The Perfectionist
By Mykerinos
Chapter Three: Such mystery
A few minutes later, a slightly nervous
Hermione and a perhaps even more nervous Severus Snape sat in the small
office. It was an office as small as Dumbledore's, but not as warm.
"Miss Granger, I assume you've heard
about the contest?" Severus broke the silence. The girl seemed very much
surprised, if not shocked at this question.
"The figure flying contest?" she
asked hesitatingly. "Yes, I've heard about it. Why?"
"And you haven't got a partner yet?"
Severus hoped she had, but somehow doubted that very much.
"Er.. No, sir. But why--"
"Then that's settled," Severus said
in a definite tone, standing up from his chair to open the door. The Granger
girl only followed him with her eyes, her face showing a very confused
expression.
"Excuse me?" she said, frowning,
not quite understanding.
"Do I really need to spell it out?"
Severus spat. He coughed, thinking of how he was going to bring this. His
chest suddenly felt very heavy, and he had a hard time spitting out the
words. "You and I will participate in the contest."
The room fell silent, and a look
of intense horror appeared on the girl's face. She opened her mouth to
say something, probably object, but Severus didn't need any form of response.
"That was all, miss Granger, leave now,"
But Granger didn't move. She just
stared at Severus with her eyes opened wide, like she was seeing water
burn. Severus rolled his eyes.
"I told you to LEAVE, miss Granger,"
he said in a deadly voice, and finally the girl seemed to wake up. She
nodded curtly, and rushed past Severus out of the office.
Severus gave a sigh, closing the
door.
Damned girl.
- -- - -- - -- -
"He did what?" Ginny asked,
her eyes even wider opened than Hermione's had been a few minutes back.
People around them in the hall looked up at the exclamation.
Hermione covered the red-haired girl's
mouth and pulled her inside a nearby empty classroom. There she let go
of the smaller Gryffindor, and let out a tensed sigh.
"Thank you for drawing the attention
to us..." she said a bit annoyed. "But, yes, Professor Snape asked, or
actually told me to be his partner in the contest..." She looked
up at Ginny, who was obviously having a hard time suppressing a fit of
laughter.
"It's not funny, Ginny!" Hermione
said frustrated, sitting down on a chair. "Don't you see? I'm terrible
at a broomstick! I'll make a complete fool out of myself in front of Snape..."
At that point Ginny exploded. Her
face went all red and she almost rolled over the floor of laughing. Hermione
shot her a glare, which the other didn't even notice.
"Oh Merlin!" Ginny said after a few
moments, when the laughter had subsided just enough for her to exclaim
those words. "I can't believe it! Are you sure you haven't dreamed it,
Mione?"
Hermione angrily jumped up. "Do you
really think I'd dream such a thing?!" she asked, then sank back in her
chair again. "This is bizarre, Ginny... Why would Snape want to participate
in such a contest? And why would he actually do such a thing with me --
a student?"
"Perhaps he fancies you," Ginny giggled,
going all red again.
"Ginny!" Hermione said annoyed. She
sighed again. Ginny was a nice person, but she still was and would always
be a year younger than Hermione, and she could act so childish. Hermione
stood up and walked out of the classroom, leaving Ginny behind. Yes, books
were much better company, she thought.
In her hurry she bumped into Harry,
who looked a bit puzzled to find her here. "Something wrong?" he asked
doubtfully.
"No," lied Hermione in a somewhat
too high voice.
Harry narrowed his eyes. "You sure?"
"Yes!" Hermione rushed past her friend,
and started running into the direction of Professor McGonagall's office.
She had to talk to the Head of her
House. Perhaps she knew what was going on here. She ran faster, something
which she wasn't accustomed to, and tripped over her own robe. As she saw
the floor coming closer with enormous speed, Hermione let out a small cry.
Not quite having got the chance to put out her hands in front of her, she
smacked with her face onto the cold stones of the hall.
"Miss Granger!" a high voice pierced
the air.
With much effort Hermione looked
up to see Professor McGonagall running into her direction. "Just the one
I'd been looking for," she muttered, and she grabbed Hermione's arm, pulling
her on her feet roughly with a strength that Hermione hadn't been expecting
from such a wise-looking lady.
Without asking if she was okay, McGonagall
pulled Hermione into her office. There she closed the door behind and made
an impatient gesture with her hand, telling Hermione to sit down.
As she did so, the older woman immediately
started asking the question she had, judging by her face, been burning
to ask, not giving Hermione the chance to tell her what she had been doing,
or to even rub her face in pain.
"Well, did he ask??" McGonagall said,
almost exploding out of enthusiasm. Her eyes were all gleaming, and her
lips were pressed together like she was afraid to burst out in enormous
laughter. Hermione gave her a weird look. She had never seen the Head of
her House acting so strange.
"Who asked what?" she asked surprised.
"Severus, of course!" McGonagall
almost jumped up and down. "He did ask you about the contest, didn't he?"
Hermione felt a limb in her throat.
What was this?? Was McGonagall in it too? Hermione yelped.
TBC