Chapter 2


That Snape!

He's so...

She may now be settled in the familiar (partly soothing that way) and welcoming area of their house common room, and she may now be snugly seated in a comfortable chair, but still, has the feelings inspired by that teacher lingering in her body, somewhat mocking her. Here she is, in the common room, a place of peace and relaxation, but she is far from being relaxed, thanks to her teacher. That's the mockery of it all; she stormed away from him, to escape him, but he is still with her.

Really, though, that Snape! He is just so...

Frustrating would be a good enough word to use for him, except, she's more interested in the fact that he's just become another issue on the list of current troubles and issues that she has. As if Harry's upcoming task, Harry's scar hurting, Harry's nightmares, Ron behaving like a buffoon, and then Viktor aren't enough issues to keep her mind busy with worry all the time, there's now Snape, who's... What's the word?

Aaargh! She could scream! That Snape!

Now, it's Harry, Ron, Viktor and Snape.

Oh, her life!

She wonders, how did her life get to this point again? She's worried about so many things, and she's only fifteen. She feels eighteen, though, if she is to be honest with herself. Being friends with Harry, has made her more advanced as a person, than how she would've been on her own. Normally, she would only just prepare herself for what is expected of her, and a little (two or three steps at the very least) space ahead of what is expected, but with Harry, she's had to do so much research, and literally think on her feet, among taking on a caring and mending role for him, while figuring out which advice to best give him. In short, three years with Harry, have inevitably matured her to feel older than her real age.

At that thought, she smiles a little bit.

Really, if she didn't love that boy, if she didn't care for him as much as she does, she wouldn't even be here. Not only on Snape's bad side, but mature and advanced in her mind, that she's now dating an older boy. Also, if it wasn't for Harry, who knows if she would even have any friends by now. She certainly remembers how back before she found out that she was a witch, and was accepted her at Hogwarts, she never really had friends. Nobody ever wanted to be friends with the girl who knew everything, and never broke a single rule. She had gotten used to the role of advising and helping everybody where they needed help, but she always understood that she would never really have friends.

In the Muggle world, she didn't have big birthday parties, because no one would come anyway, even though her parents could afford it. Even if other children could come, she grew up in a neighbourhood where people were very superficial. Yes, she's always had her own bathroom adjoined to her room, and her parents always gave her what she wanted, even if it was pricy, but she never really cared for grandeur, and so she never felt the need to have parties that had to outdo the previous child's birthday party. Instead, she dressed herself in modest clothing, behaved how she thought not-so-privileged children did, and that made her happy.

Since meeting Harry, though, she's glad that she made a friend in him. And Ron. They are both so extremely important to her, mostly because they are her first ever real friends. She supposes that is why she's always rushing to protect them from themselves, and Harry especially, from getting himself killed, because she doesn't want anything to happen to them, and then leave her by herself. Now that she's had more than a taste of real friendship, she never wants to lose it for anything in the world, which is why she needs, oh so much, to have access to Snape's potions store.

But Snape just...

He didn't even listen to her, that man! He's apparently only interested in humiliating her, and treating her like the pest that she is not. It's not as though she is dying to be in his company specifically, it's only that between Charms and Transfiguration for the type of distraction that she needs, Potions came out the better option, even not having primarily been a contender. She care evaluated the type, the nature and the urgency of distraction that she needs, how she would benefit from it, allowing her time to still be there for Harry, and then she considered all the benefits and setbacks that both Charms and Transfiguration would bring to her.

What stood out the most for her, was that any time spent on Charms, would be over as soon as she learned the proper incantation and right wand movement. With Transfiguration, well, she wouldn't exactly require nearly as much time and precision as she would in Potions. She knew very well that getting around Snape would be tricky, if not impossible, but she told herself that if she didn't try to ask him at least, then she wouldn't have done anything towards her goal of distraction. She tried to ask, of course, but Snape didn't even-

'Hermione?' a voice behind her calls her name.

Instantly drawn out of her thoughts, she looks behind her, to find a second year student –Saveria Andala, she thinks- standing there. She has never actually spoken more than two sentences to the girl, so naturally, she's curious what the girl wants with her.

'Yes?'

'There's someone looking for you outside,' the girl tells her, and then bursts out into a short of giggles, to finally say, 'It's Viktor Krum.'

