Well the weekend is quiet and peaceful for Snape. However, it is a bit too
quiet and peaceful. Something seems to be missing. Of course, something is
missing, Miss Bitters. Snape shakes off this funny feeling. I'm just not
used to not fighting with her. I have to become readjusted to being able to
relax.
So Snape's weekend continued, uneventful but soothing. The perfect remedy to a stressful mind. As the weather turns colder, the fire becomes most teacher's best friend. Snape himself spends evenings sitting warmly watching the logs burn and the fire blaze.
But alas, like every weekend does, it soon finishes and Snape has to brave another week with the terrible students. But this week will be a little better. Snape hopes. At least I don't have to put up with hearing about "~Defense" this, "Defense" that. This week Miss Bitters will not be returning to resume her teaching. Sunday night McGonagall informed the teachers that Bitters will be resting for a while to gather her full strength. Trust her. She's probably milking this as much as she can. I can just see her sitting there fit as a horse, enjoying not teaching the students. Some teacher!
****
Most weeks creep by for all the teachers and each day is long. However, this week goes, if possible, even slower for Snape. He can't figure it out but even the seconds take forever to advance. He feels strangely inadequate. Everyday when Snape wakes up he feels he is waking in a different place, perhaps even a different world.
During class his thoughts are preoccupied. While students are mixing potions, Snape stares into space. Any ingredients or steps he writes on the board find themselves up there twice. Neville escapes detention when his potion spews over and hits Malfoy on the nose. He escapes detention when he drops a glass vile which splattered on the floor. And Neville also escapes detention when he attempts to pour a red liquid in the cauldron, pours too early, and stains the stone floor.
Things are strangely unnatural in the dungeon. Snape fells so out of place and so confused that he accidentally awards Harry points! Now he is the one allowing the students to run wild. Students wonder what on earth is causing Snape to act this way. His usual stern, mean, unforgiving self has turn nearly to jelly. Rumors fly around the school like paper being dropped from a height. Snape is sick. Snape is dying. Snape is being fired. Snape is quitting. No, he would be over the moon if he could quit. Snape is afraid of something. And, most absurdly, Snape is in love.
One student in particular is more curious than everyone else. Most students are happy, feeling that he would at least leave school for one reason or another. But if not at least they can enjoy every moment of this. But one student cares in a way no one else could. She feels he needs help, compassion, some one to talk to. Anything really. Yes, Hermione feels concerned. She doesn't want anyone to know. They wouldn't understand and would only tease her. She just has to talk to him, to see what is going so completely wrong.
Finally the afternoon approaches and Hermione runs out of Charms. She only has a few minutes to drop her books off at her dormitory and get back down to the dungeons to meet Snape before he goes off to yet another staff meeting. With Christmas rapidly approaching there is much to discuss and to plan so staff meetings are popping up all over the place.
After sprinting up two staircases and then down eight, Hermione arrives outside Snape's office door, gasping for breath. She stands there for a minute to catch her breath, then, with nerves building up inside her stomach, she taps lightly on the heavy door.
"Who is it?" A deep voice asks in a far off manner.
"~Hermione, sir." Her hands are slightly shaking and her brain is asking why she had decided to come.
"What do you want?" Snape growls as he opens the door.
"Well, I-I wanted to speak to you." A high-pitched squeak issues from her mouth.
"And who are you?" Snape is momentarily confused.
"Hermione Granger, sir. One of your students." He's even out of it away from the classroom. She notices.
"Yes right." He moves back and Hermione starts to walk in when he abruptly slams the door in her face.
"Oh!" He's lost it. "Professor? May I speak to you?" Hermione calls through the door, her resolution sticking with her.
"Come in." Snape utters as if she has just knocked.
Finally in Hermione gave a sigh. "Professor. I wanted to ask you something."
"Did you? Please have a seat." He waves a hand indicating a nearby chair.
Please? Wow, I never thought I'd hear him say that. Hermione sits down, thinking this might be easier than she thought.
"Are you alright sir? Is everything okay?"
Snape's head jerks up and he stares at her as if she had just apperated into his office. "Fine. Just fine."
"Professor, you're not acting yourself these days. You seem to be off ins pace and not really focused on teaching. Is there anything wrong?" Hermione doesn't beat around the bush wanting very much to get to the bottom of this even if it means the old cruel Snape must return.
