Author's Note: In this chapter, I believe that Hermione gets a little out of character...but I like it nonetheless.
Chapter Two:
"Similarities"
Later on that evening, Hermione sat at the desk in the front of her classroom, waiting for the student who'd been disrespectful during the first class. Typical Slytherin, Hermione thought, Just as arrogant as ever. She was determined to teach the overconfident little witch a thing or two about respect, even if it took all night. Hermione planned on the girl doing lines, but of course not the same as Dolores Umbridge would have. She cringed at the memory of, "I must not tell lies," etched into Harry's hand. The way Umbridge treated him just for trying to save people by telling what was honest, you would have thought he'd spoken blasphemy…but, of course, anything true is blasphemy in the eyes of Dolores Umbridge.
A quiet knock on the door interrupted Hermione's thoughts. Looking up, she bid them to enter and within seconds the heavy door opened to reveal Lauran Courtinger. However, there was something different about her. Her eyes seemed red, as if she'd been crying, and her lip held a small scratch from which she was bleeding. Hermione inquired about her acrimonious appearance, but the girl just simply shook her head in a silent, "No."
Another knock on the door made Hermione jump out of astonishment. Silently making her way to the door, Hermione glanced back at the new child standing in her room. What could have happened to her? What happened to the arrogant attitude of the Slytherin child? Hermione kicked herself for being so quick to judge, this girl could have more problems than she cared to let on and only misbehaved for attention. Yes, that must be it, Hermione concluded. The knock sounded again, reminding her that another person requested her audience. Finally reaching the door, Hermione opened it just a tad so that she might get a peek at who was behind it. To her surprise she saw:
"Ron! What on Earth are you doing here?"
The red-head, freckled-face man laughed and embraced her in a friendly hug that seemed to last a little longer than was considered polite. He noticed the girl in the room, and asked, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
Hermione shook her head saying, "No, I was just about to begin her detention."
Ron looked bewildered, "Merlin, Hermione! It's the first day of classes and you've already gave someone detention! That's like…like…like Umbridge!"
Hermione spun around to face him, her eyes were narrow and for a fleeting moment his mind drifted to a vulture about to attack it's prey. Cautiously, he took a few steps back and waited for the bomb to go off.
"Umbridge?! You dare to compare me to that filthy, ungrateful toad? I am nothing like her! I do not use unjust, medieval torture methods as punishment for my students! How dare you accuse me of ever being close to similar to the self-centered, egotistical rat that she is!"
The room was silent. Ron and Lauran stood quietly, as if expecting more anger and more yelling. Instead, however, Hermione simply waltzed into her office and slammed the door. More silence welcomed the pair as time went on. Lauran was amazed at how quickly her professor could get enraged. And who in the world is Umbridge? When Lauran sensed the danger had passed, she slowly walked up to the man her professor had called, "Ron." Looking up at him with her brown eyes, she asked, "Is she always like that?"
Slipping out of the office, Hermione watched the pair in front of her jump at her calm answer, "Only when Ron is being an ignorant git."
Looking at the faces of her audience, which she had to admit were amusing enough to forget her unexplained anger, Hermione reevaluated the situation. Maybe, she had gone overboard with her response to the Umbridge comment, but one cannot change what was said in the past. One can only change what will be said in the future. Also amused by her philosophical ranting that only herself was able to hear, she began to laugh. Within moments, Ron and Lauran joined in. Hermione could only imagine what the sight might look like to a passerby, which only made her laugh harder. Finally, when she could no longer breathe from laughing, she signaled for the two in attendance to quiet down.
"Alright, Lauran. We should begin your detention now," she said between long, deep breaths.
Lauran's face sunk, but she nonetheless obeyed. At the order given by Hermione, she began to write the lines instructed. As she did so, Ron and Hermione made small talk, which, being the two had been best friends for twelve years, lead to a long conversation about random events from their memories. After their "trip down memory lane," Ron started to look at Lauran with curiosity etched into his face. Of course, Hermione inquired why.
His voice was low when he responded, so as not to be heard by anyone other than whom he intended, "She looks like you, she writes like you do. What if…"
"Oh, Ronald! Stop it! You know just as well as I do that there is no way it is possible!"
Ron rolled his eyes, "It is not impossible. It is very possible!"
"Ron, just drop it. She is not my daughter, end of discussion."
***
The next day in Charms class, the students began to learn the "Swish and Flick" technique so that they may be able to cast the Wingardium Leviosa spell and make something levitate in the air. One poor student had already managed to send his wand flying across the room, right past the brainy professor and into the wall where it miraculously wedged itself between two of the centuries old bricks. The class roared out in laughter and the boy shrank down into his seat from embarrassment. Hermione simply smiled and said, "Accio Trevor's wand," and it un-wedged itself and flew right into her expecting hand. At which time, she handed the wand back to it's owner, smiled and bid him be careful.
