1A/N I always wondered how many of the Hogwarts staff knew about Hermione's time turner in third year. I recently read a fic about Snape discovering, among other things, that Hermione had been using this restricted device. It gave me the inspiration for this little piece. Any similarities between this story and the other fic, for those of you who know the story to which I refer, are unintentional. This story is unrelated to the On Fire universe.

It all belongs to Rowling.

Rated PG

Hermione stood quietly inside the storage closet, listening intently for the sound of student footsteps to fade. After DADA class she had slipped into the narrow, dusty closet to go back in time so she could attend a second class while she was present in DADA. Exiting the cramped space, she had remembered, belatedly, that Draco Malfoy had come late to their DADA class. The door to the storage closet had barely closed behind her when he had turned the corner, striding intently toward Lupin's classroom. Good thing he has loud footsteps with his smarmy hand-tailored shoes, Hermione thought as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Patting the time turner nestled beneath her robe, Hermione slipped out of the closet for the second time in as many minutes and rushed in the direction of Ancient Runes. It was such an honour to have the time turner this year, to be able to attend all these extra classes and learn so much.

Severus Snape stood quietly beside the suit of armour by Lupin's classroom door. Wandlessly, he lifted his disillusionment charm and stared thoughtfully after the retreating form of Hermione Granger. After meeting briefly with Draco Malfoy in a dungeon corridor, he had surreptitiously followed him, ensuring that he did, indeed, go to class. Snape was certain he had seen Granger's bushy head inside Lupin's classroom as Draco had entered. But then she had popped out of a storage closet not ten metres down the corridor, hauling her overstuffed satchel with her, running in the direction opposite the classroom. Pursing his lips, he decided he had been mistaken about her presence in DADA. Turning abruptly, he strode toward the nearest staircase. He had better things to do in his free period than check on wayward Gryffindors.

Two days later, Severus was seated in his favourite chair in the staff room. Homework assignments, liberally slashed with caustic comments in red ink, lay temporarily forgotten on his lap. The late afternoon sun slanted through the high windows, illuminating dust motes sifting through the air. The scent of tea and biscuits wound lazily through threads of conversation among the various members of the teaching staff. Several of those conversations had mentioned the same name and Snape's sharp hearing enabled him to tabulate those occurrences. The summation had caused him to abandon all pretense of marking assignments and stare intently into the fireplace, his index finger absently patting his pursed upper lip. It was impossible for Hermione Granger to be taking all the classes available for third year students, not to mention doing well in all of them. There weren't enough hours in the day. Hours in the day...surely Albus wouldn't allow...With feigned casualness, Severus gathered his parchments, bid his colleagues good-day and swept from the room.

'Have you lost your mind, Albus?' Snape leaned forward in his chair, facing the aged wizard behind the desk. 'Minerva was agreeable to this?'

Dumbledore ran his gnarled finger along the edge of one of the parchments littering his work area. 'Miss Granger is a remarkable student, Severus. She should have opportunity to study as much as she wishes. Intellect like this does not appear every year at Hogwarts. In fact, it rarely appears in successive generations.' The headmaster gazed pointedly at Snape.

'But the dangers far outweigh any benefit!' Snape was not to be deterred from his purpose by veiled compliments. 'Is Poppy checking her regularly for signs of time travel fatigue?'

'Miss Granger has been versed in the symptoms and has agreed to report to the infirmary immediately upon discovering any ill effects from her travels.'

Snape snorted indelicately. 'Like she'd admit to it before she was in acute distress! The little twit would likely be half drained of her magic before she would do anything that might endanger her privileged use of the time turner. She needs to be closely monitored, Albus. Surely Minerva realizes that?'

'I'm not certain Minerva shares your opinion of Miss Granger's accountability, Severus.' Albus stroked his beard and thought for a moment. 'Perhaps you could keep an eye on Miss Granger, to catch any fatigue before it becomes a problem. It would be regrettable if she were to damage her magical core through indiscriminate use of the time turner.'

'She is not of my house, Headmaster. I have not the means or inclination to see if she is sleeping adequately, or running herself into the ground.' Snape shifted one leg over the other, defensively. 'The child is Minerva's responsibility.'

Over the course of the next few weeks, Severus saw Hermione Granger everywhere. The other professors continued to sing her praises, seemingly unaware that she was in two or more places at once. Severus watched and listened, waiting for signs of what he felt would be an inevitable crash.

On Thursday, Snape headed to the library just before student curfew, intent on retrieving a rare edition of Moste Potente Poisons from the stacks. He strode between the tables, glaring pointedly at the few remaining students who immediately started packing up their books.

