Once Upon a Potion's Class [Complete]

---

Title: Once Upon a Potion's Class

Chapter: 8 - That One Tiny Bitch

Author: MallowCakes

E-Mail: DestinyElkins04@gmail.com

Rating: R; HG/SS

Warnings: None so much.

Disclaimer: Not mine, otherwise I would be off being rich somewhere... and Snape would've lived... Ron would've died... you get the picture.

Distribution: By appointment only.

AN: Thank you to my beta reader, Lo. Without her I don't think I'd survive! ^_^



When she could see again she was standing on a desk, looking out at the moon and walnut shell stood beside her with a small pillow and blanket tucked away inside.


Oh, she couldn't go to sleep now, not after he had said that to her. Had he really said what she thought he said? Maybe her hearing was off. She'd find out as soon as they met again. He'd tell her or else she’d sent a colorful hex or two his way.


For now, the only way to get this fairy tale moving was going to sleep in her tiny walnut shell and wait for her adventure to begin.


Hermione's sleep was erratic. She kept having weird dreams of a faraway place with flowers and fairies. Of Severus. Of the days that had past since they arrived so long ago in the small cabin in the woods, pretending to be the children of strangers.


She woke the next day in her walnut-bed on a lily-pad in the river. A large ugly toad sat on the lily-pad next to her, staring dreamily into her eyes. Beside him, a smaller toad was smiling at her.


Seeing that she was awake, the smaller toad bowed to her and spoke, “This is my son, Ignacio, he will be your husband. You will live happily with him, in the marsh by the stream.


Beside her, Ignacio could only say, “Croak, croak, croak.”


Then, he stood and grabbed her walnut-bed before swimming away with it. His mother dove in the water and followed him, leaving Hermione all alone without a chance to object.


With nothing else to do she sighed and set down on the middle of the lily-pad. Minutes later, as she was humming to herself, two small fish lifted their heads above the water and looked in her direction.


“We've been listening here under the water.” One fish said to her.


“And we don't think someone as beautiful as you should have to marry that ugly toad.” The other fish said.


“Oh,” Hermione said with a short giggle a small blush creeping to her cheeks, “You're too kind. Really.”


“Oh no, not too kind.” The first fish spoke again, “Not at all.”


The second one nodded, “Not at all. We're going to set you free.”


Before she had a chance to thank them, they dove under the water and began to gnaw at the stalk holding the lily-pad in place. Minutes later the lily-pad broke free and began to float down the river.


She floated for a long while past creatures and trees. She admired the sun's reflection on the river as she sailed. A small white butterfly glided past her and flitted around. It was as if it was admiring her. She waved the butterfly over and took the ribbon of the waist of her dress, tying it to the butterfly. She tied the other end to the leaf, causing the lily-pad to float on faster than ever.


She stood at the middle of the leaf, letting the air cool her cheeks and smiling. It was so awkward being so small in such a large world, but it was also wonderful. She closed her eyes and raised both of her arms out beside her like a bird. She felt like she was flying. Her hair was flowing behind her.


Suddenly, she was zipped off in the opposite direction before she had a chance to even blink. Small claws were grasping her around the waist and she struggled in them to get a look at her captor. A large grasshopper had grabbed her up and flew off with her into the woods ahead. Trees and leaves were flying past her face, hitting her arms and legs as they went.


Eventually, they came to rest inside a tree trunk where the grasshopper sat her down and on a large leaf and rested beside her on a leaf of his own.


Going to a corner, he quickly brought her some honey he had stored in his hole. He handed it to her and set back on his leaf.


“You're so beautiful.” He said simply, his creepy huge eyes just staring at her.


“Th-thank you?” Hermione said, crooking her head inquisitively at him, unsure if his creepy words were a compliment or not. He made her skin crawl.


“You're welcome.” He never blinked. He just kept staring at her.


She took a small bite of the honey he had given her and looked away. She thought for a short second that she would rather be back with the frogs then here in the tree with the grasshopper.


“I'm going to show you off to my friends.” The grasshopper said simply, a big grin spreading across his dark sinister bug face, “They'll simply love you. You're not a bug, but so very pretty, my dear.”


Hermione simply smiled at him and nodded, not knowing what to say.


“They'll be here soon. Yes.” He whispered to himself.


