The Man Who Lied - Part I
Author's Note: Alright, this is the third series in my altraverse that
includes "The Girl Who Loved and "The Boy who Cried." Timewise, it starts
at the beginning of year 6 for the gang, just like "The Boy Who Cried"
does.
Note that these three series will eventually combine into one story
describing a 7th year where all three pairings are in full bloom. Watch
for that story, "The Souls That Died," sometime after I finish posting
all the parts of the current three trilogies :-) So yes, for the
skeptical, there IS an underlying plot that entwines all three of these
rather fluffy fics.
Disclaimer: THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! This one is Lockhart/Snape in particular,
and trust me, it is going to get weird. But I think I have an okay idea
for it, so please give it a try!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snape tipped the cauldron as he poured out a steaming vial of the
memorius potion. He methodically added the final ingredients, just as he
had every evening for the last several years. And each night, his patient
did not change, for he seemed beyond the reach of any potion or brew
Snape could cook up.
It was each evening when he went to brew this potion that Snape became
more aware of his own inaudequacy than any other time of the day. He
knew that Dumbledore's trust in his skills was misplaced, knew that all
his so called skill with potions was really nothing more than a bit of
skillfull posturing in front of a bunch of easily awed students. One
dose of the memorius potion should have cured his patient- one dose!
And yet here Snape was again, brewing a potion that might as well have
been water for all the good it seemed to be doing.
Why his patient was so intent on resisting the potion was beyond Snape's
knowledge. All Snape knew was that his patient remained so childlike as
to require constant care and supervision just to get through the day.
It didn't make sense- how could Snape keep failing like this?
The potion ready, Snape gathered the vial carefully in his pale and
twisted fingers, knowing as he did so that it didn't matter if he
dropped the vial, for the potion would do as much good seeping into the
wooden floorpanels as it would inside his patient. But he pushed such
thoughts away with a snarl- after all, it was for his patient, not Snape,
to be the final judge of his remedies. It was his duty only to administer
it and pray.
His robes billowing around him, Snape plodded through the corridors, the
thin soles of his slippers sliding gently and silently along the tiles.
His footsteps turned towards the deepest dungeons, where his patient was
hidden from the prying eyes of the resident Hogwarts tricksters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man who had once been Lockhart sat alone in the well furnished room.
The beauty of his cell could not change the fact that it was in effect
a prison, but such was the state of Lockhart's mind that he did not
understand his confinement enough to desire to rebel against it. His
beautiful features were the same as those that had once graced the cover
of Witch Weekly, or rather, they were all the same except for his eyes.
Lockhart's eyes had lost all their intensity, and their color had faded
to a dull steel. His gaze darted about the room as if trying to assimilate
his surroundings- though his surroundings had not changed for the past
several months. He measured his days, when he understood the concept of
day and night, only by the arrival of his nightly potion.
A gentle knock on the door caused Lockhart to turn and stare blankly
through the bars on the prisonlike door. "Come in," he whispered
mechanically, just as he had every night for so long.
Snape opened the door, balancing a tray of food brought by one of the
house elfs in one hand, and the potion in the other. "How are you feeling,
Gilderoy?" He asked as he placed the tray on the end table beside the bed.
No response. Snape hadn't been expecting one, of course, but it still made
his heart sink in his chest.
Picking up an empty goblet, Snape poured the contents of the vial out and
offered the glass to Gilderoy. Taking it, his actions routine and
mechanical, Gilderoy downed the potion without heed to its foul taste.
Snape took the drained goblet back from Gilderoy with tears glistening in
his eyes. "Do you remember me, Gilderoy?" He asked. Once again, no response.
No change. Unable to cope with the strain, Snape almost shouted, "Why don't
you want to remember anything, Gilderoy? Why won't you come back?" Again,
no response.
He might as well have been screaming at a deaf child for all the response
Gilderoy made. Flustered, Snape forced himself to return to the routine
of trying to help Gilderoy to eat. Another knock at the doorway made him
pause. Apparently, his screaming had not gone unnoticed. "Come in." He
said, exhaustion in his voice.
Dumbledore walked into the room, looking at Snape with almost imperceptible
concern. "One of the house elves thought they heard shouting." He said,
when Snape didn't try to start a conversation. Snape looked away, not
wanting to answer, for there was really no answer to be given.
Sighing, Dumbledore continued, "Dobby had agreed to take care of Lockhart
for a few minutes. I need to talk to you for a moment." The tiny elf
poked his head out from behind Dumbledore, finding Snape's presence
intimidating.
Looking at the elf in disgust, Snape begin to protest, "I hardly think that
is necessary..."
"Now, if you please, Severus." Dumbledore's tone was not one to be argued
with. Squeezing Gilderoy's hand in parting, a gesture which the patient
made no sign of even noticing, Snape rose to accompany Dumbledore from
the chamber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be Continued....
Yes, that was very short even by my standards, but that's because I
really want feedback on whether anyone thinks this pairing is even
POSSIBLE. Plus, I'm really uncertain about my characterizations here,
and I'd like to know what you all think.
Thanx to everyone who reviewed "The Girl Who Loved - Part IV", this
wouldn't have been written if it weren't for all of your feedback.
So keep providing me with the motivation to write on and leave
a review!!
