Disclaimer: Okay as per usual non of this belongs to me, this is the product of the fabulous JK Rowling who inspired me to borrow a lot o her idea... *hangs head in shame* Only the plot is mine... Enjoy!

Author's note: This is yet another strange part of this story I'm unsure if this is any good or not, I hope so, I like it other than it gets a little strange which I couldn't control! I like to write strange stuff! I do hope you'll read and review it because I have been very busy and I should very much like to see what you think of what I did in my spare time, it took forever!

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If everything were as you planned would they have turned out this way?

Higher Learning

Command of the Potions Master

Waking up in the hospital wing was strange, especially with someone you didn't expect to see sitting next to you talking with Madam Pomfrey like she wasn't there, she couldn't quite figure what they were taking about she was still drowsy and unable to make it out.

Hizenfli looked dazed and confused, a little unsure about what was happening, she had done something, something had happened but she couldn't think what. Madam Pomfrey smiled, a happy smile, glad to see her awake she however didn't try to force chocolate down her throat at her first sign of life like she normally did and held up a mirror. She remembered and groaned with annoyance, they'd fixed her face - the slash was gone.

She remembered the blood, it had brought her closer to the Potions Master for her comfort, she hated to admit that she enjoyed his touch, an omnipotent figure pressed up against her made her wish to be a little closer, she groaned again realising that she couldn't get what she wanted until she had her own face back, it vexed her.

"What is it dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked a little taken aback by her reaction to her looks, she had spent the evening getting rid of the unbecoming gash that marred her.

"Miss Latchman has asked me if there is any way of making her face and everything about it turn back to normal." Madam Pomfrey looked at him in disbelief; Hizenfli got off of the bed and tied her flowing hair back out of her way. Snape must have brought her glasses up from the Dungeons because they were on the cabinet beside the bed, she drew her wand and trans figured them into dark sunglasses to hide her face then she changed the brim on her hat so it covered most of her face. She wouldn't be seen this way if she could help it, if she could get away with looking even stranger than she normally did.

"I'm not pretending to be something I'm not!" She snapped plonking the hat on her head sending a few wisps of chestnut waving down her face, Madam Pomfrey looked at Snape like she was insane, he got to his feet and excused himself. "Thank you for your help Madam Pomfrey," she said politely sweeping out of the Hospital wing after him. He had walked extremely quickly because she had to run to find where he was going, he had to know what she had to say, how could he be so cold towards her? She considered all the variables and took it down as his personality but still thought it to be wrong of him to behave in such a way.

Something within her got so angry she couldn't contain it anymore. She chased the Potions Master as he stalked down to the Dungeons the black rippled as it tore down the corridor, dragged by the Professor, her head was screaming the rage within her and she ran around the his robes causing him to come to a halt before grabbing his arm and frowning at him like thunder. He recoiled his arm and sneered at her.

"If you wanted me to remain looking like this you could have just said instead of making everyone believe me to be crazy you contemptible arse!" She yelled her voice ragged after her run taking deep breaths, he gave her an icy glare not wanting to lie the monster within him to rest yet, she sank back.

"Do you want my help or not Miss Latchman because I don't have to help you!" He snapped walking so close to her she was forced to back away until she was standing against the wall able to feel the warmth his body was emitting in the cold Dungeons.

"I can't find the antidote with out you!" She said slightly more subdued against the wall.

"Then control that temper of yours or I can turn into the most roofless bastard you're ever likely to come across!" He said in a dangerous tone, he was so close now she could feel his breath on her cheek, she pushed him back, fearful of the near proximity and ran down the corridor her hat falling off as she went the chestnut hair flutter out behind her.

Severus watched her, he'd got too close to her then, he didn't know what he was doing. He could still see her running down the Dungeon corridor; he was now the one doing the running. He could see where she was going before she had even gone there, it was the only open room down the corridor that wasn't the Potions room. He got the feeling she wouldn't want to see the Potions room again for a while after what happened, he couldn't think why she would want to see him.

How could he be so cruel, there was somewhere within him that understood but where? She ran into one of the deserted rooms in the Dungeons and hid behind an old desk pulling her knees to her chest and crying into her robes as she thought about what had been happening. No one would let her kill herself and the only one who could help her was making her feel as if she couldn't ask for the help she so desperately needed. She didn't want to look this way forever, why didn't anyone believe that she didn't want to look this way? Did she really look that bad before, she turned the lens into a mirror and looked into it, she could see what she had become and shuddered but knew cutting it up wasn't going to do her any good she had to swallow her pride and approach cantankerous bat without being caught in his wings. She'd already ruffled his feathers twice and she knew it. She didn't know if it was a bad thing to get close to him or not. He intrigued her, intrigue and mystery were a powerful combination and it tantalised her senses.

