#Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

[lesbolordo]

Leander P. X Sebastian S. | Hogwart's Legacy.

Third Part.

"Audacity."

"Sebastian is in a good mood. Then he's not."

Tags : blowjob, semi public sex, smut, angst, jealous Leander, angry Sebastian.

The most crowded bathrooms always were the ones on the first floor. Of course, it seemed logical. It was always buzzing with life and people, may it be to use the place as it was intended for, or to have a chat with your friend about whatever you wanted.

Some others used that bathroom for... funnier reasons. It was audacious, to do such thing when the place always was full.

Sebastian knew it, and that was exactly why he had chose these restrooms in particular.

He and Leander had sneaked inside, Leander clueless, and locked themselves inside of a stall.

The red head understood what was about to happen when the other boy began to kiss him harshly, on tip toes and with his hands on his waist.

They rarely kissed each other, even during sex, and so Leander was taken aback. Before he could even reciprocate the needy kiss, Sebastian was on his knees in front of him, unbuckling his belt and licking his lips.

"-Sallow ?? He said, before becoming all red and whispering. The place was full. They couldn't afford to have people know about them.

-Relax Prewett. Enjoy. I'm in a good mood today....

-We can't do that here idiot, this place is- OH !"

Leander immediately put his hands on his lips in an attempt to quiet himself. He was weak to the other boy's teasing, and so when he felt his tongue flat against his prick, most of his blood rushed south.

As hard as a rock in an instant, he bucked his hips toward Sebastian, keeping a hand on his mouth to keep his voice down and not make people suspicious. He could feel everything that Sebastian was doing to him, his body was like fully alert, the adrenaline flowing through his veins. Just like it during their very first time months ago.

The Slytherin didn't feel like teasing too much, as he had said he was in a good mood. His tongue circled around the redish tip of his partner, drinking hungrily the precum leaking more than usual. It tasted salty and arousing on his tongue. His tongue moved to the base of the cock in front of him, licking a visible vein slowly and taking the other boy in his fist.

Pumping him quickly for some time, he finally took him in his mouth, little by little. As every inch of the red head penetrated his mouth, and the other's hand caressed his brown locks, all of the chatters coming from outside of their stall was gone.

It was just them, Sebastian on his knees and Leander whimpering from his licks.

Unlike him, the Gryffindor was more and more alert of the noises around.

"Did you hear ? Isaac Cooper has a new girlfriend !"

"Really ? Who ?"

"I forgot about her name..."

"I heard that Professor Kogawa tried to convince Professor Black to bring back Quidditch again."

"Let me guess, it failed miserably ?"

"Yeah !"

"Garreth blew up his cauldron again in Potions. It was hilarious !"

"Not for him that is, did you see how Professor Sharp looked at him ??

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I heard that Sallow's got himself a girlfriend ?"

Leander immediately stopped moving upon hearing that last one. His hand tightened on the boy in front of him's hair. He ignored Sebastian's groan against his cock.

"Oh, right. Someone from his dorm room says that he keeps on sneaking out at night !"

The Gryffindor didn't even know why, but he was growing annoyed by the second. Sebastian finally picked up on his foul mood and took his prick out of his mouth.

"Could be that he's just decided to sneak into the restricted section again ?"

"I don't think so, in so many days he should have gotten caught at least once."

"So he really has a girlfriend ?"

Leander was fuming.

"...-ewett- Leander ! Sebastian was back on his feet, face frowned as he stared at the red head.

-What ?? He replied in a loud whisper, and Sebastian rolled his eyes.

-Are you fucking jealous ?

-What ? No-

-You're jealous of yourself, you moron !"

The realization took a while to travel to his brain. Forgive him, most of his blood was in his groin.

When he finally -finally !- had understood, he became bright red again. Sebastian smirked mockingly.

"-Did you really get jealous because some blokes said that I have a girlfriend, Leander ? His tone was teasing, he was obviously amused.

"-No, not at all ! I mean, I'm not jealous ! How could I be jealous, it's you !"

The comment didn't seem to please the other boy at all. Sebastian frowned, playful air immediately disappearing.

"-What the fuck does that mean, Prewett ?

-I didn't mean to-

-Shut up. Leave in ten minutes."

The red head's attempt at stopping Sebastian was useless, and soon the other boy was gone. Leander had screwed this up bad.

He passed a defeated hand on his face, letting out a loud sigh, and quickly buckled his belt again after tucking himself back in his pants.

These ten minutes seemed like the longest of his life. He pondered what to do and how to apologize while waiting. He was pretty sure that going up to Sebastian in bright daylight was stupid, but he also was fairly convinced that the other boy wouldn't be at their meeting spot tonight like usual, with how crossed with him he had seemed to be.

Leander didn't even know why he had gotten jealous. He should have realized that this "girlfriend" Sebastian sneaked out for was him. But even if it wasn't, why was he so bothered by the fact that the brown haired Slytherin had a girlfriend ? It wasn't his buisness.

It would never be. Sebastian hated him, visibly.

The ten minutes passed, and Leander hurried outside of the cubicle and the bathroom.

"..."

"Did Prewett just leave the stall Sallow was in ?"

___

This will probably become a serie of Prewlow fics. I have commitments problems so I won't say that this is one big fic and it's the part whatever lmao. So I don't really have a line to follow. I will probably link everything on my blog eventually, in order.

[hiccuphaddockswifeparttwo]

Eleanor had her hand under the table and was crossing her fingers under the table to hopefully have the potion work. As the bang rang out Eleanor flinched harshly as she looked to the students who were now in hysterics since they’d put too much of the ingredient in their potion. She quickly looked into their cauldron to see the amount fall from Draco’s fingers.

“Wait!” She called out before a large amount of blue smoke erupted out of their cauldron.

Her brown eyes grew harshly as she stared at the potion before looking to Draco as the fumes began to pile around her. Quickly she covered her mouth and nose trying to keep the fumes out of her system.

Snape huffed harshly as he sent the other students to clean their now leaking cauldron before coming to their table.

“And what happened here Ms.Bryne?” He asked monotonously

Eleanor kept her hand around her mouth tightly as her face began to turn red before erupting into a hysterical fit of laughter as she looked to Snape with wide eyes and hand loose around her mouth.

She couldn’t stop!

The professor groaned before looking to Draco.

“Do you have any comments about what transpired Mr.Malfoy?”

“Will you please just leave us alone!”

“Leave you alone? But we’re helping with the tour!” Crabb said, grinning as Goyle stood beside him, “They all need to know how insignificant they are—and you.”

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 13: Dressed-Up Figures and Undressed Souls

(Click here for chapter 12!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

The remainder of the month went by in a breeze, and looking back, the Potions professor realised that it had been the happiest time of his life.

Severus still felt uneasy about his feelings towards Granger, of course; so much so that he even promised it to himself to never act on them. Quickly backpaddling on the thought that the two of them could become friends – after all, a teacher and a student becoming too close would always be weird, no matter the circumstances – he instead decided to quietly admire his beloved from afar. In a bid to distance himself from her and her enticing charms, he restricted their private lessons to the two mandatory sessions a week and made sure to drop a snide remark here and there – though they somehow never seemed as harsh anymore. It did not help, however, that the young woman seemed unfazed by all of that; she would still always show up to their meetings beaming at the Potions Master’s face.

So at the end of the day, he still could not help but experience almost juvenile-like euphoria. She liked him, too! Granted, she was not in love with him or anything, but indeed just the fact that his new object of affection liked him on a platonic level made Severus feel all kinds of ways. As a result, his behaviour seemed to change. Although he tried his best to behave like his normal mean self, he would sometimes suddenly find himself softly humming as he made his way through the castle’s countless corridors, and every once in a while, he would even accidentally chuckle at some of his colleagues’ lousy attempts at jokes over dinner. He also caught himself daydreaming about the Gryffindor more frequently, but he did not mind it that much anymore. Instead, he chose to quietly enjoy all of these new-found emotions.

As for Granger, well, she was back to her bubbly, know-it-all self. She had quickly begun to show up for class on time again, handing in excellent essays and fiercely waving her hand around trying to be “the chosen one” who got to answer questions. That behaviour also extended to their apprenticeship lessons, with her bombarding her tutor with countless questions about this and that, attempting to extract every single bit of knowledge, howsoever small, from the talented wizard’s mind. Severus could not help but be a tad bit amused by her eagerness to learn. He was still trying to maintain his reputation as the snarky, greasy-haired git of the dungeons, of course; so on the rare occasions when he actually answered one of her questions, he would do so in his typical scoffing fashion. In reality, however, he was delighted by their relatively one-sided conversations. He was utterly fascinated by the way her mind appeared to work as well as the huge range of topics in which she took an interest. After years of unsuccessfully searching for a suitable conversational partner with which to have intellectually stimulating discussions, he had finally found one – and in a member of the Golden Trio at that!

A few weeks ago, they had even taught their first class together. Severus had to admit that he had been sceptical at first about that part of the apprenticeship programme; however, Granger had done surprisingly well. Having come in prepared with a perfectly outlined lesson plan, she had no trouble properly instructing a group of second-years on how to brew the Fire Protection Potion. A nice and helpful teacher, her presence had seemed to make the pupils breathe a little easier in what is otherwise a rather strict class; some had even managed to create potions that were noticeably better than any others they’d handed in before. Though this of course did not mean that Severus planned on making any permanent changes to his personal style of teaching. The reason behind his sternness was completely logical: Unruliness had absolutely no place in his classroom, as safety always came first in a potions lab!

On one particular Thursday – the day before Halloween to be exact – the Head of Slytherin found himself in the dimly lit Potions classroom, brewing yet another one of Madam Pomfrey’s last-minute orders; unfortunately, the matron had apparently not taken to heart his elaborate lecture about ordering often-needed potions well in advance. Working side by side with his apprentice, they were preparing a batch of Antidote to Common Poisons and a few phials of Laxative Potion respectively.

Just as Severus was rummaging through his storage room in the search for some lavender essence, he heard his student speak up.

“While everyone knows that the headmaster is a – for the lack of a better word – special character, I must say that I’m still a bit dumfounded by this announcement,” her melodic voice resonated from the ancient stone walls. “Having spent the better part of my childhood in the Muggle world, I am obviously familiar with the practice. But all those scary things, those creatures that Muggles dress up as – most of them actually exist in the wizarding world! So why should we magic folk put on costumes like that? I just find it quite bizarre and …”

Finally having found the little ampoule for which he had been searching, Severus returned to his workstation as Granger continued to ramble on and on. He obviously knew what she was talking about. Just this morning at breakfast, Dumbledore had suddenly announced that this year’s Hallowe’en Feast would come with a little twist: It would be a fancy-dress party Muggle style, and everyone attending was expected to show up wearing a costume. Snape groaned at the mere thought of it. This year, the old man was just implementing one silly rule after another. Sometimes, the half-blood believed that the headmaster came up with all of his crazy antics with the sole purpose of annoying his younger colleague.

“Anyway,” the witch said, at last concluding her babbling. “What are you going as?”

Severus, who was in the process of measuring out the correct amount of Honeywater for his potion, stopped dead in his tracks and looked at the young woman with a stone-cold expression.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked snappishly.

His protégée’s hazel eyes turned big. “Oh, um, I’m talking about the Hallowe’en Feast, sir,” she stuttered rather sheepishly. “I was just wondering what your costume will be.”

“Costume? Miss Granger, am I really to believe that you would be stupid enough to assume that I, Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin, would take part in such a ridiculous display of foolishness?!”

He could practically see her confidence crumble before his very eyes, and he would have lied if he said that that did not make him feel a tiny bit bad. After hectically searching for something to say for a few moments, she dropped her gaze.

“Of course not,” she then mumbled. “My apologies …”

Granger quickly turned her attention back to her project, and so Snape did the same, trying hard to ignore that slight sting he felt in his chest.

For a while, they worked in silence. Once he finished his potion, Severus began looking for the little piece of parchment paper on which Poppy had written her order, wanting to double check if he had prepared the correct amount. Following a minute-long search, he finally found it on Granger’s side of the desk. When he went to pick it up, however, he noticed a strange, scarlet red dot on it.

Confused, he turned to face his apprentice, intending to ask her about it, when he noticed what appeared to be a fair amount of blood smeared all across the girl’s chin and lips. While he had long ago taken note of her tendency to subconsciously bite her lips whenever she was anxious or scared, he had never seen it get so bad to the point that she would make herself bleed like that. Severus could not help but feel guilty about this; it had to have been his unkind reply which had caused it.

“Miss Granger,” he muttered softly. When she looked up in surprise, he handed her the white handkerchief he always carried in the left pocket of his cloak. “You are bleeding.”

He watched as she hastily brought up her right hand to her face and then stared in disbelief at the shiny red liquid which now covered her fingertips.

Not giving her a chance to speak, he said, “When I was just a mere child growing up in Muggle England, Halloween was not yet what it is today. It did exist, yes, but the act of dressing up and having little get-togethers was not as wide-spread yet.”

Walking past her to the table, Snape picked up a small, clean blade and started cutting a few sprouts of Agrimonia into small pieces.

“However, I do distinctly recall one time when the town I was living in announced that it would host a celebration in the community centre, complete with costumes and all kinds of entertaining activities. Rather untypical for that dirty hellhole, really …” He sighed. “So I spent the whole day getting ready, gathering supplies for my costume from all around the house and borrowing some of my mother’s makeup. After hours of work, I had finally finished creating my ensemble and was about to leave, excited for the hours of fun to come, when my father came home from a day at the bar.”

He looked up, meeting the gaze of his student. Her expression had confusion written all over it.

“My father was not a kind man, Miss Granger. I am afraid that I take after him quite a lot when it comes to having anger issues.” His lips formed a thin line. “He was especially not fond of anything magical. He despised my mother and I for our abilities, calling us freaks, monstrosities. When he saw that I was dressed up as a wizard, he lost it. He tore apart my carefully crafted costume before my very eyes, and that night, I received the worst beating of my life as my mother just passively watched. It was so bad that I was not able to go to school for two weeks afterward.”

Granger gasped in shock. “That’s terrible! I –, I … I am so sorry, sir.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Severus thought that he could see tears forming in her eyes.

He waved off her concern with a simple gesture of the hand. “That was a long time ago, Miss Granger,” he said seemingly nonchalantly, but his trembling hands gave him away as he added the shredded plant to the cauldron in front of him.

“However, I do feel like it is understandable that ever since that day, I have taken a dislike to this particular festivity.” Of course, that was only half of it – but he did not think it appropriate to disclose the trauma connected to the murder of his childhood love. “And while being one of the teachers at this school has made me feel compelled to take part in the yearly feast thus far, I have decided to allow myself to refrain from participating this time.”

What followed was silence. While the seventh-year was evidently at a loss for words, Snape continued to diligently prepare the green-coloured potion. He knew that he probably should not have shared such private information with her. But for some reason, it was just so easy to open up to her, to share his painful memories with her.

It was only after he had finished the magical concoction and went to grab a box of crystalline phials for bottling that Granger said, “It’s certainly not my place to speak of your awful experiences or offer any solutions, sir. But perhaps tomorrow is your one chance to regain the experience you were so wrongfully robbed of.”

Not knowing what to answer, Severus remained quiet.

*************** *************** ***************

Even though it was now her seventh time experiencing the event, Hermione still could not help but be amazed as she entered the Great Hall.

Like every year, the huge room had been decorated in great detail for the Hallowe’en Feast. A few dozen black cauldrons stuffed with gigantic lollipops as well as large pumpkins, some filled with candy and others with candles, were distributed throughout the hall. Looking up at the Enchanted Ceiling, she could see the dark night sky with seemingly endless stars sparkling in the distance. Flying in and out of low-hanging black clouds, both live bats as well as flaming orange streamers were swooping over the long tables which were filled with sheer massive amounts of food and drinks: devilled eggs and butternut squash soup, candy apples and carrot cake, butterbeer and gillywater, roasted turkey legs and fish pie. There was even an apple bobbing station in one corner.

However, the one thing which stood out the most was admittedly the people’s attire. Students and staff alike were dressed in various costumes, some magical and some obviously Muggle-made. In a sea of creepy clowns and heavily made-up princesses, Hermione was able to spot Lavender Brown standing in a secluded nock, dressed as a gigantic pink and baby blue cupcake, flirting with a sixth-year Hufflepuff boy wearing a cheap one-piece skeleton suit. Sitting at the edge of the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy could be seen in an exquisite Victorian-era gown, appearing to be disgusted with the way his two friends Crabbe and Goyle, who were dressed as a mummy and a pirate respectively, were stuffing their faces with black pudding, roasted potatoes and mince pie.

Making her way to the Gryffindor table, Hermione made sure to say hello to Luna Lovegood as she walked past her. The eccentric witch was wearing an unidentifiable mixture of different patterned scraps of cloths paired with a wide array of flashy accessories, which was probably meant to represent some strange creature of which no one but her had ever heard. After fighting her way through the sizeable crowd, the Head Girl then finally reached her friends.

“Bloody hell, Hermione!” Ron exclaimed, waving his fork, and the piece of Beef Wellington impaled on it, at her. He was dressed in an Auror uniform. “You look smokin’ hot! You’re a sexy kitten or what?”

He flashed her a crooked smile, but she merely cringed at his lousy and rather vulgar attempt at flirting – it seemed as though he still had not got the memo that she just was not interested in him that way.

But it was in fact true that she was dressed as a cat. After taking the longest time deciding on a costume, Hermione had spent the better part of her afternoon getting ready for the feast. Throwing her outfit together from scratch, she had put on a tight-fitting, long-sleeved bodysuit and paired it with fishnet stockings and a pair of high-waisted faux leather shorts – all in black, of course. She had then used her magic skills to transfigure a pair of fuzzy socks into a headband with feline ears, followed by turning an old scarf into a tail. To top off her outfit, she had added a black lace-trimmed collar as well as high-heeled over-the-knee boots. Her makeup was kept simple, with only some basic pencil eyeliner strokes across her face to mimic a cat’s primary features, and as for her hair, well, she had just let it do its own wild thing. Granted, the outfit she was wearing was a lot more revealing than what Hermione would normally go for, but for some reason, she did not care that night. She thought that her look was fierce, and it made her feel powerful somehow.

