One Young Heart
Chapter 15: Useless Muggles
Hermione managed to leave the Hospital Wing the next day, feeling as though she had just escaped a giant net. Saturday, thank heavens, she thought. Making her way through the throngs of students running straight outside, she made her way slowly up the main stairway, only to get crushed again as everyone ran straight back in. Outside, the potion Colin Creevy had been cooking on the lawn went up in billows of oily black smoke, which solidified into goo. Hermione had retreated into a windowsill to avoid the crush, and she watched as the goo, which completely coated a delighted Colin, began to harden, frustrating his best attempts to jump about.
Professor McGonagall came down the stairs to find Hermione in a laughing fit that quickly turned into hysteria. "Hello, Professor. You'd better go get Colin, he's turning into a statue out there. I was just going upstairs. She made an abortive attempt to leap up the stairs, and McGonagall lowered her to the stone as she continued to laugh, sounding desperate and terrified. "Miss Granger," said McGonagall firmly, grasping both sides of her face, "You are not well. Go to your dormitory, and rest." The teacher's face softened. "You're awfully young to be exposed to all of this. Go and rest." Then she swept down the staircase, leaving Hermione behind in a swirl of robes and a rustle of what sounded vaguely like taffeta. The heavy door banged shut behind her, and her voice floated up through the window, voicing her opinions on goo, explosive goo, and the sort of boys who set off explosive goo and then get themselves stuck inside of it. As she moved slowly away, the great hallway fell silent. Hermione's jagged breath sounded loudly in the room. The minuets passed slowly, until a new tread could be heard, a tread unmistakably belonging to Severus Snape. "Get up, Hermione, Get Up! " she whispered to herself, and only lurched away, up and around a corner, just in time to avoid meeting him.
Once she was moving the weakness and indifference faded, and she hurried back to her dormitory, anticipating several good hours of sleep. She was so absorbed in walking that she bumped straight into Ginny upon climbing through the hole. A good portion of the Gryffindor students were in the common room, muttering to each other. "ooh, sorry Ginny. I am so distracted right now, I'm exhausted." Squealed Hermione, crossing her fingers. Years of being left out of George and Fred's games had made Ginny very perceptive, and she almost never fell for Hermione's overly cheery escape mechanism. She was all the more startled when Ginny whispered "I know, Hermione. I was there, remember? and not quite as unconscious as some would have me believe." In response to Hermione's startled look,she continued grimly, "You don't think I'd let them chase me out, do you?" Her voice rose into an eerie imitation of her mother. "You are too young. You can't deal with all of this." If Hermione was surprised by Ginny's resourcefulness, she was amazed by the way she looked. She was a absolute mess, from unbrushed hair that turned out to be almost as frizzy as her own, whatever charms Ginny might normally use, To huge circles under her brown eyes. Her robes were wrinkled and tangled, though as they were an old pair of Hermione's, they were actually long enough for her for once. She caught Ginny's sleeve and pulled her back out of the portrait hole, where there were fewer people. "Ginny, what's the matter? Are you worried about Ron?" Ginny smiled sadly "You are behind the times, Hermione. Harry got away from Hagrid and went after Ron. And there is a rumor that He Who Must Not Be Named is chasing them. Bet it was bloody Snape as told them. I don't care what you think, I'll never trust him."
Suddenly Lavender stuck her head through the portrait hole. "ooh, have you ever caught it, Hermione. Professor Snape just yelled fit to kill through the fire, that if you didn't get down there in two shakes, he'd let you have a turn in Creevey's goo." She giggled, popped her magical gum at the two girls, then disappeared again. Ginny gave her a small, tired smile. "You should go, Hermes. If I were you, I'd stab him, but since you have to help, you better hurry. I'm staying here. I dare say the Headmaster might decide I need to know about Ron soon and come after me. Though he may have forgotten that I fainted." She climbed through the portrait hole after Lavender, miserable, majestic, and forgotten.
