as Hermione would have hoped. It seemed all too soon; Professor Snape was holding his office door open for her to precede him in the office. When she walked in, the first thing she noticed was someone standing in the corner. She could tell by the wild hair that it was Harry.
But wait a minute, Hermione thought; I thought he was sent to the Headmaster's office.
"Please continue to the chair instead of standing in the middle of the room like some uncouth child."
Again, Professor Snape's voice cut through her thoughts and got her feet to moving. She walked over to the lone chair in the middle of the room and sat down. There was a snap and another chair appeared next to her.
"Sit down, Mr. Potter," Snape ordered, as he sat down behind his desk.
Severus looked at the two fourth years sitting across from him.
"Now," Severus said. "Let's get to the bottom of this. Mr. Potter, what were you brewing?"
"Professor," Hermione started.
"Miss Granger if I wanted you to answer I would have called on you. Right now, I want to hear from Mr. Potter."
"A potion," Harry said.
"I see," Severus said, leaning back in his chair. "And what kind of ingredients was required for this potion."
"Please Professor," Hermione pleaded. "Stop."
"Miss Granger," Severus' voice became stern. "If you continue speaking out of turn you will find yourself in more trouble than you already are. Now, I have said that Mr. Potter will answer and do so truthfully."
"But he doesn't know," Hermione squeaked.
"I see," Severus said, sitting up and folding his hands over his desk. "And you know this because?"
"I was the one brewing," Hermione confessed. "Harry came in after something had gone wrong."
"Mr. Potter."
"Yes, sir,"
"Go bring me your cloak," Snape ordered.
"What?! No, it was my dad's," Harry protested.
"Mr. Potter go get that cloak," Snape said again.
"But, sir," Harry pleaded.
"Potter, if I have to ask you again, you will not see it again until after you graduate, if you graduate."
Harry shoulders sunk as he looked over at Hermione.
"I left it in the classroom," Hermione offered.
"You have fifteen minutes to bring that cloak back here. Am I understood, Mr. Potter."
"Yes, sir," Harry said as he got up and walked out of the office.
Hermione watched as Harry walked out of the office. When the door clicked shut, she slowly turned back to the Professor.
"Alright, Ms. Granger, I expect the truth."
"Yes, sir," Hermione said, looking down her hands folded on her lap.
"My eyes are up here," Snape snapped.
Hermione quickly lifted her head.
"Now, what were you brewing?"
Moments ago, Hermione was all ready to talk, but now that she was alone and about to confess to what she was doing, she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth.
"Miss Granger, have you ever known me to be a patient man?"
She shook her head.
"I'm waiting."
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her fingers gripping the opposite hand, she tried to call up all her courage to be able to answer Professor's questions.
"I," Hermione started, and then cleared her throat. "I was trying to make a bond release potion."
"A bond release…" Severus started to say but cut himself off. "What have you idiotic Gryffindors done?"
"Nothing," Hermione said quickly. "It not for anybody."
"Don't lie to me," Severus growled. "Why would you need to have a bond release potion unless one of your dunderheaded friends meddled in magic you had no business."
"I promise Professor Snape," Hermione pleaded. "No one is bonded."
"If I find out to the contrary, Miss Granger," Severus threatened. "Having a defunct potion will be the least of your troubles. In fact, you and the idiots that tried the bonding would be out of this school before curfew."
"Please, Professor Snape, you have to believe me. No one bonded."
"Then why are you attempting to make this potion?"
"For the house-elves," Hermione whispered.
"I beg your pardon," Severus said, one eyebrow raised. "For the house-elves?"
"Yes, sir."
Severus sat back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"And why were you doing that?" Severus sounded defeated.
"They're slaves," Hermione blurted out. "I would have thought that the magical world would not condone slavery. Slavery is barbaric." She didn't know where her confidence seemed to have come from, but she was very passionate about the abhorring fact that Hogwarts had slaves.
"Miss Granger," Severus sighed. "You are muggle-born so you do not understand—"
"I understand plenty," Hermione said, cutting him off. "Slavery was abolished in Great Britain years ago!"
"Miss Granger do calm yourself," Severus admonished. "I will not be interrupted."
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."
Severus nodded.
"Now," Severus said, waving his hand over his desk and a stack of parchment appeared. "Looking at your notes, where did you find this potion? Because I know it isn't in your Fourth-year Potions book. As a matter of fact, it isn't in any year's potion book. So, where, Ms. Granger?"
The confidence Hermione had a moment ago seemed to leave her again as her face flushed.
