A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for your nice reviews on the last chapter. This chapter is another one of my favorites in this story (you'll see why). Enjoy~
"Enter."
Severus, who had only knocked once, was surprised to hear McGonagall in her office so early in the morning. He had woken up two hours earlier than usual; he couldn't sleep with such wild ideas flying around in his head all night. He needed to know he wasn't just going mad.
"I didn't realize you were such an early riser, Snape. Is everything alright?"
Severus knew she was referring to his uncanny ability to show up whenever there was a disturbance in the school.
"Yes professor. I just…had a question…I think it might pertain to Transfiguration, but—"
"Go on," McGonagall cut him off, clearly not in the mood for Severus' rambling.
Severus stared at her. He had been practicing a speech for hours, trying to make it sound as though he was merely curious about the idea. He knew better than to dive into these tricky questions without carefully approaching the subject first, lest there be unforeseen consequences or complications of which he was not aware.
"Well…I know this might sound a bit odd, but I was wondering if it was possible to well…" Severus hated her stern gaze; it made it hard for him to keep his thoughts on track with what he was saying. "Is it possible for humans to become…animals?"
He cringed, waiting for the ridiculing to begin, but for some reason, it didn't come. Severus looked up at McGonagall, who was continuing to scrutinize him, though her expression had softened slightly.
"Are you referring to Animagi, Snape?"
"Yeah, I suppose," he said automatically. He remembered hearing the term before, but he didn't know what it meant.
Astoundingly, McGonagall smiled at him. "I normally don't teach students about Animagi until third year, but I have yet to come across a more inquisitive mind than yours, Snape."
Severus knew this was a huge compliment, coming from her. He had a feeling he was in for a long history lesson now, but he didn't have time for that. He needed the practical information, such as how to go about this Animagi business without making the changes permanent.
"However," she continued, looking more suspicious now, "—why are you suddenly interested in Animagi? I hear that you excel in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts but I've never felt as though Transfiguration was a particularly strong subject for you."
Well, to tell you the truth, professor, I need to give my friend some company during his monthly cycles…he's a werewolf, see, and I feel sorry for him and wouldn't mind being around him as long as he won't maul me to death.
Obviously, Severus kept his thoughts to himself. McGonagall might already know about Remus' 'condition,' but Severus knew she would never tell him about Animagi if he told her what he planned to do with the information she provided him.
"I was just…curious, professor," he lied easily.
Although she still looked skeptical, McGonagall finally relented and explained to him the rudimentary facts about Animagi. His mind soaked in every word, and immediately went to work, devising a plan that would allow him to become what his professor was describing.
"It is a very dangerous and tricky procedure, however," she warned him. "Some wizards have accidentally made the changes permanent, and others have been sent to St. Mungo's for misusing their abilities. If you are not registered with the Ministry, then you are sent to Azkaban for a maximum sentence of two years. And I would not advise one to become an Animagus unless they are brilliant in Transfiguration," she eyed him closely, as though she were silently telling him he did not fit the description.
Severus remained respectfully silent as she continued describing the sometimes horrific process and the possible consequences of attempting the transformation. Most of the mistakes, he noted, had been made by deranged criminals trying to escape a life sentence in Azkaban in the quickest, easiest way possible. Since there was no immediate hurry, Severus would be less likely to slip-up. He knew it would require much research, but since he wasn't going mad, and this was indeed possible, he was willing to at least give it a try. He wasn't stupid, after all; the chances of him— the methodical researcher and obsessive planner— making a mistake were slim. He would never try something as life-altering as this without carefully preparing himself first. Of course he would get registered and investigate all of the hazards beforehand.
Once Severus felt he was well-educated on the subject, he would tell Remus and go from there. If Sirius or James ever found out, he would tell them he was merely interested in broadening his knowledge of Transfiguration. They were dense enough to believe that, given how studious he was.
"Thank you for your time, professor," Severus said solemnly as he exited her office, hoping that he had hidden his excitement well enough. With all thoughts of the Slytherin monster banished from his mind, he made his way to the library and spent the next six hours in the Transfiguration section. The idea had now become an obsession.
xXxXxXxXx
"Don't get me wrong, Sev, I admire your effort, but I don't think it's a very good idea."
"Why not? I know all the risks involved, and this is one way—"
"No. I don't want you to get hurt…especially…by me," Remus whispered.
