Thank you, Miss Granger

Title : Thank you, Miss Granger
Disclaimer : See first chapter


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What happened to the mouse in the previous chapter?
(Thanks to Rosmerta who spotted it)

I've been asked where the mouse had gone, and if it had been left bleeding to death on the floor. I apologize for abandoning the poor creature, it was not my intention, just got caught by other characters.

Right, let's make it a guessing game: *Somebody* saved it.

Somebody who had very good reason to empathize with the mouse's fate, maybe even saw it as an omen of his own destiny. That person hid the mouse in his pocket and left the classroom with it, without being noticed.

In case you haven't find out, the answer is at the very end of this page.

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Many Thanks to Div who beta-read this chapter, and to Jenonymous.




Chapter 5 : Two kinds of Snapes

The rest of the lesson had passed like a dream, it was the end. The class was dismissed with a last scowl from the Potions Master. All the students left except Severus who was still fighting with the greenish mud. Behind him, on the desk, the sample Sirius had put in a little bottle was now a shiny green with particles floating chaotically in the discreet light.

Good, she thought. The situation was not that desperate, she might even be able to get out of it. If only the Potions Master could go and mind his own business. But he didn't seem at all about to depart. She tried to stretch her back carefully. It was really becoming uncomfortable in here but she could not take the risk to get noticed by Snape Sr.

Get out, get out, she mentally cursed to him. I'm not interested in you!

But it was pointless. And maybe even dangerous. Was Legilimency a family thing? Could she get noticed by 'thinking too loudly'? It was better not to take the risk and Severus seemed determined to make things easier for her. Why else would he persist in brushing the presently clean floor? Or maybe she was only a foolish girl.

Was he waiting for her or did he have another purpose?

His father surveyed the scene with a pensive look, arms crossed around his chest in a familiar posture. He had partly given up the Snape show, now that he was alone with his son, but she recognized his expression. It was precisely the mix of upset and despise that had shown on his face seeing his son hiding while James Potter faced the danger.

Severus stilled. He didn't look at his father but she could tell he was aware of being watched. He stood up, slightly ducking, went to the tap, washed the duster and put it aside. Then, he seemed to hesitate before turning around slowly toward his father, his eyes still fixing the floor.

'Interesting little boastful fool that Potter!'

Hermione startled at the brutal statement. Severus nodded briskly.

'And Black-' the Potions Master had a derisive snort, then he frowned suddenly. 'Come here'.

Severus seemed even more cautious. His movements were fast and neat, but holding an inner tension, which reminded her of the Severus she knew. He came to his father and stopped just out of arm reach, as stiff as a soldier.

My, my, she thought, he looks like someone whose nearly expecting to be beaten. But at the same time there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.

She was used to his older self standing straight and upright, but she would have never thought this attitude was the result of such threatening discipline, it looked so much like his personal tendency for contempt. His father surveyed him for a moment before speaking.

'There are nothing. They think they are very clever and brave but they know nothing about Life. They are so used to peace, they cannot even imagine war.'

Hermione was shocked by the softness of the voice. She had expected shouts and threats, not this curious mix of tenderness and merciless cruelty. Severus listened with great attention, as if he was trying to record every word.

'In a war, there is no room for the weak ones.'

'Yes, father.'

'You know what happened to your uncle, don't you?'

A pause.

'Yes, father.'

'Many people have died and many more will. The enemy is everywhere around us, invisible. Most of these young wizards and witches will be wiped out in the next years, and those who will survive may not be the strongest but the cunning ones.'

There was a moment of silence. Severus was facing the closet but did not look at it. And suddenly, Hermione was very concerned about knowing if Legilimency was a family thing or not.

'Come here, you wanted to tell me something.'

It didn't sound like a question. Severus stepped forward and took a deep breath.

'Miss Vance said something before leaving. She said the potion had healed her cut.'

'I heard. It's the usual Medela effect. Stupid girl.'

Young Severus would have the same silkily voice in a few years, and would be using the same cutting expressions. Do I look so much like my own mother', wondered Hermione? 'Is there a way to escape one's family?

At the same time, she thought with a wry smile, if this attitude was what Snape Sr. considered as father concern, then Severus Snape had displayed quite a lot of father concern to all his students. She hardly repressed a smile, the situation was everything but funny. She would really have to go to bed as soon as the mission was over. Her head ached.

Severus seemed to hesitate slightly, and Hermione wondered what else he had heard and how he had managed to hear anything while Sirius was constantly teasing him.

'She told Lupin about it. That she was not bleeding anymore and the cut had disappeared.'

Hermione remembered the moment Miss Vance had returned from the tap and whispered something to Remus. She had not been paying attention at the time since Black was obviously trying to push Severus to a fight while they were clearing up the place. At the same time, James Potter was facing the Potions Master, and it was difficult to hear anything else than his scandalized protest. Yet, Severus had caught the exchange between Miss Vance and Remus.

His father seemed much less impressed by that fact. His hand rested on his son's shoulder.

'The addition of human blood might have altered the balance of the potion, but not to that point. She was mistaken.'

Severus flinched slightly at the pressure on his shoulder. His father's hand reached for his face and she could almost feel the tension raise as he tried to remain stoical. He closed his eyes as it grazed on his cheek. Hermione could not see anything threatening in the movement, it almost seemed tender, but clearly the feeling was not shared by Severus. His father's hand rested back on his side. Severus opened his eyes.

'Something else fell in the potion.'

