I've been working on this one for a while. It was one of my first ideas. Set in the Goblet of Fire when Neville gets a detention for melting his fifth cauldron in potions. Enjoy!
Disclaimers: This world is all J.K Rowling's- and bless her for inventing it!
Neville Longbottom trembled as he stood outside the door. He glanced at his wrist before remembering that he'd lost his watch, again. His Grandmother would not be happy. The young Gryffindor looked back up at the door to one of his least favourite places, the dungeon office of Severus Snape. Finally he remembered what his was doing and knocked once.
"Enter," said an expressionless voice. Neville's knees seemed to weaken in fear as he pushed open the door and shut it behind him, feeling as though he was locking his own jail cell.
"Late Longbottom," Snape eyes were narrowed as he glared at the small boy. "Ten points from Gryffindor,"
Neville bit his lip as he walked towards the desk. "S-sorry sir,"
Snape merely sneered at the quivering child. Snape pulled a large wooden barrel from under his desk.
"Today you will be disembowelling horned toads." Neville peered into the barrel and drew back. The strange toads inside were remarkably large and fierce looking.
He began to reach inside and fearfully plopped a toad onto Snape's desk.
"What are you doing?" hissed an outraged Snape. "Ten points from Gryffindor. I don't want my desk getting dirty. Do it on the table!" He pointed to a table that was off to the side and flung the toad back into the barrel. Neville was staring fearfully at him.
"Go on then, move the bucket, I don't have all day." Snape hissed. Neville put a hand on either side of the barrel and lifted it with all his strength. It was very heavy.
Suddenly he squealed and dropped it. It landed, luckily, on the small table, loosing only a few toads over the edge.
"What is wrong with you?" Snape snapped.
"Sorry Professor I-I just saw one try to jump out..." He was looking fearfully at the toads.
"They're all dead, foolish boy. I doubt one could very well move!"
Neville felt, once again very stupid. Snape seemed to have a gift for making him feel that way. He didn't exactly trust Snape's word on the toads though. Then the Potions Master drew Neville's attention back.
"You will use this." He was holding a rather sinister looking knife. Neville came around the desk slightly to get it. As he reached for the handle he had a sudden, fleeting image of the Potions Master stepping forward to plunge the knife into his chest. Neville gasped and withdrew his hand.
Snape hadn't missed the sudden flash of terror. So, the boggart stories were true, the boy was terrified of him. He couldn't help grimacing as he passed the knife over much more quickly. Neville took it this time and all but ran back to the table. Was he really that scary?
He guessed it was partly for the best, he didn't want anyone getting too friendly, they were to respect him, not befriend him, and he didn't want anyone's pity. Yes, perhaps it was better to have the Longbottom boy in fear of him...
Neville's heart was beating a mile a minute. He had seen what he assumed was a malicious smile when he'd drawn back. Snape was probably laughing at him right now. As Neville lifted the first toad and held the knife over it he realised that he had no idea how to disembowel a toad. He lifted the knife in a few false starts before pushing the point awkwardly into its slimy flesh. With strange half-stabbing movements he finished that toad and moved on. As he guessed his way through the process Neville didn't hear Snape's silent approach. He certainly wasn't ready for it when the head of Slytherin leaned in and said "You're doing it wrong!"
Neville jumped so violently that the knife stabbed right into the back of his hand. Howling in pain he clutched it close to his chest. Snape blinked in surprise and then sighed.
"Clumsy, Longbottom, ten points from Gryffindor." He was completely exasperated with Neville's constant foolishness which always seemed to end in him hurting himself.
"Give me your hand." Neville looked terrified as he slowly relinquished his grip on it and held it out, shaking. Snape grabbed it and jerked it roughly closer to himself. He whipped out his wand and Neville let out an audible whimper, which Snape chose to ignore.
The potions master jabbed his wand onto the cut and murmured a small string of words. The hole closed over and the blood was siphoned off.
"Get on with your work boy." Snape said, as though that would have been obvious, Neville wasn't going to be excused for the hospital wing, though his hand still ached.
Neville stumbled as he turned back to the desk, wishing he'd never melted the cauldron that had landed him this detention. He picked up the knife and continued in the only way he knew how. Snape decided to ignore his bad workmanship; he'd just take points off for it at the end.
Snape lifted an essay from the top of his pile. Fantastic, it was Longbottom's. He skim-read it and without a second thought and with a smirking grin towards the writer he marked it with a large "T".
Then he moved on through the pile. Potter, "D" , Ron "D", Draco "E", Hermione, a very grudging "E" and so on.
Neville felt he was slowly getting the hang of things, but every time it looked like it was going fine, he'd do something wrong and ruin it. He wondered what the toads would be used for; a few seemed to have been stained when he'd bled on them. He wondered if it would affect the potions made from them. He secretly hoped one would blow up in Snape's face because of it. Then, after what must have been hours, Snape came up behind him again.
"Don't you learn boy!" He snapped. It was with great difficulty that Neville managed to avoid cutting the very same finger.
"I told you, you were doing it wrong! Ten points from Gryffindor for your mistakes, Longbottom. Now, you may go."
Snape picked up the blood-soaked knife, cleaned it off slowly and turned to put it away. The boy was still there. "I thought I told you to be gone. That's another ten points from Gryffindor!"
"P-Professor," stammered Neville "Y-You can't d-d..." He trailed off. He had been going to hit Snape with some sort of retort, but looking into his dark eyes he decided not to – Snape was holding the knife after-all. Snape's eyes glistened with malice, as if he knew what Neville had been about to say.
"Goodbye Longbottom," He said firmly.
Neville backed towards the door. As soon as he'd opened it he darted outside and leaned against it, heaving a sigh of relief.
Inside the room Snape tipped the toad parts that passed his inspection into different buckets and jars. He was almost relieved to stop bullying Neville for once. That boy was more trouble then he was worth. And now Snape would have to re-do half the toads because of the boys abysmal work. At least he'd docked fifty points fro Gryffindor.
Hope you liked it, please rate!