Snape's Secret Part II: The Pain of Potions
( A/N: I am so glad everyone is enjoying this story! How would I go about getting a larger font? Hope this isn't too hard on your eyes. I'll try to remember to spell check this time, as I seem to write best when I'm half asleep. Enjoy! )
The Cheers from Hogwarts students and teachers were deafening as Issabelle and Snape made their way into the room. Issabelle's eyes slowly began to grow wide in amazement as she slowly realized that the whole hall had been transformed into what appeared to be a scene out of a fairytale. Snape smiled softly guiding her to the high table where Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers were eagerly waiting.
" So glad you are alright! " Dumbledore said, looking as though he had clearly forgotten he had said the same thing only an hour ago, " Do you like your surprise? "
" You did all of this for ... me? "
" Yes. Everyone is so glad you are alright and besides, it is your birthday! "
" Oh, really? " Snape asked, slightly surprised, " I did not know that! I feel so foolish... "
" It's alright, Severus. How could you have known, anyway? We've only really know eachother for a couple days and we've been mad at eachother for most of that time anyway. What a waste! "
" How true, how true... " Snape said, looking at her wistfully, " But that's all in the past. Now we have a nice bright future to look forward to. "
" Indeed you do! " Professor Trelawney said, smiling warmly at them.
Issabelle could not help smiling as Snape took her hand and lead her out on the dance floor. She found the opened mouths of the students standing on the sidelines incredibly amusing and it was hard to tell whether the more stunning thing was: watching Snape dancing to begin with or who he was dancing with. Issabelle certainly could have silenced the room on her own, her bewitching presence further enhanced by a long satin silver gown and a sheer forest green capette trailing loosely behind her.
" Are you having fun, dear? " Snape asked smiling at her, having never felt so happy in his life before.
" Yes, I certainly am. " Issabelle said, returning his smile wholeheartedly as they spun past Draco and his gang and then a group of students Issabelle recognized from her Gryffindor class that morning, " I love being here... especially with you. "
Snape's smile grew brighter still at these words and he shook his head slightly to reassure himself it was not another crazy dream that had come to haunt him. " Look, they are starting to dance now. "
The shock was finally wearing off and students and teachers were joining them on the dance floor, much to Issabelle's delight. The evening continued without a single hint of a problem and soon it was midnight and time for everyone to return to their dorms.
" That was fun! " Issabelle said, the minute she could get ahold of Dumbledore long enough to get a word in, " Thank you. "
" Your welcome, Issabelle. Glad to see you are recovering so well from your accident this morning. " Dumbledore said, looking slightly concerned for a moment, " Now I think its time you got some rest, we don't want to risk your health. You've had quite a day! "
" Indeed she has! " Snape said, finally catching up with them and walking on the other side of Issabelle, " Would you like me to take you back to your room? I'm sure you aren't ready to go to sleep yet, but I think its best that you don't move too much for a couple days and let your energy come back. "
" Thank you, Severus. That is very kind of you. I would be glad of your company, for I certainly won't be able to sleep for a while. "
******
Despite Severus' company, Issabelle still found the evening to drag on much to long for her liking that night. Partly, she reasoned, this was because of her excitement from the events that had just passed, but also, she knew, it was caused by something much darker which had made every night for the last several years seem to go on forever.
The first rays of the rising sun brought Issabelle back into the present as she dressed and got ready to meet another day at Hogwarts. She was relieved to find as the day progressed that nothing happened to spoil her mood as she cheerfully made her way with Snape to yet another potions class that after noon.
" So, " Issabelle said, looking at him, " What are we learning today? "
" Today we will be covering antidotes with a group of fourth year students. " Snape replied, grinning mischievously, as they entered the room and Issabelle took her seat.
" Now, " Snape said, looking at the class with his finely tuned ice cold stare, " I truly hope that you all pay attention to this lesson, as I will be poisoning one of you at the end of the term to see what you have learned. "
" No... " Issabelle managed to croak under her breath as her stomach started slowly tying itself into knots, " I can't let this happen... Not again... "
" Issabelle! " Snapped said, slapping the desk in front of her, " You are not paying attention! Please, I need you to set an example for the students, dear. "
Issabelle forced herself to focus on Severus' lesson for the rest of the period, jotting down notes and making herself a reminder to do some research in the library as soon as she could. Unfortunately, as hard as she tried she could not ignore the sinking feeling which was steadily growing in the pit of her stomach.
******
The silence of the Hogwarts library seemed to swallow Issabelle as she entered the large and daunting room. Filled with shelves of books dating back hundreds of years, it soon proved to be quite a treasure trove for someone as fond of reading.
