Dignity and Duels
Students of every year crowded into the Great Hall at 8:00. A small platform had been set up at the end for demonstrating use, and they crowded around it, whispering about the petrified victims lying in the infirmary, the Chamber of Secrets, and the idea of dueling. It had been Snape's idea for the Dueling Club, a chance to finally teach a little Defense Against the Dark Arts since everyone knew that Lockhart wouldn't be. Even if the students were inclined to learn, Lockhart had nothing but styling tips to teach them.
When the vain, self-important twit had introduced him to the crowd as his assistant, Snape had been livid. Even after knocking him to the ground and humiliating him, he had somehow made it look as though he had meant it to happen. And so, Professor Snape did what he always did in such situations—he took his ire out on others. Stalking towards Potter, he separated him from Weasley, pairing the red head with Mr. Finnegan instead. Potter inched towards Miss Granger, but Snape refused to let him off that easy. If he were to be humiliated then so would Potter.
He paired Miss Granger with Millicent Bulstrode, a second year Slytherin. She was large, and from what he heard meaner than any snake. She often forgot her wand and resorted to just using her fists instead, to great effect. Miss Granger would see just how well all her books and cleverness would fare against sheer brute force.
He watched with a smirk as Potter and his 'honorable intentions' fell to the ground, and then again as his feet moved uncontrollably to Draco's Tarantallegra Curse. All around him, sparks of light flew across the room and students fell over from the effects of the various curses. Once it was clear that Lockhart had completely lost control of the situation, Snape asserted his authority. With a wave of his wand and a yell, he ended it all. A green haze filled the room, as the whole lot of dunderheads stood up and brushed themselves off. Apologies were exchanged, glares received and returned, and a general hush began to fall over the room. Everyone quieted except Miss Bulstrode, who having dropped her wand, had the diminutive Miss Granger in a headlock. The smaller girl whimpered for mercy, squirming and trying to bite her way free from Millicent's embrace, but to no avail.
A sudden stab of sympathy coursed through him as he realized that it was he who had put her in this position. A teacher, a person in authority, who was assigned to protect her, and he had, in a fit of temper, paired them together knowing that this would be the likely outcome. Miss Bulstrode never would have attacked another Slytherin in such a manner, and an older student would have been faster with her wand, never allowing it to progress this far.
But Miss Granger, despite her extensive reading and magical talent found herself up against a larger, more powerful force, and she had no one to help her. He remembered too clearly what that felt like, the feeling of helplessness, knowing that his teachers were aware of what was happening but did nothing to prevent it.
He waded back through the crowd in order to pull Miss Bulstrode from her, when Potter pushed past him. He grabbed at Millicent, distracting her enough from Miss Granger, that she was able to wiggle free. Miss Granger smiled at him for having saved her, and Snape's hand clenched on his wand as he fought to keep it down. He only half heard what Lockhart proposed next, briefly wondering instead how the girl would have liked to have had the greasy Potions master as her savior. Would she have smiled at him, or would she have rejected him, like he had spit on those who had tried to protect him?
Not that it mattered. She had the Boy-Who-Lived to save her from Dark Lords and Millicent Bulstrodes alike. He would make sure Potter paid for his never ending insolence. This Dueling Club was just the place. Striding toward the platform, he pushed away any sympathy he had for the girl. He had nothing in common with a Mudblood Gryffindor and friend of Potter.
A/N: I really love that so many are enjoying these short vignettes. They are really pushing me to further analyze both Hermione and Snape. This will be the only one for CoS, mainly because this is one of the few times that these two characters are in the same scene in this book. Leave me a review and let me know what you think!