A/N: Thanks to my beta Freyre Archeon and thank you once again to everyone who has faved followed or reviewed, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Expectations
Every pair of eyes turned to look at who had entered the great hall. It was as an experience rather intimidating. Hermione instead of crumbling counted to three, readjusted her posture, holding her head up high, and followed professor Snape.
She reached the stage from last night when he indicated she wait there.
Professor Dumbledore stood and commanded everyone's attention,
"Due to a slight incident last night, we shall be doing the sorting of Miss Granger now"
He beckoned for her to come up to the stool and this time she sat down butterflies filling her stomach. And the hat was placed on her head...
Well hello there, who do we have here? A voice said in her head.
Hermione Granger Mr. Hat, she replied mentally, can you read my mind she added as an afterthought.
Not really, I only see what I need to see, now where to put you, you really are something aren't you. Let's see then, so it was you that caused all the commotion at the feast.
It wasn't my fault she added trying not to seem like a troublemaker.
And you don't have a wand, this is getting good!
Time continued to pass and Hermione and the hat kept discussing all the events that led up to this meeting, telling it about the near abduction, the hospital wing, how Snape convinced her to stay.
Half of the hall was watching with bated breath as well over ten minutes had passed and the other side had started to ignore it and focus on breakfast.
So where to put you, you're certainly brave, escaping like that at such a young age.
I'm not that brave I've run away too she retorted resentment filling her tone.
I see said the hat cryptically, and you're certainly smart but not like the Ravenclaws they like to be smart for the sake of being smart you do it for the upper hand, to win. I certainly agree with your reasoning on Hufflepuff, you would be far too much for them to handle. It chuckled as if imagining the situation.
So its Slytherin, Hermione replied, that's the only one left.
But you see child I've never done this before and I'm worried.
Hermione didn't understand why he would be worried
I'm sorry the hat finally said quietly before booming out,
"Slytherin!"
The whole hall resumed staring at her and one table started clapping. Snape was smiling at her and she offered a small smile back. Well at least I have a house now, she thought as her tie changed to green and silver and her crest to a snake. Dumbledore stood up again as she started walking towards the Slytherin table
"Well this is magnificent the first ever muggle born in Slytherin."
Hermione stopped in her tracks, oh that certainly didn't sound goods. The hall erupted in whispers and the Slytherin table started whispering about mudbloods and started booing. At first, it was a whisper like the wind in the grass but soon it crescendoed into something so much more. The sound reverberating across the whole room, a chorus of hate.
Great, bloody great as Hermione sat down to try and grab some breakfast. The entirely of Slytherin moved away from her so she had the table to herself, well never mind it could always be because I didn't have a shower this morning she smiled to herself.
Snape saw the girl smiling to herself cursing the headmaster in his head, she could have had a chance in Slytherin, Granger may not have been pureblood but Dagworth-Granger was. It could have all worked out dam him. Despite all of the negative attention, she didn't look that phased. She was tucking into some toast and enjoying the morning. What sort of child was this? He couldn't even help her publicly as all of the little pureblood monsters would report to their infinitely more scary pureblood parents. Well, shit. She had done well today though. A true Slytherin rising above it all, he found her amusing she had a dry witty sense of humour unusual for her age, it was refreshing, he thought. He only hoped it would get better for the girl, she had in his eyes done nothing wrong. Only defending herself against as she eloquently put it against "a complete stranger dressed in the weirdest of clothes" that pretty much summed up the headmaster. He only hoped it wouldn't come back to bite her.
Hermione looked at the piece of paper Snape handed her as he walked down the rows a scowl fixed firmly on his face, huh she thought, I wonder what brought that on. Charms was the first, this looked exciting and she was really looking forward to it. She was, however, wondering how she might do this without a wand we'll just have to see.
She decided as she didn't have a clue where she was going to follow the older student leading a gaggle of first years. She walked far way so they didn't notice her but close enough not to get lost. She passed many of the classrooms she found last night when they reached the moving staircases. There were layers upon layers of giant staircases that seemed to move on rotation. She wondered if there was any pattern. Soon enough after jumping over the trick step she found herself outside the right room.
