11.
Vivian's plan was hampered by the fact that she had to stay in bed. The plan demanded a specific curse, one she was certain Harriet and Diana wouldn't be able to perform. She had toyed with the idea of summoning the dark mark, that would certainly give Snape a nasty shock, but it was too risky. Anything remotely related to death eaters would easily be traced to her. Instead, she had decided on the metuas curse. It wasn't particularly complex, but it was hardly ever used, almost obsolete in fact, and few people actually knew how to perform it. It was the curse Snape had taught her when she was a child: the curse brought fear: pure, undiluted terror. To the victim, the earth would suddenly be filled with demons. It was more terrible than an encounter with a boggart, because in this case the curse affected the victim's mind, like a breath of madness.
The neatness it appealed to her. The curse only lasted around half an hour, and although it was dreadful whilst it lasted, Snape surely deserved it. And hadn't he taught it in the first place? Looking back, Vivian was had been shocked, she couldn't have been more than five or six when Snape had taught her the curse, it had been most irresponsible – or perhaps it was the death eater equivalent of handing over a tube of smarties.
When she woke up the next morning, Harriet and Diana were standing by her bed both fully dressed.
"So?" Diana said.
"Have you thought of anything?" Harriet asked eagerly.
Vivian sat up and looked at them.
"Sort of." She said. "I thought of a really good curse we could use." She explained about the metuas curse, omitting the fact that Snape had been the person who had taught it to her, as this would lead to awkward questions about her mother.
"Cool!" Diana said, but Harriet had doubts.
"Isn't it a bit dangerous?" she asked hesitantly, "I mean, you won't damage him permanently will you? That could really get us into trouble…"
"Don't you want to get back at Snape?" Demanded Diana.
"Yes, it just seems a bit… drastic, that's all."
"Look, the curse only lasts about half an hour." Vivian said reassuringly, "It won't do any lasting damage."
"Well, I suppose he was horrible to Lorna." Harriet admitted.
"Well that's settled then." Diana said, "Now how do we make it look like it was that git Marcus?"
"Well…" Vivian began, "I thought maybe we could take advantage of prior incantato."
"Whatever that is." Harriet said.
"It makes a wand regurgitate the last spell it performed." Vivian explained, rather impatiently" So if we use Marcus' wand to perform the metuas curse…."
"He gets the blame!" Diana finished.
"That's brilliant!" Harriet said. "So how do we get hold of Marcus' wand?"
"I haven't quite worked that out yet." Vivian admitted. "I'd say whilst he was asleep, but it'll be really hard to get into his dormitory…"
They all nodded. They didn't even know which dormitory Marcus slept in, and getting in there and taking the wand without waking him up would be almost impossible.
Suddenly they all jumped as Lorna sat up in bed and asked
"What are you doing?"
"Plotting revenge." Diana said, "Want to join us?"
There was a brief interval whilst Lorna was told about the plan, and why they needed Marcus' wand.
"So are you in?" Diana asked at last.
"Of course." Lorna replied, her eyes glittering.
*
Meanwhile, Snape was having problems. He'd taken advantage of his day off to begin researching the curse, but he was having no luck. After all, nobody had been able to find out what the curse was when it had been inflicted ten years ago. How would he find out now?
He was sitting in the library with a pile of books, a smoking cup of coffee next to him, when Dumbledore appeared.
"Working on the curse?" he asked. Snape nodded. He felt irritated, as he always did when someone interrupted his reading.
"Dedicated of you, this being your day off and all," Dumbledore commented. Snape took a sip of coffee.
"I have nothing better to do." He replied shortly. "You know I don't go out much."
"Well, I admire your conscientiousness." Dumbledore said, after a pause. Snape regretted being so frank. The last thing he wanted was people pitying him for his loneliness. But when he glanced up at Dumbledore, his expression was thoughtful rather than sympathetic. Dumbledore was weighing Snape up. He looked particularly miserable, Dumbledore though. How long was it since Claudia died? Ten years, far too long for a man to live in loneliness and regret. It was a pity, Dumbledore decided; Snape might not be good-looking, but he could be charming enough if it was worth his while. It was time to set him up with some intelligent witch who could look after him properly.