She was beginning to realize that maybe this bug wasn't completely mentally stable. She wasn't even sure if he actually had friends coming. She decided to silently sit on the leaf and nibble at the honey until he fell asleep and then she'd see if there was a way down out of the tree.


It was hours later, after she was almost huddled up in the corner from fear of the bug that she heard the noise of other insects coming nearer. The way her grasshopper companion had been mumbling to himself, she was sure any friends that he did have were imaginary. She was actually thankful that she might not have to be alone with him for a while.


The noises grew closer and soon after the hole in the tree were filled with four other large grasshoppers.


The smallest brown grasshopper stepped toward her captor and spoke, “Jack, what's this we hear about you finding a mate?”


Jack, that was fitting, Hermione thought to herself.


“Yes, yes, Filmore, she's right over here in the corner.” Jack told the grasshopper that had spoke, gesturing in her direction.


All the grasshoppers peered at her through the darkness and squinted their eyes.


The golden yellow one that seemed to be a lady grasshopper cleared her throat, “Where's her other legs?”


“What other legs?” Jack said, “She only has the two.”


“Only two legs?” The largest grasshopper cried, “That's preposterous! She looks like a human.”


The last of the grasshoppers joined in, “Yes, her waist goes in at the middle. She's all curvy. Oh, she is an ugly one.”


The lady chimed in again, “Quite! I mean, honestly, what are those things protruding from her abdomen? You have really done it this time, Jack.”


Laughter filled the hollow in the tree and Hermione couldn't help but frown. The only other time she'd been the center of this much laughter is the time that Professor Snape had made fun of her teeth.


The other grasshoppers flew away, laughing the entire time, their voices disappearing into the night. Hermione wanted to cry, she felt very alone in this huge world, herself not being any taller than a daisy.


Jack stood in front of her, frowning for the first time since she'd seen him. His face looking completely different now. He took her in his arms and flew down out of the tree to set her on a daisy. He said nothing, simply turned and flew back up to his tree, leaving her alone in the forest.


It was summer then and she knew for a while she would have to live in this place and survive just like Thumbelina did for all those months before she got to be with her prince. She set forth into the woods to braid a bed out of blades of grass to hang under a leaf. She gathered food under the leaf as well; honey from the flowers and any nuts she could gather from the ground. Every day she would wake up and drink the dew from the leaves. Each day passed uneventfully and just as boring as the last.


The loneliness wore into her and she found herself thinking more and more of Severus and what he could be doing at any moment.


The summer passed on into fall and the fall turned into winter. All the birds and insects had left for the warmth of their homes or warmer shores. The flowers and trees had withered and died, including the large leaf she had made her home under. Her dress that she had come into the woods with was now torn and served as no shield from the cold winds.


Eventually, it began to snow. Each snowflake that landed on her head seemed like a shovel of snow being piled on top of her. Desperately she wandered through the snow, shivering and covering herself with dead leaves. She was trying to find the corn field that she knew had to be close to where she was. Finally, after she thought she could take no more of the freezing, angry cold she found it and the mouse's home that she so longed to find.


Knocking on the door, she was shivering so much that she thought her bones would surely fall apart. At last the door was open and a small field-mouse stood before her.


“Hello.” Hermione said, “I'm so very sorry to bother, but it's awfully cold and I haven't had something to eat in so long, can you please spare a morsel?”


“You poor thing,” The field-mouse said, “Of course I have food for you! Come into my warm room and dine with me. In fact, you are quite welcome to stay the winter with me if you keep my rooms clean and neat and perhaps tell me some stories.”


Hermione nodded and entered the house, it was warm and filled with food for the winter. She knew she could be at home there for the time being. She was good at cleaning and she told the field-mouse the stories of the things that had happened to her. The little mouse squealed with delight at each new story.


One day, the field-mouse took her aside and said “We're going to have a visitor soon. I have a neighbor that comes to see me quite often. He's better off than I am and house a huge house. If you could have him for a husband, you'd be set for life. He's blind of course, so you must tell him your most beautiful stories.”


Hermione shuddered at this, but nodded anyway, she could never find a mole attractive and she never understood why the story unfolded in such a way that a little human girl would ever be made to marry a mole, a frog, or an insect of any sort. It was all so odd.


The mole did visit and he did indeed fall in love with her in his own way. He loved her sweet voice and lovely stories. Eventually, he dug a tunnel from his house to the field-mouse's and told them that they could walk it whenever they wanted.


