Sleeping Beauty

January Rain didn't think of herself as an unusual teenager. Sure, she did go to a school called Hogwarts and sure she was a witch. But it didn't really matter to her. Ever since she found out her life had taken a plunge downwards. She had been a normal British girl with normal interests and fairly normal taste in clothes. But no, she had to give up all her friends and her wardrobe to enter this awful world where nothing was right and everything was wrong, it never seized to amaze her how her peers loved everything wizard. Why? Why should we love this world where everyone used these awful powers for the wrong reasons, wizards had poisons, curses and awfully heavy and above all ugly robes! There was of course Voldemort as well, why did he turn dark? January knew the answer to that question. He turned dark, just because he could. She had fought her way through seven years of her school, well nearly seven anyway... and now she was tired, she was tired of all this nonsense she had started wishing a long time ago, every time she went to sleep, she'd wish,

"God, I hope I never wake up"

But she always did anyway. But no more. She would have to stop this pain that was existence.

"Miss Rain! Kindly repeat what I just said"

January sighed, a good rule to keep, never daydream in Potion class.

"I'm sorry, I'm to depressed to listen to you right now" Well that was what she wished to say, but she had learned a long time ago that wishes never come true, so instead she said,

"I'm sorry professor, I didn't hear you"

"Just as I suspected Miss Rain. Detention, stay after class"

January sighed and tried to pay attention once more, but she soon realized that she knew everything Professor Snape was telling the class. If there was one subject she was good at it was Potions, ironically it was the subject she hated the most, not that she didn't hate the other ones at well... she suspected the difference was that in Potions she liked the subject but hated the teacher, she hated him but she respected him as well, in the other subjects she hated the teachers and the subjects... the reason? She resented magic, she felt that in Potions there was very little use of a wand, and more use of the brain, she liked that, and she also thought she might have inherited some chemistry skills from her father who was a scientist before he moved to Africa to be a doctor, leaving January and her mother alone in London.

"I hate my life"

January looked around frantically hoping no one heard her. Her eyes met his.

"What did you say, Miss Rain?"

"Nothing"

He watched her for a second as if he was trying to read her mind, then he looked away. The bell rang shortly after that.

She packed her bag slowly and waited until everyone had left, which didn't take long since even the Slytherins didn't want to linger in the Professor's presence.

"I'm disappointed in you, Miss Rain"

January didn't answer, she simply stared at the ground.

"You will report to Filch at eight o'clock tonight, understood?"

January nodded and started towards the door.

"Why do you hate your life?"

January was startled and whirled around to face him

"surely it wasn't just me..." He said, a smirk on his lips.

"It is none of your concern"

"I am your head of house, I deserve to know"

"No you don't, have a good day Professor"

With that she hurriedly left. How dare he? She asked herself furiously, what I say is none of his business! He's an idiot, he doesn't know anything about me, how dare he? January paused outside of the Great Hall, she had to calm down, knowing herself she knew that her face was flushed and she had a reputation. She was quiet and cool, she didn't get upset, well she did, but she hid it well... feeling more calm she entered the Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table. She looked at the soup they were being served with disgust. She hated mushrooms, so of course they served mushroom soup! She reached for a loaf of bread but a blond first year got to it first.

"Excuse me, but are you going to eat all of that?" She asked the boy trying her best to sound imitating.

"No, but Crabbe and Goyle are" He answered offhandedly and smirked.

January rolled her eyes and looked for something else to eat, nothing in particular struck her fancy so she just drank some Pumpkin juice. Feeling quite hungry she headed for Charms, her least favorite subject, the teacher annoyed her immensely, he had no right to be so happy all the time!

After a long day and no dinner (She couldn't stand the thought of eating after her period started, she had awful stomach pains) or lunch she headed for Filches office for her detention.

Filch assigned her to clean out the Potion part of the library, which was the biggest part.

"Detention in Potions then you should clean out the potion section of the library" Filch had said with and evil cough, (it was dusty!)

January was allergic to dust.

