Disclaimer: Not mine nor like to be, but for Timia, and any semblance of an original plot.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm planning on posting when I've finished each chapter regardless, but reviews are very nice.
The test had one hundred problems, each covering a different potion or procedure. It was a cumulative review of seven years, and Timia was not doing well at all. It wouldn't be multiple choice, or true false, no, that would be far too easy. I don't think I've gotten a single question yet! Snape hovered around the room doing little, his presence belying exactly how much he trusted her. Asphodel, fairy wings, powdered apple and juice of acorn... This is not what I expected.
As the last ten minutes of sand started to slide down into the glass, Timia gave up and started writing the first things that came to mind- recipes for various cookies.
"Time, Miss Chasser. Are you quite finished? Good, yes, let's take a look..." He reached over and snatched the parchments from her, then sluiced the answer sheet through a thin potion she hadn't seen him prepare. Glowing red circles showed up one by one next to her answers, filling up the margins.
Snape patiently waited thirty seconds for the paper to dry, then looked it over. "I see. You know nothing of the most elementary potions, and far less of the more advanced. Any project will prove most difficult- I would suggest you find a tutor, and don't plan to have much fun this year. The only way you could possibly earn credit is by working incredibly hard. I would suggest Miss Granger as a tutor- if you're up to it, Miss Chasser?"
"I completed the accelerated course of study offered by the School. I can do it." And If I can't, I'll do it anyway. You won't get the best of me, even if you are a git.
"Miss Chasser? Wake up, girl. I've asked you twice now- when do you want to set up an appointment to discuss your project?" He looked over at her as she tried to re-focus. "I'm starting to think that you could not possibly be up to any sort of potions project. Those scores were abysmal- Longbottom did better. You really don't appear to have the concentration required to get near a potion. It would be a waste of my time and yours." All of his comments were made in a biting tone, meant to cut as deep as possible. They had their intended effect. "I shall be submitting my recommendation to Professor Dumbledore, as soon as possible."
Timia looked up at him. She knew she could do it, and would do it, if she was given the chance- but it had been such a week. If she stayed Snape would quickly find out exactly what she thought of him; all she could do was grab her things and run.
* * * * *
It was only when she realized that there really was nowhere to go that Timia stopped running. She ended up in a stairway that had moved from corridor to corridor twice already, making it impossible for her to even go back the way she had come. Sighing, the girl took a deep breath and sat on the top-most stair. Snape will not get to me. Snape will not get to me. Snape will not get to me.
"This is getting sort-of familiar," the tall, black-haired boy said, looking down at her.
"Harry?" Timia looked up at the wizard, full of relief at being found, and sadness at being found like this again. "I got lost, running from his classroom. He's such a git. Ginny was right. I should have known I wouldn't be good enough for Hogwarts-"
Timia broke off as someone standing behind Harry interrupted. "What did you say? Ginny was right for once? I can't believe it!"
"Oh, shove it, Ron! Ginny doesn't copy her Transfiguration, make up utter lies for Divination, or nearly fail Potions. And it sounds as if Timia is talking about Snape- If Ginny said he was a git, she was most certainly right."
"Hermione! You're a prefect, and already bad-mouthing the teachers!" 'Ron's' tone could only be described as sarcastically amazed.
"Once again, shove it, Ron. Last year Snape made more students cry than all of the other teachers have in their entire careers, combined. He's a git, and deserves every bit of what's said about him. Now, Harry, are you going to let us see her?" Harry stepped back to reveal a girl of medium height and build, with brown hair that had subtle red highlights. She smiled, revealing rows of perfect teeth and sending sparkles through her eyes. "I'm Hermione Granger, and you must be Timia Chasser. Bad experience with Snape?"
"What other kind could there be?" scoffed the only unidentified voice. Suddenly a flame-haired boy pushed Hermione slightly to the side. "Ron Weasley, pleased to - Harry, you never said that she was gorgeous!"
Timia looked up to his face, trying not to laugh as the poor boy attempted to cover his tactlessness. "It's not- I mean- oh, for- I'm going to stop talking now."
Harry looked at him. "Probably a good choice on your part. And I did try to tell you about her, but you were ... busy."
Hermione glared at them both. Stepping neatly around Ron, she took Timia's arm and helped her up. "If you two boys are quite done, let's help Timia to wherever she needs to be." She redirected her gaze to Timia, smiling gently. " The castle can be amazingly confusing. I've only ever seen one nearly accurate map, and even it couldn't depict all of the random changes- this stair, for instance. Is there somewhere that you need to be?"
"Um..." Timia thought about her aimless running, and then quickly decided on someone that she really should see. "Could you take me to Professor Dumbledore's office again?"
