Chapter 5: Hermione

I honestly don't know what happened. I suppose I was tired from having been up late. Even after I dozed off, I was plagued by dark dreams that I could only vaguely remember upon waking. It seemed that all I remembered was fire. I felt lethargic and decided that the best thing would be for me to get to work. It would take a lot of trial and error if I was going to make this potion usable.

Quickly I scrubbed my face and pulled my hair up in a messy bun. Fastening my robe as I walked down the stairs, I grabbed the rest of my notes off of the table. I made a pot of tea, grabbed some biscuits and went to the laboratory. I was delighted to discover it when I arrived, but really hadn't had the opportunity to use it much yet.

It was dark and rather gloomy, but I was used to that, having worked on potions in the dungeons at Hogwarts for seven years. At least for now I didn't have Professor Snape breathing down my neck, trying to find something wrong with everything I was doing. I'm sure he'd find a way to make my life miserable now that he was here.

I never quite understood his animosity. I knew he didn't like students that weren't from his own house, but I know my skills far exceeded those of any others, even that bastard, Draco Malfoy. Nothing I did was good enough, even though I constantly pushed myself to do better than his expectations. The most I ever got from him were a few parting remarks upon my graduation. I must admit, they heartened me, for they were as close to a compliment that I would ever be likely to get.

It was the leaving feast, and all of the graduates were expected to make their rounds to the professors to say goodbye. I was saddened about leaving, but excited about the future. I had nice conversations with most of my teachers, and even shared a tearful hug with Professor McGonagall, who had always been my favorite.

The last person I approached was Professor Snape. I was nervous, but determined to tell him a few things. He looked down his crooked nose at me as I stood in front of him. "Sir, I wanted to tell you that even though you've been my most difficult teacher, I truly enjoyed your classes. I hope to use what I've learned from you in my future."

That being said, I waited to hear the biting remark he would no doubt throw in my face. To my shock, it never came.

He did not smile, but his expression softened a bit. "It is not every day that a student is as talented as you, Miss Granger. I'm sure that you'll excel in whatever you choose to do."

I stood rooted to the spot, watching him turn and walk away.

Yes, that was my day of glory. I sighed and absentmindedly reached for the unicorn hair. Both it and Phoenix tears had healing properties. Mixed together, they would be very powerful. I carefully stirred the mixture, dropping in 3 hairs. Almost instantly, a thick white mist filled the room and an awful wail began.

What had I done? Nothing in the potion should have caused this. I needed help! Covering my ears, I swiftly ran up the stairs and raced to the front door. I pulled it open only to be faced with the very man that had been in my thoughts.

He had opened his mouth as if to speak, but I did not give him time. "I'm glad that you're here. Please hurry, I'm in a bit of a jam!" I immediately turned and ran back toward the lab, hoping he would follow me.

The screeching had grown louder, and I once again covered my ears as I waited for him on the bottom step. I was feeling quite weak at this point, thought I wasn't sure why. I couldn't seem to think properly. My knees buckled, but Professor Snape caught my arm. Without saying a word, he roughly shoved me up the stairs.

I did the best I could, but when I reached the top, blackness surrounded me.

When I awoke, I found him bent over me. I blinked, shaking my head to clear it a bit. What was he doing? He was looking at me as if…no…that was silly. "Professor?" I struggled to sit up.

A tirade followed. "You'll be fine now, but would you care to explain what happened? You could have been killed! Then you drag me down there without a warning? What would have happened if we had both lost consciousness?" He was obviously furious.

I stammered out an incoherent answer. "I'm sorry, sir! I was adding unicorn hair to my potion and I don't know what happened. Then the wailing started. I was running to get you and you were at the door, so I thought you could help. I didn't think…." Damn my tendency to ramble when I was flustered.

"No, you didn't think! I expected more of you, Miss Granger! Now, if you're quite able to walk, let us see if we can find out what you did!" He left me behind, heading toward the laboratory.

I rose, walking slowly after him. What could I have done wrong? I thought back over the potion ingredients. It just didn't make sense.

Upon reaching the potions lab, I saw the professor standing there, holding two jars. One was labeled unicorn mane, the other banshee hair. Oh sweet Merlin! I didn't! But, I must have. Somehow I had gotten the ingredients mixed up. Mentally smacking myself in the head, I spoke. "I guess I mixed them up, sir. I didn't pay close enough attention." Dropping my gaze, I chastised myself for being so careless.

His face was cold and his lips were tight as he spoke. "Again, I remind you of the concentration it takes to attempt potion making. You of all people should know that it demands your undivided attention. How could you be so careless?" His quiet voice affected me more than if he had yelled. I found myself struggling not to cry for the second time in 24 hours.

"I'm sorry sir. I was so tired…." It was a poor excuse, even to my own ears. I tried a different approach. "Thank you sir. If you hadn't been here, things would have been much worse."

I wanted to wipe the smirk off his face, but knew that I could little afford to make him angry again, especially after tending to me and the mess. I said no more, but started to straighten the room.

I was surprised when he placed the jars back on a shelf and labored along side me. We worked in silence for the next fifteen minutes, the lab finally back in order. In fact, it looked better than before I had started. It satisfied me to have things in such good order.

He was standing next to me, holding my notes. "I see you've added to these since I last saw them." He actually seemed interested, so I took that as a good omen. His moods ran so hot and cold that I welcomed a chance at normal conversation.

"Yes I have. Last night I thought about adding the Phoenix tears along with the unicorn mane. If combined, the healing properties of each would be much stronger, protecting the user twofold." I grew excited as I thought about how powerful the two ingredients would be combined.

"Impressive. Have you thought about also adding horse tail? It's very effective for pain relief, and would be useful in case the healing properties of the unicorn mane and phoenix tears didn't work. It also heals and builds connective tissue." He was totally absorbed now, and it was fascinating to listen to him. His voice was smooth and low, creating a hypnotic quality.

"I hadn't thought of that. I don't believe I have horse tail here though." I didn't mean to sound so wistful, but it was disappointing. Maybe there would be a chance of getting more ingredients from Diagon Alley.

He glanced up at me. "I have some in my private stores. I will bring some when I have an opportunity." His face had lost some of its hardness. It was an amazing transformation. He looked almost…human.

We continued the conversation for over an hour, discussing herb properties and reasons to use or not to use certain ingredients. I was surprised to find that I was enjoying myself. This might not be so bad after all.


A/N

Thanks, as always, to Judy and Jennifer for being such wonderful betas.

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