Disclaimer: I do not own J.K. Rowling's characters or original story, no matter how much I wish I did. Get it? Got it. Good.
Chapter Music: Trans Siberian Orchestra's "Beethoven's Last Night" - Mozart
*~*~The Unknown Woman~*~*
Chapter 10
The next day was a long one for Hermione. She made it back to her rooms the night before, having lucked out and not encountered anybody on the way there. She was nervous about what people would say after her sudden disappearance from the school for the weekend, but when she got back to the common room, it was already empty and everybody was asleep in bed. Much to her relief, she did not have to worry about anything all night.
She was about to lay down in bed, when...
You do know, you needn't worry about this because it's technically only in our heads, and they shan't find out unless you tell them.
Hermione was so new to this she still had a hard time remembering that she did now have her own set of personal voices in her head. Or, better put, one voice in her head... His voice.
Yeah... She replied. I suppose it is just a lot to get used to in the span of one weekend.
Fair enough. You should get some sleep, you do not want to be falling asleep in your classes tomorrow.
I was just thinking the same thing...
Well, good night, Hermione. Hope you sleep well.
Same to you, Severus. Don't let the house elves bite. He heard him chuckle in her head as the turned over and fell asleep.
*~*~ The next day... ~*~*
Hermione resumed her regular activities the next day as though nothing had even happened. She realized that Severus was right, and that she had absolutely nothing to worry about.
Breakfast was completely uneventful, save the usual quiddich conversations, questions about homework that was due that day, and the occasional "are you feeling better" from concerned friends. Hermione could not help but glance up at the dais to see Severus sitting there discussing something under his breath with the headmaster.
Hermione had three classes that day; Herbology after breakfast, Transfiguration after lunch, and then double Potions right before dinner. The instant she finished her breakfast, she casually made her way towards the green houses with her class mates. Neville was talking about his fascination with the latest plant that they were studying, Harry and Ron writing the last few notes onto the scrolls that Professor Sprout had assigned them, and Hermione just walked along with them, making polite conversation with Neville who she was glad to see had finally found his passion.
"Good afternoon, class!" Professor Sprout started, "please take your usual seats." She waited for the class to settle down a little bit. "Today we'll be examining a plant that is very common in our area. This plant is not usually seen as a qualitative contributor to the world, but in fact, it has many qualities that are useful magically, medicinally, and otherwise."
The short, stout woman bent under the table and retrieved a plant that Hermione recognized at once from the endless time she had spent as a little girl trying to remove them from her mother's garden.
Ah... The infamous "rabbit ear" plant. One of Pomona's favorites. There was his voice again.
"This plant is definitely one of my absolute favorites. It is called the "rabbit ear" plant, or scientifically, the Stachys byzantina."
Do you really have to interrupt the lesson...?
Yes, I think I do.
Why...?
Please, I could teach you all you could ever need to know about those plants.
And what if you miss something that she's saying?
Hermione, you forget that I am a Potions Master, and therefore required to have a full knowledge of subjects including, but most definitely not limited to, potions, herbology, arithmancy,and several others. In muggle terms, I majored in potions, but I minored in nearly everything else.
"The rabbit ear plant, as I like to call it, originated in Turkey and western parts of Asia, and can grow nearly anywhere in the world so long as it has the proper amounts of water, temperatures, and sunlight..."
My apologies, Sir... I did not mean to insinuate that you were uneducated...
No, Hermione, I just want to make sure you know that you can now use me as a viable resource.
". . . Besides that," Professor Sprout continued, oblivious to the conversation that was happening in one of her student's heads, "It can be very useful when applied topically to a bleeding wound..."
Do pay attention to this part, Hermione, it may come in handy at some point. Hermione inwardly rolled her eyes.
"Because of the magical qualities this plant possesses, when applied to bleeding wounds, it acts to cauterize them and stop the bleeding. For example, if you find yourself in the forest at any point and manage to injure yourself, one leaf bound to the cut or scrape should do the trick in stopping the bleeding."
Hermione quickly wrote this down in her notes, and continued listening to the middle aged, motherly witch. "These beauties can also be eaten as greens."
Yeah... if you like your salad tasting like cat fur...
...Cat fur? Now you have me intrigued.
Take a closer look at the plant in front of you, feel the leaves, they are actually fuzzy. Not something I find very... palatable raw. However, if you cook them, they lose their extreme case of peach fuzz.
