Potions: What would a Girl Do without It?
By Slave4Severus
Disclaimer: I still do not own any of J.K.R. characters. Even though I wish I did.
Cooling fingers wrapped around the heated flesh of her neck, gently lifting her from the pillow. Before she could open her eyes, the cool, comforting wetness of water splashed against her lips, which she opened all too willingly. With long, deep draughts, Alanna tried to quench her all consuming thirst, not caring of the few droplets of precious liquid that made their way down her cheeks. Far too soon, the glass was taken from her lips and her head rested once more on the pillow, her protesting groan going unnoticed.
"You can not give her that much, Ron! You are lucky she did not choke on all that water."
Alanna's tired mind barely registered what the voice was saying, only that the mistress must be mad at the little fire-haired house elf, Won. She hoped the delicate little guy would not be reprimanded.
"She was thirsty!"
Alanna grimaced slightly. With that attitude, he was sure to receive corporal punishment from the bossy lady. She cracked her eyes a mere fraction, spotting two figures standing by the side of her bed.
"We need to get out of here before Madam Pomfrey returns," Hermione began draping the soft, feathery fabric of the cloak over their heads.
"Wait," her voice was soft, but desperate.
Both pairs of eyes shot to hers with apprehension, stilling their movements in wait for Alanna's next words.
She swallowed convulsively and gazed back at them with eyes wide of anxiety.
"Please…take me…home…please!"
Hermione's heart tightened and she could feel a lump forming in her throat. Although she did not relish the possibility of being caught red-handed by the nurse, she had a duty to perform to this girl. Alanna's breathing had become labored as the onslaught of pain her body had been assaulted with finally caught up with her, not even adrenaline could stop her from trembling like a leaf. She could not remember ever feeling this horrid in her life, her memories swirling in a dark haze of disembodied images just out of her reach. She stifled a moan and bit down on her lower lip not wanting to show her weakness to the strangers beside the bed, forcefully closing her eyes and tilting her head to the side.
"Ron we need to get Madam Pomfrey out here," she whispered to her best friend, pulling him out of his staring stupor.
"What? Have you gone bonkers!" He replied heatedly before lowering the volume of his voice to a quiet hiss. "You and I will be stuck in detention for weeks if she finds us here."
Hermione scanned her surroundings and picked up a bedpan that was sitting on a side table next to her. She looked over at Alanna with a mixture of concern and pity before dropping the metal object on the floor with a deafening clatter in the silent ward. With a quick flick of her wrist, both she and Ron disappeared under the cloak.
They barely had time to step from the side of the bed into the main isle before Madam Pomfrey came rushing into the ward and straight to Alanna's bed, pulling her wand with such speed that the two friends stepped back a few paces, as she passed them full speed. The slinky material of the invisibility cloak billowed in her wake.
With a wave of her wand, the medi-witch scanned her patient's vital signs, whom had begun to shift uncomfortably on her cot, her face and neck drenched in sweat. With a curt movement, Madam Pomfrey divested the girl of her blankets to gain access to her patient beneath, beginning to undo the first few buttons on her nightgown.
Hermione pushed against Ron's big frame with all her might. They had to get out of the ward as soon as possible, and the big oaf was just standing there ogling the girl on her cot. Seriously! She would really have to speak with him about his non-existent sense of tact. With a hard pinch and a final shove, she ushered Ron toward the double doors, silently treading over the threshold to the dark hallway beyond.
Breathing was becoming harder as she clutched the sheets with her fists. Where was she? Who kept on prodding her with their wand? Oh, Merlin help her, what had happened? A few images flashed before her eyes of driving rain, bright lightning, ferocious thunder, and laughter. A rich malicious laughter that would not stop, echoing around her and filling her with dread. She barely contained a scream, in an attempt to drown out the images and sounds.
"Can you hear me?"
The voice seemed distant, but imploring.
"Alanna, can you hear me child?"
A soft moan escaped her lips, as she tried to focus on the person speaking to her.
"I need you to sit up a little, Alanna."
She could barely open her eyes, how in the world was she supposed to sit up?
"Drink this."
A small vial was placed against her lips, while a strong arm pushed her up into a sitting position. Her trembling lips parted and the bitter tasting potion filled her mouth, burning its way down her esophagus. Within seconds, the pain in her body receded to a dull throbbing as she lay back exhaustedly. She opened her eyes sleepily and looked at the woman who was placing the empty vial on a nightstand. She looked a bit weary, her nurses cap a bit askew on her head, as if she had not slept in a few days. Wisps of her graying hair were framing her kind face, which gave her a bit of a frazzled look.