Viktor? Her stomach suddenly decides to look for a hiding place lower than its usual position. Oh great, this is just what she needs; to see Viktor while she's still in a Snape-induced state of emotion. That should go over well.

'Thank you,' she shows the girl a forced smile, because her spirit is really not feeling up to smiling.

She waits for the girl to get out of sight, before she breathes out an emotion that she can't yet name, then only lifts herself up from the chair to go and see Viktor. On her way to crossing the entrance, she trains herself to gather all of her composure, and think of an excuse to escape spending time with Viktor, if that is what he wants with her. By the time that she leaves the safety of their house quarters, she has a faint smile on her face, deceptive enough to say that she is pleased to see him.

'Viktor,' softly leaves her mouth.

'Hi,' he lifts his left hand in a curt wave, while his face displays a charming smile. 'I vas vanting to talk vif you.'

Oh no, she thinks, nearly losing her deceptive smile, she doesn't want to talk with him. Not today, she doesn't. Well, to be honest, she wants to spend as little time with him as possible, until the whole thing with Ron clears. It's that Ron keeps spoiling her mood when it comes to Viktor, and she doesn't find it fair that Viktor should suffer because of Ron.

'Can I find you later in the evening?' she tries to make an excuse to not have a talk with him.

Frowning, a little disappointed maybe, he asks, 'Vat are you doing now? Ve can talk now.'

'Um...' she shakes her head. 'It's Professor Snape. He...'

Deliberately, she trails off there, because there is no way that she is going to tell him what happened with Snape, when she's not had time to put it into a compartment herself. She would first like to allocate an internal space for her encounter with Snape, and then only can she talk about it with someone else if she has to. Someone else not being Viktor, though.

'He has some vork for you?' Viktor curiously tries to complete the sentence that she never finished.

'No. It's not like that. I just need his potions store for something.'

Smiling like he completely understands, he leans down to kiss her on the cheek, offering her his arm.

'I vill valk vif you to him, yes?' he offers.

Strangely, she finds that she can't say no to him. She reasons that even if she could refuse him, it would just be horribly impolite to snub him, especially when she already told him that she wouldn't be able to talk with him right now. It's obvious that he came looking for her, because he wants to spend some time with her, so she should at least humour him with the little that he is willing to take from her.

'Thank you,' she says, taking his arm.

As they walk to Snape's office, she allows Viktor to do all the talking, keeping only one ear on the conversation, while her other listens to the thoughts in her head. Her thoughts are that she can't possibly avoid going to see Snape now, no matter how much she doesn't want to. Also, she thinks about how he more or less told her that she's stupid for not figuring out that he had been deliberately ignoring her. She remembers how he sent her away, not even giving the dismissal a second thought, and recalling all that humiliation, she asks herself why she's allowing herself to be lead Snape's way.

She mightily hopes that he won't even be in his office once they get there, that he'd probably be anywhere but near the dungeons, and that way be saved from his nastiness. When they get to his office, though, knocking only once to be answered by him, she realises that hope unfortunately doesn't prevent reality from happening. If only it did, because suddenly now face to face with Snape, it sets in for her that if she doesn't talk to Snape now, she'll have no choice but to go with Viktor.

As the Muggles would say, she's caught between a rock and a hard place.

Viktor being the rock, of course, and Snape, the other thing.

To tell the truth, she would rather head towards the hard place, than be weighed down by a rock.

'Miss Granger...' he speaks to her with an arched eyebrow, and then turns his eyes to Viktor, 'and Mr. Krum... I assure you, your affections for one another, bring me no interest to know.'

Why, he!

Because she hadn't been paying attention to her physical appearance, Snape's words make her remember that their arms are linked together, rather too comfortably. In great haste, as though she poked her hand into a furnace, she pulls her arm free from Viktor's. She only does that, for the reason that she won't be the one to give Snape a reason to insult their relationship. The worst that could happen at the moment, is Snape humiliating her in front of Viktor, and while she's learned to take his insults, although they hurt, she wouldn't be proud to be belittled in front of a guy who thinks that she is wonderful.

'Professor, that's not-'

'Silence,' he softly utters, but with such bitterness that any live plant nearby, would shrivel up.

Well, (not that she appreciates him cutting her off in the first place) she's at least grateful that he didn't hold his finger to his mouth this time, like he did earlier, making her feel like a kindergarten child.

