Chapter 8
Shue must have forced some sort of sleeping draught down my throat, because the next clear memory I had was that of a pounding headache and a funny feeling in my stomach which only strong potions leave behind. My brain seemed to wake up long before the rest of my body because my eyes did not seem to want to open. I could hear the muffled sound of someone talking far away, and an odd click-click noise kept repeating over and over. When I finally forced my eyes open I wondered if they weren't still shut. The room was incredibly dark and dingy and smelled like wet socks. There was one tiny, dirty window with a lovely view of the sidewalk. I wanted to get up and try to break it open, but I realized I could not get off of the floor. I was in a full body bind.
"Damn," I muttered. I wriggled around, hoping that Shue's magic was weak, but unfortunately he had managed to put a successful spell on me despite his pathetic appearance. The clicking sound seemed to grow louder and more irritating. What is that noise? I rolled onto my side and looked toward the source of the sound. I saw a tiny clock sitting on the shelf. It was twenty after five. No one has even noticed I'm gone...
Just then, a thumping noise overpowered the sick clicking of the old clock, and Shue's voice came thundering down the stairs. The door burst open and he grinned at me.
"Oh, so she's awake is she?"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I said, vainly struggling to move my arms and legs.
"Language, language. No need to get angry, I'm only using my resources."
"I am not your resource!"
"Oh yes, yeh are. You see, I knew that when I saw you at Hogwarts that day that you were special to my little son somehow--"
"He's not your son!" I yelled. I was tired and delirious, and I didn't care if he killed me or not. I only wanted to move my arms... "He's not your son, he never will be, and he won't give you anything, not ever! So let me go or kill me, I don't care. Just let me MOVE!"
Shue, unlike Snape, was not good at hiding his feelings. He looked very surprised and a bit scared, as if he doubted his plan for a moment, but attempted to regain his composure.
"Alright... don't get yer knickers in a twist." He raised his wand and released me from the cords. I bolted to my feet but he pointed his wand at my head. "Don't try anything. You are goin' to sit here and tell me a little story." He forced me into a chair, keeping his wand pointed at me.
"What kind of sick--"
"I mean," he interrupted, "You are going to tell me everything about your precious potions master."
"I don't know anything about him," I lied.
"Oh, sure yeh do, missy. Any weaknesses? Well, besides you, of course."
"What do you mean?"
"I told you before, I could see that you were special to him. A little teacher's pet perhaps? Naughty, naughty," he looked down at me with a nasty look on his face.
He knows nothing... He knows nothing at all. He's bluffing.
I let out a very convincing laugh and put a triumphant look on my face. "Ha! Your plan is quite flawed, Mr. Shue. You see, Professor Snape cares for nothing and nobody. He has no weaknesses. None."
Shue floundered for a moment and then became very angry.
"We'll see, won't we?" He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill from his ugly jacket and thrust them at me. "Write your dear Professor a letter. I'll dictate and you copy exactly what I say, no funny business, got it?"
"It won't do any good," I snapped, but my hands were shaking. "Well, haven't you got anything for me to write on?"
"Write on your lap. It will make it look more desperate." Shue looked quite pleased with himself. "Yes, that's perfect. Let's see, 'My Darling Severus,'"
"I'm not writing that!" I yelled, throwing down the quill.
"Miss, I don't think you are in a position to argue! Pick it up," he yelled.
I gritted my teeth and picked up the quill, then held it over the parchment and looked up at Shue's disgusting face.
"Tha's better. Now, 'Dear Professor: I am currently in the posession of one Mr. Harold L. Shue, Esquire--"
"Esquire?" I snorted.
"Shut up and write, you li'l trollop! 'Mr. Shue requests that you send him a reply to this post as soon as possible, or I, your precious, darling, love will meet a very untimely end.' Then sign your name, etcetera, etcetera."
I gulped and scribbled the note, which was very difficult on such a soft surface. Maybe I shouldn't be making fun of him... maybe Shue really does mean it. Maybe he really is going to kill me, I thought.
