No One's Lapdog

No One's Lapdog

Chapter Three

Leaving Snape to snooze in her armchair, Rowena left her office and headed for Gryffindor tower.

'Pumpkin patch!'

The painting of the Fat Lady swung open, and Rowena stepped inside the Gryffindor common room, where pandemonium seemed to reign. She could see Ginny the Head Girl shouting over the gales of laughter, trying to restore order. At the sight of their Head of House though, everyone fell silent.

'Bed, everyone,' she said sternly. 'Ginny, you stay, and that goes for Evans, Turner and Creevey too.'

As the rest of the students hastily cleared the room, Rowena flashed her angry eyes at the little group in front of her.

'Ginny; I'm quite disappointed with you. It's way past midnight; the students should've been in their beds ages ago!'

Ginny looked downcast.

'I'm sorry, Professor Mulligan, but I really tried.'

'Well, try harder next time,' Rowena said shortly. 'I'll talk to you later.'

She saw Ginny off, then turned to Mark, Will and Dennis who seemed to be thinking they were facing their death sentences, which in fact wasn't that far from the truth.

'You all seem to have been having great fun tonight.' Rowena pinned them with a piercing stare. 'Care to enlighten me on what the hysterically funny joke was all about?'

Will and Dennis were shaky and pale, Mark stared down at his hands, silent for once. Finally Dennis the fifth-year spoke, his voice trembling.

'Please, Professor, I - I just thought it would be f-fun to do an innocent little prank on Valentine's Day...'

Rowena opened her mouth, but Mark interrupted her.

'Professor Mulligan, it's not true; Dennis wasn't in on it; he's just trying to take the blame. Please leave him out of it.'

Dennis blushed as he shot a quick glance over at Mark's determined face.

'I'm glad you're standing up for your friends Dennis, and I also appreciate your fairness, Mark. But valiant and noble as I'm sure you all are, I can't see through my fingers with this. Are you aware of the gravity of your offence? Turning on a teacher like that is just unheard of! I don't care if he's the greatest git in the universe; what you did is inexcusable!'

Even Mark blushed now, looking thoroughly ashamed of himself.

'I recall refusing you an ingredient needed in Love Potion-making. But you seem to have been able to make it anyway. May I ask were you got the missing ingredient?' Rowena asked sternly.

Mark sighed heavily, then started to recount the story.

'Well, just the other day, we happened to walk by your office. The door stood ajar, and you were not there. I asked Will to stand guard by the door, and I went inside and sort of - helped myself to some.'

'I see. But Professor Snape was, as I was so unfortunate to discover, infatuated by me in particular. How did you come by getting something from me to add to your potion?'

'Well, after you left the classroom, we just checked your chair for any loose hairs you might have left. That was the easy part.'

'But why choose me? Why humiliate him by making him fall in love with me?'

'Well, isn't that obvious?' Mark had gotten back some of his old cheek now. 'Snape really hates you, doesn't he? Even more than he hates us. The ultimate joke would have to be forcing him to behave silly in front of you...'

Rowena stared unbelievingly at him. Mark was both more clever and more cruel than she had thought a thirteen-year old boy was capable of. She looked gravely into their faces.

'Let me tell you; you've never before been this close to getting expelled. Fifty points each off Gryffindor house for your total lack of judgment. And yes, that goes for you too Creevey; even though you were not actively involved, you should have had the sense to stop your friends. And Evans, Turner; you two will also have to sit a week's detention, starting next week.' She paused, then said fiercely, as in an afterthought, 'And if I catch any Gryffindor student laughing about your little joke either in the corridors or at meals, I'll take another fifty points off the house!'

'Having fun?'... Been enjoying yourself, Potter?' 'N-no,' said Harry, trying to free his arm.

It was scary: Snape's lips were shaking, his face was white, his teeth were bared.. ...

'You will not repeat what you saw to anybody!' Snape bellowed.

(OotP p.572 Bloomsbury)

When Rowena entered her office early next morning, Snape had already left. She felt slightly sick, her stomach turning uneasily. She anticipated Snape being in a towering temper today, knowing, as he also did, that the news about his 'love-life' would be all over school by now. She decided not to have breakfast in the Great Hall; she wouldn't be able to eat anything anyway. It was late afternoon when she finally ran into him. She was walking the corridors on the third floor when a cold voice spoke behind her.

'Mulligan.'

She spun around, blood rushing to her face.

'Snape!'

She hoped she managed to hide the little shiver in her voice. She had never seen him this angry before. His face was white as chalk, contorted in fury, his black eyes shooting daggers at her. It was scary.

'Had fun last night, did you?' he hissed menacingly.

