After scanning the crowd silently, pausing to focus on the face of Draco Malfoy, and continuing to gaze at the glass and other materials that were strewn upon the stone floor, he uttered a single word in the most deadly of tones.
'Dismissed.'
He did not have to tell the students twice. Everyone scurried like mad to gather their belongings and tore out of the classroom in record speed.
Everyone except for Draco Malfoy.
Draco had taken his time gathering his belongings, pausing to pluck a stray piece of dust from his potions text, smiling smugly to himself the entire time. As luck would have it, he was the last to leave. With his back turned, strutting towards the exit door of the classroom, Severus Snape addressed the Slytherin boy.
'What in God's name do you think you are doing?' he asked in a low tone, the fury unmistakable in his voice.
Draco paused in his tracks. Chuckling to himself, he turned around.
'Merely having some...fun, Professor. That Mudblood really needs to know when to lighten up. I dare say that her offspring will have a devil of a time with no built-in sense of humor,' he added, a grin spread clear across his face.
Severus walked slowly towards him.
'Do not ruin the plan, Draco. If you do, all of this will have been for naught. All of it. The Dark Lord needs her...intact. Stable,' he added, still keeping eye contact with the boy.
Severus then turned his back on the young Slytherin and began to walk slowly towards his desk, picking up a stray poppy flower on one of the desks before him. While his back still turned toward Draco, he spoke quietly.
'She is dangerous, Draco. Powerful. It would be wise for you to be careful. She is unpredictable these days...one doesn't know just how much she is capable of...' he added, stroking the petals of the red colored poppy ever so delicately.
The smile was wiped from Draco's face immediately and a scowl was put in its place.
'Dangerous? She's just a stupid Mudblood who will serve her purpose...you can't possibly mean-' and before Draco could finish, Severus spun around on his heels to look at the boy.
'She is powerful, Draco. Do not underestimate her. The Dark Lord has sensed that she has calmed a bit, but provoking her...Draco, I would be careful if I were you,' he stated looking down at the Slytherin with a solemn look of upon his face.
Draco thought for a moment, eyes scanning the floor. All of a sudden, he smiled. A very dry smile.
'Yes, but Professor - the plan is working, isn't it? That filthy Mudblood won't stand a chance-'
But before Draco could finish, a sound from the back of the classroom had startled them both. The figured that had entered the room coughed and began to stutter at the sight of two pairs of eyes glaring back at him.
'I...um...I uh just...just forgot my quill that's all...sorry to disturb,' he added, backing out of the Potions Classroom slowly. Once out of the classroom, he bolted like mad up the moving staircases all the way to the hospital wing. Out of breath and sweating slightly, the figure passed Madame Pomfrey who was exiting the hospital wing to speak to the Headmistress waiting outside of the Infirmary. Both women nodded silently to the boy, as he entered the hospital wing.
He stopped right in front of Hermione's cot where she lay on her left side, Harry seated directly in front of her stroking her hand.
Harry's eyes snapped up to look at the visitor. His eyes quickly narrowed at the sight of him, and he immediately knew that look that he saw before him.
'What's wrong, Ron?' Harry asked, face full of worry.
'I'm starting to think that Snape may have been the wrong choice for secret keeper,' Ron said quietly, looking at both Harry and Hermione.
'You will not believe what I just heard,' and the redhead promptly scooted a chair over to where Harry sat, and began to tell them both exactly what he had just heard.