Disclaimer: BLah blah blah I own nothin but my plot and characters...whoohoo it's ploural now cuz I own myself and Veronica..
A/N: Hmm...things are heating up...Whatdya know, I'm actually progressing in this story! Thanks to all my viewers. Here we go..by the way..do you guys and gals like Maranda's POV better than third POV?
Chapter 8: Testing and Faerie Attacks
Strange, I was neither happy nor sad when Hermione woke me up for school this morning..It was quite surprising having someone care enough to make sure I was awake. She said that potions was first and she didn't want Snape yelling today. Obviously he was going to yell at me for something though, that was the bad luck I owned. It was like I had all the bad luck ever, and somehow it just started to show when I came to this school. Sure, I had bad luck at the orphanage, but I never had an intimidating adult yelling at me every other second. I hated, even loathed being yelled at by him...Severus Snape...What a nightmare his class was. I was partners with Draco 'the ferret' Malfoy for everyday this year, I had Snape screaming his lungs out all the time, and I was horrible at potion making. Even Neville Longbottom, another Gryffindor, looked good compared to me. How terribly embarassing it is to enter a class and no absolutely nothing about what you are doing. Hagrid had said that if I was given a wand, I would succeed in every class... Well, I've been given that wand, and for over two months I have not succeeded. What in Merlin's name was going on?
I searched my clothing trunk for something better to wear than just a plain t-shirt and jeans. I was sick of the same look everyday. I found a pink shirt that had lace on the bottom rim and sleeve rims. I put it on and then looked for some different pants. Instead, I found a pink skirt that had a belt with a rose on it. Perfect. I changed into the skirt and left my hair down. Looking in a mirror I realized my hair was completely dishevelled. I ended up curling it with my curling iron. That stupid curling iron gathered dust from how long ago I used it. I hadn't used it in about eight years. I spun around in the knee-high skirt and smiled. If I wanted attention, wearing what I was wearing was definately the way to get it. My hair even looked good which I don't admit under any circumstance.
Same old way downstairs and same old way into the Great Hall. What I noticed were eyes staring at my new look. They were probably wondering how I could go completely gothic one day, and 'pretty in pink' the other day. Even I didn't know how I could do this. I sat in my normal seat and forked some pancakes onto my plate. Pouring the brown syrup over the top pancake, I took a huge bite of the doughy breakfast.
"Were you attacked by a faerie, or what?" Ron Weasley spat out to me.
I ignored the rude comment and went on eating. Hermione gave Ron a bad look and told him to keep his comments to himself.
"I just wanted a change of look..." I finally said.
"Hmm," Hermione looked at my hair, "Your hair is very pretty when it's not up in a mess."
"Hey," I defended in a non-serious way, "I like my mess." Hermione and Harry laughed while Ron showed no reaction.
"Ron has no sesne of humor..Pay no attention to him." Harry smiled.
Swallowing the bite of food in my mouth, I spoke, "It's ok...I don't laugh that much either...Nothing to laugh about.."
"You elbowing Snape in the stomach was something to laugh about." Blurted Ron.
My mouth closed. I had nothing to say. Ron said the worst thing ever..How was my fighting funny.. "How was that funny?" I accidentally asked him.
"Because," Ron spoke with his mouth full of food, "Snape's nothing but a horrible-" Ron saw Snape approach the table and he switched his words around, "Horribly good Professor who I look up to and idolize."
Sneering, Snape nodded his head at Ron, "Nice save, Mr. Weasley..You can help Filch clean the boys' lavatory tonight at eight. Now," He stared down at Maranda, and stopped talking for a moment. He continued, "Miss Maguire, going for a new look, are we? See you in detention tonight...Oh, I forgot, your class is first. We are taking a test..Chapter five...Bet you didn't study for it." Without anymore words, Snape sauntered out of the Great Hall.
"He didn't yell at you." Said Hermione.
"But he checked her out..." Ron laughed and harry slapped his arm.
"That," Harry chuckled, "was beyond the grossest thing I have ever heard about Snape. Ron, you should be put to death for saying that!"
Funny, but I didn't find any of it humorous. It was embarassing because it was about me. I could just picture Harry and Ron repeating it to all of their friends. I didn't know about Hermione, she seemed nice, but that's what everyone seems like before they rip your heart out.
The bell rang for students to hurry up and get to class within four miserable minutes. Making it on time to Snape's class was easy this morning because I was already on the first floor. Now all I had to do was push rudely into people as I dashed to the dungeons one floor below and get into my seat before he noticed I was two seconds late. The problem was, Draco was laying across the two chairs, so I couldn't sit in my seat. Being his partner was such a pain.
"Malfoy, please get your feet off of my chair." I quietly requested.
"No," Draco pointed at me, "I am not getting up from this position. I'm comfortable, and I am not moving until I feel like it." He looked at me and sat up. Moving his feet off of the chair he raised his eyebrows, "What the bloody hell...Did the Easter Bunny attack you or something?"
Sighing, I sat down before he took my seat again. I shook my head and was startled as Snape exploded through the classroom doors. Well, he didn't explode, but his mood did when he remembered our class was first. I never knew anyone to be so angry at one class. Maybe it was just the point that I'm here. Hmm..
