50 Points From Gryffindor

Chapter Two

“Did he just say brother?” Draco asked a look of confusion on his face.

Before Hermione could even comprehend his question, she heard Neville say in a fearful voice, “Get me to Madame Pomfrey. I’m seeing double.”

“Five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Longbottom, for your cheek,” Professor Snape hissed as he stared daggers at the students. “Get back to your potions.”

Trying to concentrate after seeing Snape’s double enter the room was difficult for everyone. Hermione could hear Professor Snape muttering to his doppelganger, and she felt a desperate urge to know what it was all about, but she realized if she didn’t continue brewing her potion, Professor Snape would know. He could always detect what was happening in his classroom even if his attention was not fully on the students. It was that quality Harry and Ron called the ‘bat radar’.

The rest of the class seemed to be in shock as they stared at the two men at the front of the room. They were trying to cast quick glances at them while working on their potions, but Hermione could tell their glances were not going unnoticed.

She watched Professor Snape’s jaw clench in anger as he whispered something to his double. Clearly he was furious, but whether he was furious over seeing his brother or having his brother interrupt his class was difficult to tell.

Hermione had a hard time comprehending the fact that Professor Snape had a brother. The way the professor had acted the past six years, Hermione had never thought it possible for him to have a sibling, or any family for that matter. He always seemed so aloof and alone when he wasn’t busy being unreasonable taking points away from students.

Hermione shook her head as she looked back at her potion. It was brewing in the first stage of creation and looked exactly how she had remembered it looking in second year. Back then she had brewed it so the trio could figure out who the Heir of Slytherin was. She glanced around the room to see if anyone else was finished besides herself and Draco, and was startled to notice Neville was about to add the knotgrass before the powdered bicorn horn he had lying on his desk.

Knowing if Neville dropped that ingredient in now, it would effectively melt his cauldron, Hermione hissed, “No, Neville. Bicorn horn first!”

Neville nodded gratefully, his hand shaking as he pulled back from the cauldron and set the knotgrass on his desk.

“Miss Granger!” Professor Snape barked from his position in the front of the classroom where the conversation with his brother had momentarily ceased. “Just because I am otherwise occupied does not give you the right to once again be a know-it-all. For the past six years I have warned you about helping the other students in my classroom. Yet again, you decide to disregard the rules. You have never been able to restrain yourself, however I thought in your maturity you would have learned. I daresay I was incorrect. That will be ten points from Gryffindor and one month of detention for your continued lack of self control.”

Hermione slid her eyes to the parchment in front of her as she tried to be brave and stoic. Professor Snape was not going to make her cry, no matter how many hurtful things came out of his mouth. She nodded in acquiescence, accepting her fate for the next month. No one else had ever been given a month of dentention, and all of a sudden the Head Girl was the one on the end of his wrath.

“Everyone please carry your cauldron to the work sections at the side of the room. They will remain there in order to brew for the proper amount of time when you are not present for class. Class is dismissed. Miss Granger, please remain behind so we can schedule your detention.”

Harry, Ron and Draco all gave her sympathetic smiles as they left the classroom. Hermione packed her potions text, parchment and quill into her bag slowly as she debated what she should say to Professor Snape. Finally with nothing else left to stall her, she headed to the front of the classroom with her head hung low. As she approached the whispering between the brothers ceased.

“Professor,” she began. “I am truly sorry for­”

“Miss Granger,” Professor Snape interrupted. “I do not wish to hear apologies. I would have thought with everything you had experienced over the holidays and the fact that you were appointed the position of Head Girl you would have matured a bit more. I understand the wealth of knowledge you possess is incredible, however it is not up to you to help students brew their potions successfully. Every student in this class is capable of brewing quality potions if they only pay attention. You teach them nothing by constantly correcting their mistakes. As such, your detention will begin at eight o’clock this evening and will continue for the next month. Your detentions will be conducted in this classroom; however, when I am not available you will be spending the evening with Mr. Filch.”

Hermione pondered his words and listened to his voice. His voice had taken on a bit of a kinder tone as he had spoken to her, and he had managed not to insult her as much as usual. She was confused by this change in demeanor. Why would he be treating her kindly?

“Miss Granger, are you still standing in my presence because you need to ask yet another annoying question?”

“Of course she doesn’t. I believe you have insulted her enough,” said Professor Snape’s twin.

Hermione watched as Professor’s Snape face once again became a mask of anger as he snarled, “Kindly stay out of my teaching methods. Please leave my classroom.”

Hermione watched as his double threw back his head and laughed. It was a shock to see someone that looked exactly like Professor Snape laughing. Hermione was struck with disbelief when he actually had the audacity to talk back to her professor.

“Anything you wish, Sevvie. I’m sure we can catch up a bit later,” he said as he retreated from the room still chuckling.

Hermione watched Professor Snape’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head at the nickname his brother had called him. Hermione cleared her throat softly, trying to get her Professor’s attention.

Professor Snape snapped his head back to her and tried to rein himself in as he barked, “You are dismissed, Miss Granger. I will see you for your detention this evening.”

“Yes, sir,” she acknowledged quietly as she ran from the room as quickly as possible.

