Chapter 3: Hermione Granger

Chapter 3

Hermione Granger

Sage wandered back into the Gryffindor common room around ten o'clock that night. His tutoring session with Snape had gone fairly well, rather tedious, but well. They went through how many different potions they would have to go through that year to catch him up to the rest of the third years and then he started with the swelling potion. After he successfully finished that, he worked on the rest of the work Snape had given him the last week. Thankfully, it seemed he was not as angry as he had been.

The common room was still fairly alive. A few people had started to open their books. Hermione looked as if she had already started on their potions homework. The red-haired kid she was always with was playing wizard's chess with the kid with the glasses that he had figured out was none other than his cousin, Harry Potter. Sage walked in and slumped down into a chair at one of the study tables. There weren't any cushy chairs left. He rubbed his eyes and then ran his hands through his hair. Then he crossed his arms on the table in front of him and laid his chin down on top of them.

Hermione looked up from her books. The other Gryffindors might think him somewhat scary and worthy of avoidance, but Hermione did not, not really. That and Professor McGonagall asked her to be kind to him, citing that her new housemate shared her love of knowledge and was quite intelligent, if a little rough around the edges. Her head of house had confirmed that he had lost his parents, his father in the last war and his mother to suicide a few years later. Apparently, he had not been able to come to school before now because he had very uncontrolled wandless magic, and Professor Snape had to teach him for years how to keep it from busting out.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like for him, with Snape focused completely on him, for years of his life. Even just two hours a day. That might give anyone a reason to be a little rough.

She pursed her lips and stared at his pale, expressionless face. His life must have been quite lonely…and maybe (dare she think) a bit like Harry's.

"I just started to work on some homework if you want to join me," she finally said from the other side of the table and three seats down.

"Think I've had enough of Potions for the day, thanks," he answered, his face showing some disgust. In reality, it was disgust at the thought of more Potions, not the invitation in particular. He was rather indifferent to the invitation.

Hermione got up and came to sit directly across from him, leaving her books on the other end of the table. Sage looked up at her, his head still propped on his arms. His eyebrow went up as she tried to push her unruly hair behind her ears.

"Are you okay, I mean, since you got here you haven't looked too happy to be here?" She asked, fidgeting with her quill.

Sage shrugged, not moving his head. He was too tired to keep his defenses up. "Fine, really."

"You don't fool me with that, you know?" she answered in her know-it-all tone and with half a smile playing on her lips."

"I'm just not used to all of this," he said finally.

"The classes?"

Sage managed to smirk at that. "No, I'm used to a very heavy work load."

"Right, Professor Snape." She imagined without needing to teach to an entire classroom, Professor Snape could be very demanding of a single pupil. "So, then, what aren't you used to?"

"All the noise. All the people. All the attention. Everything." His life prior to this had been rather quiet and rather…uneventful. "And the professor is very different here too. So, it's just…very different."

Not able to keep herself from asked, Hermione ventured in a low voice, "What is Professor Snape like outside of Hogwarts?"

For once, she was asking him questions that he didn't really mind answering. He was kind of getting used to her questions. She really wasn't that bad. At least she didn't stare at him, whisper, and jump away from him.

"He's still demanding and strict, but less, ummm, bitter and annoyed? I don't really have much of a family. My parents are gone. Professor Snape was chosen to teach me and prepare me to come here. I spent a lot of time alone with books and practicing alone so I don't accidentally hurt anyone. Professor Snape has known me since I was a little kid. He's harsh, but fair, not like here. I'd be in a lot of pain if it weren't for him."

He closed his eyes, it was the first time he had ever had a real conversation with someone his age, someone who was like him. Well not of his kind, but not a Muggle.

"What do you mean pain?"

Sage finally pulled his head up. He looked at her and didn't answer. His frown stiffened. He did not want to talk about the pain.

"Sorry," she said finally.

"I don't want to talk about that," In truth, he had little idea how to talk to someone his own age and the grim details of pain for him were not for the weak stomached. "I…I am not very good at this, like I said." He gestured around them with a finger.

"I'm not sure I follow." She responded shaking her head as if he were a really difficult test question.

"I spent most of my childhood alone, like I said, with books and house elves. I, well, I'm not like all of you. That's why I couldn't come to Hogwarts for my first year. Too dangerous."

He had definitely perplexed Hermione, which was quite difficult to do. She just stared at him quizzically, not sure how to continue.

"You mean you never really talked to anyone. Didn't you ever have friends?"

Sage looked down. "No. I could not. The Ministry forbade the schooling, preferring to have me tutored, because of the danger I present to others."

