Thirteen
"Humanity"
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All characters are creations of Joanne K. Rowling, © 2007, to whom I am deeply indebted. I make no money from any of this. I'm just taking her world and tweaking it a bit. ALSO, I used some of the text from the Philosopher's Stone and that most definitely belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Note One: A big thanks to the_scribbler for being my awesomesauce beta/editor!
Note Two: I hope you enjoy!
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14 February, 1992
Professor Severus Snape was, if anything at all, one who despised holidays. He was never seen partaking in Beltane celebrations, nor Mayday festivities (two of the largest wizarding holidays, which predated all of the `Christian' holidays that were celebrated in muggle-controlled Britain). The one that he despised the most was, of course, Valentine's Day. The thought of wizarding students - especially pureblooded wizarding students - celebrating such a Christian holiday was something he detested. Beyond that, he loathed the thought of so many students giving free reign to their raging hormones.
However, the fact that this year's Valentine's Day ended up on a Friday made Professor Snape smile. It gave him perfect opportunity to harass, belittle, and otherwise abuse the students in the three other houses. He particularly couldn't wait for his first lesson of the day - first year Potions with Slytherin and Gryffindor. The lesson he planned was a good one, and had promise of showing him who would be able to make it through Potions for the next seven years and who would need to have their hand held the entire way (he knew right away Hufflepuff and Gryffindor would be competing for first place in that).
Slipping his wand up the sleeve of his robe, Professor Snape smiled to himself and walked briskly out of his office, his robes flapping dramatically behind him. His footsteps echoed loudly off the dungeon walls as he strode down towards the dungeon classroom. He could see Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan running into the classroom just as the bell rang and he smirked - the lesson was already starting off on a good note.
"Five points from Gryffindor," Professor Snape said in greeting, striding to the front of the class, "because of Mr. Thomas and Mr. Finnegan's tardiness."
The Gryffindor side of the room burst out into loud groans and complaints. Professor Snape paid no heed to them as he whipped his wand out from his sleeve and flicked it. Immediately, the door slammed shut and all candles except three small ones near Professor Snape's desk were extinguished.
A dark smile crossed over Professor Snape's face as the room grew silent immediately. He inhaled, practically smelling the fear radiating off of the Gryffindors, and let his eyes roam over the students. Today would be a good day.
<><><>
Hermione blinked furiously, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. Beside her, she could hear Neville give a small whimper of fear as Professor Snape studied everyone from the front of the class.
"I don't expect," Professor Snape began softly, "that any of you are truly capable of producing the potion on the board." He gestured with the tip of his wand to a long series of instructions on the blackboard that were illuminated in a silvery light. "However, the Headmaster has given me leave to test your knowledge of potion-making techniques. Think of this as a pop-quiz of sorts."
Hermione felt a grin start to spread across her face - she excelled at pop-quizzes.
"Don't worry, Neville," Harry whispered to Neville from across the table. "Remember, we'll help you."
Hermione squinted to read the finely printed notes at the front of the room, the silver glow making them slightly hard to read. Her eyes widened once she was able to read the instructions of the potion and her stomach sank, her hand shooting up immediately. "But Professor," she began, not waiting for Professor Snape to call on her, "that's a fourth-year potion that has to be done in almost complete darkness! The ingredients take an extremely long time to prepare and we won't even encounter most of them until third year! You can't expect us to pass this pop-quiz with a potion like that!"
Even through the darkness, Hermione could feel everyone's eyes on her. She bit her lip, wondering if she should've stayed silent as she saw Professor Snape's eyes glint in the darkness.
"I wasn't aware," Professor Snape said, his voice almost a whisper, "that Hogwarts had a new Potions master."
Hermione's eyes widened as the Slytherin side began to snicker. "N-no, sir! I didn't-"
"Are you sure?" he challenged, his black eyes narrowing. "You seem to know everything there possibly is to know about Potions. So much so that there really isn't any need for me to teach you, is there?"
