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.
"Thank you for getting here so quickly, Molly." Dumbledore helped the red-haired Weasley patriarch from the giant fireplace in the corner of his office. With a couple of well-aimed whacks, she attempted to free herself of the soot that had caught her clothing on her way in. With a quick hand movement, the offending black marks vanished from her skin and clothes.
"Thank you, Albus," she let out a huff of air before righting herself and smiling at the Headmaster. "I trust you are well?"
He ushered her into his office and offered her a cup of steaming tea, which she accepted happily.
"Yes, all is well. The children are also doing splendidly; I talked to Minerva about them this morning and everyone is doing well. I am sure you will be able to visit with them after we conclude business."
Mrs. Weasley beamed. "That would be delightful."
Dumbledore grew serious then as he pulled out Farrell Flint's Will out of his desk, scanning its contents for the correct passage.
"As I have mentioned to you before, Molly, I have to ask you and Arthur a great personal favour," he paused and looked at her over his half-moon glasses.
"We will of course do everything in our power to help you, Albus," Molly placed her teacup on his desk and waited for him to continue. She was intrigued of course, to hear about what he was proposing.
"Three days ago we involuntarily become the hosts of a Miss Alanna Flint, daughter of Lord Flint, the elder. Unfortunately, the child has been orphaned and her parents have left me in charge to find a suitable guardian for her."
He waited for Molly's gasps of concern to fade away.
"I would like to ask you and Arthur to become her guardians. Now, before you make up your mind I would like to inform you of a few other matters. There have already been three less than savory claims of guardianship at the Ministry that would force the girl into the wrong hands. In addition, there would be a monthly stipend for her expenses. Hogwarts has been paid in full and all of her supplies have already been acquired."
He watched her closely, noting the pity and concern etched on the face of the mother of all mothers. He knew that she would not care about the money, but knowing how many mouths was to feed in her family a little money as an incentive could not hurt. Not that he really believed she would deny the girl.
"Of course we will become her legal guardians, Albus, but I hope you understand that the money has nothing to do with my decision," She gave him a bit of an affronted look.
"I know I did not need to mention it, Molly, but as the executor I had to inform you what would be your right as the guardian," he turned the piece of paper he was looking toward Mrs. Weasley and pointed to the galleon amount at the bottom of the page.
A small 'Eeep' escaped her lips as she made a perfect imitation of the Charms Professor and just about toppled over her own feet as she resumed her seat across from him, wide eyed and blinking.
"We can not accept that type of money, Albus. Absolutely not."
"You can and you will, Molly," he smiled at her knowingly. "Something tells me that you will probably not have it very easy with her anyways."
"Oh, pish-posh! The child has just lost her parents. When will I be able to meet her?" Molly got up from her seat and eagerly walking toward the office door.
"Right now would be a good a time as ever, my dear." Dumbledore was more than pleased with her reaction. He knew that Arthur would follow with whatever his loving wife would deem important for her family and the Order. Adding another lost sheep to the lot would only give her the opportunity to love another child in great need of her support and strength.
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She wanted to scream. She wanted to scream so loudly that the stones around her vibrated with its intensity. The pain and anguish were all consuming, coursing through her veins, as quickly as a fast acting potion would. If her parents were dead, then where were their bodies? Until she could be absolutely sure, she would try not to believe this codswollop Headmaster Dumbledore had dished up. Alanna debated on asking the elderly man where they could be, but decided against it. He did not seem the type to volunteer information easily. She had to remain calm and collected and think!
'Think, Alanna!'
She absent mindedly began thumbing through the first few pages of the massive book before her. The index in itself was twenty pages and she discarded those quickly, opening to the first chapter entitled The Foundations of Hogwarts. Without realizing what she was doing, she began to read, absorbing the knowledge of the founders' creation of her prison. Their detailed work of assuring equal opportunities for all young witches or wizards in need of magical education, until…
Alanna wrinkled her brow. What kind of a name was Slytherin anyway? And Hufflepuff for that matter. It sounded slightly odd, but she continued reading.