Snape, blissfully unaware of Dumbledore's reflections, had recommenced his work, hoping Dumbledore might take the hint and leave. However, Dumbledore didn't move. Snape sighed and put down his pen.
"Thank you for your help." He said with a note of finality, hoping this was the end of the conversation. It was not.
"Have you considered interviewing Vivian yet?" Dumbledore asked. "She may know or remember things about when she was cursed, or even how. You ought to have a full list of her symptoms, anyway." Inwardly, Snape cursed his stupidity. How could he have missed such an obvious idea?
"I hadn't thought of it, no." he said, "But it does seem like a good idea. Unfortunately the girl has a …dislike of me, some kind of childish prejudice. Perhaps we should have someone else interview her? Poppy for instance."
"A childish prejudice?" Dumbledore asked.
"It's hardly unusual." Snape said. "I find teaching demanding enough already without trying to be a surrogate parent into the bargain."
Dumbledore gave a faint chuckle.
"I see your point." He said. "However, I think it will be much more beneficial if you interview her yourself. It's the only way to get all the information. Besides, it will be a wonderful opportunity to dispel her…childish prejudice."
Snape looked, if possibly, even gloomier than before.
"Very well." He said.
"I'm going to tell Poppy to let her get up soon." Dumbledore said, "It's hardly fair on the poor girl keeping her in bed all the time, and I don't think it's doing her much good anyway. She needs to be with her friends, there may be hard times in store for her…"
Dumbledore trailed off. Snape was surprised at the anxiety in Dumbledore's expression. He felt a small twinge of anxiety.
"I'll ask Poppy to bring her to the Ravenclaw common room tomorrow, you can interview her there." Dumbledore continued, after a pause.
"Right." Snape said.
"Oh, and Severus?"
"Yes?"
"There's a wonderful pub just opened on Diagon Ally, called "The Manticore", I think, I think you should give it a try. They do the most extraordinary cocktails."
"I don't think-" began Snape, but Dumbledore had already gone.
*
That lunch break, Harriet, who was good with a quill, wrote a note, in writing rather similar to that on Marcus Fowler's letter to Lorna, under Diana's, Lorna's and Vivian's instructions. It read:
If you come to the third floor corridor outside the arithmancy classroom at one o clock tonight, you will find something to your own advantage, concerning Slytherin's heir.
"Do you think he'll fall for it?" Diana said. "He may be evil, but he isn't stupid."
"He'll come," Lorna said, "remember, he was hanging around outside when Vivian saw him? He'd do anything to catch Slytherin's heir."
They had discovered Marcus Fowler's bedroom, or rather, Diana had discovered it for them, employing her (considerable) flirting talents on Robert, a rather unattractive boy who shared a dormitory with him. He had, naturally been bowled over by Diana's attentions, and with scarcely any encouragement told her everything she had needed to know….
The plan was to happen that night.
"The sooner the better." Lorna said. The others looked at her. Now that it came to it, they weren't really so set on revenge after all. The plan was rather harsh, even for Snape, and it could easily go wrong. However, Lorna was looking frighteningly in earnest.
"Is this such a good idea?" Harriet said nervously, voicing everyone's doubts. "I mean, I've never heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong."
Lorna silenced her with a look.
No one else made any objections.
*
Back in his office, Snape happened to glance at his chessboard, and noticed that the pieces had been moved. Somehow he knew it had been Vivian. After all, she was allowed to come to pick up her potion each evening. Who else would have had the opportunity?
Who else would have made such a clever move? He thought, as he examined the board more closely. He was in serious danger of loosing; and worse, to a brat of a girl he couldn't stand the sight of. It was more than his pride could endure. After a few minutes thought, however, he managed to move himself out of danger.