"I'm waiting, Ms. Granger."
"I…uh…I mean…as it was a little difficult to find," Hermione stuttered.
"Such eloquence," Severus sneered. "Now, I know where the recipe for this particular potion was; the question is how did you get it?"
"I…uh."
"Without stuttering like an imbecile," Severus barked. "You did it, now own up to it."
"Yes, sir," Hermione said, quietly as another lump formed at her throat. "I borrowed Harry's cloak and went into the Restricted section."
"I see. And where did you get the ingredients?"
"From your stores," Hermione sighed.
"Now that we know you are a thief, Miss Granger, let us discuss what would have happened if you had succeeded."
"They would be free," Hermione said without hesitation.
Severus nodded. "True, the house-elves could have been freed. Let me ask you, do you make up your bed?"
"Uh, no sir."
"Do you wash your own laundry?"
"No, sir."
"Do you cook your own meals?"
"No, sir."
"Do you clean out the loo?"
"No, sir. Why are you asking me this?"
"You're not a stupid person, Miss Granger," Severus said. "So, I'm sure you can gather why I am asking you this. No? No earthly clue why I'm asking you this? Well then let me enlighten you. If your little scheme had worked, then you would be responsible for cleaning up your rooms and common room, washing your clothes, making your food as well as doing your school work."
"Now, Miss Granger, have you thought about what would happen to the elves if you took away their bond?"
"They would be free," she tried to reason.
"True, they would be free. But then what? There are nearly five hundred elves that are currently residing in this castle. Were you planning on finding them a place to live? Were you planning on caring for them? Were you planning on giving them the feeling of security?"
Hermione blinked at the Professor. She hadn't truly thought about what would have happened if her potion had worked. She just wanted the elves to be free creatures.
"Miss Granger, in all your sneaking around, and stealing from me and stealing from your friends, what did you learn about the elves?"
"That they are slaves and are treated poorly," Hermione said, her voice trembling a little.
"And who told you that the house-elves here at the castle were treated poorly?"
Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out because no one told her. She just assumed.
"By your silence, I will take a guess in that no one told you. Am I wrong?"
"No, sir."
"Alright, then where did you get the idea that they needed to be free?"
"They're slaves."
"They are not slaves. They are servants. It is the nature of an elf to serve."
"But…"
"Miss Granger, have you seen any of the house-elves in this school?"
"No, sir," Hermione said, her shoulder sagging.
"Then what gave you the idea that they were being mistreated and needed to be freed?"
"Dobby, sir."
"What about Dobby?" Severus asked.
"He was abused," Hermione said. "Harry told me. And he freed him."
"Dobby was the Malfoy's elf, not the school's elf."
There was a knock on the door.
"Enter, Potter."
Harry walked into the door and walked over to Snape's desk.
"Took you long enough, Potter. I told you fifteen minutes."
"It's my dad's," Harry pleaded.
"I know who's it is," Severus said, holding out his hand.
Harry reluctantly handed over the cloak.
Severus laid the cloak on the desk, examining every inch of it.
"Were you inside the room when Miss Granger's potion went awry?"
"No, sir," Harry said.
Severus looked at the cloak for a few minutes more before folding it in half and handing it back to Harry.
Shocked, Harry just looked at the outstretched hand.
"I'm getting it back?" Harry asked.
"Against my better judgment."
"Thank you, sir," Harry said, taking his cloak back.
"You're dismissed, Potter."
Harry looked at Hermione and then back at the Professor.
"Mr. Potter, for once you are not in trouble. If I were you, I would take it as a win and leave."
"Yes, sir."
Harry walked out of the office.
"Now, Miss Granger," Severus said. "After everything we talked about, do you understand why this crusade you are trying to embark was foolish at best?"
"They're slaves, Professor," Hermione pleaded, trying to get him to understand.
"Of all the idiotic, prideful," Severus ranted. "Dobby! Melcor!"
There were two pops and in front of Hermione stood two house-elves. Hermione's jaw dropped at the look of the two elves standing in front of her.
"I take it by the look on your face that you've never seen them before?"
Hermione shook her head.
"Dobby is the elf Potter freed, and Melcor is my free elf."
"Your free elf?"
Not dignifying her question or gaze towards him, Severus addressed his elf. "Melcor, I want you to go to Gryffindor tower and get another uniform from Miss Granger's things. She has to change clothes and have the ones she has on destroyed."
"What?" came the protest of the young student. Another pop signified that Melcor did what he was asked to do.
