Chapter 4- Snape's strange behavior

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The sun shown across Hogwarts brightly and the lake sparkled. It was a frigid October morning, but the sun was still bright. Hermione sat staring out the girl's dormitory window at the grounds below.

Three days have passed and three classes with Snape complete. He had been acting really strange around Hermione and obviously in other classes. Hermione was really worried about him.

Hermione shook her head. Why should she care? This was Snape she was overloading her emotions on and she was terribly confused, but lately her world did revovle around him. She was speading almost everyday with Snape and she could understand how she was beginning to develop worry about him, but it was scaring her. She could admit that she was worried about him, but she couldn't admit that she had only a hint of feelings for her Professor...it was just impossible.

Ginny had also expressed to Hermione Snape's strange behavior and she told Hermione about her Potions class yeterday...

----flashback----

"Take out your books and turn to page 234. We will be making a potion that can cure someone that has been put under a spell of confusion. Can anyone give me the name of the spell?"

The class was silent and still, but Ginny raised her hand because she remembered Hermione telling her the spell once.

Snape looked at Ginny and looked like he wasn't going to select her, until...

"Yes, Ms. Weasley?"

Ginny blinked. Snape never picked on her when she volunteered, never in the whole 6 years that she's had him as a teacher.

"Uh...the spell is called..."Perversious Mystify", sir."

Snape nodded and tapped the board with his wand. The name appeared on the black surface and then the ingridents.

"5 points to Griffinydor. Complete the potion by the end of class and bring the vials up after they are complete."

Everyone was confused and amazed. Snape had just given points to the one House that he hated and to the one person they thought he'd never give points to, Ginny Weasley.

---end of flashback---

Hermione had been amazed at this and so had been Ron. Harry was still upset with Hermione and he had just rolled his eyes and contiued to eat his dinner.

It hurt Hermione that Harry was still angry at her, but she thought that if he still wanted to act immature that was his problem, not hers. Hermione nodded and walked down to the Common Room...

Snape sat at his desk in his office. What the hell was happening to him? He was starting to become...nice, but he refused to accept it. It was that damn girl, but Snape knew it wan't her fault, it was his. He was becoming attached to her and he was getting to know her. The more he knew, the more his feelings developed, but he gritted his teeth and bared with it. This is the price he got with becoming a teacher. Even though his price was having unacceptable dreams about Hermione. It didn't matter how many times he put his memories and thoughts into his Pensive, they kept coming back. It seemed that his mind was refusing not to forget and a part of his heart didn't want to, but it was the right thing for him to do...

A knock at his door jolted him from his train of thought and he grumbled angrily.

"Enter!"

The door opened slowly and revealed the bleached blonde head of Draco Malfoy.

"Excuse me, sir. May I have a word?"

Snape nodded and motioned to the chair across from him. Draco sat and looked at Snape with confusion. Snape could sympathize with him.

"Sir, talk has been going around about yeterday. Why did you give points to...Griffinydor? It's not really right, sir. It's not like you."

Snape put a displeased look on his face and his blood boiled. Even though Draco was his favorite student, it sounded like to Snape that Draco was critizing how he handled his students and when it came down to that, he didn't care who it was...he got angry.

"So what if I did, Draco? Ms. Weasley deserved it...she answered a question that was difficult and it also was a question she shouldn't have known."

He made a mental note to talk to Hermione about that later.

"But, sir..."

"Listen, I know it's unusual for me, but it was bound to happen sooner or later and I would appreciate it if you would never critize the way I handle my students, Mr. Malfoy, for you are one yourself. Is that clear?"

Draco nodded and sat with a sour look on his face.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

Snape nodded and turned around in his chair. He heard Malfoy open up the door. When it closed, he laughed a little. Yes...he was definatley going insane.
Hermione desended the stairs and she spotted Harry sitting in one of the chairs by the fire place. She walked passed him and headed for the exit, but then she felt someone pull of her arm gently. She turned around and was face to face with Harry.

"Hermione...I'm sorry. Ginny was right before about that being your choice, not mine. So...I'm sorry."

Hermione smiled and nodded happily.

"Apology accepted, Harry."

Harry smiled too and nodded. Hermione started to walk forward, but Harry stopped her.

"But if that greasy git does anything to hurt you...you better tell me."

