The Secret Files
Saiyan Princess
Chapter Two
Thanks everyone for reviewing the first chapter. It was so late that I didn't
even use the spell check. I hope it was legible. Anyway, the story continues!
(With editing this time, sort of.)
While he waited for McGonagall to calm down, Snape continued to look around
the cold prison. There wasn't much else to do, and the room wasn't very
interesting. File cabinets have limited appeal. The connecting bathroom was
handy, but also uninteresting. Luckily, he found a quill and a notebook on a
crude wooden desk. He settled down beside the fire again and began to
outline his lesson plan for the following day. The class would be learning
about the Nonignis potion, which allowed people to stand any degree of heat.
After drinking it, someone could swim through molten lava. However, the
potent potion was so powerful that it had some adverse effects. It would
cause a witch or wizard to ache all over for several days. Some of its
ingredients were dangerous, which was why he was not allowing the students
to make their own Nonignis potions. He wrote down "Draco Malfoy" as a
possible assistant, and then, after a pause and a slight grimace, listed
"Hermione Granger" as well. Annoying as the Gryffindor girl was, she could
handle the tricky potion. He just hoped she and Draco wouldn't purposely harm
each other with the ingredients. What next? For a demonstration, he could
give some to Longbottom's toad and dip it in flames. That was an enticing
idea. He realized then that McGonagall had stopped her pity party.
"What are you writing?" she asked.
"Lesson plans."
"I hope Albus finds us tomorrow. What will we tell our students about our
being late?"
"Umm...important business?"
"That works. What will we tell Albus?"
"We got lost?" Snape suggested.
"We became really stupid overnight?" McGonagall offered.
"He probably won't mind the truth too much. After all, the welfare of my
students is my responsibility. He can't deny that."
"Why did you write down Malfoy and Granger's names?" McGonagall asked, nodding
towards Snape's paper.
"I need capable potions students for a Nonignis brewing demonstration
tomorrow. Is there anything else in my outline you would care to ask about?"
Silence.
"Do you really think the Malfoys are hurting their son?" McGonagall blurted
out after several minutes.
Snape sighed.
"I don't know what to think. Who knows? It could have been an accident. No,
they were obvious strike marks. It looked as if they were made with a ruler,
or some sort of stick. I'll talk to him."
"What are you going to say?"
"I could just ask him if his arm is bothering him. He has been extra careful
with it, and yesterday that dunderhead Longbottom crashed into him, against
that arm, and he winced noticeably. He might not tell me anything, but at
least the option is there for him."
McGonagall nodded in agreement.
"Remember when Moody turned him into a ferret last year?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes," he replied darkly. "Mad Eye truly is mad. You know, here we are, a
witch and a wizard, and we're sitting on a freezing cold stone floor."
He conjured up a plush rug immediately. McGonagall laughed at their ignorance
and turned two sheets of paper into blankets.
The night wore on, and the two professors were getting tired. Unable to
sleep, and bored, they began asking each other random questions.
"Severus, did it hurt when You-Know-Who put the Dark Mark on your arm?"
"Of course. He burned it on."
"Poppy couldn't heal it?"
"I never went to anyone about it. I doubt it could be erased."
"Do you think I should stop wearing my hair in a bun?"
"I don't really care."
"You know that staff meeting on Thursday?"
"What about it?"
"I'm thinking of suggesting a summer program."
"Why? So we can work more?" asked Snape, incredulous.
"I think it would be a good idea. Some students don't want to go home, you
know."
"Tell Dumbledore that it would benefit Potter and no doubt he'll agree to do
it."
"Severus! Stop picking on poor Harry. Besides, Potter might not be the only
student to benefit from a summer program. The more we keep the children of
Death Eaters away from their parents, the better."
"What would the summer program be? What would the children do?"
"Well...they could choose several classes to take for the duration of the
program. I don't know. It's just a thought."
"I wonder what Filch will do when Mrs. Norris dies?"
"That's morbid, Severus."
"Seriously, what would he do without that cat?"
"I doubt she'll go anytime soon. She's a stubborn as he is. They'll go down
together."
"Sibyll has predicted that cat's death three times now, hasn't she?"
"Do NOT get me started on Sibyll!" yelled McGonagall.
"She once said that she and I would get married."
"WHAT?"
Snape smirked coldly.
"It was right after one of her friends got engaged. I guess she felt that she
had to get married, too."
"You told her off, of course?"
"I couldn't. I was laughing too hard."
McGonagall began to giggle.
"She was furious, understandably," Snape continued. "Later that day she came
to me and said she'd made a mistake. Her real husband, she claimed, would be
Flitwick."
McGonagall was laughing without restraint now.
"Can you imagine that wedding?" asked McGonagall.
Eventually, Snape got up and looked through files again. Suddenly, he pulled
one out.
"Here's a new file," he said.