Of course, Hermione went most days to search for the wounded bird she knew would come. One day, it finally did, of course. Every night after, she would go to the bird and cover it with grasses and leaves.


“Thank you.” The bird said to her in a whisper after a few night of this, “What's your name?”


“Hermi, err, Thumbelina. My name is Thumbelina. What's your name?”


“James. Pleased to meet you.”


Hermione only smiled at him and nodded, going back to her room at the field-mouse's.


The nights that followed that she started to bring him water and small bits of food. He was almost well again, but the cold and snow was still surging outside. She told him that he would have to stay there or get hurt again.


Finally, after what seemed like forever, the spring came and she bid farewell to her bird friend, knowing that she must stay there just a little longer before she could leave.


Two nights later, the field-mouse took her aside one more and told her, “The mole has asked to have you as his bride! What good fortune you have! Now we have to prepare for your wedding.


Hermione was tired. She was tired of having to be here in this place. She was tired of being so far away from things she was familiar with. She was tired of animals trying to marry her... and she was most defiantly tired of being without Severus.


Every night, she and the mouse would work on a wedding gown that would never get worn and Hermione waited for the bird that she saved to come back for her. It felt like lifetimes ago and she was beginning to get scared that maybe he would never return for her. What if she had done something wrong along the way and it had caused something to change? The usual steadfast and sure witch was slowly becoming unsure.


So, there came the time that the sun was no longer scorching the earth and the days grew increasingly colder. The wedding date was set and Hermione had all but lost her faith. She would have to marry the mole or run away, but if she ran and the bird returned, she would no longer be there, and that made her stay.


“Farewell, sun.” She said one day while watching the sun set, “I might never see you again.”


The tears fought to come, but she wouldn't let herself cry. What if today was the day? Then she should be happy when the time came, not crying her eyes out. If her eyes were red-rimmed when he was to see her again he would call he insolent or immature. That thought was all it took for the tears to finally burst through. Not a lot, but a few tears ran down to her chin.


She wiped them forcefully, she wasn't going to cry over this. She was stronger than this and she was most definitely smarter than this. The bird would come.


She turned to go back inside when she heard a noise above her.


“Chirp, chirp!” came the cheery voice of the bird she had saved. She turned with a smile to watch him land not far from where she stood.


“James!” She called out to him with joy and ran up to give him a hug where she could reach.


“Little one! Winter is coming again and I'm off to somewhere warmer this time. I've come to save you like you saved me all those months ago. Fly away with me.” James leaned his head down to nuzzle against her.


“Okay.” Hermione answered before seating herself on his back and they took to the skies. High over the mountains they flew, past forests and oceans, towns and castles. Far away where the snow couldn't reach. Every place they passed was more beautiful than the last.


Hermione couldn't tell how long they flew she only noticed that they must be close when she looked down and saw a broken down marble palace, surrounded by trees. It was the most beautiful site she'd ever seen. There were vines coiled around every inch of the white marble. It was near here where a large pillar lay, toppled on it's side that James flew down to.


Between the broken pieces of the marble grew the prettiest purple flowers with huge broad leaves. James landed and walking toward them with wings and a crown was Severus. He was dressed in a white tunic and tights. Hermione almost busted out laughing at the awkwardness of seeing him white at all, much less all white.


“Hermione!” Snape called to her.


“Severus!” She answered with joy.


The grabbed each other and hugged each other tightly and didn't say anything for a long while. It was the most beautiful and painful thing that either of them had been involved in. Separately and of their own accords they knew they were falling in love. They also knew that it couldn't be and also that they weren't sure if they even cared about the rules anymore. Also, in the small moments where the stood holding each other, Severus allowed himself to hope and that was the most dangerous thing of all for a man who had seen what he had. Nonetheless, he hoped.


“We have to go.” Hermione whispered tip-toeing to reach his ear and placing a kiss at his temple, “I will see you soon.”


Severus nodded and planted a light kiss on her lips, “Soon.” He said as the smoke billowed from behind him, blinding them both.


When Severus could see again, he was standing in the middle of a dirt path, looking at a worn cabin and he could feel something in his hand.


Opening his palm and looking into it, he found 5 small beans. He smiled and walked forward to the cabin, happy that their journey was nearly over.