No One's Lapdog

No One's Lapdog

Chapter Two

Rowena taught her very first Potions class the next day. It was double Potions with the third-years from Slytherin and Gryffindor. Two of the students she had met already: Red-haired and bigmouth Mark and his tall and more silent friend Will. There were also two more boys and four girls from Gryffindor. The Slytherins consisted of five girls and four boys. She noticed one boy in particular. A clever-looking, brown-haired boy named Gavin seemed to be shooting loathful glances at Mark and his friend. With a pang she recognized the enmity and the rivalry between the houses; it had been just like that in her days too.

Having already been introduced to Mark's cheeky green eyes, Rowena was adamant she should make it clear to her students from the very start what she expected of them, and what they could expect from her. And they seemed to understand she would not let herself be bullied by her students. She didn't have to raise her voice; her appearance was enough to quiet them: Looking a bit like a younger version of her aunt; tall and stern and with piercing eyes, she kept them fully attentive. That is; until there were five minutes left of class. Suddenly there was a diversion over at the Slytherins. A cauldron had smashed. Gavin, the clever-looking Slytherin had his face covered in most of its contents as it was his cauldron that had somehow exploded. His head rapidly started to shrink. The Gryffindors roared with laughter as Gavin's head shrank to the size of a walnut while the rest of his body stayed its normal size. Rowena could see Mark sniggering, winking conspiratorially to his friend, and was quite sure who was the culprit.

'Mr Evans, I want to see you after class!' she whispered dangerously as she swiftly passed Mark's desk on her way over to Gavin, pulling a small bottle out of her pocket as she went. She sprinkled Gavin's head with the anti-shrinking remedy, watching it grow to its normal size again. Just then she heard a knock and saw the door swing open; there stood Snape in the doorway, grinning nastily in a very smug way, taking in the havoc.

'Well, good morning,' he said with a little bow, his cold eyes sweeping the room, taking in the havoc. 'I just happened to walk by and thought I heard a commotion. In need of help, perhaps?'

Rowena walked over to him, forcing a polite smile.

'No thank you, that won't be necessary.'

'My, my, miss Mulligan,' he said under his breath as she came level with him. 'Your very first class, and it's already out of control.'

Rowena straightened up, and it was her turn to send Snape a particularly dangerous look, her eyes flashing.

'If you have anything to say to me Professor, I shall be in the staff room in a minute.'

And she opened the door beckoning him to leave, her leg itching to kick his shin as he passed her with that annoying smirk plastered to his face.

The week had started rather badly, and it didn't get much better. Snape seemed to turn up everywhere she went, passing rude remarks to her about her teaching abilities whenever they met in the corridors, looking over her shoulder inspecting the students' flagons whenever she came back to the teacher's lounge with the samples of today's work. But the thing that really made her want to scream happened at the end of the week. McGonagall had summoned both her and Snape to the Head's office.

'As you both know of course the Wolfsbane Potion is a resent invention, it's only the last few years it has been available. Well, the problem with this specific potion is that it's very complicated to make, and only the most skilled Potions masters are adept at doing it.'

She paused, smiling appreciatively at Snape.

'I'm proud to say that Hogwarts is currently hosting one of the very few who can. Now, the problem is that the demand for this potion is greater than the stocks made and stored at St. Mungo's, so the Healers there are asking for outside help to make more. The problem is that you,' she nodded at Snape, 'are quite busy with all your DADA teaching assignments, not to mention your duties as the Deputy headmaster. So I can't ask you to make extra potion for St. Mungo's on top of everything else. That leaves the current Potions teacher.'

Both Snape and Rowena looked intently at McGonagall. Snape didn't even try to hide his sneer.

'Do you seriously think this eh - young lady is capable of such a feat? I've been keeping an eye on her this past week, and I regret to say she's not at all up to the standard we have come to expect at Hogwarts.'

Rowena stared unbelievingly at him, opening her mouth in protest, but McGonagall intercepted her.

'Now, now, let's behave ourselves, shall we? I do not expect you to be friends, but I was hoping you'd behave like professionals. I have no reason to believe Rowena is not capable of learning to do it. I want you, Severus, to teach her how to make the Wolfsbane Potion. The more wizards and witches that learn to master it, the better, don't you think?'

Snape didn't say anything, just grudgingly consented. She could tell he was as unhappy about this as she was. Though she really wanted to learn how to make the Wolfsbane Potion, she resented having Snape teaching her...

