Confrontations

Chapter Six – Confrontations

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

A slender arm reached over and jerked the pillow lying next to her head firmly over her ears. Groaning, the diminutive form burrowed even deeper into the bed sheets in hopes of escaping into the cover of sleep once more.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Growling in frustration, Hermione slowly emerged from her little cavern of pillows and blankets, all the while glaring venomously at her familiar, who was seated at the foot of her bed, his head cocked to the side with what could only be considered a satisfied smirk curling on his lips. Yawning loudly, she stretched before letting out a soft, satisfied sigh.

"It's Sunday... You do know that, right?" she asked rhetorically. "Well, I suppose with a wake-up call like that, you're hungry," Hermione said, turning her eyes back toward the Kneazle half-breed.

Crooks' response was nothing more than a soft mew.

Shaking her head and letting out another yawn, Hermione quietly made her way over to the fireplace and Flooed the kitchens. It wasn't long before Koki appeared and entered her rooms.

"Mornin', ma'am," Koki greeted shyly; already her large, wide eyes were fixated on Crookshanks.

"Oh, good morning, Koki. Could you please bring Crooks his breakfast?" Hermione asked politely. The young witch couldn't help but laugh at the house-elf's fascination with her cat. If allowed, the two could occupy each other for hours on end.

"Do you be wanting anything for breakfast, ma'am?" Koki asked.

"Yes, please. I'm actually quite hungry this morning. Perhaps some eggs, bacon with a bit of toast... oh, and some orange juice as well, please," Hermione asked politely.

"Of course, ma'am."

Koki then disappeared without a sound before reappearing just as swiftly and silently. She returned with two large silver platters, one containing Crooks' breakfast, which she set down first. The small house elf then quickly crossed the room and set the larger tray down on the desk near the window. Hermione smiled in thanks when she noticed the pot of tea also on the tray and poured herself a cup of the scalding hot black tea.

"You be needing anything else, ma'am?" Koki squeaked.

Taking a sip of the warm, caffeinated beverage, Hermione sighed in pleasure, licking her lips; she then set the cup down and shook her head.

"No, thank you. This is more than enough."

Koki smiled brightly, nodding her head in understanding. She then turned and gave Crooks one last longing glance before disappearing. Hermione just shook her head at the house-elf's antics and settled in for breakfast. Once again, she knew her presence in the Great Hall was probably missed, but she just wasn't ready to deal with Harry and Ron, let alone all the questions that were bound to be tossed her way.

Just seeing those two the other day got me so upset. Walking past them without saying a word was one of the hardest things I've ever had to make myself do. Gods, hexing them like that was wrong... but they just made me so angry, she thought to herself. Hermione listlessly began to push the remainder of her breakfast around the plate, suddenly not feeling so hungry anymore. Ack, I cannot let just the thought of them do this to me. This is ridiculous; none of this is my fault. Ron was the one cheating, and Harry was the one helping to keep his secret. I've been nothing but faithful to the both of them, both as a friend and a girlfriend. Suddenly disgusted with the situation and herself, Hermione pushed the tray away, and with a jerky wave of her hand, the tray was gone.

Pulling out a small piece of parchment, Hermione then reached for her quill and began to write out a short note. Finished, she cast a quick drying charm and called for Koki.

"Something is wrong with breakfast, ma'am?" Koki asked timidly, frightened that she had somehow not made her mistress happy.

"Oh, no. No, it was wonderful. I just need you to take this to Professor Hagrid for me."

Koki brightened considerably at this; she then took the folded piece of parchment and disappeared without a sound, leaving Hermione and Crooks alone in the room once more.

Hermione then noticed that Crooks had finished his breakfast and was sunning himself at the foot of her bed. With another wave of her hand, the dish vanished. She then began to strip out of her nightclothes, heading toward the bathroom. Deciding that a shower would be faster, Hermione stepped underneath the showerhead, and a steady stream of water soon began to pour out. Reaching for a bottle of shampoo, she quickly worked it into a frothy lather and went about the task of washing her hair. Finished, she stepped out from underneath the spray. Softly padding across the room, Hermione reached for one of the large bath sheets.

