Six

Over the last few days of August, Hermione found Susan Bones to be quite amicable. Susan was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Poor Susan had to follow in Snape's footsteps and teach it to his standards. Hermione was a bit nervous too, since he'd taught Potions for so many years, but everyone knew his passion lay with Defense. Susan was a redhead, and her curls were a bit frizzy too. She was a kindred spirit to Hermione. Her freckles were out of control, but Susan used them to her advantage. The blue-eyed young woman reminded Hermione of Lavender Brown...she had the ability to talk constantly without substance. But it was nice to have someone of the female gender to speak with when occasion would permit.

The other professors were kind and welcoming. It was refreshing to call them all by their first names. Things certainly looked different from this side of the table. She hadn't realized how much work went on behind the scenes. The professors had schedules for everything. Snape was very organized, much to her liking, not that she would admit it to anyone. He ran a tight ship: he wanted everything perfect, extreme in some situations but never too low an expectation for her liking.

Before she knew it, the Start-of-Term-Feast was taking place. She watched as all the new first-years filed in and the Sorting Hat sent them off to their respective new houses. She was sitting next to Hagrid, and whenever "Gryffindor" was yelled, he was deafening. Hermione reminded herself to never again sit next to Hagrid during feasts. She could feel a headache developing.

Snape stood and gave his speech of welcome. It was deathly silent in the Great Hall, his voice was so silky. He didn't need to speak above his normal volume, as everyone was entranced. For a moment Hermione lost herself in the voice, not worrying about the words...until she realized all eyes were on her. Hagrid tried to nudge her secretively, but his size prohibited subtlety. She stood when she noticed Oliver and Susan were standing. Snape must have announced the new staff. Great, she looked like a flake in front of all her new students. Way to go, Hermione!

The next day was no better. Right after breakfast, she had first-year Gryffindors and Slytherins. She introduced herself and started to delve into the topic of Potions when Snape stalked into her classroom, sitting in an empty chair at the back. He had a quill and a roll of parchment. He glanced at her briefly, then started taking notes. She faltered for a moment but caught herself. She continued on with her introduction. The students seemed eager to begin. Asking a few questions, she was happy to see some hands raised with answers. When class ended, she dismissed them with a smile and a short homework assignment.

Snape stood and made for the door, but she caught him. "Sir, can I help you with anything?"

"No, Granger. I was only determining if I'd made a mistake in hiring you." He turned to leave again.

"And?" she prompted.

"I have not finished my inquiry." With a swirl of his cloak, he left.

Since when was her name just "Granger"? In public, he'd addressed her with her appropriate title, but in private he had just shortened it to her last name. She cursed him in her head until the next class filtered in. These were her second-year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students. Snape did not observe this hour. Things went smoothly, and she was proud to know she was getting the hang of teaching already.

The next class period contained fourth-year students. Again, she was giving an introduction to the course when Snape walked back in and took his seat...quill in hand. He took more notes, and the longer he wrote, the more frantic his feather bobbed. She was a little uneasy but assigned a foot-long essay on the uses of Wit-Sharpening Potions, before excusing them from class. Once they were all gone, he didn't leave like before, instead he approached her with a scowl.

"Granger, you should have introduced brewing today. Their class assignments will all fall behind now. There is a strict routine that needs to be followed. Especially with the fourth-years because of the O.W.L. exams they will be taking in their fifth-year..."

"Snape," she cut him off. "I'm completely aware of what needs to be taught this year. I have it under control. This is my classroom, and I can handle it."

"You impertinent woman! I have been teaching this subject for more years than you've even been a student. I am trying to give you advice to help you on your way. And you should address me as, 'Professor Snape.'"

"Professor Snape," she emphasized, "I am a professor as well and demand the respect of my title preceding my surname. Furthermore, you might have been teaching far longer than I have been a student, but I have been a student far more recently than you. I know what kind of a workload they can actually handle. I don't need you to show off how great you were teaching Potions. And I don't need your help. I would appreciate it if you would just back off, and leave me to my class."

She was not going to let him tell her how to run her own classroom. Susan must be having a wonderful time teaching Defense since Snape was in here, bothering her in the dungeons. Hermione went into her office, slamming the door. She didn't care if he was mad at her; she was an adult and hadn't asked for his help in the first place. If she needed it, she would ask, and only if it were truly necessary would she ask. He needed to just cool off. Men!

