“But you could add – ”
“No, I can’. Tha’d lif’ tha effec’ o’ tha Fluxweed.”
“True – but after the third stir – ”
Incredibly fast knocking tore him from his memory and a single second lasting panic made his heart leap when he noticed the black stains the dripping quill had caused on Susan Bones’ essay. More knocks, even hastier, followed when he put the quill back with a snort, gave the fresh stains a cleaning wave of his hand and went for the door, only to find a man standing in front of him he preferred to know miles away. But he was standing there, right there, inches from him, in the middle of the night; and after having overcome initial anger, he saw the embarrassed despair that was written across his former teacher’s face.
“I hope I didn’t – ”, he puled, “Oh – you’re still in your robes, thank goodness.”, Severus’ brows narrowed on the quite unusual tone, but he waited for him to get to the point. “Alright, well, I’ll make it short. I – I have a serious problem.”, did he just blush?
“Which is?”, the light from inside his office was blocked by his own silhouette and the blue flames from the corridor gave the other man a kind of very unfitting halo, but he was clearly getting pink.
“A – ”, Slughorn quickly turned his head up and down the corridor to check whether they were alone, and just as though he feared the walls to hear, he lowered his voice to whispering volume. “Let me say, it is rather intimate.”, his eyes gave a lower region of his body a short flick and Severus’ didn’t need a much longer glimpse to tell him what was going on, in spite of the big belly. “I am really ashamed to admit; and that is why I beg you for secrecy; but I am clueless how to get rid of that.”
“I thought, you were born with two hands?”, snorted Severus, believing his ears less than his eyes at the current moment.
“I tried!”, Slughorn hissed panicking.
“Incredible that you can still get it up at your age – ”
“That isn’t funny!”
“I haven’t noticed that I laughed.”, it wasn’t really hard for him to throw his annoyance into Slughorn’s frustration, but indeed difficult to swallow down a grin. “But what I was meaning to say is that as much as it actually doesn’t surprise me to see that, guessing a comprehensible imagination that might have caused it, it does bother me to find you such a wreck, incapable of getting your perverse mind to calm down.”
“That is not funny!”, Slughorn threw a hissing tantrum. “I think it got stuck!”
“And your wicked brain suddenly suggested I might be the right person to turn you – ”
“Severus! Stop playing the idiot you never were!”, pleaded Slughorn, which impressed Severus as gravely as the problem appeared to be. “Without you, I’m screwed!”
“Certainly, I prefer knowing you are without me.”
“Severus!”, that one found it fascinating how anyone could possibly rage so intensely with such a lack of sound. “I – I thought – er – maybe – you know something – a tonic I haven’t come across – or any herb – ”
“I highly advise Ricin or a considerable quantity of Foxglove.”, he had no idea why, but the moment simply felt right to pay back for a good number of certain things.
“I said, this is serious!”, Slughorn moaned.
“And I possess a pair of functioning ears and a no less working brain, rather like you, as it seems.”
“So, will you get your working brain to assist me in my plight?”
“If you can do similar for me, should I ask for a favour,”
“Yes, yes!”, Slughorn brandished him off, visibly glad that he hadn’t gotten kicked back up to the Entrance Hall.
“Follow me.”
“To where?”
“I will not mix it on the sixth-years’ homework.”
“Right, yes.”
Some more flicks of his hand and the office was left behind in darkness, the door locked, and Slughorn trotted after him in direction of the Potions classroom. Actually he had planned to finish the corrections and go to bed before two in the morning for once in three weeks, but since the concoction would keep him off that for at least an hour, he had to reconcile with the fact that he was facing another night of less than four hours sleep. But as bad things could only get worse, Slughorn nearly crashed into him when the differently glowing line under the door halted him at an instant. Who by all means abused the classroom at midnight? That being the final straw, he crashed the door open regardless of the consequences, which were a very unexpected high squeal and breaking glass.
By the moment he had gotten aware of whom they had disturbed, his mind and insides were already embroiled in the biggest battle in a long time. It took each of the three almost as long to realise what kind of situation they were entangled in. Severus saw the teenager swallow as if he had taken a gulp of the liquid that was spilled all over his trainers, which he was understandably unaware of.
