DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them, as usual. But, um...J.K? Can I have Padfoot and Snape for my birthday?
EVALUATION ch.6
Monday. The day Professor Severus Snape, for the first time, dreaded. He
blinked his eyes and wished internally that he had a Time-turner handy, and
put it into stasis.
One more, he thought. One more... He picked up the list of evaluation
criteria again, and took small comfort at the fact that there was only one
more bullet in the list to cross out:
7) The professor provides an atmosphere inducive to learning.
He had given that much thought over the weekend, and he had already made
preparations for that. Considering that the dungeons were too cold and
cramped to study...he knew that of course, his being a student once himself,
but he had kept the dungeons as his classroom because of two reasons: one is
that it invokes the feeling of dread over his students and the second, it
matches with his attire.
Well, no. Scratch the last one. The second reason is that it matches with his title as the 'Potions Master'. Dark, cold...
Kick-ass too.
Grunting, Severus got up out of bed and yawned his way into the washroom. In
the mirror he noticed how much the past week's ordeal had taken it's toll.
He seemed to look worse and worse by the day. Running the tap water in his
bath, he leaned his head against the doorframe as he waited for the small
tub to fill, and snoozed a bit while standing.
He wished the day will disappear if he just believed that it will vanish like a dream by the time he wakes up.
He's not lucky, though. Fate had had enough of his cruelty, and Fate had
decided now to be cruel on /him/.
***
"Class," Professor Snape said, his mellifluous voice reverberating over the
classroom (good acoustics coupled with his theatre-quality voice). "Today we
are going over to the fringes of Forbidden Forest--"
He noticed the tabula rasa looks his sixth-years gave him. It may be that they were fearing another attack in the Forest, or they were still wondering why the sudden change of his curriculum.
Or worse yet, they may still be having aftereffects of the monstrosities Lupin performed last week.
"--and I assure all of you that no accidents whatsoever will happen like the last time. I have enlisted the help of Hagrid to avoid encounters with unwanted creatures during our session..." Snape said, wrapping his cloak, feeling awfully cold all of the sudden.
Why, he /actually/ feared that something amiss will happen again. Severus Snape had, inadvertently, developed a slight phobia. Quickly he tried to dismiss the thought.
Before he actually could though, he noticed the looks the Gryffindor Three gave him. Snape stared them /down/ as best as he could and said nothing, because he knew that whatever they say about him will be seconded by the whole class.
He merely raised an eyebrow at Harry in disdain. "I will not forget the remark you gave me that day in the Forbidden Forest, Potter," he said, voice silken and menacing. "However, I will not take points away from you for that, nor give you detention. I have something /better/ in store for you today in the Forbidden Forest."
Harry Potter tried to level his stare and curled his fists. Snape noticed the defiance but deemed it better not to comment.
Snape started to gather his things. "I have borrowed your time in Divination for this day; we will spend our time there gathering and labelling ingredients until five in the afternoon. However, since the activity is of a mildly strenuous nature," he looked at the grandfather clock in the corner. "You have an hour to yourselves before we start. Meet me at exactly 1:00 this afternoon."
As the students left, Snape grinned a small smile to himself as he reminded himself that this was the last criteria to be dealt upon.
Loathe as he was to admit it, a part of him was secretly grateful for what had Lupin did in the guise of himself; it may be the jolt the students needed to finally evaluate in his favor...he won't be acting like this all year; evaluation week will eventually pass.
He did not know that Harry saw him smile to himself and that he was having his own interpretation of the smile.
***
Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger immediately went to the Shrieking Shack and found Padfoot lying on a chewed-up sofa. Upon seeing them, the dogs ears perked up and immediately turned into a rakish raven-haired man in black Muggle clothing.
"Harry," Sirius Black acknowledged as he sat up. His expression suddenly turned grave. "Are you all right, are you--"
Harry immediately raised his hands to stop Sirius' tirade of fatherly questions. "Yeah, we are," he said, gesturing at Ron and Hermione. "So far, he hasn't made a move yet. Not since the day with the Skrewts, though," Harry reported. "But I don't know if the Snape-impostor was the one who indeed done it. I have my own conclusions."