Women! Who did Granger think she was? He was her superior and could call her by whatever name he chose. She, on the other hand, should have enough respect to refer to her employer by his proper title.

He was only doing his duty, grading her in class, and she had to go off on him. He was going to have to lay down some ground rules. That wench wouldn't take "no" for an answer. She must really be overcompensating for something.

Just because he had a sour disposition, didn't mean he would harp on her every time they met. He knew when, how and with whom he needed to be civilized. Granger was now a colleague and deserved some form of respect. Surely she wanted respect from him, but she obviously didn't know how to give any in return. Severus decided to keep a close eye on Granger.

Over the next few weeks, the new professors bonded. He observed that Granger and Bones always sat next to each other in the Great Hall and Wood could frequently be found in the dungeons between classes.

Wood seemed very fond of Granger. Severus was sure there would be a Gryffindor affair soon enough. He could see it now. Such things had happened several times over the years he'd been employed at Hogwarts; teachers would date for a time, then one would dump the other (in this case, Granger was sure to free herself of Wood, because he was obviously as stupid as Weasley). Then a rift would develop between the staff members, and everyone would be forced to choose sides.

Gossip would fill the staff room, and all the seating would change at the staff table. The schedules he'd made for Hogsmeade weekends would have to be redone, and the staff would complain to him at all hours. If he were lucky, one or both might quit over it. But then he'd be stuck having to cover for that class the rest of the year. Which would be worse?

At the end of the third week of term, Granger's love life was pushed from his mind when Winky appeared in an unexpected huff. She reported that all the house-elves had been upset: Granger had barged into the kitchens and tried to have a "talk" with them regarding free agency and their right to a salary. Snape sent a message to Granger informing her to come to his office that evening. He would enjoy yelling at her.

When she appeared at eight o'clock, he let her sit uncomfortably while he started at her. Finally, she couldn't keep quiet any longer and blurted out apologies.

"Sir, I'm sorry I jumped down your throat on the first day of classes. I really wasn't expecting you to show up and grade me. I was nervous, and you haven't told me the results yet. So if you're going to sack me, then I beg you to reconsider, and..."

"Granger, that is not why I called you here," he said quietly. "I have been informed you are trying to lead the house-elves in the kitchens to rebellion."

She looked confused and then burst out laughing. He cocked an eyebrow to signal that he was confused by her reaction.

"No, sir. I wasn't doing anything of the sort. I was just talking to them without a middleman...you. I wanted to see if they really did want a union."

"Indeed," he said, his tone questioning her conclusions.

"Ah, they didn't take kindly to it. But I think I've made some real headway with a few." She was talking with her hands. "They were curious and have been to my chambers several times with questions. I really think I'm getting the best of both worlds here at Hogwarts. I get to teach Potions, which is what I love. And I get to slowly influence the house-elves. So in time, my union might come around when the world's ready for it."

"I see." He was a bit angry she didn't see any problem with this. "You think you can go behind my back and spread poison amongst my elves so they will eventually have an uprising and demand health care, time-off and pay? There are channels one should go through to do such things, and this particular channel is through me. I hope you realize I am not the least bit pleased with your conduct since you've taken the Potions post.

"You have no right to even speak with the house-elves, unless it is regarding their assigned duties here at the school. I order you to cease your interactions with them regarding unions, freedom or anything related. I will not have you upsetting this system I've worked so very hard to balance. Now get out of my sight, Granger."

She looked ready to cry, and it reminded him of when she had left his hospital room. She had tried so hard to keep back the tears that he'd almost experienced a wrench of guilt for yelling at her. She hadn't known he'd wanted to die. But now, she knew full well how he felt regarding the matter at hand, and there was no guilt for his harsh words. Granger needed to hear them, and no one else was going to tell her.

As soon as she was gone, Winky appeared. He explained what he'd told her.

"If Professor Granger comes to any of you house-elves with more union information or tries to hold secret meetings in her chambers, I want you to inform me at once. I will not tolerate that behavior.