She had her first Potions lesson with Snape Monday night the following week. They were using her office since most of the school's supply of potion ingredients was stored there. She'd decided she would try to behave, control her emotions and not start screaming at him. She had all the ingredients at the ready when Snape walked into the room. He seemed to have been thinking along the same lines, wanting to get it quickly over with, so instead of saying unpleasant things to her like he usually did he went straight to work, hardly looking at her at all, explaining as he went along. She had her parchment and quill ready, making notes as fast as she could. She watched as he heated his cauldron, sorting and weighing the ingredients, now and then asking her to shred and chop some ginger roots for him or pickle a few slugs. She couldn't help but marvel at his skills, at the precision in which he solved the task, how fast and meticulously he worked. She had always been secretly impressed by Snape's Potions skills, ever since she first saw him at it as an eleven-year old girl. It was nothing short of poetry seeing his hands move effortlessly, watching his face screwed up in concentration, entirely focused on the task. If it wasn't for the fact that Snape was such a loathsome git she would have loved spending time at the master's feet, drawing on his vast knowledge on the subject. The thought made her heart beat a little faster, and she could feel her face reddening. Furious with herself, she quickly bent over her notes, hoping Snape hadn't noticed her momentary loss of concentration.

A few more weeks passed, and Rowena was, surely to Snape's disappointment, really starting to master not only the Wolfsbane Potion, but also her classes. She enjoyed watching her students making progress, even the third-years who sometimes seemed to be more interested in dung bombs and creating diversions than learning about potions. She had stopped counting how many times she had to tell off Mark and his gang, now and then giving them detentions, at other times taking points off the Gryffindor house. Their archenemy, Gavin from Slytherin, was usually better at hiding his little pranks, but she caught him a couple of times as well. At the end of one of her classes, Mark and Will approached her at her desk.

'Professor Mulligan, er - your Potions classes are very good.'

Rowena eyed them suspiciously, but said,

'Well, thank you.'

Mark looked at her with his mischievous, bright green eyes and continued,

'We've been thinking, you're always telling us to place Potions in its practical context, so we thought, well...' Mark took a deep breath. 'We thought it would be fun to try and make a Love Potion. It's Valentine's Day next week, you know.' He flushed, letting his gaze drop.

Rowena lifted her eyebrows, surprised.

'Well, of all the students, you were the last one I'd have expected to ask for a Love Potion!'

Mark flashed his green eyes at her again.

'But professor Mulligan, we're not asking you to make it, we just need an ingredient from the school's stores to make it ourselves.'

Rowena frowned.

'I'm sorry; knowing you, I'm not going to give you that ingredient. I doubt you're up to anything good, and the Love Potion story is just a little bit too farfetched to me. So no, I won't let you have any. Off you go!'

She could see the disappointment in their faces, but she wouldn't budge on this one. She'd never approved of the use of Love Potions anyway, and thought them very silly indeed. They were for giggly thirteen-year-old girls, and she had never considered herself one of them.

What was making Harry feel so horrified and unhappy was not being shouted at

or having jars thrown at him; it was that he knew how it felt

to be humiliated in the middle of a circle of onlookers,

knew exactly how Snape had felt as his father had taunted him...

(OotP p.573 Bloomsbury)

When Rowena entered the Great Hall the next Friday it had been decorated for Valentine's Day. Rowena frowned disapprovingly at the tiny pink silk hearts that seemed to pour in an endless stream from the ceiling, littering the table, several of them landing in her soup. She couldn't understand why Professor McGonagall had let Dobby be in charge of the Valentine's decorations this year. Observing her aunt irritably shaking some hearts out of her tight hair-bun, Rowena suspected she was already regretting it. She could see Minerva's mouth form a thin line, nicely complementing the disgusted sneer on Snape's face. He was as usual sitting right next to the headmistress. Stealing a quick glance at him, Rowena thought amusedly that despite their enmity, she did have one thing in common with him, apart from the passion for potion-making: When it came down to disliking anything pink and fluffy, they were allies. Rowena chortled into her goblet, nearly spraying poor Professor Flitwick with pumpkin juice. Not much to build a relationship on, Valentine's Day or not, she thought drily. But it turned out someone else was thinking the Valentine's decorations were stupid as well, because just then a cluster of Dr. Filibuster's fireworks went off right in the middle of the Slytherin table, turning over soup terrines and mugs full of pumpkin juice, soaking everyone nearby. Girls screamed, and a considerable amount of the boys at the Gryffindor table clapped their hands enthusiastically. Rowena could see a furious Snape get to his feet and quickly glide over to the Slytherin table to clean up the mess. Averting her eyes and looking in the direction of McGonagall, she suddenly spotted a tuft of red hair quickly dip beneath the teacher's table and disappear. She couldn't imagine what Mark had been up to, but smiled slightly about his cheek and daring.