"Let's not decapitate someone, shall we?"
After the "Wand Incident" a group of about six Slytherin girls began snickering over a piece of paper held tightly in the hands a chubby girl. The chubby girl was waving the paper and it's contents in front of the face of none other than Lauran Courtinger. Lauran's face was bright red and she kept swiping her head away from the paper whenever the chubby girl would shove it in her face. With the same ferocity, the chubby girl shoved it in her face each time. Now Hermione understood Lauran's appearance the night before and her behavior the day before: she was an outcast in the noble house of Slytherin; which, among Slytherins, was not tolerated. Hermione sighed, she could only allow so many disruptions in one day.
"Girls!"
As if they'd just been pricked with needles, all six girls hurried back to their seats, pretending to have not been doing a thing. Hermione was wiser than they gave her credit for. Walking up to the chubby girl, who was now attempting to hide the paper under her large bottom, Hermione gave all six a stern eye. She held her hand out, demanding the paper. The chubby girl refused.
Hermione smiled and said, "Well, since I have a group of troublemakers in my classroom, I suppose I'll just have to give the punishment I see fit. Twenty points from Slytherin…each," she reminded herself an awful lot like her old transfiguration professor, "And unless you, dear, hiding the paper, would like to hand it over, I will also take another thirty."
All Slytherins in the classroom stared at her in horror. One hundred and fifty points taken for a simple outburst? Didn't she understand that they were the privileged house? Hermione chuckled to herself almost guessing their thoughts, It was about time someone taught them they can't always have their way. Glancing around, almost as if she was asking her fellow students what she should do, the chubby girl reluctantly handed her professor the paper she'd had and then began to sulk. Though she'd saved thirty of their points, they still had lost one hundred and twenty and it was only the second day of classes!
Hermione took the paper from her hands and read the contents to herself:
I, Lauran Anastasia Courtinger, love Vladmir Lucius Malfoy. I hope that he can accept me for who I am, a filthy, ungrateful, magic-stealing and undeserving Mudblood.
She could almost not believe what she had read. Could this generation really be this harsh? Eyes narrowing over the part that hit a little close to home, she dismissed all her class except the six girls and Lauran. Once all the students were outside of the classroom, Hermione began, "Who wrote this? Go on, tell me. I ought to take all of Slytherin's House Points for the filthy words on this paper! So, no one wants to come clean? Detention! All of you, except Miss Courtinger. Out of my classroom! Oh, Lauran, dear, could you please stay, however."
Lauran obeyed and sat in the chair in front of Hermione's desk. Hermione sat in the chair behind it. She offered the girl some tea, which she refused. Hermione sighed, what a difficult situation indeed, "Lauran, do you have any idea what this might be about?"
The young girl stared at her feet for a minute, carefully selecting her words, "They found my diary last night. In it, I said that my parents are muggles and that I fancy Vladmir. I suppose they decided they wanted to joke me for not being a proper Slytherin."
Hermione's heart reached out to the girl, "Well, first of all…No one can make you feel inferior without your permission. If you do not let them get to you, they will stop; not immediately, but they will stop. Secondly, are you sure that you should have interest in Vladmir? He's not exactly what you call a good influence, and neither is his family."
"I know all of this. And as for his family, he's different. He doesn't treat me the way all the other Slytherins do," she sighed, "It's like I'm an outcast and I don't belong. I think I'd do a lot better in Hufflepuff."
Hermione sighed again, "Lauran, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. For example, look at Lucius Malfoy, Vladmir's father. He was a Death Eater, someone who followed the most evil wizard ever, Lord Voldemort. And then his first born son, Draco? Well, most wizards and witches have strong reason to believe he also is Death Eater, but not enough evidence was ever accumulated to prove that theory. Though Voldemort is dead, there are still Death Eaters out there. Lucius is in Azkaban because of it, and Draco would be if he could be found, as there's speculation that he might be working to become the next 'Dark Lord.' You need to realize that one day, Vladmir may also become a Death Eater...if he already isn't."
"Who are you to judge him based off of his family? You don't even know him? What are you? My mother," her eyes narrowed, "I don't have to listen to you! You're just out to get all Slytherins and because I'm one, you're out to get me!"
Lauran stormed from the room. Hermione let out a very exasperated sigh. That girl really got on her nerves at times. And at times she appeared to be an exact replica of Hermione. Maybe Ron was right, Hermione almost slapped herself for be so hopeful. Once again, she had to stop herself from hoping, from wishing.
Final Author's Note: When Hermione was lecturing the girls about the paper, she reminded me a little bit of Molly Weasley when she was lecturing her sons for stealing the car to rescue Harry.