Another Chance
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling (JKR), various publishers of the Harry Potter (HP) series. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 5 – It's a Picnic (uploaded 11/24/03)
At breakfast the next morning, Ron and Harry threw down their books on the table, startling Hermione back to her senses. "Where were you all night?" Harry inquired. "We waited up for you until midnight."
"I was making a potion for my research. There was an accident and now Professor Lupin is a little wolf cub. Hagrid has him," she answered sleepily. "I'm surprised you haven't already heard."
"I heard about it," said Ron, with a mouthful of food, "I thought Seamus was joking."
Harry's green eyes were wide with alarm. "Is he all right otherwise?" He grabbed some toast and his books. Hermione nodded her answer and Harry ran out of the hall to see Hagrid.
Hermione and Ron caught up with Harry inside the hut. Fluffy laid by the fireplace with a jealous look in his eyes. He didn't even bother to get up and greet Ron with his usual face wash. Harry was having tea with Hagrid at the table, while Remus played with a black bat plushy on Harry's lap. He seemed to enjoy biting its body and shaking it around as if to shake its head off. Then he'd switch to gnawing on its wings.
Hermione asked, "Is he going to be okay? I thought Mr. Marston said to keep him in a cage. Full moon is tonight, you know."
"Sure, 'Moine," Hagrid drawled, "I'll put 'im in a cage 'fore the moon comes out, bu' e's okay 'til then. In fact, double Defense Against the Dark Arts and double Care of Magical Creature's classes will be combined today. Marston's a git, wanting Perfesser Lupin ta, I quote, ta earn 'is wages."
Ron jumped, "I'm telling you Hermione, Marston is Snape in disguise."
"Shut up, Ron," she said indignantly, "You're never right about these things." She reached over to scratch Remus behind his ears, the little wolf licked her hand in return.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Will you two please stop arguing! Hagrid, are you teaching it by yourself today?"
"I am, 'arry. Already posted a note on th' classroom door. Ever'one s'posed ta come down 'ere and combine w' me Magical Creatures class. See'n as both classes are double classes, I'm gonna 'ave a lot of students t'day but taint often we 'ave a real live werewolf t' study. You all better git t' yer next class. I see some of me students headin' this way."
Hermione looked at her watch, "You're right! Let's go, Harry, Ron, I want to get into Mr. Wulfric's study group."
"I thought Professor Marchbanks is teaching Charms," Ron looked up from rubbing Fluffy's tummy.
"She is, but then we separate into study groups. Mr. Wulfric is almost as good with his wand as Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said, as a matter of fact.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione left Hagrid at his doorstep waving.
~ ~ ~
As McGonagall passed the stairs leading up from the dungeons, Snape emerged holding his broom and a traveling pouch. "Oh, you surprised me, Alan. Where are you going today?"
"I am in search of ingredients, Minnie," he spoke as his eyes darted around the Great Hall. "I believe I can find the plants I want in a field the other side of the Forest."
"But Professor Sprout has already planted what you need, in case," the former transfiguration professor paused to look around and lowered her voice, "in case our conditions fail to reverse themselves on their own."
"I am aware of that. The ingredients available in the apothecaries are not fresh enough for the potency I require. Are you aware of an accident in the potions laboratory last night? A certain werewolf's condition has put greater urgency in finding a remedy."
"Oh, dear, my head must be in the clouds. Yes, Percival told me. Can I help?"
"Well, Minnie, I was planning to make a day of this. I was on my way down to the kitchen to pick up a picnic lunch I ordered. Why don't you get your broom and meet me under the big oak between the forest and the lake. We'll be back by dinner and have plenty of time to prepare for tonight's dueling lessons."
"A picnic in a field of flowers. What a wonderful idea and a perfect day for it, too. I'll be right there."
The two teenagers flew around the forest, for a while following the train tracks on which the Hogwarts Expressed traveled between London and Hogsmead. It wasn't running this day, but keeping close to the tracks was a good idea to avoid being spotted by muggles.
"Why are you in such a hurry, Severus?" Minerva called out as they flew side by side on their broomsticks.