"That isn't what I meant, Professor," Hermione protested weakly, feeling her eyes start to sting with tears. She now knew how poor Neville felt whenever Professor Snape bullied him. The air in the dungeon was tense and awkward as everyone waited for what would come next. Professor Snape slowly walked over to Hermione's table, his footsteps echoing menacingly.
"For the past seven months you've been nothing but an insufferable know-it-all in my classroom," he said, stopping in front of the table. His tone dropped to a low growl and even the Slytherins stopped their giggling to warily watch their Head of House. "I think it's high time that you learn your place here. Fifty points from Gryffindor and two weeks of detention should rectify that."
The class sucked in a collective breath as Hermione's punishment was announced. Hermione's eyes widened and she felt a tear trail down her cheek. She had always made sure to not be a nuisance in her lessons and to get so many points taken away and two weeks' worth of detention was a fate worse than death in her eyes.
"You can't do that!" Harry declared. The sound of a stool scraping back made everyone cringe as the boy shot up. "Hermione was only pointing out a fact! You can't punish her because she was telling the truth!"
"Excuse me?" Professor Snape snarled venomously. "I am the professor here- I make the decisions! You and Granger have not been here long enough to know all the secrets of Hogwarts and yet you both think you can challenge my knowledge? Another thirty points from Gryffindor, Potter. You can serve the two weeks detention with the Mu-"
"Good morning, Severus."
A gasp rang through the class as the dungeon was suddenly filled with light. Everyone groaned at the sudden brightness and turned to see who the voice belonged to. Professor Dumbledore was sitting calmly on the stool beside Seamus in the middle of the classroom, elbows on the table and his fingers pressed together. His expression was one of relaxation but there was a hard glint in his eyes as he stared at Professor Snape. No one had seen the Headmaster enter the dungeon and whispers broke out throughout the classroom. Seamus was so surprised to see Professor Dumbledore appear beside him that he gave a surprised squeak and toppled off his stool.
"Are you alright, Mr. Finnegan?" the Headmaster asked kindly, taking his eyes briefly off of the Potions master.
"F-fine, sir," Seamus replied, going red. He scurried back onto the stool.
"Headmaster!" Professor Snape paled, his eyes widening as the elderly wizard turned his gaze back to him. "I didn't know you were stopping by."
"After our conversation last week I thought I'd pop in to see how things were going," he replied calmly, standing up. Professor Dumbledore smiled at the first years and clapped his hands. In an instant everything was packed away. "I think, Severus, that this lesson is dismissed for the day. If you would kindly wait in my office."
Professor Snape's mouth snapped shut and he shot a disgruntled look towards Hermione and Harry. Without another word he swept out of the dungeon, the door banging loudly on his way out. Hermione gave a shuddery gasp and wiped her eyes, which were now filled with tears, as everyone slowly began to leave. Harry, Ron, Neville, Shae, and Fay were instantly around her, asking is she was alright.
"A word, Miss Granger?" Professor Dumbledore called out over the noise. "And Mr. Potter as well."
Fear shot through Hermione as she shakily left her group, Harry right beside her. Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she tried to think of how she could explain what happened. Professor Snape was in the wrong; he was a teacher and should not be allowed to bully students like that. But yet, it seemed no one ever went to another teacher to complain about his ways. Maybe that was how it was in the wizarding world, and since Hermione and Harry fought back they would be the ones getting trouble.
Professor Dumbledore placed a gentle hand on both Hermione and Harry's shoulder and led them to a corner of the room. Hermione was visibly shaking as he waited for the rest of the first years to clear out. She glanced over at Harry and felt slightly better at how frightened he looked - she wasn't the only one who was scared.
"Now," Professor Dumbledore began softly once the door was closed, "I don't think there's been a time when first year students lost eighty points in a single lesson."
"Please sir," Hermione protested.
Professor Dumbledore raised a hand and she fell silent. "The eighty points will be returned to Gryffindor immediately and neither of you have detention," he stated. "Professor Snape should not have acted out like that and I am very sorry that the two of you, plus Mr. Longbottom, have had to deal with his temperament."
