Chapter 2- Revelations.
Hermione left the room of requirement a little after midnight. She couldn't sleep and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get rid of the feeling that she had disappointed him very much. She wanted to be the best apprentice he had ever had. She wanted to be the best period. She knew now though that she couldn't always be the best. Now Hermione just needed to try hard and be happy with the results she got. She roamed the castle until about four in the morning and then she returned to her room, exhausted and knowing she would pay for it later today. What had she been thinking staying awake so long? Snape wouldn't forgive any mistakes. She fell asleep knowing it would only be for a few hours.
When morning came Hermione knew something was wrong the moment she opened her eyes. It was still early but when she looked around the room, it was different from when she had gone to sleep. It was a replica of Professor Snape laboratory. She still has an hour before she had to go down to the dungeons. Hermione slid her hands over the stainless steel counters and the gold cauldrons. She smiled before gathering the ingredients for the Drought of the Living Death. She would make sure she would get it right this time.
She didn't forget any steps and she was finished in twenty minutes. Hermione didn't know if it would work but she did her best. She set the burner on low heat and went to get her school robes on. Hermione made it to the dungeons with a few minutes to spare.
"Enter." He said curtly. Hermione made her way in and he led her to the lab without a word.
"Brew it again, correctly and then tell me when you done so we don't have a repeat of yesterday. Is that clear?" He asked dejectedly.
"Yes sir." Hermione responded. She got to work repeating the same steps she had just done in the room of requirement. By the time she was ready to go tell Snape she was done it was near lunch time and her stomach was growling because she also missed breakfast.
"Professor?" She called, opening the door that separated the lab from his personal rooms. It was very cold inside and she spotted him lying on his sofa, asleep. She suddenly felt like she was intruding. Hermione couldn't help but notice the difference in him while he was asleep. He seemed softer, less cruel. He stirred then, opening his eyes to see her staring at him. Her face flushed before he even said anything.
"I take it, you're finished?" He said sarcastically. Hermione nodded and watched as he sat up and stood.
"At least you haven't blown anything up today." He told her, while making his way into the lab. Hermione remained silent and let him inspect her potion. He studied it for a minute before turning to her, "Well done. Now do it again."
Hermione's mouth fell open in disbelief. Again?
"Yes again. You will have to have this particular potion memorized for the exam at the end of your term. It's the most basic potion you'll have to know. The potions only get hard from here on out." He said, without looking up from the potion.
"I know it." Hermione said and he whirled around to sneer at her.
"I am aware. You told me yourself you didn't remember the steps and now you'll be doing this potion every week from now on until there isn't even a small chance you won't get it right. I don't mentor failures Miss Granger." With that he left her to clean up and start again.
Later that day Hermione was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun, while reading up on the next potion she would be brewing, Baruffio's Brain Elixir, which increases brain power in whoever takes it. She was startled with a rain drop landed on her book, warping the page. She looked up and saw a massive thundercloud overhead. It started to pour before she could get to safety.
She swore to herself and tried to put her stuff away quickly, but it was no use everything was soaked in seconds. She looked up to the sky and said, "Why won't you stop raining!?"
The next second there was no rain and the cloud was gone. Hermione blinked, confused. Had she done that? That was impossible. Was it? Curiously she said, "Rain."
Water started to pour out of the sky rapidly. Hermione smiled uneasily. Where did that magic come from? She couldn't do wandless magic or at least she hadn't been able to until now. Questions running through her mind she headed to the library.
She set her soaked school things down on a table near the back and went looking for books on magical weather, but that lead nowhere. Hermione turned to the element water, which is where she found a book titled: The Elementals Guidebook. Curiously she brought it back to her table and opened the first page.
Elementals are a rarity in the world; approximately there are only three dozen Elementals alive at a time. Elementals control the four elements; water, earth, fire and air. Each elemental has a certain elements that they come to naturally. It's usually the first element they use. The first recorded elemental was Howard Condell, and his element was earth. There are no limits to what elementals magic can do; it also increases their original wizarding magic.
There is a downside to being an elemental because of the Leviathans. They feed on an Elementals magic. The leviathans can sense an Elementals magic before they even know they're own powers. When you're attacked by a Leviathan you are stripped from all magic, elemental and wizarding. You'll become a squib. Unfortunately there is no shortage of Leviathans and they are merciless monsters.
Hermione was startled out of her reading when the bell rang. She would need to ask someone about this. The book hadn't said what Leviathans looked like. They could be anything.
The next day Hermione was heading to Professor Snape's rooms, with her book in hand. She was going to try and muster up the courage to ask him about it. Truthfully she just hoped he would see the book and ask her about it himself.
