Chapter 11
A/N: Thanks to all of you for your incredibly kind reviews! Awww...you're all so nice! It definitetly helps keep me motivated...not that I don't love writing this anyway : ) Just a warning, there might be a few grammatical errors in this, I haven't had a chance to reread it as throughly as I wanted to. I just wanted to get it updated...I'll probably come back tomorrow sometime and fix anything I find in the meantime though...sorry!
The sixth year potions class sat in tense silence, tending to their bubbling creations with looks of nervous terror. Hermione Granger glanced up at Professor Snape as she worked, and scowled. Even on a good day Snape was far from the picture of the kind and understanding professor, and today he seemed to be in an especially foul mood. At the moment he was sitting at his desk, staring out at the class with dark and narrowed eyes. Every so often he would rise and walk the room, being sure to dish out his usual brand of snide comments and mean remarks. Hermione's class was smaller than any she had in pervious years, which was a mixed blessing. The students that had given Snape the most aggravation, such as Neville Longbottom, were finally gone. This gave Snape fewer opportunities to fly into fits of cold murderous rage when a foolish student melted a cauldron or accidently produced a cloud of toxic smoke. However, instead Snape tended to focus his attention on the students that remained. Hermione and Harry were the only Gryffindors in their year taking N.E.W.T. potions, and so far had been the ones to bear the brunt of his miserable mood. Due to the fewer number of students willing to punish themselves for more than absolutely necessary by taking potions for another two years, all four sixth year houses had been merged into a single class. For the most part Snape ignored the Ravenclaws, belittled the Hufflepuffs, and practically doted on the Slytherins. But it was the Gryffindors who suffered the most under his particular wrath.
Out of the corner of her eye Hermione watched in curiosity as Snape rose stiffly from his chair, grasping on the edge of the table for support.
"He fainted last night you know." The stout Ravenclaw girl who was sitting beside her whispered.
"Yes, I was there." Hermione remarked coolly.
Even though the event had been rather fantastic, she wasn't sure if she appreciated the rumors that were still floating around.
"I can't believe its only the first day of classes, and the greasy git is in such a bad mood already." Harry whispered, trying to make it look as though he wasn't moving his lips at all. "Maybe he'll drown in his own grease and we can get another teacher."
Hermione tightened her jaw, and gave Harry a disapproving stare. The Ravenclaw girl stifled a laugh.
"Seriously." The girl whispered. "Did you see his wife? Honestly who would want to marry him. He's such a bast.."
"What was that Potter?" Snape asked coldly, crossing the room with a sickening gleam in his eyes.
"N-nothing Sir. I didn't say anything..."
Snape sneered at Harry, for a fleeting moment looking positively gleeful.
"I know I heard mindless chatter coming from this table, and you Potter look extremely guilty."
"Do I Sir?" Harry asked. "Maybe it was concentration that you saw."
Hermione set down the spoon she had been stirring her potion with, and tried her best to both serious and innocent.
"Was it you then Granger?" Snape said icily. "Do you think you're too good to pay attention then? Are we boring you Ms. Granger?"
Hermione quickly shook her head, and felt blood start to rush up into her face.
"And what is this mess?" He spat, leaning over to examine her potion. "I would have expected this sort of idiocy from Potter, but not from you."
"Excuse me Sir?" Hermione's mouth went dry. "I don't see what's wrong with it. It looks just like yours."
"Not it does not Ms. Granger. And perhaps if you spent more time on your potions and less gossiping with your friends you might have realized that."
"But it does!" Hermione insisted.
She knew her potion was perfect, she had followed Snape's directions exactly...
"You dare to mouth off to me Ms. Granger?" Snape looked like a tiger that was ready to pounce.
"I followed your directions, every part. I know its perfect."
Hermione crossed her arms around her chest and raised her chin.
"Since you are so sure of your...perfection." Snape said carefully. "Then I suppose you won't mind proving it to me by starting it over again."
At that moment Snape drew his wand and pointed it at Hermione's bubbling cauldron.
"No!" Hermione protested.
Snape smirked at her, and then murmured something under his breath. With a small crack the entire contents of Hermione's cauldron disappeared.
"No!" She exclaimed. "I don't have time to make another."
"You'll just have to take a zero then" Snape said coldly.
Hermione's jaw dropped. She had never gotten a zero in her entire life. Not even once.
"But Professor..." Hermione said weakly.
Snape waved his hand at her, and then glided away to face the table of Slytherins across the aisle. Hermione felt her eyes begin to fill up with burning tears. Not only have she been humiliated by Snape, but now she was going to cry...