There was a short click of the door handle and someone walked in, she threw the mirror across the other side of the room in shock, it smashed and immediately drew the foreign person's attention to where she was.

"I know you're there Miss Latchman," was his calm collected voice, it burned her ears, she covered them and tried not to listen to him or see where he was. She didn't want to know she buried her head in her robes and muffled quiet sobs into her knees. She felt her hat being placed lightly upon her head again before noting a haunting powerful presence at her side; she didn't need to use her eyes to know who he was.

"Go away!" Was the muffled sound of her voice through the mouthful of cloth.

"You can't hide from everyone you know," he said crouching before her lifting her head out of her knees with his agile slender fingers. She kept her eyes closed and refused to look at him, he held her face under the chin with his right hand and swept her hair from her face opening her eyes gently with the palm of his left hand.

" I knew it was you," she said though small sobs tears escaping her eyes.

"How so?" He said wiping the tears away with his thumbs.

"Your aura, I could sense you, your smell, your power, I felt it yesterday, I can still feel it when you're near me." Her voice was sorrowful as her sparkling eyes glistened scanning his face for a disgusted reaction, she found none.

Something cracked within him, he smoothed his fingers down her cheeks and neck working his hands round her back pulling her close to him to attempt to comfort her he'd not tried to comfort anyone before. He normally tried to keep them away from him by being the kind of person you'd never be able to turn to. She rested her head on his shoulder and tears still remained flowing freely from her eyes. His own were glassing over, he felt terrible, it was his fault and she had never deserved what happened.

She lifted her head to face him, her head tipped back slightly brushing her bottom lip on his nose, his stomach jumped into his chest, she smelt incredible, the smell drifted up his nose like wild fire and he couldn't hold back a stifled sigh of pleasure.

Hizenfli discovered her hands sliding round his back she pressed her fingers to the base of his spine and smoothed them upwards releasing the pressure as she went his breath caught, and his shoulders tensed feeling a little uncomfortable, she was his student.

"This isn't really what I had in mind when I offered to help you." He said lifting his hands away from her though she still remained, her arms comfortably about his waist. "I'm your teacher, this isn't right."

"Then teach me." She said moving her hand up his back entwining his shoulder length black hair in her fingers bring his head down to her chest, he held back offering self restraint around this neurotic young temptress.

She pressed her body flat up against him tracing a persuasive finger round his face, she brushed her top lip down his nose and worked her fingers down his chest so lightly yet with such fire he felt like he was being cut in two over his robes. She worked her fingers down to his belt when he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

He was being reduced to a boy by one of his students, she was skilled in manipulation, that was clear when she had dragged more than her hands upwards with a tingling sensation allowing his mind to wander. He knew their relationship wasn't supposed to get like at and the feeling of guilt was incredible but the electrifying exhilaration provided by the danger made him desperate.

"If only I could," he muttered taking a deep breath to steady himself, he must be controlled, this couldn't get out of control. The expression on her face made it clear she knew what was wrong, her expression changed from sadness to rage how could she have been so stupid? It was all to do with the looks, nothing else, she had momentarily allowed herself to believe he might actually care but she stopped deluding herself, the antidote would disinter the truth.

"It's the face isn't it!" She said pushing him backwards yet again, how often was she going to keep pushing him away, he landed his knees in his back and arms out by his side looking almost disgusted with himself. "If I didn't look this way you wouldn't give me a second glance, how am I going to get my face back? The one where people liked me or didn't as the case was, for what I was and not what I looked like."

"This face has woken you up, I would never have known you if this had never happened and that would have truly saddened me." He looked blankly at the ceiling feeling of utmost guilt on his face; he'd said something he knew she wouldn't have wanted to hear. "I don't quite know how to explain myself, I feel hollow because I'm unsure what I'm doing anymore, lapses in my personality don't occur very often and when they do they throw me. I'm not myself." He said quietly not having moved his eyes closed trying to keep his thoughts from her face.

"Neither am I Professor, I want to quickly remedy that so we can both return to normal and I can go back to being a recluse and you a contemptible monster." She said getting to her feet. "I'll not be toyed with!" She snapped looking down at him with distain, he was a sorry sight, she wasn't sure what to think of him, she knew what she wanted but remaining the way she looked wasn't the way to get it. She closed her eyes a tear burning as it escaped her magnificent wide brown eyes.