"I wish someone would teach that girl a lesson," he said to the room at large. "She's had a rough life, but she has to learn the consequences of her words. Whenever she says something, she thinks everyone should adore it because she's the smartest thing in the world, and everyone could benefit from her words of wisdom. That chit is going to be my undoing."

He noticed Winky was still in the room; he thanked her again, and she left. He had some work to do before bed, so he pulled forward a stack of parchments and started some of the more mundane tasks as a Headmaster.

Several hours later, he was finishing the last form when Winky popped backed into the room.

"She can't have disobeyed me already, Winky?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, Master Snape. She is not to be defying you yet. I is coming to report that I is been taking care of her for you, sir."

"What do you mean, 'taking care of her'?" Severus was confused.

"I has been waiting until Miss Granger is asleep, and then I is casting special elf charm on hers so she is to be learning her lessons like you is wanting."

"Oh shite, Winky, that wasn't an order. I was just venting. What did you do?"

"I is bound by the ancient elf-code to not repeat or undo the spell, even for master. But Winky can say that you is to be near Miss Granger when she is learning, so you is able see her progress."

"What are you saying, Winky? What lesson?"

"Miss Granger is to be learning she is too nosy. She is to be discovering it is bad to be helping us who don't want to be helped." With a devilish smile, Winky was gone.

What did it mean? Granger would be learning, but only when he was present? Was he required to do something? Well, the less he knew, the better off he was. It had been like that during the war as a spy. He only knew as much as was necessary for him to complete his job. Sometimes ignorance was bliss. But other times, it was a pain in the arse. He would find out soon enough which kind of ignorance this was.

Hermione was relieved to find it was Saturday when she awoke. She didn't have to go to the Great Hall for breakfast and face Snape. She rather enjoyed her job, so her best course of action was to apologize. How did she get herself into trouble all the time?

"Winky," she called.

The elf appeared but didn't look happy. She'd only seen Winky from a distance until now. Last time she'd been this close, it had been in the kitchens during Hermione's time as a student. The elf had been plastered off of Butterbeer. It was good to see the tiny elf had shaken off her alcoholic dependencies. Her green skin was papery, and her orb-like eyes glared. Was Winky mad at her? The elf's tea cozy was slightly askew as she crossed her arms.

"Hi, Winky, er . . . I was wondering if you could bring me some breakfast this morning? Professor Snape and I had an argument last night, and I'd rather not face him in the Great Hall."

"Yes, Miss Granger," she said. Winky was gone before Hermione could even tell the elf what she wanted to eat.

Winky was back in less than a minute with a bowl of porridge and an orange, her tomato-like nose in the air.

"Thanks, Winky. By the way, I wanted to apologize for anything that might have offended you and the other house-elves regarding the union. I have been told to not speak of those things anymore, so I'm assuming there were problems. I didn't mean to..."

But Winky glared at her, then Disapparated.

"I guess that means you're still mad at me . . . " she said to the empty room.

The only good thing to happen over the weekend was Wood. He needed some help with Transfiguration, and they spent the rest of the day in her lounge, practicing. When they got hungry, she suggested they stay in her chambers. Mercifully, he dealt with the house-elves.

She was forming a crush on Wood. He was good-looking and tried hard to be a good teacher. But he did talk a lot about Quidditch, which she didn't particularly care for. Then again, nobody was perfect. Hermione forced herself not to act like a fool in front of him. Waiting was her best tactic; she had only to be patient, and she hoped he would eventually ask her out.

But as the week progressed, she noticed less about Wood and more about her rooms. They weren't being cleaned. Were the house-elves really that mad? Finally, she had enough when her plate and goblet weren't clean at each meal on Wednesday. She tried to sit in a different spot each time, but as soon as she sat down, the plate would suddenly appear filthy. Hermione was hesitant to show Snape. But she had to speak to him sooner or later.

"Professor Snape, I am curious as to why my eating utensils aren't clean? It's been like this all day." She showed him her plate.

He raised his trademark eyebrow; somehow, it didn't look condescending. "I'll take care of it, Granger."

"Thank you, sir." She started to turn back but remembered. "Oh, and my chambers aren't being cleaned either. Not that I mind; if the house-elves don't want to clean the rooms, I don't want to force them. Well, you know how I feel."

His eyebrow rose again. How much could one man express through a single eyebrow? He was a bit annoyed, she gathered.