Wrapping the large bath sheet around her diminutive form, she then headed back over to the vanity and brushed her teeth. Finished there, the witch headed back into her room to pick out her clothes for the day. First, she pulled out some undergarments before moving down a few drawers and extracting a pair of low rider blue jeans. In a way, the weekends were a godsend, allowing the students to wear some forms of Muggle-looking clothing. She then pulled out a pale blue tunic-like shirt. It had belled sleeves, hugging her bust and the top of her torso before flaring out and falling over her hips to about mid-thigh. Hermione then let the bath sheet slip to the floor and pool at her feet. She then pulled on her undergarments, which were quickly followed by her jeans. Her shirt followed soon after. Padding across the room, she headed back into the bathroom and seated herself at the vanity.

Casting a few small charms, causing the brush to easily slide through her newly dried locks, she brushed it until it fell around her shoulders in soft waves. Satisfied with the look, Hermione set the brush back down and headed back out into the other room. Crooks was still sprawled out at the foot of her bed, soaking up the morning sun. As she walked past, she ran her fingers across his belly and through his thick fur.

"I've got to go to the library this morning, Crooks, so you'll be on your own for most of the day. I want to get further ahead with some of my reading assignments; I also have some research to do for Hagrid," Hermione explained to the half-breed as she moved about the room, packing up her bag and pulling on her boots.

Giving the room one last glance, satisfied that she had everything she needed, she pulled on her school robes, grabbed her bag, and with that, she was out the door. The gentle click of her boots against the stone steps and the rhythmic sound of her breathing was all that could be heard. It was still a Hogsmeade weekend, but it was still early yet and a Sunday at that. Most of the students would either be in the Great Hall or still in bed. Just as she had hoped, the common room was completely empty. She then swiftly made her way out of Gryffindor Tower and into the main portion of the castle. The stairs seemed to enjoy the positions they were in at that particular moment in time, since none of them moved as she made her way down to the fourth floor.

Entering the library, she greeted Madam Pince, who just stared back at the young witch stoically. Hermione quickly scurried to one of the more secluded tables within the library and away from the frigid librarian. Sighing, she flopped down into one of the chairs and began to spread out her books and parchment across the table. Today, she wanted to get at least three more chapters ahead in her reading for Potions and read up on a few different Transfiguration theories. Then there was her small side project that she was working on for Hagrid.

Deciding it best to get ahead in Potions first, she opened up to chapter six, page forty-five of 'Potent Components of Potions – Fifth Edition.' Flipping open to the chapter, she found that it talked about different antidotes to varying poisons. 'Bezoar comes from the Persian word, "pá zahar," meaning antidote against poison (pa-cure, zahar-poison). It is a generic term for concretions to be found... ' A loud crash rumbled throughout the normally silent library. Hermione looked up to see a Ravenclaw first year apologizing profusely to Madam Pince as he helped her pick up the stack of books he had knocked over. Shaking her head, she immediately went back to her book.

Almost four hours and ten pages of notes later, Hermione let out a yawn and placed the Potions book back down on the table. Having gotten three chapters of Potions reading finished instead of the original plan of only two, she decided to skip the extra reading for Transfigurations since she was already ahead by two chapters anyway. Taking out her copy of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,' she soon realized that she was going to need a book with more in depth information. Setting her books and papers aside, she stood up and made her way toward the section devoted to large magical creatures. She began wandering up and down the large aisles until she came across an old and rather thick looking tome. Lugging the large book back to the desk, Hermione was more than surprised to see Madam Pince standing beside the large study table where all of her books and papers resided.

"Is there a problem, Madam Pince?" Hermione asked politely.

"No, but you've been here for a number of hours now. It's almost time for lunch, and you know that you are not allowed to miss meals. So pack up your things and drop them off at your dormitory before getting something to eat... and don't let me find that you snuck back in here," Madam Pince said in a no nonsense tone, while sauntering back to her desk near the library entrance.

Hermione's eyes darkened in frustration, but she knew there wasn't any point in arguing with the woman. The Headmaster made it explicitly clear that Hermione was not to ever miss a meal because of studying. Sighing heavily, she quickly packed up her books before exiting the library. Dragging her feet against the stone floor, Hermione slowly walked away from the library. Well, that's that then. Madam Pince will be on the lookout for me; she might've even cast a detection charm against me trying to hibernate in there... I guess it's back to the rooms then, she thought to herself and then hitched up her bag higher on her shoulder before making her way back to Gryffindor Tower.

