Foxy and scholar (SSHG)
 

Severus Snape scowled out at his room full of seventh year students. He always hated the first day of classes, and having the Golden Trio—Potter, Weasley, and Granger—in the same room as that brown-nosing Draco Malfoy was something he hated the most.

"At the end of this year," he began, launching into his usual lecture, "you will be taking your NEWTs. These exams will determine what career you incompetent dunderheads might be able to pursue throughout the rest of your dull lives. The Potions exam, to which I am a frequent contributor, is particularly difficult, and I expect few of you to be able to achieve a high pass grade." He paused, watching them all stare back at him. Potter, of course, was glaring at him, and Draco had a smug grin on his face. "I do, however, expect that all of you will be able to at least pass the exam, as long as you actually do the work to which you are set."

Severus passed his sneer equally around the dungeon, not even sparing Draco. "Each and every one of you will be responsible for turning in all assignments on their due dates, whether or not we have had time in class to brew this or that potion. This classroom is open, at the headmaster's insistence, from an hour before breakfast to curfew, and if you require anything from the store cupboard, you will need to ask me ahead of time for access." He had reluctantly agreed to Albus' demand when, two years in a row, his NEWT classes had all passed the exam but failed the course, and Albus had come, twinkling eyes boring straight through Severus, to politely inquire why this was so.

"And you no doubt all realize that any misuse or theft of potions made in this classroom will of course be punished as severely as the school rules allow." Severus smirked. Some of them would naturally try to sneak out a dose of Amortentia, or Veritaserum, and would discover to their horror the various protective spells and jinxes—some rather nasty—he and the headmaster had both placed to prevent such little thefts.

"We will begin today by brewing Polyjuice Potion." He waved his wand at the chalkboard, and then the store cupboard. "Directions are on the board, ingredients are in the cabinet. When you need the boomslang skin, you must come directly to me. Begin."

It was the start of a brand new school year. Everything remained the same save from the fact that it would be her very last start of a school year, ever. As Hermione Granger sat perched on the edge of her wooden stool attending her first class that Tuesday morning, she gave her usual undivided attention to the Potions teacher's introduction speech. It was all old news to her, but she would not dare express any kind of impassive attitude in the presence of Severus Snape; a.k.a. the man who had been the source of so much torment amongst her and her two best friends over the past six years. If it was up to her, it would have been her personal preference to drop the class completely since the beginning of her sixth year. The only issue with that was it would restrict her future options by a great deal and she was the type of girl who liked to have all options available to her. As much as she would refuse to admit it, she also had a sort of inner unsettling business with Professor Snape. Not for one single moment did she cease to impress the entire rest of the staff board, but when it came to Snape... for some reason, he always just considered her a show-off rather than appreciate her intellect. For such a studious girl as her, the idea of her completing the year without a perfect record of impressing all her teachers... that was a major impairment in her self-esteem.

Professor Snape finished detailing the instructions and slowly all the students in the room began shuffling around the classroom to grab the necessary supplies for the assignment. Were it any other class, most students would be bustling, but for Potions class the halfhearted approach was always the case. Hermione was the only exception. Quickly, she snatched Ron by the elbow, claiming him as her partner, and began dragging him toward the supply cabinets. Harry would get his chance next class. The three of them had made a system where they would rotate who would get Hermione as a partner, considering she was the main reason they even remained in the class to that day.

Polyjuice potion. That was a fairly simple start for Hermione, considering her experience with the concoction before. Not a particularly pleasant experience on her part in the end, but at least her photographic memory allowed her to remember the steps quite clearly so she would have the timespan advantage. Quickly, Hermione collected the materials she needed from the cubbies, with the aid of Ron. It was a little difficult with all the other students trying to get the same materials, but Hermione was persistent to get hers as fast as possible. Just when she claimed they had everything they needed, a striking jab was sent straight into her rib. She tripped and many of her ingredients spilled to the floor due to the incident. Quickly, she glanced up to see who it was that elbowed her, but the crowd of students masked the culprit. She had an instant idea of who it might have been, and looked in the direction of Draco Malfoy. Spotting his side-turned smirk, her hunch proved to be accurate. Ron immediately rushed to Hermione's side, checking if she was okay and to help pick the fallen materials up off the floor. He trailed her gaze toward the blonde-haired boy and his faced scrunched up angrily. "Why, I oughtta-" Just as the boy was preparing to stand, though, Hermione's hand reached out and stopped him. "Don't, Ron. It's alright. I'm fine. I don't want to cause any trouble... especially not in here." She whispered, making a valid point from past experiences. Ron, however, mumbled complaints all the way back to their table while shooting evil glances at the cocky Slytherin boy. Once they had retrieved all their supplies after the short delay, they laid the materials out on the table and got to work. All the while, Hermione avoided eye contact with Snape. She hoped he had been busy reading or writing something during her little incident... she didn't want a point deduction for being 'clumsy' or whatnot. She knew he would just jump at any opportunity to degrade her.

