Author's ramblings: I still can't believe how many wonderful reviews I've
received! You people are wonderful… ::sniffles as tears well up in her
eyes:: They like me, they really like me! I'm just telling you now, I'm
probably not going to update as quickly as I did for my last chapter… I am
a freshman, and therefore I do have homework and a social life to attend
to, but since I've been receiving such wonderful reviews I will continue
posting! You guys are wonderful, really… I enjoyed reading all your
opinions and my self-esteem soared… I was so afraid you guys weren't going
to like it because it was mushy… and don't worry, Snape will be present in
all future chapters from now on… hehehe… he is so sexy… I love him, he is
wonderful:: romantic sigh:: … and if I just made you gag, I don't know if
you want to continue reading this… Anyway, I'm really happy with the
results, and I'll continue posting.
Sorry about the lame insults on Snape's part in the last chapter… I just wanted to keep it PG for at least some of the beginning chapters… but I won't hold back in later chapters, so be aware… it is rated PG13 for a reason…
Oh yeah! I almost forgot…
Disclaimer: Hehehe… I know, I know, I forgot in the last chapters… Nothing belongs to me except the plot, honest! It's all come into being because of J.K Rowling. There's no use in suing me, I have no money I swear! Just babysitting cash, and I'm sure it would cost more to hire lawyers than to get my money…
Anyway, thank you all for reviewing and finding my errors… I love you guys! :: Sniff::
MWUAHAHAHAHA! On to chapter… (Dun dun dun…) 2!
**
Snape was circling him like a hawk now, watching him closely. Harry was afraid to move; afraid he would make a wrong move.
"Are you sure you haven't been taking lessons from Longbottom these past few weeks? Because it seems to me you've become very careless with your work, and we wouldn't want famous Harry Potter to fail any classes now would we, it might be a little too humiliating for his precious-"
"STOP IT!"
The whole classroom went silent as her distinct voice sounded through the chamber. Hermione was now next to Harry, an expression of pure hatred upon her face.
"Leave him alone!"
Snape slowly turned to her. "What did you say to me, girl?"
**
"You heard me!" the girl screamed, then suddenly recoiled. What in the world was she saying?
Snape's eyes grew wide with immense surprise. His nostrils flared, and his face blanched. He could feel the muscles grow tighter in his jaw as it clenched along with his fists. He tried to hold back the twitch that he could feel pulling at his left eye. His eyes and ears must be playing tricks on his mind… was this the real Hermione Granger? Was it she who had just spoken back against him?
It had been like a slap in the face. And a very hard one, at that. Never had any student retaliated back in his face such as she had. Not to mention the fact that it was one of his most prized and precious students (not that he'd ever admit it, or even let the thought enter his brain). She had a wit that cracked like a whip, and an attitude to match, though she didn't like to let it show. Yet sometimes, sometimes if her stress level reached critical mass and someone happened to light a match…
Though he could see her mind clogs spinning as unbelievable speeds, he could see the mixture of anger and embarrassment rising in her young cheeks. But she never removed her eyes. Her eyes remained locked with his, the swirling hazel orbs never relenting. Never did she back down. She had potential, this one.
How could she have been so stupid?
She could feel her cheeks begin to burn with humility. She could hear the silence of the classroom echoing around her hollow ears along with the ringing on her eardrum. Everyone had gone silent; even the snide Slytherins had nothing to say about this, nor to laugh about. She could feel Draco staring right into her skin, piercing her right down to the bone, melting her barrier with his freezing pupils. She could hear Snape's hoarse breathing, could tell he was furious by the way it was steadily growing more labored. Don't back down, this is the time to show what you're made of! screamed her mind. Yet the rational portion of her brain shook with fear. You'll be expelled! it cried, what will your parents think?
But at this point she didn't care.
Though it had seemed like hours, only seconds had passed. "I told you to back off, ok? You have no right to speak to anyone like that!"
Where she had found her voice, she had absolutely no idea, but she now regretted unearthing it. But now it had started, she wouldn't stop…
"Do you know how much you hurt your students when you bark at them like that? And you probably wonder at night where they find so much hatred for you in their puny hearts!" her fists clenched under her desk. "Poor Neville is scared stiff of you-"
"Enough…" he growled.
"His self-esteem is now where to be found because of you. I have no idea why Professor Dumbledore lets you even walk in these halls-"
"Stop it this instant!" he bellowed.
