A/N- Okay, so this chapter is longer, and the next one should be my longest yet. I'm really happy with this chapter, and I have a couple titles that I'm considering(the credit for one of which goes to CarrieMaxwell on AO3). And before I forget, I want to thank my third reviewer, James Birdsong. Alright, I hope you enjoy, and please review!
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Hermione lay on the bathroom floor, gazing up at the cracked stone ceiling. The tears had stopped pouring, but their remains still coated her cheeks in a sticky sheen. Suddenly, she sat up, blinking rapidly to clear her head as she snapped out of her trance. What the fuck was she doing? Moping over a boy? And not just any boy. Draco Malfoy. Her mortal enemy since her first year at Hogwarts. What the fuck had gotten into her? She forced herself up off the floor, gathering her book bag and hairbrush, tossing old napkins and empty glasses from her meals with Draco into the small wastebasket in the corner of the room. She sighed, surveying the mess of soggy bread bits scattered across the floor, pitying the poor house elves who would be forced to clean it up. A split second later, she realized something peculiar. Not a single house elf had been in there to clean. She contemplated this for a moment, puzzled, before dismissing the notion, asserting that there must be some reason. Perhaps they were distraught at the sudden lack of S.P.E.W. hats to set them free. Yes, that must be it. The poor things must be worried they'd never be free now. She resolved to get straight to work knitting more as soon as she got back to the Common Room. So is that where I'm going? she wondered. She couldn't think of anywhere else. But then she remembered something Draco had said that morning, angrily forcing back tears at the thought of him. The prefects' bathroom. Of course! How could she not have thought of it sooner? She shoved the hairbrush into her bag and headed for the door, giving the room one final glance-over to ensure she hadn't left anything behind, before closing it behind her.
Once in the corridor, Hermione dashed for the prefects' bathroom, keeping her head down and partially hidden behind her book bag in an attempt to go unnoticed. No such luck.
"Granger!" bellowed an oily voice. Hermione's heart sank as she turned to face her least favorite professor, amber-brown eyes peeking out from behind her bag as she clutched it, her grip growing ever tighter and more desperate.
Snape's inky eyes surveyed her wretched form. The corners of his lips turned up into a malicious grin.
Seeing this, Hermione straightened her stance, lowering her book bag to reveal the rest of her face and narrowing her eyes, meeting the professor's gaze and instilling her own with as much defiance as she could muster. Snape's smile widened evilly, causing her to falter momentarily before regaining her composure and standing her ground. He stepped slowly forward and Hermione gripped her bag even closer to her chest, somehow reassured by the sensation of the cool leather against her bare forearms.
"So, Granger…" Snape continued finally, still stalking every closer to Hermione, coal-black eyes seeming to bore into her very soul. Still, she held her ground, without so much as a quiver to betray her terror. Hermione strained her ears for any sound that might suggest they weren't alone. That Snape couldn't do anything to her. But she was met with complete and utter silence save for her assailant's voice as he drew ever nearer.
"Is there a reason you missed Defense Against the Dark Arts yesterday?" he sneered, bending slightly so that his eyes were level with hers and his hot, rancid breath filled her nostrils, nearly sending her into a fit of hacking coughs.
"N-no?" she stammered faintly, hating herself for how weak and helpless she sounded, as well as unsure of how to answer the greasy-haired professor's question. Clearly, he was dissatisfied with her response. His nose wrinkled and he straightened his spine. Hermione's wary gaze never left him as he turned away and began to stalk purposefully down the corridor.
"Detention!" he called, voice echoing throughout the empty corridor, "tonight, my office," and with that he rounded the corner. Hermione released a breath at his words, but stood firm until he had disappeared completely from view, before turning herself and setting off once more for the prefects' bathroom, this time at a much quicker pace, training her gaze back towards the ground beneath her feet in an attempt to go unnoticed. This time, much to her relief, she reached her destination without further interruption, slipping silently into the prefects' bathroom after muttering the password, Nova Abiete.
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A/N- I'm sorry this chapter was kinda short, but the next chapter should be the longest yet, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading, and please review! Oh, and the password was a bit of a cop-out, nova abiete is latin for "pine fresh".
~hermionegrangerandarocketship