Sirius cocked his head to one side, listening thoughtfully. "Go on,"
Harry cleared his throat. "Well, the time when the Skrewt attacked us, Snape made me lead the class outside the Forest and into Hogwarts while he was left dealing with the creature..."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What's odd about it? Evil that slimy git maybe, he's still acting like a professor..."
This time Hermione spoke up, growing impatient with standing there just listening. "I think that that was the time the real Professor Snape was abducted. I mean, next thing he did in our class was exposing Lupin's werewolf change and a 'demonstration', but Snape had been civil to us earlier...even gave us points for Harry's defeating the bog creature the first day last week--"
"Wait," Ron interjected. "Don't you guys remember that he stopped by Neville and whispered something to him before he started the class?"
"What are you trying to get at, Ron?" Sirius asked, trying to piece together the information they were feeding him.
"I say that he /put/ something in Neville's cauldron as he talked to him; didn't you notice that he didn't do anything to hex that creature?" Ron said excitedly, feeling proud at the 'detective stuff' that he was doing.
"Ron, his wand-arm was bumped by Pansy Parkinson!" Hermione huffed. "He was trying to get to it, you know! He was a bit kind to us after that happened even gave us points. And I think the REAL Snape would not wish harm upon Harry; he did save his life while we were still in our first year."
"Hermione, repeat what you just said," Harry said, calmly.
"Eh?"
"Repeat it."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine. I said that Snape was kind to us after that happened and that...oh..." she put her hand to her lips.
"Snape's never been kind to us..." she said feebly.
"And that the REAL Snape doesn't want anything to harm Harry. Why do you think he just stood there?"
"..."
Sirius just watched the three's exchange, curious as to what the discussion was leading to. "And about the Polyjuice Potion you mentioned in the last letter...?" he prodded.
"We found it in the dungeons," Harry said. "Bits of Snape's hair were there, too."
Sirius smiled ruefully. "I bet they were greasy."
"They are!" The Gryffindor three exclaimed together.
***
Snape met the class just outside the gates. "Okay. Follow me," he said to the students as he walked towards the Forbidden Forest. The students were a bit apprehsive, and Snape noticed. But it was not in him to try and allay their fears; that was Lupin's way.
"Where in the Forbidden Forest are we heading to, Professor?" Harry asked casually as he tried to catch up with Snape's lengthy strides.
"Somewhere inducive to learning," Snape answered vaguely, then realized that it was Harry Potter he was speaking to (he was quite preoccupied with his thoughts), and cleared his throat. "Why, Potter is concerned with my lesson plan," he commented, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm so surprised. Perhaps he is suspecting something of me."
Harry only grinned. Snape thought he felt his hair stand on end. "What?" he said irritably, hoping to hide his anxiety.
"Um...nothing, Professor Snape. Nothing at all."
Eventually they reached the clearing, a treeless field full of multi-colored flowers and some even changing their colors depending on what angle they faced the light. There was also a small waterfall situated on a nearby mountain.
Having settled down, Snape showed them samples of the plants they were supposed to pull out. Hours later the class were engrossed in what they were doing, even finding themselves enjoying everytime they spotted 'wildlife' (weird insects and gnomes, etc.), even Lavender and Parvati, who were approached by young unicorns whose strands of hair they gently plucked.
Snape felt a slightly odd feeling of being somehow satisfied that for once, his students were /enjoying/ themselves in his subject. He smiled to himself.
Then he noticed that Harry and his two sidekicks were eyeing him suspiciously. Snape bristled; and gave them a venomous glare.
Undoubtedly, they do /think/ something of me, Snape noticed. Then, he remembered that he told Harry that he was going to make him do something for this day.
Never breaking the acerbic look, he beckoned Harry to come to him. "I asked only for Potter, can't you three walk separately?" he snapped as he saw Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger follow him.
"They share the same intestines, perhaps?" Draco Malfoy sneered from afar.
"Perhaps," Snape drawled. "it would be better to severe the said intestines early on, before they become too entangled." He grabbed Harry by the arm. "Come,"
Snape led Harry towards the mountain, until they reached the back of the waterfall. Harry was surprising quiet, and Snape saw that his right hand was cautiously poised beside a pocket, probably to draw his wand quickly anytime.
I don't blame him, Snape thought. I'd probably do the same if I were on his place.
Inside the cave, the little light that glinted from the mouth of the cave were reflected on vast quantities of crystal that the cave had for stalactites and stalagmites. The multiple prisms of color caught Harry's fascination and he reached out a hand to touch one; the crystal sang a note as Harry's hand made contact with it.