Vivian's plan was hampered by the fact that she had to stay in bed. The plan demanded a specific curse, one she was certain Harriet and Diana wouldn't be able to perform. She had toyed with the idea of summoning the dark mark, that would certainly give Snape a nasty shock, but it was too risky. Anything remotely related to death eaters would easily be traced to her. Instead, she had decided on the metuas curse. It wasn't particularly complex, but it was hardly ever used, almost obsolete in fact, and few people actually knew how to perform it. It was the curse Snape had taught her when she was a child: the curse brought fear: pure, undiluted terror. To the victim, the earth would suddenly be filled with demons. It was more terrible than an encounter with a boggart, because in this case the curse affected the victim's mind, like a breath of madness.
The neatness it appealed to her. The curse only lasted around half an hour, and although it was dreadful whilst it lasted, Snape surely deserved it. And hadn't he taught it in the first place? Looking back, Vivian was had been shocked, she couldn't have been more than five or six when Snape had taught her the curse, it had been most irresponsible – or perhaps it was the death eater equivalent of handing over a tube of smarties.
When she woke up the next morning, Harriet and Diana were standing by her bed both fully dressed.
"So?" Diana said.
"Have you thought of anything?" Harriet asked eagerly.
Vivian sat up and looked at them.
"Sort of." She said. "I thought of a really good curse we could use." She explained about the metuas curse, omitting the fact that Snape had been the person who had taught it to her, as this would lead to awkward questions about her mother.
"Cool!" Diana said, but Harriet had doubts.
"Isn't it a bit dangerous?" she asked hesitantly, "I mean, you won't damage him permanently will you? That could really get us into trouble…"
"Don't you want to get back at Snape?" Demanded Diana.
"Yes, it just seems a bit… drastic, that's all."
"Look, the curse only lasts about half an hour." Vivian said reassuringly, "It won't do any lasting damage."
"Well, I suppose he was horrible to Lorna." Harriet admitted.
"Well that's settled then." Diana said, "Now how do we make it look like it was that git Marcus?"
"Well…" Vivian began, "I thought maybe we could take advantage of prior incantato."
"Whatever that is." Harriet said.
"It makes a wand regurgitate the last spell it performed." Vivian explained, rather impatiently" So if we use Marcus' wand to perform the metuas curse…."
"He gets the blame!" Diana finished.
"That's brilliant!" Harriet said. "So how do we get hold of Marcus' wand?"
"I haven't quite worked that out yet." Vivian admitted. "I'd say whilst he was asleep, but it'll be really hard to get into his dormitory…"
They all nodded. They didn't even know which dormitory Marcus slept in, and getting in there and taking the wand without waking him up would be almost impossible.
Suddenly they all jumped as Lorna sat up in bed and asked
"What are you doing?"
"Plotting revenge." Diana said, "Want to join us?"
There was a brief interval whilst Lorna was told about the plan, and why they needed Marcus' wand.
"So are you in?" Diana asked at last.
"Of course." Lorna replied, her eyes glittering.
*
Meanwhile, Snape was having problems. He'd taken advantage of his day off to begin researching the curse, but he was having no luck. After all, nobody had been able to find out what the curse was when it had been inflicted ten years ago. How would he find out now?
He was sitting in the library with a pile of books, a smoking cup of coffee next to him, when Dumbledore appeared.
"Working on the curse?" he asked. Snape nodded. He felt irritated, as he always did when someone interrupted his reading.
"Dedicated of you, this being your day off and all," Dumbledore commented. Snape took a sip of coffee.
"I have nothing better to do." He replied shortly. "You know I don't go out much."
"Well, I admire your conscientiousness." Dumbledore said, after a pause. Snape regretted being so frank. The last thing he wanted was people pitying him for his loneliness. But when he glanced up at Dumbledore, his expression was thoughtful rather than sympathetic. Dumbledore was weighing Snape up. He looked particularly miserable, Dumbledore though. How long was it since Claudia died? Ten years, far too long for a man to live in loneliness and regret. It was a pity, Dumbledore decided; Snape might not be good-looking, but he could be charming enough if it was worth his while. It was time to set him up with some intelligent witch who could look after him properly.
