Summer School

Chapter 5: First Lessons

When they entered the Room of Requirement, they found that Snape had arrived before them and was sitting in a comfortable chair. The door closed behind them and they stood staring at this unbelievable sight. Snape rarely sat. When he did, it was behind his massive desk, grading papers. Otherwise, he stood, either stalking around the classroom, or towering over the students in a menacing fashion. He regarded their silent disbelief for a long moment and then said, "If you are finished behaving like three guppies out of water, you may sit down. We have quite a bit of material to cover."

They took seats in three other chairs that with Snape's, were grouped around a low table. Ink, quills and blank parchment were arranged on the table, should they need it. The four of them spent another bit just staring at each other silently, before Hermione cleared her throat. She lifted her chin as she looked at Snape. "Professor, I was wondering if it was really necessary for our supposed crime to be so... overdone? I mean, couldn't it have been something less damaging to our reputations?"

Snape looked at her quietly over steepled fingers. "I saw no other alternative that would serve our purposes, Miss Granger. It is known that the three of you brewed the [Author ID1: at Sat Sep 30 08:39:00 2006 ]Polyjuice [Author ID2: at Sat Sep 30 13:59:00 2006 ]potion in your second year. It is therefore not too much of a stretch to suppose that you might think you could get away with doing it again. The degree of the infraction enabled me to give you the extensive detentions required to accomplish what needs to be done."

"And we are to just put up with all the haranguing that the Slytherins decide to throw at us?" Ron commented hotly.

Snape gave him a meaningful, sneering smile. "Yes. You are."

Harry was looking at Snape thoughtfully. "Professor, Hermione mentioned that you would be teaching Muggle teenagers this summer ... could you explain what you meant by that? It might help us to know how to help you."

"The Headmaster is making arrangements for me to teach summer school at a Muggle high school. Hopefully, the short experience will be of adequate benefit to us, and by not being absent from Hogwarts during regular classes here, we will avoid undue attention."

"High school? Is that the same as secondary or finishing school? Where will it be and what will you be teaching?" Hermione began firing questions.

Snape answered the questions calmly, though Harry could sense that he was not as relaxed as he would have them believe. "Yes, high school would encompass the ages that we most see here at Hogwarts. Actually, first years are bit younger than Muggle high school students, but given our time constraints, we will have to make do with the older representation. As to where it will be, we must wait for the Headmaster to give us that information. While a school in Great Britain would be convenient, it might not be safe. Supporters of the Dark Lord come from all over the British Isles and Europe. The further away I am, the less likely it would be that I would be compromised. It is my understanding that I will be teaching a subject that is similar to Potions - it is called chemistry."

"Chemistry should be very easy for you to teach, Professor," Hermione said, nodding her head. "That's about as exact a science as Muggles have. If we get some books, it shouldn't be a problem for you to learn all you need to know about it."

Ron had been observing all this and now spoke up. "What do you need us for, then?"

Snape regarded him for a moment. Taking a slow deep breath, he explained, "I have never been in Muggle society, [Author ID1: at Sat Sep 30 09:00:00 2006 ]Mr.Weasley. My sole experience with Muggles has been as a teacher to Muggle-born wizards, and-" he hesitated before finishing, "-and as a Death Eater."

He waited while that statement sunk in. Harry drew in a hissing breath. "You mean as a participant in Voldemort's Muggle torture events," he said softly.

Snape nodded curtly. The teenagers thought about this and then Harry spoke again. "You'll need to know about Muggle money, and transportation, and in general, how to act like a Muggle. I mean, you can't very well pull out your wand and have assignments appear on the board like you do here, can you?"

Snape opened his mouth to reply, and then snapped it shut. In truth, he had not thought about the fact that his use of magic would be limited. During his time spent with Muggles, he would be unable to openly use his wand. He did have some significant ability in wandless and non-verbal magic. He would have to work on this prior to the assignment. He had no intention of being completely non-magical while he was immersed in a non-magical society.