"I will speak to them regarding their conduct towards you as soon as I'm done with my meal."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed. Thank you, sir."

She sat back down next to Neville.

"What was that about, Hermione?" he asked as he scooped up some mashed potatoes.

"Oh, my plate keeps coming up dirty." She tried to clean it with her wand, but her fingers were stuck together. What? She couldn't pry them apart. Neville laughed with his mouth full.

"Very funny, Neville. Did you do this?"

"No. But it's a hoot. Here." He pulled out his wand and tried to fix her fingers. Nothing happened.

She tried as well, but it was her wand hand that was stuck. Her first and middle finger were crossed over and stuck fast. Nothing she did to separate them worked. She shook her hand in desperation. Finally, Neville cleaned her plate and filled it with food. She tried her best to eat with stuck fingers, but she was embarrassed. Hermione left early, with Neville chuckling behind her.

A student must have cast a Sticking Charm on her hand when she hadn't been looking. How long would it last? Frustrated with how things were going, Hermione kicked her couch. Ow! That hadn't help.

As she limped around to the front of the couch to sit down, she heard a faint crackle and saw Oliver Wood's head poking out of her Floo.

"Hello, Oliver. What can I do for you?" She hoped he hadn't seen her pathetic couch-kicking bit. She sat on her hand so he couldn't see her fingers either.

"Er, hello, Hermione. I was wondering if you would like to go to dinner this Friday?"

Yes! He was asking her out. Splendid! Only, she already had plans.

"Sorry, Oliver. I was going to visit Harry and Ginny this weekend...it's been ages. But I'm open next Friday."

"Excellent. I'll come by on the first Friday of October and pick you up at seven."

She agreed. He gave her a sheepish grin, and then he was gone. Well, that certainly improved the goings of the day.

A few hours later, she turned the page while reading and noticed her fingers were back to normal. Thank goodness. How long had they been back to normal? At least it was over.

" . . . And furthermore, Winky, I had specifically told you to continue serving Professor Granger with the normal treatment unless she spoke of the union."

Winky was trying to hit herself in the head, but Severus was holding down her arms.

"Now, did she or did she not mention unions to you?" he asked sternly.

"Miss Granger was saying sorry for her union troubles, and Winky is taking any mentions of unions as an excuse to not be cleaning her chambers. Winky is a bad house-elf."

Severus thought about the dinner plate being dirty. "And what about tonight at dinner? Was that what you were talking about when you mentioned the spell you cast on her?"

"Yes, Winky is doing it. But only when master is near Miss Granger."

Severus had to pause to keep from raising his voice. "Winky, you will clean Professor Granger's dishes and utensils for every meal. No more games. Thank you for telling me. You're free to go. But no hurting yourself...you know I don't approve."

She gave him a sly smile but nodded and left.

At least this curse business was over. Charming Granger's plate to stay dirty while he was in the Great Hall was all Winky had meant. It wasn't much of a lesson though, unless there was more he still didn't know. Granger had mentioned that her chambers weren't being cleaned. Winky had said he needed to be present for the spell to have its negative effects, but he hadn't been near her chambers for some time. Maybe there was more to this curse. But if it were along the lines of dirty dishes and laundry, then he could handle it.

It was the first weekend of October, and the halls were just beginning to get chilly at night. Severus was doing his normal patrol when he heard a giggle. He Disillusioned himself and crept into an alcove to await his prey. It had to be nearly three in the morning. Why would students be out of bed now? Usually they were out around midnight committing pranks.

But as the voices grew closer he realized they were adults: his two favorite Gryffindors, Wood and Granger. He followed them silently down the hall. It was his business as Headmaster to know of dalliances between the staff, or so he told himself.

"So you had fun, right?" Wood said as they reached her chambers.

"Yes, I did. Thanks for the great idea. I haven't been bowling in a long time. I didn't even know you knew about Muggle entertainment."

"I had a friend when I played Quidditch who was Muggle-born, and we used to go bowling all the time."

"I still can't believe you're afraid of horses. That blows my mind. But everyone has to have a fear, right?" She stifled a yawn. "Well, I'm bushed. I could probably sleep for a week. I don't usually stay up this late."