"Where am I?" Alanna cringed at the sound of her small, whiney voice.
Madam Pomfrey turned to face her with a small smile on her lips, as she uncorked yet another vial.
"You are at Hogwarts, dear."
Hogwarts..Hogwarts…Where had she heard that name before? No matter where she was, the only thing she wanted was to return home. Home…home…she wished her mind was not so befuddled.
Poppy took note of the pained expression Alanna wore and carefully helped her drink down the Dreamless Sleep potion.
"There. Tomorrow everything will look brighter."
Alanna let herself be lulled into sleep by the soft clanking of glass against a metal tray, and the receding steps of the medi-witch.
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The intensity of the sunlight coming through the bay window next to Alanna's bed was what finally woke her. She opened her eyes, but quickly shut them, cursing the house elf who had opened them before she had awakened. Instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, she attempted to block out the rays, while they gradually adjusted to the brightness.
Her eyes opened cautiously as she surveyed her surroundings. She was in a hospital of some kind based on the many beds she could see in her peripheral vision. A very deserted hospital. With a bit of effort, she sat up in bed, but thankfully did not experience any pain. In fact, a warm tingling sensation had spread through her body extending as far as her fingertips and toes. She must have taken some sort of pain and muscle relaxant last night. Alanna wrinkled her forehead in concentration.
'Last night,' she could hardly remember anything that had been going on in the past hours, which truly disturbed her. There was something pressing on the back of her mind. Something she had to do. Something….
Whatever it was, it would surely come back to her. Right now, she had to deal with more pressing problems. She carefully lifted the three blankets that covered her nightgown-clad body and tentatively placed her feet on the granite floor, wincing at its coldness. With unsteady hands, she slowly stood waiting out the bout of dizziness to pass before placing one foot before the other.
She could not recall a time where walking seemed so difficult and exhausting. Her steps were small and tentative, while her hands tried to steady her gait by holding onto anything sturdy enough to support her weight.
If she did not have to use the loo so badly she would have stayed in bed. A few more steps and Alanna rounded the privacy screen and was greeted by…absolutely nobody. The ward lay undisturbed and silent before her; only two other beds seemed to be occupied at the other end. Before she could have another look around, her bladder made itself known once more with an uncomfortable contraction, forgoing her interest in her surroundings. Over to her left were three, unmarked doors, which she promptly approached.
Switching feet uncomfortably, she tried the handle on the first door and opened it slowly, revealing an unoccupied isolation room. Closing the door with a small sigh, Alanna shuffled to the second door.
'Oh, please, let it be the lavatory,' she desperately thought, as she tried the next handle. A satisfied groan escaped her as she entered the small bathroom on the other side, a dozen candles igniting as she stepped over the threshold, the door closing quietly behind her.
After relieving herself, she stepped over to the sink to wash her trembling hands, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
'For Merlin's sake! What happened to my hair?' Her usually sleek tresses were matted to her head in unruly knots. Dark circles stood out purple beneath her bloodshot eyes, and her skin had a sallow and sickly tint to it. She looked like a hag! With frantic fingers, she began to untangle her hair, her mothers meticulous harping on her appearance coming to mind.
'Alanna, darling, because you are not one of the fortunate females on my side of the family to inherit a fine bone structure and delicate features, you will have to take special care in your grooming habits.'
Funny, how she could remember something so trivial, but not how she had gotten here. She stilled her movements and regarded herself once more.
'I am Alanna Jade Flint.' All right, she knew who she was. Now, the last thing she remembered was….her piano lesson. Rachmaninov.
Alanna closed her eyes in an attempt to access her failing memory. She left the ballroom to go upstairs…and walked to her laboratory to…brew some muscle relaxant.
But what had happened next?
She shook her head in frustration, hoping to dislodge any hidden memories within. Why was it so difficult to…then it dawned on her, as her head snapped up and she focused on herself once more in the mirror.
"I must have been obliviated."
That assumption actually made sense. It would certainly explain why she was in an unknown place, full of bruises, and looking worse than she ever had in her life. There was something very disconcerting about waking up in a bed that was not her own. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine before her gaze fell to the faucets before her. A quick splash of cold water on her face relieved the strain of her tired eyes, although she would have rather taken a steaming hot shower in her own bathroom at home.
With a quick flip of her hair, Alanna gathered the tendrils over her left shoulder to run her hands through them one final time, but something caught her eye mid stroke.
