Disclaimer: 
All I own is the bag of potato chips that's in front of me and my bad sense of humor (believe me it's bad).
The HP-characters that you recognize from the books (and the movie of course) belong to J.K. Rowling.

~CHAPTER TWO~

That Tuesday night Hermione had 'duty', as she, Harry and Ron now called it. She had to make sure that there were no students out of bed after curfew.

Hoping that she would find Malfoy out of his dorm, as she would love to give him detention, she headed towards the hallways that led to the Slytherin common room. When there were no Slytherins to be found Hermione searched the rest of the castle.

She was near the Astronomy tower when she heard footsteps. As silently as she could, she approached them. Quickly, she turned around the corner to see whose footsteps she had been hearing. "Miss Granger, a week's detention for roaming the halls after curfew." The footsteps she had heard were from Professor Snape.

Obviously, he didn't know what she was doing in the halls.

"But Professor, I'm the Head Girl," she said in her defense.

Snape snorted, "Even the Head Girl can receive detention. I thought a know-it-all like you would know this."

Hermione bit her lip. "What I meant Professor, is that tonight is my turn to make sure that students don't roam the halls, as you call it, after their curfew," she snapped at him. Snape curled his lip, "Very well then, I won't give you detention for roaming the halls."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said politely.

"Still, a detention for a week because of your attitude," Snape said with a grin on his face. "What? You can't do that!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Oh yes I can," was the answer she got as Snape walked away. "Bastard." Hermione muttered under her breath.

"That will be twenty points from Gryffindor and two weeks of detention, Miss Granger. Starting tomorrow night at eight."

"Yes Professor," she said, biting her lip trying not to lose her temper.

Around midnight, Hermione returned in her dorm. "Password," the young girl in the portrait said.

"Dentist," Hermione snapped. "Well someone sure is cranky," said the young girl snidely as she swung the portrait open.

Hermione stormed towards her bedroom and jumped on the bed, scaring Crookshanks, who was sleeping on Hermione's pillow.

"Oh sorry Crooky," she told the cat, which was now hiding under the bed. "Great, just great," she muttered.

After she brushed her teeth and changed into her nightgown, she got into bed.

The next evening, at eight o'clock, Hermione arrived at the dungeons. She walked into the potions classroom. Snape was in the back brewing a potion; he looked up when he heard the door close. "Just a minute Miss Granger." Nervously, Hermione walked towards the potions master and took a seat near his desk at the front of the class. She put her bag on her desk. It didn't take him long to finish the potion.

"Miss Ganger, clean the cauldrons," he hissed at her when he saw her sitting. Slowly, Hermione got up from the chair and took out her wand. "The muggle-way," Snape snapped. "And I will be able to tell if you use magic," he warned her before he left the classroom. Hermione groaned, this was going to take her all night.

Two hours later the door to the classroom opened again. Hermione jumped when she heard footsteps behind her. Quickly she turned around; Professor Harper was standing behind her. "Hello Miss…Granger, was it?" the professor asked. Hermione nodded.

"Yes. Professor Snape isn't here, I don't know where he is," she said quickly. "That's all right, I just need some ingredients," Professor Harper told her as she walked towards Snape's office. "I doubt I will be the first one to take them without his permission. Am I right?" She winked. Hermione blushed. Did everybody know what she had done in her second year? When Professor Harper came out of the office she was carrying a little black bag. "If he asks you about the ingredients just tell him that I took them. If he doesn't ask…" She paused for a while, thinking, "then just don't tell him anything, ok?" Hermione nodded, hoping that Snape wouldn't find out. Surely that would give her even more detention, whether she had taken the ingredients or not.

At half past eleven Hermione had finished cleaning the cauldrons. There wasn't a single spot to be found on them. She wondered if she would have to wait until Snape returned, or if she was free to go. Just to be sure, she stayed in the classroom. She sat down in the chair near Snape's desk and got a book out of her bag. It was getting later and later, Hermione was still sitting in the chair reading her Arithmacy book. She rubbed her eyes, wishing that she was lying in her bed. Just for a minute, she closed her eyes. "MISS GRANGER, WAKE UP!" Hermione opened her eyes.  What happened, where was she? It took a minute before she realized what had happened.  Instead of closing her eyes for a minute, she had fallen asleep. Her Arithmacy book was lying on the floor. When she looked at her watch, she saw that it was one o'clock.  She started to apologize immediately. "I'm so sorry, I just…."

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Snape hissed at her.  He crossed his arms. "Congratulations, you are the first Head Girl to my knowledge to receive detention twice in her first week. This adds another week to your detention. And ten points from Gryffindor." Hermione looked at the floor, not speaking. "Go back to your dormitory, before I add another week for being out after curfew," Snape said. "Yes sir," Hermione said while she picked up her book.

As quickly as she could she got her bag and left the classroom.

"By Merlin, you look awful!" Hermione looked up from her breakfast. Ginny Weasley sat down next to her. "Did something happen?" Hermione took a deep breath and told her friend what had happened. "Three weeks of detention!" Ginny exclaimed, "No wonder you look so depressed." Hermione smiled faintly, "Thanks Gin."

"Oi Ginny, move over." Ron and Harry were standing behind the two girls. To Hermione's surprise they wore their quidditch robes.

