Nobody Cared Enough !

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 10

24 Sept 1991 - Tuesday

Hermione had awakened in a bed of slime. Rising early from the ghastly mess, she had choked back her tears so no one would benefit from any sort of reaction, and cleaned her bed with the Scourgify spell that Professor Flitwick had taught her after she requested that he teach it to her. Hermione was glad that she'd wakened so early and her dorm mates, who had no doubt pulled the vile prank, were still asleep. She snuck into the girls bathroom and was able to put her filthy nightgown into the laundry and wash the gunk from her hair. To her dismay, the moment the water touched her hair, it changed from her mousy brown, impossible curls to dull, absolutely straight, black hair.

"Oh no!" she cried under her breath as she looked at a lock of the changed hair under the water. "It looks like Snape's!"

Hermione could only wash herself and the hair. She didn't know enough magic to change it, so she knew she would have to endure more teasing from her cruel House mates and probably from the other Houses as well. Worse, when Professor Snape saw her hair, he might think she was mocking him.

It was going to be an awful day.

Hermione had escaped seeing anyone in the common room and once she left Gryffindor Tower, she practically ran to Professor McGonagall's office. She knocked several times, but it was obviously too early. Giving up, she decided that today she'd just not attend any classes at all. She then ran the entire way down to the Entrance Hall. She started in surprise when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hermione?"

Hermione came to a full stop and spun around. Harry was in the Entrance Hall. He was staring at her hair.

"Who did it?" he asked as he walked closer.

Hermione was proud of herself for not breaking down into tears as she replied, "My dorm mates. They filled my sheets with slime and whatever it was, once the water touched it, it changed to this." Her voice cracked. She took a moment to compose herself. She would NOT cry. "Professor Snape is going to be so angry at me, Harry!"

Harry grabbed her hand. "No he won't. C'mon!"

Harry led his friend down into the dungeons and to the door of the Slytherin common room. He had her wait while he disappeared inside. Hermione stepped back into the shadows and allowed her eyes to jerk back and forth hoping the Potions professor wouldn't show up.

A few minutes later Harry emerged with Prefect Tara Anglaise and behind her was Draco. Draco just gaped at Hermione while Tara studied the problem.

"Finite incatatem!" she cast as she waved her wand. Nothing happened. She tried a few more spells, including a glamour, but whatever had caused Hermione's hair to change colour was resisting all of Tara's attempts.

After almost twenty minutes, Draco griped at the prefect, "You're a seventh year!"

Tara glared down at the short firstie. "If I had time to study whatever did this, Mr. Malfoy, I'd be able to come up with a solution."

Hermione's tears threatened again. "I don't know how long this will last!"

Tara patted Hermione on the back. "We'll go to the professor. At the very least, if he can't do anything, he'll know this wasn't your fault and won't get mad at you."

A small sniffle did escape as Hermione nodded her agreement. As Tara led the way to Snape's office, Harry and Draco walked on either side of the girl.

Draco whispered to Harry, "Where were you?"

Snape was just preparing to leave for a staff meeting when the knock came on his office door. He eyed Prefect Anglaise who motioned the distraught girl to come out from behind her.

"It wasn't her fault, sir," declared Harry before Snape even had time to react.

Snape rose to his feet and walked around his desk to stare down upon the Gryffindor. His gaze went to Harry. "I had surmised that, Mr. Potter." He returned his gaze to Hermione. "What can you tell me about this, Miss Granger?"

Hermione told her story and then Tara told her teacher what spells she had tried to reverse the problem.

"I believe it was not a spell that did this," Snape said as he took a strand of Hermione's changed hair between his thumb and index finger. "Some sort of potion. Unfortunately, without a sample of the 'slime' I am unable to brew a counter potion."

Hermione put her hand into her robe pocket and pulled out a small phial. She handed it to Snape.

"You took a sample, Miss Granger?" he asked with almost concealed surprise.

"I thought it might be a good idea, sir," she replied with an effacing shrug.

"Indeed it was," he nodded. Hermione beamed brightly. "Miss Anglaise, please go to Professor McGonagall in the staff lounge and let her know that Miss Granger was pranked, once again, and I am brewing an antidote. Miss Granger will take her breakfast in my office with her friends." The Potions Master felt this problem would be more ideal to solve than sitting through a boring staff meeting.

"I'll do that, sir." Tara then smiled and squeezed Hermione's shoulder. "You'll be right as rain, soon, Hermione."

The three children thanked Tara. When she left the office, Snape summoned an elf and ordered breakfast for all of them. Once they were done, he ushered the children into the classroom lab and had them help him to analyse the slime and then brew an antidote.

Hermione's hair was back to its normal bushy, brown colour before Snape had his first class of the day.

It was going to be a good day.

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