Chapter 47
"Oops" Malfoy cried with his high-pitched voice right before the metal connected with the head of one of his class mates.
Professor Wells crossed the classroom instantly and knelt down next to the Ravenclaw. The head of the poor girl was buried inside the cauldron.
Oh no...not again, Kayla sighed mutedly. Knocked out twice on the same day can't be good for her
The teacher removed the cauldron from Zara's head and wiped the remains of Malfoy's potion from her face.
"Are you ok" she asked when Zara slowly opened her eyes.
"My head hurt a little but I'm ok" the girl said as she rubbed her head for the second time.
"Miss Warren, would you take her to Madam Pomfrey? She can use a painkiller and an icepack."
Kayla nodded and lifted her friend off the floor.
Madam Pomfrey provided her with everything necessary and reminded her that he desperately needed rest.
After all the admonishments, the girls rolled their eyes and parted.
When Kayla returned to the common room she ran into Hermione who dragged the baffled girl up into their dorm.
"Kayla I need your help" the perfect said hastily.
The girl just nodded and Hermione continued. "I talked to Ginny when we checked on the potion. When I asked her what she's going to wear for the ball, she almost started crying. You know her family is not wealthy and they can't afford new dress robes for her. So I thought we could all put some money together and buy her something nice for Christmas."
"That's a brilliant idea. I know a couple of good sewing charms and when we make them ourselves they won't be so expensive. We can also ask Zara; she likes Ginny a lot and I bet she wouldn't mind to help." Kayla replied.
"I just hope Harry will change his habit this year" After a questioning glance from Kayla she continued "He and Ron normally get their Christmas presents the very last minute and I don't want him to spoil the first Christmas he and Ginny are together"
"The Weasleys are not going home for Christmas?" Kayla asked.
"I don't know what they are going to do this year. Harry always stays at Hogwarts during Christmas break, because the Dursleys don't want him to come, but when everything works out, this year might be different"
A knowing smile appeared on Hermione's face and Kayla knew her friend was talking about the Muscail Potion.
Kayla and Hermione met Zara in the Great Hall at breakfast the next morning.
Zara stared absentminded into space when the two girls approached her.
"Hey Zara, can we have a word with you? Zara?" Kayla called, but the girl continued to daydream and didn't answer. Hermione then grabbed her arm and the Ravenclaw returned to earth.
"Sorry I was not paying attention. What is it?"
Kayla and Hermione were a little disturbed by the strange reaction of their friend. Maybe the two knocks on her head yesterday were a bit too much. Fortunately she didn't swallow any of that potion, Kayla thought.
Hermione quickly explained her idea about Ginny's Christmas present and Zara agreed to participate. She offered to ask her aunt for some nice patterns and informations where they could buy good quality fabric.
When they left the Great hall they wondered how Zara stared after every male in the room, students and teachers alike.
Kalliope almost hexed her into the next millennium when she spotted the Ravenclaw gazing salaciously at the potion master.
Kayla was now seriously concerned about her friend. The normally very shy girl seemed to mutate into a lusting vamp.
When they went to class Kelsey approached his sister and asked "What's wrong with Zara today. When I went to talk to her she didn't even look at me but stared at Harry's ss all the time"
"I don't know it either Kel; maybe she has a concussion from what happened yesterday.
The behavior of the Ravenclaw remained strange throughout the whole day. When the school assembled in the Great Hall for dinner Luna told them that during Magical Creatures Zara tried to hit on Hagrid, but fortunately the half-giant didn't realize what she was doing. The Ravenclaw girl was seriously concerned about Zara's behavior.
Zara and Luna left their housetable a little bit earlier than the Gryffindors and Kayla hoped that her friend would go right to their common room before she got herself in even more trouble.
When the Gryffindors were done with dinner and were about to leave the Great Hall they heard screams from the entrance hall.
Kayla and Hermione immediately assumed that Zara must have harassed another student and ran to see if they could help.
They found Zara swinging her arms at Draco Malfoy, who desperately tried to protect his face from her fingernails. Luna did her best to hold the frenzying girl back who was shouting at the top of her lungs. It looked as if Draco also was in a serious state of madness because he was now kicking the girl with his high-heels.
"You get your dirty hands off him, you fag! He's mine, mine, mine, minemineminemine!" Zara screamed.
Draco just snickered maliciously and countered "What would such a handsome man want with you... you pale, ugly, nerd"
"At least, I can offer him something REAL", Zara spat.
"I can offer him a lot more. With me he will luxuriate in lust heaven... he will experience things he before never had thought possible" Draco drawled.
With some kind of war cry Zara broke away from her fellow Ravenclaw and knocked Draco to the ground. Her long fingernails dug into the pale skin of the scared boy, who had started to scream like a pig in front of a butcher. With a smooth motion she parted his legs and knocked her knee right into his private parts. Luna was still trying to get her friend off the Slytherin, but Zara didn't give up.