"Please," Snape began, "Take everything off of your desk but your quill and one ink bottle. It's test time."
Passing out the test papers, Snape told us to start as soon as we got them. He said when we were done we were to either read or sit quietly. I prefer reading.. I looked at the paper in front of me, which was the test, and realized I knew all of the answers. I circled the letter answers to the multiple choice and wrote at least a paragraph on each short answer question. Putting my quill to the side, I raised my hand. I was the first student done their test. Raising a single eyebrow, Snape came over to me and took my paper. Walking back to his desk, he sat down and graded the test.
I took out my romance novel and read for awhile. When class was almost over, Snape called my name and told me to stay after class. the bell rang and students filed out of the room. Draco pushed me on the way out, and laughed in my face, but I ignored it. Walking to Snape's desk, I cleared my throat and waited for him to notice me.
"Your paper," He glanced in my eyes and then at my test, "passed with an 'A.' Now, my question is, how did you manage to get an A on my test when you can't even make a simple potion.? .With a partner I might add..."
Blushing, which I hated to do but couldn't help, I replied, "I pay attention in class and I read the potions book. And, I don't want to make you mad, but most of the time that I mess up on a potion is because of Draco."
"Blaming another student is highly immature, Miss Maguire. For a student with such an outstounding grade, I wonder how you can manage to fail every potion experiment. Even if some of it might be Mr. Malfoy's fault, which I doubt, you should be able to make a potion with no problem...That is, if you actually do read and study." Blurted Snape, who now looked at my eyes as though he wanted to injure them somehow.
"What are you trying to say, Professor Snape?" I questioned.
Taking a slightly long breath, he declared, "I think you cheated off of Mr. Malfoy's test."
"What? How can you think that? I was looking at my own paper the whole time?" My day was now ruined.
"I," Snape said with some satisfied tone in his voice, "corrected his test...It has all of the same answers on it. Even the short answers have word-for-word answers.."
"How do you know Malfoy didn't do it? Oh wait, I know, because he's a 'perfect little angel' right?"
"No, Miss Maguire, because I know he wouldn't do such a thing."
"What? This isn't fair! I demand a retake then you can see just how much I know and I'll prove to you that I did-really did-answer those questions correctly without cheating!"
"I cannot do this, Miss Maguire, you might've memorized the answers, and I am not going to cater to you and make another test." Snape was such a mean man...
"You can't what? Cater to me? It's not catering to me, Professor, it would be acting fairly on an issue, which obviously is something you are incapable of doing."
"I am capable of being fair. It wouldn't be fair if only you got to retake the test and not the whole class."
"I didn't cheat!" My yelling was probably louder than his at this point, but we kept fighting.
"What's done is done and I cannot do anything about it but give you a zero."
"FINE!" I screamed, picking up my backpack, "Give me a freaking zero! I don't care anymore! I give up with you! I can never win! You are an impossible teacher and I cannot waste my time trying to pass an impossible class! I hate you, Professor Snape." Finishing my screams, I left the class in a run, and I heard no footsteps behind me.
I couldn't believe this was happening. How could Snape just assume it was me like that without a fair trial. That was the last straw; I needed to tell somebody...After my next class though...Flying lessons..I was already ten minutes late. When I got my broom and went outside in the bitter air, Draco flew over my head and landed a few feet away from me. He inched closer to me and I could not do anything but stand there, looking like a complete and utter idiot with a bad temper. He circled me once, twice, three times, and chuckled.
"How are you going to fly with a skirt on?" Draco proved a point.. "I mean, it's ok if you want to give a peep show, but please wait for end of class when Madame Hooch isn't looking."
"You dirt bag," I insulted him, "I'm not going in the air with this thing on. I'm going to hover a foot above the ground. What do you think I am, stupid?"
"No," He retorted, "but I'm sure that Snape must think you are since he caught me-I mean you-cheating on his test."
Throwing my broom on the ground, I charged into Draco. My fist pounded into his chest as we wrestled on the ground. Madame Hooch ran over and tried to break up the fight, but failed. Draco slapped me on the head and messed up my hair. He pushed me off of him and I bruised my shoulder from hitting the ground so hard. I stood up and kicked draco in the leg. He stood and took out his wand..I followed..
"You stupid ferret! You cheated on the test and framed me! I hate you...you..you..ferret!" I gripped onto my wand so tightly my fingernails dug into my skin, causing my hand to bleed a little.
Madame Hooch took hold of me and pulled me away from draco. She told me not to move as she told Draco to go to Dumbledore. Eventually, as I stood in place not moving, I pocketed my wand and was led by Hooch to Dumbledore's office as well. Draco sat next to me, and called me a mudblood several times while I stayed silent. In back of us, Dumbledore's office door flew open and in came 'Stupid Snakey Snape' and Dumbledore himself. They sat across from us after conversing with one another for a few moments. Staring at the bloody palm of my hand, I made a fist and felt more blood dripping. It would stop soon if I kept pressure on it..Maybe..
Snape parted his lips and spoke sincerely, "Miss Maguire..."