Disclaimer: Hanashi wa RAORINGU no desu. In English, "The story is Rowling's." I'm pretty sure the translation is right, but if it's not, I'm sorry!

Comments:

Rikki8879: Yeah, the old toad (Umbridge for those of you who don't know) is quite bothersome, but Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape can easily outsmart her!

Quill of Minerva: Yeah, Dobby can go a little overboard with his happy dance, but deep down, he's still a good house-elf!

ADandMMforever: Yeah, I guess Severus doesn't say "whatever." Oh well, too late now! He was just having an off moment there. Oh, and more ADMM is coming in Chapter 15!

Kidarock: I'm glad I saved you from boredom. Hope the next chapter will save you from boredom also!

grugster: Don't worry, your English isn't bad! Thanks for your review!

To all my readers, I'm so sorry that I didn't update sooner! I've had loads of homework to do this week. I'll post another chapter up today to make up for it! More ADMM in the next chapter! Thanks to all my reviewers! Enjoy this one!

saiyanwizardgurl

Chapter 14: A New Potion

"Done!" shouted Severus Snape, slamming down the essay he had just finished grading. He stood up and stretched, wincing slightly as his back cracked. The Potions Master glanced at the clock on his desk, which said 8:43 pm. "Merlin, it's late. Why does grading these abysmal essays have to take so long?" Snape sighed loudly, then turned and walked through the door next to the one that led to his bedroom.

His laboratory was very interesting. The walls were lined with rows upon rows of jars containing peculiar objects floating in various substances. Five workstations stood in the middle of the room. Only one was currently in use.

The workstation in question had a steaming cauldron on it. A deep blue substance was bubbling inside the cauldron. Snape stirred it twice and turned off the burner. He ladled out the blue liquid into a dozen potion vials and put them into a small carrying case, which he shrunk to the size of his palm.

He made to walk out of the laboratory and into his rooms, but a sudden burst of pain shot through his left arm, causing the Potions Master to almost drop the case in his hand. "Well," he muttered, "looks like I finished just in time."

He swept into his rooms and swung his cloak over his shoulders before striding out of the dungeons to the Hogwarts grounds. Fortunately, Filch and his blasted cat were nowhere to be seen. The large oak front doors swung open, and Snape groaned softly when he saw that it was starting to rain. The Potions Master put the case into his pocket and strode out into the rain, disappearing in the dark trees of the Forbidden Forest.

……………………

Snape Apparated to the outskirts of Riddle Manor. Huge droplets of rain splashed down on his head and rolled down his cheeks. He shivered and rushed across the vast lawn, muttering something about how the old gargoyle really knew how to tick him off. When he got to the house, the Potions Master swung the side door open, threatening to snap it off its hinges. He walked through the hallway and up the stairs, adding more rain water to the puddles that were already strewn across the floor.

"You're late, Severus," said Voldemort, lazily.

"I apologize, my Lord," said Snape, bowing deeply before taking his place in the circle of Death Eaters.

"What, may I ask," said Voldemort, "is more important than meeting with us? Are there other more important things that prevent you from coming here on time? Your loyalty isn't wavering, is it, Severus?"

"No; never, my Lord. I was just finishing up the new potion you requested," said the Potions Master, his face expressionless. He pulled out the small case and handed it to Voldemort.

"Oh, I see," said the Dark Lord, a sudden expression of excitement playing across his face. "Would you like to give us an overview?"

"Of course, my Lord," said Snape, relieved that he was not going to get punished just yet. "I call this the Caponis Concoction. It's derived from a simple pain potion and a stimulant. The side effects and reactions vary from person to person. A vial or more of it will cause the drinker to experience intense spasms of various tendons, viscera, et cetera. In other words," he said, seeing the intense looks of confusion on Crabbe's and Goyle's faces, "their muscles would tense and cramp up."

"That's it?" asked Avery, his eyebrows raised. "I thought this was going to be something extravagant, something that I would have a lot of fun with!"

"Oh, you could have a lot of fun with this stuff," said the Potions Master.

"Why don't you try it out for us, Avery?" said Voldemort, holding out one of the potion vials.

Avery was taken aback, but he quickly pushed that aside and took the vial. He uncorked it and bravely downed the blue liquid in one gulp. The group stood silently, waiting for some kind of response from Avery. Suddenly, Avery let out a howl of agony and wrapped his arms around his torso. His knees buckled under him, and he fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Some of the Death Eaters took a few steps back as Avery's legs swung at them because he was rolling on the ground.

"As you can see, Avery," said Snape, quietly, "this potion does a little more than cause muscle cramps. I would say it is equivalent to a Cruciatus Curse, maybe a little worse."

"Excellent, Severus!" said Voldemort. "This is wonderful!"

"Thank you, my Lord."

"Now, Severus, you said that this potion has varying side effects?"

