Hi everyone, I'm really sorry for such a late update, but I've been really busy with school as always. Also, I found it very hard to find a suitable ending for this "chapter". I really enjoy reading you reviews, however long or short they are. Thank you so much for taking your time to click that sexy blue button.
Artemis Eureka: lol sorry, I didn't mean for it to be a cliff hanger, it's just that I prefer my chapters to be around 2 A4 pages (or otherwise you'd have 1 update/year).
Megan Consoer: thank you, I really am trying to write more often, it's just that I don't have the time to.
Little Lovely: Well, now you know. lol
Notwritten: Hopefully it'll stay that way.
The G Drummer: Thanks, now you get to know.
Kiwi: Thank you so much for the ideas, they really inspire me, even though I didn't really write about them all, but they keep me thinking, so thanks a lot.
Villafoo: Oh yes, she already is.
WannaBArtist: Thank you for reviewing, but it'd help if you told me what you didn't like instead of just saying 'I didn't like it'.
Snape was surprised. It did not happen often, which is why he was astonished beyond belief when it happened. However, it was not like he was displaying any of it. After all, he was a very private man. He could not for his life figure out how Potter's clever sidekick had become the one she was right now. There was a young woman in front of him. A woman with opinions and suggestions. Who was looking at him with shifty-eyes. True, he had been surprised when he had found her drunk and high the other day in Hogsmeade. Despite that, he could not understand why she had broken the rules a second time, so soon, after strictly being told to do otherwise. Oh, how he wanted to know what was going on inside her head that very moment. There she was, sitting in front of him acting like nothing had happened. He assumed it was the alcohol. Because of the darkness it was impossible for him to see her face clearly, but he had a pretty good idea of how it looked like. His office felt even more uncomfortable than usual, it was way too dark for a conversation of the kind he was about to have. He lit a few more candles that floated carelessly in the air along the walls. Much better, he decided. As he thought of the best way to approach his student, he finally settled on giving her a potion for the alcohol. Talking to a drunk student would not do. He handed her a small vial and watched her drink it. Now all he had to do was talk. The only problem was, he could not cope with the indifference that met his eyes. He had expected her to show at least the slightest bit of concern. That was unfortunately not the case. A muted sigh escaped his lips.
"Miss Granger, I hope you are aware of why you are here," Snape initiated the conversation.
"Forgive me, Sir, but I am not," Hermione replied almost cheekily. She was sick of it already.
"Ah, perhaps it is me who should apologise. I was not aware that the rules concerning alcohol consumption had been changed. Tell me, are students allowed to drink alcohol?," The professor said sardonically. He too, was tired of it all.
"Let's skip the formalities, professor, shall we? You told me that if I had alcohol once more, I would get expelled. Well, I have. Shall I go pack my things?,". Her eyes were blank.
"The cheekiness is not becoming, Miss Granger," Snape said cooly. "Even though I am surprised that you could not go two days without alcohol, I did expect you to break the rules again. However, I find it strange that you were walking the corridors after curfew, drunk. Did something happen that made you feel the need to go for a walk?," he asked with equal, if not more, indifference.
"I'm sorry, Sir," Hermione said very softly and looked into his eyes. "But I can't stand talking about my private life with someone who just wants to know because it's his duty,".
"Miss Granger, even though I do respect that, it is still my duty to talk to you about it. Tell me about it and I will refrain from expelling you," he offered.
"Fine. As far as you promise not to deduct any housepoints if it would turn out that we were breaking any rules,".
"You have my word. Tell me the story now," he said impatiently, piercing her with his eyes.
"When I got back to my dorm, its was filled with boys. I think there was about ten of us. They were playing this game, 'I have never'. It's...,".
"I know it," Snape interrupted and gestured for her to continue.
"Well, they had this bottle of whiskey. The statements they said were so...silly. I had done most of those things before fifth year".
Snape rolled his eyes and looked at her almost mockingly.
"I got to drink everytime and when I had taken the first sip, I wanted more. It got boring. I told them that I was going to bed and asked them to leave the room. Dean stood up and tried to kiss me. When I pushed him back, he told me that...well he said that considering all the things I have done, a kiss wouldn't matter to me. He had, well... Some of the statements were 'I have never smoked weed' and 'I have never had sex'. Most of them, all of them in fact, didn't know that I had done both things. I think they were a bit shocked. I told him that I had done those things because I wanted to and then I left and that's when I met you, professor," Hermione finished off. She looked at him questioningly and wondered what he would say. The indifference she felt scared her.
Snape felt anger rise inside him when he listened to her story. He did not like the thought of someone forcing themselves on his student. The nonchalance in her voice baffled him.
"That is not acceptable behaviour from Mr. Thomas, do tell me if he tries anything again. I will turn a blind eye at the alcohol," Snape said sternly. "Miss Granger, you do not seem to realize that you have to stop drinking. I am disappointed in you for giving up so easily,".
For some unknown reason those words hurt Hermione. She felt her shoulders tense and she felt very uncomfortable.
"You will not hear me say this again, but I do not want to expel you, Miss Granger. If you just tried, you would leave Hogwarts with a set of excellent N.E.W.T.s. It is really ungrateful of you to just turn your back on the talent you have. You have to pull yourself together for God's sake. This can't go on, do you realize that?," he asked sharply.
"Yeah, I guess. But why do you care, professor?," she retorted dryly.
"I don't," he said emotionlessly. "As you pointed out earlier, it is my duty," Snape said. He knew he lied to himself and to her when he said those words but it wouldn't do to have a student believe that he had a soft side.
Once again, Hermione was hurt by a few words. At that moment, she felt truly alone. She decided to take a chance.
"That was the most hurtful thing you could ever say," Hermione said softly. She stood up, straigtened her back and turned to exit the room.
"Miss Granger, sit down!," Snape said quietly but sharply. There was something in his voice that made almost everyone obey him. Apparently this Gryffindor was not one of them.
Hermione stopped and turned around to face him. Her face was cold and emotionless.
"Why can't you just expel me so I can get the hell out of here and be with my friends?," she asked with coldness evident in her voice. "There isn't anything left for me here anymore. Can't you just let me go, please?,".
"I will not tell you one more time, sit down," Snape ordered.
This time Hermione obeyed. She did, however, sit down on the floor. With her back against the wall she eyed him closely for a few seconds.
"If it were not for the fact that I have assigned you various detentions already, you would just have earned one," the professor said sourly.
"Then deduct housepoints," Hermione muttered.
"Seeing as you would not care if I did, that would be pointless," he replied in a bored voice.
Snape walked around his desk and leaned on it on the other side while eyeing his student carefully. Her robes had slid up a bit along her leg and they were only covering the upper half of her thigh. He could not help but feel a strong urge to see more. Silently, he cursed himself and made sure that he did not blush.
"Can I go?," Hermione asked.
"No, you may not," Snape snapped. "Sit down on the chair," he said in a nicer voice. "I believe you have some information to share. I am going to ask you some questions which I expect you to answer. You are free to leave at any time but if you do, you will have to reveal the information to either me or Madame Pomfrey eventually, so there is really no point in running away. Is that clear?,".
"I'm not going to run away, professor. Despite what you may think, Sir, I'm not that childish. Fire away," Hermione said daringly and sat down on the chair Snape had gestured at.