As usual it had been a horrible day, or so thought Severus
Snape. He considered most school days to be unpleasant, but
this one had gone beyond the average to say the least.
Today's culprit had been Neville Longbottom, which was hardly
surprising considering the boy's talent for destroying
anything he came within ten feet of. For some inane reason
Dumbledore had required him to teach his seventh years the
Sweet Dreams potion, an elixir that in Severus' opinion was
third year work. One would have thought that the ease with
which this potion was brewed would prevent Longbottom from
botching it (if one had never observed in potions, ever);
however, the brew was a colossal failure. Severus had
unfortunately paused at Longbottom's cauldron to sneer at the
bright pink color the potion had become when it exploded
without warning. As Severus had been bent over the cauldron
at the time he had caught the brunt of the disaster, along
with Longbottom and Parkinson. A few other students had also
been splattered with the thick mixture, which was a bright
pink and smelled cloyingly of roses. It was the potion's odor
that had put Severus into the foulest of moods, as the
nothing he had tried had rid him of the sickeningly sweet
smell. Even after five showers he smelled like a whore of the
bargain variety.
As if his newfound fragrance wasn't bad enough there was still the chance of adverse effects from the potion itself. Madame Pomfrey could not find anything wrong with Longbottom and his two victims but it would be several hours before they could be considered in the clear. Severus had bottled up the remains of the (highly) offending substance so he could examine it at a later date, as it resembled no potion he had ever come across. He was especially curious as to why it had exploded in the first case-it had exhibited none of the warning signs and had seemed stable before it erupted from the imbecile's cauldron. The incident posed an academic puzzle, and despite his anger and disgust with the Longbottom boy Severus' curiosity demanded that he study the substance further, odor or no odor. In fact he wished he could be studying the mystery potion right now, but he realized that further exposure to its fumes while still under the potion's influence could exacerbate its effects, whatever they might be. So instead he determined to go to bed early in an attempt to end this day as soon as possible. He had incarcerated Longbottom in the infirmary under Madame Pomfrey's astute observation; if the boy exhibited any symptoms the mediwitch would summon Severus and Pansy Parkinson to the infirmary. Severus certainly had no desire to spend his evening around students and had spared Parkinson a night under observation as well, not out of any desire to be considerate to the pug- faced girl but as a way to further punish Longbottom.
So it was under these circumstances that Severus had foregone his usual nightly prowl in order to turn in early. He had a headache that had only gotten worse over the course of the day despite the headache- relieving potion he had taken this morning. He had been prevented from taking his desperately needed afternoon and evening doses for fear that they would interact with Longbottom's dubious creation. A sixth shower did nothing to improve either his mood or his aroma. Some of the potion had made its way into his nose, which had worsened his headache and was a real worry when one considered how easy it was for substances to enter the blood stream through the sinuses. He lay sprawled on his bed and tossed and turned until falling into a fitful slumber. He almost immediately began to dream, and in a manner most enticing. For a year now he had noticed the numerous charms of one Hermione Granger, and now he was having an extremely erotic dream about her. Dreams being what they are the constraints that would make such a relationship completely unthinkable were gone, and in his dreamscape he was young again and unblemished by his association with Voldemort. As he slowly slipped out of his dream state he whispered 'if only.'
** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** **
In the infirmary Madame Pomfrey watched as Neville Longbottom finally fell into sleep. Over the years the clumsy boy had wound up in the infirmary many times and she had become quite fond of him. He had a sweet innocence about him that reminded her very much of his mother. The matron also had a great deal of sympathy for Neville, both because of his parents fates and because she knew the woman who raising him in their absence. Lorena Longbottom was in a word 'scary', and Poppy theorized that it was Snape's resemblance to the strong willed witch that frightened Neville so. In fact there was some speculation that Lorena was actually the illegitimate daughter of Simeon Snape, Severus' great- grandfather. Poor Neville, to suffer the scrutiny of Lorena at home and of Severus at Hogwarts. Poppy sighed and smoothing the boy's brow settled in for a long night of observation, cursing Snape under her breath.
