Beneath the Dungeon
By: Anantsu
Summary: Can someone who has experianced something so devastating? So violent? So unforgivable? That he can fall in love? Snape struggles to keep his feelings from the new defense against the dark arts teacher. Bittersweet, Snape/OC, eventually. PG-13 for violence and slightly crude language.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! Although, I do own Clairene Dyrrel. Thank-you!
Spoilers: Order Of the Phoenix. note I'm sorry, but this fanfic is not about Harry (tears). Its about Snape and my OC. But you'll see the Harry Potter crew soon.
AN: I'd like to give a giant cookie to Starbella, who has kindly read my story. :) You don't know how happy I was . Oh yeah, Snape creeps me out too. (Shudder) But that's why he's the main character. I mean, wouldn't it be weird if he fell in love? Hence the reason of the story :).
Chapter One: The Dinner Party and Humilliation.
The Great Hall really looked, well, amazing. Clairene Dyrell -The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor- sat down for dinner beside the astronomy teacher (professor Sinistra). Claire chatted animately to her while glancing slightly at Professor Snape, still grinning (if you would call that a grin!). Claire feeling more and more uncomfortable, she finally completely ignored him. When Claire and Professor Sinistra finished talking, Claire looked around the table. Many new teachers have arrived since earlier that evening. Suddenly, all went quiet, as Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and raised his goblet.
"I would like to inform you all, " Dumbledore began, smiling fondly at everyone, "That we should welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor... Clairene Dyrrel!"
The staff applauded. Dumbledore's expression got very serious. "I would be most undelighted to tell you this, but Voldemort is now back to his full strength." Some professors shuddered at His name. The Headmaster eyed everyone, "I highly suggest, that teachers should inform students about this. To prepare, them, should we say, for what's waiting for Hogwarts students outside."
At this, Claire raised her goblet. "To Hogwarts."
The staff turned their heads in her direction. Professor McGonaggal reacted first, "To a Hogwarts Victory." She raised her Goblet.
Soon they all reacted, raised their goblets and chanted, "To Us!"
And food suddenly appeared in front of Miss Dyrrel.
It was everything that she could have ever dreamed of eating! There was hot, steamy French onion soup, many rolls of every shape and size that she could imagine, there were charred, but sweet green beans tantalizing Claire's resistance, there was chocolate cake, éclairs, salads, trifles, fondues, roast pork, and a couple of flasks of pumpkin juice sitting in front of her, tempting her to take a bite. But which one first?
Claire sat quite challenged on what she should have. The chicken! No, no, the salad? No, no, the cake? Dammit! That's for dessert. She looked a bit lost, but Professor Sinistra leaned over to help.
"The roast is quite good." she said, "You should try that."
Claire gave a feint smile, "I know, but it's just that, I've never seen so much food before."
The Astronomy professor just gave a hearty laugh, "Oh you just wait, Claire. There's a feast tomorrow when the students get here. It's much larger than this dinner."
Claire smiled nervously.
"Aren't'cha going to eat something?" Sinistra asked.
Claire looked at the woman beside her, "Yeah, but I can't eat the roast."
"Why not?"
"I'm a vegetarian, Debrah.", Claire smiled vaguely.
Debrah Sinistra chuckled. "I suggest you go for the soup or something, anyways I'm starved."
Claire nodded, and began ladling some soup into her bowl.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Severus watched the defense professor through his black eyes. How was he going to get that potion into her? He can't just waltz up and say 'Open your mouth'. She already suspected something as well, so he was going to have to be sneaky, slimy Severus Snape (boy, I sure do love these alliterations!). He thought up a plan, fingering the small vile beneath the table.
He had to turn his eyes away from her, mustn't look suspicious.
Snape starred at his bread roll with concentration. How would he do it?
"Could you pass the pepper, Debrah?"
He heard her voice, like a bell ringing in his ears. The Pepper? What did she want with the pepper?
Professor Sinistra asked the same question, "Why do you want the pepper?"
"For my soup, I can't eat anything without pepper." Claire said happily. Sinistra laughed.
And for a split seconded Severus realized that the pepper was just to the right of his bread roll. He snatched it up before Sinistra could look his way. In one swift movement, he unscrewed the pepper top and emptied its contents. He replaced it with the grey powder from his vile. And as soon as Sinistra was looking back and Dyrrel was poking at her soup, he placed his potion (in the pepper shaker) on the table.
