A/N: First off let me start by saying...I'm sorry. I can't write how Hagrid actually speaks very well. I can imagine it, but for some reason I just can't write it correctly. So Sorry about that. Secondly, Thank you everyone who reviewed. Thank you too everyone adding me to alerts/faves still. I figure I'm averaging only about 18 reviews per chapter, which isn't bad. I know too I have about 400-500 readers per chapter, if not more, which is just awesome. Thanks for reading everyone and please keep reviewing. I love them all.
Special Thanks to Kristine Thorne, my awesome Beta. I'm so glad you are better at catching my mistakes than I am. Glad to see too that they're getting less and less frequent. lol.
Chapter 7
Hermione served her detention and took great pride in showing the nitwit professor that she had indeed been correct with her methods. He made her do a few more potions, which she did all perfectly and with her way of doing them, instead of his.
Which of course was Snape's way, but he didn't know that. They of course were all done more efficiently and faster than his way. He had not been happy to find out that his student was better in potions than he was. Even though he was still convinced that his way was ultimately better. But part of him knew that he was wrong and that she was indeed better. Though he would never admit it, not even in his own mind.
He had pulled her into Dumbledore's office afterward and ranted for a long time about how rude she had been to him. Dumbledore had glanced at Hermione, surprised since he had seen how good of a student she had been in her memories.
After telling the professor he would deal with her and waiting for the man to leave, he turned to her and gave her a look that asked her to explain. She had flushed and apologized for being rude, but let him see for himself how the professor had acted towards her.
After seeing her memory on it, Dumbledore had chuckled. Saying that Hermione had obviously had a very good teacher if she did this well in her classes. Also letting her know that he knew about what she had done in Ancient Runes.
Hermione had flushed again. When he asked how she came about her knowledge, she had paused and not wanted to tell him.
Understanding Dumbledore had backed off, though he did probe a bit and found his answers in her mind. Snape had taught her potions, interesting. It made him wonder if Snape had learned from her only to pass the knowledge back to Hermione as a student in her time, only for her to teach a younger Snape again. The loop would be indefinite if that were the case, meaning she had been destined to come back eventually.
He finally let her go without punishment after making her promise to be more tolerant of his teachers since they didn't possess the same knowledge and skills she obviously did.
Hermione had flushed again and apologized while saying she would do her best. Dumbledore knew she meant what she said and left it with that. After of course saying that should anyone ask, he had taken her to her parents and they had lectured her soundly after he told them what she had done.
Hermione had grinned at him and looked properly chastised when she went to leave. The rest of that week and the following two weeks had been a bit interesting to her.
Snape wasn't avoiding her any longer and was actually talking to her again. She was happy to be able to discuss things with him without the normal sneer he would have given her before she came here. She found he was not only very smart, something she already knew, but he had many interests she hadn't been aware of.
She didn't know he liked gardening with herbs, though being a Potion's Master she should have. He discussed many different plants he tended back home, including their uses.
The more she learned about him, the more she found she liked him. He was like her in many ways. He had a constant thirst for knowledge like she did. He also liked to study like she did. She never would have guessed he worked so hard since he seemed so naturally skilled in all that he did.
It was two weeks before Christmas break and they had an abnormally warm spell of weather. Most of the snow had melted off and the sun was shining. She had decided to take the time to walk around the lake and grounds since it was so nice out.
Walking along, she found a path and took it. It started to head downhill, so doing her best to be careful, she watched each step more than what was in front of her. She ended up tripping on the last few steps down and would have fallen had a large set of arms not caught her.
She looked up and only found she was looking into a man's very wide chest. She stepped back and looked up even higher and found a young but shaggy looking man staring back at her.
It took her a moment to realize who this burly, huge man was since he was so much younger. Hagrid. The name brought an instant smile to her lips. "Thank you for catching me."
The man gave her a friendly, but curious smile in return. Most of the students tried to ignore him or simply avoid him if they saw him. "It's no problem miss. Are you alright?" He asked.