Hermione it seemed was the last student and as such took the last seat away from everyone at the back corner of the room. Their teacher, Professor Flitwick seemed to be half goblin and due to his height was stood on a precarious pile of books. He was so short that even with the tower she could only now see him.
Flitwick started his class with a roll call, and when Harry Potter's name was read he let out a small squeal and nearly fell off his tower. Once the whole commotion of the register was done, he asked every student to get their wands out. This for Hermione presented a slight predicament, what was she meant to do?
Flitwick looked over in her direction and reissued his command,
"Um, professor I don't have a wand."
"Have you lost it already Miss Granger?"
"No professor I didn't lose it, I just never had one."
"What on earth do you mean?"
"I never got a wand."
"Well then you are going to need one, and detention for coming to class ill-equipped, now go to Professor Snape's room, I know he has a free period now and he'll get you sorted out."
Hermione traipsed out deflated, she had a detention on her first day, how was that fair.
Then she realised she had no idea where Professor Snape was or even the room he would be in. This presented a quandary. It was much to Hermione's surprise a ghost who helped. He simply flew out of the wall and into her path.
"A first year what are you doing all alone and lost" he drawled creepily
"I'm Hermione Granger and I'm looking for Professor Snape's classroom"
"Well the Hermione Granger, I am the bloody Barron, also known as the ghost for Slytherin house, I'll take you to whom you seek."
Following the ghost Hermione mused was not the strangest thing she had done to date, so as they got further and deeper into the castle she just went along with it. After around a ten-minute walk, they arrived deep in the dungeons at a door. The bloody Barron floated off waving and wishing her luck. Hermione with all the courage she had knocked three short sharp taps on the door and walked through.
Snape was confused when he saw Hermione enter his classroom, surely she has a lesson around now, charms if he was not mistaken. She looked nervous as if he may be mad at her,
"What can I do for you Miss Granger?"
"Umm, idonthaveawandandflitwickgavemeadetentionbecauseofit!" she said hurriedly
"Slow down, and repeat that."
"I don't have a wand."
Snape was mad now, how did this girl not have one, had she lost it, broken it and he had thought better of her.
"Come along and speak clearly after me."
"But sir you..."
He pinched a bit of grey powder out of a pot on his desk threw it into the fire and shouted "the leaky cauldron" and he was gone.
Hermione gaped; well then off to the three broomsticks. She copied the professor getting a handful of powder speaking her destination and held her breath. She felt as if she was being pulled in all directions and then found herself tumbling out onto hard wooden floorboards of the leaky cauldron. Snape seemed to have waited for her but soon started to march off to Ollivanders, Hermione had to run to keep up with him fighting through the crowds of shoppers.
They reached the shop they were looking for and Snape swung the door forcibly shaking the bell attached ringing it loudly. Ollivander appeared within seconds frowning slightly when he saw the pair.
"Mr Snape dragon heartstring, silver lime, 13 ½ inches, how can I help you today?"
"It is not me who requires help; this is Hermione Granger a student in my house who thought it was clever to turn up without a wand."
Ollivander turned to Hermione, looked at Snape and then turned back to Hermione,
"Congratulations on making Slytherin young lady now about the wand, you didn't tell him, did you?"
"He didn't even give me a chance, nobody did, I even got a detention for it!"
Ollivander started laughing,
"What the hell is going on" snarled Snape.
"Miss Granger here does not need a wand."
"Does not need a wand, what rubbish are you spouting now old man."
"Hermione tried every single wand in my shop and none chose her simply as she does not need one, she is so used to doing wandless magic no wand feels wanted enough by her."
Snape looked astounded, why didn't she just say that. It was probably the point because you stormed off without letting her speak, nice one Snape. Before he could reply Ollivander spoke again,
"Miss Granger if you wouldn't mind showing Professor Snape what happens whenever you pick up a wand" passing her one of the nearest boxes.
"Are you sure sir, it didn't end well last time?" Hermione almost whispered,
"Just give it a wave"
It was as if a muggle bomb had gone off in the shop, all of the boxes were scattered everywhere, everything was broken. It was carnage.
"Now sir can you see why I can't have a wand."
"Then how are you supposed to do magic?"
