snape and skull

60

The Creature Identification Potion
S

everus had nearly finished his latest batch of homework from his second-years when someone tapped upon his office door. He looked up to see the name Lena Rosario spelled out above the archway and called, "Come in, Lena."
T

he door opened and Lena walked in. "Severus, how did you know it was me?"
He gave her a wry smirk. "I have my ways. How can I help you?"
"Um . . . I don't need help with something . . . but I wanted to invite you to dinner in Aunt Irma's quarters this evening. She is attending a meeting of Archivists this evening in Edinburgh and suggested we could use her quarters for a . . ." the library witch blushed a becoming rose and murmured, " . . . nice romantic supper. I have taken the liberty of calling Enchanted Evening and asking if it would be possible to have menus delivered to us and then we could order and the food could be transported to our plates—sort of like what Muggles call a to-go order, only it gets delivered by magic."
Severus looked startled. "You want to . . . go on a date?"
She nodded. "If you wish to call it that. Yes, I do." She prayed she wasn't being too forward. But then, this was the nineties, after all, and not the Victorian era!
Severus glanced at his calendar, confirming that he had no pressing things that night, like detentions or meetings with Albus or any of the other Heads. It was also not one of his scheduled office hours, so no Slytherins had appointments with him.
He nodded, clearing his throat. "I would like that very much. What time shall I be there?"
Lena looked delighted. "How about . . . six o'clock?"
"That sounds fine. It will give me time to speak to the boys about where I shall be, and get ready, since my last class is at four."
"I shall expect you at six, Sev," Lena said, glowing with happiness.
She glided out of the office, practically running up the stairs to Irma's quarters to prepare them for the evening.
Severus finished his last paper and glanced at the clock he had on his desk. "Just in time for my last class," he murmured. Then he gathered up his satchel and case of counterdrafts and locked his office door, resetting his wards as he did so.
Skull glided down to land in his shoulder. "I saw Lady Rook in the corridor just now, Sev. And she seemed delighted that a certain professor was coming to dinner . . ." The raven whistled few bars from "Love Potion #9".
"I have just now made arrangements with her for six o'clock, Skull," Severus replied softly. "Will you do me a favor, old friend, and keep an eye on Harry and Dante until I come back?"
"Of course. As well as Callie and Loki," the raven agreed. He made smooching noises in Snape's ear and sang, "That's amore!"
Severus rolled his eyes. "Skullduggery!"
"Are you sure you don't want me to serenade you?" teased the black bird.
"Merlin forfend! That's the last thing I need," muttered the Potions Master. "Just watch the children for me, bird."
"You ruin all my fun!" clucked the raven.
"Too bad," Snape grunted, then he swept into his classroom.

~*~*page break~*~*
H

arry met Dante in Snape's quarters, the older boy had gone to drop off his bag with his homework inside it before waiting to ask Severus about using his lab to brew the Creature Identification Potion. "You sure you know how to brew this?" Harry asked Dante.
"Didn't I say so?" his cousin said irritably. "I've brewed this potion three times already, and I have the recipe in my notebook." He patted his black leather potions journal, which he had written down the recipes he had learned from Eagle Crest and some from his father also. "Trust me, Harry, I know what I'm doing. I might not be a potions prodigy like Severus or you, but I'm not a dunce either. Now I just need to ask Severus if we can borrow his lab."
"For what?" Severus asked, coming into the sitting room so quietly that the boys didn't hear him.
They started like hares before a fox.
"Dad! When did you come in?" gasped Harry.
"Yeah, we didn't hear you," Dante added.
"That's because I was already here," the professor replied. He eyed the two boys. "Now what do you need my lab for?"
"To brew a new potion," Harry explained.
"Oh?" the professor lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I want to teach Harry to brew a Creature Identifying Potion," Dante clarified. "But we need somewhere to brew it and gather the ingredients. So I figured I'd ask if we could brew it in your lab."
"What potion is this? It's not one I'm familiar with," admitted Snape.
"It's one Eagle Crest taught me," Dante answered. He showed Severus the recipe in his journal.
Severus examined the recipe curiously. "Hmm . . . this looks a bit advanced. But it's not anything Harry won't be able to handle, given his aptitude." He read down the list of ingredients. "You can find all of these in the cabinet in the back of my lab. Except the manticore blood. That I have locked up in my rare ingredients cupboard. I will get you a vial." He waved his wand a vial of reddish liquid appeared in his hand. He handed it to Dante. "The rest of the apparatus are there. Just be certain to leave everything the way you found it. Merlin help you if I find you've made a mess of my lab . . ." he warned.
