Let´s play a Game
Severus Snape woke up with a killer headache. He didn't remember the previous night. Somehow, he had ended up laying over a cold stone floor.
He looked around. He was in a small room, with no windows and no door. He tried to aparate, but the pain behind his eyes dissuaded him in a moment.
A white courtain hung on a wall, there was a table at the other end of the room, with several wood boxes over it and a ceramic sphere below. A small picture hung right at the center of a wall. It showed a weird doll, with wild black hair and red spiral lines painted over its cheeks. The doll was riding a red toy broom. Its hands grabbed the broom handle, keeping it seated near the bristles.
While Snape rubbed his eyes, a little sound made him turn around. It came from the picture, a squeak. The puppet´s head turned up to face him, and a heavily distorted voice was heard. He couldn't even be sure if it was male or female. "Hello, Severus. I wanna play a game."
"What? Who the hell are you?"
"An ex-student of Hogwarts. A... how did you liked to call everybody except the Slytherins? Oh, yes. A Dunderhead. Yes, that is. Now, I have been considering on taking a teaching position, in either a Muggle School, or a Magical one. And you will help me decide."
"Why would I help you? You kidnapped me!"
"Yes, but that's not the point, Snape. Now it is your chance to prove the superiority of your methods over the Muggle way! You see, you have magic suppressing manacles. Or should I say 'manankles´? Anyway, are you still saying there won't be foolish wand waving in your classroom? There won't be here either." There was a dry chuckle. Snape checked his ankles, the voice had said the truth. Magic suppressing manacles. And he realized that his wand was missing too.
"This room is sealed, and very deep underground. Trying to aparate out won't be possible, nor any other magical travel. There is no Floo, House elves can't find this room, I seriously doubt any phoenix would deign to get you to safety; and portkeys are blocked. The room will emerge to the surface and open itself in 8 hours. All you´ll have to do is step out, the key to the manacles is hanging from a nail next to the door. On the outside, of course."
Another chuckle. "Of course, there is a catch. An... incentive for you to show me your superior way. Under the table, there is an sphere. It contains a liquid that will turn into a poisonous gas in 5 hours. Unless you prepare a neutralizing agent. Breaking the sphere would only hasten the process, but the sphere has been reinforced with several charms, you can't even tilt it. You have to prepare the agent, and pour it into the sphere. That will stop the poison from forming."
Snake licked his lips. "I´ll need the ingredients."
"Everything you'll need has been provided. The boxes over the table contain all the ingredients and implements you will need." The potion master opened the first box, it was full of glass tubes, and a burner.
More chuckles. "Instructions are on the board. Begin." The image pf the puppet returned to its immobility.
Snape looked around, the cpurtain opened by itself, showing a big blackboard, with the instructions he would need.
He began to read them. The first few lines were somehow familiar, but with each succesive line, he recognized lees and less of the procedures described!
By the end of the instructions, he couldn't make any sense of them! There was no mention of any ingredient he could recognize anymore! Everything had strange names!
It was...
Muggle Chemistry!
Author Note:
I admit to having not seen any Saw movie, only a few scenes out of context. But I guess some Muggleborn did!