AN: In case you are following this story and went straight to this chapter, please not that I uploaded the previous chapter 18 hours ago. So two new chapters all in all.
There's a bit more drama in this one. I'm trying to move the story along so it doesn't become too much of a "slow burn" thing. Hence the two month time jump from the last chapter.
~ Chapter Six ~
Tainted Love
Thursday February 14th, 1991
Hogwarts was buzzing with romance. It was Valentine's Day and the students seemed especially hormonal on this particular day. At lunch The Great Hall had been filled with owls carrying flowers, chocolates and cards and even more so filled with anonymous flying Valentine's Day-cards traveling between the students.
After her morning class with the second year students Penelope had been handed a Valentine's Day-card of her own, declaring the undying love of both Fred and George Weasley. She found it rather sweet.
"Have you been assigned as chaperone for the dunderheads on Saturday as well?" Severus asked her during lunch.
"You mean for the ones going to Hogsmeade?" She asked and he nodded, "yes."
"I suppose that's something." Severus said. "At least I'll be in tolerable company."
"Tolerable?" Penelope asked. "My my, the compliments just keep coming at me today."
Severus lifted an eyebrow, wondering what she was talking about.
"I'm just teasing." she elaborated, "the Weasley-twins declared their intention of marrying me once they leave Hogwarts, earlier today."
"I see … do you get to choose or is the idea that you marry both of them?" He wondered.
"I'm not sure." she said. "We haven't gone over the details yet … after all, we still have a few years to plan it all."
"Indeed."
~oOoOo~
Evening came and Penelope returned to her chamber after having eaten dinner in The Great Hall. She felt drained and wanted nothing more than to sleep, however she still had to prepare some things for her classes tomorrow.
As she sat down at her desk she noticed a box with a card attached. She knew it hadn't been there this morning, when she left, so someone must have gotten a house elf to leave it here for her to find. She picked up the card and opened it.
I cannot say it face to face,
but you, from my heart, I cannot erase.
In fact I find you to be divine,
Penelope, please be my Valentine.
x S.
Penelope was gobsmacked. S.? Severus? Who else did she know that began with the letter S? She couldn't think of anyone at present. She rather doubted Severus would ever write a corny rhyme like that, however it could just be the salesperson, wherever he had bought the chocolate, that had written it. It makes sense, she thought, because the handwriting didn't look like Severus' either. Suddenly her heart started pounding - did Severus feel the same way for her, that she did for him after all? She considered going to speak to him but she quickly decided that it might be better to wait until the next day. Plus she had to finish preparing for the classes tomorrow. Setting the card aside she opened the box of chocolates, took a piece and ate it. Then she found her notebook and her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and started scribbling down notes about tomorrow's subject. She ate another piece of chocolate … and then another … and then another. Suddenly she started feeling lightheaded. She stood up and went to the sink to get a glass of water. She drank it down but little did it help. Her vision started blurring and she felt as if her windpipe was contracting. Beginning to panic she headed towards her fireplace to Floo-call Severus. She picked up a handful of Floo Powder and called out for Severus' quarters in her now raspy voice to the best of her ability, dropping the powder into the fireplace, but before her body reached the fireplace, her knees gave way under her and she fell to the floor right in front of it. She tried willing herself to stand or to crawl but she couldn't. She felt numb and all she could do was lay there on the floor right in front of her fireplace. She heard Archimedes meowing and barely registered him coming to stand in front of her face, nudging her with his nose, before her blurry vision finally turned to black and she passed out.
~oOoOo~
Archimedes was a very clever cat. Much more so than most humans gave him credit for in fact. He was part kneazle after all.
He saw his owner starting to panic and moving to use the fireplace, before she fell to the floor and ultimately passed out. She had however managed to activate the fireplace beforehand. Archimedes tried waking her up but it was no use. But the cat knew what to do - he had to find help if his owner was to survive. So determined to find help the cat stepped into the open fireplace and came out moments later in Severus' quarters. The Professor was nowhere to be seen however. The cat ventured further into the room. He saw a door slightly ajar and went to it. Meowing he entered the room and saw the Professor sitting at his desk, back turned. At the sound of the cat's meow however, he turned around in confusion.
"Archimedes? What are you doing here?" He wondered aloud.
Severus rose from his seat and went to look through the door, where the cat had just entered, assuming he would see Penelope in his sitting room. He didn't though. He picked up the cat and stroked it over the head.
"How on earth did you get in here?" he asked the cat.
The cat meowed even louder than before and wrestled itself free from Severus' grasp, jumping to the floor and heading towards the fireplace. Severus followed. The Floo had closed again after Archimedes' entry into Severus' chambers and the fireplace had gone back to normal, however it was still clear to Severus that the cat was both answering how it had appeared as well as telling him to follow. Quickly Severus gathered a handful of Floo Powder and threw it into the fireplace. The cat ran straight into the fireplace and the professor followed right behind. They entered Penelope's quarters and immediately Severus was met with the sight of her laying unmoving on the floor in front of him.