Hermione closed her eyes and just stood there,
Around her all of the boxes were put back on their shelf, the desk and furniture fixed and all of the glass mended when it was finished she opened her eyes and said,
"I think I've got it covered" she apprehensively.
Hermione walked back into class with a letter from professor Snape and Ollivander explaining her situation. When Flitwick read it he nearly toppled over and off of his tower.
"Well then Miss Granger, we have been practising the Lumos charm, it's purpose is to create a bulb of light at the end of one's wand seeing you don't have one, well, let's see what you can do. Oh, I also withdraw my detention"
Hermione looked at Flitwick with an air of determination and once again closed her eyes and this time imagined little bits of light. When she opened her eyes she was surrounded by little orbs or lights the size of fireflies floating all around the room, casting a warm glow on everything they surrounded.
Flitwick actually fainted, he fell off of his tower and just lay there for a bit, Hermione wondered what she should do. Deciding quickly, she ran to the infirmary and told the matron, by the time they got back to the classroom Flitwick was sat upright.
"I'm fine just had a bit of a shock, now class if you want to resume with your charms."
Hermione conjured her firefly lights again, and they continued to float around the room much to the rest of the students' annoyance who couldn't seem to manage to get their wand to even flicker.
Her next class was Transfiguration, it looked to be quite exciting but once again Hermione was worried about the whole wand thing, at least she had her note. She walked in a took a seat to herself at the back of the class, as the rest of the students filed in they all left ample room away from her. Great, she thought, well at least there won't be any distractions. Professor McGonagall started her lecture with a warning speech.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts, anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned" professor McGonagall gaze seemed to gravitate towards Hermione on this.
She then transformed the desk in front of her into a pig, and back again.
Hermione thought this looked really exciting but was slightly disappointed when the next hour of the lesson was filled with note-taking.
It was at this point that Professor McGonagall came around the class with a box of matches and handed one to every student. Hermione looked at the one in front of her wondering what she had to do to it.
It turned out she had to turn it into a needle; she wasn't sure which one, a knitting one, sewing, embroidery, surgical. Maybe she shouldn't be concentrating on the specifics. As then McGonagle asked them to get their wands out.
Hermione raised her hand,
"Yes Miss Granger."
"I don't have a wand, but I do have a note,"
She beckoned for Hermione to come forward and read the note.
"Very well, but I doubt you will be able to complete many of the exercises without one."
Hermione was getting angry at the tone of these teachers, so with all her strength she went deep into herself and thought of a surgical needle, a large curved one. She held her breath and let the relaxing feeling wash over her. When she opened her eyes she felt awfully week but was pleased to see her match was now the exact replica of the needle in her head, actually now she'd come to think of so did all of the matches in the class.
Before she could contemplate his further she felt awfully tired and fell asleep.
For the second time in a very short period of time, she found herself lying in a bed. What had she done this time, oh yes, those needles.
She raised her head to find the same four adults around her bed; her vision was swimming as each figure bled into the next, colours merging as she tried to right it in her head. She felt exhausted as if all the energy had been sucked from her.
"Oh what happened?" she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"Well Miss Granger, it seemed you exhausted you're magic, you see, you didn't simply turn your match into a needle but every single match in the castle, imagine the surprise of the muggle studies professor who found her lesson on muggle survival skills cut short when she had nothing but a needle to try and start a fire" amusement flickering in Snape's eyes
It was Dumbledore that spoke next
"What possibly possessed you to do that?" his voice full of malice and blame.
"Well, you see Professor McGonagall said she doubted I could do any transfiguration so I wanted to prove I could. I don't do well when someone says I can't do something. I just wanted to show I was as good as all the other students in that class. I'm sorry if I went a little overboard."
She heard coughing coming from the black-clad figure in the corner.
"Well, I suppose I offer you some congratulations Miss Granger, you are obviously capable without a wand, maybe I underestimated your abilities. But you still nearly managed to put yourself into a magical coma."
It was then professor Dumbledore that started spluttering,
"This was done without a wand, but how, that's not possible for her to be able to do wandless magic. Not to that degree anyway, she's just a child. Are you sure it was wandless, she could have been holding it under the table"
"Would you like a demonstration headmaster, I could provide a small one if you'd like I'm afraid my magic hasn't quite recovered yet."
