Hermione glared at the foot of her bed, eyes narrowed and fists clenched at her sides.
How annoying.
How absolutely annoying could one person be?
"I'm going to kill him." She groaned, eyeing the little package at the foot of her bed that jumped and bounced. No doubt a product of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She poked it with her toe and it let out a loud snarl.
"Oh Merlin, please help me." She groaned and poked at the box again. Maybe if she just left it there it wouldn't do whatever it was meant to do.
It jumped, bounced around at the foot of her bed and snarled again.
If it bit her she would absolutely lose her mind.
No doubt about it.
"Ronald." She growled, kicked the box off of the foot of her bed and proceeded to use her shooed foot to navigate it from the room and into the hall.
She toed it all the way to the dining hall and at the look on her face Ron let out a bright laugh.
"Got my gift then, 'Mi?" He chuckled, Hermione propped her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow at the frustrating wizard.
"I did, here, why don't you open it for me." She toed it toward him and it let out a loud snarl.
"That isn't what I think it is, is it?" Ginny cocked a bright red eyebrow. Ron blanched, he'd expected her to open it, obviously.
Did he think she was daft?
"I'm almost certain it is exactly what you think it is, Gin." The redhead rolled her eyes and shot her brother a look.
"If she'd opened that and it bit her she'd have missed all of her classes today." She scolded her brother, smacking him on the arm and earning a loud 'ow'.
"I should have known it would be something like that. Honestly I thought it would make me swell up, or turn me into a furry creature of some sort."
"Nah, the Sleeping Snork just makes you sleep for awhile." Ron said, shoveling food in his mouth again. Hermione plopped into her seat with a humph.
"Well, now you can figure out what to do with it." She exhaled, rather haughtily, the redhead groaned and glanced at the package on the floor.
"It was a gift, honestly 'Mi." He said around a bite of food and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Perhaps I should just take it to Professor Snape then." She smirked, an eyebrow raised and Ron choked on his sausage.
"You wouldn't."
"Open it then." She crossed her arms across her chest. Ginny let out a snort, Harry was watching looking rather put out and Rose hadn't joined them yet.
"Come on 'Mi, don't make me." He whined and Hermione pursed her lips.
"Not getting out of it." She turned to Harry. "Now, what's wrong with you?"
"Nuffin'." He mumbled around a bite of his own breakfast and she glanced at Ginny, eyebrow cocked.
"He's upset, Draco won't sit with him anymore." Rose cooed as she plopped into the seat beside Hermione who gave a nod. The box snarled under their feet and Hermione kicked it. "What'ssat?"
"You should open it and see." Ron gave a devilish grin and Ginny smacked him on the back of his head.
"Don't do it, it's a prank gift from the moron." Hermione motioned to him with her fork and took a bite of her breakfast.
"I'm not upset about Draco." Harry finally seemed to come out of his stupor and shot an ugly glare at Rose.
"Sure you're not…" Ginny trilled and turned to engage Rose and Hermione in conversation, ignoring the scowl pointed at her back.
SSHG
"Any ideas on what I could do with this?" Hermione walked into the potions lab, the box full of snarling monster trailing behind her. Snape glanced up, his eyes lighting on her for a moment before a frown twisted his face.
"What exactly is it Ms. Lupin?" Hermione shrugged and ended the charm, dropping the box on the nearest station.
"It is a Sleeping Snot? Eh, Snort? Something like that. It's a Weasley product. Ron sent it to me."
Snape cocked an eyebrow and Hermione almost groaned. How was it possible that he could be so attractive giving her such a look?
"To what end, exactly?" The witch drifted up to his desk and settled beside it, her hip against the edge. Snape leaned back to look up at her, black eyes focused.
"He thought it would be funny to make me sleep through classes a week before break begins?"
"Dunderhead."
"Indeed."
"Will you and Remus be celebrating Christmas here?" Hermione tensed, he sounded genuinely curious and she wondered if that was a little glint of hope in his eye.
"We had intended to go home but, the run in with Lucius Malfoy seems to have made both think twice." She leaned her weight more fully against the desk and she could see Snape's fingers twitch. She wondered what he was thinking.
"We will deal with the Snort before you begin your task." Hermione couldn't stifle her laugh.
"What is so funny, Ms. Lupin?" He stood, towering over the witch who could only chuckle, her shoulders shaking.
"Such a ridiculous word from such a pristine wizard." She brushed back a wild brown curl and he smirked, standing right in front of her now, close enough she could smell the herbs and potions drifting off of him, feel his body heat.
She tried not to blush, though she was certain she failed miserably.
"I am anything but pristine, Hermione." She shuddered and swallowed, she could hear her heart beating a violent rhythm in her chest. There they were again, the flashes of her dreams passing behind her eyes.
"What are you then?" She watched him, black eyes boring into hers and she wanted to groan when he took a step back, his looming figure gone from her.
"I am your mentor, and you are my apprentice. Now, we must deal with your new pet and then you can begin brewing a batch of Felix Felicis."
"Right, yes sir." She let her hair curtain around her face. She didn't want him to see her disappointment.