“Harry?”, Slughorn aspirated from behind Severus’ and he felt him trying to see the boy properly, but Severus had no intentions to move only an inch, even if he had been able to. “What are you doing here at – what were you actually doing in here?”, the older men’s eyes were studying various assembled glasses and jars on a table.
“I – er – ”, the youngster stammered, his look drifting down in shock to see the mess he had made.
“As eager as your mother, aren’t you? Sneaking out at night to try your hands on ingredients?”
“Did she?”, Harry’s eyes popped out and he decided to ignore the chaos at his feet.
“I must say, dear Severus here – ”
“Could you – ”, that one moaned when a finger was poking his shoulder.
“Oh sorry – what was I – oh yes – he encouraged it, you know? Interesting results, I have to admit.”
“Indeed.”, chuckled Harry, getting a hint he shouldn’t have discovered. “You encouraged my mother to break rules, Sir? But aren’t we to not sneak out at night?”
“You are insanely sarcastic, given that you are momentarily breaking rules yourself, in addition to the school’s property.”
“Which wasn’t entirely my fault, I hope you know, Sir.”, what he knew was that the look Harry gave him was exactly the same he had just presented him with, but whether the boy was aware of that, he felt like better not making him figure out, now that he seemed to be composed enough to show a certain degree of manners next to his anger about having been caught in an act that was very much off his preferences of how to spend a night at Hogwarts.
“To return to the original topic,”, Severus asked as ignorant as he could, “What were you meaning to achieve here?”
“That’s private.”, Harry said brief.
“This is a classroom, in case I need to remind you where you stand in, apart from that wonderfully sticky liquid.”
“Thanks, Professor.”, snorted Harry at him, as grim.
“And believe it or not, nothing you do in a classroom can be private, no matter at which day- or nighttime. Someone will usually get to know.”
“I guess, teachers always know such bits of unwritten laws then, not?”
“And exceptionally cheeky, like your father.”
“Oh Severus.”, Slughorn moaned. “Couldn’t you for once leave him? It is not his fault that you and James didn’t get al– ”
“I haven’t picked on any fact. I have merely voiced some. So, to repeat my colleague’s question again, what was that waste of money originally meant to turn out to become?”
“Something I highly doubt that would work on you, Sir. It’s not that your skin suffers from anything else than a lack of sunlight, now does it?”
“I cannot see your skin suffer either,”, he still refused to step further into the classroom, for the mere pleasure to let Slughorn dance behind him in the attempt to get a better view on Harry.
“Well, not anymore, thanks to Hermione. But whatever that was she gave me there, I don’t think it really worked on those damn pimples in my face. It rather made them move downstairs and spread everywhere else.”, Harry remained as cold.
“That sounds like a serious disease as well!”, Slughorn sang.
“As well?”
“That sounds like none other than the biggest enemy of any kind of human skin, Horace. It carries the illustrious name `puberty´. But yours lies so far in the past, I can hardly expect you to still remember it. Regardless of your current teensy pr– ”
“It might surprise you, but I had acne in my youth. Of course I found a solution.”
“I doubt you had acne, yes.”
“I had loads of these horrible pimples in my face. I am glad, I didn’t keep scars!”
“And you are of course ashamed to admit your inability to find a tonic against them. No, I don’t need to break into your mind to acknowledge that. I just need to put one and one together to figure your lack of guts that forced you to sit it out.”
“Everywhere else, you say m’boy?”, Slughorn tried hard to distract from his own past.
“He is not your boy.”, Severus couldn’t stop the mumbling before it slipped past his lips, but fortunately wasn’t heard by either of them.
“Yes, everywhere.”, grunted Harry. “Some, if not plenty, in every area my body has decided to grow hair. Even where I already had hair before.”
“Naturally.”
“Naturally?”, Harry’s eyes switched from past Severus’ head to his indifferent face.
“Quite. And your friend Miss Granger, I assume she has told you how to use – ”
“She has. But it seems, she either gave me the wrong stuff, or the pimples got afraid and, well, moved along.”
“Neither. You should try to eat less sugar.”