Ignoring her pasty-skinned friend’s goggling eyes, she smiled at the couple seated next to him. Harry was dressed as a noble king, cheap plastic crown and all, and Ginny, who was sitting on his lap, was wearing a scarecrow costume. She greeted them, and they all chatted for a bit, but for some reason, something appeared a bit off with her best friend; the redhead seemed somewhat distracted. Not wanting to make a scene in front of everybody, Hermione made a mental note to ask her about it later. She was used to Harry being morose around this time of year, but seeing Ginny that unusually quiet set off red flags in her mind.

Turning her attention to the table filled with all kinds of tasty dishes, her mouth started to water. Before she helped herself to anything, however, she cast a glance at the High Table. A quick scan of the people seated at it later, she had to suppress her laughter. Sitting on the large golden chair in the middle, Professor Dumbledore instantly stood out in what was apparently a life-size replica of his favourite candy, sherbet lemon. Next to the headmaster, Professor McGonagall was sporting a kind of toned-down, more age-appropriate Snow White costume, which made her look surprisingly adorable. Professor Vector and Professor Babbling were both dressed up as Cleopatra, Madam Hooch had put on her favourite Quidditch team’s uniform, and Professor Sprout was – surprise, surprise – some sort of plant. A zombie Professor Flitwick could be seen conversing with Professor Sinistra, who was wearing a stripped burglar costume, and Hagrid was dressed in a painfully small Popeye costume. Professor Trelawney was a mouse, Professor Burbage resembled a gumdrop machine for some reason, and Lupin depicted a dog – that last one made her giggle yet again. The only one without a costume was Professor Binns, though that seemed obvious, given his ghost body.

Merely one person was missing: the Potions Master. Hermione could not help but feel a little bit disappointed. She had known that he probably would not show up, but she had still allowed herself to have some hope.

The young woman spent the next hour or so devouring Hogwarts’ finest foods while conversing and laughing with her housemates, almost forgetting about her tutor’s absence from the feast. Finally leaning back with a full stomach, she stuck her hands in the pockets of her shorts.

“What the –“

Stunned, she pulled out a tiny, folded piece of paper which had definitely not been there at the beginning of the night. Opening it under the table, out of view from her seatmates, she read the short note.

Entrance hall, now.

Hermione instantly knew whose meticulous handwriting that was. She had to give it to him, sneaking a message into the very clothing she was wearing without her noticing required skill, and she was definitely impressed. Excusing herself from the table under the pretence of having to use the bathroom, she quickly left the room through the tall double doors, forcing them apart just wide enough for her to slip through.

Once in the Front Hall, she glanced around but saw no one. Taking one more step into the room, she sharply jolted when she suddenly caught movement out of the corner of her eyes. She whipped around just in time to witness the Potions professor emerge from behind the Slytherin house point hourglass. Looking at his oval face, she could have sworn that she saw his eyes widen for a second as they wandered across her body.

“Professor Snape,” she said, a bit out of breath.

“Miss Granger, you are … a cat?” She could hear the clear disbelief in his voice, and for some reason, that made her snigger.

“Well yes, sir, it’s my costume!” She frowned as she eyed his attire. “But I can see that you stuck with your decision not to dress up.”

“That is not entirely true.”

Her eyebrows knitted in bemusement. “I don’t think I understand. You look the same as you always do.”

She could see him take a deep breath, almost as if he were psyching himself up, before he did something that she was sure no one had ever seen him do: He flashed her a big smile.

Hermione let out an audible gasp of astonishment. At first, she was too shocked to do anything but stare directly at him. Professor Snape’s smile seemed a bit unnatural and more or less forced, but she still had to admit that it made him look a lot younger and less stern. That in turn made something unfamiliar stir deep inside her, but she chose to ignore that for now.

It was only after a few moments that she noticed something odd about his teeth. His two upper incisors seemed a bit out of place. They were quite long, almost as if they were fangs. Combined with his long, dark robes, that kind of made him look like a –

“You’re dressed as a vampire!” she spat out, positively flabbergasted. When he gave an affirmative nod, she felt a rush of excitement travel through her entire body. He had actually done it! Severus Snape had dressed up at her suggestion!

Hermione knew that she was about to push her luck hard, but she was simply so overjoyed that she could not possibly control her emotions. With one big leap, she closed the distance between them and threw her arms around her teacher.

“Happy Halloween, Professor!” she rejoiced as she buried her face in the black fabric covering his broad chest.

*************** *************** ***************

He could feel the warmth radiating from her body which was tightly pressed against his. He could smell the fruity scent of her favourite shampoo coming from her voluminous locks as they tickled his beaked nose. He could hear her slightly accelerated breathing, his arms wrapped around her torso rising just a little at every breath. He could see a small birthmark, so tiny that it was almost invisible, situated at the nape of her neck. And for just a moment, he allowed himself to melt into her hug, his eyes closed shut.

Severus Snape was doomed, and he knew it. But in that exact moment, he did not care one bit.

(Click here for chapter 14!)

[angellazull]

The Beginning of a Fraternal Bond - Part 1

Dedicated to my brother @hphm-roger, thank you very much for being my friend and brother.

Angelo was trying to keep his attention fully focused on his cauldron, he didn't want to make any mistakes, especially now that he knew that Snape found out that he and Penny had been raiding the potions room to steal ingredients for the Polyjuice potion, so in the last classes Snape has been watching him, like a vulture, and the Ravenclaw didn't want to give the potions master any reason to scold him or take points from his house. However, even with his attention focused on the preparation of the beautification potion, as soon as the professor approached Angelo's table he asked with a strange calm:

"What do you think you're doing, Lancaster?"

"Sir?" Angelo asked without understanding what the professor was referring to.

"What do you think you are preparing in that cauldron, Lancaster?" Professor Snape asked again calmly, but it was possible to see the impatience on Snape's face.

"The beautification potion, sir." Angelo replied looking at the professor.

"I see that you are now in the process of letting the potion boil."

"Yes, sir."

"So you already added all of your ingredients?"

"Yes, sir."

"Lancaster, read the fifth line of the ingredient list and then the fourth line of the cooking method on the blackboard." Snape ordered indicating the slate with the ingredients and the potion preparation formula.

Angelo forced his vision to be able to see what was written on the blackboard through the darkness and the fumes of the other students' potion.

"Rose petals and… after adding the fairy wings, slowly add the rose petals and stir seven times in a clockwise direction, as you do this the potion will begin to emit colored bubbles."

"Where's your rose petals, Lancaster?" Asked Snape now showing his hidden impatience.

Angelo looked at his ingredients and felt his blood freeze, he had not taken the red rose petals that the potion instructed, and did not put it in the mixture, lowering his eyes he said:

"I… I… forgot, sir, I didn't take the rose petals."

"Do you know what that means, Lancaster?"

"That my potion is wrong." Angel replied.

"Not just wrong, Lancaster, means that it is useless, a waste of time and a waste of ingredients that could be used by more skilled and competent students than you." Snape said with a dismissive tone in his voice. But a defeated smile appeared on his face. "But honestly, I was mistaken, you don't look like your brother, as far as I know, Jacob Lancaster was competent enough to read and follow the instructions for preparing a potion, you on the other hand, I believe the biggest mystery that predominates at Hogwarts, that's why I still allow you and your inability in my class, Lancaster. "

Angelo felt his cheeks go red, today he really had been trying hard not to make a mistake, but it wasn't enough, he had made one more mistake. Merula and Ismelda who sat next to Angel started to laugh at him which made the boy's face with blue hair turn even redder.

"Lopez." He called Snape.

"Yes sir?"

A student sitting at the next table spoke up, his extremely black hair was well cut and fell on his forehead, by the green and silver colors on his uniform, the boy was from Slytherin.

"From the next class, you will sit next to Lancaster and help him, let's see if he can stop wasting the valuable ingredients at Hogwarts."

"Yes sir." The Slytherin boy agrees.

Pulling the wand out of the inside of his robes and ordered "Evanesco' in Angelo's cauldron making the entire potion disappear, leaving Angelo crestfallen, maybe he really is a potions disaster, and the worst thing was that if he didn't get an 'O' in your OWLs, would be the end of your dream of being an auror.

When the potions class ended, the Ravenclaw collected his material and proceeded to the next class, transfiguration. At least, in transfiguration, Angel was not a disaster, on the contrary, he was one of the best students of his year, Professor McGonagall sometimes even taught him more advanced and more complex spells that his year's curriculum had to offer, the professor was even considering starting to teach the theory of human transfiguration, even though she did not intend to teach practical spells, but nothing that Angel could not learn on her own.

"Don't be sad about what professor Snape said, you may not be good at potions, but you are amazing with the wand." Rowan tried to cheer up Angel who was looking defeated. "You can do spells that many seventh graders can't."

"Thanks, Rowie, but I'm not sad about what Snape said, I'm already used to people talking to me like that." Angel forced a smile at his friend. "I am sad because we are already in the fourth year, and I am still a potions disaster, in the first year I thought it was bad because it was the first time I prepared a potion, but I did not improve at all, Snape is right I am an incompetent."

"You are not incompetent, he said inability, not incompetent, and look on the bright side, you stopped blowing up the cauldrons."

"Yes, to melt them as was the case with the dasdores elixir." Replied Angelo, remembering the time he opened a hole in the cauldron causing the potion to leak all over the table. "I lost fifteen points from the Ravenclaw that day."

In the end it stole some laughs from the two crowds. Upon arriving at the classroom, the students sat in their seats while the teacher waited for the students in front of their desk.

"Good morning students." He greeted the teacher when everyone was in place. "Today we will continue to review the Colorvaria spell, but those who have already managed to perform the spell can open their books on page 307, the Serpensortia spell."

Angelo was an expert at Colorvaria, his hair was proof of that, and as he had read the entire book at least three times, so he basically already knew all the concepts of that spell, so he simply decided to watch his colleagues progress, Rowan managed to make his cat's orange fur turn scarlet, Talbott, just as Angel had also managed to change his cat's color from gray to sky blue in the past class, so he just read the book. However, what caught the attention of the boy with blue hair, was the Slytherin student named Lopez, he was trying, but all he managed to do was create some green balls on his white cat, his attempts seemed to have no effect on cat, who seemed to get more and more impatient with the boy.

The class progressed and some students managed to change the color of the cats, but others did not make much progress. At the end of class Professor McGonagall said:

"Everyone is already dismissed, with the exception of you, Mr. Lopez." As the students left, Roger talked to Professor McGonagall that as soon as Angelo headed for the exit, he heard the teacher calling him. "Mr. Lancaster, come here, please."

As soon as he approached the table, his sapphire blue eyes soon met the boy's brown eyes with a little doubt.

"Mr. Lancaster, this is Roger Lopez, Mr. Lopez, this is Angelo Lancaster, Mr. Lopez is having difficulties in my classes, and as you are one of the best students in that class, I believe that with your influence and guidance during classes, I believe he can improve your skills, so I would like to ask that from the next class on, you can sit next to him, please."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall."

Angelo agreed to make Professor McGonagall's request come true, but he was not very sure about it, he had never guided anyone before, he had already explained the historical events of History of Magic or explained the functions of some spells to some friends more intimate, who were no longer part of their circle of friends, with scorn to them, Angel had never guided a complete stranger, it made him nervous, with a nervous look at Roger, he forced a shy smile, at Roger who looked shyly for Angel too, that would be something new. Snape had commissioned Roger, who should logically be a great potions student, to help him with his potions, now McGonagall was tasked with Angel to guide Roger through his transfiguration lessons, either that was a secret arrangement from the teachers, or a coincidence extremely timely, and in a way, Angelo was eager to see where it would take him.

-----O-----O-----O-----O-----O-----O-----

After seeing the drawing of my soul brother, Roger Lopez, did, it inspired me to finally write about how Angel and Roger's friendship started. I hope you like the first part.

[evolutionsvoid]

While dryads do not have the crazy amount of variety for magic as humans do, they are capable of getting quite crafty with what they have got. Though they can only manipulate the elements tied to plants and earth, there are ways to find certain hidden aspects that can be used. Some may think that power of plants and fungi may be limited to just growing flowers, but that is because they are thinking too plainly. Plants rely on sunlight to grow and thrive, thus dryads can use this system to create spells of solar energy and warmth. Another thing is that plants can produce poisons and toxins, which dryads know how to use quite well. So much so, in fact, that they have an entire class of magic users that brew and control these foul substances. They are the Venoness. The Venoness draw their powers and spells from poisons, toxins and venoms, either collecting it from the wild or brewing it themselves. Any substance that is dangerous and deadly is sought after and harnessed. The dwelling of a Venoness is often packed to the ceiling with deadly plants and bottles upon bottles of different poisons and acids. They harvest their poisons from their personal garden, but also travel into the wild to find other sources. While many would be quick to assume they are only good for death and pain, Venoness have used their abilities and talents to help dryadkind for centuries. Their knowledge of poisons and foul substances is not just good for brewing up deadly concoctions, but is also used to figure out cures and antidotes. Not only can they rid one's body of poison, but they can create very complex potions that are harmless to the drinker but are deadly to specific parasites or "even smaller beasties." Any good doctor or healer in a dryad village will know a nearby Venoness, so that they have easy access to these brews and other helpful substances. Venoness are also quite talented when it comes to breeding plants and fungi to maximize toxin production. This helps them collect more fluids with each harvest, which helps keep their stock full and ready. This same expertise has been used on other plant species that create specific products. The Nectar Pod plant dryads use to feed their growing seedlings and saplings were originally created by a Venoness, who took a species that produced beneficial nectar and then bred them to create the fluid in massive quantities. Vines that secrete irritants and mild poisons were cultivated by the Venoness, and now they are used to cover fences to keep pests away from livestock and crops. Indeed these folk are quite good at poisoning pests and foes, but they have many other uses if one knows where to look. Though all dryad species are capable of becoming a Venoness, Ivy Dryads and their hybrids often take up this role. The toxic oils they produce give them an extra connection to this art, and also insure that they never run out of a poisonous fuel. 

The magic part of their craft is used to control poison like how a Hydromancer can shape water. This applies to toxins in all states, be it  liquid, powder or gas. When working in their shops, the Venoness use this control to fine tune their brews and create better potions through precise and complex manipulation. It is also used to prevent their poison and fumes from leaking out of their homes and harming others. If a Venoness is hired to help get rid of pests, they can use their magic to administer poison into hard to reach areas to maximize efficiency and keep it away from young ones and pets. When it comes to the battlefield, their powers allow them to do terrifying things. Strapped with bottles, pouches and vials, a Venoness will go into battle with as much poison and toxins as she can carry. These can be used raw, but their main purpose is to fuel their Blight Vessels. Though the name can be a bit intimidating, Blight Vessels are merely hand-sized cauldrons or bowls that Venoness craft and use in the field to whip up brews and spells. It is their main weapon in combat and are wielded so that they may rain suffering and death upon the opposing forces. The Blight Vessel is often held in the off hand, so that their dominant one can pull ingredients from their person and add it into the bowl. After a certain combination is added, the Vessel is swirled about to mix and the brew or potion is unleashed. While one may think that a bowl full of poison is a delicate and unwieldy tool in battle, you would just have to watch a Venoness in action to see how it is done. To be efficient in this art during the heat of battle, the Venoness need to be agile, graceful and quick. They must keep the Blight Vessel from spilling, but also be able to mix and aim while avoiding attacks and foes. When fighting, an experienced Venoness is almost like a dancer, weaving about and releasing toxic brews in grand sweeping motions. To maximize efficiency and speed, they will put their ingredients in very specific spots on their body so that certain combinations are easily grabbed in a single motion. Every potion, powder and bottle has a place, and no proper Venoness will step out onto the battlefield until everything is in the right spot. A delay of just a few seconds can be the decider between life and death. With their personal Blight Vessels, Venoness can create a wide variety of spells and brews that they use during battle. While some warriors are specialized in one-on-one combat, these magic users are best used for tackling large groups (and sometimes entire armies). Their simpler spells can unleash choking gas that is blown into approaching forces or they can splash a wave of stinging fluid to blind attackers. As their brews become more complex, so do their spells. They can create clouds that hang above the battlefield and rain acid from above, or lob gobs of exploding goo that spray poison into the middle of enemy forces. With the proper spells and ingredients, a few Venoness can change the outcome of the entire battle. To maximize this effect, Venoness need information on the upcoming fight. Whenever there is a discussion amongst generals and commanders, their team of Venoness will be there to learn more about their foes and environment. At the very least, if a Venoness knows what species they are fighting, they can find a poison or toxin that will be harmless to dryad warriors but deadly to their foes. When given plenty of information and time for research, Venoness can come up with insanely crafty strategies and ideas. If they can learn about the types of weapons and armors the enemy force uses, they can create caustic spells that will degrade their tools in the middle of the fight. One of the most famous examples of this was when a Venoness learned that the invading force they were facing commonly wore gambesons beneath their plate armor. They acquired a torn piece of this padded jack from a defeated scout and experimented on it. After days of research and practice, she returned to her commander and inquired about where they could divert forces so that the invading army could be routed to a specific location. The plan was made and put into motion, which caused the great battle to take place in a valley. Both forces poured into the valley and the clash began. As the battle started up, the Venoness and her fellow sisters took up position up top and released clouds of strange gas into the valley below. At first the attackers thought it was poison, but they soon found that the clouds did not impede them in any way. The fighting continue until the opposing force suddenly found their armor coming loose. The clouds were not harmful to them, but they ate away at the cotton and wool that made up their gambesons. Within minutes, their armor lost its padding and hung loose upon their frame. Not only did it become ineffective, but the loose fitting metal soon impeded their movements and attacks. Unable to properly fight, the dryad forces beat them back and won the day. In some other cases, Venoness have been able to use acid to degrade rock slopes and cliffs so that they could collapse them on attacking armies. Given time and resources, these poison weavers can find some strange ways to affect the coming battle. Another major example of their use came when the demons invaded the surface world and went upon their cleansing crusade. While one army went after humanity, another massive force targeted the dryads and their forests. As one can imagine, plants versus fire was not an even battle. It soon became clear that the dryads were incapable of winning the war, as the burning army easily destroyed their forests and homes. It was then decided that the only way dryadkind could survive and end this crusade was to make it clear to the demons that their inevitable victory wasn't worth it. The dryads would use every trick, trap and cruel tactic that they knew to break their morale and make their victories as costly and bloody as possible. This was where the Venoness came in. The poison weavers studied fallen demons and used them to craft extremely potent poisons that would kill these horned foes in minutes. These poisons were given to the Ash Walkers, who coated every weapon in their arsenal with it, as well as themselves. These brave warriors threw themselves at the marching flames in suicidal attacks, knowing full well that they would die in the assault. These small strike teams were not meant to win the day, but to take down as many of the warriors as possible before they were killed. With their arrows, spears and blades coated in poison, they only had to scratch a foe to spell their doom. The Ash Walkers charged at the demon front and worked to poison as many soldiers as they could before they were slain. In the end, a group of four Ash Walkers were capable of killing over two dozen demons in an attack, which the invading force was not too pleased with. To make things even worse for the demons, the Venoness worked to make their march as slow and painful as possible. Entire forests were coated with toxic resin that released deadly, choking gas when burned. As the demons torched the woods in their march, whole platoons died as the lethal fumes destroyed their lungs and sealed their throats. Iron spikes coated in venom were buried in the soil, killing those who tread upon them. All sources of food that were in the path of the demon army were destroyed or poisoned, and the Venoness were sure to taint all water sources as well. When the demons opened up supply lines to feed their armies, the dryads made sure to attack and poison those as well. When the demons made camp or tried to rest, bombs of poison and spores were launched in. While these missiles could only kill a handful of unwary demons, their true purpose was to rob them of rest and respite. Each night the army was attacked, forcing them to stay alert and aware. In some cases, the bombs they fired off were harmless, but the demons were unaware of this deception. Dozens of other tricks were pulled, and many were driven by the Venoness and their poisons. In the end, the demon armies gave up with their crusade, believing that victory was too costly to pursue. They retreated to the Underworld and the dryads rejoiced. While the Venoness played a key role in ending the war, their job was far from done. With the enemy force now gone, the Venoness had to return to their poisoned lands and help heal the damage that they had caused.    

