Since having Potions with the Hufflepuffs the lesson had become a lot
less unbearable. At least Snape was equally vindictive to both houses,
although Harry and Neville were still his prime targets. But the
Hufflepuffs were just as protesting about his treatment.
The sleet was falling heavily outside, making the dungeon in which Snape took his lessons even dingier than usual. The two houses were chatting amicably and lobbing inky parchment balls at each other when Professor Snape swept into the dungeon.
'Silence! I thought you were fifth years who had learnt to wait quietly, not silly little first years trying to make as much noise and mess as possible. How wrong I must be.'
The class quickly settled. Much as they would have enjoyed annoying Snape, none of them wanted detention in such cold weather - you never knew what dire punishments would come up with. He'd also recently been threatening to try out his new potions on 'someone' and they knew him too well to take this lightly.
Soon the entire class was busily dicing dried rose stems, crushing dogs mercury and mashing toad brains for the Muscle Freezing potion they had been set today. Snape paced round, all the time criticising their efforts, 'Evenly diced, I said! Not that much, you stupid boy! Don't let it boil! Ah, Longbottom, once again.'
Something cut him off in mid-sentence just as his wrath was about to descend on poor Neville. Storm was singing again.
Being shut up in the dungeon all day because of the weather the rith had become restless and was singing and dancing with all her might to let out some of pent-up energy.
Harry looked at Hermione who wrote down on a piece of parchment 'Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)'.
Harry wrote back on the same piece of parchment, 'Are you really human or do we just have to add Pop Music of the 80's & 90's sung by riths to your ever growing list of talents?'
The riths reverberating howls drowned out the noise of the parchment being written on and passed, which Snape's sharp ears would usually have picked up. Instead he was staring wrathfully at the separating wall. Neville also breathed a huge sigh of relief as he had apparently been forgotten. However, the song soon died away and the rith settled down.
Snape waited a moment and regained his composure before resuming his attack, 'So, Longbottom, what sort of a hash.'
He stopped again, the sounds of more howls reaching his ears, the unmistakable opening lines of 'Almost Unreal' by Roxette beginning to gain strength as the chorus approached.
Snape's sallow skin turned even whiter than normal (which was thought impossible by most of them) and a pulsing vein stood proudly out on his taught forehead, the sure sign of an impending explosion.
'I've got five Galleons Snape loses it during the guitar solo,' Dean whispered to Seamus.
'You're on, Dean, my man.'
The boys shook hands and waited impatiently. After what seemed like an age, they could almost hear the words they had been waiting for;
"It's a crazy world out there, Let's hope our prayers are in good hands tonight."
Storm let rip with a series of very loud, long howls, mimicking the guitar's chords almost to perfection. The class sniggered as they thought of the rith doing the most likely thing of playing air guitar. But Dean's prediction proved the most precise.
'I've had enough of these damned wolves!' Snape yelled and stormed out of the dungeon, the door banging on its hinges.
In between gales of laughter, Harry couldn't help thinking that it couldn't have just been Storm that Snape was talking about when he said "wolves".
'Ssh! Shut up!' Hermione hissed urgently. 'Listen!'
As soon as the noise died down they heard what Hermione had - the singing (if that's what you call it) had been replaced by loud snarls. An indistinguishable curse was uttered by Snape and the snarling stopped abruptly.
'He wouldn't, would he?'
'I wouldn't put anything past him.'
The door swung open again and Snape strode back in, dragging the very bemused looking Storm. Her paws were bound as were her jaws. Two thin rivulets of blood escaped from under her bonds and dripped off her chin.
There was a cruel smile playing about Snape's lips, 'Now, which one of you would like to test your potion on our little friend here? How about you, Longbottom?'
Neville was actually shaking now and his round face had turned as white as Snape's. He knew how useless he was at potion making and didn't want his lack of skill to cause any harm to a defenceless creature.
Snape seized his potion and walked over to where Storm had just appeared to be regaining her senses. A weak stunning curse had obviously been placed on her. He removed the ropes with a flick of his wand before pointing it at the rith, 'Imperio!'
Immediate uproar ensued, Hermione's voice being the loudest as she stood up, absolutely outraged, 'Professor, you can't do that, it's an Unforgivable.'
Snape rounded on her, 'Sit down, Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor for not knowing that the Unforgivable Curses are perfectly legal if used on animals.' He turned back to the rith, 'Storm, open your mouth.'
The blue wolf just blinked and stared at him.
'Open your mouth, I said!'
Blink, stare. The Potions Master was shaking with rage at this blatant disregard of his orders.
'Imperio! Open your mouth!'
Blink, stare, snarl. Snape lost control while Storm kept it.
'Crucio!'
The rith doubled up in pain before her back arced backwards in a most unnatural position, her mouth open wide in a silent scream. Half the class were about to attack Snape, the other half unable to watch, but surprisingly it was Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff boy, who leapt up and knocked the wand out of Snape's hand. He couldn't stand the sight of Snape's gloating face any longer.
'Stop it! You can't do that, it's cruel! JUST STOP IT NOW!'