"Ah, here it is!" Professor Sinistra said triumphantly. She took the 'pepper' shaker (now filled with new contents), and handed it to Professor Dyrrel.
"Thanks," Dyrrel replied. She shook the shaker and began dropping the gray powder into her soup. Snape watched, out of the corner of his eye, Dyrrel slurp her French-onion soup with elegance. Snape starred at his roll again, but this time grabbed his knife and buttered it with satisfaction.
He took a bite from his portion. It won't be long now, Snape thought, the potion has to be fully consumed before it starts to kick in.
And as if on that precise moment, everything seemed to become in slow motion.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
The soup tasted strange. The pepper didn't taste like pepper. And why was Severus looking like he was about to laugh?
These questions disturbed Claire greatly as she ate her soup quite concerned.
Then it all happened...
First, she felt a tickling sensation in her spine, a stinging in her jaw, and a pulsing in her tongue. She tried eating the soup, but somehow she would slurp it tremendously (causing it to spill onto her robes). Claire did not know what was going on. Her slurping distracted Professor Sinistra.
"Hey Claire, you okay?" She asked, halfly disgusted.
Claire turned her head only to find Debrah with an incredibly shocked look on her bony face. Claire's tongue had grown about five times the normal length, and it was a very pulsly purple. "My Gosh....", Sinistra whispered.
"Mwah?", Claire gobbed, tongue hanging loosely from her mouth, slurring her speech.
"Claire, erm, uh..." Sinistra looked quite worried. What's she goggling at??, Claire thought, annoyed.
"Mwah? Mwats mong?" Tongue dangling down, violet spit dripped into her french onion soup.
"There's, eh, something wrong, erm, Claire." Debrah stared at the giant thing hanging from Clairene's mouth.
"Dehbwah! Der ise noping mong!", Claire practically shouted this, causing her to spit enormously, then a puzzled look was on her face, "My Goss, mwats mong mwit my moice?" She looked aghast.
"Well you see-", Debrah began.
"Oh my Goud! Oh my Goud! Tomptins habbend to my poung!" With that last outburst, members of the staff turned their heads in her direction. Claire turned almost purple (nearly as purple as her tongue). Claire began, in habit, to twiddle her thumbs, flushing immensely.
The professors were silent. Staring, almost as if hypnotized, at Claire's bewitched tongue. Snape looked delighted.
Claire, still quite flustered, said a quietly as she could, "Ehchews me...", she then got up from her seat and practically darted out the great hall.
Little did she know, as soon as she left the room, the hall burst into laughter, all the professors would be talking about this for weeks. Everyone except, Albus Dumbledore.
..Just keep running, don't look back. They're laughing at you, all of them. A voice in Claire head rang out from all her other thoughts.
But why? She would ask the voice, while darting around the castle.
You're gullible, the laughing stock, the village idiot. No one cares for those kinds of people..
Claire was on the verge of tears of embarrassment, They can't hate me... What have I done wrong?
Nothing, The voice said, Not intentionally though.
Wha-? Is anyone trying to hurt me? And if anyone is... who would it be? She questioned the voice, trotting up the second floor staircase.
It could be anyone, Dumbledore, even.
He couldn't, he wouldn't. Dumbledore's kind, and gives people second chances. She pleaded the voice as she slumped against one of the stonewalls.
Then maybe it's another teacher, hmmm? It questioned Claire.
No, She said, hands dug deep into her dirty blond hair, No, they couldn't.
Oh yes they could. It could be Minerva...
No....
It could be Filius...
Stop it....
Maybe even Hagrid...
Stop it!!
Or.. Sinistra.
"STOBBIT!!", she screamed out loud, her voice echoing through the third floor chambers. Even with her large tongue.
A talking portrait awoke suddenly from it's sleep, "My word.."
"Ah shaddup," Claire mumbled rudely at the picture.
She walked into her classroom, and looked into a full length mirror. Her navy robes were stained with soup, and her large purple tongue was dangling out of her mouth.
"Dats un big poung." She said, stating out the obvious. But still slurring.
Better fix this up. She thought. A spell might reverse it. She didn't have any shrink potions on her, so maybe a shrink charm might work.
