For all those who have shown such kindness as to post a review or a
response to my piece, I am grateful. To those who believe they have
"figured it all out" a warning…. The snitch never moves in a predictable
manner! Ha-Ha…. I am having so much fun with this. And of course, my
usual disclaimer: JK Rowling is a God, I only own the troublesome Cassandra
Caliga…. There is no financial point to all this, I am simply a Harry
Potter fan in love with a Slytherin Man!
When Cassandra became aware again later that day, the first thing she noticed was the pain in her head was gone. The second thing she noticed was that the rest of her body was aching. She felt warm, and relaxed into the bed, waiting for the fuzziness in her head to clear. Taking a deep breath, she remembered with a shock that she was not in her dorm, and that something strange had happened last night.
Trying to recall exactly what had happened was proving to be a trying endeavor, as images and ideas kept surfacing and disappearing in her mind, and her thoughts seemed to be floating along all on their own. In fact, she felt as if she were floating along, although she knew there was a bed underneath her. What had happened in reality? There had been the fiasco in Potions class - or had that been a nightmare? That whole afternoon had indeed felt like a horrible dream… The weakness, spilling her ingredients, Snape coming over and looking, of all things concerned. Snape concerned about her? That could never have happened in reality. She found it impossible to believe that Snape was ever concerned about anything other than showing up Neville Longbottom…. However, more images floated up… she had gone to the showers, but how did she get from the shower to her bed? A pained memory of torch-lit halls and a hand holding her up surfaced, and then was replaced by…. Nothing. Who had helped her? Was any of it real? Memories came in and out of focus, and suddenly her mother appeared in front of her, reminding Cassandra to get her Charms homework done… and then Professor Snape was in front of her, congratulating her placement into Slytherin House in her 1st year ... Had anything in her life really happened? Thinking was becoming increasingly hard to do, as there was a nagging voice in the background trying to get her attention.
This particular sound did not come in and out in waves, as had all the other dreams and memories - the voice was consistently calling her name, but it seemed to shudder and quake in a muted volume. Swallowing hard, Cassandra pried one eye open to realize that the voice calling her had NOT been an illusion… A heavyset witch with a hat was leaning over her bed. She had a menacing look about her, and Cassandra recoiled in fear, pulling back into her pillow.
Trying to force the words out, Cassandra struggled to speak.
"Leave me alone! I have done nothing!" Her words echoed strangely in her head.
The witch reached over towards her face, glaring down at her.
Panicking, Cassandra tried to get up to run, feeling nailed to the sheets, invisible straps holding her down. She sat up, fighting the invisible bindings, and the room and the witch spun furiously around her, and she fell back and blacked out.
"Oh my dear Mother of Merlin!" Poppy spoke sharply. " She's started having a reaction to the combination of Muggle medicine and Snape's Potion…." Clucking her tongue, Poppy went to call upon the Headmaster and The Head of Slytherin House. Sprinkling Floo Powder into the fireplace, she called out clearly.
"Dumbledore! Snape! You are needed immediately in the infirmary!"
The wizened head of Albus Dumbledore appeared in the fireplace, telling her that he would be there in a moment. There was no response from Snape. Sighing, she flicked more powder in, and called louder this time.
"Severus Snape! I need you immediately in the infirmary!"
There was a rustling of sheets as Cassie began to thrash in her bed again. Terrified, Poppy ran over to get some more anti-convulsant, but then halted. This was different from last night. The child seemed to be having a nightmare, as she had earlier, moaning and flopping about in her bed, followed by sharp exclamations that could not be made out.
"Poor dear heart " the witch cooed, and waited for the other two to arrive.
Severus sat up sharply as a voice shouted at him from within his own chambers.
"Who is it, and what do you want?" he looked furiously about, angry with the intruder.
"Severus Snape! " the voice came again, as he spun around to realize that his fire had magically lit. Slightly embarrassed at having missed the obvious, Snape rose quickly and left the dungeons to head up to the infirmary. Boots clicking on the stone floors, he practically leaped the stairs two at a time, much to the astonishment of the students who were walking through the halls on their day off. Sending those who looked too long a melting glare, he reached the infirmary in record time.
Rushing in, he collided with Dumbledore and offered a perfunctory apology.
"Well, what is it Poppy? " He asked impatiently.
"She's having a reaction to the combination of chemicals in her system, and I want your advice before I proceed with anything. You would know better than I how the Muggle drugs would work with your potion. Come and see what's happening…" she continued to fill him in on the girl's strange behavior as Dumbledore opened the door to let them in.
Cassandra was lying much as she had been left, only a hard sweat had appeared on her brow, and she had a high color to her cheeks. Snape strode over and laid his hand on her cheek.
"She's burning up! You said she had been having some kind of nightmares, and thought you were going to harm her?"
Poppy reconfirmed her story.
" I believe…" Snape frowned, and then took the girls pulse. " I believe that the Morphine mixing with the Valium has created a chemical 'high', and she is in the midst of coming down from it. If that is the case, and her breathing and heart rate seem relatively normal, the best thing we can do is simply to have me keep a close eye on her." The look on his face challenged the witch to disagree with him. " I find it strange, " he noted to himself " that she appeared so coherent this morning with me."
