"Detention, Granger."
Hermione's heart leapt to her throat as an indignant cry threatened to escape her lips.
"But Professor! I was only pointing out that if Neville doesn't have his hand raised, you could pick someone else who does know the answer instead!" Hermione argued in a voice more feeble than she would have liked.
The sullen potions professor only glared at her with an indifferent expression on his face, making no further comment. Sighing, Hermione resigned herself to her fate and got back to chopping the Mandrake root on her desk, hands trembling with anger.
How dare Snape give her detention? She had tried to answer every question he had asked in this class, to no avail. She completed her potions to perfection every time and he made no comment, instead choosing to praise the Slytherins or pick on those who were clearly struggling, which today had been Neville.
Hermione glanced around sullenly, catching Neville's apologetic expression. She gave him a small smile back - after all, it wasn't his fault Snape was such a moody git. She added the mandrake root to her potion, which turned a satisfying shade of purple, exactly matching the description in the book.
She turned to Harry and Ron, who's own potion's were in various states of disarray. Harry's looked a worrying shade of bubblegum pink, while Ron's had congealed into one thick lump at the bottom of the cauldron and had for some unknown reason turned a bright shade of garish orange.
Hermione wasn't surprised, as since turning of age both boys had apparently decided to take their studies even less seriously than before, focusing instead on quidditch and girls. She supposed Harry did have other things to worry about, with secret assignments from Dumbledore and Voldemort a constant looming threat, but honestly! They had NEWTS coming up, and it was clear both of her friends would again be relying on her to help them pass their exams. And yet it was she who would be serving detention with Snape, when she was one of the very few students trying her best in his classes.
She continued to dutifully stir her cauldron in silence, watching contentedly as the deep purple hue faded to a pale lilac. At that moment, Snape rose out of his chair and swept through the students, an unimpressed expression on his face as he examined the contents of each student's cauldrons.
"Parkinson, a little more lavender would help perfect the fragrance….. Finnigan, stop stirring at once lest you want to blow us all to smithereens, and I don't fancy accompanying anyone to the hospital wing…. Malfoy, very good….. Longbottom, abysmal as expected…."
Hermione felt her heart pound in anticipation as her Professor drew closer, even as she peered into the textbook-perfect glassy surface of her potion. At last, the potions master came to a halt beside her, and she avoided his gaze as he surveyed the contents. She waited for his remark, but instead he stood in silence for just a moment, before rounding on Harry and Ron.
"Potter, please don't add 'excels in potion making' to your very long endorsement in the Daily Prophet any time soon… And Weasley, does everything you touch turn orange? Dump it out at once." And with that, her professor swept away from them and dismissed the class for the day.
As she threw her things into her school bag, Hermione struggled to control her temper. Of course Snape wouldn't show her any sign of approval! Not that she needed it, but she was used to every other teacher singing her praises, and it was very obvious Snape refused to do so, no matter how well she performed.
As they walked out of class together, Harry and Ron tried to cheer Hermione up.
"Forget about him 'Mione, who cares what that grease ball thinks?" Ron put his arm around Hermione, which didn't do much to comfort her as she still held some ill feelings towards him and his short-lived fling with Lavender Brown.
"Yeah, he's probably just annoyed that he has nothing to criticise you on, don't take it personally. You're the best in every class! Everyone knows it, even Snape." Harry assured her, and Hermione gave him a small smile as she linked his arm.
"I know, I'm being silly. It's just infuriating! He praises all the Slytherins just fine, but when it comes to anyone that isn't in his own house, he has nothing nice to say!" Hermione said as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room, "I can't believe I have to do detention with him tonight, he'll probably make me scrub out cauldrons with my bare hands." She added glumly.
Both boys gave her a sympathetic smile but didn't say anything, as they all knew that when it came to their infamous potions master, this could very well be a likely scenario.
As the trio entered the cosy Gryffindor common room, both Harry and Ron sank into the sofa where they would no doubt remain for the remainder of the night until dinner, discussing quidditch.
Hermione supposed that she better get started on some homework if she was to be in detention tonight, and excused herself. She preferred to do school work in her bedroom these days, away from distractions and other students asking to copy her or for her help.
But she had no such luck. In her room she found a suspiciously done-up Ginny, who was busy painting her lips in a hand held mirror.
"Hermione! Just the girl I wanted to see. Do red lips clash horribly with my hair? Be honest." The young red head rounded on her the minute she walked through the door.
