The Polyjuice Potion
Hermione stood on the steps that went down to Snape’s office, frozen with fear. He had told her to stop by any time, for any reason. But all the same, she was terrified of asking him what she planned to ask him. But it needed to be done. She was more terrified to do nothing at all. Draco Malfoy was by far the most likely candidate to be the Heir of Slytherine. He hated muggle borns enough, in fact his whole family did. And they were all filthy rich, with “old money”. If Malfoy really was the heir of Slytherin, Hermione knew she would be the first on his list to be dealt with. Hermione built up all of her courage and knocked.
“Enter,” Snape said. His face was unchanged, though he was surprised to see Hermione standing on the other side of the door. She never really came to visit.
Snape said nothing else, so Hermione spoke up. “I wanted to ask you about something,” She fingered the list in her pocket.
“Of course, sit down.”
Hermione crept to the oversized seat in front of her father’s daunting desk. Snape waited as Hermione stared at him, still fingering the list.
“Is something wrong?” He finally asked.
“No,” Hermione said, “It’s just that I was reading in the library about potions and I was thinking I might try to brew a few on my own, to challenge myself further.”
“That’s quite the initiative.” Snape said, unconvinced.
“Only, I can’t find all of the ingredients. I was wondering if you could help.” Hermione feigned a smile, “I have a list.” Hermione pulled the scrap of parchment from her pocket and handed it over the desk.
Snape looked at it for a moment, then his black eyes turned back up to his daughter. “What do you need polyjuice potion for?”
“Polyjuice?” Hermione stammered.
“Do you think I’m stupid? I know what these ingredients are for. What has Potter gotten you into this time?”
“It wasn’t Harry’s idea...”
“Don’t you remember last year, when he nearly got you killed.” Snape growled.
Hermione shuddered. “It’s not Harry I’m worried about, it’s Malfoy.”
Severus paused, “Draco Malfoy?”
Hermione gave up, “We think he’s the heir of slytherin. I need to make the polyjuice potion so we can prove it before he attacks me and all the other muggle borns.”
“You’re not muggle born, Hermione. You’re half-blood.”
“Malfoy doesn’t know that. He hates me: just last week he called me a mudblood.”
“Hermione,” Severus sighed.
“He’s a terrible, wretched person, and if you don’t help me stop him, I’ll end up just like Filch’s cat, or worse.”
“Draco Malfoy is not the heir of slytherin.”
“He is and I can prove it!”
“He is not, now be reasonable and...”
Hermione stormed out of Snape’s office, nearly in tears. He didn’t care if she was petrified. He didn’t care if she was killed by some terrible monster. He was being entirely unreasonable. If her own father wouldn’t help her, she’d have to get the ingredients herself.
Hermione was ignoring him again. Severus was trying to understand her. He was trying to stay open minded and calm like a good father should. Really, he was angry, fed up, and a little worried that it was all his fault.
Accusing Draco Malfoy of being the heir of slytherin was one thing, but entirely disregarding him was something completely different. He knew she had taken the ingredients from his cupboard. He knew Herimione and her little friends were brewing the polyjuice potion somewhere in the school. He should report all of them to Dumbledore, and get them all expelled. He didn’t.
Severus just didn’t understand her. How could she be worried about the Chamber of Secrets. She wasn’t a muggle born, even if everyone thought so: even if Draco had called her a mudblood.
It was her own fault they all thought so. Hermione still hadn’t told anyone that she was a Snape. It had been over a year, and she hadn’t even mentioned it to her two best friends. If you could call them that. Weasley fought constantly with his Hermione, making her cry or yell time and again. Then there was the boy wonder. Of all the people’s children Hermione could have become friends with, she had to choose Harry Potter. His arrogance and disregard for the rules was always getting him and the other two in trouble.
Still, he shouldn’t have done it. Severus knew as soon as he had opened his mouth, that he had made everything between them worse. But, Harry Potter was being worse than usual, and Hermione was already having problems with Draco and the rest of the Slytherines. On top of that, he had been forced to help Lockhart with the duelling club, and he had been bothering Severus all day.
When Severus partnered Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode to duel together, she scrunched up her nose and eyes, and stared at Snape. He could nearly feel the hatred radiating off of her. But once it was done, he didn’t have the courage to undo it. His feelings of teaching his daughter a lesson soon turned to guilt as he turned back to the two girls.
Hermione was on the bottom pulling on Millicent’s hair and trying to stop her from punching. He began to move toward them, but Weasley was faster and pulled the slytherin girl off of her first.