Snape settled back down on the rug and began to read. "Cut on arm from
Hippogriff. Bruises on back and hands from Moody's transfiguration punishment.
Hey! Poppy wrote 'serves him right' on here. Bad ankle sprain - Quidditch,
sprained wrist - Quidditch, knee contusion - Quidditch. Head cold. Well,
that's it for injuries and ailments."
"How does a person sprain one's ankle in Quidditch?" pondered McGonagall.
"Poppy wrote here that his foot struck another student's broom when they were
practicing."
"Potter's health file must be an inch thick," said McGonagall.
"Why can't anyone shut up about Potter? He has a scar. Good for him. Any
sadomasochist could easily do the same."
"For the last time, Severus, leave the boy alone!"
"I have a student who is possibly being beaten at home, and Dumbledore won't
do a bloody thing about it! Hogwarts revolves around Potter, and Dumbledore
can't even listen to one little concern about a Slytherin student."
Tense silence followed as Snape fumed.
"Severus, I'm sure Dumbledore is concerned. But what could we do if Mr. Malfoy
was beating his son? File a lawsuit to force the Malfoys to give up their
parental rights? I doubt it."
"You're right, I suppose," sighed Snape, defeated.
"I know it's frustrating. A few years ago I had a student, John McKay, who
was being hurt at home--"
"A few years ago?" interrupted Snape. "He was here when I was here. He sat
next to me in your class."
"Oh. Time flies. Great, now I feel old again. Anyway, there was little we
could do. Now getting him help would be easier, but back then... Now I
remember! You WERE in that class! Third row, second desk. I really am getting
old..."
"Don't start that again."
Snape noticed a small metal cupboard on the wall. Curiously, he raised his
wand and opened it.
"Minerva, look," he said.
A bottle of wine had been stored there.
"Thirsty?" asked McGonagall, floating the bottle over with her wand.
"What if it's a poison meant to kill trapped teachers who tried to read their
students' health files?" asked Snape.
"You're the potions expert," McGonagall pointed out, opening the bottle.
Snape poured a drop on his finger and tasted it. He looked confused.
"This isn't poison or wine, it's..." He looked at the label.
"Sparkling apple juice," finished McGonagall.
Once again, longing for alcohol doesn't pay off. One more chapter to come!
(Unless Severus and Minerva never escape! [evil laugh]) When will the cabin
fever set in??????? The next chapter will probably be longer. I hope that's
okay. Or was this one too short? I can never tell. :-(
Saiyan Princess
Chapter Two
Thanks everyone for reviewing the first chapter. It was so late that I didn't
even use the spell check. I hope it was legible. Anyway, the story continues!
(With editing this time, sort of.)
While he waited for McGonagall to calm down, Snape continued to look around
the cold prison. There wasn't much else to do, and the room wasn't very
interesting. File cabinets have limited appeal. The connecting bathroom was
handy, but also uninteresting. Luckily, he found a quill and a notebook on a
crude wooden desk. He settled down beside the fire again and began to
outline his lesson plan for the following day. The class would be learning
about the Nonignis potion, which allowed people to stand any degree of heat.
After drinking it, someone could swim through molten lava. However, the
potent potion was so powerful that it had some adverse effects. It would
cause a witch or wizard to ache all over for several days. Some of its
ingredients were dangerous, which was why he was not allowing the students
to make their own Nonignis potions. He wrote down "Draco Malfoy" as a
possible assistant, and then, after a pause and a slight grimace, listed
"Hermione Granger" as well. Annoying as the Gryffindor girl was, she could
handle the tricky potion. He just hoped she and Draco wouldn't purposely harm
each other with the ingredients. What next? For a demonstration, he could
give some to Longbottom's toad and dip it in flames. That was an enticing
idea. He realized then that McGonagall had stopped her pity party.
"What are you writing?" she asked.
"Lesson plans."
"I hope Albus finds us tomorrow. What will we tell our students about our
being late?"
"Umm...important business?"
"That works. What will we tell Albus?"
"We got lost?" Snape suggested.
"We became really stupid overnight?" McGonagall offered.
"He probably won't mind the truth too much. After all, the welfare of my
students is my responsibility. He can't deny that."
"Why did you write down Malfoy and Granger's names?" McGonagall asked, nodding
towards Snape's paper.
"I need capable potions students for a Nonignis brewing demonstration
tomorrow. Is there anything else in my outline you would care to ask about?"
Silence.
"Do you really think the Malfoys are hurting their son?" McGonagall blurted
out after several minutes.
Snape sighed.
"I don't know what to think. Who knows? It could have been an accident. No,
they were obvious strike marks. It looked as if they were made with a ruler,
or some sort of stick. I'll talk to him."
"What are you going to say?"
"I could just ask him if his arm is bothering him. He has been extra careful
with it, and yesterday that dunderhead Longbottom crashed into him, against
that arm, and he winced noticeably. He might not tell me anything, but at
least the option is there for him."