Her face contorted with anger as she kept her eyes on his. Hers were filling with tears now, but she couldn't hide them. Watching Snape's eyes as he grew more and more irate gave her one of the worst feelings in the world. Though his eyes were pitch black, she could still read all his emotions quite clearly. There was a ring of anger quite preeminent among them, and it portrayed itself glittering around his pupil. Confusion lingered within his pupil's depths, and kept it contracting and dilating constantly. Pride was seen in the whites of his eyes, yet at the moment it was overshadowed. Yet there was one more, one more important emotion. One she couldn't quite place.
1 Fear? No…
"Miss Granger, you will remove yourself from this room immediately!"
2 Displeasure? Close, but not close enough…
"NOW!"
When she made no move to leave, this infuriated Snape even more.
"OUT OF MY CLASSROOM NOW!"
Her face contorted with fury. "I HATE YOU!" she bit out, hot tears spilling down her cheeks, "I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!"
She hastily grabbed her books and threw them into her bag. Grabbing her ink and quill, she quickly turned and threw open the door, and slammed it shut.
She gasped as realization dawned on her.
It couldn't be…
3 Hurt?
*
Everyone cringed as the door slammed.
Half of the Gryffindors, including Ron, smirked with raise eyebrows at the teenager who had just exited the room. The other half stared wide-eyed at Snape, unsure of how he was going to respond. Not knowing whether or not he was going to hit the roof, they stayed where they stood or sat, and tried as hard as they might not to make a sound.
The Slytherins were even more unsure as to how to act, if it was even possible. Filled with fright and apprehension, they all stared off at the door, or towards Snape.
Snape kept his eyes glued to the door. He knew the whole class was depending on him to act next. He could sense the eyes of every color shooting holes in his insides.
Making them all gasp a sharp breath, he turned quickly on his heel and stormed towards his desk. Plopping himself in his chair, he quickly buried his face in his hands.
Noticing how no one had made a move to complete the assignment, he turned his head upward, facing his class. "Well?" he asked, "What are you waiting for, a proper invitation? GET TO WORK!"
The scurrying of hurried footsteps could be heard making their way around every inch of the classroom. Containers clanked, vials clicked, cauldrons began to boil once more.
Oh, the normal chaotic peace had once more been restored.
And it sounded wonderful.
*
Now that she was out of the murky depths of the dungeon, she realized she had no idea where she was supposed to go now that she'd been kicked out. She'd never been rejected from a classroom before in her entire life.
Realizing her mistake, she slowly slid down the side of the wall, letting her bag fall off her shoulder. She heard it smack the ground with a loud thud, and listened as its sound echoed off the walls.
Feeling hot tears begin to travel down her cheeks once more, she sniffled, buried her head in her knees, and cried.
*
Entangling his long fingers in his hair, he closed his eyes and sighed.
He had just had to choose to become a professor, didn't he?
Feeling a slow migraine creeping it's way behind his eyes, he buried his head in his arms. It felt good to finally relieve his neck of stress, even though it didn't lessen the pounding in is head. It ricocheted off every corner of his skull and pounded like a bullet down his back, yet he couldn't leave his class. Not yet.
Not without a lecture from Albus.
Clinging to his last ounce of sanity, he dared raise his head to see the progress his class had made.
To his great surprise, all of his students were working diligently and without mishap. Neville's cauldron was still intact, and the potion he was brewing seemed to be the right color and consistency.
And all without the help of Granger.
4 The world must be coming to and end…
The bell chimed, and they all cleaned their places and left silently.
Thank Merlin.
*
Hearing the chime, she jumped.
The class was over.
Panic over took her senses. Where was she going to hide? If she wasn't hiding from Snape's wrath alone, she didn't want anyone to see her tearful and shy; especially Ron and Harry. Grabbing her bag, she hastily jumped to her feet, and sprinted down the hall.
Where to hide… where to hide…
She didn't care where she went now. The doors blurred, along with the windows. She could barely see the floor through her tears now; not that it mattered. She only wanted to run away, find a place to throw away her fears. Find someone she could trust, someone she could cry on.
But no one could fulfill those requirements.
No one but her parents, possibly, but they weren't here.
Oh, what had she done? How could she have been so stupid? What would Snape think? Dumbledore would be furious… she had insulted a professor. She would be expelled… she would have to go back to living as a muggle, with no one like her anywhere… she'd be forced to leave her life behind…
She suddenly felt herself collide with a solid substance. Drawing in a quick breath and pulling back, she realized she had run head long into another person; Professor Lupin.