---

((Sorry I didn't respond right away, I wanted to spend the day reading chapter summaries and recapping. I haven't touched the subject of Harry Potter since '07, so I'm a little rusty. :P
Also, on a side note... since it's assumed Snape and Hermione won't be in every single scene together, did you want to take up the control of some other characters as well? I have experience with multi-character role-playing... especially since it just makes scenes flow a lot smoother compared to if we just made all other character drop off the face of the earth. Know what I mean? It doesn't even necessarily need to be ALL the characters... mostly just Harry and Ron and the rest we can share whenever they're needed. If you'd rather not, that's fine too, I suppose I can just include them whenever I really need to.))

((I had actually thought of the "other characters" issue, too. How about -- you control, in general, any students, and I'll control the teachers? I'm flexible, and if, say, you need Hermione to get caught by McGonagall, that works -- and in the scene below, Severus is going to be talking to other students.))

----

Severus watched the students move half-heartedly to the ingredients cabinet. The sole exception was know-it-all Miss Granger, who took Ron Weasley in what was probably a vice-like grip and dragged him to the back of the classroom. However, despite her speed, she was still caught up in the press. He didn't miss Draco's elbow, nor the splash of ingredients, but as nothing was inherently dangerous he didn't bother to reprimand the boy. Granger needed to learn to pay more attention to her surroundings, and Weasley, as her partner, could have easily been helping her and thus have prevented the "accident."

Severus began walking up and down the rows, watching the students as they began preparing their ingredients. Many kept squinting up at the board, causing them to then lose count of stirring or mashing or another process. Polyjuice was complicated, and they'd only be able to create the base today—assuming, that was, anyone created anything.

He reached Draco's cauldron and peered inside. So far, Malfoy had only added the lacewing flies to the watery base, but already it looked like a bit of a disaster. "Draco," Severus said, "you will need to pay more attention to what you are doing unless you wish the potion to kill you when you drink it next month."

Draco glanced up, startled. Severus usually had simply fixed his problems, in order to avoid trouble with Lucius, but the dynamics of the Death Eaters right now were such that Severus no longer needed to mollycoddle Lucius' son to keep out of trouble. Draco would be subject to the same harsh standards as anyone else.

Judging by the silence in the rest of the dungeon, everyone else had been a bit startled, too. Severus scowled and moved along to the next cauldron. It was completely the wrong color. "Miss Parkinson, you will need to begin again. The base fluid should have a neutral pH, and yours is clearly acidic. Perhaps some flakes of dandruff fell in." Pansy went scarlet and chewed her tongue, but obediently cleared her cauldron and conjured a new fluid base. "You will wish to see Madam Pomfrey for a corrective hair treatment to prevent problems in the future."

And so on he moved, correcting them, preventing disaster, and generally keeping them on their toes, until he reached Harry Potter's cauldron. It was not bad, he had to admit to himself. "Your flame is too low, Potter," he said. "At that rate, the potion will take an extra week."

The next cauldron was Miss Granger's. She'd partnered with Weasley, but the boy's main function today appeared to be standing around mooning at her. "Weasley," he snapped, "if you do no work towards this potion you will get no credit for today's work. Twenty points from Gryffindor for bringing your idiotic adolescent fantasies into the classroom." Weasley spluttered and turned red, and Severus waited for the chance to take more points, but unfortunately Potter stepped on his foot and shut him up.

Then, Severus looked inside Granger's cauldron, then looked again. It was completely perfect. Perfect color, texture, steam pattern, and rate of boil. His lips tightened. There could be only one reason for this, and he could finally pay back for the theft of ingredients five years ago.

"Miss Granger, you will see me after class," he snapped.

((Sounds good to me. It only makes sense for you to control the majority of the teachers and me the majority of the students considering the relation to our main characters, but it's not bound... feel free to control or take over anyone you want, whenever you want, in respect to your situation.))