"Hello to you too." Hermione smiled at the girl warmly. "And no, we both know you can pull off anything. You look beautiful."
Ginny beamed at her as she admired her reflection in the mirror, pulling her hair this way and that. Hermione flopped on her bed, sighing.
"What's wrong with you? Is it my brother again? That prat." Ginny asked presumptuously, fixing Hermione with a sympathetic gaze.
Hermione shook her head. "No it's not that, I told you I've gotten over things with Ron, I just see him as a friend now." She caught Ginny rolling her eyes in disbelief. The younger girl had, after all, caught her in tears more than a few times over Ron's behaviour this year.
"Well, he's still a prat regardless." Ginny said plainly, and Hermione giggled despite herself.
"It's Snape actually, he's given me detention tonight for no reason at all. My first detention of the year! And I'm a prefect, I can't be getting detentions!" She moaned as she lay back on her bed in defeat.
Ginny walked over and sat on Hermione's bed, rubbing her arm in sympathy. "Well, Snape is another prat. Why are so many men prats?" The redhead asked as she thoughtfully stared off into the distance. "If you ask me, that man needs a good shag."
"Ginny!" Hermione cried in horror at the girl's bluntness. But as they looked at each other, they both couldn't help but giggle at the image that had formed in their heads.
"It's true! That man probably hasn't been laid since 1979, and that's being generous. No wonder he's a prick all the time, he probably lives in a constant state of frustration. Shame no one can take the edge off. Think of anyone?" Ginny added.
Hermione laughed as she pondered thoughtfully. "Hmm, someone who's just as unpleasant as him. Madam Pince?" That set the pair off again, Hermione having now finally cheered up.
"But seriously, Snape's actually not that bad looking, just a shame about his personality." Ginny added as their laughter calmed down.
"Ew, Ginny." Hermione pretended to shudder at the thought of her Potions master being anything near attractive.
In truth, she had at one point in her life harboured a very small, very miniscule schoolgirl fantasy about her potions professor, back when she was in her first year of school. She had thought Snape got a bad rap, just because he was a little gloomy, and had tried her best to get on his good side. But since then, she had realised he was nothing but a bully who had nothing nice to say about anyone who didn't wear a green tie, no matter how much they tried or how well they did in potions and how well they performed….
Hermione caught herself. There was no point being annoyed, the man would never change. She would drive herself insane waiting for a speck of praise from the potions master.
She instead looked again at Ginny, who was now fussing with her dress.
"Why are you so dressed up, anyway?" She asked curiously.
"No reason.' Ginny answered casually, shrugging her shoulders. "Bought some new makeup in Hogsmead, wanted to try it out."
Hermione continued to look at her friend sceptically, who shifted awkwardly under her gaze.
"Oh really? And this has nothing to do with a certain bespectacled boy sitting downstairs just now with nothing to do, on a Friday night?" She asked, smirking.
Ginny raised her brows, feigning innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Hermione. But let's just say, I do happen to bump into a certain dashing dark haired boy, and we just so happen to both be bored and I maybe just suggest we go on a walk together on the grounds…. I potentially could want to look my best."
Hermione smiled at her friend with fondness. She had really grown to like Ginny over the past couple of years, especially when Ginny comforted her when she was still pining over Ron.
"Well, he would be a fool not to think you look beautiful. You look amazing, even without makeup." She reassured her.
"You don't think it's too much? You don't think he'll be wondering why I'm so done up do you?" Ginny asked in worry. "Oh! I know! I'll do your makeup too, then we can say we were just trying out makeup on each other and he won't think I've done my makeup and dressed up just for him!"
Before Hermione could say a word of protest, the younger girl was hauling her to the middle of the room, plonking her down on a chair and reaching for her makeup bag.
"No, Ginny, I don't like wearing makeup! Plus I'm not going anywhere, I'll look silly!" Hermione moaned, but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. When Ginny set her mind to something, she got her own way.
Just sit there and shut your sweet mouth please Hermione. For me?" Ginny pouted as she batted her eyes at Hermione, who sighed in defeat.
"Yay! Oh thank you, you're the best! I can't wait to see Harry's face when he sees me, and just think, Ron will be there too." The girl wiggled her eyebrows knowingly at Hermione, who decided it best not to comment.
