AN: Wow, I got so many reviews for the last chapter - you guys are incredible! Also, some of you will already know that I will often reply to reviews, especially if they are particularly long or interesting, so I try to make it a two way communication between myself and my readers. Anyway, I know you're all excited for the next chapter with a little Hermione-Umbridge exchange and then some more Snape (just because he can't go to long without dropping by ;) ) so here it is. Happy reading...
"Finnegan – Acceptable." Umbridge's sickly sweet voice rang out to the whole class as she slapped Seamus' test paper down on his desk. Next, she waddled her way over to where Hermione sat. Her toad-like face looked down at her with a self-satisfied smile. "Granger – Acceptable." The smile on her puffy face grew as she watched Hermione's expression change to outrage. Hermione tried to control her despair, she was sure that her paper would have gotten at least an Exceeds Expectations mark. As the podgy professor walked away Ron leaned over and whispered encouragingly. "Don't mind what that old bitch says, Hermione. I bet it's much better than what she's put." Hermione could only give a half-hearted smile in response as Umbridge called out the next name.
"Goyle – Exceeds Expectations." Goyle looked like someone had just given him a palace made of chocolate, judging by the ridiculous grin on his face. Umbridge gave him an indulgent smile, like that of a mother who refuses to believe her son is the school bully even though she's seen it in the playground.
Meanwhile, Hermione's anger had built in a slow crescendo until Goyle's grade had burst the pipe.
"Are you kidding me?" Hermione exclaimed loudly to the room at large. Umbridge turned her bloated face on her and said sweetly, "Miss Granger, please do not interrupt my class. If you have a problem with your grade please raise your hand or see me after the lesson." She turned back to handing out papers but was again disturbed by Granger's disgruntled voice.
Hermione now spoke with one hand extended in the air, but she continued her complaint regardless. "Damn right I've got a problem with my grade. There is no bloody way Gregory Goyle – a guy who struggles to spell his own name – could have gotten a higher grade than me on this paper!"
Harry and Ron partly felt that they should stop Hermione before she fell down the hole she was digging, but at the same time they were so in awe of her defiance that they couldn't bring themselves to cut her wings mid-flight.
"Miss Granger – " Umbridge started in an annoyed, whiny tone.
"No. Don't 'Miss Granger' me." Hermione interrupted. "All bloody year I've had to deal with people getting better grades than me because you don't like where I come from. I could deal with Malfoy – I mean, he might be an ignorant, prejudiced son of a bitch, but at least he's not stupid. But Goyle? Seriously? The guy is a world class, first grade moron. I'm amazed that he's even developed enough language to communicate effectively with normal people. He's really quite an extraordinary specimen of his kind." Hermione continued sarcastically. "I'm surprised the ministry haven't already taken him in for testing."
"Enough!" Umbridged shrieked. "Detention, Granger! For the rest of the week. Then maybe we'll see if you think you're so much better than everybody else."
Hermione grit her teeth. She knew she was in for a world of pain now, but she couldn't help but think it was worth it. As she left the class that day, despite all the trouble she had brought on herself, Hermione wore a small, satisfied smile.
Hermione was feeling a lot less proud of herself by the end of the week. After her final detention on Friday evening, Hermione walked desolately through the echoing corridors of Hogwarts back to the common room, trying to stop herself from rubbing her stinging right hand. Now that her anger had ebbed, Hermione was left with only a feeling of disappointment in herself that she had snapped like she did. Before the events of this summer, Hermione would never have lost control in a situation like the one in Umbridge's class. She had faced worse ridiculing before; from Malfoy and Snape, but she had always risen above it. Hermione sighed heavily as she finally acknowledged to herself that what she had discovered about Severus Snape had affected her more deeply than she wanted to believe.
Harry and Ron were waiting for her in the common room with a bowl of Murtlap Essence when she returned, just as they had been every night this week. On the first night it had taken every power of persuasion Harry and Hermione possessed to stop Ron from marching straight to Umbridge's office and hitting her with a stinging hex. They were engaged in a 45 minute debate before Harry finally said to Ron, "Don't you see that if we go running to complain about this then Umbridge will know that she's won? We can't show any weakness to her. We have to be strong." Hermione nodded her solemn agreement.
Ron let out a huff of frustration. "I still don't see why you can't tell your parents about this, Hermione."
"Ron, my parents are muggles. They have no influence in the magical world."