"So you knew Snape was acting like this?" Harry accused, his eyes narrowing. Hermione gasped at Harry's tone, they were sure to lose more points because of it.
"Professor Snape has been dealing with some things that have been troubling him. I had a talk with him a while ago about his ways but it seems like he fell back in the rut he was in."
"That doesn't give him the right to treat students like that!" Hermione exclaimed. She couldn't believe the Headmaster was making excuses for Professor Snape; it was like he was protecting him. "He's an adult, we're just kids."
"He is also very human," Professor Dumbledore reminded softly. "And humans make mistakes, do they not?"
Hermione flushed, feeling scolded. She didn't agree with Professor Dumbledore's logic, but she could see what he was getting at.
"There is another matter I would like to discuss with you two," he continued on. "I've heard about the bond you and your fellow first years have begun to develop and I want you to pass on a message to them. Under no circumstances will any of you do anything to try and get back at Professor Snape." He stared pointedly at Hermione and she felt a jolt of fear run through her. Professor Dumbledore couldn't possibly know about her and Ron's plan to use the Leg-Locker Curse on Professor Snape at the Quidditch match. They had made sure no one was around when they discussed it and kept it a secret.
"Yes sir," Harry said quietly.
"Very good," Professor Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "So, eighty points returned to Gryffindor and as for you, Mr. Potter - ten points to Gryffindor for standing up for a friend in need."
Harry flushed and grinned at Professor Dumbledore, thanking him.
"I think that's all there was to say," Professor Dumbledore said. "Unless either of you had anything to add…?"
"I don't believe so, sir," Harry said, glancing at Hermione.
Hermione frowned, there was one thing that had been bugging her, "Professor, how did you manage to get here without any of us seeing you?"
Professor Dumbledore and, to Hermione's surprise, Harry chuckled. "I believe Mr. Potter can answer that question for you, Miss Granger." Hermione's head whipped around to look at her friend. Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and Professor Dumbledore laughed. "Professor Snape will be anxious for me to return to my office, I'm sure, so I'll be taking my leave. Enjoy your weekend."
Professor Dumbledore walked past Hermione and Harry and out the door, nearly bumping into Ron on his way out. Ron quickly apologized and bolted into the dungeon. "You didn't get into trouble, did you?" he asked immediately.
"No, we didn't," Harry said happily, going over to the table they had been sitting at. He grabbed his and Hermione's bag, handing Hermione's to her, and began to lead the three of them out of the dungeon. "Dumbledore returned the eighty points back to Gryffindor."
"Plus the ten that Harry received," Hermione added, hurrying after him. In a split-second decision, she reached out and grabbed Harry's arm, yanking him around to face her and pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Harry."
Hermione felt Harry stiffen and awkwardly pat her on the back. "Y-you're welcome," he stammered once she pulled back. Ron was staring at the two of them like they had gone mad and Hermione felt herself redden.
"No one has ever stood up for me like that," she hastily explained. "I-I didn't mean to - I got carried away."
"It's fine, it's about time someone stood up for you," Harry shrugged as Ron laughed at Hermione's awkwardness. "You're my friend, Hermione. I don't like seeing my friends hurt."
Hermione felt herself flush as Harry led the way up to the Entrance Hall, butterflies mysteriously erupting in her stomach and her pulse racing.
Ron hung back with her and waited until Harry was out of ear-shot, "Still having issues with possibly attacking a teacher?"
<><><>
"Remember, it's Locomotors Mortis," Hermione reminded, pushing her brown curls out of her eyes. It was late Saturday evening and Hermione and Ron were in Professor Flitwick's classroom practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. Oliver Wood had called another one of his `last minute practices' and Harry was sure to be busy for the majority of the night. Hermione jumped at the opportunity and dragged Ron to go practice. Since the Potions lesson the previous day, all hesitation of attacking Professor Snape flew out the window.
"I know," Ron snapped, his ears going red. They had been practicing the curse for a little over an hour and Ron had only been able to do the spell once. Hermione couldn't understand why Ron was having such a hard time with it; he had been saying the incantation correctly and doing the proper wrist movement.