She nodded. "I'm good, thanks. What are you doing out this way?" It wasn't anywhere near his cabin and she had thought he hadn't joined Hogwart's staff until later.
He gave a slight frown. "I had been walking in the woods and followed some prints up this way. I guess I'm not supposed to be here though. I'd hope you won't tell Dumbledore that you saw me though. He might be a wee bit mad if he knew. Private grounds and all."
Hermione paused. Dumbledore wouldn't want Hagrid here? Why not? She had thought Dumbledore liked Hagrid. "I wont say a word. Do you mind if I walk with you? It's a lovely day and I could use some company. I'm Hermione by the way."
Again Hagrid seemed surprised at her question. "Well…I guess it couldn't hurt. Come on then, off we go. You can call me Hagrid."
She noticed he didn't seem as confident as he normally was, though at times he had lacked that very same trait in her time too. She did her best to put him at ease and before long she found herself chatting with him like she always had while he pointed out a few interesting and unusual things.
If he found her odd as well he didn't say anything about it, though he quickly realized she was very smart. They must have walked for a good hour or so when she realized the time. She was going to miss lunch if she wasn't careful. She had actually eaten all of her meals since she'd been here, but she didn't want to start the bad habit again.
"Well, I'd better return to the castle. Do you think you might be out here again another day? I'd love the company." She said.
Hagrid smiled at her. "I'd like that. I'll see what I can do. I'd best be off too. Don't want Dumbledore to be angry at me."
They said their goodbyes and parted ways. She started making the trip back wondering if she would change anything by talking to Dumbledore. She could say she had wandered into the woods and met him there. That wouldn't be part of the grounds, would it?
On her way back, she noticed a bit of a commotion going on. She headed that way and heard a voice shout.
"Snape." James shouted. "Expelliarmus."
She saw from a distance Snape's wand fly from his hand. Heard one of her other friends say, "Nice one James." But she was still too far away to tell which one said it.
She suddenly saw Snape lift into the air and float while hanging upside down as he glared at the three boys. She started running. Pushing students out of her way. She couldn't believe they would do this. She couldn't believe that Harry's father and his friends could be so cruel.
"All right, who wants to see me take off Snivellous' trousers?" James called out to the crowd surrounding them.
She heard the crowd cheering. She pushed in front them all, stepping between James and Snape. "What in the hell do you think you're doing James? Sirius, Remus what are you three thinking?"
She saw Snape was still floating upside down but was looking at her incredulously. He was shocked she was stepping between him and her friends. Not even Lily had ever stood up to James for him.
James looked at her, surprised as well. "Hermione, it's just Snivellous. Why do you care?" She saw Remus and Sirius back off a few steps. Saw Sirius move a bit to the left and she watched him out of the corner of her eye.
"What did he do to you to make you humiliate him like this?" She demanded, not taking her eyes off the three as she used her wand behind her back to break the spell and slowly lower Snape to the ground beside her.
James saw her let him go and narrowed his eyes. Angry that she was siding with Snape. "Hermione, I thought we were friends?"
Hermione glared at him. "I thought we were too. How can you do something so cruel when you all claim to be good people? James you're better than this. Remus…" She glanced his way and saw him blush. "I know for a fact you will regret doing this and any of the other nasty pranks you all have pulled later after you actually grow up. You're a much better guy than this Remus. You're a kind man, a decent man. You, James, are too. Why would you lower yourselves to this level just for a silly prank?"
She turned her head slightly and glared at Sirius, seeing him shrink a bit more off to the left. "Sirius Black, I'm ashamed of you. At all you boys. What kind of example are you setting? What are you going to say to your own kids when they asked what you did during your years in school? Would you want them to torment some poor boy just because they can? James what are you going to tell…"
She trailed off realizing she was about to ask what he was going to tell Harry. But she couldn't know of Harry. He didn't even know of Harry.
He won't be around to tell Harry anything. She pushed the depressing thought away and focused on the situation at hand.
