Chapter Two
Hermione woke the following morning to find her dormitory completely deserted.
"God! How long did I sleep?" groaned Hermione as she rolled out of bed.
Parvati's watch on her bedside table told her. "Shit! It's one o'clock?" Hermione tore off her nightgown and threw her underclothes and robes on in record timing. She frantically left the common room with clothes strewn all over the floor, which was most unlike herself and headed to Potions, the one class she wished she'd never have to be late to.
Hermione ran through the halls, blatantly ignoring the paintings screaming at her to slow down. As she arrived at the dungeons of the Potions rooms she paused and took a deep breath, then slowly opened the door hoping not to attract any unwanted attention but as she stepped in the classroom all heads turned her direction, much to her dismay. Snape slowly turned up from his desk of papers, glaring at her with barely visible eyes of steel through his greasy mop of hair.
"Miss Granger, did you sleep well?" he asked in a sweet, sarcastic voice.
Hermione did not answer but instead hung her head as she blushed furiously.
"Let's see. You are 2 hours late, so I think 200 points from Griffindor should be sufficient. Oh and I'll be seeing you after class." Snape added icily.
Hermione sat down in her usual spot between Harry and Ron.
"Hermione, what happened?" Ron whispered.
"I-I don't know," sighed Hermione shaking her head, "I just woke up late."
"Oh please," Harry said as he added newt heads into his cauldron, "You've never overslept in the entire time I've known you and you expect me to believe you 'Just woke up late?' Why didn't anyone in your dorm wake you up? We thought u were sick."
"I don't know Harry! Ask Lavender and Parvati. And after 3 long nights I suppose I do have a right to claim 'I just woke up late.'" Hermione snapped.
"Wow sheesh," was all Harry could respond as he returned to his potion that had begun to turn a mudlike brown. "Damn it."
Hermione unpacked her bag and glanced up to see Draco smirking at her. 'Great,' she thought. 'Another thing for Malfoy to mock me for.'
Ron and Harry continued their potion in silence, not wanting to test Hermione's temper twice in one period. Hermione brewed a perfect potion in 10 minutes flat as always and received the praise of her fellow classmates but never that of Snape's. Still, all the praise in the world couldn't cheer her up from the punishment Snape was sure to award her.
As the clock struck 2, Snape headed to the front of the classroom after brutally criticizing Neville's potion, if it could be called that, as it had turned into some form of a solid. "Clean up your ingredients and your cauldrons and you're dismissed. You're sample of your Toothache Tonic is due Monday." And with that he turned and headed to his office, motioning Hermione to follow him.
Ron patted his hand on her shoulder sympathetically as he and Harry left the dungeon and she timidly headed up to his office.
"Come in Miss Granger," Snape's voice called through the door.
Hermione timidly opened the door, a surge of fear running through her veins. She had no idea what to expect. She had never been alone with Severus Snape before. Everyone knew that he killed Dumbledore, but nobody had any proof, so he still had his potions job. Nobody trusted him. They all knew he was a Death Eater.
She closed the door behind her and came forward as Snape motioned her to sit down in a chair in front of his desk.
"Ms. Granger, you were precisely 2 hours and 4 minutes late. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Hermione looked to the floor, the ceiling, anywhere to avoiding looking him straight in the eye. From what Harry had told her, he was a very accomplished Occlumens "I-I don't know sir,"
Snape leaned in close across his desk. "You and I both know, Miss Granger, that you are not being truthful with me." Snape stood up and walked over to one of the many cabinets lining his office. He came back to the desk with a tiny vial. "I'm quite sure you know what this is, do you not?"
"It's…it's Veriteserum," Hermione muttered.
"Good. Now I suggest you be quite honest with me or you may find yourself revealing your deepest secrets. Perhaps those of the Order?" he smirked at her gasp. "What is it you, Potter, and Weasley were researching in the restricted section?"
"How did you know?" Hermione blurted, regretted what she had said immediately after she had said it.
Snapes evil smirk widened at her shock. "I believe the Weasley Twins call them "Extendable Ears." Quite useful, I should give them credit."
Hermione's mouth hung open, flabbergasted at what was being told to her.
"Now, what were you researching?"
Hermione just kept her mouth shut. There had to be a way out of this situation. She was not going to let him get any information out of her.
"Well, well, well, so you want to play that way do you?" he seemed hardly affected at Hermione's unwillingness to cooperate.
"Okay then if you are going to be like that. Perhaps Mr. Malfoy has already warned you. It will come back to you, Ms. Granger. You are dismissed." His face was emotionless as Hermione hurried out of his office.