Four founders, four houses, three stayed, one was upset, the students are sorted by founder ideals. How delightfully primitive, she thought darkly. Students were assigned an age group and studied the same curriculum for one year, usually ten students of one age to each house. Meals and other activities were partaken with the members of their houses, also considered a family away from home. Alanna's heart clenched painfully and she skipped the passages about the different houses. She would not stay long enough to understand the Raverclaws and Gryffiedors anyways.
A few minutes of skimming each page, she stumbled upon a handsome drawing of a gigantic, rambling, and utterly dark looking castle, with a jumble of towers and battlements. It looked as if magic was the only force holding it upright. Alanna's fingertips traced the north tower, the finely detailed windows of the Great Hall and the huge oak doors of the Entrance Hall. Tiny printed passages revealed themselves beneath her touch with miniscule descriptions of each location. Alanna's nose came closer to the book in order to read the tiny scrawl that appeared to describe the entrance.
Hogwarts Main Entrance
These doors have been heavily charmed to be opened and closed by the senior staff members and the Headmaster or Headmistress only. Although these twenty-foot doors are the main access to the bowls of the castle, there are other ways to enter or exit the building. For more information on Hogwarts Main Entrance refer to page 55. For more information on other entrances and exits, refer to pages 60, 231, 499, and 890.
'Brilliant!' she thought, as a plan began to form in her mind. She settled herself back against her propped pillows and pulled her knees up, resting the massive tome against her thighs and turning to page sixty.
Alanna barely noticed the medi-witch returning to her side, scanning her body once more with her wand.
"How are you feeling?" Poppy asked in a clipped voice.
She reluctantly looked up from the book, giving the nurse her undivided attention.
"I am mostly suffering from a headache," Alanna touched the back of her head lightly.
Madam Pomfrey left her side and returned shortly with a coral coloured vial, which she uncorked carefully before handing it to her. After quickly swallowing its contents, the tension in her head subsided to a dull throbbing before finally vanishing. Alanna regarded the witch gratefully.
"I must apologize, Madam, but I must have forgotten your name," Alanna carefully closed the book, leaving her index finger on page 231.
"I am Madam Pomfrey, dear," she said cheerily, pulling the blankets straight on Alanna's bed.
Alanna took a deep breath. "I would like to thank you, Madam Pomfrey, for taking care of me while I was incapable of doing so myself."
Poppy blinked at the girl, halting her movements. She knew that Alanna did not have frequent contact with others beside her family, but never realized how fiercely independent this young woman was. It must have been difficult for her to find herself in a situation that she was not in command of. A faint smile played around the medi-witch's lips.
"You are quite welcome, child. Now, how about a nice cold glass of pumpkin juice?" Madam Pomfrey bustled away to fetch the beverage.
Alanna sighed, and hastily turned back to the book. She had to find a remote passageway that would allow her to escape the castle without any detection.
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Hermione looked over her altered room. This morning it had been moderate in dimension with a large four-poster bed at the far end of the room. A large bay window allowed the sun to penetrate the room and emphasize the gold and burgundy colours of her house. Now, however, the room had been enlarged to roughly twice it size, many bookshelves had been added, and a second walk in closet, along with three more windows. She had to admit that while she enjoyed her single room she was amazed at how beautiful her quarters were now, including the larger bathroom that had been transfigured to allow another person to share her space. Crookshanks had already taken up residence on the brand new bed, shedding his ginger fur on Alanna's fluffy pillows.
She had dreaded meeting her head of house late last night, not sure if she and Ron would be reprimanded for being in the Hospital Wing. She never mentioned it though and had ushered Hermione into her office, offering her tea and crumpets before settling down to have a little chat with her. She could not believe her ears when the Professor had asked her to share her quarters with Alanna Flint due to the lack of room in the main girls' dormitory. Hermione could have sworn that Alanna would have been in Slytherin and not Gryffindor, but who was she to openly question the decisions made by the Professors. It would also allow her to keep an eye on things, in case something happened unexpectedly.