Snape looked on as the boy looked around the place with wonder. He let the excitement ebb away from Harry before he said his instructions.
"Potter," Snape interrupted coldly, "if you are done with sight-seeing, perhaps we may get down to business?"
And then Harry sobered. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked.
Snape drew out a knife. "Here," he said, the myriad lights playing upon the blade and accentuating his face. "You--NOOO!"
Snape was knocked down, head bleeding but not fatal.
Sirius and Mad-Eye Moody bore down over the prone figure of Professor Snape. "Glad to be on time, laddie," Moody said as he checked Snape's pulse.
"Did he hurt you, Harry?" Sirius exclaimed as he took the knife that was in Snape's hand. "What the--" he breathed. "He does want to kill you, Harry. This knife can cut through crystals!"
***
Snape awoke on an uncomfortable chair, his hands and feet immobile. His eyes blinked against the light that was somehow aimed at his face.
"Wha-what?" he mumbled, disoriented. He seemed to be in a closed-off place where the lamplight was the only source of illumination.
When he was fully awoke, he realized that his arms and legs were bound to the chair, and that he was in some sort of an interrogation room. There, standing beyond the shadows, were Sirius Black and Mad-Eye Moody.
"Awake, eh?" Moody said as he reached out and tipped Snape's chin. "You better answer, man, because I maybe required to do the Cruciatus Curse on you."
Snape stiffened and moved his head out of Moody's grasp. What happened? What... "What os the meaning of this!?" cried Snape. "Where are my students?!"
Sirius sneered, an almost-exact replica of Severus Snape with his black clothing and attitude. "Tied up, and still acting like Professor Snape." he mocked, then his tone went grave. "Cough up."
"What?!" Snape cried out, "I don't know what you are talking about, Moody!"
"Still playing dumb, eh, impostor?" Sirius Black said menacingly, drawing out his wand. "I've been waiting for a chance to do this to Snape...and now, since you're his spitting image..." Sirius raised his wand. "Crucio!"
Snape howled with pain, the burning hell of severing knives and searing pain threatening to snap his consciousness, the piercing pain that went through his body painfully remindling him of his days as a Death Eater...
"AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHH!!!" Snape cried out, his mind threatening to give way, and then it stopped. His breath became shallow and rapid, sweat were trickling from his forehead, face pale. "Why?" he croaked.
"For someone who is trying to imitate Professor Severus Snape," Sirius said as he pocketed his wand, "you are doing poorly. Snape would have endured--"
"I am still a /human/, you idiot!" Snape shouted vehemently. "Why do you keep saying that I am NOT MYSELF!?"
Moody glanced at a nearby clock. "It will be awhile before the Polyjuice will wear off, if he drunk it before he met the class," growled Moody. "Which he probably did," he added.
Polyjuice Potion? "You paranoid TWIT! What makes you think I'm an impostor?" Snape cried as he tried to piece together what was happening in his mind. The two were accusing him as impostor...but why?
"Can you stp your whining?" Sirius lazily said. "You can't deny anything now. Harry found a goblet half-filled with Polyjuice Potion with some of Severus Snape's hair. Well, what do you have to say against that?"
The whole scenario finally clicked in Severus' head. He cursed Harry to hell. They probably found the unwashed goblet when he was still away...
"Remus Lupin used the Potion," Snape said, trying to calm himself down. "He took my place--"
Sirius cut him off. "What? Remus take your bloody place? What a story!" he chuckled derisively. "If you ARE really Severus Snape then you would have come up with a better excuse!"
"BECAUSE THAT'S THE TRUTH! WHY DON'T YOU DUNDERHEADS USE THE BLOODY VERITASERUM!" Snape bellowed. This was too much. There he was, tied to submission, with two dense idiots who kept on insisting that he was an impostor, and acting stupid compared to /himself/ at that.
"Hm. Veritaserum. Why not?" Sirius pondered.
"No," said Moody.
Snape's face took on a exasperated, desperate expression "AND WHY NOT, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!?"
"Because you may have contaminated it so it would be rendered useless," explained Moody contentedly. "You do have full access to the Potions storerooms as Professor Severus Snape, after all."
Snape moaned in mental agony.