"James, what are you going to tell your son, if and when you have one, when he tells you about some little ferret he tormented at school?" Slipping during her rant and thinking of Draco and all the things they all had wanted to do to him.
She mentally cursed again at the slip. "Are you going to tell him that you and your buddies were nothing but bullies?" She asked, her wand ready to defend against James, if the need arose.
James looked down at his feet. He knew he would never tell his kids of all the horrible things he had done to Snape. He didn't want his own son to act that way. Assuming I have one of course. He thought.
Remus stepped forward and looked over at Snape who was still staring at Hermione in shock. "Sniv…Severus, I'm sorry. She's right. We have been horrible to you. I'm…I'm sorry." He said while looking rather upset at what all he'd done.
Severus still didn't take his eyes off Hermione who was standing right next to him. He heard Lupin's words, but at the moment just couldn't respond to them. No one had ever stood up for him before. Not even Lily in all their years before she got together with James either. Yet Hermione was. She risked alienating her friends to help him. Why would she do that?
Sirius saw Snape looking at Hermione and growled at the look of admiration in the blacked haired git's eyes. He flicked his wand and muttered quickly, sending out a Slug-Vomiting spell to hit Snape.
On instinct and not thinking at all, Hermione lifted and flicked out her other hand to block the green flying hex silently and shielded Snape. Her hand moving so quick that most didn't see it move. Her wand now trained on Sirius as fury filled her eyes. She had been standing right next to Snape. The dope could have hit me instead. I've seen how awful that curse is.
There were several gasps as her hand was still out, casting the shield. Snape's eyes widened when he realized what she had done, what she could do. So far Remus, James, and Lily had been the only one to see her perform the wandless magic and even they hadn't been aware of how strong a spell she could cast that way.
Hermione advanced a step towards Sirius as her other hand still held the shield over Snape. Protecting him, but holding him back from stopping her too.
Her eyes were boiling with rage, a snarl on her lips. "You would throw a hex at him and risk hitting me with how close I was to him? Are you that big of an arse to not even care that a person you supposedly call your friend could have been hurt had you decided to use something else?"
Sirius swallowed nervously as he took in her anger. A bit afraid at seeing her cast magic without a wand even needed to do it. Plus, cast it silently. "Kitten, I didn't…I was just trying to get Snivellous with a Slug-Vomiting hex is all."
Hermione took another step as the rest of the students cleared away from the possible line of fire. "You threw a Slug-Vomiting hex that could have missed or ricocheted off something and hit me? Do you really care so little for your so-called friends? I'd have been puking slugs for hours until it wore off. There is no quick fix for that. Not to mention you simply ignored everything I just said." She raised her wand, ready to cast the first thing she could think of.
James stepped in, moving cautiously towards the extremely angry brunette. "Hermione wait. He didn't mean it. Pads doesn't always think before he does things."
Remus joined in. "Yeah Hermione. He wouldn't have hexed you like that on purpose. Hermione listen to us. You don't want to do anything stupid and get expelled. Sirius, tell her you didn't mean to hex her."
Hermione threw an angry look their way and focused once again on Sirius, giving him her most disgusted glare and making him swallow nervously again. "You make me ashamed at calling you my friend if you could treat someone that carelessly and that horribly. All three of you. Sirius, if you ever raise your wand at me again, meaning to hit me or not, I swear to Merlin your testicles will be painfully removed and forcibly fed to you. One by one."
He nodded, not daring to speak. She opened her mouth again when she heard a familiarly strict female voice behind her. "Ms. G…Brown. You'd best stop right there and come with me. Now."
Hermione knew it was Minerva, but it took a moment to tear her eyes from Sirius's face. She lowered her wand and her hand at the same time, breaking the shielding spell. She instantly felt the drain it had caused to her strength from holding it for so long and she stumbled.
A pair of arms quickly caught her and she turned her head to thank the person when she saw a pair of onyx colored eyes piercing her. She swallowed as she felt a flutter in her belly at the intense stare and straightened again. She gave Snape a small, tired smile for helping her and turned away to face Minerva.
