Yes, yes, I know! I'm a horrid person to keep changing, altering, and otherwise shifting everything around till one can barely keep their wits about them! But this is the last change, I swear! Well…for now anyway. Ok, how about this? I swear this is my last plot change. Good? Good.
Ah yes, I also must apoligise for the delay in uploading my other chapters to other stories!
Ducks flying objects
But at least, now I have my own computer now and can upload whenever I want! Whee! More chapters and rot like that to come soon. Whee!
Please read and review!
In the Quiet Seclusion
Chapter Four
Of Potions and Masters
As Friday afternoon finished and his third year class clambered out of the room Harry bent his head over his desk to start grading the sizable stacks of essays before him. Pulling one stack close he groaned as he squinted at the First year essays which looked to have been written in an archaic Latin of some sort. Several hours later Saturday dawned with several loud crashed of lightening. Pushed away the unfinished stack of sixth year essays and glared at it before stretching languidly, his long unkempt hair nearly brushing the floor of his classroom. Checking the clock he yawned and rubbed his eyes wearily.
"I think working until half past four is long enough." He muttered to himself as he snuffed out each candle by hand, careful not to catch his tangled mass of hair on fire.
"Curious, don't you think." Said a soft voice. "To find a wizard doing something without the aide of his wand?" The disembodied voice was velvet smooth and low, a hint of danger and malice were intertwined in the tones but Harry ignored them.
"Severus, what brings you to my part of the castle this early in the morning? Surely you did not miss me that much at dinner?" Harry asked snottily, thoroughly enjoying it when his colleague grimaced.
"I saw your light on and deduced that it was the perfect time to discuss a letter I received the other day."
Harry made a vague motion with his hand, as if dismissing something as unimportant. "That can come later, I feel half starved and probably look like a beggar that just crawled out of a rubbish bin." Dropping listlessly into his chair Harry summoned a house elf and ordered a light breakfast for two with tea and coffee.
Severus took a long look at the newest addition to the Hogwarts teaching staff. Harry, while looking terrible when he had first been found, now looked a veritable disaster. His hair, unwashed, was slightly knotted from an obvious cleansing spell to many, five o'clock shadow was prominent and his eyes had sunken slightly, the shadow beneath them a purple black. Breakfast arrived almost immediately and while Harry was busy picking out what bit and pieces he was going to pick at, Severus spared him a concerned, analytical gaze.
Once Harry had settled himself what he was going to eat of the feast that Dobby had delivered, he poured Snape a cup of black cherry tea and proceeded to ignore him for the full two minutes that he was wolfing down food.
Finally having enough of being ignored, Snape pulled piece of parchment from inside his robe pocket and placed it flat on the desk," What is this?"
Glancing down at it Harry recognized his own winding script filling half the page. "It looks like a letter," he said around a mouthful of tea, bacon, and toast. "I thought you might at least recognize one of those, Severus. Then again, having not received many in your dismal life, I can't expect you to recognize every social nicety that is sent your way. Few that they might be. "
"Do not presume to know anything about my social comprehension, Potter, just because I do not choose to flaunt my self before the public eye as some other people are want to do, does not mean I am completely bereft of…what are you sniggering at?" Snape asked archly, his nostrils flaring.
"You are really much more dramatic than should be considered normal, you know that?" Taking a swig of tea Harry settled the cup back down on the saucer and folded his hands in front of him patiently. "Now what's all this fuss over a letter?"
"I wish to know why the Beacon of Light to the wizarding world wishes to borrow potions ingredients from his nemesis."
"Beacon of Light? Who's that? Are you all right, Severus? Perhaps you should go back to bed and try this whole conversation is what say, eight hours?"
"Potter, I asked you a question."
"Which I artfully sidestepped, now unless you want to swallow something unpleasant I'd suggest you go away until after I'm finished with breakfast, a four to five hour nap, and lunch. I should be agreeable by that time."
"No."
"Didn't think you would, but thought I'd give it a whirl anyway." Harry shrugged and picked up a piece of parchment that was stuck halfway in a leather bound book.
"Potter." Snape's voice sounded foreboding, but Harry just raised a brow and went about straightening his desk. "Why do you of all people need to brew the Dragon's Bane potion?"