Pansy Parkinson was also readying herself for bed, lamentably alone. Amongst the Slytherins she had a reputation for being desperately boy crazy. Outside the walls of Slytherin House her Slytherin fellows treated her well enough, but they gossiped about her mercilessly away from the eyes of the other houses. They tolerated her (somewhat) because her family was powerful and because they knew that Snape would flay them alive if they failed to show their House in a good light; he might not take away points from his own House but freely handed out horrendous punishments to those who offended his sense of Slytherin decorum. Amongst the serpents she was an object of much derision, but being Slytherins they mostly kept these jibes behind her back. Draco Malfoy paid court to her only to curry favor with her father. He was slated to marry her in order to join the powerful Malfoy and Parkinson dynasties, but planned to keep a mistress (or several) and to have relations with her only as long as it took to produce an heir. So far her had avoided any further intimacy with her than a kiss here and there and intended to keep it that way for as long as possible. He had just fended off another of her attempts to lure him to her bed by again feigning a deep fear of bring caught by Snape. Having once again escaped her clutches he beat a hasty retreat to his dormitory and for the lack of a better word 'hid'.
Unaware of the activities of her classmates and Professor, Hermione Granger prowled the school concealed by Harry's infamous (and infinitely useful) invisibility cloak. She had lost track of time studying for the upcoming NEWTs (upcoming in eight months that is) and had missed dinner once again. Luckily Harry had noticed her absence and had left his cloak out for her so she could sneak food from the kitchens. This was actually becoming something of a routine in Harry and Hermione's seventh year, and the Head Girl was now extremely familiar with the route from Gryffindor Tower to the kitchens. She was therefore very surprised to see a new painting hanging in the corridor directly outside the kitchen. This corridor was generally populated with the most unpleasant of Hogwart's many paintings, such as the portrait of Flavius the Flatulent (he was actually a very important wizard of the eleventh century, but his many contribution to wizardkind were overshadowed by his unfortunate dietary choices and resulting gastric distress). Next to the offending artwork now hung a new painting, this one a class portrait from the looks of it. On closer inspection Hermione noted with shock that it was a depiction of the class of 1978, Harry's parents' graduating class. She found this development curious indeed, as Harry had explored the majority of the castle over the course of his academic career and had never mentioned a painting with his parents in it. She would have to tell him of its existence so he could have a chance to talk with his mum and dad. The painting was giving off the faint murmurs of student conversation, and Hermione leaned closer to hear and see better. There she saw Lily, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, as well as a plump young witch who reminded her strongly of Neville, standing close together, whispering excitedly to one another and jostling each other playfully. They all waved merrily at Hermione and she grinned and waved back. The Slytherin contingent was decidedly more aloof, smiling arrogantly and merely acknowledging her presence with slight nods. Hermione was surprised to see a figure standing off to the side, not smiling but gazing back at her with an expression that was merely neutral. This must be Professor Snape as he was in his seventh year. She found his isolation to be very sad and reached out to smooth his hair. Suddenly she found herself being pulled through the painting, much the same way as Alice was pulled through the looking glass.
As if his newfound fragrance wasn't bad enough there was still the chance of adverse effects from the potion itself. Madame Pomfrey could not find anything wrong with Longbottom and his two victims but it would be several hours before they could be considered in the clear. Severus had bottled up the remains of the (highly) offending substance so he could examine it at a later date, as it resembled no potion he had ever come across. He was especially curious as to why it had exploded in the first case-it had exhibited none of the warning signs and had seemed stable before it erupted from the imbecile's cauldron. The incident posed an academic puzzle, and despite his anger and disgust with the Longbottom boy Severus' curiosity demanded that he study the substance further, odor or no odor. In fact he wished he could be studying the mystery potion right now, but he realized that further exposure to its fumes while still under the potion's influence could exacerbate its effects, whatever they might be. So instead he determined to go to bed early in an attempt to end this day as soon as possible. He had incarcerated Longbottom in the infirmary under Madame Pomfrey's astute observation; if the boy exhibited any symptoms the mediwitch would summon Severus and Pansy Parkinson to the infirmary. Severus certainly had no desire to spend his evening around students and had spared Parkinson a night under observation as well, not out of any desire to be considerate to the pug- faced girl but as a way to further punish Longbottom.