Minerva saw the drained woman and forced herself not to move forward to help her. She was supposed to be angry with her for raising her wand at another student like Hermione had done. She had seen the spell with her hand protecting Snape and it had shocked and amazed the older woman with how powerful Hermione truly was.
Hermione saw the worry in Minerva's eyes and forced her body to move. To take each step that only drained her more until she reached the woman who later would look out for her while Hermione was still a child.
Minerva quirked a brow at her, seeming to ask if she was all right. Hermione gave her a similar tired smile and the two turned to trek back up to the castle.
Once the door closed behind them, Minerva glanced around and not seeing any students, reached out to help support the girl stay on her feet as they walked. Hermione assured her that she was fine and could walk. Hermione just needed a few moments for the drained energy to return. But Minerva insisted while still frowning. The older woman had many questions and was actually a bit upset at what she had seen outside, but decided they could wait until they got to her office.
Once the doors closed, Minerva helped Hermione to a chair. "Child, what on earth were you thinking? Raising your wand to a student? You looked ready to hit him with the killing curse. Isn't it still unforgivable in your time?"
Hermione flushed. "Yes ma'am it is. I wouldn't have used that curse on Sirius. I've seen enough death without adding to the numbers. I don't ever want to have to use that curse again."
Hermione froze at what she had said, her damn over tired brain hadn't let her block the words that popped into her mind from spilling from her mouth. Minerva on the other hand simply stared at her in sympathy.
"You poor child. To be so young and to have seen so much is just terrible. Didn't we protect you students from it at all?" Minerva asked.
Hermione gave her a slight frown. "You tried. But…some things can't be helped."
Minerva smiled sadly. "I'm sorry we didn't do a better job of protecting you all. I know it hasn't happened yet, but I'm still sorry."
Hermione sighed. "I wouldn't have really hurt Sirius. I actually liked him in my time before…" She trailed off again. "I think I should hold off speaking until I'm refreshed again. I might end up saying things I really shouldn't."
Minerva frowned a bit in curiosity. "Did so many people really die? Were so many of your fellow friends…killed?"
Hermione felt tears sting her eyes and slowly nodded. "So many more than I ever thought would. Had I known…I might have at least tried to say goodbye first. Or maybe done something to try and stop it." A tear slipped down her cheek.
Minerva conjured a tissue and handed it to the girl. "Feel like talking about it?"
Hermione shook her head. "I can't. It could change the outcome of it all and we could lose in the end because of it."
Minerva sighed. "Can you not speak of it at all? Maybe it would help things come about differently but still have the same ending."
Hermione blew her nose. "But that's just it. I don't know what little details might just change it all for the worse. But I can tell you we win Minerva. We beat him. I think you know what him I speak of."
Minerva nodded. "But with so many lives lost. Can none of them be spared?"
Hermione shook her head while shrugging softly. "I just don't know. I wish I could save them. My best mate…he…he could have such a better life if some of those that died…well…didn't. But I know that those that died, did so to help him and helped make him a better fighter because of it."
"That's such a large burden to bare alone dear. If you can't talk to me, why not speak to Albus. He might be able to help you." Minerva said.
Hermione sighed with a sad smile slipping out. "The Dumbledore I know would be so angry at me for risking the future by speaking of it."
Minerva smiled. "I know that Albus too. Not much changes, even in twenty years dear."
Minerva straightened. She went to her fireplace and floo'd the hospital wing and stuck her head in it. "Poppy?"
When she saw the medi-witch, Minerva spoke again. "Poppy can I have a vial of Pepper-up potion? I have a student that over taxed her magic."
The medi witch went to her cabinet and pulled out a vial, handing to Minerva through the floo. "Thank you Poppy."
The flames died when the connection broke. Minerva walked over and handed the potion to Hermione. "Drink this dear. You'll feel better."
When the potion kicked in and Minerva saw the fatigue clear from her eyes, she gave the girl a fierce frown. "Now. You raised your wand to a student. Do you realize that is an expelling offense?"
