Hello, readers! Thanks for the new follows. Hope you like this chapter too. I think it's a bit longer than usual. Enjoy~
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that looks familiar to the world of Harry Potter.
It was a Thursday afternoon class, the last one Hermione had for the day. She was in the middle of explaining the errors that a group of students had made while practicing the trip jinx. The floor was covered with a special training mat so that no one would be injured during the lesson. It was one of Hermione's little inventions. The mat remained firm like as if it was the actual floor when anyone walked or ran but it would absorb all impacts on it especially when anyone fell.
"You'd want to use it on someone who is moving. Like if someone was chasing after you," continued Hermione. "Not on someone who was standing still like what you did there, Mr Avery."
The Slytherin boy she was talking to nodded but didn't look too happy. Hermione brought their attention to the group next to them who were simulating a chase and the one who did the running slipped and fell, skidding to a halt upon being targeted with the jinx.
"Try again," she said to Avery's group.
After making sure they had grasped the concept, she moved around to the other groups to check on their progress. When it was finally time to end the class, the students gathered around her and she gave a warning. "This jinx is meant for you to use as a defence spell. If I hear that anyone has been using this to harm or play pranks on their fellow schoolmates, it will be a straight detention and docking of house points. Dismissed."
The students gathered their belongings, chatting animatedly and slowly shuffled out of the class. Hermione packed up the mat with a wave of her wand. Then she strode along the length of the classroom, flicking her wand as she went along to put the tables and chairs back in place. She didn't have any concrete plans for the evening so a quiet night with a book and a glass of Firewhisky seemed to be the way to go.
A prickling on the back of her neck broke her thoughts and she jumped automatically. She had been in the middle of arranging the next row of tables and chairs back in place and wasn't able to deflect the oncoming spell in time. The jinx burst against the wooden flooring under where her feet were just a moment ago. She landed harder than expected, a sharp pain lanced through her right leg as she spun around and aimed a row of spells towards the entry of the classroom, sprinting over to catch the attacker.
She caught sight of a flash of robes rounding the corner at the end of the corridor. But the tell-tale strip of green against the black gave her enough information to go on. She sprinted as she shot a spell at the student's bag that slit wide open and all the contents came spilling out.
"William Avery," said Hermione in her most severe voice as she reached the boy who was trying to pick all his items up.
His face paled immediately as he turned to face her. "Professor."
"Follow me at once."
-.-.-.-
Hermione watched Snape who was glaring at William Avery. The boy stood defiantly under the scrutiny and imposing stature of his Head of House.
"Professor Granger, would you give us a moment?" asked Snape through gritted teeth.
Hermione nodded and stepped out of his office, closing the door shut. But she pressed her ears to the cracks and wished, for once, she had a set of Extendable Ears with her. She strained hard and could barely make out the words as Snape grilled the boy.
"What, in Merlin's name, possessed you to attack Professor Granger?" asked Snape, his voice dangerously low.
"She humiliated me!" yelled Avery.
"Do not shout at me."
"She humiliated me," repeated Avery, in a more controlled voice.
"Explain."
Hermione couldn't hear anything for a moment. Then the boy began explaining what had happened during their class. Except for his skewed interpretation of the way she corrected his mistake, everything else matched.
"Look at me, boy."
For a few minutes, there was nothing. In fact, Hermione was so curious she wanted to open the door and check to see if either one had accidentally murdered the other. Her thoughts were interrupted when Snape's voice cut through the silence.
"Professor Granger merely corrected your error. There was nothing wrong with what she had done. She is more than well-qualified to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. Probably one of the finest I have seen so far during all my years at Hogwarts."
Hermione wanted to deny it but she couldn't help but feel pleased at this compliment. From Snape of all people!
"But, sir, how could she go around talking to us like that? She's a Mudblood!" exclaimed Avery.
Hermione's eyebrows shot up at the usage of that word. She heard a loud crack and a cry of pain. Her hand twitched around the door handle.
"Do not. Ever. Use. That. Word. Again. Do you understand?" Snape thundered.
"But, sir…"
"Silence! What made you think for a second you could get away with attempting to harm anyone in this school?"
The boy whimpered. "Please, sir …"
"You are a complete disgrace. I would have expected better from one of my own." He paused, taking deep breaths to collect himself. "I am sorely tempted to expel you. Give me a good reason why I should not."
"No, sir! Please, I promise I won't use that word again. I promise I won't harm anyone again."
"Promises," spat Snape. "You had best see through your promises, William Avery, or I will personally snap your wand in half and have you expelled."
"Sir!"
"200 points from Slytherin for using magic to intentionally cause harm, and the usage of a filthy word," began Snape, his voice becoming increasingly acidic with each word. "You will serve detention with me once a week, hard labour with Filch on the school grounds every other night and you are banned from going to Hogsmeade. All these apply for the rest of your school year. Apologise to Professor Granger. Now."
With that, the office door magically swung open and Hermione had to keep herself from falling over since she had been literally pressed up against the door.
"Well?" she asked, looking between them.
"I apologise for my behaviour, Professor Granger. That will not happen again," mumbled Avery, bowing his head.
"Off with you, boy," said Snape.
