"Holy SHIT!" Came the loud scream from outside the Potions classroom.

Snape glanced up and frowned, obsidian eyes narrowing dangerously. With a dark scowl, he set the Potions text down and slowly stalked towards the door. He pulled it the rest of the way open and stuck his head out into the hallway.

Peering around, his scowl deepened as he realized there was no one in the immediate vicinity. Shaking his head so his greasy hair fell in strands across his face, he stepped back and closed the door.

Upon turning around, he realized the entire class was looking curiously his way. An aggravated glare sent them all hurriedly adding ingredients or stirring their potions. The Potions master picked up the text book and opened it to the page he'd been skimming over.

"FUCK!" This time, the shout was still muffled, but closer, and was accompanied by a loud bang.

Severus glowered and slammed the book down on his desk where he'd been leaning against the mahogany wood. Scowling, he stalked towards the door and yanked it open. "Sir! Professor!"

A boy he recognized as a fourth year Ravenclaw shoved past him and into the classroom. Trembling, the boy grabbed him by the sleeve of his cloak and pulled him away from the door before yanking it shut behind them.

Shaking, the boy slid down the wall, back against the stone. He gasped, whimpering as he curled up into a ball. Snape sneered down at the child, furious at the rough treatment he'd received.

"Well? What is the meaning of this nonsense?" He asked darkly.

"I'm s-sorry sir…" The boy wheezed between the dry sobs that were wracking his body. "T-They're trying to k-kill me…"

"What?" Snape asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "What foolish nonsense are you spouting, boy?" He snapped, temper fraying.

"Th-there are monsters out there!" Came the trembling reply.

Snape arched an eyebrow. "Monsters?"

The boy shakily nodded his head, brown hair flapping into his eyes. "They're trying t-to eat p-people…"

Severus snorted. "Eat people? You say there are monsters out there trying to eat people?" The Potions master smirked. "Well, let's see these monsters."

He reached around the boy and gripped the door handle. "NO!" The Ravenclaw was on his feet in a second, and he grabbed the Potions master's arm. "You can't go out there!"

Snape sneered and shook the boy's hand off his arm. "Fine." He said, deciding to play along. "What are these so called 'monsters' like?" He asked.

"Th-they're just like humans, like us, but they're not. They're…have you ever heard about the muggle monster zombie?" The boy tried to explain.

Snape pursed his lips. "Yes." He replied stiffly, not liking where the conversation was going.

"Well, that's what they are. They're zombies." The Ravenclaw said, dead serious.

Snape barked out a laugh. "Zombies? You expect me to believe there are zombies in Hogwarts?"

The boy nodded, hazel eyes wide with panic. "Please, sir, you have to believe me!" He begged.

"Hmm…no." With that, he opened the door and hauled the Ravenclaw towards the exit. "Next time you think of disrupting my class, at least come up with a plausible explanation." With that, he shoved the boy out the door and slammed it behind him before stalking to the front of the classroom again.

From behind the door in the hallway, the boy let out a horrified wail that echoed through the dungeons as he sprinted away. Snape scowled and turned to face the class, who had all watched the exchange curiously.

"Back to work!" He snarled. "I'm surprised half of your potions haven't spoiled already."

He snatched the book of his desk, sat down in his leather chair and cracked it open to the page he had last read. "AhhhhAHHHHHH!" Came the screech from in the hallway.

Most of the class glanced around nervously. "Professor?" Pansy asked.

Snape glanced up. "Yes, Ms. Parkinson?"

"What if he was really telling the truth?" She squeaked.

Snape let out an infuriated sigh. "There are no zomb-"

"AHHHHH!" He slammed the book down onto his desk and stalked to the door.

He wrenched the door open and scowled out into the hallway. "What the devil is going on out here?" He shouted.

"OH, FUCK!" Came another desperate shout, followed by a loud crash.

"What are you idiots doin-"

"PROFESSOR! THERE ARE ZOMBIES ATTACKING THE SCHOOL!" Screamed a random student, who barreled into the classroom with a frenzied look on his face.

"WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Snape roared into the boy's face.

"There are zombies! Apparently a House Elf brought in the disease and it spread to a student and they spread it to everyone that's recently been in the Infirmary." The Hufflepuff explained.

"Unnghhh! Rarrrrhhhgggg…." Something distinctly humanoid shuffled down the hallway, and made strange grunting noises.

Snape frowned. "This ridiculous prank has gone far enough." He growled, then stalked out into the hallway and towards the so called 'monster', cloak billowing dramatically.

"You there!" He snapped.

"Nyuhhggg…" Was the only half- there response.

"Stop this foolish escapade at once!" He ordered. "Or it's detention with Filch for a month!"

"Unnrgghhh."

"Professor? I wouldn't do that if I were you…" The Hufflepuff called as Snape approached the 'monster'.

Severus ignored the boy and glared at the shuffling figure. "Well?" The thing looked up, and slowly, Severus realized this was not a student. The person once had been, but now…

Eyes widening, Severus reached for his wand. "I'm armed." He said, immediately feeling ridiculous.

"RRRNNNNGGGGHHHH!" The thing charged, and Severus stumbled back against the wall.

"STUPEFY!" He shouted.

The magic had no effect on the zombie-like creature. "Nyugh!"

Snape had had enough. Without a second of hesitation, he whirled on his heel and bolted back to the classroom. As he entered, the Hufflepuff slammed the door shut to the monster, who angrily roared and began pounding against the wood.

Snape turned and looked at the Hufflepuff. "Name?"

"Danforth. Ellis Danforth." The boy said.

Snape nodded. "If this is a prank, this is your last chance to come clean." He warned.

The boy nodded. "Thank you, sir, but it's not."

Snape frowned. "Well. Seeing by the scent the…zombie…carried and the way it moved, it would appear that it has been dead for several hours."

Ellis nodded. "Yeah, that's about when it started."

The class looked around nervously, and Severus' eyes narrowed. Then, they began to form a plan.