Circe, this just wasn't her day.
"I'm terribly sorry, Professor, I wasn't watching where I was going…" she said quickly, trying to save herself from the humiliation creeping up into her cheeks.
Bending down to pick up her bag, which had slipped from her grasp, she tried to wipe her face without him seeing. He, however, was too observant for her.
"No, my fault entirely," he said with a warm smile. "Are you alright, Hermione?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she said quickly. Rather too quickly.
His smile faded slightly. He couldn't hide the concern showing in his eyes. "Why don't you come and have a cup of tea with me? I was just on my way to the classroom."
Looking up at him, she nodded.
Well, at least he wasn't Snape.
*
"Your behavior today was irresponsible, obnoxious, atrocious, discriminating…"
Oh good, another lecture.
"It was uncalled for, deliberate on your part…"
The eardrums, please, eardrums…
"Your behavior will not go unnoticed. Speaking to any person like that is inappropriate under any circumstance-"
"Oh, come off it, Albus."
Snape closed his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose his thumb and index finger. He sighed, hearing Dumbledore shifting in his chair somewhat angrily. Snape knew he had been planning this 'discussion' for a while now, and he was waiting for the fateful day that he would be called into his office for an hour of ranting. He knew it was somewhat his fault; that he was bringing it on himself, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to be scolded on how to run his own classroom.
Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh. "Severus," he started, rising from his chair and drifting over to the window, surveying the grounds, "I understand the type of pressure you are undergoing at the present moment and I also understand the burdensomeness of the mission." He linked his hands in front of him, never removing his gaze from the view outside. "You must, however, also realize the strain it also exerts on your other students as well," he began to examine his hands, "especially Harry."
Snape turned away, facing the opposite direction, and sighed. "I can't help it sometimes, Albus." He fisted his hand against his mouth, "He reminds me so much of James."
Dumbledore expelled another heart-heavy sigh, turning towards a cabinet full of tiny glittering contraption, flicking a few with his long fingers. "Can you not forgive the follies of your previous foes? Harry, I believe, still does not have the complete underlying understanding of the reasons why you hated his father so deeply." He reached out a hand and stroked a small silver teapot, which then giggled naïvely and blushed. He smiled at this, turning back to Snape. "Although, he does seem to share the same compassion you have for James in hating the young Mister Malfoy…"
"Oh please, don't even bring up that awful git," Snape spat crossly, shifting in his chair, curling a long leg underneath him.
Dumbledore smiled, the usual twinkling taking its place in his eyes once more. Walking over to Snape's chair, he placed warm hands on his shoulders reassuringly. "You are here to provide support for your students, the same way I am here to provide support for you." He squeezed his shoulders slightly, and pulled up a chair next to him. Snape ignored him, keeping his gazed fixated on the wall hangings on the other side of the room. "But I can not, and will not stand, for this type of behavior," he said sternly. "I believe Mister Longbottom is having enough problems in your class with handling the proper proportions in the correct order, and doesn't need his 'Evil Potions Master' barking at him constantly." Dumbledore stood and journeyed over to the wine cabinet, wrapping his long fingers around the neck of a bottle of dark liquor. Pouring a small glass, he walked back and handed it gingerly to Snape. "You remember, of course, the boggart incident two years ago in Remus Lupin's class, I believe."
Snape looked up from the swirling liquid to glance at Dumbledore. " 'Boggart incident'?" he repeated apprehensively.
Dumbledore gawked somewhat, his eyes amused. "Oh, you haven't?" He intertwined his fingers in front of him, placing him thoughtfully in his lap, "Well, then, we'll save that encounter for another time."
Snape made to interrupt, but Dumbledore raised a hand for silence and continued. "The point remains, Severus, that your actions were not accountable for today, and therefore I expect to see some improvement. If there is none, we will be having another 'discussion' very soon."
Snape took a swig of the liquor and swallowed, looking back at him, "It seems you have forgotten Miss Granger's behavior. Does that not count for anything?" he rebutted.
Dumbledore took his seat next to him again and reclined, "Personally, Severus, I agree with her point of view. Although, I do not wish you to rot in hell, (Snape snorted doubtfully) she does present a supportable point." He looked him in the face; "Therefore, I will permit for some type of punishment to be put into effect."