"Try again," she instructed, feeling her body tense immediately as Ron raised his wand at her.
"Locomotors Mortis." After a moment of hesitation, Ron flicked his wrist and shot the spell at her. She felt it whiz past her and she glared at him. "I'm sorry! I just can't do it."
"Yes you can," she sighed. "You did it fine at the beginning - I don't see why you aren't able to do the spell now." Ron's ears went pink and he looked away, mumbling under his breath. Hermione wanted to scream in frustration. "This was your idea, Ron! If you aren't going to take this seriously then let's just go."
"I am taking it seriously!" he snapped.
"Then why can't you hit me?" Hermione shot back. "This is for Harry's safety, Ron!"
Ron glared furiously at Hermione and looked away, mumbling again. Hermione's eyes narrowed at him and she took her wand, shooting off the spell.
"Hermione!" Ron roared as his legs snapped together. He lost his balance and fell backwards, landing hard on his bottom.
"Start taking this seriously! I know you can do the spell." Hermione crossed her arms and stared at Ron as he tried to stand up. She eventually took pity on him and used the counter curse. "Tell me why you can't hit me."
"You're a girl," Ron mumbled after regaining his balance, looking embarrassed.
"Excuse me?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Mum always taught me that it is disrespectful to turn your wand on a girl," Ron explained, scowling. "And you're a girl."
Hermione's eyes widened as Ron looked away, his neck beet red. She had read that if a witch or wizard was against casting a spell, depending on how much resistance was put up, the spell could miss without the caster intentionally doing it. It was now clear to Hermione that Ron had been doing this because of how his mother had raised him. "That's sweet," Hermione said softly, smiling. "And I respect your mum for teaching you that. But this could be a matter of life and death for Harry. You have to practice on me."
"Right," he nodded, picking up his wand and pointing at her.
Hermione saw the hesitation in Ron's eyes and sighed, "Locomotors Mortis."
Ron yelped, his arms waving around like a windmill as he tried to keep his balance. He managed to stay upright this time and shot a smug grin at Hermione. "Don't think of me as a girl," Hermione advised, releasing Ron from the Leg-Locker Curse. "I'm just Hermione, you're friend. Not a girl."
"Right. Just Hermione… just Hermione," Ron chanted to himself. He once again raised his wand and, with a look of determination, shot off the spell. Again, it whizzed by Hermione.
"Ron!"
"I'm sorry!" Ron exclaimed. "But you're Hermione. My friend - who is a girl!"
"Locomotors Mortis," Hermione sighed.
Ron fell face first on the floor with an angry cry. Hermione had a feeling that Ron would only be able to succeed in performing the Leg-Locker Curse correctly if she provoked him, making him angry so he wouldn't think of her being a girl. It was a low thing to do, but if it meant that Harry would be somewhat safer, she would do it.
Hermione performed the counter curse and watched Ron scurry up. He shot and missed again and Hermione hit him with the Leg-Locker Curse immediately. She began to make her way over to the redhead as he fell on his bottom. "Don't be afraid to hit me," she scolded. "I respect what your mum has taught you but you have to let it go for this. I'll even promise not to tell her if -"
"Locomotors Mortis!"
Hermione let out a surprised yelp as the Leg-Locker Curse hit her mid-step. Her legs locked together instantaneously and shot out from under her. She fell face first to floor with a groan.
"I did it!" Ron crowed, looking extremely pleased with himself.
"You did!" she exclaimed, smarting from the fall but happy that Ron had finally got it. She rolled onto her back so she could sit up; her skirt had ridden up to her upper thigh and she hastily pulled it down. "Now perform the counter curse."
"I think I'll wait a bit," he replied.
"What?"
"Payback for all the times you got me," Ron said, grinning cheekily. He pointed his wand to his own legs and performed the counter curse, frowning when his legs didn't unlock. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why isn't it working?"
"You can't use it on yourself," she explained, exasperated. "Professor Flitwick told that to us first thing when we began to learn it."
