Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter universe. It all belongs to JKR and Warner Brothers.
Damn
by Lucifer's Mistress
Carolyn took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She closed her eyes and told herself that it was just detention and not her beheading. But he had been so angry... she hadn't meant to put the snake fangs in before the dragon blood. She hadn't meant to burn a hole in her cauldron causing the rather acid-ish contents to burn the table and his shoes. Why was this such a disaster? The only class she really wanted to excel in... well she wouldn't mind higher grades in her other classes... but anyway, how was she ever going to impress him if she kept mucking everything up?
"Enter" His familiarly cold voice sounded through the door. She tried the door handle and the door swung open easily.
"Miss Catt." He didn't look up from whatever he was doing, sitting at his desk. Her throat went dryer than cotton and she couldn't make a sound. She wanted to die. This wasn't her first detention, but she was sure it was the most horrible one. Why, why, why did she have to have this stupid crush?
"There are some cleaning things over there," He waved his hand at a bucket and a rag, "clean the floor, it will be spotless. Is that clear?" He finally looked up, burning into her eyes with his. Her knees went weak. Damn. She managed to nod. Was it a nod? Maybe her neck just gave up with holding her head straight. Her jaw was so clenched that it was starting to hurt. She didn't want to blink for some reason. Because of that her eyes were beginning to water. She began to feel dizzy.
'Something is not right.' She thought as she sank to the floor. She felt like she had been twirling in circles for hours on end and then suddenly stopped. Her head was heavy and everything was blurred. She made a desperate noise and choked back a sob. What was happening to her?
"You are not getting out of detention by behaving like that Miss Catt." Professor Snape said so icily that her insides felt frozen for a split second. Then everything went black. It was as if she had closed her eyes. The world went still and her stomach stopped doing flip flops. Everything felt normal. Except she couldn't see anything. Sheer terror ran through her veins as the thought took over her brain.
'I'm blind.'
"Professor, where are you? I can't see anything. Please help me..." She trailed off as she started to cry. This had to be the single most terrifying thing that had ever happened to her. And it had to happen here. In front of him. Why did the world hate her?
"Miss Catt, what are you trying to accomplish?" The Professor snapped, obviously annoyed.
"Please help me. Please... I can't see!" She was beginning to get hysterical. Everything was just black. There was nothing. She could feel as she blinked, but it didn't matter. Everything was just as black.
"Miss Catt?" Her Potions Professor sounded much closer than before, and he wasn't snapping. He sounded a bit worried.
"You really can't see anything?" He asked, sounding more than a little suspicious. She tried to look in the direction his voice was coming from, but it was difficult when his voice was so soft and so sharp. She wished she could see his eyes.
"No..." She sniffed pathetically. She felt his hand clasp her jaw and steer her face in some direction. One finger was pressed to each side of one of her eyes.
"The color in your eyes is fading, I think you're actually going blind." He said, sounding a bit bewildered and a bit like he was talking to himself.
"Tell me exactly what happened." He then ordered, gaining his authority back.
"Well, I was just walking to get the bucket and things, and then I got really dizzy, it was as if everything was spinning and then everything just got really blurred and then black. Everything is black. I can't see anything... please, you have to help me. I can't be blind. I don't want to be blind..." She managed to choke the sentence out between sobs. This was so scary and then suddenly the magnitude of her other senses hit her. She could feel his fingers on her skin. It was so clear, more than just touching... it was remarkable. And she could hear him breathing, slightly faster than usual. He was silent other than that. Probably thinking hard.
"I don't know for sure, but this might be a prank played on you by another student. There is a potion that produces the effect of going blind. But it's rather difficult to brew. Do you know anyone that would possibly want to do something like that to you?" He asked calmly. Wow, he really knew how to handle himself in situations like those.
"I don't know... the Weasley twins? I have some people that annoy me and don't like me, but I never play pranks on anyone and no one's really played a prank on me..." Her breathing was slowly becoming normal and she had stopped crying. Her Professor's calmness was contagious.
"Hmmm, I could brew you the antidote, if this was the potion I think it was, your eyesight should return. If not, there will be a small side effect of the edges of your hair turning blue. Want to give it a try?" He asked in a contemplating manner. She felt really grateful for how he was reacting to all this. Not even one mention of the Headmaster.
"If it doesn't work I'm afraid I'll have to take you to the Headmaster's office. I'm sure he'll know what to do." The last part of that was said rather forcefully, as if encouraging words were definitely not his cup of tea. Which they weren't. But she didn't really care.
"I want to try it." She whispered, hoping that her hair wouldn't be turned blue.