"What in the bloody hell is that?" Her right hand flew to the spot on her neck that played host to a very peculiar looking mark. Her index finger flitted over the thin slice mark raised against her skin, eliciting a slight burning sensation that subsided within seconds.
Now she was scarred as well? What in blazes is going on here? Merlin save the witch or wizard who is responsible for her condition! She was not going to take this type of treatment silently.
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His lengthened gait echoed through the deserted halls of Hogwarts as he made his way from the dungeons to the hospital wing yet again! His mood had been as black this morning as it had been the previous evening after discovering what exactly had been lectured in his absence. The old fool actually taught his students the subtle science and exact art that is...candy making! He had more than ten sacks full of nougats, ice mice, blood pops, and other sugary nightmares that had been submitted for grading.
If that had not been enough, he had also been forced to listen to the tirade of the Bloody Baron that had infuriated him even more. It seemed that various females in his house had taken it upon themselves to spread Slytherin pride by coloring all the Gryffindor owls a permanent shade of green.
Thankfully, the irate ghost came upon them after only three birds, which were rushed to Hagrid for a special feather wash. The results had yet to be reported to him, he hoped for the students' sake that it has a positive outcome.
After indulging in only a few hours of sleep, he had been roused from his slumber by yet another disturbing dream that had included none other than the highly irritating Miss Flint. How she could be irksome to him while unconscious was still a mystery.
Severus idly fingered the vial that was resting within the palm of his hand. He had gotten the bottle of Veritaserum out of his personal stores in hopes that Dumbledore would allow him to question the girl. A malicious smirk crossed his features as he turned into the hallway annexing the hospital wing. She would not get way from him this time. Finally, his questions would be answered. All of them.
He entered the ward quietly, hoping that the ever-present nurse would not make an appearance until after he had concluded his business. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings as he veered left to walk briskly down the isle toward the familiar privacy screen at the end. His good fortune of being alone did not hold, however, as the door to the she-devil's office opened and expelled a tired, but alert looking Madam Pomfrey.
Severus suppressed a groan.
Poppy did not.
"Can you not stay in your dungeon? Must you always meddle in my affairs?" Poppy crossed his path and placed her hands on her copious hips, hindering him from reaching his destination.
"Trust me Madam. Were I to 'meddle' you would surly know," he purred silkily.
"Do not try that velvety voice on me Severus! I promise you it will not succeed."
He was tempted to roll his eyes at the middle-aged witch, but his gentlemanly breeding prevented it. Oh, whom was he kidding! Severus rolled his eyes and stepped around her, a sneer resting on his thin lips.
Poppy narrowed her eyes and followed him lowering her voice into a fierce whisper.
"The child needs her rest! How will she ever recuperate with someone, such as you, disturbing her every five minutes?"
Severus looked over his shoulder. "Do I look as if I care?" He drawled darkly, and passed around the screen; coming to an abrupt stop as he surveyed the empty bed Miss Flint had occupied.
"What is the meaning of this!" He did not even try to contain his anger.
Poppy walked around the black curtain that were his robes and looked upon the empty bed herself.
"She obviously had to…"
"She obviously slipped by your watchful eye, Poppy! I hope you know that we have a highly volatile individual running around this school, unsupervised. I will inform the Headmaster post haste about your serious lack of judgment," and with a furious scowl that could have melted ice, Severus left the hospital wing.
"And once again, he comes to the wrong conclusion," Poppy sighed heavily and made her way over to the lavatory, only a few paces from her office. She quietly listened at the door to confirm the whereabouts of the 'highly volatile' young woman, satisfied only after hearing the unmistakable sound of running water.
Straightening her spine, she turned to the remaining occupants of the ward and busied herself with their well-being, before stepping into her office to floo the headmaster in regards to Alanna's awakening.
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Alanna was thankful for small miracles. The mirror in the lavatory did not seem to be charmed to comment on her lacking appearance.
'Have I always been this vain?' It seemed her mother was finally rubbing off on her. With a final look at herself, Alanna opened the door and walked back into the sun kissed, and still deserted, ward. With unsteady legs, that felt as if she had been hit with the jelly-legs jinx, she finally manages to crawl back onto her cot and cover her cold body with numerous blankets. With a sigh of relief, she leaned back against her pillow, utterly exhausted from the physical activity. Her eyes drooped a little, and suppressing a yawn watched the dust particles dance in the morning sunshine, her mind blissfully blank.
