It's What's Inside That Counts
Chapter 13
As the end of the school year neared, Hermione and Harry could be found in a quiet corner of the library after dinner twice a week. As promised, Hermione was helping Harry with his Arithmancy and Runes assignments.
"Harry, you're not stupid. With my help, you can pull an "acceptable" mark at the least on your NEWTs," Hermione assured him when they started studying.
Unknown to the two, Draco was also there in what had become his usual spot, at a table on the other side of a bookcase. Using a simple amplification spell, Hermione was unknowingly helping him as well. He needed an "A" in Arithmancy for a position with Unspeakables. Draco found the study and unguarded banter between the two surprisingly mature and amusing. Harry teased Hermione about the Professor, and she teased him about Ginny. The talked about the Auror Academy and what to do about Ron. One night, Draco arrived late and caught in the middle of a conversation.
"...you have enough to live on for years. When we leave this place, why don't you take a long holiday with a certain professor?" Harry asked. "You've always wanted to go to Greece."
"I am thinking of the future Harry, if Voldemort wins...how much I have at Gringotts won't matter much, will it?" she answered quietly.
Also over the weeks, things became worse between Hermione and Ron. Hermione had given up trying to be understanding, opting to now ignore him completely. That only made him angrier, but she didn't care anymore. Nothing she said or did had any effect, so taking Severus' advice, she quit worrying about it. She had NEWTS and the Auror Academy to prepare for. If Ron was determined to be so unhappy, so be it. Even Harry was keeping his distance from Ron. In his irrationality, Ron had come to think that Harry was on Hermione's side. He wasn't pleasant to be around. At first, Ron was sure Hermione just had a harmless crush on a teacher, would see the light and come back to him. When that didn't pan out, he next thought that Hermione was a victim of some kind of love curse, courtesy of Professor Anderson. Now he was sure Malfoy was in on it, because she was "all chummy with the junior Death Eater nowadays." Harry could take no more and simply walked away, Ron shouting "traitor" to his back. Harry sighed, kept walking and went in search of Hermione, to let her know of Ron's latest conspiracy theory. It all came to a head one day in DADA class. Professor Anderson looked at the class and spoke:
"I am satisfied with your performance this year."
Hermione and Harry gave each other significant looks. Severus Snape was actually satisfied with them?
"NEWTS are a month from now, so we will spend that time reviewing for it. I propose that since this is the Defense Against the Dark aArts class, we have a bit of practical application in the dark. Your NEWT practical application portion may very well take place in a darkened scenario. Any questions?"
The class was silent. Severus flicked his wand at four mannequins at four corners of the room. He muttered a charm to darken the room then strolled among the students, the only light coming from his wand.
"Appropriately spooky," Draco quipped.
"These are charmed mannequins similar to ones used at the Auror Academy. Unlike the ones there, if a spell from one of these hit you, it will only be a mild stinging sensation. The ones used at the Auror Academy are incredibly...realistic. Your task today is simple: accustom your eyes to the dark, block and return spells at the mannequins. Any questions? Begin!"
Shuffling of feet was heard as they prepared themselves. A flash of light shot from one of the mannequins and a "OW!" was heard, then another flash and "Hey, that stung!"
"Protego!" Harry shouted.
Several more caught on and did the same thing. Soon, the students were "dueling" the mannequins in the darked room. With his illuminated wand, he kept a close eye on the students to make sure none came to any serious injury. They might get banged up on their NEWTS (Merlin knows he did!) but that would be nothing compared to the coming fight with Voldemort. Severus' eyes sought out the object if his affection and grinned in satisfaction at what he saw. Harry and Hermione were standing back to back, working as a team against the onslaught of spells, charmed to increase in intensity and number. Draco and Goyle had done the same thing.
Harry and Hermione recognized that one of the mannequins was firing spells more than the others. They moved together to "disarm" the mannequin. The professor was near the mannequin watching the fray, chuckling occasionally when a student was hit. From the corner of his eye, Harry thought he saw Ron taking a direct aim at Professor Anderson. This would be no stray spell accident and things would go from bad to worse.
"No Ron!" Harry shouted too late. Severus scanned the room for the redhead. The tell-tale red stream from a STUPEFY flew though the air, unfortunately hitting Hermione in the back of the head. She had unknowingly hopped in front of the professor as she "dueled" the mannequin and went down heavily when the stunner hit.
The classroom lights came on again to find Harry and Draco's wands between Ron's eyes. Ron was panicked and stuttered, "Mione...I didn't mean...she.."
"ENOUGH! Weasley, your antics this term have been juvenile at best, but have escalated into maliciousness which has caused injury to one you claim to be a friend. You are forthwith expelled from my class. Report to the Headmistress' office immediately!" the Professor bellowed.