Snape could only try and suppress a gleeful smirk, but Dumbledore cut smoothly into his thoughts; "But no points will be subtracted from Gryffindor."
Snape opened his mouth to retort, but Dumbledore raised a hand for silence. "And nothing too gruesome, Severus. I believe the worst should be several detentions. And several refers to about three or four, not twelve."
Snape 'hmph'ed and settled deeper into his chair, sipping miserably from his liquor.
Dumbledore smiled all knowingly, realizing anything he said would only cause the younger man to fall into a more dismal mood. When Snape drown his glass and placed it on the arm of the chair, crossing his arms, Dumbledore took it and placed it on his desk. "Do try to cheer up, Severus. No one likes a spoilsport. And you should be especially happy," he smiled, "there have been no 'reunions' lately, and you should hold yourself in high spirits for that alone."
Snape snorted, and stood to leave. Reaching the door, he turned around slightly, "I imagine you're not planning on telling me what happened during the 'boggart incident', are you?"
Dumbledore smirked and turned back to the window. "All in good time, Severus, in good time."
Snape grabbed the handle of the door, "I suspect that means never."
Author's Ramblings continued: I would like to thank EVERYONE who reviewed, and would like to acknowledge two in particular…
Cats rule Dogsdrool: Thank you for finding my mistake on Neville's name! My first reviewer with constructive criticism!
J: I hope this chapter cleaned up the "lack of Snape" in previous chapters. I would have to agree, but seeing that it was only the first chapter, you have to cut me a little slack. As for "Shit" and "Ass", this is rated PG13, and appropriately in my opinion, and if you dislike the use of these words, then that's your problem. If you go into the real world, most people use these words in daily life. Since Hermione is a muggle- born, I expect she uses words that other wizards don't use on a daily basis. But thank you for your review, and I respect your opinions. You're the first one with opinions for me, and I have to respect you for that
The next chapter will be out…. sometime in the next month. PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED IT TO LIVE! I know, I'm insane.
Reviewing really doesn't take that much time! ::puppy dog eyes::
And just to tell everyone, burdensomeness is a real word; it's in my thesaurus!
PS- Thank you, Redone, for pointing out my mistakes. This may sound like an excuse, but my Speck Check in word is possessed and tells me things have grammatical errors when they don't and doesn't tell me when they do, and so I usually ignore it now. But thank you for taking time to pick out my errors, I really appreciate it. If you find anymore, please inform me! I tried to read over my other chapters to make sure there aren't anymore, but I'm stupid and I probably missed some.
And once again, may I remind everyone REVIEW!
Sorry about the lame insults on Snape's part in the last chapter… I just wanted to keep it PG for at least some of the beginning chapters… but I won't hold back in later chapters, so be aware… it is rated PG13 for a reason…
Oh yeah! I almost forgot…
Disclaimer: Hehehe… I know, I know, I forgot in the last chapters… Nothing belongs to me except the plot, honest! It's all come into being because of J.K Rowling. There's no use in suing me, I have no money I swear! Just babysitting cash, and I'm sure it would cost more to hire lawyers than to get my money…
Anyway, thank you all for reviewing and finding my errors… I love you guys! :: Sniff::
MWUAHAHAHAHA! On to chapter… (Dun dun dun…) 2!
**
Snape was circling him like a hawk now, watching him closely. Harry was afraid to move; afraid he would make a wrong move.
"Are you sure you haven't been taking lessons from Longbottom these past few weeks? Because it seems to me you've become very careless with your work, and we wouldn't want famous Harry Potter to fail any classes now would we, it might be a little too humiliating for his precious-"
"STOP IT!"
The whole classroom went silent as her distinct voice sounded through the chamber. Hermione was now next to Harry, an expression of pure hatred upon her face.
"Leave him alone!"
Snape slowly turned to her. "What did you say to me, girl?"
**
"You heard me!" the girl screamed, then suddenly recoiled. What in the world was she saying?
Snape's eyes grew wide with immense surprise. His nostrils flared, and his face blanched. He could feel the muscles grow tighter in his jaw as it clenched along with his fists. He tried to hold back the twitch that he could feel pulling at his left eye. His eyes and ears must be playing tricks on his mind… was this the real Hermione Granger? Was it she who had just spoken back against him?