Harry's hand froze halfway to his cup of tea before retracting and landing lightly on the top of his desk with practiced ease. "Oh very good, the Master knows his art after all. And here I thought the Teachers handed out those titles to just any old slimy boy crawling in from the streets."
"Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
"Is there anything else I should say?" He met Snape's soulless eyes with his own murky green one, and smiled wryly. "If you won't lend me the ingredients I need then so be it."
"I'll give you the ingredients as soon as you tell me exactly why you are making Dragon's Bane. And why do you need these other ingredients if you are making it? Almost half of these aren't a part of the concoction." Snape was characteristically frustrated with Potter, and Harry recognized the glint in his black eyes.
"I am making it for myself, professor." He stated briskly, rising from his seat. "I can assure you, I have no intention of poisoning any one of the students or your beloved headmaster. You however…well that remains to be seen." His singular eye betrayed the underlying humor.
Severus leveled a glare at him, taking a sip of his tea for the first time. Snape gagged. "Peppermint?!" He sputtered. "Are you trying to kill me, as well as get me to brew an illegal poison?"
Giving him a cheeky smirk, Harry opened a drawer and began rummaging through papers. Sitting back he held up a plain looking folder. With a sigh he opened it, flipping through pages as he spoke, "Fine, I'll give you your answers. Paranoid git. I am studying it. Not much is said about it in the texts because it was discovered by a muggle and he was killed when his home caught fire. Almost everything concerning it was burned and it was forgotten about for years."
"There is a plethora of information on the Dragon's Bane potion and its creator. Oh! I am sorry. I forgot whose presence I was in. The great Harry Potter hasn't a clue where to find a common library without the aid of his muggle born witch friend."
"There is information on a fraud and cast away experiment." Harry stated dryly. "In 1942 a German found an old journal that made mention of the potion and kept it hidden. He was killed and his possessions sold off. It resurfaced in 1989 in a muggle museum in America. It was stolen later that same year and probably sold for a fortune on the black market.
"Voldemort got his hands on it shortly before his second downfall and after his fortress was deemed accessible I found it half burned under the debris."
"So it is the true Dragons Bane?" Snape asked slowly. In the orchestra of candles that Harry had taken to decoration his office with, his black eyes glittered with fascination as he ran a single finger over his bottom lip. Harry thought he looked positively diabolical. A regular Screwtape in the wizarding flesh.
"Yes. The potion we are familiar with is a copy but not nearly close enough to the real thing that the muggle had created. I suspect his brother, a wizard by the way, wanted fame and fortune so he stole an older manuscript from his brother and burned the house down, trapping him inside. So he is the one known for the Potion's creation."
"To bad he didn't realize he had the wrong potion." Snape mused. His eyes suddenly swiveled back to Harry, narrowing with suspicion. "Why aren't you handing it over to the Ministry? Does Albus know?"
"Hand it over to the Ministry? You must be barking mad! I don't care who's in office, the Ministry is full of cutthroats just waiting for some free blood. Imagine Harry Potter, Savior-and renowned recluse-brewing one of the deadliest poisons known to man or wizard. And no, I haven't told the Headmaster yet. Should I?" Harry lifted his green eye off the parchment and looked up at his companion questioningly.
Severus eyed him and gave a barely perceptible shrug, "Why are you so interested in a useless poison anyway? Surely perfect Potter doesn't have use of a poison…Or does he?"
Ignoring the sly tone and penetrating eyes Harry batted at a stray hair that dangled in his face, "I believe I can perfect it."
The potion master went silent for a moment, his calculating stare never wavering. "For what?"
"You've no doubt heard of the Wolfs Bane potion, have you not?"
"What do you think, you insufferable child?"
"I am not a child, now what does it do?" Harry pressed
"The most recent discovery is capable of letting the werewolf keep their human mind when they change form." Was it his imagination or did Severus just puff his chest out? No, never.
"Now apply that same concept to a weredragon." Harry opened a locked drawer and pulled out an ugly green and orange folder.
"But there is no such creature." The potion master replied slowly, as if talking to a very small child.
"No, there is not. But there is a reptile that acts in the same manner as the werewolf," said Harry in the same tone.
Snape gave the Potter heir a snarky look, "And what would that be?"
"It is not as well known in either muggle or wizarding world. It is called the Wyvern."
"I've heard of it, but it's a small breed of dragon, nothing more. You can't possibly tell me that it has a relation to the werewolf bite."