"Don't feel bad Hermione." Harry whispered to her. "I've gotten zero's from Snape plenty of times."
Hermione shook her head at him as tears began to streak down her face. He didn't understand.
"Hey look!" Draco Malfoy exclaimed from across the room. "Little miss stupid is crying."
A few heads turned, but most students were too worried about completing their potions to pay any attention.
"That's enough Mr. Malfoy." Snape said, but it was in a tone that was almost approving.
Hermione began to cry even harder, a feeling of burning shame rising up in her throat. For the remainder of the class she watched her tears dampened the wooden table in front of her, and gave up on all efforts to try and compose herself. At the end of class Hermione rushed to be the first one out the door, nearly tripping over her own feet in an effort to just be free of the dungeon classroom.
"Hermione, wait up!" Harry called, but Hermione ignored him.
It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she stopped, and turned around wiping away her tears. To her surprise, it was the Ravenclaw girl that had grabbed her.
"I'm sorry that I got you in trouble."
Hermione nodded as more tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.
"What class do you have next?"
"Care of Magical Creatures." Hermione mumbled.
"Well, I bet you anything that Hagrid wouldn't care if you're a few minutes late. Why don't you go down to the hospital wing and ask from a calming draft, you'll feel much better afterwards."
Hermione shook her head, and sniffed miserably.
"Listen, you're a mess. You can't go to class like this."
Seeing the reason in the girls words Hermione nodded, and hugged her bag closer to her chest.
"Do you want me to come with you then?" The girl asked.
"N-no." Hermione whispered. "I can go alone."
Taking a deep breath Hermione pushed through a crowd of students and then walked slowly up the stairs that led to the hospital wing. She had not felt this terrible in a very long while.
-----
Katherine stood precariously on an aging wooden footstool, sorting and cataloging the glass bottles of all shapes and sizes that filled the hospital wing's storeroom. She had been back here all morning, and now her eyes were beginning to droop from a mixture of boredom and lack of sleep. With an intense yawn Katherine reached out and grabbed a small bottle, taking pains to read the label. Most were tattered and smudged from decades of misuse, though on a good day Katherine could tell what many were based on smell alone. Today though, she was not her normal self. Her run in with Lucius had left her on edge to the point that she felt as if she was one big bundle of nerves.
"Katherine?" Poppy Pomfrey stuck her head into the dark and dusty storeroom.
"Yes." Katherine turned, and nearly fell of the squeaking footstool.
"Oh dear, I've been meaning to get that fixed." Poppy tisked. "Anyway, would you mind taking over a moment while I run to the headmasters office."
"Of course." Katherine carefully stepped down from the stool and smoothed out her crumbled uniform. "Nothing serious to discuss I hope."
"No, no" Poppy explained. "We just have an extraordinary amount of nosebleeds and vomiting today. Then the students are fine again moments later...I just don't understand. It's so very odd. I suspect it might have something to do with seeing you Katherine."
"Oh?" She kept her voice flat, but raised an eyebrow at Poppy.
"You've become something of a curiosity I'm afraid."
"Maybe we should charge admission." Katherine laughed. "We'd make a killing."
"I'll be back shortly dear." Poppy and Katherine stepped out of the storeroom and into the hygienic whiteness of the hospital. "Hold down the fort till I get back!"
Katherine smiled, but as soon as Poppy left the room her smile faded. She was so tired! She jealously eyed one of the beds, but then forced herself to sit rigidly at Poppy's desk. It was a battle just to keep her eyes open...
"Excuse me?" A quivering voice interrupted the silence.
Katherine thrust her eyes open and nearly jumped out of Poppy's chair.
"I'm sorry." She stammered. "It's very warm in here. The heat always makes me sleepy."
Hermione Granger smiled weakly, and shifted her weight uncomfortably.
"You don't have a nosebleed, do you?" Katherine eyed her curiously.
"N-no." Hermione looked very uneasy. "I just want a calming draft."
"That's simple enough Ms. Granger." Katherine rose from the desk and went towards a white wooden cabinet.
Hermione narrowed her eyes, and looked stunned for a moment.
"Here we go!" Katherine announced in triumph. "I found it. Just a teaspoon full and you'll be calm and collected in no time."
Hermione continued to stare at her in stunned silence as Katherine poured the draft and offered it to Hermione. She swallowed it quickly - it tasted quite horrible- and then took a seat at the foot of a freshly made bed.
"It will take a few minutes to work, so you'll welcome to stay here in the meantime." Katherine smiled warmly.
"Can I ask you something." Hermione blurted out.
"Hm?" Katherine suddenly felt very nervous.
"How did you know my name?"