Author's Note: Alright, this is the third series in my altraverse that
includes "The Girl Who Loved and "The Boy who Cried." Timewise, it starts
at the beginning of year 6 for the gang, just like "The Boy Who Cried"
does.
Note that these three series will eventually combine into one story
describing a 7th year where all three pairings are in full bloom. Watch
for that story, "The Souls That Died," sometime after I finish posting
all the parts of the current three trilogies :-) So yes, for the
skeptical, there IS an underlying plot that entwines all three of these
rather fluffy fics.
Disclaimer: THIS IS S-L-A-S-H! This one is Lockhart/Snape in particular,
and trust me, it is going to get weird. But I think I have an okay idea
for it, so please give it a try!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snape tipped the cauldron as he poured out a steaming vial of the
memorius potion. He methodically added the final ingredients, just as he
had every evening for the last several years. And each night, his patient
did not change, for he seemed beyond the reach of any potion or brew
Snape could cook up.
It was each evening when he went to brew this potion that Snape became
more aware of his own inaudequacy than any other time of the day. He
knew that Dumbledore's trust in his skills was misplaced, knew that all
his so called skill with potions was really nothing more than a bit of
skillfull posturing in front of a bunch of easily awed students. One
dose of the memorius potion should have cured his patient- one dose!
And yet here Snape was again, brewing a potion that might as well have
been water for all the good it seemed to be doing.
Why his patient was so intent on resisting the potion was beyond Snape's
knowledge. All Snape knew was that his patient remained so childlike as
to require constant care and supervision just to get through the day.
It didn't make sense- how could Snape keep failing like this?
The potion ready, Snape gathered the vial carefully in his pale and
twisted fingers, knowing as he did so that it didn't matter if he
dropped the vial, for the potion would do as much good seeping into the
wooden floorpanels as it would inside his patient. But he pushed such
thoughts away with a snarl- after all, it was for his patient, not Snape,
to be the final judge of his remedies. It was his duty only to administer
it and pray.
His robes billowing around him, Snape plodded through the corridors, the
thin soles of his slippers sliding gently and silently along the tiles.
His footsteps turned towards the deepest dungeons, where his patient was
hidden from the prying eyes of the resident Hogwarts tricksters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man who had once been Lockhart sat alone in the well furnished room.
The beauty of his cell could not change the fact that it was in effect
a prison, but such was the state of Lockhart's mind that he did not
understand his confinement enough to desire to rebel against it. His
beautiful features were the same as those that had once graced the cover
of Witch Weekly, or rather, they were all the same except for his eyes.
Lockhart's eyes had lost all their intensity, and their color had faded
to a dull steel. His gaze darted about the room as if trying to assimilate
his surroundings- though his surroundings had not changed for the past
several months. He measured his days, when he understood the concept of
day and night, only by the arrival of his nightly potion.
A gentle knock on the door caused Lockhart to turn and stare blankly
through the bars on the prisonlike door. "Come in," he whispered
mechanically, just as he had every night for so long.
Snape opened the door, balancing a tray of food brought by one of the
house elfs in one hand, and the potion in the other. "How are you feeling,
Gilderoy?" He asked as he placed the tray on the end table beside the bed.
No response. Snape hadn't been expecting one, of course, but it still made
his heart sink in his chest.
Picking up an empty goblet, Snape poured the contents of the vial out and
offered the glass to Gilderoy. Taking it, his actions routine and
mechanical, Gilderoy downed the potion without heed to its foul taste.
Snape took the drained goblet back from Gilderoy with tears glistening in
his eyes. "Do you remember me, Gilderoy?" He asked. Once again, no response.
No change. Unable to cope with the strain, Snape almost shouted, "Why don't
you want to remember anything, Gilderoy? Why won't you come back?" Again,
no response.
He might as well have been screaming at a deaf child for all the response
Gilderoy made. Flustered, Snape forced himself to return to the routine
of trying to help Gilderoy to eat. Another knock at the doorway made him
pause. Apparently, his screaming had not gone unnoticed. "Come in." He
said, exhaustion in his voice.
Dumbledore walked into the room, looking at Snape with almost imperceptible
concern. "One of the house elves thought they heard shouting." He said,
when Snape didn't try to start a conversation. Snape looked away, not
wanting to answer, for there was really no answer to be given.
Sighing, Dumbledore continued, "Dobby had agreed to take care of Lockhart
for a few minutes. I need to talk to you for a moment." The tiny elf
poked his head out from behind Dumbledore, finding Snape's presence
intimidating.
Looking at the elf in disgust, Snape begin to protest, "I hardly think that
is necessary..."
"Now, if you please, Severus." Dumbledore's tone was not one to be argued
with. Squeezing Gilderoy's hand in parting, a gesture which the patient
made no sign of even noticing, Snape rose to accompany Dumbledore from
the chamber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be Continued....
Yes, that was very short even by my standards, but that's because I
really want feedback on whether anyone thinks this pairing is even
POSSIBLE. Plus, I'm really uncertain about my characterizations here,
and I'd like to know what you all think.
Thanx to everyone who reviewed "The Girl Who Loved - Part IV", this
wouldn't have been written if it weren't for all of your feedback.
So keep providing me with the motivation to write on and leave
a review!!
