Protection In The Dungeons

God I Hate That Giant Crow

I walked into detention again. This was the third time this week. I hadn't been sleeping at all. And I looked like shit.

"Ms. Strand, have you been sleeping as of late?" Professor Snape asked.

"Oh yeah, totally. I've been sleeping a lot. Every night. Ten whole hours." I lied.

Snape narrowed his eyes. He spoke slowly, and firmly. "Don't. Lie. To. Me."

I cracked under the pressure. (There actually wasn't that much pressure. I was just sleep deprived, so everything seemed ten times worse.) "I haven't been sleeping at all, sir."

Snape raised his eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Nightmares." I answered.

Snape rolled his eyes. "What kind of nightmares?"

I looked away, a little embarrassed. "Murder nightmares..."

Snape smirked. "Have you been harboring homicidal tendencies, Ms. Strand?"

I laughed. "No, sir."

Snape wasn't laughing. Was he serious, or did he just have dry humor? I didn't know.

"I believe that Professor Trelawney could help you with your dreams." He advised.

"Thank you, professor." I turned to leave.

Snape smirked. "You're not leaving yet, Ms. Strand." I froze. "Come back here." He said with an even, monotone voice.

"Shit! I forgot that I was in the middle of detention! Stupid, stupid brain!" I scolded myself.

    I walked back to him. He pulled out a potion. "For detention today, I'll need your help with an experiment..."

I was intrigued. "What kind of experiment, sir?"

Snape chuckled. "I made this new potion... I'll need you to be my test subject." He handed me the vial with dark blue sparkling liquid. "You might want to sit down, most people feel dizzy when they take a new, untested potion."

I sat down on the couch along the wall of his office. I uncorked the vial. "How much am I supposed to take?

Snape looked at me over his potions book. "All of it."

I drank all of the potion. It felt like drinking an extra carbonated drink with bees added for "extra kick". I immediately felt dizzy, and my eyelids were heavy. I felt my head hit the couch, and my eyes closed. I started to snore softly, and Professor Snape grabbed a blanket, and tossed it on top of me, and sat down to grade papers.

    I woke up a few hours later feeling groggy. I looked up to see Professor Snape standing over me. "Detention is over for the day, Ms. Strand. And if I find out that you have not been sleeping again tonight, you will be in trouble."

    It almost sounded like he cared. Almost. "You..." I checked myself. I can't have myself swearing at my teacher. That would only make things worse. "You drugged me!"

    "We can't have you botching potions or spells because you've been sleep deprived. That wouldn't be responsible, would it?" He calmly retorted.

    "I guess that makes sense..."

    "Of course it makes sense. Now, get out of my office, or you'll be late for dinner." He stood up, and opened the door, holding it open. (This was not an act of chivalry though. He held the door open specifically to make sure I got out of his office.)

    I walked to the great hall, still seething. I don't like being lied to, and I don't like being drugged. And that slimy, two faced, greasy haired, mop headed, giant crow had just lied to me, and drugged me. I wanted to pull out his esophagus wrap it around his neck, and strangle him. But I didn't. Because that's murder, and I'd go to Azkaban.

Cedric nudged me. "Having dark thoughts of murder, kiddo?"

I nodded, still seething.

Cedric laughed a little. "Who is it this time?"

"Snape."

"When isn't it?"

I glared at Professor Snape, who in turn smirked at me as if to say: 'what are you going to do about it, kid?'

I looked away. I couldn't stand seeing him smirking like that. So I sat down. "I hate that poorly aged slimeball."