The Man Who Lied - Part III
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READ BELOW FIRST:
Author's Note: As you might already know, 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.
"The Girl Who Loved" hasn't started yet, so Harry and
Hermione are a couple. Confused yet? :-D
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! Yeesh. Lockhart/Snape. Kay?
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Hastening into the lunch room, Ron noticed rather bitterly
that Harry and Hermione had not even bothered to save him
a seat. He looked around for someone to sit with, but most
of the Gryffindors he knew had scattered- Neville had
migrated to sit with the Slytherins, which was certainly
appalling, and Seamus was off flirting with that Ravenclaw
Cho Chang. So it was with some hesitation that Ron chose a
seat near the end of the table, where he could watch the
goings on of the dining hall without having to deal with
anyone.
Ron barely touched the meal in front of him, for his
attentions were elsewhere entirely. He was remembering
Snape and Lockhart, remembering and trying his best to
understand what he had seen. Hermione had always insisted
Snape wasn't as bad as he and Harry believed, and today,
watching Snape care for Lockhart in a manner that for
anyone else would be caused selflessly... unlikely though
it seemed, maybe Hermione had been right.
Glancing up the table to watch Hermione, Ron grimaced.
Hermione always used to argue in Snape's defense, or against
breaking rules, or against whatever else Ron and Harry
had been so set on. It had at the time been irritating, but
Ron saw now that Hermione had actually provided a good
temper for the hot headedness of the two boys. But now, as
Harry's girlfriend, Hermione had none of her old spirit.
She seemed almost resigned to a position behind Harry, not
beside him. And as a consequence of that, Harry had grown
bolder and more arrogant.
Ron might as well devote his time to helping Snape, he
thought grimly as the sound of Harry's laughter drifted back
to him. Right now, Snape seemed almost more human, more
caring, than Harry did.
Leaving his meal, Ron gathered up his books and made his
way towards Transfiguration class.
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Now that Ron was gone, Snape reclined in a fine velvet
chair as Lockhart ate. His own stomach growled softly to
remind him that he had skipped breakfast, and now was
skipping lunch as well, but he ignored it. He was content
simply to watch Lockhart, content to see that Lockhart
had at very least gained his memory of such basic functions
as eating.
Lockhart felt Snape's eyes upon him as he ate ravenously
of the offered cuisine. The food was all new to him, the
tastes, whether bitter or sweet, all felt as a new sensation
to his awakened taste buds. Lockhart could not remember
ever having enjoyed food more... of course, he could hardly
remember anything at all.
Looking up at Snape, Lockhart finished the last of the
rasberry pastries and asked tentatively, "Why did it take
so long for me to wake up?"
Snape lowered his gaze, unable to look Lockhart in the eyes.
He'd known that Lockhart would ask that, of course. But
he dreaded giving the answer. He spoke carefully,
delibirating over each word. "You didn't respond to my
potion. Today I tried something different... I had Potter
and Weasley and Granger work on it. And now you remember."
He bit his lip, but managed to continue with honest regret,
"I... I must have failed somehow when making the potion.
From now on, Weasley's going to brew it, with my supervision."
Lockhart frowned, "So you've been brewing this for me
all this time?"
Snape nodded wordlessly. "I gave you a daily dose, but
you never responded."
"I remember... I remember none of this. I remember only...
a place far from here. I heard people calling for me, but
I couldn't answer. It was like something was stopping me
from answering." Lockhart's brow furrowed with thought,
then he spoke the single name that came to mind. "Voldemort."
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An hour later, Snape left the chamber, shaken. His eyes
were wide with something akin to fear, and he kept absently
clenching his arm where the dark mark lay hidden beneath
the sleeves of his silky robe.
He had a class to teach now... 5th year potions, or some
such nonsense... but he did not head towards the classroom.
Instead, he directed his steps up to Dumbledore's office.
Knocking, he waited for the door to open before him as
the headmaster acknowledged his presence.
Snape entered, too tense even to sit. Dumbledore glanced
up at him, and the headmaster's eyes widened at the sight.
"What is it?" Dumbledore asked cooly, setting aside the
latest budget predictions for Hogwarts.
"Lockhart's memory started to return today. Or at least
some of his... personality." Snape said bluntly. When
Dumbledore gestured for him to continue, Snape drew
in a rattling breath, "He doesn't remember any of the
time he's spent here recovering. Instead... he says he
remembers being held somewhere, in spirit. And the name...
he spoke of Voldemort. That was all he would say. He
went pale, and would speak no more, no matter what I tried
to coax it out of him."
All this was spoken with unneccesary haste, and Dumbledore
took a moment to sort it all out. "Do you think Voldemort
was somehow involved in this?"
"It would explain why the potion wasn't working." Snape
swallowed back a lump that rose in his throat, and added
painfully, "It's also possible... that the potion was
Voldemort's way of keeping Lockhart from returning to his
full state. Voldemort could have... he might have used
imperius on me. Then I would have failed in the potion
making."
Snape bowed his head. "This is all my fault. I should have
listened to you. Who knows how long it will take Lockhart
to recover now?"
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To be Continued...
I'm really uncertain about the ending part. I'm trying
to make Snape seem overwhelmed with guilt... WITHOUT
saying "Snape appeared overwhelmed with guilt". Plus...
the Voldemort tie in is part of the underlying plot :-D
Please review. I'll rewrite this last part if someone
has a better idea.