"Reducio!", she called, tapping her tongue with her wand, and being lucky, her tongue reduced to it's normal size.
"That's much better." Claire said, but added with an after thought, Look at you now... First stage of insanity, talking to yourself.
Claire took off the outer layer of navy robes and set them aside. She wore a fairly short, black tee shirt underneath, and a long, black skirt that hugged her hips at the top. Claire looked at the outer-navy robes that she wore for dinner. Feeling a mess of confusion and recognition. She frowned at her mess and muttered, "Scourgify!"
The robes soup stains were suddenly gone. Claire's spirits lightened a bit, as she walked into her dorm and packed her stuff away.
Professor Dyrrel lay silently on her bed, staring up at the subtle-orange ceiling. Her thoughts swirled in her head.
Who could've done it? I was SO humiliated! I don't understand, I'm a likable person enough.. Claire thought, frowning and eye's sparkling with tears. Why would someone do such I thing? I heard all of them. They laughed at me... I can't believe it! I thought this would've been a joyful experience... But wo-ah! Was I wrong. The hazel-eyed woman bit her lower lip, twiddling her thumbs as she did so when she was upset, anxious or embarrassed.
Her emotions clogged up. She buried her face into her pillow. But she wasn't crying. She was silently sobbing, tearless sobs. Sobs without emotion, like she had never actually cried before. She did not know what tears looked like.... Or was it she had forced that memory out of her... Claire silently sobbed herself to a slumber.
A dream came to her.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
SLAM!
A body was breathing heavily, as it had made impact to the floor. Blemished with bruises and cuts, the small figure stood up slowly...
"Don't be afraid... It's okay, no one's gonna hurt you now..."
A little girl backed up against a wall as a woman walked forward. "N-no.. Stay a-away..", the girl whimpered.
"No, child.. It's time for you to go..", the advancing woman was slightly hysterical, with an insane look in her eye. The girl's eyes were full of fear, but she was not crying. The wounded girl backed more closely to the wall than before, trying to distance herself from the woman's advance.
"Please leave..", the infant whispered, "Please leave, I want to be alone. Let me disappear.."
"Oh, you'll disappear, alright..", the woman's eyed gleamed manically, "Disappear...". The little girl let out a tiny, fearful scream as the older woman pulled out a sharp, pointed dagger....
"Oh no....." The girl pressed herself against the wall, looking fro means to escape, but the woman raised the dagger...
"Now, now.. It'll be quick!", the woman raised the dagger higher and higher, "Now DIE!!"
"NO MOMMY,NO!!", and the dagger came down...
Claire woke up with a scream.
She was covered in cold sweat, dripping down her front. She felt her heartbeat. Fast... Calm down... She told herself... But the vision of her mother coming down with the dagger was repeating over in her head.
"NO MOMMY,NO!!", and the dagger came down...
Claire rolled over onto her side, breathing heavily. Wiping the sweat from her brow, Claire ran her fingers through her dirty blond hair, as if trying to stroke away her fears. Clairene gruffly sat up, and starred into a bare wall. Her worst memories have come back.. Haunting her..
She buried her face in her hands, eyes wide in fear. You don't have a nightmare like that every night. A true nightmare... Like reliving the past. Not very pleasant might I add.
Claire liked to burry away all of her bad memories, like how you would put an unwanted plate at the back of the cupboard. But when those memories fill up the whole capacity of the cupboard, the plates will fall. It only takes one bad experience to create a domino-like effect to make Claire's life to come crashing down on her. Mush like it did in the dream she had.
She wanted to move on. Place that memory back in the cupboard, where it belongs. Little did many of the other professors know about Claire's dark past, and there was one memory, she did not want to relive...
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A/N: OMG I am SOOOO sorry for the cliffie! So... what didya think? Horrible? Too short? Too Long? Fantastic, maybe? Oh well, please review! I know this was a dark chapter, but hey, the story is going to get darker as the fic progresses so, if you don't like it, then don't read it. "Beneath the Dungeon" is going to be at least 20 chapters (hopefully). This chapter is also shorter than the first. But the third one is going to be DEFINATELY longer than the first two. So please RATE AND REVIEW!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! Blows kiss
Stay tuned in for the next chapter:
The Remorse of Harry Potter