---

Hermione shot a baffled look toward Snape's receding back after he passed by with his obscure remark. Surely, everything Hermione had been doing up until that point was unmistakably perfect. Why, then, did he request to see her after class? Out of confused frustration, Hermione went over a mental checklist of all the steps she had completed, comparing them with the board's instructions just to double-check that she did in fact perform everything correctly. Not being able to spot a single step she could have possibly overlooked, her eyebrows creased and she sent a concerned look toward her partner, Ron. Ron merely reciprocated with a shrug of his shoulders. “Hey, when have Snape's comments or actions ever made sense?”

Harry couldn't help but overhear the situation. He waited until Snape wasn't looking, however, to lean into their conversation and provide his input. “Hermione, I know it's highly unlikely, but... maybe his intentions are to commend you, rather than criticize. When he passed by, I got a small glimpse at his initial reaction and he didn't look particularly disgusted like with the rest of the class.” Harry wanted to continue discussing it with them but he glanced up to realize that Snape had returned to surveilling the class like a hawk. He quickly retreated to his working position next to his partner, Parvati, before he could get caught and jeopardize his house's points even more.

He made a very good point. It was extremely doubtful... but after all these years, maybe she would finally receive the recognition she felt she deserved. With her mind eased slightly, she carefully proceeded with the brew, adjusting the temperature and stirring when necessary. That was the great thing about Polyjuice potion – all it took was patience, as long as you knew the right steps.

“When you do go to speak with him after class... you should see if you can snatch a stray piece of his hair, then we can put that in the potion! I'm sure he'd get a kick out of that!” Ron added in a light-hearted whisper followed by a small chuckle. But Hermione didn't find it very funny. Rather, she responded with a harmless punch to the red-headed boy's shoulder. “Very funny, Ron! Seeing him after class once is enough... the entire year would kill me.” She stressed in an equally quiet whisper as to avoid attention.

Twenty minutes later, the bell to signal the first period classes ending, went off, and to indicate the start of everyone's 10-minute break between classes. In complete contrast to the students' lack of motivation during the Potions class, the instant the bell went off was like a marathon race to the finish line. Only Harry and Ron remained behind longer than the others to give their dear friend sympathetic pats and condoling looks. They agreed they would wait for her right outside, and too soon enough they were gone along with the rest of the crowd. Only Hermione remained completely alone in the lair of the beast. Gathering her books and belongings, she held them tightly to her chest almost like an imaginary shield. It was rare that she ever had to face Snape directly on her own – usually Harry and Ron accompanied her (because more often than not, it was due to their misbehaviour, which Hermione was never solely responsible for). Slowly, she approached her dark teacher, eyes never straying from his figure. She would not dare be the first to speak.

((LOL at Hermione's 'entire year' quip.))

----

Severus heaved a mental sigh of relief as the seventh years fled the classroom. He was as glad to be rid of them as they were to be finished with his course. Potter and Weasley shot Granger sympathetic and supportive looks as they left the classroom, and Granger approached his desk cautiously, her books held up in front of her like a shield.

She stood, silently.

Severus' first act was to wave his wand and lock the classroom door. It wouldn't do to have other students barge in on this conference.

"Miss Granger," he began, meeting her eyes. They were large and brown, and extra wide on this occasion, unblinking. "Your potion today was clearly the work of someone who has made that conconction before. I bring to mind an incident five years ago when you wound up in the hospital wing as a part cat over the Christmas holidays. I also bring to mind an incident, five years ago, when Gregory Goyle's cauldron exploded in class, and shortly after I noticed certain ingredients were missing. I assumed Potter had stolen them, but during our Occlumency lessons I was not able to confirm that suspicion. Now, finally, I know."

His voice had been getting quieter and quieter as he lectured her, but now Severus banged his desk with his fist and shouted, "I have every right to expel you from this school for the theft of potion ingredients, misuse of a Restricted Section library pass, and the brewing—however unsuccessful—of a dangerous potion outside of the classroom!" He paused. "I admit that few things would give me greater pleasure. However, as I know that any proposal to expel you would find no support among the rest of the faculty, I will not even attempt it."

He took a deep breath, and said with pleasure, "But I can, and will, give you detention. You will be here from 6 o'clock until curfew, preparing potion ingredients, tonight and every night until I release you. I will also take this up with the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall. They may not allow me to expel you, but they cannot deny me the right to give you a harsh punishment for such an infraction of not only school rules and common sense, but also Wizarding law."

He had kept his eyes locked on hers throughout the diatribe, and hoped that she was miserably uncomfortable.

((Irony is such a beautiful thing.))

---

Hermione was miserably uncomfortable.