For what felt like 4 hours but was in reality probably 20 minutes, Ginny smeared various products on Hermione's face, outlining her eyes in a dark liner, applying a blush on her cheeks and dusting powder over her eyes.
"And at last, la pièce de la résistance!" Ginny cried in a perfect imitation of Fleur, as she gathered Hermione's wild hair back into a bundle at the top of her head and pinned it into place.
Finally, Hermione was handed a mirror with flourish by Ginny to survey the hard work. She had expected to look like a clown, with the amount of products she had felt being smeared onto her face, but Hermione found herself quite taken aback as she took in her reflection.
Her makeup looked more natural than she expected, just smokey brown and slightly gold shadow and black liner accentuating her amber eyes, a faint natural looking blush on her cheeks, and a deeper shade of her natural lips, making them look fuller and flush.
Hermione was pleasantly surprised. She looked like herself, but bolder. "Wow. Thank's Ginny, I don't know how you do it. I look nice. " She turned to the younger girl gratefully, who beamed back at her.
"You don't look nice, you look flipping gorgeous. Ron's head is going to explode." The redhead said confidently.
As the pair made their way downstairs to the common room later, Hermione felt rather foolish in her makeup and uniform, but she was unfortunately forced to keep it on as Snape was strict with rules and she was headed to detention, while the rest went to the great hall for dinner.
When the pair stopped in front of Ron and Harry, both boys glanced up in acknowledgement, then glanced again in a double take. Harry's eyes seemed stuck on Ginny as he swallowed nervously, while Ron's eyes travelled from Hermione's made up face to her tamed hair, his face beet red.
"Coming, boys?" Ginny asked innocently, hiding her smirk as the pair scrambled to their feet.
As Ginny walked ahead with Harry, who seemed to be hanging on to every word she said without hearing any of it, Ron hung back with Hermione.
"Have you…. Done something different with your hair?" He asked as he tried not to stare too hard at Hermione.
She hid her smile, "Yes, Ginny put it up for me. Do you like it?"
With satisfaction, she saw Ron turn a deeper shade of red. "Yes… it's… ahem… you look nice." He stammered awkwardly.
Hermione smiled back at him. Although her feelings for him had somewhat waned since the Lavender fiasco, she still enjoyed seeing the boy who at one point couldn't seem to get his head around the fact she was 'a girl', squirm as he looked at her. It made her feel a little powerful. Maybe this was why most girls her age wore makeup.
As they continued to descend the stairs, she caught Ron a few times trying not to get caught staring in her direction. Finally, they stopped at the great hall, where she would be leaving Ron and continuing down to detention.
"Well, enjoy detention. I mean, I know you won't enjoy it, but try not to let Snape get to you." Ron mumbled, awkwardly taking Hermione's hand.
Hermione smiled back at him. Ron could be sweet, she had forgotten that in all the arguments they had had over the last year. She could see why she used to like him. Maybe in the future, they could fully move past things and actually try to be a real couple. She squeezed his hands back, while he looked at her hopefully.
But just then, Ron ruined everything.
"I mean it Hermione. You should make an effort like this all the time. It's nice seeing you look like a real girl for once." He smiled down at her with what he must have thought was a pleasing and complimentary look.
Hermione raised her eyebrows, her eyes narrowing.
"A real girl?" She asked, in a dangerously low voice.
Ron looked taken aback, clearly he had been expecting his words to be a compliment, and not the insult they were.
"I… No not a real girl… Obviously you're a girl… Just, you usually don't bother to brush your hair and you don't care how you look… I was just saying that…" He trailed off as Hermione's glare darkened further.
"Just saying what, exactly? That I don't bother to brush my hair? That I should make more effort because I don't look like a 'real girl'?" Hermione could feel herself absolutely simmering with rage. "And who exactly is a 'real girl', Ron? Lavender?"
Ron backed away slowly, hands held up. "Look, I didn't mean anything by it… I just- Lavender does wear makeup and you don't but I wasn't meaning you should look like her… You just don't usually seem to care how you look which I don't mind, but I just-"
He was cut off at that exact moment by 20 small canaries flying at his head. As he shrieked and ran into the great hall, Hermione looked down at her wand, which was pointed in his direction.
She hadn't meant to cast the spell, but she was so angry. Just when she thought Ron might be a gentleman for once, he had to ruin everything! In a rage, she pocketed her wand, and stomped down to the dungeons for her stupid detention with Snape.