Arc Two: September
Chapter Four: The Fatiguing Fusion
Thursday, September 18th, 8:32 am
The next morning found Severus trying to eat his breakfast in peace, and failing. Charlie Weasley—the brute—sat on his right, trying to make conversation with him and at one point even swiped a kipper from his dish.
Severus glared hard.
"What?" Charlie grinned after swallowing the fish. "You shouldn't let your friend starve, Severus."
His eyes narrowed. "Seeing as you are neither a friend, or remotely close to starving—"
"Great Merlin," Charlie sighed and sat back in his chair. "How long is it going to take until you're accustomed to having friends? Besides, if we weren't, you wouldn't let me come over to your rooms and drink a few."
Severus merely sipped his tea. After all, why should he say that the only reason he allowed the ginger-haired overgrown child into his rooms at all, was because of the delicious alcohol he provided when he came. And if they sometimes talked or Severus assisted the man with his Defense lesson plans, well, that was neither here nor there.
"Your taste in beverages are…adequate."
Charlie grinned, then became serious as a thought occurred to him.
"You said last night that I should move into counter curses with the third years now that we've reviewed the basics," he started, and Severus recalled the conversation they'd had over their separate planning books. "What type of curses, specifically?"
Severus glanced over the crowd of students, quickly gathering where the third years were at each table. They were slightly more mature than the usual third years, due to having either been at Hogwarts the year before while it was under the Dark Lord, or having lost someone who fought in the battle. They would be able to take the tougher material.
"Have them start off with binding and unbinding curses," Severus answered, eyes still wandering around the Great Hall. "From there, they will be adequately prepared to move into more advanced material. Start them on defensive curses."
Charlie let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, thanks. I had no idea which curses exactly to teach first. I bet you've never had that problem, have you?"
"No."
"What's in your plans for today, then?" Charlie asked, and Severus finally glanced back over at him. He appeared to be genuinely curious. "Lighting up the old cauldron at last?"
"My NEWT classes will be brewing a potion, named Fatiguing Fusion. The other years will be taking notes."
"Don't you ever make something fun?" Charlie rubbed his chin, and Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the next words that came out of his mouth. "Maybe a nice custard? Or pie?"
"Your stomach is a bottomless pit," he murmured. "I hope you die very overweight."
"Yeah well, I think I'm full, for once." Charlie sat back and patted his stomach. "You have a potion on hand to get rid of stomachaches?"
"No," Severus said flatly. "Especially not for people who eat my kippers."
Charlie groaned, and Severus allowed himself a small smirk. He turned back to the swarming hall of students and started scanning again. Since he decided he was a mature wizard who had no need to hide anything, he would casually admit to the fact that he was searching for Harry. If anything, it was to be certain that the brat was at breakfast eating. Merlin knows the boy is grumpy and more mouthy if he skips meals, much like in his fifth year.
Just as Severus located the boy, all the way near the end of the Gryffindor table, Harry glanced over at the High Table, mouth smiling from something one of his silly friends had said, and met Severus' gaze.
"You know, I have a funny feeling about today," Charlie's voice piped up, thoughtful and serious. "And I don't think it has to do with my stomach."
If possible, Harry's grin got even wider as Severus scowled at him, and he swiftly turned his head away. Charlie was frowning, looking at something out one of the wide windows, and Severus followed his gaze. Outside, the clouds were dark, and the wind blew hard, and there was a sudden deep rumble of thunder. A storm was coming.
9:45 am, Dungeons
"Now, I expect each and every one of you dunderheads to follow the instructions," Severus said, lowering his wand from where it had been pointed at the board. "Read the precautions first, and if you mess up, the consequences will be unpleasant."
"Sir?"
Severus resisted the urge to sigh as Granger's hand rose in the air. She was an intelligent girl, to be sure, at times a trait more fitting of a Ravenclaw than a Gryffindor, and while he had always regretted having to give the girl lower marks than she deserved at times, the constant questioning and verbatim reciting from the text had become exasperating years ago.
"What is it?" He asked.
"It's just, why are we doing basic level potions?" Granger sounded truly puzzled. "I'm sure I remember us doing the Fatiguing Fusion back in our second year."
Severus raised a brow in her direction and said, "Surely even the smartest witch of the generation must know," he raised his voice and addressed the whole class, "one must always master the basics before moving on. Until such time when I deem your potion with an 'E', you will not advance to the next lesson while your classmates do. Now, get started."
The sound of stools scrapping against the cold stone floor bounced through the classroom as each student got up to gather their ingredients. Severus sat down behind his desk, watching them all and, not for the first time in the past two months, felt a tiny sense of satisfaction.
10:15 am
Harry glanced at the board quickly and read the next step. Since the lighting in the room was so dim, even with glasses, he had a bit of trouble reading the words.
"Add one dandelion root while stirring counterclockwise," he muttered to himself.
