Chapter 3 ~ Into The Forbidden Forest
"You want to brew WHAT?" Muriel hissed. She and Severus had managed to land identical detentions for a week with Professor McGonagal. She'd caught them hexing the stone tiles outside the Gryffindor common room to scream when stepped on, and she hadn't thought it was nearly as funny as they did.
The stern witch looked up sharply, but since Severus wasn't looking at his friend at all, but bending over the book she'd given him, she chose to ignore it. Shaking her head, she went back to grading papers. It regularly astounded her that these two were among the most intelligent of her students, but also the most often to be found in detention.
Still, there was something endearing about the quiet defiance of young Mr. Snape and the playful intelligence of Miss. Deesia. Though they were by no means her favorite students, she found herself smiling as much at their pranks as those of the marauders in her own house. When she was alone, of course.
"It's a color change potion. You can change the color of someone's skin with your wand, but then it can be reversed that way too. If we slipped them some of the potion, it would take at least a week to wear off, depending on how much they drank. No one would be able to reverse it until it wore off." Severus was speaking so softly that Muriel could barely hear him, but she caught the drift.
"They'll be furious!"
"You mean, like you were, after Potter transfigured your nose into an anteater's?" he asked innocently.
Muriel rolled her eyes. It really was long about time to get back at him for that. "Alright, what do we need?"
"Nightshade's poisonous!" she whispered as her eyes scanned the list he passed her. "And so are these berries. Unless you plan to swipe them, we aren't going to be able to get them. And you'd better make the potion, because if we mess it up, they'll be dead, and we'll be in Azkaban for sure."
McGonagal was looking at them over the tops of her glasses and they fell silent. But as Severus walked her back to Ravenclaw tower, he explained. "We can get the nightshade and the berries in the forbidden forest. They aren't poisonous in these quantities."
Muriel stopped abruptly. "Are you crazy? You have to harvest nightshade at the full moon, or it doesn't work. I have NO desire to be in the woods with a bunch of werewolves running around." She shuddered, wondering if Lupin spent the night of the full moon in the forbidden forest. "Besides, the full moon was last week, and that means it'll be another month before we can do it. We'd have to stay over Christmas."
She'd been relieved when he explained that the potion was relatively harmless, but wasn't looking forward to trotting around the forest at all. Twelve year olds had no business in there.
"We'll go on our brooms. Malfoy says that there's not much undergrowth, so we should be able to stay in the air most of the time." Severus had a smirk on his face and Muriel knew what he was going to say next. "If you're scared, I'll harvest the nightshade myself and you can stay in the air the whole time."
She stuck out her tongue. "Really, do you think I'd let you do that?" she asked witheringly. When had she ever let him do all the interesting stuff? He smiled, satisfied. When she reached her room, she collapsed into her bed and fell asleep almost immediately, sparing only a moment to wonder when she'd get her homework done.
By the next full moon, both she and Severus had several new reasons to seek revenge on Black and Potter, although they'd managed to pay them back in kind for most of the hexes they'd been hit with. It was turning into an all-out war. Even the Professors were careful not to walk down the hall near the marauders, Deesia, or Snape.
Muriel threw on an extra cloak and took a last look at the book her father had sent her for Christmas. She'd asked for an invisibility cloak, but he'd sent her a book with an invisibility spell in it instead, and a very difficult spell at that. She practiced several times in front of the mirror, irritated to find that her feet never seemed to vanish.
Still, it was better than nothing. She was supposed to meet Severus on the pitch at 10:00. From there, it would be easy to get into the forest undetected. She took her broom in one hand and her wand in the other, and crept downstairs and through the portrait hole. As soon as she closed the portrait, she cast the spell. But she realized almost at once that she couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds.
She flickered in and out of visibility all the way down to the castle doors. By the time she got outside, the continuous spell casting had worn her out. Instead, she put her wand away and hopped on her broom, flying low to the ground, and as fast as she could toward the pitch. She'd just reached the entrance when another airborne body collided with her and they both fell sprawling to the ground.
"Sev?" she gasped, the wind knocked out of her. He struggled for a moment, then offered her a hand to help her up.
"Sorry. The moon's behind a cloud and I never even saw you! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, let's get this over with!"
