Hogwarts Mayhem

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters; they are the property of JK Rowling. I am merely obsessed and like to borrow them occasionally, so please do not sue me. I am making absolutely no profit from this story.

A/N: Hiya everyone. As always, a colossal 'thank you' to my beta, Nom de Plume. It might be a little while before my next update because I'm graduating college this week. Then I have to deal with the hassle of moving into my new apartment. It shouldn't be more than two weeks, though. It might even be sooner, not sure, but just thought I'd warn you. EnJoY!

Chapter 3

Hogwarts Mayhem

After a very light meal and a few hours of studying in the common room, Hermione started to make her way to the dungeons for her first detention. Before leaving for the dungeons, she had gone back to her room to tie her hair back. The last thing she needed was for Snape to get angry about her hair again. Of course, she had also checked her clothes and her make-up. She never wore much make-up, just enough to add a little colour to her otherwise pale skin. Hermione wanted to make sure that she looked as good as possible without making it obvious that she was trying. If Snape was ever going to see her as anything other than a 'stupid little girl,' she would have to make an effort.

Why do I care so much what the man thinks of me? she wondered. Just a week ago I never really thought of him like this... Well, that's not completely true. The man exhudes sexual desire how could I not have noticed? That sultry voice of his caresses my body with every word he speaks, his fingers are long and slender – Gods, a girl could go insane just thinking about what he could do with those fingers. And of course, there are his strong shoulders, his assertive stance, his confident movements, his deep gaze... the list goes on and on.

But those weren't the things Hermione had really been dwelling on all day. Her mind had been wandering, thinking about how truly wonderful Severus Snape truly was. He was brave, valiant, and, despite what most people thought, extremely loyal. Snape had proven himself countless times throughout the war. What Hermione had concluded after hours of pondering is that Severus Snape was the perfect man for her. Their personalities, in her opinion, fit together perfectly. They were both intelligent and intellectual individuals. She could picture them curled up in front of the fire, reading books or conducting research. Their opinions when it came to research were nearly identical, and they could accomplish so much together. Not to mention, Hermione was one of the few people in this world that appreciated his sharp wit. Others never looked past his insults, but she admired the creativity and quick thinking that went into them.

Maybe he's thought of these things too. Could that be why he came to my room last night? Even if he keeps denying it, I'll get it out of him somehow. He has to acknowledge what we did, and besides, it's not like I fought him very hard. Surely he noticed at least that much. The sparks, heat, and passion that flew between us could not have been my imagination. There's something more to this than just lust, and I'm going to prove it.

Hermione was now standing in front of his office door. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The door opened immediately, and she walked into the dark office. Snape was sitting at his desk reading a book and didn't look up as she walked in. Hermione stood there patiently, examining the way his hair fell over his face. Remembering how that hair had felt intertwined with her fingers. His hair isn't greasy at all, she observed. It's just so silky that it looks like grease.

"Miss Granger, I assume you are aware of how rare an ingredient White Miani root is?" His voice was even, leaving no clues as to what he was thinking or feeling. He had sat back, looking at her with an equally blank face.

"Yes, sir," said Hermione, somewhat more timidly than she had intended. "I truly am sorry, sir. I suppose I was somewhat distracted today. Of course, that is no excuse for me to make such a grave error." And just to make sure that he knew just how sorry she was, she added in a softer tone, "I really am sorry."

"Being sorry does not undo what has already been done, Miss Granger," hissed Snape. Then for a moment he just stared at her as if he was trying to figure something out. "What exactly could have been a large enough distraction for Miss Know-it-all? You have dealt with many obstacles in the past, many having to do with the Dark Lord himself. Those were horrendous events. Not to mention, you have had to endure those two dunderhead friends of yours trying to get themselves killed every year. So, Miss Granger, if those things were not enough of a distraction for you to commit errors in my class, then I must ask you, what is?"

Hermione wasn't sure how to answer his question. Surely he knew why she was distracted? It was because of him! Maybe he just wants to hear me say it out loud? she pondered.

"Umm... Well, sir." She hesitated for a moment. Looking at his eyes, she found no answers, so she continued, "It's because of last night." Snape did not seem satisfied with this answer. He sat back in his chair and let out a sigh, moving his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in obvious exasperation.

"Miss Granger, you obviously do not wish to tell me," growled Snape. "And since I am exhausted and really do not care what problems you may or may not be having, I will not push the issue." He then pointed to the many bookshelves in the back of his office. "Those shelves have not been dusted in ages. You will empty them one shelf at a time and clean them. You will do this every night until they are all finished."

Hermione nodded and headed for the shelves. She gave Snape a quick glance over her shoulder. He really does look exhausted, she noted. That's not really like him, but then again, he was in my room last night, so he probably didn't get enough sleep. Hermione then turned her attention to the books in front of her. This wasn't nearly as bad as she had expected; she could most likely get this job finished in three hours.

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Four hours later found Hermione making her way back to her rooms. Her body was aching all over. She had severely underestimated the task Snape had given her. It only had taken her a few minutes to realise that many of those books were charmed to appear smaller than they actually were. Most of them were so heavy that they had fallen on her as she had pulled them off the shelf, leaving her body bruised and her back throbbing painfully.