"Wrong? No. Not wrong as such. Just different. Not right,¦" He trails off staring into the fire.
"But sir, you've changed. You're not the, um, assertive person you used to be. There must be something wrong. Tell me. I want to..to help." She serf- consciously spurts out.
"Help? Help? yes..." He sits back in his hard leather chair and claps his fingers in deep concentration. "Well, this last week. Something's been missing. I feel as though I'm in another place. That it's not real. Time goes by so slow. Ever since the weekend. But why?" He looks intently into Hermione's eyes, waiting for the answer that will make everything better.
"Since the weekend. Hmm..." What happened on the weekend? Well, Friday Bitters collapsed and has been in the hospital wing since then but other than that...Wait a minute! Bitters. Could it be? Disbelievingly Hermione sits up straight and looks back at Snape suddenly seeing the person within. The teenage, you could say. "Professor, may I bring up something rather personal?"
"Yes. Of course." Eager for the answer he leans in.
"Well, I'm no professional but perhaps you are missing something. Someone actually. Maybe without knowing it you've become used to the presence of Professor Bitters." She pauses her allowing Snape time to accept this.
"So what you're saying is that I miss her?"
"Well yes. I mean you and her used to talk everyday." Well fight more like it. "And perhaps you miss her company and the experiences you shared."
"There could be some truth in that." Snape's brow furrows as he ponders this.
"I better be off. Think it over. Look deep inside and see what exactly it is that you miss about her." Hermione stands up and moves towards the door when suddenly and frightfully Snape yells out.
"What on earth do you think you're doing in here Granger?!?" Snape, instantly out of his daze, jumps out of his chair and stares right at Hermione.
"You...you invited me in."
"I most certainly did not! Now leave my office this instant before I take drastic measures!" His highly angered glare follows Hermione out the door.
Whew. That was close. Hermione leans on the door and waits for her heart to stop beating so rapidly.
Suddenly, Snape opens his door to yell at Hermione more. Hermione falls on her back with a thud and stares up at Snape with big open eyes.
"What the-? Get off the floor! Now!" Snape stands back so as to not have a girl lying between his legs. Hermione scrambles up. "Don't let me catch you anywhere near my office again. And stop lying on floors. It's disgraceful!" With that he slams the door in her face.
****
So Snape's weekend continued, uneventful but soothing. The perfect remedy to a stressful mind. As the weather turns colder, the fire becomes most teacher's best friend. Snape himself spends evenings sitting warmly watching the logs burn and the fire blaze.
But alas, like every weekend does, it soon finishes and Snape has to brave another week with the terrible students. But this week will be a little better. Snape hopes. At least I don't have to put up with hearing about "~Defense" this, "Defense" that. This week Miss Bitters will not be returning to resume her teaching. Sunday night McGonagall informed the teachers that Bitters will be resting for a while to gather her full strength. Trust her. She's probably milking this as much as she can. I can just see her sitting there fit as a horse, enjoying not teaching the students. Some teacher!
****
Most weeks creep by for all the teachers and each day is long. However, this week goes, if possible, even slower for Snape. He can't figure it out but even the seconds take forever to advance. He feels strangely inadequate. Everyday when Snape wakes up he feels he is waking in a different place, perhaps even a different world.
During class his thoughts are preoccupied. While students are mixing potions, Snape stares into space. Any ingredients or steps he writes on the board find themselves up there twice. Neville escapes detention when his potion spews over and hits Malfoy on the nose. He escapes detention when he drops a glass vile which splattered on the floor. And Neville also escapes detention when he attempts to pour a red liquid in the cauldron, pours too early, and stains the stone floor.
Things are strangely unnatural in the dungeon. Snape fells so out of place and so confused that he accidentally awards Harry points! Now he is the one allowing the students to run wild. Students wonder what on earth is causing Snape to act this way. His usual stern, mean, unforgiving self has turn nearly to jelly. Rumors fly around the school like paper being dropped from a height. Snape is sick. Snape is dying. Snape is being fired. Snape is quitting. No, he would be over the moon if he could quit. Snape is afraid of something. And, most absurdly, Snape is in love.
