Hermione had been walking slowly down to the dungeons to find Professor Snape. She constantly stared down at the piece of parchment clenched tightly in her eager hands. She had promised not to look. Thus, she looked around, anywhere but down at her left hand.

The dungeons were ominous, unwelcoming, cold, and eerie. When she wasn't going there for class that is. Slytherins were crowded down here, talking and joking. One group of boy Slytherins who looked like they were second or third years were torturing a poor salamander by making him hover over a small fire with their wands.

She grimaced at this and walked on hoping no one would stop her and take the paper. Then...

"Granger! What are YOU doing in MY dungeons?" Malfoy had been leaning against a pillar with his cronies by his side, glaring at her with loathing like usual. She stopped and shoved the paper in the pocket of her robes as he approached her. "Where's that ugly werewolf spawn of a friend of yours? Crying just because she couldn't stay to finish the fight?" Hermione glared at him. "She's not afraid of you Malfoy, why don't you just leave us alone?"

Malfoy and his cronies made fake faces of terror. "Or WHAT Granger...you'll touch us with your icky Mudblood hands! OH GOODNESS! DON'T! I DONT WANT YOUR GERMS!" Their laughter echoed down the corridor as soon as Hermione continued down the hallway. Professor Snape's office came into view and soon enough she was right at the door.

Hermione hesitated, she'd never come down to her most hated teacher's office by herself. Raising a hand, she knocked pathetically quiet on the door. She listened and sure enough, footsteps were coming to the door. Snape opened the door and looked at her, his face retorted and he sighed. "Yes..Miss Granger? What assignment did I grade poorly THIS time?"

Hermione glared. "Sir, I brought you a note from Professor Lupin." She took the crumpled note out of her pocket and handed it to him. Snape opened it and read. His face went from annoyed...to blank. "I see..." Well come in Miss Granger, I guess I should follow these orders..."

Hermione didn't dare ask questions and just came into the office and sat down. Professor Snape's office had an ugly assortment of potion ingredients all over the walls, of which he was dashing to one corner to the next gathering ingredients. "Miss Granger, would you please heat up a cauldron for me? They are in that cupboard closest to my desk...don't doddle just do it!" He was stressfully putting ingredients onto the desk and dashing back for more. Hermione had gotten a small black cauldron from the cupboard and set it on the fire that Snape had started while rushing for ingredients.

As soon as Snape had gotten all of what it seemed he'd need he began adding ingredients to the cauldron as carefully and as slowly as he could. Hermione stood there waiting patiently watching him add the ingredients. One by one, bottles emptied, the water simmered and popped and bubbled while Snape added necessity after necessity. remedy after remedy.

Finally, Snape transferred the concoction to a large container and covered it. "Take this to Lupin." was all he said when he handed it to her.

He turned his back to her and she left, feeling extremely strange.