"We will, Dad," assured Harry.
Then Snape asked the question he had been dreading. "What sort of creature are you trying to identify?"
"Uh . . . we have a feather and a piece of fur," Harry muttered. "I didn't recognize them and neither did Dante or Professor Kettleburn. I found them outside."
Snape nodded. "Hopefully the potion will be able to tell you what creature they came from." He looked at Dante. "Dante, I should like to test this out myself. Would you copy the recipe for me?"
Dante nodded. "No problem, Severus."
"Good. While you are brewing, I shall be eating dinner with Lena," Severus said quietly.
Harry's jaw dropped. "You are? Like you're . . . going on a date?"
"Where?" Dante asked.
"To the moon and back," sang Skull, who was perched on the sofa.
"Pay no attention to him. I will be in Irma's quarters," Snape answered. "So if anyone asks . . . or there is an emergency . . ."
Harry continued to look shellshocked.
Dante nudged him. "Close your mouth, kid, before you catch flies."
"I . . . uh . . ." Harry swallowed and shut his mouth. I can't believe Dad's actually going on a date! He had always thought Snape had no social life except attending staff meetings and other functions at Hogwarts.
"Don't look so shocked," Severus frowned at his son. "Occasionally even the dungeon bat leaves the dungeons."
"Sorry," Harry apologized. "I didn't mean . . ."
Dante rolled his eyes. "Merlin, Harry! I told you before, Severus isn't dead yet!"
Severus heaved a sigh. "Thank you for your sterling recommendation, Mr. Prince. I think." Shaking his head, the professor withdrew into his room, where he began to prepare for his evening out.
As he ran the shower, he heard Skull start to sing "Bella Notte".
The raven was soon joined by his fledglings, who Harry had let into the professor's rooms.
Severus groaned. May Merlin have mercy!
Dante convinced Harry to start his homework while Severus was getting ready, so by the time Snape emerged from his room Harry had completed his Transfiguration assignment and Dante his Defense essay.
"You look criminally handsome, Mr. Snape!" chirruped Skull upon seeing his wizard.
Dante and Harry looked up from their assignments. "Wow, Dad!" his son exclaimed.
"You look better than my dad ever did when he dressed up," Dante said quietly.
Severus coughed uncomfortably. "Then you don't think it's too fancy?"
He was wearing his second-best pair of dress robes—deep green with a silver border with black potions bottles etched upon it. The robes were velvet and were tailored to fit him, showing his trim waist and the sleeves had black diamonds marching down them. Beneath them he wore soft charcoal trousers and a fine lawn shirt colored a lighter green with silver cauldron buttons. His hair was drawn back by a silver snake clasp with emerald eyes, and his half boots were green suede. Around his neck he wore a silver raven amulet—the twin to Harry's, both for protection and communication with his son. His belt was black snakeskin and bore a simple Slytherin House buckle upon it.
Dante shook his head. "No. You look good, Severus. Lena's gonna take one look at you and thank her lucky stars she snagged you."
"Smashing!" Harry agreed, though he had no idea about wizarding fashion and wished Draco were here to support him.
"This is the night, it's a beautiful night . . .!" Skull crooned, sounding like Tony from "Lady and the Tramp".
"And they call it bella notte!" chorused the fledglings.
"Skull, for the love of Merlin!" groaned his wizard.
Dante started giggling uncontrollably.
Harry looked at his cousin. "What the heck? Are they singing that song from—?"
"Uh huh!" Dante gasped. "Hey, Severus! Are you having spaghetti tonight?"
Harry nearly rolled off the couch, howling with laughter.
"Very funny, Dante," growled the Potions Master.
"'Cause if you are . . . you gotta kiss her!" Dante sniggered.
"Go on and kiss the girl!" Skull warbled, shifting into Sebastian.
Loki and Callie promptly sang the chorus, making the boys laugh till their sides ached.
"Skullduggery, I have a pie crust in the kitchen waiting for you!" Severus threatened. "Now quit it!"
"Oh God!" Dante gasped.
"I can't breathe!" Harry hissed.
"Boys, don't you have homework to finish?" asked Severus silkily, flushing slightly. "Because if not, I can assign you some extra work for my class."
"No!" Dante yelped. "I have Charms to do."
"And I have some Herbology," Harry said quickly, Summoning his text.
"Good. Start it," ordered his father. Then he waved his wand and three dishes with ground beef, honey, and bread cubes soaked in meat juice appeared on the ravens' perches. "You three, go and eat. If your beak is full of food, you can't drive me insane."
