Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait. This past month has been pretty awful; my current attending is an arrogant jerk and I've felt nothing but stress all month long. I even broke out in a rash! But that could've been from the handsoap too. I've been getting constant headaches all month. I think it's from the constant anger and being forced to reign in my temper far more than usual, which has led to my temper being even shorter. On the plus side, however, there's only one day left! Squee! Also, I passed my national board exams! Hooray! I'm starting a more difficult (but much more fun and pleasant) rotation next month. Yay!
Please review, and I'll do my utmost to respond to them. You want me to have a smile on my face when I'm at work, right? Or at least attempt to have a smile there. Anyway, pretty please review.
Hermione threw her pen down and buried her face on her arms. This sucks! she thought angrily. No matter how much she knew she deserved it, she didn't like being punished.
"I'll have none of that, Hermione," Snape said, stepping into the kitchen with a few books in his hands. "Do it again, and you'll be using a quill, not a Muggle pen."
"Yes, sir," Hermione mumbled.
He set the books in front of her. "I thought these might help." She nodded, picking one up and browsing through it. They were human physiology books that explained how Blood Replenishing Potion and Blood Clotting Potion affected the body.
She stared at the blank parchment, trying to devise a way out of her punishment. A light-bulb went off. "Uncle Sev?" she said innocently.
"Yes?"
"What if I don't finish the essay today?"
"You'll wipe the books before you go to bed and I'll remove the charm only from the ones you're using to write the essay. Then after you wake up tomorrow morning, you can start from where you left off and sit there until you finish. Then when you're finished, you'll wipe these books as well."
"Oh," she said quietly.
"I suggest you continue working." He left the room.
Hermione sighed, and forced herself to put pen to paper. Why I Shouldn't Have Done What I Did, she wrote in abnormally large letters across the top of the parchment.
"Oh by the way," Snape said, poking his head back in, "I expect your handwriting to be normal-sized."
Hermione groaned. There goes that idea, she thought miserably. She stared at her parchment, sighed, and finally put pen to parchment, hoping he would excuse the title.
The first thing I did wrong was that I did not do my research properly. If I had, I would have known that Blood Replenishing Potion needed to be taken with Blood Clotting Potion as well. This is because the Blood Replenishing Potion is only designed to increase the amount of oxygen that gets to the body. In the human body, red blood cells bring oxygen to all of the organs and muscles in the body. Oxygen is required for everything to function property. Therefore, if there were no red blood cells, or not enough red blood cells, the body could not get enough oxygen and would start to die.
An example of how this process works is a heart attack. In a heart attack, a blood clot blocks off an artery in the heart stopping the blood from getting to the heart. When part of the heart stops getting blood, it also stops getting oxygen. When there has not been enough oxygen for a long enough period of time, that part of the heart dies.
Blood Replenishing Potion also helps stop blood clots from forming. That is why people who have had a heart attack take it after their heart attack. Blood forms clots through a long process using many different chemicals. Some of these chemicals are called "factors." Some factors are dependent on Vitamin K. The Blood Replenishing Potion also stops the factors that need Vitamin K from forming, making bleeding easier. This is the reason that...
Hermione paused. She hated this part. But she forced herself to continue anyway.
This was the reason that I formed so many bruises. Usually when people take too much Blood Replenishing Potion, they bleed inside their bodies, especially in their intestines. That is another reason why my plan went awry. Bleeding there in the intestines in can be very deadly.
These problems can be avoided by taking a Blood Clotting Potion. The Blood Clotting Potion replaces the factors that need Vitamin K, allowing blood to clot normally,
The reason—as far as I can tell—that I passed out was that I look too much Blood Replenishing Potion. It started to cause the little blood vessels in my skin, called capillaries, to burst which caused the bruises. At first, the bruises started healing because my blood could still clot on its own, but after a few days, there was too much Blood Replenishing Potion for it to clot. I started losing too much blood to my skin (and possibly other places that were unknown to me) and I was not able to get blood to my body and brain well enough, which caused me to pass out. Had I known about the Blood Clotting Potion, I would not be sitting here.
Hermione smiled to herself, hoping Snape would catch his quote. She measured the parchment. Still only a foot-and-a-half, including the title. She sighed; she would still have to analyze her own behavior.
Taking the Blood Replenishing Potion was also wrong because of my intentions for it. I was trying to stop Professor Snape from being my guardian, but it was a way that would have gotten him in trouble in the Muggle world. He could have gone to Muggle jail or lost his job at Hogwarts if he had been accused of abusing me. I would not want either of those things to happen.
