Undone

Chapter 3: Potions



Hermione woke early and headed to the great hall for breakfast. She felt behind, having just got her books yesterday, but then she remembered they were using the same book her 6th year: Advanced Potion Making. She\'d read and made all these potions already. Just the same she sat and ate with her nose in the book. The hall slowly filled and, just as she\'d finished the notes on the difference between a sleeping draught and a sleeping drought a hand covered the book.



“Hey there,” a voice said, and Hermione looked up to see a very young Remus Lupin. “I\'m Remus we have potions with Slytherin today.”



Hermione couldn\'t help but smile. Remus was covered in small scratched, no doubt because he ad spend last night in the shreeking shack. He hadn\'t been at the feast. “Hermione Gnatt,” she replied extending her hand. He shook it. “Didn\'t see you at the feast last night, did you arrive late?”



“Uh,” he looked around nervously, “Yeah, just got in today.”



“Oh well, I came six years late, so no worries,” she said trying to lighten the mood. Remus laughed.



“Too true,” he said taking a bite of ham. They chatted nicely enough until Potter, Black, and Petigrew sat down. Introductions were made. Sirius hit on her more than once, and James, even though Lily was only a few feet away, asked her who she\'d snogged since she arrived.



She smiled, leaned over the table, crooking her finger for him to come closer. “Well,” she whispered. Then she flicked him on the forehead and sat back, proclaiming, loudly “You\'re a right arse!” The table erupted in laughter. He stood and walked away, red in the face. “And you strut!” She shouted after him. Sirius and Lupin had a good laugh but Peter ran off after James.



“No worries,” Sirius chuckled through his toast. “He\'ll be back once Peter assuages his pride.” The he turned to Remus, “I like her.”



“You\'re a git too, Sirius,” she replied looking back to her book, “But you do it on purpose, so I figure you can stop. James needed a lesson,” she smiled and held up the book, “And I so love lessons.” They fell into laughter again.



When she got up to leave she saw Severus hurrying down to the dungeons and ran to catch up. “Severus,” she shouted and he slowed.



“Enjoy breakfast,” he asked with a sneer.



“I guess, it was full of gits, but I did some reading,” she held up her book.



“Surprised you\'re still allowed to talk to me,” he drawled.



“No one tells me what to do Severus Snape,” she walked in front of him and turned around so abruptly he had to stop or collide. She poked him in the chest. “Especially not that arse, James Potter.” Snape smiled,



“I did see him storm out of the hall with Petigrew on his heels,” he laughed. “Well done. I\'m sorry I seem angry, it\'s just they\'ve tortured me for years.”



“Why?” She asked softly as she turned and continued to the dungeon.



“I was a prat and called Lily Evans a mudblood,” he sighed. “She hasn\'t forgiven me and her jag-off boyfriend, Potter, hasn\'t left me alone since.”



“Mudblood is just a word,” she replied. “Did you apologize?”



“About a dozen times,” he huffed, “and then I got my underpants shown to the school. I started enchanting them to change colors,” he grumbled. “May as well put on a good show.”



Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. “I\'m proud of you Severus.”



He blushed and hid behind his hair. “What? Why?”



“For being the bigger man,” she replied. They went into the potions class and sat down well before Slughorn arrived.



“You\'re gonna be lynched for sitting here,” he said.



“Whatever,” she replied getting her books and parchment out. “I\'d like to sit here, besides, I have a feeling you\'re almost as good at potions as I am.”



“Is that a fact,” he leered.



Class started and sure enough she got a torrent of unhappy glares from the red-and-golds and a few smirks from the snake crowd.



“Welcome back,” Slughorn said happily. “As usual we will start the first day of classes with a competition. The winner, if anyone can beat Severus, will receive a vial of...”



“Liquid luck,” the class mumbled together.



“Snivelus must have a year\'s supply by now,” James Potter sneered.



“One point from Gryffindor for name calling, James.” Slughorn chided. “Anyway you will try to make a Mandrake draught. You have two hours, page 110.”



“Oh,” Hermione declared, “I\'ve only made this once before. Don\'t ask,” she added hastily when Severus looked over at her.



“So care for a wager?” Snape asked already unpacking the necessary ingredients.



“What kind of wager?” Hermione asked warily.



“If I win you go to Hogsmead with me on the next trip,” he said without looking at her. She was already set up and brewing.



