Snarky Snape

Please note that I will always accept constructive criticism if you have it to give. I'm always looking for ways to improve this, especially if I eventually want to make money off of writing when I "grow up".

Also: Imelda Staunton, who will be Umbridge in the next movie, played a character named Vera Drake. It is a semi-homage to Umbridge's nastiness and Imelda in this chapter.

Chapter 20- Snarky Snape

It would have been cliché for her to say she was walking on air the following morning, after their date and a first kiss with such unmistakable chemistry. But there really was no other way Hermione could think to describe what, exactly, she was feeling.

She had been on a fair number of dates, and she had kissed plenty of men in her time. Each one had been nice. The dates were relatively enjoyable, as was the kissing and light petting. But never before had she felt this type of connection with another. She felt stronger, empowered even, knowing that he found her beautiful and even the slightest bit intellectually stimulating enough to consider a relationship after having lived a life devoid of love.

Hermione found it extremely odd and a little frightening, if not twisted (even in the extreme perversity that was their world), that she could feel this way for a man she had loathed for so long. Well, she had not exactly loathed him. No, she had disliked his attitude, and the way he treated her and the others of her house. She had always respected him, though, as an educator.

Now, because of their talk last night, she understood why he had acted the way he did. It became apparent to her then that old prejudices never really died. They only grew to such a point that they nearly consumed the person with such hate that they could lead a strong man like Severus Snape to the Dark Lord.

But there was one redeeming quality there, inside of him, no matter how snarky or bastardly he could really be. He had turned back because of love. An unrequited love, yes, but it was love nonetheless. It was because of that love that he had protected and helped Harry defeat the greatest evil.

That little glimpse into him, into his tormented soul, was a priceless one, and she cherished the fact that he had felt comfortable enough to speak with her about it. She only hoped he would continue to be so open with her in the future.

"Professor?"

Startled from her thoughts, Hermione jerked her quill across the parchment on the desk and looked up at the student eyeing her closely. She cursed under her breath and tried to shake the cobwebs from her mind, to concentrate on her class. She had set them to an exam, after dismal scores on their essays, and had retreated to her desk for the rest of the Double Transfiguration class to daydream.

Now that her eyes were focused, though, she realized that the room had emptied, there was a stack of parchment at the front of the room on a stool, and Dennis was standing at her desk.

"Yes, Dennis?" she asked.

"I only wanted to make sure I didn't need to send for Madam Pomfrey," he said. "You stared out into space the whole class period."

Hermione frowned slightly. "I'm fine, Dennis. What were you doing watching me when you should have been concentrating on your exam?"

"The whole class was watching you," he informed her. "I know it's not proper for me to be so frank with a teacher, but really, after the whole DA thing, we know each other a little better than the others. You were very un-Hermione-like during class today."

"Was I?"

He nodded.

Hermione chuckled lowly. "Well, I suppose you should count your blessings then. Apparently I wasn't as horrible as I usually am."

"No," he responded and gathered his things more securely beneath his arm. "Well, I better head off to my next class."

"Good," she replied, waving him out the door. Hermione waited for him to shut the door before letting out another long sigh and smiling brightly. Maybe it would not be so horrible, after all, having Severus around. But what dumbfounded her the most was the fact that it was indeed Severus who had made her loosen up a bit.

The bell for the next hour rang throughout the castle, signaling her free period before lunch. Glancing over at the towering stack of sixth-year Advanced Transfiguration exams, Hermione decided quickly that the task of giving her students mediocre marks could wait until the evening. Even then, all she had to do was cast a small grading charm and the multiple-choice exam would be graded quickly. Right now, she needed to do something. She was not quite sure what, exactly, she needed to do, but it felt as though she were bursting out in all directions, unable to focus her energy in one place.

For once, Hermione Granger's answer was not to study, to prepare for a class, or to sit down with a good book. Hermione Granger decided to wander about the grounds and get some fresh air. That, however, was cut short when she heard feeble sniffles coming from a bush.

She thought, for a moment, that it could just be an injured garden gnome or another garden variety creature. But after a few moments, she knew that the shuddering breaths were only that which a human could produce. Hermione crept slowly over to the bush so as not to startle whoever was hiding behind it.

There, sitting in the wet mud, was one of the small Hufflepuff first-years, Jane Kelly, looking quite the sight. Her clothes were covered in mud and torn in various places, bits of leaves and other plant debris tangled into her nest of hair that had not been washed in a long while. The girl had reminded her of Luna when Jane first stepped into her class, but this girl was much shyer and much more susceptible to the cruelty of her classmates. Where Luna was aloof and did not seem to care about what others said about her, Jane internalized every little comment from the ridiculing student body.

When Jane realized who was standing over her, she let out another horrendous sob.