Oh, great, Harry. Brilliant decision. And then, a small, bitter thought, Why didn't you take me? Well, that was easy. He never took anyone. He just let them come to the door. And then he dropped them, like a rock.
She was really too tired to judge, she thought. She should go sleep for two years, and then decide. Logical, intelligent Hermione, right? Wrong. She heard Snape's bellow this time, echoing out of the portrait hole, "Miss Granger!!!!" so she headed to the dungeons, cursing Voldemort, Harry and Severus Snape.
---
Severus was about as irritated as it got. As though getting the worst news in the world wasn't enough, He had been forced to listen to Arthur Weasly insult everyone imaginable, especially him. He went to bed at eight that morning, and was up again at nine thirty to tutor Draco Malfoy, which meant hearing veiled references to Voldemort's 'secret plan', and discouraging the boy's attempts to discover what the plan actually was. Now Hermione Granger wasn't present for her TA session, which could lead others to deduce her involvement in the activities of the previous night as well as indicating that she was angry with him.
It's not as though I care, Snape thought irritably, kicking a chair. But she needs to do her duty, whether she's angry or not. Dash it all, she made a commitment to work for me, and now I- now I feel betrayed. Which is bullshit, he thought, anger renewed. The door slammed open, and a thoroughly incensed teenager stormed in.
"Honestly, Professor, I was sick! There is no reason to yell clear to kingdom come just because I was in the Hospital Wing this morning." "oh, yes there is, Miss Granger. You are supposed to be helping me. The fact that you were not would imply your involvement. Would imply my involvement. You have a responsibility-" He was sneering as he spoke, defending himself from the blow he knew was coming. He was trying to find his shell, his protection, but he felt exposed, panicked. He resorted to sneering and condescending.
"Yes, to protect you! But," She gave him a calculating look, "the question is, should I fulfill that responsibility? "
"MISS GRANGER!" he roared, losing his shield, his head, and his temper at once. "Are you implying that I am disloyal?" Then he froze, suddenly thinking about that. Did she think he was disloyal? When he spoke again, he couldn't keep the pleading note out of his voice "You know I'm loyal, Miss Granger. Otherwise, I wouldn't trust you, would I?"
---
She shook her head in exasperation. "I don't doubt that, sir. What I'm asking is, do you really think it's worth it? Do you think that the little pieces of knowledge you get is worth the price of helping that man? Do you think that knowing the potion that Voldemort wants is worth helping lay Fred's body in the street?" Her voice had been becoming increasingly whiny, and now she was all but shrieking.
"No! I...no." He turned away, walked a few feet further into the room, into the shadow. He glanced over his shoulder, and the light highlighted his profile, high cheekbones, arched brows and dark eyes contrasting with his hooked nose. "I think that the muggles I save, the innocents I protect balances out the work the Dark Lord does. Whether the misinformation I spread and the plans I communicate to our side are valuable is for others to decide."
Hermione was past considering the justice in this argument. "So I suppose you think that it is better to save the lives of some useless muggles who will never understand what is happening than to save Fred Weasly, who understood and tried to serve the side of good."
He spun around, and Hermione was suddenly reminded of how quick this man was to anger. He slammed his fist sharply on the table, and a dish shattered in a startling reminder that he was dangerous. "Yes, I do. Fred Weasly voluntarily participated in the resistance. The muggles had never even heard of him." He leaned forward, face obscured by stringy hair, voice dropping to a hiss that issued from the shadow of his face. "Have you ever seen a muggle die, Miss Granger? I think it is more important to save those innocent from the war than those who are involved, even if it be for the wrong side." He turned away, and dropped a silver ring on the table. "You can take this back to your 'useless muggle' when you go home for Christmas vacation. You may leave."
Hermione leaned forward and gasped. Her mother's wedding ring lay on the table, glinting in the firelight. She looked quickly at Snape, but he had already left the room.