Skull blew a raspberry at his wizard before flying into the bedroom to eat, while Callie and Loki settled on their perches to either side of the fireplace to eat, twittering a thank you to Severus.
Severus looked at the mantle clock. It was quarter to six. He settled in his recliner to read a potions magazine before he needed to leave for his date.
At ten of six he rose and conjured a bouquet of lilacs, irises, and daisies, tied with a blue ribbon. At the end of the ribbon was a lovely silver ring in the shape of a raven. It had a sapphire chip for an eye.
"I will see you later, boys. Remember what I said about my lab. We can discuss your potion when I return. Skull, keep watch."
"Bye!" the boys waved.
"Kiss her breathless, Sev!" hooted Skull.
"Don't forget to breathe!" Loki cawed.
"The night will weave its magic spell!" Callie cooed. "When the one you love is near!"
Severus quickly hurried out the door and closed it behind him.
Then he strode up the corridor, walking rapidly, Bella Notte now running through his head. Bloody ravens!
On his way to Irma's quarters he passed a few of his Slytherins and some Ravenclaws exiting the library. They paused to stare at the sight of their professor dressed in something other than his black teaching robes, looking like a million Galleons.
Two of his Slytherin fifth years gasped, and the girls made swooning motions. The other boy whistled and called, "Looking sharp, Professor!"
"Oh my Merlin!" a Ravenclaw girl cried, gaping at the sight. Her Housemate put a finger under her chin and closed her mouth, smirking.
Severus did not glance back, or else he would have seen his students staring in admiration. He tapped on Irma's door and Lena opened it. "Come in, Severus," she invited, smiling brightly.
She was wearing a sleek wine-colored sweater dress that clung to all her curves, but was elegant at the same time. She wore her Society pin proudly on her right breast. A belt of gold links accented her waist. Her hair was done up in a fancy chignon and she wore strappy sandals colored a soft gold.
He stepped inside, and the door closed, barring his inquisitive students' view. "You look lovely, Lena," he managed through a throat gone suddenly dry as the Sahara. "Thank you for inviting me."
"It was my pleasure," she grinned, her aqua eyes sparkling like the ocean when the sun hits it.
"These are for you," Severus held out the bouquet to her.
"Oh! How beautiful!" Lena murmured, taking the bouquet. Her keen eyes saw not only the beautiful flowers but the ring upon the ribbon. She gently undid the ribbon and slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. "Sev! How did you know?"
"I asked Irma," he admitted shamelessly. "Do you like it?"
"I love it! It's perfect!" she cried, holding out her hand to see it better.
Severus took the opportunity to gently kiss the back of her hand.
His lips sent shockwaves through her.
Her eyes widened. Don't let this one get away, Rosario! A little voice urged in the back of her mind. Her fingers entwined with his. "Shall we?"
He allowed her to lead him to the round table in the center of the sitting room, covered with a white damask cloth and bearing scalloped silverware and two glasses of pinot grigio. "I hope you like white wine," she murmured.
"I do," he reassured her. Then he seated her, and she had to bite her lip to keep from sighing when she felt his touch upon her arm. Oh Merlin! I feel like I've drunk Amortentia, and I haven't drunk anything stronger than water tonight! She sipped her wine to cover her desire to gaze at the Potions Master like some witless sixteen-year-old with a crush.
Severus lifted his glass to her. "To the most witty and brilliant lady here. Not to mention the loveliest."
"Severus! Really?"
"I wouldn't say it unless I meant it," he said softly, his voice whispering like crushed velvet through the air.
"To the most brilliant and brave man I ever knew," Lena returned. "As well as the sexiest." She shot him a grin full of desire and delight that made his heart thunder in his chest.
"Thank you," he managed, a tendril of pleasure spiraling through him at her words, the first such any woman had ever spoken to him since he was a mere fourteen year old in love with the girl next door.
Their glasses clinked together.
As they sipped their wine, Lena gestured and the lights dimmed, and the candelabra upon the table lit. The flowers were transported to a delicate china vase and floated to the middle of the table. A soft quartet of violins and cellos began to play a gentle melody, and two menus popped up at each place.
Severus opened his then said, "What would you like for an appetizer, Lena?"
She perused the menu. "Let's get something to share."
While Severus and Lena were debating the merits of clams casino versus medallions of veal pomodoro, Harry and Dante were busy gathering all the ingredients for the Creature Identification Draft in Snape's lab.
The manticore blood sat upon the workstation, next to a mortar and pestle and a set of silver scales as well as several sharp knives.