Entering her rooms, she lazily dropped her bag near the door. Slipping off her school robes, Hermione then toed off each of her shoes before tossing herself onto the bed. Crooks cracked an eye open and mewed irritably at being disturbed so rudely. The half-breed stretched lazily before hopping off the bed, only to curl up again in one of the warm sunspots on the floor. Hermione merely shook her head at her familiar's antics. Stretching leisurely, she whispered softly, and a small leather bound book flew to her fingertips. Settling back against the headboard, the young witch decided that lunch could wait... at least for the time being.

The rest of the afternoon and into the early evening was spent reading and nibbling on the sweets she had picked up from Honeydukes the day before. It was about ten minutes to four when she heard a sharp knock at her door. Hermione glanced over at Crooks, who gave her a look as if to say, "Well, aren't you going to answer it?" Rolling her eyes in response, Hermione set her book to the side and went to answer the door. Light cinnamon-colored eyes darkened immediately when they saw who was on the other side.

"Hello, Hermione."

"Harry," Hermione answered simply.

"I... I was hoping that we could talk," Harry stammered nervously.

"How did you get up here?" she asked, ignoring his question for the moment.

"Ah, well." Harry's eyes dropped to the floor, a bright flush staining his cheeks.

It was then Hermione noticed that Harry was hovering just a few inches off the ground. It seemed as though he had found a way to get around Hogwarts' way of keeping boys out of the girls' dormitories. Normally, the second a boy's foot hit one of the steps leading up to the girls' rooms, they flattened and became something akin to a spiral slide. Huffing primly, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"What you're doing is against school rules; I should deduct points for this," she said.

"Oh, like you hexing Ron and me in Hogsmeade yesterday wasn't against the rules," Harry said without thinking. As soon as the words tumbled past his lips, emerald-colored eyes darkened considerably before drifting shut and opening again. Hermione's already stiff stature tightened up all the more as she made a move to close the door.

"No, please wait... I'm sorry, that was out of line. Please... I just want to talk."

Hermione eyed Harry warily for a few tense moments. Sighing heavily, she wordlessly stepped back from the door, allowing Harry to come inside. Gliding forward, Harry hovered a moment before his feet gently touched back down onto the ground. The door shut with a soft click, leaving a tense silence in its wake.

"I just want..."

"Well what..."

Both young witch and wizard couldn't help but chuckle nervously as they both tried to speak at the same time. Hermione gestured silently to the two small, overstuffed chairs near the fireplace. A tense silence settled over the room as they both continued to eye the other wearily.

"Ah...well, what is it you wanted, Harry?" Hermione asked softly.

"I just want to talk to you; I mean... I know that Ron and I messed up..." he stammered.

"If you came here to..."

"I didn't come here to defend anyone or to talk about your relationship with Ron. I'm here because you are practically my only family besides the Weasleys... I don't want..."

"Your only family! How dare you call me that? How can you even fit your mouth around such words when you did what you did? I don't care for your reasons, Harry Potter; you knowingly helped him to bed that bitch while he was with me," she screeched.

"Hermione, please."

"No... Get out. Get out now. Just the sight of you makes me sick," she croaked.

Emerald-colored eyes began to shimmer brightly with tears. Stretching a hand out toward her, Harry looked at the girl who was once like a sister to him, beginning to truly see what he and Ron had done to her.

"Please," he rasped out, stepping toward her once more.

A loud thump, followed by an angry hiss, filled the room. Crookshanks had positioned himself in front of his mistress. He knew this boy from before; she was always spending time with him and another. He didn't really care for either boy, but if they made his mistress happy, then so be it. However, things now had changed; this boy was making her upset.

That would never do.

Hissing angrily, Crooks extended his claw and sliced right through Harry's trousers as he made to move even closer toward Hermione. Harry looked down into the half-breed's eyes, licking his lips nervously; he made another plea to Hermione.

"I asked you to leave," she said, her voice trembling.

"Hermione, just please..."

"I told you to leave... now!"

A strange glow had entered Hermione's unseeing eyes; her body tightened and became ramrod straight. Concerned for her safety, Harry moved to grab Hermione. That was when the room began to tremble, and the door flew violently open. Suddenly, Harry was propelled backwards and out the open door, which immediately slammed shut after he had passed through.

Panting heavily, Harry didn't have long to contemplate what had just happened because he was soon careening down the spiral slide that was once the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Lying at the foot of what were once again stairs, Harry struggled to his feet and dusted himself off as he righted his robes once more. Casting a longing glance back up the stairs, he knew that it was going to take a lot more than a few kind words to gain Hermione's forgiveness, let alone get her friendship back. As he stumbled out of the common room and up to the boys' dormitories, there was something he couldn't seem to shake off. He knew that Hermione was a very powerful witch, even without schooling, but she had propelled him backwards and sent him flying out the door. However, that wasn't what was bothering him; it was the fact that he couldn't remember whether she had a wand in her hand or not. Shaking it off as nerves, he headed up to his own rooms to share the not-so-great news with Ron.