Harry was smirking before half the sentence was out of his mouth, "Like a werewolf the wyvern's bite can turn a human into one of its own kind. That is, if the person in question survives the bite. There is a certain amount of days until the person changes, when they do they lose control. They know what they are doing, but the beast inside of them is in charge."
"Exactly like a werewolf," Snape finished. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, "And how do you know so much about this?"
"I learned a few things while wondering around. I went east for a while, where the wyvern is most common, and studied it for a while. Now does that answer all of your questions?" Harry crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the imposing man.
"And once you perfected this…Dragon's Bane, what would you do with it?"
Harry slumped back into his chair with a roll of his eyes. "Drink it, Severus, drink it and die!" He pulled the corner of his mouth into a sneer. "Or would you prefer I save some for your afternoon tea?"
Severus Snape turned looked down his nose and gave Harry a penetrating glare. "Do not make me ask again, Potter."
"I know some people who need it desperately. I'll publicize it, and make it available to the masses."
"And how do I profit from this endeavor?" Snape asked archly.
Harry paused a minute, lacing his fingers under his chin. He cast about for a moment in silence before meeting his co workers' gaze.
"I'll name you." He said quietly.
Snape's eyes widened for a fraction of a moment. In the wizarding world it was common practice to put names to things that are new on the market. Harry likened to the 'patent' that muggles had come up, but it was much more in-depth. No only did the wizard or witch in question receive credit for the mentioned product, but it was magically binding to their magic signature. Whenever a book was written or rewritten, the person whose name was 'named' will automatically be inserted. Many wizarding citizens used it to bind contracts to death, and a version of it was used to a lesser extent on children's homework assignment. It was how the professors kept track of extensive cheating.
Taking this in Snape still managed find something wrong with the idea because not a moment later his glared intensified and his whole demeanor darkened considerably.
"You would have me take credit unearned?" Came the deadly silent words.
Harry scratched the nape of his neck and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk. "Unless you truly wish to keep my company whilst we work together. Do not think you will take the recipe and leave me to twiddle my thumbs! I'm quite serious. Will you accept that at least?"
"I will," Harry nearly fell over in relief; he could finally go to sleep! "But…" Snape's smooth tones continued with oily precision, his black eyes lit with triumphant glee. A pity Harry was already much too exhausted to notice. "Only if you agree to my terms…?"
"Done, now will you leave?" The younger wizard rose stiffly from his seat, already re-blowing out the candles. He faintly heard the word 'Gryffindor' before…
"Don't you wish to know what condition you've agreed to?" Resigned to another long conversation Harry slumped back down and rested his head against the back board of his chair.
"Sure, why not, by all means. You've already stolen my morning, why not the afternoon as well?"
"I'll take the name for the potion, and you shall leave your position as professor for the Defense against Dark Arts to me when term ends."
Harry's head snapped to attention, "You brought me back here!" He cried in outrage.
"Albus' idea, I can assure you. I had no say in the matter whatsoever, did you really think I wanted you of all people back at Hogwarts, filling the position I've wanted since you were a first year? You're more of an idiotic Gryffindor that I though." Snape drew himself up from the chair and looked down his hooked nose at his adversary, "Good day, Mr. Potter, it's been a pleasure doing business with you."
Harry ground out a response that wasn't much on the courteous side. "Owl when you've got what I need." He said tightly, ignoring the insane urge to run and cry to the Headmaster the moment the despicable man was out of his doorway.
"Ah, ah ah! When I've got what we need, really, Potter, is your head to small to hold such information for long? Ah well, to be expected when one is the offspring of…
SLAM
Harry slumped against the shut and warded door, closing his eyes with a grimace.
Stinking, slimy, sneaking, salivating, stupid, Slytherin!
Harry rose off the stone floor and muttered several colorful words before blowing out several candles with a flick of his wand. Stepping into the fire grate in his office he flooed into his rooms and collapsed into bed. Grimly thinking up several ways of getting retribution he buried his face into the soft Hogwarts pillows.
Well…he figured at least I won't be the one to tell Albus the good news.
Don't forget to check out AspenintheSunlight's A Year Like None Other at skyehawke dot com!
And reading enahma's"Happy Days in Hell" series wouldn't go amiss either.
Happy writing and reading.
No 'rithmatic from this corner, sorry.