This is being crossposted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 30 June 2020 for the Draco's Den Half-Blood Prince competition.

Thank you to my Beta, and to the Admin of Draco's Den for hosting this event.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.

Title: The Remedy
Rated: Teen & Up
Pairing:Vincent Crabbe/Daphne Greengrass
Summary: Due to a prank, Vincent struggles with hiccups that just won't relent, but it seems that Daphne might be the cure he so desperately seeks.
Prompt: Hicupping Potion

Honestly, Vincent could have murdered Weasley for what he'd done after Potions that morning. It had been five bloody hours since that red-headed menace had slipped a bit of Hiccupping Potion into his pumpkin juice at lunch. Since then, he'd done nothing but hiccup all day long.

It was maddening, really, and not showing any signs of slowing down or dissipating. Every so many steps he would stop, hold his breath until he nearly lost his sight, and then start again. Nothing was helping to rid him of the hiccups that the Weasel had cursed him with at lunch.

"Crabbe?" a questioning voice came, stopping him in his tracks.

Turning, Vincent was surprised to see Daphne Greengrass hurrying to catch up to him. "Dapn- (hic) -ne?" he asked as she stopped by his side. She smiled up at him while clutching her books to her chest. She looked rather cute and innocent like that. "Do you (hic) need something?"

"I was just supposed to tell you that Draco was looking for you a little bit ago," she told him with a shrug. "Something about Quidditch."

"Oh," Vincent said, nodding. "I'll go and (hic) find him then. He's probably on the (hic) pitch by now."

Daphne tipped her head in curiosity. "Do you have the hiccups?"

"Yes," he replied, groaning. "Weasley spiked (hic) my punch at lunch, and now I can't (hic) stop."

Daphne giggled and put her hand on Vincent's arm. "Have you tried asking Slughorn for the antidote? I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem giving you one."

"I hadn't (hic) thought of that," Vincent admitted, not always the brightest when it came to finding solutions. He'd been trying to get rid of the hiccups on his own by guzzling water and holding his breath until his lungs felt like they would explode.

"I can go with you if you want?" Daphne offered, a slight blush gracing her cheeks. "I'm meeting my sister back in the common room to study, and we can stop on the way."

"Sure (hic)," Vincent answered nodding and then grimacing as yet another hiccup overtook him. "My chest is starting to (hic) ache."

"I can imagine," Daphne said, gently taking his arm and leading the way back toward the dungeons. "One time when I was little, Astoria and I got into my mother's potion room. We drank some Hiccuping Potion for fun so we didn't have to go to this fancy dinner. We were a mess, hiccuping all over the place."

Vincent laughed. "That sounds (hic) like it would have been (hic) fun to watch," he said, pressing a hand against his chest each time a new hiccup escaped him.

It was Daphne's turn to laugh. "It was, and our mother was furious. She punished us for the rest of the summer." Looking sideways at Vincent as they descended into the dungeons, she added, "And she refused to give us the antidote."

"What a dis- (hic) -aster that must have been," Vincent replied, grinning. It was fun to imagine Daphne and Astoria hiccuping all over the place in the Greengrass' fancy estate. He'd been there a few times with his family and knew the family to be quite proper.

They'd arrived outside of Slughorn's office to discover a less than inviting sign hung on the door. "Huh," Daphne said with a frown. "Looks like he's gone into Hogsmeade for the rest of the evening."

"It looks like I won't be getting any (hic) antidote," Vincent mumbled, frowning.

"Oh I am so sorry, Vincent. I really thought I could help," Daphne said, her voice full of regret. "I'm sure there must be something else you could try."

Sighing heavily, Vincent said, "I've tried (hic) everything… It could be (hic) hours before it wears off fully."

Suddenly, Daphne's eyes lit up and she danced a little in place. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I know what might work…" Trailing off she grabbed Vincent by his tie and tugged him down so they were face to face. Without another word, she promptly kissed him, gently urging him to deepen the kiss with her tongue.

Surprised by her boldness, Vincent did just that, and the two of them had a proper snog right there in the middle of the corridor. Finally, Daphne released his tie, and they retreated into their own space, both a bit breathless and dazed at what happened.

"What the…?" Vincent began to say, but Daphne cleared her throat and cut him off.

"Well, see you later, Vincent," Daphne blurted out, her cheeks aflame and making her that much prettier. She turned and hurried away down the hall toward the Slytherin common room, leaving him all alone in the corridor.

It wasn't until Daphne was completely out of sight that Vincent realized that his hiccups were gone. Smiling to himself, Vincent thought that he'd definitely have to find a way to thank Daphne for curing him.