"We just had quidditch practice," Harry told her when he saw the surprised look on Hermione's face. "This early? Didn't you used to complain when Wood made you practice before breakfast?" she asked Harry. "That's what I've been telling him," Ron said. "Let's face it, our quidditch captain sucks!" He ducked under the table as Harry tried to hit him. "I do not suck! I just want to make sure that we win the Quidditch Cup in our last year."

Hermione chuckled, he sounded exactly like Oliver Wood. "Why didn't you go to practice?" she asked Ginny, who was also on the team. When Harry returned as the Gryffindor seeker, Ginny replaced one of her brothers, as a beater.

She smiled at Hermione, "Boys can't enter the girls' dormitory." Harry narrowed his eyes. "And she will pay for that one!" he said, trying to sound threatening.

The first lesson they had was Charms. After Professor Flitwick had told them how important their last year was, just like every other teacher had done, they learned how to enlarge objects. By the end of the lesson Hermione's feather was so big that it didn't fit on her table anymore.

After dinner Hermione went to the library to do a bit of research for her Transfiguration homework. When she looked at her watch, she saw that it was a minute to eight. She hurried down to the dungeons, the last thing she wanted was to be late and get even more detention. Professor Snape was packing a bag when Hermione entered the room. He stopped immediately when she entered. "Miss Granger, follow me." As he led her towards the D.A.D.A. classroom, Hermione wondered why.

"Harper!" Snape yelled once they were inside. Professor Harper walked out of her office, carrying a glass of red wine.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss Granger here has detention tonight. Unfortunately I have to go away for a few hours so you will have to watch her for me."

Professor Harper snorted. "Why would I do that? Surely you can move the detention."

Snape narrowed his eyes. "I'm not only punishing Granger, I'm also punishing you."

Harper laughed. "Punishing me? May I remind you that I am not a student? I'm a teacher."

"And may I remind you that even a teacher, such as yourself, is not allowed to steal ingredients out of my office," Snape snapped at her.

Professor Harper gasped, "Did a teacher steal something out of your office? Which teacher was it?"

Snape crossed his arms. "I know it was you."

Harper took a sip of her wine. "Can you prove that it was me?" she asked coldly.

Snape sighed as he walked towards the door, "I don't have time for this. Miss Granger has to stay in detention here until I return."

Without waiting for a reply he left. "Miss Granger, please sit down." Professor Harper conjured a luxurious chair in front of her desk. Hermione sat down, sitting across from her teacher. "Would you like some tea?" Hermione nodded. Her teacher disappeared in the office. "So what do you usually have to do in detention?" Harper asked sounding bit insecure, after handing Hermione her cup of tea. The truth was that she had never given anyone detention before, and she had no idea what Hermione should do while she was in her classroom.

"Well, I haven't been in detention much. Professor Snape always makes people clean the cauldrons, the muggle way." Hermione explained.

"Why are you in detention anyway?" Harper wondered, Hermione didn't seem like the type of girl that would get two weeks worth of detention. Hermione explained what had happened. "Are you serious? I've heard that he is unreasonable, but this is outrageous." Harper exclaimed.  After she thought for a few minutes, she continued, "I'm afraid that you still have to stay here in 'detention', but you are free to read or study." She gestured at Hermione's bag.

Hermione was grateful for this, she already was starting to get worried that she wouldn't be able to finish all of her homework in time now that she had detention almost every night.

Professor Snape returned around eleven o'clock. Hermione had just finished her Care of Magical Creatures' homework.

"Miss Granger, you may go now. Harper, a word." Snape said quickly. Hermione immediately packed her bags and left. She could hear Snape yelling at her D.A.D.A.teacher. Curious as she was, she stopped and listened to what he was saying. "May I ask why you needed those ingredients?" Snape asked.

"Of course you may, although I have to warn you, I may not answer," Professor Harper answered calmly. Hermione moved closer to the door, wondering what Snape's answer was going to be.

"Well?" Snape asked, clearly becoming irritated. "Are you going to answer my question or not?"

Harper sighed, "I already answered it." "No you didn't!" Snape exclaimed so loudly that it startled Hermione.

"Yes I did. You asked me if you could ask me why I needed your ingredients. I told you that you could ask me that question. Have you forgotten that already?" Harper explained. Hermione grinned, Snape is not going to like that one, she thought.

Instead of an outburst which Hermione had expected, he continued in a cold voice. "Why do you need those ingredients?"

"I'm not answering that question," Harper simply said. "It's rather private."

"It isn't when you are stealing ingredients from ME, now I demand to know why you need them," Snape hissed.

"Aren't YOU the potions master? Can't you figure it out yourself?" Harper asked him, getting a bit annoyed.

"Phoenix blood, toad skin and seaweed can be used for more than one potion. I am not a mind reader, Miss Harper," Snape explained.

"I agree, it can be used for many potions. I used it for the Femilica Potion." There was a deadly silence in the classroom. Hermione understood why.

She had read about the potion during last year's summer vacation. The Femilica Potion was a potion that witches used when they suffered from PMS.

Snape coughed a few times, and then muttered something. Hermione moved closer to the door, holding her ear against it, in order to hear the conversation better.

"Apology accepted," Harper said cheerfully. So that's what he muttered; he was apologizing, Hermione thought.

Suddenly the door was pulled open from the inside. Hermione fell face down on the floor.

She looked up to see the potions master scowling at her.

"Well, it looks like our Head girl now has three weeks of detention to serve."