AN: If you are looking for the next chapter in Hoping for a Refuge, well this storyline and school has gotten in its way. Sorry!
Disclaimer: No tengo Harry Potter. No me gusta lawyers! Entiendo?
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Outside Hogwarts, the rain continued to pound down on its battlements and towers. The wind whipped the rain into frenzied driven bullets of cold water. Down in the dungeons though, only the dripping of some water from the ceiling and the occasional mutter from the room's sole occupant made any noise.
Hermione scrutinized the simmering potion in front of her. Its color should have been violet but instead it looked more like a plum. She cautiously put another pinch of eel skin into the cauldron. Eagerly, she watched as it started to turn lighter, but it did not stop at violet, no, it continued until it bubbled pale lavender.
"No, no," she groaned and resisted the urge to curse the blackboard the instructions were on.
So far, over nearly two months, Hermione repeatedly outsmarted Snape's attempts to throw her off with increasingly complex potions. Of course, he had plenty of time to single her out since she had been the only one to take the second part of Advanced Potions. Her fellow classmates from the first of the year had been wise to accept that passing grade and not press their luck with the optional second course.
Out of habit, Hermione nervously bit her lip while tapping her foot. What to do…what to do…what to do. Not long though, another set of footsteps joined her tapping ones, clicking down the dungeon corridor. Before Hermione could make a final desperate attempt to salvage her work, the door creaked open and in walked the person she least wanted to see at the moment, Professor Snape.
He quickly strode over to where Hermione stood, trying to look calm and collected. His usual impassive face turned to one of joy with one look into the cauldron. Hermione gritted her teeth, waiting for the inevitable sarcasm to start dripping.
"What do you call this, Miss Granger?" asked Snape, taking a ladle to spoon up the potion then let it drip back into the cauldron.
"It's the Draught of the Living Dead, sir," replied Hermione in an even tone, "like it says on the board."
With the flick of the wand, Snape wheeled the board toward the two at the back of the room. "It says Draught of the Living Dead, but right below that it clearly states the potion should be an even, violet color. That, Miss Granger, is not violet. It barely has color to it."
Feeling more enamel being shaved off as she bore down on her teeth, Hermione said, "I followed all the directions exactly and that is what turned out."
"No, you didn't follow all the instructions because you failed to turn the board over and read the other side."
Snape slowly spun the board on its hinges revealing another paragraph and a list of more ingredients. Hermione pressed her lips together. He had never said anything about the other side. Nothing! "Perhaps I would have done that side if I'd known about it."
"And maybe you should be more intuitive, Miss Granger," he said with an edge of delight.
Feeling her face go red, Hermione opened her mouth to give that slimy, cheating piece of scum – her opinion at the moment – a bit of her mind, but Snape cut in briskly, "I do believe this warrants a 'P' for Poor and a three-feet essay on mind-altering draughts."
"Seeing as this is useless," he continued, "you'll just have to continue tomorrow and hope you pay more attention."
A slight pop and her two hours of work disappeared from the cauldron. Hermione managed a fearsome glare at Snape's back as he walked to his desk. She began shoving her supplies back into her bag with a bit more force than was needed. With a hard prod, she collapsed her cauldron and banished Snape's ingredients back to their shelves. She took some satisfaction with the great tinkling racket they made as they zoomed into position.
The bell could not have rang soon enough. A curt nod to the professor and she stomped out of the room. Hermione muttered darkly for a bit as she climbed the stairs. Greasy…lowlife…cheater… The only thing that cheered her was the sight of two figures waiting at the top. Ron and Harry stood near the entrance right next to the suit of armor that liked to make passes.
Reaching the top, Hermione proceeded to explode. Not literally of course, but about Snape. The boys offered the occasional 'no' or 'evil git' at the right times while nodding sympathetically. Being with Snape by oneself as she had been tended to create quite a few of this rants. After the rampage had subsided, Hermione stood there seething.
"Ah, I see our dear Snape hasn't changed a bit, has he?" said Ron.
"Still as devious, malicious…" said Harry.
"...unfair, slimy, greasy…in need of bathing…" added Ron.
"…as always," finished Harry.
Ron leaned against the suit of armor, batting away its straying hand. "Who told you not to take that course?"
"And said that," put in Harry, "it would be a living hell and you would go mental before it was over?"
Hermione muttered, "You guys did."
"For once in mine and Harry's entire life, we were right."
Harry put an arm around Hermione's shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll be conjuring his pants off in there in no time or you can always just conjure his actual pants off."
A gagging sound came from Ron and Hermione smiled faintly. "It's nearly supper and that image is making me lose my appetite."
Hermione snorted as they began walking down the corridor toward the Great Hall. "The day you lose your appetite, Ron, is the day Snape showers and hands out chocolate frogs."
Closing in on the Hall, they noticed a large gathering of people around a piece of paper posted on the doors. Students pushed to the front to read it then turn quickly to their neighbor to discuss. Some rolled their eyes while others clapped gleefully. Harry, Ron, and Hermione reached the edge of the throng of noisy students.
She swiftly poked Ron in the ribs with her elbow. "Can you read it from here?"
Ron squinted and stood tiptoed. The mass of heads seemed endless. "No, that Slytherin, Blaise, is in my way."
"Well," said Hermione, "I guess I'll just have to use my authority then."
With that she grabbed both Ron and Harry's hand and pulled them through the crowd all the while shouting "HEAD GIRL!" with the occasional "MOVE, PLEASE!"
"She's so tactful," muttered Harry.
The sea of heads parted for the three people, edging quickly out of Head Girl Hermione Granger's way. None had forgotten what had happened to the boy in 4th year that dared string up underwear in the Great Hall. Poor kid would be in therapy for weeks. It did not take long for them to be at the very front, nose to nose with the sheet of paper.
Under her breath, Hermione read aloud,
Connection to the Arts
Hogwarts and its staff are delighted to announce that we are planning to put on a production of Beauty and the Beast sometime in April. Two weeks from now auditions will be held for the various parts. If you would like to receive a list of characters, a sample script to study, and finally sign up to audition please see any teacher, prefect, or Head Boy/Girl.
More details will be released later. Please check back here or in your common rooms for these updates.
ATTENTION: All prefects and Heady Boy/Girl need to meet tonight at 8:00 in the Headmaster's office in order to discuss the play.