Back upstairs, the strange light that had entered the young witch's eyes died out, and she then slipped to the floor, unconscious, with a soft thud. The sound of Crooks' distressed mewing was all that could be heard throughout the silent room.

...:::...

Severus rolled his eyes heavenward, pushing the remains of his lunch around on his plate. On the weekends, he never took his meals in the Great Hall, though the Headmaster could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. He was unable to hold back the sneer that curled on his lips as both the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall were engrossed in conversation. Those two were absolutely hopeless at times. Shrugging it off, his eyes moved about the Great Hall. He allowed a small smile of pride to cross his lips as they settled on his House table before it melted away just as quickly.

What caught his attention was the absence of Miss Granger at the Gryffindor table. Normally, something as such wouldn't have been so noticeable, but for Miss Granger's behavior from the evening before and the fact that both Mister Weasley and Mister Potter were seated far away from everyone else. Add to the fact that if their body language was any indication, they wanted to keep it that way.

Even Mister Longbottom wasn't privy to their conversation.

Something was definitely going on with those three. Ever since their first year, they had been as thick as thieves, those three; even during the height of the war they seemed to stay close, not allowing the stresses or even the occasional deaths bring them down. It was then he caught the Headmaster's eye. They silently agreed that it was time to have another talk. Deciding that he'd had enough, he pushed his plate back and made to leave the table. In a swirl of inky robes, he exited the Great Hall, the Headmaster's eyes following him with each step.

...:::...

Sounds of stone pushing, moving and grinding against one another filled the otherwise silent corridor. It wasn't long before the stone settled, and the spiral staircase appeared. Sure footsteps made soft scuffling sounds against the stone as they made their way toward the Headmaster's office.

"Ah, Severus," the Headmaster greeted softly.

"Albus, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Snape asked, getting right to the point.

"I was wondering how that... project of yours was going."

Severus immediately stiffened and sat up just a bit more in his chair.

"Things are... progressing. I was able to acquire a book, which I believe will be most helpful; it may not be the key piece to the puzzle, but I think it's another step closer," Severus answered, intentionally omitting his visit with Abhijat. The Headmaster eyed Severus carefully before a bright smile curled on his lips.

"Well that's wonderful, then. However, it's still early in the year, and there are numerous lessons to conduct and projects to complete..."

"What are you trying to say, Albus?" Severus stressed the older man's name in suspicion.

"I think you might benefit from some... assistance..."

"Absolutely not, Headmaster!"

"Now, don't go getting all riled up, Severus. Just listen to me first. This project of yours is necessary, but it is also a large undertaking. I can understand not wanting to hand it over to anyone else, but I think in order to keep things running smoothly you should have some help. Whether it is with the research itself, or marking and grading the younger years' papers, I know you like to do everything yourself, but... I think it's for the best."

"And just who did you have in mind?" Severus asked, sighing heavily.

"Hermione Granger," the Headmaster said softly.

Dark eyes widened before they began to glitter dangerously.

"You're joking, aren't you?"

"No, Severus, I'm not. You are in need of some assistance, and Hermione is more than capable of helping you with what you require. I also believe that this little side project will be good for her right now."

"Really, Albus. Even with me needing assistance, as you call it, she is a nosy, spoiled, glory-seeking Gryffindor. Let alone the fact that she runs around constantly with Weasley and Potter, causing nothing but trouble," Severus griped.

"Come now, Severus. You and I both know that Hermione has never broken a school rule unless it was with good reason. She's also one the brightest witches to ever grace Hogwarts' halls. There's even rumor that her mind rivals that of Rowena Ravenclaw."

"You're not going to let up on this, are you?" Severus asked tiredly.

"No, I'm not," Albus answered, a sickeningly pleased smile gracing his lips.

Severus merely rolled his eyes heavenward.

End of Chapter Six

Author's Notes:: Up next there will be a conversation and a game of wizard chess... Thanks to CocoaChristy for the beta read!

Christy's Notes: Wow, Hermione scared me there for a second! Looks like Snape will be getting an assistant...whether he wants one or not.