Duty before Honor

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN CHARACTERS, I JUST PLAY WITH THEM

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Poltergiest

***IMPORTANT NOTICE PLEASE READ! There has been an accusation made that I have copied information from a different story. This is NOT true. However, after skimming through this person's story, our beginnings are in fact highly similar. Thusly so, I do see as to why she would think that. However, the rest of my plot is does not end up anything like hers what so ever. To be honest I REALLY DID GIVE UP ON THIS STORY AND WAS GOING TO DELETE IT. However, I have received a lot of support (I want to especially recognize elynn1469) to ignore this and go on with my story. I want to thank every one of you that did so! So, I am going to continue with my story. Anyone accusing me of copying content of a different story will result in getting blocked. Thank you!***

He really did need to put a stop to this before it grew out of hand. Severus sighed under his breath as he once again saw his godson stealing glances at the Ravenclaw table. Much as he expected, Lovegood sensed his gaze and looked over her shoulder to send the boy a small, welcoming smile. He refrained himself from rolling his eyes when Draco blushed.

Turning his eyes away from his reddened godson, his gaze landed on the Gryffindor Princess. From the looks of it, she hadn't managed to sleep at all last night after her lesson. He sneered somewhat in spite at the thought of her being plagued with night terrors. They often served to remind one's self of the harsh reality of the world they lived in. There was no room for feigned naivety, not even in sleep.

He quickly glanced to his side and noticed the headmaster inspecting her curiously as well. He looked rather pleased with himself to see the Gryffindor so distraught. Severus smirked and vaguely pondered what the old coot would do if he happened to tell Minerva what her little lioness witnessed last night under his orders. His smirk widened at the mental image of the Scottish hag setting Albus's beard on fire.

His amusement was short lived as he glanced at Lupin. Sighing when he remembered he still had to put the finishing touches on the Wolfsbane potion before tonight, he stood to his feet and made his way down from the high table. He walked at a brisk pace, thankful to rid himself of the obnoxious sound of children. He felt his body grow less tense as he walked throughout the solidary corridors to the dungeons.

The dungeons had become the only home he had ever known. Spinners End was merely a place of shelter during the summer months, not a home. Hogwarts was as close to a home that he would ever get, and that suited him just fine. He was not a sentimental man. He did not need a white picket fence or a welcome matt to make a home. He much preferred his musty, cold, and dark dungeons.

His somewhat 'relaxed' state did not last long, however. A small scratching sound echoed softly throughout the dungeon, immediately arousing suspicion. His wand slid from inside his robe sleeve down to his palm as he slowed his pace. He was about to cast a disillusionment charm on himself when he saw a single, almost colorless wire tied lowly across the pathway.

"Shit," he cursed quietly and scowled. Knowing exactly who the culprit was to this trick he quickly pulled a spare vial out of his robe pocket and charmed it with a strong containment charm. He kicked the tripwire and jumped backwards when the floor underneath him melted into quicksand. Hearing a shrill cackle, he immediately said, "Orbtexus!" He smirked as he heard a grunted shriek accompany a strong black vortex that entered into the vial. He quickly closed it with the stopper and lifted it up to inspect it in the dimming light.

"Let me out!" Peeves* shouted, shaking the vial as violently as he could. An eyeball floated around in the smoky tendrils and fixed him with a wide-eyed stare. "Snape!" he shouted angrily.

"What are you doing down here?" Severus asked menacingly. Peeves usually steered clear of the dungeons, as the Bloody Baron was one of the two things that struck fear into the poltergeist.

"What's it to ya big nose?" he said with a cackle. Deciding he was already done with the conversation, Snape merely scowled and shoved the vial into his pocket. "Let me out you ugly wanker!" Peeves raved. Ignoring the irate being, he continued his short trek through the dungeons. Once in his private storage room, he slipped the still vibrating vial out of his pocket and tossed it into a rather large bowl on the top shelf.

"Wait!" Peeves hissed as Severus turned to leave, "I know something you don't know!" the way the sentence was tauntingly sung made the professor grind his teeth in aggravation.

"What?" he asked through gritted teeth, unhappy to be playing such a childish game with the obnoxious being.

"Let me out first, grease ball!" he replied with a cackle. Snape inhaled deeply and forced himself not to shatter the damned thing on the ground.