One student in particular is more curious than everyone else. Most students are happy, feeling that he would at least leave school for one reason or another. But if not at least they can enjoy every moment of this. But one student cares in a way no one else could. She feels he needs help, compassion, some one to talk to. Anything really. Yes, Hermione feels concerned. She doesn't want anyone to know. They wouldn't understand and would only tease her. She just has to talk to him, to see what is going so completely wrong.
Finally the afternoon approaches and Hermione runs out of Charms. She only has a few minutes to drop her books off at her dormitory and get back down to the dungeons to meet Snape before he goes off to yet another staff meeting. With Christmas rapidly approaching there is much to discuss and to plan so staff meetings are popping up all over the place.
After sprinting up two staircases and then down eight, Hermione arrives outside Snape's office door, gasping for breath. She stands there for a minute to catch her breath, then, with nerves building up inside her stomach, she taps lightly on the heavy door.
"Who is it?" A deep voice asks in a far off manner.
"~Hermione, sir." Her hands are slightly shaking and her brain is asking why she had decided to come.
"What do you want?" Snape growls as he opens the door.
"Well, I-I wanted to speak to you." A high-pitched squeak issues from her mouth.
"And who are you?" Snape is momentarily confused.
"Hermione Granger, sir. One of your students." He's even out of it away from the classroom. She notices.
"Yes right." He moves back and Hermione starts to walk in when he abruptly slams the door in her face.
"Oh!" He's lost it. "Professor? May I speak to you?" Hermione calls through the door, her resolution sticking with her.
"Come in." Snape utters as if she has just knocked.
Finally in Hermione gave a sigh. "Professor. I wanted to ask you something."
"Did you? Please have a seat." He waves a hand indicating a nearby chair.
Please? Wow, I never thought I'd hear him say that. Hermione sits down, thinking this might be easier than she thought.
"Are you alright sir? Is everything okay?"
Snape's head jerks up and he stares at her as if she had just apperated into his office. "Fine. Just fine."
"Professor, you're not acting yourself these days. You seem to be off ins pace and not really focused on teaching. Is there anything wrong?" Hermione doesn't beat around the bush wanting very much to get to the bottom of this even if it means the old cruel Snape must return.
"Wrong? No. Not wrong as such. Just different. Not right,¦" He trails off staring into the fire.
"But sir, you've changed. You're not the, um, assertive person you used to be. There must be something wrong. Tell me. I want to..to help." She serf- consciously spurts out.
"Help? Help? yes..." He sits back in his hard leather chair and claps his fingers in deep concentration. "Well, this last week. Something's been missing. I feel as though I'm in another place. That it's not real. Time goes by so slow. Ever since the weekend. But why?" He looks intently into Hermione's eyes, waiting for the answer that will make everything better.
"Since the weekend. Hmm..." What happened on the weekend? Well, Friday Bitters collapsed and has been in the hospital wing since then but other than that...Wait a minute! Bitters. Could it be? Disbelievingly Hermione sits up straight and looks back at Snape suddenly seeing the person within. The teenage, you could say. "Professor, may I bring up something rather personal?"
"Yes. Of course." Eager for the answer he leans in.
"Well, I'm no professional but perhaps you are missing something. Someone actually. Maybe without knowing it you've become used to the presence of Professor Bitters." She pauses her allowing Snape time to accept this.
"So what you're saying is that I miss her?"
"Well yes. I mean you and her used to talk everyday." Well fight more like it. "And perhaps you miss her company and the experiences you shared."
"There could be some truth in that." Snape's brow furrows as he ponders this.
"I better be off. Think it over. Look deep inside and see what exactly it is that you miss about her." Hermione stands up and moves towards the door when suddenly and frightfully Snape yells out.
"What on earth do you think you're doing in here Granger?!?" Snape, instantly out of his daze, jumps out of his chair and stares right at Hermione.
"You...you invited me in."
"I most certainly did not! Now leave my office this instant before I take drastic measures!" His highly angered glare follows Hermione out the door.
Whew. That was close. Hermione leans on the door and waits for her heart to stop beating so rapidly.
Suddenly, Snape opens his door to yell at Hermione more. Hermione falls on her back with a thud and stares up at Snape with big open eyes.
"What the-? Get off the floor! Now!" Snape stands back so as to not have a girl lying between his legs. Hermione scrambles up. "Don't let me catch you anywhere near my office again. And stop lying on floors. It's disgraceful!" With that he slams the door in her face.
****