'Vampire blood may be used in various potions as a restorative agent…'she yawned once more. 'Firstly, it has to be kept at room temperature…,' her eyes fluttered and fell shut, '…in order to extract the exact…number of...platelets…'
She must have dozed off for only a moment before being jarred awake by the crashing sound of a door being forcefully opened. Followed by the unmistakable sounds of a roaring floo fire and yet another door opening and crashing against the wall. Thank Merlin she went to the bathroom earlier, or she would have had an accident by sheer fright.
Alanna could hear a loud groan; "Severus, do you never give up?" complained a clipped female voice.
A slightly muffled and irritated baritone began to speak only to be cut off by a cheery wizened voice, "Severus my dear boy calm yourself."
"Albus I insist you look into this matter. The girl is missing!" The dark timbre of the voice hit her, playing havoc with her senses, leaving her a little flushed and over heated. There was this nagging little voice that insisted she recognized it. How could the sound of a voice affect her this way?
"You are more daft than I thought possible! If you would not have run out of here like some bat out of hell then I could have told you where she was!"
"You see, Severus, no harm done."
"That girl needs to be supervised at all times, Albus. We do not know what her…"
"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."
"I have a potion right here that will prove her innocence."
A flash of recognition penetrated her foggy memory. As soon as hit, it faded again into the recesses of her mind, leaving her only with the thought of blackness…black fabric to be exact.
A soft gasp pulled her from her musings. "Headmaster! I must insist that he leaves. Miss Flint is my patient, and she should not be distressed!"
'Oh, bollocks! They are talking about me!'
"Albus I insist on using this to ensure our safety! You know how very much I despise being denied what I want."
"She will not ingest anything that will hinder her recuperation of her injuries. That is my final word gentlemen."
Alanna sat up in her bed in anticipation of the hurried steps that were coming toward her end of the ward. With trepidation, she watched the very angry medi-witch come around the screen, before that gentle soothing voice piped up again.
"She is not going anywhere, dear boy. It is best if we do not question her just yet. Now, I shall meet you in the Great Hall shortly."
Alanna raised her brow at the medi-witch, who seemed to be busy pulling her sheets straight and wielding her wand over her body.
'Not going anywhere? What was that supposed to mean!' Alanna needed to get out of this place that seemed to house a bunch of nutters! Before she could move to get out of bed, however, a tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, looking man stepped around the screen. She felt an odd sense of calmness permeate through her body as she looked at the blue eyes behind his spectacles.
'That is strange…was I not trying to do something just now?'
"Good morning, Miss Flint. I trust you are feeling better," his voice remained calm as he spoke to her softly.
"I have seen better days," she croaked.
The medi-witch handed her a glass of water, which Alanna received thankfully, not letting her attention wane from the older gentleman. With a swish of his wand he transfigured a nearby chair into a very comfortable looking, red armchair, seating himself to her right. With a small sigh he studied her over his glasses, finally introducing himself after a few strained minutes.
"My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
'Ok…does he want a biscuit or something?' Alanna regarded him with a mixture of amusement and anxiety. She was not sure she wanted to hear what else he had to say.
"This here is the hospital wing at Hogwarts. You arrived here badly wounded three days ago."
"Three days!" How could she possible believe that! "You must be mistaken, sir. I was at Flint Manor only yesterday."
"I am afraid it truly has been three days, Alanna." He paused, his eyes searching her face for any reaction. "Do you remember how you arrived here?"
Alanna furrowed her brows in concentration, thinking back at the supposed days she had lost, and once again coming up short.
"No, sir," she knew he wanted to hear more than that, but how could she trust anyone outside of the close-knit confines of her family? And why would she? Based on what she had heard she was kept here against her will.
The Headmaster looked at her strangely, as if he was trying to penetrate her with those piercing blue eyes of his in a calculating stare. She wanted to look away but seemed transfixed by it, holding the gaze boldly until he shifted attention to the witch next to her bed. Alanna blinked a few times.
"Poppy, would you be so kind to retrieve the book that I left in your office earlier?"
"Of course, Albus," with a last look at her patient, Poppy left to fetch what the Headmaster had asked her for.
After the stern witch departed, the Headmaster got up from his seat and pulled out his wand pointing it at Alanna, who reacted with such speed that even amazed her. Having had realized that she had been divested of her wand, Alanna dove from her bed in a scrambling attempt to put any form of object between herself and the wizard who was about to hex her. Her body connected with a loud thump on the floor beside her bed, her bruised bones screaming in anguish. A soft groan escaped her lips as she tried to roll under her own bed for protection. Her heart was hammering hard against her ribcage as she stared at the mattress from below the bed.
The beard and head of the Headmaster came into view to her right, a soft smile playing around his lips.
"I did not mean to startle you, my dear."
