Bound

Chapter Two ~ Changes and Drama (Swan Chick)

A/N: Swan Chick is a reference. If you get it, you get it. If you don't, look into who Leda is and her role in Greek Mythology. Zeus is involved. You won't be disappointed.

Throughout the first week, Marian left a series of suggestions based around correcting Hermione's dietary habits – she should eat less of this, or more of that, cut those out and start eating these.

With the changes to her diet, she began to feel different in herself. She had more energy, her magical endurance had increased and her hair was even starting to behave itself – well, more or less.

She had also noticed that, despite providing all the necessary components, Hogwarts was hardly promoting the healthiest diet.

Nevertheless, she was glad of the change – her increased energy certainly helped with the ever-increasing piles of homework and, though she would never admit it, she was pleased by the attention she gained from boys as her hair became more manageable – one Cormac McLaggen seemed to be particularly interested in this development, among other things.

Once she had implemented the adjusted diet, almost a week passed before she heard from Marian again. She still spent at least half an hour writing in her journal, recording each meal as accurately as she could, before writing a detailed account of her day.

As instructed, she studiously avoided letting Snape – Professor Snape – see her bracelets, taking care to always cover them with her long sleeves. When questioned, she would cite the chilly weather or having had a sniffle the night before.

Hermione tapped her quill against her lips. Her first serious reprimand over her sleeves had been a bit of an ordeal. Thankfully, it had only landed her in detention, and not sitting before her head of house. Frowning, she set quill to parchment; detention had made her late to bed, and Marian was surely wondering what had kept her.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Sorry, Professor Snape gave me detention with Filch, all over an incident in D.A.D.A. today. Details to come.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

She paused, a tingle tripping up her spine as she remembered the encounter. Something about Professor Snape that day had made her stomach clench – whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she was yet to decide.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Snape stalked silently through the room, the ominous thud of his dragon-hide boots on the floor distinctly audible over the sound of non-verbal spells zipping through the air. Hermione was the only student who hadn't removed her jumper, having cast a cooling charm over herself to ward off the heat of the magic buzzing through the air.

Her body stiffened as the thudding footsteps came to a sudden halt directly behind her.

"Miss Granger, would you care to explain why you have elected to cast a cooling charm upon yourself, rather than removing your ridiculous jumper?"

Hermione's words caught in her throat. She could feel him towering over her much smaller frame, and his eyes, black as sin, boring into the top of her bushy head.

She swallowed thickly and barely managed to force out a half-strangled, "Sorry, Sir," before Harry, sweet-hearted idiot that he was, leapt to her defence.

"Who cares what she's wearing? She's practically top of the class, and there are no rules saying she has to take off her jumper to please you!"

His outburst was followed by a mumble of agreement from the Gryffindors and snickers from Draco and his Slytherins. Snape whirled around to face Harry, and Hermione turned with him. She could feel the fury rolling off him in waves and a shiver tripped up her spine.