Coughing, eyes watering, stomach grumbling, further pains in her stomach, muscles aching for god knows what reason and now a book fell on her toe! She almost broke down in sobs right on the spot. She picked the book up and looked at the title

"This looks like it should be in the restricted section" she muttered as she abandoned her detention and sat down at a table near by to read it.

There were directions on how to make known poisons as well as making up new ones.

January decided right there to do something that would change her life forever.

"I mean, ending your life is the biggest change possible to do to it... right?"

With a task at hand she finished her detention as quickly as possible.

Two months had passed and January still lacked inspiration, she could easily make poison, but she wanted it to be something new, something exclusive to just her, something fitting of her death. She knew she was contradicting herself, making poison, one of the things she hated about wizards, but she wasn't going to use it to hurt others, just herself.

Then finally one night an idea came.

January was late for Astronomy. She was running up the Astronomy tower, slightly out of breath she leaned on to a windowsill.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, her index finger was bleeding, and she was reminded of a Fairy Tale she had heard once. Sleeping Beauty.

"Of course!" She said and hurried to Professor Sinistra for her lesson, a plan beginning to form in her mind.

It took a week to develop the recipe, she was working late into the night, ignoring her normal school duties and skipping classes.

She set to work, finding all the ingredients proved to be very difficult, but she didn't mind a bit of a challenge.

"Weasley"

Fred and George turned around and scowled as they saw who addressed them. Fred and George where Gryffindor third years and widely known for their pranks, she needed their help, she had to get them to distract Snape while she stole some Basilisk teeth from his private stores.

"What do you want?" They said, obviously disgusted with her, just because she was in Slytherin, another thing wrong with the wizard world, all these prejudges...

"I want you to pull a prank on Snape"

Their faces lit up

"When?"

I told them the time and place, suddenly they became suspicious

"What's in it for you?"

"Revenge" She said quickly, it convinced them.

A week later she started the potion. She used all of her time, ignoring meals, lessons and homework. Of course, that was a bad move, some of the teachers became concerned and looked for her, no one found her of course, she was deep within the dungeons.

But then someone found her by accident.

"Miss Rain!"

Her head snapped up, she was very startled.

"Professor Snape" She managed weakly

"You're brewing a potion"

"Duh"

"You haven't been showing up for any of your lessons and only a precious few meals, what are your excuses?" He demanded angrily

"I'm above excuses" She said sarcastically

"Don't patronize me young lady, what are you making anyway?" The first part he said with a dangerous edge to his tone, the latter with a very fake air of nonchalance.

"It's a secret" She answered mysteriously

He looked at the ingredients then he observed her for a moment. His eyes widened a bit and he said in a soft voice,

"Poison"

She wasn't really surprised but startled all the same. She looked at him and blinked a few times,

"How..."

He cut her off before she could finish her question

"I am the best Potion Master in the world"

She snorted and went back to her work.

"Who's it for?"

"I don't know" She lied

"I've never seen this particular poison before..." He admitted and looked interested.

"That's OK, I just invented it" She said brightly,she could feel he was impressed.

"Have you given it a name?"

"Sleeping Beauty"

"Doesn't sound very frightening"

"Doesn't matter, why aren't you yelling at me or something?"

"Why should I be?"

"I don't know"

He started coming to her dungeon every evening, trying to get her to tell him who the potion was meant for, but she'd never tell him. He'd try to talk her out of making it. But the last night arrived, the night before the poison was complete, the next evening she'd drink it. He showed up as usual but she gave him a bit more information this time.

"Who's it for?" He asked for the umpteenth time

"Someone we both know" She answered

"It looks ready" He commented, he'd never help her or tell her what to do, when it came to her potion, and he never stayed long either, indeed this was the first comment he made on the potion.

"Tomorrow" She said simply. He nodded and left.