Katherine froze, and then begged her sluggish mind to think of something. She hadn't even meant to...
"Madam Pomfrey! She pointed you out last night at dinner. She said you're an excellent student, the best anyone has seen in years."
Hermione nodded, but did not seem content with the answer.
"I think I've seen you before though."
Katherine tired to force her heart to stop its frantic beating.
"Oh? You might have seen me on Diagon alley maybe, or even in Hogsmeade."
Hermione still did not seem satisfied.
"No...I don't think that's it."
Katherine smoothed out her uniform, and tried not to look nervous.
"Well I don't remember ever having seen you Ms. Granger. I would certainly remember a girl so pretty."
Hermione's hands shot up to cover he swollen and tear stained face. To Katherine's great relief she laughed.
"You think so? Or are you just trying to be nice."
Katherine smiled, and reached out to pat the girls shoulder.
"May I ask you something then?"
Katherine was eager to change the topic.
"What?" Hermione smiled.
"Why were you crying?"
Hermione recoiled, but at the same time looked somewhat amused.
"Your husband, actually."
Katherine's face scrunched up, and she began to laugh.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?"
As they waited for the calming draft to take effect the story of Hermione's zero was told, with boughts of laugher from Katherine and a few stray tears from Hermione. After talking about it, Hermione was surprised to find the zero suddenly didn't seem so bad anymore. In fact, she rather enjoyed the conversation. At that moment, she decided that the new Mrs. Snape was very different from anyone she had ever met...and she rather liked it.
When three students came bursting in together with nosebleeds, Hermione was sad to lose the new source of attention. Katherine smiled warmly at her while enduring the odd stares of the students she fussed over, and Hermione found herself feeling strangely sad when it was time for her to leave.
-----
"Do you always make teenage girls cry, or is today some sort of exception?"
Katherine buttered her roll as she spoke, making quick jabbing motions with her knife. Severus stared at her coldly, but continued to pick at his dinner as if nothing had happened.
"What were you saying dear?" Professor Flitwick piped in. He was more than happy to be seated next to a pretty female.
"I was just asking my husband if he's always so cruel to his students all the time, or if today was special."
"Oh, he is." Flitwick said rather cheerfully.
Katherine let out a short laugh, and glanced over at Severus. He stabbed vengefully at a potato on his plate, but looked a few shades paler than usual.
"So I'm not the only one whose noticed?" She smiled down at Flitwick, who began to blush.
"Would you shut up!" Severus hissed under his breath.
"If you do something for me first." Katherine smiled.
"I'd rather gouge my own eyes out than help you." He spat, but then added carefully. "Unless it has been asked of me by certain...people."
"It has nothing to do with that." Katherine snapped, as if she loathed to be reminded. "I need you to take back Ms. Granger's zero."
Severus dropped his fork in surprise.
"Why does that have to do with anything." He looked very confused.
"Hermione came to the hospital wing today in tears, and I felt sorry for her. It wouldn't hurt to show a little compassion Severus."
He narrowed his eyes at her, but reminded silent.
"I'll take that a no then?"
Severus fought the urge to slam his head down on the table. A nice head injury would beat dinner conversation with this woman right now.
"You could at least answer me. Honestly, your behavior has reached new heights of rudeness."
Katherine let her voice rise a little too loudly, and a few other professors began to look her way.
"For the love of Merlin..." Severus moaned. This was the last thing he needed right now.
"I'm just saying..."
"Aright. I'll take it back. Just please shut up!"
Severus huffed in anger, but Katherine smiled widely. After a few more minutes of eating in silence, Severus went to rise.
"I'm going to my office." He said coolly.
As he pushed his chair away a sudden warm pain engulfed his side. Voldemort really had not been forgiving last night, if it sill hurt. Trying to hide an obvious limp, Severus walked through the student tables and out of the great hall.
"Wait!"
Katherine rushed out of the door after him, looking mildly concerned.
"What now." Severus said dryly.
"Are you alright?" She titled her head as she spoke, like she was almost appraising him.
"I'm fine." He growled. "But unlike some people I don't..."
His voice died out, and he crossed his arms across his chest.
"Don't what?"
"Never mind." He said in a tired voice.
"Is this about last night? Because I told you that he had other business for me to..."
"Shh!" Severus violently commanded.
"Oh right." Katherine suddenly felt very silly. "I forgot."
"Just go downstairs before you get us both in trouble."
Severus turned on his heels and stalked off in the direction of his office. Katherine stood in the hallway, watching his shadow dance on the walls until it disappeared. She drew her hand up, and began to chew at a fingernail. She suddenly felt very much like a disobedient child.