Through the Looking Glass ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 27 ~ Hermione Learns Something

After receiving her caning from Filch, who only gave her five strokes, reserving the rest until after he spoke to the Headmaster to see if her story of being with him was true, a very angry Hermione stalked to Professor Snape’s office. She had her healer’s bag with her and most of the effects of the caning were dulled to a low throb. But it was enough pain to give her added attitude.

She pounded on the wizard’s office door. After a minute or two, Snape opened the door.

”Miss Granger,” he said, his eyes shifting over her sharply to see if she had her wand out. “To what do I owe this visit?”

”You know why I’m here. I want to talk to you about my marks. I want to see them,” she said angrily.

Snape widened the door.

”Come in and have a seat, Miss Granger,” he said.

He watched the witch stalk by him, then pulled his wand.

”Accio wand,” he said softly. Hermione’s wand flew out of her pocket and into his outstretched hand. The witch spun.

”Hey, give that back!” she exclaimed.

Snape put it in his robes pocket.

”When you leave it will be returned to you. I don’t feel like being hexed, Miss Granger. Now, take a seat,” he said firmly, his eyes narrowed.

Hermione scowled at him, reminded of how the Snape in the other world took her wand when she last visited him. She flushed a bit and sat down heavily in the chair in front of Snape’s desk, watching as the wizard walked over to a file cabinet, opened it, shifted through the folders and drew out a parchment. He walked back to the desk, looking at it as he sat down.

”Ah, yes. You now have an “Exceeds Expectations,” he told her, smirking a bit as he slid the parchment over to her. “Quite a good mark. The best in Slytherin house in years.”

Hermione frowned as she saw the “Extra Credit” points in the right corner of the parchment.

”I suppose you fulfilled a fantasy with my counterpart,” she said to him witheringly as she slid the file back

Snape took it, then studied her for a moment.

”Actually, I didn’t, Miss Granger. Although she looked like you, I was very aware she was not you, and so treated her accordingly. Had it been you . . . the encounter would have been much different,” he replied honestly.

Thinking of how brutal the Slytherin Snape had been, she said, “Yes. I imagine pain and humiliation would have played a big part.”

The wizard looked at her in surprise.

”Pain? Humiliation? That’s not how I operate Miss Granger. All my encounters with students are pleasure-oriented. I don’t mistreat them, although there is a Lite BDSM/roleplay selection on my extra credit list, but I control the extent of the interaction, enlisting safe words and the like.”

Hermione stared at him.

”Extra credit ‘list?’ What is that?” she asked him.

”It’s a checklist of acts that can be performed for extra credit,” he replied, taking the laminated parchment out of the top drawer and sliding it over to the witch.

Hermione blinked at him. He had a list? None of the other teachers had a list. They usually just told the students what they could do for the amount of credit they wanted. It wasn’t . . . itemized. Basically the teachers had the power.

Hermione took the list and looked at it, the acts listed and the points clearly laid out.

She looked up at him.

”You let the students decide what will be done?” she asked him, surprised.

Snape nodded.

”Yes. I believe that is a fair way to allow them some say in the matter. It isn’t required of course, but I try to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. This way, they know what to expect and feel they have some control over the situation.”

Hermione flipped the parchment over and continued reading.

Snape studied her quietly, wondering what was going through the witch’s mind. She didn’t know about the list, because she had never inquired about extra credit. Snape was often ridiculed by the other staff members because of the way he went about giving his students extra points, but, he didn’t care about it. He had spoken to Tom Riddle about making a list mandatory, but the Headmaster wouldn’t hear of his goody-goody tactics.

”Our methods have worked fine for years, Severus. Teachers must maintain their authority over students, not coddle them and nitpick about every little act. It’s too constraining. You may run things the way you like considering your own students and those in your class, but you will not take over this school with your idealistic approaches. And that’s final,” Tom had told him pointedly.

Hermione looked up at him.

”So, my counterpart chose what would happen between you,” she asked him, her eyes narrowed.

”For the most part, although there was a little spontaneity involved. We started in the shower,” he told the witch. “It wasn’t on the list, but she was given a choice rather or not to proceed. She agreed and received the proper amount of points in addition to what was already established.”

Hermione’s brown eyes flicked over the pale wizard looking back at her calmly, then looked down at the list again. She focused on a particular listing, her brow furrowing slightly as she considered it. She looked up at Snape again.

”So, you give the option of roleplay too?” she asked him.

Snape could tell the witch was interested. His heart sped up a bit.

”It’s on the list, isn’t it?” he replied, trying to remain cool.

”I see it, but . . . what is it? Imaginary? You have to get in the proper ‘frame of mind’ or something?’ Pretend?” Hermione asked him, curious now.

”Oh, it’s a little more than that, Miss Granger. Would you like to see?” he asked the witch, rising from his desk, knowing she would.

Hermione didn’t respond but watched as the wizard walked across the room to a door and opened it. He gestured at her.

”Enter this room, Miss Granger,” he said softly.

Hermione slowly rose from her chair, walked up to the door and looked in. The room was completely empty.

”What is this?” she asked. “There’s nothing in here. Not even a bed.”

”Go in,” the wizard told her again.

Hermione slowly entered the empty room, Snape entering behind her.

Suddenly, the walls became dark stone and the room was sparsely furnished. There was a four-poster bed, a wardrobe, a mirrored dresser and a wooden chair. A few torches spluttered in scones on the wall. The room was horribly familiar.

”What . . .” Hermione started, then turned. Her sentence broke off mid-utterance as she looked at Professor Snape. He was dressed in severe black robes with an amazing amount of fasteners down the front, his hair lank as he looked down at himself.