* * * * *
Harry and Ron led the girls back up to the same corridor, while Hermione hung behind them with Timia. They walked quickly down the corridor, speeding past moving paintings and suits of armor. The only thing that Timia really noticed, however, was that Hermione kept stealing glances of her. Finally she stopped, and turned to the other girl. "Hermione, if you've got a question, you can ask it. I won't hurt you. I'm an American in a new school, not to mention a new country, so I'm not entirely here yet, but neither am I out to the daisy field. I'm not crazed. And I know that I did accelerated study, and Dumbledore told you all about it, but I'm not all about-" She was interrupted again.
"Don't you see? Dumbledore didn't tell us all about it. I went and asked him if Hogwarts offered anything of the sort, and all he would say was to ask you! Was there a standard procedure? A certain number of O.W.L.'s required? The approval of the ministry, like a time-turner?" Hermione's enthusiasm surprised the other girl, who had been told not to make too much of her study habits, as she would only lose friends that way.
Harry and Ron, hearing the outburst, had stopped slightly ahead, and now were looking back at Hermione sadly. "Well, I win, Ron. You had an hour and three minutes before she broke, and this is much closer to my twenty-seven. Of course, I don't think either of us could really win, seeing as she'll be on about this for days, now."
"Why, you little- how dare you bet on me! You'll be on your own in Charms this year, just for that."
Ron was horrified. "You wouldn't!"
Hermione just looked at him. "Of course I would. You're lucky I don't take points."
"Um... What are points? You see, Snape took ten from me, applicable when I'm sorted to whatever house I get, and I really don't know what they are- and Hermione, I'll tell you about the program later." Timia's question served to redirect attention back to her from the rapidly brewing fight between Ron and Hermione, besides the fact that she was interested.
"You really are new here," Harry commented. He started the walk to Dumbledore's office again, before asking, "Do you know anything about the houses?" At a negative shake of her head, he continued, "There are four houses here at Hogwarts, one after each of the founders. We're in Gryffindor, the best one," Hermione snorted, "and then there's Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Gryffindor is for the brave at heart, Ravenclaw for the clever, Hufflepuff for those loyal and kind, and Slytherin's for the cunning and sly. Slytherin has been the house with the most dark wizards over the ages, but all four houses have their glories and shames."
Ron continued, "You'll be sorted into one of those houses, and it becomes your family at school. House points are a way to punish or reward- do good, get more points, your house likes you. Screw up, lose points, and look out."
Hermione looked at Ron. "It's not really like that- you can lose points and no one will care, so long as it's not too extreme. The Weasley twins- Ron's older brothers- lost hundreds of points during the time they were at Hogwarts. It is effective, though, because the house with the most points at the end of the of the year wins the House Cup, and competition is pretty rough. Gryffindor's won it all the years that we've been at Hogwarts."
They were at the door, and this time Dumbledore didn't appear out of the blue. Hermione spoke the password before Timia could, defending herself to the boys questioning looks by saying, "What? Dumbledore told the prefects, so if there were any problems we could get in to see him." By then they were inside, and walking towards the desk at which Dumbledore was seated.
They were at the door, and this time Dumbledore didn't appear out of the blue. Hermione spoke the password before Timia could, defending herself to the boys' questioning looks by saying, "What? Dumbledore told the prefects, so if there were any problems we could get in to see him." By then they were inside, and walking towards the desk behind which Dumbledore was seated.
* * * * *
"Ah. I wondered when you would get here, Miss Chasser. Many thanks to you fine Gryffindors for aiding her again. No, that was not a dismissal," he added when Ron, Hermione, and Harry turned to go. "I truly wanted to thank you. And I fear that you, poor girl," he directed at Timia, "have had a long morning. Let me reassure you - you are enrolled in Hogwarts' independent study for Potions, and you will remain enrolled. Disregard anything Professor Snape may have said to the contrary, for he and I have reached an agreement. You will, however, find it necessary to have a tutor, and I think that Miss Granger would be perfect for the job - that is, unless it would be too taxing, Miss Granger?"
Hermione shook her head in an emphatic denial, and Timia could see that the questions she had asked earlier were still foremost in the girl's mind.
"I have taken the liberty of arranging appointments for you with the teachers with whom you will be conducting your studies; tomorrow after breakfast you can find a guide to the divination tower to speak with Professor Trelawney, then after lunch you can meet with Professor Sinistra, of Astronomy. I've put off the discussion planned with Professor Snape until both of you have had time to cool down. That will be Wednesday, two days from now, also after lunch."
He looked at her semi-sternly over his glasses. "Keep in mind that the ten points detracted are still lost - and that brings us to another point. You still need to be sorted."
