Professor Snape's Office

[Laurasia]

Deep within the Howgarts dungeons you find a large wooden door with odd smells coming out from behind it. On the outside of the door is a slightly crooked sign that reads...

~Potions Masters' Office~

Knock before entering!

Upon entry you find a room lit almost solely by candlelight & fires that are beneath brewing potions. The walls are lined with beakers, jars, & bottles of varying sizes & styles. Many have substances of unknown origin within them & some house strange objects or creatures within the fluids that they house. Many of the cauldrons are boiling with colored steams rising from their lids.



Towards the back of the room is yet another large door that is tightly closed. The edges of the door let off an eerie orangish glow that indicate the door is enchanted.

Also at the back of the room sits an overly-sized wooden desk with papers strewn across it. Sitting behind the desk, his head bent over some vials, sits Professor Snape.

[Brandybuck]

~Cedric~

Cedric descended down the staircase to the dungeons below. He had only remembered being called here once during his time at Hogwarts, and that was for a Quidditch injury. Madame Pomfrey had not been availabe in the hospital wing, so they had brought him down here.

He came to the large wooden door. He closed his eyes to steady his nerves, then raised his hand. He knocked on the door, and waited for the summons from within.

[Laurasia]

Severus had been looking over the potions that had been turned in by the students when he heard the knock that he had been expecting. He looked up at the office door. "Come in, Diggory."

[Brandybuck]

Cedric slowly opened the door and stepped into the Professor's office. There were so many bottles in here that it reminded him of the Apothecary. It was lit only dimly..in fact he could barely make out the form of his potions master at first. His eyes had to get adjusted to the dimness. Suddenly, he noticed that some of the jars were bubbling, ,and that there was a acidic odor filling the room. He noticed a green steam issuing from one of the bottles. He really thought that he was going to retch..his stomach was doing cartwheels.

This is why he had been called in here. Since his last assignment was so bad, Snape was giving him detention. He knew that it would entail something with those awful-smelling bottles. He felt sick enough...if Snape subjected him to that odor for long, he would retch for sure.

Slowly, he approached Snape's desk. "You wanted to see me sir?"

[Laurasia]

Severus regarded the boy silently for a moment. "Indeed Diggory. I wanted to see you about the last pathetic attempt at a potion that you turned in. I know that your proficiency for potions is no where near as strong as your classmate Laurasia Malfoy, but you're no Seamus Finnigan either. So, what is going on?"

He rose & walked over to one of the cauldrons to remove it from the flame. He quickly grabbed a long spoon-shaped instrument & stirred the brew 3 times clockwise & then 5 times counter-clockwise in very calculated movements. He then put a lid over the cauldron to allow the potion to brew before turning back towards Cedric.

[Brandybuck]

Cedric felt his heart begin to thimp now as he realized that that was exactly what he had been called in here for. "Indeed Diggory. I wanted to see you about the last pathetic attempt at a potion that you turned in. I know that your proficiency for potions is no where near as strong as your classmate Laurasia Malfoy, but you're no Seamus Finnigan either. So, what is going on?"

Cedric eyed Professor Snape before answering. The truth was that he had been so sick lately that whenever he would pick up a book to study, he would get nauseous. He doubted that the Professor would consider that a good enough excuse..but it was the only one he had, and it was the truth. So, he decided that he better speak up.

"Well, sir to tell you the truth..the answer is very simple. I have felt terrible for about the past week. Nausea, dizziness, fatigue..I just cannot seem to get rid of it. " he felt his face redden under Snape's glare. "Ummm...so in short, sir everytime I pick up a book and try to read, I get very nauseous and my eyes burn terribly." Cedric decided that he might as well tell him everything. "And the reason that I did so terrible on the last potion assignment is that I could not practice brewing it..I would get violently ill from the odor."

Cedric closed his eyes once again, and prayed that he had not made the professor any more irritated.

[Laurasia]

Severus eyed the boy silently as he named his various excuses. Once it seemed apparent that he was done blubbering he rose from his seat & approached him.

"Okay, so you are sick then. Fine. Why haven't you gone to the Hospital Wing to have your ailments tended to then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

[Brandybuck]

Cedric saw that the professor was still irritated.