“Er – ”
“Sugar makes them worse, as much as foregoing the one or other wash.”
“I – what?”, it troubled him to see his son realise who was just giving him such an advice, but, against what he had believed, there was no way it could get any worse.
“Wash yourself at least once a day and cut the sweets out off your diet as much as possible. Otherwise you will never get that stuff to work properly. Isn’t that what she told you?”
“You know – ”
“I am not stupid. Of course I know what Miss Granger applied to her skin and how it is to be treated. It is completely harmless and works very well, if you use it adequately. I am certain, if you follow her instructions, you will get rid of your problem quicker than you manage to get yourself in detention and we both know how virtuous you are.”
“Great!”, Harry huffed, in more than obvious trouble himself because Hermione’s advice miraculously was in accord with what the teacher he despised most had suggested him to do.
“If it better helps you overcoming your teenage horror, you may take your friend’s word as a reference, should you find it difficult to follow what I just told you. Neither of us wants your pathetic accomplishments in class to suffer from acne as well, not?”
“At least everyone I taught managed to conjure a Patronus, of which shape ever, Sir. If I could repay with an advice on my part, students are better capable of performing a spell if they know their teacher to be able to do it as well – and if they’re not afraid of him. Talking alone doesn’t really convince them, and much less give them enough belief in their own skills.”
“Talking about belief, I believe it was yourself who was humble enough to send your classmates away, should they have come to only marvel at your performances?”
“No idea who told you – ”
“It was you. Your miserable – ”
“I got it, Sir, okay? I got it! I know I’m horrible at Occlumency!”
“Most literally, you suck at it.”, Severus couldn’t avoid a sigh.
“Fine. Now that we’ve settled that, am I allowed to clean up and go to bed?”
“No, and almost.”, he gave the liquid a similar wave as he had the ink on the essay and it was gone completely while the bottle flew back to the table behind Harry and repaired itself, then looking as if it had never been used. “As I – ah – detected, that Professor Slughorn’s problem must have vaporised or similar, I see no need for any of us to stay here much longer.”
“Has it? Indeed! Merlin’s beard, yes! Ingenious, Severus! If I had known that I only needed to not think of it any longer – ”
“It is ingenious that you needed my help to figure that out. If you excuse me now, as you know, students aren’t allowed out of bed, especially these days, and there is one who hasn’t found the way to his yet. Come.”
“I could do that – ”
“Oh no, you go to bed as well.”, he turned to him, hissing under his breath and through his teeth when Harry had set his legs in motion. “Mark my words, Horace. One single finger. Dare to even think of touching him – I swear, I will string you up with your own intestine and you’ll indeed get laid on my desk, as a scrap parchment made from your skin. Now get out of my way.”
Glad that the words had hit the right spot, he strutted past the other man with his son on his heels, who didn’t drop a single word until they reached the Grand Tower. It had actually felt wonderful to just walk side by side with him; Harry had levelled up in the Entrance Hall; but hearing him speak somewhat normal to him was like fireworks of flowers.
“He could really have accompanied me, Sir.”
“No, he couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“If there is one thing I would never let Horace Slughorn do, it is leaving a lone student to him. Of course you have proven to be able to defend yourself,”
“Thanks – ”, Harry panted as they climbed further upstairs, past portraits that weren’t as vast asleep as they had appeared to be.
“But it is not worth the risk.”
“Risk?”
“Don’t get me wrong and feel honoured now, I wouldn’t let him alone with any underage student.”
“Why not?”, Harry repeated.
“I have already said too much and fuelling your expectations would only result in breaking a promise I spoke some time ago. A promise of secrecy, if he should learn to bridle himself at last. Don’t make me – ”
“Sorry, no. I won’t. It’s none of my business.”
“Exactly. As long as you avoid him in private, you have nothing to be worried about.”
“If you mean that strange glistening in his eyes when he looks at a student he has hopes in, I’ve noticed that, Sir. It’s a bit frightening in times, but as almost all of his favourite students are still alive, I don’t think I need to fear he’d eat me.”
“Depends on the point of view, but yes. Still you should avoid him in times.”
“Nothing as simple. He’s been the one to avoid me lately.”