"Penelope?!" he called and threw himself to his knees in front of her, lifting her limb form by the shoulders. "Penelope! Pen! Can you hear me?" he yelled, shaking her slightly. No response. White froth started coming out of her mouth, at which point Severus began to panic. He clapped a hand down his robes, trying to locate the much needed item that he always carried with him - a bezoar. Finally finding it he opened Penelope's mouth and stuffed it down her throat. For a moment nothing happened. Then she opened her eyes and started heaving, struggling to breath. "It's okay, I'm here. I've got you." Severus assured her, running a palm over her forehead. Her breath became less troubled. "What happened?" Severus asked her.
"The … chocolates." she all but whispered between breaths.
"Chocolates?" Severus asked in confusion.
Penelope lifted a shaking hand and pointed towards her desk where the open box still lay. Severus nodded. Then he put one arm under her knees and moved the other one further under her back and in one swift movement he lifted her up from the floor and carried her to the fireplace, where he with a bit of struggle managed to get a handful of Floo Powder to throw as he called out for the infirmary. A moment later they reached their destination and Severus called out for the matron.
"What happened?" Poppy exclaimed, when she saw who Severus was carrying.
"She was poisoned." He responded as he put Penelope down on one of the free beds.
"by whom?" the matron asked.
I don't know yet." Severus replied. Meanwhile Penelope had been overcome by fatigue and was slipping in and out of consciousness.
"What was she poisoned with?"
"I don't know!" Severus snapped and ran his hand over his face in frustration.
"Well, you need to find out so I can treat her." Poppy told him, ignoring his outburst.
Severus turned on his heel and walked away, Flooing back to Penelope's quarters to find out, what had happened. He went to her desk and picked up the box of chocolates. He inspected them and smelled them. A faint smell of … something familiar came over him. Then as soon as he realized the vague hint of Amortentia it vanished and a harsh smell overtook it. Severus' face went pale. Someone had tried slipping Penelope a love potion but clearly the brewer of the potion had botched it. He looked around for a sign of who had given her the chocolates when he noticed a small card laying on the floor beneath the desk. He picked it up and read it. A ridiculous rhyme and signed with the letter S. However Severus immediately felt a sense of recognition as he looked over the writing; he was sure he'd seen that handwriting before. He rushed to the fireplace and went to his office, finding the stack of papers he had been grading earlier. He went through them one by one until he found what he was looking for. He held the card up next to the paper, comparing the written letters - they were identical. His eyes went to the bottom to find the signature of the student in question. Fury overtook him when he saw who the culprit was; Sebastian Rowle, 7th year Slytherin.
~oOoOo~
Severus entered the Slytherin common room a few minutes later. It was rare for him to be there and immediately the students who'd seen him were alert, wondering why he was there. He scanned the room, eyes settling on a group of 7th years sitting in the far corner of the room. Severus walked over to them and looked down on them, "Mr. Rowle, might I borrow you for a moment?" he asked the student in question.
"Of course, Professor." the boy replied and stood up, following his head of house out of the room.
Severus led him to the Potions classroom, closing the door behind them. He turned to look at the student. "Mr. Rowle, remind me please, are you taking N.E.W.T. Potions?" he asked calmly.
"No, sir." the boy replied, looking confused.
"And why is that?" Severus asked him.
"Because I only got an A in Potions on my O.W.L.s."
"Indeed." was the Professor's response. "Then I am left to wonder if you would really be so foolish as to try and brew your own Amortentia?"
"Sir?" the boy dared to look confused and Severus had to do his utmost to not snap at him. Severus held out the Valentine's-card to him:
"This is your handwriting, I believe."
"I … yes …" Sebastian's face went pale. "Professor, I can explain …"
"I don't care for your explanations, Rowle!" Severus snapped at the boy in front of him. "Were you foolish enough to brew such an advanced potion on your own?"
The boy sank the lump in his throat, "yes."
Severus' nostrils flared, "you disappoint me."
"I didn't mean any harm, sir." he tried assuring the Professor.
"Professor Alisdair is currently lying unconscious in the infirmary." Severus informed the boy. "If she dies, I won't be able to protect you. I hope you realize that, Mr. Rowle."
Sebastian nodded his head, tears starting to appear in his eyes at the prospect of potentially being expelled from school or going to prison.
"Now. I need you to tell me exactly what you did when brewing the potion, so I might be able to find an antidote." Severus told him.
And then for the next few minutes Sebastian went over how he'd brewed the potion. Aside from the fact that the boy was in no way competent enough to brew such a potion, he had also neglected to add Pearl Dust as he had deemed the ingredient too expensive. With the acquired knowledge Severus sent the boy back to his common room and went straight to his personal laboratory to brew what would hopefully be a useful antidote.
AN: Please leave a review and let me know, what you think and if there's anything in particular you'd like for me to focus on in future...
