Regaining

I have read a lot of fan fic. If I have borrowed anything from stories and not recognized the original, it is because plot bunnies hop in random order to various people coincidentally. Themes may seem familiar, but no ripping off is intended. :)

Chapter 5: Reaction

Reaction - 5. in medicine, an action induced by resistance to another action

Hermione smiled all the way back to Gryffindor tower, clutching the borrowed texts tightly.

"Now then, that's a smile," said the Fat Lady as Hermione approached the portrait. "Good to see it again, dear."

"Why, thank you. Turkish Delight." The portrait swung open, and Hermione walked up the stairs to the common room. Harry and Ron were sitting by the fire, obviously watching for her. Their faces looked so serious that she began laughing.

"How was it?" asked Ron. Then he scowled. "And why are you laughing?"

"It was fine," she said, sitting in a chair beside Harry and putting her books down on the end table. "I mean, it wasn't fun, but it wasn't horrid either."

"So Snape was... nice to you?" asked Harry, a bit perplexed.

"Well, no, not nice, exactly," she said thoughtfully. "Informative. Helpful. He got me books from St. Mungo's to borrow."

"Aha, that's the secret password to Hermione's heart - books," leered Ron.

Hermione smacked Ron on the arm playfully. "Oh really, Ron, grow up."

"So what did you find out, Hermione?" said Harry, taking one of her books and leafing through it. "Some good things?"

"Well, let's just say there is some hope," said Hermione, "And believe it or not, Professor Snape does seem to know a lot about... " She dropped her voice to a whisper. "About what happened to me. I'll tell you about it on the way to dinner. I'm starving. Let me go put these books in my room."

Hermione was chattering away, a bit uncharacteristically, by the time they got to the Great Hall. "And the Magnifying potion with the pain drops are really working - I tried a couple of spells up in my room. No pain at all."

"That's great, Hermione," said Harry, as they sat down to dinner. Hermione was now talking very quickly about her plans to get caught up in her classes, smiling as she filled her plate full of food. Harry looked at Ron quizzically, and Ron shrugged. Then she was distracted for a moment by Draco Malfoy. He walked by the end of the table and looked astonished to see her in such high spirits. She stuck out her tongue at him. "Slimy git," she said, a bit too loudly. "He knows something about my poisoning. I'd wager his dear old Dad was right in on it." Draco hurried to the Slytherin table, color rising to his cheeks and a furious exression on his face.

"Hermione?" said Ron, "Are you feeling quite all right?"

"I'm feeling great," she replied with a grin.

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When they had returned to Gryffindor tower, Hermione had excused herself. She had wanted to start reading her new books straight-away. Harry and Ron were rather relieved. While they were happy to see their friend in such a good spirits, she was acting peculiarly.

"Maybe she just needs some rest," Harry had whispered.

"She needs something," muttered Ron. "What does the Magnifying potion magnify? Her ability to talk nonstop?"

As a matter of fact, Hermione was feeling strangely. She felt as if her mind had been awakened from hibernation. Thoughts were whizzing through her head, and she felt an incredible energy coursing through her. It felt exhilarating. She was very glad that as a Prefect she had been able to get a private room this year. However, she didn't realize how rapidly the night was advancing while she was pacing restlessly around her room. She would pick up one book and attempt to read a page, but then she would be distracted and try to start reading on another. She tried to go to sleep after awhile, but she would no sooner lie down when she would think she needed to check on some noise or see what was making strange shadows in the corner. Crookshanks was watching her with great annoyance as she was disrupting his prime resting time. Eventually he tried climbing on her stomach when she laid down in the attempts to keep her on the bed. After the fourth time she dislodged him with her movements of getting in and out of bed, he curled up in a disgruntled heap on her study chair and did his very best to ignore her. It wasn't until the sky was lightening in the east that Hermione finally dropped off into a fitful sleep.

She awoke shortly after to the sound of Crookshanks yowling at her. She sat up with a start, feeling lightheaded and a bit queasy. She looked at the clock on her bedside table. "Hecate's Hounds! It's fifteen past nine already!" she gasped.

She put her hands to her head. What on earth had happened to her last night? It was all a blur of constant motion and unusual impulses. 'I must've had some kind of reaction to the potions,' she inwardly groaned, laying back on her pillows. 'Maybe just five more minutes... Herbology's not till ten." Crookshanks meowed loudly again. "All right, all right, I'm getting up," she said irritably. Her head was pounding a little, but she thought it might be due to the lack of sleep. She figured it would be a good idea to find out why she had been up all night before she took another dose of either of the potions. She flung her legs over the side if the bed, pushing her feet into her slippers. Every muscle in her body was pleading for just a little more sleep. She would need to go see Madame Pomfrey before she went to the greenhouse, and somehow she would need to get some toast or something to settle her stomach. Breakfast was no longer being served, so she would have to sneak into the kitchens. Oh bother, that would make her much too late. Then it dawned on her that if she stopped by Professor Snape's classroom, she would save time. She grimaced. It was one thing to meet with Snape at an appointed time, quite another to barge in unannounced. However Madame Pomfrey would no doubt need to consult with him anyway. She was craving being back on a normal schedule too much to miss her class today. She sprang from the bed decisively and hurriedly threw on her robes, tossing the two potion vials into her pockets. She brushed her hair down as best she could and ran to the lavatory.

