When Hermione Fights

In the Snake Pit

Chapter beta: Dani

Chapter translator: Aivy & our new team member, Nik ♥

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I walked into the, as per usual, greenly-lit room and noticed the atmosphere of departure. They couldn't wait for the holidays to start. I stopped when I saw a tall, impressive figure leaning casually against the hearth.

I stopped short in my motion. Snape. What was he doing here?

I watched him speak to a few seventh and sixth years, with Blaise amongst this illustrious circle. It has always been amazing to see what kind of regime Snape led down here in his dungeons. Unlike McGonagall who insisted on order and enforced it too, Snape gave his snakes a great deal of freedom.

He didn't care if Slytherin had quarrels, duelled and were injured here inside the House. He had taught them enough so that they could usually heal themselves. Nonetheless, he was often there, conducting his monthly rapports, and demanding that the face and reputation of the House to the outside be kept intact under all circumstances.

Otherwise, though, he always relied on the House leader holding the reins tightly in his hand and that he wouldn't be bothered with unimportant children's stuff. His system worked surprisingly well. Even the youngest were receiving tutoring from the elders so that the House's performance was always consistently good. Failures were met with loathing.

Even if we Gryffindors didn't want to admit it or see it - of course, we'd won the House Cup for years, but only because Dumbledore, year after year, awarded us the crucial and missing points thanks to Harry's and our daring actions - looking purely at the academic side of things, the Slytherins should dictate the colour scheme for the consistency of their achievements. Just as they had for years before we had arrived. But who said that the world was fair? That was something that the Slytherins learned from their first year at school. They were the unloved House of the Serpent, regarded with mistrust and suspicion!

Snape was talking more intensely to some of the Slytherins than McGonagall had ever done to their lions. He was very good at what he did; probably always was and with everything. I could literally feel how he noticed me and didn't really seem surprised that I showed up here so carefully cloaked. Thus, I stepped confidently into the circled that had congregated around Snape and devoutly listened to his words.

"How nice to see you, even if it is no surprise," Snape sneered and interrupted his previous conversation with a N.E.W.T student brusquely, his dark, uninterpretable gaze focussed on me.

"Sir, what do you mean by that?" Once again we caused a sensation, because the professor spoke with me, the Untouchable, in such a familiar way. It showed that we knew each other intimately and if they knew how intimately they would all succumb to a heart attack, I was sure.

"That means that I want to talk to you and there is no Draco here to rescue you so you will come with me," he bit out in his usual lovely way, revealing that he had only gone to the Slytherin common room in the hope to intercept me. I was almost speechless.

"Who says that I have to get rescued? ... And what, he's not back from Lucius yet? Mh-hm, then it's good that I didn't come for him," I said dryly, coquettishly, watching as he raised his dark eyebrows doubtfully.

"Blaise, I have to talk to you," I turned to the handsome, young man who had stood proudly in the circle and could now see his eyes growing big as if he were ... afraid?

Afraid because he had 'attacked' me at breakfast this morning? Maybe, but he didn't need to be, I was much too thankful for that. The others around us silently observed everything and tried rather badly to feign disinterest, only partially succeeding.