-=-=-=-Chapter 29: Who was the teacher again? -=-=-=-=-
"Hermione," Severus' voice rumbled. "We have our first class in an hour."
Hermione shot up straight in the chair, eyes wide. The blanket she had somehow acquired during the night fell to her lap, and she looked around wildly. Her eyes darted from place to place quickly, taking in the surroundings as reality came to her. "Crickets, I'm so sorry."
Severus gave her an amused look. "You had a rough night. I will not begrudge you stealing my favorite chair."
Hermione smiled at Severus. "It was a very comfortable chair."
"Fortunately, I have two of them." Severus handed her a breakfast biscuit and a glass of juice. "Eat."
Hermione inhaled the biscuit hungrily, downing the juice in a couple seconds. Severus watched her with an arched eyebrow and handed her another biscuit. "Thank you," she mumbled with her mouth half full of biscuit.
"How confident do you feel about basic potion making and methods?" Snape said as he rustled through his wardrobe.
"I think I have enough grasp of my faculties to instruct a basic class without blowing anyone up, Professor Snape," Hermione grinned as she wolfed down the last of the second biscuit.
"Oh?" Snape said in his familiar disbelieving tone.
"Yes, I believe I am," Hermione said, meeting his gaze and tilting her chin up in defiance.
Severus pulled out a bundle of clothing and a potion with an ornate stopper on it. "Prove it, Professor." He flipped the stopper and placed his wand to his head, pulling out a strand of hair and guiding it into the open potion bottle. He blew into it with his breath and replaced the stopper.
Hermione's eyes got wide. "You want… you mean…. Me?" she squeaked.
"Oh, don't worry. I plan to be watching you." He stared at her for a moment and pulled out another potion, opening the lid. He eyed her silently. Hermione's eyes sparkled with mischief. She placed her wand to her head and pulled a strand and sent it into the potion.
"You breathed into this one… do I need to breathe into that one for you?" Hermione tilted her head at the potion flask.
"Unless you want me to sound like this wearing your body, Ms. Granger, I suspect you should," Severus rolled his eyes to look at her.
Hermione giggled and blew into the potion bottle and put the stopper back in. "I didn't know you could do that! The polyjuice potion always changed the outside but left us our voices."
"Hermione," Severus admonished her with a look. "I'm the Potions Master. Did you think I hadn't thought of that?"
Hermione laughed and accio'ed a set of her robes with her wand. She handed Severus the bundle and dashed out the door to her room.
Severus smirked as he sat at the back of the classroom watching himself walk into the classroom.
"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class," Hermione intoned lowly. She raked her gaze across the classroom, committing every face to memory. "As such, I do not expect many of you to appreciate the… subtle and exact art that is potion-making." Hermione, looking as stern as she remembered him from her first year in Potions class, walked down the aisle of the classroom to the front. "However, for those select few who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses."
Minerva had walked into the classroom while "Severus" was teaching, sitting down next to "Hermione." "How is it going for you, dear?"
"Delightful," Snape answered her.
Minerva looked closer at "Hermione." She eyed her collar and noticed the lack of the apprenticeship sigils. Turning her gaze to "Severus," she noticed the two sigils clipped to his collar. "Severus?!" Minerva hissed at him.
"Hermione" quirked her lips into a smirk, placing her finger to her lips. "Shhh, Minerva. I'm learning."
Minerva looked back and forth between Severus and Hermione and placed her hand in front of her face to stifle a laugh so the young students didn't turn around and stare at her.
"I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death," Hermione lectured in Snape's voice. She turned towards the class with a somber expression that caused the children in the rows to fidget.
"I cannot tell you that everything you learn in this class will grant you powers beyond comprehension or that it will save you from having to take your exams. I will tell you, however," Hermione said in a low rumbling voice, using Severus' naturally tone to carry across the room, "that one of these potions could save you or your friends from poison. One of these potions could counter the effects of petrification. One of these potions could restore blood back to someone who hovers on the line of life… and death." Hermione used Snape's dark eyes to glower. "A potion is powerful tool. When used properly it can provide sleep without dreams, ease pain, and even induce euphoria."
Hermione paced at the front of the classroom. "I'm sure at least some of you can understand why this class is just as important as learning to hold your wand correctly. It is my hope that by the time you are done with this class in your first year, all of you will understand this." Hermione's eyes unfocused a moment, her thoughts far away. "One day you may find that a potion is what saves those you care about from a fate far worse than detention. Pray that this does not come to pass."
Hermione stood up to Severus' full height. "Now to begin, I want this first row to put your heads together and give me information on bezoars. You may use your text, but I want at least one use that isn't in the book. Think carefully."
"This row," she continued, "Break up and tell me one really good use for dragon blood that has nothing to do potions."
"This row," she rapped her knuckles on the desk as the first and second row had already started to chatter. "Find me the ingredient that is added to a Forgetfulness Potion that must be added with a dropper."
"And you three chatterboxes," Hermione used Snape's trademark glare, "can tell me what is created when the powdered root of asphodel is added to an infusion of wormwood."
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Get to it."
Students scurried to move their desks together and break into teams. Chatter rose in the room, but somewhat miraculously stayed on the topic at hand. Teams whipped out their books and flipped through the pages quickly, attempting to find the answers to her questions.
Hermione, glided down the aisle to where Severus and Minerva were sitting. Her lip quirked up in amusement as Minerva waved at her to come sit down with them.
"Hermione," Minerva laughed. "That was an impressive first go at it."
"It is hard to forget my first potions lecture," Hermione said in Severus' voice.
"You do look the part," Minerva made a face. "I won't even ask how or why this happened, but hopefully it wears off before lunchtime." Minerva turned to look at "Hermione." "It will wear off by lunchtime, won't it Severus?" Minerva gave him the glare that spoke of unspeakable things that would happen if it didn't.
"Of course, Minerva," Severus cooed in Hermione's voice.
Hermione chuckled, stood up and returned to the front of the classroom. "Times up, groups! Now tell me what you have discovered."
Raised hands and excited yammering completed with each other.
Minerva smiled. "I think she's doing just fine."
"Undoubtedly," Severus smirked.