[cliterally-what]

what i wish rowling would write

Year 1

Three dark haired boys sulk inside a Hogwarts express cabin. The only luminescent thing in the room is the girl.

Her hair is fiery red and everyone's eyes swim with worry, except hers are bright green. She has a sour taste in her mouth from her fight with her sister. Looking down at her wand, she realized, maybe I am a freak. She was taking subjects called “Potions” and “Charms” after all.

The young boy’s face next to her looks grim. His long dark greasy hair fell around his hollow face. He already gained his first nickname. It wasn’t a good one.

Across from them sat another boy. His hair curled quite perfectly around his chin and he had a goofy lopsided grin. He sat laid back munching on Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean. To Lily and Severus, he looked without a worry. Only he wasn’t. He sat petrified his family would disown him for not placing in Slytherin, but he knew at the very back of his mind he wanted Gryffindor. But he was also so scared the Sorting Hat would touch his head, would sense his countless generations of pureblood and Slytherin ancestry and cry “Slytherin” without hesitation. He disagreed with his family, but was too young to ever form a proper argument back. He knew one thing though, he liked the boy next to him.

As for the last boy, well he was excited, the only thing that worried him was if his hair was messy enough. He ran his hand through one more time as his knee bounced up and down. He wasn’t good at sitting still.

Year 4

Slughorn tells Snape he should take notes from Lily, even though he was second best in the class. Lily noticed from that day forward he constantly took more notes and even scribbled in the margins of his potions book.

Year 5

It’s year five and everything’s more complicated. OWLs are coming up and Lily can’t think. The knot in her stomach that she usually only feels before a big exam hasn’t left in three months. The knot grows bigger every 4th period when she has stupid Potions. The only class she shares with Severus and James. She can’t think when Severus shoots her daggers for not sitting with him and she can’t think when she hears James’s infuriating voice. Now a days, she can’t decide who she hates more. Severus has been acting so strange recently; at first, Lily thought it was because Professor Slughorn liked her so much. She soon realized he spent most of the class not paying attention at all but rather playing with his own potions set and hurriedly writing things down in his textbook. Normally, Lily would have investigated this matter more, but she was too tired these days.

Slughorn dipped into the Potions closet for a moment and James seized his opportunity to taunt Snape again.

“Snivellus, got dung under your nose again, eh?” James called out.

“Actually mate, I think that’s his natural face!” Sirius chimed in. Severus turned beet red, and mumbled a combination of foul language under his breath, which just made them laugh harder. Infuriated, Severus raised his wand, but lucky for James and Sirius, Slughorn reentered the room.

“Oho, Severus! No need for wands right now,” Slughorn caught his eye on his raised wand. He circled around Severus’s cauldron and exclaimed, “Excellent! One of the best Draught of Peace potions, I’ve seen in a while!”

At this, Severus perked up and scribbled more onto his book. James found it peculiar how he kept writing in his textbook; books were supposed to be kept in pristine condition. He nudged Sirius and directed his eyes in Severus’s direction. No words needed to be spoken for them to understand what to do next.

“Oh well, would you look at the time! Class over! A short six inch essay on Moonstone properties due Friday,” Slughorn announced. The class quickly shuffled towards the door but James and Sirius hung back making sure they’d walk behind Severus. He clutched his potions book under his arm, oblivious to his enemies walking behind him. Once out of the sight from the classroom, James nicked the book out from under his arm and flipped open to a page. Severus looked back wildly and tried to grab it out of James’s hand, but he was too fast. He dodged Severus’s arm and skirted backwards.

Reading off the page, James shouted, “Snivellus, why’d you write turn the potion twice clockwise when it clearly states once counter clockwise? Or crush don’t cut the beetle? Think you’re a hot shot, yeh? Gonna run back home to show your Daddy how smart you are? Oh, right, I forgot he walked out on your greasy arse.”

“Give that back, you arrogant fuck,” Severus fumed, lunging aggressively for the book. Again, James was too fast, and tossed the book over his head to Sirius.

With a casual catch, Sirius opened the book to the front cover and read aloud, “property of the Half-Blood Prince. What the fuck that’s supposed to mean? You’re that stupid you think you’re a prince?”

“Is that what you tell yourself to fall asleep at night?” James laughed, but soon realized Professor Slughorn was coming down the hall. He tossed the book back to Severus and ran off. “Catch you later, Snivellus!”

As Severus’s “friendships” with Avery, Mulciber, and other twisted Slytherins grew stronger, these interactions grew more frequent. James and Sirius despised the lot of them and the dark magic they used. Lily remained torn as ever; she hated Severus’s friends but couldn’t stand to see James and Sirius terrorize him. On a particular sunny day just after OWLs were finished, James lay about under a tree with Remus and Sirius. He lazily played with a snitch, letting it fly away for a moment, then snatching it before it went too far. Spotting Lily walking towards the lake, he quickly sat up and gave his hair an extra rumple.

“Mate, she isn’t paying attention to you,” Remus laughed, noticing his sudden alertness. James looked slightly deflated, but not for long; Avery and Mulciber were also coming down towards the lake with Severus a few strides behind them, trying to keep up. Eventually they sat under a tree across the way from Remus, Sirius, and James. They talked darkly among themselves before Avery and Mulciber sent Severus off. James stopped playing with his snitch, and Sirius began watching too. Severus snuck up behind a group of girls, which James knew to be Hufflepuffs, one of them was a muggle born. It looked as though he had dropped a letter behind the muggle born, then he slowly walked off. In unison, James and Sirius tore off from their seats, catching up with Severus before he made it back to his “friends.”

“Delivered a foul message to Penelope...Does that got anything to do with her being muggle born?” James angrily whispered behind his back. Severus quickly snatched his wand out of his robes and his face went pale. He had not expected to be caught.

“Serves her right, nasty mudblood,” Severus retorted.

Before James could even react, Sirius had already screamed “Scourgify!”. Severus’s mouth suddenly filled with bubbles, choking him. Now, lots of people were watching them, and James instantly noticed Lily was a spectator too. Severus spat the soap out of his mouth and quickly rounded up on Sirius, but James was too quick.

“Petrificus totalus!” Severus body crumpled to the ground frozen. At this, Lily ran over and cried the counter jinx.

“James, you arse!” Lily spat.

“I only did something because he left a fowl letter for Penelope!” James tried to reason.

“Sev, you wouldn’t do that, right?” Lily implored, but by her tone of voice she already knew the answer.

Severus, obviously mortified by James and Sirius’s teasing and the fact that Lily had to save him, spat back “So what if I did? She’s a filthy mudblood just like you.”

Acting unphased, Lily coolly walked away, leaving Sirius and James to continue their bullying.

That was the last time Lily ever considered Severus a friend.

Year 6

Year six holds a lot of surprises for Lily: she and Severus are finished, she witnesses a wizarding war for the first time, and most shocking of all, she realizes James might not be a bullying arrogant toerag after all.  

Sixth year potions proved difficult as ever. Much more talented in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, James desperately needed help. After pleading Lily the first two weeks of the school year, she finally agreed to tutor him on the condition that he would stop playing with his hair. They spent Monday and Wednesday nights together, couped up in the common room or library. Their meetings always started on track and James would actually act very studious. By the end however, the conversation had strayed from Potions but to Quidditch or the latest gossip, and they usually ended up in bouts of laughter. Lily enjoyed the conversations about the war the most though. She found it refreshing to hear James be serious and she found it hopeful to hear his thoughtful and brave insight about the war. To Lily’s dismary, she soon discovered how much she actually enjoyed his presence, but of course she wouldn’t admit that to anyone. He never stopped playing with his hair, but she began to notice how attractive she found him, especially with his hair messy. That secret would be taken to the grave.

Their Potions lessons turned into Lily sitting with James and his friends in all of the classes they shared and even hanging out after class. With Lily’s newfound respect for James, Sirius’s came too. Remus, of course, she had always admired. She found it an escape to hang out with the Marauders, they were fully aware of the horrors outside the castle, but they never seemed to stop their laughter and practical jokes. As some of the cruelty leaked into Hogwarts (always stemming from Severus or other Slytherins), Lily began to understand James hatred of Severus. Of course, his bullying was always extreme and she knew Severus struggled with fitting in. Lily had noticed that James’s teasing had subsided; it was if now that they were friends, he wouldn’t dare do anything to piss her off.

One evening, James left his Defense Against the Dark Arts research essay to the last minute, forcing him to spend his night under his invisibility cloak in the library. Finally at one o’clock, he sleepily made his way back to the Gryffindor common room. The Fat Lady swore at him for waking her up so late, but as her portrait swung upon, James heard faint crying coming from the common room. The crying grew louder as his walked through the tunnel. He stood at the end unsure if he should remove his invisibility cloak, but when he noticed the red hair alone by the fire he quickly slipped it off.

“Lily...er...are you alright?” James asked awkwardly.

Lily jumped and quickly wiped her eyes. Taking a moment to compose herself, she threw aside the letter she was holding, then spoke, “James! You scared me. What are you doing outside the common room so late?”

“Oh, I had an essay I had to finish up” he paused, unsure whether he should mention her crying, “but are you alright, what’s going on?” he finished, approaching the fire.

“Oh, nothing, it’s a bit stupid actually, I just--” Lily erupted in tears again, unable to finish her sentence. James now felt extremely uncomfortable, but he sat down on the floor next to her. He started rubbing her back, and caught a glance at the letter that was in her lap. Giving her a look, she nodded with approval, as he picked it up and read it to himself. It was from her sister. She said lots of foul things like how Lily was a freak, an attention slag, and that she didn’t believe a word about this “war.”

“Wow, your sister sounds like a lovely human,” James tried to laugh. To his surprise though, Lily managed a small smile and her sobs calmed a bit.

“She’s a-ac-actually amazing, but she’s always hated me for b-being a witch when she isn’t. I wrote her and my p-parent’s trying to explain the war,” Lily sniffled, then paused to cry a bit more. “My p-parents believed me, of course, but Petunia thinks I’m lying, and that I’m just trying to get attention. I’ve gotten past that her jealousy will always make her foul t-towards me, but I’m so scared that they’ll be V-Voldemort’s next muggle victims. I try to not act like I’m scared for myself, b-but its hard to deny that being muggle born doesn’t bode well these days. I just don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m t-terrified, James.”

There was something about the way Lily said James’s name, that he knew Lily truly cared about him. He comforted and chatted with her until two, before the both of them agreed they must get some rest. As they went towards their separate staircases, James found his heart a blaze inside his chest, but most shocking of all, Lily’s heart glowed too.

With springtime finally among Hogwarts, the students spent much of their days outside and the sunlight significantly benefited everyone’s mood. The fifth years, unfortunately, looked miserable as ever with OWLs approaching. Lily and the Marauders couldn’t be happier they had already gone through that hell. Of course, James liked to rub that fact into into the struggling fifth years. Looking arrogant as ever, he casually played with his snitch and deliberately asked loudly “Don’t you just love how little work we’ve got right now? Man, I truly can’t think of anything worse than those OWLs last year,” when passing a group of studying fifth years.

“You’re a real git, you know?” Lily scoffed.

“Doesn’t stop you from hanging out with me.”

“It did for five years and if you keep it up, I might leave you high and dry again.”

“She’s got a point you know, if you weren’t such a mangy arse people might actually like you,” Remus chimed in.

James and Lily spent many days like that, sitting by the lake under their favorite tree. Sometimes their friends accompanied them, and Lily found herself becoming increasingly fond of each of them. She's always been Remus's friend, but after all these years she thinks she might understand how Remus has tolerated James and Sirius for so long.

Year 7

Hogwarts is strange. Everyone knows the horrors that are happening outside the castle walls, but nobody acknowledges it. People talk in hushed voices in the corner of the library or the common room with worry plaguing their faces. Lily spends most of her time with James, Remus, and Sirius. After a particularly gloomy week James and Sirius decided to throw a party Friday night. They mysteriously disappeared sixth block and came back with their rucksack bulging in seventh period. Remus gave them an angry glare and Lily tells them “You’re a fucking moron, you know? Coming to class with that.” Perhaps they were right but James and Sirius knew Professor Binns wouldn’t notice a thing. After escaping History of Magic, they all hurried back to their dormitories. They piled into James’s room since Head Boy gave him a private dorm and boys weren’t allowed in girls rooms. James and Sirius dumped their treasures all over the bed.

“So, are you going to tell us what this is all about?” Lily said, pointing the pile of Butterbeers, Firewhiskey, and cheap goblets.

“Yeah, we’re throwing a party tonight.” Sirius replied.

“Things have been looking a little dim around here to say the least, we thought this might lighten the mood,” James added on.

“You’re mad! Where would this even happen?” Remus inquired, looking rather uncomfortable. His friends made many stupid decisions but this one took the cake.

“Well, the common room of course!” Sirius laughed.

“Absolutely not, what if McGonagall hears? We’d all be done for!” Lily felt rather nervous about this whole idea and she wasn’t willing to give up Head Girl just one month into the school year.

“I think you’re just worried you can’t keep up with me Evans” James taunted.

“Oh, bugger off.”

Despite many protests from Lily and Remus and silencing charms cast around the common room doors, they all found them self gathered in the common room at eleven.

Sirius had already found Marlene and was dancing foolishly on top of the coffee table trying to impress her.

Lily stood near the table chatting with Mary and Alice before James came over and dragged her to the corner.

“I brought you a drink,” Lily could smell the alcohol on his breath as he spoke. “Remus looks as if he’s about to shit himself,” James continued, laughing at Remus’s direction. “Having fun yet, Evans?”

Lily laughed and took a sip of her Firewhisky and James’s hand found a place on her waist. Her insides burned and she can’t tell if it’s the whiskey or his touch. She wished she could stay there with him the whole night and she wished she could tell him this, but instead she said “C’mon let’s go loosen Remus up.” James wants to tell Lily that he loves her cherry pink lip gloss or the way her hair falls when she’s hunched over a book or the fierce look she gets when she yells at Mulciber or the way she looks curled up on the sofa or just simply that he loves her. But instead they stare at each other for a moment longer, remaining silent.

They get Remus drunk and everyone’s happy. Sirius, James, and Remus put on a three man act for the party to see. When Sirius dares James to turn into his animagus, he almost does but Remus reminds them it’s a secret and they’d be expelled. Lily, Sirius, and Marlene had a competition about who can name every student McGonagall has given detention to in the last month. Marlene won and Sirius kissed her. For a couple hours everything was blissful, but then William saw them kissing and he called her a stupid slag. Marlene cried and Mary threw up and James’s heart felt like it was going to explode if he doesn’t tell Lily this moment that he loves her but it's all okay. Because the common room is warm and for a brief moment everyone has forgotten about the war outside.

The next morning, they all woke up feeling a little worse than they did the morning before but nonetheless content. At breakfast, they ignored their mountain of homework, instead recounting all of the fun they had the night before. Everyone's smile quickly disappears when the owls come, knowing the Daily Prophet brought nothing but bad news these days. Sure enough, the front page contained a list of Voldemort's latest victims, all muggles, muggleborns, or well known "blood traitors." Lily’s heart sank and horrible thoughts swarmed her mind. James removed the newspaper from her hands and tried to give her a warm smile.

On Thursday afternoons, James gives Lily flying lessons since she never learned properly. They spend most of the time in fits of giggles arguing over who’s a bigger prat, James for being so arrogant or Lily for being so incompetent.

“Well, I actually think I got better today!” Lily exclaimed, touching down on the ground after a surprisingly successful lesson.

“Great! Now you can finally thank me for being such an excellent teacher.” James hovered four feet off the ground circling around Lily, just to prove his broom control.

“Oh, come off it. Half the time you just laughed at me!” Suddenly, the sky erupted and buckets of rain fell from the clouds. “Merlin’s beard! C’mon James lets go!” He quickly hopped off his broom, grabbed Lily’s hand, and sprinted towards the Quidditch locker room. Gasping, they finally made it inside. Taking their time to catch their breath, they hardly realized they were still holding hands, until the panting stopped. With the silence, Lily found herself feeling awkward about it, but at the same time she didn’t want to let go.

