Chapter 10
Monday morning dawned bright and cheerful, as though nothing was out of the ordinary, though this was far from true. By now, rumours of Colin Creevey's attack had spread around the school faster than you can say 'secret'. The Great Hall was full of nervous looking students. In the corridors, they all walked in clumps.
He had a group of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first years in the morning for a lesson. There was a foul smell pervading the room, and upon further search, he discovered two rotting newt tails, three dried rabbits feet, a salamander tongue and several cloves of garlic hidden among the students.
He put away the items that could be of use in a potion, and incinerated the rest. He hoped that not everybody he was going to teach today would have fallen for something as foolish as this. As if a talisman like that would ward off anything other than a sane human being with a sense of smell.
-XXX-
For the next few weeks, there was so little activity that all the hubbub and panic quietened down quite a bit. Obviously, the friends of the boy who was attacked were not entirely focused in class, but that was quite to be expected. He was glad for the relative peace, and hoped that the monster had, after all, gone, though the general unease remained in the air.
Severus invited Harry over to join him for tea one afternoon. Harry had accepted the invitation, and Severus was readying himself for his arrival. There was a soft knock on the door, and when Severus opened the door, Harry was standing there, stuffing something into his bag.
"Come in, Harry," said Severus, holding the door open.
"Thanks," said Harry, glancing over his shoulder as he came in. "I thought I was being followed, but I think it was just someone walking in the same direction." He looked at Severus apologetically.
"You don't want to be seen entering my office unwarranted. I understand. We wouldn't want anyone to think I liked you now, would we?" He said it in jest, but in all actuality he meant every word.
"That wouldn't help with the cover you need to keep, would it?" said Harry. Severus raised an eyebrow.
He poured the tea, and offered Harry an Ă©clair that the house-elves had sent up with the tea. "So Harry, how is school going?"
"School is fine, I guess. I was a bit taken aback by the attack on Colin the other day. He was quite harmless. I don't know why anybody would want to hurt someone like him."
"If I recall correctly, he was a Muggle-born, was he not?" Severus asked.
Harry became rather indignant. "I don't see why that means he has to be attacked—"
"Calm down, I was merely asking a question. If you read the message that was left on the wall, and I know for a fact you have, you saw that it said 'enemies of the Heir beware.' I'm sure you know by now that implies the Heir of Salazar Slytherin."
"Yeah, we figured it out. Professor Binns told us. The enemies are the half-bloods, or the 'mudbloods' as Malfoy so politely put it," said Harry bitterly.
Severus' heart skipped a beat at the mention of Mudblood. "I don't ever want to hear you say that word again Harry, do you hear me?" he said harshly. "Under any circumstances. Not in reference to anybody, no matter who they are."
Harry's eyes widened. "Of course I won't," he said, close to stammering. "Hermione is a Muggle-born, and she's my best friend." He looked curiously at Severus just then. "My mum was Muggle-born too."
"Exactly," said Severus quietly, taking another sip of tea. There was an awkward pause between them, and before it stretched out too much, Severus changed the topic. "I went to speak to Madam Hooch about the rogue Bludger after I saw you in the hospital wing the other day. We had a look at the Bludger, and we could find almost nothing affecting it." A strange look passed over Harry's face then. "What?"
"Well, during the night, that house-elf I told you about came to see me," Harry said, shifting slightly. "He finally admitted that he was the one who had attacked me with the Bludger. He also said he had been the one who had blocked the gateway onto the Platform in the beginning of the year, you know, when Ron and I had to fly the car here."
"Why on this green earth would a house-elf want to do those things to you?" Severus paused thoughtfully. "Unless he was under instruction from his owner..." he muttered.
"I don't think so," said Harry. "He tries to hit himself if he tells me too much or speaks ill of his family. But he says that he has been trying to save my life, that he wants me to leave Hogwarts."
"Does he say why?" asked Severus.
"He says I am in great danger, though when I asked if it involved Vold- er... You-Know-Who, he said no."
"This is a strange matter indeed. I will look into it if I can. Though, if he is doing this of his own volition, then it would be very difficult. You say his name is Dobby? Has he said who he serves?"
"Yeah it is Dobby, and any time he comes near to telling me, he whacks himself on the head with the nearest blunt object. It's getting quite irritating."
"Alright, I'll see what I can find out."
For a moment, Harry looked as though he were having an internal battle with himself. "Er, could you tell me a little more about the Polyjuice Potion?" he said.
Automatically, Severus became suspicious, but then he remembered that this potion had directly affected Harry, and so it was natural to be curious. "Of course. The Polyjuice Potion is a very complicated potion to brew, and only skilled witches or wizards should try it. Lily was very good at potions, so I'm sure she would have been able to make it without much problem. The potion is essentially designed to change the outward appearance of one person into that of another's, though only human transformation can be achieved successfully." Severus thought Harry looked slightly pale. "There is no need to worry. It hasn't changed the essence of who you are, only what you look like, on a permanent level." Severus raised his eyebrow. "If you want to learn how to make it, I teach it to the Potions students in sixth year, so make sure you do well enough to take potions then."
"Er, we'll see. That's still a long time from now," said Harry. Somewhere in the castle a bell rang out. Harry stood up and Severus did the same.
