An Elegant Magic
(The sequel to Sought)
The usual shtick – Harry Potter and his universe belong to JK Rowling, Charlotte belongs to me. I'm just here for the food. (Translation: don't sue me!)
I'm bound by these choices so hard to make
I'm bound by the feeling so easy to fake
None of this is real
Enough to take me away from you
O I've got reservations
About
So many things
But
Not about you
- Wilco "Reservations"
Charlotte Parnell, one time English Lit doctoral student and former Muggle, made her way down to the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle without any of the trepidation that accompanied most who had trod the path before her. An invisible bell sounded through the corridor and suddenly she was wading upstream against a sea of sixth year students escaping the horror that was double Potions. Charlotte stepped into the offending classroom. The Potions Master was not immediately visible, but three young faces looked up at her hoping for a reprieve.
"Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione," she said cheerfully.
"Good afternoon Professor Parnell," they chorused and quickly returned to their work as Professor Snape joined them at the cauldron.
"May I help you, Professor?" he asked with a sneer.
Charlotte suppressed a grin. "I just came to return this book, Professor," she said, handing him a leather bound tome. "It was most helpful." Snape inclined his head slightly and moved off to reshelve the volume. "So what are you guys in for?" she asked the trio, taking a seat on one of the lab tables. Hermione winced at this improper behavior but the boys grinned and explained that Snape had made them stay behind because Harry and Ron had botched the day's potion. "Why are you here then Hermione?" The girl flushed and Ron answered for her.
"'Mione was trying to help us save the potion, so Sn- the professor said she had to stay with us and if she offered a word of advice he'd give her detention."
Charlotte fought the urge to laugh. "You guys have had Potions for six years now; don't you think you could figure out how to avoid trouble?"
The boy's sheepish response was halted by the looming figure of the Potions Master himself. "If you do not mind, Professor, Potter and Weasley have a great deal of work to do."
Charlotte sketched a salute and slid off the table. "He isn't very fond of my American style," she whispered conspiratorially to the boys. "See you in class Hermione." As she walked past Snape's desk she gave him a wink and an impish smile which was answered with a fierce glare. Charlotte was unperturbed and left the dungeons with a spring in her step.
She made her way through the twists and turns of the castle once again marveling at the strange series of events that had comprised the past year of her life. After acquiring Lucius Malfoy as an enemy, she had been taken in by Headmaster Dumbledore and taught the basics of being a witch. They had tricked Lucius into capturing her and then escaped with the help of an ex-convict and a werewolf. Shortly after she had the delicious pleasure of punching Malfoy in the nose, the Ministry of Magic had held a hearing. Sufficient evidence was not found to convict him of associating with the Dark Lord Voldemort, but Lucius was found guilty of 'conduct unbecoming a wizard' and shipped of to Azkaban. His parting words as he was dragged from the court room still rung in her ears. "This is not the end, mudblood! You will live to regret meddling in my affairs!" Charlotte shivered at the memory and touched the long pale scar on her left arm, a reminder of her short stay at Chateau Malfoy. Following the hearing, Professor Secus took advantage of another Muggle expert at the school to declare his well deserved retirement. Dumbledore offered Charlotte the post of Professor of Muggle Studies which she accepted without hesitation. She had also been offered a place at Sortilege College at Oxford, but with some assistance from Dumbledore she was able to take all her courses by owl correspondence and remain at Hogwarts. All concerned agreed that it was best to remain in the safe shadow of the school. Voldemort's operations had been seriously hindered by the loss of Malfoy and Charlotte had quickly earned a top place on the Dark Lord's kill list. He was waiting to free Malfoy before taking action, but the day would soon come when Voldemort would ask Snape to bring Charlotte to him. She sighed, Snape. Now that's another matter entirely.
Half an hour or so after she had returned to her rooms there was a loud noise from the fireplace. The small blaze turned green and Professor Snape stepped into the room.
"Charlotte," he said without preamble, "I think you delight in provoking me."
The girl laughed. "You know I do. But I think you delight in being mean and nasty to me."
The potions master did his best to look innocent. "I take no pleasure in it at all, I assure you. I do have a reputation to maintain as the most horrible professor at Hogwarts."