The rest of the lesson continued with Hermione talking with Snape in her head about the topic that Professor Sprout was teaching. Hermione not only took notes on what Professor Sprout was saying, but also on what Severus told her about the plant. Though she was worried at first about being able to pay attention to Professor Sprout with one ear and Severus with the other, a quick glance at Neville's note book told her that her latest enterprise had rewarded her with even more information than everybody else in the class was receiving. This could work to her advantage later on...
Give me a break, Miss Granger, it's not like you did not know about this before. I have seen you from time to time sitting in the courtyards reading those herbology books.
It never hurts to expand one's education.
*~*~ After lunch...~*~*
Lunch had also been uneventful, and afterwards, Hermione had directly headed to her next class, one of her favorites. Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall was always the highlight of Hermione's day. Hermione loved the way she treated her students with equal and harsh fairness. Everybody got what they deserved in her class, and there was no favoritism.
The Gryffindor students waved at their head of house as she lept from desk to desk in her feline form. One at the front of the class, she jumped onto her desk, and sitting in her chair, transformed into her human form once again.
"Good morning, class," she greeted them, smiling at them as though they were her own children.
I always did love it when she transformed in front of the class. Did she do it for you all on your first day of transfiguration as well?
Yes, we all thought the professor had a familiar that was allowed to wander around the class. We were really surprised when the cat became our professor.
"Please take out the parchments I asked you to write on last class' lesson, and place them on your desk as usual." She waited until all the parchments were neatly on the desks, and then proceeded to transfigure them into little birds that, when they landed on her desk, turned back into the original parchments. The class loved when she did this. It was the only reason why they always tried their best to have at least something that they could hand it, even if it was not complete.
"Well, with the last lesson topic now over, tested, and the essay ready to be graded, it is time to start a new section in the class. This one is most definitely one of my favorites, and I have used it nearly everyday since I learned how to use it." The class shared excited looks.
"Today, boys and girls, we are going to begin learning about Animagi." The whole class leaned forward in their desks. This was one of the topics of study that they had anticipated for years since that first time they had learned that it was possible to transfigure oneself into their spirit animal.
"As you learned in your third year, an animagus who can morph him- or herself into an animal at will. It is a learned, rather than hereditary skill, unlike those of a Metamorphmagus." The elderly woman stood up from her desk and walked around to stand in front of the class.
"Only very powerful and skilled wizards and witches are able to become Animagi, and the process of becoming one is long and arduous, and has the potential to backfire and cause the transformation to go horribly wrong. However, once the initial training is over, an Animagus can change at will at any time, with or without his or her wand."
I swear to Merlin, the woman's teaching methods have not changed in years...!
You know, I know you helped me this morning, but I would actually like to learn about this...
Fine, but I can recite Minerva's spiel on animagi in my sleep. And just as to prove himself, the perfectly spoke along with the professor as she told the class the next part about animagi.
"Animagi can only take on the form of one specific animal. This animal form is not chosen by the wizard, but determined by their personality and inner traits. It may also be that the full-bodied patronus may reveal what a witch or wizard would turn into if they were an animagus."
Alright, I admit... That was very impressive. How...?
I sat in on several of her classes my first few years of teaching just to 'learn her ways' as Dumbledore so eloquently put it.
Alright. As incredible as that was, can you please let me complete this lesson on my own?
One condition.
I hardly think that right now is the time for setting conditions... But fine. What? Hermione was relatively amused by their friendly banter.
You let me help you find your animagi. I know for sure that you have the magic for it, but it is a long, hard process.
You are an animagi?
Of course I am.
What are you?
You'll find out when we begin working on it. Now, please agree to let me help you.
Fine.
After Transfiguration, Hermione ran to her double Potions class with Gryffindor and Slytherin. She took her usual seat next to Neville, leaving Harry and Ron to fend for themselves at the work station behind them.
Snape billowed into the class, dramatically wrapping his cloak around himself as he enchanted the chalk to write the directions for the potion the students would make today onto the blackboard.
"Begin now. You have the whole class. If you do not complete it, and fail to have it, properly labeled and stored, on my desk by the time class is over, you will make it again in detention."
Hermione immediately got to work collecting the ingredients she would need.
Just a warning, I may need to be extra hateful today since we are having double potions with my snakes.
