Hermione Granger and the Paradigm Shift

Chapter 18 - Part 2

"I'll sit for my detention with any member of the staff but you," she continued. She could hear the excited murmurings around her but kept her head down.

"Unfortunately for you that is not an option...and that will now be a week's worth of detentions, starting tonight."

She knew Harry was going to speak in her defense at any moment and forcefully squeezed his hand for him to prevent it from happening. That was exactly what Snape wanted.

"No," she repeated.

"You realize that this defiance is more than enough to see you expelled?" he asked. She knew it wasn't an idle threat. He was vindictive enough to try and do it regardless of where his loyalties truly lied. She was saved from responding from a most unexpected source.

"Lumos," she heard the voice of Susan Bones intone from the back of the room, her normal pleasantness entirely absent. If her apparent anger was an indicator of the strength of the spell than the light she'd created could rival the sun.

"Two weeks detention for you as well Miss-"

"Lumos," rang out once more. It sounded like it had been Sue's best friend Hannah Abbot this time.

Snape began to speak once again but was interrupted and drowned out by the sudden chorus of "Lumos" that began surging throughout the room. Hermione looked behind her and realized that almost half of her classmates were now holding their illuminated wands in the air, daring to be punished for their act of solidarity.

The remaining students' reactions to the communal act of defiance were a mixture of anger, confusion and amusement. She felt Harry release her hand before he cast Lumos as well.

"Everyone out!" Snape bellowed.

"Except for you two," he amended angrily, pointing at her and Harry. While most of the class quickly filed out, Neville, Lavender and Ron moved to stand behind them.

"I said to get out!" Snape ordered once again.

"They don't want to leave us alone with you," Harry informed. "It's the same reason Hermione won't sit for detention with you. None of us trust you."

"I am going into the other room to summon the headmaster and your head of house. Do not move," he ordered angrily before stalking into an adjoining room and slamming the door behind him.

The group sat quietly for several moments, stunned to silence by how quickly everything had escalated. Ron was the first to speak.

"Nothing beyond the issues I've had with your instruction for the last six years, sir," he said in a high pitched voice meant to mimic her own. "Merlin, Hermione, you're even better at insulting Snape than me."

"He made me angry," she muttered grumpily as she tried not to think about the prospect of being expelled. Again.

"That we sorted out," Neville replied in amusement. "What do you reckon is going to happen now?" he asked, instantly sobering.

No-one had a chance to answer as Snape stormed back into the room, trailed by Dumbledore and McGonagall. Apparently he had summoned them via the floo. McGonagall's look of fury nearly matched Snape while Dumbledore looked pensive.

"Let me do the talking," Harry informed quietly as the trio approached.

"We need to speak to Mister Potter and Miss Granger alone," Dumbledore informed calmly.

"We'd like them to stay so we can walk back to Gryffindor as a group," Harry replied, doing his best to match Dumbledore's calm tone. "None of us trust the staff to protect us from other students so we've had to do it ourselves."