Suddenly there was a knock. Sirius went to the door and peeked through the peephole, then slowly opened the door. The Gryffindor Three went in.
"I heard that you were in need of Veritaserum," Hermione said as she took out a stoppered vial from the inside of her robes. "Here, take this."
Moody took it and inspected the tiny vessel. "Where'd you get this, lass?"
Hermione flushed with embarassment. Deciding that lying is not the best option when talking to Mad-Eye Moody, she confessed, "Um, I stole it from Professor Snape's office a year ago."
"WHAT?!" Snape cried out in pure fury. He was right. They DID raid his office!
Sirius grinned. "Oh, he's furious because we have a /real/ veritaserum in hand," he taunted. "Come on, Moody. Take it away."
"Gladly." Moody forcefully opened Snape's jaw and promptly poured /ALL/ of the contents in his mouth. Severus promptly gagged.
"Okay, answer me. What are you doing here?" Sirius asked.
"I. Told. You. I am just teaching here at Hogwarts. I'M PROFESSOR SEVERUS SNAPE!" Snape answered, seething.
"Are you sure this is untainted?" Sirius asked Hermione, referring to the Veritaserum.
"Are you not going to finish this stupid interrogation so that I can leave in peace?" cried Snape.
"Okay. Tell us about the Polyjuice Potion Harry found earlier in your office," Moody asked.
"I prepared that so Remus Lupin would take my place in the consultation sessions," Snape explained, tone acerbic. "It was because of that bloody performance evaluation Dumbledore implemented first thing last week. I was desperate to save my job! I know that my students don't like me one bit!"
"Glad to know that you cought on," Ron said spitefully.
Snape didn't take notice. "I did everything that I could to fulfill the criteria the evaluations sheets will ask of the students at the end of the school-year. And now that I have been trying, I'm finding every effort screwing up!"
"Oh. It seems that we have the REAL Snape here." Sirius said, turning to Harry, Ron and Hermione who looked shocked and stricken. "False alarm."
"FALSE ALARM!? IS THAT ALL THAT YOU STUPID FOOLS GOING TO SAY TO ME!?"
The Gryffindor Three paled. They have
a) falsely accused a professor, and Professor Bloody Snape at that,
b) been found out that they had stolen the veritaserum, and
c) found out that they indeed sneaked into Snape's private quarters.
They were in big trouble.
"C-can we go now, Sirius?" Hermione squeaked. "Uh..."
"No," said Sirius sternly.
The three looked down in guilt.
"Not until I have my fun," he continued gleefully. "Why not ask Snape questions as he is under the influence of the veritaserum?
It was Snape's turn to pale.
"Who was your crush while we were still studying?"
Snape's eyes widened. "Oh no--Lily. Lily Potter," he croaked.
Harry gaped. "What the--!?" he exclaimed. Snape, having a crush on his mother?!
Hermione blushed to her roots. "Sirius...what?" What Sirius was doing was pure scandal, she thought, a hand on her mouth.
Snape's countenance took a deep red, and he looked like he was about to howl in insanity. Harry, Ron and Hermione were near rolling on the floor in laughter. Moody only crossed his arms and rolled his eyes in contempt.
"Hm...Severus. How many times do you take a bath?"
"Everyday!" Snape cried, petrified with embarassment.
"Then why is your hair so greasy?" piped up Ron, who had nearly recovered himself.
"Because I put on Grease-all! It's one of Muggle toileties, you dolt!"
Sirius laughed in pure mirth. "Hm...okay, Severus, if you were to be asked as who among us Marauders you would kiss, who would it be?"
Snape bit his lip, an attempt to stop himself from answering, but the Veritaserum was not one to mbe challenged. "You."
Sirius howled in laughter, tears in his eyes. "Oh, oh my.." he gasped between breaths. "Me! Why does it have to be me?!" He tried to stop laughing, but was futile. "I'm sorry, Severus, but my preference is on the female gender...oh..." he wiped his tears with his sleeve.
"IS THIS WHAT I GET FOR TRYING TO BE BLOODY NICE?!"
_____
A/N Well? Sorry for being late, but I have some things to take care of... I'm going to write an epilogue, but I'm not sure if it's going to be out tomorrow...well...don't worry, it's going to be soon!
Thanks fpr the people who R/R my work! Please review this as well... Thanks to you guys!
