A Dangerous Project – Part 4 – The Tapestry Door
As soon as they reached the castle, Ron and Harry realized that they had no idea where to take Hermione's still form. Ron started to speak, but before he could get a word out, the last person either of them wanted to see came striding down the hall.
"What is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape demanded, cold fury making his face even more threatening than usual. He stood blocking the hall, apparently waiting for some kind of response.
"It's Hermione, Professor," Harry improvised, levitating her towards Snape. "She must have been experimenting with something, because we heard her cry out and found this stuff all over her - "
"– and Harry froze it. We were looking for a teacher." Ron finished. At the sight of Hermione, Snape's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed calculatingly.
"Follow me," he said abruptly, and turned quickly, setting off at a quick pace. Wherever they were going, it wasn't the Hospital Wing. That meant it was probably Snape's office. Harry's anger flared. It was more important to help Hermione than to make sure he and Ron got detentions! Harry was about to comment when Snape turned to a tapestry of a moonlit lake and pressed his wand against it. He murmured words that Harry couldn't hear, and the tapestry melted into the wall and became a carved cherrywood door. Snape grasped the handle and opened the door, pulling Harry, Ron, and Hermione inside as well.
"Is this his room?" Ron whispered to Harry. Harry took a closer look and decided Ron was right. The entire room was different shades of wood, with silver, green, and black. The lush rug under their feet in the entrance was a deep green flecked with silver, the wall hangings done in similar style, and black metal formed candle holders and parts of furniture. There was a comfortable, low couch in front of the fireplace, and two chairs at a small table. There were three doors opposite the entrance. One to a bedroom, one to a bathroom – and a study, Harry supposed. Snape was now laying Hermione down on the couch while Ron hovered anxiously. Ron was right to be worried – what was Snape going to do?
"Professor, what - "
"Quiet, Potter!" Snape snapped. Ron sat down on the couch next to Hermione and gave Harry a worried look. Harry just shrugged, and the two of them watched Snape as he went into the door on the left. He came out holding a milky green potion that struck Ron as looking rather like melted mint chocolate-chip ice cream.
"Up, Weasley," Snape said curtly, though less harshly than before. Ron sprang from his seat and Snape took his place. Harry and Ron watched nervously as he carefully began peeling the noxious red substance from Hermione's skin. The flesh left behind after Snape peeled off the poisonous substance was oozing and flushed, looking incredibly painful. So gently that it surprised Harry and Ron, Snape began rubbing the green potion from the flask he held into Hermione's skin. The potion immediately healed and soothed her flesh, and Harry and Ron sighed in relief. They relaxed as Hermione began to stir a little. When he had finished, Snape stood and placed the remaining potion on his table. He looked at Harry and Ron, seeming oddly satisfied.
"Miss Granger will wake tomorrow morning and should not show any more symptoms. If she does, bring her to me immediately. Return to bed, and do not let me find you elsewhere again."
Ron and Harry nodded. They carried Hermione carefully out of Snape's room and into the chilly hallway. After hushed discussion, they decided that instead of just letting her sleep in her room, they should watch her to make sure she was alright. They set her down in a large armchair in the Gryffindor common room, and took turns watching over her through the night, talking softly so as not to disturb her uneasy sleep.
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Over breakfast the next morning, they updated Hermione on what had happened after they had visited the forest.
"You took me where?" she asked in shock. Ron nodded emphatically.
"Yeah, Snape's rooms. All wood and Slytherin colors. Dunno, maybe he thinks he's nasty enough in real life that his rooms should look decent."
Hermione just stared at him in dismay and disbelief.
"Don't you get it? I just jeopardized our entire project! We could have been discovered, just because I couldn't leave that plant well enough alone!" Hermione looked stricken, close to tears, but Harry shook his head.
"Stop, Hermione. It's not as though you threw yourself headlong into something dangerous. Besides, we've had close calls before. Snape doesn't suspect a thing! And now that you feel better, so we can try again." He frowned when Hermione began to protest.
"No, Hermione, don't be ridiculous, it wasn't your fault at all."
"Yeah," Ron chimed in, "And 'jeopardized'? No way. We had it under control."
A few minutes later, Hermione was finally convinced, and did what she usually did when she felt fine.
Organized.
"Right!" she said enthusiastically, cheerful once more, "We'll either have to wait until we can go out to the forest again, or we completely forget this altogether."
"I don't – " Harry began.
"Maybe we – " Ron started at the same time.
They looked at each other and grinned.
"Hermione, we think that we should go to the forest without you." Ron said for both of them. "We need you to stay and keep working on the potion, and we don't really need all three of us out in the forest getting one bloody little plant."
"If you just give us a picture of it, we can find it in no time, while you get the potion ready," Harry added. Hermione scowled at them.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" she burst out. "It has nothing to do with the fact that I should be working on the potion, does it? You think the forest is too dangerous for me, is that it? How dare you try to protect me? As though I need it! I'm better at spells than both of you! I don't need to be coddled like a child! Both of you have gotten hurt, and I didn't insist that you hide in the castle! I will be going to the forest tonight, whether the two of you decide to join me is something you'll have to decide for yourselves." She ended her tirade, shoved her chair back, and stormed out of the Great Hall, heading for her room.
"Bloody hell!" Ron cursed, "What now?"
"We go after her and talk to her, mate." Harry said decisively. They both pushed their chairs back, taking the time to push them back in neatly at McGonagall's severe look, then all but sprinted out.
They ran through the halls, trying to catch up with Hermione. Finally, they did.
"Hermione!" Ron called.
She was standing in front of her door, motionless, staring fixedly at something at her feet. Breathless, they stopped on either side of her, glancing down to see what she was looking at.
Lying in front of her door, freshly picked, was the herb they needed to complete the potion.