Chapter 1
Hermione Granger, like so many times before, took her time walking back from the library, alone.
It was quite late, rain hit the windows in sheets. There was a cold draft which made her clutch her books to her chest and walk more briskly. The corridors were empty except for the occasional prefect going on their rounds.
Wanting to just curl up in her favorite chair in the common room, she quickened her steps even further. With only three more corridors to go she broke almost into a jog around a corner and collided with something quite hard.
With A Magical Theory Volume one through five she bent down to gather them, muttering an "Excuse me," as she did so.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for running in the halls, Miss Granger," said Snape acidly from above her," Here's your volume three, thought I don't doubt you've already read it ten times, seeing as you don't have much of a social life."
As she was turning her face to look up at him, he dropped the book and it hit her lip. "Ow.." she hissed quietly.
"Oh, my apologies, Miss Granger. Good night." Snape said off-handedly.
Knowing that he was safely out of earshot, "That prick. He's such a jerk." She fumed as she fumed running the rest of the way. "Crumple-Horned Snorkack, "She growled the password to the Fat Lady, the portrait opened quicky.
Hermione threw her books on the table and looked up at Ron and Harry.
"Hermione, why are you bleeding?" Ron said quickly, closing his astronomy book, which he probably didn't get in the firt place, and walking over to her. He was clearly a head and a half taller then her and tilted her head up. "Who hit you?" Ron said quietly, almost a deadly tone.
Harry, who hadn't even glanced up, walked over and repeated his question.
Hermione looked at them puzzled, she reached up and touched her lip, it was red. Realazation dawning on her, "Oh, Professor Snape, he…"
Almost in an instant, Ron was out the portrait hole, and Hermione knew of only one place he would be headed. Hermione tore off after him, but his long steps were much faster than hers and as she got there she heard , "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
She burst open the door only to see Ron on the ground, arms snapped to his sideds, his wand discarded. Snape was standing breatheing heavily, his own lip was cut and a bruise swelling on his cheek.
Hermione ran over to Ron's side and muttered a slow acting counter curse. "Ron, you idiot, you should of let me explain."
"Explain this to me, Miss Granger. Why did I not provoke this boy at all and yet he bursts into my classroom and hits me in the face?" Hermione looked up to answer him, but he cut her off, "Why are you bleeding, Miss Granger?"
"I'll take all the blame. I accept all the responsibility for this." She looked her Potion Master in the face.
"Do you really mean that? Would you honestly take the blame for this sorry excuse of a pureblood, Miss Granger?" he asked his student with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, Ron, go back to common room." She cut him off before he could speak. "Now, you've gotten me in enough trouble as it is. Go, now." She ordered. Ron picked up his wand and left.
"Miss Granger, come to my desk." Snape ordered, as he went behind his desk and sat paitiently until she sat in the chair in front of him. "Tell me why you are bleeding, why he hit me and why you tried to stop him."
"You see, Professor, when I walked in the common room, Harry and Ron were waiting for me. The book you dropped while trying to help me with, hit my lip and made it bleed. When they asked who hit me, I said, 'Oh, Professor Snape.'-"
"So you put the blame on me?"
"No, he didn't let me finish and he ran down here and hit you. I tried to stop him because I don't really have a taste for violence, I try to stop it at all costs. Even my own." She smiled a little bit.
"I see, please, come to this side of my desk, if you would."
Slowly, she followed him and, to her surprise, he pulled out a small kerchief that had a snake embroidered in one corner and 'S.S' in the other. "I will not get fired for hurting a student. It has a healing and a cleaning charm on it, don't worry about getting it dirty. Put it to your lip and it will stop the bleeding." He instructed. "Sis weeks of detentions and your next two Hogsmeade trips will be spent here with me. You are dismissed."
"Sir?"
"What is it now?" He asked agitated.
"You're bleeding too sir. " She informed him.
He put the back of his hand to his lip, "It would seem I am." He pulled out another kerchief and put it to his own lip. "Good night, Miss Granger."
"Good night, Professor." She excited his class room and when she was half way t the tower, whispered, "Jerk. I won't have any time for myself now." She sighed, defeated and trudged her way up to staircases.