'Mr. Krum,' Snape says to Viktor, 'I trust that you can find your way back.'

She barely manages to keep a snort in, because she finds it completely not amusing how he's making it sound like a statement, when it should really be a question. What if Viktor doesn't want to leave her alone? What if being by her side is more important than anything else that he might have to do today? Snape can't just go around giving orders as he pleases, least of all, to foreign students.

'I know my vay, yes,' Viktor agrees with a nod.

No, no, no! She desperately looks at Viktor; he's not supposed to agree to leaving. He doesn't understand, she doesn't want him to leave her alone with Snape. It would be the worst thing ever, to be stuck all alone with Snape. In the dungeons, no less. Who knows what foul things he'd explicitly be comfortable saying to her in here, when it's just the two of them?

'I'll go with you, Viktor,' she says to him, as she finds that is the easiest way to save herself.

'Miss Granger,' is all that comes from Snape's mouth, but it is effective enough to return her attention back to him.

'Forgive me, Professor,' she nearly stumbles on the apology. 'We didn't mean to waste your time, but we will be going now.'

'But you said you need his store of potions?' Viktor speaks up. 'It vould be silly to go vifout talking to him, don't you believe?'

Viktor.

She swears, if only she could disappear at will, she would. Since she can't do that, and she can't return the words spoken back to Viktor's mouth and out of Snape's ears, she'll just have to live through this moment, praying that Snape will chase her away from his door immediately. Snape, for his part after the revelation, instead of keeping his eyebrow up, brings it down to its resting place. That, for some reason, makes her very nervous, as it says to her that he has lost all interest in her, if he ever had any to begin with, that he can't even be bothered to chase her away.

'It's okay, Viktor,' she tries to reason with him, and make an escape. 'I have Potions with him tomorrow. I can talk to him then.'

'Mr. Krum, leave,' Snape firmly states, obviously disregarding her. 'Miss Granger, in.'

How Snape can always speak threatening orders without rushing himself, or raising his voice, is far beyond her flexibly understanding mind. He does it so well, that she long ago gave up trying to find the secret behind that success of his. Nonetheless, Viktor gets the message right away, gathering himself and whispering a soft promise to see her later on, and then starts to walks away from the two of them. Before his footsteps get further than the third, a faint throat clearing sound breaks through the air, effectively getting her attention away from Viktor to Snape.

One very precise look at him, has her thinking better than to provoke him. If she has to make him repeat the command that he already gave her, he will silently explode with anger, she, suspects, and so to avoid that, she trudges into his office. On her second step, Snape brushes past her, leaving her three steps behind, before she has time to take her third step. On his fourth step, which takes him right into the centre of the room, Snape sharply turns to face her.

Naturally, she rigidly gathers herself into a straight line, her body pretending to be petrified, without consulting het her mind first. It's not so much that she's afraid of him, but the fact is that she's swimming in nerves more than she is not. She and Snape, alone, in his dungeons... Oh, yes, the torturous possibilities are endless. Not only that, but when she eventually leaves his office, no doubt thoroughly humiliated by him, she will have to endure passing through Slytherin territory, filled with Slytherin students.

Oh!

'Speak,' Snape smoothly says to her.

She wants to, she really wants to say something to him, but in her mind, she can still see how he cut her off from speaking, the last time she had started to tell him what she wanted from him. Her feelings on that are still raw, and no, she does not want to go through that same thing again, only to help grow deeper emotions caused by involving herself in an attempted conversation with Snape. For her own stability, she remains where she is, with her mouth pressed shut.

'Out,' suddenly fills the silence between them.

It's a complete whisper, but she hears it clearly. She hears the impatience that it carries, and instead of that making her realise that he's irritated by her silence, she rather feels her temper begin to flare. He's truly a man with vile reactions!

'Why did you tell me to come in then, Professor?' she rudely asks.

'I told you to speak,' is all he replies with.

Had he snarled the reply, she would've gotten angrier with him. However, the fact that he sounded as normal as Snape can sound, makes her realise her error. It automatically becomes clear to her, that he doesn't have the patience to entertain her silence, if that is all she came to do here. In his head, he is probably thinking that if she will not say anything, he would rather not be bothered by her presence. She is only left with one choice, which is to start talking. Although, she's warning him, –in the privacy of her mind- that if he tries to interrupt her, she will walk out of here, and never speak to him outside of Potions again, even if she is about to die.