"McGonagall then?"
"Has no authority over Umbridge."
"Dumbledore?"
"Can't be seen to go against the Ministry."
Ron huffed again. "Fine."
Tonight, Hermione gave them both her most reassuring smile. "Here." Harry offered her the Murtlap Essence.
"Thanks guys, but I'm really tired. I think I'm just going to go up to bed."
"Are you sure? You should really treat your hand."
"Nah, it's fine, really. I'll see you both tomorrow, ok? Night."
"Night." The boys replied together, not at all sure that their friend was as fine as she said she was.
Up in her dorm, with her curtains drawn, Hermione let her mask fall. A few tears escaped her eyes as she realised just how drained she was from the week. Hermione had stayed up late and gotten up early in order to do the work that she was unable to do whilst in detention. Now Hermione felt more down-trodden, defeated and weak than she had ever felt before. She looked at the back of her hand which now read the bloody words: I will respect my superiors.
Hermione hadn't missed the underlying message in the words. There was a reason that Umbridge had chosen the word "superiors" instead of "teachers" or "authority". "Superiors" in Umbridge's distorted head meant those of magical heritage; purebloods. Umbridge was subtly telling Hermione that she should know her place. That a mudblood like her, should never forget that she wasn't as worthy as a pureblood like Malfoy or Gregory Fucking Goyle.
Hermione hated her. She hated Umbridge and Malfoy and Goyle and any other pureblooded bastard who thought they were better than her just because of where she came from. Hermione was proud of her background and she was proud to be the daughter of her muggle parents.
Hermione fell asleep with that thought in her head; she loved her parents and they loved her.
The next morning Hermione awoke feeling much better. She had spent an enjoyable morning with Harry and Ron and wasn't even dreading her detention with Snape that much. Her detentions over the past few weeks had become a lot more bearable as Snape had allowed her to start brewing potions again, something she still wasn't permitted to do in class, in order to prepare for her OWLs. She was also pleased that his intrusive questioning had stopped. He now allowed her to complete her detentions in near absolute silence and was only disconcerted when she looked up from her work to find him staring straight back at her.
Hermione knocked on the potions classroom door and was permitted inside.
"You will be completing the potion that your classmates did yesterday. The instructions are on the board." Snape said as he moved about the room, appearing to be rearranging his shelves of books, potions and equipment.
At some point as Hermione was cutting ingredients, Snape gravitated towards her to inspect her work.
"Miss Granger, what have you done to your hand?"
"What? Nothing." Hermione said, quickly hiding her hand in her sleeve.
"Granger," Snape drawled dangerously, moving around her desk to stand next to her. "Show me your hand."
"No, it's nothing, really Professor – just a scratch."
Snape's already limited patience ran out and he reached forward, snatched Hermione's wrist and brought her hand up to eye level for his inspection. His jaw twitched as he saw the raw mess on the back of her hand. Some scratch, Severus scoffed internally. His eyes narrowed further as he read the engraving written in Hermione's recognisable script into her own skin.
Severus raised his eyes to Hermione's and drawled nastily, "It appears I'm not the only one who has a problem with your attitude towards members of staff."
Hermione scowled. "I don't think it was really 'members of staff' to whom she was referring." She bit back.
Severus understood instantly. Everyone knew that Dolores was prejudiced against muggle-borns and half-breeds and the carving she had made in Granger's skin was testament to it. Severus felt sick to his stomach but merely nodded sharply and dropped Granger's wrist as he turned away.
"Sit down. You need to soak your hand in Murtlap Essence." Snape said as he walked towards the store cupboard.
"No, really, I'm fine. I'll just carry on with the potion." Hermione said, picking her knife back up to continue preparing her ingredients.
Snape was back almost instantaneously, Murtlap Essence in hand. He swiftly removed the knife from Hermione's grasp and growled, "You will not be brewing whilst you are injured. Now sit."
His tone of voice and the dangerous look in his eye told Hermione that he was not to be argued with and she promptly obeyed. Severus pulled up a chair and sat opposite her on the other side of the desk, placing the Murtlap Essence between them.
"Hand." He commanded and then took it in his own as Hermione offered the damaged limb. In silence, the professor took cotton wool, dipped it into the ointment and then started applying it to the bloody words on the back of Hermione's hand.
"What did you do?" Snape suddenly asked quietly.
"Excuse me?"
"What did you do to get this punishment from Umbridge?"
