Chapter Eleven: Drinking Tea in the Dungeons

The dungeons were dark and creepy as always, grave silent, but not speechless. Who knows what secrets these walls are hiding from unassuming people that are walking back and forth along the corridors and tunnels of the Hogwarts' dungeons. Right along those corridors professor Halflife was walking to professor Snape's office. Now she knew the way to her destination and needn't scare to death one of the students by asking where Snape's office is. She walked with her chin up, very confident with herself, but still a little scared, just a little, even half a little, but still scared. In her hands she was holding a piece of parchment, which was the reason for her trouble to come down to the dungeons tonight.

Come to my office at seven o'clock sharp. We need to discuss your problem.

Professor Snape

Potion's Master

She needn't have been reminded what her problem was, because she knew this reason excellently. That's why she flew towards the dungeons without even thinking, hoping against hope, that maybe he kept his word and found the cure. Only when she was in the middle of the dungeon corridor's web, she started thinking. 'How could he possibly find the cure in such a short period of time? This is impossible; even if he is the potions genius himself. Then why is he asking me to come? Too many questions about a simple meeting. Of course, how could it be clear to understand, if you are meeting with professor Snape. Nothing is simple with Severus Snape.' She didn't notice how she came to the door to Snape's office. She knocked quietly and after "Come in!" did what was told and went in.

"Right on time. Quite surprising," said Snape, sitting behind his working table without finding and looking for time to stand up and greet the guest properly.

"Good evening to you too," Professor Halflife greeted him and sat on the coach like she own it, or like it was the most common thing to do, sitting on Snape's couch without asking him permission. Only now Snape turned his head to look at her and his eyebrows were a little higher that they should be, but he said nothing.

"I asked you to come because I have some questions about your problem, as I named it."

"You haven't found the cure?" she moved forward. You can understand that she said it far from politely, I would like to mention, that she didn't bother to cover her rage.

"Of course, I haven't. How could I find it in such a short period of time? This is impossible even I if I would be the potions genius himself!" Halflife giggled. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," she tried to cover her mouth and say something normal at the same time. "You said exactly the same thing that I thought during my way to your office."

"Then why are you asking? Don't you believe your own thoughts now? I thought you weren't sane, but this…" he rolled his eyes and returned to grading the essays.

"Now I am not sane! Look who is talking!" she crossed her hands on her chest, glaring at him. "You ordered me to come here to ask questions, and what are you doing? Sitting and grading the papers as if I am not even here!"

"I am waiting until you gather your brains and put them in that head of yours. Or you need help with that too?" he said bitterly and smirked.

She waited for a few minutes still glaring at him, but then said with all the dignity she could muster, "I am ready."

"Good," after a pause he continued. "They were doing some research and tests with your blood, concerning your problem."

"They?"

"Yes, they, my assistants."

"You told them? They know about my problem, as you put it!"

"No, they don't know any of it. I just asked them to do the research on the subject of family curses. And even if they do some tests on your blood, they don't do any connection with you, because they don't know that someone is cursed." She sighed with relief."But sooner or later they'll know by all means. They are to find the cure for you. And every curse is a particular case, that's why we need to find a way to remove your curse using you one or two times."

"What do you mean, "use"?" she was now a little scared after his lecture, feeling like a guinea pig for his experiments.

"We need you to do some tests to look for your reaction and whatnot. You thought that I would just come to you, give you a vial and say that this is the cure, drink it and you are healthy as a newborn baby, didn't you?"

"Well, practically, yes."

"Do you want a cup of tea?"

"What?"

"I am thirsty from all these boring essays and talking with you, explaining everything to you like a small child."

"Ok."

"What? That you are a small child?"

"No, I want a cup of tea," she said, the irritation clear in your voice.

Again a small table appeared with tea set for two. Tea service was from porcelain with brown designs of flowers on it. The work was very fine and original. All the lines were delicate and exact, even something feminine was in this service. Of course, all this couldn't slip from professor's Halflife eyes. She took an empty cup and began to look it over, taking it close to her eyes.

"What's so interesting about it? Found a sister for gossip?" Snape asked sarcastically, never tired from insulting her in one way or another.

"No, this is a very fine work," she put the cup back on the table. "Where did you get it? I want one too."

Snape's eyebrows made their way to his hairline the second time for the evening. "You can't get it. There is no other set like this."

"I understand, it is as unique as you are."

He smirked on her comment but answered, "You are right; it is as unique as I am, because it is a family heirloom."

"Huh," a sad expression flashed on her face and her lips pouted. She was behaving exactly like a child who didn't get a toy which he wanted all year at Christmas.

"But to the topic," said Snape, when he finished his mug and looked straight in her eyes. "I have some questions about the problem, because the result of their research is confusing me."

"Confusing? You?" Certainly there was a hint of playfulness in her question.

"Yes, me. The first point is that the curse is removed, if the cursed person does what he was cursed for. You were cursed for not serving Voldemort, but you are a Death Eater. I think you should explain that."

"I am surprised that you are asking me that," her tone was suddenly very serious. "It was not my wish that I am serving him. I myself thought that I would be free from that Hell if I go to another, but nothing of that sort happened because I was, and am far from loyal to Voldemort. That's why I am here by the way. The curse says that I must serve Voldemort like my ancestors, or in other words be his slave, which I want to be as much as to be a muggle!"