Nodding, Dumbledore agreed, and asked " Do you need me to arrange for the house-elves to send you up some food, Severus? Perhaps a cup of tea?"
"That would be fine." Came the curt reply, and then, as an afterthought " Thanks."
Snape assumed the same position he had the night before, on the edge of the big leather chair beside the bed. He was stiff, sitting on the edge of the seat, as if about to spring up for something.
"Poppy, please continue to keep me apprised of the situation. I am going to go and return to some other duties. There is still the usual amount of management here at the castle, sick students or not."
With that, Dumbledore flashed Snape a smile " She will be alright soon, I guarantee it, " and left the room.
Sighing, Snape returned to his vigil, placing a mild restraining spell on the agitated figure in front of him.
"Forgive me for what I have done to you, Cassandra… I did not know."
Bowing his head, Snape placed a hand over his eyes, and a thousand curses upon his soul. The other hand reached over and took hers.
Cassandra was lost in the swirling mists surrounding her mind, going in and out of semi-consciousness. She heard someone apologizing. Shouldn't it have been her? She felt someone grab her hand, and went to recoil, but found that her body would not respond. With a start, her eyes jerked open for a moment as her legs flailed about of their own volition. Unseeing, she tossed her head around wildly as her teeth gnashed and ground. The chemicals coursing through her bloodstream had began to dissipate, leaving behind… nothing but unease. Shaking hard, muscles twitching of their own accord, Cassandra slipped back into an uneasy sleep.
Snape 's head snapped up as the girl's hand nearly crushed his. She was staring at him, as if looking through him. He gently squeezed her hand back, biting his lip at the burst of pain it had caused him, and mummer for the girl to quiet down. Grateful of the restraining spell, Snape brushed the girls hair off her sweat soaked brow and settled back into his chair. Soon the wicked side effects would be over. He was looking forward to that, as he knew Opiates were highly addictive and did strange things to the mind and body. He never understood Muggle drug use, and watching the child's fitful movements, he believed he never would. Waiting for the girl's breathing to settle, it seemed like a long time since he had gone to Dumbledore's office the night before.
He settled back into the creaky chair, uncrossing his legs to loosen his muscles. A New thought entered his mind. What if he were to brew a potion that could undo the coming-down jitters of the medications. Clearly, he wouldn't be able to do that for this particular situation, but what about for the future. Snape could imagine many unscrupulous Muggles and Wizards who would pay plenty for such a thing. Mind whirling, he waited for the child to awaken properly, so he could go to his lab and get to work. So intense were his dreams of new-found glory that he did not notice that Cassandra's breathing had normalized, and she was returning to her usual coloring.
When Cassandra became aware again later that day, the first thing she noticed was the pain in her head was gone. The second thing she noticed was that the rest of her body was aching. She felt warm, and relaxed into the bed, waiting for the fuzziness in her head to clear. Taking a deep breath, she remembered with a shock that she was not in her dorm, and that something strange had happened last night.
Trying to recall exactly what had happened was proving to be a trying endeavor, as images and ideas kept surfacing and disappearing in her mind, and her thoughts seemed to be floating along all on their own. In fact, she felt as if she were floating along, although she knew there was a bed underneath her. What had happened in reality? There had been the fiasco in Potions class - or had that been a nightmare? That whole afternoon had indeed felt like a horrible dream… The weakness, spilling her ingredients, Snape coming over and looking, of all things concerned. Snape concerned about her? That could never have happened in reality. She found it impossible to believe that Snape was ever concerned about anything other than showing up Neville Longbottom…. However, more images floated up… she had gone to the showers, but how did she get from the shower to her bed? A pained memory of torch-lit halls and a hand holding her up surfaced, and then was replaced by…. Nothing. Who had helped her? Was any of it real? Memories came in and out of focus, and suddenly her mother appeared in front of her, reminding Cassandra to get her Charms homework done… and then Professor Snape was in front of her, congratulating her placement into Slytherin House in her 1st year ... Had anything in her life really happened? Thinking was becoming increasingly hard to do, as there was a nagging voice in the background trying to get her attention.
This particular sound did not come in and out in waves, as had all the other dreams and memories - the voice was consistently calling her name, but it seemed to shudder and quake in a muted volume. Swallowing hard, Cassandra pried one eye open to realize that the voice calling her had NOT been an illusion… A heavyset witch with a hat was leaning over her bed. She had a menacing look about her, and Cassandra recoiled in fear, pulling back into her pillow.
Trying to force the words out, Cassandra struggled to speak.
"Leave me alone! I have done nothing!" Her words echoed strangely in her head.
The witch reached over towards her face, glaring down at her.
Panicking, Cassandra tried to get up to run, feeling nailed to the sheets, invisible straps holding her down. She sat up, fighting the invisible bindings, and the room and the witch spun furiously around her, and she fell back and blacked out.