It had been like a slap in the face. And a very hard one, at that. Never had any student retaliated back in his face such as she had. Not to mention the fact that it was one of his most prized and precious students (not that he'd ever admit it, or even let the thought enter his brain). She had a wit that cracked like a whip, and an attitude to match, though she didn't like to let it show. Yet sometimes, sometimes if her stress level reached critical mass and someone happened to light a match…
Though he could see her mind clogs spinning as unbelievable speeds, he could see the mixture of anger and embarrassment rising in her young cheeks. But she never removed her eyes. Her eyes remained locked with his, the swirling hazel orbs never relenting. Never did she back down. She had potential, this one.
How could she have been so stupid?
She could feel her cheeks begin to burn with humility. She could hear the silence of the classroom echoing around her hollow ears along with the ringing on her eardrum. Everyone had gone silent; even the snide Slytherins had nothing to say about this, nor to laugh about. She could feel Draco staring right into her skin, piercing her right down to the bone, melting her barrier with his freezing pupils. She could hear Snape's hoarse breathing, could tell he was furious by the way it was steadily growing more labored. Don't back down, this is the time to show what you're made of! screamed her mind. Yet the rational portion of her brain shook with fear. You'll be expelled! it cried, what will your parents think?
But at this point she didn't care.
Though it had seemed like hours, only seconds had passed. "I told you to back off, ok? You have no right to speak to anyone like that!"
Where she had found her voice, she had absolutely no idea, but she now regretted unearthing it. But now it had started, she wouldn't stop…
"Do you know how much you hurt your students when you bark at them like that? And you probably wonder at night where they find so much hatred for you in their puny hearts!" her fists clenched under her desk. "Poor Neville is scared stiff of you-"
"Enough…" he growled.
"His self-esteem is now where to be found because of you. I have no idea why Professor Dumbledore lets you even walk in these halls-"
"Stop it this instant!" he bellowed.
Her face contorted with anger as she kept her eyes on his. Hers were filling with tears now, but she couldn't hide them. Watching Snape's eyes as he grew more and more irate gave her one of the worst feelings in the world. Though his eyes were pitch black, she could still read all his emotions quite clearly. There was a ring of anger quite preeminent among them, and it portrayed itself glittering around his pupil. Confusion lingered within his pupil's depths, and kept it contracting and dilating constantly. Pride was seen in the whites of his eyes, yet at the moment it was overshadowed. Yet there was one more, one more important emotion. One she couldn't quite place.
1 Fear? No…
"Miss Granger, you will remove yourself from this room immediately!"
2 Displeasure? Close, but not close enough…
"NOW!"
When she made no move to leave, this infuriated Snape even more.
"OUT OF MY CLASSROOM NOW!"
Her face contorted with fury. "I HATE YOU!" she bit out, hot tears spilling down her cheeks, "I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!"
She hastily grabbed her books and threw them into her bag. Grabbing her ink and quill, she quickly turned and threw open the door, and slammed it shut.
She gasped as realization dawned on her.
It couldn't be…
3 Hurt?
*
Everyone cringed as the door slammed.
Half of the Gryffindors, including Ron, smirked with raise eyebrows at the teenager who had just exited the room. The other half stared wide-eyed at Snape, unsure of how he was going to respond. Not knowing whether or not he was going to hit the roof, they stayed where they stood or sat, and tried as hard as they might not to make a sound.
The Slytherins were even more unsure as to how to act, if it was even possible. Filled with fright and apprehension, they all stared off at the door, or towards Snape.
Snape kept his eyes glued to the door. He knew the whole class was depending on him to act next. He could sense the eyes of every color shooting holes in his insides.
Making them all gasp a sharp breath, he turned quickly on his heel and stormed towards his desk. Plopping himself in his chair, he quickly buried his face in his hands.
Noticing how no one had made a move to complete the assignment, he turned his head upward, facing his class. "Well?" he asked, "What are you waiting for, a proper invitation? GET TO WORK!"
The scurrying of hurried footsteps could be heard making their way around every inch of the classroom. Containers clanked, vials clicked, cauldrons began to boil once more.
Oh, the normal chaotic peace had once more been restored.
And it sounded wonderful.
*
Now that she was out of the murky depths of the dungeon, she realized she had no idea where she was supposed to go now that she'd been kicked out. She'd never been rejected from a classroom before in her entire life.
Realizing her mistake, she slowly slid down the side of the wall, letting her bag fall off her shoulder. She heard it smack the ground with a loud thud, and listened as its sound echoed off the walls.