Of all the things she predicted he wanted to talk about, it never occurred to her that it would be a grudge involving a prior incident of five years. Despite wanting desperately to escape, she remained standing there, mouth agape, absorbing all his vocal bombardments. His furious black eyes bore straight through her skull and made her feel more uncomfortable -- if that was even possible. She felt like a deer caught in headlights and had to quickly avert her gaze to the floor to avoid passing out. Her face was flushed; she could physically feel the heat emanating from her rosy cheeks.

She waited until he finished reprimanding her, at which point an awkward silence befell. Her eyes remained glued to the floor, as she could not muster up the courage to meet his. Their predicament grew more awkward by the second as Hermione failed to locate her voice. Eventually, she tried clearing her throat but the sound that came out was more like a raspy squeak than anything.

“U-Um...” She mumbled, still fumbling for the right words to say. She wanted to deny all his accusations and claim for her rights, but she was the worst liar, and her reaction had made it painstakingly clear that Snape hit the target right on the bulls-eye. Had she been more prepared, she probably could have come up with a much stronger defence, but he had caught her so off-guard. There was nothing she could do.

She made another attempt at clearing her throat, that time with more success. Finally, her eyes bravely rose to meet his, that sharp, unnerving feeling returning in her gut due to his dark glare.

“I, um... I apologize. For what I did... I was young and foolish. I will accept your punishment.” She admitted with a contained deep breath, feeling the chills creeping down her spine. Although she thought his punishment was a huge over-reaction -- Back-to-back detention with Snape for a tiny mistake she made five years ago? -- she didn't dare attempt to start arguing with the man. She would probably go discuss the situation with Dumbledore or McGonagall later on, but at that point all she cared about was getting out of Snape's office. It was impossible to reason with the man, so the less she objected him, the less chance she had at making matters even worse.

"You will accept my punishment? Did you think you had a choice, Miss Granger?" Snape asked. "Now get out of my sight; I have another class in five minutes, as you do."

When served cold, revenge was indeed a very sweet dish.

Snape unlocked the door with a wave of his wand, allowing a gaggle of sixth-year students to fall in, their twittering falling guiltily silent. Probably listening at the door to see what was going on. Perhaps gossip would spread and make Miss Granger's life even more difficult. He hoped so.

---

((did you want me to play McGonagall or Dumbledore for a scene with them and Hermione?))

((Sure, that would avoid me having to write an essay.))

---

Hermione met up with Harry and Ron outside of the Potions classroom, as planned. Together, they walked briskly toward their next classroom within the five minutes they had remaining. Hermione explained her entire situation to them along the way.

“Bollocks! If he is going to punish anyone for that, it should be Harry and I! We were the ones who actually rendered the use of the potion!” Ron blurted, emphasizing by waving his hands around in the air. “This is rubbish! I am going to storm right back in there and demand that Snape--”

“--Let it go, Ron.” Hermione intercepted, flashing Ron a serious look. “It's better this way that only one of us has to take the blame. You both have taken it plenty of times before; it's time you deserve a break.”

“You shouldn't be the one, though.” Harry suddenly added. “Ron and I can handle the punishment... but you have your studies to worry about. You don't know how long he wants to keep you in detention... what if it lasts the term? When will you find time to study?” Harry made a concerning point, which was something Hermione had in fact feared greatly. She was hoping she would be able to work out some sort of arrangement with Dumbledore that would still grant her efficient study time.

“Don't worry about it. I'm going to request a talk with Dumbledore this afternoon... hopefully we will manage to find some way around it.” Neither of the boys felt much better about it, but they agreed to be patient and wait to see what Dumbledore had to say first.

The trio carried forward on their walk toward their second period, Charms. It was thankfully one of Hermione's most favourite classes, so she hoped it would help loosen her mind from the disaster in the previous class.


It was mid-afternoon and the final period for the day was ending. Hermione retrieved her belongings and exited the Arithmancy classroom, singly. She had parted ways with her two companions after lunch, as their afternoon classes that day were both separate from hers.

It was then that Hermione made her way toward Dumbledore's office. Luckily for her, it was on the same floor as her Arithmancy classroom, so it did not take very long to get there. Once Hermione arrived in front of the large gargoyle statue, she muttered the password 'Chocoballs', and the gargoyle leapt aside. The password was courtesy of Harry. Having a best friend who was like an apprentice to the Headmaster had its benefits.

Quickly, Hermione climbed the spiral staircase until she reached the polished oak door. Placing her hand on the brass griffin knocker, she tapped three times. And then she waited.

