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PATH to DARKNESS by Tyde
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Chapter Ten – Something's Brewing
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After his initial misgivings of Malfoy, Severus found that although they didn't have a lot in common he sure knew how to have a good time. Of course Snape knew that his recent acquisition of a restricted section book containing interesting potions would no doubt have something to do with Malfoy's friendliness.
'What about this one?' Lucius suggested pointing at a potion in the middle of the book. 'If we drop a couple of drops in his pumpkin juice he won't even notice it until it's too late. Says here it's tasteless.'
'I really don't think ridding the headmaster of his eyes is a good way to start the year off Malfoy. How about this one?' He jabbed the page at one entitled Rana Dynastes Solution. 'That one might be fun'
Lucius peered at the entry and read aloud 'Once the victim has drunk the potion he will turn into a frog. A frog? That's it?' The pale haired boy looked at Snape in disbelief. 'You stole this book from the library so you could turn people into frogs? There are other potions that do that and it doesn't involve sneaking out at midnight to gather moonsilk root from the Forbidden Forest. Look at these ingredients!' He had a look upon his face like he'd just eaten something 2 weeks past the used by date.
'If you looked carefully at the small print you git' Snape snapped 'You'll see why I think it's rather good.'
'Cannot be turned back from a frog unless kissed by a legitimate princess. On the mouth. With tongue. And must be prettier than Esmerelda Glockenspeil.' Lucius looked up at Severus with an eyebrow raised and a devilish grin on his face. 'I see your point.'
'Who do you think deserves it? Who can we transform?' Severus knew he could get the ingredients he just didn't know who deserved a life as an amphibian.
'Seventh year Hufflepuff – Amos Diggory. Struts around like he owns the place. He's turning the heads of Slytherin girls and that is not on. What say we slip some into a toffee and leave it in his bag? Silly git will just eat it up.'
'Brilliant idea old man.' The ingredients would take a little while to prepare and in the meantime there were more potions they were itching to try.
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'What's going on here?' Professor McGonagall positively roared at two fifth year Gryffindors who were in the middle of the Great Hall minus their arms and legs. Snape and Malfoy were listening from the other side of the great door and tried to hide their giggles behind their hands. 'This is perfectly preposterous! You've splinched yourselves. Why would you go and try Apparating when you haven't even studied for the test yet? Sometimes I really don't know what goes on in the minds of students nowadays. Miss Grackle and Mister Otteral follow me' She waved her wand at their grimacing torsos and they floated in the air behind her as she headed to Professor Dumbledore's office.
'Muggle sweets' she muttered as she stood in front of the statue with Grackle and Otteral bumping into each other behind her. Within moments she stood in front of Dumbledore's desk with the two limbless students resting on a couch in the corner.
'Really Albus it's quite preposterous! Do the students of today have no sense left in them?'
'We've still got our ears you know Professor' grumbled Otteral.
'Yeah and as we said before, we didn't try to Apparate – our arms and legs just disappeared!' Grackle was almost on the verge of tears.
Dumbledore put up a hand to silence them all. 'Minerva I fear they are telling the truth. It is impossible to Apparate within the grounds of Hogwarts, as a top student at Hogwarts yourself at one time I thought you would have remembered that.' McGonagall coloured slightly at this reminder.
'Then what could have happened Albus? Limbs don't just disappear on their own accord!' Her lips pushed themselves together in a show of annoyance.
'They are easily returned Minerva if you keep your wits about you. Accio arms! Accio legs!' Dumbledore pointed his wand towards the door. Within a few minutes the missing limbs of the Gryffindor students were 'standing' in front of Dumbledore's desk. Tapping his wand on the desk in an intricate pattern of sounds he waited. The feet and fingers of the limbs tapped back on the desk in a different series of taps that seemed to carry a certain anxiety to them.
'It appears that Miss Grackle and Mister Otteral here have been the victims of a particularly nasty potion called Membratum which as you can see detaches your body from the rest of you.' With a flick of his wrist the missing limbs had reattached themselves and the students looked very relieved. 'Return to your dormitories please'.
After they had traipsed out the door Dumbledore fixed his gaze on McGonagall. 'I did not want to alarm the children Minerva but this is gravely serious. A student in this school is brewing potions that could have disastrous effects. I cannot think how it is that they obtained the volumes they are learning from but if it is the book I suspect, whose name escapes me at present, there are far worse potions than disappearing limbs.' His blue eyes clouded over and he turned around in his chair to face his bookcase. Realising this was the end of the meeting the head of Gryffindor house sidled out of the headmaster's office with a puzzled look on her face. Why would a student want to use such potions? And how had they gotten a hold of such a book?
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For the next few weeks several students lose their limbs and an unusual number of thunderstorm clouds that rained Bludgers instead of water were reported. Malfoy and Snape thoroughly enjoyed the terms leading up until Christmas. Quirrell had not been told of the book, he would have blabbed, and he felt a little lonely without the companionship of his friend Severus. He was particularly discouraged when Snape told him in no uncertain words to 'Piss off!' one evening when he and Malfoy were huddled over something that looked like a crystal ball in the common room one evening. He thought he caught the words 'toffee', 'princess' and 'frog' but decided to go off and study by himself. Heading toward the library he saw Amos Diggory up ahead of him. Diggory had the strap of his bag slung over one shoulder and heavily loaded down with books it was threatening to spill all over the floor.