“Well this is just an absolute mess.” Lily said to fill the silence, pointing down at their drenched clothes. “I’ve got mud everywhere!”

“Yeah, its a real shame seeing your shirt stuck to you like that…”

Lily slapped James, but she couldn’t help but blush. Her laughter faded and everything seemed rather serious.

They were still holding hands.

Lily became quite aware of how close they were and watched as James eyes dropped when she licked a raindrop off her lips.

All at once, James’s lips crashed onto Lily’s and they melted into each other. She forgot about the rain and the mud or whether or not they would survive once leaving Hogwarts. With sudden clarity, she understood everything. She understood that she didn’t have to understand anything, because she was his and he was hers.

And together, they’d be okay.

[delicrieux]

amortentia [young!tom riddle x reader] pt.5

premise: two students start developing feelings for one another despite having too many secrets to count.

tagging:  @cheshirecatbyul @junieyes​ @whaledenwtf​ @xoxomioxoxo ​( if anyone else wants to be tagged, please let me know!)

warnings: angst, disturbing themes, fluff, blood

amortentia masterpost | MASTERLIST.

5. thorns

Startled you yelp and snap your head to the nearby window that a black crow had, by accident, hit. Katherine, beside you, raises a brow and swiftly continues moving, not sparing a glace; her robe kisses the ground and creates this sort of hissing that echoes in the empty corridor. The two of you are late. Missing Advanced Potions for perhaps ten minutes already, yet neither of you are in any sort of rush. You press the leather tomb closer to your chest, watch as a lone black feather sadly floats down and out your view and how its details are even more striking in such bleak weather.

What an unlucky sign, first thing in the morning too. Your name falls from Katherine’s lips as impatient she snaps her head to you, motioning for you to follow her down the flight of spiralling stairs into the dungeons. You glance at her, then at the window, then back at her again and fall into motion. Your shoulders square as the strange croak of pain the bird made rings in your earlobe. It had been a minute since your last encounter with Tom Riddle alone – two weeks to be exact, - and whilst the sudden revelation that the most beloved boy in school speaks the language of the damned had not fully sunk in then, now it surely has. You feel like you walk on glass each time he catches your attention from across the Library or class. Not that you fear him, more like you fear other people finding out and shunning him for it.

The two of you glide down the stairwell in complete silence. Katherine is not in the best of moods, and if you truly cared perhaps you would’ve bothered asking why, but you prefer this sounds of footsteps and swishing robes and heated breaths so you don’t pry. The temperature drops. It is cold here and you shiver. Damp. The air sticks to your skin. Not dark, but dim, and the warm light of torches bounces off the mossy walls and creates a sort of deep green glow.

As you pass some doors you hear snippets of chatter, but they are diluted, hardly coherent. Finally, Professor Slughorn’s class is within reach and taking a few quick strides you are first to reach the door, first to hook your fingers around the cold metal of the handle and you pull with such force that the door budges and creaks and the students inside seem to stop their idle conversation to eye what is happening. You step through and let Katherine pass; Professor Slughorn turns his head to greet the two of you with a pleased smile, “Ah, Miss (Lastname), Miss Duviar, I trust Professor Hauet didn’t give you trouble?”

Katherine hands the heavy book to the Potions Professor, “Of course not, she was delighted to help.” Your eyes briefly wander around the class: the merged group of Gryffindors and Slytherins stands in a half circle around a table with various potions and pots brewing. You note no distinguished scents despite the fumes fogging up the small windows. A few students stare at you as you and Katherine go stand with your group. One, namely, Tom Riddle, in the very back corner accompanied by his best friends from both sides. Your gazes meet and the faint memory from the Pet Shop sparks in mind; suddenly, the two of you are alone, in the warm glow of the fireplace with creaking floorboards under your feet and an amber snake that goes in circles. The whole room goes in vertigo.

Katherine notes how distracted you are and nudges you softly to the side. You blink, snap away and raise a questioning brow at her. She says nothing, simply looks straight at the cluttered table and the excited Professor beside it. For the better half of the first lesson Slughorn shows and explains different potions you are going to make as the year progresses, warns of their complexity and the consequences should one make them wrong. Finally, he moves to the last cauldron, a small black pot that is the size of both of your palms combined and with an ornate little top on it, preventing any fumes to leak out its cracks. Most of the students, that were bored and quietly chatted amongst themselves, shat up once Slughorn called for their attention by clearing his throat.

“Now then, I believe this potion is one you will all enjoy hearing about…” With a gentle smile he lifts the top off and the room seeps with heavy dazing scents that hit so unexpectedly you have to stand firmer in order not to fall. A rosy hue leaks from the cauldron along with spiralling fumes that melt into the ceiling once they reach it. The Professor, after admiring his handiwork for a heartbeat, turns back to the class and eyes each and every one knowingly, “Can anyone tell me what this harmless little elixir is?”

You take in a deep breath and can practically feel soft petals of flowers touch your fingertips, the ones you grow back home, your favourite kind; if you were to close your eyes you are positive you would see them clear as day, right there, by the entrance to the shed with the gardening tools and empty paint buckets…And then, the library, the soft creaks of newly opened books and the scent of ink on them…Your heart jumps and you snap out of your daze. There is an odd scent mixing in between the two, dominating almost but for the life of you, you can’t figure out who it belongs to. Shyly, your hand raises and Professor Slughorn turns to you.

“Yes, Miss (Lastname)?”

“Is it a…Love potion, perhaps?”

“Correct! Ten points to Slytherin!” He says enthusiastic, “What we have here is a real example of ‘Amortentia’, the most powerful love potion in the world…Though calling it love is a misgiven in itself. What it creates is merely an illusion, an intense and overpowering infatuation that does nothing…But hurt, in the end.” His pauses, “That’s why we can safely consider it the most dangerous potion in this classroom.” He gently sets the lid back down and the fog fades in a cloud of scented pink smoke. The class takes a collective inhale and smiles sheepishly at one another, “Creating it is strictly illegal.” Slughorn warns, “Should you be caught with it expulsion awaits you.” He moves, “There are many mock love potions, ones that you can get your hands on if you try hard enough, but I discourage you. Though the effects of those potions are hardly as strong and last much shorter, they often lead to poisoning.” Taking the books you and Katherine have brought, he holds them up. Complex titles in gold printed letters glimmer in the dimness of the room, “Most of them can be found here. That is why I will be possessing these books from now on, and be sure that I will not allow you to even peek at them, and if you try to take them on your own I will inform the Headmaster immediately.” He sets them on the table, “Love, death…It is meant to happen naturally. I hope none of you get the idea to make it otherwise…Now then, off to your tables and turn to page fifty-six!”

…

…

…

The day continues to drag and you feel more and more worn out as the sun peaked and started to roll back down. Lunch. You sit closer to the wall and Katherine sits in the front, her back turned to you as she insists on tormenting some poor Ravenclaw girl and your friends eagerly watch the exchange with an occasional snicker. Unimpressed you silently eat, lazily skimming over the Daily Prophet. These Muggles and their war…Even the Ministry of Magic is concerned. Finding a particularly interesting interview with the Secretary of Defence, you lean in and absentmindedly stab your fork in the nearly empty plate, always missing the piece of food by mere millimetres.

It is extremely hard to focus as the tormenting from the other side of the table gets louder and you wonder why no teacher steps up; you flick your eyes up to the teacher table and contain a sigh. No one is present, must be a meeting or something along those lines. With a sharp flick of your wrist you turn back to page one and lift your head up, see the approaching horde of Gryffindor’s ready to jump aid.

“Katherine!” You call with a tint of anger in your voice. She halts, whips to you with a look that is almost to ask if you want to join in. Your brows knit together and her smug expression falls, “Leave the mud-blood alone, will you?” Your eyes fall to the much smaller, paler girl with bright red blotches kissing the skin of her cheeks, “She’s hardly worth your time.”

“Oi! You can’t call her that!” One fires up at you. Your frown deepens.

“I can.” You say flatly, “And I just did.”

Suddenly you have lost your appetite. With a huff you come to stand and try to ignore how everyone seems to follow your every movement, grasp your bag and fling it on your shoulder and dig your nails into the newspaper. The Gryffindor boy, one that is not keen to let you leave this easy, steps up again and is about to open his mouth but you beat him to it, “Oh mon Dieu…Je me’n fous!” With anger sparking in your chest you send the deadliest glare you can manageand see him visibly shrink under it, before trotting out the Great Hall.

You had every intention of going straight to the Common Room. Your head has been pounding all day and it has only gotten worse, there’s a sick feeling that pools in your stomach and your fingers have been quivering since this morning, so much so that you accidently dropped more powder into your potion than needed and instead of turning a lavish red it coloured a deep purple. What an unlucky day! Rushed footsteps behind you and you pray to whoever is listening that no one is chasing after you, especially that Gryffindor boy.

A hand lands on your shoulder and spins you to face the stranger easily; you are met with the friendly colours of your house and slowly your gaze travels to meet with a much darker green. Tom doesn’t even break a sweat despite having just jogged to you – once you are angry you walk in wide quick strides that others have a hard time keeping up with. Your anger deflates. There is a strange calmness to him, though you can tell he is anything but calm. The corner of his lip is cranked upwards into, dare you say, proud smirk and the hand that stopped you travels to your face. His finger curls a strand of (colour) hair and hooks it behind your ear.

“Should I have not…followed you?” He asks with a teasing tone noting your flushed expression.

“Do as you please…” You mumble and turn away in fear that he will see the sudden heat that strikes your cheeks and how tight your throat is; perhaps he hears the note of strain in your voice and doesn’t elaborate further, simply joins you on your stroll.

“Your friend… Katherine, is it? Certainly a character.”

“She’s a fool.” You blur, tired. “Starting things like that…publically…my mother would end me.”

“I’m guessing you are from a…conservative family?”

“No, I’m from a proper family of Purebloods. She is too, but…” You shake your head softly, “Her views are much ahead of the time.” You tilt your head to him, “What about you?” Tom considers answering, perhaps he’s weighing the pros and cons because he speaks only after a pleasant moment of silence.

“Half-blood. My father is a great wizard…Mother was a muggle.”

Your lips thin into a line, “Was?” the questions escapes you without much thought and sounds so tender and raw that you scold yourself for even speaking. Tom does not take kind to it, you know he doesn’t by the way his face suddenly stiffens and his eyes glaze over coldly.

“She died during childbirth.” He states simply, though you can tell by that alone that this topic is done. You hum, don’t express your condolences since he obviously doesn’t want you to.

“And your father…What’s his name?”

“Tom.” He cracks a smile, “I was named after him.”

“He must be great.”

“He most likely is.” Tom agrees and again you can tell that this is a topic for another time. You nod. “And yours?”

“What about mine?”

“What’s his name?”

“Percival Antoinn (Lastname). He deals with potions and spices…” You trail off.

“And mother?”

Silence.

“Lauret.” You finally say, though it sounds a bit hollow.

“I suppose, by how you mention her, she is…tough?”

“Not tough. Proper.”

He realizes there and then that families are neither of yours best subjects to chat about, so leaves it be. Your face portrays little emotion, as if you are wandering lost in thought though your eyes bleed with so many memories ideas and stories that you perhaps want to share, but simply can’t. How secretive. He likes it, he knew there was something about your posh accent that he couldn’t shake off and he continues to walk in silence, but with a smile. The two of you are wrapped in secrets like thorns. Walk so close yet appear so distant. Perhaps one day you will open your heart to him. He doubts he will ever do the same, but doesn’t discard the idea completely. He enjoys the mystery for now.

tbc

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 14: Can You Keep A Secret, Professor?

(Click here for chapter 13!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

It was late at night, and Severus was in a truly splendid mood as he made his way through one of the school’s deserted corridors.

Just a few hours earlier, his house’s Quidditch team had absolutely smashed those stupid little Gryffindors he despised so much. 60 to 190 points – he still marvelled at that superb score. Finally, after all those years, his beloved Slytherins were again on their way to take home Hogwarts’ Inter-House Quidditch Cup! He could not help but smirk as he thought of the shocked expression on Potter’s face when Draco Malfoy had caught the Snitch right before the Chosen One’s eyes. After the game, the Potions Master had then spent the rest of his night harvesting Sopophorous beans from his secret acreage hidden deep within the Forbidden Forest and was now on his way back to his chambers. Ah yes, today had been a good day!

Snape was just about to turn the corner when he heard the unmistakable creak of a heavy door echoing through the nocturnal quiet. Maybe it was a remnant of his spying days or maybe it was the teacher in him evermore prepared to catch some unsuspecting students breaking the rules, but he immediately stopped dead in his tracks and squeezed his body against the wall before risking a stealthy look into the corridor to his right.

At first, he could not see much as the light coming through an open door situated a mere few metres in front of his position was simply too bright; it took his eyes a second or two to adjust. It was only then that he realised he was looking at the entrance to the Hospital Wing. Funny – he hadn’t even noticed that he had wandered into the Hospital Tower. But maybe that should not have come as a surprise, considering how much his mind had been all over the place lately.

Turning his attention back to the scene before him, he could make out a person looking suspiciously similar to Madam Pomfrey standing in the doorway, evidently speaking with someone out of his sight. The wizard’s brows puckered. Normally, Poppy had a zero-tolerance policy when it came to her sleeping schedule; one that she defended with all kinds of nasty hexes, as he himself had had to experience first-hand. The only exception, of course, was in cases of emergency; but in that instance, every one of the school’s teachers would have been informed. And Severus knew for a fact that Albus’ Patronus would have easily found him no matter where he had been, even deep down in the woods.

Trying to get a better look, he scooted a bit closer, making sure not to step out of the protective cover provided by the nighttime shadows, just as the matron moved aside to let her conversation partner exit the room. To say that he was surprised when he saw Granger set foot in the dark corridor would have been an understatement.

He had not seen her since they had shared that quick hug in the Entrance Hall; as far as he was aware, she had not even attended the game earlier. Presently, she was dressed in what seemed to be a light grey bathrobe over a pair of red plaid cotton pyjamas, with her hair pulled into a messy ponytail at the nape of her neck – certainly a drastic difference to the risky Halloween costume she had worn just a few days earlier.

Severus watched as the Gryffindor exchanged a few more unintelligible words with the elderly healer before turning around and walking off into the direction of the Grand Staircase, her cloth slippers audibly dragging across the stone floor. He waited until the door to the infirmary had been pulled shut before moving to stealthily follow her. The thoughts in his head were running wild. Why had she been there, at this time of night at that?! Had she somehow gotten injured? Had she contracted some sort of disease? Panic already arousing in him, Snape forced himself to calm down. No, he would have been told if his personal apprentice had become sick or gotten hurt. Also, he knew that Poppy would never discharge a patient in the middle of the night. So what was really going on?

The strides of his long legs great, he was quick to catch up to her petite figure.

“Miss Granger,” he growled, causing the witch to jump in surprise. “What were you doing in the Hospital Wing at this hour? It is almost one o’clock in the morning, so you are not only outside of visiting hours but also past curfew!”

“Merlin, keep your voice down or someone will hear you!”

Severus did not even have enough time to get angry about being shushed by a student – or to blush at his new love interest tightly gripping his arm – before Granger pulled him into the nearest empty classroom. Pulling out her wand, she quickly locked the door and cast a privacy charm before turning around to face him.

“My apologies, sir.” She regarded him with a slight frown on her face. “But I simply could not risk anyone eavesdropping on us.”

“I demand to know the meaning of this right now, Miss Granger!” snarled Snape.

After giving him a long and calculated look, the young woman tilted her head as she asked, “Can you keep a secret, Professor?”

“Keep a secret?” He almost felt as though he had just been insulted. “I was a Death Eater and a double agent for longer than you have been alive, you foolish girl!”

Granger ignored his little emotional outburst. “I will take that as a yes.” She walked over to one of the wooden tables in the front row and leant against it. “My visit to the infirmary did not concern myself.”

Severus just glared at her, waiting for her to continue.

“Rather, I was there to act as a sort of moral support for Ginny.”

“Miss Weasley.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes,” she confirmed nonetheless. “I’m sure that you noticed her absence at today’s game. You see, her and Harry have been an item for a while now. But it seems as though they recently had a little mishap.”

The Potions professor was growing more and more impatient. Potter and anything concerning him was one of his least favourite subjects.

“A mishap of what sort?” he pressed her.

“Well …” Seemingly searching for the right words, Snape thought that he could see her face turn red a little. “A mishap as they became more intimate. Carelessness in the heat of passion, if you will.”

Snape’s eyes turned big and he could feel a burning sensation starting to spread in his cheeks.

“You mean …” He could not even bring himself to say it.

Granger nodded. “Ginny got pregnant. She obviously freaked out, not knowing what to do. So after she confided in me, I set up a secret appointment with Madam Pomfrey.”

She did not elaborate further, looking at him as though he should know where the story was going. But after a few seconds of Severus just staring back at her blankly, she finally lost her patience.

“The pregnancy was terminated.”

“WHAT?”

Granger simply rolled her eyes. “Come on, Professor! Don’t act like you aren’t aware that things like this happen at our school all the time. Every year, there’s at least half a dozen of girls seeking Madam Pomfrey’s assistance in such matters.”

“No, I did not know that!” he barked back. “What do the girl’s parents have to say to all of this? And Potter?!”

She offered him a sad smile. “He doesn’t know.”

“What?!” he exclaimed appalled. “How could that idiot not know he impregnated a fellow student?”

“Ginny just never told him. I advised her to do so, of course; but she didn’t want to. And at the end of the day, it’s her body and her choice. All I can do is be there for her as a friend.” She crossed her arms. “It’s probably for the best anyway. Harry would have tried to convince her to continue with the pregnancy for sure, and they’re just not ready for that kind of responsibility. I mean, neither of them has even finished their education yet! And while Harry might have brought about Voldemort’s downfall, he cannot even keep up with his schoolwork, let alone take care of a child.”

Severus was taken aback by the maturity in her voice. “She is probably right,” he thought. He did not even want to imagine having to deal with another Potter brat in eleven years’ time; just the idea of it made him shudder. Still, the thought of two students being sexually active made him highly uncomfortable somehow. Ironic, considering his own current emotional state.

“And so that’s the reason why I was in the Hospital Wing,” he could hear the brunette conclude.