"Yes, my Lord. I think this potion usually has a greater effect on those who are very vulnerable to the Cruciatus Curse. I could be wrong, of course, but I know that it will cause pain to anyone who drinks it, regardless of the person's will."

"Excellent, Severus! Simply superb! You two," said Voldemort, turning to Crabbe and Goyle. "Kindly get that one off the floor." They nodded curtly before shuffling over to pull up a whimpering Avery. "Thank you. Now, I think we should test it a few more times. Macnair, you next."

Macnair turned as white as a sheet, but did not protest. He reached out and took the vial and gulped it down just as Avery had done. The group of Death Eaters and the Dark Lord did not have to wait long before Macnair fell to his knees, clutching his chest. They could hear his breathing coming in rasps, and they saw him begin to sweat.

"Hmmm, how interesting," said Voldemort. "Who's next?" He looked around the circle. "Ah, what about you, Lucius?"

"A-as you wish, my Lord." Malfoy took the vial and looked at it tentatively before swallowing it slowly. A few moments passed before he fell down on all fours. "My legs," he hissed. "What the hell is the stuff?"

"I believe Severus already explained that to us. Now then," said Voldemort, looking up at the others. "I want one more to test this." His eyes scanned the circle. Many Death Eaters shivered when the Dark Lord gazed upon them. "Severus." Voldemort smiled. "Why don't you go next; it's your potion, after all."

Snape's heart sank. "Very well, my Lord." He reached out and took the vial. Without hesitation, he uncorked it and swallowed the potion, which was very sweet.

Suddenly, the Potions Master went rigid. His back muscles began to tense up. He realized that he was shaking, but he did not scream or drop to the ground like the others had done.

"Well, Severus, this potion seems to have less of an effect on you than it did the others."

"I assure you, my Lord, the potion works very well," said Snape through gritted teeth. "Like I said before, it might take more than just a vial to make some people scream."

"I see. Well, you do have a very strong will. I trust that if I were to make you drink another vial of this potion your condition would worsen?"

"Yes, my Lord." Please don't make me drink another one, thought the Potions Master. Oh, great, I'm pleading with the Dark Lord!

"Good. Is there an antidote for this?"

"No, my Lord. The drinker must wait for it to wear off."

"Excellent! You've done well, Severus."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"Be working on another batch. I want it by next month, understand?"

"Yes, my Lord," he hissed. "I will get to work on it soon."

"Very good. I think we're done for tonight. I will summon your group sometime later this week, Lucius," he said to the man that was now lying on the ground. "As for the rest of you, you will wait until I call for you."

"Yes, my Lord," murmured the Death Eaters that could still talk without extreme pain.

"You may all leave now." And with that, Voldemort turned his back on them.

The Death Eaters filed out of the room silently. Snape rushed out of the room, eager to get back to Hogwarts. Before he left, he saw Avery, Macnair, and Malfoy crawling and stumbling down the stairs. The Potions Master turned and strode out of the house and into the sheets of rain that were falling from the sky.

By the time he reached the outskirts of the property, he was drenched in cold water. Snape shivered. "I guess I don't really need to take a shower tonight, then," he muttered bitterly before Disapparating.

……………………

Half an hour later, Snape pushed open the door to his office. He looked behind himself before going in, seeing the giant puddles of water that he had trailed in. That'll give Filch something to do, he thought sarcastically.

Suddenly, there was a small pop, and a note and phoenix feather fluttered down into Snape's hands. He opened the piece of parchment and read:

Severus,

Due to some minor complications, I will need to stay at Aberforth's house tonight. I assure you that I will be back tomorrow, and Minerva and I will come down to see you.

Albus

The Potions Master left the note and phoenix feather on his desk and walked as quickly as he could through his office and bedroom into the bathroom. Before he shut the door, he cleaned up the little puddles he had left and summoned some dry clothing with a flick of his wand.

Snape pulled his wet robes off with some difficulty and was able to pull on a pair of black sleep pants. The shirt was another story. "Argh! Stupid old gargoyle!" he said, throwing the shirt down. "First he has to summon me after I just finished grading all those stupid essays, and then he has to test my potion out on me." He picked up the shirt, jarring his muscles in the process. "Ahhh!"

He walked out of the bathroom and put the shirt back in his drawer. The Potions Master walked back into the bathroom, grabbing his wand and a dry towel. Snape put his wand on his bedside table and sat down on his bed. He tried drying his sopping wet hair, each movement making the pain in his back worse. He gave up on that and, with incredible aim, threw the wet towel across the room at a chair, where it landed, flung over the back. The Potions Master crawled under the covers and tried to get comfortable. He eventually settled for lying on his stomach because it was the least painful position he could be in. "I'm getting too old for this," he mumbled before falling into an uneasy sleep.