Snape was working in an empty corner of the desk, the books shoved aside and some now littering the floor. Set before him were 7 vials all filled with the rancid potion. He put a drop of a clear fluid into the first vial and it turned acid green. He took note of the change and added 2 drops into the next vial. The potion swiftly changed to acid green and with the second drop it continued onto a clear, nearly translucent, blood red.
Snape's eyes widened. He looked down at the potion, then back at the calculations with terror. The dropper slid from his hand. A moment later he recollected himself and fled to Dumbledore's office.
*****
"Sir, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. This girl unknowingly created the deadliest poison known to man." began Snape, peering up at Dumbledore with a look of utter dread on his pale face, "It's impossible to get the correct combination of ingredients without looking into several ancient books that probably no longer exist. I saw this girl, this... Piper Malfoy. She threw the ingredients in as if it were nothing, no calculations, no measurements. I sincerely doubt that she knew what half the ingredients were. Her only intent was to make a batch of pumpkin juice, if nothing else. It's a miracle, Dumbledore, but also a disaster. How will we know if the potion came into contact with anyone? It's physically impossible to detect, the potion has no effect on the body. It twists the mind, contorting it until it is barely recognizable. The person is still there, still the same on the outside, but on the inside they're nothing. Just a mindless wanderer."
Dumbledore looked up at Snape, his half moon spectacles shining brightly. Snape was standing in front of Dumbledore's desk, his shoulders hunched and his hands planted firmly in front of him. A vein was throbbing on his forehead and it seemed as though gray hair would sprout from his tangled mop of jet black hair any moment.
"Severus, calm down, there's no use in aging yourself 10 years in only 5 minutes. Don't make me use a cheering charm on you, I know how you loathe them," Dumbledore added with a chuckle. "It wont do any good to alarm the students at 3:00 in the morning. I will make an announcement at breakfast for all the students to make an effort to visit Poppy."
Snape released a large sigh, his stress seemingly ebbing away with each second. "Maybe a cheering charm is in order, Dumbledore, just don't make it too strong. You know how the students will talk if it happens to last throughout tomorrow. I've build up my reputation for being a selfless bastard and I don't want that to go down the drain in one night!"
Dumbledore didn't show any change in emotion on his face, but his eyes twinkled with amusement as he performed the charm on a scowling Snape.
*****
Dumbledore's face was solemn and a look of stern determination was set on his face. He stood up from his place at the head of the long table where all the professors and other Hogwarts employees dined together.
"Ahem," Dumbledore started, "It brings me much displeasure to interrupt your fine breakfast, but a few events have occurred that need to be brought to your attention. It seems that some students may have been contaminated in a Potions mishap and should therefore report to Madam Pomfrey immediately if they experience any of the following symptoms: drowsiness, headaches, severe nausea, and possibly seizures and long bout of unconsciousness that will lapse into a coma in a matter of days. Also, a decrease in magical abilities will be apparent in just a few hours after the initial poisoning. I'm sure that you all can see that this is a very serious matter and is to be taken with the utmost care and caution. Thank you, that is all."
A low murmur spread throughout the Great Hall, the students all contemplating whether or not they had the symptoms. A few panicked students, Neville included, stumbled out of their seats in a rushed, clumsy manner and sprinted to the hospital wing.
Piper turned to Ginny, who was sitting across from her, and stared at her with wide eyes, "It wasn't... you don't think... it wasn't ME, was it?? I mean... it can't be!" Piper stuttered through this sentence, obviously convinced that this was her doing, but in shock nonetheless.
"Relax Pip! We can go talk to Dumbledore, he'll understand once you explain. I mean, how powerful can the stuff be? We're just first years for God's sake! How much damage can we really do with minimal knowledge and a few common, harmless ingredients?" Ginny said, attempting to comfort the frantic Piper.
A half hour later every student but two had abandoned the Great Hall for their classes. The dirty plates filled with half eaten eggs, bacon, etc. were being carried away by frantic house elves, dressed in identical white pillowcases resembling togas. A Hogwarts emblem was visible on the front of each one.
The two lone student, Piper and Ginny, had waited until they were the only students present on the 4 long tables and now they sat staring at each other, lost for words. Neither of them wished to go to Dumbledore, neither of them wanted to confess.
"Excuse me little misses," squeaked a small house elf. She had large ears, even larger then normal house elf ears, and huge, beautiful golden eyes, "Nobby thinks you should be going now, yes she does!" she said, her golden eyes fixed intently on them.
The girls glanced at Nobby and then back at each other. They lingered for a moment and set off in the general direction of Dumbledore's office, dragging their feet in a slow-paced walk.
*****
"How do we get in?" Piper asked, her face contorted with confusion and her eyes fixated on a slate gray gargoyle. It's wings were spread out majestically, as if about to leap into flight, "And, are you sure this is the entrance to his office?"
"Yes, and I have abso-bloody-lutely no idea how," Ginny replied, rolling her eyes, "What if there was a problem and we needed to get in? No, wait, THERE IS A BLOODY PROBLEM! OPEN THE DAMNED DO--"
Ginny was cut off abruptly as Dumbledore appeared just to the right of the duo. "It's nice to see you too Ms. Weasley, Ms. Malfoy. Please come in," he spoke in his deep, earthy voice. Dumbledore then turned to the gargoyle and said, "Licorice twists."
