Changes Made

Chapter Thirteen

Hermione was mortified. She'd walked right into Snape's rooms without even pausing to think about why the lights might be on. It had never occurred to her that the room might belong to someone. It didn't even look like a real classroom in the first place! This was a serious lack of judgement. Her father would be apalled.

In the meantime, Hermione's heart was racing. Snape had smiled! He'd actually shown emotion other than a sneer, curled lip, or a raised eyebrow. This was monumental! As was the way his face changed when he smiled. It was astonishing. He was practically handsome, Hermione mused. Why had he been smiling, though? Hermione didn't see anything funny in the situation. She was surprised that she hadn't been stuck with three weeks of detention for it! Something was happening that she was keen to be in on.

In her rooms, Hermione tried to calm down. Crookshanks looked up from his position on her bed when she entered her bedroom and caught her eye. He blinked knowingly. Hermione stared. Surely her cat had no grasp of the situation....

This was too much. Hermione sank onto the bed and lay there, staring up at the ceiling. There had to be a perfectly logical explanation for the reason her heart was still pounding. There had to be a reason for the electric sensations that had spiralled through her at dinner when she'd accidentally leaned into Snape when Harry's wand fouled up. He was only her Potions Professor... That was all! But she couldn't help noticing just how attractive he became when he smiled.

No, she thought firmly. Her attraction to him had to be purely intellectual. That was all, Hermione decided. Maybe she could get him talking about something. For a moment, she fantasised that they might become friends, spending long, fascinating hours discussing spells and potions and totally non-school related things... And then she stopped herself. She needed to sleep it off.

............

It didn't work. When Hermione woke the next morning, she barely noticed the rain outside her window. All she could think about was Professor Snape's smile. This couldn't be happening! Purely intellectual, she told herself firmly, and rolled out of bed. At breakfast, she spoke little. Griselda flew in from the rain, soaring beneath the cloud-covered ceiling to the table. She dropped a note delicately onto the table at Hermione's elbow and rather gracefully hopped forward to nibble a bit of bacon from Hermione's plate. Hermione unfolded the note.

Hermione,

Why don't you and Harry come for tea around four o' clock?

Hagrid

Hermione turned to Harry. "Hagrid's for tea?" Harry nodded in reply, mouth full of cinnamon porridge. She scribbled a note back.

Great! See you at four!

Hermione

Griselda took the note with an affectionate hoot, soaring up to the ceiling and out the window once more. Hermione was quiet.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked, finishing his porridge. "You look sort of flushed."

"No," Hermione answered a bit too quickly. "Nothing."

"Did you get your book back?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Hermione said, colouring. Harry watched her thoughtfully but asked no questions. The pair of them finished their breakfasts and departed the Great Hall.

"Anything you want to do before lessons?" Harry asked.

"Not really," Hermione said. "I could write in the notebook some more, make a few more guesses."

"Are you planning to shock him with anything today?" Harry asked hopefully. "I like it when you make him angry." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I don't do it just to make him angry," Hermione replied. "But yes, I had something in mind."

"Excellent," Harry responded. "You know what?" he asked, out of nowhere. "I need to run." He began to jog along the corridor in front of Hermione. He got faster and faster, turning corners and leaping up staircases two steps at a time until he was out of sight.

"Whoa!" Hermione rounded a corner in time to see Harry do a sort of forward-flip-roll of Mrs. Norris in the hallway ahead. It seemed she had once again appeared out of nowhere. She stared at him, looking offended. "Bugger off," Harry growled, but his heart wasn't in it, Hermione knew. She came up beside him.

"What was that, Harry? Been taking gymnastics in your spare time?"

"No," Harry answered, sounding a bit shocked. "I didn't know I could do that. Come on, let's leg it before Filch gets here."

"Actually, Harry," Hermione said as they reached the next staircase. "I want to go to the library."

"Again?" Harry asked incredulously. "I don't believe it. You were there twice yesterday."

"I know, but that was before we'd been to Hogsmeade. I want to find something to try my unicorn's hair in. Something I haven't done before."

"I'll see you at lessons, then," Harry said. "I'm going to go practise the Wronski Feint." They parted ways.

............

In the library, Hermione poked through the shelves, looking for something just right. She pulled book after book from the shelves, trying in vain to find one she wanted. Rounding a corner to try another shelf, Hermione nearly ran over Professor Snape, who stood, leafing through a leather-bound volume.