Hermione opened her mouth but Minerva cut her off. "No. The only reason you're not being expelled is that you didn't cast a single harmful spell. I only saw the shielding spell on Mr. Snape. I'm assuming your friends were tormenting him again?"
Hermione nodded. "I'm not sure they're my friends anymore with how they were looking at me. Minerva, I can't lose Remus. He's the only one out of them I have left. I don't know what my life would be like without him in it."
Minerva didn't respond for several moments. She had lost the others. Did that mean she lost Mr. Snape too? "Well then, I would suggest you apologize for what you almost did to Mr. Black."
Hermione's eyes widened. "What? Apologize to him? He could have hit me with that curse. The stupid git just doesn't think. He owes me and Snape an apology."
"Why do you call him Snape?" Minerva asked.
The question threw Hermione off. "W…what?"
Minerva smiled softly. "He's your friend now, which he must be since you shielded him. I'm assuming he is in your time too, so why do you call him Snape when you call the others by name, myself included."
Hermione looked down to the floor, feeling the tightening in her chest again as she remembered that he died too. She didn't want him to die. Minerva saw the sadness in her eyes and knew in that moment that he too was lost to her.
"How did you lose him?" Minerva asked kindly.
Hermione sniffed again. "I…I can't. Besides, he hated me before."
This surprised Minerva. "What? Why?" Seeing how friendly they'd been recently, she would have assumed they always had been friends.
Hermione smiled as the memories hit her. "I annoyed him constantly. He hated that I was his student and always raised my hand to answer every question he tossed out. He called me an insufferable know-it-all. Though he normally sneered the insult."
Minerva was surprised to hear that Snape was a professor and Hermione was his student. "So how did he die? Was it with everyone else, fighting?"
Hermione nodded as she felt the loss again, memories of that night hitting her. Making her see it all again. "Yes. He was…he was killed for what the Dark Lord thought he owned. But in the end it was for nothing. He didn't have it. He didn't own it. He died while I…I couldn't help him. I didn't have the time or the knowledge to do it. He was poisoned and I had no way to cure him of the venom or to stop the major bleeding. I could fix simple cuts, but nothing like that."
Venom? Minerva wondered. Was he poisoned through some kind of venomous creature? "Where did it happen?" Minerva asked.
Lost in her memories, Hermione wasn't fully paying attention. If only I had known what to do. "The shrieking shack. I'm not even sure if he was fully dead when we had to leave him. I don't know if he died alone after we left him. Alone like he had lived his whole life. A life filled with bad things but for a good cause. What a waste. He didn't deserve it. No matter what anyone thought he had done."
Pulling herself out of her thoughts with a shake of her head, Hermione knew she had said way too much. "What is my punishment Minerva?" At seeing the older woman's blank look, Hermione elaborated. "For what I was about to do to Sirius."
Minerva blinked and cleared the questions in her mind. What had Snape done? No. What had everyone thought he had done? Obviously he hadn't really done what they thought he had.
"Oh…well…you didn't really do anything. You didn't hex anyone, you merely threatened to. You did save a student from…what was Sirius about to do anyway?" Hermione shook her head and Minerva shrugged. "Fine. You can go. But I don't want to see you raise your wand to a student again like that."
Minerva turned around, but with a thought she turned back. "Or your hand for that matter either. Where did you learn wandless magic and nonverbal spells anyway?"
Hermione grinned. "You gave me some books on it once. I taught myself from them."
Minerva smiled and let the girl go. When Hermione left Minerva wondered again what everyone thought Snape had done. Was he innocent of the crimes he'd been accused of? If that is the case, I would do well to remember that.
She went to her stone pensieve and pulled the memory out. Storing it in a rack for special memories.
A/N: Okay, I know she changed how the thing with Snape went down..but it's inevitable that a few things would change. Besides,if you were her...would you really just let him hang there? Me neither. lol.
More coming soon, so please leave me your thoughts. Take Care Everyone.