"You want to brew WHAT?" Muriel hissed. She and Severus had managed to land identical detentions for a week with Professor McGonagal. She'd caught them hexing the stone tiles outside the Gryffindor common room to scream when stepped on, and she hadn't thought it was nearly as funny as they did.
The stern witch looked up sharply, but since Severus wasn't looking at his friend at all, but bending over the book she'd given him, she chose to ignore it. Shaking her head, she went back to grading papers. It regularly astounded her that these two were among the most intelligent of her students, but also the most often to be found in detention.
Still, there was something endearing about the quiet defiance of young Mr. Snape and the playful intelligence of Miss. Deesia. Though they were by no means her favorite students, she found herself smiling as much at their pranks as those of the marauders in her own house. When she was alone, of course.
"It's a color change potion. You can change the color of someone's skin with your wand, but then it can be reversed that way too. If we slipped them some of the potion, it would take at least a week to wear off, depending on how much they drank. No one would be able to reverse it until it wore off." Severus was speaking so softly that Muriel could barely hear him, but she caught the drift.
"They'll be furious!"
"You mean, like you were, after Potter transfigured your nose into an anteater's?" he asked innocently.
Muriel rolled her eyes. It really was long about time to get back at him for that. "Alright, what do we need?"
"Nightshade's poisonous!" she whispered as her eyes scanned the list he passed her. "And so are these berries. Unless you plan to swipe them, we aren't going to be able to get them. And you'd better make the potion, because if we mess it up, they'll be dead, and we'll be in Azkaban for sure."
McGonagal was looking at them over the tops of her glasses and they fell silent. But as Severus walked her back to Ravenclaw tower, he explained. "We can get the nightshade and the berries in the forbidden forest. They aren't poisonous in these quantities."
Muriel stopped abruptly. "Are you crazy? You have to harvest nightshade at the full moon, or it doesn't work. I have NO desire to be in the woods with a bunch of werewolves running around." She shuddered, wondering if Lupin spent the night of the full moon in the forbidden forest. "Besides, the full moon was last week, and that means it'll be another month before we can do it. We'd have to stay over Christmas."
She'd been relieved when he explained that the potion was relatively harmless, but wasn't looking forward to trotting around the forest at all. Twelve year olds had no business in there.
"We'll go on our brooms. Malfoy says that there's not much undergrowth, so we should be able to stay in the air most of the time." Severus had a smirk on his face and Muriel knew what he was going to say next. "If you're scared, I'll harvest the nightshade myself and you can stay in the air the whole time."
She stuck out her tongue. "Really, do you think I'd let you do that?" she asked witheringly. When had she ever let him do all the interesting stuff? He smiled, satisfied. When she reached her room, she collapsed into her bed and fell asleep almost immediately, sparing only a moment to wonder when she'd get her homework done.
By the next full moon, both she and Severus had several new reasons to seek revenge on Black and Potter, although they'd managed to pay them back in kind for most of the hexes they'd been hit with. It was turning into an all-out war. Even the Professors were careful not to walk down the hall near the marauders, Deesia, or Snape.
Muriel threw on an extra cloak and took a last look at the book her father had sent her for Christmas. She'd asked for an invisibility cloak, but he'd sent her a book with an invisibility spell in it instead, and a very difficult spell at that. She practiced several times in front of the mirror, irritated to find that her feet never seemed to vanish.
Still, it was better than nothing. She was supposed to meet Severus on the pitch at 10:00. From there, it would be easy to get into the forest undetected. She took her broom in one hand and her wand in the other, and crept downstairs and through the portrait hole. As soon as she closed the portrait, she cast the spell. But she realized almost at once that she couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds.
She flickered in and out of visibility all the way down to the castle doors. By the time she got outside, the continuous spell casting had worn her out. Instead, she put her wand away and hopped on her broom, flying low to the ground, and as fast as she could toward the pitch. She'd just reached the entrance when another airborne body collided with her and they both fell sprawling to the ground.
"Sev?" she gasped, the wind knocked out of her. He struggled for a moment, then offered her a hand to help her up.
"Sorry. The moon's behind a cloud and I never even saw you! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, let's get this over with!"