A glint appeared in the gargoyle's stone eyes. It leapt into the air, just for only a second or two, and then landed gracefully about 5 feet from it's previous position near the looming stone wall. The wall rumbled and almost seemed to shake a bit. A crack ran down the routing, branching off between the large stone bricks. Suddenly light shone through the wall as the crack enlarged from next to nothing to one inch and on to two. The crack grew and in a matter of moments it became a massive opening leading to a spiral staircase, the steps continuously moving upwards like a Muggle escalator. Dumbledore strode onto the staircase followed meekly by Piper, then Ginny. Piper let her fingertips glide lightly over the carved handrail. Dragons, phoenixes, and other mythical animals donned it, accompanied by various curves and swirls. This is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen! Piper immediately thought.
Piper took it back the instant the moving staircase neared the end of it's journey and Dumbledore's office came into sight. She could honestly say that she couldn't name a single item that occupied the room. Each was rare and uniquely beautiful; Every item was vastly different from all the rest, yet they came into a sense of harmony to form the most beautiful room that Piper had ever seen. It was more glamorous than any movie set, more comfortable than any well-worn and familiar bedroom. It was amazing.
"Ladies, please sit down," Dumbledore said, gesturing toward two enormous oak chairs, lined with lush red velvet, that were set before a large desk, also oak. The the most magnificent thing about the sight was the phoenix sitting on a perch near a open window. It was a dazzling ruby red and throughout its long, smooth feathers there were flecks of gold. The phoenix seemed to radiate a warm glow, and, if Piper let herself slip into childish interpretations of what she felt, a sense of happiness seemed to surround the bird, as if all the fears and troubles of the world suddenly seemed insignificant, solvable. It was a feeling that made you want to confess what was bundled up inside of your soul, surpassing the prickly layers, weathered with age, and going inside the core of your body to allow all that troubled you to melt away.
Piper and Ginny each sat in one of the ancient looking chairs, sinking down into the soft velvet padding.
"Professor, I..." Piper started, and then with a sudden burst of confidence and guilt, she launched into the story of the whole ordeal. Every so often, Dumbledore would nod, or merely blink calmly at them and wave his hand to continue.
"Well," Dumbledore said at last, and he cleared his thought, "Whether you have a true gift for potion making, or if it was a complete chance of luck, or ill luck I should say, remains a mystery. It is alright, you may return to the Gryffindor tower, no house points will be taken."
*****
Piper was walking back to the Gryffindor tower when she collided with a shoulder, clad in the Hogwarts black. She glanced up and her eyes met Draco's. She had hated Draco's eyes ever since she was a child. The were sharp and cool, almost icy. They made you feel like somehow you should apologize. Piper didn't know why she should feel this way but somehow... somehow the only thing she wanted in the world was to say I'm sorry. Piper shuttered and looked away, not wanting to look up and see his eyes still fixed upon her.
*****
Draco slid through the halls, careful to stay away from the prying eyes of the portraits. He had a small blue flame in his hand, as all the torches had been extinguished hours ago, when the students had all gone to sleep.
Except one.
He was at the Fat Lady now, today clad in a hideous fluffy dress. "Hmm... gay little faerie pixies? No? Purple hippopotamus? Sheesh, Gryffindors have no sense of humor..." He snickered at his little joke, then he hissed softly, "Lion's mane?"
The Fat Lady stifled a yawn and swung open on invisible hinges.
Draco crept through the common room and up a tall staircase to the girls' dormitories. Which one is hers? he thought, staring at the dozens of doors. He groaned and opened the first door and studied the sleeping girls' faces. No, she's not here.
Thirty minutes and eighteen doors later Draco was giving up hope. He sighed and opened another door, and once again studied the faces within. Yes! That's her! he thought to himself, excitedly. Her pale white skin seemed to glow in the dark room and her short, cropped hair was spread out in blue and black waves. Her hair was not the traditional Malfoy trait and Draco could remember his father talking about it in a soft whisper. It was a mark of someone special, someone great. It was a mark that hadn't been seen in hundreds of years. For Piper to be sorted into Gryffindor was very disastrous indeed.
"Piper... Pip, wake up," Draco said, casting a silencing charm as to not wake the other sleeping girls up.
Piper groaned and rolled onto her back, "Ginny, for the last time... DRACO!" she gasped.
Piper reached into the pocket of her pajamas, drew out her wand, and pointed it directly between Draco's eyes, all in one fluid motion.
"What do you want?"
"Well, currently, I'd like you to stop pointing that thing straight at my forehead; one slight slip and you'll make an ugly little black mark right there and I'll be forced to get bangs."
Piper lowered her wand, but only a tiny bit, glaring at him. "What the hell are you doing? You're not supposed to be in here. You're a Slytherin, I'm a Gryffindor, remember? You're supposed to hate me-- "
"Piper, I don't hate you. Sure, all of the other Slytherins want you to die a slow, painful death," said Draco, shrugging slightly, "but personally, I'd rather that not happen to you."
"Somehow I don't find that very comforting."
"That's funny, I--"
"Draco, do me a favor and shut up."
With that last statement Piper fired a curse through her poised wand. Draco's face contorted for a moment and then bright patterns of flowers emerged onto his skin.
"Well, at least we know you're still a Malfoy," Draco said, picking up a mirror off of Piper's nightstand to examine his face. "Hippie flowers, nice touch. It has been a pleasure to see you too."
*****