How the 'Head Boy' would take to sharing his common room with another Gryffindor was another question. Malfoy would probably sneer at her; make horrid and lewd remarks about the two sharing a room together. Well, he could just bugger off for all Hermione cared. Professor Snape would probably inform him about these turn of events.
"Miss Granger."
Hermione turned a bit startled and looked at Professor McGonagall over her shoulder, smiling in recognition.
"Good Morning, Professor," she stepped to the side to let Minerva enter the room.
"Ah, well, this is a nice room, is it not? The Headmaster always knew how to make accommodations quite satisfactory," she smiled at her student before walking over to the unoccupied four-poster, retrieving a small box out of the depths of her robes, and shooing the disgruntled half-kneazle off the pillows.
"Hagrid has just returned with Miss Flint's belongings."
With a quick swish-and-flick Professor McGonagall enlarged the box and magically extracted its contents enlarging each article as it began floating to its rightful place. It looked like an assembly line of books, quills, clothes, and personal items that found their appropriate place around the room with in seconds. Hermione's eyes grew wide and her mouth puckered into a small 'o' as a plethora of books made their way across the room to the bookshelves.
1001 Arabian Potions: The Turks and their Ancient Brews
A Cauldron and His Friend: Memoirs of a Potions Master
Blood Lust or Blood Letting? Blood Curdling Potions
Animagi – A guide to the Beast within.
Transfiguration through the Centuries
The Domestication of the Magical Animal
Those were only a few of the titles whizzing by her. She was practically salivating at the new and so obviously restricted treasure of books Alanna owned. Did she just see a book on Lust Potions fly by?
"Professor?"
Minerva did not look up from her task. "Yes, Miss Granger?"
"Are we allowed to have restricted books in our quarters?" Hermione hated to ask the question, but her Gryffindor honesty had taken over her urges to snatch the books from the shelves and hide with them in a small dark corner.
"Most of these books have been part of her school curriculum for the past three years. The Headmaster wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible and insisted that every book found in the vault be brought back for her. I am sure you do not object too much," Minerva graced her with a small knowing smile.
"Oh, of course not Professor," Hermione said breathily as a book entitled Fanged Fiends and Wanton Wolves: Detection and Protection of Magical Creatures in Heat past her.
'What on earth had she been studying!'
"Miss Flint should be able to join you here by no later than tomorrow night. Madam Pomfrey would like to watch her for another few hours before making her decision on releasing her." With another flick, the empty box vanished leaving behind the last and most important of Alanna's possessions; her long, ebony wand, which she placed on her nightstand before turning.
"I am sure that all of Gryffindor will accept her as one of their own in no time. It will be your duty as Head Girl to assure that the transition will be a smooth one. I have full trust in your abilities, Miss Granger. I will see you later in class," she smiled at her charge and strode out of the room.
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BOOM!
Severus leapt up from his desk at the head of the class and swooped down on the offending student, whose cauldron obliterated itself into a bubbling mass of black metal with green streaks of potion. The mess had the rest of the students scrambling as it dripped down the stone topped table, hissing madly as it connected with the cool surface of the floor.
"Mr. Longbottom," he hissed venomously, reserving that extra special sneer for the schools worst dunderhead, "what was the last ingredient that you added to your cauldron."
It was not a question, but a deadly statement that Neville really did not want to answer. How in world he had made it into Snape's N.E.W.T level class he would never know, but since the beginning of term there had been one disaster after another.
"I..t-think it w-w-was the ground M-Mamba f-fangs, sir," he hated that little stutter that only materialized when faced with the most vicious of Professors.
With a wave of his hand, Severus divested the area of the noxious substance and bits of cauldron, his stare never leaving the young man, or quivering mass, sitting before him.
"Why do I even bother with you, Longbottom?" His voice was soft and deadly, the kind that the students learned to fear the most. Neville knew better than to interrupt him and only stared with wide eyes as his professor leaned over the table.
