Yeah, didn't write much over Spring Break like I planned on doing. Oh well, I'm avoid homework and my job in order to spend more time writing. I wonder if I could get paid to do this. Hmm….

Reviews are always nice. I know I have more than one reader, so I oughta to have more than one reviewer! I really love reading anything you guys gotta say, and good reviews definitely motivate me to write. So please, I beg of you all to throw me a kind (hopefully) word or two. Okay enough begging, on with the story:


Chpt. 17- The Cupboard

As Lyric ate dinner that evening, she kept stealing glances at her Snape, who would occasionally rub his head where the tree had struck. He had no doubt been too proud to see Madame Pompfrey for the knock to the head. Lyric almost burst into laughter when a leaf came free from Professor Sprout's new hat and floated by his head causing Snape to involuntarily duck.

"What's so funny?" Amarantha asked loudly trying to see where Lyric was looking.

"Nothing," Lyric recovered quickly and turned her attention back her meal. Amarantha continued looking for Lyric source of amusement, as Lyric tried to change the subject. "How are things with your father?" She asked Iona.

"Alright, I guess," she said thoughtfully. "He got my rejection letter from Oxford-Poly. They said that cannot accept students that attended a 'private boarding school that must be kept secret.' My dad just doesn't get it, does he?"

Amaryllis laughed. "At least your dad gets the idea of secrecy. Ours in it with the Ministry again. They told him if he reveals information about the wizarding world one more time, that they'll erase his memory and send him to Brazil."

"Can they do that?" Iona asked. "And more importantly, can they do that to my father?"

"Oh so I see!" Amarantha exclaimed finding what Lyric had been looking at all night. "I was right, I knew it!"

"Right about what?" Iona and Amaryllis asked at the same time.

"That Lyric has an unhealthy obsess-"

"Nothing!" Lyric cut in quickly, giving Amarantha the 'don't say a word' look. "Nothing at all."

"Yeah right, tell me!" Iona insisted loudly.

"No," Lyric responded.

"Something do to with your destiny, perhaps?" Iona ventured a guess.

"Iona, that enough," she lectured. Lyric got up from the table. "I better be getting to detention," she said.

Lyric headed to the Snape's office, but realized not only was Snape still in the Great Hall, but that she still had nearly twenty minutes before her detention was set to start. She didn't want to seem too keen by waiting for him outside his office. Lyric wondered how she could kill twenty minutes. Lyric got a brilliant idea, then headed off to the infirmary.

Madame Pompfrey was changing the linens on one of the beds when Lyric got to the room. "Can I help you, Miss Dumbledore?" she asked without even looking up to see who had entered the room.

"Yes, I, er… bumped my head earlier and it's just killing me. Do you have anything for the pain?"

Twenty minutes later, after finally fooling Madame Pompfrey into thinking she really was in pain, Lyric ran down the corridors to Snape's office holding a small vial of Relaver's Pain Reliever potion. She had insisted Madame Pompfrey give her some to take later, in case her headache come back in the middle of the night.

Lyric skated in the door, just as the clocks struck eight o'clock.

"That was a close one," Snape said, not looking up from his desk.

"Sorry Professor Snape, I was with Madame Pompfrey."

"Doing what?" he asked finally looking up from his desk.

"Getting something for your head," Lyric explained as she set the pain reliever on Snape's desk. Snape stared at the vial as though it would take a bite out of him. "Go ahead, it's not a poison."

"Doubt that," Snape said, taking the top off of the vial and giving it a whiff. "Why did you get this again?"

Lyric was annoyed that the man could simply not accept a token of kindness. "Your head Professor. You took a rather nasty knock this morning, and I noticed at dinner you were in pain, and I knew you were too stubborn to see the Mediwitch about it, so I went for you."

"Did it occur to you that I would just brew my own pain reliever if the pain was too much? I am the bloody Potion's Master, after all." Snape replaced the top on the vial and putting it on his desk.

"Forgive me, sir. For having heart. Won't happen again."

"Miss Dumbledore," Snape started in an eerily calm voice, "I will say this one final time: I will no longer tolerate your cheek. In my classroom, my office, or anywhere else in this school, you will treat me with respect. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," she responded grudgingly, "but a little humanity from you every once and a while would be greatly appreciated." Before Snape had a chance to respond, Lyric asked, "What would you like me to do today, sir?"

"Cauldrons need to be scrubbed and polished. Cleaning supplies are in my supplies cupboard down the hall. You'll need a steel-wire brush, a few rags, and polish."

"Yes sir," Lyric said happily as she skipped out of the office towards the supplies cupboard. She reached out to the pull the door handle, but found it to be locked. "Bugger," she cursed to herself knowing that she would be unable to break the ward. She walked slowly back to Snape's office. "Professor," she called out sweetly. "The door is lock. Might you come unlock it?"

Snape got up from the table annoyed and stomped out the door. Lyric couldn't help but notice that the vial she had given him was now empty and lay askew on the desk.

She followed him down the hall and watched as he raised his wand to the door but paused before turning it on Lyric, "Nonsanus." A small yellow light emitted from the wand, hitting Lyric square in the chest.

Instantly, Lyric was forced into a very silent world. She had never noticed the noise that echoed through the corridors of Hogwarts until now when it was gone. She watched as Snape turned his wand to the door and said something, but she could not make it out.

"What have you done?" Lyric yelled at the professor, startled that she was unable to her herself speak. He again pointed his wand at Lyric, but she dived away from its blast. Snape glared at her and said something that Lyric thought looked like 'Stupid girl,' as Lyric tried to get away from Snape, thinking he was trying to kill her.

She turned to go down the corridor, but Snape caught her by the back of the neck. He turned her around, holding her at arm's length and pointed his want and mouthed another incantation as another yellow light crept out from his wand. Instantly sound returned to Lyric's ear.

"What the hell did you do to me?" she yelled at her professor, finding her voice louder than she had intended.

"I couldn't let you know the password." Snape said as he walked back to the supply cupboard.

"A little warning would have been nice." Lyric said, her voice returning to normal.

Snape didn't respond, but disappeared into the cupboard. A few moments later he stuck his head out to look back at Lyric, "You coming?"

Lyric followed him into the supply cupboard, suddenly wearier of his wand. "Lumos," he said his wand light up the room. He set the wand on a shelf near the door, so as to provide light to the entire cupboard. "Bottom shelf," he said to Lyric as he climbed up the ladder.

Lyric bent down to find the supplies she needed when the light simply vanished. "Professor, what-" She turned to see Snape halfway up the ladder and Peeves floating in the doorway with Snape's wand.

Peeves let out a hideous cackle. "Have fun, Beer-Nick!" he yelled as he slammed the door, enveloping Lyric and Snape in the dark.

Cliffy, I know…I hate 'em too. But it might just motivate me to update sooner. Happy reading, y'all and get to it with the reviews!