Wood leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head and he kissed her cheek. Good for her, Severus thought, then caught himself. Why? He didn't care if they kissed. He had no feelings for her. Wood gave her an extra-long hug, and once Granger was gone, he stood in front of her closed door for several minutes.

"Man, I thought I had her in the bag," Wood said to himself. "I really need a shag. It's been forever."

Severus watched as the idiot left the dungeons. Gryffindors were so blunt.

Saturday and Sunday came and went normally. Wood seemed a bit depressed, and Severus connected it with the lack of Granger at the table. Ha, maybe she was avoiding him. Wood sure seemed to think so, judging by the look on his face. The boy was moping about. Granger could definitely do better than a retired Quidditch player. How many had she dated now? He didn't think the girl even liked sports.

Monday morning came, but Granger didn't show up for breakfast in the Great Hall. Honestly, she couldn't hide from Wood forever. Severus thought she had been more adult than that. He'd have to remind her that all staff members were required to appear at breakfasts during the weekdays, no excuses.

Severus made his way back to his office after breakfast. The halls were quiet, and he could hear a faint buzz of students talking or a professor lecturing when he passed by occupied classrooms. He was almost to his office when Kiki, a house-elf, appeared.

"Master, Miss Granger is not to be waking up!" Kiki squealed.

"What do you mean? She's still asleep? Who's teaching her class? Didn't you wake her?"

"Kiki has been trying since breakfast, but Miss Granger is not to be stirring," she said.

"Take me to her now!" Severus ordered.

Kiki grasped his hand and Apparated them inside Granger's quarters.

Granger was peacefully sleeping in her four-poster bed. The black sheets were up to her neck. He could see the slow rise and fall of her chest, so he knew she was alive.

"Granger, what is the meaning of this? I demand you wake up and teach your class immediately. This is highly unprofessional."

She continued to slumber. He walked to the side of her bed and gently shook her shoulders, trying to stir her out of her sleep.

"Kiki is to be shaking her, but it has not been working."

"Would you kindly go and fetch Poppy? Explain the situation, and request that she check her stocks...see if there is anything that might revive Professor Granger."

Kiki was gone in an instant.

He pulled back the black sheets, revealing her scarlet, silky nightgown. Good heavens, it only came down to mid-thigh! In his opinion, it was a highly inappropriate garment to wear to bed. Although he did approve of the view . . . er, that is, the black bed sheets were acceptable. Yes, a splendid color. Severus ran a diagnostics spell and found her to be in perfect health. She was just sleeping, nothing else. Strange. Why wouldn't she wake up?

A moment later Poppy burst through the fireplace with her apron full of clinking potion bottles. They shared information, ran a few more spells and decided to try the antidote to the Dreamless Sleep Potion. It contained a high amount of caffeine and should have done the trick. But she didn't even twitch once the potion was in her system. Nothing seemed to work, so they transported her to the infirmary through the Floo. It would have been distasteful to shuttle her through the castle dressed in a negligee.

They decided it would be best to keep things quiet until they knew what was going on. In the meantime, Severus had to fill in for Granger, as she would not be able to teach her classes. He was surprised upon his arrival, to see the students quietly working on homework for other classes...writing essays with various books open. They were very well behaved, especially for a Slytherin/Gryffindor class.

The rest of the day went by like the first class...smooth. He checked her grade book and most of the children were receiving top marks. He would see about that. Granger was probably a sympathetic grader and gave out high scores to everyone because she wanted to be fair. It sounded like her. Severus assigned a difficult essay due at the next class meeting to see how well these students were actually doing. He wanted to be sure they were learning something.

At dinner, Wood looked horrible. He just pushed his food around his plate and glanced at the empty seat where Granger should have been sitting. Poppy came down for dinner and discreetly told Severus that Granger had not responded to anything all day. She was sleeping, nothing else. Deciding there was really nothing they could do for her but wait it out, he called an immediate staff meeting after dinner in his study to explain the situation.

When he announced that Granger was stuck in a sleeping stasis, everyone gasped. Really? That many people liked her? He'd thought most of them regarded her as a stuck-up know-it-all like he did. Filius was squeaking out counter-charms to Poppy in hopes of reviving his favorite ex-student; Minerva was calling to him from her portrait with questions. Wood looked devastated. It brought a small amount of satisfaction to see that dunderhead so upset. But to goad it further, Severus told them all there would be no access to visitors. He explained that Poppy had a lot of work to do, and she didn't need people filling up her infirmary. Of course she agreed.