^_^
EVALUATION ch.6
Monday. The day Professor Severus Snape, for the first time, dreaded. He
blinked his eyes and wished internally that he had a Time-turner handy, and
put it into stasis.
One more, he thought. One more... He picked up the list of evaluation
criteria again, and took small comfort at the fact that there was only one
more bullet in the list to cross out:
7) The professor provides an atmosphere inducive to learning.
He had given that much thought over the weekend, and he had already made
preparations for that. Considering that the dungeons were too cold and
cramped to study...he knew that of course, his being a student once himself,
but he had kept the dungeons as his classroom because of two reasons: one is
that it invokes the feeling of dread over his students and the second, it
matches with his attire.
Well, no. Scratch the last one. The second reason is that it matches with his title as the 'Potions Master'. Dark, cold...
Kick-ass too.
Grunting, Severus got up out of bed and yawned his way into the washroom. In
the mirror he noticed how much the past week's ordeal had taken it's toll.
He seemed to look worse and worse by the day. Running the tap water in his
bath, he leaned his head against the doorframe as he waited for the small
tub to fill, and snoozed a bit while standing.
He wished the day will disappear if he just believed that it will vanish like a dream by the time he wakes up.
He's not lucky, though. Fate had had enough of his cruelty, and Fate had
decided now to be cruel on /him/.
***
"Class," Professor Snape said, his mellifluous voice reverberating over the
classroom (good acoustics coupled with his theatre-quality voice). "Today we
are going over to the fringes of Forbidden Forest--"
He noticed the tabula rasa looks his sixth-years gave him. It may be that they were fearing another attack in the Forest, or they were still wondering why the sudden change of his curriculum.
Or worse yet, they may still be having aftereffects of the monstrosities Lupin performed last week.
"--and I assure all of you that no accidents whatsoever will happen like the last time. I have enlisted the help of Hagrid to avoid encounters with unwanted creatures during our session..." Snape said, wrapping his cloak, feeling awfully cold all of the sudden.
Why, he /actually/ feared that something amiss will happen again. Severus Snape had, inadvertently, developed a slight phobia. Quickly he tried to dismiss the thought.
Before he actually could though, he noticed the looks the Gryffindor Three gave him. Snape stared them /down/ as best as he could and said nothing, because he knew that whatever they say about him will be seconded by the whole class.
He merely raised an eyebrow at Harry in disdain. "I will not forget the remark you gave me that day in the Forbidden Forest, Potter," he said, voice silken and menacing. "However, I will not take points away from you for that, nor give you detention. I have something /better/ in store for you today in the Forbidden Forest."
Harry Potter tried to level his stare and curled his fists. Snape noticed the defiance but deemed it better not to comment.
Snape started to gather his things. "I have borrowed your time in Divination for this day; we will spend our time there gathering and labelling ingredients until five in the afternoon. However, since the activity is of a mildly strenuous nature," he looked at the grandfather clock in the corner. "You have an hour to yourselves before we start. Meet me at exactly 1:00 this afternoon."
As the students left, Snape grinned a small smile to himself as he reminded himself that this was the last criteria to be dealt upon.
Loathe as he was to admit it, a part of him was secretly grateful for what had Lupin did in the guise of himself; it may be the jolt the students needed to finally evaluate in his favor...he won't be acting like this all year; evaluation week will eventually pass.
He did not know that Harry saw him smile to himself and that he was having his own interpretation of the smile.
***
Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger immediately went to the Shrieking Shack and found Padfoot lying on a chewed-up sofa. Upon seeing them, the dogs ears perked up and immediately turned into a rakish raven-haired man in black Muggle clothing.
"Harry," Sirius Black acknowledged as he sat up. His expression suddenly turned grave. "Are you all right, are you--"
Harry immediately raised his hands to stop Sirius' tirade of fatherly questions. "Yeah, we are," he said, gesturing at Ron and Hermione. "So far, he hasn't made a move yet. Not since the day with the Skrewts, though," Harry reported. "But I don't know if the Snape-impostor was the one who indeed done it. I have my own conclusions."
Sirius cocked his head to one side, listening thoughtfully. "Go on,"
Harry cleared his throat. "Well, the time when the Skrewt attacked us, Snape made me lead the class outside the Forest and into Hogwarts while he was left dealing with the creature..."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What's odd about it? Evil that slimy git maybe, he's still acting like a professor..."