“Okay, and if I win?” She asked.



“You choose,” he replied, mostly because he was too embarrassed to find her so far ahead.



“Hmmm,” she said mockingly while she started grating her mandrake. “You teach me how to enchant my knickers.” She snorted when Snape\'s hand slipped and his dung bean went flying.



“Uh, okay,” he muttered grabbing a new bean,



Then it was a flurry of brewing. Several foul smells and some smoke was coming from other cauldrons, and Hermione\'s hair was frizzing up as she slaved over her own. Finally, fifteen minutes to the end of class, Slughorn called a halt to brewing.



Hermione sat back and smiled at Severus, who leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and smirked at her. “You\'re going down Hermione.”



“Oh no!” she cried in mock-exasperation. “What ever will I do?” Then she stuck her tongue out at him.



Slughorm started at the back tsking and muttering things like, “strokes counter clockwise, Malfoy.” When, at last he arrived at their table he looked at Snape\'s first. “Well done, m\'boy!” He said, clapping the lanky boy on the back. “Top marks, as usual.” Then he moved to Hermione\'s. “Oh my,” he gasped.



“What? What?” She jumped up from her seat. “I know I did it properly.”



“Properly?” Slughorn looked at her incredulously. “This isn\'t a proper Mandrake Draught, Miss Gnatt,” Hermione\'s heart sank. “It\'s perfect.” He took two petrified mice out and fed them each a drop of potion. One received Hermione\'s, one Severus\'. The scuttled to life at precisely the same moment. “It... It\'s a tie,” Slughorn declared sinking into his chair with disbelief.



Snape stared at Hermione like she was a two-headed hippogriff, and the class broke out into applause. “Guess this means I have to show you how to enchant your knickers,” he muttered under his breath.



“And I have to go to Hogsmead with you,” she muttered under her breath. “Which makes you the loser really,” she added.



“What? How?”



“I would have gone with you anyway,” she said with a smile and a poke.



His jaw dropped. Huh, how about that. He thougt.



“Well,” Sirius black shouted, “Who gets Felix?”



“I, I don\'t know, Mr. Black.” Slughorn confessed. “I only have enough for one person.”



“Hermione can have it, Professor,” Snape said over the chatter. “She\'s new here.” Then he leaned over to Hermione and whispered, “Besides, I could brew my own.” She stuck her tongue out at him again and started packing.



“Thank you Professor,” she said as she took the vial. “And thank you Severus.” She said, giving him a nod. He nodded back and sighed.



“I can\'t believe you beat him,” people kept saying as they walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Even though Hermione kept saying, “It was a tie.”



They split after DADA and agreed to meet in the library after supper to study.



Snape arrived first and, seeing no Hermione, sat down, alone, and started on his homework. After thirty minutes of sitting alone, getting paper thrown at him Snape was cranky. He packed up and ran into Hermione as she was rushing in. They both fell down to peels of laughter from the library.



“Nice of you to join us,” he grumbled, picking up his bag.



“Severus, I\'m so sorry,” Hermione breathed, collecting her books. “I was in the headmaster\'s office and...”



“Did you get in trouble?” He asked with surprise.



“Uh, no, I...” SHITE “I had some things to clear up with the Ministry regarding my status.”



“How does that work anyway, being underage and all,” Severus asked helping her up.



“I\'m not underage,” she replied.



“You mean you\'re older than I am?” He asked, disbelievingly.



“Just a little,” she whispered her head down.



“No wonder you beat my potion,” he joked.



“It was a tie,” she replied. “Ready to study?”



“Sorry but I\'m not going back in there,” Severus replied snarkily, pulling a piece of paper out of his hair.



“Just as well,” she replied, “I got my homework done ages ago.”



“Oh well,” he said, “I\'m done too...” He\'d been looking forward to spending time with her, even if it was just classwork.



“Got any potion experiments we could see to?” She asked waggling her eyebrows.



“Yeeees,” he replied warily. “Not trying to get me in trouble are you?”



“Severus, for shame!” She said slapping him on the arm. “Come on now, where to?” They put their things away and went to his rooms. Now that he had his own he didn\'t need to use Myrtle\'s bathroom, which was a blessing.



“I think she was starting to fancy me,” he mumbled as they entered his bathroom.



“Well you are pretty grouchy,” Hermione replied.