"Ms. Granger," Severus said. "For all intense and purposes, your potion was correct. The problem is that even if you don't see how setting the castle's elves free would be catastrophic, I for one do not want to deal with the ramifications of your ignorance. When your potion had that mild explosion, it got on your clothes. If you had put your clothes in the laundry, it would have contaminated everyone else's clothes, meaning more elves would have touched them. They would then be released from their bond to the school. Once the bond was released, then they would have started to punish themselves because they would not understand why one second they had the security of the castle to the next second of having no security at all. Do you want to be responsible for the elves hurting themselves constantly?"
"No, sir," Hermione said. She had not thought just freeing the elves would be this much trouble. She thought she was doing the right thing.
"Miss Granger," Severus said, his voice was low and almost soothing. "I understand your intentions, but what you were going to do would have been catastrophic."
Melcor popped back into the office with Hermione's spare clothes.
"Now Miss Granger, to make sure that no other elves touch your clothes, I want you to go into my loo and change your clothes and wash your face and hands. You will then put the clothes that you have on, all of them, and put them into this bag," Severus handed Hermione a brown sack. "Once you do that come back out here and we will discuss your punishment."
"Yes, sir."
Hermione did what she was asked, when she was done washing up and putting her soiled clothes in the sack, she saw that they were beginning to glow. Re-washing her hands, she then closed the sack and went back out to the Professor's office.
When she got back in the office, she noticed that Professor Snape wasn't alone. There were six elves in his office.
"Miss Granger, I would like you to meet a few of Hogwarts house-elves. Let's start with Jayse. Take a seat, Miss Granger."
Hermione sat down.
"Let's begin," Severus said, standing up and coming around to the front of his desk, leaning on it. "Jayse, how long have you served at Hogwarts?"
"Jayse's beens here long time, Master Sev'rus," the small elf answered.
"Whom are you bonded to?" Severus asked.
"I's bonded to Hogwarts," she answered.
"Are you mistreated by anyone, student or staff?" Severus asked.
"No sirs, Jayse's don't shows herself," Jayse said, shaking her head, vehemently.
Looking at Hermione, Severus asked the next question. "How would you feel if your bond with the school got dissolved?"
Tears immediately began to pool in her eyes. She looked around as if she were searching for something. Hermione watched as the panic feel the small creature. The elf was pulling on her ears. She was just shy of ripping them off her head. The small wailing from the creature tore at Hermione's heart.
"Jayse, Jayse," Severus called out, trying to get the elf's attention. After several more tries, he succeeded in reaching through her torment. "Jayse, I want you to listen to me. You are bonded to Hogwarts, yes?"
"Yes, Master Sev'rus," Jayse's voice trembled as she spoke.
"You will live out the rest of your days within these walls."
It seemed that after hearing that, the tension melted away from the small elf's shoulders. Severus looked over at Hermione and saw that she too was crying.
"Well, Miss Granger," Severus said, "Shall I ask another elf the same questions? Maybe Jayse didn't convince you."
"No, sir." Hermione whispered.
Not hearing her response, Severus said, "More convincing then," looking at the next elf. "Milky, maybe you can persuade, Ms. Granger."
Severus asked Milky the same questions and got the same reactions as Jayse. Not asking Hermione again, he was going to start on the third elf when Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't hear the despair in those elves' voices.
"NO! STOP!" Hermione yelled.
Severus just looked at her.
"I understand."
"Do you?" Severus asked. "I don't believe you do."
"Please, sir, I understand. I was foolish."
"Yes, you were. Do you see what your presumptions would have caused?"
"Yes, sir," Hermione said, sniveling.
Snapping his fingers, Severus dismissed the elves from his office with the order of them making themselves some tea to calm themselves down before retiring for the night.
"Now, Miss Granger," Severus said, walking back behind his desk. "You will write a two-foot essay on the life of an elf; their characteristics, their attributes and their failings. Then I want a two-foot essay on the ingredients that you stole and the damage they could have done if not handled properly. You will serve three weeks detention with me, starting tomorrow, for stealing out of my stores and will work for all the ingredients that you lost in making your potion."
"Yes, sir," Hermione said. She wanted to cry again at the amount of work she had to do.
"You're dismissed, Miss Granger."
"Yes, sir."
Hermione slowly walked to the office door, stopping when her hand touched the handle.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"I really am sorry. Good night."
"Good night, Miss Granger."
THE END
A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read my one-shot. Please leave a review letting me know what you think.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, The Lonely God With a Box!
Many hugs and kisses to you all!
Mandancie 😊