"Harry, before you go, is there anything you'd like to tell me? Anything at all?" asked Severus. He was hoping Harry would tell him what was going on, why he had the strangest sense Harry was hiding things from him.
Harry's eyes darted around the room and then met Severus' resolutely. "No, nothing." He gave Severus a weak attempt at a reassuring smile.
"Alright then, if you insist." Inwardly he sighed. Progress, but not enough yet. "Off you go then."
"Thanks for the tea, Sir," said Harry, and left, closing the door quietly behind him.
-XXX-
That evening, Severus went to his desk and opened the top drawer. Inside was a small album containing photos of Lily when she was younger.
There was one of him and Lily sitting on the garden bench at the end of her garden, deep in discussion. It was a Muggle photo, and so didn't move, but he remembered the conversation well, and the moment when her father came out and took the picture without either of them knowing.
There was another of her on the swing, and Severus pushing her higher and higher, both of them laughing. Severus looked awkward with his oversized old clothes and rolled up sleeves, but he was happy.
Then another of Lily in her school uniform, sitting on the bank of the Black Lake reading a book. This picture was a moving one, and every now and then Lily would look up at him and laugh, blush and look back at her book. He remembered that he had saved up for months to buy himself a cheap Muggle camera, and bought it to school. He had figured out how to develop the film in such a way so that they moved. Needless to say, the Marauders had discovered it, and Sirius Black had taken great delight in destroying it.
There was one other picture he had of Lily. It was a picture he had found in the Potter's home when it had been destroyed. It was the most beautiful picture he had of her. She was sitting in a window seat somewhere by the seaside, wearing white shorts and a light blue t-shirt. She was sitting to one side, gazing serenely out of the window to something unknown. There was a small smile playing on her face, and her flaming red hair flowed down one shoulder. This picture was Severus' favourite, and he often looked at it.
He sat there in his office now, trying to imagine himself at the seaside, watching Lily. He imagined that what she was smiling at outside was a young Harry playing in the waves, carefree and happy. He closed his eyes, letting his imagination free, imagining himself joining her in the window seat, wrapping his arms around her, watching Harry. He felt a kind of serenity and peace wash over him, and he fell asleep at his desk.
-XXX-
Harry's question about Polyjuice Potion got him thinking about it, and he decided that, seeing as how he hadn't written any article for a while, this quiet time was a good time to do so. One Saturday afternoon, he got out a quill and parchment and began to write:
Effects of Polyjuice Potion on an Infant
By Professor Severus Snape, Master of Potions
Polyjuice Potionis a very complex potion to brew, and is best left to only the most capable of potioneers. It enables the drinker to transform his or her appearance into that of another's, but it requires a part of the body from the other person. This potion has been around since the 1400s, and its creator is unknown.
The effects of the Polyjuice Potion are temporary, and depending on the strength of the potion and the accuracy that it has been brewed, the effects may last anything between ten minutes and twelve hours. However, this is only true when the drinker is an adult.
Historical studies have shown that the effects of Polyjuice Potion become nearly permanent if it consumed by an infant up to the age of a year, and the length of the effect is reduced exponentially the older a drinker is. This effect has been linked to the development of an identity and development of magic, or an awareness of oneself.
For example, an infant up to the age of one has yet to form a solid identity as the brain is still developing, but once a child reaches the age of six or seven, they have a better sense of themselves. This is also the time that a child begins to develop magic of their own. It can therefore be deduced that a drinker's magic, combined with a sense of awareness of themselves, will serve as a kind of 'protection' against the effects of Polyjuice Potion becoming permanent.
However, there have only been an estimated ten recorded cases of Polyjuice Potion given to an infant in history, most of them accidental, and most of the records are far too unreliable to be taken seriously, for example diary entries of a hysterical mother. There has, however, been a more recent case of this occurring that I myself have discovered, and believe to be true.
The identity of the person in question will remain anonymous for their own protection, but I was presented with irrefutable proof. The child was given a dose of Ployjuice Potion at the age of two months, quite possibly one of the youngest ages of anyone to have ever consumed the potion. As the person has grown, I have seen that the only change that has occurred has been the colour of their eyes to their natural colour, as well as height of the person (this is due mainly to the differences in nourishment growing up).
Having known both the person who donated a hair and the recipient and been able to observe their growth over a period of time, I can safely conclude that the recipient has definitely been given Polyjuice Potion as a child.
This begs the question, what if Polyjuice Potion is given to a mentally handicapped witch or wizard, or perhaps a witch or wizard that has had their magic suppressed for some or other reason? By the above reasoning, I think it can be concluded that the changes could also be rendered nearly permanently. A study of this today would be nearly impossible, due to the heavy restrictions implemented by the Potioneers Ethical Committee, a subsection of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, that govern the consumption and use in experimentation of Polyjuice Potion. Perhaps one day one such subject will drink the potion accidentally, and the effects can thereafter be studied.
He re-read the article several times, making a few corrections here and there. Satisfied, he addressed an envelope to Progressive Potioneering, sealed it and left to go to the owlery to deliver the article.
A/N: Reviews are always welcome... With a nice welcome mat... and a cup of tea... and cake... Please?