"The next time you blow up your potion, kindly direct the deadly spray toward yourself. I am sick and tired trying to aid you in your botched attempts at passing this class. If you do not improve tenfold over the next week, I will not be held responsible for what will happen to you Mr. Longbottom. Now, if you do not leave my class in less than five seconds you will not only get a detention tonight with Mr. Filch, but will lose a very obscene number of house points as well."
Neville did not have to be told twice as he grabbed his bag and stumbled quickly out of the classroom, hurrying past Hermione, Ron, and Harry who regarded him with sympathetic looks.
Severus returned his attention to the rest of the class, who were carefully reseating themselves in their assigned places, nobody meeting his eye.
"Bottle and label your potions, then get out of my sight!" Severus was rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. The scurrying feet of his students, like rats, the only sound to assault the silence. Within minutes, he had been left in blissful silence, his thoughts once again his own.
If he would not have been so preoccupied with the occurrences of late, he would have been able to spot Longbottom's mistake fifteen minutes ago. All of this could have been prevented if Dumbledore would have let him interrogate the girl!
His clenched fist hit the cherry wood surface of his desk with a hard thump. Dumbledore did not realize that he knew the Flint family's dark little secrets. Granted he did not know about this well kept secret, but he did know a few things about Farrell Flint the Death Eater. As much as he hated to admit it, he would have to have another conversation with Lucius about the turn of events. Soon, no doubt, he would be summoned once more, in which the Dark Lord needed to be kept up to date on the proceedings at the school.
The main question he was asking himself over and over again, however, was what else Farrell had kept from him and the others. Keeping an eye on his supposed spawn should hopefully be a fruitful endeavor.
With a snarl that could have rivaled Gryffindor's own he rose gracefully from his chair and strode soundlessly into his study. Lunch would be spent with a large bottle of Ogden's and some hangover potion.
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A few hours past since the last time someone had come to check on her. Madam Pomfrey left her with that glass of juice and promised a real meal a little later. Thank Merlin for that! Her stomach was loudly protesting as it was, and she was becoming just a little faint from the lack of nourishment.
Alanna laid the book down and reviewed what she had learned. Supposedly, there is a passageway down in the dungeon area that would lead to the outskirts of the 'Forbidden Forest', a wooded area behind the castle. From there, she could transfigure an object into a broom and figure out how to get home. It would of course be easiest just to charm something into a portkey, but her father had always warned her of what might happen if an illegal portkey were found in her possession. There only seemed one problem with the whole plan.
She needed her wand.
Something had happened to it and she needed it back before implementing her escape. Perhaps if she asked Madam Pomfrey for it…
The doors to the Infirmary opened and distracted Alanna from her musings. She could hear the unmistakable sounds of high-heeled shoes hitting the floor, and a rush of chattering. She recognized one of the voices as that of the Headmaster's; the other, however, she did not. She mentally braced herself for the encounter.
"…but then you know how Arthur is. He just adores those muggle inventions. He has this abnormal fascination with something called a 'buggery alarm'. It is a small device that acts as an equivalent to our wards, alerting muggles when..."
Alanna watched a short, plump, kind-faced woman walk around the screen with the Headmaster in tow; both wore smiles, and Alanna's heart froze a few beats. This must be…
"Good afternoon, Miss Flint. I would like to introduce to you Mrs. Molly Weasley."
Alanna swallowed forcibly and inclined her eyes and head in a motion of greeting. Her attention however did not linger on the woman, as she refocused her attention to the Headmaster.
"Did you bring what I requested, sir?" Her voice was quiet, but forceful.
Mrs. Weasley shifted her gaze at the Headmaster in question, while he continued to smile and remove a piece of parchment from his robes, handing it to Alanna.
With trembling hands, she received it, unfolding the many pieces of parchment carefully. She thought she would loose the tight rein on her emotions when she read the first sentence.
I, Farrell Flint, being of sound mind and body…
"On which page is it?" Her voice was about to fail her as well. Blast these fragile emotions!
"I believe on page four," he said gravely.