Charlotte rolled her eyes and leaned in to kiss Snape, a gesture that was heartily reciprocated. She could only imagine the reactions of Harry, Ron and Hermione if they were witness to such a scene. Indeed, if someone had told her she would be willingly kissing Severus Snape only a few months after her arrival at Hogwarts she would have laughed in their faces. But beneath the impassive and caustic exterior she had found something unexpected: a passionate soul, intelligent and loyal. He was amazing, easily the smartest man she had ever met and the best research assistant she could ask for. When she had accepted the place at Sortilege she had not expected him to be interested in her chosen field of specialization, Muggle Studies, and more specifically perceptions of magic in English Muggle literature, but he had surprised her again, helping her brave the restricted section at the Bodleian, discussing the implications of modern 'toned-down' fairy tales, and generally serving as taskmaster when she would rather not be productive. It wasn't perfect, not all of their fighting was a production for the benefit of the school, and there was the minor matter of her being a mudblood and him a Death Eater double agent, but on the whole she was very happy.
On a blustery evening in November Charlotte once again made her way to the dungeons. Familiarity had not endeared her to Floo travel, she preferred to walk or Apparate when away from school. Since Narcissa Malfoy had pulled Draco out of Hogwarts faster than you could say Slytherin after Lucius' hearing there was no one actively spying on her and Snape, it was relatively safe for her to make the journey on foot after hours. Passing by the Potions Classroom, she saw that the door was open. Odd, unless…. Looking in she saw two unlucky souls who had managed to acquire a detention from the formidable master of potions. Not surprisingly, it was Harry and Ron. They were slaving away at one of the larger cauldrons, obviously preparing a batch of something unpleasant for the infirmary stores, one of Severus' favorite detention tasks. The man himself was seated at his desk, grading papers and occasionally making snarky comments about the quality of work he was seeing from the boys. With the heightened teacher senses Charlotte had yet to acquire he whipped around to look at her. His expression altered fractionally, but it was enough to make several of her internal organs do loop de loops.
"Yes Professor?"
Charlotte schooled her features carefully. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Professor Snape, might I have a word with you?"
With a long suffering sigh, he indicated she should precede him into the store room. Once the door had been pushed to, she said "I didn't know you had a detention tonight."
"I did mention it to you. I caught Potter and Weasley skulking around the library last night."
"Ah. It must have slipped my mind."
"I should know better than to tell you anything at breakfast. By lunch you have completely forgotten."
"You're not exactly a morning person yourself, you know," she shot back with a glare that he ignored, "Well, I guess I'll see you later. Oh, I did get chapter 5 back from Professor Scolere with nary a red mark on it." She smiled brightly
"I should think not, with the number of times you made me proof read it." She stuck her tongue out at him, a gesture that he found annoyingly endearing. He ran a gentle hand over her hair. "Assuming that I am not kept in the classroom all night, I will stop by later." She nodded. There was a noise like a small explosion from the classroom and they rushed to the door. Harry and Ron stood with horrified expressions in front of the large cauldron which was glowing with a bright blue light.
"Step away from the cauldron," Snape snapped. Harry instantly complied but Ron paused to grab his wand from the table. At that moment there was a sound like metal tearing and a fierce wind blew through the room, rattling jars and strewing papers everywhere. The potion began to take on a life of its own, rotating within the cauldron faster and faster.
"Help!" Ron cried, "it's got me!" Indeed the blue concoction had begun sucking the boy's arm into the vortex. Charlotte sprang into action, wrapping her arms around his chest and pulling backward. The wind intensified into a roar, almost deafening.
"Potter," Snape yelled, "get Dumbledore. Now." Harry looked at the professor and then at Charlotte struggling to free his friend. With a nod he ran out of the classroom.
"Severus!" Charlotte screamed as she and Ron slid further towards the cauldron. Snape joined the chain, pulling on Charlotte with all his might, but could not slow their progress. The vortex was expanding, filling the whole room with a blue light. They were all under the potion's pull now, like pieces of iron to a magnet. "Severus?" she said again, well and truly scared now.
"Just hang on to Mr. Weasley," he answered in her ear, "Potter will be back with Dumbledore soon." He hoped so, anyway. It was now so bright in the classroom he could no longer see the cauldron. Suddenly he was in free fall and then everything went dark.
Moments later Harry burst through the doorway, followed by Dumbledore and Deputy Headmistress McGonagall. The usually orderly classroom was a disaster area, parchment and broken glass lined the floor. At the center of it all was a large overturned cauldron, a grey liquid dripping on to the stone floor. Of Ron and the professors there was no trace.