Chap. 8 Disclaimer on opening note. As the week of Halloween came, Ruby made a break through, or so she thought. A potion that stopped vocal curses. The only problem was that she did not have all the ingredients. "Your Potion's teacher would have the ingredients you need," Ruby thought back to Bobby's letter. If I could only get into his office without anyone noticing.

"What are you doing, Ruby?"

"Just thinking, Harry."

"About..."

Ruby sighed," The Halloween feast."

"Oh yeah, it's fun," Harry said half-heartedly. "Hermione, Ron, and I are going to Nick's Death Party instead."

"Really?" Ruby's eyes lit.

"Yeah, you wanna come? I'm sure Nick won't mind."

"No, thank you," Ruby got up and walked to the library.

* * *

As the students filed into the hall on Halloween, Ruby slipped away from the group and down to the dungeon. She found Snape's office locked. The spell that unlocked the door was very difficult, but Ruby got in all the same.

When she found the cabinet of ingredients, she quickly collected what she needed and started mixing.

"Green," she kept saying, "must turn green." The moment the mixture turned green, she put it in a cup and downed it. Her throat was on fire, but cooled quickly. I wonder if it's worked yet. She tried to laugh, but nothing came out. She tried to speak and nothing came out. Oh no, she thought just as Snape burst into his office.

"What in the world are you doing in here, girl?" The words poured forth like venom. Ruby could only open her mouth and expel air. "Don't play dumb with me." Ruby opened her book and pointed to the potion. "You drank that?" Ruby nodded trying hard not to cry. "And now you can't talk." She nodded, which caused the tears to spill over. Snape sighed heavily and started to make an antidote. Ruby bent her head in shame.

"Drink this," he handed her a cup filled with a black liquid. It felt like tar going down her throat. "So, why didn't you just ask if you needed something."

"Well," Ruby said, surprised to hear her voice, "I didn't want anyone to know."

"Know what?" His voice had changed to something between exasperation and kindness.

"I'm under a Scherzo curse."

"Yes, and.." "Well, how would you like people to know you couldn't do something or else bad accidents would happen. Malf...I mean, certain people might have tried to use it to get me expelled."

"Well," he didn't finish his sentence. Snape then ask how Ruby came to be under this curse.

"The neighbor of one of my foster parents was a wizard, a real mean man. He cursed me because I, 'bothered him'."

Silence followed. Finally Snape said, "We will have to research some more. But I don't need you to miss class because of sleep depravation." Ruby looked at him surprised. "Go back to your dorm. I'll decide something by tomorrow." With that Ruby walked out and into more chaos.

*Yes, I know. "Snape is not mean enough." Maybe he sees something of importance in this Gryffindor girl? Or will he torment her like all the rest? Read more!