DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. does, and she has every right to do whatever she thinks is best for Harry Potter. I just love writing. So sue me. Wait, seriously… don't.
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"We're in Snape's Dungeon."
Surprised, Hermione made a quick turnaround, her face contorted with fear.
"What? How?" she gasped.
"Dunno…" his voice returning to its usual tone, but reality came crashing to him. "Hermione, we're in Snape"s dungeon!" Ron paced back and forth. Then he stopped and looked at her with frantic eyes. "...if he ever sees us in here!"
Ron made a move towards the door but no sooner could he get out when Hermione grabbed the hem of his robes and pulled him away from the exit.
"No!" Hermione cried out through gritted teeth as she held him back.
"Have you gone mad? Don't you care if we get caught?" Ron complained as he shook her off him.
"Excuse me? I'm not the one who has a knack for getting in trouble," she crossed her arms over her chest, looking every bit a professor. "Besides, don't you see our chance? We could get the ingredients here without ever having the trouble of sneaking past Snape. The sooner we find those ingredients the sooner we can get out."
Although still really reluctant, Ron decided to let her have her way.
"What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered.
Scratching his head, he followed Hermione around the room as she dictated the descriptions of the ingredients for him to identify them easily. They moved quickly, occasionally bumping into each other as they got the ingredients in a hurry, not telling each other they were both having the same feeling of being watched.
After a few minutes, they found the frothfrump ash, rosencrest and inogobatim liquid, and tucked them securely under Hermione's robes. But just as they were about to go out, they heard footsteps from the other side of the door.
"Someone's coming..." Hermione hissed at him. She listened more carefully and heard the familiar muttering of one person she knew. "Snape."
As soon as Ron heard her, he scampered towards the fireplace in panic, hoping to seek cover through it. But before he had the chance to get inside, Hermione grabbed him again.
"Not there," she dragged Ron past a mirror, towards behind the bookshelf.
"Why here?" Ron asked when no one came in yet.
"Because, he probably knows about -- Ron!" she breathed out in anxiety as she realized something.
"What?"
"It's still open," Hermione spurted, glancing at the mirror.
Ron followed her gaze and understood.
Whether Snape knew there was an entrance there or not, he would know someone was--or still was--in his office. And as the knob turned, Hermione could only close their eyes and wait for Snape to see the opened entrance.
Ron, however anxious he was, kept his gaze steadily at the reflection on the mirror. For a moment there, he wanted to gamble and run to close the fireplace, but thought better of it since even if he did make it there on time, he wouldn't know how to close it.
But just before the door opened, there was a spark near the fireplace and it closed in time before the professor entered his office with a loud bang of the door.
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Having heard his occasional curse, sure enough, it was Snape whom had entered.
Hermione's heart thumped madly as she waited for an angry shout from him. But minutes passed, and still, no one made a sound, except perhaps a few grunts, shuffling of papers and creaking of the chair.
Hermione wanted to know why Snape hadn't reacted at all when he saw the opened fireplace. She glanced back at the mirror and her face contorted in disbelief as she saw the fireplace, which had been an entrance a short moment ago, concealed. She sighed in relief as she realized they were safe. It didn't occur to her how that had happened. It could have automatically shut off, for all she cared.
Minutes ticked, but Snape seemed to have no intention of moving from his place. She was glad Ron had the sense of not making a sound because if he didn't, knowing Snape, they'd find themselves on board the Hogwarts' Express faster than they can say `sorry'.
Quite some more time had gone by and Hermione's head began sagging in exhaustion. Without her knowing, Ron too was lolling from side to side, fatigue clearly evading him. Then all of a sudden, he drooped against her shoulders, surprising her. Her instinct reaction was to nudge Ron hardly on the ribs waking him from his drowsy state. He hit the wooden shelf and Hermione felt, more than saw, Snape's head shot up as the noise reached his ears.
The screeching of the chair being pushed back as its occupant stood up made Hermione's every nerve pray silently for the teacher not to find them. But even as she did, she didn't really think it was quite possible to turn out the other way. His slow trudges seemed to get closer and closer, each step becoming longer and heavier. Hermione's fearful mind made her think that Snape might hear her heart beating so fast as if she had run a hundred miles.
Only a few more seconds and they'd be exposed, questioned, sent to their tower to pack and put on a train for home.
5…
She could hear Snape's deep, shallow breathing. Preparing to shout at whoever had been stupid enough to sneak inside his office. His lips curling into a nasty smile she knew so well and despised.
4…
Ron was tugging on her robes so hard she nudged him on the stomach, causing him to double over, it didn't matter if he created any more noise for they were about to get caught anyway…
3…
Hermione's lip was becoming sore as she bit it real hard, tasting fear she didn't like at all.
2…
The inconsiderate adult, if he even thinks like one, would see them in just one turn.
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