Severus sighed, his shoulders sagging dejectedly. It had been nearly a month since he had discovered the existence of Animagi through McGonagall, and since then, he had spent all of his free time in the library. He probably knew as much as McGonagall by now, though the process itself remained a complicated mystery.
There hadn't been another attack by the monster since the Umbridge incident, leaving Severus free from his worries about Lily's safety. He had been so engrossed in his Animagus studies that he hadn't seen her outside of their classes all month. She was probably spending a lot more time with Regulus as a result, but Severus could fix that later.
Although Remus didn't agree this was the right way to go about it, he needed Severus' help more than Lily did at the moment. In addition to his research, he had learned everything he could about werewolves, to the point where he probably knew more than Remus did. While werewolves could indeed attack animals, their bite wouldn't permanently alter them as it would a human. To Severus, the plan was brilliant, and all of this hard work was paying off, as his grades had gone from A to O in Transfiguration in the last three weeks alone. He could only hope that McGonagall wouldn't catch on to what he was trying to do behind her back.
Tonight would be full moon, so Severus and Remus were currently heading up to the hospital wing, where they could talk in private until Pomfrey escorted Remus away. James and Sirius had grown steadily more suspicious of them lately, so they only spoke of Remus' "furry little problem" when those two weren't around. Severus knew Remus was terrified they would find out and make a big joke of it, telling everyone they knew that Remus Lupin was a werewolf. They did have a slight problem with keeping their big mouths shut, after all, and Remus wasn't sure if they'd still want to be his friend if they knew. Severus understood this fear, though he had already acknowledged the fact that James and Sirius weren't as stupid as they looked: they would probably find out someday, no matter how diligent Remus was about hiding it.
"Hello boys," Madam Pomfrey greeted them in a strained voice as they entered the room. There was a girl crying somewhere beyond Pomfrey's office; she sounded strangely familiar to Severus…
It was Lily. Standing beside a bed with an unmoving girl's body was Laika Malfoy, Regulus, Lily, and Bellatrix Black.
Severus and Remus shot nervous glances at each other as they crept forward into the ward, wondering what had happened. As they got closer and saw the body on the bed, Severus felt his insides turn cold: Narcissa Black had been Petrified.
All thoughts of werewolves and Animagi fled from his mind, and Severus collapsed onto a nearby chair, knowing at once what this meant: the monster wasn't dormant after all. Only Bellatrix noticed the boys intruding in on the little Slytherin group; she merely scowled at them as though it were their fault her sister had been attacked.
For someone who relied solely on logical reasoning for life's conundrums, this latest assault was extremely frustrating for Severus. Why was the monster going after purebloods with family lineages that could probably be traced back to Salazar Slytherin himself? Dumbledore said it supposedly targeted Muggleborns, but then why was a member of one of the oldest and noblest wizarding houses laying in front of them, Petrified? Was it possible that this wasn't really the work of a monster at all, but rather a student who had been angry with the victims?
Severus never really saw Narcissa Black as an evil git, not like Regulus or Bellatrix, anyway. She was actually a rather quiet girl, who obviously cared about her friends and family. Why would someone want to hurt her?
Finally, the rest of the group noticed the two Gryffindor boys. Regulus and Laika glared hatefully at them for intruding, but Lily looked immensely relieved to see them there. Regulus tried to stop her from getting up, but she shoved his arm away from hers and ran over to Severus and Remus.
"What happened?" Severus whispered. Her eyes were glistening with tears, and her cheeks were red and puffy. He hadn't seen her so upset since she and stupid little Regulus had found Melika in the old potions dungeons a few months ago.
"Narcissa and I were talking…to Professor Slughorn last night and when we were walking back—" Lily's voice became shallow and hushed as fresh tears sprang to her eyes, "—I heard it. The hissing. I thought it was nothing, but then she heard it too. We split up to look for it…and when I found her…she was like this," Lily swiped at a tear and motioned to Narcissa's solidly motionless form. "I've been here since last night. I…I don't think it meant to get her…"
Lily burst into tears. Feeling sorry for his friend, Severus awkwardly pulled her into a hug and let her cry all over his robes. Even though he didn't exactly approve of her choice in friends in Slytherin, he thought Narcissa was the lesser of two evils. At least she hadn't betrayed Lily…yet. Lily knew the attacker was going for her, and unfortunately for Narcissa, it had missed its target again. Remus shot him a questioning glance, but Severus shook his head. Don't ask.