Hermione giggled and headed out the portrait hole.
Hermione entered Snape's classroom early and Snape was sitting at his desk. He looked up when she came in and didn't say anything.

"Good morning, Professor."

Snape nodded and continued to read something. Hermione made her way to his desk and stood waiting for her directions, but she noticed that Snape was reading a book.

"Uh...Professor? May I ask what book you are reading?"

Snape looked up at her and then back down at the book. He turned to the cover and looked at the title.

"The Red Orb. It's a mythilogical book on some creatures and materials that can make seemingly impossible potions."

Hermione nodded and quickly her interest was sparked. She made a mental note to check the library for it.

Snape shut the book and looked back up at Hermione, who smiled at him. He turned away quickly and picked up a piece of parchment.

"This is my third year's assignment for their next class, which should begin in about 7 minutes. They are trying to make a potion using fairy wings and honeydew seeds...I'm sure you'll reconize this from your third year."

Hermione nodded and took the parchment from Snape's hands. She skimmed the paper and nodded again.

"What do you want me to do?"

Snape rose from his seat and looked at Hermione in the eyes. She was surprised and she gazed into those deep, dark aqua eyes of his and she shuttered.

Snape noticed her shuttering and he smiled a litte. He raised an eyebrow and wondered what made her shutter.

"I want you to teach the class today..."

"What?"

Snape smile widened and Hermione couldn't believe that he was smiling. The smile was of evilness, nor a smile of slyness, but to Hermione, a smile meant only for her to see.

" I said, I want you to teach this class today. I believe that you are ready and they need all the help they can get."

Hermione noticed the hint of sarcasm in his voice. She really wanted to check into St. Mungo's at that very moment. She just couldn't believe that this was really happening. Snape was going to allow a student, a Griffinydor, to teach his class. Snape nodded and exited the classroom and into his office.

Hermione stood there with the parchment in her hands and she was dumbfounded and nervous. She could just hear Snape's scolding and yelling now.

The third years, comprised of Ravenclaws and Slytherins walked in about five minutes later. The students took their seats and gave eachother confused looks. Hermione could hear whispers like "Where's the Professor?" and "Who's she?".

Hermione cleared her throat and all went silent. She smiled nervously and looked down at the parchement in her hand.

"Hello, class. You're probably wondering where Professor Snape is, well he has given me the chance to teach today. My name is Ms. Granger and you will be contiuning the potion you started yesterday..."

"Why is Porfessor Snape letting you teach?"

Hermione gritted her teeth and looked at the young Slytherin boy that had interuppted her. She smiled slowly and aggrivation swept through her.

"Please, do not interrupt. I am doing a shadowing assignment to see what teaching magic is like...so bare with me and again, do not interrupt me."

Hermione turned to the board and smiled wickedly. She had always hated students interrupting teachers and students talking when a teacher was talking. Now she could put a stop to it and she loved it. She tapped her wand to the board and the class collected their vials and began.

Hermione walked around and observed the class carefully. She stopped every now and then and corrected someone that had either added too much or too little of something or left something out. She also found that she had been given the power to take and give points. She took away 10 points from the Slytherin boy that had interrupted her earlier because he had added 5 extra honeydew seed to a Ravenclaw girl's potion behind him.

The boy sat with a pout on his face for the rest of the class.

After Hermione dissmissed them, she slumped into Snape's desk chair and closed her eyes. It felt good to sit down. She sighed and was enjoying the silence until someone cleared their throat loudly.

Hermione opened her eyes and Snape was standing over her.

"Sorry, sir. I-I just needed to sit down..."

"It's quite alright, Ms. Granger...besides, you deserve it. You did an acceptable job today and for that you don't need to come in for the rest of the week."

Hermione blinked. What the hell? Snape was definatley acting strange. She nodded, got up from his chair and headed for the door.

"Ms. Granger?"

Hermione turned around and nodded.

"Thank you."

"For what, sir?"

Snape shook his head and walked up to her. He pulled a book from under his robes and handed it to her.

"Here, read it over the weekend and let me know what you think."

Hermione nodded and looked at the title. It read: "The Red Orb". Hermione looked back up at Snape and he smiled at her again. He turned around, with his trademark black robes billowing behind him and he disappeared behind his office door.

Next chapter: Chapter 5- The study session

A.n: PLEASE REVIEW!