"If you will not tell me, then perhaps you will tell the Bloody Baron?" Snape said with a smirk.

"No, no, no, no," Peeves immediately began repeating. Ignoring his pleas, Severus replaced him in a dirty cauldron so he could not roll the vial onto the floor and break free. He slammed the door and sighed in relief when he could no longer hear the poltergeist's high pitched voice. Eventually, the damned thing would escape on its own, but it would have to do for the time being.

Scowling when he noticed the time, he quickly noxed the stasis charm and put the last few ingredients in the Wolfsbane potion. His scowl slowly turned into a sly grin as he grabbed a jar of slug slime off of his desk. The original Wolfsbane potion was a highly volatile potion, and tasted of rotted meat. However, he had discovered adding slug slime to the potion improved the amount of mental fortitude held throughout the duration of a transformation. It just so happened, much to Severus's pleasure, that it made the already vile taste much worse- to the degree Poppy had to constrict Lupin's stomach so he could not regurgitate it. The texture was also mucous-like and slid down the throat at a leisurely pace.

It was well worth the time to brew to watch the mutt scorff it down.

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"Hermione, are you sure you're okay?" Harry asked quietly. Ron nodded and nudged her gently with his elbow.

"Yeah, Mione, you're awfully quiet. You didn't even scold me for flunking our charms test," he said with a goofy smile. Hermione smiled back halfheartedly.

"I didn't sleep well," she sighed. Technically, that wasn't a lie. She remained awake the entire night, clutching Crookshanks to her chest. She had never witnessed anything so vile and cruel in her entire life. She vaguely wondered how many times Snape was forced to witness such acts, but she quickly decided she didn't want to know. She blinked rapidly when tired, unwanted tears began to blur her vision. Biting down rather hard on her tongue, she scowled at herself for crying. There was no use in tears.

The boys did not comment as they turned the corner and entered the dungeons. Ignoring the hate filled glares from passing Slytherins, the trio slowly made their way to the potions classroom. Hermione grunted in annoyance as Millicent Bulstrode elbowed her rather roughly when she entered the room. Too tired to give her so much as a glare, Hermione sat down beside Neville.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Neville immediately said.

Hermione raised a surprised brow and asked, "For what?"

"For getting you in so much trouble yesterday," he said, his face reddening. Her eyes widened when she remembered she now had detention every single day for the rest of the year. It seemed that incident occurred weeks ago, rather than just yesterday. She groaned and rubbed her burning eyes. "I'll talk to Professor Snape after class! It's only fair that I have detention too!" Neville rushed on, tripping over his words. Hermione smiled at his awkwardness and shook her head.

"No, that's alright, Neville, really," she said sincerely.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a frown. Hermione nodded and was about to reply, but her mouth quickly snapped shut when the classroom doors swung open. Her eyes dropped to her desk as the potion master passed by her on the way to his desk. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Her cheeks reddened when she remembered how she reacted after witnessing the memory in the pensieve.

"Today you will be brewing the Alihotsy draught. I trust there will be no incidents today, Mr. Longbottom?" he asked with a disgusted sneer. Neville's pale face gained a pink hue as he nodded his head and dropped his eyes to the floor. Hermione frowned and gave him a small, comforting pat on the shoulder. Without another word, the students began to gather the ingredients needed for the potion.

Halfway through finely chopping her Alihotsy, Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn't need to look up to know the Professor was looking at her. She pretended to remain oblivious, though she could ruefully feel her cheeks tinge pink. He probably thought she was a childish fool. She frowned and stirred her potion roughly. Her brooding must have shown on her face, as the boys were glancing at her with troubled expressions.

By the time class was coming to an end, Hermione was in a mood that would rival that of a troll's. The boys didn't dare question her for fear they would somehow manage to strike one of her frayed nerves. Just as she had slung her pack over her shoulder, she heard "A moment, Miss Granger." She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Her eyes still closed, she shooed Ron and Harry away, knowing that they would not leave until she told them to do so.

Once she heard the heavy doors close, she opened her eyes and slowly walked in front of the desk. She refused to meet his eyes, and kept hers trained on the floor. She prepared herself for the ridicule she knew had to be coming, and quietly said, "Sir?" The sound of his quill stopped abruptly, making her hold her breath at the silence.