Hermone stopped what she was doing to look at her professor momentarily. He made eye contact with her and then proceeded to walk around the room to inspect what each student was doing... or failing to do, and then calling them out on it and assigning the necessary detentions.
You know how much I hate it, but fine.
Hermione worked diligently the whole class, noticing how Snape was avoiding her work area religiously. She finished her potion before anybody else and tested it, looked over the directions a final time, properly bottled it in a simple 5 ounce glass vile, and properly labeled it before anybody else had come within three steps of finishing theirs. She then marched it to the front of the room to deliver it to the professor's desk.
"One might question the speed with which you completed this potion, Miss Granger..." Severus drawled in his favorite monotone baritone voice. In her head, Hermione heard: Play along...
"With all due respect, Sir, I followed all the directions you gave us..."
"I did not require an impertinent response from you, Miss Granger. Now, since you obviously know the potion so well, I would like to do four feet of parchment on the history, uses, and making of this potion."
Oh... Sometimes I really can't stand you, sir. Hermione glared at Severus. "But, Sir! Surely following your directions earn me reprimands and extra work! It's unfair!"
"Hmm... I think I shall take twenty-five points from Gryffindor for your cheek to a professor."
"That's not fair!" Hermione was fuming now.
"You say that so often, I wonder what your basis of comparison is. Now, I would like that assignment for the next class, and you are dismissed, Miss Granger. The rest of you- continue your work."
Hermione was extremely angry. Everybody could tell. They also know that it was because of the face off she had with Snape during Potions. At dinner, they decided that the best course of action would be to steer clear of the young woman until the steam that was coming from her ears dissipated a little bit and the color returned to her face.
There were several times throughout dinner that Severus tried to contact her. However, she was so angry that even when he tried to talk to her, his only replies were several choice expletives that would even make an American truck driver blush.
The only time he was able to talk to her was after dinner when she had used her pendant to go to her new rooms and relax in a nice warm bath.
You know, if there is anything I absolutely hate, it is being belittled and having my intelligence insulted in front of my peers. It was the best way of saying it that she could come up with.
I completely understand. I felt the same way when I was in school. Several of the other teachers who were loyal to houses other that Slytherin treated me like a piece of slime despite my intelligence.
Then why do you take so much pleasure in taking it all out on me? I mean, I know you warned me about it and all that, but really? An extra assignment and twenty-five whole points from my house? Was that really necessary?
I understand that you are upset with me, Hermione, but please, let me explain why I did all that. Hermione transfigured her desk chair into a medium sized recliner, placed it in front of the fire, and sat down with a huff.
Fine. Let's hear it.
First of all, that was a double Potions class. There is no way I can show you any favoritism in that class despite the fact that you are the brightest student in that class. My own godson is second to you in that class. There are students in that class whose parents report Hogwart's goings on back to the Dark Lord. There are some students in that class who are privileged enough to do said reporting themselves. It would end... very badly... If I did not show the biased favoritism.
Also, he continued, giving you the extra assignment, as I have often done in the past, is my way of challenging you. I know that my class bores you. You are already levels above anything I could ever teach here at Hogwarts. For Merlin's sake, you brewed a perfect Polyjuice potion, something I only teach some advanced, graduating seventh years, in your second year! I am starting to wonder if there is anything you cannot do. Please understand that I do not like being this way, but the current situation requires it of me. I do completely understand if you are upset with me, though.
But then, why would you give me the extra work in class when you could just as easily give it to me when I am down here? You know perfectly well that I would do it no matter what...
Two birds with one stone, my dear. Makes me look evil for the class. Also has the benefit of making them behave, because they know that if they do not, they will have to struggle with something that you could easily do in your sleep.
Hermione found this to be a proper explanation for what had occurred, and proceeded to bid her professor a good night.
A/N: As usual... sorry that it takes me so darn long to update this thing, and sorry for the insanely long chapter. Sometimes it seems as though the second one thing ends, I get dragged into another. I do not have any classes this week, so Merlin willing, I may be able to add another chapter before the week's out.
Even though it's a filler chapter, I think this is one of my favourite chapters in this story so far, excluding the first chapter.
This chapter was written to the tune of the above stated song, some glorious Karn Evil 9, and a quarter pound of creamy chocolate fudge... Merlin help me. Also, I am more than willing to share this fudge with you if you can correctly identify the non-HP movie reference hidden in this chapter. ;D
*My information for animagi was attained from the glorious HP Wiki.