"Excuse me," she said softly. Professor Snape acknowledged her with a nod, not looking up. Something occurred to Hermione.

"Professor," she said timidly, "I'd like to ask you something." Snape shut the book and looked at her.

"Well, what is it?" he demanded.

"I wanted to know if I could get permission from you to look in the Restricted Section."

"For what?" Snape asked suspiciously, looking at her.

"I don't know, exactly," Hermione admitted. "I want to find a potion that uses Unicorn hair...One I've never made before."

"Why?" Snape persisted.

"Just for fun," Hermione answered, although to her it sounded lame. Snape seemed to accept this thought.

"Come with me," he said, and led he into the Restricted Section. She looked around hungrily at the books, not knowing where exactly to begin. "Be careful," Snape warned. Hermione looked up at him, surprised to see him watching her. "Don't touch anything without asking me first." Hermione nodded and began to make her way carefully down an aisle. "Potions books are this way." Snape gestured vaguely to the back left corner.

Once there, Hermione recognised the shelves. This was where she'd found that book in second year. But where was it? The place where it should have been was empty. She sighed, disappointed.

"What?" Snape asked curtly.

"The book I'd hoped to find isn't here," Hermione answered vaguely.

"Which book?" Snape asked becoming slightly exasperated.

Hermione sighed again. "Moste Potente Potions," she answered.

"How did you know it was here?" Snape inquired curiously.

"I looked something up in it once," Hermione answered, even more vaguely. She didn't want to tell him about the Polyjuice Potion.

"I have the library's copy in my classroom," Snape informed her. "Come with me. I'll get it for you." Hermione stared at Snape as he turned on his heel and strode away down the aisle. He stopped when he didn't hear her following him. "Well?" Hermione hastened after Professor Snape. This was very strange.

............

Professor Snape retrieved Moste Potente Potions from his desk and handed it to Hermione. She thanked him and opened it, flipping through the pages. She found the Polyjuice Potion and stared at the diagrams for a moment.

"It is incredibly painful to take," Snape informed her.

"Oh, I know," Hermione said without thinking. "I made it once-" she stopped and clapped a hand to her mouth. Why had she said that? Snape stared dumbfounded.

"You made that? When?" he demanded. Hermione said nothing. "When?" Snape asked again, leaning over his desk.

"Second year," Hermione mumbled.

"Surely you jest." Snape lifted a brow. Hermione looked up at him, eyes wide. This was very unexpected. He seemed to understand this, too.

"You realise that you broke several school rules by doing so," he said severely. "If I'd known about it then..." he trailed off. "If you find a potion you want to make, inform me," he said and left the room without another word.

............................................................................................................

Why had he said that? Snape was furious with himself. How had that situation got so out of control? First letting Hermione into the Restricted Section without a definite purpose. Then giving her that book of potions... How had a twelve-year-old girl made the Polyjuice Potion? It was one of the most dangerous potions to take, and she said she knew it was painful to take? That suggested that she'd taken it...

But hadn't he seen a very odd thing in Harry's mind one day? A girl covered short dark hair lying in the Hospital Wing. Hermione was missing from his class for a week or two in her second year just after the New Year, and there had been supplies missing from his personal cupboard around the same time... That all fit. But her potion had obviously gone wrong if she'd ended up in the Hospital Wing covered in what appeared to be cat hair. The potion wasn't supposed to be used for animals, but that image was congruent with recorded incidents of animal hair added to the potion... Snape sat, pondering for a moment, then shoved those thoughts away.

What had driven him to act in such an odd manner? The night before he smiled, something he hadn't done for years. His lips still stung from it. Something had to be done.

..........

A/N: I'm home!!! I'm also a completely new colour, because sunshine has that effect on me. But it's brown, not pink, so no pain. :-) Ho-hum....have you missed me? The reason nothing updated was because Tamsin didn't know how to open the attatchments I sent her on my grandmother's computer so she could save them as .txt files. She tried it on the first of August before .rtf files were allowed and never tried again, but that's okay. Besides, patience is a virtue. Reviewer Sav might take that to heart. I told you, hon, I work more on development of characters than what you might term 'action'. You want quick fluff, read something else! :-) But no hard feelings, I can certainly understand the frustration. New chapters will be uploaded ASAP....I wrote everythng through Chapter 15 before my departure. Thanks again to my spiffing betas, Aindel S. Druida and Kerichi.

Thanks for all of the support you guys! Have an uber-fab day!