Feeling hot tears begin to travel down her cheeks once more, she sniffled, buried her head in her knees, and cried.
*
Entangling his long fingers in his hair, he closed his eyes and sighed.
He had just had to choose to become a professor, didn't he?
Feeling a slow migraine creeping it's way behind his eyes, he buried his head in his arms. It felt good to finally relieve his neck of stress, even though it didn't lessen the pounding in is head. It ricocheted off every corner of his skull and pounded like a bullet down his back, yet he couldn't leave his class. Not yet.
Not without a lecture from Albus.
Clinging to his last ounce of sanity, he dared raise his head to see the progress his class had made.
To his great surprise, all of his students were working diligently and without mishap. Neville's cauldron was still intact, and the potion he was brewing seemed to be the right color and consistency.
And all without the help of Granger.
4 The world must be coming to and end…
The bell chimed, and they all cleaned their places and left silently.
Thank Merlin.
*
Hearing the chime, she jumped.
The class was over.
Panic over took her senses. Where was she going to hide? If she wasn't hiding from Snape's wrath alone, she didn't want anyone to see her tearful and shy; especially Ron and Harry. Grabbing her bag, she hastily jumped to her feet, and sprinted down the hall.
Where to hide… where to hide…
She didn't care where she went now. The doors blurred, along with the windows. She could barely see the floor through her tears now; not that it mattered. She only wanted to run away, find a place to throw away her fears. Find someone she could trust, someone she could cry on.
But no one could fulfill those requirements.
No one but her parents, possibly, but they weren't here.
Oh, what had she done? How could she have been so stupid? What would Snape think? Dumbledore would be furious… she had insulted a professor. She would be expelled… she would have to go back to living as a muggle, with no one like her anywhere… she'd be forced to leave her life behind…
She suddenly felt herself collide with a solid substance. Drawing in a quick breath and pulling back, she realized she had run head long into another person; Professor Lupin.
Circe, this just wasn't her day.
"I'm terribly sorry, Professor, I wasn't watching where I was going…" she said quickly, trying to save herself from the humiliation creeping up into her cheeks.
Bending down to pick up her bag, which had slipped from her grasp, she tried to wipe her face without him seeing. He, however, was too observant for her.
"No, my fault entirely," he said with a warm smile. "Are you alright, Hermione?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she said quickly. Rather too quickly.
His smile faded slightly. He couldn't hide the concern showing in his eyes. "Why don't you come and have a cup of tea with me? I was just on my way to the classroom."
Looking up at him, she nodded.
Well, at least he wasn't Snape.
*
"Your behavior today was irresponsible, obnoxious, atrocious, discriminating…"
Oh good, another lecture.
"It was uncalled for, deliberate on your part…"
The eardrums, please, eardrums…
"Your behavior will not go unnoticed. Speaking to any person like that is inappropriate under any circumstance-"
"Oh, come off it, Albus."
Snape closed his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose his thumb and index finger. He sighed, hearing Dumbledore shifting in his chair somewhat angrily. Snape knew he had been planning this 'discussion' for a while now, and he was waiting for the fateful day that he would be called into his office for an hour of ranting. He knew it was somewhat his fault; that he was bringing it on himself, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to be scolded on how to run his own classroom.
Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh. "Severus," he started, rising from his chair and drifting over to the window, surveying the grounds, "I understand the type of pressure you are undergoing at the present moment and I also understand the burdensomeness of the mission." He linked his hands in front of him, never removing his gaze from the view outside. "You must, however, also realize the strain it also exerts on your other students as well," he began to examine his hands, "especially Harry."
Snape turned away, facing the opposite direction, and sighed. "I can't help it sometimes, Albus." He fisted his hand against his mouth, "He reminds me so much of James."
Dumbledore expelled another heart-heavy sigh, turning towards a cabinet full of tiny glittering contraption, flicking a few with his long fingers. "Can you not forgive the follies of your previous foes? Harry, I believe, still does not have the complete underlying understanding of the reasons why you hated his father so deeply." He reached out a hand and stroked a small silver teapot, which then giggled naïvely and blushed. He smiled at this, turning back to Snape. "Although, he does seem to share the same compassion you have for James in hating the young Mister Malfoy…"
"Oh please, don't even bring up that awful git," Snape spat crossly, shifting in his chair, curling a long leg underneath him.