He helped her sit down at one of the tables and she detested not being able to navigate on her own. She felt completely helpless.
"I feel so helpless." She spoke her mind freely, but regretted it in this case. She didn't really want her Professor to know.
There was no answer.
"I hope it works, the potion I mean. I'm glad you're the one making it. If I even tried... even if I had my eyesight. I'd end up turning my hair purple and making my eyes disappear from my scull." The sulky words left her mouth before she could stop herself.
"It would make you more attractive for sure." Came the chilly reply. It was like a punch to the stomach.
"Do you really think so?" Wow, her voice had sounded really hurt. She wondered if he'd notice.
"Should you really be asking me?" He shot back, not missing a beat.
"Despite what you may think, your opinion is something of great value to me." What was wrong with her? Had someone put a spell on her that made her say everything she thought?
"I'm honored. You're very pretty. Are you happy?" His voice dripped with sarcasm and she felt like crying again. Instead she held her head high, well it felt like she was holding her head high, and said: "Thank you, I'm quite happy." in the same sarcastic tone.
There was silence for the rest of the period Professor Snape took to brew the potion.
Then, a sudden 'plop' and "Drink up." She reached her hand out to find the hot phial on the table in front of her. She hesitated a second before she drowned the ingredients. She pressed her eyes closed and fervently wished that when she opened them again she would be able to see.
"Open your eyes." His voice was completely blank. She wondered if the edges of her hair had turned blue.
She opened her eyes to find that everything was blurry, but it was getting clearer. And then she could see. She sighed with relief. Thank goodness Professor Snape had known what to do!
She turned her eyes to him and smiled her best grateful smile and said: "Thank you so much, I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't been here with you... imagine if I'd been in the Slytherin common room..." She ran her hands through her hair and suddenly remembered what she was here for. She stood up and walked towards the bucket, filled it up and removed her robe so she was only wearing the rest of the school uniform. She could hear Professor Snape walk over to his desk and recalled his fingers on her skin. Suddenly she heard him say something and all the tables except his desk were hovering in the air. She looked at him questioningly and he smirked,
"To make it easier on you, and don't miss any spots, even if you did just lose your eyesight it's not a sufficient excuse."
She nodded and sat off to work, not facing his desk and hoping her skirt would cover her, she did have a crush on him, but she didn't want him seeing her underwear... yet, anyway.
When she had worked her way to his desk she stood up and faced him. He looked up.
"Yes?" He asked and raised an eyebrow.
She had no idea what she was doing. So how could she tell him? Her mind went blank and a wonderful feeling clouded her brain. Then a small voice in the back of her mind whispered: "Kiss him..." That sounded like a good idea, was all she thought and she walked towards him and pressed her mouth to his. The small voice in the back of her mind kept urging her on and after a moment she could feel her Professor's arms snake around her waist and pull her closer.
The voice went away, the wonderful feeling in her mind went away. It was as if a fog cleared away. And she realized she was kissing her Potions Master.
She didn't stop. Neither did he. He was a very good kisser, she admitted to herself and she straddled him as he sat at his desk, she tangled her fingers in his hair as the kissed each other fiercely. Than she had a thought.
'Someone put the Imperius curse on her to make her kiss him. Why?'
Suddenly the door was pushed open and a people she wasn't familiar with grabbed her and pulled her away. Then one of them pointed their wands at Professor Snape.
The third one went to the table Professor Snape had used to brew her the potion that brought her eyesight back.
"Just as I thought, here are most of the basic ingredients used for a love potion. You sick bastard. That girl is in her fifth year!" The man sounded outraged.
'But this is all wrong!' she thought to herself. She opened her moth to say so, but the wizard that had hauled her away pointed his wand at her very discreetly and whispered: "Obliviate."
She could hardly believe Professor Snape had forced her to take a Love Potion and then to kiss him. How desperate was he? She felt so used.
*
Severus' thoughts were racing. These ministry people had gone a step too far. They hadn't been able to arrest him so they had framed him for a sex scandal! He should have known something like this was going on as soon as the girl lost her sight. That antidote was known for being nearly identical to many common lust inducing potions. Not exactly love as that ignorant fool had stated.
They made it so that the evidence was obvious, and they also caught them red handed. He had been under the Imperius. The ministry had used the Imperius on him, and most likely her too. Although near the end it had worn off. She hadn't stopped kissing him so he hadn't stopped either, for some reason... Damn. This was such a mess. And the girl didn't seem to remember anything now. She was accusing him of using her. He hadn't done anything for crying out loud.
Damn.