"What time will you complete your training with Madam Pomfrey?" he asked. Floored at the question, Hermione snapped her head up and looked at him in bewilderment. Why was he not tearing her to shreds over her behavior last night?

After a much too long pause, she realized she still had not answered his question. "Six," she said, her mild shock still coming through into her voice. Snape looked away then and dipped his quill into an ink pot.

"You are to serve your detention at six-thirty. Do not be late. You are dismissed," he said without looking at her. Usually, Hermione would have sneered at the lack-luster dismissal, but she smiled in relief and practically bounced out of the room. Ron and Harry immediately clustered around her once she entered the hallway.

"What was that about?" Harry asked.

"I have detention at six-thirty!" Hermione replied. She rubbed her sleep-deprived eyes and began to giggle at the absurdity.

"She's absolutely mad!" Ron whispered to Harry. Both boys nodded to one another and watched as their friend continued to giggle quietly.

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He had to admit, he found this sullen version of the Gryffindor chit somewhat refreshing. The moment he had entered the room her face had dropped three shades whiter, almost rivaling that of the dunderheaded Mr. Longbottom. "Today you will be brewing the Alihotsy draught. I trust there will be no incidents today, Mr. Longbottom?" he asked with a sneer as he glared at the bucked tooth young man. Neville immediately nodded and looked down to the floor. Granger annoyingly patted the boy's shoulder in pity, but he chose to ignore it. He sat down roughly at his desk and absent mindedly graded papers while keeping a watchful eye on the students.

Usually, Granger was the first student in line to gather ingredients, as she always chose from the best. Today, she was last and was left with smaller, more wilted alihotsy plants and a dried out portion of dragon liver. Her usual graceful strokes were replaced with choppy, non-precise ones. She didn't even try to help Longbottom, though he knew she saw that he was clearly adding in the dragon liver much too early. Not once did she glance up at him throughout class.

"A moment, Miss Granger," he called as the students began to pack up their belongings. He smirked when her shoulders hunched over. After shooing her obnoxious entourage away she slowly crept up to his desk.

"Sir?" she asked hesitantly. He paused his writing and looked up to find her staring at the floor.

"What time will you complete your training with Madam Pomfrey?" he asked. Her head whipped up so fast that he thought she might have dislodged it from her spine. She stared at him with her mouth slightly agape. After a moment she regained her composure.

"Six," she said, still sounding bewildered. Severus dipped his quill into the ink pot and resumed grading.

"You are to serve your detention at six-thirty. Do not be late. You are dismissed," he plainly stated. He raised an eyebrow when she nearly skipped out of the room. Deciding he didn't care nearly enough to ponder over the chit's mood shift, he wearily stood from his desk and entered his stockroom. He ignored the trapped, screaming poltergeist and grabbed a vile of the finished Wolfsbane potion. He sneered and slammed the door shut when Peeves began screaming obscenities. With a flick of an aggravated wrist, he placed a silencing charm on the door. He glanced down at the potion in his hand with a smirk as he left his dark, dank dungeons. It was rather pleasant to make the wolf wait anxiously. The charmed bracelet was most certainly burning his wrist with rising intensity as the day wore on.

His trek to the medical wing was a quick one. A smirk graced his lips when he opened the door to find the mutt pacing back and forth. "What the bloody hell took you so long?" Lupin snapped when he caught sight of him.

"Mind whatever miniscule amount of manners you learned from your mother, mutt," he snapped back. Lupin growled and scratched violently at his wrist. The charmed bracelet was glowing a very faint golden color. The skin of his wrist was pink and it looked as if it was starting to develop a rash. He scratched once more and stomped his way over to Poppy's office door.

"Poppy!" he yelled, slamming his fist on the mediwitch's door. Another second of beating and yelling went on until the door swung open, narrowly missing Remus.

"Remus Lupin! If you ever beat on my door like that again I will break every bone in your body and you will spend the night re-growing them!" she threated, poking a boney finger into the werewolf's chest.

"I apologize, Poppy. Snape has brought the potion," he said quickly, trying to calm her wrath. Poppy snatched the vile from Severus's outstretched hand and motioned for Lupin to take it from her.

