Nobody Cared Enough !

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 6

18 Sept 1991 - Wednesday

Snape settled into his desk chair in his office and glared at the potions that all needed analysing. They were from his first year Gryffindor/Slytherin class and he could all ready see that many had not been brewed up to his standards. Just as he was reaching for the first rack of potions there came a polite knock on his door. He pointed his wand at the door to reveal his visitors as he was not expecting anyone during his free period.

"The twin banes of my existence", Snape muttered under his breath. "Come!", he ordered sharply.

"Sorry to bother you, Professor", began George as they stepped into the office.

"We have a matter to discuss with you" said Fred.

"Why not bring your problem to your Head of House?" he asked thinly.

Fred and George glanced at each other. A nearly imperceptible nod from George had Fred replying, "We believe that Professor McGonagall can’t help, Sir."

George clarified softly, "Not won’t but can’t…"

Snape nodded for the twins to sit in the chairs before his desk, and he steepled his hands over his abdomen to listen.

George began again, "We know that you’re aware of the bullying Hermione’s getting from our House, Professor."

"Our little brother Ron is set to break mum’s cooking spoon with his bum", Fred said shaking his head.

"Is your brother the instigator?", inquired Snape. Both twins shook their heads.

"Ron sat with Hermione on the train at the start of term, Professor", said George. "They shared the same compartment. We’re certain Ron’s acting out because Draco and Harry 'took' Hermione from him."

"Dean and Seamus just don’t like Hermione", sighed Fred. "That’s only gotten worse since classes started."

"Then Mr. Thomas and Mr. Finnegan are the instigators", stated Snape. He clamped his Occlumency down upon the thread of a memory of Sirius Black and James Potter who disliked him for simply existing.

The twins nodded. "Ron follows them, Professor", said George with a tinge of disgust. "And, the three of them have gotten the entire House against Hermione."

"It doesn’t help that she’s still losing points, too", pointed out Fred.

"Which is something that never mattered to the two of you", remarked Snape with a very slight smirk.

Fred and George smiled. George agreed,"We may seem like clowns to everyone, Professor, but me and Gred have specific plans that require a certain amount of education."

"Forge is right, Sir", nodded Fred. "We can also see how much our world means to Hermione and how much she wants to be a part of it…"

Snape interrupted smoothly, "I am certain there were two… gentlemen… at the Gryffindor table that ‘booed’ when the first child was Sorted into Slytherin." He glared pointedly at the twins who both squirmed uneasily under the stern look.

George spoke up, "Yeah… uhm… about that, Professor… me and Fred… well…"

"What my oh-so-eloquent counterpart is trying to say, Sir, is that Hermione took us right to sorts about that right after the feast", butted in Fred with a slight huff of annoyance.

George nodded abjectly. "I think that set Dean and Seamus right off but Hermione was right. Milli…"

"Millicent Bulstrode", Fred added softly.

George nodded. "Well, she’s only eleven years old, and Hermione told us…"

"After hitting us", chuckled Fred.

George smiled at his brother, but then sobered. Snape had not lost the stern frown upon his features. "Professor, after Hermione made it clear how mean we’d been she then demanded we apologise to Milli."

"Boy did that set off Dean and Seamus!", Fred huffed darkly. "They thought Hermione was being unreasonable and that just set up a terrible row."

"Professor Minerva came in at that point and we all got a lecture and lost points", continued George.

"Which really made Dean and Seamus mad at Hermione", sighed Fred.

"Hmmm, no doubt it did. Tell me", inquired the Potions Master, "Did the two of you apologise for your rudeness at the Welcoming Feast?"

Both boys nodded firmly. "Milli’s rather a nice girl,", remarked Fred.

“Draco and Harry are good, too, Professor,” interjected George. "Hermione thinks the world of them both and they make her feel like she belongs, but…"

"But what, Mr. Weasley?", asked Snape as he straightened in his chair and clasped his hands upon the surface of his desk.

Fred drew in a steadying breath before speaking. "Dean and Seamus are instigators, Professor but they’re not alone in their feelings towards Hermione. A good portion want her out of our House."

"Or better, out of Hogwarts altogether",finished George darkly.

George’s tone of voice was worrisome. Snape knew that he meant getting Hermione out of Hogwarts meant ‘out of the Wizarding world’.  He would have immediately blamed Blood Purity as the cause of Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan’s hate for the Muggle-born but that would make no sense. Both boys were half-bloods.

Snape considered the twins, and the problem they brought before him. For a long moment he was silent, and then he spoke. "Gentlemen, I am aware of Miss Granger’s situation but I must be honest with you; there is little that I can do as the girl is not in my House." He grimaced at the fallen expression on the two 3rd year students faces. "I can only encourage you to bring your concerns to your Head of House…"

Fred burst, "We’ve had three lectures, Professor Snape! All about how we’re all in Gryffindor and we have a duty to our Founder…"

George stretched out a hand and touched his twin’s arm to calm him. "Professor, the lectures are nothing to do with how anyone is treating Hermione, and that they shouldn’t. The lectures are about how noble our House is, that we should have pride in ourselves, that we should show the school that we are united. Our House is united. Each day, and with every points loss Hermione incurs, Gryffindor is more united to get rid of Hermione."

"And Professor McGonagall just seems to be ignoring that," huffed Fred.

"What of Mr. Longbottom?", Snape asked seemingly out of the blue. "How is he treated?"

For a moment Fred and George looked at each other, then their teacher. George spoke, "There was some teasing at the first of term…"

"Mostly about his frog…" murmured Fred.

"Trevor is a toad, Gred", George said softly to his twin. He then addressed Professor Snape, "Nev’s ignored now. No one but us has made any effort to befriend Nev", said George. "He stays very quiet and does his best not to attract attention."

Snape rose from his desk, peripherally aware that his free period was coming to an end. "Misters Weasley, I can keep an eye on the situation but anymore I am afraid my hands are tied by the By-Laws of Hogwarts. I can speak to my colleague but I am not allowed to interfere with any student of Professor McGonagall’s House." He slipped around his desk, urged the twins from their chairs, and escorted them to the door of his office. "If…" he rested a hand on each of their shoulders, and eyed them slowly, "...Miss Granger were re-Sorted into my House... there would be more I could do on her behalf."

Fred and George paused as their teacher mentioned 're-Sorting'. They both grinned in understanding at the Head of Slytherin House. "Thank you, Professor", they both spoke in perfect unison. Snape nodded, then closed the door behind the two wiley Gryffindors.

Out in the corridor of the dungeons George turned to his brother, "We’ve some research to do, Gred."

"Off to the library, Forge?"

"Aye! Let’s find out about getting Hermione re-Sorted!"

Arms in brotherly fashion over their shoulders they sauntered up the corridor and out of the main dungeons.