In Wisdom's Creed

Hiya folks!
I'm sorry for the long delay in updates; I moved house and my computer died on the move, so I've not been able to write or update at all!

The title for this chapter is "Life's Blossom".


"MY life’s blossom might have bloomed on all sides
Save for a bitter wind which stunted my petals
On the side of me which you in the village could see.
From the dust I lift a voice of protest:
My flowering side you never saw!
Ye living ones, ye are fools indeed
Who do not know the ways of the wind
And the unseen forces
That govern the processes of life."
-- Edgar Lee Masters - Spoon River Anthology

If you mail me at secretlysnape@yahoo.co.uk I'll put a list of people together and email you all when there's updates.

I'm also quite ill at the moment, and I'd like to know how this is affecting my writing, so keep reviewing!

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"Hermione!" called Ron, "Where've you been? You've nearly missed breakfast!"

Hermione smiled as she sat down between him and Harry.
"Oh I had to see Professor McGonagall."

Ron paused his routine shovelling in of food. "Whatcha do?"

"You know, Ron, students don't always have to have done something wrong to see a Professor!"

"Oh... well, what about then?" asked Ron.

"I'm going to do an extra credit assignment, and I had to talk to her about it."

Ron made a face.

"More work?"

Harry nodded in agreement. "Are you nuts, Hermione? We've got enough with our NEWTS as it is!"

"Just because you two couldn't handle more work, doesn't mean all of us can't."

Ron rolled his eyes and started shovelling toast into his mouth again.

Harry, however looked concerned.
"Are you sure you're going to have the time? I mean, you're studying enough as it is for the exams and they're still over a year away!"

Hermione smiled at him.
"I'll be fine, really. Professor McGonegal wouldn't have let me do the assignment if she didn't think I could do it. And I'll have lots of help."

Harry still looked dubious.
"Well... ok, but you'll need to schedule some regular fun time into your work load, I don't want you getting too stressed."

Hermione smiled again.
"I will, don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to have fun."

Harry suddenly looked very serious.
"Well you'd better leave plenty of time to have fun, Hermione, what would we poor boys do without the mad one of the trio leading us into trouble?"
He grinned and ducked the piece of toast that Hermione had thrown at him for his comment.


-- X --


"And just what do you call this, Granger?" Snape sneered at her, leaning over to look into her cauldron.

Hermione jumped and looked down into the cauldron.
The mixture was a deep red.
She frowned in confusion, it should have been a bluey-silver colour now, not red at all.
"Umm... I'm not really sure, Sir! I've been following the instructions.. I don't know how it could have gone red at all, none of the ingredients would..."

"Well obviously you've done something wrong, Miss Granger." Cut in Severus, standing back up and glaring at the cauldron.

"But.. I.. I couldn't have, Sir" stammered Hermione.

"Oh really?" Snape's upper lip curled into a cruel sneer. "The perfect student couldn't possibly do anything wrong could she? Couldn't possibly be wrong about anything at all.. oh no, not Hermione." The last words were almost spat at her.

Hermione gulped. The room around her was silent, not even Draco dared laugh when Snape was in this kind of mood.

She sighed and looked down at her cauldron, knowing exactly what Snape was on about now.
He still couldn't accept that she was right about Lucius.
And to think she'd have to work with him on this...

"Well, zero points Miss Granger, unless you can get the potion working before the end of class which," he paused and looked at his watch, "is in exactly three minutes."

Hermione bit her lip and stared at her cauldron. None of the ingredients she was using would make the potion go that colour, and without knowing what had been added, she had no way of correcting the mistake. If it had been a mistake.

"I don't know what was added, Sir, so I won't be able to fix it."

Snape, who had been in the process of walking away, wheeled around and glared at her.
"Oh really? Well since it must have been you who messed it up, you should know what went in there."

"But I didn't..."

"NO?" snapped Snape. "No of course, the perfect student couldn't have done anything wrong. Detention for lying, Miss Granger. Tonight. Eight pm."

Hermione blinked and was about to say something back when Harry kicked her leg.
He shook his head warningly at her and she sat down to read the instructions for the potion again instead.

Her eyes wouldn't focus on the words though and she found herself blinking back tears. How could he be so cruel?
It wasn't her fault that he didn't like Lucius.
No... but it was her fault that he'd have to see him and try to cure him.

She sighed again, not noticing that Snape had sat down at his desk and was sitting glaring at her.