So it was under these circumstances that Severus had foregone his usual nightly prowl in order to turn in early. He had a headache that had only gotten worse over the course of the day despite the headache- relieving potion he had taken this morning. He had been prevented from taking his desperately needed afternoon and evening doses for fear that they would interact with Longbottom's dubious creation. A sixth shower did nothing to improve either his mood or his aroma. Some of the potion had made its way into his nose, which had worsened his headache and was a real worry when one considered how easy it was for substances to enter the blood stream through the sinuses. He lay sprawled on his bed and tossed and turned until falling into a fitful slumber. He almost immediately began to dream, and in a manner most enticing. For a year now he had noticed the numerous charms of one Hermione Granger, and now he was having an extremely erotic dream about her. Dreams being what they are the constraints that would make such a relationship completely unthinkable were gone, and in his dreamscape he was young again and unblemished by his association with Voldemort. As he slowly slipped out of his dream state he whispered 'if only.'
** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** **
In the infirmary Madame Pomfrey watched as Neville Longbottom finally fell into sleep. Over the years the clumsy boy had wound up in the infirmary many times and she had become quite fond of him. He had a sweet innocence about him that reminded her very much of his mother. The matron also had a great deal of sympathy for Neville, both because of his parents fates and because she knew the woman who raising him in their absence. Lorena Longbottom was in a word 'scary', and Poppy theorized that it was Snape's resemblance to the strong willed witch that frightened Neville so. In fact there was some speculation that Lorena was actually the illegitimate daughter of Simeon Snape, Severus' great- grandfather. Poor Neville, to suffer the scrutiny of Lorena at home and of Severus at Hogwarts. Poppy sighed and smoothing the boy's brow settled in for a long night of observation, cursing Snape under her breath.
Pansy Parkinson was also readying herself for bed, lamentably alone. Amongst the Slytherins she had a reputation for being desperately boy crazy. Outside the walls of Slytherin House her Slytherin fellows treated her well enough, but they gossiped about her mercilessly away from the eyes of the other houses. They tolerated her (somewhat) because her family was powerful and because they knew that Snape would flay them alive if they failed to show their House in a good light; he might not take away points from his own House but freely handed out horrendous punishments to those who offended his sense of Slytherin decorum. Amongst the serpents she was an object of much derision, but being Slytherins they mostly kept these jibes behind her back. Draco Malfoy paid court to her only to curry favor with her father. He was slated to marry her in order to join the powerful Malfoy and Parkinson dynasties, but planned to keep a mistress (or several) and to have relations with her only as long as it took to produce an heir. So far her had avoided any further intimacy with her than a kiss here and there and intended to keep it that way for as long as possible. He had just fended off another of her attempts to lure him to her bed by again feigning a deep fear of bring caught by Snape. Having once again escaped her clutches he beat a hasty retreat to his dormitory and for the lack of a better word 'hid'.
Unaware of the activities of her classmates and Professor, Hermione Granger prowled the school concealed by Harry's infamous (and infinitely useful) invisibility cloak. She had lost track of time studying for the upcoming NEWTs (upcoming in eight months that is) and had missed dinner once again. Luckily Harry had noticed her absence and had left his cloak out for her so she could sneak food from the kitchens. This was actually becoming something of a routine in Harry and Hermione's seventh year, and the Head Girl was now extremely familiar with the route from Gryffindor Tower to the kitchens. She was therefore very surprised to see a new painting hanging in the corridor directly outside the kitchen. This corridor was generally populated with the most unpleasant of Hogwart's many paintings, such as the portrait of Flavius the Flatulent (he was actually a very important wizard of the eleventh century, but his many contribution to wizardkind were overshadowed by his unfortunate dietary choices and resulting gastric distress). Next to the offending artwork now hung a new painting, this one a class portrait from the looks of it. On closer inspection Hermione noted with shock that it was a depiction of the class of 1978, Harry's parents' graduating class. She found this development curious indeed, as Harry had explored the majority of the castle over the course of his academic career and had never mentioned a painting with his parents in it. She would have to tell him of its existence so he could have a chance to talk with his mum and dad. The painting was giving off the faint murmurs of student conversation, and Hermione leaned closer to hear and see better. There she saw Lily, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, as well as a plump young witch who reminded her strongly of Neville, standing close together, whispering excitedly to one another and jostling each other playfully. They all waved merrily at Hermione and she grinned and waved back. The Slytherin contingent was decidedly more aloof, smiling arrogantly and merely acknowledging her presence with slight nods. Hermione was surprised to see a figure standing off to the side, not smiling but gazing back at her with an expression that was merely neutral. This must be Professor Snape as he was in his seventh year. She found his isolation to be very sad and reached out to smooth his hair. Suddenly she found herself being pulled through the painting, much the same way as Alice was pulled through the looking glass.