Warning

This story is not suitable for readers under the age of sixteen. It contains sexual content, including some non-consensual, and may offend some readers. If this subject is offensive to you, please do not read this story.

Chapter 34 – Baddock

Snape's first class of the day was with the third year Slytherins and Gryffindors. Why Minerva would persistently choose to timetable the two houses together he couldn't fathom. It caused more problems than anything else in the school, and had done for years.

This particular group was worse than most, and he knew that it was going to be a hell of a class even as they walked into the room. Natalie McDonald was a pathetic, sniveling little Gryffindor, who was one of the most abysmally incompetent students he had to teach. She rivaled Longbottom in her complete inability to carry out a simple task without creating mayhem – adding the wrong amount of an ingredient, allowing the cauldron to overheat, accidentally substituting the wrong powder – always with disastrous results. His heart sank as he considered the prospect of another botched potion, and the inevitable need for a reversal of whatever effects she managed to produce this time. What he hated about her, more than her incompetence, however, was her manner. The slightest thing would make her eyes fill up with tears, and a word from him was enough to make her tremble.

He watched her as she entered the classroom. Judging by the state of her face, she had already been crying, and a glance at the boys who entered behind her told him the cause. Malcolm Baddock and Graham Pritchard were wearing their usual sneers as they arrived – no doubt over whatever had happened outside. Well, it hadn't happened in his classroom, and he wasn't going to ask. He told himself that he allowed these things to go unnoticed, in order to strengthen her character, and it was partially true, but he knew that there was a part of him that sympathized with the two boys. Of all the things he loathed, weakness was the worst. He hated it in himself, and he hated it in others. McDonald needed and deserved the lessons she learned from her Potions classes – from being forced to deal with both the students and the teacher.

By the third year, there was no longer any need to ask for silence as the class filed in – they knew his requirements on that all too well. Books out, they turned to the chapter on silencing potions, at his instruction, and listened attentively as he began to explain their preparation and applications. All, that was, except for Baddock. Snape frowned, as he watched the boy fumbling in his bag for something, then turn to Pritchard to whisper something to him. Unusual behavior for the boy. He coughed to get his attention, and continued, but a moment later, Baddock was turning again, this time to Dennis Creevey. Creevey gave a quick frown and shake of his head as he tried to continue listening to the teacher, and Snape used this moment to step in.

"Creevey," he said icily, "as you do not seem to feel the need to pay attention, perhaps you could explain to the class the importance of using exactly the correct amount of Shrivelfig in this potion?"

Creevey looked livid, but simply answered "I'm sorry, Sir. Baddock was talking to me."

Snape snapped back quickly, "I don't want to hear your excuses, Creevey. A point from Gryffindor." He continued with the lesson, watching Baddock out of the corner of his eye.

Throughout the lesson, Baddock continued to cause trouble, throwing extra beetle wings into McDonald's potion, and spilling ink all over Grey's bag. Snape had a feeling that there was more to this than a wish to cause trouble for the Gryffindors – it was something about the way that Baddock kept catching his eye, defiantly. It was normal for the Slytherins to cause as much trouble as possible for the other house, but unusual for this to be done openly. Snape, by necessity, treated the Slytherins very differently from other students – and not because of any misplaced loyalty to the house. But there was always a semblance of fair play – and for a Slytherin to be behaving like this in full view of him was curious, almost as though he wanted to leave Snape no choice but to punish him.

This became more obvious towards the end of the lesson. He had instructed the class to clear away their things, while the potions cooled, and was watching them carefully. As he glanced at Baddock, the boy's eyes were on him, as though waiting for him to look that way, and he calmly and deliberately nudged a bottle of leech juice off the edge of the desk and onto the floor, where it smashed.

"Clean that up, Baddock!" Snape snarled, wondering what the undoubtedly devious motive was, behind the boy's actions. The student's eyes had not left his own, and he regarded him rebelliously for a few moments more before turning away with a faint sneer. Whatever was going on, Snape decided, it was time to deal with it, and the easiest way would be to play the boy's game. One more insolent look was all Snape needed before, still puzzled, he growled "Mr. Baddock. Detention. Eight o'clock."