"Take it all in one swallow; otherwise you will have to take it in two doses. The faster you swallow, the faster it will be over," she instructed. Lupin glared at the vial with hatred and took it from her. He slowly pulled out the stopper and stared down at it. He hesitantly raised the vial to his lips, and continued to hover there. Severus scoffed at his immaturity. Poppy shot him a dark look, making him smirk.

After what felt like forever, Lupin squeezed his eyes shut and tipped the bottle upwards. He managed to swallow the whole thing in one, slimy gulp, but the grotesque gurgle in his throat was threatening to push it back up. "Oh, no you don't!" Poppy said as she raised her wand. She muttered a spell under her breath to constrict his stomach. Lupin let out a hellacious cough and bent over, placing his hands on his knees. His natural gag reflex caused him to dry heave. Severus crinkled his nose at the amount of drool Lupin was creating.

Once his heaving had turned into hiccups, Poppy released the vice grip on his stomach and patted his back. "Good lad," she commended, making Snape roll his eyes. Lupin nodded his reddened face and attempted to breathe normally. Sensing that the show was over, Severus smirked out of spite and slipped out noiselessly.

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"Pansy's looking good today, eh, Draco?" Goyle said, nudging Draco with his elbow. Draco smirked and nodded his head, though he hadn't once glanced at the Slytherin girl. He looked up at the grey Scotland sky and pulled his frockcoat tighter around his body. Goyle and Crabbe continued on with their idle chatter while they climbed the mudded, snow covered trail to the herbology greenhouse. He tuned into the conversation at the appropriate time to laugh or nod, but otherwise was not truly listening- until the word Lovegood was said.

"She shouldn't be allowed in general public," Goyle said, making Crabbe snicker.

"Yeah, I heard she tried to shag the Gryffindor's ghost," Crabbe replied, making Goyle's mouth drop.

"She's as filthy as a mudblood!" Goyle said with a sneer. Draco's jaw clenched slightly, but he nodded in agreement nevertheless. It would be foolish on his part to defend a girl that was closely tied with the Gryffindor house. He owed her no favor; It wasn't as though she had ever done anything for him. Draco sighed, knowing even as he thought it, that he didn't truly feel animosity towards the Ravenclaw. She was the first person to talk to him as though he wasn't some sort of aristocrat, or much less a Death Eater.

After reaching the crest of the hill, he caught sight of the topic of their conversation. Crabbe and Goyle began chuckling loudly, gesturing at her. On her head was perched a pair of dark blue earmuffs- which happened to consist of two obnoxiously fuzzy pom-poms that were nearly as large as her head. By the time the last of the students had trickled into the greenhouse, every Slytherin was laughing and pointing. Draco's face remained passive while he watched helplessly. Luna seemed oblivious to the Slytherins' snickers and the angry glares of the other Ravenclaw students. She continued to hum as she began unpacking her gardening tools onto the table in front of her.

"Good afternoon!" Professor Sprout said cheerfully as she stepped into the greenhouse, shaking the snow from her boots. She took her place at the head of the class and clapped her hands together. "Today we will be harvesting the leaves of stinging nettles!" she said, smiling at the amounts of protesting groans that filled the air. She flicked her wand, and large pots filled with nettles came rushing through the doors. "Please remember to keep your dragon hide gloves on at all times!" she cautioned as the pots landed in front of the students. "Avoid any contact with bare skin. If you are stung, come to me immediately!" she held up a jar of soothing salve. "Are there any questions?" she paused, and when she saw there were none, she motioned for them to begin.

Draco huffed in annoyance and pulled on his gloves, eyeing the plants with distain. He hated the monthly nettle harvest with a passion. The "soothing salve" did nothing for the insistent burn caused by the forbidding leaves. He reached for one of the leaves and slowly began to pluck away at the hair-like needles. He became enthralled with the task for a while, until quiet laughter caught his attention. He looked over to Goyle and raised an eyebrow.

"Watch this," he said, loud enough for the surrounding Slytherins to hear him. He plucked a rather large beetle from the leaf he was de-needling. Careful to avoid its pinchers, he tapped the insect with his wand and quietly whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa." Draco ground his teeth as he watched the bug float across the greenhouse to the Ravenclaw workstation. No sooner had it reached the table, the charm was dispelled and the beetle landed directly onto the left earmuff belonging to Luna Lovegood.