“Good. Still you should be careful whom you trust.”
“Right advice from the right person.”, Harry chuckled dark. “Just because you don’t like him, Sir, it doesn’t mean he’s the grandest bugger in the world. So he did provide Voldemort information on Horcruxes. And? I don’t think he’d known what that Tom Riddle would become. No one had.”
“That is true. But you should learn to not say his name. It will get you in considerable trouble one day.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“I am not talking about fear, but gumption. There is a reason why people don’t say the name, and it is not fear. Not only.”
“What do you care if I get myself blown up, Sir? Oh right – you’re working for us now.”
“If I may correct my words, your sarcasm isn’t nearly as entertaining as your father’s. It might comfort you to see this all as a kind of game, and it probably even is only a game, but in this game people die. A single word; and if it is speaking a name out loud; can decide on life.”
“Sure. He doesn’t allow Death Eaters to say that name either.”
“Just as that. And some rules should be taken into account.”, they had reached the Fat Lady, who was actually sleeping and came to halt in front of one another. “Yes, they should. I know well that you have difficulties accepting such; don’t still try to deny. Breaking rules can be unforgivable, and that is always on the one who breaks them. Oh, I am sorry, but I was under the impression you had learned that lesson somewhen last school year. It is different if you stand up, shout out your opinion and get crushed, or obey silently, infest the system like a virus and crush it when it is most vulnerable.”
Harry said nothing on it. He just stared up at him for a long while, quite blank but clearly beaten by the truth and the silence of the tower was throbbing in Severus’ ears as though someone frequently hit each with a big rubber hammer.
“Good – good night, Sir – ”, the boy croaked the most horrible destruction of the quiet pain.
“Good night.”, understanding that he had to get away as well before something might happen he would regret later, he turned on the spot and set one foot back downstairs.
“Sir?”, Harry nevertheless stopped him before it touched the lower stone.
“Yes?”, he half looked back at him.
“Er – just say, if one pretended to be someone else, by the use of Polyjuice Potion – wouldn’t they have to be a great Occlumens as well?”
“Yes.”
“So, Barty Crouch was great at it, wasn’t he?”
“I have to admit, he was exceptional.”
“So he could shield his mind, and on – an open – layer – provided information about – ”
“Not nearly as complicated as that. He was confident enough to believe that no one would ever dare to check whether he was an impostor. However, he did not expect someone who wasn’t distracted by the whole fuss around the tournament.”
“So you did – ”
“Yes, I knew he was not whom he pretended to be, yet his shields were strong enough I could not break them. And that is, without sounding arrogant, actually saying something.”
“Er – second – you couldn’t break his defences but knew? That – ”
“His eyes.”, Harry’s widened. “Or shall I say, the one eye. At times his concern about his covers being blown up drifted through. But Dumbledore was blind. He trusted his `old friend´ more than me as to listen when told him what I discovered. He believed, that I was still sympathised enough with Igor, that I despised Alastor and wanted to get rid of him, which of course is only half the truth. Alastor Moody, and I have to confess myself guilty, was ever an idol for me.”, he wasn’t sure whether it shouldn’t bother him that Harry straightened with increasing interest. “But yes, you are indeed right. A skilled person can hide their identity and leave false information in the open for others to pick without their notice that it is nicely provided especially for them. That is, which I meant to tell you all througho– ”
“Well,”, Harry chuckled limply, “Seems I finally got it then, right? But doesn’t it mean then, that each and everyone who is powerful enough, could pretend to be anyone they wanted as long as they managed to get a hair or piece of nail from that person?”
“Believe me, for someone who mastered mind control to such an extent, obtaining another person’s hair is easier than opening a window that is only leaned shut right before their nose. There is not a single who has only one talent. Unfortunately many people fail to see it and therefore are too fixated on their supposedly only skill, which drives them into insanity once they should fail at that one day.”
“Ever consider plan B.”
“Consider plan B, C and D, up to Z. And if you have not enough hands to hold all those strings of the puppets, you need to find someone trustworthy who can hold some for you. You might not believe me when I tell you that I can comprehend your doubt when it comes to certain important things. I myself have experienced enough disappointment as to understand that some things are better done alone, without anyone’s knowledge. But you have to differ your skills from your needs.”