This time Hermione spoke up, growing impatient with standing there just listening. "I think that that was the time the real Professor Snape was abducted. I mean, next thing he did in our class was exposing Lupin's werewolf change and a 'demonstration', but Snape had been civil to us earlier...even gave us points for Harry's defeating the bog creature the first day last week--"
"Wait," Ron interjected. "Don't you guys remember that he stopped by Neville and whispered something to him before he started the class?"
"What are you trying to get at, Ron?" Sirius asked, trying to piece together the information they were feeding him.
"I say that he /put/ something in Neville's cauldron as he talked to him; didn't you notice that he didn't do anything to hex that creature?" Ron said excitedly, feeling proud at the 'detective stuff' that he was doing.
"Ron, his wand-arm was bumped by Pansy Parkinson!" Hermione huffed. "He was trying to get to it, you know! He was a bit kind to us after that happened even gave us points. And I think the REAL Snape would not wish harm upon Harry; he did save his life while we were still in our first year."
"Hermione, repeat what you just said," Harry said, calmly.
"Eh?"
"Repeat it."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine. I said that Snape was kind to us after that happened and that...oh..." she put her hand to her lips.
"Snape's never been kind to us..." she said feebly.
"And that the REAL Snape doesn't want anything to harm Harry. Why do you think he just stood there?"
"..."
Sirius just watched the three's exchange, curious as to what the discussion was leading to. "And about the Polyjuice Potion you mentioned in the last letter...?" he prodded.
"We found it in the dungeons," Harry said. "Bits of Snape's hair were there, too."
Sirius smiled ruefully. "I bet they were greasy."
"They are!" The Gryffindor three exclaimed together.
***
Snape met the class just outside the gates. "Okay. Follow me," he said to the students as he walked towards the Forbidden Forest. The students were a bit apprehsive, and Snape noticed. But it was not in him to try and allay their fears; that was Lupin's way.
"Where in the Forbidden Forest are we heading to, Professor?" Harry asked casually as he tried to catch up with Snape's lengthy strides.
"Somewhere inducive to learning," Snape answered vaguely, then realized that it was Harry Potter he was speaking to (he was quite preoccupied with his thoughts), and cleared his throat. "Why, Potter is concerned with my lesson plan," he commented, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm so surprised. Perhaps he is suspecting something of me."
Harry only grinned. Snape thought he felt his hair stand on end. "What?" he said irritably, hoping to hide his anxiety.
"Um...nothing, Professor Snape. Nothing at all."
Eventually they reached the clearing, a treeless field full of multi-colored flowers and some even changing their colors depending on what angle they faced the light. There was also a small waterfall situated on a nearby mountain.
Having settled down, Snape showed them samples of the plants they were supposed to pull out. Hours later the class were engrossed in what they were doing, even finding themselves enjoying everytime they spotted 'wildlife' (weird insects and gnomes, etc.), even Lavender and Parvati, who were approached by young unicorns whose strands of hair they gently plucked.
Snape felt a slightly odd feeling of being somehow satisfied that for once, his students were /enjoying/ themselves in his subject. He smiled to himself.
Then he noticed that Harry and his two sidekicks were eyeing him suspiciously. Snape bristled; and gave them a venomous glare.
Undoubtedly, they do /think/ something of me, Snape noticed. Then, he remembered that he told Harry that he was going to make him do something for this day.
Never breaking the acerbic look, he beckoned Harry to come to him. "I asked only for Potter, can't you three walk separately?" he snapped as he saw Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger follow him.
"They share the same intestines, perhaps?" Draco Malfoy sneered from afar.
"Perhaps," Snape drawled. "it would be better to severe the said intestines early on, before they become too entangled." He grabbed Harry by the arm. "Come,"
Snape led Harry towards the mountain, until they reached the back of the waterfall. Harry was surprising quiet, and Snape saw that his right hand was cautiously poised beside a pocket, probably to draw his wand quickly anytime.
I don't blame him, Snape thought. I'd probably do the same if I were on his place.
Inside the cave, the little light that glinted from the mouth of the cave were reflected on vast quantities of crystal that the cave had for stalactites and stalagmites. The multiple prisms of color caught Harry's fascination and he reached out a hand to touch one; the crystal sang a note as Harry's hand made contact with it.