Timia looked fearfully at Harry - though he had spoken of Houses and sortings, it had not been explained how this was done. How could a stranger know the inside of your heart and mind, to discover which qualities you exemplified?
As if in response to her very thought, Dumbledore pulled a very battered hat from a high shelf, a hat that almost looked like it was - sulking? The old professor sighed. "It is a pity, but necessary. You see," he started to explain, "our hat has a very scheduled life. He sings, sorts, rests a week, spends about nine months coming out with a new song, with a month's break over the winter holidays, and then spends three months practicing and honing its talents. Any disturbances are very unwelcome; I fear it's become a rather hat in the mud. After you, Harry, pulled Godric Gryffindor's sword out, it was disagreeable for weeks."
The four watched intently as Dumbledore bent down so that his mouth was at the hat's rim, and whispered sternly. Though most of the lecture was unintelligible, Timia was certain that she heard 'head lice' mentioned; the very thought made it necessary for her to stifle a giggle.
Unfortunately, it wasn't stifled well enough, but Dumbledore's eyes twinkled especially bright as he looked over at her, as if to share in the humor. He then stood, picked up the hat, and set it on Timia's head before she had time to protest.
* * * * *
Well, well, well - what do we have here?
Are you - in my head?
Very good of you to notice. I assume you're the one Dumbledore woke me up for - let's see what makes you so special.
I really don't think that I'm special-
Don't lie to me. I can tell. So, you're one of hers. That would explain what you've got in here. You have power at you disposal that even Dumbledore hasn't seen.
He knows what I am...
You haven't seen fit to tell him more that that? He'll understand - one of the few that will know all the implications. Tell him. And meanwhile, you'll, of course, be in GRYFFINDOR!
The hat was gently lifted from her head by the same Dumbledore, and set back on the shelf after Dumbledore had offered his profuse apologies for interrupting its vacation. Timia simply sat there, digesting the information she had been privy to, before realizing that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all congratulating her.
"I knew you'd be Gryffindor - after all, you were definitely not a Slytherin, or a Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw would be all right, but - you're with us!"
"Even if you do have to study a lot, we can hang out in the common room, or-"
Hermione quickly shushed Harry as Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I'm sure Miss Chasser would voice her appreciation for your enthusiasm were she to have room to speak. Now, Timia - it is not required that you sleep in the dormitory, seeing as you have already completed the equivalent of our education and will not be following the same class schedule. You can keep the rooms you used last night, or, if you wish, you can stay with the other sixth year girls." He raised his eyebrows inquiringly.
"Oh, of course I want to stay in the dorm!"
"Very good. Miss Granger, if you could escort Miss Chasser to the rooms you will share after dinner, it would be appreciated. Your bags will be moved, but for now, let's head to the Hall!"
* * * * *
Dinner went quickly, as Timia was introduced as a new Gryffindor to student after student at the Gryffindor table. She carefully ignored the high table, where Snape was certainly eating, and had a good meal in the respect that she saw neither hide nor hair of him. However, she was disappointed to not find the time to talk with any of her new friends.
It was only as students from other tables started to leave the hall that Timia realized exactly how tired she was. Hermione, forced to sit many seats away due to the influx of interested people around the 'new girl', spotted a very pronounced yawn and forced her way through the crowd.
"You're exhausted... Let's get you up to the rooms, and you can get to sleep early," Hermione said, bending close to Timia's ear.
She nodded and stood up. They would have been trapped by the pressing crowd had Harry and Ron not seen their dilemma, and quickly jumped up to help. Timia smiled wearily as the boys shouldered their way through the mass of students, and quickly escorted the girls through the Great Hall.
After a brief introduction to the Fat Lady, and an explanation of the passwords, Hermione pushed Timia towards the girls' rooms. Harry helped her up the steps, stopping at the threshold to say goodnight.
Timia murmured a reply as she fell onto the bed, at the foot of which lay her trunk, but Hermione stepped back over to Harry. "I'm going to stay here, in case she needs anything. All my homework is done, and you two should be able to manage one night without me to help. Anyways, thanks for getting us back." Hermione smiled slightly, and began to turn around.
"You're welcome, Hermione - and have a good night."
Timia was barely awake enough to register the fact that something in their voices had changed, but she did, and found their nervousness very sweet. They'll make such a cute couple.
* * * * *
A/N: Okay, this is going to be Harry/Hermione - usually I like other pairings for the both of them, but this just wanted to be like this - and there will be some sweet, romantic stuff, but I'm going to keep with the plot.
Thanks for the reviews! I'm American, and I wanted to use a new candy for Dumbledore's favorite, so I'd appreciate any suggestions of British candy. That's it! Until the next chapter...