It had pleased him to meet Miss Granger earlier, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Perhaps she was handling the responsibility of the time travel better than he had anticipated. Perhaps she did understand the need for extra rest to counterbalance the strain on her magic. Rounding the end of the study area, Severus strolled toward the back of the library, a place rarely populated by students but home to the book he was looking for. A movement to his right caught his attention and he turned for a closer look. Someone was lurking by the entrance to the Restricted Section. Quickly, Snape redirected his silent steps.

'Miss Granger.' Wide brown eyes looked up at him. ' You were supposed to be on your way to your common room.' Realization dawned and Snape frowned down at her, noting her pale face and the tired smudges under her eyes. He leaned down close to her ear. 'Abusing a restricted magical item will result in losing the privilege.' Her quick intake of breath and guilty look confirmed his suspicions.

'You were specifically instructed about using the device only to attend class, were you not?' Snape knew she had been, but wanted to see acknowledgment of her guilt. As expected, a bloom of pink spread across her face.

'You are well aware of the dangers of using this item, Miss Granger. Have you no respect for your physical and magical welfare?'

'I do!' Hermione blurted, annoyed and embarrassed that Snape would catch her using the time turner illicitly. 'It's just that I have so much reading to do and so many assignments...Sir.' she trailed off in the face of Snape's frown.

'How many hours of sleep are you allowing yourself? Are you procuring extra food from the kitchens to compensate for the extra hours in your day? And how long do you expect to continue in this way before you burn your magical core to a mere ember, or worse?' Severus caught himself before he let some of his concern bleed into his tone of voice.

'You are obviously tired and you are losing weight. Yes, even I can see it. From now on, you will answer to me regarding the use of this restricted device. If I see that you are not becoming better rested and appearing healthier, I will not hesitate to take matters into my own hands, or to recommend to the Headmaster that your privileges be revoked. Your own Head of House may be content to let you wear yourself to a frazzle, but I will not allow you to become a danger in my Potions classroom. Do I make myself clear?'

Hermione's cheeks burned with shame. She was guilty of what Snape said. 'Yes, Sir. I'll do better in the future.'

Not meeting his eyes, she clutched her satchel tightly in her hand, running her thumb along the worn leather edge. She waited for further commentary. Receiving none, she escaped down the narrow passageway between the stacks, feeling his intense gaze on her back the entire way and mentally promising herself that she would, indeed, do better from now on.

For two weeks, Hermione kept her promise. Then, as midterm exams loomed, she felt as though she were spiraling down into a state of panic. She was overloaded with assignments and her revising schedule was impossible.

One evening, she was overcome with the frantic need for extra study time and decided she would, just this once, use the turner to expand her study hours. Carefully, she bided her time in the dormitory until everyone was asleep. Stealthily, she crept out of the Tower and down the stairways to the main hall, keeping a sharp eye out for Mrs Norris. What would be a good spot for her to use to study, where nobody would see her, since she would be in the library at the same time? There was an unused room in the dungeon, just past the girls lavatory. That would be perfect. She could study for a couple of hours and then sneak back into the dormitory once everyone was asleep. Her evening was a complete success and Hermione felt compelled to repeat the performance the next night, and the next, telling herself each night that this would be the last time.

Several nights into her extended study sessions, Hermione was chastising herself for her lack of focus. Deciding that she would just finish reviewing this one last chapter of Transfiguration, she bent her head to her task.

Four hours later, Hermione awoke abruptly. She jerked upright, grimacing at the small puddle of drool that had soaked her parchment. Her heart beat loudly in her chest at her startled return to consciousness. As she sluggishly realized where she was and that she had fallen asleep while revising, her mind also registered that she was not alone. The hair stood up on the back of her neck as she slowly turned in her chair to meet the furious face of Severus Snape. Belatedly, she scrubbed at the wet spot on her chin, and stared at him with wide eyes.

'Follow me.' Snape's tone brooked no argument so Hermione meekly gathered her things and trudged in the wake of his flaring black robes. Two short flights of stairs and one long corridor later, Hermione stood wearily in the potions master's office. By this point she was wide awake and trembling slightly as she anticipated facing a scathing lecture and possible loss of the time turner, but her body was still droopy with fatigue. Warily, she watched as Snape strode forward and touched his hand to a bookcase on the far wall. Immediately, a portion of the wall swung open, revealing a passageway.

'Come.' Snape barked over his shoulder as he stepped into the dim passage. Hermione was surprised when she quickly arrived in what was obviously Snape's private study.

'Sit.' Snape waved his hand at the fireplace and immediately the flames flickered to life, crackling merrily.

Glancing around, Hermione's natural curiosity replaced her apprehension as she lowered herself onto a small sofa adjacent the grate. The room was surprisingly cosy, wrapped in bookshelves with a lovely floor rug of grey and navy wool. A small table sat between two matching chairs directly opposite the sofa. Hermione flushed and looked away when she noticed Snape watching her make her observations. She flinched when he suddenly pointed his wand at her and muttered an incantation.