McGonagall nodded in agreement.
"Remember when Moody turned him into a ferret last year?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes," he replied darkly. "Mad Eye truly is mad. You know, here we are, a
witch and a wizard, and we're sitting on a freezing cold stone floor."
He conjured up a plush rug immediately. McGonagall laughed at their ignorance
and turned two sheets of paper into blankets.
The night wore on, and the two professors were getting tired. Unable to
sleep, and bored, they began asking each other random questions.
"Severus, did it hurt when You-Know-Who put the Dark Mark on your arm?"
"Of course. He burned it on."
"Poppy couldn't heal it?"
"I never went to anyone about it. I doubt it could be erased."
"Do you think I should stop wearing my hair in a bun?"
"I don't really care."
"You know that staff meeting on Thursday?"
"What about it?"
"I'm thinking of suggesting a summer program."
"Why? So we can work more?" asked Snape, incredulous.
"I think it would be a good idea. Some students don't want to go home, you
know."
"Tell Dumbledore that it would benefit Potter and no doubt he'll agree to do
it."
"Severus! Stop picking on poor Harry. Besides, Potter might not be the only
student to benefit from a summer program. The more we keep the children of
Death Eaters away from their parents, the better."
"What would the summer program be? What would the children do?"
"Well...they could choose several classes to take for the duration of the
program. I don't know. It's just a thought."
"I wonder what Filch will do when Mrs. Norris dies?"
"That's morbid, Severus."
"Seriously, what would he do without that cat?"
"I doubt she'll go anytime soon. She's a stubborn as he is. They'll go down
together."
"Sibyll has predicted that cat's death three times now, hasn't she?"
"Do NOT get me started on Sibyll!" yelled McGonagall.
"She once said that she and I would get married."
"WHAT?"
Snape smirked coldly.
"It was right after one of her friends got engaged. I guess she felt that she
had to get married, too."
"You told her off, of course?"
"I couldn't. I was laughing too hard."
McGonagall began to giggle.
"She was furious, understandably," Snape continued. "Later that day she came
to me and said she'd made a mistake. Her real husband, she claimed, would be
Flitwick."
McGonagall was laughing without restraint now.
"Can you imagine that wedding?" asked McGonagall.
Eventually, Snape got up and looked through files again. Suddenly, he pulled
one out.
"Here's a new file," he said.
Snape settled back down on the rug and began to read. "Cut on arm from
Hippogriff. Bruises on back and hands from Moody's transfiguration punishment.
Hey! Poppy wrote 'serves him right' on here. Bad ankle sprain - Quidditch,
sprained wrist - Quidditch, knee contusion - Quidditch. Head cold. Well,
that's it for injuries and ailments."
"How does a person sprain one's ankle in Quidditch?" pondered McGonagall.
"Poppy wrote here that his foot struck another student's broom when they were
practicing."
"Potter's health file must be an inch thick," said McGonagall.
"Why can't anyone shut up about Potter? He has a scar. Good for him. Any
sadomasochist could easily do the same."
"For the last time, Severus, leave the boy alone!"
"I have a student who is possibly being beaten at home, and Dumbledore won't
do a bloody thing about it! Hogwarts revolves around Potter, and Dumbledore
can't even listen to one little concern about a Slytherin student."
Tense silence followed as Snape fumed.
"Severus, I'm sure Dumbledore is concerned. But what could we do if Mr. Malfoy
was beating his son? File a lawsuit to force the Malfoys to give up their
parental rights? I doubt it."
"You're right, I suppose," sighed Snape, defeated.
"I know it's frustrating. A few years ago I had a student, John McKay, who
was being hurt at home--"
"A few years ago?" interrupted Snape. "He was here when I was here. He sat
next to me in your class."
"Oh. Time flies. Great, now I feel old again. Anyway, there was little we
could do. Now getting him help would be easier, but back then... Now I
remember! You WERE in that class! Third row, second desk. I really am getting
old..."
"Don't start that again."
Snape noticed a small metal cupboard on the wall. Curiously, he raised his
wand and opened it.
"Minerva, look," he said.
A bottle of wine had been stored there.
"Thirsty?" asked McGonagall, floating the bottle over with her wand.
"What if it's a poison meant to kill trapped teachers who tried to read their
students' health files?" asked Snape.
"You're the potions expert," McGonagall pointed out, opening the bottle.
Snape poured a drop on his finger and tasted it. He looked confused.
"This isn't poison or wine, it's..." He looked at the label.
"Sparkling apple juice," finished McGonagall.
Once again, longing for alcohol doesn't pay off. One more chapter to come!
(Unless Severus and Minerva never escape! [evil laugh]) When will the cabin
fever set in??????? The next chapter will probably be longer. I hope that's
okay. Or was this one too short? I can never tell. :-(