Chapter 15: Useless Muggles
Hermione managed to leave the Hospital Wing the next day, feeling as though she had just escaped a giant net. Saturday, thank heavens, she thought. Making her way through the throngs of students running straight outside, she made her way slowly up the main stairway, only to get crushed again as everyone ran straight back in. Outside, the potion Colin Creevy had been cooking on the lawn went up in billows of oily black smoke, which solidified into goo. Hermione had retreated into a windowsill to avoid the crush, and she watched as the goo, which completely coated a delighted Colin, began to harden, frustrating his best attempts to jump about.
Professor McGonagall came down the stairs to find Hermione in a laughing fit that quickly turned into hysteria. "Hello, Professor. You'd better go get Colin, he's turning into a statue out there. I was just going upstairs. She made an abortive attempt to leap up the stairs, and McGonagall lowered her to the stone as she continued to laugh, sounding desperate and terrified. "Miss Granger," said McGonagall firmly, grasping both sides of her face, "You are not well. Go to your dormitory, and rest." The teacher's face softened. "You're awfully young to be exposed to all of this. Go and rest." Then she swept down the staircase, leaving Hermione behind in a swirl of robes and a rustle of what sounded vaguely like taffeta. The heavy door banged shut behind her, and her voice floated up through the window, voicing her opinions on goo, explosive goo, and the sort of boys who set off explosive goo and then get themselves stuck inside of it. As she moved slowly away, the great hallway fell silent. Hermione's jagged breath sounded loudly in the room. The minuets passed slowly, until a new tread could be heard, a tread unmistakably belonging to Severus Snape. "Get up, Hermione, Get Up! " she whispered to herself, and only lurched away, up and around a corner, just in time to avoid meeting him.
Once she was moving the weakness and indifference faded, and she hurried back to her dormitory, anticipating several good hours of sleep. She was so absorbed in walking that she bumped straight into Ginny upon climbing through the hole. A good portion of the Gryffindor students were in the common room, muttering to each other. "ooh, sorry Ginny. I am so distracted right now, I'm exhausted." Squealed Hermione, crossing her fingers. Years of being left out of George and Fred's games had made Ginny very perceptive, and she almost never fell for Hermione's overly cheery escape mechanism. She was all the more startled when Ginny whispered "I know, Hermione. I was there, remember? and not quite as unconscious as some would have me believe." In response to Hermione's startled look,she continued grimly, "You don't think I'd let them chase me out, do you?" Her voice rose into an eerie imitation of her mother. "You are too young. You can't deal with all of this." If Hermione was surprised by Ginny's resourcefulness, she was amazed by the way she looked. She was a absolute mess, from unbrushed hair that turned out to be almost as frizzy as her own, whatever charms Ginny might normally use, To huge circles under her brown eyes. Her robes were wrinkled and tangled, though as they were an old pair of Hermione's, they were actually long enough for her for once. She caught Ginny's sleeve and pulled her back out of the portrait hole, where there were fewer people. "Ginny, what's the matter? Are you worried about Ron?" Ginny smiled sadly "You are behind the times, Hermione. Harry got away from Hagrid and went after Ron. And there is a rumor that He Who Must Not Be Named is chasing them. Bet it was bloody Snape as told them. I don't care what you think, I'll never trust him."
Suddenly Lavender stuck her head through the portrait hole. "ooh, have you ever caught it, Hermione. Professor Snape just yelled fit to kill through the fire, that if you didn't get down there in two shakes, he'd let you have a turn in Creevey's goo." She giggled, popped her magical gum at the two girls, then disappeared again. Ginny gave her a small, tired smile. "You should go, Hermes. If I were you, I'd stab him, but since you have to help, you better hurry. I'm staying here. I dare say the Headmaster might decide I need to know about Ron soon and come after me. Though he may have forgotten that I fainted." She climbed through the portrait hole after Lavender, miserable, majestic, and forgotten.