Once they released, Lily slowly and sadly made her way back to Narcissa's bedside. Severus growled when Regulus patted her hand reassuringly; comforting Lily was not a job he wanted to share with the little git.
"Ah, hello there, Snape!" a booming voice suddenly echoed throughout the infirmary.
Severus cringed as Professor Slughorn came up to them and patted— whacked— him on the back. He managed to give the man a small, tense smile as he nodded hello. While he was definitely one of Slughorn's best students, Severus didn't like the man very much, especially when he ignored students— like his friends— that weren't up to par with the Slug Club standards.
"What are you doing up here, Snape?" Slughorn asked him loudly. Severus kept his eyes away from Narcissa's bed, where he knew the Slytherins were glaring at him for creating such a disturbance. Slughorn wasn't addressing Remus at all; he probably forgot his name.
"I'm feeling ill," Severus replied casually, hoping to keep the Slytherins' attention away from Remus. "Why are you up here, professor?"
Slughorn grinned as he pulled out three large vials of greyish-blue potion. "Mandrake Draught," he said proudly. "Just finished brewing. These ought to revive our poor Petrified friends!"
Slughorn nodded curtly, then continued walking over to Pomfrey's office.
Severus' heart sank. While he was glad that Narcissa would be cured shortly, Slughorn's revelation wasn't going to be all good news: Darcy Umbridge would be returning to her teaching post. Since he was the last person she saw before she was Petrified, he knew there would be hell to pay once she was back to normal…
xXxXxXxXx
"Do you know the answer, Miss Evans?"
"Is it…William H. Petitt?"
"No dear, that is incorrect. Miss Macdonald?"
"Wallard B. Barker?"
Professor Umbridge smiled cruelly. "I'm sorry, that is incorrect. Since you have obviously failed to complete the assigned reading in my absence, I have no choice but to give you a detention."
But Lily got the answer wrong too, Severus wanted to say, but remained quiet to avoid detention. It was Umbridge's third day back, and her revival had not changed her for the better. Instead, she was a raging monster, especially against Severus and the other Gryffindors. He had already lost over fifty points for Gryffindor for failing to raise his hand, James had gotten thirty taken away for throwing a crumpled piece of parchment at Pettigrew, Sirius had lost twenty for mocking Narcissa, who was also back in class, and Remus had lost fifteen points for sneezing. Overall, it wasn't a very happy day for Gryffindor.
Severus yawned, exhausted from last night's detention. Unfortunately, Umbridge caught him and took away another ten points for his 'laziness' and 'lack of focus.' He didn't care about the points anymore, as long as he didn't get another detention. Umbridge, due to her 'frail health,' had allowed her equally nasty daughter to oversee the detentions, which meant nothing but pain and suffering for Severus. Dolores still hadn't recovered from her humiliation at their duel, and spent every second of his detention tormenting him.
Last night, she had hexed him when nobody was around, then ran to her mum and told her it was a Hufflepuff fifth year that had done it. The boy got a week's worth of detentions as a result. Dolores was also careful to save the worst jobs for him, ones that weren't even fit for house elves, such as hand-scrubbing toilets in the prefects' bathrooms, which were far dirtier than he had initially believed. Just before he finished up last night, she happily waltzed in and dumped a cauldronful of revolting spew, telling him it was Slughorn's idea to dump the century-old failed potions in there. That took him another three hours to finish cleaning. As he was walking back to his dormitory, Dolores walked up and took away fifty points from him for being out of bed after curfew. When he yelled at her that it was her fault he had to stay so late for detention, she merely smiled toadishly and took away another ten points for his lack of respect for the Head Girl.
Finally, after what seemed like ten years, class ended. Severus threw his books and quill into his bag and tried to escape as quickly as he could, but he came to a grinding halt upon hearing Umbridge say: "I'll see you in detention tonight, Snape."
"What?" he asked after he reluctantly told his friends to go on without him. Perhaps he hadn't heard her correctly…
Umbridge smiled lazily. "Don't forget to meet Dolores in the Transfiguration classroom tonight for your detention."
"What for?" he asked irritably, wishing he could hex that nasty sneer right off of her flabby little face. He honestly didn't know who was worse: the mother or the daughter.
"Are you questioning my authority?" Umbridge asked innocently. Her pudgy fingers twiddled with her wand, waiting for Severus to crack.
"Of course not, professor," he replied sarcastically. Then, unable to control himself, he added: "You are greater than Dumbledore himself, and I confess that you are an astounding authority figure, as I have never seen someone torture children as well as you."