The next evening she sat down and wrote a long letter, she decided she was going to die lookin absolutely beautiful, it would match the potion... then she got out her wand and did some transfiguring. She got a beautiful bed to appear, she shattered white rose petals all over it and lit candles all around it, it has to look romantic, she thought and giggled. She transfigured her own dress, using a picture of her mother's wedding dress as a model. She had always wanted to wear her mothers dress, but her mother had never allowed her to. She let her hair fall freely down her back and put on some pearl jewelry. Around her neck, wrist and in her ears. Then she drank the potion. The poison would take five minutes to go into effect. She lay down on the bed and held a single white rose to her chest with her left hand, she held the only rose with the power to heal her in her left hand... her right hand remained unoccupied resting beside her body. Then she felt a pleasant tingle go through her body and she fell asleep.

Severus hurried to the dungeon room Rain had made her own, he had finally managed to get Albus to follow him, this whole Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone was ruining this, he was late, and he suspected the poison was meant for her.

They arrived and he gasped, she looked breathtaking. Even Albus seemed to be at loss for words, Severus rushed to her side and looked for a pulse. There wasn't one. She looked so beautiful.

"Severus, there's a letter" Albus said somberly

I took the letter from Albus' hand and read.

"Well?" Albus asked

"She says that there is a possibility of waking her up again"

"Really, do tell" Albus said eagerly

"I have ten days to make an antidote"

"that's great, we can use mandrakes or bezoar..."

"I'm afraid that isn't a possibility, she stated in this letter that all known antidotes would kill her"

"Did she leave a clue?" Albus asked

"Yes, but I don't understand it"

"Show it to me"

Sleeping beauty rests in peace

for hundred years she slept and slept

the prince arrived with one goal and purpose

He cut down the roses that surrounded the castle

the dragon died before his sword

two giants tried to oppose him

he walked away with their eyes

he rode his white horse to the castle

he woke the princess with his love.

"A riddle, it tells you the exact potion ingredients you need for the antidote" Albus said thoughtfully, stroking his beard.

"you think, it looks like a fairy tale to me"

"try to understand it"

"did you see what she wrote at the bottom there?"

"Where?"

You told me once you were the best Potion Master in the world, here's your chance. Prove it

"She's putting pressure on you"

"You think?" He answered sarcastically

Eight days past and he had only figured out a little bit of the riddle, he was supposed to use giant eyes and dragon blood...

It was the last day. He was snapping at everyone who dared breath around him. He was in a lesson now, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws... a little Hufflepuff girl called Hannah Abbott came to his desk to give the homework he assigned, he didn't notice her right away, he was reading the riddle over and over again.

"My mom told me that in Sleeping Beauty it wasn't really the kiss that woke her up, it was a potion the prince made her, he was actually a wizard, it was made out of white rose petals, dragon blood, giant eyes and unicorn hair..."

Severus stared at the girl. Then he ran out of the classroom. He started brewing the potion as fast as he could, now you may think:

"four potion ingredients, that couldn't take a lot of time!"

But it wasn't that simple, he had to wait for every ingredient to boil or be at the right temperature or the right color and he had to cut the huge giant eyes in exactly the right manner... then finally five minutes before midnight it was ready.

He made her drink the antidote and then he shrank back and watched.

Nothing happened. He looked at his watch, one minute to midnight. What had gone wrong? Then he looked around, no one was there... it wouldn't hurt.

He bent down and kissed her, it wasn't passionate or anything, just a kiss.

He backed away, somewhere in the distance he could hear a clock chime midnight.

She didn't move. He had failed. He started cleaning up the mess he had created while making the potion. Another life on his conscience, he could, he should've saved her. He'd never win. He looked at her body. She looked innocent. Beautiful. And the saddest thing was...

"You'll never know I loved you"

He turned around and headed for the door.

"I know now"

It couldn't be, it was passed midnight he must've been hallucinating or something...

"It was nice, heaven"

He turned around, slowly

There she was, sitting up on the bed, smiling at him.

"Are you staying at Hogwarts then?" he asked trying to hold back tears that were threatening to escape.

"Yes, I can't stay in heaven"

"Why not?"

"I was too unhappy"

"Come, we must talk to Dumbledore"

"Yes..."

Severus left the room, January's ghost following him.

"Do you know what I learned from this?" Severus asked

"No, tell me" January's ghost said

"happy endings only exist in fairy tales"