Bitterly Unrequited

Chapter 7 - The Polyjuice Potion

Spoilers and warnings: ...oh, hell, I've spoiled and warned enough. Read the spoilers and warnings on previous chapters if you're that interested.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, etc. No profit is made, and so on...

A/N: Please review! This is my second chapter in one day...I'm doing well, aren't I? Anyway, enjoy!

Severus slowly stirred the potion, careful not to overdo anything. The potion had to be perfect, he knew, or the plan would not work at all. He gently added the lacewings he had meticulously ground into its fine dust state. At last, the small bubbles burst into straight jets of dark steam, the potion's blue tint giving way to the muddy brown that showed it was done, save for one ingredient.

"I could have sworn Slughorn said that only a third of the amount of knotgrass you put in there was what you needed...didn't he say it took precisely one and a half skeins of knotgrass in?"

Snape irritably set his jaw, looking up at Rosier, who had insisted on accompanying Snape when he determined Snape's plan "officially evil and diabolical." He looked up at Rosier and sneered, "How exactly did you come by that bit of information, Rosier? In that brief span of time in between sleeping and writing notes in Slughorn's class?"

"Precisely. But you're ignoring the question. You put three times as much knotgrass as you needed."

"If you must know, increased amounts of knotgrass would make the potion's effects more long-lasting. The potion is only supposed to last for an hour; however, if you triple the amount of knotgrass, which, coincidentally, is the element of the potion that controls the life span of its working effects, then you would then have three hours, instead of one."

Rosier grinned. "Three whole hours to be with your precious Evans? Come on, Snape, that seems a bit far-fetched." Severus decidedly ignored him and continued working on the potion.

"But didn't Slughorn say..." Snape turned around and stared icily at his companion, hoping it would intimidate him - which it didn't. "Didn't he say that changing the ingredients of this potion could lead to an overdose that could either leave you partially transformed for the rest of your life or end up killing you?"

"Yes, he did say that. That might just be why I put a third as much fluxweed in as called for, because fluxweed combined with high amounts of knotgrass can lead to the symptoms you just mentioned. Fluxweed serves no crucial purpose in the potion, other than to ease the uncomfortableness during the initial transformation into whoever you're becoming, which, by the way, is why I added the dried nettles, which were not called for in the directions."

"All right, that makes sense," said Rosier, after thinking on it for a while. "But why exactly..."

"Rosier, which one of us is actually good at potion-making...or, for that matter, even passing Potions?"

"You..."

"And who is Slughorn always saying is amazingly talented in revising potions to make them more effective?"

"You."

"And who is only in the Potions N.E.W.T. class because Slughorn finds him amusing?"

"Me."

"Exactly. Now, can you let me make the potion, please, without your obnoxious interruptions?"

"Of course," he replied in mock politeness.

"Good. Then the only other thing we need is a bit of Potter."

Snape and Rosier stood in the corridor outside the Gryffindor Common Room, just as Potter and his gang were walking towards the Great Hall. It was a perfect opportunity...James was lagging behind his friends by a few steps anyway, so they didn't notice when he stopped altogether, caught by a full Body-Bind spell. The other three Gryffindor boys walked ahead, around the corner, entirely clueless.

Snape carelessly flicked his wand, releasing the spell. James spun around to face them, furious. "Look who it is, Snape," jeered Rosier maliciously, "the little Mudblood-lover..."

Rosier was jinxed before he could say another word, as ropes appeared from nowhere and bound him painfully. "Git," James muttered, glaring at him, before turning to Snape. "I should have known it was you, Snape, when I was first jinxed...no one else I know would be enough of a coward to try to duel with my back..."

Snape's cool composure broke instantaneously. "Sectumsempra!" he shouted, then again, and again, until Potter was keeled over, blood splashing everywhere. His face was ghostly white as he looked up at Severus. "Never," Snape hissed, a manical, mad gleam possessing his deep black eyes, "never call me a coward."

Snape looked at the boy in disgust and hatred as he passed out, before turning to where Rosier lay bound on the ground. With a flick of his wand, the ropes disappeared, and Rosier stood up. "So," he said, looking down at Potter's limp form, "shall I carry him back to the classroom?"

"No," said Severus, shaking slightly as he stared at the body and the blood draining from him. "No, I'll take him back. Go back to the common room, Rosier."

Severus watched as Rosier disappeared around the corner, then bound Potter's with a quick spell and levitated him swiftly through the hall and into the empty classroom that Slughorn had permitted him to use for his potion-brewing. Dropping Potter's body roughly on one of the desks, he yanked out a few of the messy black hairs from James' head and was a few moments away from depositing them into the potion. He looked at Potter, an idea forming.

Blood. Potter's face, hands, and robes were all soaking in his own blood. Technically speaking, it was illegal to use another human's blood in potions, but its results would be limitlessly more effective. With blood, the effects would last probably ten to twelve hours. He nervously went to James' body, still utterly unconscious, and pointed his wand at one of Potter's wounds and watched as the small pool of blood levitated across the room and mixed gently into the cauldron. His hands shook ever so slightly as he ladled a cupful of the potion into his goblet. He raised his glass sardonically to Potter's limp form and drained the class.

Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were approaching him, looking concerned. Snape immediately put on his facade of Potter-like arrogance and conceit.

"James, why weren't you at dinner?" asked Lupin. "We were worried - so was Lil."

Snape felt his heart lift in James' chest at the mention of the girl. "Er, I wasn't feeling well, so I went to sleep for a while. Sorry I didn't tell you...where's Peter, by the way?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Still pigging out in the Great Hall, of course."

Lupin, however, still looked concerned, his brow furrowed. "Are you all right and everything, James? Do you think you have a fever, d'you think? Or..."

"Moony, you're not his bloody mum, for Merlin's sake," drawled Black lazily. "Let him be."

They walked together through the corridor, Snape attempting to achieve Potter's normal, nonchalant walk, mastering the posture. "So," said Sirius, "what are we going to do tonight? I mean, we could always go find Snivellus, and amuse ourselves, but even that grows old after a while."

Snape felt his blood boil, but he let it pass, saying, "I would, but I'm going to hang out with Lily tonight...it's our four-month anniversary, you see."

Sirius looked at him in surprise. "It is?" Snape nodded. "Hmm...well then, James, have fun...though you didn't need me to tell you that, I'm sure," he added with a wink.

He laughed with them as they walked away, then the smile slid off his face. "Believe me," he muttered under his breath, "I will."