"Yes, Miss Granger I believe this would be sufficient proof, but don't worry if you can't," he said the twinkle returning to his eye.
Hermione closed her eyes and picture what she wanted to happen, holding her hands in the air to show she didn't have a wand and opened her eyes.
The headmaster's garish pink and orange stripped clothes and hat had been changed into jet black with green and silver trim. As the headmaster didn't understand, she also conjured a full-length body mirror for good measure. All of the staff started laughing and Dumbledore looked livid, Hermione offered a small smile of apology. Dumbledore got out his wand and tried to turn them back with little success.
"Nicely played Miss Granger, may I ask when this wears off?"
"Umm, I'm not too sure about that, sorry" Hermione replied honestly, she had no idea if the clothes would even go back to normal, let alone a time frame.
The staff burst out laughing again.
And Dumbledore walked out.
"Well, I am afraid this patient needs some rest. If I may ask what your remaining classes are if they don't involve magic I will let you go but if not, you must promise not to overexert you're self again"
"I've got lunch first and then double potions." she replied happily
"Well then that should be ok, Severus, may I ask you to watch out for her?"
"Of course, Poppy." Snape replied
"Off you go to lunch then young lady, and if you feel any worse come straight back."
When she got to lunch she found that another table had been added to the Slytherin table right at the back of the hall. It was stood a few metres from the other long one. Hermione pondered what to do. She walked up to a group of first years she recognised from charms. She wanted to give them one last chance for them to say it had all been a misunderstanding.
"Hi, I'm Hermione, pleased to meet you, may I sit here" pointing to a seat next to them.
The blond one she recognised as Draco started laughing,
"I'm sorry we don't eat with mudbloods, you might get filth on our food, there's your table" he spat pointing to the separate table
Looking down at him she realised what a prejudice society this was, and with venom filling her voice said,
"Well at least I'm not a bigoted, dyed blond immature inbred"
The entire table went silent, as she walked off. They obviously didn't want her there and there were no other seats, so she sat at her own table and got a book out of her bag. If she got her own table she was going to make the most of this. She had her own little portions of food in front of her. She decided to revise her potions theory before the lesson as she dug into a lovely macaroni cheese.
She got so stuck into her book she only stirred when the rest of Slytherin left the table; she shoved all her books into her bag and ran out of the door. She made her way down to the dungeons and found a seat once again at the back of the class.
She had just taken her seat when professor Snape swept into the room; he looked so different than he did in the infirmary.
He started with a roll call pausing at Harry's name for effect
"Mr Potter our new celebrity."
He then started his lesson,
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
The class was silent as if absorbing every word and understanding its implications.
"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry looked like a rabbit in headlights, serves him right Hermione thought for not reading even the required book.
"Where would you look if I told you to look for a bezoar?"
"I'm not sure sir" Harry muttered
"And finally, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane"
At this, Harry just shook his head, not even bothering with words.
Hermione was trying not to laugh, as Snape gave the answers to the questions. Even someone who had only read the first chapter should have known most of it. Was her class simply that stupid?
It was then on to the brewing, a simple boil cure Snape directed them into pairs but at the blank refusal of her classmates to work with her, Hermione got her cauldron out and got to work. She got all her ingredients out of the cupboard and wondered and she worked why everyone was trying to follow the instructions to the letter, there was an obvious flaw in the potion recipe, which meant it was half the potency it could be.
Hermione looked around to see Neville about to add the porcupine quills when she knew he hadn't taken his cauldron off the fire.
"Neville no, don't add that yet," she said across the classroom
Neville dropped his quills away from the potion and started to shake.
Snape walked over to her,
"And why might that be Miss Granger?" he asked
"Well, if he did the porcupine quills are too reactive with the hot potion and it would have exploded creating so kind of caustic substance."
"Very well Miss Granger back to your potion."
Hermione felt deflated as Snape went off to scold the Gryffindor boys who all seemed to lose points.