Hermione pulled a sheet of parchment towards herself. "I'll start a list. Harry and I will try to think of all the everyday things you might encounter. Ron, you know all those things you've asked us about over the years - things like how telephones and mail work? Make sure you mention anything like that. Harry and I may not think of everything. We go home for summer break and just automatically switch over, because we have to and we're used to it. Even the things your dad asks us about can be important in this case. For instance, batteries fascinate Mr. Weasley." She looked at Snape as she said this. "Harry and I usually humour him, but batteries are important in Muggle life, and you will need to understand what they are and how they are used." She bent over the parchment and began to write rapidly. "Once we have a list started, Professor, I will draw up a schedule for us to make sure we cover it all."

She was still writing and Snape looked at Harry and Ron. His face was curiously devoid of its usual sneer, and instead, he wore an expression of mild disbelief. Shaking his head slowly, he said, "She talks exactly like she writes."

Ron snorted. "Welcome to our world. Lists, mountains of notes, charts, and study schedules-"

"Thank you, Ronald. I'll remember what a hardship my help is, next time we have exams coming up. You never seem to have any complaints after the fact, when you pass." Her eyes were narrowed as she spoke scathingly.

Ron held up a placating hand. "You know what I mean, 'Mione. Studying's hard for me. I might not like it, but I know I wouldn't have done nearly as well without your help."

Hermione seemed slightly soothed by this statement. Snape was watching the exchange with interest. Ron noticed this and immediately assumed that Snape had the wrong idea.[Author ID2: at Sat Sep 30 14:11:00 2006 ]

"I don't mean we cheat, Professor. Hermione would never stand for that. She makes us do all the work. She's just able to put it in an order that we can manage. She sees to it that we don't stop until it's in our heads for good. If she can do it for us, I'm sure she can do it for you." Ron nodded confidently.

Snape drawled sarcastically, "I'm sure I'll manage to keep up, Mr. Weasley."

In the next hour, Hermione continued to make her list as Harry and Ron thought of things to go on it. For the most part, Snape remained silent. Occasionally, he asked about an item on the list. If it could be explained briefly, Harry or Hermione did so. If not, he waved for her to continue. As they worked, he began to understand that she was truly a brilliant witch. She had an innate ability to organize and process information. She appeared to genuinely enjoy learning and helping others learn. For the first time, Snape began to feel that this would be possible to do. Alone, he would have still been trying to decide what to do first in his preparation. Hermione had jumped in and efficiently drawn up not only a list of items to be covered, but also an outline and time schedule for getting it accomplished.

With his list in hand, Snape dismissed them and again cautioned them about inadvertently talking about the 'project' to anyone. As far as any other student knew, the detentions were to continue indefinitely. Hermione turned to face him before she left. "Professor, would you like for me to owl my father to get some chemistry books for you? I'm sure I've never seen any in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. He could get some from the university near where they live."

He considered for a moment. "That would be most ... helpful, Miss Granger. If you are certain he would not mind, I would appreciate it."

She flashed him a bright smile and then followed Harry and Ron out the door.

Snape looked down at the list. He could not remember ever feeling like a task was too much of a challenge. In fact, he thrived on the difficult and dangerous. His preference for solitude and being solely in charge of his destiny gave him a great deal of satisfaction. The need to depend on these Junior Marauders was grating and unsettling. As he read over the list, a tiny bubble of anxiety started to grow in his mind.

Money: handling, exchange,

Transportation: all types typical

Communications: mail, telephone, computers

Electricity & other utilities

Societal structure: basic laws, etc.

Entertainment: movies, television, sports

Manners

Clothing

Food

Snape scowled. Hermione had taken the expanded list with her. He would have to let her know in no uncertain terms that they would not be discussing entertainment, manners, or clothing. He could not imagine what she thought these had to do with the project. Entertainment would be a frivolous waste of time at best. His manners were more than correct for any society, and his clothing was above reproach. Obviously, she thought to exact some childish revenge for points he had taken from Gryffindor over the years.

He pulled a parchment sheet towards himself and began his own list.