Foundations

Again, many thanks to my beta s and h forever and my lovely friends who had read and helped me with this story long before I even considered posting it.

As always, none of this wonderful material belongs to me, no matter how much I wish it did.

"Yes, it was childish and you got aggressive, and I must admit that I was a bit scared, but it gives me thrills to wind you up." (Foundations, by Kate Nash)

Hermione, Ron, and Harry jumped as Snape threw open the classroom door behind them. Here we go again, Hermione thought to herself as the formidable Potions master stormed by her desk, the dungeons seeming to grow even colder with his presence.

"As always, there is to be no foolish wand waving in my class. Your silence, attention, and respect are demanded. Now, let us begin." Snape's tone was so dangerous that even Malfoy didn't dare to speak.

"Is it just me, or does he seem more irritable than usual?" Hermione asked Ron, hoping that it was, in fact, just her.

"No, he definitely does. I wonder what's made him an even bigger git than usual. He didn't even try to impress us by telling us all about the cool stuff we can do if we pay attention to him. We've been taking this stupid class for five years already, and I have yet to liquefy lust or pickle victory," Ron replied, giving Hermione exactly the answer she had been dreading.

"You mean 'bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses? Brew glory and put a stopper in death'...?"

"Hermione, stop. Please tell me you were not just reciting Snape's first-year speech!"

"No, Ron, I just..."

"Miss Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor for your complete ignorance of the meaning of the word silence." Hermione couldn't exactly determine the look in her professor's eyes as he berated her; what she saw confused and discomforted her more than she was willing to admit. It was a glare filled with absolute hatred, yet she thought for a moment that she saw a glimmer of remorse. After regretting that she had managed to make him hate her only five minutes into class, she quickly focused her attention on Snape's lecture.

"As I was saying before we were all so rudely interrupted, seeing as Polyjuice Potion has been utilized as a 'battle' tactic of the Dark Lord, it seems necessary that we study it more in depth." Harry tensed at the mention of Polyjuice Potion and glanced over at Hermione and Ron, who looked equally as uncomfortable. The three friends had long suspected that Snape knew about the Polyjuice experiment they conducted in their second year, but they had never heard him mention the potion until now.

Snape continued. "Although the creation and use of this potion by students is forbidden, and should be unknown to all of you, perhaps Miss Granger could tell us the ingredients required to brew it?"

Oh God. Hermione began to panic. He's challenging me. He must know I brewed it second year. I need to get out of this.

"Miss Granger, answer the question." The class could tell that Snape was getting angrier by the second.

"But sir, I didn't even raise my hand. How could you possibly assume I know the ingredients needed to brew Polyjuice Potion?" Hermione hoped her answer would be enough to sate him.

"Well Miss Granger, considering that you are the school know-it-all, I felt at liberty to assume that you would know the answer to such a simple question as this. Are you trying to tell me that you don't know the answer? If not, this would be a momentous day indeed."

Hermione heard Malfoy snicker across the room and cursed Snape under her breath. He did not just say that!

"No, sir, I know the answer. Polyjuice Potion requires lacewing flies stewed for twenty-one days, powdered bicorn horn, leeches, knotgrass, shredded boomslang skin, fluxweed picked at the full moon, and, finally, a small piece of the person into whom you desire to transform. The specific nature and preparation of the ingredients in the potion results in a lengthy brewing process." Hermione sighed as she eased back in her seat. Normally she lived for moments like this, but she had a bad feeling about where Snape's line of questioning was leading.

"A surprisingly thorough answer, even for you and your precious text books, Miss Granger. Such detail usually comes from personal experience." Snape paused to let his words adequately affect Hermione. She was floundering. He sensed the panic in her eyes as she struggled to remain calm. "It seems that your expertise in this area merits further questioning. Tell me, what would happen if someone were to accidently introduce a piece of an animal in the final stages of brewing?"

Oh bugger. He definitely knows. How did he find out!? Why is he bringing it up now of all times? Hermione had just dug herself a very deep hole and Snape had proceeded to push her into it.

"I'm sorry, Professor; did you just ask me what would happen if Polyjuice Potion became the essence of an animal instead of a human?" Hermione asked, hoping that she had simply misheard him.

