All I Want For Christmas

Disclaimer:: I don't own any of this, JKR has all claims to Harry Potter and it's characters, and I am unfortunately not getting paid; not that I write well enough to receive money for this story or any others I happen to write.
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Hermione and Ron exchanged looks, secretly agreeing to carry on their little spat later, then they all rushed off to Potions hoping not to be late with Snape in such a foul mood. Harry, flanked by Ron and Hermione, take their usual seats at the back of the class; Hermione on the isle being separated from Ron by Harry. Panting from their little jog through the halls, they pull out their books and begin unpacking their ingredients. Snape suddenly appears from the shadows and slinks up to the front of the classroom; his dark robes billowing impressively behind him, his black eyes darting about the room catching some students in his dark gaze."The notes taken last class, pass them up!" He says when he gets to the front of the room and faces the class. There was much whispering and rustling of papers. "Quiet! It does not take your voices to find a few papers, as we can easily demonstrate" shaking a little bottle of green liquid. The room goes completely silent as the papers are passed forward. "Now, open your books to page 170 and get started on your assignment, which..is up on this board. I expect it to be turned in by the end of class. The rest of your assignment is on the other board." Every head in the class turned to look at the board on the wall and was quickly followed by many groans of disappointment as everyone read Snape's untidy scrawl:

NOTES
Two feet of parchment
from pages 170-190.
Words kept to a maximum
of a half inch. Only a one inch
margin on all sides of parchment.
Due next class.

"Get to work. Now!" Everyone began on their potions immediately. Snape was gliding around the room, up and down the rows of tables, commenting on every detail he saw fit. When he got to their table, Snape reached over Hermione's cauldron and ladled up some of Harry's potion. "What is this?" He said in a would-be awed voice, his face; however, staying the same, "has the famous Harry Potter finally outdone the know-it-all Granger?" He raises an eyebrow.
Hermione looked down into her cauldron and then made a quick reference to her book. She let a small "oh no.." escape her lips before turning to look up at Snape, "but Professor, I don't know what happened...I followed the instructions.."
Snape's eyebrow raised a little further, slightly dragging the other brow along with it. "Well, by the looks of it, you forgot step number five," he said looking from her cauldron to the board, "Do read it aloud, Miss Granger," he adds with a sneer.
"But Professor," she began but stopped when he glared into her eyes. She nods as a shiver reaches her. "Add two sprigs of rosemary. I saw that sir, I don't know...I don't understand what happened."
"Miss Granger, I don't care if you do or don't understand. What I do know is that you will not have a chance to fix it. I don't plan on letting you go on ruining good ingredients." He swipes away the ingredients in the cauldron with a flick of his wand. "Now then Miss Granger, I expect, since you have so much time left, for your other assignment to be turned in by the end of class."
And with that he leaves her with a tear in her eye and an awed look on her face. "How can he do that, I might have been able to fix it, and I'm not a know-it-all...." Looking up she sees Ron suppressing a laugh and glares at him, "Jeez, Mione, if looks could kill!" Hermione lets herself smirk and turns to her book. After skimming over the selection she bends down and looks through her bag for her parchment, quill, and ink. She was about to straighten up when she noticed shoes next to her. Her eyes trailed from the shoes up the leg, the chest,and to a pale face. It was Draco Malfoy. "Awww, did Granger fuck up?" He says in a mocking voice.
"Sod off, Malfoy!"
"Language, Mudblood, Language!" Draco retorts, smirking.
Harry stands up and was about to move at Draco when a voice overcomes him. "Potter, Sit Down!" Lowering his voice, "you too, Mister Malfoy." Snape waits for the two to sit down before going on. "Mister Potter, are you trying to add on to your punishment?"
"No, Sir," Harry says honestly.
"Then I do believe it would be good for you to stay seated for the rest of the class and keep quiet!" Snape's eyes were simply glistening.
"Yes, Sir," Harry says frowning. Everyone stayed seated and quiet working on their potions for the rest of the class, with the exception of Hermione who had written her paper and was now reading up on the next chapter of her potions book.
With only a few minutes left in the class, Snape stands from behind his desk and immediately has everyone's attention. He rounds the desk and leans against the front, facing the class, holding a stack of papers. He throws the papers onto the empty table in front of his desk and curtly says, "find your's and sit down." after watching them sluggishly find their papers and sit back down, he is approached by the young Gryffindor. "Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape asked without looking up.
"Um. Well, Professor, I couldn't find my notes in the stack," she says, frowning.
"Yes, I know. I need to speak to you after class." When she opens her mouth to say something, he adds, "I will give you my reasons for this after class, now go sit down and wait for the bloody bell." He says all this without even glancing at her. Still frowning, Hermione walks back to her seat, ignoring Draco's rude gestures, and waits only seconds for the bell to ring.
After telling Harry and Ron to tell Professor McGonagall where she was, Hermione approached Snape's desk again. "Sir? You wanted to see me?"
"Mm," he grunts, still not looking at her. He reaches into a drawer on his desk and pulls out a small stack of papers. "I have been watching your papers come to me all week and they all seem to look like this." He points to the little drawings, "and then today, the notes handed in at the beginning of class, well, see for yourself." Snape holds up the paper covered in her beautiful, looping hand-writing in one hand; the other hand, writing on a small piece of parchment. She reaches for it and he tugs it away from her grasp. For the first time all day he looks into her face and smirks at the puzzled look on it. His eyes flash with an unknown emotion and go black and cold once again. "I said look, Miss Granger, not scrutinize. I see no reason for it since it was you who wrote it. Is this not your hand-writing?" She nods and looks at it closely as he holds it up. Her eyes widen as understanding washes over her and then they become a green color as the rest of her face begins to pale.
"Sir, I can explain, you see..." Snape holds up a hand and she stops.
"Miss Granger, I don't want an explanation. What I want is for you to be here, tonight at six for your detention. I'm hoping it will affect your attitude and possibly your ability to pay attention. You see, with every little...note I see in my possession will be a detention. Any more drawings and it will be another detentions. Are you getting my point, Miss Granger?" She stares at him, almost disbelieving thinking, 'He couldn't possibly be serious. All this for a little note and some doodles?' "I'm taking your absence of words as a yes." Snape says bringing Hermione out of her little reverie. He puts the stack of papers away, "I suggest you get to class, Miss Granger, don't want to be later than you already are, could get another detention and I'm sure you don't want that," he finishes with a smirk.
Absently she nods, picks up her things, and starts off for transfiguration, her thoughts absorbed in what had just happened.