For What It's Worth – Chapter 10

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Author's Note: Yeah, I know it's been quite a while, and I'm feeling heaps bad about not writing in so long. But I hope you all haven't lost hope in this story…

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"What's all this 'Mione? Dragon Claw? What's that mean?"

Hermione didn't answer. Every word she knew had frozen in shock so suddenly, that the only thing her mind could register was one thought:

Snape.

Finally, her tongue loosened, and she was able to breathe normally again. Turning her head to the Teacher's Table, it was no surprise Snape wasn't there. Twirling the wand around her fingers, she found the wood unusually cold. Like it had never been handled before. But it was black, and exactly like how she remembered it.

"'Mione? You have any idea what it means?"

Hermione looked at Ron, blinking, and suddenly laughed. "It means that the core of the wand is Dragon Claw."

"So?"

Hermione laughed again, feeling like her day had been brightened immensely. "I'll explain it to you two later, I've got to go."

"Where?"

"Library." Hermione felt the slightest guilt in lying to her best friends, but there was no way she was going to tell them it was Snape who had given her the wand, and it was Snape she was going to go see now.

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Hermione raced down the first flight of stairs before realizing who it was she was running to. Slowing down, she swallowed and breathed hard. She sat herself down on the bottom step and put her head in her hands.

She was still holding the wand.

Closing her eyes, Hermione tried to make sense of it all. Why in the world would Snape give her the wand? Because she wanted it? Because he thought she needed another wand? Because he felt guilty for calling her insolent?

Surely not.

He had been taunting, yelling, mocking and calling her insolent since her first day at Hogwarts. Not to mention all the times he had managed to make her feel like absolute rubbish at the smallest mistakes and all the times he had made it known to the entire school that she was an 'insufferable know-it-all'.

What happened to all of that?

And just why wou –

"Oh no…"

The stair changed unexpectedly, jolting her to the left and Hermione tried to reach up and grab the railing to stop her pitching into the darkness below. Unfortunately, she misjudged the distance and toppled forward. Suddenly, she found herself in mid-air… floating.

She tried to turn her head, but found herself unable to move her neck. Her body, though, drifted back to the changed staircase and when her feet were finally back on good, solid ground, she spun around.

"Professor!"

"What in Merlin's name are you trying to do?" Snape was frowning, but the familiar sneer he was infamous for was slowly coming back.

"Fly?" Hermione finally said, as she watched Snape put his black wand back into her sleeve.

Snape rolled his eyes. "I'd say you were demonstrating more stupidity than I would think is possible for Head Girl."

"I know plenty of charms that would've stopped my fall, Professor."

He sneered. "And you would've used what wand?"

"Thi –" Hermione paused, realizing the Dragon Claw wand she had been holding was no longer in her hand. It was –

"Still on the stairs," Hermione sighed, picking it up. "But I would've always had – "

For a second time, Hermione stopped, finding that the wand wasn't where she expected – in this case, not up her sleeve. "It's…"

"Here, Miss Granger." Snape handed her original, brown wand back to her. "You left it in my quarters last night."

Hermione blushed. "Right. Thanks Professor." But as she took her wand, she also noticed the black wand partially concealed in his robe arm.

Sliding her own wand back into the sleeve pocket, Hermione bit her lip like she always did. "May I see your wand Professor?"

Slightly surprised, Snape nodded and handed her the polished black wood. Running her finger over it, Hermione examined it, and found it strangely familiar. Unless…

"Professor? Is this the Dragon Claw wand I tested last night?"

Snape nodded, and Hermione drew her brows in confusion. "Then what's…" She lifted the black engraved wand, and wasn't shocked to find them almost identical.

"That's a new wand, Miss Granger." Snape said quietly. "I had it bought and engraved last night. The only difference is the wood… it is a black mahogany, instead of willow. It would've been impossible for me to have given you my own wand, because it is registered under my own name. I had this registered under Hermione Granger, and the wand officially belongs to you."

She nodded, still biting her lip.

"What is it, Miss Granger?"

Pause. "What's the wand for, Professor?"

Snape smirked. "I thought that would've been obvious, Hermione. It's for assisting me with the brewing of the Wolfsbane."

Blushing for the second time in ten minutes, Hermione nodded again. "Of course." Then she smiled. "Thank you, Professor Snape."

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After dinner, Hermione had left for the library and taken out another pile of books for late reading. By the time she had finished, most students were already resting in their common rooms, though curfew hadn't passed yet.

Walking slowly through the corridors, Hermione had her head down, still reading 'Rare Magical and Mystical Creatures (by Laura Relcher)', thoroughly distracted and not even noticing when a first year Slytherin attempted to trip her down the stairs. Unsuccessful, he threw her a rude gesture she was too busy to take points off for, and fled down the stairs.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Hermione was finally jerked out of her reading reverie by a dangerous, low growl from Professor Lupin's Office. Then an incantation: 'Stupefy,' from behind the partially closed door. Leaning forward to look inside, Hermione let out a frightened yelp when she saw the rough, dark furred werewolf.

"Whoever's out there, find help." A low voice commanded. A familiar voice.

Hermione pushed the door open. "Professor Snape?"

"Close the door, idiot girl. I told you to find help, not join me."

The werewolf growled again as Hermione closed the behind her back, angrier and louder this time. Snape's wand was pointed at it. Hermione drew a deep breath and took out her own wand.

"That's Professor Lupin, isn't it?"

"Who else is there, Miss Granger."

Hermione let her gaze move from the now still werewolf to the man behind it: Snape. And she noticed his left arm was bleeding from a deep gash. From the claws of a werewolf.

Hiding her shock and alarm, she turned back to the werewolf she knew as her Defence of Dark Art's teacher. "The Wolfsbane didn't work!"

"Obviously."

Breathing hard, Hermione steadied herself, slowly getting used to the sight of the full-fledged werewolf barely a couple of meters away.

"I'll go alert Professor Dumbledore." She finally said.

"No. You open that door, you risk a werewolf attack on any student outside."

"Then what do I do?"

"Fireplace."

"He'll attack once I move."

"I'll distract him."

"Then he'll attack you."

Snape rolled his eyes. "That's the point."

"But – "

"For Gods' Sake. There's a bloody werewolf in front of us. FIREPLACE."

Hermione nodded, and Snape steadied his wand:

"Stupefy."

The werewolf, Remus Lupin, turned and with a swift turn of his body, evaded the spell. Then he lunged at the girl, aiming for her neck.

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_ Thanks for reviewing last chapter everyone, I hope I can post the next chapter soon.