"Yes," Snape answered abruptly.

"Well then, thank you for clarifying. Polyjuice Potion is not to be used to transform into an animal. If it is used for that purpose, a partial transformation takes place, the effects of which do not wear off normally as in human transformation and require extensive medical attention." Hermione shuddered as she thought of her short time spent as a cat in her own Polyjuice fiasco. She had never been more humiliated in her life. Except for now.

"Yet another incredibly extensive answer. Finally, Miss Granger, is there any known way to differentiate between the drinker of the potion and the actual person being reproduced?"

"No known way exists. The Ministry currently advocates a password system for every witch and wizard. The password or question should be something that only the person whose identity must be verified can answer. This method is clearly not fool-proof, since any good impersonator would need to have an extensive knowledge of the person they have transformed into anyway in order to avoid suspicion and capture. In addition..."

"That is quite enough, Miss Granger. A simple 'no' would have sufficed. In all of my life I have never heard someone enjoy listening to themselves talk as much as you do. Do you ever stop?"

"She sure doesn't!" Ron blurted out before he could catch himself.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley, for being unable to keep your anserine comments to yourself. An additional thirty points are taken from Miss Granger, for her continual inability to remain silent and persistence in being an insufferable know-it-all. Class dismissed."

Before Snape could finish, Hermione had already rushed out the door, slamming it behind her with a strength she didn't know she possessed. She ran as fast as she could to the Gryffindor common room; she had to scream and at least retained enough of her composure to realize that it wouldn't be the best idea to do it in the hallway. As soon as she entered the room, she let out a scream so shrill that even Bellatrix Lestrange's hair would stand on end. She collapsed in a chair in front of the fireplace and thought of how nice it would be to set Snape on fire... lots and lots of fire.

I shouldn't be thinking like this. There must be some reasonable explanation for Snape's lecture today, but what? Hermione's rational side was finally regaining control, saving Hermione from her brief moment of insanity. Before she could even begin to theorize about Snape's bizarre behavior, Ron burst into the common room.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT GREASY BAT! I CAN'T BELIEVE HE TOOK AWAY POINTS BECAUSE I SAID YOU TALK A LOT! I WAS BASICALLY AGREEING WITH..., OH, MY GOD, I AGREED WITH SNAPE!" Hermione rolled her eyes, frustrated by her friend's complete focus on himself.

"Oh yes, Ron, that class must have been so terrible for you. You had to spend the whole class being personally challenged and attacked by Snape in a blatant and direct attempt to humiliate you!" Hermione couldn't handle being irritated with two people at once and hoped Ron would get her hint.

"Sorry, Hermione... I just hate him so much! Yeah, what Snape did to me was nothing compared to what he did to you. The craziest part of it is that he was really only trying to make you feel uncomfortable. I mean, he didn't humiliate you in front of the class any worse than he usually does. The class didn't even understand how incredibly awkward that entire Polyjuice conversation actually was!"

Wow, he's usually not this observant. It must be because it has to do with Snape being a bloody idiot, Hermione thought, impressed by how much Ron had gathered from what happened during class. "That's exactly what I was thinking," Hermione agreed. "I'm completely used to his constant ridicule, but today he's taken it to a whole new level. It was as if just seeing me in class made him hate me more, I have no idea why!"

Ron was nervous seeing Hermione so desperate and confused. She'd never been like this before; at least he'd never seen her like this. She needed to be the sane one of the Golden Trio. Ron was having trouble imagining how they could defeat Voldemort, Death Eaters, or Dementors with Hermione in this state.

"Well, don't worry too much about it, Hermione," Ron said, clumsily trying to comfort his best friend, "it's only Snape! It's not like me and Harry started a vicious rumor that you're pregnant or something. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the most comforting thing I could have said."

"It's alright, Ron," Hermione replied, "you tried your best. You're right. I shouldn't even care what Snape thinks of me. I think I'm going to take a nap before Transfiguration." Hermione headed up the stairs and practically fell into her bed, chastising herself. Why can't I get him out of my head? Okay, time to end this.

Hermione tried to clear her mind before falling asleep but couldn't stop seeing Snape and the cold look of hate in his eyes. This isn't going to be as easy to forget as I had imagined...