She put her cheek in her hand, "That's not right, that's, well, so sad. Must have been hard and very lonely."

The show of emotion rather confused him. Sage stood up abruptly, "I need to go to bed." Even he knew it was both awkward and lame, but he had not been given any practice or tutelage in socialization. That was one area in which Professor Snape was no good example and had little competence to teach!

Hermione watched him take his bag over his shoulder and walk away. Spending all that time with Snape had definitely given him that ability to freeze his face of emotion. His face could go just as expressionless just as quickly.

But, for a second, Hermione thought she saw his eyes, just his blue eyes, look sad.

The rest of the week had finally gone and now it was Sunday night. He had been at Hogwarts a full seven days and still did not feel comfortable. The work he managed, even with Professor Snape's extra demands. He relished in the fact that he could, at least, do that well still. The rest of his life's routine was in utter turmoil. Just the noise here was deafening. And all the rush and color and activity.

And yet, even in this environment, Sage cursed the fact he would have to study harder and more often just to be able to manage himself, just to gain control of his errant magic, when everyone else had it so easy with their wands. Even without being explicitly told, he knew his life was somewhat dependent on him being able to function around society.

When he was just seven he had sent a fireball to the bottom of Lucius Malfoy's robes when the man had dared to grab him by his hair and pull him up in the air. He reflected, it only happened when he was angry, or scared, or, well, anytime he wasn't employing focus and control. Likely that was why Uncle Lucius didn't want him, lucky for him. Sage snorted at the mere thought. The dislike was certainly mutual.

It was just unlucky that he was not like everyone else and that he had to take work seriously. Well, at least long hours of book work was something he had spent years of his life doing. He found an enjoyment in some of it. These last few days though, the days since he had that half-asleep conversation with the Granger girl, he couldn't concentrate as well.

What Pain? If she only knew what it felt like.

Must have been hard. Well, not when you're shut off to hard, not if hard is all you've ever known.

And now he was in an arena he had never been in. So many people, people his age. People he had to interact with or avoid altogether. People who did not have work ethic, well, maybe Granger did. Snape had told him she received good marks. Her and Malfoy and some students in Ravenclaw…

Pain he reflected again. He shook his head at the remembrance of her words. Pain. Pain was enough to keep him away from the muggles. Even though Snape's potion did not help that much during the attacks, just not being by yourself when it happened was help.

That's, well, so sad. Sad? It would not have been the word Sage would pick. It was the word picked by someone who did not know, someone who did know would have said nothing. Since then he could not stop thinking about those words she said. Words that just got under his skin.

He kept having thoughts, thoughts about the things that he had seen, about the past. They were of his father and his mother, something he did not care to think about although it was never his choice. In at least some fleeting way, his past came back to him every day.

That word sad had just set him off into morbidity once more. It made him weak, physically weak, mentally weak. This was the time when he could be dangerous, the time when he was prone, his focus was clouded by intrusive thought and feelings. Negative feelings.

He heard Professor Snape's words in his mind Focus, Sage. If there's one thing you must always keep is focus. There is no control without it. Let what's inside guide you, not your thoughts. Professor Snape was pretty brilliant, Sage figured, if only Sage could manage to do just that, let what was in him just guide him. Sounded like some romantic statement Dumbledore would make, but not the way Snape had meant it.

Professor Snape had barked that same statement at him so many times that he could say it inside his head just before the professor would say it out loud. Sage could just feel the words coming. There were many things that Professor Snape made a habit of yelling to him or barking at him…Grow up, boy, do not wish this away…Perhaps you are not worthy to be what you are…Surely you are not that thick…Remind me of how old you are again, because you are acting infantile…

He never really admitted it to anyone, and only reluctantly admitted it to himself, but he was in awe of the man. It took incredible amount of resolve and bravery to turn and spy on Voldemort. Sage was fortunate enough to be one of the few who knew about that, and was also likely why he was one of few who understood why Professor Snape was the way that he was.

Sage sat quietly brewing his potion in class, Granger next to him again, and Longbottom in front of him. That made him a little leery… the boy who had sent more people to the hospital wing with fouled up potions was right in front of him. He had kept comparing cauldrons to make sure he was still safe, but they had not added enough ingredients to tell yet.

He stirred, and stirred, and rolled his eyes. Potions was sometimes very boring. What they were doing was too simple to keep his attention. Then, it finally happened… the potion thankfully turned bright acid green. The proper color. He could feel the smugness on his face. He looked to Hermione's, the same as his. Good.

Then he decided to check his safety again and looked to Longbottom. GODS it was ORANGE! Orange… that could not be good. He dragged a book out of his bag and skimmed through some pages. But Professor Snape interrupted his reading.