William Avery scuttled out of the office as fast as he could. Snape pointed his wand at the door and it shut with a resounding snap and the locks clicked in place. Then he casted an Imperturbable charm on the door.
"My apologies, Granger. Bad behaviour from my house," muttered Snape. "I never would have expected something like this."
"It's not your fault. Wasn't that rather harsh on Avery, though?" asked Hermione. She didn't feel sorry about the house points but all the other punishments that Snape had inflicted upon him.
"I should have known you would be listening," said Snape, his lips turned up at the corners. "I'd have him expelled if I could. He tried to harm you with a jinx you had just taught him. And he …"
"Called me a Mudblood?" offered Hermione.
Snape hissed. "Don't."
"Does it remind you of … you know, you and Lily?"
Snape shook his head. "It's a reminder that there is still a lot of work to be done in society."
"Don't expel the boy. He's just immature. What's the worst that could happen anyway?" Hermione smiled.
"I'd like to spare myself from having to clean up the mess if you were blasted into smithereens."
"Ouch." She winced. "I'm sure that wouldn't happen."
"Do you want to go to the Hospital Wing?" He moved quickly around to her side and gently eased her backwards into a chair.
"I'm fine," she said, reaching out to hold onto his arm. "I've been through much more. A recalcitrant teenager is nothing for me."
"True. Far more than you should have at a young age." He bent down on one knee in front of her, gently touching the area around her ankle. "This needs some treatment."
"I'm fine, really. I'll just ice it up when I get back to my rooms. I'm not done with sorting out my classroom."
Snape snorted. "You're thinking about your classroom at a time like this? I'm surprised you're still standing. Let me take a look."
"No, Snape," pleaded Hermione.
"Be still."
"How did you know anyway?"
"It was obvious from the way you were holding yourself."
He dragged a chair and sat opposite her before gently lifting her right leg and resting her calf across his lap. Then he folded her pants up to expose her ankle and slipped her shoe off. He paused, taking in the bright, cartoon-printed socks that were now free from their hiding place. He smirked before slipping the socks off.
Hermione didn't know what to do. She couldn't bring herself to argue with him because now that the main incident was over, her ankle was throbbing heavily and she really did need to be treated. Yet she could never have ever imagined that the day would come when Severus Snape would be touching her foot and socks.
"Your foot," Snape began, pausing to consider something.
"What now?" She fervently hoped there was no smell.
"Dainty," he said, carefully voicing the word as if it was something he hadn't articulated before. Without waiting for her reply, he used his wand to prod and poke her ankle.
Hermione was exceptionally glad he hadn't looked at her. She was certain there was a terrible blush spreading across her cheeks; a smile was tugging at her lips. His body heat was slowly passing through both their clothing and into her calf. His muscles tensed and relaxed as he tilted her leg side-to-side. Damn, she thought, no thigh fats.
She banished the thought immediately but was distracted by what he was doing now. His fingers were wrapped on the underside of her foot and his thumb was moving back and forth across the top of her foot. He was murmuring something as he passed his wand over her ankle in circular motions. No man had ever paid so much attention to her foot. Yet alone, stroke it. She paused. Man? When had he become a man to her, more than just a 'Professor' and a 'colleague'?
"All done," said Snape. He took her socks and started to put it on but she interrupted.
"Let me do it," said Hermione.
She lifted her leg off his and wore both socks and shoes quickly, pulling down the folded part of her pants when she was done. She lifted her head to see him still gazing at her and something shifted in them when their eyes met. "Done."
Snape nodded. "Wait here."
He went into a large storage room that was connected to his office. After a minute or so, he came back out with a small vial. "Drink this."
There was no label on the vial. Hermione sniffed it tentatively. She recognised the smell as one of the many potions Madam Pomfrey had given her during her school days. She tossed it back and returned the vial to Snape. "Thanks. I hope this will be fully healed by the time I meet Neville on Saturday."
Snape froze. "You're meeting Longbottom?"
Hermione saw his eyes flicker to the vial and back at her. "Yeah, that's why I'm heading out. All of you gave me a list of weird items you needed from various shops in Diagon Alley and Muggle London. What was yours again? Couscous? I don't recall food being used as a Potions ingredient."
"Indeed." Snape responded slowly. "So you were going to meet Longbottom." It sounded as if he was affirming it to himself rather than asking her a question.
Hermione frowned. "Didn't Minerva mention that?"
"She only informed the staff that you would be out for the day. Much like how she does when anyone of us leaves the castle to go farther than Hogsmeade."
"I thought she would have mentioned Neville since Pomona told me he was going to replace her the next year."
Snape pursed his lips. "I wouldn't know what Minerva thinks."
"Anyway, thank you so much for your help and care. I know it will heal splendidly because it was you who looked at it," said Hermione, smiling impishly.
"You're welcome."
Hermione could feel Snape's eyes on her as she limped to the door. She held onto the doorframe and turned. "Thank you for that compliment about my capabilities in Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Then she closed the door shut behind her, careful not to put too much pressure on her right leg. She still had to finish arranging her classroom before heading off to the staff room. She sighed as she recalled the stacks of marking she had to complete before gallivanting around the whole of London on Saturday. Hopefully her ankle would have healed by then.