*singing* if you think you solved the case clap your hands... if you think you solved the case leave a review


They walked in contemplative silence to the dungeons they knew so well.

"Flitwick is hiding something," Harry said first.

She paused, forcing him to turn around, "What makes you say that?"

"He was hesitant the whole time. He had something he wanted to say. Something he wanted to tell us. Didn't you see the way McGonagall looked at him? She didn't want him to say something." He scowled and looked out the window to the grounds, his fists balled up at his side.

She put a hand on his arm, "This upsets you, more than it should."

He inhaled sharply, "Damn right, it does! I thought the lying was over! Now, this case just opened up a whole new mess of them."

"Harry, no offense, but this time it isn't about you." She said pointedly, "There's no more prophecies and no more 'Dark Lord' to take out."

"That we know of. You heard Scabior, the way he talked about him. What if this is Snape trying to come back as – as the new Voldemort!" He spat.

The nearby portraits gasped at the name. Shushing him or whispering amongst each other.

Hermione scowled at them, "Come, Harry. We mustn't discuss case details in an open area like this."


He knocked loudly on the Thick iron door that led to the current Head of Slytherin.

"Who could that be at this hour?" a familiar confused voice said on the other side of the door.

"It's Auror Potter and Granger, from the Ministry," Harry called out.

"The Ministry?" the door creaked open, "Oh! Harry Potter! Why didn't you say so! And Miss Granger, what a pleasant surprise, come in."

"Thank you, Professor." She gave him a small curtsey.

Professor Slughorn bowed and kissed her hand, "Miss Granger, my brightest student. I'm afraid you caught me reminiscing the old days, would either of you care for a drink? I've got a finely aged honey mead I just opened."

Hermione shook her head and gave him a smile. Slughorn looked to Harry and gave him a formal bow, "Lord Potter/Black, how may I be of assistance."

Harry hated when purebloods used titles on him. Since inheriting the Potter family fortune, he inherited the Black one as well. Being the only living heir on the Potter side, as well as Sirius leaving everything to him. Now the older purebloods and the Goblins at the bank call him Lord Potter/Black. He didn't mind until they told him he had to pay taxes for both vaults. Due to legality purposes and the chance that a missing heir may appear, he wouldn't be able to join the vaults until eighteen years after the death of Sirius. It was an old law, but apparently common enough in the wizarding world to remain in effect. Something about bastard children coming out of the blue for purebloods who were not keen on their contraception spells.

"Professor, thank you for seeing us so late." Harry gave a small bow in return, "We've come to ask questions about the late Professor Snape."

"Who?" he tilted his head and looked confused.

Harry was about to open his mouth and say something sarcastic, along the lines of 'You seriously don't know who the tall guy in black with a scowl was? How much have you had tonight?'

Hermione interjected, "Severus Snape."

"Snape? I'm afraid I don't know any Snape."

Harry mumbled to her softly, "Merlin, he's worse than Hagrid. Think age is getting to him?"

When he mentioned Hagrid, she had an idea, "But you know a Severus, sir?"

"Depends if it's the same Severus. The only one I know of is Lord Prince." He said and took a swing of his mead.

Harry was losing his patience; she could see that. He'd just gone through the cruciatus curse to get a riddle, and now there was a senile old man playing games with them. "Whatever. What do you know about him?"

Hermione put her hand on his arm and gave him a look, "Harry, perhaps you should let me ask the questions."

"What would you like to know?" Slughorn asked as he refilled his goblet.

"Whatever you do, do it fast before he can't stand up anymore," Harry said through grit teeth and stepped back with his arms crossed.

She turned back to their old professor, "What do you know about-

Something was wrong, she could see it in Slughorn's face when she looked at him. His face full of concern, "Lord Potter/Black, are you alright?"

Hermione turned to see Harry looking down at his shaking hands, his face going pale, and he was starting to sweat. "Harry!"

He collapsed before she could get to him. He was seizing and unresponsive, laid sideways on the rug and shaking. Slughorn made sure not to spill his drink before setting it down and moving to help. "Let's get him to the couch! Hurry, my dear!"

Slughorn sobered up relatively fast, acting immediately when he saw his prized pupil hit the floor. Hermione was a wreck, rolling him over and cupping his cheeks. His eyes were half opened, his glasses being knocked off in the fall and he was not responding. When they got him to the couch, Slughorn pushed her aside.

"What has he ingested in the last few hours?" he asked as he used his wand light to check his eyes and mouth.

Hermione ran her hands through her frizzled hair, "Uh…uh, potions! Madam Pomfrey gave him some potions for the cruciatus curse!"

He shook his head, "No… it isn't that. This is a side effect of something else…" he started to check Harry's pockets. Throwing everything out and onto the rug next to him.

He paused when he pulled Snape's Death Eater mask out and tossed it aside as well. Hermione was trying to speak to Harry, asking him what he took, but he was still unresponsive.

"You foolish boy!" he said angrily at Harry and shook something in his hands that rattled loudly at him. He rushed to his personal potions kit and began going through it quickly.

"What? What is it?" Hermione called over her shoulder, refusing to leave Harry in case he stopped breathing.

"You should do better to take care of him!" he yelled back as he began mixing different colored potions together in a small cauldron on the desk.

Hermione stood straight, "Excuse me?"

"Mr. Potter is on muggle anti-depressants. Mixed with ANY potion-"

"Is lethal." Hermione finished for him. Looking back down to her best friend, "Harry… why?"

Slughorn rushed back over, holding the cauldron in one hand, "Sit him up!"

Hermione did as told, pulling him to the sitting position and sitting on her knees behind him, holding his head steady with her left hand. "What is that?"

He held up a bezoar, "I've got to coat it with the same pills he took. His digestive system needs to accept it like it would a muggle pill."

He dropped it into the small smoking cauldron, hearing the 'plink' of it hitting bottom. He stirred it twice and lifted the small ladle. Picking it up carefully with his fingertips and holding it up, "Mouth open and head back. He'll try to reject it, you mustn't let him."

At first, she struggled with getting him to sit still. They worked together to get his mouth open. Once he dropped it in, she put a hand over his mouth and used her other to wrap tightly around his chest. She held him to her tightly and leaning him back with her on the couch.

"Grab his legs!" she yelled as she struggled to hold onto him.

After a few moments that felt like an eternity, his body calmed down and relaxed against her.

"'Mione?"

She didn't answer him; instead, she wrapped both arms around his head, suffocating him with her frazzled hair.

"I think I'll have that drink now, Professor," Harry said when she finally let him sit up again.