Chapter Twelve
Once again, they don't belong to me. If I had enough talent and dedication to write the Harry Potter series, I would publish my writings somewhere that I would get paid for it.
"Explain."
Severus winced internally at the tone of voice. It meant no escape. No wiggling out of this. No saying less then the complete truth.
"Last night I remembered something I read years ago." Severus put the book, Adventures in the Great Forests of Europe, on the desk and continued. "Hamadryads, the male Dryads, produce a large quantity of pheromones when they are ready to mate. All Dryads within a few miles are affected. Most of them aren't attracted to that Hamadryad, but they all become more aggressive and competitive." Not to mention sex crazed. There were some very educational woodcuts in the book.
Snape swallowed. Now was the hard part. "I am. I am part Dryad." He couldn't look at anyone, afraid of what he might see in there faces. "Most of the fights have occurred indoors. My classes have behaved worse then any of yours, and slytherins have been involved in most of the fights." And Neville seemed to actually return his feelings.
"Wait a minute." Hagrid broke in. "Only girls can be part Dryad. In boys the genes re' recessed or somethin'."
"I am abnormal." The words were void of emotion.
"It's unusual but it has happened in families that have interbred with Dryads repeatedly," Sprout said matter-of-factly.
Severus was surprised enough to look up and meet her eyes. "It has?" His father acted as though he was uniquely disgusting, even though he was the source of Severus' Dryad blood.
"But yer not green," Hagrid said looking puzzled.
Snape blushed and hoped no one noticed. It was a forlorn hope. Sirius was always looking for a chance to embarrass him. Before Severus could decide how to reply, Sirius had his wand out.
"Cosmeticus disaparatus!"
Severus flinched as the spell washed over him, feeling like tiny fingers were running through his hair and over his body. He knew from the gasps of several people that the spell was successful.
"Oh."
Sprout broke the stunned silence that followed. "Your hair looks nice, but you need more sun."
Severus suppressed the urge to laugh, suspecting he would become hysterical if he did. Sprout was correct about the sun. He avoided sunlight and used heavy sunscreen when he had no other choice. As a result his skin was an unhealthy sallow color, but passably human. Exposure to sunlight for a time would darken it to greenish gold shade that was much healthier but definitely not human. His hair was another matter.
Sirius did start laughing and several people were snickering when Dumbledore brought them back to the real problem. "When will the pheromone production stop?"
"Autumn" "When he mates" Snape and Sprout answered simultaneously.
Snape glared at the herbology professor who ignored him. "Hamadryads only come into bloom, as it's called, when they find a dryad they want to mate with. It ends when they bond with a mate, or early fall."
"I see." Dumbledore looked at Severus, who desperately wished the ground would open up swallow him whole. "Hogwarts can't afford to lose you right now Severus, so you will have to resolve this." He raised his hand to cut off any protests. "I can't order you to bond with anyone, but I do expect you to explain the situation to him and listen to whatever he has to say. And now I really must go." With that said Dumbledore picked up the suitcase and threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire and was gone with a cry of "the ministry!"
Severus collected his wits and with a murmured "excuse me," he was out of the office.
Professor McGonagall followed a moment later but only found two stunned second year students in the hall near the gargoyle. "Did you see professor Snape go by here?" She demanded.
They exchanged a glance. "Um, maybe." At her glare, the other one added, "It looked like him, aside from the green hair. But he was running too fast to be sure."
McGonagall sighed and returned to the office.
Note: My version of dryads is probably different from the actual myths. In my version, hamadryads are male dryads. At birth they look much like the female babies but they quickly diverge in appearance and by the time they are twenty or so they have found a good location and taken root. Within a few years they are indistinguishable from a normal tree. Female dryads look like female humans but are thinner, with sharp features and green skin. Their hair changes color with the seasons. Green in spring and summer, red and gold in the fall which fades to white by winter time. Mating between dryads is nothing like human sex, but female dryads can breed with humans and produce children because they can adjust there internal shape. Females of mixed blood often have the dryad hair and complexion and some of their abilities. Males almost never do, because the genes are recessive in them. Severus's fathers' family has a long history of intermarriage with dryads, and his mother had one as a distant ancestor, which his father wasn't aware of until after Severus's birth.
Dryad females are very flighty. They are reluctant to settle down and be tied to one place and Hamadryad. That is why Hamadryads have the "bloom." It makes the dryads more aggressive and horny, but it does not cause them to desire any specific hamadryad. Only if a dryad has feelings for the male already is she encouraged to commit to him by the pheromones.