"Oh my dear Mother of Merlin!" Poppy spoke sharply. " She's started having a reaction to the combination of Muggle medicine and Snape's Potion…." Clucking her tongue, Poppy went to call upon the Headmaster and The Head of Slytherin House. Sprinkling Floo Powder into the fireplace, she called out clearly.
"Dumbledore! Snape! You are needed immediately in the infirmary!"
The wizened head of Albus Dumbledore appeared in the fireplace, telling her that he would be there in a moment. There was no response from Snape. Sighing, she flicked more powder in, and called louder this time.
"Severus Snape! I need you immediately in the infirmary!"
There was a rustling of sheets as Cassie began to thrash in her bed again. Terrified, Poppy ran over to get some more anti-convulsant, but then halted. This was different from last night. The child seemed to be having a nightmare, as she had earlier, moaning and flopping about in her bed, followed by sharp exclamations that could not be made out.
"Poor dear heart " the witch cooed, and waited for the other two to arrive.
Severus sat up sharply as a voice shouted at him from within his own chambers.
"Who is it, and what do you want?" he looked furiously about, angry with the intruder.
"Severus Snape! " the voice came again, as he spun around to realize that his fire had magically lit. Slightly embarrassed at having missed the obvious, Snape rose quickly and left the dungeons to head up to the infirmary. Boots clicking on the stone floors, he practically leaped the stairs two at a time, much to the astonishment of the students who were walking through the halls on their day off. Sending those who looked too long a melting glare, he reached the infirmary in record time.
Rushing in, he collided with Dumbledore and offered a perfunctory apology.
"Well, what is it Poppy? " He asked impatiently.
"She's having a reaction to the combination of chemicals in her system, and I want your advice before I proceed with anything. You would know better than I how the Muggle drugs would work with your potion. Come and see what's happening…" she continued to fill him in on the girl's strange behavior as Dumbledore opened the door to let them in.
Cassandra was lying much as she had been left, only a hard sweat had appeared on her brow, and she had a high color to her cheeks. Snape strode over and laid his hand on her cheek.
"She's burning up! You said she had been having some kind of nightmares, and thought you were going to harm her?"
Poppy reconfirmed her story.
" I believe…" Snape frowned, and then took the girls pulse. " I believe that the Morphine mixing with the Valium has created a chemical 'high', and she is in the midst of coming down from it. If that is the case, and her breathing and heart rate seem relatively normal, the best thing we can do is simply to have me keep a close eye on her." The look on his face challenged the witch to disagree with him. " I find it strange, " he noted to himself " that she appeared so coherent this morning with me."
Nodding, Dumbledore agreed, and asked " Do you need me to arrange for the house-elves to send you up some food, Severus? Perhaps a cup of tea?"
"That would be fine." Came the curt reply, and then, as an afterthought " Thanks."
Snape assumed the same position he had the night before, on the edge of the big leather chair beside the bed. He was stiff, sitting on the edge of the seat, as if about to spring up for something.
"Poppy, please continue to keep me apprised of the situation. I am going to go and return to some other duties. There is still the usual amount of management here at the castle, sick students or not."
With that, Dumbledore flashed Snape a smile " She will be alright soon, I guarantee it, " and left the room.
Sighing, Snape returned to his vigil, placing a mild restraining spell on the agitated figure in front of him.
"Forgive me for what I have done to you, Cassandra… I did not know."
Bowing his head, Snape placed a hand over his eyes, and a thousand curses upon his soul. The other hand reached over and took hers.
Cassandra was lost in the swirling mists surrounding her mind, going in and out of semi-consciousness. She heard someone apologizing. Shouldn't it have been her? She felt someone grab her hand, and went to recoil, but found that her body would not respond. With a start, her eyes jerked open for a moment as her legs flailed about of their own volition. Unseeing, she tossed her head around wildly as her teeth gnashed and ground. The chemicals coursing through her bloodstream had began to dissipate, leaving behind… nothing but unease. Shaking hard, muscles twitching of their own accord, Cassandra slipped back into an uneasy sleep.
Snape 's head snapped up as the girl's hand nearly crushed his. She was staring at him, as if looking through him. He gently squeezed her hand back, biting his lip at the burst of pain it had caused him, and mummer for the girl to quiet down. Grateful of the restraining spell, Snape brushed the girls hair off her sweat soaked brow and settled back into his chair. Soon the wicked side effects would be over. He was looking forward to that, as he knew Opiates were highly addictive and did strange things to the mind and body. He never understood Muggle drug use, and watching the child's fitful movements, he believed he never would. Waiting for the girl's breathing to settle, it seemed like a long time since he had gone to Dumbledore's office the night before.
He settled back into the creaky chair, uncrossing his legs to loosen his muscles. A New thought entered his mind. What if he were to brew a potion that could undo the coming-down jitters of the medications. Clearly, he wouldn't be able to do that for this particular situation, but what about for the future. Snape could imagine many unscrupulous Muggles and Wizards who would pay plenty for such a thing. Mind whirling, he waited for the child to awaken properly, so he could go to his lab and get to work. So intense were his dreams of new-found glory that he did not notice that Cassandra's breathing had normalized, and she was returning to her usual coloring.