Snape's eyes lost some of the madness that had glazed them before, but he was by no means in complete control of himself. 'Finch-Flecthley, are you telling me what I can and can't do as a master of this school?'
Justin stood eye to eye with the irate wizard, 'I know for a fact that you can't do that. The poor creature doesn't even know what she's done wrong.'
'Get out of my class.'
'With pleasure, sir.'
Justin gathered his books and left the dungeon, his head held high. The rest of them felt like applauding, but didn't for the glint of lunacy still shone in Snape's cold eyes.
Harry, perhaps the only one of them who had ever experience the Cruciatus curse first hand, knew exactly what to do and how much pain the rith was in. He left his seat and went over to where the rith was still stretched out on the floor. 'Hermione, get me some water.'
'Sit down, Potter.' Snape hissed, dangerous calm having replaced the insanity.
Harry just completely ignored him and set about dripping the water that Hermione had brought him onto the rith's tongue, her head resting upon his lap.
'I said sit down, Potter.'
'No. You did this wrong. Someone has to put it right.' Some of Harry's fear of Snape disappeared forever at that moment when he saw the indecision and regret in his eyes.
Professor McGonagall entered the room quietly and surveyed the scene. 'Professor Snape, could I have a word?'
The two Professors left the room together, McGonagall with an approving nod at Harry.
'Jesus, did you see that? I wouldn't be surprised if Snape lost his job because of this.'
'Old Justin, though. Who'd have thought it'd be him to confront Snape? Good for him!'
'Poor Storm. Is she all right, Harry?'
Harry wasn't listening. The rith had just opened her eyes and Harry wished she hadn't. The agony and turmoil in them was unbearable. Then a spark of recognition seemed to light up and she opened her mouth, he thought she was going to lick him like dogs do, but instead a word came out, quiet but distinct, 'James.' Then she passed into blissful unconsciousness.
Harry continued stroking her head, quite at a loss for words. Not only could this creature talk, but she had called him by his father's name. Everyone had always said how much they looked alike. She must have thought he was his father. But how would a rith know his father?
At that point Professor McGonagall came calmly into the room and announced, 'Professor Snape has been taken ill. Please put you potion ingredients and cauldrons away.
'Is the rith hurt, Harry?'
'Only as much as the Cruciatus curse hurts, Professor.'
Professor McGonagall knew what he had suffered at the hands of Lord Voldemort and asked no more about it. 'Thank you, Potter. Clear away your things. I will deal with this.'
Harry cleared away and walked out in a daze, unable to work out what had happened.
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Thanks to all you people who have reviewed, I hope to get some more now!
Loki19: Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't even realise I had that setting on! There's a bit more action in this chapter than the last. Hope that pleases you!
The sleet was falling heavily outside, making the dungeon in which Snape took his lessons even dingier than usual. The two houses were chatting amicably and lobbing inky parchment balls at each other when Professor Snape swept into the dungeon.
'Silence! I thought you were fifth years who had learnt to wait quietly, not silly little first years trying to make as much noise and mess as possible. How wrong I must be.'
The class quickly settled. Much as they would have enjoyed annoying Snape, none of them wanted detention in such cold weather - you never knew what dire punishments would come up with. He'd also recently been threatening to try out his new potions on 'someone' and they knew him too well to take this lightly.
Soon the entire class was busily dicing dried rose stems, crushing dogs mercury and mashing toad brains for the Muscle Freezing potion they had been set today. Snape paced round, all the time criticising their efforts, 'Evenly diced, I said! Not that much, you stupid boy! Don't let it boil! Ah, Longbottom, once again.'
Something cut him off in mid-sentence just as his wrath was about to descend on poor Neville. Storm was singing again.
Being shut up in the dungeon all day because of the weather the rith had become restless and was singing and dancing with all her might to let out some of pent-up energy.
Harry looked at Hermione who wrote down on a piece of parchment 'Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)'.
Harry wrote back on the same piece of parchment, 'Are you really human or do we just have to add Pop Music of the 80's & 90's sung by riths to your ever growing list of talents?'
The riths reverberating howls drowned out the noise of the parchment being written on and passed, which Snape's sharp ears would usually have picked up. Instead he was staring wrathfully at the separating wall. Neville also breathed a huge sigh of relief as he had apparently been forgotten. However, the song soon died away and the rith settled down.
Snape waited a moment and regained his composure before resuming his attack, 'So, Longbottom, what sort of a hash.'
He stopped again, the sounds of more howls reaching his ears, the unmistakable opening lines of 'Almost Unreal' by Roxette beginning to gain strength as the chorus approached.
Snape's sallow skin turned even whiter than normal (which was thought impossible by most of them) and a pulsing vein stood proudly out on his taught forehead, the sure sign of an impending explosion.
'I've got five Galleons Snape loses it during the guitar solo,' Dean whispered to Seamus.
'You're on, Dean, my man.'
The boys shook hands and waited impatiently. After what seemed like an age, they could almost hear the words they had been waiting for;
"It's a crazy world out there, Let's hope our prayers are in good hands tonight."
