Dance With A Serpent

Detention

Hermione waved goodnight to the guys and left the common room. She'd been studying with Ron and Harry the whole evening, but now she had to go. He would be waiting.

She gulped.

For some inexplicable reason, she felt a bit uneasy about a detention with Snape.

She knew he was her professor and that he wouldn't do anything, yet... somewhere in her mind she felt that.... She shook herself. She was being silly.

Nevertheless, the nameless dread grew as she drew closer to his now empty classroom. There would only be the two of them.

She swallowed hard as she lifted her hand and knocked on the door.

"Come," rang his sharp, dark voice, and she opened the door.

There was no one in the room, yet it was not completely silent.

She scanned the scenery one more time and saw him.

His head could just barley be seen above the desktop and she heard him mutter and slide out desk drawers.

When he saw her he straightened up to his full height and brushed off his robe.

"Fine, it's not here," he said to himself. "Ah, Miss Granger, I am sad to inform you that the detention will not be served in here but in my quarters. I am expecting someone."

She said nothing, but nodded slightly.

He swept past her, and she followed him down the corridor. It didn't take them long to reach his quarters, but Hermione was afraid she might never get back out from the labyrinth of the dungeons.

Snape muttered a password, and they walked in.

It was a mess. Hermione tried to see past that to get some understanding of the room's proportions. To her amazement, she saw that the only things cluttering the room were books and papers, and they were everywhere.

Other than that it was greener that she preferred these days, after being locked in red rooms for so long... it was nice and had a cosy fireplace. She saw to her satisfaction that silver was a scarcity, and the complementing colour to his room was a dark brown wood, featured in the floor and furniture.

Snape walked over to his buried desk and started to dig amongst the books. He scanned the covers and then put them aside. He seemed to grow more and more impatient.

Hermione stood nervous, wondering what her task was, as the nameless dread that had so gripped her while walking down here evaporated upon seeing the professor on his knees going through his desk and so utterly uninterested in her.

When she heard his irritated mutterings grow she coughed slightly to remind him of her presence.

He swivelled around and calmed at the sight of her.

"Yes... Granger. Your task is to sort the books in here. The ones that are mine and the ones from the library. You shall sort mine alphabetically onto the bookshelf." He pointed at a nearly full and also messy bookshelf, the books stood and lay every which way. Hermione wanted to sigh. This was going to take forever. "But you are not to touch my desk. The books on my desk are off-limits." Saying this, he gathered up some of the strewn-about books and placed them on his desk.

"Alright, sir." she seated herself on the floor in front of his bookshelf and reached for the nearest books when she heard Snape prying through the stacks on his desk again.

Several minutes later he startled her by swearing out loud.

She turned to stare at him.

"Don't give that innocent look," he softly said, again startling her. He wasn't paying attention to her and she was quite sure by the sound of his voice that he barely knew he had said it but... the sincerity. The plea... she didn't know what to make of it so she just did as he asked and averted her eyes.