A Dance Through Thyme (Harry Potter)

Ausgetrickst Part 2

Just FYI: After today's update, I am going back to updating weekly. 

Part 2: Severus and Regulus 

Despite every fibre of his being protesting, Snape did as he was bid. Stepping completely into the boat, he felt it jerk forward, pulling him closer and closer to the stone basin with Slytherin’s locket.

Severus picked the fake locket up from the bottom of the boat. Allowing the chain to slip through his fingers, he rubbed his thumb over the green stones.

Regulus had been telling the truth. The only way any person would have known to create such an exact replica would mean that they would have seen it up close. The stones did not glitter in the same way that real ones might, and there was no magical pull towards this object. Snape felt nothing but fear towards it. Regulus had said that the potion would not kill him, but it would surely incapacitate him in some way. Otherwise, what would be the point of having it there?

“Just remember to use fire!” Snape heard Regulus’ voice growing fainter as he sped away from the shore. It was then that Snape remembered the Inferi that were just below the surface of the water, waiting for him to accidently breach the surface of the water.

The boat halted, bumping into the edge of an island. It seemed large in the space, but as Snape stepped foot onto it, he could see that it was probably no larger than the average school classroom.

He looked back towards the shore, and saw a grinning Regulus mime the act of drinking. The instructions he was given came flooding back as he approached the stone basin which was emitting an iridescent green glow, drawing him closer to it.

‘Drink it,’ Regulus had said to him. He ought to have known better than to trust a Death Eater.

Approaching the basin, Snape held out his hand but found that he couldn’t even get close to it. An invisible force-field kept his hand from reaching the locket which was glistening under the surface of the potion.

Drink it

Severus almost felt like he was being imperiused, but it did not take much brain power to figure out that it was only his own mind speaking to him.; but how was he meant to drink it?

Looking around, he saw that there was nothing on the island but the stone basin.

Removing his wand from an inner pocket of his robe, he twirled it in midair, conjuring a goblet made of glass. He took it in his hand, and before he could change his mind, he dipped it into the cool, green liquid.

Pressing the edge of the goblet to his lips, he tipped his head back and began to drink.

It was vile. Putrid. Absolutely disgusting; like every horrible substance in the world had been turned to liquid and poured into this basin. His body began to tremor as he realised that there were probably at least a dozen goblets of potion that needed to be drunk.

It was not the potion that was evil. It was Regulus. He was the one who had designed and invented this kind of a security system.

Severus plunged the goblet into the potion once more, determined to override it. Again, and again he dipped the goblet it, and drained it. He had barely taken a sip of the fifth goblet when the visions came.

It was Lily, and her depraved sister, Petunia. Gripping the edge of the basin, his breathing began to get heavy. But he must drink the potion.

Gulping it down between breaths, he felt his eyes begin to close. They were dead to him, and yet they were here in front of him. If he opened his eyes he would see them. He failed her. He could not save his precious Lily from the Potter boy.

Another goblet of potion disappeared down his throat.

“No!” he felt himself shouting. “You’re the freak!”

The Petunia that was in front of him dissolved and Lily grew bigger and began to warp. The red hair that he loved so much turned into a deep purple, and her skin began to flake and fracture, with large red cracks appearing across her features.

“You were spying!”

“You hurt my Tuney!”

“MUDBLOOD!”

The apparition continued to wail fragmented memories at him, throwing his own words back at him.

Snape began to sob.

“I’m sorry....I’m sorry... I’m sorry...”

His entire body was now convulsing and it took a great effort to refill the goblet once more. His insides felt as though they had combusted into powerful flames.

“Noooo,” he moaned, wanting nothing more than a giant bolt of lightning to vaporise him on the spot.

“Please... KILL ME!”

Suddenly, he could hear a voice from the distance. It was telling him to keep drinking, no matter what.

One last goblet full of potion disappeared down his throat, and the burning began to increase, spreading from his stomach, up his oesophagus and into his mouth.

He needed water.

Curling his fingers around the locket in the basin, he dropped his body to the floor bringing the goblet with him.

‘Aguamenti,’ he rasped, pointing his wand to the goblet.

It filled with cool, clear water and he gratefully brought it to his lips only to find that it had emptied. Stomach heaving, he tried it again.

“Aguamenti! AGUAMENTI!”

Still, the liquid kept disappearing. Feeling absolute desperation, he did the only thing which made any sense to him at all. Crawling over to the edge of the island, he plunged the goblet into the water.

All at once the water began to churn around him. Limbs severed from their owners began to snap and crack out of the lake.

Chugging the water down, he vaguely remembered another command as his lucid brain began to function once more.

Fire.

He needed to make fire.

“INCENDIO” a voice cried that was not his own.

Snape felt weak, but he forced his eyes open towards the shore. There he saw Regulus with his wand pointing out towards the lake, flames erupting from the tip of his wand.

“Get into the boat!” he shouted back to Severus, fighting to be heard over the roar of the fire.

Feeling feeble, Snape stumbled over to the boat, almost falling in. The potion had greatly weakened his body and his mind. The image of Lily was still playing over and over in his head. He had failed her, and she hated him. There was no hope now.

Without Snape even noticing, the boat had sped its way back to the shore, and Regulus was lifting him onto the rocks.

“Here,” he heard Regulus speak. “Drink this.”

Snape opened his eyes a fraction to see the edge of a glass vial being held to his lips.

“No!” he cried out. “No more! Please!”

“It’s not the potion,” soothed Regulus. “It is the antidote. Be good, and drink it all up.”

Snape did as he was bid, and drank the purple liquid, immediately sighing in relief. Body sagging to the floor once more, he closed his eyes, allowing sleep to take over his body.

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