Five minutes later peace and quiet had been restored, and Snape rejoined the other teachers at the table. Soon the meal was over, and most of the students and teachers had already left the hall. Rowena got up and started moving towards the marble staircase when she suddenly sensed that someone was following her. She turned around, expecting to see a mischievous Mark or some other student, and was thoroughly surprised at seeing Snape tailing her. She opened her mouth viciously, ready to tell him off before he could say anything insulting when she noticed his face. Her jaw dropped. His dark eyes wore a glazed, soft expression and his mouth was turned into a wide, sheepish grin. His otherwise sallow skin had turned the colour of pink, and his cheeks were flushed. He even seemed to have done something to his greasy, shoulder-length hair; it looked like he had attempted to smooth it backwards, giving him the distinct look of a wet dog.

'Er - Professor Mulligan,' he said in a dreamy voice, '...may I call you Rowena? You look - nice tonight.'

Rowena nearly stumbled, her eyes big with astonishment. Then it suddenly dawned on her. She looked quickly around, and spotted a group of students lingering around the foot of the staircase, watching Snape intently, suppressing fits of giggles. And one of the students was unmistakeably a redhead... She turned her attention back to Snape, who was now gazing adoringly into her eyes. Someone, and she had an inclination as to whom, had slipped a considerable amount of Love Potion into Snape's goblet; there was no mistaking it.

She quickly made up her mind. She couldn't allow Snape to be ridiculed like this. As much as she resented Snape and often had dreamt of ways to get back at him, this was way over the edge. Even her worst enemy didn't deserve to be exposed as a lovesick old fool.

'Come with me.' She grabbed him firmly by the elbow and steered him up the marble staircase, away from the laughing students.

'Certainly my lady,' he blinked at her with his misty black eyes. She barely managed to suppress an embarrassed smile and continued walking. They soon reached her office, and she ushered him inside.

'Sit down please!'

She pointed at one of the squashy armchairs by the fireplace, and he sank obligingly into it. She moved over to the cupboard, feeling his eyes on her back, intently following her every move. She could hear him humming softly under his breath. She bit her tongue painfully to stop herself from laughing nervously. It made her feel uneasy, the way he was looking at her, and her hands shook slightly as she carried a cauldron and some ingredients back to her desk.

'Regretfully there really isn't any antidote to the Love Potion. We'll just have to wait till it wears off some time tomorrow morning.' Rowena was speaking quietly, more to herself than to Snape. 'But what I can do, is brew a Sleeping Draught. It'll spare us the, er - discomfort of seeing you like this, not being quite yourself... Yes, that's what I'm going to do.'

She went about it at once; lighting the flame, preparing the ingredients. Now and then she shot a quick glance at Snape to make sure he remained seated. She didn't want him breathing down her neck in his state of mind. Finally she had added all the ingredients, and she left the potion simmering for a few minutes, checking on it now and then. Snape was still gazing longingly at her, humming softly. But what made her pay more attention was the fact that now and then she could see him falling silent for a few seconds, contracting his eyebrows in a slight frown, his eyes almost clearing. But shortly the mist in his eyes would return, and he continued his soft humming.

'Why, I believe he's actually trying to fight the effect of the Love Potion!' she marvelled. 'It takes a powerfully strong wizard to even set about trying that. You'd never believe I'd be impressed with you, did you.' She spoke quietly, making sure Snape did not hear her words.

The Sleeping Draught was ready at last and she allowed it to cool off. She moved over to him, kneeling down beside him, asking him to open his mouth and letting a couple of drops trickle down his throat. As he slowly closed his eyes and his breathing became steady and deep, she whispered,

'If you had loved me for real, I might have loved you back, you know.'

She sighed and got to her feet, but remained standing by his side for a moment, looking down on the sleeping man. The usual frown was gone from his face. He looked so peaceful and relaxed. Rowena had a sudden urge to touch him, just to feel his skin, to trace the strands of his black hair, to lightly touch the eyelids that hid those dark, enigmatic eyes. But she knew she couldn't. Snape would never have allowed her to do that.