”I feel quite the draft,” the wizard said, pulling the neck of his robes out and looking down inside them. He only wore a pair of briefs underneath. He then looked at Hermione, who looked back at him as if she’d seen a ghost.

”This is a modified Room of Requirement. It doubles as my bedroom when I don’t have students,” he explained to the witch. “I had to pay for its installment myself, since the Headmaster refused to do so, but it comes in very handy. I let you enter first because the room takes on the scenario desired by the person who first enters. This is . . . well . . . interesting. Rather Spartan . . .”

The wizard looked at himself in the mirror. His skin was pale but a bit unhealthy looking, and he appeared visually thinner than he normally was. It was illusion of course.

”Hmm. A bit less than attractive,” he mused, his dark eyes turning on Hermione, who continued staring at him. “Is this . . . what my counterpart looks like, Miss Granger?”

She nodded slowly. Snape looked back at himself in the mirror speculatively, cocking his head a bit. So this was the kind of wizard Hermione Granger gravitated to. But it had to be something more. Snape thought he knew what it was.

”I look a bit too pleasant for this illusion. I believe an adjustment is in order,” he said.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and turned his mouth a bit downward.

”Much better,” he said softly, looking at Hermione, who seemed to have gone a shade paler as she looked back at him.

”I . . . I have to go!” she said suddenly, Snape quickly tossing her wand to her and watching as she fled his room and office.

Snape looked after her, then walked closer to the mirror, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he looked at his rather gaunt features. He sneered, then arched an eyebrow, looking like the perfect villain.

”I think I may have just discovered Miss Granger’s weakness,” he mused as he folded his arms and looked severe. Then, he smiled. Unlike Snape’s yellowed and crooked teeth, his were even and white. It made for an interesting contrast.

”Me.”

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Hermione headed directly for Slytherin house, feeling all out of sorts at what she’d found out about the Gryffindor Head of House, not to mention his mini-ROR. She had no idea his extra credit was so . . . structured.

What was more, he could look just like the Snape of the alternate world.

This was insane.

As she walked down the marble staircase, she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye near the dungeon entrance and drew her wand. When she touched down on the ground floor she spun and pointed it at the person standing there.

It was Luna Lovegood. She lowered her wand as Luna slowly approached her.

”Welcome home,” she said softly.

Hermione eyed the blonde witch, then gave her a small smile.

”I heard there was a mix-up. You snogged my counterpart?” she asked Luna, who’s blue eyes rested on her hungrily.

”Yes, I did. And I was mad as hell about it, too. She could have told me who she was,” the Hufflepuff said. “I don’t like being fooled. So I hexed her.”

Hermione shook her head.

”I didn’t know you had a temper, Luna. You’re always so . . . accommodating,” Hermione said to her as the witch slowly moved closer.

”Just for you,” Luna said softly, kissing Hermione on the mouth.

The witch let her kiss her for a moment, then broke the kiss, looking around the Entrance Hall, then giving her a purposeful frown.

”You didn’t ask to kiss me,” she said in a low voice, “you’re going to have to pay for that.”

”I know,” Luna said, “hopefully soon.”

Hermione couldn’t help giving the witch a smile. Luna was wild about her, and there were no strings at all. She was mostly guileless, a rarity at this school. Still, the Slytherin was never publicly demonstrative with the witch. She just let Luna kiss her because it had been a long time. If there was anyone Hermione was soft with, it was Luna Lovegood, at least some of the time.

”I’ll let you know. I have to go,” Hermione told her.

”You’re always going,” Luna said gloomily.

”It’s the way it is, Luna. I’ll get in contact with you soon, all right?”

”All right, Hermione,” Luna replied, her blue eyes sad.

Hermione walked down the narrow stairwell, leaving Luna behind, her mind once again turning to her Transfiguration teacher. She hated to think it, but . . . his extra credit setup sounded very good. Much better than those of the other teachers.

Particularly if he could turn into Snape. The other Snape.

She wondered if he had the physical attributes Slytherin Snape did . . . meaning his huge cock. Most likely he did. He was heavier than his counterpart, but he didn’t live as trying a life. But in the ROR, he looked slimmer. He probably had the scars as well.

As Hermione said the password to enter the Slytherin common room, she realized she had quite a bit to think about. The way her intimate encounter went with the original bad boy Snape didn’t settle well with her at all, although she did her best to accept it. She didn’t like how he made her feel about herself. As if she were nothing special.

She’d always felt special, as if she ruled the world . . . until him. He had taken away her illusion of control, let her know she was no better than anyone else. In fact, he made it clear he thought she was worse. Yes, she was manipulative, but everyone was in her world to some extent . . . if they wanted to get ahead. As she told Tom, she had acted as if it were all business as usual. But, that hadn’t flown and for the first time in her life, her foundation had been badly shaken. There was another point of view, one she could clearly see.

Hermione hated the feelings that haunted her when she thought of the Potions master. They’d continue to haunt her if she didn’t do something about them, alter the memories to suit her. Maybe make it so the encounter was better, more in line with the adoration she was used to being shown by those she involved herself with. So what if it were fantasy?

It could replace what she had now.

Yes, something had changed for the Hermione Granger of this world, and that was tackling that bastard in the alternate universe had somehow made this Snape much more palatable.

He was still a Gryffindor, but . . . in this instance, that could be an asset.

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A/N: Had a loooong day today, and it was hard to focus. Lots of distractions, and then an “off” feeling. I hope this chapter is all right. Thanks for reading.