"Enter, Miss Granger," said Albus. He'd already had a little chat with Severus about the punishment. He could not deny Severus the right to give her as much detention as he wished for this infraction. It was certainly very serious, if taken by the book. Albus knew, though, that Hermione Granger's brewing of the Polyjuice Potion in her second year had been part of that very determined girl's attempts to figure out what was going on in the Chamber of Secrets.

Miss Granger entered, and Albus waved her to a seat. "Lemon drop?" he offered.

“Good afternoon, sir.” Hermione greeted as she was invited into the chock-full office. Hermione politely declined the lemon drop Albus Dumbledore proffered on her way in, but gladly claimed the seat he motioned her toward in front of his bulky desk. Books and trinkets suffocated the desk, which was a sight Hermione would strictly forbid within her own personal confines.

Not wishing to waste any time, Hermione diverted her distracted attention from the cluttered surface to the very man she was there to see. He looked as ancient as ever. Hermione had speculated that the man was so old that he surpassed evolution to the point where he stopped showing signs of aging and was just classified as old. Staring square into his twinkling blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles, Hermione was the first to initiate the conversation.

“Sir, no doubt Professor Snape has informed you of his decision to enforce his methods of discipline upon myself in retrospect of a particular famous incident that occurred five years ago.” Hermione sat up straight and spoke with an air of professionalism. Talking with Dumbledore was extremely incomparable to the way she addressed Snape. Snape was close-minded, ignorant, and harsh. Dumbledore, on the other hand, was an excellent listener and much easier to reason with. With that in mind, Hermione's natural confidence was given the opportunity to bloom.

“While I am here to protest certain aspects pertaining to that arrangement, I am not here to deny my actions or attempt to argue my innocence. It is true that I participated in the forbidden act of brewing the polyjuice potion outside of the classroom. It is also true that I broke other rules to achieve that. However, lest I remind you... all of this had been performed with the best intentions. In the end it helped us uncover the secrets of the Chamber of Secrets, which further led to resolving the issue and protecting the school. Considering it is my final year here at Hogwarts, I merely plead that you honour my request to at least reduce my detention times and hours to allocate sufficient time to study. Or, if you otherwise have any suggestions... I would be more than happy to hear them.” Finishing with a deep, drawn out breath, Hermione anxiously awaited the Headmaster's conclusion. She fought to keep her head high and spirit strong.

Albus regarded Miss Granger with a pleased little smile. He liked her very much, moreso than she would ever probably know. Sometimes he wished he'd had children of his own, but even with magic reproductive capabilities were limited to male/female partnerships. And after Gellaert... well, back to the present.

"Thank you for being so open with me, Miss Granger. I commend you for taking responsibility for your illegal and unruly actions, and I agree that your methods, however unconventional, did indeed assist in solving the mystery of the Basilisk and Tom Riddle's diary."

He steepled his fingers and took a lemon drop for himself.

"But Professor Snape is well within his rights to give you such detentions. You will have the weekends, of course, for your own studying. And just think," Albus allowed himself to twinkle, which he knew would annoy her, "of how much practice you'll get at Potions. You'll be well ready for your NEWT in that subject."

Another thought struck him, and Albus added carefully, "You could, of course, ask that Professor Snape allow you to bring your other classwork to the detentions so that, if he doesn't not actually need you at that moment, you can continue your other studies."

They're a fine pair, Albus thought. She's a bit young, but Severus needs someone young to bring him out of his self-imposed emotional exile.

Hermione could not deny that she was a little disappointed with Dumbledore's lack of interference. The recommendations he gave her were appreciated, but it was not enough to support her in her defence against Snape's decision. Dumbledore's final suggestion about asking Snape to study other material during his detentions made Hermione believe that Dumbledore completely over-estimated Snape's leniency. The chance of her getting Snape to agree to that was equivalent to the chance of surviving a killing curse. Sarcastically, she considered asking Harry for advice.

“Thank you for your time and consideration, sir, but I suppose I will just have to work something out myself.” She closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly in respect to the old wizard. Dumbledore had made it very clear that he had nothing more to offer, so Hermione no longer had any business remaining there. She rose from the guest seat and faced the entrance.

“See you at breakfast, Professor.” Were her final words before she exited the room. The reason she mentioned breakfast opposed to dinner was due to the fact that her detention was allotted from six to curfew. Considering dinner fell within that time frame, she would have to pick up her meal beforehand, attend detention, and then later eat alone at night once dismissed back to her dormitory. Harry and Ron would probably accompany her, but it was still an unpleasant hassle.