Hastily swallowing for proper motivation to speak clearly, she starts to say, 'Professor, I was wondering if there are any potions that you would like help to brew. I'm asking, because I would like to offer my help, sir.'

The first thing about her actually wanting to brew potions, is that she needs a distraction. A real, tangible distraction from all the mess that is going on around her, even just for a few hours, where she is only to concentrate on something that she can control, other than worrying about something that she can't control entirely. The second thing, is that she wants something to help her be prepared for Harry's sake, in case he needs her help during the actual Tournament. That boy is bound to enter the next task unprepared, so it wouldn't hurt to know if there are potions that Harry could use during the Tournament. Of course, she's not going to tell Snape any of that, though.

'Miss Granger,' Snape painfully pronounces with deliberate precision. 'You take me for a fool.'

Excuse her? What's the meaning of that statement? Especially when it is spoken so matter-of-factly, as though she once said the words to him, and he vowed to never forget the sound of them. How can he stand there, and accuse her of something foul, when all she did was ask if he needed her help?

'Sir?!' she cries out the exclamation and question merged into one, for him to realise the incredulity of his response.

'I am accurately aware of the stock which I keep in my store.' he answers.

Hotly, she wonders, and?

'And...' Snape stresses the word, 'Small quantities are missing from my store.'

'And you think I took them, Sir?'

She's outraged! Between worrying for Harry and schoolwork and... Possibly Rita Skeeter and other things, why would she make time to sneak into his store and steal ingredients? That's a daft accusation to make about her!

'I do not,' he coldly returns, sounding as though he regrets that.

Oh, good, she thinks, beginning to relax her tense body. She didn't realise how tense she'd been until she begins to relax herself, but just as she is getting comfortable in loosening up, he looks starts to say something else to her.

'However, I do believe that your dear Potter, is involved. In some manner or another, my missing quantities have a relation to Potter.'

'Harry didn't take anything from your store!' she impulsively retorts.

Sometime after she leaves his office, she'll probably look back on their conversation, and realise her impulsive answer, came from a protective place for Harry. She'll remember that seeing as nearly the whole school has been thinking badly of him this year, she's developed a knack for defending Harry from even the Headmaster, if she has to. Thus, her unrestrained response.

'I wouldn't expect you to admit it.'

'I would've known if he'd taken anything,' she maintains. 'We'd after all have to work on it together. Don't you know? Harry is too busy terrified for his life with the Tournament as it is, to be entering the dungeons to steal from you.'

It's not entirely true, though, what she said about Harry being terrified. He's actually not as terrified as he should be, but Snape doesn't need to know that either.

'Precisely my point!' he hisses, taking a long step towards her. 'Potter can do nothing without you, and thus you present yourself for aiding me! Dare deny that only for the convenience of Potter, that he should benefit from your cunning, you are currently here!'

'I don't want to steal from you for Harry!' she passionately cries, mildly shaking her head to prove her point.

Only for a short moment after she partly shouts at him, does he allow the sufficient silence needed for him to take a step closer to her. Something about his step, slow measured, though, makes her feel that she will burn if she remains on the spot while he is approaching her, which is why she steps away from his reach.

'Get out now, Miss Granger,' he breathes, clear anger on his features. 'You believe me to be a fool, and you address me as though I were one. Leave.'

He's serious. She can see that much, however, she won't just do what he is commanding of her. For the first thing, he did this to her already! He hurt her feelings and made her feel insignificant. And for the second thing, he's not the bloody wizard of the world! He doesn't own anyone's volition but his own, which means that he cannot do as he pleases with people. He thinks he's so clever he tactfully allowed her into her office, to play on her emotions by casting her out of his office, only so she could defend herself, and thus, give him the opening to accuse her of the reason that made him accept her into his office in the first place. Clearly, he wouldn't have given her a moment of his attention otherwise. He basically just broke her down, to what he needed her to be, to suit him. And that infuriates her.

'No,' she sternly defies his command.

She realises that she is walking on the very edge of the bridge keeping her from plunging into the sea below her feet, but just this once, she will push it out of her important notice, to confront Snape. It may very well be that she is only using him as an outlet to dump all the rubbish that she has been carrying all this time, but whatever it is, she won't leave this room without making it clear to Snape that he is not the wizard of the world, and his actions shouldn't be without consequence.