"I understand your point here, was just checking," he made some notes on the parchment, but it stayed clean as before. Halflife's eyebrows raised in silent question. "Invisible ink. You want this to be a grave secret, don't you?"

She nodded and he continued. "Your clan made the curse all together, I presume? How many were there?"

"Sixteen," she sighed.

"Big family. How interesting family gatherings should be."

"Yeah, splendid. All looking like they want to put a dagger in the back of the other."

"But this curse united them; one good thing at least came out of the ordeal."

"How can you say this! If such a family unites all its dark powers, it will be more powerful then the Malfoys. But the endless rivalries about the inheritance between the members of the Halflife clan will never stop, so we can be calm on this point."

Just as she finished speaking, loud sounds of arguing came from behind the wall.

"What is this all about?" she asked taken aback by this sudden invasion.

"My assistants. Arguing. Again," he rolled his eyes and groaned in frustration.

"They are real! I thought you made them up."

"What for? Do I look like crazy?"

She looked at him intently. "Yes."

"No offence taken, because you look very crazy yourself."

"Who are those poor children who found the misfortune to work under you?"

"This is top secret, I can't tell you."

'Stubborn, tuff nut!'"I just want to know who I must be grateful to after they save my life. Not to you, of course, but them. Because I understood that they are doing all the dirty work and you are only sitting grading papers and nothing more!"

Snape took a deep breath not to lose his temper, because it wasn't worth it, she wasn't worth it, her eyes were, but let's not touch this aspect of his thinking.

'Yes, sitting here, doing nothing! Even Malfoy and Weasley don't know about my tests and their results. And I won't tell you. I managed to find the way to see those atoms in your blood and I already came to the way of saving you, but you don't care and I don't care, so sit here and torture me with your blue oceans, but I'll tell you nothing about my discoveries.'

The arguing became even louder and some separate words were heard, but the context was still unclear.

"When will they stop!" Snape moaned.

"They are like a Malfoy and a Weasley in a cage with one dinner."

"I see that you already learned something about students in this school."

"And who doesn't know about their family rivalry? It has been going on for centuries. I can't understand how they haven't already killed each other here."

"If I haven't known you, I would have said you are a Seer," this was his time to shock her to death and laugh at it.

"And you know me so very well, but that is not the point, what about the Seer thing?"

"Because right behind this wall, in my private laboratory are my assistants, Mister Draco Malfoy and Miss Virginia Weasley."

She was so shocked that she even gasped. "Holly Founders, how cruel can you be?"

"Hm?"

"How can you put these two together? They'll kill each other!"

"Surprisingly enough, they haven't. In three months." How pleasant is the feeling of the upper hand!

"And you are making the experiment looking when they'll go mad or something?"

"Of course not. They are my assistants."

"And this is a quite pleasant experience by itself," she grunted.

"They did it on their own free will, so don't speak of all these protection speeches."

"But why them?"

"It is quite simple. Why can you get it? They can do it, and that is already a very rare feature."

"You mean, they can stand you?"

"This also."

"You haven't answered my question. Why them?"

"It is none of your concern."

"Top secret."

"Yes." 'How can she be so irritating?'

"I won't go from here till you tell me why you chose them and nobody else."

"Only to save myself from your company, I'll tell you."

"Merlin," she rolled her eyes, "that was hard."

"I have chosen Draco Malfoy, because we have a lot in common and a love for potions in particular. He is very skilled and patient in what he does. After some training, he will become a real Potions Master and take my place when I retire. And this may happen soon."

Halflife flinched on this twist of his speech. "Why so?"

"I cannot work or live with Voldemort on my tail. Sooner or later he will kill me."

She didn't want to continue this topic and asked, "And why have you chosen Miss Weasley?"

"Oh," he smirked. "That's a long story."

"I have time."

He shook his head. 'Won't leave me in peace with my secrets.' "I have chosen her because she is a Weasley."

"And this should explain everything to me."

"Yes."

"I am a stupid child tonight, explain it to me."

"So you admit that you a stupid child."

"Yes, yes, go on."

Snape chuckled but continued, "I have some personal interest in Draco Malfoy. He is always alone, no friends, no shoulder to cry on, and no one to talk to about his personal issues. He needed a partner, an equal, who has something in common with him. And I chose her because she is a Weasley. She isn't on top of her potions class, but she has talent and potential. She can be as good as he is. A girl with heart and soul. She can help him through this period of life, because it is hard for him to do it alone. In a few weeks he will ask himself to be or not to be, and I want him to choose the right answer. They are potions partners now. Do you know anything about it?"

"Well, no," she listened with interest about his assistants, because this couldn't be uninteresting. She always wanted to know about people's personalities and characters. And here was more than a vivid example. 'But how can they work with him, with each other? I won't believe it until I see it myself.'

"Potions partnership is a rare feature in the wizarding world, because a person who dedicates his life to potions is usually alone. He is like a hermit or like me." She smiled at his last comment. "Potions partners can be named a married couple even, because they work very close together and have each other's lives in their hands. I'll be very proud if I can bring up such partners for a change. If they survive, they could be the pride of the whole wizarding world!" he had a dreaming expression on his face when he said this.

"Or if Malfoy makes the right choice," she whispered.

Snape's face became gloomy again. "Yes."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, drinking already cold tea.

"I better go," she said awkwardly.

"Yes. I'll inform you about the results later."

She left the office quietly closing the door behind her. Snape sat there for a few minutes looking at the floor, then turned to his table and with a deep sigh, continued to grade the boring essays.