A/N: This is the last finished one I have so far. I'm almost finished with the next chapter. Please please review.

Chapter Four: A different detention

"Hermione can't you just…" Ron started to ask for the hundredth time.

"No, Ronald!" she said, starting to get impatient, "I am not going to help you with your Divination homework! I've already told you my reasons for it; I don't know anything about it and it's better if you struggle with it and not have somebody do it for you. That way you'll actually learn it."

"But even you would agree that it's rubbish, Herm!"

Hermione looked at him, "What…did you just call me?" she quietly asked.

"Herm…is that alright?"

No one had ever had a nick name for her, other than Hagrid's giant brother, Grawp, who could barely speak English much-less say 'Hermione'.

"I…well, I don't like it much," she said reproachfully, "No one's ever called me that before."

"Oh, alright. I won't say it often, then," he said, winking at her.

She grinned, rolled her eyes and looked back down at her wolfsbane potion essay.

"Oh, that's wrong," she muttered, frowning and crossing a sentence out, "It should be one-eighth cup of mashed lace-wing, Not two-eighths of chopped lace-wing."

"Hermione…" Ron began as if he were going to ask her advice.

"No," she said a bit louder, not looking away from her essay, "And that should be three-quarters of finely sliced gilly-root, not three-quarters of thickly cut gilly-root. How could I have made all these mistakes?"

"Hermione," he said more urgently.

She looked up, "What?"

"You're going to miss your detention," he said.

Hermione looked at the wall clock and jumped out of her chair, "Oh no!"

It was two minutes until she was due at Snape's office.

Five minutes later she was knocking on Snape's office door trying to catch her breath.

"Enter. You're late."

"S…sorry, lost track of time," she gasped, dropping her book bag.

"Just like you forgot about your homework?" he asked, turning toward her, "Close the door."

She obeyed without question this time as he pointed his wand at the curtains, which fell, leaving the dark room bathed in the dull light of the candles.

"Stand up, Hermione," he said, extinguishing the candles.

Feeling very unnerved, she muttered, "Lumos," and her wand tip ignited.

"Expelliarmis," Snape calmly said, catching her wand, then muttered, "Nox," and it went out.

Hermione was shaking from head to foot, "Professor?"

She stumbled backward and fell over a desk when Snape's voice, very close to her, said, "Come here."