The rest of the class looked understandably surprised. There had been almost no verbal communication between them throughout the lesson, and no one else seemed to have noticed the exchanges between student and teacher. Baddock said nothing, turning his back on the teacher with a faintly smug attitude that left Snape with many questions on his mind.

For now, though, it was back to the class. The potions were ready to try, and he had already picked his test subjects. "McDonald," he drawled, "bring forward your potion. Quickly, girl!" The Gryffindor stepped forward with the liquid carefully bottled. She looked terrified, and he mockingly reassured her in a soft but carefully calculated voice. "Don't worry, we're not going to test it on you. We're going to test it on Creevey!"

At this, Creevey stepped forward, but McDonald stepped in front of him. For the first time he could remember, she looked him in the eye, tiny though she was. "I'll test it," she said firmly. Inside, Snape felt a glow of satisfaction. Finally – she had stood up to him. When she needed to, she could dig down and find that strength – if only he could build on that! He took the smile that was threatening to escape him, and twisted it into a sneer.

"It seems that you have an admirer, Creevey," he smirked. "And one with little confidence in her own potion-making abilities!" Creevey glowed red, but the blood had already drained from the tiny girl's face. Her lack of confidence was perfectly justified, considering her ineptitude, but in this case he had watched carefully throughout the lesson, to make sure every step had been perfect. Grey had even whispered the effective remedy for Baddock's interference, so he knew that the mixture was safe. Dumbledore was already displeased with him, he thought, wryly, poisoning a student would not help matters!

The potion worked perfectly, and the Slytherins laughed at the sight of the girl clutching at her throat and trying to speak, with no sound coming out. He knew that the effect of the potion was extremely uncomfortable, and he watched in mild satisfaction and with a hint of respect, as McDonald bore it well, before sipping the pre-prepared antidote.

From that point of view it had been an effective lesson, but the behavior of Baddock was a mystery. Now that the boy's objective had been achieved, he did not meet his gaze again, and Snape watched with interest as he left the classroom.

- - -

Harry and Ron had finally given in to Hermione's insistence that their next step to finding the hidden passage was further research. The pile of books on the table in front of them was growing steadily higher, and Madam Pince, the librarian, was occasionally throwing them disapproving looks of 'I hope you are planning to put all of those back in the right places!'

Ron was convinced that they had looked in every book in the library. "You know what the worst thing is?" he asked the other two. "We'll do all this research, and when we find the answer it will probably be nothing to do with the books."

Harry laughed. "You mean like all that time we spent looking for Nicholas Flamel, and we eventually found him on a card that came with a Chocolate Frog?"

"Maybe we should try that one again," said Ron. "All in favor of adjourning to Honeydukes?"

Ron and Harry solemnly raised their hands, while Hermione, in mock exasperation, rolled her eyes. She returned to the book she had been flicking through, but suddenly paused, thoughtfully. They had been spending all their time looking for further clues about the location of the tunnel, but maybe they already had the clues they needed – they just had to use them properly.

"You've given me an idea," she said, slowly, forming the possibilities in her mind as she spoke. "Harry, do you have the Marauder's Map?"

Harry had to return to the tower for this, arriving back, breathless, ten minutes later. By the time he got back, the huge pile of books had been returned to the shelves, to the approval of the librarian and the relief of Ron, who had had about as much of them as he could take for one evening.

Ron was dubious about whatever Hermione had in mind. "We've been over the map loads of times, Hermione," he told her. "There's nothing on there about passages to the lake."

Hermione knew this, but the question was why? Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs had done an excellent job of creating the map – but they knew it to be incomplete. She had a feeling that there were all kinds of tunnels, passages and rooms that did not show on it for one reason or another – there was a classroom on the second floor, for instance, that only appeared on Tuesdays, both in reality and on the map. Harry spread the map out in front of them, after carefully checking that no one was close enough to see, tapped it lightly with his wand, and whispered the words that made the ink appear.

Turning her attention to the dungeons, she searched the area around the Potions classroom. Two figures were in the room, and she read the labels with interest. One read, as expected, 'Severus Snape', but the other was labeled 'Malcolm Baddock'. She wondered about this for a moment, watching as the professor slowly moved around the stationary student, then shrugged. He must have a detention, she assumed.

