Harry stood frozen in place as though struck by lightning.
Ron covered his face too. "We're doomed, doomed. I thought we'd finally be rid of that old bat..."
Draco, on the other hand, covered her mouth and chuckled, earning a furious glare from Ron.
"No, seriously, why?"
Harry snapped out of his daze, growing agitated. "He's picked on me more often than Umbridge has these past six months!"
Seeing Harry's look of utter despair, Hermione stopped smiling.
"Snape certainly treats you badly, but however much he targets you, he has his limits. If Umbridge had been in his place, you wouldn't have gotten off so lightly."
Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Much as he hated to admit it, Hermione had a point.
Umbridge had been vile over the past six months, but she really hadn't had a chance to hurt him badly, mainly because Snape found fault with him, deducted points, and gave him detention every day.
Now that he thought about it...
"In a way, he shielded you from trouble."
Hermione patted Harry on the shoulder. "Even if he didn't mean to, that's what happened. So don't hate him so much. At least he's better than Umbridge."
Harry fell silent for a while, then finally nodded in resignation.
"All right... I admit defeat."
He took a deep breath. "A bet's a bet. When do I start testing potions?"
"No rush."
Hermione's smile grew even brighter. "I'll come find you when it's time."
Looking at Hermione's smile, Harry shuddered inexplicably, feeling as though he'd signed up for something he couldn't escape.
He recognized that smile. Hermione wore it every time she was about to mess with someone.
Draco looked at Harry sympathetically.
The three left with their heads hanging, utterly dejected.
As they passed the Potions