Hermione sighed and lowered to her knees, looking over the girl closely. She did not seem to be physically hurt; her fragile ego had gotten the worst of it. Well, that and her glasses. A skinny, baggy-clothes-wearing boy with green eyes flashed quickly through her memory and was quickly followed by a pang of grief for her lost friend.

"I-I-I'm so sor-r-r-r-y," Jane tried to speak through her gasping sobs, but her words were nearly incomprehensible. "I s-should b-be in c-class."

Hermione smiled softly, reaching into one of the pockets on her robe for the tissues she always kept with her. Being prepared was a good thing at times. "First of all, stop crying."

Jane nodded feverishly and took the tissue from her hand. She dabbed at her running nose and tears, reaching for another one before it made any difference.

"Now," Hermione began, "Let's get you out of here and into the castle. You should see Madam Pomfrey. She can fix those scratches up in no time."

"O-okay," Jane said, her breathing slowly returning to normal.

Hermione motioned her up, back into the castle and in the direction of the corridor that would take them to the infirmary. "Take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

"I-it was Vera and her friends, Professor," she said. "They called me names and pushed me into the bush."

Hermione nodded slowly. Being slightly prejudiced against Slytherins, she had initially thought that's what she would hear from Jane. Instead, she received a big surprise when she found out that it was indeed a gang of Gryffindor girls. "Thank you, Jane. I will take care of it."

"I-I know they're your House and everything, and I understand if you don't want to do anything..."

Hermione gave her a silencing look. "Don't worry about it, Miss Kelly. They will receive appropriate punishment."

After all, I am not Snape.

Jane wiped at her nose again, and Hermione handed her another tissue. Seeing the state of the girl's glasses again, Hermione drew out her wand and pointed it at the girl. "Oculus Reparo."

With a pop, the frame was fixed and the scratch down one of lenses vanished. The look of surprise on the girl's face was similar to that of Harry ten years prior. Hermione smiled faintly.

"Now go to Madam Pomfrey," she said. "I will let your professor know what happened. Which class do you have now?"

"Snape," Jane said, her nose wrinkling slightly.

Of course.

"We have that class with Gryffindor, Professor," Jane added.

Hermione waved the girl off, her mind suddenly trying to decide whether she should interrupt one of Snape's lessons, or to wait until later to punish her students. She knew that Severus hated to be interrupted, but perhaps he would make an exception for her now? Her choice made, she swiftly headed down to the cold dungeons and to his classroom, lifting her hand to knock lightly. Without waiting for a response, she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Clearly in the midst of insulting a student for his lack of capability, Severus looked up toward the door, his trademark sneer firmly in place. He did not flinch, either, when he saw her. "What do you need, Professor Granger?"

Hermione heard the venom in his voice, the same venom that had not been there the evening before, or when he had been around her recently. It brought back so many memories of her school years. She felt a great remorse for whoever was on the receiving end of such a tone of voice in the class.

"I need Vera Drake, if it is feasible to remove her from your lesson," she said, trying to keep her voice as neutral as she could manage.

Snape did not reply, his sneer growing stronger, as he swept through the rows of students toward the Transfiguration professor.

"MacDonald, you are to make sure no one kills themselves for the few moments I am away reminding Professor Granger that I do not like interruptions," he said, motioning for her to move out of the room. He followed and shut the door soundly behind him.

Hermione looked at him for a long moment before sighing. "Must you be that way?"

Snape grunted. "You know very well that I do not appreciate anyone interrupting a lesson."

"I was not interrupting a lesson, Severus. I walked in on you berating a student for making an honest mistake," she said. "You're just sour because you couldn't finish."

"You know as well as I do that an honest mistake could be deadly," he bit out.

"With first-year Potions?!" she exclaimed. "Come on, Severus, be reasonable."

He shot her a dirty look that stopped her next heated, retaliating retort cold on her lips. Snape crossed his arms over his chest, considering her down his nose, his temper barely reined in for the moment, teetering precariously on an outburst again.

"Why do you need the girl?"

Surprised that he was asking this, it took her a beat too long to answer him.

"I haven't got all day, Granger," he ground out.

"It is none of your concern, Snape," she replied defensively, placing her hands on her hips in an aggressive pose.

"Then you cannot speak with her now. I will tell her to find you in your office after class," he turned sharply on his heel and walked back into the classroom, closing the door behind him with a bit more force than Hermione thought was necessary to get his point across.

She knew it had been a gamble to come down here and interrupt, but she had sincerely thought he would not mind much. She would have not interrupted his lessons if it were not for a very important reason. He knew that, didn't he?

His unreasonable attitude toward her was still completely unwarranted. She was not a student any longer. Yes, she was beneath him in the hierarchy of the castle, but she still deserved some respect from him as a fellow professor, especially in front of students.

Her "perfect day" sufficiently sullied, Hermione sighed heavily and shook her head. He would never change. She knew she should just accept that and be done with it, but Hermione Granger never, ever was satisfied with the status quo. He would hear about this later whether he wanted to or not.