Dinner had been delicious, which was typical of the Hogwarts kitchen. The meal itself had been somewhat strained. Harry could tell Maggie was somewhat nervous about the potion, but he wasn't sure why. Eating a meal in Snape's personal quarters wasn't what Harry would exactly call a good time, either. While Snape was somewhat less caustic in private, he was still an intimidating wizard. There was also Harry's obvious interest in the man's daughter, which he was surprised the elder wizard hadn't yet tried to put a stop to.
Now, Harry watched Professor McGonagall casting the appropriate spells over the potion. She had arrived shortly after Dobby had cleared the dinner things.
"There it is," McGonagall said, handing the flask to Maggie.
Harry gave Maggie an encouraging smile as the girl raised the flask to her lips. He watched her swallow as quickly as she could and he didn't miss her shudder. Obviously, the taste of this potion hadn't been improved over the original version of polyjuice.
Even though Harry himself had undergone the effects of polyjuice potion, it still amazed him when Maggie's straight black hair shortened to her shoulders and developed a slight wave as it turned a rich auburn color with red highlights. Her cheekbones softened and her nose shortened slightly. Her eyes darkened from their hazel color to a bright onyx.
She raised a hand to her hair, carding it through the shorter strands, "Well, what do you think?" The tone and pitch of her voice had changed slightly, just enough to sound different from her normal voice.
"It's brilliant," Harry said with a smile. He was happy to realize that his burgeoning feelings for Maggie hadn't changed along with her appearance. He transfigured the flask in Maggie's hand into a hand-mirror.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, staring at her new features. "It's really different, isn't it? I love it, though. I'm glad I got to keep my parents' coloring. Thank you, Professor, father."
"It was my pleasure, Maggie," McGonagall said brightly. "Mr. Potter, I believe Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger were looking for you."
"I should get going," Harry said regretfully. He really didn't want to leave. He silently laughed at himself. Not wanting to leave Snape's quarters! Who would have ever thought such a day would come?
-- --
Katrina flexed the muscles of her lower back as she knelt beside Voldemort for dinner. By her estimation, it was now Monday and she'd been his captive for 11 days now. She knew that by now, Severus and Maggie would be aware that something had happened to her. Unfortunately, as the days passed, her hope of being rescued waned. Her hope of escape had completely disappeared as Voldemort kept her by his side longer and longer everyday. As it now stood, her only time alone was at night and when he excused her to use the toilet.
Her meals now were filling and overabundant – to the point where she actually had to thank him mid-meal so as not to be offered any more. Also, while he was in his library reading, he would allow her to sit in an adjacent chair. He even allowed her to peruse week-old copies of the Daily Prophet.
He was generally silent when they were alone, speaking only to direct where she was to sit or to excuse her to use the toilet, so it was a surprise when he began to speak as they sat in the study.
"You will no longer sssleep in the room upssstairsss. From now on, pet, you will sssleep on a cushion on the floor of my room."
Katrina blanched. Following him about all day was one thing, but to no longer have the privacy of her own room to retreat to at night was another. She shook her head as her anger rose to the fore. "No." Her voice scratched a bit from disuse as she spoke. The only times she was permitted to speak was at meals and then only to thank him for hand feeding her like a trained crup.
"No?" his voice conveyed his surprise that she had spoken. "Ah, I had wondered when your absssent Gryffindor pride would return. You will do asss I sssay, or you will pay for your willfulnessss. Which will it be, pet?" As he spoke, he removed his wand from his robes and idly pointed it towards her.
Staring at his wand, Katrina recalled the pain of Cruciatus. She bowed her head, "As you wish, My Lord."
His wand was placed on the arm of his chair and he picked up his book, "Good pet."
Three hours later, Katrina reluctantly followed Voldemort to his chambers. The room was easily twice the size of her upstairs room and was dominated by a massive canopy bed draped in black and green. A pair of large oak wardrobes flanked the bed and an open door on the right wall led to a bathroom that appeared to be lavishly appointed. The left wall held a pair of windows that were heavily draped.
"In the bathroom you will find sssome clothesss which you will change into. When you are finished, you will sssleep there," he pointed to the wall adjacent to the door and she saw what almost appeared to be a muggle dog-bed. It was about three feet wide and only four feet long and about 3 inches thick. She would have to sleep curled in a ball in order to fit on it.
Merlin but she wanted to rage and scream and rant about how she wasn't some dumb animal. But she didn't. Instead, she took a couple of deep breaths as she went into the bathroom.
The bathroom was half the size of the bedroom and was indeed as lavish as she'd thought. The right side of the room contained a large, deep tub that could probably seat six people. The left wall contained a toilet and a shower stall. The far wall had a long counter with cabinets above and below and a large marble sink. The tiles were a marbled green and black. Hanging from a hook on the door was a long nightgown which was, surprisingly, quite modest. She quickly removed her robes and changed into the long red nightgown. She finished her ablutions, took a deep breath, and exited the bathroom.
Thankfully, she found him already changed into a nightshirt and pants. She immediately went to her 'bed' and lowered herself upon it. She heard him leave the room as she tried to find a comfortable position. 'At least the cushioning is thick,' she thought to herself, closing her eyes and trying to convince herself that she wasn't going to sleep in the bedroom of the most dangerous wizard alive.