" Not today, " she she scolded herself quietly, " You need to find those books before it is too late. You need to figure out what is coming... "
Issabelle's hands trembled as they she flipped though ancient volumes and modern guidebooks depicting hundreds of poisons and their appropriate antidotes. Frowning slightly, she looked at pictures of people breaking into horrific rashes and lying unconscious... or dead.
" Severus wouldn't do anything that dangerous... " she said, running a finger across the shelf and purposely skipping 'Deadly Devices of Potion Making' and '1001 Potions for Pain and Panic'.
" Oh, really? " a soft voice said, coming up behind her quietly and gently placing a hand on her shoulder, " You can never be too sure... "
" Severus...! " Issabelle said, forcefully restraining her voice from shouting and looking at him in bewilderment, " You startled me... "
" I noticed. " he responded, looking at her and then at all of the books, " What on earth are you doing? Trying to learn antidotes for every poison ever created? Come with me, I think we need to talk. "
" But... I... " Issabelle stammered, trying to protest.
" I think you will feel better and save your eyes a lot of strain, " Snape said, his tone showing signs of aggravation, " If you come with me. "
Issabelle scowled, shoving books back on the shelf and then allowed him to guide her to his office, which for all intents and purposes was nothing more then the potions supply closet with a desk.
" How can you stand it in here? " Issabelle said shaking her head as she plopped down half-exhausted and head throbbing into one of the chairs positioned by the desk.
" My dear Issabelle, I love potions... They are such delightful things. "
Issabelle shuddered as his words caused an image to cruelly tug at her senses. Closing her eyes, she tried to push it away but it came even clearer the more she tried.
" What's wrong? " Snape's concerned words brought her out of her trance-like state and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
" It was my fourth year... " she began quietly, flicking her eyes around the room, " and I was very excited to be at Durmstrang Institute again. I loved learning magic and was always under the impression as I passed from year to year that I would some day be able to do wonderful things to help people. I excelled at charms and transfigurations and up until that year I had been very talented with potions as well -- but that year, my life changed forever... "
" Go on, " Snape said, looking at her with amusement, " What was this great life-changing catastrophe? "
" Everything started out well enough. I was back with my best friend, Anna, I was learning lots of new spells and I was becoming a very possible candidate for the Triwizard Tournament. But then, we started learning antidotes. What I will never understand is that I was good at it. I knew what I was doing any many of the teachers in the school assumed I was heavily looking at a career in corrective magic. But then, at the end of the term, professor Riddle decided to test us... "
" Professor Riddle?! " Snape exclaimed, nearly knocking over a bottle of rat entails he had left out for tomorrows class, " Issabelle, what was his first name? "
" I... I don't know... " Issabelle said, feeling helpless for the second time that evening.
" All right, continue then. "
" He said that Anna would be our volunteer for the test and she came up to the front of the class. She knew no more then any of the rest of us and sat on the chair that he had pointed to. Riddle gave her a small black vial and told her to drink its contents. She did as she was told -- and feel to the floor unconscious. "
" What did he use? Did you know the name of the potion? "
" No, I did not then. I do now, though... " Issabelle said, looking very angry, " But as I was saying, Riddle turned to us and said ' You see your classmate before you. Be warned that you have 5 minutes to make the right potion, or she will not live. '. I was furious. Everyone scrambled to try and design the right antidote but there was something Riddle had forgotten to mention -- he had never taught it. "
" She died, then? " Snape asked, yawning and looking quite bored.
" Are you finding this dull? Am I wasting my breath? " Issabelle asked, looking at him with a almost dangerous stare, " To make a long story short, Severus, Anna died with her head lying against my arm, a mouthful of my powerless potion was the last thing she ever tasted. "
" What a pity. " Snape said flatly, " But that must have been twenty years ago... Aren't you a little old to be letting something like that haunt you? "
" You... I... She... We... " Issabelle felt stunned. She had thought that Severus would understand, that Severus would realize how dangerous his method truly was, but he did not even seem to care that she felt sad about Anna's death.
" Are you all right, Issabelle? " he asked, noticing that she was blinking her eyes rather rapidly and then sighed with annoyance as tears began to slid down her cheeks. " Look, if he is the Riddle I am thinking of, then what happened to Anna was very mild. "
" You... " she said hiccuping, " You think he was Voldemort, right? "
" Exactly. "
" I do, too. But that doesn't make it okay, Severus. That doesn't even justify it for me. Especially not now... Not after what Uncle Albus told me over the summer. "
" About Voldemort's return, I presume? " Snape asked, looking away for a moment, unable to meet her gaze.
