Chapter 8.
Emeree, having been in the magical world only a few months, had never needed any magical medical attention before. Drinking an awful potion instead of medicine didn't seem that great of a trade-off in her opinion compared to the cherry flavored syrups or character shaped tablets she was used to. However, it did let her realize that potions worked much faster than nonmagical medicine did. She wasn't even off the bed before she felt herself grow calm, unnaturally so. It was disconcerting, but she couldn't do anything about it. Madam Pomfrey explained why she was given the mild calming draught, but she hadn't realized that it would make her feel so disconnected to reality. Professor Snape was standing across from the bed and she had only started to make her way to where he stood when the man started moving towards the door with a command to follow. He was going to escort her back to Ravenclaw Tower.
Ravenclaw Tower was where everyone else was. She supposed they were eating dinner, or perhaps even finished with it. She was slightly disappointed that she hadn't been able to attend the feast, it had been the talk of the common room for a week. There were supposedly levitating pumpkins and bats along with all the candy you could eat. That part didn't seem to fit with the house elves' want to stick to their recipes, but someone must have convinced them it was a necessity. It also didn't even make sense that they were celebrating Halloween in the first place instead of Samhain. Wasn't this day supposed to be a bit more somber and serious? She wondered what the ghosts thought of their celebrations. In fact, there was one she could ask about it right now.
"Excuse me, Sir. Could I spare a bit of your time for a question?" The ghost in question had turned around abruptly, as if startled she was talking to him at all. He was a short looking fellow with a rather funny looking hat that had a bell at the end. He was also grinning with a mouth full of teeth.
"Oh, oh, oh. A wee Ickle Firstie says Sir to Peeves. What a riot. What a hoot. What should Peeves do?" The ghost was circling around her head quickly, the tinkling of the bell accompanying his sways. It made her laugh, which made him stop. He narrowed his eyes at her before coming very close to her face, his nose almost touching hers.
"Well, I was wondering whether celebrating Halloween seemed disrespectful to ghosts. It's supposed to be a day where the boundary between the living and the dead is blurred, but all the children do is eat candy and carve pumpkins." Her eyes were transfixed on the bell that was slightly bouncing on top of Peeves' head. She was so absorbed that she had no qualms about reaching out and tapping it. It bounced with a tinkling sound and she laughed again. Peeves however was not amused, he had reared back in shock. Emeree brought her laughter under control.
"I'm sorry, that was terribly rude of me to touch your hat without permission." Peeves said nothing as he clutched the tip of his hat in his hands. With one last look at her, he blew a raspberry and disappeared into the rafters. Emeree felt a hand on her shoulder and remembered that she was supposed to be going to Ravenclaw Tower. Professor Snape had a tight look on his face that she couldn't decipher but made sure to follow his prompting back towards the main hallway instead of the side one she had ventured down.
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Severus should have guessed that having a sensitivity to the presence of magic would include sensitivity to potions as well. He had noticed a slightly serene smile on Emeree's face that shouldn't have occurred with such a mild dose, but he had thought nothing of it. Another mistake. The girl had wandered off during a moment of thinking and he had come to find that she had called Peeves "Sir", laughed at his face, and touched the poltergeist's hat. What was more confusing was that Peeves had not dumped anything foul-smelling on the top of her head, but had instead left. He was grateful that he didn't need to threaten the annoying phantom with the Bloody Baron, as if the ghost even listened to anyone in the first place; least of all the Head of Slytherin. No, the Baron had only needed to control Peeves a few times since he had started as a professor, but the threat to the poltergeist was enough to make him behave for a time. Though, now with Peeves gone, he was the one taking the brunt of the questions from the first year Ravenclaw who was a bit too observant.
"Professor, do you think students will want to participate in the potions study? I'm not sure what we'll accomplish if we don't have any nonmagicals try it out. I'm sure I could ask my parents, but they said that since I'm at boarding school they would take the time to focus more on work." Here she stopped to wave at a painting that was trying to catch their attention. The woman in the frame was delighted and beckoned Emeree to come closer. She had taken a few steps towards it before he turned her back towards where they were going.