He turned toward his collection of ingredients, and located the dandelion root. While he worked mechanically, Harry's mind started to drift off.
He had been in a fine mood this morning, but before class, Ginny had caught up with him, pulling him aside playfully by the sleeve of his robes, and gently maneuvering them to a small alcove. As she had closed her eyes and gone for a kiss, Harry made no move to meet her halfway. When her lips had finally touched his, he felt none of the sparks of joy and lust he had used to feel whilst kissing her, and sighed through his nose. It was different. No, Harry was different, and he wasn't sure why.
Harry had responded, throwing himself into the kiss, and Ginny had responded enthusiastically. But the whole time it had felt…wrong.
Eventually, Harry had managed to pull himself away and eased Ginny's tight grip from the flaps of his robes. She had smiled up at him, expectantly—though what she had expected Harry to do, he had no idea—and with an awkward returning smile and one last peck on the cheek, he had raced off to the dungeons for Potions.
I just don't understand, Harry thought bitterly, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose when they slipped down, Ginny meant a lot to me. She loves me and I loved her. I'm still the same person that I was before the war, and so is she. Harry drew in a sharp breath as he realised. But maybe that's the problem.
"Harry. What's wrong?"
Harry glanced up, a little sluggishly, and looked in Hermione's direction. She sounded concerned for some reason.
"Nothing, Herbime," his lips spread wide in what he was pretty sure was a smile, but they were tingling slightly.
"But you just put in the wiggenwood bark without—"
"Everyone bubblehead charm themselves, immediately." Severus' voice sounded very suddenly, making Harry jump.
He turned towards the sound of his voice, and saw the Potion's Master bearing down on him with a frown. Harry tried to think on what he had done wrong to get Severus to frown at him, but for some reason, he couldn't wrap his mind around a single thought.
"Potter!" No that wasn't right. His name was Harry. "That's not important at the moment. Step away from your cauldron."
"…O-kee, Sever…Sev…" His tongue was thick in his mouth, and his legs were like jelly, but he obeyed anyways, dropping what was in his hand to step shakily forward. His left leg buckled.
Severus' eyes widened in alarm and he reached for his wand, but everything was turning black around the edges, so Harry had no idea what he hoped to do with it. There was a hissing sound, a loud bang, and then he knew no more.
4:00 pm
In the back of his mind, Harry vaguely realised that he was lying down on something familiar and soft. He shifted, rearranging his legs to a more comfortable position. His head felt heavy and cotton filled, as if he had been sleeping for years. It took him a while to muster the strength to open his eyes, the level of lethargy that washed over him in waves every few seconds was so strong.
He blinked for a few moments, slowly coming back to consciousness, as he tried to remember why he felt he had just been hit in the head with a bludger. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he noted that it was still thundering outside, as a loud rumble broke the silence. Then, there was a voice to quickly follow:
"Because of your inability to follow instructions, you have landed the both of us in the Infirmary."
With one final, hard blink, Harry lazily rolled his head in the direction the voice came from. Severus lay on the cot next to his, an expression of carefully controlled fury on his face. Harry immediately felt terrible; if he had been paying closer attention instead of daydreaming, neither one of them would be in the Hospital Wing.
"Severus, I'm so—"
"Ten points from Gryffindor for improperly addressing a professor," Severus interrupted, voice tight and harsh. "Fifteen points for not paying proper attention while brewing, and another fifteen for putting yourself in danger."
As he deducted another ten points for "just plain foolishness", Harry felt the beginnings of a smile worm its way across his mouth. Okay, getting fifty or so points deducted from his House was nothing to smile about, but he didn't think Severus had noticed that fifteen of them had been deducted because he was concerned. About Harry.
If that isn't progress, I don't know what is.
Just then, a petite, slender woman with deep red hair bustled up to the two of them. She was wearing the traditional robes of a Mediwitch, though there was a single red line down the sleeve of each arm. As she held up one of those arms to cut off Severus' tirade, Harry briefly wondered what they meant.
"Well, it's nice to see the two of you awake." The woman smiled brightly, green eyes brimming with happiness and…something. Harry couldn't put his finger on it. "Or," she continued, seeing Severus' eyes drop slightly despite his obvious fighting, "maybe not entirely awake. Not to worry, loves. I'll see to it that the two of you are fixed right up."
Severus narrowed his eyes.
"Where is Madame Pomfrey?" He asked stiffly.
The nurse's smile just widened, and if Harry didn't know any better, he'd say she looked almost fond of Severus.
"Pomona has been called away to assist a problem at Saint Mungo's. You'll just have to deal with me for today," she answered, her chipper tone an even match for her excited attitude. It was a stark contrast from Severus' dark mood, which was comparable to the dark stormy clouds outside. Thunder sounded once more.
"And wh-who are you, exactly?" Harry asked, a yawn distorting his words slightly.
"I'm her assistant, Lea Vinyls. And before you ask, Severus Snape, I'm perfectly qualified to do this job."
