Title: Hermione's Helping Hand
Detention For The Gryffindors
Hermione woke up feeling better then she had in sometime. She got dressed while Severus started on the book he wanted to write. Hermione grabbed her bag and did something that she had never done before, or didn't have the nerve to do; she kissed Severus on the cheek. He went pink in the face, which made Hermione laugh.
" Do you want me to join you for lunch?" Hermione asked him.
" Yes, please," Severus, begged. " I want to know how some of the new teachers did."
Hermione nodded and then left.
When she arrived in the Great Hall she saw Draco talking to a knot of Slytherin seventh years and laughing when he pointed to her. She could feel herself redding, and suddenly she wished she were back in her quarters. She sat down at the Gryffindor table and was joined a few minutes later by Harry and Ron.
" What's wrong?" Harry asked her, seeing her red face.
" Malfoy!" Hermione answered.
Harry looked over and saw that Draco was returning to his place at the staff table, and looking very smug as he caught sight of where Harry was looking. Professor McGonagall came down and handed those in first threw fifth year, and those in their seventh year their timetables, but held back the sixth years.
" Oh, shit!" Hermione said, loudly enough to where the whole hall turned and looked at her.
" Mrs. Snape!" Minerva barked, shocked at her language.
" Sorry," Hermione muttered.
" What's wrong?" Harry asked.
" Look at what we have first thing this morning."
Harry looked down and Hermione had to clamp her hand over his mouth to prevent him from cursing as well. The first class they had was Defense Against the Dark Arts.
When the bell rang the students all hurried off to lessons. Hermione wasn't looking forward to this class, but she had no choice. When they arrived they all filed in and took their places. The same paintings that Severus had when he had been Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was still there, but the shades were drawn up and sunlight was pouring into the classroom. When the last student entered, Draco arrived, Pansy taking up the rear.
" Welcome back to Defense Against the Dark Arts," Malfoy said, after taking role. " I'm Professor Malfoy and this is my assistant Pansy. Now before we start today's lesson, I want it made clear that I'm nothing like all your soft teachers, and that would include our dearly departed Professor Snape."
Several people shot dark looks at him, but he ignored them. They all knew that Severus hadn't been a soft teacher, but they figured with Malfoy, he could call anyone he wanted " soft."
" Now the board has given me permission to teach you the hard core curses that you will be tested on, including the unworthy art of concealment. Today we are learning how to cast the Avada Kedavra curse on a sheep. My wife, who will be my teaching aid, has brought on in. Now before we start I want all of you to remember that if you don't cast this curse right, you shall receive a detention by me and trust me when I say that my detentions are something that you will all remember."
The class looked at each other, and then watched as Pansy left. A few minutes later returned with a sheep, who seem to sense what was about to happen. It tried to get away and several of the girls cried out. Draco smiled at what they were doing, which told Harry that they would be receiving detention.
" Well I think Patronus Potter should go first," Malfoy said, using the nickname that Lucius had given him when Harry had been cleared of all charges.
Harry looked at his classmates and then got up. He really didn't want to kill this sheep, but he didn't want to get detention either.
" You've tried to cast an unforgivable before, you know how it works."
Harry took out his wand and pointed it at the sheep. However he couldn't get the words out because his heart wouldn't let him. He lowered his wand and Pansy laughed.
" It looks like Potter is getting a detention," Pansy said.
" Oh yes, and a zero for the lesson," he told him. " Keep this up Potter and you'll fail your N.E.W.T. Can't even cast the Unforgivable and you want to be an Auror."
Harry felt anger pouring through him as both Malfoy's laughed at him. Harry turned his wand on Pansy's cat.
" AVADA KEDAVRA!" he bellowed.
A blast of green light came from the end of his wand and Pansy's cat died. Pansy screamed in horror, but Harry didn't care. He had proven that he could cast it. Anyway, Pansy didn't deserve such a pretty cat. Malfoy was beyond enraged.
" Detention, Potter," he hissed. " And a zero for the next month worth of lessons."
The entire class looked at Harry, but for now, he didn't care what Malfoy did to him.
" Sit down, Potter," Malfoy snarled. " Miss Granger your next."
The class turned to see Hermione reading the section on the Killing Curse. She hadn't looked up when Draco had called her since she was use to being called Mrs. Snape. Malfoy walked up to her and yanked her by the hair, which made her scream.
" I called your name, you filthy Mudblood," he snarled. " A zero for the month."
" W-What?" Hermione said, his words causing tears to roll down her face.
" You heard me, a zero for the month and detention with Potter. Anyone else want to get detention?"
No one said anything, but by the time the lesson was over, the entire class had failed to kill the sheep and had earned themselves a detention. When the bell rang, the class all hurried and left, glad to be away from Professor Malfoy. Harry and Ron didn't have lessons for the rest of the day, but Hermione had her Advance Ancient Runes and Advance Arithmancy. She tried to concentrate in Advance Ancient Runes, but failed. Her mind was on the zero for the entire month in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Hermione was glad when she returned to her quarters for lunch. She at once reported that Malfoy had given her a zero just because she didn't answer to her maiden name. Severus was very upset about this and got mad when Hermione told him that Malfoy had called him a soft teacher.
" I am not a soft teacher," he roared. " Wait until my six months are up, I'll show him soft teacher."
" Which will be in three months," Hermione pointed out.
Severus grinned nastily.
After lunch she went to her Advance Arithmancy. One good thing about lunch was the she was calmed down enough to actually pay attention and do the work. However when the bell rang, Minerva informing not only her, Harry, and Ron, but also the entire of Gryffindor house that they had detention spoiled her calmness.
" But what did the rest of the Gryffindors do?" Ron asked.
" I have no idea," Minerva answered.
When dinner was over all of Gryffindor house met up with Filch, who told them that they would be doing all the windows on the first floor. As they worked, Hermione felt herself becoming sick, but Filch wouldn't let her go. It was only Professor Brown passing, was she able to get to the bathroom.
" Are you okay?" Lavender asked her.
" I'm nearly three months pregnant," Hermione told her. " But don't let Malfoy know."
" Of course!" Lavender said at once. " That slime doesn't need to know everything."
" Thanks!" Hermione said, grateful that Lavender was still her friend.
The Gryffindors managed to get their detention done before midnight. They all retired for the night and Hermione returned to her quarters. She was so tired from her detention and going to the bathroom all the time, which when Filch asked her she told him that she had a bladder problem, she just crashed on the bed, still fully dressed and went to sleep, narrowly missing her husband, who was also fast asleep.
" Are you all right?" Severus asked, the next morning when he had woke up and found his wife still in her school robes.
Hermione yawned her answer.
" What in the world was your detention?" he asked.
" Washing the windows on the first floor," Hermione answered, then yawned again.
Severus shook his head. His idea of detention was cleaning out cauldrons for five hours.
" Are you going to be all right?"
Hermione nodded, then slowly trudged from the table.
The Gryffindors did poorly in Advance Charms, which didn't escape Professor Fletchley's notice. He halted the lesson on the Bubblehead Charm and looked around at the students.
" What's going on here?" he asked.
" Detention last night," yawned Ron, before falling over.
" Leave, leave," he ordered. " And come back next week to restart this lesson."
They all left gratefully.
The same thing happened everyday for the remainder of the week. Malfoy had them doing detention every night and because of it, they were all too tired to do their lessons and their work. By Saturday, Severus wasn't the only one that was complaining about how things were going.