"When can I go home?" She really did not want to ask that question, but her longing to be home with people she trusted was stronger than any pride.
"I will have to discuss that with you when you have come from under the bed, child," his head disappeared and she could hear his retreating footsteps, which halted in front of his squishy armchair.
With an inaudible sigh, she clamored from under the bed and back onto her it, sealing her fate to whatever he had in mind. Without her wand, she was practically useless.
"Alanna, we need to talk about your family situation."
Her eyes met his in am imploring stare.
"Something, I fear, has happened…"
Whatever blood that had circulated froze at that statement and drained away, leaving her deathly pale.
"I am afraid I am the barer of bad news. Your family…"
"No!"
She was not going to sit here and listen to some old fool tell her that something happened to her parents!
"I am sorry, child, but…"
"I said, no!" Her voice had taken on a very dangerous tone, her eyes flashing green fire.
"What have you done to them?" she whispered quietly.
"You are mistaken, Alanna. This accident occurred at the manor, not here."
Her hands flew to her ears in an attempt to force out that old, gentle voice that tried to convey the impossible. Her parents were not dead!
"I know that this is hard to understand, but there are certain loose ends that need to be tied up before we proceed with your future."
A huge lump had formed at the bottom of her throat, making breathing and swallowing simultaneously very difficult. He was not going to see her cry; he was not going to see her cry…
"We will need to discuss the appointment of a temporary guardian until your eighteenth birthday. Having been made the executer of your fathers Will, I have…"
"What?" Her voice sounding foreign, even to her ears. "First you tell me they have died and in the same breath I am supposed to welcome a total stranger into my life and let them be a 'guardian' to me?" The tears that had gathered in her eyes were threatening to spill in her anguish. "I will not be handed over to anyone like a rag doll and be expected to comply without a word! Do you take me for a fool, Headmaster? I assure you," she gulped heavily. "I am not!"
"This is for your own protection. We do not want others to be able to take away from you what your father has so painstakingly acquired, do you not agree?"
"I will ask you this one last time. When will you let me go home?" Dumbledore could feel the strong waves of magic rolling off from her small frame. She would be a formidable witch by what he has witnessed.
"You will have to stay here for the remainder of the school year, until you are ready to take your N.E.W.T.'s."
Alanna's face fully closed itself to the old man. "Then I am a prisoner."
"It was your father's last wish."
"That can not be. My father would have mentioned this place if he truly considered having me go to school here after his…demise. He would want me to continue my studies with Professor Correlius at the manor." She was becoming desperate.
"The kind Professor has already sent your impressive transcripts, and the teachers here are eager to make your acquaintance. Most have taught your cousin, you know."
A bark of mirthless laughter filled the silence.
"Then I should be the one wary. He did not seem to learn much at this…school."
"Be that as it may, Alanna, but you are going to be here for the remainder of the year. I have asked Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Weasley to become your guardians. Mrs. Weasley will be here shortly. In the meantime, I will have to perform a protection spell on you that will assure your safety from any…outside influences. In addition, your father has created a vault at Gringotts that has become available for withdrawal this morning. I have sent our Grounds Keeper for its safe retrieval."
Alanna sat on her bed looking straight ahead at the stone wall across from her. Her inner turmoil did not show in her face, her cheeks dry, and her eyes hot.
"I want to make it clear, Headmaster that I am not here under my own free will. When the next opportunity presents itself, I will leave this place without a backward glance. I demand a copy of the Will from you as soon as possible, so I can verify with my own eyes that you are its executer."
"That is of course your right, Miss Flint." He rose from his chair, as the medi-witch returned from her office with a heavy book. Dumbledore took it from her without a glance and approached Alanna's bed, handing the book to her.
"This shall help you acclimate."
She took it without looking at it, placing it in her lap. She did not look at the Headmaster as he flicked his wand over her head and muttered a long incantation that left her engulfed in a shower of periwinkle stars. His magic felt like a warm caress that settled around her shoulders, protecting her from whatever he saw fit.
With a fleeting look at the girl, Dumbledore left the hospital ward. The nurse left Alanna's side to treat a wailing child on the other side of her privacy screen.
Her hands trembled and all she wanted was to sob into them, leaving behind this horrid prison that churned with lies and deceit. The reality of something heavy lying on her legs brought her back from the abyss of defeat. Her eyes regarded the title of the book, with a venomous stare.
Hogwarts: A History.
Author's Note: Thank you all for reading this chapter!I am trying hard not to be one of those horrid writers who never update! Thank you for all of your reviews. The more the better! Again, thank you Mystic. You are a life safer!