Hermione had about an hour remaining before her first detention with Snape. In that time, she re-united with Harry and Ron, filling them in on the outcome. Neither were remotely pleased, and once again tried convincing her of allowing them to take the blame. Hermione would not budge, so eventually Harry and Ron gave up... still feeling rotten inside.

The hour passed by quickly, and it was time for Hermione to make an appearance for her detention. Harry and Ron both volunteered to walk her to the dungeon classroom before heading to dinner in the Great Hall. They also mentioned that they would save her some food since she hadn't gotten the chance.

After reaching the locked arched door serving as the entrance to the Potions classroom, the two boys parted with Hermione, walking away with guilty expressions on their hung faces. Hermione felt bad for them more than herself... they had gone through detentions more times than she could possibly count, and there she was fretting about her first. At that moment, she knew she was doing right in not letting them get involved in the mishap.

Allowing a feeling of resilience to wash over her, Hermione put on her serious look, straightened her posture, and rapped three times on the burly, thick door.

Earlier that day, during his conference with Albus, Severus had had it pointed out to him that the proposed detention time began at the same time as dinner was served in the Great Hall, and it would behoove him to "have a little something ready for the poor girl."

Poor girl, hah. Miss Granger was in no sense poor. He'd heard from McGonagall how the girl was acquiring quite a library of rare books, and had seen what she wore at weekends and holidays. None of it was cheap. Her parents might have been Muggles, but they were clearly supporting her quite well. And as for other assets, though he deplored her demeanor in class, he couldn't deny she was quite bright.

But, Albus' suggestions were to be taken as orders, so Severus had instructed a house-elf to prepare a table of edibles, enough for himself and a hungry teenager, almost a small banquet. Just as Severus noticed that, in addition to the usual bottles of water, juice, and other drinks commonly found at the House tables, there was a lone bottle of wine, there were three loud raps on his door.

"Enter," he called.

As ordered, Hermione opened the dungeon door and stepped into the glum classroom, shutting the door carefully behind her. She turned to greet her professor, spotting his black-enrobed figure brooding over his desk which supported a paisley tablecloth with an array of food items and beverages perched on top. The sight perturbed her, but she did her best to dismiss any relating conjectures that may not have even concerned her at all in the end.

“Good evening, Professor.” Hermione acknowledged out of respect. She did not include any enthusiasm in her tone of voice, but neither did she include a sense of scorn. She figured that if she was going to make this work, she would need to put on her best behaviour. Otherwise, she knew Snape had the power to turn the experience into a living hell at the snap of his fingers.

Without desire to feed the conversation, Hermione made her way over to the edge of the front row desks, dropping her books on the splintered wooden surface. She plopped herself down on the stool and began sifting through the pages in one of her books. If Snape wished to speak with her, she would comply, but she had absolutely no interest in being the one inducing conversations.

Severus did not mince words with Granger.

"This is not your study hall, girl," he snapped, as he saw her open her books. "You are here to serve a detention. At the Headmaster's orders I have provided food, which you are free to consume throughout the evening." He gestured at the table, which he noticed had suddenly acquired a paisley tablecloth. Damn Albus.

"There is a barrel of horned toads in the storage closet," Severus said, waving his hand towards that door. "They are to be disemboweled and separated into parts. As you surely are aware," he added, feeling not a small amount of grim pleasure, "this is a task which must not be done magically, unless you wish to contaminate any potion in which they are subsequently used. Be sure to use sanitized and de-magicked jars to hold the separate parts." Though he knew he'd given all students a tutorial on laboratory sanitation in the second year, he wondered if she remembered the process.

He smirked. "You may wish to eat first, as the toad mucus is rather unpleasant. Or you may eat afterwards. You will be here until that barrel is fully cleared, or curfew, whichever comes sooner."

Punishment delivered, Severus magicked a sandwich onto a plate, and some wine into a goblet. He felt—not agitated, but anxious and, perhaps, a bit excited at the prospect of bringing Miss Granger down a few pegs. That, combined with marking the summer essays, made him quite want a drink.

((Ugh, I had wanted to write this up and post it faster but it is my family's going-away gathering today so I had cousins pestering me and denying me any alone time!! I finally just got my break.))

---

Hermione cringed at the harsh, scolding words her Professor spat out. Where she could have possibly went wrong within the first five minutes of her confinement with the man, left her bewildered. It was not like she had ever been sentenced to detention before; she was unaware of the customary 'detention regulations'. Her expertise lied strictly within all other forms of regulations.

