Severus was sitting in his favorite leather chair in front of the fire. He had had a very long day and was terribly exhausted. The task he had been working on all day was stressing him to an unimaginable level. When suddenly he found himself in awe. Finally all of his efforts and hard labor had paid off. There in front of him was the opened book. He lifted it off the table, on which it had been set while he cast every spell he could possibly think of, with utmost care. He closed the gap between them careful as if it would close again forever. And to his horror just as he began to read the book's contents it burst into flames. Leaving in his hands nothing but ashes.
Severus woke up in terror. He was soaked in sweat and he felt a whole in the midis of his stomach.
He looked around only to find himself in his bedroom. He then realized that it had all been a dream.
He had to admit he had never felt so much curiosity for any thing before. He turned to see his clock and noted that it was only five thirty am.
He would get to work on opening that book immediately. He just hoped that his dream didn't come true.
...
It had been two hours later and all Severus accomplished was to know that the book contained no dark magic. That was not enough to help him read the 'blank' pages or otherwise minimize his curiosity.
He looked up at the clock on his desk and noticed it was time for breakfast. He decided he would go because otherwise the old fool would come looking for him.
He grudgingly left his quarters and walked as fast as he could to the Great Hall. Where he proceeded to eat as fast as he could without alerting the twinkling old badger.
He could see that poor old Potter was looking a bit distraught this morning.
But just as he was about to leave, Albus decided to remind him that they had a bloody staff meeting. Something that Severus had entirely forgotten since he had been too preoccupied with his investigation.
He waited for everyone at the staff lounge while looking through some of the books they had on one of the shelves against the far left wall.
But to his disappointment there was absolutely no spell that was of any assistance.
He did know of one particular spell that he had learned in one of his travels after Voldemort's first fall. But he couldn't perform it without letting the old badger know. The inside of Hogwarts was enchanted to let Albus know when unauthorized dark magic had been performed. And Severus couldn't let Albus know what he was up to.
Towards the end of the meeting Professor Trelawney, out of all the people, presented Severus with the spell he was desperately seeking.
To be honest all Snape heard the idiot say was " all I would have to do is soak it in tea."
Snape didn't, nor cared to, know what it was the divination teacher wanted to soak in tea. But he had to thank her if only, silently, for offering her brilliant solution.
After the meeting he found himself in his private laboratory.
He was stirring with his right hand and holding an old book in his left. He put his book to one side so he could freely stir the cauldron while he put in the last ingredient in to the mix.
It was an old potion that would help him read the book with no problems. He had come across it when he had traveled to Egypt the summer after Voldemort's downfall. The end result had a very disgusting look to it, but he was willing to go through with it. All he had to do was to put the book in and wait for two hours while the book soaked in all the fluid.
The recipe called for a dozen dragon scales. He had been so disappointed when he couldn't find the scales until he remembered that he had an emergency stash just for an occasion like this.
He let the mix come to a boil and noted that it was at its best. He let it cool for five minutes while he went in search of the journal. When he returned he threw it into the yellow-green mucus fluid.
All he had to do now was wait, and no matter how impatient of a person he was all for waiting.
It was only two hours after all.
A/N
Yay the longest chapter yet!!