She decided she would head to Snape's classroom first and then try to grab a bite to eat from the kitchens. She was exhausted, but if she could just stay awake for a three hours or so, she could sleep the afternoon away. When she got to the door of the dungeon classroom, she was feeling a decidedly unpleasant mixture of adrenaline and sleep deprivation. Hermione peeked into the classroom. It was full of course, and she ducked her head back before anyone saw her. This class should end at 9:30 - she only had a few minutes to wait. She paced up and down the hall a bit, listening to the murmuring of Snape's quiet but commanding lecture. It sounded like third year material from what she could catch. Then she saw purple smoke billowing out the doorway, and the quiet murmuring became an all too familiar snarling. She watched as pale Hufflepuffs and smug Ravenclaws filed out the doorway on their way to their next classes, most looking pretty relieved to be getting away. She tentatively walked through the classroom door.

"You will both report for detention this afternoon, Mr. Adams and Miss Kent," snapped Snape, waving his wand over the melted mass of cauldrons and table as two Hufflepuff third years trembled before him. "This mess was enitrely avoidable. Perhaps next time you will keep your eyes on your cauldrons instead of on each other"

"Yes sir," they replied as one.

"Now go before I decide to take more points from your House," he said. They scurried out of the room.

Hermione was not sure what to do. She needed to get her medicines straightened out, but if she had learned only one thing in her six years at Hogwarts, it was never to bother Professor Severus Snape when he was already angry.

"Ridiculous children," Snape was scowling, "Why must I always be saddled with the absolute dregs of the wizarding world?" His wand was hissing through the air, and the table and cauldrons were being set right meticulously.

'Well,' thought Hermione, 'I am on time schedule here. There's nothing for it'

"Ahem," she coughed as unobtrusively as possible from the doorway.

Snape whirled around. "What now?" he demanded ferociously.

Hermione startled and backed up a step. "Um... I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I... erm.. I think I have a bit of a problem."

Severus looked at Hermione, baffled. "What are you doing here?"

"I think I might have had a funny reaction to one of the potions, sir, and I wanted to check with you before I went to class because I have Herbology in thirty minutes, and I really wanted to go, but if I went to the Hospital Wing I wouldn't have time to get breakfast because... "

Severus was still trying to comprehend the first of her rushed words when he said, "Stop your babbling, Miss Granger. I can't understand one word you're saying."

Hermione took a deep breath. "I think I had a funny reaction to the potions." She told him about the constant motion and lack of concentration or sleep of the previous night. He was listening, at least, even if his scowl did get more pronounced with every word she said.

When she finished, he said curtly, "You had a reaction to the Magnifying potion. Reactions are not uncommon; this is a very strong potion. It will obviously need to be modified. Do you have the vial?" She handed it to him. "Now I would like for you to go back to your dormitory and get back to bed. You have no business overtaxing yourself. You can come by later this afternoon and get the new potion."

Hermione stood, looking at him with her mouth agape. "No. I'm going to class. I need to get caught up."

Fury flashed in his eyes - how dare she defy his judgment. "Miss Granger, either you go back to your dormitory, or I will personally escort you to the Hospital Wing."

"But sir- " she began.

"Miss Granger, do you really think you are up to attending any class at this moment?" He sarcastically looked her up and down, his gaze lingering at her feet. She looked down. Oh dear Circe, she was still wearing her fuzzy pink slippers. In her rush, she had forgotten to put on her shoes.

"Sir," she said as calmly as she could while her cheeks started to redden, "I know I had a rough night, but if I can just get through this one class, I can sleep all the rest of the day. Herbology is an easy class for me, and if I feel too fatigued I promise I'll go back to the dormitory. It's really important to me that I get back on my normal schedule. Please don't make me miss my first class back." Snape still looked less than swayed by her pleadings, so she added, "Besides Sir, if I don't show up for Herbology, Harry and Ron will be frantic. They might come looking for me and come by your classroom. Unless you would like to go tell them where I am... "

Severus observed with annoyance as this impudent child tried to manipulate the situation. If she worked herself into a state, it would serve her right. "Miss Granger, your stubbornness is quite vexing. If attending your class is more important than protecting your fragile health, then be my guest." He swept past her towards his work area, dismissing her.

"My fragile health?" Hermione repeated indignantly, "Please, Sir, I'm not some maiden from a Victorian morality tale."

"Spare me your dramatics, Miss Granger," Severus replied, not looking up from the parchment essays he was stacking. "You'll need to move quickly if you plan on further exploiting the house elves by demanding food outside of dining hours. You have less than twenty minutes to get to Herbology."

She shot him a furious look, turned on her fuzzy pink slippers, and stomped out the door. Severus looked after her with a wisp of a smile. That had been rather amusing. He felt better about letting her go. If she had the energy to spar with him like that, she had the energy to get through one class.