Suddenly a thought struck her, and she turned to look at her friends. "Before that night when you found out about who I was seeing," she began, hesitantly, "did you ever look at this map, to see where I was?" It had never occurred to her before, but now that she had the map in front of her, it seemed natural that they would have done this.

Harry answered her softly. "We - - - never talked about using the map," he told her. "I thought about it, but - - - it would have been too - - - " His voice trailed off.

"We felt really guilty when we went down to the Potions classroom with the cloak," Ron continued. "It was my idea. We wanted to make sure you were okay, but we never intended to spy on you."

Hermione felt a wave of gratitude pass over her. It must have been tough on them, not knowing where she was all that time. She smiled, then covered her awkwardness by turning her attention back to the map, this time on the rooms and corridors, instead of the figures. A brief glance was enough to confirm her suspicions.

"Look," she told them, pointing at the back of the classroom. "There are passages missing from this – there's a corridor from the back of the Potions classroom to Severus' rooms that just doesn't show!"

Ron and Harry glanced at each other. Even now, her use of the name Severus made them uncomfortable, and the fact that she was talking about secret passages to his private rooms did nothing to alleviate that discomfort. She noticed the look, and sighed inwardly. It hurt her so much that the man she loved and the friends she adored could not be on more friendly terms. None of them had any interest in bridging the gap between them, and she had never pushed the issue, for fear of widening the rift. It could be worse, she reflected, at least they don't openly criticize each other in front of me. It was a carefully avoided subject when she was with any of them, which was not an ideal solution by any means, but it was, thankfully, a relatively peaceful one. Open hostility between them would be more than she could handle from any of them.

Trying not to let her feelings show, she plowed on. "The passage has some powerful magic around it," she told them, "to conceal it, rather than just prevent anyone getting in. Maybe certain types of spell manage to conceal things well enough that they don't appear on the map!"

As Harry and Ron leaned close to see where she was pointing, she showed them Snape's rooms, with the entrance to them from a corridor closer to the Slytherin house's common room. That was the way that was his official entrance, and was much shorter and quicker than the one she usually used. Tracing the line where the hidden passage must be, there was no evidence that it existed at all.

The two boys were fascinated. "This means there could be loads of other passages!" Ron said, excitedly. "Anything that has strong concealment spells on it might not show at all!" The possibilities were endless – whole sections of the school could be hidden – passages to Hogsmeade, hidden rooms – anything!

Hermione explained her idea to them, quickly. "We've known ever since you found out about the passages, that the map doesn't show everything – assuming that the passage to the lake really exists," she added.

Harry finished off her thoughts. "So instead of wandering around the dungeons looking for the passage itself, we should find a way to make it appear on the map!" His voice had become louder, and he glanced quickly round to make sure no one had heard him. "Hermione, you're a genius!" he whispered.

"You only just figured that out?" asked Ron, making Hermione smile, delightedly. She had never had any doubts about her abilities, but reassurance of their friendship meant a lot to her after everything that had happened between them that year.

Getting back to business she said, "So now we just need to figure out how to make the map show the rest of the passages."

Harry thought about this carefully, trying to remember anything that Sirius had told him about how the map had been created. They had never really talked about it much. "I think we'd have to use a combination of a few spells," he said, thinking aloud. "Maybe some kind of revealing charm, to show the passages."

"And some map-making spells," added Ron.

Switching to her usual role of organizer, Hermione set Ron to work looking for books on map-making, while she and Harry researched ways to reveal hidden objects, and break through concealment spells. The Marauder's Map was carefully wiped clean, and put away.

Ron sighed, exaggeratedly, as he headed for the bookshelves once again. "Genius, but slave-driver!" This would be a long evening, but the three of them set to work with renewed enthusiasm, feeling that they were one step closer to finding the hidden passages to the caverns beneath the lake.

- - -

At eight o'clock, Snape sat, waiting for Malcolm Baddock to arrive.

Two minutes past.

Five minutes past.

Ten minutes.

The professor sat at his desk, intently studying a book, when the third-year finally strolled in at twelve minutes past eight, closing the door behind him, and sitting calmly on a desk as though nothing was amiss. He said nothing as the Potions Master calmly finished his page, and placed the book on his desk before looking up.

His voice was matter-of-fact, betraying neither surprise nor anger at the boy, simply stating, "You're late, Mr. Baddock."

