Hermione was determined; very determined. And very lost in thought of what would happen. So lost in fact, that she didn't notice anyone was calling her name until she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey Hermione, where are you going?" Harry asked. As usual, Ron was with him. She sighed. "I'm going to tell Snape that I helped Tirza with those pranks." The boys rolled their eyes. "Hermione, I think you're nuts! Think of what Snape could do to you!" Ron told her. Instead of making her feel better, they were making her even more nervous. She shrugged her shoulders. "Look, TJ's my friend and I don't want her to get in trouble for something all of us did! It's just not right. She's my friend and I won't do that to her." Harry and Ron knew she was right, but still weren't sure if they were ready for Snape's wrath. "Look, I understand what you're thinking and your good reasons, but this is Snape. He already picks on Gryffindors; do you want to give him more reason to pick on us?" Harry pointed out. She frowned. "I really don't want to go and tell him but it's the right thing to do and I think you two should come with me." Ron and Harry shook their heads. "Someone needs to dig you a grave," Ron said. "You know what Ron Weasley? You are not at all funny!" Hermione yelled. With that, she turned on her heel and headed towards the dungeons, leaving Harry and Ron staring after her. "Snape's going to kill her," Ron whispered. Harry nodded. "Come on, let's follow her and make sure he doesn't." The boys trailed after Hermione.
Not sure if Snape would still be teaching classes or not, Hermione decided to check his classroom first. She took a deep breath before opening the door and hesitantly stuck her head inside. Snape, having dismissed his last class nearly thirty minutes ago, was sitting at his desk looking through a stack of sad attempts at essays. He looked up as the door creaked open. "Miss Granger, is there something you need?" "Um, yes. May I come in?" Snape nodded and Hermione, full of dread, walked rather slowly to his desk. "Well, what is it?" Snape asked irritation abundantly apparent in his tone. Hermione knew this wasn't a good sign, but she wasn't going to back down now. "Do you have time for me to speak with you about something Professor?" Even though he really wasn't in the mood for Granger, he had a feeling it was something urgent; especially if she was coming to him! "Sit down Miss Granger." Hermione sat in a chair in front of his desk. "Well, sir... I uh, have a confession to make." She was sure that her heart was beating loudly enough for him to hear. Snape's curiosity was definitely peaked. "Go on," he urged.
Ron and Harry were outside the classroom, their ears pressed to the door, attempting to hear what was going on. "Well, I was talking to Tirza the other day about what happened in the Slytherin common room," she could feel her face start to warm with a blush. "And she told me that she confessed to participating in those pranks." Snape nodded; he had already figured out what it was she wanted to say, but wanted her to be the one to say it aloud. Hermione paused to take a deep breath; she had never been so nervous in her life! "Tirza told me that you grounded her for doing that and how you wanted her to tell you who helped, because she couldn't do the spells, only she wouldn't." "That's correct," Snape said. "Well I don't think it's fair that Tirza was punished and whoever helped her wasn't. So that's why I'm here... I helped Tirza that night. I don't want her to take all the blame; she's my friend and that just wouldn't be right." She felt slightly relieved as she got all that off her chest. At least she did until she saw Snape's face; the only way to describe the look would be to compare it to a thunderstorm. She fidgeted nervously under his glare as he sat silent for a few moments. "I must say that I suspected you were involved and I do not think you two girls were the only culprits." Snape's voice was dark and menacing. "I think you should give me some sort of punishment like detention with Filch or something so that Tirza won't be the only one in trouble," she told him quietly.