"I don't think I'm toying with you!" He snapped, ho could she jump to conclusions so quickly? She was the one toying with him; it was her wandering hands not his that created this situation.

"Then leave me alone!" She said going for the door again, her face flushed and eyes glassy.

"Wait there!" He instructed a little too harshly but she didn't listen, she ran off again. He let out a frustrated groan and slapped his hand to his forehead pressing his nose to his face. Why did things have to go off at the most inappropriate times? She was there, he was there... what was his problem, it wasn't as if she wasn't old enough, she was mature and it was legal, but he felt so guilty, it felt so wrong holding her in his arms, yet so right, his whole body had told him when the blood raced round his system making his mind blurred and taking everything out of his control that he wanted her.

What was she doing? She was acting like he were her own age, like he were someone she could talk to someone she could get to know without them being beyond cruel but he was all the opposites and she hated him for it. The fact it would be wrong excited her and the fact that she could endanger his job and her education made her want to proceed even more than she had thought she would.

She raced blindly down to the Potions classroom where she threw open the door and used her wand to open the lock on the cupboard at the front of the room with some ease. She looked into the storeroom for the first time in her life, and pulled out the ingredients to the Potion she had been making the day before when she noticed bottled on his desk in a small tube something that looked like the mixture she had made the day before, she pulled the silver stopper out of the top and smelt the potion within, it was definitely the potion she had made it was a strange coloured fluid that was a lot like mercury in texture and stained the glass as she swished it round the tube, this wasn't the only tube that had been collected, two more lay on the desk, she looked down at them with angry rage over powering her senses, she threw the tube in her hand at the wall sending glass all over the floor and sprays of this powerful liquid over the rough old bricks.

Within the cupboard she could see the equipment the Professor used to teach, his own cauldron was silver, there was a serpent made of silver coiled round the top of it and space left where you could lift the magnificent piece of craftsmanship from where it stood. Hizenfli had never ever seen her Potions Professor brew a Potion before, he was normally too busy making sure the rest of them didn't blow up the classroom.

She looked into the cauldron, it looked like it had never ever been used it was so clean, not even her cauldron was kept that tidy and she always kept hers clean because she couldn't stand the smell of the Potions, seven years of Potions left the most disgusting residue.

She reached inside the cupboard and found herself holding a strange bottle that had ornate words scribed into it, it looked like something ancient and she pulled the lid off the bottle and the sweetest most intoxicating smell flew up her nose making her want to drink it, it was powerful, nothing she had ever smelt compared to it. She looked at the inscriptions; they were very attractive and skilfully written in loopy handwriting.

"Please Miss Latchman, if you're going to route through my closet could you at least be a little tidier when doing so you have no idea what I have in there and well, it's all rather dangerous and all together disgusting." Snape had entered the room, she hadn't even noticed not even when he was talking to her, her attention was given to the bottle in her grasp. She lifted it to her nose again and sighed as she released a breath. "What are you doing?" He asked unsure what was causing her to ignore him; he couldn't see what she had in her grasp with her back turned. "Hizenfli?" He asked again trying to rouse her consciousness, she ignored him.

She bean to move her finger round the top of the tube causing a ringing in the glass and making it sing, she leaned on his desk and turned to look over her shoulder, to see him standing eyes narrowed him the door way, he didn't scare her, not anymore. She continued to make the glass sing.

"What are you doing?" He asked approaching her slowly unsure what she was doing or going to do.

"Can you hear it? The silver singing of the ages as it courses through the room." She said not looking at him, he watched as she lie on his desk looking dreamily at the ceiling. Her voice was soft and sleepy yet awake as if something else were domineering her vocal cords, it made him drowsy. "If there were anything in this world you could do again what would it be?" Her voice was more of a light hum and she didn't seem to know what was happening, it was as if spirits were passing straight through her. "If you could rethink anything and change the way you've been?"

"Are you okay Hizenfli?" He said walking round the desk where she was lying. He could see her convulsively rattling her finger round the bottle while she looked at the ceiling her eyes beginning to close. He looked at the tube within her grasp feeling a little dizzy himself. He pulled it out of her grasp causing the bottle to smash on the floor as he passed out landing face down on the desk by her side.

Her eyes closed frozen like a doll lifeless and dorsile. Severus was unable to do anything, the Potion sent him into a deep sleep before he could recap the bottle, now the smashed contents engulfed the room causing neither to be able to move. It was like being awake yet not.

