The Flaw In Perfection: A Snamione Romance Fanfic

Chapter 6. Problems

"Hey, Hermione". A voice from a short distance ruffled from the silent breeze.
She didn't bother to even move a muscle. She forcibly put the earphones Harry gave her as a Christmas present into her ears.
The earphones blocked her ears, listening to a song, one would probably not hear playing on a radio or being sung by teenagers strolling down a dusty street.
The voice suddenly stopped. Hermione chortled a bit while extracting a theory she had just made up. She guessed that the person who called her might've thought she didn't hear him, thanks to the earphones.
This moment made her remember a certain memory back when she was ten years old. She had no knowledge about the wizarding world at that time. She was attending a muggle school then.

Well, everyone avoided her for she had been doing "things" they were not accustomed to seeing. Most people think she's crazy for there were incidents that involved her and those incidents were kind of hard to explain.

She was seated on a bench watching her fellow classmates playing dodgeball. After a while, their teacher called her but she wore her earphones and pretended not to hear her. The whole class left without her. Seeing them gone, her lips formed a little smile. The teacher must have assumed that she was listening to a tune at full volume like kids joining the Music Club. Those kids' eardrums might've exploded already. But unfortunately, they were still in the school's cafeteria singing with their high-pitched voices. SINGING? Naaaah! Screaming is a very appropriate word.
She almost laughed at the memory, but tried to hide her smile, for the people around her near the lake would surely call her insane. And she wouldn't want that.

She felt a bit better when the voice who called her was gone. Thank Harry for that. She sighed while she looked at the earphones. Only Harry and her understood each other when it came to a muggle perspective. Ron would just feel irritated with the topic of muggle stuff or burst like a bubble in fascination.

Monday was never her favourite day for it simply reminded her that the punishment Snape gave them last week has finally begun. She kept her eyes dilated for a second for she doesn't want to look frail in facing the 4th year class.

Calm down. All you need to do is participate greatly in class. You're going to survive this challenge. You can do it.

Walking to the dungeons felt like having an appointment with Lord Voldemort and being recruited as a Death Eater. She felt her stomach do a flip-flop. She was having trouble entering the classroom when she met Harry and Ron by the door.
Both of them looked ill. She felt the same way as they were but she was too proud so she wouldn't show it.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked Hermione and Ron.

Ron gulped before uttering his answer. "Ready, freddy". But he was so agonized he faced Hermione before letting the little teardrop fall in his dying face.
"Can we do this? Can we get out of here, alive?"

His question was unbearable to hear, especially when he emphasized the word alive so gravely.
Hermione watched her friends be crushed into shards. She lifted her head up and said, "We will. We have to."

And with that, they entered the class carrying the feeling that they were going to duel a horrible group of monsters in the Forbidden Forest.

The moment the 4th years sighted them, their faces deflated in embarrassment. And the look on their faces made Professor Snape show his evilest smirk. It seems that their mortification was his precious trophies and he can't wait to fill his shelves with more.

"Today, the fifth years will be joining you in this class until the week is out. This is their punishment for their failing grades and intractable attitudes. Now, should anyone fails to pass this challenge, they will rot in this room til the whole term ends. In the meantime, enjoy your stay here, for you might be convinced to stay rather than go back to your own class."

Snape's announcement was far worse than they expected, but Snape always reserves a cynic, devilish act so it wasn't much of a surprise.

Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister was in total shock and it took time before she absorbed everything into her system.  This wasn't funny at all. This situation is undeniably lethal.

The class ended but the pain lurked in Hermione, Ron and Harry's hearts. Hermione was about to leave when she noticed a small puddle of yellowish-brown water near the door.
She went out quickly thinking it was just a little accident in the potions classroom.

She was about to follow her friends when she realized they were gone. They are probably going to rip their throats out by means of crying because they hated the occurrence with the 4th years and the endearing possibility that the both of them are going to be classmates with Ginny.

Hermione walked very slowly to the Common Room for she was tired of seeing everyone's tantrums and tried to let the whole idea sink in inside her. Her eyes bored on the marble staircase when she saw an empty vial lying on the floor. She examined the vial carefully and hid it in her robes. She can't check this thing here, someone out there must be watching her.
She went quickly to her dorm and collapsed to her bed, leaving the vial she found on the table, forgotten.

When the night kissed the skies and everything was dark, Hermione got up and realized she had just missed dinner. Yeah, right.

But then she remembered she is a Prefect. She has the authority to go to the kitchen and grab some food. She would just say that she skipped dinner because she attended to some "Prefect" duties. In case somebody asked. And she knew no one would. So it wasn't really necessary to lie. 

Her feet felt more relaxed as she roamed down the hallways. The darkness embraced her as she walked through the unlit stairway. If Ron was here, he would have trembled in fear if he sees the crawling spider. Arachnophobia! But she still thinks Ron's just hypersensitive.

Her stomach dictated her to walk in haste when a couple of hands reached and grasped her feet.
Hermione stumbled backwards. Gosh, her head hurt.
Her heart raced and her temples dripped with fat drops of sweat. She touched her butt for it felt sore when she looked closely to find whom the hands which hold her belonged to.

Her eyes grew wide when she saw Professor Snape lying on the floor like a mangy dog. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were shut.

He seemed to be drunk, but the crazy thing that ever happened was when he drew nearer to her and whispered two words in Hermione's ear.

"Help me."