Hermione hurried along the hallway trying to consider what Professor Snape had told her when he was assigning her detention. It was as if he was only angry with her for trying to do everyone else’s work, and he had even managed to compliment her in his own way. She continued to consider his words about gaining maturity over the holidays in lieu of the events she had been through at the end of the previous year. She truly had matured. Not only had she participated in the battle that had rid the wizarding world of Voldemort once and for all, but she had also had to deal with the sudden deaths of both her parents. She now knew what it was like to lose everyone you loved.

She had also weighed out her feelings for Professor Snape and the part that he had played in her parent’s death. She had blamed him the night he had told her, and a part of her had continued blaming him for most of the summer until Draco had arrived at the Burrow. After spending many hours with Draco analyzing everything, she had come to accept the fact that the professor hadn’t been to blame. She knew that if he had known of the attack, he would have done something to prevent it. After all the times he had chosen to protect her and her friends, no matter how much he detested them, he had always protected them without question.

She had almost penned a letter of apology to him on her break, but had not been brave enough to start the letter. She knew that even if she had written it and owled it to him, he would have never read it so it would have not done any good.

“So what happened?” Hermione heard Draco ask as he snuck up behind her on the way to History of Magic.

“I’m to report for detention this evening.”

“Was his brother still there when you left?” Draco questioned.

“No, he left as Professor Snape was informing me of the details of my detention.” Hermione chose to keep mum about the conversation that took place between the brothers. “Hang on, why didn’t you of all people know that Professor Snape had a brother?”

Draco shrugged. “I don’t know why my father never mentioned it. I would assume he had to know of his brother, but I can only guess that I never heard of him because he was never a Death Eater.”

Hermione considered Draco’s response and tied it to what she knew. There was obviously a lot of friction between the brothers for some reason. Hermione had never had a sibling but she liked to think if she did, she would always turn to that sibling before making life-altering decisions like Professor Snape had made when he chose to go to Voldemort’s side and become a Death Eater.

They walked a few more steps when Draco mumbled, “Tell me again why we are actually signed up for NEWT level History of Magic.”

Hermione laughed as she entered the classroom and turned her head to look at Draco. “Because we are serious gluttons for punishment.”

“And here I thought it was because we both wanted an afternoon nap,” Draco joked.

Hermione headed to the seat next to Harry as Draco sat at the desk behind her with Ron. She was just taking out her parchment and quill when she heard Harry gasp next to her. She looked up at Harry and followed his gaze to the front of the room. Coming out of the office was Professor Snape. With a second glance, Hermione realized it wasn’t Snape at all; it was actually his brother.

“I guess we know who the extra chair at the Head Table was for,” Ron muttered.

“Welcome to History of Magic,” the new Professor Snape called out. “Now, please do not fear. I am not a figment of your imagination, I am not your dreaded Potions Master, I am, in fact, his brother. Some say I even resemble him a bit, if you hadn’t noticed,” he grinned.

The class actually chuckled at their new professor. He was totally different from the uptight professor that taught them potions. Hermione wasn’t yet sure how she felt about him. She was used to looking at the surly Professor Snape, not the jovial Professor Snape.

“So I am not confused with my darling big brother, I would prefer you not refer to me as Professor Snape. You may call me Professor Sheldon, which is my first name. Everything you have come to know and expect from my brother is nothing like what you will get from me. Mr. Longbottom, this is a class you will have no reason to fear and Mr. Potter, in this class you will be treated fairly. Now does anyone have any questions before we begin our first lesson?”

Hermione was shocked as nearly every student in the classroom raised their hands. Never before had she seen anyone’s hand in the air in any class, except for hers.

Professor Sheldon chuckled and said, “I will not answer any questions regarding my brother.” Half the hands in the class lowered to their desks in disappointment. “Yes, Mr. Weasley?”

“Where is Professor Binns?” Ron asked, others in the class nodding their heads, wanting to know the same answer.

Professor Sheldon picked up the book on his desk and walked in front of the class. “I believe I heard something about an exorcism but I do not know if I can completely agree with that theory. Now, to begin your final year of History of Magic; I know this class has not been very interactive in the past, but that is about to change. I’d like to review some of the things you have learned in the past six years. The Goblin Revolution began in…”

Hermione uncharacteristically tuned out from the lesson for the first time she could think of as she thought of the brothers. While Severus was surly and angry most of the time, Sheldon seemed to be jovial and carefree. They wore the exact same type of clothes and robes and could be easily confused from a distance, but Hermione knew she would always be able to tell them apart. Professor Snape’s face was set into that perpetual mask of doom which caused his facial features to be more defined and sharp. The smirk he carried on his face created lines that would never go away, whereas Sheldon, from what she could tell so far, didn’t have any facial lines because it seemed as if he always had a smile on his face.

He didn’t seem like too bad of a teacher either, Hermione noted as she glanced around the classroom. People were actually paying attention, raising their hand, and taking notes. They would finally have one year of History of Magic where Ron and Harry wouldn’t expect her to be the only one taking notes.

As she thought about the differences between the Professors Snape, Hermione truly wanted to know how two brothers could be so dissimilar. Had the Potions Master ever been as happy as his brother seemed to be? Had the things he had experienced in his past truly colored him that badly? If there was anything Hermione considered herself good at, it was getting answers to troubling questions. She had to know the answers. Hermione Granger was now on the job.