"My apologies. I did not realize I was going so fast. I haven't been out on my broom for a pleasure ride in quite some time."
"I know what you mean. I would just like to slow down and take it all in. Who knows when the next chance we'll have to ride like this."
Snape spotted the field and pointed to it. As he did, he pointed his broom down for a gradual decent. They landed at the edge of another forest. When they did, McGonagall let her long hair down from her hat and ran her fingers through her head to relax her hair. "Oh, this is so refreshing! You know, the first time around I was 17, I was so busy training for broomstick races I let other parts of my life pass me by. I intend to enjoy this opportunity while I have it, I had forgotten what it's like to have so much energy."
"Is that why I get so little encouragement to brew an antidote?" Snape drawled softly. They had to pick up their knees in the field of grass and wildflowers to keep their feet from being tangled among weeds. They walked into the forest.
McGonagall blushed, "Well, perhaps it is a bit selfish on my part and Albus's. But Remus's accident has changed all that. By the way, what are we looking for?"
"Lupinus perennis, more commonly known as Wild Blue Lupine" Snape said, whilst shading his eyes from the mid-morning sun. "It has small purple to blue flowers. We should find some in the next open clearing, if my memory serves me."
"Oh like that?" the young cat animagus ran to the cluster of purple pods on a stalk a foot off the ground. "Do we want the whole flower?"
The young potions master knelt beside the plant and gave a pod a squeeze. It popped in his fingers and sent seeds flying four feet away. "This one is ready. Try not to pop the seeds out, they're easier to harvest when you squeeze them into a jar in the laboratory." Snape pulled out a knife and cut the stalk in half, laying the head of the flower in the middle of a gauze cloth. "If it doesn't pop when you squeeze the bottom pod, it's not ready for harvest."
They collected several more types in the forest before Snape announced that he had enough. The last one was to be found on shady side of a hill, near where they landed originally. When they left the shade of the forest, Minerva asked, "Are you ready for lunch?"
"Yes," was the soft baritone reply, "there's a hill over there. My last ingredient should be there. Let's fly, shall we?"
"Let's race," the feisty girl dared.
"Minerva, I'm laden with our morning's collections."
"Fine, I'll take the picnic basket. Put your broom down." She dropped her broom on the tall green grass.
One side of Snape's mouth turned up, while the other side went down. "Fine." He dropped his broom.
"On three. One, two, three! UP!"
They mounted their brooms and raced to the hill. It was a tie, but when they got to the top, Minerva dismounted gracefully. Snape came down a bit too fast in his attempt to beat her, taking a tumble when his feet hit the ground. He instinctively curled his body around his bag of ingredients and landed flat on his back, laughing like a mad man. "You win, Minerva."
"It's so good to see you laughing so heartily, Severus. You need to do that more often. In fact, I can't remember when I've seen you laugh like this."
Still on his back, he looked over at his colleague. "I do admit, I haven't laughed so hard in quite a while. It hurts." He looked up at the clouds in the sky. "It's been a very long time since I was relaxed enough around anyone, let alone have anything worth laughing about."
"He's coming, you know." Severus spoke seriously, but closed his eyes. "The Dark Lord will make one more attempt at his life before Potter graduates."
"Come, Severus. You kill a happy moment too quickly. Let's enjoy our picnic." McGonagall poured two goblets of pumpkin juice and put one of them in his hand. As they ate lunch, thoughts and conversation covered Quidditch, the dueling competition, the House Cup, and the Spring Dance. It was so easy to revert to their competitive taunting and house rivalries. It was a heated, yet respectful, argument which they both enjoyed.
They flew back to Hogwarts after collecting the last ingredient, arriving with plenty of time to clean up before dinner. Dumbledore watched jealously from the window of the Headmaster's Tower as they landed by the shimmering lake and walked, hand in hand, toward the castle, laughing and jostling each other with their shoulders as they came closer to the building.