Harry returned to the table with several jars. One contained silvery mermaid scales, the other two aqua vitae and sphinx claws. He began to grind the claws in the mortar, mixed with a small amount of the aqua vitae to make them easier to grind finely.
Dante had the water in the copper cauldron simmering gently while he fetched the rest of the ingredients. The recipe called for knotgrass, and the hair of a demiguise, as well as salamander blood. Dante carefully measured out the required amounts, adding them at proper times according to the recipe.
Harry watched as he stirred five times clockwise in an "S" shape and then reversed the process. "Now add the demiguise hair," he called out to Harry.
Harry dropped it in and Dante stirred. The potion now turned a silvery blue.
Later, Harry added knotgrass and mint, then stirred it ten times counterclockwise.
The potion bubbled and turned green.
After they had added the sphinx claws and salamander blood the potion frothed and turned crimson.
Then Dante lowered the flame and let it simmer for ten minutes. "Almost done. Let's clean up."
He set a timer for ten minutes and then carried all the apparatus back to the sink and began to wash and dry them. Harry put them back in their correct places and wiped down the table from all except the fur and feather.
The recipe said once the potion had simmered for ten minutes it was ready for the last step—where they put the part of the creature they wished to identify into the cauldron. The potion would then identify the creature by forming an image of it in the air above the cauldron.
Harry sniffed. The potion smelled like mint and salty sea air, and odd combination, but pleasant.
"Think it'll work?"
"It should. It always has before," Dante replied.
"What if we don't recognize the creature?" Harry said worriedly.
"It will also write its name below it," his cousin soothed.
They waited, the last few minutes ticking by endlessly. On a lab stool, Skull dozed lightly.
Harry hesitated a moment before he said, "Dante, we have to tell Dad about whatever this creature is. I can't lie to him. It's wrong. Besides, if this creature is dangerous, we shouldn't have to deal with it ourselves. I learned that the hard way with the Pendragon . . . and the revenant."
"Thought you didn't want to involve your dad," Dante protested.
"Not at first," Harry conceded. "But then . . . I started thinking about it . . . and I know better than to hide something like this from him. I was afraid he might think I was nuts when I first heard the voice. But now we have proof that I wasn't imagining things. And I get the feeling that this . . . thing is too powerful or whatever for us kids to handle."
"Hmm . . . you could be right," his cousin sighed. "And I don't want Severus to go on the warpath again. Once was enough. Besides, he's right. It's the duty of the master to protect the apprentice. Eagle Crest taught me that."
Then why don't you tell Severus about the dark wizards that are blackmailing you, huh? His conscience hissed.
That's different, he argued. They'll kill me and them if I snitch. But whatever they think I owe them, once it's done, I'm quits with them. I won't be my father, he vowed.
The timer beeped and Dante waved a hand and it shut off. "Now let's see what we found." He gestured to Harry. "You want to do the honors?"
"Sure," Harry grinned, and dropped the feather and fur into the cauldron.
The potion swirled faster and faster, glowing with an odd silvery green light.
Dante and Harry shielded their eyes and glanced away.
Then smoke coalesced above the cauldron and within a circle appeared a picture of the creature the fur and feather belonged to.
The two wizards stared at the image.
It was of a creature Harry had never seen before—a hybrid with a bird's blue and silver and green feathers, with a dragon's head and long scaly neck as well as antlers atop its head that resembled a stag's. Its body was that of a muscular cat, similar to a panther, with a long cat-like tail that ended in a plume of green and blue feathers. It had the forelimbs of a dragon with five long claws on each paw, and the hind legs of a cat with sharp claws that glistened with green venom.
"What in seven hells is that?" cried Harry.
Dante took one look at the creature and went paler than parchment. "Holy hells! It can't be!"
Harry read the name written in the black smoke.
"Draco Leonovis—otherwise known as—"
"Dragonelle," Dante finished.
"You've heard of this creature?"
Dante nodded. "Yeah. But it's not supposed to exist anymore. Supposedly all the dragonelles were slain eighty years ago."
"Maybe somehow this one survived," surmised his cousin. "How dangerous is it?"
Dante snorted. "Dangerous enough to have the American Magical Creature Association call it a Seventh Level Threat and order its extermination."
Harry whistled. "Why?"
"Because dragonelles were bred to hunt and kill wizards. They weren't born, they were made. By a crazy bastard that came from Britain. His name was Grindelwald."
Harry gasped. "I've heard of him. He was the worst dark wizard before You-Know-Who. We've got to tell Dad. Do you know anything else about this dragonelle?"
"Only that dragonelles are extremely smart and have a limited form of telepathy. It's how they lured wizards and witches to coming close enough to kill them long ago," Dante replied.
