One Young Heart
Chapter 3: Day 1
Hermione Granger slipped up to the door of Snape's classroom, and knocked nervously on his door, stumbling slightly as she hurried into the room upon his bark of "You're late, Miss Granger". He sat hunched up behind the desk, his hooked nose bent low to the parchment as he graded an essay of Malfoy's.
---
Severus had begun the day determined to be relatively kind to the girl, and to treat her as any other student. In private, he always allowed his apparent apathy to Potter and his friends subside, though his last attempt at that had ended in chasing Potter from his office after finding the boy in his Pensive. The boy might have seen something important. Now, however, he had just devoted an entire hour to trying to pass Malfoy without completely abandoning his integrity. It was easier to help Longbottom than Malfoy, though that was because no one wanted to question poor Neville, while even Draco's girlfriend would like him taken down a notch. Bulstrode would never admit that, of course. Her father was quite pleased with her prospects, rare in a family that tested their children's magical potential by pitching them into a bonfire at age six. A very efficient method, for a family that produced its share of Squibs. Helped avoid unpleasant questions.
Hermione walked into the room just a Snape discovered that he'd used Draco's first name in a note for the fifth time, and she froze in fear as he set the parchment alight and flung it into the fireplace. All show really, he'd retrieve it later, unharmed but still alight. Still, he thought evilly, stress relief is good, and I wouldn't want Miss Granger to feel comfortable. Not on her first day, at least.
---
Hermione watched the parchment burn long enough to see it was protected by a spell, then turned her worried gaze back on Snape. As always, he seemed completely cold and blank. He always addressed her with contempt, but gave no physical evidence of it. With Hermione, he was always coldly calculating in his cruelty, escalating into fury if she failed to react, while Harry and Ron received flushed, hissing fury without intelligence or grace of manner. Watching her stand silent, he narrowed his eyes, and hissed "Well? will you be leaning there all day, Miss Granger? or will you fulfill your duties at some point?" Watching for a moment, he seemed to decide that she wasn't affected enough, and added "Or will you be reading all day?" She had long puzzled over the tendency he had to attack her intelligence. Most Gryffindors were taunted for their bravery- no, Harry and Ron were taunted for their bravery. Everyone else was ignored. As only Draco was favored, and Slytherins in general merely forgiven for all faults. She had wondered about this before, the calculated manner with which he interacted with his students. She had even considered that he did it intentionally, perhaps to ingratiate himself with Voldemort. Part of his duties for the Order, perhaps? But he seemed to hate Harry so sincerely, seemed to rejoice in his failures.
---
"You may clean the supply cabinet, and return everything to its proper place, boomslang skin included," he said calmly. She stiffened, confirming his suspicion that she had taken it. Pointless, really, Dumbledore would never let him punish her. "You may go when you are done." And he turned back to his work, tired beyond belief, yet still forcing himself to grade paper after paper, mechanically. Act, don't think, act, don't think. The mantra of a life with no hope and no joy.
Chapter 3: Day 1
Hermione Granger slipped up to the door of Snape's classroom, and knocked nervously on his door, stumbling slightly as she hurried into the room upon his bark of "You're late, Miss Granger". He sat hunched up behind the desk, his hooked nose bent low to the parchment as he graded an essay of Malfoy's.
---
Severus had begun the day determined to be relatively kind to the girl, and to treat her as any other student. In private, he always allowed his apparent apathy to Potter and his friends subside, though his last attempt at that had ended in chasing Potter from his office after finding the boy in his Pensive. The boy might have seen something important. Now, however, he had just devoted an entire hour to trying to pass Malfoy without completely abandoning his integrity. It was easier to help Longbottom than Malfoy, though that was because no one wanted to question poor Neville, while even Draco's girlfriend would like him taken down a notch. Bulstrode would never admit that, of course. Her father was quite pleased with her prospects, rare in a family that tested their children's magical potential by pitching them into a bonfire at age six. A very efficient method, for a family that produced its share of Squibs. Helped avoid unpleasant questions.
Hermione walked into the room just a Snape discovered that he'd used Draco's first name in a note for the fifth time, and she froze in fear as he set the parchment alight and flung it into the fireplace. All show really, he'd retrieve it later, unharmed but still alight. Still, he thought evilly, stress relief is good, and I wouldn't want Miss Granger to feel comfortable. Not on her first day, at least.
---
Hermione watched the parchment burn long enough to see it was protected by a spell, then turned her worried gaze back on Snape. As always, he seemed completely cold and blank. He always addressed her with contempt, but gave no physical evidence of it. With Hermione, he was always coldly calculating in his cruelty, escalating into fury if she failed to react, while Harry and Ron received flushed, hissing fury without intelligence or grace of manner. Watching her stand silent, he narrowed his eyes, and hissed "Well? will you be leaning there all day, Miss Granger? or will you fulfill your duties at some point?" Watching for a moment, he seemed to decide that she wasn't affected enough, and added "Or will you be reading all day?" She had long puzzled over the tendency he had to attack her intelligence. Most Gryffindors were taunted for their bravery- no, Harry and Ron were taunted for their bravery. Everyone else was ignored. As only Draco was favored, and Slytherins in general merely forgiven for all faults. She had wondered about this before, the calculated manner with which he interacted with his students. She had even considered that he did it intentionally, perhaps to ingratiate himself with Voldemort. Part of his duties for the Order, perhaps? But he seemed to hate Harry so sincerely, seemed to rejoice in his failures.
---
"You may clean the supply cabinet, and return everything to its proper place, boomslang skin included," he said calmly. She stiffened, confirming his suspicion that she had taken it. Pointless, really, Dumbledore would never let him punish her. "You may go when you are done." And he turned back to his work, tired beyond belief, yet still forcing himself to grade paper after paper, mechanically. Act, don't think, act, don't think. The mantra of a life with no hope and no joy.