Hermione is tired. But she can't do as her professor instructed her to do. It's barely a week into first term and her Professors are heaping on the homework. Most students only take a few NEWTs, and have free periods to do the extensive work required. Hermione has taken a full load of classes- the most she can fit without using a time turner- and she was planning on using her evenings for revising. Now, her evenings are spent in detention. Hermione lets herself into the Head Girl's chambers and starts in on her arithmancy.
Ginny joins Hermione just after midnight. "Now I know why you gave me the badge!" She sputters, climbing through the portrait hole. "Fucking patrols. You know, technically you're still a prefect."
"I'll do patrols for you when I'm out of detention," Hermione says without looking up from her arithmancy equation.
"Fine," Ginny says and flops down on the bed. "You want to copy my charms essay? It's good."
"I'll read it," says Hermione. "You're a lifesaver."
"No problem," says Ginny. "My brother and my boyfriend wouldn't have even made it through first year without you I reckon." Then, "When are we going to hold the first DA meeting?"
"Um… we won the war," says Hermione. But she puts down her quill and turns around to face Ginny.
"So? Nothing else could go wrong?" Ginny is sitting up on the bed now. She has her serious face on now.
Ginny has a point, Hermione concedes to herself. Especially in light of all the howlers in the Headmistress' office. She nods. "You're right. But I'm swamped. How about the first Hogsmede weekend?"
Ginny shakes her head. "We need this, Hermione. And they need you. And Harry, and Ron. They all fought in the battle. They lost their friends, they lost their parents. The DA is like… what's that thing that muggles go to for comfort? With the bells?"
"Church," says Hermione.
"They need it, Hermione." Ginny is adamant. "We need it." Then, very quietly, "You need it."
"Okay," Hermione says, "When can Harry and Ron come?"
"Tomorrow night. After that, they start field training and won't be available for a month."
"I have detention with Snape, Ginny!"
Ginny shrugs. "So? Fuck Snape."
Hermione laughs at this. "What time?"
"Eight o'clock. Room of requirement."
"What's the plan, exactly?" Hermione asks.
"I think we just all need to be together and talk about everyone that died in the war. And get drunk. Have a good laugh and a good cry. You know." She tears up a little.
And Hermione is suddenly yanked out of her own selfish troubles as she is confronted with the sight of a sad girl who just lost her brother. A sad girl who has been trying very hard to put on a good face. "Oh, Ginny," Hermione says, and goes to put her arms around her friend, arithmancy equations forgotten.
The next evening Hermione rushes to Snape's office directly after dinner. Of course, he isn't there. Just a stack of papers to grade and a bright bottle of red ink. Hermione hesitates for a moment before pointing her wand at the door of Snape's laboratory. "Homenum Revelio." Nothing. "Expacto Patronum!" A lively silver otter bursts out of her wand. Hermione sends the Otter into the lab with a message: "Good evening professor Snape. I deeply regret the intrusion on your privacy, but I'm afraid I need to speak with you and it can't wait." The silver otter disappears through the door of the lab. Hermione perches on the edge of the desk and waits. And waits. She is considering knocking on the door when it bangs open.
"What?" says Snape. He isn't pleased.
"I'm so sorry, Professor," trying to speak quickly to make it harder for him to interrupt her. "I can't stay tonight. Is there any way we can reschedule?"
Snape's eyebrows go up. "You agreed to a month's worth of detentions, Miss Granger, in exchange for continued enrollment in my NEWT class. No, detention, no class."
Hermione is disappointed, but not really surprised. "I'm sorry, Professor," she says, and she is. She gets up to go. She makes it halfway across the room when-
"You're not dismissed yet, Miss Granger." His voice is soft. Almost gentle. Hermione has never heard him speak this way. She turns around. Snape has moved behind his desk and is sitting down in the big leather chair. Hermione looks at him, but doesn't say anything. "What is more important to you than your studies with me?" he asks.
His voice is still soft, his face perfectly impassive. Hermione wonders if he is deliberately trying not to frighten her- by sitting down, putting the desk between them, by speaking so… gently.
"It's my friends, sir, they- no- we are having a DA meeting, Dumbledore's Army, that is, to have a sort of memorial I guess." It's coming out all jumbled but Snape nods slightly, and motions for her to continue. So she plows on ahead, her words spilling out more quickly now, "It's the only night Harry and Ron can come, and the kids – us- we're all still raw from what happened, and, well, I just need to be there. I have to be there. I'm sorry, sir, I really am, but I don't really have a choice, not really, it's just- it's the right thing." Her eyes well up, and she is furious with herself. She HATES crying in front of Snape. She reaches up absent-mindedly with her sleeve to wipe her face-
Snape is on his feet, then, reaching toward her. Hermione flinches away from him dramatically, then sees the handkerchief in his outstretched hand. She takes it and wipes her tears with it. Then she holds it back out to him. He motions for her to keep it. She puts it in the pocket of her robes. Looks at Snape.
His face is completely blank. "Three days," he says. She just looks at him. "I will let you go tonight. You will serve three extra days detention. And the next time will be ten, Miss Granger. I warned you about the consequences of grading my papers well. You are dismissed."