Harry shivered. He recalled how seductive the voice had sounded. "So that was why I heard it. It was in my mind."
Dante nodded. "Don't touch the cauldron. The image will stay here for as long as the potion bubbles. We can show Severus when he comes back."
"Okay."
At that moment Skull woke and glided over to see what the boys were talking about. Upon seeing the dragonelle he hissed in rage, his black eyes glittering. "Abomination! Where in creation did you see one of these, Harry?"
Harry told him. "You know about them too, Skull?"
"All ravens do, though we have not seen their like in decades. They are abomination, created by a mad wizard to destroy his own kind in his quest for world domination," the wise raven replied. "Once they were known as Wizard Slayers, and every magic-user lived in fear of them." Skull clicked his beak. "That one has survived . . . this is bad, bran-boy. Very bad."
Harry gulped, fear coursing like ice though him. Then he said softly, "But they can be killed. So they aren't invincible."
"True. But it is very difficult to kill one." Skull warned. "And almost always it takes a witch or wizard to sacrifice their life in order to do so. My mother Branwyn used to tell me stories of the war with the wizards and the dragonelles . . ."
"Skull, I've always wondered something," Dante said. "Why are they called dragonelles? That sounds so . . .odd."
"They got that name by a French witch named Madam Villanueve. The name 'dragonelle' in French means 'Beautiful Disaster', because a dragonelle could appear to the unwary as the thing one desired most."
Dante gulped. "Hellfire! Harry, we need to tell the Headmaster about this too, and not just Severus. Before this damn thing starts hunting us."
No sooner had the words left his mouth, then they heard screams and shouts from beyond the lab in the corridor.
Irma's quarters:
Lena blotted her lips with a linen napkin, sighing softly. "That was delicious," she said, speaking of their shared dinner, a perfectly cooked steak au poivre with seared scallops in lemon butter sauce accompanied by mushroom risotto and broiled asparagus. For an appetizer they had shared veal and shrimp skewers and eggplant towers.
Now they were awaiting their coffee and a slice of decadent chocolate truffle pie, though Severus said, "I am afraid I won't do it justice, for I am almost too full to eat it."
"Me too," Lena admitted. "I'll have to shelve extra books tomorrow to burn off most of this," she said.
He chuckled. "Come for a walk with me after dinner."
"It's a deal." Her aqua eyes glowed at the prospect of spending more time with him, especially when his time was in such demand by his fellow professors and his students. "Where's Skull?"
"Watching my two troublemakers," Snape told her.
"What are Harry and Dante doing? Scrubbing the dungeon?" teased the library witch.
"Not this evening. They are brewing a new potion together. I just hope my lab is still standing," Severus joked.
Just then the coffee and the chocolate truffle pie appeared on their plates.
"Oh, dear sweet Merlin! This looks scrumptious!" Lena moaned.
Severus' nose twitched. "It does indeed." He smirked at her. "Who's going to go first?"
"Are you implying I'm a chicken, Snape?" she demanded, her eyes flashing.
He arched an eyebrow. "I never said that."
"Quit looking at me like that!"
"Like what?"
"Like you're daring me to eat this!"
"You're imagining things."
"Like hell, Snape!" Then she picked up her fork and ate some. "Oohh!" she groaned in bliss.
Severus found he got as much pleasure from watching her enjoy the chocolate truffle pie as he did from eating it. "I'll have what she's having," he muttered, and ate his own. The rich dark chocolate taste exploded on his tongue and he had to scrabble for control to avoid groaning aloud at the sheer decadence of it.
He slowly sipped his coffee, the sharp bite of the drink the perfect compliment to the rich chocolate.
"I think I've died and gone to heaven!"
"I'm already there," Severus murmured, and ate some more. "This is . . . sinfully delicious."
"Mmmhmmm . . ." Lena licked chocolate off her lips.
Severus was transfixed, desire surging through him. He longed to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless, to feed her more of the pie and then kiss her breathless . . .but before either of them could do more than think wicked thoughts about the other, their idyll was cruelly interrupted by screaming.
Severus jerked up as if he were a puppet on a string. "What the bloody hell was that?"
Lena looked about in alarm. "That sounded like someone screaming." She cautiously lowered her shields. "Mother of God, Sev! It's children screaming and panicking!"
The Potions Master was on his feet in a flash, his wand out. "Stay here!" he ordered.
"Like hell!" Lena growled. "I'm no damsel in distress, Snape!"
"Very well. But stay close," he warned.
Then he opened the door and strode out into the corridor, where several blood curdling screams were coming from the floor below.