"Oh. I…may have called Goyle a first grade, world class moron and I may also have insinuated that he couldn't spell his own name." Severus scowled. "Oh and I also called Malfoy an ignorant, prejudiced son of a bitch – but really that's just fact." Hermione said with more attitude.
Sanpe's look darkened. "Did it ever occur to you to keep your mouth shut?" He said sharply. "Do you not appreciate the power that woman now has in this school?"
Hermione didn't bother to reply and they fell into silence again.
After another minute or so, Snape spoke again. "Have you told your parents about this yet?"
Hermione scoffed. "No, of course not. I'm not telling them anything about this."
"Don't be ridiculous, girl." Snape growled. "This goes beyond whatever tiff you may have with your parents. You will write to them this evening." He stated.
Hermione snatched her hand out of Snape's grasp. "No, I won't. This has nothing to do with me not speaking to my parents. I'm not going to tell them because they're muggles and there is sod all they can do about it. At the end of the day all they could do is remove me from Hogwarts and I'm not going to let that happen."
Severus sneered. "Regardless, I imagine Professor McGonagall will have already informed them. It's her duty as your head of house."
"As far as I'm aware, McGonagall doesn't know anything about this."
"McGonagall doesn't know?" Severus said in disbelief.
"Well one of the others may have gone to her I suppose, but I know she hasn't heard about it from me or Harry."
Severus looked straight into Hermione's eyes as he spoke slowly. "Are you saying that you are not the first person Professor Umbridge has used a blood quill on?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. She first used it on Harry right at the beginning of the year."
Severus' jaw clenched. "She did this to Potter?"
Hermione nodded. "She was more brutal with him though. Harry's hand will forever bear the words "I must not tell lies.""
"Why didn't he tell anyone?"
"Who exactly did he have to tell? You know how much power Umbridge has here. There was nothing McGonagall could do. Then there's Dumbledore who won't even look at Harry. So who exactly was he supposed to go to?"
"He has family." Severus insisted.
"That's such bullshit!" Hermione raised her voice. "You've seen his memories for God's sake! When are you going to accept that his so-called relatives don't give a damn about him?"
"He could have gone to the mutt." Severus hissed back.
"Now you're just being ridiculous. If Sirius were to find out, he would hunt Umbridge down and make her pay. Then the aurors would capture him and Sirius would be subject to the dementors' kiss without even getting a trial." Hermione drew in a long breath. "Harry would never risk that. Sirius is all the family he has."
Severus was silent again. She was right, he acknowledged; neither she nor Harry had any one they could tell who could stop Umbridge.
"Give me your hand." Severus said after a few moments. Hermione hesitated but then she placed her stinging hand on the desk between them. Severus picked it up and resumed carefully dabbing at the cuts. Hermione winced slightly as the cotton wool made contact with her open wounds, though Snape's hands were gentle.
"How many others has she done this to?"
Hermione shrugged. "I'm not sure. Not many. I know Lee Jordan had one detention with her where she used the quill. So far she's only picked on muggle-born students – or at least muggle-raised." Hermione added, wincing internally as the very phrase reminded her of her own situation.
Severus nodded solemnly. Umbridge wasn't completely stupid; she would only go this far with students who had no one with any power that they could tell.
When Severus was done applying the Murtlap Essence he summoned a small bandage to wrap around Hermione's hand.
"You don't have to do that." She said, trying to pull her hand away. He only held on to her hand tighter and growled, "Be quiet."
"Why do you even care?" She said in a stroppy tone of voice, as Snape wrapped the white cloth around her fingers.
"I can assure you Miss Granger, I don't." He drawled.
"Good." Hermione chirped back while Snape tied up the loose ends of the bandage.
When Hermione had her newly soothed hand back, Severus stood up and walked to his own desk. "Miss Granger, you may leave."
Hermione was taken aback. "But what about my detention?"
Snape turned around to face her slowly. "Miss Granger, with your current injury you cannot brew potions, you cannot write lines and you cannot scrub cauldrons. I therefore have no use of you. Now get out and be here promptly next week." With that he started marking a 2nd year essay and didn't raise his head again until the girl was gone.
AN: That's all for today guys, thanks for reading. Please do review with your thoughts and opinions, they're always appreciated, good or bad. Seriously, I get giddy with excitement when I see a review in my inbox! In the next chapter, Snape crosses a line...