Oh, great, Harry. Brilliant decision. And then, a small, bitter thought, Why didn't you take me? Well, that was easy. He never took anyone. He just let them come to the door. And then he dropped them, like a rock.
She was really too tired to judge, she thought. She should go sleep for two years, and then decide. Logical, intelligent Hermione, right? Wrong. She heard Snape's bellow this time, echoing out of the portrait hole, "Miss Granger!!!!" so she headed to the dungeons, cursing Voldemort, Harry and Severus Snape.
---
Severus was about as irritated as it got. As though getting the worst news in the world wasn't enough, He had been forced to listen to Arthur Weasly insult everyone imaginable, especially him. He went to bed at eight that morning, and was up again at nine thirty to tutor Draco Malfoy, which meant hearing veiled references to Voldemort's 'secret plan', and discouraging the boy's attempts to discover what the plan actually was. Now Hermione Granger wasn't present for her TA session, which could lead others to deduce her involvement in the activities of the previous night as well as indicating that she was angry with him.
It's not as though I care, Snape thought irritably, kicking a chair. But she needs to do her duty, whether she's angry or not. Dash it all, she made a commitment to work for me, and now I- now I feel betrayed. Which is bullshit, he thought, anger renewed. The door slammed open, and a thoroughly incensed teenager stormed in.
"Honestly, Professor, I was sick! There is no reason to yell clear to kingdom come just because I was in the Hospital Wing this morning." "oh, yes there is, Miss Granger. You are supposed to be helping me. The fact that you were not would imply your involvement. Would imply my involvement. You have a responsibility-" He was sneering as he spoke, defending himself from the blow he knew was coming. He was trying to find his shell, his protection, but he felt exposed, panicked. He resorted to sneering and condescending.
"Yes, to protect you! But," She gave him a calculating look, "the question is, should I fulfill that responsibility? "
"MISS GRANGER!" he roared, losing his shield, his head, and his temper at once. "Are you implying that I am disloyal?" Then he froze, suddenly thinking about that. Did she think he was disloyal? When he spoke again, he couldn't keep the pleading note out of his voice "You know I'm loyal, Miss Granger. Otherwise, I wouldn't trust you, would I?"
---
She shook her head in exasperation. "I don't doubt that, sir. What I'm asking is, do you really think it's worth it? Do you think that the little pieces of knowledge you get is worth the price of helping that man? Do you think that knowing the potion that Voldemort wants is worth helping lay Fred's body in the street?" Her voice had been becoming increasingly whiny, and now she was all but shrieking.
"No! I...no." He turned away, walked a few feet further into the room, into the shadow. He glanced over his shoulder, and the light highlighted his profile, high cheekbones, arched brows and dark eyes contrasting with his hooked nose. "I think that the muggles I save, the innocents I protect balances out the work the Dark Lord does. Whether the misinformation I spread and the plans I communicate to our side are valuable is for others to decide."
Hermione was past considering the justice in this argument. "So I suppose you think that it is better to save the lives of some useless muggles who will never understand what is happening than to save Fred Weasly, who understood and tried to serve the side of good."
He spun around, and Hermione was suddenly reminded of how quick this man was to anger. He slammed his fist sharply on the table, and a dish shattered in a startling reminder that he was dangerous. "Yes, I do. Fred Weasly voluntarily participated in the resistance. The muggles had never even heard of him." He leaned forward, face obscured by stringy hair, voice dropping to a hiss that issued from the shadow of his face. "Have you ever seen a muggle die, Miss Granger? I think it is more important to save those innocent from the war than those who are involved, even if it be for the wrong side." He turned away, and dropped a silver ring on the table. "You can take this back to your 'useless muggle' when you go home for Christmas vacation. You may leave."
Hermione leaned forward and gasped. Her mother's wedding ring lay on the table, glinting in the firelight. She looked quickly at Snape, but he had already left the room.