After four hours of hard work, she had only managed to clean one of the seven bookcases he had in his office. That meant that she had a whole week of this punishment to look forward to. I'll be dead by the end of the week, she thought meekly. Either that or I'll get lucky, and one of the books will break my back and paralyse me so that I can't finish my detentions.

Hermione was so exhausted that taking a shower didn't even occur to her. What also didn't occur to her is that she had just spent an entire night alone with Snape and had made absolutely no progress. She walked into her room and flopped down on the bed. She was out solid in seconds.

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Hermione was awakened the next morning by the sun coming through her window. She blinked a few times and sat up. As she did so, her body screamed at her painfully. She slowly made her way to the bathroom and took a quick shower. The warm water was very soothing to her battered body.

She finished getting ready and left her room to head for the Great Hall. It didn't take her long to notice that the students walking by her were behaving strangely. They were whispering to themselves, and most had shocked looks on their faces. As she arrived in the entrance hall, she quickly spotted Ron and Harry.

"Hi, guys," she greeted. "What's going on? Did someone die or something? Everyone is acting so strangely."

"Haven't you heard yet, Hermione?" asked Ron. "Someone broke into the trophy room last night and destroyed all of the Gryffindor trophies!"

"What?"

"Yeah, and whoever did it got away," continued Harry. "But it had to be a Slytherin. Who else would do something like this?"

"They're really destroyed? They're not just bent or twisted or something?" asked Hermione hopefully.

"They're ashes, Hermione. There's no way around it; they're gone," said Ron sadly. "Dumbledore tried to fix them, but he says that only the person who cast the destruction spell could reverse it."

"So... so that means that your dad's trophy is gone, Harry! And Charlie and Bill's trophies are gone too!" exclaimed Hermione. The two boys looked down desolately, showing that they had thought of that. "Well... we'll just have to find out who did it, then, won't we? If the person is caught, then we can have them restore the trophies, right?" Suddenly the two boys looked up, and Hermione could see there was some hope glittering in their eyes.

"You're right, Hermione!" exclaimed Harry. "We've solved harder mysteries before." The three of them made their way to the Great Hall feeling somewhat more cheerful. As they sat down, Hermione began telling Ron and Harry what had happened during her detention the previous night.

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That night Hermione was once again in the dungeons cleaning bookshelves for Snape. She had already been cleaning for an hour while Snape continuously graded papers.

"Sir?" Hermione asked carefully. "Can I ask you a question?" He looked up at her and glared her for a moment.

"What is it, Miss Granger?" Annoyance was obvious in his voice.

"I was just wondering if you had any ideas as to who broke into the trophy room last night." Seeing his eyes narrow, she quickly added, "Of course, you don't have to answer, I was just wondering."

"Miss Granger, I assure you that I have looked into the matter," he hissed. "I personally interviewed every member of my House, and given that these were Gryffindor trophies, it is far more than I should have done."

"So... you didn't figure out who did it then?" she asked hesitantly. "I mean, it had to be someone from your House, sir. Who else could it have been?" Hermione knew she was pushing the issue, but she had promised Ron and Harry that she would do her best to find out. Plus, he was actually talking to her, which was a definite improvement from the silence that plagued her detentions.

"You stupid little girl," growled Snape. "Very few people can lie straight to my face without my knowing it, even less students. And as for your question on the integrity of my House, I will not even dignify that. I guarantee you that no one from Slytherin House pulled that little stunt last night. Now, I suggest that you get back to work and leave this matter to the staff."

"Yes, sir," she replied and got back to work. Maybe pushing him into conversation was not the best strategy after all. Not another word was spoken between them until he dismissed her. Hermione was a little disappointed. Every time she saw him, she kept expecting some clue, however small, that the night they had shared had actually happened. She was starting to wonder if she hadn't just dreamed it up. The only thing that convinced her that it had actually taken place was a small love bite that she had discovered on her right shoulder. So why is he pretending it never happened? she wondered as she made her way back to her room, even more bruised than she had been the night before.

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"Guys, I'm telling you," insisted Hermione. "I don't think it was a Slytherin!" She had told Harry and Ron about the conversation she had had with Snape. Of course, the two boys were convinced he was lying. "No one could lie to Snape and get away with it, and I seriously doubt he would deceive Dumbledore if he knew who was responsible."

"Hermione, this is Snape we're talking about here!" argued Ron. "And besides, if it's not a Slytherin, then who the hell is it?" Before Hermione had time to, once again, restate her opinion, Neville sat down next to her. He was completely out of breath, and a look of pure shock haunted his features.

"Neville, what's wrong?" asked Harry, concerned. "Are you all right?"

"The... The..." Neville was struggling to catch his breath, so they waited patiently. Ron, however, finally distracted from their previous conversation, was looking up and down the long table, baffled.