With a defeated sigh, Hermione obediently shut her books and left them lying on the table while she trod toward the miniature banquet. Before she helped herself, she looked to the storage cabinet which stashed the barrel of horned toads. Nausea began to form in the pit of her stomach and the expression on her face represented a feeling of disgust. At that moment, she remembered the story Neville had told them about his experience with the disemboweling of horned toads. If she recalled correctly, the boy had in fact been so disturbed by it that a series of rushing to the toilet proceeded. Normally, Hermione wouldn't have much of an issue with the ordeal, considering she had faced situations with creatures much more horrific. It was the restriction of magical aid that got to her. Having to perform the operations up close, with her bare hands, gave her the squirmies.

“Um... I think I may just pass on eating during this session, entirely.” Hermione decided, returning a repulsed glance at the food. If her stomach was anywhere near as weak as Neville's, the last thing she wanted was a repeat of that episode inflicted upon herself. “But thank you for the consideration.” She quickly added out of acknowledgement for his generosity. Despite it being the Headmaster's orders, he could have easily lied about the agreement and not offered her any food at all. That was probably just about the kindest Hermione suspected Snape could ever get. It was quite depressing, really. It made her pity him. She had to wonder what happened to him to have turned him into such a rotten apple. Surely he could not have been like that his whole life? ... Hermione's thoughts had dragged on far too long in matters that were of no concern to her. Remembering that this was the man who put her in detention in the first place and was further forcing her to dissect toads, she snapped back to reality and opened one of the cupboards to obtain the necessary operational supplies.

It boggled Severus' mind how little his students seemed to remember over the summer. Padma Patil's essay on the properties of aconite was adequate, but she displayed a shocking misunderstanding of the subtle differences between crushing it and grinding it. Pathetic. He marked it with an "E" and explained, in a precise jot in the margins, that she ought to re-read her textbook, this time with her brain on.

He noticed, a bit surprised, that the next essay in the pile was actually Miss Granger's. He looked up and saw that she'd disappeared into the storage cupboard. A glance at the table with the food showed him that she hadn't taken anything. Well, her choice. He opened his mouth to make a comment, but then decided against it, as she probably wouldn't hear him while in the storage cupboard.

Severus unrolled Miss Granger's essay to its full length and sighed, annoyed. Once more she had given him double the length of the required essay. At last, he could speak to her about this problem.

He stood up and walked over to the storage cupboard, positioning himself directly behind her.

"Do you really not grasp the concept of 'no longer than twelve inches,' Miss Granger? There's a reason, beyond me not wishing to spend more hours than necessary marking homework, for requiring that students learn to write concisely."

((I am currently having issues with my Internet provider, and today they just cancelled my service so I do not have computer access to the net. Right now I am forced to use my mom's iPhone just to write this up and post it. It is not pleasant in the least. I am going to be switching providers, though, but they don't come until tomorrow afternoon. And then the following day is my moving date, so if I take a while to reply the next few days, those are the reasons!))

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Having been completely absorbed in retrieving the materials from the cabinet, Hermione had not heard Snape creep up behind her. Nor did she expect it. So, when his criticizing voice projected from her posterior, she jolted upright, nearly dropping an empty bottle. With a gasp, she quickly turned to face him; however, greatly underestimating their proximity. As a result of that, her foot collided incidentally with his. Despite her fortune in previously managing to keep the bottle intact, she toppled over and, not only one, but several bottles smashed to pieces. It was bizarre; she normally wasn't a clumsy person. However, her entire start of the final year just seemed to be accumulating misfortune. Why not toss in a little more?

Retracting to the matter at hand from her dishevelled position on the hard floor, she winced from the pain developing in her bottom and lower back. "Ow... I-I'm so sorry, Professor..." she apologized, beginning to get the feeling that she was in for a heck of a lot more than the inflicted physical pain. She lifted a hand to brush the messy curls out of her eyes, only to realize then that she had cut her hand on the glass of the broken jars and she was bleeding.

((That's fine, PM me when you have better access; we should arrange a time to do a rapid-fire conversation.))
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Severus saw Miss Granger tumble and fall into the shelf of glass, but was not quick enough with his wand to prevent the crash.

"Silly girl!" he exclaimed, more startled than truly angry. "You could have taken out the whole shelf!"

Then he noticed the traces of blood on the numerous shards of glass underneath her. She appeared to have effectively sat down on several of the larger jars, cracking them in two. This wasn't good—some of those contained highly infectious substances. Not that Madam Pomfrey couldn't reverse a good deal of damage, but better prevention than cure.