She now had one hand on the boy's throat and with the other she was ripping handfuls of silver-blonde hair out. Malfoy screamed and tried to push her off, but the pain in his groin was so strong he could barely move. Then his left hand moved up towards her face but Zara was faster. She shifted her weight and pinned both of his arms with her knees. Her hand tightened around his throat and he was running out of air.
Kelsey who had caught up on the girls now had enough. He walked up to his girlfriend in 3 long strides and yanked her off Malfoy.
He spun her around and shouted "What the hell is wrong with you Zara? At first you're thirsting for every male in the Great Hall and now you're having a cat-fight with Malfoy over FILCH?" He shook his head and tried to hold eye contact to Zara, but she didn't pay him any attention.
Kayla now recognized Filch not standing far away with Mrs Norris clutched to his chest as if he was holding on to her for support. The old man seemed seriously disturbed, when Zara winked at him and licked her lips.
"What is this commotion here about?" Professor Snape walked with billowing robes towards Kelsey and Zara and freed the girl from the Gryffindor's grip. "Why are you abusing a fellow student Mr Warren?"
"I was not abusing anybody, sir. I tried to rescue Malfoy here before Zara would scratch his eyes out" Kelsey defended himself.
Snape shot a disgusted look at Malfoy on the floor and snarled "Get yourself cleaned up Malfoy and then I want to see you in my office in 30 minutes" before he dragged Zara away from the scene.
The Gryffindors followed Snape with the proper distance, not trying to aggravate the potion master even more.
When they reached the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey sighed "What is it today, Miss Rawle?"
"What do you mean with today?" Snape asked.
"Miss Rawle was here yesterday after an accident in potions" Madam Pomfrey explained.
"What kind of accident? Damn Poppy do I have to ask for every little detail before you explain me what happened?"
It was very hard for Snape to hide his concern about the Ravenclaw student
"She was knocked out by Malfoy's cauldron and Miss Warren told me that she hit her head on the floor before when the two of them collided with...you"
Severus remembered the incident in the dungeons but he had never expected that she would have been hurt.
"When Malfoy tried to clean his cauldron, he lost control and his flying cauldron ended on Miss Rawle's head. Miss Warren brought her here instantly and all I could detect was a mild concussion." Poppy continued.
"To your information" Snape snarled. "This girl is behaving shamelessly. I just caught her in a cat-fight with Mr Malfoy over Filch. I expect you know that this is not her regular behavior and I doubt that this is just the effect of a mild concussion"
"WHAT?" Madam Pomfrey shouted. "She did WHAT?"
"Do you know what kind of potion she has been exposed to?" Snape asked.
"Miss Rawle didn't tell me what potion they have been brewing, but she assured me that she didn't swallow any of it" Madam Pomfrey answered.
"I will talk to Professor Wells and until I return this girl will remain here" Snape demanded and left the infirmary.
"Shouldn't you be in your common room?" Snape called with an icy voice when he spotted the Gryffindors in front of the hospital wing. "30 points from Gryffindor" he shouted and headed towards the dungeons.
"This was not Snape" Ron whispered in a scared voice. "He ignored a Slytherin and was concerned about a Ravenclaw"
"Yes I know it's creepy" Harry replied.
"Let's go back to the common room. I will write Zara a message and try to find out what is going on" Kelsey sighed and they went back to Gryffindor tower.
Snape stormed into the potions classroom and yelled "PROFESSOR WELLS!"
The young witch burst through the door to the storage room and screamed "Where's the fire?"
"There is no fire, but I have something very important to ask you"
"And why do you have to yell like a madman then?" Kimberly growled.
"I heard that Miss Rawle had a little accident in your class yesterday"
Kimberly nodded and Snape continued "So would you be so kind and explain me what exactly happened"
The witch stared curiously at the potion master, not at all intimidated by his sarcasm as he paced in front of her.
"Why do you want to know that, Severus?" she asked. "Malfoy wasn't hurt and Miss Rawle is not exactly your business, is she?"
Snape repeated the whole incident in the entrance hall, his eyes glinting furiously as he continued pacing in front of her, his hands folded behind his back.
"So do you care to tell me what kind of potion you brewed yesterday, because her state cannot result from a concussion alone?" "We did a clearing potion for Madam Pomfrey, for her to treat students with acne problems"
"Oh hell!" Severus yelled. "And you want to be a potions mistress? It seems to me that you're a bigger dunderhead than any of the students you attempt to teach. Did that tiny little brain of yours ever came up with the idea that getting the whole content of a clearing potion dumped on your head might cause a hormonal instability? This girl is slobbering after every male in this school like he's Adonis in person, just because of his testosterone and she has not the slightest clue about it. You should have told Poppy about everything what happened. She even glared at me and I am..." He bit his tongue and rushed to his private lab to concoct a counter- potion.
Kimberly stood there with her mouth open, unable to move. "Oh my god ", she whispered.
"Severus will suffice and now come here silly girl. Make yourself useful; we don't have all day"
A few minutes later the counter-potion was ready and Snape hurried back to the infirmary.
He had to repel another attempted rapprochement from Zara, but finally the girl swallowed the concoction "just to do this gorgeous hunk a favor"
Snape shuddered when she addressed him like that and the suggestive look she was giving him made his stomach turn, but he tried not to let it show.