“Yeah. No one’s got only one talent, but no one’s got all of them either.”
“Know your friends and foes better than yourself and chose. If you are supposed to flip two switches at once but they are set too far apart for your hands to reach both, it is usually not such a bad idea to have the one or other who can play your mirror perfectly well, or the addendum, if necessary.”
“But regarding Occlumency – and that it is really possible to layer one’s memories and thoughts and emotions – if there are already such possibilities only in that considered untouchably part of the world,”
“Only fools consider anything untouchable,”
“Right.”
“But you are getting the knack. As complicated as the universe may seem, as entangled is it. If you manage to understand; and I mean not only accept, but understand, imagine and, most of all, believe; that everything is solely made of energy, arranged in the most wondrous and varied ways, you can do nearly everything.”
“So – I have to believe – ”
“Yes, if you truly believe, if your belief is strong enough, the world around you is a sandpit and you own the water to sculpt it. And you need to take care of your sculptures.”
“Yes. One day the sun will come and dry it for the wind to carry it away. But also one day I won’t be there anymore to constantly devote to it,”
“Then pray for someone to be strong enough to continue your work. Nothing is eternal. No one ever does the best things with their time, but it is no crime to use it according to your own wisdom. Everything happens for a reason. Manage to see that and you can grow.”
“Though, if I take myself the right to do everything – shouldn’t I grant everyone the same right? Everyone?”
“Well, that’s the fly in the ointment, isn’t it?”, visibly drifting off into his thoughts, Harry nodded and he decided to leave him with them.
“Sir?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for letting me – er – for helping me outwit the system – ”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
He hoped that Harry would forever remember the scarce smile he gave him, but on the other hand prayed for him to not have caught it. Unwilling to break into his son’s mind to satisfy some possibly perverted need of his own, he turned once more and went downstairs before Harry could drop another single word.
~~#~~
All throughout the lesson, he had been skipping pages on his lap, while his right hand had written. And that regardless of the reason he had been sent to the bench quite early. Again he had shown a fair amount of arrogance and he was lucky he hadn’t gotten himself in detention for his behaviour again. But somehow, she had the feeling that he had an ulterior motive. Probably he had meant to escape the practice just for being able to study that madness. But that wasn’t the only curiosity she recorded: he hadn’t been at breakfast and when she had gone back up to brush her teeth, she had noticed that the sorting in her vanity bag had slightly changed.
Knowing that the boys weren’t allowed in the dormitories, she knew she had to bring them to Severus later for testing everything. Just in case Lavender had laid hands on her stuff. But, she suspected someone else behind it, and whoever he had hired to do whatever with her vanity bag, for some reason the result now looked like Harry wore makeup.
“Miss Granger,”, the murmur brought her mind back to her own head, which zoomed at Severus, who corrected the homework. “I cannot recall to have allowed anyone to daydream.”
“Sorry.”
“If you are tired of casting spells, you may join Mr Potter. And I assure you, I will know if you copied down the essay he is currently not writing.”
“I am!”, Harry protested. “And why should Hermione copy anything I’d written!”
“Oh of course you are writing an essay;”, Severus sighed. “However, the subject differs much from which you should be dealing with.”
“Believe me, Professor, I’d prefer having to deal with something else as well. This here, is a matter of life and death. And how can you read that anyway?”
“It is not necessary for me to read your crappy handwriting I have been forced to face for more than five years, in order to know what troubles you. Give me an excuse to add another five points to that list, which you will be costing Gryffindor, if you should not immediately dedicate to the right topic.”, Harry only grunted and pulled an empty parchment from his bag. “You are still standing, Miss Granger.”
Huffing at him, Hermione went for her bag. She dropped it on the desk, sat down so hard on the bench that the desk slightly tilted and Harry had to grasp his ink bottle. Surprised, she stared at his hand, knowing that if she had been in his place, she would have spilt more than if she had let it fall. But not a single drop had left it.
“Goddamned Seeker,”, she moaned quietly.