"He did not."
"He did so," Hermione quipped. "If someone had been listening, he would've known."
"Unstick my legs," Ron ordered.
"Not until you do mine," she shot back.
"If you go first you'll just hit me with it again once I'm up," he accused.
"I will not!"
"You did before."
"That was to get you to hit me." Hermione rolled her eyes. "It worked, didn't it?"
"I'm not releasing you until you do it for me," Ron said, narrowing his eyes.
"Well that's just too bad because the same goes for me," Hermione huffed, crossing her arms stubbornly.
Hermione and Ron glared at each other, both not backing down and releasing the Leg-Locker Curse on the other. Fortunately, the door opened a few minutes later and Professor Flitwick entered the classroom, his eyes filled with laughter as he took in his two students. "Well now," he squeaked, smiling, "it seems both of you have gotten the hang of the Leg-Locker Curse."
"Yes, Professor," Hermione said, scowling at Ron. "But Ron won't do the counter curse."
"Tattle tale," Ron hissed quietly.
"Now, now, let's play nice." Professor Flitwick pulled his wand out and performed the counter curse on Hermione and Ron. They both got up, stilling glaring at each other, as Professor Flitwick began speaking again. "It's nearly curfew so I'm going to have to send you back to Gryffindor Tower. Anytime you need a space to practice, don't be afraid to ask!"
Hermione allowed the tiny professor to usher them out of the classroom and towards the staircase that led to Gryffindor Tower. The two of them walked silently up to the tower, both of them too angry at the other to say anything. Once inside, Hermione made a beeline to where Shae was sitting with a magazine and Ron went over to Seamus and Dean's game of Exploding Snap.
"Where were you?" Shae asked, idly flipping a page of her magazine.
"Helping Ron with the Leg-Locker Curse," Hermione replied, plopping down on the sofa beside her.
Shae took one look at her friend's expression and began to laugh, "That didn't go well I take it?"
"That's an understatement." Hermione rolled her eyes and stared into the fire. Shae giggled and went back to her magazine.
After around half an hour, the portrait opened and Oliver Wood came rushing into the common room, followed by the rest of the Quidditch team. Oliver looked around the room wildly, his eyes roaming over all the students. Once he caught sight of Hermione, his eyes brightened and a huge grin surfaced. "There she is!" he exclaimed loudly, scurrying over to Hermione. "The Gryffindor Quidditch team's saviour!"
Oliver's exclamation caught the attention of everyone nearby and they stopped to watch him grab Hermione by the arm and yank her into a standing position. Harry came up beside Oliver and gave Hermione an amused smile as Oliver pulled her into a tight hug, swinging her around.
"What's going on?" Hermione demanded, trying and failing to get out of the Keeper's grasp.
"Snape backed out of refereeing the match!" Angelina Johnson squealed, clutching Katie Bell's arm excitedly. The two girls had grins to match Oliver's and were bouncing slightly on the balls of their feet.
"What's that have to do with Hermione?" Dean asked. By now a small crowd was gathered around Hermione and the Quidditch team. Ron nudged his way beside Harry, looking confused.
"Because of the little stunt Hermione pulled in Potions yesterday," Oliver began gleefully, "Dumbledore forced Snape to step down and let Madam Hooch do her job!"
"No way!" Fay cried out.
"Yes way!" Oliver nodded. "Madam Hooch will be refereeing the match now!"
Everyone began to chatter excitedly over the news, all of them very happy to hear that Madam Hooch was back. Seamus even went over to Hermione to congratulate her.
"I didn't do anything," she protested, turning to Oliver. "I didn't pull any `stunt'! Professor Snape was giving us an unfair pop-quiz which no one would be able to pass. I mentioned it to him and he went mad!"
"Either way, you saved us!" Oliver said, catching Hermione again and swinging her around. "Oh, I could kiss you right now!"
"Please don't," Harry said immediately.
"Do you know how wrong that would look?" George shuddered.
"Bloody disgusting," Fred agreed, nodding. "Not that there's anything wrong with you, Hermione."
