"I still think we should've gone to Dumbledore, Hermione," said Ron as the three of them approached Snape's office in the dungeons.
"I told you, Ron," Hermione rehearsed.
"Dumbledore is very busy these days, and he'd probably just get Snape to brew the antidote anyway."
"But this is a teacher we're talking about. He's finally got a good reason to kick her out if the rubbish she's teaching us in class wasn't enough..." Ron sighed as Hermione ignored his sentiments and knocked on the door. A long silence hung in the air as they waited.
"I guess he's not here," said Ron with a false note of disappointment. "Shame really..." But the door opened as soon as he backed away from it, startling all three of them.
"Well, hello there, Lovlies," Snape grinned. He was sporting a pale yellow tux with a matching Homburg hat and an old pair of flowery blue flats.
"Professor Snape," Hermione said relieved. "We need your help! Harry's been given a love potion." Harry froze. A love potion?
"Dear me!" Snape exclaimed. "Come on in; I'll have your antidote ready in a jiffy."
The trio entered the Potion Master's office which was accessorized as it usually was with shelves of jars and odd-looking potion ingredients; only this time, the room didn't inflict the eerie vibes it usually had upon Harry. He merely found intrigue in the numerous objects glinting at him through the dim candlelight. He reached a hand out towards something particularly slimy, but Ron grabbed his wrist before he'd been able to examine it and led him to an armchair in the back of the room.
Harry had just noticed Professor Flitwick, Lucius Malfoy, and the Trolley witch from the Hogwarts Express on the floor a few feet away. All three of them were dressed in a shiny yellow plastic material that reminded Harry of caution tape in the muggle world. It hugged their midriffs and necks tightly but left all of their limbs bare.
Lucius Malfoy's legs were very thin, hairy, and colorless. Harry sat there mesmerized at the thin blue veins visible beneath his skin but was quite taken aback when the Trolly witch laid her wrinkly fingers over his tibia and caressed it harshly. Lucius let out a series of raspy chuckles that turned into boisterous laughs the harder she pressed.
"I—" Lucius gasped, eyes filled with glee. "I am alone! I will be alone!"
Professor Flitwick had been staring transfixed at the action and nodded with each stroke of the Trolly witch's hand. He reached his fingers down to rub his own bare shins without removing his gaze from Malfoy's and threw his head back, baring a small set of yellowish teeth as he cackled delightedly.
This seemed to stimulate something in Lucius, for his laughs had reached their highest volume, and he turned to face Flitwick with a wild look in his eyes. Flitwick lunged at Malfoy's ear. It wasn't clear to Harry whether he was gnawing on it or sucking it, but he could tell that both men were deluged with adrenaline. Lucius was flailing his arms around in excitement, screaming at the top of his lungs with his reddish eyes protruding from their sockets.
Harry and Ron sat there in silence for a few moments. Snape was rummaging through the many bottles set around the shelves and pouring ingredients into a flask on his desk where Hermione stood patiently. Harry's attention was averted to the silky black robes draped beside him. He took the hem in his hands and fondled it, feeling warm contentment erupt inside of him. Umbridge always liked wearing robes...
Both he and Ron started when the office door was violently flung open, knocking a few bottles onto the floor in the process. Snape curled his lip, shifting his gaze from the shattered glass and spattered potion ingredients to Padma Patil in the doorway. Spiky orange flames were dancing off of her long, plaited hair, and clouds of smoke were drifting above her head.