She quickly turned to said page and read it closely, her eyes widening as she studied the passage on her guardianship. All of her family's possessions were to be placed under the care of her guardians, including her well-being and that of any of her offspring, should there be any. Alanna groaned.
'What had father been thinking!'
In a final attempt to disprove the claim, she turned to the last page of the document. Her father's flourished signature greeted her eyes, the family seal branded into the yellowed paper. It was true then.
Alanna looked up at the Headmaster with tired eyes.
"Mrs. Weasley has agreed to become your guardian, Miss Flint."
"Headmaster, I do not mean any disrespect to your or Mrs. Weasley, but I do want to mention my deep concern about leaving my family's inheritance in the hands of a woman that I have never met in my entire life." She would not say any more on this subject, her mind already churned with the possibilities of escape. She would contact her father's estate barristers as soon as she arrived home.
Dumbledore sighed heavily and pierced her with a stare. He knew she was a strong willed young woman, but her demeanor strongly reminded him of his Potions Master. Interesting. Very interesting.
"I understand your concern, child. It is not your decision, unfortunately, it has been mine," his voice was kind, but Alanna could hear the edge beneath it.
She lowered her gaze once more and nodded. She did not care either way this discussion was going.
Mrs. Weasley had been uncomfortable during this entire exchange and took matters into her own hands.
"The Headmaster tells me that you are an only child, Alanna." Mrs. Weasley pulled a chair to the side of her bed and sat looking at her expectantly.
"Yes, Madam," her answer was short and devoid of emotion.
"Now that you are part of our family you are the happy recipient of six brothers and one sister. Actually, I believe you will be going to attend classes with my youngest son, Ronald," Mrs. Weasley prattled on excitedly.
Alanna blinked. Brothers and Sisters! She needed to get out of here and fast! Thankfully, her stomach took the opportunity to grumble loudly distracting her guardian from her description of her seven children.
Mrs. Weasley gasped. "When is the last time you had something to eat, Alanna?"
Alanna held her offending belly in an attempt to quiet it down. "A very long time ago, it seems."
As if she had spoken magic words, Mrs. Weasley got up from her chair in a flash and began calling for house-elves to bring her some sustenance. Madam Pomfrey, hearing the small commotion in her ward joined the little gathering before Alanna's bed.
"What in the world is going on down here?" Poppy was trying hard not to use her stern voice with Molly.
"Poppy, I am trying to get this child some food. She has not eaten in Merlin knows how long," Molly bristled at the medi-witch before taking a tray with some broth from the waiting house-elf. "Thank you, Dobby."
"The reason she has not eaten yet is due to the copious amount of potions we had to administer," Poppy was irritated at this point.
"Her stomach sounds fine to me," Molly placed the tray on Alanna's lap and laid the heavy book on the nightstand next to her. "Eat up child, perhaps you can have a piece of fruit when you finish."
Alanna did not care if the adults were squabbling or, not. All she cared about was the hot liquid that coated her throat and slid down into her grateful stomach. She could not remember soup tasting this delicious. Hunger truly is the best seasoning.
Between spoonfuls, Alanna addressed the next issue at hand.
"Madam Pomfrey? Is there a way that I could maybe sleep in another bed tonight? These are probably not as comfortable as the beds in the dormitories."
Madam Pomfrey took her eyes off Mrs. Weasley and regarded her charge critically. She was not in danger any more, but she was still a little pale and had those dark circles beneath her eyes.
Dumbledore, who had been watching the exchange between the women with veiled amusement, answered her question.
"I do not see a problem with that Miss Flint," he said good-naturedly.
"I believe that would be my decision, am I not correct Headmaster?" Madam Pomfrey spat ungracefully.
"Of course Poppy, by all means, if you think she is not ready to move into Miss Granger's quarters, then I will of course yield to your decision," he said amicably.
"Miss Flint, if you keep down your lunch I will excuse you to your dormitory tonight. I would like to see you in the morning, however, before classes. Now, if you would excuse me," Madam Pomfrey turned to take her leave with an affronted look.