Snape, blissfully unaware of Dumbledore's reflections, had recommenced his work, hoping Dumbledore might take the hint and leave. However, Dumbledore didn't move. Snape sighed and put down his pen.
"Thank you for your help." He said with a note of finality, hoping this was the end of the conversation. It was not.
"Have you considered interviewing Vivian yet?" Dumbledore asked. "She may know or remember things about when she was cursed, or even how. You ought to have a full list of her symptoms, anyway." Inwardly, Snape cursed his stupidity. How could he have missed such an obvious idea?
"I hadn't thought of it, no." he said, "But it does seem like a good idea. Unfortunately the girl has a …dislike of me, some kind of childish prejudice. Perhaps we should have someone else interview her? Poppy for instance."
"A childish prejudice?" Dumbledore asked.
"It's hardly unusual." Snape said. "I find teaching demanding enough already without trying to be a surrogate parent into the bargain."
Dumbledore gave a faint chuckle.
"I see your point." He said. "However, I think it will be much more beneficial if you interview her yourself. It's the only way to get all the information. Besides, it will be a wonderful opportunity to dispel her…childish prejudice."
Snape looked, if possibly, even gloomier than before.
"Very well." He said.
"I'm going to tell Poppy to let her get up soon." Dumbledore said, "It's hardly fair on the poor girl keeping her in bed all the time, and I don't think it's doing her much good anyway. She needs to be with her friends, there may be hard times in store for her…"
Dumbledore trailed off. Snape was surprised at the anxiety in Dumbledore's expression. He felt a small twinge of anxiety.
"I'll ask Poppy to bring her to the Ravenclaw common room tomorrow, you can interview her there." Dumbledore continued, after a pause.
"Right." Snape said.
"Oh, and Severus?"
"Yes?"
"There's a wonderful pub just opened on Diagon Ally, called "The Manticore", I think, I think you should give it a try. They do the most extraordinary cocktails."
"I don't think-" began Snape, but Dumbledore had already gone.
*
That lunch break, Harriet, who was good with a quill, wrote a note, in writing rather similar to that on Marcus Fowler's letter to Lorna, under Diana's, Lorna's and Vivian's instructions. It read:
If you come to the third floor corridor outside the arithmancy classroom at one o clock tonight, you will find something to your own advantage, concerning Slytherin's heir.
"Do you think he'll fall for it?" Diana said. "He may be evil, but he isn't stupid."
"He'll come," Lorna said, "remember, he was hanging around outside when Vivian saw him? He'd do anything to catch Slytherin's heir."
They had discovered Marcus Fowler's bedroom, or rather, Diana had discovered it for them, employing her (considerable) flirting talents on Robert, a rather unattractive boy who shared a dormitory with him. He had, naturally been bowled over by Diana's attentions, and with scarcely any encouragement told her everything she had needed to know….
The plan was to happen that night.
"The sooner the better." Lorna said. The others looked at her. Now that it came to it, they weren't really so set on revenge after all. The plan was rather harsh, even for Snape, and it could easily go wrong. However, Lorna was looking frighteningly in earnest.
"Is this such a good idea?" Harriet said nervously, voicing everyone's doubts. "I mean, I've never heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong."
Lorna silenced her with a look.
No one else made any objections.
*
Back in his office, Snape happened to glance at his chessboard, and noticed that the pieces had been moved. Somehow he knew it had been Vivian. After all, she was allowed to come to pick up her potion each evening. Who else would have had the opportunity?
Who else would have made such a clever move? He thought, as he examined the board more closely. He was in serious danger of loosing; and worse, to a brat of a girl he couldn't stand the sight of. It was more than his pride could endure. After a few minutes thought, however, he managed to move himself out of danger.