I also used Professor Snape's private Potions lab to brew the Blood Replenishing Potion. On my first day here, he told me very clearly that I was not to go into it. It was also included separately in the rules that we agreed on a few nights later. I chose to disobey that rule, and that was wrong.
While I was in his lab, I used his powdered unicorn horn and rattlesnake fangs without his permission. I also went into his ingredients cupboard without permission. I knew already that stealing, including borrowing without asking first, was wrong. Also, the fact that the rattlesnake fangs were password protected should have told me that the ingredient was dangerous, and probably beyond my level of knowledge.
I also lied to Professor Snape about why my Potions equipment was out on my bed to hide my plan. Not only is lying clearly against the rules we agreed on, but I knew it was wrong as well. It breaks trust, and after trust is lost, it is hard to earn back.
Hermione paused as guilt swam in her stomach. This part would be the hardest to write, but it was also the most necessary.
My entire plan was also disrespectful and mean. Although I came up with it because, at first, Professor Snape did not want me here as much as I did not want to be here, I should have stopped the moment I started feeling guilty about it. I knew it was wrong from the start, but the amount of guilt I felt should have stopped me sooner. I ignored the guilty feelings and the nice things that Professor Snape had done since I had implemented my plan. I did not think that Professor Snape cared. I did not consider his feelings, and for that I am most sorry. I did not consider that he (you) might feel hurt by my actions, and all I can say is I'm sorry.
She sighed, the guilt slightly releasing its hold on her intestines. She steeled herself to write the last part.
I have also been asked to include the reasonable consequences for my actions, although I consider the current ones more than enough.
1. If I go into the Potions lab again, I should have to clean all the dirty cauldrons for a week.
2. If I use ingredients without permission again, I should have to repay to replace the ingredients by doing suitable jobs.
3. If I lie again, I should be grounded for a week with extra chores.
Two more? she thought, groaning. Coming up with her own punishments was awful! He'll probably consider them on the future too. But then she had a stroke of genius.
4. If any of the above are repeated, an additional week of grounding with extra chores may be added. During the school year, I should have to move back here instead for a week.
Hermione hoped that would suffice.
5. If I am disrespectful again, I should have to attend a remedial course in manners to remind me of how to behave in the future.
Hermione scratched a quick "I'm sorry" at the bottom and signed her name. She rolled up the parchment, stood up, stretched, and went to find Snape. After checking the living room, she knocked on his bedroom door.
"Come in!" Snape called.
She walked in and saw him sitting on his bed. "I finished my essay," she said quietly, eyes downcast.
He nodded, setting his book aside. "Bring it to me," he commanded. She handed it to him and he began reading it. His heart softened as he read the last paragraph, and he had to suppress a chuckle at her last consequence.
He turned to her when he finished. "Thank you," he said, setting the parchment on top of his book. He grimaced, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. "Let's get the rest of this over with."
A crestfallen look briefly passed over the girl's face before she replaced it with one of determination and bravado. They went into the living room. He took out his wand. "Make a line with your wand from left to right. The charm is 'Aletras'," he told her. She nodded her understanding. "Very well," he said. "Go on."
She dropped the bravado for a moment. "Please don't..."
"No," he replied sternly, cutting off her request. He softened his tone, and placed a hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "It'll be best if you just get it over with instead of holding off the inevitable."
The look of bravado returned, and she shook off his hand. She held her wand in the air and drew a line from left to right. "Aletras," she enunciated bravely, unable to hide the slight quiver in her voice. In front of their eyes, all of the book titles disappeared, leaving only the odd letter on a few spines at the other end of the room.
Snape looked at the shelves, amazed at the power of her first try. He looked back at her. Tears hung in her eyes as she met his gaze. He went to pat her shoulder, but before he could, she fled to her bedroom.
Snape sighed, and repeated the charm, erasing the last of the letters. He knew she was most upset about this part of her punishment and she needed time to sulk, but something still seemed amiss to him. Maybe Aunt Min will know, he thought. He tossed some Floo Powder into his fire and asked if he could speak with her.
"I'll come over in a half hour," she replied.
Promptly thirty minutes later, Snape heard a knock at his door. Professor McGonagall walked through as soon as he opened it.
"Did you talk to her?" she asked Snape.
"Yes," he replied, "but I'm still not sure what's wrong."
She looked at him appraisingly. "Why don't we go in the kitchen and you can tell me about it?" He nodded and followed her into the kitchen. "Mitzy?" she called.
A female house elf wearing the Hogwarts tea towel appeared with a crack. "Yes, Professor McGonagall, ma'am?" she asked in a squeaky voice. "How is I helping you today?" She looked over at Snape. "Oh, Master Severus!" she cried. "I hasn't seen you in a long time!"