Severus closed his mouth, eyes narrowed. It was obvious that that was just the thing he had been about to ask.
"A simple Pepper-Up potion will be sufficient," he grumbled, at last.
With a bright smile, Madam Vinyls produced two glass vials, both filled with a milky white liquid. "Of course! Already freshly brewed and ready to go."
She gave Harry his after helping him sit up, undoing the stopper on top and pressing the vial into his hand with a sweet smile. Then, she gave the grumbling Severus his vial.
"Drink up," Madame Vinyls clapped her hands excitedly.
Harry glanced over at Severus out the corner of his eye, only to see him looking at his potion with distaste, before giving it a quick sniff, and lifting it to his mouth. Quickly, Harry raised his own potion to his mouth as well—not wanting to be chastised for procrastinating and rousing Severus' wrath once more.
Outside, there was another crack of thunder, and it began to rain.
After Madame Vinyls checked their vitals and made sure they were no longer about to fall unconscious again, she sent them both on their way with stern instructions to return to the Hospital Wing if they felt "funny".
As the door to the Infirmary closed behind them, Harry turned to look at Severus, who was adjusting his outer robes. When he noticed Harry staring, he raised a brow. "Is there something else you wish to waste my time with, Mr. Potter?"
"I said I was sorry."
"Your apologies mean nothing to me, Potter," Severus sneers, and Harry feels a slither of disappointment shoot through him. "I figured you to be dismal at brewing a potion that even a first year could make, but at the very least, I expected you to be intelligent enough to know how to follow proper safety protocol."
Hurt rose in Harry's throat, along with a quick sense of vertigo, but he swallowed it down and the sensations passed. Compared to some of the other insults Severus had dealt in the past, that was nothing. But still…
"I'm sorry," Harry murmured. He slid his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, eyes cast to the side. "There's no excuse for my mistake, and so the only thing I can say is I'm sorry for being careless. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't," Severus replied coldly.
Harry met his eyes then. There was a long pause, and neither of them said anything. Something unnamable passed between them, and Harry waited for Severus to say something else—anything else—but the moment passed. Regret made his stomach clench as Severus turned around and stalked down the hall, away from Harry.
Down the corridor and around the corner, Severus paused as a wave of faintness suddenly came over him. He stood stiffly with his fists clenched for a brief moment until the feeling passed, mentally cursing that novice of a Mediwitch, and Harry, for landing them in that situation in the first place.
It had taken every ounce of his patience not to let loose every curse he knew when he had woken in the Hospital Wing the hour prior. When he had turned to see Harry in the cot next to his, Severus had felt a surge of panic, then anger. It was as if the boy purposefully lived to do nothing but make Severus' life more difficult. It was barely the first week back of the fall term, and already he had managed to land himself in the Hospital Wing. Then, just now, when he had apologised, Harry had appeared so stung by Severus' words, even though he had certainly heard worse from him, that it made Severus' nasty mood even blacker.
"Careless brat," Severus muttered, straightening to continue on his way.
As Severus started towards his private rooms, Charlie came around the corner, walking at a fast pace. When he saw Severus he picked up his pace and came to a stop at Severus' side. The man was concerned, it was obvious.
"You alright, Sev?" Charlie asked, obvious worry colouring his tone.
Severus narrowed his eyes and continued past Charlie, forcing him to turn and keep up with his longer stride. "Do not call me 'Sev' again, or you will find yourself without words to use."
"Sounds kinky," Charlie waggled his eyebrows, then slapped Severus on the back. "Well, I guess since you're threatening me, that means you're alright. Next time you decide to go off on a rendezvous with Harry Potter, let Draco and me know so we aren't worried. You wouldn't believe the rumours that were circling around during lunch."
"I can imagine." Severus remained stone-faced at the mention of any sort of affair with Harry, knowing that Charlie was just trying to get a rise out of him. "Was there something else you wanted to say?"
"Oh, come on Severus," Charlie nudged him on the shoulder and Severus gave him a dark look, which was ignored, "I think we both know what's got your wand in a knot, and I'm here to tell you there's only one way to solve the problem."
As they came to a stop in front of Severus rooms, he turned to face Charlie, reluctantly curious. "And what might that be, Mr. Weasley—"
"Please, don't. Reminds me of my brothers."
"Charlie." Severus corrected stiffly. Honestly, dealing with the man was like dealing with one of his students. But if they were both on the same page—they were, Severus decided, eying Charlie's sly grin—and if there was some way he could solve the issue of his sudden fondness for Harry, then he would listen.
Charlie held up a bottle.
"The greatest invention the Muggles ever came up with," Charlie handed him one and magically produced another. "Alcohol. And I'm not leaving until we've got some in your system. Don't worry, I already spoke to Dumbledore; your evening class is being covered, so let's get pissed!"
And if Severus only agreed to let Charlie inside because of his excellent taste in alcohol, that wasn't important.