By Friday evening, Severus wondered if he would need to find a permanent replacement for his Potions classes. He was enjoying being in the classroom again, but his duties as Headmaster were falling behind in the past week. There were several meetings overlapping with classes next week, especially an important one with the Board of Governors, and he didn't have a Potions substitute yet. Severus needed someone to yell at. He stalked off to the hospital wing to criticize Granger; it was her fault, after all.

Hermione was slowly coming out of a deep sleep, and she heard a silky voice with a tinge of anger streaming into her head. She turned over, hoping to shut it out. She was really enjoying her nap. But it was no use; she was waking up. Hermione recognized the voice. What was Snape harping on about now? And why was he going on about it while she slept? These were her chambers now, not his.

She sat up in bed to tell him off, but she wasn't in her room. With her mouth open, she surveyed the infirmary. Hermione had been here before. Snape was standing over her, sneering down his nose.

"Finally decided to join the rest of us, Granger?" Turning from her bed, he called out down the hall. "Poppy, she's awake."

In less than ten seconds, Poppy flew out of her office and practically sprinted down the row of beds. The older woman's bosoms jiggled with her, ruining her usually dignified manner as she approached the bedside.

"Hermione, how do you feel? What happened? Explain everything," she said, before reaching the cot. Her greying hair had gotten loose from her hat and resisted the pull of gravity, sticking straight out on one side.

"What? I . . . " Hermione tried to think back to her last memory. She'd been on a date with Wood, and then she had crawled into bed and fallen asleep.

"Granger, you've been asleep since Monday, at least, but you didn't show yourself to anyone on Saturday or Sunday. So we are assuming it's been seven days now. Nothing we did woke you. Would you please inform us what potion or charm you cast allowing you to sleep for such a bloody long time?" Snape was livid.

"Nothing. I just went to sleep. I didn't do anything. Honest." Hermione was confused. "Surely it hasn't been that long."

Poppy was running tests with her wand while Hermione looked out the window. It was evening. Was it true? Her internal clock wasn't working right.

After Poppy reluctantly announced she could find nothing wrong with Hermione, she allowed her to leave the Infirmary. Since she was only dressed in a hospital gown, Poppy let her use the Floo. Ten minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Upon opening it, she found Snape glaring at her.

"Poppy asked me return this to you," he said. He was holding her silky nightgown. He had a smirk on his face as she felt the color rise in her cheeks. Embarrassed, she took it and began to close the door. But his hand pushed back against it, opening the door wide.

"Granger, your absence will be recorded on your permanent record and will count against you in my annual review. I have half a mind to suspend you, but I cannot cover your classes any longer. I'm a busy man. I cannot afford your little stunts."

"Stunts?" she questioned.

"Yes. I know you pulled this little stunt to get Wood off your back. It worked. The idiot is heartbroken, thinking you've been avoiding him since your pitiful date last week."

"How did you know about our date?" She was going to tell him to mind his own business, but he continued on.

"So you got the git off your back but jeopardized your job in the process. You seem to be doing that lately. I suggest you stop."

He swirled out of her doorway into the dark corridor, his robes billowing behind him.

Saturday morning, she ate in her chambers. She was sure everyone knew she'd been missing. She wasn't ready to talk when she herself didn't know the secrets of her enchanted sleep. Hermione would have to face them all soon or later; and as expected, breakfast on Sunday was horrible. The staff members all questioned, rather than welcomed her back. The students noticed her presence and several waved. Others were talking with their hands to their mouths, shooting covert looks over their shoulders in her direction. Oliver was grimacing but didn't approach her in the Great Hall. Instead, he was waiting in an alcove down in the dungeons after breakfast. He pulled her aside.

She said, "Whatever happened after our date last week had nothing to do with you. I hear you thought I was trying to avoid you."

Relief filled his features. He leaned down to kiss her.

Hastily she staved him off. "There's a Hogsmeade trip next weekend. We could go together." He nodded. And she rushed off to her class before he remembered about the kiss. For some reason, she just didn't feel right kissing him yet.