He once again stared at his potions master. "I have sir. Madame Pomfrey gave me a bottle full of green liquid and told me to drink it three times a day. She added that I may not see any improvement right away. So I guess that I am still holding out for the miracle cure." Cedric smiled..when he did so his lip split open on the bottom. Embarrassed, he tried to cover it with his hand. He had not been thirsty..so he hadn't drank anything. His lips had dried out that fast?

[Laurasia]

Severus eyed the boy cooly without saying a word. His eyebrow raised slightly when Cedrics' lip split. "Well, clearly it's not working. Green, eh?" He sighed slightly & walked over to one of the shelves along the walls. Picking up a couple of bottles he finally settled on one containing a sparkling liquid. Walking to one of the cauldrons that were bubbling he ladeled out a mugful of the brew that it contained. He silently walked back over towards Cedric holding the bottle in one hand & the mug in the other.

"Here," he said, thrusting the mug towards Cedrics' hand. "Drink this before leaving my office. You're not drinking enough. I want you to drink at least 8 ounces of liquid per hour for the next few days." He watched as the boy slowly began to drink the brew, clearly expecting something foul tasting & discovering something quite different. "It's tea, Diggory," Snape said with an exasperated voice.

He held out the small bottle to him now. "Take half of this now & the other half tomorrow morning. It's just Pepper-Up Potion, so it won't disturb your sleep patterns or anything like that. If you're still feeling like this tomorrow evening then come & see me again. As for your assignment..." He paused before continuing. "...you can make it up when you are feeling better. I don't suggest that you let all of your friends know that I've made this exception though. Because if I end up with a bunch of 'sick' students trying to weasel out less than acceptable grades you'll retain the original grade that you received."

[Brandybuck]

Cedric watched as Snape walked over to one of his many shelves and was looking at the bottles. He was amazed that Snape could pinpoint what he wanted with such ease...there had to be thousands of bottles in this room. Snape returned and thrust a mug of sparkling liquid into his hand. Oh, this is going to be gross! Please do not let me retch all over this floor. While he was trying to get up his nerve to drink it, he heard the Professor telling him to drink more. So..he had noticed then. Cedric slowly began to drink it . He was not going to gulp it..it was going to be horrid. To his surprise, he found the taste very familiar.

"It's tea, Diggory,"

Cedric smiled with relief that, indeed, it was tea. He looked up. "Thank you sir." He continued to drink the tea. However, his potions master was not finished with him yet. He held out a small bottle to him with explicit instructions..Pepper-Up Potion. As for your assignment... Cedric felt his stomach tighten..here came the detention. He was just going to make him serve it when he felt better. Well, he was happy about that. However, what Snape said next shocked him to such an extent that he almost dropped his tea.

"...you can make it up when you are feeling better. I don't suggest that you let all of your friends know that I've made this exception though. Because if I end up with a bunch of 'sick' students trying to weasel out less than acceptable grades you'll retain the original grade that you received." Even though the Professor's words were harsh..Cedric could see beneath the exterior. Professor Snape felt sorry for him..of course he would not tell anyone. No one would believe him anyways!

"Yes sir..thank you sir. I will tell no one of course." Cedric could not believe that this meeting had gone so well.

[Laurasia]

Severus looked down at the boy over his crossed arms for a moment. "Hmph. Alright then, run along & go about your business. Remember if you need more of that potion let me know."

[Brandybuck]

Cedric finished the tea, and handed the cup and saucer to his professor.

"Yes sir. Thanks for...everything." Cedric smiled once again at Snape, and left the office..closing the door tightly behind him. As he walked up the stairs, he would have laughed with the relief that he felt had he been able. He must be the only Hogwarts student ever called to Snape's office that did not get detention.

[Brandybuck]

************

~Draco~

Draco arrived at the outside of the professor's office, and hesitated before knocking. He knew that Snape would be in a foul mood when he entered. He smiled..Perhaps with a little Malfoy charm, he will go easy on me. After all, I am his favorite student.

He knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter.

[Laurasia]

Severus had been grading some papers at his desk when he heard the knock on his door. "Must be Malfoy," he thought with a sigh. "Come in," he stated, without looking up from his work.

[Brandybuck]

After hearing the professor bid him to come in, Draco pushed the heavy door open and stepped into the office. He approached Snape's desk. "I am here for detention sir." He put on his most innocent expression, hoping that it would work.