Snape looked on as the boy looked around the place with wonder. He let the excitement ebb away from Harry before he said his instructions.
"Potter," Snape interrupted coldly, "if you are done with sight-seeing, perhaps we may get down to business?"
And then Harry sobered. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked.
Snape drew out a knife. "Here," he said, the myriad lights playing upon the blade and accentuating his face. "You--NOOO!"
Snape was knocked down, head bleeding but not fatal.
Sirius and Mad-Eye Moody bore down over the prone figure of Professor Snape. "Glad to be on time, laddie," Moody said as he checked Snape's pulse.
"Did he hurt you, Harry?" Sirius exclaimed as he took the knife that was in Snape's hand. "What the--" he breathed. "He does want to kill you, Harry. This knife can cut through crystals!"
***
Snape awoke on an uncomfortable chair, his hands and feet immobile. His eyes blinked against the light that was somehow aimed at his face.
"Wha-what?" he mumbled, disoriented. He seemed to be in a closed-off place where the lamplight was the only source of illumination.
When he was fully awoke, he realized that his arms and legs were bound to the chair, and that he was in some sort of an interrogation room. There, standing beyond the shadows, were Sirius Black and Mad-Eye Moody.
"Awake, eh?" Moody said as he reached out and tipped Snape's chin. "You better answer, man, because I maybe required to do the Cruciatus Curse on you."
Snape stiffened and moved his head out of Moody's grasp. What happened? What... "What os the meaning of this!?" cried Snape. "Where are my students?!"
Sirius sneered, an almost-exact replica of Severus Snape with his black clothing and attitude. "Tied up, and still acting like Professor Snape." he mocked, then his tone went grave. "Cough up."
"What?!" Snape cried out, "I don't know what you are talking about, Moody!"
"Still playing dumb, eh, impostor?" Sirius Black said menacingly, drawing out his wand. "I've been waiting for a chance to do this to Snape...and now, since you're his spitting image..." Sirius raised his wand. "Crucio!"
Snape howled with pain, the burning hell of severing knives and searing pain threatening to snap his consciousness, the piercing pain that went through his body painfully remindling him of his days as a Death Eater...
"AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHH!!!" Snape cried out, his mind threatening to give way, and then it stopped. His breath became shallow and rapid, sweat were trickling from his forehead, face pale. "Why?" he croaked.
"For someone who is trying to imitate Professor Severus Snape," Sirius said as he pocketed his wand, "you are doing poorly. Snape would have endured--"
"I am still a /human/, you idiot!" Snape shouted vehemently. "Why do you keep saying that I am NOT MYSELF!?"
Moody glanced at a nearby clock. "It will be awhile before the Polyjuice will wear off, if he drunk it before he met the class," growled Moody. "Which he probably did," he added.
Polyjuice Potion? "You paranoid TWIT! What makes you think I'm an impostor?" Snape cried as he tried to piece together what was happening in his mind. The two were accusing him as impostor...but why?
"Can you stp your whining?" Sirius lazily said. "You can't deny anything now. Harry found a goblet half-filled with Polyjuice Potion with some of Severus Snape's hair. Well, what do you have to say against that?"
The whole scenario finally clicked in Severus' head. He cursed Harry to hell. They probably found the unwashed goblet when he was still away...
"Remus Lupin used the Potion," Snape said, trying to calm himself down. "He took my place--"
Sirius cut him off. "What? Remus take your bloody place? What a story!" he chuckled derisively. "If you ARE really Severus Snape then you would have come up with a better excuse!"
"BECAUSE THAT'S THE TRUTH! WHY DON'T YOU DUNDERHEADS USE THE BLOODY VERITASERUM!" Snape bellowed. This was too much. There he was, tied to submission, with two dense idiots who kept on insisting that he was an impostor, and acting stupid compared to /himself/ at that.
"Hm. Veritaserum. Why not?" Sirius pondered.
"No," said Moody.
Snape's face took on a exasperated, desperate expression "AND WHY NOT, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!?"
"Because you may have contaminated it so it would be rendered useless," explained Moody contentedly. "You do have full access to the Potions storerooms as Professor Severus Snape, after all."
Snape moaned in mental agony.