"Enter." He said. Hermione found herself hiding a smile. He said it the same every time she came to do her work.
"Are you ready to get-
He stopped in his tracks when he saw the book in her hands. Hermione gulped waiting for an explosion of anger. But that didn't happen. He took the book from her hands and looked at her sharply.
"Why are you carrying a book like this around, Miss Granger?" He said calmly. Hermione opened her mouth then closed it. How should she say this?
"I think I might be an elemental. I'm not sure yet." She said softly, hoping he would keep his calm.
"Call an element then." He said simply. Hermione stared at him, sure he was joking. She didn't know how to do that.
"How?" She asked him. He sighed, "Just call one."
"Rain." Water poured out from the ceiling and landed over their heads. Hermione watched his face nervously and unconsciously made the water stop before they would get soaked.
"Well done. It looks like I have even more to teach you than I thought. I am also an Elemental but I found out two years ago rather than when I was 18." He said reluctantly. He obviously didn't want to expose so much of himself.
Hermione felt her jaw drop open in surprise but she quickly shut it.
"What…I don't understand. How did I become one?" Hermione asked him. He shook his head.
"You don't become one, you're born one." He explained.
"What does it mean?" She asked.
"Nothing really, just that you're extremely powerful and there are people who would literally kill for that kind of power."
Hermione swallowed thickly, "How do I protect myself?"
Professor Snape tilted his head forward, "By not being an idiot carrying around a book that tells every on who you are. Foolish child!"
Hermione flushed with embarrassment, berating herself. She should have known that.
"I will, however, teach you all the elements. I'm assuming your main element is water. Mine is earth." He demonstrated this by raising the stone floor they were on five feet. Their heads were almost touching the ceiling.
"We will start tomorrow morning, an hour earlier. You'll spend two hours with me and an hour with potions. You do well enough in potions to cut back some. Now, what potion are you brewing today?" He asked, falling easily in the pattern.
"The Baruffio's Brain Elixir, Sir." She said softly and followed him into the lab.
"Get started and come find me when you're done." He snapped, falling back into his old habits now that the elemental thing was done with at the moment.
Hermione reached for the glass cauldron because this particular had to be brew in a glass cauldron because of the ingredients used to make it.
She completed the potion perfectly and was headed back to the room of requirement when she ran right into someone on the way back. She saw it was Ginny who had been knocked to the floor. She held her hand out to help her up, but Ginny glared at her and got up by herself.
"Trying to kill me too, huh?" She asked bitterly. Hermione shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes against her will.
"I can't believe you had the audacity to come back her. Even Harry knows it was your fault. He's dead because of you. How do you live with yourself?" She ranted and Hermione couldn't hold back the tears. A small part of her was telling herself that Ginny was right.
Hermione then heard footsteps coming down the hall and knew it had to be Professor Snape.
"Miss Weasley, detention tomorrow night with your head of house at seven. Do not be late." Professor Snape said, appearing out of nowhere.
"I didn't do anything!" Ginny exclaimed, outraged.
Snape looked down at her with a disgust look on his face. He looked like he really hated her.
"Return to your common room now and you will serve the detention."
"Yes, sir" Ginny said and stomped away without a glance to Hermione.
Snape watched her go until she was out of sight before turning to face her.
"You left this in my room." He handed her the book on Elementals.
"Thank you, sir." Her voice cracked because she had been crying. Snape looked like he wanted to say something but he shook his head and went on his way. Hermione didn't know why Ginny blamed her so much. It was all Ron's fault. He didn't have to jump in front of her! She should be the one dead right now. Or at least Ginny thought so. Hermione headed back to her room, ready to read more on elementals. She was excited to learn more about this kind of magic she had all the sudden. Even Ginny's horrible accusations couldn't bring her down after all she'd learned about herself.
When she got back to her room Hermione took off her school robed, hung them up and slipped of her shoes. She climbed into bed and unbraided her hair before settling down and pulling out the book.
Leviathans can take any shape or form. They can become objects, people, animals, anything at all. Leviathans have been around just as long as Elementals have. They weren't always the great enemy, once upon a time, they were friends and instead of stealing the magic of Elementals, the magic was shared between them. Leviathans need to feed on magic to survive. Elementals only need to use their elemental magic to survive. If they let their magic lay unused it will fight against them and lead to an explosion when a strong emotion occurs.
Hermione closed the book and set in on the nightstand beside her bed. She was processing what she had just red. These Leviathans were a little scary. How would she know if there was one near?
She told herself she would ask Professor Snape about it tomorrow and she fell asleep.