"Do the paintings get lonely?" He personally didn't think so considering they were always jumping into each other's frames. He knew for a fact that the Fat Lady visited friends at least once a week. "Were they all real people? Or do you think some of them were made up? It seems amazing that someone could paint a picture of a person and give it personality from scratch." He had honestly never thought about it.
"I'm actually really hungry. I'm sure you are too. Perhaps we should stop at the kitchens?" Snape looked down at her. Only a few months into the school year and she knew where the kitchens were. He cast a tempus charm and realized that it was late, though not late enough that she would miss the ends of the feast in the common room. He turned to tell her that they would continue on but found that she had wandered off again. After having lost sight of her twice, he was seriously rethinking his achievements as a spy. He scowled and cast a Point Me spell and followed it to the kitchen entrance. He pinched the bridge of his nose before jabbing at the pear forcefully, uncaring that it was not the proper method of entry. Emeree was already sitting down at the table, house elves surrounding every available space. She was being given food, drink, and dessert. She waved to him as he entered.
"Professor Snape! Look, we're just in time to try some of their new dishes." He hadn't noticed the food being different, but now that he was closer he could see that yes, there were indeed different dishes on the table. There was chicken curry and stewed lamb. He could see steamed buns and stir-fried noodles. There were pierogis, fried fish, tacos, tofu, and pizza. He could see small bowls filled with gravy meatballs, a pan of what looked like snails, spongy injera, stuffed roasted squid, humus with oil, and something wrapped in grape leaves. That didn't even cover the desserts or glasses filled with various colored liquids. What was going on here? Emeree had not waited for him to be seated before trying the dishes, commenting on their tastes and comparing it to the meals she had during traveling with her parents. All he could do was take an offered seat. As soon as he sat down in slight wonder and confusion, the girl has started filling his plate with food, giving commentary on their names and location of origin.
"Why are there new dishes? The Hogwarts menu hasn't changed the entire time I've been here." He had meant it as a comment under his breath.
"Well, actually, the menu is from Helga Hufflepuff. I told the house elves that they should think about being more accommodating to the student diversity and help prepare people for the world beyond this institution." Emeree was speaking between bites. Snape just stared at her slightly dumbfounded. Who gave her the power to influence the meal choices? Hell, how did she have the power to influence the house-elves who were bound to Hogwarts?
"Does the Headmaster know about this?" Emeree swallowed before answering.
"Coco said she would talk to him." Coco? The house elf matriarch? Severus was about to inquire more about how exactly she knew the head elf at Hogwarts when said elf appeared, like Moses, parting the sea of excited flapping ears before her.
"Missy Mer, elves be working hard on new menu." Emeree smiled brightly. Severus watched as the girl's ears moved slightly back and forth. He almost choked on his own tongue.
"Oh, yes, everything tastes delicious so far. I didn't think you'd be starting so soon." Coco grinned, exposing her teeth and Severus wondered if house elves and goblins had similar ancestors somewhere.
"Headmaster is being receptive to the idea." It was then that Coco turned her attention to Severus. "Professor Snape, long time since seeing yous here." Severus inclined his head but did not respond. He had not been in the kitchens since his school days. As a professor, he had the luxury of calling an elf to attend to his needs, food included. Coco was already on her way back to where ever it was that she normally stood to look over the proceedings of the castle. Severus decided that now was as good a time as any to eat. They would be late in returning, but at least he would have a story to tell Filius. Looking at his plate he thanked Merlin that Emeree seemed to think a tasting portion was good enough as a start, he didn't think he could even eat more than that. With a side glance, he could see the girl was drinking a coffee colored beverage while talking to some of the other elves. As he chewed through starch and protein he wondered if Emeree Reyes was someone that he needed to be wary of. He hadn't thought this way about anyone in a long while besides the yearly addition to the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, but now here was a girl, a few months into her magical education, who had reactions to magic, no qualms about touching poltergeists, and was friendly with the house elf matriarch. Who could forget her current project to dismantle the philosophy of potioneering?
