No sooner had the parade of faculty ceased than the student one began. Unsurprisingly, Ron and Hermione were the first.
"Erm, h'lo, Professor," Ron gulped, looking up at the saturnine countenance. "We тАУ uh тАУ just thoughtтАж wellтАж"
"We just wanted to make sure you and Harry were all right," Hermione put in swiftly.
Snape sneered. At least the know-it-all had the wit to pretend she was concerned about both of them. "Your classmate is not being stretched on the rack, if that is what you are asking."
Hermione blushed. "We never thought he was, Professor," she protested unconvincingly. "We тАУ we just were worried. About both of you," she insisted.
Snape rolled his eyes. He would never get rid of them until Potter demonstrated he had not been beaten senseless. "Potter! Reassure your friends."
"I'm okay, guys," came the pitiful call from the bedroom. "H-honestтАж" Snape was impressed. That had almost sounded like a hiccupping sob.
"That was really ace flying, mate!" Ron couldn't help bursting out at the sound of Harry's voice. "The whole team is dead jealous and that last dive over the 'Puffs' table was just wicked! You тАУ OW!" Ron broke off with a yell as a glaring Hermione punched him solidly in the arm.
At his best friend's cry of pain, Harry came charging out of his room, suspecting the worst. "Da! Did you just smack him?" he demanded hotly.
He screeched to a halt upon seeing Ron nursing his arm, not his backside, but before he could say anything else, Hermione had erupted like Vesuvius. "Harry James Potter! What were you thinking! Did you lose your mind? What kind of an idiotic stunt was that? Taking a dare? Are you five years old? How can you тАУ" she shouted, advancing on him.
Harry's eyes widened in fear and he started scrambling backwards. "Her-Hermione! I'm being p-punished! I can't talk to you!" He broke off with a squawk as her hand shot out and grabbed a handful of his shirt.
"You will listen to me, Harry Potter!" she snapped, sounding almost as scary as his guardian. "If you EVER do something like that again, I will kill you!"
Harry gulped and nodded vigorously. After one last glare, Hermione turned him loose, and he shot back to the safety of his room. "Come, Ronald," she ordered, turning on her heel.
Ron knew better than to argue. He hurried out the door before Hermione could turn her fearsome temper on him (again). Hermione started to follow him, only to be detained by Professor Snape's hand on her shoulder. Surprised, she looked up at him.
"Miss Granger, while I appreciate your sentiments," he said sternly, "I would suggest you recall that you are not Mr Potter's mother, but rather his friend. Obnoxious know-it-alls may be tolerated for their scholastic assistance, but vituperative shrews will quickly find themselves friendless. Your intellect may be formidable, but your social development leaves much to be desired. You must learn that just because you are right in no way means that other people will welcome your advice, censure, or interference. Quite the opposite in fact. Making other people feel stupid or small is a foolish approach, and if you do not wish to be damned as an unpleasant, albeit brilliant, witch, you must pay more attention to showing respect to your peers. I am in no way disputing your opinion of Mr Potter's latest stunt, but I am more than capable of convincing him of his error in judgment. He does not need you to act as a parent, Miss Granger, nor are you well-suited to the role. You have already proven yourself to be a brave and loyal friend. I suggest you work on being a supportive and sympathetic one as well." And with that, he pushed her out the door and closed it firmly behind her.
Hermione stood, her mouth open and her eyes bright with tears. Her thoughts were in utter turmoil. He had called her an "obnoxious know-it-all"! But he'd also called her a "brave and loyal friend", not to mention "brilliant". She wasn't sure whether to burst into tears of mortification or joy.
Ron's worried face loomed in front of her. "Uh, are you okay, 'Mione?"
Hermione sniffled piteously. "D-do you think I'm a shrew, Ron? Or a know-it-all?"
"ErmтАж" Ron's eyes darted wildly in search of some escape. His worst fears were realized as Hermione burst into tears and threw herself at him.
"I'm sorry!" she wailed into his shoulder. "I shouldn't have hit you! I'm sorry! I don't mean to be so bossy."
"Errrrr, well, it's just 'cause you're so smart, 'Mione," Ron said, patting her back awkwardly. " 'S no wonder the rest of us drive you mental." He swallowed hard. He didn't think he'd ever felt so uncomfortable in his entire life. "You тАУ you just have to remember t'be more, um, patient."
"You think I'm smart?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"Well, yeah!" Ron rolled his eyes. "An' you're brave too," he added generously. "Kickin' You Know Who like that? Blimey! I couldn't've done that in a million years."
Hermione's eyes were now shining with adoration, not tears. No one else (besides her parents) had ever said such nice things to her. "Oh, Ron!"
"Errrrrm, you better now?" he asked hopefully, rather unsettled by the look in the girl's eye.
She nodded and took his hand. "Uh huh."
Ron turned pink. He wasn't really sure he wanted to hold hands with a girl тАУ not yet anyway тАУ but his arm still ached a bit and he figured it was safer not to object. "Well, um, let's go then."
She nodded happily.
Ron and Hermione's pilgrimage to Snape's quarters was closely followed by visits from Wood, Jones and Percy, Flint, and even Draco and Neville тАУ a pairing Snape would not have expected. "We were studying Herbology and Neville wanted to тАУ erm тАУ ask a Potions question," Draco explained to his Head unconvincingly, while the Gryffindor craned his head to see down the hall towards Harry's room.
Snape sighed. Hopefully the boys would learn more guile before much longer. "Mr Potter is confined to his room. His organs have not been used in any potion. He will rejoin the student body at breakfast. Now, do you have any other questions, Mr Longbottom?"
"No, sir," Neville admitted, redfaced.
"Good. Mr Malfoy?"
"No, sir," Draco said sheepishly.
"Then good night."
Snape closed the door behind them and took a deep breath. The next several minutes would not be pleasant, but he knew he couldn't shirk his duty.
"Potter." He stood at the boy's open doorway. He had been careful not to lock or in any other way beyond verbal instruction confine the child, lest Harry be reminded of his time in the Dursleys' cupboard.
Harry looked up and gulped. He had hoped against hope that his professor might not have noticed his slip, but it was obvious from Snape's expression that he had. Harry dropped his gaze and cursed himself. Stupid! You are so STUPID, Harry! How could you have done that?
So, okay, he might have occasionally thought of his professor by that term (well, rather more than occasionally), but he had never, ever planned to use it to the man's face. It was just that after today's conversation with his godfather, he had been thinking more and more about it. And then he'd gotten so upset hearing Ron's yelp and thinking that his guardian had given his mate a swat for expressing admiration for Harry's stuntтАж It had just slipped out.
He knew it was the ultimate impudence to call his professor that. Professor Snape had shown enormous generosity in agreeing to be his guardian and then agreeing to keep him rather than making him go live with his godfather, when it was clear that's what Padfoot expected. Plenty of people would have been happy to get shut of an unexpected ward at the first opportunity, but when Harry said he didn't want to go with Sirius, Snape hadn't once argued. He'd just agreed to keep Harry. And how did Harry repay his generosity? By being so presumptuous as to call him "Da", as though Snape would want some freaky orphan calling him that.