"Get up, quick," he snapped. "Did the glass puncture you?"

((It was kind of a false alarm, actually. I managed to find an alternative work-around for now. All I know for certain is that Thursday I will not be available, and quite possibly Friday.

I am happy to do the rapid-fire conversation right now if you wish, as I don't have much to work with for long posts. Although your 'rapid' may be significantly more so than mine. :P Even though the posts are short, I'm still a tad slow.))

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"N-No... They're just scrapes." Hermione tried wiping the blood from her hands onto her skirt, but the friction against the wounds made them sting even more. Giving up, she slowly rose to her feet, floundering a bit as she refused to use or support herself with her hands.

Viewing the damage she had done, Hermione felt the determination to make amends for it immediately. She deserved whatever frustration her Professor must have been feeling toward her at that time, as she was equally disappointed in herself for making such mistakes.

Neglecting her injuries, Hermione pulled her wand from out of her vest pocket and pointed the magic tool at the mess.

As Miss Granger turned around, Severus could see large spots of blood on the back of her skirt. Before she could finish her spell, he grabbed her arm.

"Don't be a fool. That jar held concentrated dragon bile, and if it gets into those wounds you will have massive scarring and possible muscle damage." Damn fool Gryffindor, he added mentally, and pulled on her arm to lead her out of the dark storage cupboard into the fuller light of the classroom.

---

((I'll be on now for a while, too. BTW, I love the subtle changes in your avi!))

((Thank you! My previous get-up was something I just threw together 3 years ago. So, after saving up, I decided it was time for a change. :)))

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Hermione wanted to resist, and was actually astonished at how forceful he was being in directing her to medical attention. For someone as rotten as himself, she half-expected him to just leave her there and learn the hard way. In a way, his serious take on the situation was quite amiable--at the bare minimum.

Although flattering, she did wish he would loosen his restraint and slow down a little. The hand clutching her arm was like a death-grip and the pace at which he walked made it evident that he was 'a man on a mission'. She involuntarily matched his speed, but she wriggled her captured arm to the best of her strength in order to subliminally try and get him to free it. She would have no quarrels of following, but she did at least want her arm back.

When Severus saw that Miss Granger was obeying and leaving the closet, he directed her to stand where he could assess the damage. "You have multiple shards of glass in the back of your skirt," he told her. "Either you can hobble up to the hospital wing and risk having them penetrate further or, if you're not ridiculously squeamish, you will permit me to remove them, despite them being in a sensitive place."

Though he spoke in a bored voice, he hoped she'd just be practical and allow him to treat her. It was just easier that way, and furthermore as soon as he was done with her he could clean up the mess and see if any of the valuable dragon bile was salvageable.

((Bahahahahaha... I see what you did there.))

---

Hermione had to contemplate. If Snape was really serious about the possibility of the injury getting worse as time went on, then she did not want take the chance and risk it. However... was the option of her Professor withdrawing shards of glass from her behind really much of an improvement? The thought alone gave her goosebumps. But she was wasting time by pondering, so she had to make a decision promptly.

Turning to face Professor Snape, Hermione gulped, then nodded. "Fine, you do it. But be quick." The instant she said it, she wondered if she had made a mistake. But then she figured, it was only Snape... after a year he would be out of her life, and she would get the chance to move on from the personal humiliation.

"Where do you want me?"

((LOL, your signature was SO fitting at the end of that post... "where do you want me?" EGAD!)) *rolls around at desk with silent giggles*))

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Good girl, he thought, with relief. He directed her to stand by his desk, where the light was best. By now, her skirt was quite a mess: torn in several places, quite bloody. He was surprised she was still conscious with the amount of blood she must have lost.

Silently he summoned each shard from Miss Granger's bottom and directed them into a pail he summoned to float nearby to hold them. It took longer than he'd expected; there was something about the dragon bile that made the shards sluggish in responding to the magic commands.

He still wasn't sure he had all of them after the several minutes it took to persuade the visible shards to obey. With a silent, unthinking command, he vanished Miss Granger's skirt—it was only tatters now anyway—and was about to check manually to see if any shards caught on his fingers when he stopped himself, remembering that this was a student, a female student at that, and that they were not in the middle of a battle where such automatic gestures were necessary.

He swore to himself and stepped back, feeling his fingers tingle hotly. "I... apologize," he said through gritted teeth. "An automatic reflex." He steadied himself with a breath. "You should go up to Madam Pomfrey now that the worst is out. She can check for any... remaining splinters. I need to clean the storage cupboard as soon as possible."