"Guys," said Ron. "Where's the food? Why is there no breakfast on the tables?" Hermione and Harry looked at the table, realising he was right. They had been so distracted they hadn't even noticed the lack of food. In one glance, Hermione noticed that all of the students were looking around confused. A look at the staff table revealed that only Sprout and Flitwick were present. All the other professors were missing.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you," said Neville, finally having caught his breath. "The house-elves in the kitchens were attacked last night!" All three were left so speechless by this announcement that they couldn't even find the words to respond. Hermione was the first to find her voice.

"Are they alright, Neville?" she asked, terrified. "I mean... they're not... dead, right?" The three turned to Neville expectantly, silently asking him not to confirm their worst fear.

"No," he said, and some relief passed through the three. "They were all hit with binding spells, but none of them were actually hurt. I was one of the first to get to the hall this morning, and I was surprised that there was no food. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall noticed that too, and they all headed down to the kitchens to find out what was going on. Most of the staff and a dozen students followed them down, including me. Dumbledore freed all the elves. But now that they're freed, they feel guilty about not having breakfast ready for everyone. The teachers are still down there trying to stop them from punishing themselves."

"That's horrible," cried Hermione. "They were attacked; it's not their fault! And who would do such a horrible thing? How could someone do something so cruel?"

"Whoever it was," stated Harry, "I'll bet it's the same someone who broke into the trophy room! It had to be a Slytherin. Who else could have possibly done all this?"

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Later that day, Hermione was sitting in Herbology listening to Professor Sprout talk about the properties of the Baboru plant.

"...and so, as a result of Aistol's research, we now know that the Baboru plant can be an extremely powerful potion additive. Most people have found it very useful in producing healing potions," said Professor Sprout. "These plants are not too rare, but still difficult to obtain. Hogwarts has managed to obtain four Baboru plants. I was going to have you divide into groups and work on these plants today. Unfortunately, they were torn out of the ground last Saturday night. I suspect some animal of some sort wandered out of the Forbidden Forest. The plants can be saved, but they are far too sensitive for you to work on today. I gather most of you did not get to eat this morning, so I'll give you the rest of the morning off. Class dismissed."

As the students walked out of the greenhouse, most were too happy about the early dismissal to have really heard what Professor Sprout had just told them. All, except for Hermione. Isn't it strange, she thought, In the same week that someone breaks into the trophy room and the house-elves are attacked, an animal happens to wander out of the forest and tear out Professor Sprout's plants? Somehow, Hermione knew this wasn't a coincidence. Something very strange was happening at Hogwarts.

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The week passed by, and Hermione woke up every morning to find that another horrible event had taken place. On Tuesday it had been the trophies, on Wednesday it was the house-elves. On Thursday, the Divination classroom had been turned upside down (which, truth be told, Hermione really didn't mind). And finally, on Friday, the Gryffindors woke up to find their common room sofas had been slashed to bits and the words 'Potter Stinks' written in red on the wall.

Now the entire school was convinced more than ever that a Slytherin was behind these attacks. However, no one could ignore the fact that a Slytherin could never gain access to the Gryffindor common room without a password. Poor Neville had been interviewed by teachers and harassed by students about whether or not he had written down the password. Everyone remembered all too clearly how Sirius Black had gained access to the common room just a few short years ago. Neville, of course, had not made that mistake again.

It was now Friday night, and Hermione was making her way down to the dungeons, once again, to continue her detentions. The bookshelves had not taken as long as she had originally thought. She only had one bookcase left, and it was only her fifth night of detention. Tonight, she would finish the task that Snape had given her. Will he give me any other detentions? she wondered. Or will this be my last night with him?

Hermione knocked on the door, and as usual it opened, and Snape was behind his desk, working on papers.

"Good evening, sir," Hermione said politely. Not showing any sign that he had heard her, Snape waved her to the bookshelves. Hermione set herself to work, and within two hours she was finished. She stood and dusted herself off. She was about to tell Snape that she was done, but he spoke first.

"Miss Granger, you will meet me here tomorrow at four o'clock." He said this without looking up from his papers. "Since it is Saturday tomorrow, you do not have classes to get in the way of detention, and I expect you to be here. This will be your last detention." Hermione stood there watching him, expecting him to say something else.

"Well, Miss Granger, what are you waiting for? Get out!" Hermione hurried out of the room. As she made her way back to her rooms, her mind kept wandering to Snape's appearance that night. His hair had been a mess (more so than usual, anyway), and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looks like he hasn't slept all week. I guess these attacks have taken a toll on him, she speculated.

And what about tomorrow night? thought Hermione. It might be my last chance to show him how much I want him. She had been dreaming about him all week, waking up sweating in the middle of the night. In her dreams the two of them had gone much further than they had that night; she had even brought him to orgasm. Hermione grasped that she was quickly falling for her professor. After all, she reasoned, the man is a war hero, incredibly brilliant and appealing. Not to mention, dark and mysterious, which was far more erotic than she was willing to admit to herself.

Tomorrow night, she thought determinedly, I will show him just how much I like him. He won't be able to resist.

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A/N: Make sure you stick around for the next chapter. It will be very juicy! (And maybe a little sour. *grin*) As usual, any thoughts or comments are more than welcome; they are wonderful motivators. And thank you so much to those who have reviewed so far!

Lotsa Love, CyanaWhite