“Very well.” He let out an audible sigh. “10 points from Gryffindor.”

“Excuse me?!” she bellowed.

“Miss Granger, as the school’s Head Girl, you should lead by example. Wandering around the castle after curfew is a punishable offence.” He smirked. “Regardless of the circumstances.”

It was painfully obvious that that was an attempt at lightening the mood, and the brightest witch of her age threw her hands up in frustration.

“You really are something, Professor Snape! I guess I better get going before you deduct even more points – for ridiculous reasons, I might add!”

She removed her magical guards and made for the door.

“One last thing, Miss Granger.”

A head of full brown locks turned to him. “Yes?”

Severus regarded her quizzically. “Why would you tell me such damning information willingly?”

“Oh, I don’t believe you would ever tell, sir. You would have to admit to having conversations with your apprentice in private, after all.”

And with one last cheeky grin, she disappeared into the night.

(Click here for chapter 15!)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 11: Just A Filthy Mudblood

(Click here for chapter 10!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Over the course of the following month, there was a noticeable cold distance between the Potions Master and his apprentice. Somehow, his snarky comments following the brewing accident seemed to have affected the young witch a lot more than any of his other equally mean remarks in the past. As a result, she stopped raising her hand during class and was always the last one to enter and the first one to leave the gloomy dungeon room – if she showed up at all, that was.

Severus knew that it was very much unlike her to skip class, of course; but he left it at deducting points whenever she did. At the end of the day, she was Minerva’s responsibility and not his. In fact, he was rather glad about the change in her behaviour. He was glad that her essays, which had used to be so elaborate and verbose, were now kept to a minimum and soon turned dull, reading no different to other students’ work. He was even more glad that she wouldn’t make eye contact with him and only gave one-word answers as needed, even during their private lessons. Her complete refusal to communicate with him made it a hell of a lot easier to get her out of his head. After a few weeks, he stopped having indecent thoughts about her all together which finally put his mind at ease – that silly infatuation had only been a phase after all.

Or at least that was what he believed until one fateful Friday evening in mid-October.

Snape was sitting at the cluttered desk in his dark office, grading papers about Lobalug venom and its uses in potions written by his third-year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students. The essay in front of him at that very moment was starting to turn into a sea of red ink and Severus rolled his eyes in frustration. While they certainly had their good qualities, he had yet to encounter a Hufflepuff with a single ounce of talent for potion brewing.

Just as he was about to write a particularly nasty comment at the bottom of the three-foot-long parchment roll, there suddenly was the sound of commotion coming from outside the door.

“Piss off!” the deep voice of a man could be heard resonating through the dungeon hallway.

“No!” Severus instantly matched the high-pitched tone of the second person to Granger. “As Head Girl, it is my duty to protect all students from any physical or emotional harm, and I clearly saw you use the Stinging Hex on poor little Stewart Ackerly as he was going up the Grand Staircase. So whether you like it or not, you will be accompanying me to your Head of House for appropriate disciplinary action at once!”

“Listen here, you minger!” the male retaliated angrily. “I will not be told what to do by someone like you, do you fucking understand?! I do not give a shit about what stupid little title that knobhead of a headmaster gave you or what idiotic principles you think you need to uphold – I will not be bossed around by a Mudblood! The war may be over, but don’t think for a second that you will ever be more than the scum of the earth! Your kind shouldn’t even be allowed at this school!”

When Severus then heard a loud bang directly followed by a squealing outcry, he finally jumped out of his chair and rushed to the door. By the time he had pushed it open and run into the secluded corridor, Theodore Nott had already cornered Granger in an alcove, pushing her significantly smaller frame against the mouldy stone wall as his wand was buried deep in the flesh of her throat.

“I should really just take you out here and now. Not that anyone would care about one less rotten Mudblood tainting –“

All the Potions professor needed was one simple hand movement to nonverbally and wandlessly disarm the Slytherin and catapult him several feet into the air, eliciting an anguished yelp upon impact with the hard ground. Meanwhile, the now freed witch dropped to the floor. Breathing heavily, she struggled to contain her tears as her hand shot up to rub her flushed neck.

“Miss Granger, would you please go into my office and wait there while I … take care of this situation,” Severus muttered, dangerously calm as he walked towards the young pure-blood cowering in front of him.

“But –“

“Now, Miss Granger.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her frantically use the sleeve of her grey sweater to wipe her reddened eyes as she slowly got back up on her feet, throwing once last glance at her assailant before brushing past them and disappearing into the office.

Once Snape heard the lock latch, he grabbed the boy at his feet by the collar and violently pushed him against the wall, much like the wimp had done to the Gryffindor just seconds earlier.

“Mr Nott,” he basically spat the name into the lanky adolescent’s face. “Just what is it that you think you are doing?! Not only did you defy the orders of the Head Girl – someone who has nearly as much disciplinary power as any professor at this school, mind you – but you also just threatened and physically assaulted another student!”

He could practically smell the teenager’s fear. “But Professor, she deserved it! A Mudblood like her –“

“DO NOT EVER DARE TO USE THAT WORD IN MY PRESENCE AGAIN!” Severus roared, the veins of his neck protruding painfully. “Now that the Dark Lord is gone, I will no longer be tolerating this kind of behaviour at this school! Slytherin or not, you would do better to keep your idiotic prejudices to yourself – because if I ever hear you or anyone else use such terminology again, you will learn the hard way that there are worse things to go through other than the Cruciatus Curse, believe me!” With that, he pushed Nott away from him.

“To show you just how unacceptable your behaviour was, I shall deduct 250 points from Slytherin,” he continued, not giving him a chance to speak. “In addition, you will be serving detention twice a week for the rest of the school year; I do believe that Mr Filch could use some help scrubbing the toilets. You will also no longer be permitted to attend any Quidditch games or take part in any Hogsmeade weekend visits. Oh, and I shall also deduct another 50 points for your assault on that Ravenclaw boy.”

Giving him one last scowl, he pointed down the hallway. “Now, get out of my sight!”

Severus watched on in disgust as Nott hurriedly picked up his wand before scurrying off into the depths of the dungeons. Taking a few minutes to regain his composure, he remembered himself around that age.

An outside and a misfit, he had always tried so very desperately to fit in. He’d only had one real friend in his entire lifetime who had truly cared for him – Lily. But in his foolish arrogance, he had managed to screw even that up. It had been then that he had made the biggest mistake of his life: joining Voldemort’s ranks and becoming a Death Eater.

Subconsciously rubbing his left forearm, he felt disappointed in how ignorant he had been. Looking back, it was so easy to see the stupidity of it all – bitter witches and wizards who hadn’t been able to accept the fact that the blood purity they so frantically tried to cling onto no longer possessed any significance whatsoever and a maniac who had turned himself into a monster trying to become immortal. Severus may not be able to change the past, but he would be damned if he let this idiocy carry on any longer.

Shaking his head, he turned around and went back into his office. At first glance, he thought that Granger had somehow managed to sneak out while he had been telling her attacker off as he couldn’t detect her anywhere in the little room. But then he discovered her sitting on the old, rickety three-legged stool he kept in the back corner, her legs hugged tightly to her body.

“Miss Granger –“

At his words, she abruptly startled up, and Severus could see her tear-streaked face. She was a blubbering mess. An agonised sob escaped her mouth before she quickly hid her face behind her hands.

Stunned, Severus walked over to her and carefully placed his hand on her quivering shoulder, trying very hard to ignore how his heart seemed to skip a beat as he touched her.

“Miss Granger,” he repeated. But yet again, he only received more pitiful whimpers in response.

Snape let out a deep sigh before squatting down in front of her. While he had made many students cry in his days, he had never tried to console one before.

“Please look at me, Miss Granger. Why are you so distraught?” he asked in what he believed to be a soothing tone.

After a few more sniffles and sobs, her shaking voice could finally be heard coming from underneath the mountain of untamed curls.

“He’s right,” she said softly, keeping her face well-hidden.

Severus frowned. “Certainly not. Even though Mr Nott may be of a different opinion, the positions of Head Girl and Head Boy are important ones that have proven themselves useful for many centuries now and – “

“No,” she interrupted him hoarsely. “He’s right about me being a Mudblood.”

Severus was flabbergasted. “Don’t say –“

“BUT IT’S TRUE!” she practically screamed, her head shooting up to reveal the anguished expression on her blotchy face. “Voldemort may be dead, but things haven’t changed! In people’s eyes, I will always be worth less because I am Muggle-born. It doesn’t matter how hard I try; even if I’m the best at everything, I will never be more than a, a –“

A lone tear escaped her chocolate brown eyes. “A filthy Mudblood.”

When Severus didn’t react immediately, still too dumbfounded to speak, she grimaced bitterly before jumping up and bolting for the door.

“Miss Granger, don’t –“ he pleaded, grabbing her by the wrist which in turn caused her to lose her footing and fall back onto him. Unable to remain upright following the accidental collision, he soon found himself on the dusty floor, with the bawling girl lying on top of him.

Severus promptly tried to get back up again, embarrassed by the sudden physical contact, but Granger just sobbed even louder and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Fuck. Fuck. What is she doing?!

He momentarily panicked, not knowing what to do. But then – following a sudden urge inside of him that could only be described as the basic human instinct to comfort the suffering – he awkwardly embraced her shaking frame and started to slowly stroke her back.

“Miss Granger,” he muttered gently, the words leaving his mouth seemingly involuntarily. “I might have to obliviate you after saying this, but believe me when I say that you are worth more than all of Britain’s pure-bloods combined. This school has never seen a pupil as brilliant and smart as you. It is not your fault that those backward-thinking fanatics cannot come around to accept that one’s blood status has nothing to do with one’s magical abilities, you being the best example for that. You are not worth less just because you were born to non-magical parents. If anything, you are superior to those of us who grew up solely in the wizarding community, as you can move around the Muggle world freely without causing much of a stir – you’ve got the best of both worlds, really!”

When his lousy attempt at a joke was met with only more wailing and trembling, he hurriedly carried on with his speech. “Besides, you are a war hero, Miss Granger! If it hadn’t been for your wits and resourcefulness, Potter would have been killed a long time ago; probably not even at the hands of the Dark Lord but rather due to a botched brewing attempt or the like. You played a key role in the downfall of the most dangerous wizard to have ever existed, and any Death Eater that is still left out there as well as those who continue to sympathise with that antiquated mindset would do better to fear you. I mean, none of my Slytherins were even brave enough to become my apprentice. Tell me how anyone could claim themselves to be of superior descent if they cannot even bring themselves to face the bat of the dungeons? Not that any of them would have been academically ambitious enough anyway …”

Severus made a small pause before he continued, “As hard as it may be, do not let their ignorant remarks get to you, and do not let yourself be consumed by hatred for them either, as there is already enough hate in the world as it is. If anything, feel pity for them. Their dim-witted pride occupies them so much that they cannot even get any joy from life. They let themselves be controlled by their fear of becoming insignificant, of losing the power they once held. They cannot admit to themselves that they have nothing left but their half-burned family tapestries filled with incest and tragedy. And once they come to their senses and realise their mistakes – which hopefully, they one day will – be the bigger person and forgive them. The heavy burden of their sins will be punishment enough. I –“

He struggled to find the right words. “I myself am guilty of such a shameful past, and I have spent the last 20 years paying for it. Unfortunately, some people do not seem to learn from history, and it truly mortifies me to see my Slytherins, the students of my beloved house, follow in the footsteps of their misguided parents. It’s … it’s just not right and it never will be.”

No longer audibly crying, the girl in his arms appeared to have at last been calmed down by his words, and Severus was glad about that; just like many men, he was absolutely terrified of a woman’s tears. Taking a deep breath, he finally did what he had done so rarely in life and never to a student at that: He apologised.

“My actions towards you were so often intolerantly mean, Miss Granger. Not only regarding the unfortunate incident with the Boil Cure, which was really caused by my carelessness rather than yours; but also all the years I let you and your …” Trying not to upset her any further, he searched for a neutral word to use for her dunderhead friends. “Peers suffer from my admittingly despotic teaching style. I had to uphold a certain façade, of course; considering that I was still pretending to be on the Dark Lord’s side. However, I often took it too far. Especially you, Miss Granger, should not have been put through all that, as you were an excellent, outstanding student. I know that I certainly do not deserve it, but I hope that you can find it in your heart to one day forgive me.”

Not daring to breathe, he waited for a response – but there was none. Granger remained completely quiet.

Sheer terror arose inside him. Had he gone too far? Did she feel cornered by his sudden confession? Oh, he knew that he shouldn’t have done that! Opening up to anyone – particularly a student – was just asking for trouble. Now she would undoubtedly go out and tell all of her moronic little friends about how much of a weak pussy he really was, and then they would never take him seriously ever again! Just the thought of it was enough to cause him to abruptly become irate.

“Enough of this nonsense,” he said in his typical cold and threatening voice. “For your pathetic behaviour, I shall deduct 40 points from Gryffindor. House of the brave, my arse! Now, get off me at once!”

Still, no response.

“Miss Granger?” Severus asked a bit less forcefully this time, a look of slight confusion appearing on his face. “Miss Granger! … Hermione?”

Just then, a loud snore escaped Granger’s lips – she had fallen asleep minutes ago.

Not wanting to wake her up now that she had finally settled down, Severus carefully readjusted her position on his body and let his head fall back until it came to a rest on the stone floor. He would wait a while to make sure that she was properly asleep before moving her off him and getting back to work. And meanwhile, he would just ignore that stupid feeling forming in his stomach.

Yes, that’s what he would do.

*************** *************** ***************

When Hermione woke up the next morning, her body was aching terribly, but at the same time, she felt extremely well-rested. To tell the truth, she hadn’t slept that well since her fifth year. Sirius’ death had made it all real back then, and she had been battling terrible nightmares ever since. A faint smile appeared on her face – maybe those days were finally behind her!

Her eyes still closed, she snuggled up closer to the life-size teddy bear behind her which her older cousin had won for her at their town’s fair more than a decade ago. Only that teddy bears normally didn’t groan or pull you closer to them – and so the brunette was abruptly wide-awake.

Understandably shocked and confused, Hermione’s eyes flew open, but she immediately flinched in pain; for some reason, her eyelids were swollen and hurt when she tried to open them. How weird, had she been crying?

A quick wandless healing spell later, she was finally able to take in her surroundings. Not that this helped her confusion at all: All she could see was a dark room, dimly lit by a few magically enchanted candles fixed to a dark grey stone wall. Was she in the dungeons? If so, she certainly couldn’t remember how she got there. And why was she lying on the floor? The young woman was quite frankly baffled.

Just then, her “teddy bear” called attention to himself yet again with another loud grunt, reminding her of what had caused her to wake up in the first place. By now, she was certain that whoever was behind her wasn’t her beloved stuffed animal, of course; as it was not only a mere Muggle product without the ability to move or make sounds, but it had also been located on the bed in her childhood room the last time she’d seen it. So who was it that was holding onto her with that grip made of steel?

She frantically ran through the possibilities in her head and for a split second, she even believed herself to have been kidnapped by one of the few remaining Death Eaters still at large, but she quickly dismissed that thought; one of Voldemort’s fanboys surely wouldn’t be hugging her spoon-style.

The next scenario that her mind came up with was a drunken night that had ended in a make-out session with some random guy. Not that she had ever done anything like that before, but that was what always happened in the movies, right? She couldn’t remember getting drunk; however, Hogwarts was famous for its secret student parties. Normally, it would have been her job as Head Girl to prevent those, but what if she had got herself caught up in something just this once?

Hermione furrowed her brows. Oh god, what if it was Ron?! Had she finally given into his advances? She couldn’t help but feel sick to her stomach at the thought of his bloated lips kissing her mouth and his pasty hands roaming her body. If that was really what had happened, then their friendship would be over – there was just no way she could ever look him in the eyes again.

And so even though she would rather not know, she simply had to find out whose hands were holding onto her waist at this very moment. Gulping, she slowly turned her head towards the person behind her. But instead of seeing the expected ginger head of hair and the freckled face of her best friend, she was looking straight into the sleeping face of Severus Snape.

“Oh no,” the girl whispered, her eyes wide in shock. “Oh no, no, no, no, no! What the –“

When the sudden noise caused him to stir, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand – it wouldn’t do any good to waken the Dungeon Bat before she had figured this whole situation out.

After what felt like an eternity, the wizard finally settled down again, and it was only after her lungs started to ache that Hermione realised that she had been holding her breath.

Okay, Hermione, relax! There has to be a reasonable explanation as to how you and Professor Snape ended up like this. Just think!

Purposely avoiding looking in her cuddling partner’s direction, Hermione racked her brain – but she simply could not come up with a plausible reason for their current situation. She didn’t have any classes taking place in the dungeons on Friday evenings and she also couldn’t remember having any extra apprenticeship lessons scheduled with her tutor; not that she would have had agreed to one in the first place. So why had she come down here? And what’s more, what had led to her and Professor Snape cuddling on the cold floor of his office?

Already close to a panic attack, the previous night’s events finally came back to her: How Theodore Nott had attacked her. How Professor Snape had come to her rescue. How she had been able to hear him tear the Slytherin apart. How she had broken down crying. How she had tripped and fallen onto her teacher who had then tried to comfort her. How safe she had felt in his strong arms before drifting off to sleep.

Hermione’s relief about this G-rated explanation was short-lived, however, because she soon noticed how her professor’s face was just a mere inch away from hers. Being this close to him felt so embarrassingly intimate that she couldn’t help her face turning beet red. She made a feeble attempt to remove his arms from around her body, but that just caused him to squeeze her even tighter. Merlin’s pants, what was she supposed to do now?

Trying to ignore Snape’s soft snoring, she pondered for a few seconds before ultimately reaching down between them. After some awkward fiddling, she finally managed to extract her wand from the pocket of her skirt. A basic conjuring spell later, she was holding a fairly large white pillow in her hands.

She took a shaky breath – so far, so good. Now came the tricky part: In one swift movement, she slipped out from between his arms while simultaneously replacing her form with the cushion. While the Potions Master certainly didn’t seem too happy about losing his cuddly toy – Hermione could have sworn that she even saw him pout for a split second – he soon settled back down. His apprentice exhaled in relief.

