Disclaimers 'n' Stuff:

I do not own these characters, nor did I create the universe in which they live or the magic that they use. All I do is flesh them out a little.

I am also very much NOT British in any way, shape, or form, so if I'm not entirely accurate with anything, I apologize in advance. I do have one Brit friend (thanks much, Davenport!!) so hopefully I didn't botch too much of it.

Read on, enjoy, and please leave some constructive criticism!

Snape didn't have to carry the girl very far; the entrance to his office was right outside the dungeon's entrance. Sweeping into the room, he kicked the door shut behind him and, for lack of a better surface, laid the girl on the floor in front of his desk. He let his gaze and his fingertips sweep over her, checking for vital signs. Her pulse was strong and racing, her hands were cold and limp, her breathing felt shallow… and her eyes were open. Wide open, those brown eyes flitted back and forth, trying to take in the room. Snape knew what the poison had done. He realized that he should probably say something to calm her down.

"I know you can hear me," Snape said, in a tone that was not quite as acerbic as usual. "The fumes you inhaled are interfering with your muscles. Once I administer a counter-potion, you will regain your former abilities. Though you should not expect me to allow you to continue my class without extreme supervision, lest you poison someone else." When Snape saw tears welling up in the girl's eyes, he realized he was making things worse. But then, since when have you cared about that? He took a breath. "I'll be back shortly," he said brusquely.

-

Nicole Archer watched Snape walk away, or at least followed him with her eyes until he was just out of her sight. She couldn't turn her head to follow him, or move her hands to push his away when he had been touching her. Her first instinct was to flinch, but she couldn't even do that. Now she felt her chest grow heavier and heavier, each breath taking more of an effort.

Snape reappeared in her field of vision, holding a flask with silvery liquid inside. He knelt next to her, suddenly too close. His eyes were piercing, his presence intimidating. She felt absolutely helpless, and being at the whim of the most-feared professor in the school was not a calming thought. "I'm going to give you a few drops of this, and it should give you enough strength to drink some more." His voice was softer now, making her feel a little less apprehensive. It only lasted until he put his hand to her jaw, gently opening her mouth. Her heart slammed against the inside of her chest. Snape was far, far too close to her.

"Don't worry, Miss Archer," said Snape, his voice smooth and gentle. "I'm going to give you the antidote now, that's all. Try to swallow it all."

Snape lifted his other hand to Nicole's lips and she could feel the liquid suddenly in her mouth. It was an immense effort to swallow. As soon as she did, she could feel her nerves suddenly become more sensitive. She could feel the fabric of her clothes, the pressure of the couch beneath her, and, for the last instant before Snape took his hands away, Nicole could even feel the pulse in his fingertips. She tried to move her hand. It wouldn't move.

Suddenly Nicole realized that her lungs didn't want to inhale anymore. She stared at Snape, trying to tell him somehow that it wasn't working, she was going to stop breathing, she was going to die here right in front of him. She couldn't force herself to breathe anymore. It felt like there was a weight on her chest, like there was a pillow over her face. Nicole was drowning, and she couldn't make him know. The edges of her vision grew dark. She tried to scream, tried to breathe, but it all failed. The last thing she saw was Snape leaving.

-

Snape raced to his desk, yanking open the drawer of rare potions, and snatched a small vial of clear liquid from the highest shelf. It was the only thing he could think of on the fly. Almost immediately he was back at the girl's side, uncapping the vial and dribbling the tiniest amount into her still-open mouth.

When she inhaled, Snape felt more relieved than he would ever admit to anyone. He slid the vial into his pocket and turned back to watch the girl recover – and inhaled the fine cloud of green vapor the girl had just exhaled.

Snape threw himself backwards and wiped his mouth. He should have known. Purgative Potions purge the body; of course she was going to spit out what she had taken in. He fumbled in his pocket with increasingly numbing fingers and finally produced the vial when his legs gave out.

He fell onto his left side heavily, both hands now working at the vial. The damned cap wouldn't come off. His fingers couldn't close over it tight enough to pry it open again. Something to his side moved – the girl. She could help. Snape forced his mouth to form words.

"Archer. Help."

Nicole sat up weakly. Her mouth was dry, and it felt odd to be using her muscles. "Are you okay, Professor?"

Snape wished that he could say anything but "No," because he had a few more choice things to say in response to that idiotic question.

"What should I do?"

Of all the people that could have passed out in his class, it had to have been the dumbest girl Snape ever had the misfortune of meeting. "Right hand." He was reduced to a whisper now. "Few drops. Mouth."

Nicole slid across the floor, feeling too wobbly to attempt standing. In Snape's right hand, as he had said, was a small glass vial. She wrenched the cap open, then looked around. "What am I going to use to put it in your mouth?"

Snape didn't have the ability to speak anymore, but his glare was enough to send Nicole into action.

"Okay! Sorry!" Nicole let a few drops of the potion drip onto her fingers, and from there to his slightly parted lips. She yanked her hand back as if she had been burned. "Is that good?" she asked, wiping her fingers on her robe.

Snape closed his eyes, then nodded. He tilted his head back, exhaling away from anything important.

Nicole used her feet to push herself back towards the couch. She capped the vial again, and set it down near Snape's head. There was a moment of tense silence. Nicole was sure that no student had ever seen Professor Snape like this. While he lacked the usual intimidating poise, the fact that she was alone with him made her uncomfortable. Not to mention that he had just carried her bodily into the room, and that she just touched his face. "I'm going to go clean up my cauldron," she said quickly, "and I'll be a lot more careful this time, really."

"No."

"No?"

Snape shifted, trying to push himself to a seated position. It didn't work very well; he let himself drop back to the floor, flat on his back. He spoke slowly and deliberately. "The poison is still in your system. I believe you'd find it quite difficult to even walk normally. On top of that, you are contagious."

"Contagious."

"Your actions in class today have proved you incompetent, Miss Archer. Are you also suddenly incapable of understanding spoken words?" Snape realized that his insults were undercut by the fact that he was sprawled on the floor. He shifted again, and managed to sit up, supporting himself with both hands. "You are contagious because of the Purgative Potion that saved your life." Snape saw her mouth begin to open, and cut her off with, "Purgative Potions should be self-explanatory, Miss Archer, but since your higher mental functions are missing today, I'm willing to state the obvious. They purge magical effects from the body, Miss Archer. This means that the poison you inhaled is going to be expelled with every breath for the next hour or so. However, when the potion's effects are done, there will still be poison in you.

"Let me finish, so I don't have to tolerate any more of your questions. If I give you a full dose of the Purgatory Potion, you would lose your abilities as a witch. So, without any better solutions to this conundrum, we must both take regular, small doses. This means that we must not leave my quarters, because every time we take the potion, we will expel the poison." Snape paused, taking in the expression on the girl's face. "I'm sure I will enjoy your constant company as much as you will enjoy mine."

Nicole could hardly conceal her horror. "How long?"

Snape's eyes narrowed slightly. "As long as you're still breathing poison." Before she could question him, he continued with a frustrated edge to his voice, "Hopefully no more than a week. Two, at the absolute most."

"But—"

"Don't bother me with your questions right now. I have more important things to think of. Namely, the other miscreants in your class, who are cowering in the corners of my dungeon, no doubt." He struggled to his desk and used it to help him stand shakily. "Ask me before you touch any of my belongings. I shall have some of your personal items sent here soon." Snape managed to get around his desk and sat heavily in his chair. "Try not to be a pain." He took out a quill and paper, and started scratching out a note to Dumbledore.