Hermione could tell he was fighting with his own fear to speak aloud. He won't stop, she thought with a touch of admiration, even if his father considers the case as closed. She could identify with that kind of attitude. His father smiled bitterly, as to invite him to pursue.

'A tear, she was crying and also-'

A laugh cut through his sentence. Hermione frowned, there was nothing hilarious about it: Potions was a mixed science and emotions could alter a brewing. That's why control was a necessity, that's why Professor Snape was so insistent upon self-control.

But at the present time 'Professor Snape' was only sixteen and what he thought was of no importance. She felt touched in a way, understanding that all the lessons she had carefully integrated during her Potions classes had not always been worldly admitted. The reality was that all the things she considered as given facts were not in this time. It gave the whole scene a very special intellectual implication, as if she was looking at History being written.

'Severus, a tear is salty water, nothing else. Beware of romanticism, it doesn't get along with potion brewing.'

'But father-'

The Potions Master sized his son's arm and before Hermione realized what was happening Severus' hand was covered with blood. Her mouth gaped and she bit her sleeve, in a desperate attempt to stop the scream of horror growing in her throat.

The two Snapes were face to face, quiet and silent. Severus considered his arm with incredulity. His father took the sample on the desk and presented it to his son.

'Try it.'

Hermione tried to repress the waves of fury that were menacing to overwhelm her. Hate, Angst, she felt one more drop would turn her berserk. She saw Severus obeying, but it was as if everything happened in slow motion. A little voice inside her protested: 'Don't use the all bottle! I need that sample!' But she didn't listen. She was furious and fascinated. Obviously, the all family was fucked up, dangerously mad.

She wondered what could be the cause of such violence. She had heard about beaten children beating their own kids when they had grown up. Something must have happened in the Snape family. And suddenly, she remembered an old Potions book. It was written by a Snape and at the time she had only noticed it wasn't her Potion Master. A reproduction of the cover popped up in her well-organized brain. It was a book focused on the use of Potions in Dark Arts, and the author was a certain... Mayhem Snape. At the time, she had wondered if it was some sort of pseudo, now she wasn't sure anymore.

She stared at the cruel grey-haired wizard. How could somebody be so mean to give such name to a person? She turned her attention to the teenage boy with dark streaks. One cannot choose one's family, let along one's name. How could one go through life with a name like Mayhem or Severus? Hermione was even coming to love her own name, and she had always considered that as very unlikely.

It was going to be a long night, indeed.


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The potion had no effect. Severus' hand kept bleeding with a sinister regularity. Hermione hated to feel so powerless. At the same time, her eager intelligence was rambling: was it a proof? What if the effect was linked with the blood and tear's owner? What if something else had fallen in the potion?

'Remember, Severus. Beware of emotions. They are our worst enemies.'

'Yes, father.'

He kept his head down while little drops of blood were falling on the floor like red tears.

'Clean up that mess before you leave and destroy that sample.'

And with a last twirl of black robes Mayhem Snape was gone.

*End of chapter*

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MAYHEM SNAPE
When I chose 'Mayhem' for Snape's father, I only knew it meant 'violent disorder' or 'chaos'. Once this chapter was finished, I went through The Oxford English Dictionnary and read that it came from Old French and that the original meaning was 'the crime of maliciously injuring someone'. Life is full of coincidences, isn't it?


Thank you very much to all my reviewers!
It's very encouraging. As any author, I'm always happy (and relieved) to hear my readers are happy. I also appreciate the comments or critics, they help me to consider the story from another point of view and to try and improve it. So if you want to criticize a point please feel free to do so.

I had two main subjects in the reviews : Severus' father and the title of the previous chapter ('The Princess in the Closet')

I'm afraid there won't be any more information about the relationship between Severus and his father. First, it wouldn't fit into the next chapters of this story; secondly, it's quite a long story and would deserve to stand on its own.

I'm very happy some people found the title funny, it was close to being chosen as the title of the story. It's nice to hear the different interpretations it was given, funny or intriguing.


More specific answers:

Elizabeth Stump - Will Hermione have to give favors to Severus for his silence? Let's say she won't use only her brain. *grin*

scifichick774 - Has he read her mind or her emotions? Well, she will have plenty of time to measure his ability as a Legilimens in the next chapters. For some reason, nobody seems to trust what "Old" Snape said anymore... I wonder why. *trying to look innocent*

Greenstuff - Thanks for the explanation. I thought it was connected to Slytherin or a very deep love for nature. LOL In Harry's case, I think the Save-The World complex is pathological, but Hermione is a bit dishonest since she stood next to him on many occasions. Maybe she has a Save-Harry complex...

IrishRavenX - I'm doing my best, but I'm not a very fast writer. I can send a mail for every update, but that's all, I cannot go faster. Sorry. And happy you liked the title.

Rosmerta - The mouse's story comes from school. I was about 15 and had an argument with a very nice friend of mine who told me it wouldn't be a problem for him to dissect a mouse for an experiment (the mouse being asleep but alive!). It was fortunately something unlikely to happen at school but not at College. Maybe because I had a mouse as a pet at the time, it seemed obvious nobody would NEVER force me to do that, and facing the same choice I would prefer to run away with the mouse. I had a few nightmares. Just my two traumatized cents.

Persia - Nice and original interpretation of the chapter's title. I'm always surprised reading the reviews. And, the Delicate Art of Lying is the subject of the next chapters.


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Answer - Peter Pettigrew a.k.a. Wormtail

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