That did it: Severus had pushed his luck to the limit, and judging by the murderous expression on Umbridge's face, he was in for it now. He didn't think it was possible for human skin to turn that shade of red, and frankly, he was rather amused by it. He was sick and tired of the Umbridge ladies abusing him, so he finally fought back. The consequences would be severe, but surely she couldn't expel him for a little verbal insult?
"Tonight. At nine," she heaved furiously. Her grip on her wand was so tight that her veins looked as though they'd burst, and her hands were shaking with rage.
Severus turned and ran. He thought of ditching detention tonight, but immediately banished the thought from his mind. He was going to face an Umbridge tonight— Darcy or Dolores, neither would be pleasant— and he was determined to come out alive.
xXxXxXxXx
"Keep scrubbing, Snape."
It would be easier if you went away, Severus tried to say, but it only came out as: "At wool beez err eef yuvent avay."
Shortly after he had arrived, Dolores had hexed his tongue until it was so swollen he could barely breath through his mouth. Clearly her mother had told her what Severus had said earlier, and when his back was turned, she performed the nonverbal jinx on him. He couldn't ask her if she did it, because whenever he tried to say something, it came out as pure gibberish. Dolores would then feign cluelessness and smile maliciously as he panicked over his rapidly increasing tongue.
It was now ten o'clock. He and Mary Macdonald had been in detention for an hour so far, and while Mary was outraged to see Dolores bullying Severus, she wisely kept her mouth shut.
As expected, Mary had gotten the easier job of scrubbing floors. Severus, on the other hand, was forced to clean up the brownish sludge that was seeping through the walls. On the other side of this wall was a bathroom. He could only hope that this stuff was just mould.
As he continued scouring, Severus kept his attention solely on the wall. If he lost his focus, he knew he'd turn around and strangle Dolores with every ounce of energy he had left in him. The girl was worse than her mother. Tonight, he learned where Umbridge had gotten those quills that made his hands bleed profusely and eventually scar over: Dolores had bought them for her as a Christmas gift. Severus and Sirius had been the first victims of those quills, though Sirius' hand didn't have the lines permanently etched into his skin.
Severus held his left hand up to the faint yellow light. I must not use illegal magic.
He had gotten that shortly after he defeated Dolores in their duel. Umbridge had been so upset over her daughter's embarrassing loss that she had concluded that Severus had used an illegal spell against her in order to claim victory. Severus didn't know when 'Protego' had become a prohibited defensive spell, but after this rather painful punishment, he reluctantly kept this bit of information to himself.
"Get up," Dolores suddenly ordered one of them. Severus turned around but apparently, she was speaking to Mary.
He and Mary briefly made eye contact; she looked weary and exhausted. Although she had gotten the easier task, Severus felt a pang of pity for her. Dolores was no kinder to her than she was to him, but at least he was used to being abused by the Umbridges.
"Get up I said," Dolores angrily grabbed Mary by the arm and jerked her off the ground. Mary shrieked in pain as something in her arm cracked, but Dolores ignored her. She greatly resembled a Muggle school bully Severus had once encountered; he too, had pulled him off of his feet and suspended him in the air, just for laughs.
"Let her go!" Severus yelled as Mary continued crying out. Her arm was already bruising and swelling, and if Dolores didn't release soon, she would either break it or cut off the flow of blood entirely.
Smirking triumphantly, Dolores let Mary fall to the ground. Knowing what consequences awaited her if she didn't get up, Mary managed to pull herself to her feet with a little help from Severus.
"Right this way," Dolores said coldly, leading Mary down the corridor away from Severus. Mary had finished the floors; now she was on to her next horrible chore.
"I'll deal with you in a minute," Dolores added to Severus. He didn't like that malicious glint in her eyes. One voice in his head urgently screamed at him to run, but then another voice calmly reminded him he would be in trouble either way. Running would only worsen his punishment.