'Just as I thought. You've been abusing the time turner again. You are physically and mentally exhausted and your magic levels are dangerously low. Obviously you are not mature enough to use this device wisely -'

'But, I am!' Hermione interrupted, her voice shrill with distress.'Sir,'she added, belatedly when Snape's brows lowered, menacingly.

'It's just I need more time to complete my assignments and do my revising...' her explanation died under her professor's intense scrutiny. Apprehensively, she smoothed her skirt and studied the floor.

'I told you , Miss Granger, that I would not hesitate to take matters into my own hands if I thought that you were misusing the time turner. I will give you a choice.' Snape paused and crossed his arms. He stared at her for a moment, his face expressionless.

'You can receive punishment from me tonight and adhere strictly to guidelines I impose upon the use of the time turner from now on, or..' he drew himself up to his full height and extended his hand, 'you may pass over the time turner and I will return it to Professor Dumbledore in the morning.'

Hermione felt trapped. There was no way she could give up the time turner now! It would mean failure in all those extra classes. But what did Professor Snape mean by punishment, and what rules would he make about the time turner? She drew a shaky breath. Really, she had no choice in the matter.

'I'll take the punishment, Sir.'Hermione mentally berated herself as her voice wobbled. Don't be such a coward! she admonished, silently.

Wordlessly, Snape inclined his head. Turning, he strode to the fireplace and stared thoughtfully into the flames for a few moments. Abruptly, he rotated to face Hermione, who had watched his every move with trepidation.

'You will receive detention from me every evening for an indefinite duration.' He lifted a brow as Hermione's mouth opened. She closed it with an audible snap.

'You will report to my office each evening at 7 pm, sharp. Lateness will be unacceptable. At that time, under my supervision, you will proceed to this study, where you will use the time turner to return to 3pm. You will then prostrate yourself on this sofa and sleep until I wake you at 7:30. Following a brief repast provided by the house elves, to bolster your mental facilities, you will study until 10pm. I will then escort you to your dormitory where you will give me your word that you will retire for the night. This routine will continue until I feel you have regained your health; physical, mental and magical. Do you have any questions?'

Hermione sat with her hands in her lap, trying to absorb what she had just heard. Professor Snape was willing to help her get caught up with her studies? That didn't seem like something he would do.

'Why, Sir? I mean, why would you do this?' her small brow was furrowed in confusion.

'Contrary to popular belief, Miss Granger, I do not wish any of my students ill. It is plain to me that you need guidance with this time turner before you reduce your magical ability to ash. I have no doubt that you will chafe under my restrictions, but it is far better than the alternative. You have too great a mind to be reduced to a squib through your own heedlessness and the carelessness of those in authority over you.'

Hermione was digesting this unexpected compliment and reviewing Professor Snape's schedule in her mind when a noise redirected her thoughts to the present. Snape had moved to the corner and was retrieving a chair from beneath a small writing desk. With brisk movements, he plunked the chair in the centre of the rug.

'Now, we will address the matter of your punishment. You have willfully abused the time turner and the trust placed in you by the Headmaster and your Head of House. As well, you have broken your promise to me, that you would not continue to engage in this illicit use. For these transgressions, you will receive a spanking.'

In the silence that followed this ominous decree, Snape adjusted his trousers and sat in the chair, facing Hermione expectantly.

Hermione was speechless. A spanking? Was he out of his mind?

'A spanking? But, I'm, I'm thirteen! I'm too big for that! You can't, I-' indignation caused her to sputter.

'I assure you, Miss Granger, I most certainly can. Thirteen is but a mere child, and' he continued in a dry tone as he looked at her diminutive stature, 'You will never be to big for me to discipline in this manner. If you fail to follow my instructions to the letter in regard to your detentions, this will be the punishment you can expect. Now, come. I don't have all night. Unless you've changed your mind about the time turner?'

After a moment of staring at her professor's emotionless and unreadable face, Hermione pushed herself up on shaky legs. She'd never been spanked. Not even swatted. Thirteen was too big to be smacked, even if she was only as tall as his breast pocket. Her heart thudded in her chest as she shuffled toward the chair.

Once within arm's reach, Snape's hand shot out and grasped her wrist, pulling her close to his right side. Startled, she gasped as he drew her directly level with his own face. She could see the myriad of tiny lines around his fathomless eyes, and the dark stubble poking out of the skin along his jaw. When he spoke, his breath fanned her cheek.

'You are not the first student, nor the last, to find themselves in this position. Had you been sorted into my own house, no doubt you would be familiar with the proceedings, given your proclivity for rule breaking. You may whimper and wail but there will be no profanity, biting, or kicking. Any injury to my person will be redirected into the intensity of your punishment. Now, bend over.'