“There wouldn’t have been any need for that,”, Harry hissed under his breath, “If you knew to behave.”
“I know well to behave,”, Hermione still stared at the reddish dots on the back of Harry’s left hand that he finally retrieved.
“I believe you,”, Harry sighed and inked his quill.
“But it was you who’s incurred himself an essay.”
“That’s rich, given the fact that you share that fate with me,”
“Are you two married?”, that made their heads jerk up. “No? Then stop quarrelling and write!”
“Yes, Sir.”, they mumbled mutually, as though they were back in their first year and Hermione got out her things before sitting the bag as careless on the floor.
“What’s wrong with your hand?”, whispered Hermione.
“What should be wrong with my hand?”, Harry frowned to his already ten lines of the actual essay.
“There’s – ”
“Nothing wrong with my hand.”
“Don’t be silly, I’m not blind.”, she took it, but didn’t get to examine it.
“Proposing him doesn not give you the right to continue your verbal battle, Miss Granger.”
In addition, Harry tore it from her fingers and laid the arm on the table before his chest, rather than stretched out, so she wouldn’t easily get to see his hand again. But she did see that he indeed wore makeup.
“Really, my face isn’t that fascinating.”, he hissed again, not taking his eyes off his writing, which he continued while he spoke. “So unless you want to be the one to cost us these points, do as he says.”
“Sorry, but I think I’m going mad! Are you giving me the advice to listen to him? We’ve switched bodies now?”
“Quite.”
“Miss Granger, that is the last warning.”
“Sorry, Professor.”
“Keep in mind though, that your essay should be twice as long now. And if I should find any questionable content, I can guarantee that your education at Hogwarts has come to an early end.”
“Sir!”
“Some people may deem it useful to protest, yet since I can spot no beaten Houseelf around, I see no use for any outbursts of yours.”
“Pardon me, Professor,”, Harry murmured, “But you could have saved loads of both our precious time by the use of two simple words.”
“Which words!”, moaned Hermione, her eyes travelling between the two pairs of such that had locked. “What – ”, but her attempt drowned in their simultaneous grunt.
“Shut up!”
Extreme heat in her face upon it as well as the very carefully subdued giggles from the class and unwilling to further lock horns with either, she dedicated to the beginning of the four-rolls-madness, ignoring that Harry had switched his sheets insanely quick and reopened the book on his lap. She could have sworn to have seen Severus’ eyes flick at him again, but no comment followed and so she decided to give it a rest as well. The bell rang far too soon anyway so as she could even finish half a page.
“Oh man,”, with a sigh as heavy as his lids from all the homework that had taken him exceptionally long and therefore cost many hours of sleep, Ron joined them at their bench while Hermione was packing. “I think I’ll never get to do that nonverbal,”
“Because you don’t concentrate enough, Ronald.”, she pouted and slipped in her securely closed ink bottle.
“But that’s the point! How am I supposed to concentrate when – ”, he threw a glance over his shoulder to gladly spot that Lavender left the classroom that moment, “She’s glaring at me?”
“She’s just a girl, Ron.”, Harry huffed, but what more confused Hermione was, that he wouldn’t stop writing.
“Do I have to remind you that it’s been a girl who managed to beat everyone – in the meetings – last year?”, Hermione muttered.
“Oh yes – right – nearly killed one of us; your sister, Ron, if you forgot.”
“That’s not – ”
“And I forgave her.”, noted Hermione and lowered her voice even more, since Severus was still correcting work only feet away. “What are you still writing for?”
“Since it is my fingers that are getting stained and irritated by writing eagerly on my parchment, I suppose, I am writing for myself.”
“Harry – ”
“It’s none of your business, is it?”
“We’re your friends, mate; wouldn’t hurt us telling what you’re up to. Been a bit strange, lately. I mean – stranger than usual – ”
“Yes.”, she agreed, switching her look from one to the other.
“You think we won’t be concerned if you do some extra work?”
“And I think, there are plenty of other places in this castle, where you can carry on your discussions.”, like Harry, he didn’t take his eyes from the papers below. “Don’t you have another class to attend to?”