"Hello, Mitzy," he said tiredly.
"Is you wanting to be called 'Professor Snape'? Is you wanting to tell Mitzy what's wrong?"
"Severus is fine from you, Mitzy, like I've said before. And thank you, but no, I'd rather not talk about it."
"Yes, sir, Master Severus, sir. But Mitzy is here if you need her."
"Thank you, Mitzy," Professor McGonagall said crisply. "Would you please get us some tea with milk and sugar? And something for supper at six-thirty?"
"Yes, ma'am, Professor McGonagall, ma'am. Will you be wanting some for Miss Hermione too?"
"For tea, no. But please make sure there is something there for supper for her. Thank you."
"Yes, ma'am, Professor McGonagall, ma'am." Mitzy disappeared and a tea tray appeared only a moment later and had an extra plate of shortbread cookies.
"I guess someone thinks you need some cheering up," Professor McGonagall said, smiling as Snape's eyes lit up as he reached for a cookie. She poured the tea and handed him a cup. "So what happened?"
Snape told her the story up until she ran into her room. "I guess she's still sulking in there," he said as he finished his story. He dropped his head into his hands.
Professor McGonagall nodded. "I see," she said, "but I'm not sure what the problem is. I know you wouldn't have expected her to be happer about her punishment, and you seem to have done everything right. Well, except her punishment is a little harsh."
He looked up, shocked. "Aunt Min, you would've been a lot harder if it was me! I seem to remember losing my books for a month after blowing up my first batch of Wolfsbane Potion! And that was after cleaning and fixing the basement without magic!"
"I know," she replied, a smile on her face and a slightly mischievous glint in her eye. "But now I'm not the parent, so I can say that." He glared at her. "Oh, don't look at me like that! That look only works on your students!" Her expression became serious again. "What is it exactly that's bothering you, though?"
He sighed, throwing himself back in his chair defeatedly. "The look on her face after I set her essay down. She looked as if she'd been slapped. But it only lasted for a moment before she hid it. I don't even know why it's bothering me!"
Professor McGonagall took a sip of her tea. "What did you say after reading it? You didn't just throw it in the fire like you do with detention essays or lines?"
"No. The detention essays are different. Usually, I'm trying to show the students just how stupid their actions were, and therefore how worthless I find the essay. But I wanted her to analyze what went wrong with her potion and I wanted her to give me some consequences that she thought were appropriate. I wanted to see how she thinks."
"What did you say after you read it?"
"'Thank you.' And then I said that we should wipe the books and get it over with. By the way, she's incredibly powerful. Hardly any letters were left in any of the titles."
"I told..."
"Please don't say it, Aunt Min. I know I should've listened to you last year."
Professor McGonagall smiled for a moment, but then looked at him hard. "That's all you said?"
"Yes. After wiping the books she ran into her room. I thought she just wanted some time alone, but that look was bothering me, so I called you."
"And you didn't say anything more?"
"No, I thought she'd want to be alone to sulk. I thought that was normal?"
"It is, but I don't think that's what's bothering her."
"Then what is?"
"I'm not certain, but I have some ideas." A tray with plates of food appeared on the table. "Why don't you get Hermione and then we can eat supper?"
"I'm not all that hungry, Aunt Min."
"I'm not surprised. I wouldn't be either if I'd just eaten five shortbread biscuits."
Snape looked a bit sheepish. "I didn't realize I'd had that many."
Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes. "They've always been your weakness, Cub. You'll eat what you can. Go get Hermione."
Dinner was a quiet affair that night. Snape and Hermione only picked at their food and gave short answers to anything Professor McGonagall asked. Snape had already talked himself out and Hermione's red-rimmed eyes gave away her reason for not talking.
"Are you both finished?" she asked when she was finished and they had been pushing their food around their plates for a few minutes. They both nodded. "All right then. Severus, why don't you clean up the kitchen? Hermione and I are going to go into her room and talk."
Professor McGonagall and Hermione went into Hermione's bedroom. Hermione sat down on her bed, grabbed her worn teddy bear from when she was a baby, and hugged it to her chest, pulling her knees up and looking away from Professor McGonagall sitting in her desk chair.
"Has Severus explained our relationship?" Professor McGonagall asked. Hermione nodded. "You know, when I was your age I used to sit the same way you are now when I was in trouble. Only instead of a teddy bear, I had a stuffed lion." Hermione glanced over at her teacher. "Believe or not, I was a child once!" Hermione smiled slightly. "The only problem I see is that you're not in trouble with me."
"You're not going to scold me?"
"No. I'm sure Severus has covered that quite well already." Hermione's posture relaxed a bit. "But I do want to talk to you," Professor McGonagall continued.
