Chapter 6 ~ Holiday Potion Gone Wrong
The Easter holiday came quickly. Muriel's mother was finally well again, so Mur and Severus packed their things and took the train home. He was as happy as Mur had ever seen him, since his father was going to be out of town for the entire holiday.
"I'll be spending all my time over at your place to escape Mother," she joked weakly as the train pulled into Kings Cross. He shot her a pitying look and she made a face at him. He charmed both their trunks to follow them out onto the platform, and Muriel caught sight of her father immediately. He caught her in a hug as she ran toward him before shaking Severus' hand.
"Didn't see any sense in all of us coming out here, so I came by myself to get you both," he said. "How do you like it so far?" he asked, unrolling a huge carpet and charming their trunks to stick to it.
Muriel had sent him an owl almost every week, but she'd been careful to leave out some of the best stories. She and Severus exchanged a glance, but looked away quickly before either one could laugh. "It's great Papa! All Mother's friends have started being nice to me again, even if I'm not in their house."
"Well, except Malfoy. He isn't nice to anyone," Severus added as the carpet sailed quickly up above the clouds. Mr. Deesia handed them each a bottle with a blue flame in it to warm their hands. The air was still cold this far from the ground.
The trip seemed to take no time at all. Muriel told her father about how Severus was helping her in Potions class, and how Minchew let her borrow his Divination book so she could read up on that before she had to start the class herself. Her father nodded. Minchew's mother was rumored to be very good at such things.
"So you're glad you didn't chose the school in Italy?" he asked as the carpet began to descend.
Muriel looked back at Severus, who was looking away. He had stayed entirely out of that Deesia family debate. Her mother had wanted to send her to Durmstrang, and her father to the school he'd attended in Sicily, but she had begged to go wherever Severus went, and in the end her father had given in.
"Well, Papa, the school was beautiful as you said, but I have friends at Hogwarts, and I think it's the place for me," she answered carefully. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. But he only smiled at her. He'd gone out of his way to raise a child who didn't just blindly follow other people's ideas, and he was coming to terms with the fact that her attitude included him, too. He was also very encouraged that she hadn't been placed in Slytherin.
Mr. Deesia took Muriel's trunk upstairs for her and she and Severus carried his back to his house. The only place on their land where they could safely cast charms on holiday was in the forest behind the house, so they couldn't use magic to move the trunks.
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Severus asked as she dropped her end of the trunk at the foot of his bed.
Muriel grimaced. "I'd better not. If I don't at least spend the first evening at home, Mother will be offended. He nodded knowingly and walked her back to the door. Mrs. Snape hugged her and invited her for the next day, which she agreed to gratefully.
All in all, it was a restful holiday. Muriel finished all her assignments and began studying for the end of term tests. She was a fast reader and it didn't take her long to read through the books again.
Severus sat on the floor of her room beside her cauldron for several hours, showing her how to make the potions she didn't understand, in case one of them came up on the test.
"So, what do you think Black is going to do when we get back? You know he'll have thought up something by then."
"You don't think cursing all my books to sing vulgar muggle songs when I opened them was enough for him? It got me detention!"
Severus laughed, remembering. "The prat was awfully proud of that one. Maybe he'll give it a rest until you do something else to him." Severus had tried to stay out of Muriel's unspoken duel with Black, but it seemed like walking her to class was enough to get him hexed. Potter, on the other hand, he really enjoyed cursing.
"I've been trying to come up with something good for Potter. He seems awfully fond of that new broom of his. Maybe a nice hurling hex would do. He isn't supposed to have a broom at school anyway." Severus smirked.
"No, save that for next year. There'll be an opening on their team and he'll be sure to try out. Then you could embarrass him in front of more than just the marauders."
"Who?" Severus asked.
"Oh, the marauders. Remus told me that's what they're calling themselves now. I think that he's finally getting along with them again." She watched in amusement as Severus' face took on the look it always had at school. It was a mask, she knew, and there was nothing funnier to her than Severus Snape trying to look forbidding. Except maybe Sirius Black dressed like her aunt.
"What are you still talking to him for? He's a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake!" His voice sounded sour, but she only smiled.
"Yes, and historically there's nothing against Ravenclaws and Gryffindors being friends."
"I thought you were a Slytherin staying in the Ravenclaw dormitory?" Severus asked hotly. Then, "Don't add that yet!" he exclaimed, but it was too late.
Muriel had put half a jar of lacewings into the cauldron between them, and the whole thing exploded spectacularly. Severus picked himself up from the floor - he'd been thrown the length of the room.
"PAPA!" he hollered, running to Mur. She'd had her back to the wall, and the potion that had only splattered him was caked all over her. She had a huge gash on her face, from a shattered piece of the cauldron, and it looked like some of the potion had gotten into the cut. Severus didn't know what this potion would do if it got in the bloodstream.
"PAPA HURRY!" he shouted again as he heard footsteps on the stairs. He shook her, but she didn't wake up.
Muriel's father picked her up gently and took her downstairs to the living room couch, calling for a house elf to bring some towels.
"What kind of potion was it, Sev?" he asked quietly, wiping it from Muriel's face.
"Just a sore muscle potion for rubbing on the skin. I don't think you're supposed to drink it and I'm afraid she got it in that cut."
"What were the ingredients?" Mr. Deesia asked solemnly.
Severus rattled them off from memory, along with the amounts. "But I know she put in too many lacewings, and she added them before the crushed dandelion seeds." He was worried now.
"Severus, go home and tell your mother what happened. I'm taking her to St. Mungo's. You can follow if you wish." Without another word, he lifted his daughter again and apparated to the hospital, careful to keep a towel full of potion with him.