Trying not to make a sound, she stood up and quickly made herself presentable again by smoothing out her rather wrinkly clothes and fixing her tousled hair. Checking her wristwatch, she realised that it was only 4.53 a.m. – with a bit of luck, it was still early enough for her to sneak back to her tower without anyone noticing.

But just as she was about to head for the door, Hermione took another look at the sleeping man. Snape looked surprisingly peaceful as he lay there, with a five o'clock shadow gracing his cheeks and a bit of drool coming out of the corner of his half-open mouth. He definitely didn’t look as angry or threating anymore, that was for sure. Not that Hermione had ever been scared of him; she had never truly believed him to be that mean monster all the other students – especially her fellow Gryffindors – made him out be. Yes, he had definitely intimidated her during her younger years and he had even made her cry once or twice. But knowing that he had been putting his life on the line trying to save the world from Voldemort, Hermione had always respected and trusted the Potions professor. He was one of the good ones, regardless of how grumpy and nasty he could be. And while he had deeply hurt her feelings with his mean words following the accident, she couldn’t be mad at him anymore after his actions from the previous night. He had not only saved her from an attack, but he had also tried to console her.

A small smile appeared on her lips as she stepped closer to his sleeping figure. Leaning forward, she examined his face. While he certainly wasn’t a classic beauty, he could still be considered handsome. His hair looked a bit uncared for and his nose was a little too big, but with that strong jawline and those prominent black eyebrows, that only added to his rugged and manly look.

He looked so calm and content in that moment that Hermione almost reached out her hand to touch his cheek. Instead, she swiftly conjured a blanket with which she covered his resting form. She then walked over to his desk, which was still filled with dozens upon dozens of documents and essays, and ripped a small piece of parchment paper off a blank roll. Using Snape’s golden quill, she quickly scribbled down some words before quietly moving to the door and leaving the room, the dark-haired wizard still sound asleep on the floor.

*************** *************** ***************

It was not even an hour later when Severus opened his black eyes. Still dazed, he let out a hoarse grunt as he propped himself up on one elbow. He wasn’t surprised about waking up in his office; he had oftentimes found himself there after being summoned by the Dark Lord and spending long nights at Death Eater raids. However, he had never woken up with a pillow underneath his head and a fluffy blanket draped across his body.

Following a brief moment of confusion, he remembered the previous night.

I must have fallen asleep as well.

After a quick scan of the room, he was sure that he was alone. Feeling a heavy migraine approaching, Severus let out a deep sigh before climbing to his feet. He didn’t even want to think about the Gryffindor’s opinion on him now.

With a simple flick of his wand, he swiftly sleeked down his jet-black hair and made his beard stubbles disappear before making his way to the desk. While he felt absolutely whacked physically, he had to admit that he had slept surprisingly well. In fact, he hadn’t slept that well since his own years as a student. Severus frowned. Not that that had anything to do with the little know-it-all, he told himself.

Slumping into his leather chair, he was just about to reach for one of the bottom drawers in search of some bottle of hard liquor to drown his memories of the previous night in when he noticed a short note written in that small, neat handwriting he knew all too well sitting on top of a pile of yet to be corrected essays.

Thank you. – H.

As he read the brief scribble, he could feel a strange, warm feeling that he hadn’t known in about two decades creep through his body.

Shit.

He was starting to like Granger.

(Click here for chapter 12!)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 12: A Friend For The Lonely Beast At Last

(Click here for chapter 11!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

The following days went by way too fast, and the weekend was over before Severus knew it.

He had spent the two chilly autumn days locked away in his quarters, not leaving the cold confines of the dungeons even once. While he would normally spend his free days hunting for rare potion ingredients and interesting literature or working on improving his already impeccable brewing technique, he had passed the past 48 hours buried beneath countless pillows and thick blankets in his large four-poster bed. The only contact to the outside world had been provided by the school’s ever-diligent house elves, who had both kept the Potions Master’s rooms clean and delivered warm meals three times a day – not that the man had touched much of the food.

On Monday morning, Severus woke up with a throbbing headache. A quick look at his watch told him that breakfast was probably already in full swing, but he didn’t feel like eating. Most of all, however, he didn’t feel like facing a certain brunette before he absolutely had to. So instead, he got up and moved to the bathroom with sagging shoulders.

As he was standing in the shower a few minutes later, letting the icy cold water pour over his lithe body, he tried hard to ignore the intrusive thoughts that had been plaguing him all throughout the past days. They all had something to do with some newly discovered and rather confusing feelings for a little know-it-all, of course.

While he had dismissed his earlier impure thoughts about Granger as the simple result of prolonged abstinence, these confounding emotions were of a whole new calibre. Physical attraction was one thing; he could deal with that. But fancying one of his own students – let alone maybe falling in love with them – was simply too much. It made him feel almost physically ill.

Severus had never been one to handle his own feelings well, and his relative inexperience when it came to the opposite sex – especially in the romantic sense – only added to his confusion and uncertainty. The only woman he had ever been interested in, the only one he had ever loved, was Lily. And he had always thought that she was the love of his life. Even almost two decades after her violent death, her mental image was still looming over his scarred heart. The redhead had been the one thing that had kept him going throughout the war; she had been the only reason he had tried so desperately to keep that stupid Potter boy alive – and the only reason he had continued to live.

But now, he was slowly but surely starting to question all that. Whatever it was that he was beginning to feel towards Granger was so different and so much more intense than anything he had ever experienced before. Somehow, it even felt more powerful than his love for Lily had ever been to begin with. And over the weekend, the wizard had come to the shocking conclusion that the only reason he had ever been that obsessed with his childhood sweetheart was because she had been one of the few people to ever show a genuine interest in him as a person. Whether Severus liked it or not, he had always been someone who craved the attention and acceptance of others. That had been the main reason he had joined the ranks of the Dark Lord in the first place. Lily had been his friend, she had treated him with respect; and teenage-him had mistaken that for love. Looking back, he realised that it had never been her that he’d been craving; it had been her kindness towards him. The fact that his personal archenemy had also quickly started to show an interest in her had only made Snape more determined to make her his, of course.

His feelings towards Granger were of a different nature. She had never been his friend; in fact, Severus was pretty much sure that she hated him just as much as the rest of the student body – even if she never really showed it. So it wasn’t her continued affection he desired. No, he wanted her. He wanted to run his calloused fingers through her voluminous curls, he wanted to listen to her babble on for hours about some random boring topic, he wanted to hold her and sleep next to her like they had done in his office. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t striving to possess a woman but rather to give himself to her – and it was driving him absolutely insane. Even forgetting the fact that she was his pupil and personal apprentice, those feelings still managed to make him feel vulnerable and weak.

The half-blood sighed before stepping out of the shower and drying himself off with a towel. He took his time with the rest of his morning routine, but it didn’t take long before he found himself in the Potions classroom, surrounded by an annoying, hyperactive flock of second-years. And unfortunately, it seemed to only take a blink of an eye before those young students were then soon replaced by the seventh-years – with Hermione Granger being on time for the first time in weeks.

Severus noticed her presence instantly. She looked the same as always – her brown mane was pulled back into a classic Dutch braid, and her spick and span uniform was topped off with her polished Head Girl badge – yet somehow, the sight of her gave him an armada of butterflies in his stomach. She must have noticed his intense gaze, too; as she gave him a quick but radiant smile before hurrying to her usual seat in the front row. He would have lied if he had said that that small gesture didn’t make his dark heart jump a little.

Staggered by his inner turmoil, the professor frowned as he waited for the class to settle down. As soon as the last chitchat faded away, he briskly made his way towards the front of the classroom. Lightly tapping his wand against the black board, a dozen or so rows of brewing instructions appeared.

“Today –“

He let out a small cough, trying to get rid of that sudden lump in his throat.

“Today, you will be brewing Doxycide. Now, as you all surely are aware, this specific potion has the purpose of temporarily stunning Doxies. These fairy-like creatures are common household pests, so this remedy will likely prove useful to each and every one of you at some point. As anyone with even just a handful of braincells would know, these beasts are –“

The Gryffindor’s eyes were following his every move, and he was uncomfortably aware of that. They seemed to burn through his skin right into his soul.

“Um … bad.”

The little slip-up had an instant impact. There was immediate commotion, with loud chatter practically bouncing between the heads of shocked teenagers, and Severus’ eyes grew big as he unsuccessfully tried to mask his own surprise – never in his entire career as a teacher had he ever tripped over his own tongue like this before!

Not having the slightest clue how to handle this most unprecedented situation, he simply muttered a quick “The required ingredients can be found in the supply cupboard. You may get started.” before disappearing into his office, his long black robes whirling up around him as he did so.

*************** *************** ***************

Snape waited an extra ten minutes following the chime of the old Clock Tower before finally emerging from his hiding place, making certain to give the students enough time to finish up their potions, clean their workspaces and leave.

As he re-entered the dark teaching lab, he scrunched up his large nose at the foul smell of Doxycide; while he’d become inured to most unpleasant smells over the years, he for some reason still could barely stand the solution’s disgusting stench. Nonetheless, he marched to his desk and was just about to sit down and organise the countless parchment rolls spread across the table when a soft voice suddenly caressed his ears.

“Professor Snape?”

Startled, he spun around. Standing on the doorstep, there was Granger. Her heavy book bag swinging from her delicate shoulders, she was holding another three or four books in her arms. Over the course of the lesson, some of her locks had become undone and were now framing her freckled face nicely.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to take you by surprise!” Biting her bottom lip, she gave him a quick grin.

“Miss Granger, I …” Severus was at a loss for words. Trying hard to ignore his beating heart, he was frantically searching for something, anything to say. Never before had he struggled for words like this in front of a student.

When he didn’t continue, Granger stepped into the room and said, “Oh, well, I apologise for ambushing you like this, but after what happened last Friday, I really feel like we should talk.”

“Fuck!” Severus thought panicked. “Now she will accuse me of being a bloody pervert! What kind of teacher falls asleep hugging a student, anyways?! You really should have known better, Severus! She has probably already reported you to that duffer of a headmaster and demanded to switch apprenticeships! Hell, the whole school likely already knows about that little slumber party, what were you –“

“Thank you.”

Snape was completely taken aback. “Wh-what?”

Her rosy cheeks became even redder. “I would like to thank you, sir. What you did for me was more than kind. The way you defended and comforted me … I cannot express my appreciation enough.” She flashed him another shy smile. “Oh, and also thank you for sending that house elf up to my rooms with my belongings after I ran off. That was very thoughtful of you.”

Severus could only stare at her, his mouth slightly agape. “So … you are not going to switch to another professor?” he asked meekly, the disbelief in his voice clearly audible.

Granger laughed nervously. “No, of course not,” she answered as she fiddled with the cuticle of her right middle finger. Furling her eyebrows, her gaze then wandered to the floor. “If anything, I’m here to apologise for my behaviour over the past couple of weeks. I just … overreacted, I guess.”

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, during which the flustered wizard did not allow himself to breathe. Could it really be that she was grateful for his actions? Perhaps she didn’t dislike him after all? While he would never – could never – permit himself to give into his irrational emotions, Severus let himself believe for just a split second that maybe, just maybe, the two of them could become something like friends instead.

Don’t be stupid! She may not hate you, but she still thinks of you as nothing more than an old, crusty codger.

Or did she? Helplessly overwhelmed by his inner conflict, he simply had to know the witch’s true feelings. Meeting her hazel eyes with his, Severus silently and effortlessly delved into Granger’s smart mind. As soon as he entered, he was amazed – he had never encountered such an extraordinary brain before. He didn’t have time to marvel at it, however, as he was in a hurry to search for any thoughts concerning his person before the Muggle-born would notice his presence inside her head.

Once he found them, however, he was stunned – there was not the least bit of hatred or disgust. Instead, Severus was rushing through a vortex of muddled memories.

First, he found himself in his own classroom more than six years ago, watching a slightly younger version of himself hold his typical introductory speech in front of a bunch of bright-faced 11-year-old Slytherins and Gryffindors. Looking around, he soon spotted a familiar bushy-haired, buck-toothed girl. Concentrating on her, he was able to feel the astonishment and admiration radiating from her.

The next memory seemed to be a couple of years younger, located yet again in the dungeon classroom. He saw himself aiding to a hurt Neville Longbottom lying on the ground after what seemed to have been another botched brewing attempt. Standing amongst the crowd of students gathered around the scene, a fourth-year Hermione Granger was looking at the two of them with both worry and fondness in her eyes. To Severus’ surprise, the latter seemed to be directed at both of them equally. He didn’t have a lot of time to process this, however, as the image promptly vanished before his own eyes.

The last distinct memory was only a few months old, taking place in a little suburban town somewhere in Muggle England. A casually dressed Granger was sitting on a small twin bed situated in what he suspected to be her bedroom. He raised an eyebrow at the various shades of green that the room was arranged in before stepping closer to the young woman. She was presently bend over a piece of parchment paper, and upon closer inspection, he realised that it was a letter from Hogwarts – an application for the apprenticeship programme, to be more exact. He watched as she used a small beige-coloured quill to fill in Professor Severus Snape next to the words Desired Tutor. Looking at her bare, makeup-free face, his breath was taken away when he saw her grin broadly, seemingly filled with excitement. Astonished, Severus slipped back into reality.

“Is everything okay, sir?” Granger asked with obvious concern in her voice, blissfully unaware that her privacy had just been invaded.

Snape gulped. “Yes, Miss Granger. Everything is quite all right.”

And when the girl smiled at him this time, he couldn’t help but smirk back at her. Perhaps they could become friends, after all.

(Click here for chapter 13!)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 10: Oh, How Intimate First Names Can Be!

(Click here for chapter 9!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Severus cut her off before she could even get a single word out.

“Miss Granger, today, you will be preparing a rather easy potion which you have already learnt about during your early years at this school: the Cure for Boils. As I will be instructing the first-years in how to brew this particular potion tomorrow morning, I thought that it would be wise to have some ready-made phials of it on hand. After all, we both know how foolish and dim-witted some students can be.” He was, of course, referring to how Neville Longbottom once had made a cauldron melt while unsuccessfully trying his luck at this very concoction.

“Now, when you first learnt how to brew the Cure for Boils, you used a formula from Magical Drafts and Potions. This time around, however, you will be working according to the instructions found in the Book of Potions as that version does not consume as much time. As you can see, I have written the directions on the blackboard. You may take the required ingredients from the storage room and get started.”

As Miss Granger obediently and – by the grace of the gods – for once wordlessly got down to work, the Potions Master sat down behind his desk. He pulled up some essays to correct; however, he couldn’t concentrate on them no matter how hard he tried. He stared at the letters and words written in smudged ink for what felt like hours, but his mind couldn’t seem to form coherent sentences out of them. It appeared as though this was becoming some sort of pattern for him; he hadn’t been able to be productive for weeks. Whenever he would try to do some research or even just to read a book, his head would start to fill with images of a certain insufferable know-it-all.

Severus was hopelessly distraught. He was beyond disgusted with himself for acting like a teenage boy going through puberty all over again. It didn’t matter whether he was eating in the Great Hall, teaching in his classroom or walking through the castle’s ever-busy corridors – whenever there was a quiet moment, he couldn’t help his thoughts wandering to his apprentice. To combat this, he was trying to keep himself as busy as possible and had even began to lash out at the student body more than he usually already did. But his desperate attempts proved to be fruitless; once he would lie in bed at night, the darkness engulfing him, he couldn’t put a stop to his imagination anymore.

His mind would be plagued by mental pictures of the Gryffindor Princess, some real and some nothing but chimerical. Miss Granger in his private laboratory, bend over a cauldron, small beads of sweat running down her slender neck into her cleavage. Miss Granger in his sitting room, spread across the fluffy carpet in front of the fireplace, reading one of his beloved books while only scantily clad. Miss Granger straddling him on his bed, a cheeky smile on her face as she moves in to kiss him with those luscious lips of hers.

Worst of all, he couldn’t help his body’s reaction to these forbidden thoughts either, and that made him feel like a complete sicko.

Severus knew that he was doomed. Why oh why did this have to happen to him out of all people?! The Head of Slytherin – a former Death Eater and more often than not referred to as the greasy git of the dungeons – lusting after Gryffindor’s on-site smartass who was half his age; could it really get any worse? Had he honestly gotten so desperate for female touch that he had to resort to fantasising about a girl still wearing her school uniform?

He had only been in love once in his life and that had ended in tragedy. Except for some random encounters with witches he didn’t care for, he didn’t really have any experience when it came to the opposite sex. And so even if his silly, little crush weren’t so immorally wrong, it could never work out anyways. The Dungeon Bat wasn’t exactly what one would call a chick magnet. His nose was disproportionately large, his skin was almost sickeningly pallid, and his entire body was battered and scarred from the torture he had had to endure as a follower of the Dark Lord. A smart girl like Hermione Granger could never love an old wreck like him.

NO! Who was even talking about love?! Severus was simply getting turned on by her admittingly rather shapely form, that was all – he was a man, after all. Yes, while he had had many good-looking students walk into his Potions classroom over the years – with some of them even having being stupid enough to try to offer themselves to him in exchange for better grades – none of them had ever caused such a reaction before; but that was probably just due to the fact that the war was finally over now. With him not having to constantly fear for his life anymore, his body was seemingly starting to act “normal” again and that included his libido, too. With not many options available to him cooped up here in the middle of nowhere, it was no surprise that he would eventually stoop as low as to desire someone as annoying, overzealous and pesky as Granger. Mind you, she had indeed grown up to be a beautiful and attractive young woman. Him suddenly not getting irritated anymore by the constant flow of questions leaving her mouth and instead thinking about that very mouth in a perverted way meant absolutely nothing; he was simply horny.

At least that was what Severus was trying to tell himself.

To make matters worse, he had gone completely overboard with that stupid birthday gift. After having been forced to play along with this silly tradition, Snape’s mind had been completely blank on what to get his apprentice. Following a frantic one-hour search of his rooms, he had still not been able to find anything suitable for an 18-year-old girl.

“Well, she is a bookworm …” he’d thought after finally deciding on his volume of Long-forgotten Secrets of the Mayan Wizarding Culture – Potions, Spells and More. Severus had never been a huge fan of this book to begin with; while it was certainly a good read, he had always thought that it was completely overrated and therefore not worth hanging on to. Still, Miss Granger would probably get some enjoyment out of it somehow.