Hermione's face fell. Professor McGonagall sighed before speaking again. "Other than the obvious, what's bothering you?" Hermione shrugged, looking away again. "I know Severus's punishment was a bit on the harsh side, but your eyes tell me you've been doing more than just sulking this afternoon. You look like you've been crying pretty hard." Hermione shrugged again, blinking her tears away. "Talk to me, Hermione. Tell me what's wrong."
Hermione looked at her teacher's face, seeing nothing there but true concern. She swallowed hard. "It's just…it's just that..."
"It's just what, dear?" she asked gently
"It's just that now that I know that Professor…er, Uncle Sev doesn't hate me, I don't know if he'll ever forgive me!" Hermione burst into tears again.
Professor McGonagall sat down on the bed and took the girl into her arms, rocking her gently and murmuring soothing words in her ear. Hermione's tears slowly subsided until she was just sniffling.
"I'm sorry, Professor," she said, pulling away as she regained her composure. "I didn't mean for that to happen."
"Hush, child," Professor McGonagall said, pulling Hermione back to her. "You've nothing to be sorry for. And in private, it's 'Aunt Min.' Understood?" she finished with mock sternness.
"Yes, Aunt Min," Hermione replied, smiling slightly and allowing the older woman to rock her soothingly.
Professor McGonagall's expression turned serious. "And as for your other concern, Severus will forgive you. Even if he's not quite ready now, he will forgive you." Hermione nodded. "All right then." She pulled away from the girl gently. "I'm going to talk to Severus. Then I need to go. I'll see you in a few days, okay?"
"But I'm grounded," Hermione said, blushing with embarrassment.
"Then I'll just have to invite myself over, won't I?" She smiled. "Have a good night, dear."
"Well?" Snape said, standing up as Professor McGonagall walked back into the kitchen.
"She's afraid you won't forgive her."
Snape rolled his eyes. "Of course I forgive her. Who couldn't when they see how sorry she is?"
"You need to tell her that." Snape looked at her quizzically. "She needs to know where she stands with you."
"Oh."
"I think she might have expected you to say something after reading her essay."
"Did you know that before you went in there?"
"I had an idea, but I wasn't certain." He nodded. "I have to go. I'll come over in a few days for tea. You should talk to her."
"All right." He walked Professor McGonagall to the door. "Aunt Min?"
"Hmm?"
"How did you figure out how to be a parent?"
"Other than making mistakes?" He nodded. "I asked Poppy." She laughed at the stunned look on his face and stretched up to kiss his forehead. "I'll see you both in a few days. Good night!"
"Good night," he replied, closing the door as Professor McGonagall left. He knocked on Hermione's door. "Miss…er, Hermione?"
He heard a quiet "come in" and walked in. Hermione was still holding her teddy bear and hugging her knees to her chest. The tear tracks from when she had cried on Professor McGonagall's shoulder were still evident on her face.
He sat down next to her on the bed, and took in her posture. "What's your bear's name?" he asked her gently.
"Rumples," she replied quietly.
"May I see him?" She handed him the bear slowly. "Hello, Rumples," he said to the bear. "I'm Uncle Sev." He held the bear up to his ear. "What's that? You want to go back to your mum? All right then." He handed the bear back to her. She took it from him, and squeezed it back against her chest again, raising an eyebrow. She looked so reminiscent of Professor McGonagall that he couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face.
"I heard you and Aunt Min talked," he said to her, his smiling faltering. She nodded, looking away. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't realize that I needed to say this before. I know you're sorry for what you did and you're forgiven. I should have said it earlier."
"Really?" she whispered, looking at him timidly. He nodded.
Hermione burst into tears again and launched herself at him. Surprised and confused, he caught the girl in his arms, and rocked her gently until her tears subsided.
"I thought you weren't going to forgive me," she murmured, sniffling with her head resting on his shoulder.
"Don't be stupid," he sneered. "Where would that leave us?" She giggled. They stood up from the bed. Hermione sniffled again and mindlessly ran her sleeve across her nose. He rolled his eyes. "Don't wipe your nose with your sleeve." He paused, and allowed himself to smile a bit. "Why don't you wash your face, change into your pajamas, and come into the kitchen? I'm sure we have enough time for some hot chocolate before you need to go to bed and there should be some shortbread biscuits left."
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied. She hugged him at his waist again before going into her bathroom.
Snape smiled as he headed to the kitchen, a feeling of warmth surrounding his heart. Maybe this guardianship thing won't be so terrible after all, he thought to himself. He glanced down and saw a pale, shiny streak on his shirt. Well, except for the snot.
Have a Happy Memorial Day! And please review!