He continued his ferocious scrubbing for a while, then threw the rag aside once Dolores and Mary had disappeared. He slumped to the ground in exhaustion, wondering what he had done to make Umbridge hate him so much. From day one, she had hated him, and while he understood students bullying other students, he was perplexed when it came to teachers bullying students. If she hated children so much, then why was she a teacher? McGonagall may be strict, but at least she treated her students with dignity and respect…
Hiss…
Severus froze. Was it just his imagination, or had the noise come from inside the very wall he was currently cleaning? The thought of the monster coming for him made him break into a cold sweat. Here he was, wandless and alone. If the monster wanted him cornered, then it couldn't have had a more perfect opportunity than right now. One by one, his feet slowly stepped back, wanting to get the rest of his body as far away from that wall as he could. He blinked several times, trying to convince himself this was just a nightmare, but the scene never changed. The hissing was now ringing in his ears to the point where he couldn't hear his own thoughts; it was worse than the night he, James, and Sirius had heard the noise in the girl's bathroom.
The girl's bathroom…
Severus actually yelled out in terror: Dolores had taken Mary to polish the sinks in the very bathroom he and his friends had nearly been killed in a couple months ago. What if the monster was in there with them?
His whole body was shaking so badly that he couldn't keep his balance. He collapsed onto the ground and continued to shiver violently as though he was having a seizure. Some sort of surreal intuitive feeling told him this hissing meant something…something bad. Whatever was making the sound was furious.
Just when he thought his fear had reached its peak, he heard a girl's scream. He unconsciously screamed as well, though some unknown Gryffindor recklessness deep within him immediately propelled him off of the ground and toward the bathroom. It sounded like Mary's voice, and even though he was tremendously frightened as well, it was his duty to ensure his fellow Gryffindor was alright.
His hand shook as he went to open the door; he acknowledged the fact that he might run into the monster beyond this door, but at least he would only be Petrified, right?
The bathroom was as dark and flooded as it had been when Severus and his friends had gone in there. The moon was concealed by clouds tonight, so the only light he had was from the faint torches in the hallway behind him.
His head was throbbing painfully and he could feel the bitter taste of vomit coming up his throat, but he forced it down, at least temporarily.
"Ma—Mary?" he whispered. A light layer of mist obscured the bathroom's interior for the most part, forcing Severus to step inside for a closer look.
Please let Mary be okay…please let her be okay…please…
A tiny voice reminded him that Mary was a Muggleborn, a probable target for the attack, but he was so focused on finding out why one of the girls had screamed that he easily suffocated this horrifying piece of information.
"Mary?" Severus crept closer to a dark figure on the ground. As he got within three feet of it, he inhaled sharply, recognizing all of the signs of a Petrified individual. Mary's long brown hair was strangely stiff, despite the water flowing all around her, and her entire body was rigid, like a human rock.
Severus gently pulled her over onto her back, jumping slightly when he saw the look of horror on her face. Judging by her position on the ground, it appeared as though she had been looking into a mirror just before she saw the enemy and ended up like this. Perhaps Dolores had attacked her?
Severus got to his feet and searched around the room for a sign of the evil girl. He was tremendously relieved when he realized the hissing had finally stopped; he hoped the monster or whoever had done this wouldn't strike again.
"Ah!"
Severus tripped over something soft and squishy. He landed hard on his back, but the sound was muffled due to the water on the ground. Feeling a little disoriented, he groped around for the thing he had tripped over. His trembling hands landed on something that felt chillingly like human flesh. It was cold, but soft and flexible. He grabbed the person's hand; it was chubby and strangely moveable. Definitely not the signs of someone who had been Petrified…
Severus pulled the body onto its side, then onto its back. As he gazed down at the face, his breathing became shallow and his headache returned at once. Something wasn't right: Dolores' body was not thoroughly solid as Narcissa or Mary's was, and one eyelid opened lazily as he turned her body over. People who had been Petrified weren't supposed to be able to move anything.
Another scream tried to escape him, but Severus remained oddly silent as he carefully felt her wrists for a pulse. There was none. He reached up to her neck and waited for a sign that there was something still alive in the body in front of him. Still no pulse.
Severus looked away from the body and threw up. The acidic taste in his mouth made his eyes water and throat burn. He fell onto back and stared sideways at the body, unable to scream, unable to get to his feet and run away. His mind had stopped functioning properly and refused to tell him what he needed to do to get to safety. He simply lay there, numbed by the truth.
Dolores Umbridge was not Petrified or unconscious. She was dead.
And Severus was the one who found her.
A/N: I've been wanting to do that since OotP. Obviously the culprit is a little clumsy this time around, Petrifying and killing purebloods instead of Mudbloods. For anyone confused as to why this is happening: everytime a pureblood has been Petrified, a Muggleborn has been around. They're just getting lucky...for now.
As always, I appreciate all comments :)