Dumbledore smiled, the usual twinkling taking its place in his eyes once more. Walking over to Snape's chair, he placed warm hands on his shoulders reassuringly. "You are here to provide support for your students, the same way I am here to provide support for you." He squeezed his shoulders slightly, and pulled up a chair next to him. Snape ignored him, keeping his gazed fixated on the wall hangings on the other side of the room. "But I can not, and will not stand, for this type of behavior," he said sternly. "I believe Mister Longbottom is having enough problems in your class with handling the proper proportions in the correct order, and doesn't need his 'Evil Potions Master' barking at him constantly." Dumbledore stood and journeyed over to the wine cabinet, wrapping his long fingers around the neck of a bottle of dark liquor. Pouring a small glass, he walked back and handed it gingerly to Snape. "You remember, of course, the boggart incident two years ago in Remus Lupin's class, I believe."
Snape looked up from the swirling liquid to glance at Dumbledore. " 'Boggart incident'?" he repeated apprehensively.
Dumbledore gawked somewhat, his eyes amused. "Oh, you haven't?" He intertwined his fingers in front of him, placing him thoughtfully in his lap, "Well, then, we'll save that encounter for another time."
Snape made to interrupt, but Dumbledore raised a hand for silence and continued. "The point remains, Severus, that your actions were not accountable for today, and therefore I expect to see some improvement. If there is none, we will be having another 'discussion' very soon."
Snape took a swig of the liquor and swallowed, looking back at him, "It seems you have forgotten Miss Granger's behavior. Does that not count for anything?" he rebutted.
Dumbledore took his seat next to him again and reclined, "Personally, Severus, I agree with her point of view. Although, I do not wish you to rot in hell, (Snape snorted doubtfully) she does present a supportable point." He looked him in the face; "Therefore, I will permit for some type of punishment to be put into effect."
Snape could only try and suppress a gleeful smirk, but Dumbledore cut smoothly into his thoughts; "But no points will be subtracted from Gryffindor."
Snape opened his mouth to retort, but Dumbledore raised a hand for silence. "And nothing too gruesome, Severus. I believe the worst should be several detentions. And several refers to about three or four, not twelve."
Snape 'hmph'ed and settled deeper into his chair, sipping miserably from his liquor.
Dumbledore smiled all knowingly, realizing anything he said would only cause the younger man to fall into a more dismal mood. When Snape drown his glass and placed it on the arm of the chair, crossing his arms, Dumbledore took it and placed it on his desk. "Do try to cheer up, Severus. No one likes a spoilsport. And you should be especially happy," he smiled, "there have been no 'reunions' lately, and you should hold yourself in high spirits for that alone."
Snape snorted, and stood to leave. Reaching the door, he turned around slightly, "I imagine you're not planning on telling me what happened during the 'boggart incident', are you?"
Dumbledore smirked and turned back to the window. "All in good time, Severus, in good time."
Snape grabbed the handle of the door, "I suspect that means never."
Author's Ramblings continued: I would like to thank EVERYONE who reviewed, and would like to acknowledge two in particular…
Cats rule Dogsdrool: Thank you for finding my mistake on Neville's name! My first reviewer with constructive criticism!
J: I hope this chapter cleaned up the "lack of Snape" in previous chapters. I would have to agree, but seeing that it was only the first chapter, you have to cut me a little slack. As for "Shit" and "Ass", this is rated PG13, and appropriately in my opinion, and if you dislike the use of these words, then that's your problem. If you go into the real world, most people use these words in daily life. Since Hermione is a muggle- born, I expect she uses words that other wizards don't use on a daily basis. But thank you for your review, and I respect your opinions. You're the first one with opinions for me, and I have to respect you for that
The next chapter will be out…. sometime in the next month. PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED IT TO LIVE! I know, I'm insane.
Reviewing really doesn't take that much time! ::puppy dog eyes::
And just to tell everyone, burdensomeness is a real word; it's in my thesaurus!
PS- Thank you, Redone, for pointing out my mistakes. This may sound like an excuse, but my Speck Check in word is possessed and tells me things have grammatical errors when they don't and doesn't tell me when they do, and so I usually ignore it now. But thank you for taking time to pick out my errors, I really appreciate it. If you find anymore, please inform me! I tried to read over my other chapters to make sure there aren't anymore, but I'm stupid and I probably missed some.
And once again, may I remind everyone REVIEW!