There was a strange sound, like a whispers around the room then the silence, it starts again. He could feel cold breezes over his back like he was being consumed by it. He opened his eyes and looked to his right, she was staring up at the ceiling cold as death and shaking. He moved his hand to her shoulder and smoothed them to her face, her visage seemed sad and distant drifting, his hand stopped at her hair and he passed out again.

"Looking up at a sky I see, mists in circles. Starlight fades and all I see if black and I wish to be one with it, take me with you, swallow me whole." He awoke again to see her shaking nervously whispering, she repeated herself over and over getting louder as she did. He snapped out of the trance state and pulled himself unsteadily upwards, he leaned over her and waved his hand over her face.

"Hizenfli wake up..." He said softly.

"Intrigue and mystery, you are the darkness, yet you hide. I ask you why and you ignore me, what are you doing but you refuse to answer me What is the reason raven, why?" Her voice was calm and peripatetic. Her looked him to her unblinking eyes and brushed his fingers round her face his panic stricken, he didn't know what to do.

"Please wake up, where are you going?" He swallowed hard, she was lying flat on the desk and she looked strange. Her eyes had misted over again and her face drawn and pale.

"Are you the raven?" She in a trance.

"I am what you want me to be, wake up Hizenfli! Wake up!" His voice began to sound desperate his vocals drawn and rasping, wake up, wake up!

"Where is the darkness?" She asked calmly.

"Please!" He begged.

"Fades."

"Don't!"

"Darkens."

"Never fades, please stop this!"

"Fire..." Her tone was wandering from awake to asleep.

"Hizenfli!" He shouted, what was she doing.

"Ice..." She continued.

"Finite Incantatem!" He yelled pointing his wand at her, was it a spell?

"Breaking and binding..."

"I'll help you I swear it..." He said pulling one of her hands into his and bring it to his face, so cold.

"And I ask for the light, it returns."

"Wake up!"

"... I see you." She breathed.

"Are you there?" He asked, was it really her or the thing that had taken over?

"What happened?!" She seemed to have snapped out of it, her eyes shining again, but confused.

"Never do that again!" He said relieved pulling her into his arms.

"What's going on?" She moved her hand to her face and looked at the floor seeing the smashed bottle. She looked at him, his eyes were, for what she could see the for the first time, fearful. What time was it? There appeared to be darkness everywhere but she was in the Dungeons, it was always dark there.

"The antidote! We have to find it." He said looking her in the eyes and pausing, he slowly brought his face closer to hers, her heart stopped in her chest, her eyes widened significantly and they glittered with trepidation, it was wrong, no where could she justify it. He slid his right index finger down her nose pausing slowly over her lips causing then to tingle expectantly, she drew in a sharp breath and closed her eyes. He brushed his fingers over her lips and moved them to his own she sighed.

"If only this were the antidote." She breathed.

"I'm sorry!" He stammered letting her go. What was he doing? What if someone were to see? What would Dumbledore say if he was caught behaving this way with a student. He valued the trust he had. No one had ever trusted him more and he would betray that... for what? She was divine, but was it real?

"Stop messing with my head!" She shouted gripping her hair in her hands and closing her eyes tightly, frustrated.

"I don't mean to..." He said realising his behaviour was affecting hers as well... she was always a very reserved person, one that had more depth of soul than most of the seventh year girls, he couldn't hurt her.

"Then if you're a man get a grip and control yourself!" She snapped, she looked at the silver cauldron and to the cupboard. "We should start work on the antidote." She got off of the desk and started to throw ingredients into the cauldron, for some reason she knew what to place into the mixture throwing god knows what into the cauldron.

"What are you doing?" He asked still sitting on the desk scolding himself because of his behaviour, he wasn't the kind of person that had hormones like a yoyo what was going on, was this Potion affecting him too?

"Trying to cure myself. I don't want to stay looking this way a minute longer." The concoction began to bubble and she yelled something inaudible at the mixture before it began to smoke and fume with fantastic colours the room filling with the heat from the combining fumes and the blues greens and purples seemed to be having a battle in the air around them, it was overwhelming.

"You don't know that's the right mixture... it could kill you!" He said now he didn't sound like himself, he sounded concerned, Hizenfli let out a small laugh mocking him, he scowled at her.

"Since when did that bother you?" She said coldly. "You being the one that forced me to drink the blasted Potion that made me look this way in the first place." She added in a matter of fact tone.

"I was a fool, please! This needs to be tested and I... I can't stand to see you this way." What was he saying? He didn't really analyse what he was saying.