"It's just picturing Oliver with anyone is enough to make a person retch." George finished, grinning wickedly at the team captain.
Oliver glared at the twins, making a rude gesture at them as he let go of Hermione. Hermione quickly jumped to safety behind Harry and Ron and watched as Oliver turned on his heel and practically skipped up the boy's staircase. After a few moments of excited chatter, everyone went back to what they were doing around the common room, leaving Hermione, Harry, Ron, Shae, and Fay standing in a circle by the sofa.
"That's great news, mate!" Ron grinned, clapping Harry on the back. He glanced at Hermione and grimaced, then back at Harry. Since they had been planning to keep the Leg-Locker Curse a secret, she knew that this was Ron's way of apologizing for how he had acted in Professor Flitwick's classroom.
"It definitely makes things a lot less stressful," Harry agreed, stretching.
"Less stressful?" Fay asked, raising an eyebrow. Hermione stilled, glancing at Harry and Ron. Both boys looked like deer caught in the headlights, their eyes wide as they realized their slip up.
"Revision!" Hermione said quickly. "Exams start in less than three months so we've been slowly starting to prepare for them."
"Oh," Fay said slowly, looking at Hermione suspiciously. "That's not a bad idea actually. Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all," Hermione smiled. She could feel Harry and Ron staring incredulously at her and ignored them.
"Can you help me too?" Shae asked. "Three months is a little too soon to start revising for my liking, but if you'd be willing to helping poor, little old me…"
Hermione laughed as Shae trailed off and batted her light blue eyes at her. "Fine," she grinned, "I'll help both of you."
"Thanks!" Shae exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Hermione's Homework Help has begun!"
Hermione's smile dropped and she glared at the redhead as Harry and Ron snorted with laughter. "I think it's time for bed, Shae," she glowered.
"Say goodnight, Shae," Fay laughed, dragging Shae up the girl's staircase.
"Revision?" Ron gaped at Hermione once the two girls were out of sight. "Are you mad? Exams start in June!"
"Would you rather I told them about Fluffy, the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape?" Hermione challenged. "Besides it's a perfect time to start revising. We have to be prepared! Failure means taking first year all over again - do you want that?"
"No," Ron grumbled. "But February is too soon to start revising."
"Well too bad, we've got Shae and Fay with us now," Hermione sniffed. "And besides, being extra prepared never hurt anyone, right Harry?"
Harry's eyes widened as both Hermione and Ron looked at him expectantly. "N-not really," he stammered, looking between the two of them nervously. "I'm just going to go get started on some homework…"
Harry trailed off, practically running up the stairs to his dormitory. Hermione huffed and grabbed her bag, going over to a table near the fire. She pulled out the notes for Harry for that week and placed them on the table.
"We're going to have to watch Snape a lot closer now," Hermione murmured to Ron, making sure to keep her voice down in case someone overheard her. "I bet he's hurting because Professor Dumbledore made him step down from refereeing and is just itching to find a way to get even."
"If he tries anything at the match, do what you did last time," Ron said quietly. "It worked, just make sure to get there fast enough."
Hermione nodded and sat down, pulling out a spare piece of parchment to begin making a revision chart. Sighing, Ron reluctantly sat down across from her and pulled out his own homework. "Sorry about earlier," he muttered, not taking his eyes off of his textbook.
Hermione looked up. "I'm sorry for getting you angry like that," she replied.
Harry reappeared at the bottom of the stairs, effectively cutting off the rest of their conversation. He sat down beside Hermione and pulled out an Astronomy chart, biting the end of his quill as he tried to find where he had left off.
Making sure that Ron was busy with his own schoolwork, Hermione slid the notes over to Harry. Harry took them and put them in his bag silently, giving Hermione a smile. "Thanks," he whispered.
Hermione returned the smile, "Anytime."
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End Note: Done another chapter! Yay! We're about three-quarters of the way done PS!! Not entirely sure when the next chapter will be up, I'm still working on it.
Remember, reviews keep the writer motivated!
Kelci
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