"Orange, Longbottom! Orange. Can you not read, it said only a dash of leech juice not the entire bottle!" He said showering the plump boy with spit.

Neville quivered and flushed. He looked like he was shrinking to Sage. That must have just been his knees buckling underneath him.

"We'll just see if your potion works at the end of class, Mr. Longbottom." The Professor said threateningly as he spun around.

"Please, sir, I could help him make it work," Hermione piped in.

Bad move, Sage thought.

Professor Snape did not even spin back around to confront her. She was not even worth that. Instead he said, insidiously, "I don't remember asking you to show off Miss Granger, you do that enough without being asked."

Professor Snape stalked off leaving Hermione near tears, her honey brown eyes looking even larger. Sage's brow furrowed as he glared after Snape. She had just been trying to help after all. Snape had told her last week to help him, why couldn't she help Neville? He looked at the book in his hands.

"Hey, Longbottom."

Neville look back like a deer in headlights. Neville was one classmate who seemed particularly terrified of him. As if he was a dark-haired doppleganger of his cousin, Draco. A thought that was far from the truth.

"Take this and look it up and fix that damn thing you made, or we'll all lose points and be in trouble." Sage held out the book.

Neville took the book and looked at it. "How to Right your Wronged Potion". He threw Sage his most grateful look and began working on the potion diligently again.

By the time he was done, Professor Snape had already started to walk around the room grading their Shrinking Solution. So far not many people were doing horrid. In fact, almost everyone at least had a green potion. Snape stopped at Longbottom's cauldron with a look of frightening triumph. Then he looked down to see the potion acid green. He scowled, turned, and snarled. Immediately he bore down on Hermione.

"10 points from Gryffindor and detention. I told you not to help him, Miss Granger." Snape turned his back, robes following, and began to walk away to write down the deduction.

Sage furrowed his brow and stared at the man's retreating back and then to Hermione. Bile was rising up in his throat in anger. Was this the way Professor Snape acted at Hogwarts? It certainly was not the way Sage was used to. The professor was always harsh, but harsh and proper, and this was certainly not proper or fair.

Professor Snape turned back around defensively the moment he heard a chair scrape against the floor behind him and the swoosh of robes moving…someone standing up behind him.

Sage had jumped up from his seat, with a rightly cutting glare of his own. He looked stoney-faced at the professor.

Snape glared back at him.

Sage narrowed his eyes, "She didn't help him. I gave him that book and told him to fix it himself!" Sage hadn't yelled but it was said in a way that no one had ever heard directed at Professor Snape before. "She did nothing wrong." He threw up a hand to accentuate his point.

Snape had suddenly grabbed his own shoulder as if in pain, halfway through Sage's outburst. He growled with deadly ferocity.

The class froze. Only a few pairs of eyeballs even dared move in that moment. Neville nearly fainted when he saw the reaction on Professor Snape's face.

Sage's eyes got wide, even though his face was surprisingly still rather expressionless. He backed up slightly but he knew there was nothing he could do to stop what he had started with his cheek. Instantaneously he knew that he had made a bad mistake, a very bad mistake. He had no idea what had come over him.

Professor Snape stalked up to him still holding his shoulder as if something had penetrated it.

Sage stood frozen, "I-I didn't do it. I-I uhh didn't mean to, sir. It just haahappened. Please don't…" Sage stammered. The small of his back was pushed against the table behind him, and he held his hands out in front of him as if that would help. There was no escape.

Everyone started looking at each other whispering again. Whispering about the professor grabbing his shoulder as if magic had been done. Magic without a wand. Or an incantation. Magic far, far beyond someone of their own age.

Professor Snape looked so ready to explode, that Ron was more scared than he had ever remembered being in his life, even after his mother had found out about him taking the Ford Anglia to school. And he hadn't even done anything.

Harry thought that this may even be worse than facing Book Voldemort. Snape definitely looked just as frightening at this moment. Luck couldn't save you from Professor Snape.

The irate professor grabbed Sage by the collar and tie and pulled him forward roughly. There was only a narrow table between them.

Sage placed his hands flat on the table, holding himself to take some of the pressure off of his neck but not daring to struggle or say a word.

"DETENTION, FOR TWO WEEKS! AND 50 POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!" he spat yelling. "And if you ever say anything like that to me again you'll be very sorry indeed."

Everyone gasped. No one had ever, ever dared to talk back to Professor Snape like that. In fact, their mouths were all still open when Professor Snape turned to look at them. "GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!"

Within 30 seconds every student had run as fast as they could up the stairs and away from the dungeons. Snape still had Sage by the collar, looking as if he might just devour him.