Daddy's Little Girl
By
SheriLovingLecter
Chapter 3
Hermione practically threw her bag down when she reached the library, her blood was boiling; who did that girl think she was? How dare she make her look like an idiot, especially in front of the Professor. She didn't know what had overcome her she just knew that it hurt to be ignored by someone whose approval she was always seeking so desperately; then for him to award Alliana Prince points! It was ludicrous; her answer hadn't been that fantastic! He'd always refused to award Hermione points, labeling her a know-it-all, well if Prince's answers hadn't been textbook perfect then she was a monkey!
Hermione groaned as she sat and let her head bang against the table as she lowered it, shutting her eyes and murmuring to herself.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid."
"Whilst I agree completely Miss Granger, I must insist due to contractual obligation that you cease trying to give yourself concussion."
She physically jumped up, the seat tumbling backward to hit the stone floor as she met the cold, dark eyes of the very man she had been cursing herself about. She lowered her gaze and chewed her lip, taking a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier sir, it was disrespectful and rude."
She glanced up to see him raise a brow, his arms still folded across his chest.
"Yes, it was."
She released the breath in a pained sigh as she fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Will you still allow me to work with you to stock the infirmary?"
She watched as he tilted his head slightly before nodding stiffly and turning on his heel; his robes flaring out impressively as he made his way to Madam Pince's desk. Hermione threw her hands up in frustration, that man was so infuriating!
Alliana pulled herself back round the bookshelf, a ridiculous grin on her face as she peered through the books to where Hermione sat back down; spreading her work around her. She could see it when they spoke, there was something there, it just had to be sorted out from the baiting and insults.
Alli took a deep breath and stepped around the bookshelf, her eyes on Hermione as she walked toward her and indicated to the vacant chair next to her.
"May I sit with you?"
Hermione looked up startled as her gaze turned dark and she merely shrugged her shoulders before turning back to her own work.
Alliana bit her lip and seated herself, her eyes trying to catch Hermione's gaze.
"I'm sorry about earlier, truly I am. It is just so odd being the new girl; I was just trying to fit in, to prove myself…" Her voice drifted off as Hermione looked at her strangely, before smiling softly.
"It's alright, I shouldn't have acted the way I did.. It wasn't because of you! Well… Not entirely, it's just the way he pretends I don't exist that gets to me… I already know how invisible I am…"
Hermione bowed her head, her unruly curls falling forward as Alli shuffled closer.
"Would you be able to help me with Ancient Runes? I've never been very good at it…"
Hermione's face lit up as she pushed one of the large books toward Alli and opened it at the beginning.
"Oh, of course! It's all very simple, you see…"
Severus shut the door behind him softly as he removed his cloak; he had a free hour before the third years descended upon his classroom en masse and so laid out the file that Madam Pince had let him borrow, only for that hour of course.
He poured himself some tea and sat at his desk, opening the file and watching as the writing slowly filled the page, awaiting his instructions.
"Prince, Alliana, birth 1979." He spoke to the parchment in a soft voice.
He sipped his tea and watched as the page filled and was erased with birth records, names and ages again and again; until finally it ceased, filled with only a single paragraph.
No birth or death records of the above name exist.
He frowned and pursed his lips, running a finger along his lower lip thoughtfully; his black eyes shifting to the floo as he contemplated confronting Dumbledore. No, that was fruitless, he would get nothing from the Headmaster; this was a puzzle he would have to solve on his own.
Severus stretched slightly in his chair as he cast his mind back to the evening he found Miss Prince sprawled out in his potions classroom, the trouble is he had no idea as to how she had gotten there. She couldn't have broken in to the classroom, or his wards would have alerted him immediately; she'd gotten too far into the room to have only just entered. He also knew that according to every record; she didn't exist, he was also sure that Dumbledore knew who she was and what she was doing here.
That alone should have been enough of a clue for him to cast a blind eye; but there was something achingly familiar about the girl and until he discovered who she was, it would irritate him no end. Severus Snape was not a man to pass up a challenge.
His brows drew together again as he thought about Hermione Granger; her behavior in class had been most unusual, at least; more so than normal. Albus and Minerva had been nagging him all year about taking the girl on as an apprentice, he of course flatly refused; he'd never taken an apprentice and wasn't planning on doing so either. He had enough work to deal with, so much so that he barely had time to sleep; let alone teach a student potions mastery.
They of course believed his refusal to be the result of some personal vendetta against the girl; he wasn't that petty, she was… tolerable. That was when she wasn't showing off in front of her classmates, they'd had a few heated exchanges and Severus knew that Hermione Granger could hold her own in a verbal spar where very few could; especially against him.
No, it wasn't the girl that was stopping him from taking her on; it was the danger it would put her in. The head of Slytherin giving an apprenticeship to a Gryffindor when he'd already turned down half his own house? The Dark Lord would not be pleased, and Severus was sure that it would be him that suffered for it. Yet, Albus and Minerva weren't thinking of him when they suggested it; they were thinking of their Gryffindor princess and her bright future. Well, let them take her on as an apprentice then; he didn't even understand why Granger would be interested in potions mastery, she had very little ability that wasn't learnt from text books; though she refused to admit it.
Severus stood and grabbed his cloak as he glanced at the clock, he couldn't help the sigh that left him. It was time to try and drum more information into the dullard children's heads.
I know it is short, but bare with me. I had to end it here; chapter plan dictated it.