Hermione continued to mind over her potion, a clockwise stir there and anticlockwise stir here, just slight adjustments from the recipe. She took it off the heat and bottled a vial into a standard vial, and then went on collecting into other vials. She thought to herself she may as well keep some, it seemed too good to waste.
Snape was watching over the class as they started brewing, his eyes drawn to Hermione, she was looking in her textbook and then back up to the board as if debating the meaning of life. It's only a boil cure, not wolfsbane he muttered under his breath. She was watching her peers with confusion written all over her face. Snape didn't get it, what was driving her to this. Then he saw it instead of stewing the slugs like both sets of instructions said, she juiced them, then did three quick anticlockwise stirs. She was modifying the recipe, a first year. She brought her cauldron off the heat then only added a quarter of the porcupine quills needed. As this was happening Snape's concentration on the class was waning, so concentrated on her and what she was doing he had forgotten he had 19 other children in his lesson. This was when Hermione exclaimed,
"Neville no, don't add that yet!"
Snape looked over at the suspecting student and sure enough, he would have caused a catastrophe.
Snape, however, wanted to know why Hermione knew that too.
"And why might that be Miss Granger?" he asked curiosity in his voice.
"Well, if he did the porcupine quills are too reactive with the hot potion and it would have exploded creating some kind of caustic substance."
"Very well Miss Granger back to your potion" he replied, so she understood what happened in detail, how on earth had that happened.
As she was decanting her potion, he saw her use multiple bottles, then he realised she was keeping some for herself. Looking at it he could see why it was brilliant much stronger than the others in the class. It was a vibrant blue colour and looked perfect.
"Time is up" Snape bellowed to the class,
"Bring your pitiful attempts to my desk and tidy your workstation."
When Hermione approached his desk, he wondered how she had got the potion to look like that first time.
"Please stay behind at the end of class Miss Granger."
Hermione looked slightly started but quickly schooled her emotions and nodded, going back to tidy up.
Hermione had cleared the last bit of her desk and waited for the rest of the class to leave, this took considerably longer than she expected. Quite used to organising and cleaning equipment Hermione had finished quickly. While waiting for the rest to catch up she started reminiscing back to last summer.
She had found out about a great opportunity, yes it may not have been perfectly legal, but when did that stop her. She knocked on the metal rickety door three times and was ushered into what looked like a mismatched chemistry lab. In fact, as Hermione knew full well it was a drug manufacture. Hermione had heard that they were looking for a trainee to start making the drugs, she knew a bit about basic organic chemistry and wanted to advance that knowledge. She spent the next three months learning all there was to know about making and distributing any drugs needed, and by the end of it, she could easily make, purify and market all the drugs she needed. She even knew, how to check if she was being conned with ingredients and also test for duff batches. This was unfortunately when the drugs raid occurred, she managed to escape but many of the others hadn't been so lucky and so had gone to jail, and her exploration into the world of drugs was over.
However, she had not forgotten that she had learned and was simply applying it in a legal more academic way.
She walked with caution to Snape's desk, wondering what on earth he could want.
"Miss Granger do you understand what you have given me," he asked silkily,
"A cure for boils" she replied.
"Well yes that is correct, but it is also a much more concreted recipe and better than your peers, do you care to tell me how this happened"
"Well, professor, I saw that the slugs could if juiced and not stewed whole, would increase the efficiency, but due to this I would have to alter my stirring pattern, and add fewer porcupine quills."
"So, you altered the recipe"
"Yes, I didn't see the point in making a worthless potion when I could make one that would work; it seemed to be a bit of a waste of ingredients."
"Worthless?" Snape questioned.
"Isn't it, it's certainly not strong enough to cure any human boils."
To this comment Snape only said,
"On top of any class homework I would like you to write up any changes you made to any of your potions and why you made them."
"Of course sir, was that everything?"
"One last question, how come you're seem practised at this."
"You see sir; I've had a passion for chemistry, I especially enjoyed chemical synthesis."
"How you're only a child, you certainly don't learn this level until at least college or even university?"
Not wanting to answer any more of the professor's invasive questions she shrugged her shoulders, picked up her bag and walked out of the classroom.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if so please review, favourite or follow. Any one or combination is very much appreciated.