The reply was cheerful. "I had some things to do."

It had taken Snape most of the morning to decide, finally, what Baddock's behavior, during the first lesson, had been about. Once he had formed the thought, he knew without question that it was correct. Everything fitted perfectly. All he had to do now was wait for the confirmation. "Out with it, then, Mr. Baddock. Tell me what this is all about."

"There are some ingredients I want for a potion. I was hoping you'd get them for me." He smiled in an apparently friendly manner, before digging into his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. "I have a list." He held the paper out in front of him, but made no move to bring it forward. Snape stood, willing to allow the boy the feeling of having the upper hand, and moved round the desk to take the list and study it.

A smile played with the corners of the teacher's lips as he read the list aloud. "Powdered unicorn horn. Golden Letterkran skin. Re'em blood. Some interesting and, shall we say – powerful – substances here." He raised a questioning eyebrow at the student in front of him. "And what makes you think I would be willing to acquire such ... potent ... ingredients for you?"

The boy's words confirmed his suspicions. "Because I could make things very difficult for you if I were to let slip to Dumbledore that you're sleeping with the Mudblood."

Snape laughed. It was not a laugh of happiness, but of genuine amusement. Since he had become conscious of what this would be about, he had been playing over the possibilities in his mind. The knowledge that the boy had was not as devastating as he was assuming, but it could still hurt. Secrecy with Dumbledore was no longer necessary, but it would be – unfortunate – if Baddock were to tell the students. The thought horrified Snape, but his emotions were well in check now, and he pushed the fear expertly aside. For several months, he had been concerned about the state of his emotions, and his inability to control his thoughts, expressions and, worst of all, his actions. Hermione had thoroughly derailed his control, but he noted, with satisfaction, that that was not the case now. Instead of being held in the unfamiliar grip of love, he was now dealing with a situation that he knew all too well. He was on familiar ground, and in complete command of his feelings. The smile on Baddock's face faltered slightly, at his victim's unexpected laughter, but only for a second, before the boy regained his composure. He was good, the teacher noted.

Slowly, he began to move around the student, his amused voice low as he spoke. "Blackmail," he mused. "Such a ... convenient ... device. It has the advantage of using the subject's own failings against them, making them the victim of their own transgressions." Despite the apparent confidence, he could sense apprehension from the young Slytherin, and relished the sensation of making him squirm. "I will admit that blackmail has always been one of my favourites."

Baddock turned his head to glance at Snape as he circled him. "Then you'll know that I wouldn't have come here without some – security."

Snape smiled, knowing it to be a lie. Instinct told him that the boy had neither proof, nor a witness to confirm what he said. Neither had he told anyone else of his suspicions. A child like Baddock, for all his cockiness, would not wish to share the spoils of an opportunity like this with anyone. He was protective of his older brother, but he, like the head of the Slytherin house, knew that Alistair Baddock would not be party to this. The Sorting Hat must have seen something in the brother's head to warrant his place in the dark house, but it had never been apparent to either of them. There would be no one else in whom the more devious of the brothers would confide.

Working his way round behind the boy on the desk, he moved close. He knew the intimidating effect that his voice and presence could have, and used both to his full advantage, speaking infinitely slowly, and in almost a whisper. "When it comes to blackmail, Mr. Baddock, you are taking on the Master at his own game!"

Snape was developing an objective respect for the young Slytherin in front of him, especially at the coolness of his voice as he responded. "I'm beginning to realize that, Professor, but I still hold the advantage. Like you said – a victim of your own transgressions."

The Potions Master laughed once again at this. Salazar Slytherin would be proud of this devious little bastard, he thought. He moved back to his desk, looking down at the list of demands, then folded them deliberately, and pocketed them. "Very well, Mr. Baddock, I will play along with your little game, for now, on the condition that you tell no one. Not Dumbledore, not your brother, and no one else – student or teacher. If I find that anyone else knows, then all deals are off!"

Baddock nodded curtly. "Agreed." He jumped lightly from the desk and headed for the door. "Of course – the list you have is only a start. I have some other projects in mind, that I will be asking for your ... cooperation ... with."

Snape sat down behind his desk and picked up his book. "I don't doubt it for a minute."