Ron and Harry looked at each other in amazement. Did they hear that right? Did Hermione really ask to be given detention with Filch? "So let me see if I understand you correctly Miss Granger. You want to be a loyal friend and own up to your participation in the sabotage of the Slytherins. And you are here to admit this and are asking for punishment so that things will be fair between you and Tirza?" Hermione nodded nervously; at least he didn't sound like he was going to personally enjoy torturing her. "And you think a detention with Filch is adequate punishment?" "Yes sir," she quietly answered. Snape leaned back in his chair and studied the girl in front of him for a moment. Not that he would ever admit it or say it out loud, but he was actually proud that Hermione felt such a strong sense of justice towards Tirza that she would willingly come to him and risk his wrath. For the first time since Tirza had met Hermione, he was glad that the girls were friends. "I do not think that detention would be an appropriate consequence for your actions Miss Granger. What you did and my daughter did was rude, disrespectful of those in Slytherin, foolish and thoughtless. Not to mention you have violated perhaps a dozen school rules." Hermione nodded miserably. "I personally think that you could use a good spanking young lady." Hermione was so startled by what he said that she nearly fell off her chair. Her hazel (aren't her eyes hazel?) eyes widened, becoming nearly as large as saucers (isn't that how the saying goes?) and her face grew so pale that she could have easily passed for a ghost. 'He isn't serious, is he?' she thought. She glanced at Snape's face. 'He doesn't look like he's kidding.'
"You don't really think he's going to spank her, do you?" Harry asked. Ron's eyes were wide with shock. "I don't know; he might. I mean, he is Snape after all." They debated about going in and grabbing Hermione and making a run for it, but then Snape would be after all three of them and they'd be in a real mess of trouble. "Are... are you serious sir?" Hermione asked her voice barely above a whisper. "I am very serious Miss Granger. Your actions were very inappropriate and while I have no doubt that it was my daughter's idea, you could have refused. You are the older one in this situation and have a good head on your shoulders. You really should have known better." Hermione miserably admitted to herself that he was right. But she had never been spanked before and definitely didn't want to be; especially by Snape! Snape watched her fidget at the thought of him spanking her. Of course he wouldn't, he wasn't her father or even a relative and she was not in his house. School policy said that discipline was the duty of the head of the student's house; but from the look on Hermione's face, Snape was sure that she didn't know that. Hermione stopped fidgeting and looked at Snape, her eyes filled with tears. Snape suddenly felt bad for her; she was a good friend to Tirza and wasn't even going to put up a fight over his threat to spank her because she wanted to make things right with Tirza. He got up from his chair and went to sit beside Hermione and began to scold her quietly.
The boys started to panic; they couldn't hear any talking from inside. "He's really going to do it," Ron whispered. "We have to do something," Harry decided. They threw open the door and burst into the room. "You can't spank her!" Harry yelled. "Yeah, we did it too!" Ron shouted. "We talked her into it!" They said together. Snape looked at them, a rather amused look on his face. The boys looked at Hermione; she was perfectly fine and they had just confessed! Snape got up from the chair and pulled another in front of his desk. "Have a seat gentlemen," he said as he sat behind his desk. Harry and Ron reluctantly sat down, feeling like idiots. "You're not really going to spank Hermione are you?" Harry asked. Snape looked at each of them sternly, which made them want to cringe. "As I was just explaining to Miss Granger before you two so rudely interrupted and, quite unintentionally I am sure, confessed. As much as I think you three deserve to be spanked, it is not my place." Hermione, Ron and Harry all breathed a sight of relief. "Fortunately for you three, I do not feel it would be appropriate since I am not your parent, nor am I the head of your house. However, I do admire Miss Granger's sense of justice towards my daughter; but that does not excuse you three from some kind of punishment. I think that an afternoon scrubbing this classroom without magic should be sufficient," Snape told them. They nodded, surprised at such a light sentence from Snape. "I have no doubt that this was my daughter's idea, particularly that pink string, but I will expect you three to know better if the change to do the same ever arises." "Yes Sir," they chorused. "If it does happen again, I will have no choice but to take points and talk with Professor McGonagall. Is that understood?" Hermione and the boys nodded. "Then I will see you here Saturday afternoon," Snape dismissed them and they scurried from the room.