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Chapter 3 – Back to Misery
Hermione awoke at the sound of someone whispering into her ear. Slowly she opened her eyes and found herself face to face with no other than Severus Snape. She inhaled sharply, jerking upwards in a sitting position, nearly hitting her head at the table. Frantically she searched around her for Harry's cloak, but couldn't find it anywhere.
"I trust you are looking for your cloak, Miss Granger." Snape sneered, holding up the cloak he held in one hand.
Hermione's eyes slowly wandered from the floor upwards over the tall form of her Potions professor, reaching the neatly folded piece of cloth that was Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
"Pray tell, Miss Granger, what exactly where you doing at this time of night in the Restricted Section, wearing an Invisibility Cloak? You do know how many rules you broke with this little stunt, do you?"
Snape's voice had considerably risen in volume until, at the end of the second question, he had practically yelled at her. Hermione winced. But when she didn't say anything and only stared as if in shock at his hand that held up the cloak, he positively screamed.
"Answer me you insolent little girl!"
Opening and shutting her mouth a few times, Hermione didn't know what to say. She looked at Snape's face and found him staring at her, completely livid. How could she have fallen asleep? She didn't even remember closing her eyes. Finally she managed to croak,
"So-Sorry, I didn't mean..."
"You didn't mean to be caught? I suppose so. Well, well, 50 points from Gryffindor. And you, Miss Granger, will serve detention for the next month. I hope the book you were reading is worth this trouble. Give it to me." Snape said, his velvety voice full of contempt.
Cautiously Hermione held out the book to him. Gripping it fiercely, Snape jerked it away from her, examining the cover.
"Soul Projection? A very interesting topic, indeed. But don't you think it surpasses your level of understanding? You should better study for your NEWTs."
At that Hermione glared at Snape.
"Stand up, will you!? And now go back to your room!" he spat.
She complied, slowly standing up from the floor. When she brushed past Snape, she already fought the tears.
"Oh, and Miss Granger?"
Hermione stopped abruptly and turned around to look at Snape, praying for him not to notice that she was near a nervous breakdown. "Yes, Sir?"
"Your detention starts tomorrow evening. Seven p.m. in my classroom. And don't even dare to be late."
"Yes, professor." she answered and continued her way back to her room.
The next morning at breakfast Hermione told Harry and Ron her trip to the library. But she left out the reason why she had gone there in the first place. She didn't need them to be more concerned than they already were.
"Snape caught you!?" Ron asked with a disbelieving look on his face. "Wow, now you're really in trouble."
"I have to serve detention for the entire next month. And he took 50 points." she answered.
"The entire month?" Now it was Harry's turn to look disbelieving at her.
Suddenly Hermione blanched. "Oh, and Harry, he also took your cloak. I'm so sorry, I really didn't want this to happen..."
"No problem, Hermione. At least you're still alive." Harry smiled. "I don't even want to imagine what the greasy old bat could have done to you."
"Harry, he couldn't have killed me there in the library, even if he wanted to, you know."
"Never underestimate the power of magic." Harry said in a whisper. "I bet he has just the right plan to make everyone believe, that you were still alive. He would force some Slytherin to drink Polyjuice Potion and impersonate you until graduation and then fake your seemingly 'natural' death. Or he would carry your corpse to the Forbidden Forest and tell everyone, that you've been killed by a centaur on one of your rule-breaking night time strolls."
At that Hermione mock-glared at Harry and forced herself to crack a tiny smile. She then looked serious again and continued to pick at her food. Her appetite had been practically non-existent since Christmas, but forcing down the food would be worse than not eating at all. And it wasn't as if she didn't eat anything at all. She did, just not much.
"Ron, Harry, I'm off to the library. Meet you at lunch."
Both boys nodded, looking worried. They had scheduled some extra Quidditch practice for those that had stayed at Hogwarts and now needed to be present, if something should happen.
Hermione stood up, took her satchel and left the Great Hall.
Sighing Hermione sat down at her favourite table in the library. How had she managed to fall asleep?
I knew that Snape was just a few rows down the room. Well, now I can forget the research. I don't have any chance of getting into the Restricted Section any time soon. she thought. And detention with Snape will be torture.
And for all that had happened the damn diary incident was to blame. Why had she gotten so worked up anyway? She knew the answer. That person had read her thoughts and mocked her. Normally she would have just brushed off the insults, but it had been a topic, where she had finally – and only after a long time - decided to face the facts. Well, she admitted that her anger and the task of researching had made her forget her sadness, but that had only been temporarily. Now her sadness had come crashing down full force, again. And, again, she couldn't confide in anyone.
Hermione hid her face with her hands and fought to strangle the sobs that started to shake her body. Hurriedly she stood up and ran from the room. She didn't care for the disapproving look she was getting from Mme. Pince, she just needed to be alone.
At seven o'clock sharp Snape heard the knocking on his classroom door.
"Enter." he snarled and went back to grading some abysmal third year essays.
Quietly Hermione Granger entered the classroom and closed the door behind her. Stepping in front of Snape's table she waited for her instructions. After three minutes of being ignored she carefully cleared her throat.
"Professor...?"
Snape glared at her. "Miss Granger, how can I help you?"
"My detention, Sir. I..." she started only to be cut off by her professor.
"Shut that silly mouth of yours!" Slowly he rose from his chair, leaning over the table towards her. "Have you no manners, girl? Now, go make yourself useful." Sitting back down on his seat, he said with a dismissive gesture, "Clean the cauldrons there in the corner. No magic. The sponge, cleaner and a bucket can be found in the third closet of the right. You can go when you're finished. And, Miss Granger, I wish no further interruption."
Hermione nodded briefly and went to work.
I must not cry, I must not cry. she repeated in her mind to calm her down. What's up with me? Now I can't even handle a petty comment from Snape.
Stubbornly wiping away a tear that had managed to slip from her eyes, she started to scrub the cauldrons more fiercely. At half past eleven she was finally finished with her work. Looking up, she noticed that Snape had left the classroom already.
Fine. she thought.
Cautiously she emptied the contents of the bucket with a flick of her wand. At her way out of the classroom she found a note that lay on one of the tables, labelled with her name.
Detention tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. in this classroom. And I won't tolerate your silly sobbing. Next time I will deduct points.
Crumbling up the parchment in her hand she stood there, angry, for nearly five minutes fighting back her tears, again.
How dares that bastard. she cursed and purposely shut the door of the Potions classroom with a loud 'bang'.
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