A Very Horrible Idea?

Hermione went down to breakfast the next morning and sat wearily between Harry and Ron, who were already eating like they had been starved for a month.

Ron wiped his mouth with the back of his mouth, "What?"

Hermione shook her head and picked up a piece of toast, "Disgusting... I'm sure it's not healthy to eat like that."

"My appetite is very healthy!" Ron said defensively.

"Yeah, Hermione," Harry grinned, "He's a growing boy! He needs his food!"

"He's growing alright," Hermione agreed, "Horizontally rather than vertically." Ron made a face. "And if you get stuck looking like that then you'll live a long and lonely life."

"Looks aren't everything you know." He huffed.

Harry laughed, "And it's a good job for you too, Ron." He turned to Hermione, "Do you think we should go and see how Hagrid is? We've got all day, we don't have to go now."

"Yeah," Ron said, "If we go later we could take some dinner for him. It can't be good for sick people to eat the stuff he cooks!"

Hermione scowled, swallowing the food she was eating, "You two can do that - Hagrid probably shouldn't eat his own cooking at the moment - but I..." She sighed, "I have another detention..."

"What!"

"How did that happen?"

Hermione shrugged, "He knew we lied. He knew I wasn't ill and once I was out of the classroom he gave me detention for lying to a teacher. Actually, he was within his right to give me a detention for lying to get out of a detention."

"Why don't we have detentions as well, then?" Harry frowned, "I was the one who told the lie, not you!"

"Yeah, but the lie was about me. I suppose he thinks I should have told him the truth."

"But then we would have got detentions!" Ron said, "Did he honestly think you would have done that!"

Hermione shook her head, "I don't know. But I hope Dumbledore gets back soon; I don't know how much longer I can stand this."

Harry and Ron glared up at the Potions Master, and Harry said, "Let's tell McGonagall! She'll go ape!"

Ron nodded enthusiastically, "I bet you're her favorite ever student! She won't let Snape get away with this!"

Hermione thought for a moment, then nodded, "I suppose you're right -"

"Miss Granger, can I have a word please."

Hermione turned to look up at the woman she had just been speaking about, "Of course, Professor."

Harry and Ron gave her sympathetic looks as she followed Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall. Once they were out, they stepped away from the doors and Professor McGonagall looked down at Hermione.

"Miss Granger, I've been told by Mr. Malfoy that you haven't been doing you rounds properly this week. I've checked with madam Pomfrey and she says you haven't been up to see her because you're ill. So what's stopping you from performing you Head Girl duties to your usual standard?"

"Actually, Professor, I was going to come and talk to you about that." Hermione sighed, "Professor Snape has given me a detention every night this week for things like blinking too much. My priority has been my homework so that's why I haven't been doing my rounds properly. I'm sorry -"

"There's no need to apologize, Miss Granger." McGonagall sniffed, her beady eyes flashing angrily, "I will talk to Professor Snape. Do you have a detention tonight?" Hermione nodded, "Then you have my permission not to go. Do your rounds and any homework that you might have. I will make sure this never happens again. Now go and finish your breakfast; no doubt Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley will wish to know all about this conversation."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione went back to the Great Hall and sat down again, smiling.

""""""""""""""""""""

The doors opened and Severus glanced up. She was back. He watched covertly as she sat down between Potter and Weasley. They both turned to her immediately and obviously began to ask her questions. After a few minutes Potter and Weasley looked up at him, grinning.

Severus glared down at them as Granger nudged them both and clearly berated them. She glanced up and caught his gaze. They stared at each other for a moment until she looked away, her hand rising to play with her earring nervously.

What was she up to?

""""""""""""""""""""

Hermione found the book she was looking for and sat down in an empty corner of the library. The trio had been at Hagrid's all day, making sure he didn't have to eat his own cooking. He was still sneezing and coughing, but he said he had been to see Madam Pomfrey and was feeling better.

Harry Ron and Hermione had left Hagrid as it began to get dark and, realizing that she had an hour before she had to start her rounds, Hermione had left the boys to go to the library.

Hermione started to read, but looked up quickly. There was no one around, but she had the feeling that she was being watched. Perhaps Madam Pince was hiding behind one of the bookshelves, waiting for a chance to throw her out. Shaking her head, Hermione looked back down and started to read again.

Just under and hour later, Hermione had finished the research she had been doing and left the library. She went back to her room, which was situated beside the seventh year girls’ dormitory in the Gryffindor tower, and put some books from the library on her desk.

Glancing at her watched, she checked that her wand was in her pocket and then went down to the common room. Harry and Ron were deeply involved in a game of intense chess as Hermione left the common room and headed along the corridor.

She smiled at Neville as he ran towards the common room, not wanting to be caught out after curfew. He waved, puffing, and carried on towards the painting of the Fat Lady.

Hermione had been wandering around the virtually empty castle for about ten minutes when that years Head Boy rounded the corner.

"Finally decided to do your share of the work, Granger?" Malfoy sneered, "Snape finally let you out of the dungeons? Well, at least now everyone knows how you get the marks that you do from him!"

Hermione shook her head, "You have a filth mind, Malfoy. Perhaps you're just saying that because you attempts at the same thing never worked."

He scowled, "Very funny, mudblood. You think you're so clever; someone should teach you a lesson in what's expected from your social class. I thought Snape might be trying to do that, but apparently I'll have to -"

"What's going on here?"

Both students jumped at turned to look up at the Potions Master, who seemed to have come out of nowhere. Hermione glanced back at Malfoy and realized that he had been pulling out his wand before he was interrupted.

"Perhaps you should go back to you common room. It's very cold tonight." Snape addressed Malfoy with his usual courtesy. Huffing, Malfoy turned and stalked back down the corridor, and Hermione hoped that Snape would just melt back into the shadows.

There was silence for a moment while they just looked at each other, before Hermione looked away, uncomfortable with his cold, unblinking stare, and reached up unconsciously to play with her earring, "I'm sorry, Professor. I know you gave me detention, but Malfoy told Professor McGonagall that I hadn't be doing my rounds properly and she asked me why, so I had to tell her and she told me to do this rather than go to your detention..." She took a deep breath, "So I’m really, really sorry."

She glanced up at him cautiously, waiting for onslaught of insults and berating that was sure to come.