A big thanks to Adrielle for BETA-reading. She will BETA the previos chapters too. Thank you very much:D

Chapter 5. An odd lesson

Hermione woke up the next morning because of the sound of Madam Pomfrey who carried out Hermione's breakfast.
"I'll let you go after you've eaten," she said.
"Okay, and… eh… thanks", answered Hermione.
Madam Pomfrey grimaced, and Hermione thought it was meant to be a smile.
"And Professor McGonagall wants to have a little chat at ten o' clock, which means that you have an hour to eat and get ready."
Other girls might scream about hearing they have only an hour, but not Hermione. She did no make up, and that was why it didn't take two hours to get ready. Hermione ate her breakfast slowly and got dressed. After she'd brushed her hair she had twenty minutes left. Better early than late, she thought and went off to Professor McGonagall's office.

Hermione looked at her shoes while she was listening to her Head of House.
"Miss Granger, I did expect more responsibility from you," Professor McGonagall said. "If you repeat this I think I will have to tell Professor Dumbledore that you can't be Head Girl."
"Well," Hermione said. "I was just going for a walk and…"
What to say, how to tell Professor McGonagall that she didn't mean to walk in the forest? That her legs went there by themselves?
"No excuses!" her professor told her rapidly.
"Sorry, it won't be repeated", she murmured.
"It better not be," McGonagall said. "I expect you to be in every lesson after lunch, and go on, you have thirty minutes left in Arithmancy, you shall be there too."
What did Professor McGonagall think about her? She behaved like Hermione had done something terrible and wasn't human enough to do wrong. She wasn't perfect, even if she was a Prefect and Head Girl. Was Malfoy perfect then? He was after all Head Boy. She left McGonagall's office and soon she was outside the door to the Arithmancy classroom. She opened the door.
"Sorry I'm late, Professor Vector, I was talking to Professor McGonagall."
Sometimes she didn't want to be a straight O student.

One day I'll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday.
Why live life from dream to dream?
And dread the day when dreaming ends.

Severus sighed. Just a couple of minutes before the seventh years would come. One more lesson in which to act like Draco Malfoy was his favourite student. He hated Malfoy, but the more he "liked" Draco, the nicer Lucius would be, and the less suspicious the Dark Lord would be. One minute. He rose up from his desk and went to his door. He heard voices of chattering students, just to open the door and release the hell into his afternoon. He unlocked the door and the students came in. Malfoy, Parkinson, Potter, Patil, Patil, Boot, Granger. Was she out of the Hospital Wing now? Or had she run away to take more classes? And WHY did he care? All students were in class and Severus closed the door.
"Today, I will not see any books in here", he told the class. "You shall work on your own and do what you remember of the easiest anti-toxin potion."
He watched the class, especially Potter.
"I expect all of you to do that correctly", he said coldly and stared at Potter. "What are you waiting for?"
He sat down watching the student as they moved around and started their potions. Parkinson was still running around to find the best seat. Severus nearly wanted to laugh when she had to sit down next to Potter. Granger had started the work. She had a concentrated expression in her face, Severus watched her. On her chest was a little badge. Spew? Yeah, right, did he need glasses now? He tried to read again. It was spew. Why did she have that kind of badge? It was impossible to figure that out, what he really did notice was how much Granger had grow up this summer. In sixth year she had looked more like a girl. With her body she had now, well, she was a woman, and beautiful too. No, she was a student in his class working slowly with an anti-toxin elixir, he told himself. But she was a beautiful student. Her hair curled down to her shoulder. No, well yes it did, but Severus definitely didn't notice that. He didn't think about her and he didn't watch her, at all. He did watch her working because that was his job.

ooo

Hermione felt Professor Snape's gaze on her. Now she had to do everything perfectly. She stirred the cauldron. Oh, Merlin, couldn't he watch any other person? She became nervous because he was the one who could give her O in her marks or a P.
She looked up at Snape after a while to see if he still was watching her. He was, and they watched each other. What was that expression in his eyes? Hermione dropped her knife on the floor, as she was cutting some herbs. She blushed and picked up the knife rapidly.
"Better be careful with that knife, Granger," Professor Snape said shortly. "We all want you to have your toes on your feet."
Hermione blushed even more. Whatever she had seen in her professor's eyes was gone. Maybe she made up fantasies. If that was the case she needed to see a Mediwitch immediately!