Chapter five
Under normal circumstances, Draco and Goyle would have been a nine days wonder. In this case it was overshadowed in less then a day by Hermione and Ron. Hermione explained quite calmly that Ron was a consenting partner, but Professor McGonagall insisted on removing the gag to hear Ron's version. They both were given detention for public indecency, in spite of arguments that the prefect's bathroom was not public. The whips and manacles were confiscated. Millicent Bulstrode had no explanation for why she was singing naked underneath the ravenclaw dorm windows, but she received several bouquets of flowers the next day.
The teachers were speculating on weather the influence was becoming stronger, or if the students were simply becoming less inhibited the longer they were exposed to it. Severus forced himself to avoid prolonged contact with Neville for several days, much to Neville's' frustration. Vincent Crabbe was no longer seen with Draco and Goyle. Instead he was following Ginny Weasley around with candy whenever classes allowed.
Neville went down to the potions classroom Saturday afternoon to work on his project, and, hopefully, spend some uninterrupted time with the potions master. The room was empty. Neville suspected Severus was in his office, but decided to work before trying to talk to him. He paused while getting one of his potions down. If anyone had told him in his third year that one day he would actually want to spend time with Professor Snape, he would have said "umm, sure," and backed slowly away until he was far enough away from the obviously dangerous lunatic to turn and run. Time had changed things. Spending the summer at Hogwarts while his Gran lay in a coma at St Mungos after her last stroke had left Neville desperate for someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't tell him everything would be fine and not to worry. So, one night when he was unable to sleep, and Severus had caught him wandering the halls, Neville had found himself pouring out his feelings to the one person who he was sure would never care. Severus hadn't told him it would be alright, and hadn't looked at him with pity or contempt. He had simply taken him to his office and given him hot cocoa, and listened. And he had understood. After a while, when the nightly talks had become common, Severus offered bits of his own history. Neville gradually learned of the father who beat and tortured him, and a mother who was kept drugged or confined to her rooms.
Neville rarely talked about his own parents, who had been driven mad by the Cruciatus curse and couldn't recognize there own son. He hated the sympathy and pity, sure that they would vanish if he told them the truth. His parents were strangers to him. That he hated visiting them. A part of him hated them for not caring enough about him to stay sane. A part of him wished they were dead rather then locked up in a hospital, because if they were dead he wouldn't be twisted up inside and hating himself for what he felt.
Severus showed him that it could be worse. Severus' mother had hated him. Her pregnancy with him had been unwanted, caused by a fertility charm her husband had used without her knowledge. She had become extremely ill during the pregnancy, nearly dieing, due to an experimental potion she drank. Severus didn't elaborate on this, but it was clear to Neville that she had tried to cause an abortion. Over the course of many nights spent talking, Neville had even learned how Severus's parents had died, and why he had joined Voldemort.
Neville had lost all fear of Severus when he realized that the professor was telling him this not to teach him, but because he needed the contact and understanding just as much as Neville did. That was also when Neville fell in love.
Neville shook his head. He had to concentrate on the potion, not stand lost in memories. He carefully measured a teaspoon of the blue liquid and added it to a bowl of fresh rainwater, collected at midnight on the last new moon. The end result, he hoped, would be a growth accelerant that could be used on magical plants. If mandrakes could be brought to maturity in days rather then the months it had taken during second year while his classmates lay petrified in the infirmary…
The last part of preparation was a spell, and Neville gripped his wand tightly as he recited the charm and moved the tip counterclockwise over the surface of the liquid. He didn't relax until the potion turned dark and golden sparkles swirled in the depths of the bowl. He smiled in satisfaction and wiped his forehead, relaxing his sweaty fingers grip on the polished wood.
Under normal circumstances, Draco and Goyle would have been a nine days wonder. In this case it was overshadowed in less then a day by Hermione and Ron. Hermione explained quite calmly that Ron was a consenting partner, but Professor McGonagall insisted on removing the gag to hear Ron's version. They both were given detention for public indecency, in spite of arguments that the prefect's bathroom was not public. The whips and manacles were confiscated. Millicent Bulstrode had no explanation for why she was singing naked underneath the ravenclaw dorm windows, but she received several bouquets of flowers the next day.
The teachers were speculating on weather the influence was becoming stronger, or if the students were simply becoming less inhibited the longer they were exposed to it. Severus forced himself to avoid prolonged contact with Neville for several days, much to Neville's' frustration. Vincent Crabbe was no longer seen with Draco and Goyle. Instead he was following Ginny Weasley around with candy whenever classes allowed.
Neville went down to the potions classroom Saturday afternoon to work on his project, and, hopefully, spend some uninterrupted time with the potions master. The room was empty. Neville suspected Severus was in his office, but decided to work before trying to talk to him. He paused while getting one of his potions down. If anyone had told him in his third year that one day he would actually want to spend time with Professor Snape, he would have said "umm, sure," and backed slowly away until he was far enough away from the obviously dangerous lunatic to turn and run. Time had changed things. Spending the summer at Hogwarts while his Gran lay in a coma at St Mungos after her last stroke had left Neville desperate for someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't tell him everything would be fine and not to worry. So, one night when he was unable to sleep, and Severus had caught him wandering the halls, Neville had found himself pouring out his feelings to the one person who he was sure would never care. Severus hadn't told him it would be alright, and hadn't looked at him with pity or contempt. He had simply taken him to his office and given him hot cocoa, and listened. And he had understood. After a while, when the nightly talks had become common, Severus offered bits of his own history. Neville gradually learned of the father who beat and tortured him, and a mother who was kept drugged or confined to her rooms.
Neville rarely talked about his own parents, who had been driven mad by the Cruciatus curse and couldn't recognize there own son. He hated the sympathy and pity, sure that they would vanish if he told them the truth. His parents were strangers to him. That he hated visiting them. A part of him hated them for not caring enough about him to stay sane. A part of him wished they were dead rather then locked up in a hospital, because if they were dead he wouldn't be twisted up inside and hating himself for what he felt.
Severus showed him that it could be worse. Severus' mother had hated him. Her pregnancy with him had been unwanted, caused by a fertility charm her husband had used without her knowledge. She had become extremely ill during the pregnancy, nearly dieing, due to an experimental potion she drank. Severus didn't elaborate on this, but it was clear to Neville that she had tried to cause an abortion. Over the course of many nights spent talking, Neville had even learned how Severus's parents had died, and why he had joined Voldemort.
Neville had lost all fear of Severus when he realized that the professor was telling him this not to teach him, but because he needed the contact and understanding just as much as Neville did. That was also when Neville fell in love.
Neville shook his head. He had to concentrate on the potion, not stand lost in memories. He carefully measured a teaspoon of the blue liquid and added it to a bowl of fresh rainwater, collected at midnight on the last new moon. The end result, he hoped, would be a growth accelerant that could be used on magical plants. If mandrakes could be brought to maturity in days rather then the months it had taken during second year while his classmates lay petrified in the infirmary…
The last part of preparation was a spell, and Neville gripped his wand tightly as he recited the charm and moved the tip counterclockwise over the surface of the liquid. He didn't relax until the potion turned dark and golden sparkles swirled in the depths of the bowl. He smiled in satisfaction and wiped his forehead, relaxing his sweaty fingers grip on the polished wood.