"Glad you could be bothered to show up for detention," Snape drawled from behind his desk, "Since coming to class seemed to much for you."
"It was not as if I had a choice." Hermione could not help but roll her eyes. "Dumbledore and Pomfrey kept me from all my classes, even Arithmancy and Charms!"
"That must have been painful." Severus snorted, glancing at Hermione's hand surreptitiously. She was not wearing that foul piece of jewelry, at least. "There will be no such excuses in the future."
"Well, it is your fault I missed my classes." Hermione huffed and hopped up on a stool, scrunching up her robes. "If you had not knocked me out - "
"Dumbledore told me to throw it at you! He did not enlighten me as to the consequences." Severus scowled and went back to nitpicking Potions' papers.
"He told you to throw it at me?" The Gryffindor blinked. "Just what does he know about all this? I mean, I thought he might be connected somehow, when I was taking notes and researching today."
"He knows something." Severus twitched his nose, which was itching for some strange reason. Perhaps the dungeons needed aerated again, although he was not about to let Sprout make the place smell like roses again. The last time had been a disaster. "Trelawney had a vision of a sort that Albus seems to have taken seriously."
"Trelawney? Then we are in trouble." Just when she thought things could not get any more confusing.
"All mysteries aside, you do have a dungeon to be cleaning. You may use your wand; I want every room on this floor cleaned spotless, except the Slytherin common room and dormitories. This parchment lists the passwords for the Slytherin prefects bathrooms, which will be changed after tonight - so do not get any funny ideas about coming back for pranks."
"Of course not professor." Hermione nodded, taking the paper.
"Go, go, I do prefer silence when working."
Hermione shrugged and started walking for the door; it was certainly not a bad detention at all. Although, it was not as nice as the one where he had showed her that tongue trick.
"Out!" Snape shouted from behind her. "And ten points from Gryffindor for inappropriate thoughts."
Severus scowled at her back as she ran out after his outburst. He did not even need to be an expert at legilimency to pick up that turn of thought. At least Dumbledore seemed not to be noticing his prior indiscretions with the Granger girl, but then, a challenge was a challenge. She had challenged him, and it would have been a sign of weakness to back down. To her credit, she had not made a fool of herself.
In fact, she had performed quite admirably.
Severus almost allowed himself to smile as he scratched his quill to paper and flunked another Gryffindor.