He had only realised his mistake once he had already sent off the owl. Even if he himself didn’t think much of the book, the witch would surely be bewildered as to why her teacher would gift her something so rare and valuable. There was no doubt in his mind that she would start to question his intentions sooner rather than later.

Severus let out a small grunt. He would have to find a way out of this misery. From here on out, he would try to further limit his contact with Miss Granger; continuing to outright ignore her during class and giving her tasks to complete elsewhere instead of holding their apprenticeship lessons. He could also do some research and look for a potion that would help suppress his bodily desires. Worst case scenario, he would simply have to pay a quick late-night visit to the sketchier part of Diagon Alley and find a willing Galleon-seeking witch to take his sexual frustration out on. Perhaps he could also have a talk with Albus and ask him to reassign Miss Granger to –

Suddenly, there was a loud blast coming from the other side of the room. Alarmed, Severus looked up from his papers, but all he could see was a half-destroyed cauldron and a lot of dark blue smoke – there was no sign of his young pupil.

His heart leapt into his throat. “HERMIONE!” he cried out before sprinting to the scene of the accident. With a quick flick of his wooden wand, he at once got rid of the chaos, and it was then that he discovered Miss Granger lying on the cold dungeon floor, covered in a mixture of unfinished teal-coloured potion and what he suspected to be blood. Her head of curls was a fuzzy mess and her face was completely drained of colour.

Severus immediately dropped to his knees and grabbed her by the arms to pull her onto his lap. Thankfully, the brunette was still breathing; however, the blow of the explosion seemed to have knocked her out.

He feverishly thought about what could have caused such a catastrophe; brewing Boil Cure was a simple task after all. With a brief glance at the blackboard, it finally dawned on him: He had forgotten to add a warning to only stir the potion very gently after adding the pickled Shrake spines; otherwise they tended to get “overexcited” and therefore become explosive. The Potions Master had obviously assumed that Miss Granger would have known this already, but it seemed as though even the knowledge of Hogwarts’ most brilliant student wasn’t all-encompassing.

Severus couldn’t help but to silently scold himself for this rookie mistake as he swiftly conjured up a cushioned stretcher on which he then carefully laid down his apprentice. After a quick visual assessment of her injuries, he was sure that the damage wasn’t too bad apart from some cuts and bruises. As a next step, he ripped open her singed and torn blouse, trying hard to ignore her now visible frilly bra. Using some basic cleaning spells, he made quick work of the sticky potion and blood mixture before focusing on the main problem.

“Vulnera Sanentur,” he whispered as he dragged his wand along the wounds on her chest and arms. He had invented this very spell during his own years as a student; and while it had originally been intended to mend severe injuries, it had become his go-to healing spell over time – because naturally, he had always had the most faith in his own creations.

A quick Repairing Charm later, Miss Granger’s tattered clothing was back to its original state. Severus then disappeared into his storage room just to come back out a few minutes later with a crystalline phial in one hand and a small jar of ointment in the other. He placed the latter on a table nearby before yet again kneeling down next to his patient. Supporting her head with his left hand, he poured a few drops of Wideye Potion down her throat; it had come from the very batch they had brewed together not even two weeks earlier. Sitting back on his heels, all he could do then was to wait for her to wake up.

Soon enough, Granger started to stir and eventually let out a muffled groan before opening her brown eyes, seemingly disorientated. It was only when she attempted to sit up that her teacher spoke up.

“You shouldn’t try to get back up quite yet … unless you enjoy feeling lightheaded, of course,” he said with an icy undertone as he stood up and moved back to his desk, sensing her questioning look following his every move. He sat down in his black leather chair and waited for her to speak.

“What happened?” she finally managed to ask, her voice still husky.

“It seems as though I have overestimated your brewing abilities greatly, Miss Granger, as you appear to have disregarded the required safety precautions concerning the use of Shrakes in potions, subsequently blowing yourself up. As a result, you have not only forced me to interrupt my work and come to your aid, but I will now also have to utilize my free time later this evening to prepare the required potion for tomorrow’s class. For this unbelievable foolishness, I shall deduct 15 points from Gryffindor.”

A tiny tear started to slip down her left cheek, but whether it was caused by the pain from her injuries or his cold words the wizard did not know. The incident hadn’t been completely her fault, of course; but Severus didn’t care. He told himself that she should have better than to make such a ludicrous mistake. Now that he knew that she would eventually make a full recovery, worry and shock was replaced with sheer anger – anger over his doom-laded error, anger over how distressed the sight of her unconscious and wounded body had made him, anger over how he was nothing but a slave to his primal needs and anger over how he had frantically called out her name just minutes earlier. He was practically seething.

“I will let you know that I expect better from someone who is not only this school’s Head Girl but also my personal apprentice. I expect a lot better … Now, I suggest you take this jar of dittany,” he commanded sternly, pointing to the small tin sitting on the desk to her right. “As I am sure you know it prevents scarring. Or maybe you don’t. Who could be sure after such a grave mishap?”

Apparently, he’d gone a step too far with his mocking, because the young woman’s crying promptly turned into uncontrollable sobs. Standing up abruptly, still a bit unstable on her legs, she bolted from the room, leaving the ointment as well as all of her other belongings behind. Snape grabbed the pieces of parchment covering his desk and flung them against the dungeon wall in blind rage. Damn Hermione Granger, damn those oversensitive Gryffindors, damn his own emotional turmoil!

Later that night, Severus was lying in his bed and staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

“Hermione,” he whispered, letting the name roll off his tongue in a hushed voice.

For some reason, saying her given name out loud seemed a lot more intimate than any of the deviant, shameful fantasies he’d had about little Miss Granger.

(Click here for chapter 11!)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 9: Girl Talk

(Click here for chapter 8!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

“Hermione, would you mind if Ron and I go now? Not to be rude, but we have Quidditch practice and … you know,” Harry said sheepishly.

Hermione couldn’t help but smile. For her birthday, Ginny and the boys had surprised her with a truly lovely evening. They had caught her after Transfiguration class and brought her to her private chambers which had been decorated using a seemingly completely random assortment of silly and rather tacky Muggle party supplies. As a result, the four of them were now sitting in her small bedroom amidst an explosion of colourful balloons, gigantic honeycomb balls made of flimsy tissue paper as well as lots and lots of cheap, glittering plastic streamers.  There was even a cheesy banner hanging on one of the walls that read HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMIONE! XOXO in big, bold letters. How her friends had orchestrated all of this, she did not know. Even after some intense questioning on her part, they had refused to disclose how exactly they had managed to gain access to the password-protected Head Girl Tower without her knowledge; however, Hermione had the sneaking suspicion that a certain free elf may or may not have had something to do with it.

Naturally, the trio also hadn’t forgotten to shower her in gifts, all of which were now neatly stacked on her dresser, right next to all of the other presents she had already received earlier during the day: a beautiful bouquet of fragrant wildflowers from Neville, a rather peculiar-looking necklace and a handmade card from Luna, and a parcel filled with an abundance of merchandise from the newest Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes product range, courtesy of Fred and George. Needless to say, Hermione wasn’t planning on touching or especially using any of the joke items, but she still greatly appreciated the thought.

The newest additions to this small collection were a small, round bottle of fairly pricey perfume from Ginny, a fluffy scarf made of thick, mulberry-coloured wool with a matching beanie and half-mittens from Ron (though Hermione thought it likely that he hadn’t actually bought them but rather had them made by his warm-hearted mother) as well as an expensive quill set from her favourite stationary store in Diagon Alley and an interesting book about wizarding tattoos – which were permanently charmed upon application and therefore moved across sections of the body similar to the way magical photos or paintings did on canvas – from Harry. The Muggle-born had almost let out a little laugh when realising that it was the exact same volume that she herself had purchased from Tomes and Scrolls only a few months prior and that was now sitting on one of her shelves in this very room. Not that she would ever tell him – it was the gesture that counted, after all!

“No worries,” Hermione said. “Of course you can go! I know how important this last season is for the both of you.”

“And besides,” the youngest Weasley chimed in. “Hermione and I need some time to ourselves for a long overdue girl talk anyway! With all this school work and stressing out about Quidditch, we really haven’t had the chance to chat in like forever. I’m sure you won’t mind me missing out on one training session, right?” she asked, as if they hadn’t already hashed all of this out beforehand.

“Not at all,” Harry answered lovingly before moving in to give her a quick peck on the lips, with Ron demonstratively looking the other way. After having the weight of constant threats and fear for the lives of his loved ones lifted from his shoulders following the end of the war, it seemed as though the young wizard with the famous lightening scar was finally feeling comfortable enough to have a normal and out-in-the-open relationship with his redheaded sweetheart.

The two boys then hugged the birthday girl goodbye before making a swift exit. As soon as the door shut behind them, Ginny turned to Hermione with the biggest grin on her face; it almost made the freckles on her rosy cheeks look like they were dancing.

“We finally did it, Hermione!” she exclaimed excitedly.

Absentmindedly picking at the remaining crumbs of a cake that had once read Sweet Eighteen, the older girl frowned in confusion. “Who did what?” she asked.

“Harry and I! You know …” Her expression turned cheeky.

“Oh … OH!” The nature of the topic instantly made the witch feel awkward. “Um, well, that’s great for you, Gin!”

“Thank you! Oh Hermione, it was absolutely wonderful! We sneaked out late night on Saturday and met up in the Room of Requirements. I don’t know what Harry asked for exactly, but he definitely aced it! The whole room was decorated with rose petals and floating candles; and there was a huge canopy bed and even a fireplace! I can’t even begin to tell you how long I’d been waiting for this moment and it turned out just perfect! Harry was so gentle and …”

Hermione listened to her babble on with only half an ear. She was happy for her best friend, of course; but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a little sullen. With the majority of her teenage years having been spent cramming for exams while trying to keep Harry alive and out of trouble, she had never had the time for any romantic escapades. In her juvenile blindness, Gilderoy Lockhart had been her first heartthrob and she had even harboured a small crush on Sirius Black for a while. A quick snog with Viktor Krum underneath the Quidditch Pitch bleachers during the night of the Yule Ball, however, had been the most action she’d ever had. While most people – including Harry, Ginny and probably even Ron himself – still seemed to think that she and the Gryffindor Keeper would someday end up together, Hermione had ruled out that scenario a long time ago. She loved the boy dearly, but he would never be more than a good friend to her; they were just too different. She needed someone more mature – someone who put as much emphasise on intellect and academics as her. But did someone like that even exist in the first place?

“… And I’m just so happy right now! I really feel like our relationship has been taken to a whole new level.” Ginny paused for a second. “Anyway, enough of me. Now tell me what’s been going on in the life of Hogwarts’ smartest smartass.”

“Hey!” Hermione proclaimed exasperatedly, but she did have to giggle when she saw the redhead’s smug expression – her friends had all figured out a long time ago how to rile her up using foul language. “Well, not much really. I’ve just been studying, fulfilling my duties as Head Girl, doing my lessons with Professor Snape and –“

“Galloping gargoyles! I’d totally forgotten about you and that slimy bastard!” the younger girl shouted, ignoring her shocked and appalled look. “You know, I still can’t believe that you chose him as your tutor! I mean, I’m already having a hard time with how strict McGonagall is being with me, and she can’t be even half as bad as that minger. How are you holding up?”

“It’s really not that bad. I mean, yes, he does make me work hard, but I knew that going in. And quite frankly, a big workload is not the worst thing – I do want to improve my brewing skills, after all. Plus, I do think that all of you have a completely wrong impression of Professor Snape. It’s true that he’s quite stern and almost cold sometimes, but he was a true hero during the war; you know that as well as I do. And after allowing me to work in his private lab and giving me that amazing birthday gift, I really don’t believe that –“

“WHAT?” Ginny’s outcry was so intense that her hazel eyes bulged to an abnormal extent. “Private lab? Birthday gift?! What the hell? You haven’t even been working with that plonker for a month and you already seem to be talking about a completely different Snape than me!”

Hermione was more than a little irritated at being interrupted yet again, but she decided to let it slide. “Merlin’s beard, Ginny, calm down! Yes, we are both talking about the same Professor Snape; and yes, he still is the same snarky and spiteful wizard as always. More importantly, however, it wasn’t like he invited me into his laboratory voluntarily. The Hospital Wing was in desperate need of medicine, but the Potions classroom was occupied – so he didn’t really have a choice but to have us use his personal workspace to brew.”

“Hmm, I guess that makes sense. It’s still a bit weird, though.” There was a brief moment of silence. “Wait … Wouldn’t his private lab be inside his personal quarters?”

When she didn’t answer immediately, the ginger-haired adolescent started jumping up and down excitedly on the bed. “By Salazar’s balls, Hermione! I cannot believe you entered the Dungeon Bat’s private chambers and lived to tell the tale! How does it look down there? Is it true that he has every single mirror covered with a piece of cloth so that he doesn’t have to see his own ugliness, just like Charlie used to want me to believe? Oh, you have to tell me everything!”

She rolled her eyes. “Just stop it. It really wasn’t that big of a deal. I had to promise him not to tell a soul anyway. So don’t even try to squeeze any specifics out of me!”

“Oh, come on! You can’t lure me with such a scandalous story and then leave out all the juicy details! You will tell me, even if I have to force you!” And with those words, she dropped to her knees, grabbed one of the bed’s many pillows and started hitting her friend with it ruthlessly.

“OUCH! Hey, Ginny, stop it! AH!” Hermione tried dodging the cushioned weapon, but it was to no avail. “Okay, okay, stop bothering me already! You really are something, Ginevra Weasley – it’s quite mean of you to treat me in such a way on my birthday, you know!” she exclaimed before hastily fixing her now messed-up ponytail. “I will tell you, but not before you promise me not to tell anyone, not even Harry! Professor Snape would kill me if he found out that I dared to blab.”

The redhead was beaming following her victory. “Pinky promise!”

Hermione audibly sighed before proceeding. “Well, his rooms are definitely not what you would expect. I didn’t view them in their entirety, of course; but from what I could see, there wasn’t a speck of Slytherin colours anywhere. It didn’t feel like a dark and gloomy dungeon space either. His sitting room is filled with hundreds upon hundreds of books, some of which I have never even heard of, Gin! Oh, how I wish I could just go back and browse for a few hours! A few of the books seem to be centuries-old originals that were written by hand and –“ She stopped herself when she noticed the annoyed look on the other girl’s face. “Anyway, it’s actually quite cosy down there; he even has a fireplace. And yes, there was a mirror, without any cloth in sight. That’s about it, really. There were some doors leading to other rooms, but he understandably directed me into the laboratory rather quickly. I know that you’re not that into brewing, but let me tell you that even you would be amazed by that place. So much amazing machinery and such rare ingredients! Oh, I could go on forever!”

“Yeah, yeah, please spare me the details. I couldn’t care less about his silly collection –“ Ginny skilfully overlooked her friend’s glare. “The interesting part is that you’ve actually been inside his private chambers. That’s absolutely insane! Just wait until Harry and Ron find out, we’ll be able to play so many awesome pranks on that git! Next time you go –“

“No, Ginny! I told you, you cannot tell anybody!”

“But –“

“NO! No ifs, ands or buts – just stop! You promised me, remember? I don’t think I’ll ever have the chance to go back anyway. Besides, after receiving that terrific gift from him yesterday, I really ought to be thankful rather than play any mean tricks on him.”

To beat her to another overemotional outburst, Hermione quickly recounted Dumbledore’s surprise visit and explained the tradition of giving gifts to one’s apprentice to celebrate them becoming another year older.

“So McGonagall will give me a birthday gift, too?” Ginny asked eagerly. The Head Girl confirmed with a brief bob of her head. “Sweet! But what did the old bugger get you anyhow?”

Hermione furled her eyebrows in distaste before using the Summoning Charm on her new most prized possession and handing it to the girl.

“Huh? It just looks like some old book that’s about to fall apart,” Ginny said, clearly disappointed by the worn object laying on her lap.

“I know that it may not look like much, but it’s the exact opposite. This here,” Hermione lifted the book so that it was on eye-level. “– is one of the most infamous wizarding works ever created. It’s so rare that not even the Ministry possesses a copy of it. Gin, this book is priceless – it’s easily worth more than the net worth of all current and past Quidditch players in the entire world combined!”

Finally understanding the severity of the situation, Ginny gasped. “And Snape still gave it to you?! Why in Merlin’s name would he do something like that?”

“I honestly don’t know. Such a gift would already be considered excessive even if we were friends, so I don’t understand at all why he would give it to me despite his obvious hatred towards me.” She heaved a sigh. “I’ve been racking my brain all day trying to come up with a way to properly thank him, but I don’t think I would even know what to say. I mean, this is the most amazing thing that anyone’s ever done for me!”

(Click here for chapter 10!)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

When Dumbledore decides to bring back the centuries-old Hogwarts tradition of assigning apprentices to the school’s professors, Severus Snape finds himself confronted with having a certain know-it-all invade his beloved potions lab. To his own dismay, however, the Dungeon Bat soon encounters some never before seen feelings bubbling in the cauldron that is his heart.

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Background: In my story’s universe, Voldemort was defeated sometime before the trio’s final year, and they never dropped out of school to hunt for horcruxes. How all of this happened is not really relevant. A lot of characters who died in the books are also still alive, the most obvious being Snape himself. There may be some other changes as well. Canon up to and including OotF.

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Chapter 1: A Strenuous Return

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

King’s Cross railway station was as busy as always on this late Monday morning.

It was noisy and packed as business men in overpriced suits, teenagers skipping their first day of school and backpacking tourists alike were making their way to and from the different platforms. Unintelligible announcements about delayed and cancelled trains were drowned out by an inextinguishable babel of voices and sounds. Strutting towards the station’s exit, a group of dressed up suburban moms were on their way to their weekly shopping spree, chatting loudly and pushing overly expensive strollers while at the same time skilfully ignoring their crying offspring. They passed by a group of foreign travellers who were trying to decipher an obsolete folding map. On the other side of the hall, a rather sloppy-looking worker was grumpily cleaning up what seemed to be a spilled strawberry-banana milkshake from the small coffee shop nearby.

