oOoOoBroken DreamsoOoOo
Hermione lay in her bed as the sun drifted through her window, the thin curtains that surrounded her bed shooting brilliant shadows against her wall as the sun met them. She wouldn't get up. She refused to. Who cared if she failed and got kicked out of Hogwarts? Who cared if she had to live as a muggle because she was a brilliant failure in school?
Alright, maybe she did care a little, but not enough to face Snape. Not enough to be near him for a whole three hours. Damn those double periods, anyways! Its not like anyone needed extra time for assignments! She sighed as her thoughts proved her stupid once more, and she rolled over, burying her head in her pillow, her thin arms wrapped around the fluffy material.
It wasn't as if he was any better.
Her head snapped up at the revelation, and she sat there, thinking about it.
"Thats right! He's deathly skinny, always lurking around away from everyone, and if he spent anymore time cooped up in that dungeon, then he probably would turn such a ghastly white that he would look like chalk! So where does he get away with telling me that I need help!"
She looked around the empty dormitory as the bell for the first class rang, stubbornly deciding she would, indeed, not go. Of course, stubbornness only worked so long against one's nature. It only took around fifteen minutes before she was scrambling around her room, hastily stuffing things into her bag.
Snape didn't even look up as she walked into the room, his red quill slashing angrily at the papers that were in front of him.
"Detention, Granger"
Breathing hard from the run, she didn't argue, simply walking to an empty seat in the back of the room, collapsing onto a chair. She kept her gaze away from him, hurrying to start the potion the others in the class already had bubbling in their cauldrons. It wasn't long before she had to stop, to let the potion simmer, ans she was greatfull. Finally, she was able to sit down and actually catch the breath that had left her lungs long ago.
She pointedly ignored Harry and Ron's worried glances at her, adamantly refusing to return the looks. She was still angry at them, and there was nothing they could do about it. Her foot tapped in a steady rhythm of the seconds ticking by, impatiently waiting for the right time to pass so she could continue her project. Knowing Snape, he assigned a potion that would take all class, making it so that she would be unable to finish hers, as she arrived late.
Glancing down at her textbook, she studied the rest of the instructions, and cursed colorfully under her breath. Heat restorative. Used for giving feeling back to those who have suffered from Hypothermia. According to the book, if not brewed correctly, it would have a stimulated effect, causing extreme heat to a person. She was dreading coming late now. The potion would do no harm if not finished, and as he always did, Snape would most likely make those unfinished take the potion.
Her dreads were confirmed as he stood from his desk five minutes before class finished, stalking the rows, examining the cauldrons that weren't finished.
By the time he was at Hermione's desk, the class was filled with giggles, Neville, Pansy, Seamus and Ron all in various stages of undress, sweat covering their bodies. She looked up at him in horror as he looked into her cauldron, wondering how many more thing he would find in the course of the year to make her life a living hell. Her hands were moving to the ladle to pull some out, tears gathering in her eyes, when she saw his robes swish away.
Her head snapped up, watching him stalk to the next desk, and the hand holding the ladle loosened. The wood clunked softly on the cauldron, bringing to her senses as she reached forward quickly, grabbing it before it could dissapear into the purple substance.
Her eyes met with his for a split second as he walked beck to the front of the room, barking for everyone to clean up their messes, and she felt her insides shrivel. Why did he do it? She had thought he hated her, thought he just wanted her to suffer...Damn him for confusing her like this! She cleaned up purposefully slowly, not even done emptying her cauldron by the time the students were done filing out of the classroom.
"Stop stalling and get out of my classroom." His voice was curt, and made her jump and drop her teaspoon.
"Professor--"
"I said out. You had your chance to talk to me, Ms Granger, I do not associate with pathetic children who throw their lives away."
Tears stung her eyes at his words, and her hands shook. "B-but-"
"Out."
Her lip shook in anger and despair, and she grabbed her bag, ignoring that she left her cauldron and supplies there, and sprinted from the room. She didn't get to the end of the hallway before purple robes filled her blurry vision, and she skidded to a halt in front of Dumbledore. She hastily wiped her eyes, turning her face from him.
"Headmaster, I was just..." She trailed off as she saw the look on his face, biting her lip.
"Hermione. I'm sure you know why I'm here."
It had been a long time since she had seen him looking so serious, and the absence of the twinkle in his eye scared her more than she wanted to admit.
Dumbledore turned, not waiting for her answer, leading her with a hand on her back to his office.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Snape stared at the cauldron at the back of the room. His quill had stopped the moment she had left the room, and he finally set it down, walking to the back desk, calmly picking up the things himself, vanishing the useless potion he had made.
She had been so surprised when he had not forced her to drink the potion. His hand lingered on her pestle, staring at the faceless marble. He supposed he really did come across as the type of person that would publically humiliate her by showing her deepest secret to all of her classmates. He huffed, throwing the res of her things into her cauldron, moving it to the store room where it would be out of his way.
By the time that the headmaster rapped on his door, he was already situated back at his desk, slashing with even more ferocity at some poor first year's essay.
Like usual, Dumbledore did not wait for an answer to enter, it was the second pair of footsteps, however, that made him lift his eyes.
He placed down his quill as he contemplated silently that he had never seen Hermione Granger looking so angry, or so helpless, for that matter. Her arms were crossed petulantly in front of her chest, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
"Good evening Severus."
"I wish I could say the same to you." He looked at Dumbledore impatiently. "What is it?"
"You seem to be the only one that has decently gotten Ms Granger to eat-"
Snape dreaded the next part of the statement the instant he saw Hermione turn her face away.
"-And as such, it has been decided that she will be staying in your guest quarters, under your supervision."
"I refuse." He said instantly. "That is, as far as I'm concerned, Poppy's job. It would not only distract me from my job, but raise suspicion in her classmates." He knew it was a losing battle, but a Snape is not one to give in without a fight.
"Which is why she will be known as your apprentice for the time being. Seeing as you both seem to have some troubles with this, perhaps Ms Granger can get better, and this will no longer be needed."
Both Hermione and Snape damned that twinkle in his eye as he turned to the door.
"And I'm afraid, Severus, it is not a fighting battle." He turned to Hermione, his expression softening. "Dobby will be down with your things soon, child, I'm sure Severus will make your stay enjoyable. "
Silence filled the room as the door shut, and Hermione would have sworn she could see the angry red aura emitting from Snape. She shifted on her feet, looking around awkwardly. A sneer crawled onto Snape's contorted face, and he spun on his heel, heading for his quarters."
"Um, Professor, where do I-" She winced as the door slammed "-Go..." She sighed deeply, looking around the room.
"After always wanting to be an apprentice to a Hogwarts teacher...I would have thought it a bit more of a happy thing..." She said softly to herself, plopping onto a front desk, briefly wondering if she should go to the great hall for lunch.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
A/N: Yes, Yes, It has been quiet a while . A bit shorter than what I would like, but it is fairly late at night, and I think this was an ok place to stop for this time.
Suggestions, comments? Nudge, nudge : You know you wanna! Just click the little purple button! Peer pressure! CLICK THE BUTTON!