The Easter holiday came quickly. Muriel's mother was finally well again, so Mur and Severus packed their things and took the train home. He was as happy as Mur had ever seen him, since his father was going to be out of town for the entire holiday.
"I'll be spending all my time over at your place to escape Mother," she joked weakly as the train pulled into Kings Cross. He shot her a pitying look and she made a face at him. He charmed both their trunks to follow them out onto the platform, and Muriel caught sight of her father immediately. He caught her in a hug as she ran toward him before shaking Severus' hand.
"Didn't see any sense in all of us coming out here, so I came by myself to get you both," he said. "How do you like it so far?" he asked, unrolling a huge carpet and charming their trunks to stick to it.
Muriel had sent him an owl almost every week, but she'd been careful to leave out some of the best stories. She and Severus exchanged a glance, but looked away quickly before either one could laugh. "It's great Papa! All Mother's friends have started being nice to me again, even if I'm not in their house."
"Well, except Malfoy. He isn't nice to anyone," Severus added as the carpet sailed quickly up above the clouds. Mr. Deesia handed them each a bottle with a blue flame in it to warm their hands. The air was still cold this far from the ground.
The trip seemed to take no time at all. Muriel told her father about how Severus was helping her in Potions class, and how Minchew let her borrow his Divination book so she could read up on that before she had to start the class herself. Her father nodded. Minchew's mother was rumored to be very good at such things.
"So you're glad you didn't chose the school in Italy?" he asked as the carpet began to descend.
Muriel looked back at Severus, who was looking away. He had stayed entirely out of that Deesia family debate. Her mother had wanted to send her to Durmstrang, and her father to the school he'd attended in Sicily, but she had begged to go wherever Severus went, and in the end her father had given in.
"Well, Papa, the school was beautiful as you said, but I have friends at Hogwarts, and I think it's the place for me," she answered carefully. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. But he only smiled at her. He'd gone out of his way to raise a child who didn't just blindly follow other people's ideas, and he was coming to terms with the fact that her attitude included him, too. He was also very encouraged that she hadn't been placed in Slytherin.
Mr. Deesia took Muriel's trunk upstairs for her and she and Severus carried his back to his house. The only place on their land where they could safely cast charms on holiday was in the forest behind the house, so they couldn't use magic to move the trunks.
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Severus asked as she dropped her end of the trunk at the foot of his bed.
Muriel grimaced. "I'd better not. If I don't at least spend the first evening at home, Mother will be offended. He nodded knowingly and walked her back to the door. Mrs. Snape hugged her and invited her for the next day, which she agreed to gratefully.
All in all, it was a restful holiday. Muriel finished all her assignments and began studying for the end of term tests. She was a fast reader and it didn't take her long to read through the books again.
Severus sat on the floor of her room beside her cauldron for several hours, showing her how to make the potions she didn't understand, in case one of them came up on the test.
"So, what do you think Black is going to do when we get back? You know he'll have thought up something by then."
"You don't think cursing all my books to sing vulgar muggle songs when I opened them was enough for him? It got me detention!"
Severus laughed, remembering. "The prat was awfully proud of that one. Maybe he'll give it a rest until you do something else to him." Severus had tried to stay out of Muriel's unspoken duel with Black, but it seemed like walking her to class was enough to get him hexed. Potter, on the other hand, he really enjoyed cursing.
"I've been trying to come up with something good for Potter. He seems awfully fond of that new broom of his. Maybe a nice hurling hex would do. He isn't supposed to have a broom at school anyway." Severus smirked.
"No, save that for next year. There'll be an opening on their team and he'll be sure to try out. Then you could embarrass him in front of more than just the marauders."
"Who?" Severus asked.
"Oh, the marauders. Remus told me that's what they're calling themselves now. I think that he's finally getting along with them again." She watched in amusement as Severus' face took on the look it always had at school. It was a mask, she knew, and there was nothing funnier to her than Severus Snape trying to look forbidding. Except maybe Sirius Black dressed like her aunt.
"What are you still talking to him for? He's a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake!" His voice sounded sour, but she only smiled.
"Yes, and historically there's nothing against Ravenclaws and Gryffindors being friends."
"I thought you were a Slytherin staying in the Ravenclaw dormitory?" Severus asked hotly. Then, "Don't add that yet!" he exclaimed, but it was too late.
Muriel had put half a jar of lacewings into the cauldron between them, and the whole thing exploded spectacularly. Severus picked himself up from the floor - he'd been thrown the length of the room.
"PAPA!" he hollered, running to Mur. She'd had her back to the wall, and the potion that had only splattered him was caked all over her. She had a huge gash on her face, from a shattered piece of the cauldron, and it looked like some of the potion had gotten into the cut. Severus didn't know what this potion would do if it got in the bloodstream.
"PAPA HURRY!" he shouted again as he heard footsteps on the stairs. He shook her, but she didn't wake up.
Muriel's father picked her up gently and took her downstairs to the living room couch, calling for a house elf to bring some towels.
"What kind of potion was it, Sev?" he asked quietly, wiping it from Muriel's face.
"Just a sore muscle potion for rubbing on the skin. I don't think you're supposed to drink it and I'm afraid she got it in that cut."
"What were the ingredients?" Mr. Deesia asked solemnly.
Severus rattled them off from memory, along with the amounts. "But I know she put in too many lacewings, and she added them before the crushed dandelion seeds." He was worried now.
"Severus, go home and tell your mother what happened. I'm taking her to St. Mungo's. You can follow if you wish." Without another word, he lifted his daughter again and apparated to the hospital, careful to keep a towel full of potion with him.