"Professor, did you know that the house elves know where the Chamber of Secrets is?" He wiped his mouth, put down his utensils, and declared that they were leaving.
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Severus dropped Emeree in front of the Ravenclaw door knocker and waited until she had solved the riddle and was safely ensconced inside before he made his way towards Filius' office to brief the man about the visit to the hospital wing. It wasn't until he was seated, with a cup of tea in hand, that he realized that he had been occluding since leaving the kitchens. Filius was patient enough to wait for a response as he slowly brought down his mental shields to their normal intensity. As a dueling champion and Charms Master, Filius was not unaware of mind magic and while not a legilimens, was a natural occlumens thanks to his goblin heritage. He merely stirred his tea as he let the younger man pull himself together. He was not taking this as a good sign of the night's events. There were only so many things that could rile Severus up enough to warrant mental shielding. After a few more moments he was rewarded with a rather terse comment.
"The house elves know the location of the Chamber of Secrets." Filius nearly spat out his tea. Severus spared him a glance before moving towards the floo and tossing a bit of powder into the fire. It was highly irregular that Severus would use his floo without permission so Filius activated some privacy spells he had keyed to his office.
"Minerva, would you be so kind as to retrieve Pomona and floo into Filius' office? There has been a development in the events of today and I would like to also include a few observations." Minerva responded that she would be through in a few minutes with the Hufflepuff Head of House and Severus disconnected the floo call. For good measure, he vanished the ash from the fireplace so that the call could not be traced, a habit he realized that would catch Filius' attention, especially in these peaceful times. Severus walked back to the chair he had previously occupied and sat down, brows furrowed as he waited. Filius had enlarged a few chairs he kept shrunk in a desk drawer to make the space more accomodating for two others. Neither said anything as they sipped their tea.
The Charms Master took a sideways glance at Severus and thought of the child he had escorted to the Hospital Wing today. He had been mildly surprised that Miss Reyes had chosen to go with Severus considering the man was so disliked amongst the student population. He had needed to chide himself about thinking of Severus that way. He had not been worried, just a bit jealous. He didn't believe that the man would do anything to a student; if even Mr. Potter had yet to be physically harmed then there were no concerns to be had. But he also knew that Snape was a former Death Eater pardoned by the Headmaster. None of them knew the reasons for this decision, but Filius trusted Severus at least with Hogwarts responsibilities. When it came down to it, he was just feeling a bit put out. Usually most of those under his care were willing to keep his company if given the choice. This new feeling was unbecoming and childish.
Despite the rationalization of it, he was sure that most would choose him over the Potions Master, but also acknowledged that perhaps they had all had a hand at shaping Severus into the way he was. He knew that Severus hated teaching students but continued to do so year after year at the behest of their employer. He had been his Charms professor and watched the unfairness of bullying play out, but had not been concerned because it had been outside his house, outside of his immediate responsibilities to do so. That had been a terrible mistake and rather unprofessional of him. The entire school had practically pushed Severus, among others, into the open arms of Voldemort and now things were starting again and coming to a head rather quickly. The favoritism, the bullying, the house rivalries were becoming too much now that the second generation bore the same grudges passed down from alumni. With the recent debacle about the Chamber, things would get worse, he knew it would. The rivalry between the Houses was getting out of hand, especially when Mister Potter was involved. It seemed as if the Headmaster was using the boy for some grand scheme that only he fully understood. Minerva had told him that Harry Potter had grown up without magic, and if Hagrid was to be believed, without the idea that his parents had been anything other than drunks. How Dumbledore could have let this happen he didn't understand. He placed his cup down and looked seriously at the younger man before him. Severus had always been particular about the image he projected ever since he joined them as part of the staff, but he still remembered the boy who wore threadbare robes and had a look of fear in his eyes. It had taken time for him to become the strict and unyielding man he portrayed.
"Severus, we have been colleagues for almost a decade. I have known you far longer than that. I may not have been the best professor to you; I most definitely did not help you when you seemed to need it, and I apologize." The man stared at him almost in confusion before responding.