'Hey Amos!' Quirrell squeaked while running towards him. 'Your bag looks like it's just about to...' he stopped in his tracks as the older boy's bag strap broke and scattered the contents all over the stone floor. 'break?' he continued quietly.
'Blast it!' Amos muttered looking over at Quirrell. 'Well don't just stand there, help me!' He started gathering some papers together and Quirrell fell to his knees to help.
'Hey, what's this?' Quirrell held up a single wrapped toffee with the word Princess emblazoned across it.
'What does it look like you git? It's a toffee and it's moments like these when you really need one.' He unwrapped the sweet and went to put it in his mouth when the Slytherin jumped suddenly.
'Don't eat it!' Quirrell squealed, not knowing why.
The toffee had just touched Amos's tongue when he instinctively spat it out again. 'What the hell? What's your problem Slytherin?' Amos's question was answered when suddenly his skin turned green and he croaked out the last word. 'What is going on...ribbit'
Quirrell looked on horrified. He'd had a weird feeling that Amos shouldn't eat the sweet, something to do with toffee and princess had triggered something in his memory. Of course! Malfoy and Snape had been whispering about that and frogs all day. Oh dear, he realised, they bewitched the toffee and they are in the corner of the Slytherin house common room watching us at this very moment.
'Where are you...ribbit...going?' Diggory to his horror started hopping down the corridor and right into the path of Professor Dumbledore. 'Profess-ribbit. Professor, help!' A look of concerned washed over Dumbledore's face and then he knew the name of the book that had been taken. Without another look at the hapless Hufflepuff he muttered a binding spell and then 'Accio Perfectly Preposterous Potions!' In just a few moments the potions book and two rather terrified Slytherin students came flying into view. Snape and Malfoy landed hard on the stone and looked up at Dumbledore with sheepish looks on their faces.
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'It is not in my nature to yell at students but it is within my nature to punish them. Not only did you endanger the life of countless students of this school you greatly reduced my opinion of you both. You, Severus I expected far more of. Sneaking potion books from the library? And you Lucius, suggesting that you use it on your fellow students is abominable! Not only will 300 points each be taken from Slytherin but you are suspended for a week, effective tomorrow. You will not return home to your parents but you will be forced to spend every waking hour with me. And let me assure you, that is the worst punishment I could ever dole out!' A slight smile appeared on the corner of Albus Dumbledore's mouth but he did not extend it. He knew it was only a matter of time before these two became friendly and got up to mischief but he thought it more to be of the calibre of Potter and Black with their silly pranks...not pulling students apart – literally! A knock at the door shook him from his thoughts and he looked hard at the two young boys.
'Return to your dormitories and I will collect you in the morning.' He fixed them with a steely glare. 'Come in' he called out to the door knocker.
The most beautiful woman Snape and Malfoy had ever seen sashayed into the office. She was dressed in a pale green dress with a white gold delicately designed crown perched atop her auburn curls.
'Albie, a pleasure to see you as always. Where is the poor boy?' She spoke as if this happened regularly. A ribbiting Amos Diggory hopped out from behind a door and towards the princess. She smiled at the half man half frog and before he had the chance to say anything had him in a passionate embrace. Severus and Lucius's eyes opened wide. Well that potion sure backfired Snape thought to himself.
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Snape and Lucius weren't very popular with the rest of Slytherin house as you can imagine. Not only had the deduction of points put them in the negative numbers but it elevated Hufflepuff to first in the running for the house cup and that made Amos Diggory even more unbearable than before if that was possible. Add that to the fact that he kept thanking them profusely for sending Princess Cinnia his way with a suggestive wiggle of the eyebrows.
Their week spent under the crooked nose of Albus Dumbledore opened their eyes to parts of Hogwarts they had never seen before. It began to seem less like punishment and more like a lesson in magical life. Snape discovered the inner workings of Hogwarts (made friends with a few house elves who promised to bring him mooncakes when they had them to spare) and began to gain respect for his teachers. Malfoy didn't seem as enthused by all the goings on and tended to sulk in a corner and only open his mouth when he was spoken to.
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Snape sat in the Owlery by himself trying to write an owl to his grandmother. The last week of Howlers from his parents had forced the young boy to write to his grandmother in the hope that she could talk them out of the constant barrage. He couldn't stand the sound of laughter of a thousand Hogwarts students every morning anymore. Deep in thought with an eagle feather quill clutched in his hand he didn't notice the large tawny frog mouth owl land at his feet. It squawked loudly at him and he looked up quickly. It's grey mottled appearance intrigued him. He'd never seen an owl like that before. He picked up the piece of black parchment it had dropped and untied it. Writing glittered up at him in a dark green liquid that seemed to shimmer at every angle.
I watch. I listen. I know.
Severus turned over the parchment but could find no more writing.
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Author's note: This chapter was painful to write simply because it felt forced. Any thoughts? I've already written chapter 12 so trying to fill in the blanks is a little difficult. There is Quidditch to come though. Hopefully you will enjoy.