"Let me just check that," he said, ripping the letter from my hands and quickly reading it to make sure that I had written what he requested. "Good, good, but you've forgotten the little x's and o's under your name," he wheezed, obviously thinking that his joke was very funny. "I'll just send this off, and we'll just wait for a reply." He turned to go back out the door, but suddenly remembered that I was loose and stopped. "Oh, almost forgot," he held out his wand and sent thin cords shooting at me. "Heh heh," he chuckled as I fell to the hard floor.
"Ugly git!" I yelled at the door.
It seemed like hours passed in that room. I could hardly see and I couldn't move except to roll from my side to my stomach and to my other side. That infernal clock was driving me insane. After a while I began to talk to myself and hum little songs to drown out the ticking.
At six o' five Shue came thumping down the stairs again, this time clutching a small, folded piece of parchment in his hand.
"I thought we should read it together," he smiled a toothy grin.
I glared up at him from the floor. He stood over me and began to read the letter.
" 'To Whom It May Concern: Impersonating another wizard is a very serious offense and a pathetic attempt to get my attention. I will not reply to you again, and if you continue to write to me I will find out who you are and see that you are punished. Do not irritate me any further. Severus Snape.' "
This time I could not hide my dismay. Why doesn't Snape believe me? Why didn't he recognize my handwriting? I am going to die here in this musty basement at the hands of a drunken wretch.
"Oh, poor, poor little Miss Cockerham. So, I guess you were right," Shue said in a voice of mock pity. "I guess Snapey doesn't really care for you after all. You really are nothing to him--"
"That's not true!" I yelled.
Shue smiled again.
Oh shut up, shut up! Why can't you keep your mouth shut, you idiot!
"Well, then I guess he will be turning up here any moment."
"No, no! He can't... he doesn't know where I am!" I don't even know where I am, I thought.
"Oh, he'll find you. If he cares as much as you care for him, he'll come. You dirty little girl, you."
"I hate you!" I screamed.
"I'll grow on you, love," he smirked and hobbled out the door once again.
Shue must have forced some sort of sleeping draught down my throat, because the next clear memory I had was that of a pounding headache and a funny feeling in my stomach which only strong potions leave behind. My brain seemed to wake up long before the rest of my body because my eyes did not seem to want to open. I could hear the muffled sound of someone talking far away, and an odd click-click noise kept repeating over and over. When I finally forced my eyes open I wondered if they weren't still shut. The room was incredibly dark and dingy and smelled like wet socks. There was one tiny, dirty window with a lovely view of the sidewalk. I wanted to get up and try to break it open, but I realized I could not get off of the floor. I was in a full body bind.
"Damn," I muttered. I wriggled around, hoping that Shue's magic was weak, but unfortunately he had managed to put a successful spell on me despite his pathetic appearance. The clicking sound seemed to grow louder and more irritating. What is that noise? I rolled onto my side and looked toward the source of the sound. I saw a tiny clock sitting on the shelf. It was twenty after five. No one has even noticed I'm gone...
Just then, a thumping noise overpowered the sick clicking of the old clock, and Shue's voice came thundering down the stairs. The door burst open and he grinned at me.
"Oh, so she's awake is she?"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I said, vainly struggling to move my arms and legs.
"Language, language. No need to get angry, I'm only using my resources."
"I am not your resource!"
"Oh yes, yeh are. You see, I knew that when I saw you at Hogwarts that day that you were special to my little son somehow--"
"He's not your son!" I yelled. I was tired and delirious, and I didn't care if he killed me or not. I only wanted to move my arms... "He's not your son, he never will be, and he won't give you anything, not ever! So let me go or kill me, I don't care. Just let me MOVE!"
Shue, unlike Snape, was not good at hiding his feelings. He looked very surprised and a bit scared, as if he doubted his plan for a moment, but attempted to regain his composure.
"Alright... don't get yer knickers in a twist." He raised his wand and released me from the cords. I bolted to my feet but he pointed his wand at my head. "Don't try anything. You are goin' to sit here and tell me a little story." He forced me into a chair, keeping his wand pointed at me.