“That’s right, Harry.”, Hermione gave his things a flick of her wand under his protesting moan and expression, but all of it landed securely in his bag and she pointed the wand at his right hand to free it from the black ink.
“Well, thanks, Hermione! But I can pack and clean my hands on my own!”
“Come on, now!”, she hissed. “Both of you!”, and she seized Ron’s wrist to drag him out of the room.
“Ow! Let go, Mum!”
“Sorry.”
She dropped his hand, but Harry wouldn’t come. Confused, she stopped at the door with Ron and turned back. He now stood between the benches. His bag still laid where Hermione had packed it. Also Severus now frowned across his spectacles, then blinked at Harry, which she could only just see from her position by the open door.
“Yes?”, he said very slow, though Harry didn’t answer. “Anything – you would like to tell me?”, as slow, he took off the glasses and put them down on his desk.
“Harry?”
“See you in a minute.”, Harry said monotonously, straight ahead, facing their teacher.
“Harry – ”
“I said – ”
“We’re not going anywhere without you,”, meant Ron.
“That’s right. Whatever you’ve got to say to him, we should spare you the trouble of telling us later, don’t you think?”
“Fine,”, he murmured and lifted his hands.
“What are you doing?”, moaned Severus as he undid his tie which he let sink onto the desk to his own left. “What by all means – ”, Harry already dedicated to the buttons of his shirt and it slipped off along with his cloak; unable to help it, Severus’ hand rose to cover his mouth, not being the only.
“Oh my goodness – ”, Hermione breathed into her hands when Harry opened his belt and trousers and they went to the floor equally, coming to halt at his ankles in a heap.
“What in the name of God did you do?”
“Well,”, Harry huffed with a brief look down on his own body that was cluttered with inflamed pustules, “Thanks for the makeup, Hermione. Though I won’t tell you who I asked to copy it.”
“Copy it?”, she shrieked, ignoring Ron’s miserable stare.
“And also thanks for refusing to give me more of your – wonder tonic. I’ve already seen Madam Pomfrey, and she has no clue what is happening to me. We tried Bubotuber Pus, but it just got worse. And since I refused to go to St Mungo’s, she suggested I’d consult you, Professor.”, Severus’ hand fell. “Well?”
“Did – did you copy that too, or what?”, he aspirated with an expression Hermione had never seen him show openly. “I hope, you at least removed the surface of your copy of your friend’s makeup pot?”
“Yes. I’m not stupid.”
“Obviously you are! Did you copy the tonic?”, Harry said nothing at first, but he didn’t need to. “Did you? Mo chreach – ”
“As I said, Hermione refused to provide me with more and I didn’t need another encounter as the one that nearly ruined my shoes.”
“So it just came to your mind that the Gemino Curse – ”
“It did work, didn’t it? Only that the acne as well has doubled in intensity and even pain. So? Any solution, Sir?”, Severus just placed his elbows on the desktop and ran all of his fingers through his slightly greasing hair, which made it stand as weird as Harry’s, regardless of the length.”
“I – ”, he pondered, gazing at the windows then, “I have something – that – er – it is actually – quite simple – it – it might work – ”
“I’m all ears,”, Harry said, putting his hands on his hips – with caution though, and Ron blinked heavily when their teacher unbuttoned the collar of his own robe and shirt and reached down to pull out his tiny velvet pouch, which he enlarged with a gesture of his hand, opened it and summoned a couple of glasses, flicking his fingers only. “What’s that?”
“Want me to test your knowledge?”, he picked one of the floating glasses filled with dried plants and Harry narrowed his eyes, trying to recognise it from the distance.
“Shepherd's Purse?”, Hermione and Ron exchanged an amazed but at the same time confused look.
“Correct.”, Severus put it down and took another. “And this?”
“That’s Woodruff.”
“Yes. This?”
“Er – second – Hypericum Perforatum – Hypericum Perforatum – what’s it – ”, Ron’s eyes popped out.
“Harry!”, Hermione gasped.
“What?”, he turned his head.
“You – you – ”
“I know I’m still as good as naked. So shut up and let me figure this myself.”
“I am perfectly satisfied with its Latin name, thank you. Amber was the word you tried to find.”