"You should have thought of that before." She grumbled.

"I was an idiot! I know that! I am the most despicable excuse for a human being there is but I swear I will never ever behave in that way ever again!" Why was he excusing what he had done, he didn't really feel that bad about it did he?

"The world is full of broken promises Professor, I'm not going to be deluded into believing one!" She said breathlessly continuing to work on her Potion. Stirring it with a porcelain ladle, her fingers elegantly sitting round the handle.

"I'll not let you take it!" He said forcefully.

"You can't stop me!" She said flatly.

"Then I'll take it first." He said his voice a low hum of dominance, she just stared at him sharply.

"You didn't take the other Potion." She snapped, it would be suicide to take the second without any reasons.

"No - but I can soon change that!" He snapped picking up the second tube on the desk, her reaction at first was disbelief, he wasn't going to take it. Then he removed the cork and poured some into his mouth, yet again the same eruption of smoke engulfed the room, Hizenfli let out a small scream when she realised what he was doing, was he insane? She didn't even know if her antidote worked and if they were both stuck that way the other pupils and members of staff would know what was going on. Only the seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors knew and they didn't seem to give a damn about it but the members of staff, they'd see him fired... Why did she care?

"Professor?!" She shouted wafting the smoke out of the way kneeling by his side to get a closer look and to make sure he hadn't killed himself, he seemed to have swallowed a lot more than she had done. He was lying with his eyes closed on the floor the tube smashed within his grasp.

"Where's the antidote?" He asked his voice more of a groan, his hair had changed from a greasy black to a smooth raven black that had a little bit of shine to it, when he spoke she could tell the difference it had had upon his teeth, they were no longer had the yellow tinge and they were straighter, when he opened his eyes they were still hollow but they made her feel like she was drowning, nothing much about him had changed but there were subtle differences. She liked them.

"I can't let you take it first what if I messed it up?"

"I'm trusting your logic as my student, if this works I'll pass you with flying colours." He said looking pointedly at the cauldron.

"But it's dangerous, I think I should." She stuttered.

"Don't be such a stubborn little witch and pass me the Potion before I do something I'll regret." She passed him a small spoonful her wrist rattling but not spilling the mixture of the mixture he took the spoon smelt it then poured in onto the floor. "That's the right one." He said looking at her she frowned if it had been the right one why had he poured it away?

"What are you doing pouring it away if it was correct?" She stammered as he got to his feet, she fell back in shock, she hadn't noticed until he had got to his feet but he was now the most stunning man she had ever seen.

"I have to get something before I fix myself..." He wandered out of the room and to his office and returned with a quill and piece of blank parchment. "Please inform me of how you made both of these mixtures Hizenfli, I wish to make a note for the future, I never wish to make the same mistake twice."

"Then take the antidote and have done with it!" She snapped.

"I see you're no longer so hasty in wishing to return to normal Miss Latchman, why so hesitant, I told you it was going to work." He said looking at the Potion and writing something onto the parchment.

"I... er... I guess I wish for some things I know this face can give me, I know that when I return to normal I'll never get them." She said reluctantly.

"What is it you want?" He asked walking over to the cauldron and using the silver spoon to return himself to normal. The hair faded and ended up looking like it had been washed, his teeth faded from the bright white to a lower colour but remained perfectly straight. He looked like himself only clearer and more understanding. The whole experience had given him a new way to look at things, he didn't seem like the dragon he had been before, his eyes signified a greater understanding than she believed it was able to perceive from him.

"I don't know any more." She said looking to the cauldron. "I guess I'm afraid that when I return myself to normal no one will ever grow to love me." She looked down at herself thinking about what she was about to give up.

"I shouldn't let that frighten you. I'm twenty-five and everyone I ever grew to like rejected me. I'm not the kind of person that you grow to love, I'm a person you learn to fear. You have a beauty I never noticed before but shone when you changed your face."

"Then it was the face." She said down heartened filling a small ladle with the Potion and reluctantly dropping into her mouth feeling the potion take over her senses and making her feel more like herself, she wasn't she whether it was a good thing or a bad thing anymore.

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Author's Note: What do you think? Any good or trash that you wished you had never read? Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought! I know it's a little odd and a little psychotic and she probably is turning into a Mary-Sue but .. well I'm sorry I never really intended for her to go that way but it just happened... My bad! Apologies for any poor spelling grammar etc.. I have a bad evil PC that hates me! Anyway I shut up now.

I.C. Fire

Final Chapter: Parallel

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