In short, no one was paying enough attention to their surroundings to notice a young, petite woman rushing her way through the giant crowd.

Her long brown locks were sticking out in every possible direction as she was quickly moving through the large entrance hall, a small beaded bag in one hand and an old wicker cat carrier in the other. Unfortunately, her furry passenger didn’t seem too happy about the bumpy ride and tried to take out his frustration by snatching at any unsuspecting stranger passing by.

Her elegant brown leather boots clacking loudly against the dirty stone floor, she was running with evident urgency. Her loose cherry red dress, which she’d combined with a light blue jeans jacket, was swirling around her pale legs as the girl was stumbling down a broad flight of stairs towards the platforms nine and ten. She bumped into several people, who complained indignantly, but didn’t have the time to stop and apologise. She continued to fight her way through the cluster of stressed passengers, sprinting directly towards one of the brick columns separating the two platforms. Clenching her two pieces of luggage, she took a deep breath before running right against it.

But instead of making the expected painful contact, she went right through the sturdy barrier. On the other side, a hidden platform filled with a massive crowd composed of rather oddly dressed people came into sight. The young woman stopped dead in her tracks and took a moment to admire the old train to her left, whose beautiful scarlet engine was already surrounded by thick, opaque white steam. Oh, how she had missed this sight!

Biting her chapped lips nervously, her look darted to the big round station clock overlooking the track: 10.59. She tensed up for a split second just to then abruptly start running again. She yet again battled her way through the crowd, storming towards the vintage train.

She had just jumped on the train when the clock chimed and the door shut behind her, almost losing her footing as the infamous Hogwarts Express pulled out of its secret station.

Her face was flaming red and her chest was aching relentlessly. Breathing heavily, she made her way through the narrow aisle. Her feline friend’s carrier, which still had two big ginger-haired paws protruding from its inside, felt painfully heavy in her right hand. She was well aware of the strange looks that were given to her by the other passengers on the train, but she pretended not to notice. She had learnt long ago not to let these kinds of things get to her and therefore chose to elegantly ignore the clearly audible chatter and the countless eyes following her every move as she marched on.

Leisurely, she walked by the see-through partition walls, checking every compartment in the process. Having almost reached the back of the train, she finally found the little booth she was looking for.

Sliding the glass door open, she earned herself startled looks from the adolescents inside. To her right was the famous lanky boy with the pitch-black hair, the round wire glasses and the clearly noticeable scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead. His arm was wrapped around the shoulders of a girl with long red hair and some faint freckles on her nose. Next to the pair sat a boy with the same vibrant ginger hair, his mouth stuffed with chocolate and his seat covered in candy wrappers. On the other side of the compartment, only two of the three velvet seats were taken. One was occupied by a somewhat chubby boy with a brown head of hair struggling to hold onto a squirming soggy toad and the other by a pale blonde with big silvery-grey eyes wearing an interesting assortment of mismatched clothes.

It was that girl with the characteristic dreamy look on her face who exclaimed in a husky voice, “There you are, Hermione! We’ve been waiting for you.”

Hermione Jean Granger smiled brightly at her friends. It felt so good to finally come back home again.

(Click here for chapter 2!)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 4: Inconceivable Choices

(Click here for chapter 3!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only. 

Hermione woke up with a smile that Tuesday morning. It had been so nice to sleep in one of Hogwarts’ big, comfy beds again. After years of fighting against the forces of evil, the young witch finally felt somewhat at peace and was looking forward to being able to focus solely on her education for her final year of schooling.

Sitting up, she took a look around her new room. After being appointed as the new Head Girl, she’d been moved from Gryffindor Tower to a smaller private one, from which she could see the Great Lake. Instead of having to share a single room with several other girls, she now had her own suite composed of a cosy bedroom, a luxurious bathroom and a small but sufficient study.

Slipping out from underneath the warm covers of her bed, Hermione wrapped herself in a silky cream-coloured robe before grabbing her treasured Muggle watch from the nightstand; she’d gotten it as a birthday gift from her parents almost two years ago and it’d been her loyal companion ever since. A quick look at it told her that she had woken up almost an hour earlier than usual. Not wanting to go back to sleep, she decided to instead treat herself with a long, hot shower.

After washing her body and giving her messy curls a deep clean, the teenager then used her vine wood wand to swiftly dry both her hair and skin. Afterwards, she picked up a decently sized lime green toiletry bag with big purple dots on it and unzipped it to reveal an assortment of Muggle beauty products, which she’d collected during the summers spent at her parents’ home. Making use of the extra time, she fished out a thick, moisturising body butter with a slight peach smell and applied it to her entire body. Next, she moved on to makeup and applied brown mascara, a bit of light pink blush as well as some tinted lip balm to give her face a fresh look. Continuing with her hair, she struggled with taming the wild locks on her head but eventually managed to put them into a cute messy bun. After putting on her beloved uniform – of course, making sure to add her new shiny Head Girl badge – and even using a little magic to make it look absolutely impeccable, she applied some floral-scented perfume as the final step. Grabbing her well-loved school bag stuffed with all sorts of books as always, she then made her way to the first breakfast of her final year at Hogwarts.

“Morning, Hermione,” Ron munched just a few minutes later as he stuffed two pork sausages at once into his large mouth.

The girl smiled as she sat down next to her friends at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. While she had never been an admirer of Ronald Weasley’s table manners (or lack thereof), she was in too good of a mood today to attempt to correct him. Instead, she gave him a friendly pad on the shoulder before greeting everyone else as well. As she helped herself to some toast with scrambled eggs, Professor McGonagall was fulfilling her duties as Head of House by distributing the individual timetables to each Gryffindor student. Taking a small sip of pumpkin juice, Hermione took a look at hers and saw that it didn’t entail any surprises.

“Let’s see … Monday starts off with Charms and Potions, then History of Magic and DADA in the afternoon.” Her heart skipped a beat, however, when she noticed what her very first period of the year would be: She was scheduled to have an apprenticeship lesson with Professor Snape!

Her look darted to the outer end of the High Table and she instantly wished she’d much rather kept her head down. Because the Potions Master was staring at her with such intensity that his dark eyes seemed to bore right into her soul. His already thin lips were pressed together so tightly that they were barely even visible anymore and that gave Hermione an awfully painful lump in her throat. She had of course known that he wouldn’t be ecstatic about the prospect of working so closely with her when she’d first signed up for the apprenticeship programme at the beginning of the summer holidays – but she surely hadn’t expected to get such a look of complete and utter hatred from her teacher.

“Perhaps I should have gone with Professor Vector after all,” she thought anxiously. Just at that moment, Snape stood up and abruptly turned around to leave the Great Hall, his long black robes whirling around his slim figure almost ferociously.

“Unbelievable! It’s the first day of term and the snake is already in a bad mood,” said Harry before chewing off another piece of fried bacon.

“Did you really expect anything else from him? He is and will always be an old wanker,” Ginny responded, not noticing Hermione’s glare at her use of a curse word. “Anyway, what about your timetables? I’m starting off with a double lesson of Charms.”

“Harry and I both have a free period. Not bad for the first day!” her brother laughed.

The Muggle-born frowned. “Ron, you should really take your education more seriously. This is your final year, after all! You are aware of the fact that the N.E.W.T.s will be harder than any exam we’ve ever taken, aren’t you?” But the freckled boy only rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to his breakfast.

“I would also have a free period if it wasn’t for my apprenticeship,” Neville stuttered shyly. “I don’t mind that, though. I really enjoy taking care of the plants with Professor Sprout. What about you, Hermione? Did you also apply for an apprenticeship?”

Hermione gulped. She knew that her friends weren’t going to be exactly thrilled about the news of their most hated teacher being her new mentor. “Well, Neville, I will indeed train under someone. As it happens, I’m also starting next period,” she said, trying to avoid the inevitable.

“Did anybody here seriously even consider the possibility that she wouldn’t sign up for the programme? I mean, it’s practically made for her! I bet she would work with every single professor if she could,” giggled Ginny before turning to her friend who was like the big sister she’d never had. “So, which of them has the honour of tutoring you? It’s Babbling, isn’t it?”

“Ancient Runes is truly a very interesting subject; but no, I didn’t choose Professor Babbling to study under,” Hermione said seemingly nonchalantly as she focused her attention on the incoming morning owl post in an attempt to dodge her friend’s curious look.

“Who is it then? Burbage? Vector? Oh, don’t tell me you chose Binns!” The group of teenagers collectively erupted into laughter.

The brunette sighed. “No, it isn’t Professor Binns. As a matter of fact, I –“ She took a deep breath. “I have chosen to work with Professor Snape.”

“WHAT?!” Even though she’d expected his outcry, Hermione still flinched at Ron’s loud exclamation. Every single head in the Great Hall immediately turned to him. “You chose Snape? That greasy git?! Hermione, you can’t be serious!”

Harry also had a look of disbelieve on his face. “You do know that you will have to work with him for the entire school year, right? How could you do this to yourself? I know that you’re interested in Potions, but it’s still Snape!”

“Professor Snape is not only a highly intelligent man and excellent teacher –“ She purposefully ignored the revolted looks on her peers’ faces. “But he is also an extremely skilled Potions Master. In fact, he is one of the best in his field. Getting the chance to work with him is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – one that I’m not going to miss out on just because of your dislike of him as a person.”

Her best friend shook her ginger head of hair in disbelief. “I know your thirst for knowledge is unquenchable, but I still think you shouldn’t have gone with the Dungeon Bat. You know as well as we do that he will treat you poorly just because he has the power to do so! Have you really learnt nothing in the six years you’ve had to endure his spleen?”

Hermione gave her a slight smile. “I appreciate your concern, Gin, but don’t worry! I know Professor Snape can be a bit of a handful at times, but I’m sure that everything will work out just fine. He can’t be that bad, can he?” While saying this, however, she still had the image of the dark wizard’s furious look in her mind.

(Click here for chapter 5!)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 3: Reviving Traditions

(Click here for chapter 2!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

“I want to thank you all for coming here on such short notice.”

Severus watched from the shadows of an alcove as Dumbledore welcomed the gathered staff members to the meeting. Eight professors including himself as well as Madam Pomfrey were present. Talking to his colleagues while they all waited for their employer to arrive, the Potions Master had found out that not every teacher at the school had received an invitation and also that no one, not even those who had gotten one, knew what this unexpected meeting was actually about.

“I am certain that every single one of you is wondering about the nature of this gathering,” the headmaster said with a rather cheeky smile. “Well, I have decided that since we now have finally reached a period of peace again, I want to bring back a centuries-old Hogwarts tradition. A tradition that some of you who have been a part of our staff for a long time may still remember.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. What crazy thing had the ancient nutter come up with now?

Noticing the professors’ confused looks, Dumbledore carried on, “I am talking about a practice which was a significant part of this school’s educational history for hundreds of years. However, it unfortunately had to come to an end during one of the darkest times of the First Wizarding War as the whole institution had to focus its forces on stopping Voldemort.” Madam Pomfrey and Professor Trelawney both slightly flinched at the sound of that name.

Giving them a sympathetic look, the grey-haired wizard continued, “To cut it short, I have decided to bring back Hogwarts’ prestigious apprenticeship programme. This means that every single one of you here today will be assigned a student who is interested in your subject and wishes to further his or her knowledge in that area. Your apprentice is currently in his or her sixth or seventh year. You will accompany them for the rest of the school year and teach them more about your field of study outside of the regular curriculum. This is going to take place at least twice a week during fixed hours; however, you may agree on more meetings. To aid with this, you will all receive your respective apprentice’s schedule at the end of this assembly. They may also assist you in teaching the first-, second- and third-year students.”

The Dungeon Bat’s eyes grew big. He had obviously heard of the apprenticeship programme before, just like anybody else who had thoroughly read Hogwarts: A History. He even seemed to vaguely remember hearing about it taking place during the beginning of his own years as a student. However, it must have been terminated not long after since it definitely hadn’t existed anymore during his final year at Hogwarts.

Ignoring the obvious astonishment of everybody present, Dumbledore proclaimed, “And I am especially delighted to announce that for the first time in the history of this school, an apprentice will be assigned to the Hospital Wing! Poppy, your protégé will be the lovely Miss Abbott. As I have heard, she is considering becoming a healer after taking her N.E.W.T.s and would love to aid you in taking care of our students.”

While the elderly matron seemed thrilled and yet slightly perplexed about being the first healer to have ever been appointed an apprentice, Severus was still somewhat in a state of shock. There must have been a mistake, he thought. After all, he was very aware of his status as the least popular teacher in the entire school. Even his own Slytherins weren’t too fond of their Head of House; at least not enough to voluntarily become his apprentice and therefore being forced to spend even more time with the so-called greasy git.

“Minerva, I think that you will be pleased to hear that Miss Ginevra Weasley has applied to be trained by you. I believe that we are both well aware of her magical abilities – especially in the field of hexes,” Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. Professor McGonagall herself also seemed quite pleased with her future trainee.

Severus carefully considered all of his Slytherins. But in his opinion, not even Draco Malfoy would willingly become his apprentice.

Meanwhile, the headmaster continued to assign students to the different teachers. “I likewise believe that it doesn’t come as a surprise that our dear Mr Longbottom wants to further his education in the field of Herbology, Pomona. I am certain that the two of you will work together quite well. And I also think that you, Remus, will not be surprised to hear that Mr Potter has asked to be under your guidance.” The werewolf gave a slight knowing smile in response, while the Head of Hufflepuff had a broad grin on her chubby face, some pieces of food from last night’s supper still stuck in her teeth.

The old man carried on in this fashion, assigning the Ravenclaw Padma Patil to Professor Flitwick and her Gryffindor twin sister Parvati to Professor Sinistra, as Severus was still racking his brain trying to figure out who could have possibly requested to be his apprentice. No Gryffindor, that was for sure. And Hufflepuffs, while being obedient, in general lacked the needed backbone to face him.

In the meantime, the wacky Divination professor nodded her head in agreement when Dumbledore declared, “I am sure that you have already foreseen who your mentee will be, Sybill. Miss Brown surely does seem to have a lot of potential as a seer.”

Not even the Ravenclaws, known for their thirst of knowledge, would want to further their education in the field of Potions if that meant being tutored by Slytherin’s head snake. Snape was rummaging about in the deepest corners of his brain, but he simply couldn’t come up with the name of a student who was genuinely interested in his subject while also being brave enough to apply for the position.

“And my dear Hagrid, I am so very happy to say that a student has asked to be further instructed when it comes to your beloved magical creatures. Miss Lovegood seems delighted at the prospect of helping you take care of them.” The friendly giant was obviously shocked and overwhelmed to learn that a student was that interested in his famously unpopular subject. Close to tears, the gamekeeper was shaking so much that he had to be held up by a clearly struggling Flitwick.

“And last but certainly not least: Severus!” The half-blood’s head shot up, startled by the headmaster calling out his name so suddenly. “Now don’t act all surprised, my boy. Somebody has indeed asked to be your apprentice. After all, everyone here knows that Miss Granger never backs away from a challenge,” Dumbledore explained with a wink.

Granger! Of course, how could he have forgotten about the insufferable know-it-all herself? Only she would be interested enough in such a complex subject to sign up for a year of forced collaboration with a former Death Eater. Severus groaned – how was he supposed to make it through an entire school year with the irritating Gryffindor Princess as his personal apprentice?!

(Click here for chapter 4!)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 2: An Unpleasant Surprise

(Click here for chapter 1!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Severus Snape snorted in disgust as he was making his way through the cold, dark dungeons he was so familiar with.

He’d left the Start-of-Term Feast as soon as possible. The Potions Master had never been fond of this, in his opinion, redundant tradition, but the headmaster deemed it necessary for all core staff members to attend the festivity. As always, Severus had been disappointed by the new first-year students.

“Just another bunch of prepubescent troublemakers without any appreciation for knowledge and not an ounce of respect for authority,” he thought grimly. He surely was going to take great pleasure in showing them why everyone feared the so-called greasy git of the dungeons.

Finally reaching the bizarre painting of a seemingly maniac knight riding a famished donkey, which hung in a hidden corner of one of the most desolate parts of the dungeons, Severus ignored its resident’s strident battle cry as he quickly mumbled his secret password before entering his private quarters. Once inside, he removed his thick black robes, revealing an all-white dress shirt.

The time since the war had ended had been good to him. While he continued to be covered in countless scars all over his body, he had gained some much-needed weight and was now filling his clothes out nicely. He had still not fully recovered from all he’d had to endure, of course; but he was physically healthy at least. Unfortunately, regaining his bodily health also meant his scary image had suffered some damage. No longer looking like a haggard dungeon ghoul, the infamous professor could not rely on his ominous, nightmare-inducing dark presence anymore. However, all of that just meant that he needed to work a little bit harder – and be even meaner and nastier – to ensure that those useless brats would show him the respect he deserved.

Severus was just opening the first of the many buttons of his shirt, badly longing for a cold shower after such a long day, when he noticed a small roll of parchment paper tied to a tiny pouch which was lying on his much-loved reading chair. Frowning, he walked over and picked up the little package. The small bag was made of vivid pink silk embroidered with silver sequins along the seam.

“That annoying, stupid old man!” the teacher hissed.

He gingerly separated the colourful sack from the parchment roll and opened it. Several pieces of Dumbledore’s favourite candy, sherbet lemon, fell to the floor, some rolling under the plum coloured wing chair.

The half-blood cursed under his breath as he grabbed the paper and unrolled it. The letter read:

Severus, I would like to invite you to an important staff meeting taking place in the Great Hall before breakfast tomorrow. Even though this is last-minute, attendance is compulsory. Undoubtedly, you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this little get-together. Your friend, Albus P.S. I do hope that you enjoy these delicious Muggle sweets as much as I do!

Snape scowled. A surprise staff meeting was the last thing he needed right now. Crushing a few pieces of yellow confectionery under his heavy black dress shoes, he finally headed to the bathroom, now craving an icy shower more than ever.

Later that night, as he was lying in bed, the black-haired man pondered over the headmaster’s invitation again. “Your friend Albus Dumbledore,” he whispered. No – the old wizard was wrong.

Severus Snape didn’t have any friends.

(Click here for chapter 3!)