Professor Snape turned and closed the door behind them, replacing the old wards with stronger ones. His baffled companion stared at him. "You knew about that passageway?"
He smirked. "There are secrets even you have yet to discover about this castle, Miss Granger."
She scoffed at him, "You'd be surprised." He raised an eyebrow incredulously, spinning neatly on his heel, and sweeping off through the Slytherin common room. Hermione stumbled after him through the labyrinth of black leather couches. He turned down an almost indiscernible corridor leading off from the corner of the common rooms. She sighed in exasperation as she tried to keep up with him. They turned right and left, going through rusty doorways and calcified arches until she was certain that they had been going in circles all along. Their breath crystalized in the air, making Hermione wonder why there were no fires in the dungeons. She was grateful for the cloak she was wearing, and remembered that it belonged to him. She looking at him, smirking a little when she noticed he wasn't wearing one. I wonder why he hasn't asked for his cloak back, she thought. It was at this moment that the Potions Master suddenly called from behind her, startling her.
"And where do you think you're going?" Her cheeks reddened, and she turned to face him.
"If you didn't go so bloody fast, then maybe I could keep up with you. I'm injured, remember?"
He scowled at her, "Can't you at least keep a reasonable pace for a cripple?"
She only glared at him, not dignifying his insult with a response. He turned his back to her, his robes billowing as he stalked through an archway to the left. She rushed after him, trying not to lose him again. She found him deactivating the ward to a small, boring looking door. "Stay here." He growled, stepping inside, but leaving the door ajar. She leaned back against the cold stone of the wall, tired after so much walking. She vaguely wondered what time it was, sliding slowly down the wall, and sighing. It must be at least three o clock, she thought. She brought her knees to her chest, closing her eyes for a moment to ease her throbbing headache. She jerked her head up, hearing a loud crash inside what she assumed were Professor Snape's quarters. She bolted to her feet, forgetting her twisted ankle, and threw open the door. She took in her surroundings with wide eyes, taking a few tentative steps into the room. Her shoes glided over the polished wooden floor as she smiled at the rows of tall, dusty bookshelves just waiting to be explored. Hermione barely had time to take in a small, sparsely furnished sitting room before another loud crash resonated from another room.
"Professor?" She called, walking deeper into his chambers, "Are you alright?" She came across another doorway, the heavy door already open a crack. Her hand darted to the door, and she shrieked when she opened it. Her professor was doubled over in pain, grasping a rickety looking shelf with white-knuckled grip. Hermione stood stalk still in the doorway, not sure what to do. Finally, she approached him, careful not to tread on the broken glass and splattered potions that were scattered on the floor at his feet. "Professor?" she whispered, "What's wrong?" He raised his head, his black eyes locking onto her amber ones.
"Don't you understand, you stupid girl?" He spat at her, "I'm being summoned." She nodded, suddenly understanding his state of pain.
"Don't you have to go?" she asked. He didn't answer, only lifted his wand, summoning her wand and robes from another room.
"I suggest you change before you return," he sneered, dropping the items at her feet.
"Thank you." She said, but her words were lost with the deafening crack of his apparation. She stared at the place where he had been, before reaching down and snapping up her wand. She took a deep breath, the soft vine wood comforting her. It had so long since she held it. In reality, it had only been a matter of hours, but she had felt so restricted and vulnerable that it had felt like days. The first thing she did was repair the broken bottles and jars that had fallen off the shelf. Then, she scoured the potions off the floor, making it smooth and shiny again. Next, she picked up her robes, happy to find them clean and dry. Wait, did I expect them to be damp and moldy because they were in Snape's quarters? She scoffed at herself. She wandered through his rooms, looking for a bathroom to change in. She felt strange changing in the open rooms, even though she knew no one was there. She walked through the halls, seeing a well-equipped potions lab, and a small wizarding kitchen with several pots washing themselves in the sink. Finally, she came across a small, tidy bathroom. Covered floor to ceiling in shining silver tile, modestly furnished in modern style, it was more than she expected. She slipped into her Gryffindor robes, a sigh escaping her lips as she finally felt like herself again, her wand tucked safely in her pocket. Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she froze, listening. A series of gentle sounds wafted down the hall, and she held her breath, certain that Professor Snape hadn't returned already.
"Snape!" His conceited voice rang out through the chambers, startling her. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she recognized the sharp, demanding bark. Draco Malfoy, the last person she wanted to deal with right now. She heard him bumbling about near the entry. I hope he's alone, she thought, imagining the snarling faces of Crabbe and Goyle. But, she only heard one set of footsteps coming down the hallway. She blanched, looking around for a place to hide. Grateful for the closed door, she rushed to open the cabinets: searching for one big enough to hide her. She found one with a rack of towels inside that she could hide behind. Slipping inside, she pulled on the door of the cabinet a little too hard, making it slam closed loudly. She silently cursed herself as she hastily pulled the towels around her. She heard his footsteps rapidly approaching, and she drew her wand, bringing a few good hexes to mind if he decided to check the bathroom. Doors slammed open as Draco became impatient, and she pointed her wand at the cabinet door as she heard him draw nearer. The bathroom door finally slammed open, and Draco snarled, "I know you're here, whoever you are. Filthy creep!" He started tearing open the larger cabinets on the other side of the small room, and Hermione burst from her cabinet, hoping to catch him off guard. There he was, his silver eyes widened in surprise as he turned to her. She thrust her wand at him, bellowing, "Expelliarmus!" Draco's quick reflexes kicked in, blocking her spell before she had even completed the incantation. However, the sheer force of it knocked him back several paces, giving her time to step out of the closet, shouting, "Locomotor Mortis!" He was able to block this spell as well, obviously in full dueling mode now. She quickly mumbled, "Protego", crossing her wand tip in front of her body as he shouted, "Stupefy!" It cracked over her shield, sending sparks to the floor. All I have to do is stun him, then I can get out of here, she thought, sending a jelly legs jinx at him that had enough force to send him stumbling from the bathroom when it hit his shield. She stepped to the door, peeking around it, before hearing a hex whistling toward her and ducking out of the way. She stuck the tip of her wand around the door, calling, "Bombardo!" while pointing it at the ceiling. She smiled as she got the desired effect, and a cloud of dust and debris rained down on Draco. Wasting no time, she rushed out of the bathroom, quickly spotting his light blonde hair even with it covered in dust. Aiming her wand at his chest, she muttered, "Petrificus Totalis," freezing his muscles so he couldn't move. She quickly cleaned and repaired everything they had damaged with a few flicks of her wand, then aimed it at Draco, whispering, "Obliviate." She smiled down at him, knowing he wouldn't remember their encounter, but proud that she had won the duel. When Snape returned, he would surely know who left this little gift for him, but she didn't care. She stalked over to the door, turning to glance back at the immobilized boy before closing it behind her. She set a few wards on the door that she knew the professor could break through easily enough before turning down the dusty, cold corridor.
Author's note:
This story is a work in progress. I am publishing it as I write, so if you have any opinions on how I'm doing, or ideas about what should happen next, or literally any thoughts at all, please review. Thank you so much for reading!
P.S. I know there hasn't been much of a plot at all in these first few chapters, but you'll see it all start to come together in the next chapter. Thanks for your patience!