~ ~ ~
Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews. I realize the characters are a little OOC, but they're younger now and need to step back a little from their adult lives. That's why they're not in charge of regular classes, unless it becomes necessary.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling (JKR), various publishers of the Harry Potter (HP) series. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 5 – It's a Picnic (uploaded 11/24/03)
At breakfast the next morning, Ron and Harry threw down their books on the table, startling Hermione back to her senses. "Where were you all night?" Harry inquired. "We waited up for you until midnight."
"I was making a potion for my research. There was an accident and now Professor Lupin is a little wolf cub. Hagrid has him," she answered sleepily. "I'm surprised you haven't already heard."
"I heard about it," said Ron, with a mouthful of food, "I thought Seamus was joking."
Harry's green eyes were wide with alarm. "Is he all right otherwise?" He grabbed some toast and his books. Hermione nodded her answer and Harry ran out of the hall to see Hagrid.
Hermione and Ron caught up with Harry inside the hut. Fluffy laid by the fireplace with a jealous look in his eyes. He didn't even bother to get up and greet Ron with his usual face wash. Harry was having tea with Hagrid at the table, while Remus played with a black bat plushy on Harry's lap. He seemed to enjoy biting its body and shaking it around as if to shake its head off. Then he'd switch to gnawing on its wings.
Hermione asked, "Is he going to be okay? I thought Mr. Marston said to keep him in a cage. Full moon is tonight, you know."
"Sure, 'Moine," Hagrid drawled, "I'll put 'im in a cage 'fore the moon comes out, bu' e's okay 'til then. In fact, double Defense Against the Dark Arts and double Care of Magical Creature's classes will be combined today. Marston's a git, wanting Perfesser Lupin ta, I quote, ta earn 'is wages."
Ron jumped, "I'm telling you Hermione, Marston is Snape in disguise."
"Shut up, Ron," she said indignantly, "You're never right about these things." She reached over to scratch Remus behind his ears, the little wolf licked her hand in return.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Will you two please stop arguing! Hagrid, are you teaching it by yourself today?"
"I am, 'arry. Already posted a note on th' classroom door. Ever'one s'posed ta come down 'ere and combine w' me Magical Creatures class. See'n as both classes are double classes, I'm gonna 'ave a lot of students t'day but taint often we 'ave a real live werewolf t' study. You all better git t' yer next class. I see some of me students headin' this way."
Hermione looked at her watch, "You're right! Let's go, Harry, Ron, I want to get into Mr. Wulfric's study group."
"I thought Professor Marchbanks is teaching Charms," Ron looked up from rubbing Fluffy's tummy.
"She is, but then we separate into study groups. Mr. Wulfric is almost as good with his wand as Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said, as a matter of fact.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione left Hagrid at his doorstep waving.
~ ~ ~
As McGonagall passed the stairs leading up from the dungeons, Snape emerged holding his broom and a traveling pouch. "Oh, you surprised me, Alan. Where are you going today?"
"I am in search of ingredients, Minnie," he spoke as his eyes darted around the Great Hall. "I believe I can find the plants I want in a field the other side of the Forest."
"But Professor Sprout has already planted what you need, in case," the former transfiguration professor paused to look around and lowered her voice, "in case our conditions fail to reverse themselves on their own."
"I am aware of that. The ingredients available in the apothecaries are not fresh enough for the potency I require. Are you aware of an accident in the potions laboratory last night? A certain werewolf's condition has put greater urgency in finding a remedy."
"Oh, dear, my head must be in the clouds. Yes, Percival told me. Can I help?"
"Well, Minnie, I was planning to make a day of this. I was on my way down to the kitchen to pick up a picnic lunch I ordered. Why don't you get your broom and meet me under the big oak between the forest and the lake. We'll be back by dinner and have plenty of time to prepare for tonight's dueling lessons."
"A picnic in a field of flowers. What a wonderful idea and a perfect day for it, too. I'll be right there."
The two teenagers flew around the forest, for a while following the train tracks on which the Hogwarts Expressed traveled between London and Hogsmead. It wasn't running this day, but keeping close to the tracks was a good idea to avoid being spotted by muggles.
"Why are you in such a hurry, Severus?" Minerva called out as they flew side by side on their broomsticks.