"Filius, not to be ungrateful, but this seems rather…" Severus seemed to have trouble finding the word. FIlius couldn't blame him. It was a rather out of the blue apology that stemmed from a long line of thinking.
"Today's events have made me more introspective. Students are in danger and our duty as Professors of this school is to educate, guide, and protect. It has occurred to me that the favoritism has gone on far enough and has led to a rather toxic environment for our students. Outside Hogwarts, on an international stage, these Houses matter little. I've been too steeped in the situation to realize that. So, I would like to apologize for my past inactions and make a promise to you that I will do my utmost for each student regardless of their circumstances or affiliation." Filius ended his ramblings right as the floo flared green and Minerva and Pomona stepped out into the office. Minerva straightened her hat before taking a seat and giving Severus and Filius a curious look. Pomona did the same, though she at least remembered her pleasantries.
"Severus, Filius! Why, we haven't sat a meeting together like this for a few years. I hope we are getting back into the groove of things." The woman was cheerful and pulled a tin from her pocket and enlarged it. "I've brought biscuits. Filius, you promised me a cup of that cinnamon tea." Filius began to pour her a cup of said tea at the prompting and served one to Minerva as well.
"I would wait a moment Pomona. Filius nearly spat his out when I told him what I found today." This caused both women to look at the Potions Master with high attention.
"And what did you find out?" Minerva asked as she sat back more comfortably.
"Severus has informed me that the house elves are aware of the location of the Chamber." This caused Minerva to sit up at attention and for Pomona to gasp.
"Are you sure? How did you come across this information?" Pomona had a hand to her chest as she questioned Severus, her eyes large and wide. The usually dour man actually sighed before leaning back into his chair. It was another moment when he started retelling the events of the day from his point of view starting from when Emeree Reyes came to his office hours. That alone had all eyebrows up. All the staff knew that Severus kept his office hours as was required, but that he had not had any students use them. After listening to the reason she was there Minerva took off her glasses and released a rather large exhale through her nose.
"I had noticed that Miss Reyes is a bit slower to get started on her transfigurations when compared to her peers. She has a habit of looking at her wand closely before and after each attempt. I had assumed she was trying to focus, but now I can see she is trying to solve transfiguration from a scientific perspective. Her essays so far have been of a much higher caliber than her year mates." The woman put her glasses back on her nose before continuing. "It is only a matter of time until we all receive similar visits."
"I can't say that she behaves differently than her peers in Herbology. Though, now that she is aware of the difference between magical and nonmagical plants of the same name I am sure she will start asking questions." Here Pomona paused. "Do you suppose these trains of thought will lead to experimentation? I've had a few students in the past do some, with permission of course, but most have been students from a magical background and typically all try the same things. Not to mention that they have all been upper years who were interested in pursuing Herbology as a career. I don't believe I've ever had anyone wish to experiment just for the sake of it."
"It would be best if she were supervised regardless of which subject. The Weasley twins are well on their way to developing some ideas of their own and I have started monitoring them in the Potions classroom carefully. I plan to give them a private workspace, if only so they don't end up blowing themselves and half the castle up with their concoctions. While I don't think Miss Reyes is interested in following in their footsteps, I would rather monitor any progress she makes and hear her thoughts myself." Severus selected a rather plain biscuit and chewed on it for a moment before continuing. "She asked me today if anyone could make a potion given the correct ingredients and instructions."
"Oh dear." Filius had always been rather quick, especially with the flow of conversation giving him all the clues. Pomona had placed her teacup down. While her love and talent rested in herbology, she was a dab hand at potions; not surprising considering she was familiar with most of the ingredients needed.
"I'm not sure I'm following Severus. All of us use instructions and ingredients to make a potion." Minerva was staring down at him through her spectacles, reminding him of how she would always favor James Potter and the others of his ilk over him.