"What kind of sick--"
"I mean," he interrupted, "You are going to tell me everything about your precious potions master."
"I don't know anything about him," I lied.
"Oh, sure yeh do, missy. Any weaknesses? Well, besides you, of course."
"What do you mean?"
"I told you before, I could see that you were special to him. A little teacher's pet perhaps? Naughty, naughty," he looked down at me with a nasty look on his face.
He knows nothing... He knows nothing at all. He's bluffing.
I let out a very convincing laugh and put a triumphant look on my face. "Ha! Your plan is quite flawed, Mr. Shue. You see, Professor Snape cares for nothing and nobody. He has no weaknesses. None."
Shue floundered for a moment and then became very angry.
"We'll see, won't we?" He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill from his ugly jacket and thrust them at me. "Write your dear Professor a letter. I'll dictate and you copy exactly what I say, no funny business, got it?"
"It won't do any good," I snapped, but my hands were shaking. "Well, haven't you got anything for me to write on?"
"Write on your lap. It will make it look more desperate." Shue looked quite pleased with himself. "Yes, that's perfect. Let's see, 'My Darling Severus,'"
"I'm not writing that!" I yelled, throwing down the quill.
"Miss, I don't think you are in a position to argue! Pick it up," he yelled.
I gritted my teeth and picked up the quill, then held it over the parchment and looked up at Shue's disgusting face.
"Tha's better. Now, 'Dear Professor: I am currently in the posession of one Mr. Harold L. Shue, Esquire--"
"Esquire?" I snorted.
"Shut up and write, you li'l trollop! 'Mr. Shue requests that you send him a reply to this post as soon as possible, or I, your precious, darling, love will meet a very untimely end.' Then sign your name, etcetera, etcetera."
I gulped and scribbled the note, which was very difficult on such a soft surface. Maybe I shouldn't be making fun of him... maybe Shue really does mean it. Maybe he really is going to kill me, I thought.
"Let me just check that," he said, ripping the letter from my hands and quickly reading it to make sure that I had written what he requested. "Good, good, but you've forgotten the little x's and o's under your name," he wheezed, obviously thinking that his joke was very funny. "I'll just send this off, and we'll just wait for a reply." He turned to go back out the door, but suddenly remembered that I was loose and stopped. "Oh, almost forgot," he held out his wand and sent thin cords shooting at me. "Heh heh," he chuckled as I fell to the hard floor.
"Ugly git!" I yelled at the door.
It seemed like hours passed in that room. I could hardly see and I couldn't move except to roll from my side to my stomach and to my other side. That infernal clock was driving me insane. After a while I began to talk to myself and hum little songs to drown out the ticking.
At six o' five Shue came thumping down the stairs again, this time clutching a small, folded piece of parchment in his hand.
"I thought we should read it together," he smiled a toothy grin.
I glared up at him from the floor. He stood over me and began to read the letter.
" 'To Whom It May Concern: Impersonating another wizard is a very serious offense and a pathetic attempt to get my attention. I will not reply to you again, and if you continue to write to me I will find out who you are and see that you are punished. Do not irritate me any further. Severus Snape.' "
This time I could not hide my dismay. Why doesn't Snape believe me? Why didn't he recognize my handwriting? I am going to die here in this musty basement at the hands of a drunken wretch.
"Oh, poor, poor little Miss Cockerham. So, I guess you were right," Shue said in a voice of mock pity. "I guess Snapey doesn't really care for you after all. You really are nothing to him--"
"That's not true!" I yelled.
Shue smiled again.
Oh shut up, shut up! Why can't you keep your mouth shut, you idiot!
"Well, then I guess he will be turning up here any moment."
"No, no! He can't... he doesn't know where I am!" I don't even know where I am, I thought.
"Oh, he'll find you. If he cares as much as you care for him, he'll come. You dirty little girl, you."
"I hate you!" I screamed.
"I'll grow on you, love," he smirked and hobbled out the door once again.