"My apologies. I did not realize I was going so fast. I haven't been out on my broom for a pleasure ride in quite some time."
"I know what you mean. I would just like to slow down and take it all in. Who knows when the next chance we'll have to ride like this."
Snape spotted the field and pointed to it. As he did, he pointed his broom down for a gradual decent. They landed at the edge of another forest. When they did, McGonagall let her long hair down from her hat and ran her fingers through her head to relax her hair. "Oh, this is so refreshing! You know, the first time around I was 17, I was so busy training for broomstick races I let other parts of my life pass me by. I intend to enjoy this opportunity while I have it, I had forgotten what it's like to have so much energy."
"Is that why I get so little encouragement to brew an antidote?" Snape drawled softly. They had to pick up their knees in the field of grass and wildflowers to keep their feet from being tangled among weeds. They walked into the forest.
McGonagall blushed, "Well, perhaps it is a bit selfish on my part and Albus's. But Remus's accident has changed all that. By the way, what are we looking for?"
"Lupinus perennis, more commonly known as Wild Blue Lupine" Snape said, whilst shading his eyes from the mid-morning sun. "It has small purple to blue flowers. We should find some in the next open clearing, if my memory serves me."
"Oh like that?" the young cat animagus ran to the cluster of purple pods on a stalk a foot off the ground. "Do we want the whole flower?"
The young potions master knelt beside the plant and gave a pod a squeeze. It popped in his fingers and sent seeds flying four feet away. "This one is ready. Try not to pop the seeds out, they're easier to harvest when you squeeze them into a jar in the laboratory." Snape pulled out a knife and cut the stalk in half, laying the head of the flower in the middle of a gauze cloth. "If it doesn't pop when you squeeze the bottom pod, it's not ready for harvest."
They collected several more types in the forest before Snape announced that he had enough. The last one was to be found on shady side of a hill, near where they landed originally. When they left the shade of the forest, Minerva asked, "Are you ready for lunch?"
"Yes," was the soft baritone reply, "there's a hill over there. My last ingredient should be there. Let's fly, shall we?"
"Let's race," the feisty girl dared.
"Minerva, I'm laden with our morning's collections."
"Fine, I'll take the picnic basket. Put your broom down." She dropped her broom on the tall green grass.
One side of Snape's mouth turned up, while the other side went down. "Fine." He dropped his broom.
"On three. One, two, three! UP!"
They mounted their brooms and raced to the hill. It was a tie, but when they got to the top, Minerva dismounted gracefully. Snape came down a bit too fast in his attempt to beat her, taking a tumble when his feet hit the ground. He instinctively curled his body around his bag of ingredients and landed flat on his back, laughing like a mad man. "You win, Minerva."
"It's so good to see you laughing so heartily, Severus. You need to do that more often. In fact, I can't remember when I've seen you laugh like this."
Still on his back, he looked over at his colleague. "I do admit, I haven't laughed so hard in quite a while. It hurts." He looked up at the clouds in the sky. "It's been a very long time since I was relaxed enough around anyone, let alone have anything worth laughing about."
"He's coming, you know." Severus spoke seriously, but closed his eyes. "The Dark Lord will make one more attempt at his life before Potter graduates."
"Come, Severus. You kill a happy moment too quickly. Let's enjoy our picnic." McGonagall poured two goblets of pumpkin juice and put one of them in his hand. As they ate lunch, thoughts and conversation covered Quidditch, the dueling competition, the House Cup, and the Spring Dance. It was so easy to revert to their competitive taunting and house rivalries. It was a heated, yet respectful, argument which they both enjoyed.
They flew back to Hogwarts after collecting the last ingredient, arriving with plenty of time to clean up before dinner. Dumbledore watched jealously from the window of the Headmaster's Tower as they landed by the shimmering lake and walked, hand in hand, toward the castle, laughing and jostling each other with their shoulders as they came closer to the building.
~ ~ ~
Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews. I realize the characters are a little OOC, but they're younger now and need to step back a little from their adult lives. That's why they're not in charge of regular classes, unless it becomes necessary.