Once again, they don't belong to me. If I had enough talent and dedication to write the Harry Potter series, I would publish my writings somewhere that I would get paid for it.
"Explain."
Severus winced internally at the tone of voice. It meant no escape. No wiggling out of this. No saying less then the complete truth.
"Last night I remembered something I read years ago." Severus put the book, Adventures in the Great Forests of Europe, on the desk and continued. "Hamadryads, the male Dryads, produce a large quantity of pheromones when they are ready to mate. All Dryads within a few miles are affected. Most of them aren't attracted to that Hamadryad, but they all become more aggressive and competitive." Not to mention sex crazed. There were some very educational woodcuts in the book.
Snape swallowed. Now was the hard part. "I am. I am part Dryad." He couldn't look at anyone, afraid of what he might see in there faces. "Most of the fights have occurred indoors. My classes have behaved worse then any of yours, and slytherins have been involved in most of the fights." And Neville seemed to actually return his feelings.
"Wait a minute." Hagrid broke in. "Only girls can be part Dryad. In boys the genes re' recessed or somethin'."
"I am abnormal." The words were void of emotion.
"It's unusual but it has happened in families that have interbred with Dryads repeatedly," Sprout said matter-of-factly.
Severus was surprised enough to look up and meet her eyes. "It has?" His father acted as though he was uniquely disgusting, even though he was the source of Severus' Dryad blood.
"But yer not green," Hagrid said looking puzzled.
Snape blushed and hoped no one noticed. It was a forlorn hope. Sirius was always looking for a chance to embarrass him. Before Severus could decide how to reply, Sirius had his wand out.
"Cosmeticus disaparatus!"
Severus flinched as the spell washed over him, feeling like tiny fingers were running through his hair and over his body. He knew from the gasps of several people that the spell was successful.
"Oh."
Sprout broke the stunned silence that followed. "Your hair looks nice, but you need more sun."
Severus suppressed the urge to laugh, suspecting he would become hysterical if he did. Sprout was correct about the sun. He avoided sunlight and used heavy sunscreen when he had no other choice. As a result his skin was an unhealthy sallow color, but passably human. Exposure to sunlight for a time would darken it to greenish gold shade that was much healthier but definitely not human. His hair was another matter.
Sirius did start laughing and several people were snickering when Dumbledore brought them back to the real problem. "When will the pheromone production stop?"
"Autumn" "When he mates" Snape and Sprout answered simultaneously.
Snape glared at the herbology professor who ignored him. "Hamadryads only come into bloom, as it's called, when they find a dryad they want to mate with. It ends when they bond with a mate, or early fall."
"I see." Dumbledore looked at Severus, who desperately wished the ground would open up swallow him whole. "Hogwarts can't afford to lose you right now Severus, so you will have to resolve this." He raised his hand to cut off any protests. "I can't order you to bond with anyone, but I do expect you to explain the situation to him and listen to whatever he has to say. And now I really must go." With that said Dumbledore picked up the suitcase and threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire and was gone with a cry of "the ministry!"
Severus collected his wits and with a murmured "excuse me," he was out of the office.
Professor McGonagall followed a moment later but only found two stunned second year students in the hall near the gargoyle. "Did you see professor Snape go by here?" She demanded.
They exchanged a glance. "Um, maybe." At her glare, the other one added, "It looked like him, aside from the green hair. But he was running too fast to be sure."
McGonagall sighed and returned to the office.
Note: My version of dryads is probably different from the actual myths. In my version, hamadryads are male dryads. At birth they look much like the female babies but they quickly diverge in appearance and by the time they are twenty or so they have found a good location and taken root. Within a few years they are indistinguishable from a normal tree. Female dryads look like female humans but are thinner, with sharp features and green skin. Their hair changes color with the seasons. Green in spring and summer, red and gold in the fall which fades to white by winter time. Mating between dryads is nothing like human sex, but female dryads can breed with humans and produce children because they can adjust there internal shape. Females of mixed blood often have the dryad hair and complexion and some of their abilities. Males almost never do, because the genes are recessive in them. Severus's fathers' family has a long history of intermarriage with dryads, and his mother had one as a distant ancestor, which his father wasn't aware of until after Severus's birth.
Dryad females are very flighty. They are reluctant to settle down and be tied to one place and Hamadryad. That is why Hamadryads have the "bloom." It makes the dryads more aggressive and horny, but it does not cause them to desire any specific hamadryad. Only if a dryad has feelings for the male already is she encouraged to commit to him by the pheromones.