'Not exactly.'

Rowena tried to remain calm.

'Is that so?' Snape bared his teeth viciously. 'Are you trying to make me believe you were not in on the precious redhead's little joke?'

Rowena felt her temper rising.

'Honestly,' she replied icily, 'you do not seriously believe I had anything to do with it?'

'I have no reason not to think so.' His snarl grew more pronounced. 'The boys would have needed help, getting ingredients, getting something from you...'

She flashed her eyes angrily at him.

'As usual you're underestimating my students, Snape. They were perfectly capable of managing without the help of me or anyone else. They confessed to me last night they have been sneaking into my office stealing ingredients.'

'I don't believe you!' Snape shouted, spit flying from his mouth; he was looking more insane every second. And before Rowena knew what was happening, Snape withdrew his wand from the inside of his robe and pointed it at her.

'Legilimens!'

The corridor immediately started swimming in front of her eyes and then vanished entirely. Instead images began racing through her mind, making her dizzy. She was eight, riding her broom and hitting her first Bludger, the excitement surging through her... She was eleven, sitting in her first Potions class, humiliated and scared, Snape ridiculing her very first cauldron-full... She was fifteen, hiding in a broom closet and crying silently because the Ravenclaw boy she liked didn't return her feelings... She was leaving the Great Hall, turning to see who was following her... She was in her office, kneeling down beside Snape, making him swallow the Sleeping Draught. In just a moment she was going to say she would have loved him back if he had loved her... No! Rowena started to fight back. She couldn't allow him to see that, it wasn't meant for him...

'No!' she heard herself shouting as the corridor suddenly came back into focus again. She swayed, drawing her wand out of her pocket as she regained her balance, pointing it shakily at Snape. She saw him clutching his arm, an angry boil appearing right above his wrist. He made to raise his wand again, but this time Rowena was quicker.

'Expelliarm...'

'Mulligan! Snape!'

The voice cracked like a whip. A pale-faced headmistress came running down the corridor towards them.

'Never have I - ever, in all my time at Hogwarts...'

She came to an abrupt halt in front of them.

'My office - now!'

She strode off without another word, and Rowena and Snape had to run to keep up with her.

'Alohomora!'

The door to the headmistress's office burst open, rattling on its hinges. McGonagall sailed through the open doorway and rounded the corner of her desk were she remained standing, her tightly clenched fists resting on the table, her nostrils flaring.

'Sit!'

Rowena sat down in the chair farthest away from Snape. She was still shaking with anger and shock, and avoided looking in his direction as she was sure she'd start screaming and yelling at him.

'Do you mind telling me what that was all about?' McGonagall's voice was shaking uncontrollably. 'Never have I... What do you think you were doing? Behaving like three year-olds - madmen - my own staff...'

Neither Snape nor Rowena were meeting McGonagall's eyes as she lectured them.

'Duelling in the corridors, quarrelling like spoiled little brats...'

Catching her breath, McGonagall sat down in her chair, dabbing her forehead with a handkerchief.

'Grown-up indeed! You know how hard it is to teach the students manners when not even their teachers can control themselves? I'm ashamed of being related to you Rowena! And you Severus; if nothing else, one would think being ten years older would have made a difference!'

Rowena shot a quick glance at Snape. His cheeks were slightly flushed; otherwise his face seemed to have gone strangely expressionless. When McGonagall stopped shouting at them, they both remained silent. Staring at them with bloodshot eyes, McGonagall finally whispered hoarsely,

'Are any of you going to tell me why you were attacking each other with wands?'

Rowena opened her mouth. She wanted to tell Minerva everything; how Snape had been bullying her for months; how he made fun of everything she did, making her life miserable; how he had accused her of something she didn't do, and worst of all; how he had forced his way into her mind, violating her privacy. As the words formed on her lips, she looked over at Snape, and noticed the tiniest flicker of a shadow stirring in the bottomless pits of his black eyes. She suddenly remembered last night; how the children had laughed their hearts out watching Snape making a fool of himself. She remembered how he repeatedly had tried to fight the effect of the Love Potion with the sheer power of his will. She remembered his contorted face in the corridor going all white, not just out of fury, it suddenly dawned on her, but also mingled with something else: Pain.

'No,' Rowena said in a low but clear voice, finally raising her head and returning Minerva's stare.

Snape shot a quick glance at her before looking away. The headmistress looked slightly taken aback at Rowena's bold announcement, then shrugged her shoulders.

'Fine, so don't tell me. But I want to make one thing perfectly clear: In the future I expect better manners from you two. Rowena; you're excused. Severus, if you could stay for a moment; I need to discuss some curricular issues with you.'