" Yes. " Issabelle said, her voice suddenly filled with a coldness he had not imagined her capable of, " I will get him, Severus, I will make him pay if its the last thing I do. "
( A/N: I am so glad everyone is enjoying this story! How would I go about getting a larger font? Hope this isn't too hard on your eyes. I'll try to remember to spell check this time, as I seem to write best when I'm half asleep. Enjoy! )
The Cheers from Hogwarts students and teachers were deafening as Issabelle and Snape made their way into the room. Issabelle's eyes slowly began to grow wide in amazement as she slowly realized that the whole hall had been transformed into what appeared to be a scene out of a fairytale. Snape smiled softly guiding her to the high table where Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers were eagerly waiting.
" So glad you are alright! " Dumbledore said, looking as though he had clearly forgotten he had said the same thing only an hour ago, " Do you like your surprise? "
" You did all of this for ... me? "
" Yes. Everyone is so glad you are alright and besides, it is your birthday! "
" Oh, really? " Snape asked, slightly surprised, " I did not know that! I feel so foolish... "
" It's alright, Severus. How could you have known, anyway? We've only really know eachother for a couple days and we've been mad at eachother for most of that time anyway. What a waste! "
" How true, how true... " Snape said, looking at her wistfully, " But that's all in the past. Now we have a nice bright future to look forward to. "
" Indeed you do! " Professor Trelawney said, smiling warmly at them.
Issabelle could not help smiling as Snape took her hand and lead her out on the dance floor. She found the opened mouths of the students standing on the sidelines incredibly amusing and it was hard to tell whether the more stunning thing was: watching Snape dancing to begin with or who he was dancing with. Issabelle certainly could have silenced the room on her own, her bewitching presence further enhanced by a long satin silver gown and a sheer forest green capette trailing loosely behind her.
" Are you having fun, dear? " Snape asked smiling at her, having never felt so happy in his life before.
" Yes, I certainly am. " Issabelle said, returning his smile wholeheartedly as they spun past Draco and his gang and then a group of students Issabelle recognized from her Gryffindor class that morning, " I love being here... especially with you. "
Snape's smile grew brighter still at these words and he shook his head slightly to reassure himself it was not another crazy dream that had come to haunt him. " Look, they are starting to dance now. "
The shock was finally wearing off and students and teachers were joining them on the dance floor, much to Issabelle's delight. The evening continued without a single hint of a problem and soon it was midnight and time for everyone to return to their dorms.
" That was fun! " Issabelle said, the minute she could get ahold of Dumbledore long enough to get a word in, " Thank you. "
" Your welcome, Issabelle. Glad to see you are recovering so well from your accident this morning. " Dumbledore said, looking slightly concerned for a moment, " Now I think its time you got some rest, we don't want to risk your health. You've had quite a day! "
" Indeed she has! " Snape said, finally catching up with them and walking on the other side of Issabelle, " Would you like me to take you back to your room? I'm sure you aren't ready to go to sleep yet, but I think its best that you don't move too much for a couple days and let your energy come back. "
" Thank you, Severus. That is very kind of you. I would be glad of your company, for I certainly won't be able to sleep for a while. "
******
Despite Severus' company, Issabelle still found the evening to drag on much to long for her liking that night. Partly, she reasoned, this was because of her excitement from the events that had just passed, but also, she knew, it was caused by something much darker which had made every night for the last several years seem to go on forever.
The first rays of the rising sun brought Issabelle back into the present as she dressed and got ready to meet another day at Hogwarts. She was relieved to find as the day progressed that nothing happened to spoil her mood as she cheerfully made her way with Snape to yet another potions class that after noon.
" So, " Issabelle said, looking at him, " What are we learning today? "
" Today we will be covering antidotes with a group of fourth year students. " Snape replied, grinning mischievously, as they entered the room and Issabelle took her seat.
" Now, " Snape said, looking at the class with his finely tuned ice cold stare, " I truly hope that you all pay attention to this lesson, as I will be poisoning one of you at the end of the term to see what you have learned. "
" No... " Issabelle managed to croak under her breath as her stomach started slowly tying itself into knots, " I can't let this happen... Not again... "
" Issabelle! " Snapped said, slapping the desk in front of her, " You are not paying attention! Please, I need you to set an example for the students, dear. "
Issabelle forced herself to focus on Severus' lesson for the rest of the period, jotting down notes and making herself a reminder to do some research in the library as soon as she could. Unfortunately, as hard as she tried she could not ignore the sinking feeling which was steadily growing in the pit of her stomach.
******
The silence of the Hogwarts library seemed to swallow Issabelle as she entered the large and daunting room. Filled with shelves of books dating back hundreds of years, it soon proved to be quite a treasure trove for someone as fond of reading.