Storm let rip with a series of very loud, long howls, mimicking the guitar's chords almost to perfection. The class sniggered as they thought of the rith doing the most likely thing of playing air guitar. But Dean's prediction proved the most precise.
'I've had enough of these damned wolves!' Snape yelled and stormed out of the dungeon, the door banging on its hinges.
In between gales of laughter, Harry couldn't help thinking that it couldn't have just been Storm that Snape was talking about when he said "wolves".
'Ssh! Shut up!' Hermione hissed urgently. 'Listen!'
As soon as the noise died down they heard what Hermione had - the singing (if that's what you call it) had been replaced by loud snarls. An indistinguishable curse was uttered by Snape and the snarling stopped abruptly.
'He wouldn't, would he?'
'I wouldn't put anything past him.'
The door swung open again and Snape strode back in, dragging the very bemused looking Storm. Her paws were bound as were her jaws. Two thin rivulets of blood escaped from under her bonds and dripped off her chin.
There was a cruel smile playing about Snape's lips, 'Now, which one of you would like to test your potion on our little friend here? How about you, Longbottom?'
Neville was actually shaking now and his round face had turned as white as Snape's. He knew how useless he was at potion making and didn't want his lack of skill to cause any harm to a defenceless creature.
Snape seized his potion and walked over to where Storm had just appeared to be regaining her senses. A weak stunning curse had obviously been placed on her. He removed the ropes with a flick of his wand before pointing it at the rith, 'Imperio!'
Immediate uproar ensued, Hermione's voice being the loudest as she stood up, absolutely outraged, 'Professor, you can't do that, it's an Unforgivable.'
Snape rounded on her, 'Sit down, Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor for not knowing that the Unforgivable Curses are perfectly legal if used on animals.' He turned back to the rith, 'Storm, open your mouth.'
The blue wolf just blinked and stared at him.
'Open your mouth, I said!'
Blink, stare. The Potions Master was shaking with rage at this blatant disregard of his orders.
'Imperio! Open your mouth!'
Blink, stare, snarl. Snape lost control while Storm kept it.
'Crucio!'
The rith doubled up in pain before her back arced backwards in a most unnatural position, her mouth open wide in a silent scream. Half the class were about to attack Snape, the other half unable to watch, but surprisingly it was Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff boy, who leapt up and knocked the wand out of Snape's hand. He couldn't stand the sight of Snape's gloating face any longer.
'Stop it! You can't do that, it's cruel! JUST STOP IT NOW!'
Snape's eyes lost some of the madness that had glazed them before, but he was by no means in complete control of himself. 'Finch-Flecthley, are you telling me what I can and can't do as a master of this school?'
Justin stood eye to eye with the irate wizard, 'I know for a fact that you can't do that. The poor creature doesn't even know what she's done wrong.'
'Get out of my class.'
'With pleasure, sir.'
Justin gathered his books and left the dungeon, his head held high. The rest of them felt like applauding, but didn't for the glint of lunacy still shone in Snape's cold eyes.
Harry, perhaps the only one of them who had ever experience the Cruciatus curse first hand, knew exactly what to do and how much pain the rith was in. He left his seat and went over to where the rith was still stretched out on the floor. 'Hermione, get me some water.'
'Sit down, Potter.' Snape hissed, dangerous calm having replaced the insanity.
Harry just completely ignored him and set about dripping the water that Hermione had brought him onto the rith's tongue, her head resting upon his lap.
'I said sit down, Potter.'
'No. You did this wrong. Someone has to put it right.' Some of Harry's fear of Snape disappeared forever at that moment when he saw the indecision and regret in his eyes.
Professor McGonagall entered the room quietly and surveyed the scene. 'Professor Snape, could I have a word?'
The two Professors left the room together, McGonagall with an approving nod at Harry.
'Jesus, did you see that? I wouldn't be surprised if Snape lost his job because of this.'
'Old Justin, though. Who'd have thought it'd be him to confront Snape? Good for him!'
'Poor Storm. Is she all right, Harry?'
Harry wasn't listening. The rith had just opened her eyes and Harry wished she hadn't. The agony and turmoil in them was unbearable. Then a spark of recognition seemed to light up and she opened her mouth, he thought she was going to lick him like dogs do, but instead a word came out, quiet but distinct, 'James.' Then she passed into blissful unconsciousness.
Harry continued stroking her head, quite at a loss for words. Not only could this creature talk, but she had called him by his father's name. Everyone had always said how much they looked alike. She must have thought he was his father. But how would a rith know his father?
At that point Professor McGonagall came calmly into the room and announced, 'Professor Snape has been taken ill. Please put you potion ingredients and cauldrons away.
'Is the rith hurt, Harry?'
'Only as much as the Cruciatus curse hurts, Professor.'
Professor McGonagall knew what he had suffered at the hands of Lord Voldemort and asked no more about it. 'Thank you, Potter. Clear away your things. I will deal with this.'
Harry cleared away and walked out in a daze, unable to work out what had happened.
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Thanks to all you people who have reviewed, I hope to get some more now!
Loki19: Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't even realise I had that setting on! There's a bit more action in this chapter than the last. Hope that pleases you!