Suddenly there was a knock. Sirius went to the door and peeked through the peephole, then slowly opened the door. The Gryffindor Three went in.
"I heard that you were in need of Veritaserum," Hermione said as she took out a stoppered vial from the inside of her robes. "Here, take this."
Moody took it and inspected the tiny vessel. "Where'd you get this, lass?"
Hermione flushed with embarassment. Deciding that lying is not the best option when talking to Mad-Eye Moody, she confessed, "Um, I stole it from Professor Snape's office a year ago."
"WHAT?!" Snape cried out in pure fury. He was right. They DID raid his office!
Sirius grinned. "Oh, he's furious because we have a /real/ veritaserum in hand," he taunted. "Come on, Moody. Take it away."
"Gladly." Moody forcefully opened Snape's jaw and promptly poured /ALL/ of the contents in his mouth. Severus promptly gagged.
"Okay, answer me. What are you doing here?" Sirius asked.
"I. Told. You. I am just teaching here at Hogwarts. I'M PROFESSOR SEVERUS SNAPE!" Snape answered, seething.
"Are you sure this is untainted?" Sirius asked Hermione, referring to the Veritaserum.
"Are you not going to finish this stupid interrogation so that I can leave in peace?" cried Snape.
"Okay. Tell us about the Polyjuice Potion Harry found earlier in your office," Moody asked.
"I prepared that so Remus Lupin would take my place in the consultation sessions," Snape explained, tone acerbic. "It was because of that bloody performance evaluation Dumbledore implemented first thing last week. I was desperate to save my job! I know that my students don't like me one bit!"
"Glad to know that you cought on," Ron said spitefully.
Snape didn't take notice. "I did everything that I could to fulfill the criteria the evaluations sheets will ask of the students at the end of the school-year. And now that I have been trying, I'm finding every effort screwing up!"
"Oh. It seems that we have the REAL Snape here." Sirius said, turning to Harry, Ron and Hermione who looked shocked and stricken. "False alarm."
"FALSE ALARM!? IS THAT ALL THAT YOU STUPID FOOLS GOING TO SAY TO ME!?"
The Gryffindor Three paled. They have
a) falsely accused a professor, and Professor Bloody Snape at that,
b) been found out that they had stolen the veritaserum, and
c) found out that they indeed sneaked into Snape's private quarters.
They were in big trouble.
"C-can we go now, Sirius?" Hermione squeaked. "Uh..."
"No," said Sirius sternly.
The three looked down in guilt.
"Not until I have my fun," he continued gleefully. "Why not ask Snape questions as he is under the influence of the veritaserum?
It was Snape's turn to pale.
"Who was your crush while we were still studying?"
Snape's eyes widened. "Oh no--Lily. Lily Potter," he croaked.
Harry gaped. "What the--!?" he exclaimed. Snape, having a crush on his mother?!
Hermione blushed to her roots. "Sirius...what?" What Sirius was doing was pure scandal, she thought, a hand on her mouth.
Snape's countenance took a deep red, and he looked like he was about to howl in insanity. Harry, Ron and Hermione were near rolling on the floor in laughter. Moody only crossed his arms and rolled his eyes in contempt.
"Hm...Severus. How many times do you take a bath?"
"Everyday!" Snape cried, petrified with embarassment.
"Then why is your hair so greasy?" piped up Ron, who had nearly recovered himself.
"Because I put on Grease-all! It's one of Muggle toileties, you dolt!"
Sirius laughed in pure mirth. "Hm...okay, Severus, if you were to be asked as who among us Marauders you would kiss, who would it be?"
Snape bit his lip, an attempt to stop himself from answering, but the Veritaserum was not one to mbe challenged. "You."
Sirius howled in laughter, tears in his eyes. "Oh, oh my.." he gasped between breaths. "Me! Why does it have to be me?!" He tried to stop laughing, but was futile. "I'm sorry, Severus, but my preference is on the female gender...oh..." he wiped his tears with his sleeve.
"IS THIS WHAT I GET FOR TRYING TO BE BLOODY NICE?!"
_____
A/N Well? Sorry for being late, but I have some things to take care of... I'm going to write an epilogue, but I'm not sure if it's going to be out tomorrow...well...don't worry, it's going to be soon!
Thanks fpr the people who R/R my work! Please review this as well... Thanks to you guys!
^_^