" Not today, " she she scolded herself quietly, " You need to find those books before it is too late. You need to figure out what is coming... "
Issabelle's hands trembled as they she flipped though ancient volumes and modern guidebooks depicting hundreds of poisons and their appropriate antidotes. Frowning slightly, she looked at pictures of people breaking into horrific rashes and lying unconscious... or dead.
" Severus wouldn't do anything that dangerous... " she said, running a finger across the shelf and purposely skipping 'Deadly Devices of Potion Making' and '1001 Potions for Pain and Panic'.
" Oh, really? " a soft voice said, coming up behind her quietly and gently placing a hand on her shoulder, " You can never be too sure... "
" Severus...! " Issabelle said, forcefully restraining her voice from shouting and looking at him in bewilderment, " You startled me... "
" I noticed. " he responded, looking at her and then at all of the books, " What on earth are you doing? Trying to learn antidotes for every poison ever created? Come with me, I think we need to talk. "
" But... I... " Issabelle stammered, trying to protest.
" I think you will feel better and save your eyes a lot of strain, " Snape said, his tone showing signs of aggravation, " If you come with me. "
Issabelle scowled, shoving books back on the shelf and then allowed him to guide her to his office, which for all intents and purposes was nothing more then the potions supply closet with a desk.
" How can you stand it in here? " Issabelle said shaking her head as she plopped down half-exhausted and head throbbing into one of the chairs positioned by the desk.
" My dear Issabelle, I love potions... They are such delightful things. "
Issabelle shuddered as his words caused an image to cruelly tug at her senses. Closing her eyes, she tried to push it away but it came even clearer the more she tried.
" What's wrong? " Snape's concerned words brought her out of her trance-like state and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
" It was my fourth year... " she began quietly, flicking her eyes around the room, " and I was very excited to be at Durmstrang Institute again. I loved learning magic and was always under the impression as I passed from year to year that I would some day be able to do wonderful things to help people. I excelled at charms and transfigurations and up until that year I had been very talented with potions as well -- but that year, my life changed forever... "
" Go on, " Snape said, looking at her with amusement, " What was this great life-changing catastrophe? "
" Everything started out well enough. I was back with my best friend, Anna, I was learning lots of new spells and I was becoming a very possible candidate for the Triwizard Tournament. But then, we started learning antidotes. What I will never understand is that I was good at it. I knew what I was doing any many of the teachers in the school assumed I was heavily looking at a career in corrective magic. But then, at the end of the term, professor Riddle decided to test us... "
" Professor Riddle?! " Snape exclaimed, nearly knocking over a bottle of rat entails he had left out for tomorrows class, " Issabelle, what was his first name? "
" I... I don't know... " Issabelle said, feeling helpless for the second time that evening.
" All right, continue then. "
" He said that Anna would be our volunteer for the test and she came up to the front of the class. She knew no more then any of the rest of us and sat on the chair that he had pointed to. Riddle gave her a small black vial and told her to drink its contents. She did as she was told -- and feel to the floor unconscious. "
" What did he use? Did you know the name of the potion? "
" No, I did not then. I do now, though... " Issabelle said, looking very angry, " But as I was saying, Riddle turned to us and said ' You see your classmate before you. Be warned that you have 5 minutes to make the right potion, or she will not live. '. I was furious. Everyone scrambled to try and design the right antidote but there was something Riddle had forgotten to mention -- he had never taught it. "
" She died, then? " Snape asked, yawning and looking quite bored.
" Are you finding this dull? Am I wasting my breath? " Issabelle asked, looking at him with a almost dangerous stare, " To make a long story short, Severus, Anna died with her head lying against my arm, a mouthful of my powerless potion was the last thing she ever tasted. "
" What a pity. " Snape said flatly, " But that must have been twenty years ago... Aren't you a little old to be letting something like that haunt you? "
" You... I... She... We... " Issabelle felt stunned. She had thought that Severus would understand, that Severus would realize how dangerous his method truly was, but he did not even seem to care that she felt sad about Anna's death.
" Are you all right, Issabelle? " he asked, noticing that she was blinking her eyes rather rapidly and then sighed with annoyance as tears began to slid down her cheeks. " Look, if he is the Riddle I am thinking of, then what happened to Anna was very mild. "
" You... " she said hiccuping, " You think he was Voldemort, right? "
" Exactly. "
" I do, too. But that doesn't make it okay, Severus. That doesn't even justify it for me. Especially not now... Not after what Uncle Albus told me over the summer. "
" About Voldemort's return, I presume? " Snape asked, looking away for a moment, unable to meet her gaze.
" Yes. " Issabelle said, her voice suddenly filled with a coldness he had not imagined her capable of, " I will get him, Severus, I will make him pay if its the last thing I do. "