“Er – but it’s yellow – ”, Harry’s face was back on him.
“There is also yellow and green, and even red amber, so, it does not matter which idiot named this plant `Amber´. What is this?”, Severus took the last filled glass.
“Raspberry leaves. Clearly.”
“Wonderful. I’d say, twenty points to Gryffindor.”, Severus could hardly hold back a smirk.
“Ha!”, Harry cheered and turned his head another time, to grin at Hermione now.
“Bloody hell!”, Ron moaned.
“At least you’ve finally understood what I’ve been trying to tell you.”, sighed Hermione, lightly shaking her head.
“Now, give me a minute.”, Severus sighed as well and began weighing amounts of each plant into an empty big jar, solely on his hand.
“Er – ”
“I believe, you can re-enact that I indeed had some experience,”
“Quite, yes.”, Harry chuckled.
“If it isn’t too painful for you, you may dress again.”, the grimace Ron gave Hermione upon that, momentarily made her so upset that she had to yell at herself in her mind in oder to prevent slapping him while Harry put back on his clothes. “Now,”, Severus let the herbs crumple with a snap of his fingers, stoppered the jar and shook it to mix its content.
“Yes?”, Harry already bound his tie, a bit lazy however.
“Take two tea spoons, place them on a scraped paper or filtering paper over a glass or cup, pour hot water on it and let it sit for – approximately ten minutes, then drink it. Do that three times a day, until this jar is empty.”
“That helps?”
“It should at least reduce that stuff. In addition, before you go to sleep, you could mix honey and fresh curd and apply it on the affected areas. Dobby; or even Kreacher, if you present him your issue; should be pleased to serve you with what you need and help you applying it. In case there is any refusal, you are allowed to tell either that the order actually came from my side. Or, if you prefer, I recall you have a friend standing by that door over there.”
“For how long should I – ”
“Fifteen to twenty minutes should be enough. Remove it carefully with clean hands and take a warm shower. And yes, Miss Granger,”, his eyes lingered on her for some moments, “He will not only have to boss around his or a free Houseelf, he will also have to throw away the mix after the application. I know, a terrible waste of expensive food, but as long as it is the dear ratepayers to finance the meals at Hogwarts and you don’t belong to them, it should not be your concern. And you,”, he spoke to Harry again, raising to give him the jar, “Do good to change your nightwear at least every fourth day.”
“Alright.” Harry nodded and shoved it into his school bag. “Thank you.”
“Any time. I may appear like a mongrel, and I haven’t been as naïve as to multiply my stock magically,”
“If it helps, I think I’d be forever grateful.”, he grabbed his bag and turned to go.
“Just don’t think your gratitude might change anything between us.”, Severus sighed what was necessary to say.
“Sure. I’ll tell him when I see him, Sir.”
“You’d be well advised to do that, yes.”
“Come on, that’d delayed us long enough.”, Harry huffed when they left the classroom. “Everyone’s used to me or Ron coming late, but it reflects badly on you, Hermione.”
“I think, I can make up an excuse for us all.”, she muttered. “When have you begun to study plants?”
“When my body began to allow acne access. I figured Neville’s not as dimwitted as everyone thinks. As you see, plants might be able to do much more than just grow in favour of home embellishment. And who knows, perhaps Slughorn’s been right! I might have inherited some talent – ”
“So that’s what you’ve been trying all lesson with that book? Finding a solution for your acne?”
“Yep,”
“Seems you failed then,”
“Oh I wasn’t through with reading between the lines yet. Not nearly.”
“Unbelievable.”, Hermione shook her head.
“What’s more unbelievable is that Snape actually helped him and awarded him with a comparatively galactic number of points,”
“That’s not so unbelievable; I think he fears I might spread that he’d had horrible acne as well – or that Slughorn had begged him to find a cure for a stuck boner – ”
“Harry!”, Hermione stopped in place.
“Blimey – ”, Ron chuckled.
“Yes! You – you just did spread that,”
“Glad to see you’re shocked by the fact that I did that, rather than the content of the information.”
“That’s – that’s not – ”
“It’s only you two, okay? I trust you to shut up on it.”
~~#~~
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