Alanna swallowed her last spoonful and quickly dabbed at her mouth with her napkin before hastily calling back the nurse, who had taken several steps toward her office.
"Madam Pomfrey?" Poppy turned and regarded Alanna thoughtfully.
"Could you perhaps tell me what exactly the extent of my injuries was? We have never discussed it and I was wondering…" Alanna watched Madam Pomfrey's eyes change from stern to strained.
"Of course, dear, I should have told you earlier. Overall, you arrived here after being hit by at least six curses that we could identify. You were also covered in glass shards drove into your skin when you came through one of the windows in the Great Hall, not to mention the multitude of internal bleeding and broken bones that I had to repair," Poppy stopped herself and regarded the pale young woman forcibly clasping her hands in her lap.
"What kinds of curses?" Alanna asked quietly.
"Mostly Slicing Hexes, a fairly strong Blood Boiling Curse, and…two Unforgivables," Poppy said matter-of-factly.
Alanna was beginning to get upset again trying to pull every tidbit of information out of the medi-witch. "Which Unforgivables, Madam?"
Poppy sighed audibly. "If you must insist, they were the Cruciatus and the Killing curses."
Alanna blinked. Then blinked again.
"Someone tried to kill me?"
It felt like a bubble at first. A small bubble that crept up from her diaphragm in an attempt to make it past her vocal chords. Her breathing became a little laboured as she tried to hold her stomach and not fall off the bed at the same time.
Mrs. Weasley was the first to take in Alanna's condition. "Poppy, do something for Merlin's sake! The girl is going to be ill!"
Before the medi-witch could react, Alanna broke out in peals of laughter that soon grew to hysteric shrieks that rivaled Peeves manic attempts at humor.
Very much stumped Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley, and Madam Pomfrey watched her become quite red in the face, until big tears began streaming down her cheeks.
"Albus, I do believe I will take the child home with me," Mrs. Weasley looked utterly shocked at the display before her.
Alanna heard the exclamation through her hysterics induced haze and shook her head a little to keep the demons at bay. If Mrs. Weasley took her from Hogwarts, she would not be able to make a clean escape. "No, no…Mrs. Weasley…I am so sorry. I have just been a bit overwhelmed by everything," she took a huge, steadying breath and swiped at her face to rid herself of the wet streaks marring her pale skin, fanning it lightly.
"It is just…a bit of a shock, really. I…have never been part of a plot before. Up until three days ago I lived a happy existence with…" she wanted to say 'her parents' put could not make herself say the words.
Mrs. Weasley stepped up to the bed and patted her hand lightly before handing her a polka-dotted handkerchief, which she thankfully accepted. "There, there now. Of course you are distraught! We will have to do what we can to keep you busy, is that not right Headmaster?" She pointedly looked over her shoulder at Dumbledore, who nodded slowly with a smile on his lips.
"And that would be best accomplished by meeting a few new peers. You have my permission to sleep in your dormitory tonight, Miss Flint," Albus actually managed to say this sentence in one breath before he was interrupted by a loud 'humph' from the medi-witch.
"Brilliant! Let a mentally unstable young woman loose in the castle, and do not listen to me. I warn you, however, that I am washing my hands of this matter as of now," with those words Poppy left for the sanctuary of her office.
"I resent that!" Alanna responded grumpily. She was less insane than everyone else surrounding her.
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Author's Note: Ok, my lovely's, here it is! I do want to tell you that I have been writing A LOT lately thanks to my muse and inspiration PinkCorsair, who has sportingly been wielding the writing whip. Also, special thanks to my beta MysticSong, girl you know I adore you! This is the first part of a REALLY long chapter, don't fret Sev and Alanna are meeting shortly.
I have noticed that my reviews have been slowly dwindling. It's probably because my updates have been getting a bit..errr..few and far between, BUT Pink has me sitting and writing just about every day now (without food or water). SO PLEASE I BEG YOU, the review button is down to your left. Use it!