Ron quickly gathered his belongings and ran from the room. Harry and Severus tended to Hermione, who was unconscious.
"Weasley, you idiotic little twit," the Professor mumbled.
He took her pulse and gently lifted her eyelids. Making sure she had no further injuries, he carefully took her in his arms and stood. He looked sharply to the stunned class and spoke, "While I take Miss Granger to the Infirmary, read chapter 23 from your books for the remainder of class."
Harry put Hermione's belongings in her satchel.
"Sorry about your friends," Draco said quietly beside him.
"Yeah, me too," Harry said with a sigh and sat down.
After Hermione was settled in the Infirmary and Severus was assured that she would be fine, he went to Minerva' office. In the Headmistress' office, Professor Anderson was retelling the events of the class. Harry, Draco and a few others gave statements as to what happened. Minerva was livid.
"Mr. Weasley, what do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"You're sorry? For that stunt? Why, I have half a mind..." Severus started but Minerva held her hand up to stop him.
"Your actions stemming from this petty, childish jealousy regarding Miss Granger's personal life are absolutely unacceptable and unbecoming of a gentlewizard," Minerva scolded. Severus snorted.
"I uphold Professor Anderson's decision to expel you from his class. In such an important class, there simply cannot be further risk of injury to a student or professor due to an...unstable element," Minerva said.
She thinks I'm unstable? And said it in front of someone else? Ron's face paled in humiliation. "..b-but I need the DADA NEWT for the Aurors," Ron pleaded.
"Oh, you'll take the NEWT, Mr. Weasley, you just won't have the privilege of taking it with the rest of your classmates or reviewing with them. You merely have to submit your NEWT request to the Board of Governors for an independent examination," Severus said.
"I have the forms for you to fill out," Minerva said and held a stack of parchment out to him. "As for your punishment regarding today's transgression...I'll leave it to Professor Anderson."
Ron gulped and looked at the pProfessor.
"One hundred points will be taken from you Mr. Weasley. In addition, I require a five foot essay on the training and history of Aurors, due two days from now. Last, you will serve two weeks detention in the evenings in the iInfirmary. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey has plenty for you to do."
The rest of the day, the gossip around Hogwarts was about the events of DADA class.
"...Weasley's gone round the bend!"
"I hear Granger's in a coma..."
"Did you see the look on the pProfessor's face?"
"It's true then, he fancies her!"
"Never thought Granger had it in her..."
At dinner, Ron found himself alone at Gryffindor table. No one wanted to sit by him. Would he fly off the handle again? No one wanted to be around him if it happened again. Ginny was furious with him, but her rage was tempered by the owl she sent her mother and the howler that was sure to come for Ron. Harry was still in shock over the entire episode.
"After all she's been through, now this," he said.
That night, Ron was folding sheets in the infirmary storage closet when Professor Anderson came in. He spoke quietly to Madame Pomfrey. Ron peeked through the slit in the door. Professor Anderson was holding the largest bouquet of flowers Ron had ever seen.
"Some of Slytherin asked me to deliver these for her," he said.
"That was kind of them," Madame Pomfrey said.
"She's tutored a number of them on occasion, they felt it necessary to return a kindness," he said.
"I'm sure she will appreciate the sentiment," she said.
"How is she?" he asked.
Ron's breath hitched when he saw the Professor run his thumb along her jaw and take her small hand in his. The look of love in the Professor's eyes was unmistakable, even to Ron.
"She will be released in the morning, the swelling was negligible," the nurse said.
He took some vials from his pocket. "Headache potions when she wakes, cherry flavored- her favorite."
"Of course," Madame Pomfrey said, smiling kindly at this most unlikely couple. It was the sweetest thing she had seen in years.
The Professor bent over and kissed Hermione's head. "Good night sweet," he said softly and turned to leave.
"Severus?" the nurse said quietly. He stopped, turned his head and listened. "Just a little while longer, she'll be leaving here soon enough."
"Not soon enough," the Professor quipped and left the iInfirmary.
Ron wasn't sure he heard correctly. Isn't the professor's name Patrick?
The next morning, Severus looked for Hermione's arrival at breakfast. Halfway through, she arrived with Harry and Ginny. Her face looked tired, she walked slower than usual but her eyes were bright and she waved "Hi." to various students around the hall. She gave Severus a quick wink and sat down to eat. She didn't have his class on Thursdays so he would only see her at meals. Her owl arrived with a message for him:
Madame Pomfrey wants to look me over after classes today. Meet you there? H.
He looked to the Gryffindor table. She was talking quietly with Ginny, their heads together, giggling and scheming about something. She glanced at Severus. He patted the note on the table and nodded. Errol, the Weasley family owl crash-landed on the table in front of Ron with a bright red envelope in his beak.
"Some-one's got a how-ler!" Ginny sang.