"She should stay here for another hour, Poppy. Then she should be back to normal and can return to her common room"
The witch nodded and led the girl to a bed nearby.
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"Lucius, is everything ready for my attack?" Voldemort snarled and beckoned his loyal deatheater to his side.
"Yes my Lord; the vampires are staying in the dungeons of your mansion and the wolfmen will be arriving by tomorrow."
"How much does Severus know about our plans?"
"He only knows what you required he should know, my Lord"
"Good Lucius. How far did you get with the potion for the Immortality Ritual?"
"It's almost ready, my Lord. I will return to my mansion tomorrow and get the last ingredient from my private study."
"The nightshadow stone?" Voldemort questioned.
"Yes my Lord. It will complete the potion and we can start as soon as Potter is in our hands"
Voldemort rubbed his bony hands as he turned around to Malfoy. Suddenly a set of claw-like fingers clasped around Lucius shoulder, digging deep into his flesh. The deatheater gasped and he recognized the little runlet of blood staining his robes.
"Make sure you don't ruin my plans Lucius" Voldemort hissed maliciously.
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Snape returned to his office where Malfoy was already waiting for him. He said down behind his desk and rubbed his temple.
"Mr Malfoy, what was this all about?"
Draco flashed him a flirtatious grin and answered "This sorry little wallflower from Ravenclaw thought she'd have more chances with Filch than me. How ridiculous is that? Can you tell me who could resist this?" He trailed his hands over his chest and thighs, while he smiled at his head of house.
Snape, for the first time, had no idea what to do. His headache was getting worse and the absurd behavior of his charge didn't help.
He already knew that Madam Pomfrey already had tried everything to find out what the reason of Malfoy's change of attitude could be.
When he looked at the boy in front of him he didn't know how to react. One part of him wanted to strangle him, the other one pitied him.
Then he decided to take a blood sample to see if he could find out what was responsible for the boy's state.
"Mr Malfoy, I want you to follow me into my lab. I need a blood sample from you" he snarled and rose from his chair.
Even Draco's altered ego knew that Professor Snape wouldn't tolerate any contradiction and so he followed the instructor.
After taking blood from his student, Severus sent him back to his common room and started to analyze the sample.
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Even after five days Severus had no idea what had caused Malfoy's change of attitude. He had spent every free minute analyzing the blood and counter- checking it with hundreds of potions. He wiped the sweat on his forehead off with his sleeve and left his workroom.
Deciding that it would be the best to rest and think about it, e walked towards his sitting room.
"Severus"
The potion master stopped in mid-step not sure if he really had heard the voice.
"Severus please.." Snape slowly turned around and looked at the young woman.
"Miss Maldinadow. What a pleasure to see you again." he said in a business like tone.
He recognized that he must have hurt her, because her gaze dropped and she turned away.
"I just wanted to see if you're well. I better leave."
Severus watched her walking towards the door of the potions classroom. The light green dress accentuated her curvy figure and her rich blond hair fell lose all the way to her waist in wonderful waves.
He desired to bury his face in that hair and breathe her scent when he was held her body tight, but he knew it wouldn't be correct.
"Celeste" he spoke softly, trying not to let his feelings show.
The young witch turned around and smiled hesitantly. "I'm sorry Severus" she said when she crossed half the distance between them.
"For what?" Severus wondered.
"For the way I behaved when you left Professor Dumbledore's house" she sighed. "I was hoping that you would ask me to come with you. I'm very fond of you Severus and I enjoyed our conversations while you recovered. When I realized that this was going to end I was sad and hurt and..." her voice trailed off and she turned away from him once again.
Severus eyed her in utter bewilderment. He couldn't believe that this wonderful creature was fond of him. Her behavior had been strange and he had had no explanation for it, but not in his wildest dreams he would have guessed that she would miss him.
He walked up to her and placed gently a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't respond to his touch. Just when he was about to believe that he had gone too far he felt her delicate hand sneaking into his and their fingers entwined. He gently pushed her shoulder and she turned around. With tears glinting in her eyes she whispered "I've missed you Severus"
A small smile crept on his face and drove away the ever present scowl. He placed his free hand under her chin and raised her head so their eyes could meet.
"I've missed you too"
He led her through the side door and into his sitting room. After they sat down on the couch he conjured a tea set and some biscuits.
"So what brought you here so late this evening?" he asked her.
Professor Dumbledore has offered me a position here at Hogwarts" she replied while she helped herself to a biscuit.
When she recognized the questioning look on his face she continued "He wants me to assist Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing. The Professor said that in these dark times he's going to need every help he can get"
Severus nodded in agreement while he let his eyes wander over her slender body before they rested on her sparkling hazel eyes.
The fact, that he would have the chance to see her more often now, pleased him immensely.
"When Voldemort attacks the school, we're going to need every help we can get" he assured. She had not made any attempts to get closer to him so he didn't push the issue and kept the proper distance.
They talked for a little while and when they had finished their tea, Celeste excused herself and left.