'I said, leave,' he insists.

And I said, no, is what she answers him in her head with, but out of her mouth comes, 'I didn't steal from you. Neither did Harry. I don't believe you a fool, and I'm not speaking to you as a fool. I only want to brew potions, Professor. It honestly wouldn't have hurt you to say no politely.'

That's all.

There's nothing more than that, that she wants him to know, and now that she has said it, she feels better. Well, she still feels that he's full of foul reactions, although, she feels a little liberated that she got to say her honesty to Snape, after he made it nearly impossible for her to do so. She didn't expect her blunt honesty to be well received by her teacher, so it is no surprise that he studies her face, with eyes narrowed and an unreadable expression on his face. She takes his overall stance, silence and expression, to mean that it's time for her to leave. Readily, she accepts that, not feeling neither particularly pleased, nor disappointed.

'I'll be going now, Professor.'

She doesn't think that she owes him the courtesy, when she should rightfully just walk out in the same line of disrespect that he has shown her, but what can she do? At the end of the day, she may call him Snape in her head, but he still remains her teacher, and is warranted some form of respect from her.

'Miss Granger.'

Her name sounds nearly gingerly coming from his, something like he doesn't want to say it, but he has no choice but to. It does something like caress her anger to be a tamed emotion, no longer flaring. It's odd to her, but she ignores it to answer him.

'Professor?'

'Let me discover that you are taking anything,' Snape reverts to his usual manner of speaking, 'dare I say even air from this room, and you shall severely regret it.'

Her mind stops for a beat, because... What was that? Was that him saying that he believes her? Or was that him telling her that all right, she can brew potions? Which is it, of the two? He should be clearer than that.

'What are you saying Professor?' she carefully questions him.

Making a sound similar to clucking noise, in a drawling voice, he expresses, 'I'm rather already regretting my decision to allow you anything. I should've known that you don't possess any comprehensive skills.'

'So, hang on, Professor. You mean... I can help you?'

That's what she understands at least, she only needs to have it confirmed.

'You're reaching, Miss Granger,' he says in a bored tone. 'I do not require assistance to brew potions. I do, however, think that you would be a smidgeon capable of ridding me of the lesser brews.'

She's dreaming. She's dreaming. She has got to be dreaming, because this is not possible, is it really?

'By myself?'

Suddenly, she's bubbling with relieved happiness. Brewing potions is exactly what she needs, and without the presence of Snape, it will be a freshly-mown-grass and parchment smelling heaven, stacked with all the books that she could ever want. Snape on the other hand, doesn't seem to share in her sentiments, for he stares at her as though she's a different creature from the one that entered his office some moments ago.

'Were you hoping that I would hold your hand?'

'That's not what I meant, sir,' she retorts, feeling her face growing hot at the thought of holding a teacher's hand.

In this very moment, she can actually sympathise with Ron for what he had to go through when McGonagall danced with him, asking him to place his hand on her waist. She couldn't ever imagine holding the hand of a teacher. Except for Hagrid, of course, but Hagrid is Hagrid, so he doesn't count at all.

'It's just that I don't expect you to leave me by myself in your brewing store, Professor,' she explains to his arched, possibly curious eyebrow.

At her explanation, he audibly snorts, but his shoulders also make a bare movement. It's not exactly a laugh, what he lets out of his mouth, but somehow, it is.

'And still, you continue to reach, Miss Granger. I couldn't bear to be confined with you in my potions store, much less during the delicate process that is brewing. Am I not a wizard, that I should babysit you?'

So... She looks at him carefully, thinking about how he'll ingeniously spell the place for his awareness, and how she'll be in it all by herself.

'Thank you, Professor,' she genuinely thanks him, adding a smile as well.

As she expected, he ignores her gratitude and smile, rather choosing to tell her to meet him back in his potions classroom two days from now, if and when she has a free period during the day.

'Thank you, Professor,' she says again. 'I'll be here, I promise.'

In response, before giving her his back, he mumbles something that suspiciously sounds like 'unnecessary,' but she doesn't care. He just said yes, she can brew potions, which means that she'll have her distraction at last. Not to mention the possibility that she might come across something useful to help Harry along the Tournament.