"I will clarify. Miss Reyes asked if anyone, including Muggles, could make potions given the correct ingredients and instructions. While the higher tier potions require parallel casting, a good portion of potions do not. I would need to double check, but all the potions classified as beginner level and a third of the intermediate level ones are solely reliant on the magic of the ingredients. After hearing about the ingredients coming from magical creatures, Miss Reyes instantly deduced that it would be possible since the magic comes from the ingredients and not the potioneer, unlike other branches of magic."
"And this line of thought did not occur to you before I take it?" Minerva stared at Severus waiting for his answer. The gaze pricked at Severus' annoyance. Minerva always liked to challenge his authority and teaching methods every chance she could. He suspected that she hadn't gotten over his unfair treatment to students. Sure, he may be a bit excessive in taking and awarding points, but it wasn't as if he had much of a choice. The other teachers were not on the sides of Slytherins, though that may change. He let a few seconds pass in order to refrain from making this into an argument. There were more important things.
"It has probably not occurred to most wizards or witches. Potions are a commodity that most adults buy. While anyone wishing to become a potioneer, herbologist, work in specific areas of research, or go into medicine will be at least proficient with the theory required with potion making, the rest push the subject from their minds once school is finished. If we get into potion creation, it is lucky if twenty new potions are patented per year. This is far lower than discoveries or inventions within the other disciplines. So, no, it has not occurred to me before this." Severus was slightly disgruntled about it in general. Having spent most of his childhood brewing and experimenting, he was unfortunately also unable to contribute much to this area of magic. It wasn't without a lack of trying. Sure, he had publications written and several patents under his belt, but most of his creativity had gone into the war effort on both sides and those recipes were warded heavily in a coded notebook. Even any new healing potions created had to be kept private just so the other side did not have the same resources. Perhaps, once everything was done with, he could state in his will that the notebook be sent to one of his associates with the hope that they would be able to share them with the general public.
"Regardless of whether this line of thinking has occured before, how does this relate to the Chamber before we become completely sidetracked?" Filius' voice cut through some of the tension. Severus took a sip of tea before launching into the rest of the day. Filius took note of one interesting occurence in particular that he wanted to bring up with Severus privately. He doubted anyone else would really give much thought to it.
"Should we tell Albus?" Pomona's voice was hesitant. Severus wondered if she too was no longer feeling confident in their Headmaster. All eyes looked to Minerva who narrowed her own in thought.
"I will bring it up. It is better to get this taken care of sooner rather than later." She glanced around the room before speaking. "You are probably unaware, but the last time the Chamber was opened I was in school. It happened at the very end of my seventh year." That was news to them. Severus had thought it had happened a little after Minerva's time.
"Did they find the culprit?" Minerva's lips pursed sourly.
"Yes and no. Hagrid had been a student in his third year of schooling when he somehow managed to bring an acromantula into the school. He was blamed for the death of a student, expelled, and the killings stopped."
"Hagrid? They really thought that Hagrid of all people was able to open the Chamber of Secrets?" Severus was somehow deeply offended just by house association. There was no way that Hagrid had been guilty of anything to do with the Chamber of Secrets. It just wasn't possible. Minerva glared into her tea.
"We've known that the Ministry has never really been fully aware of anything. I will make sure to bring it to Albus' attention in the morning." Minerva stood after draining her tea. "Good night all of you." She decided to walk out instead of going through the floo which seemed curious to Severus.
"Well, this has definitely left me a few things to think about. I am hoping that our meetings will occur more frequently now." Pomona also left, though she had opted to go through the fireplace. It was only Severus and Filius now. He noticed that Filius had replenished both their cups. He couldn't quite leave yet.
"Severus, there was one portion of day's events that I wanted to discuss in more detail. If you could recall Miss Reyes' interactions with Peeves I would appreciate it." Severus was confused. Out of all the events of the day that one was one of the lesser important ones.
"Very well, though there isn't much to say about it. Miss Reyes had wandered off and decided it was a good idea to talk to Peeves. I'm surprised Peeves hadn't hadn't dropped anything on her especially since she touched his bell."
"His bell?"