Author's Note: I'm not going to lie. I was very discouraged and stuck with this story, but I knew I had to update it before anything else. So I looked at some reviews you guys have sent me and they really got me inspired. Particularly passion fruit's review! Thank you for all the reviews guys, they really do make my day! Hope this chapter is finding everyone well! Sorry it's been so long between updates!
Caged
Chapter Six
The secret of last night follows me all day, bathing me in a kind of warmth and happiness, making me smile to myself. Mrs. Jacobs has noted this fact, raising her eyebrows at me and asking, "Why have you been smiling so, Hermione? It looks as if you've a secret." I only shake my head, responding that it is simply a nice day. Which is true. The sun is high in the clear sky and it's not too cold out, but not too warm either.
But Mrs. Jacobs isn't the only one who has noted my happiness, Papa has picked up on it as well. And, since I'm supposed to be unhappy in my punishment, he's angry about it. Since there is no clear evidence of why I'm so happy, or of anything that happened last night, he can't punish me further, no matter how hard he looks for a clue as to why I'm smiling so.
My happiness doesn't last very long though.
As if some greater being didn't want me to be happy Papa told me Professor Snape was coming again today.
I had mixed feelings about this at first. I was upset and annoyed because Professor Snape really is a horrible and unpleasant man, but I was sort of happy and excited because he is a connection to my new friends and the curious magic of the night before.
So when he arrives and starts the lesson I go in, full of optimism. I'll start fresh with this man and he'll learn to think of me as his star pupil. He'll know I wasn't trying to show him up or be a know-it-all during our last lesson, he'll know I'm just an intelligent and cultured girl.
My spirits are crushed though, as Professor Snape drops a large stack of papers in front of me. "Let's test your knowledge, Miss Greene."
One paper has a picture of the world, one has a picture of Europe, one of France, one of England, one of the Americas, there's a paper for every country. I look up at him, puzzled.
"Fill in every continent, country, city, town, river, lake, ocean, mountain chain, or peninsula you know," he snarls at me.
I stare up at him, "Yes sir."
He moves around the room as I work, looking at books, staring out the window, shuffling papers, swishing his long, black cloak. For a minute or so I study him, pretending to be thinking to myself.
His dark hair really is disgustingly greasy, and the face it frames is pasty and almost gives off a green tint. His eyes are dark, with little or no eyelashes surrounding them, and his nose is large and hooked, reminding me of a bird.
"Stop daydreaming!" he snaps at me and I hunch over the papers, scribbling away.
It takes me nearly an hour and a half to finish all the papers, but I managed to put in everything I know. Of course, a lot of the maps are empty, as I've never seen and memorized the whole world, but he can't expect me to be a protege, can he?
He makes a disapproving sound, "Didn't know as much as we thought we did, huh Miss Greene?"
I don't answer.
As he scans another sheet of parchment I ask a question that just sort of spills out of my mouth, "Professor Snape, can you do magic?"
He doesn't respond for a moment, only goes on looking at the papers. And then his face falls, and he looks up, horrified and disgusted.
"What a foolish thing to say!"
"But Professor, I know people can do magic," I say. "I can! You must be able to as well! I believe they said you were a teacher at the school, if it's a magic school, Hog-Hogwater?"
"Hogwarts?" he sounds sick, angry.
"Yes!" I declare. "That's it!"
He shakes his head, "H-How do you know about Hogwarts!? Who told you?"
"Why-"
"You're not a witch, you're only a muggle!" he booms. "You would have gotten a letter!"
I knot my eyebrows, "I beg your pardon sir?"
He begins pacing, "I'll have to perform a memory charm on you, there's no way you can be a proper witch," he glances at me. "You'll forget quite a lot but it must be done."
He reaches into his bag and pulls out the thin stick I saw in his bag during our first lesson. It's not a stick at all, more like a polished piece of wood, with an intricate design on the handle. He points it at me. My gut reaction pulls me to my feet and I run to the corner of the room, as Professor Snape is closest to the door. Whatever he is going to do with that stick can't be good.
"No!" I cry. "Please Professor, listen to me-"
"I'm sorry you have to deal with this Miss Granger, but you just can't know."
He lifts the wand more, begins to say some indistinguishable words and I shield my eyes, "NO!"
I wait for some kind of impact, for something to hit me, for something, anything to happen to me. But instead I'm frightened by a large slam and the toppling of several books onto the floor. I crack open my eyes, which I now notice I had snapped shut, and see Professor Snap lying on the floor, his head resting against the bottom of the bookcase. Several books have fallen on top of him, but otherwise, he's fine. He stares at me though, with wide, vacant eyes.
"Professor Snape?" I venture.
He looks around the room, as if he doesn't know how he got where he is, "Yes?"
"Are you all right?"
"Of course I'm all right! Why wouldn't I be?" he snaps.
I'm about to speak when Papa bursts through the door, "What in Heaven's name is going on in here?!"
I look at Professor Snape on the floor, struggling to stand, just as confused as my father.
"Professor Snape slipped," I manage to reply.
"Slipped?" Papa sounds unconvinced.
I nod, "On the chair."
"I did?" Professor Snape asks, rubbing his head.
Have I- Have I erased his memory? Is that even possible? Can I do that- Well, of course it's possible, he was going to do it to me! But me. I'm capable of doing that? By accident? I did make the gate disappear yesterday.... But this, this is so different!
I nod, "Yes you did Professor."
He looks at the floor, "I must have."
"Did you hit your head?" Papa asks.
Snape straightens himself up, "I believe I did."
"Maybe you should end the lesson for today, you ought to lie down, or see a doctor-"
"I'll be fine," Snape says. "I'll be off though, no more mishaps for me."
He gathers his papers and leaves me with a small assignment, then he moves to exit the room, "Good day Miss Greene," he says, and then leaves with Papa behind him.
My mouth falls open, I don't blink, I only stare at the closed door and allow my brain to go completely blank with confusion. How? How is this even possible? One moment the man is ready to put some kind of spell on me because I asked him of magic, and now- now he doesn't even remember he was angry at me.
Could I- Could I really be a witch?
I look down at my assignment and see that he's handed me the same maps he gave me to fill out at the beginning of our lesson.