Chapter 25

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The week had flown by in a blur. The professors doing nothing but reviews in class, except Snape. After hearing his young apprentice and godson, Draco, complain about how tiring and stressful his days were, decided to have his seventh year students do something a bit different. For the first month of school he was going to have them brew the necessary potions needed to restock Madam Pomphrey's supplies for the hospital wing. Having almost double the amount of students this year would mean she would have plenty of potions for quite some time. Their first week he had them collecting the ingredients they lacked from the greenhouses and the castle grounds. The second week they had started the actual brewing.

On Thursday, Snape sat as his desk, watching the students tend to their brewing. The pepper-up potion was a rather easy potion to make so he felt no need to hover over them. He was rather happy to see that his students were doing quite well and should be done by the end of today's class. His eyes drifted to Hermione, who was working with Draco and Harry. His lips twitched as he remembered the night on the sixth floor. His fantasy he had slipped into was disrupted by a cauldron that had exploded, covering most of the classroom with its contents. He jumped to his feet and quickly cleaned the mess. Thankfully none of the students seemed to have gotten any of the failed potion on them. He stormed over to the table where the explosion occurred to investigate.

"Miss Lovegood." He snarled. "Why were you not more careful with your potion?" He noticed a second bag on the floor next to an overturned stool. "And where, may I ask, is your partner?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, waiting for her typical, loony answer.

She smiled at him wistfully and shrugged. "I'm not sure professor. Perhaps she vanished when the potion exploded in her face." She didn't mention how she had seen the other girl sneaking glances at a manga she had hidden under her potions book.

Snape glared at the Ravenclaw. "Such nonsense." He turned away and started back to his desk. "You will serve detention with me tonight, Miss Lovegood." He growled at her as he sat down. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, upset that his evening plans had been ruined.

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As Hermione made her way up to the Great Hall for lunch she was followed closely by Harry, Draco and Ginny who were laughing like mad men. She stopped outside the large doors leading to the great hall and turned to the others. "What has got you three so giddy?"

"Snape." Ginny grinned.

"Merlin! His face." Harry wiped his eyes behind his glasses.

"What?" Hermione asked feeling a little lost.

"Did you not see him pouting after he got onto Luna?" Draco smiled at Hermione. "He had been leering at you the whole time. Then the cauldron exploded and he spent the rest of class looking like a sulking child." Draco chuckled making the others laugh as well.

Hermione suddenly stopped laughing as she remembered something. "I think I know what his problem is." They looked at her expectantly. "Well I was in the library this morning returning a book I had borrowed. He had pulled me aside and asked if I would meet him in his office this evening after dinner." She blushed as she realized what she had inadvertently told them.

Draco and Harry blanched. "Didn't need to know that much Mione." Harry croaked.

Ginny smirked and wrapped an arm around her friend and leaned close to her ear. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who's a teacher's pet."

"WHAT?!" They all jumped and turned toward the loud voice next to them. Ron was standing there glaring at his little sister. "Which lecherous old coot is getting an ass kicking?" His face went red with rage.

"Whoa there Weaselby." Draco said stepping between the siblings. "Ginny's a big girl and she can handle herself. Besides we all know she'll blast anyone to bits if they tried something stupid."

"This is none of your business Malfoy." Ron snapped at the blonde.

"And its none of yours either, Ronald." Ginny's glare surprised Ron enough to shut his mouth. "I am no longer a child, so if I want to shag a teacher or the entire quidditch team, then I will. And there is nothing you can do about it." She smiled at her brother we he muttered an apology. "Good. Now then. What brings you here?"

"Oh.. um.." He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "I need to talk to Hermione. It's important and won't take long." His stomach rumbled when he smelled the aroma wafting from the great hall. "We can talk after lunch, if you don't mind me joining." He smiled sheepishly.

Harry shook his head at his friend and slung his arm over his shoulders. "Of course you can. I can't wait to tell you what all has happened." They walked ahead of the others and sat next to Luna and Hanna. The others shook their heads at Ron and his stomach.