Hermione's eyes widened even further. She made no move to obey until she felt Snape's hand press on her lower back. Timidly, she bent at the waist and leaned forward until her thighs touched his. The firm hand at her back prompted her to continue her descent until she lay rigidly on her stomach across his knees. Her left arm was trapped between her torso and his and he quickly imprisoned her right hand on her back, leaving her effectively dangling at either end.

Her skirt was flipped up and, before she could process the coolness of the dungeon air on her backside, the first smack landed with a thunderous crack that seemed to echo around the study. Oh! Hermione stiffened at the unexpected sharpness of the sting. She never suspected that a slap on a knicker-clad bottom would hurt like that! Three more smacks landed in rapid succession and Hermione felt her eyes and sinuses filling up with tears. The sting in her backside was intensifying exponentially with each spank; eliciting a muted sob in accompaniment.

Tears dripped from Hermione's eyes and nose as Snape proceeded to wield his large hand like a paddle, leaving no area of her bottom unscathed. On the sixteenth spank (Hermione had been unable to stop herself from counting, hoping against all hope that each wallop would be the last), she felt Snape shift his leg under her and her lower bottom and thighs became the target for the scorching spanks. Hermione hung limply across his knee, her body shaking with sobs. Relief cloaked her like a blanket when she realized that the twentieth smack had been the last. Her right hand was released and she immediately swiped it across the tears and mucus on her face before pushing herself to stand.

The pulsing flame in her bottom consumed her thoughts as she self-consciously straightened her skirt. She looked anywhere but at Snape, terribly embarrassed and still disbelieving that he would actually spank her like a little girl. Tugging her handkerchief from a pocket, she scrubbed her face, willing her tears of pain and mortification to abate.

'Miss Granger.' Snape's deep, expressionless voice cut through her tangled emotions. She glanced up at him as he stood and moved his chair back to the desk.

'It is late and you are exhausted. I will accompany you back to your tower, where you may ensconce yourself in bed to sulk about your chastisement, to your adolescent heart's content. I will expect to see you at all meals tomorrow. Do be prompt for your detention. I trust I needn't remind you of the consequences of tardiness?'

At his raised brow, Hermione shook her head hastily. 'No, Sir.' There was no way she would put herself in jeopardy of receiving another spanking. Not if she could help it.

With a shaky breath, Hermione followed Snape out of his study and in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. She was inordinately grateful for the late hour. She intended to head straight to the privacy of her own bed where she could try to rub the sting out of her bottom and contemplate her new schedule, courtesy Professor Snape.

There, Snape sighed as he stacked the last of his corrected midterms beside his chair. Capping his ink bottle, he straightened, stretching the kinks out of his back with a series of satisfying, albeit quiet, cracks.

'Finished, Severus?' Minerva looked up from her cup of tea, several parchments curled in her lap.

'Indeed, and not a moment too soon.' Standing, Severus levitated the teapot over and refilled his cup.

'And who has the honour of being your student in highest standing this session?' Flitwick looked up from wiping biscuit crumbs from the front of his suitcoat.

Moving to the fireplace, Snape, traced his finger along the carved edge of the mantle. 'Once again, it seems that our illustrious Miss Granger has managed to outperform every other student in her year in my class as well as every other.'

Taking an appreciative sip of his tea, he allowed his mouth to quirk up a little as he thought of Hermione's diligent studying over the past few weeks. After taking her in hand that first night, she had only balked once, the evening before her ancient runes exam, when she insisted she needed more time to memorize the theories presented in her notes. She had become immediately docile once presented with the option of doing as she was told, or taking a turn across his knee and still doing as she was told. Of course she had flown through her exam with flying colours.

'Aah, Miss Granger is, without a doubt, one of the brightest minds Hogwarts has ever seen.' Flitwick, and the other professors, were fiercely proud of Hermione's academic accomplishments.

'Yes, Filius, it is remarkable,' smiling benevolently in Severus' direction, Minerva continued, ' An exceptional student, with a knack for managing her time efficiently, given sufficient ..motivation.'

Startled, Severus widened his eyes almost imperceptibly before subtly inclining his head. Perhaps Minerva was more aware of her students' activities than she let on.

As conversation murmured around the staff room, Severus finished his tea and gathered his parchments into a loose bundle. Knowing that he had helped Hermione Granger avoid burnout and therefore maintain her status as the academic darling of Hogwarts was thanks enough on its own. Minerva's recognition of his involvement in her achievement was a slight balm to his Slytherin soul. So it was with a slightly less ferocious scowl that he strode through the corridors, effectively maintaining his outward persona as the Evil Bat of the Dungeon, while inwardly smiling to himself.