The Slytherins began hissing with laughter, immediately drawing attention from the Ravenclaws. They eyed them with disdain and shook their heads at the sight of such immaturity. The classroom was eerily quiet for the next few minutes as the Slytherins held their laughter behind their breath. The moment Luna let out a startled yelp, laughter exploded into the class room. Luna quickly yanked off her earmuffs to reveal the beetle hanging on tightly to her ear. Draco stopped himself from frowning, and with a feeling of self-loathing, forced a smile onto his face.

"Quiet!" Professor Sprout shouted, glaring from Slytherin to Slytherin. They quieted down, but continued to snicker as Pomona gently took Luna by the arm and steered her up to her podium. Draco watched and listened as the professor took out a pair of tweezers and began to pry apart the pinchers. "Boy, he's really on there," she commented as she began to tug on the bug.

"It seems so. Please, don't hurt him," Luna said, wincing as the sharp pinchers dug a little deeper into her cartilage. Professor Sprout smiled at the kind hearted words as she continued to pry the small creature off. Draco heaved a heavy sigh as he continued to listen to his classmates crack jokes and laugh. The House of Slytherin was supposed to be poised and graceful, not crude and ill-mannered.

"There we are!" Pomona said as she held the bug up with the tweezers triumphantly. She quickly sat the bug on a nearby flutterby bush. "Now, lift your hair to the side dearie," she instructed. She picked up a jar of Star Grass Salve and began to dab it onto Luna's red ear.

"Draco!" Crabbe said, nudging him with his elbow. Draco took a deep breath in annoyance before he turned to look at him. He pointed his wand at the larger nettle plants on the floor and scooted them right behind Luna. Draco's stomach sank, already knowing what was about to happen. "Trip her!" Crabbe said with a cruel smile. Draco swallowed the lump that had appeared in his throat.

"Hurry!" Pansy hissed from somewhere to his left. Luna turned around and began walking to her seat, rubbing her sore ear.

"Do it!" Slytherins around the table said in unison. Unable to watch, Draco muttered a tripping jinx under his breath and quickly turned away. Guilt flooded through him when he once again heard her yelp in pain amongst more laughter.

"That is enough!" Professor Sprout yelled, uncharacteristically angry. "Slytherins, you all will have an essay that is to be no less than three rolls of parchment on the medical properties of Dittany. It is due Thursday. There will be no more interruptions this evening! Do I make myself clear?" The Slytherins all mumbled their answer simultaneously, angry to have their fun come to an end.

Draco watched as another Ravenclaw- Nanette Desford, gently helped Luna to her feet. "Take her to the medical wing. Madam Pomfrey will be waiting for you," Professor Sprout said quietly. Draco looked in shame at the many, tiny needles that ran up and along her arms and upper torso. Crabbe and Goyle both snickered and patted Draco on the back with pride and admiration.

Time seemed to stop as Luna caught sight of their praise. Her face took on a look of recognition when she realized that it was Draco that had been the cause of her fall. Her expression then changed to one somewhere in the middle of sadness and intrigue. Draco looked down at his feet, no longer able to look at her.

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"Hold still," Hermione ordered gently. She was spreading a healing salve on a first year's knee. The little girl sniffled and winced when the cool salve touched her skin. "You should not have been running in the halls," she scolded, smirking when the girl's cheeks reddened.

"I know. I'm sorry Miss Hermione."

"It's alright. How does that feel?" Hermione asked, patting the newly healed skin on her knee.

"Much better, Thank you!" the first year said as she hoped down from the examining table.

"You're welcome. Don't run!" Hermione called after her. By the time she had finished her sentence the girl had already ran out the door and was halfway down the hall. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. Soft chuckling caught her attention, making her glance at the mediwitch.

"I seem to remember telling a certain first year the exact same thing," she said with an amused twinkle in her eye. Hermione smiled sheepishly and looked down at her feet, knowing the first year Poppy was referring to had in fact been herself.

Hermione ignored her mentor's un-lady-like snort and focused her attention on going through the potions stock room. Since it was generally she that brewed the potions, she had taken on the responsibility for taking inventory as well. She soon found disinterest in her task as it became monotonous and found her mind began to wonder.

The lack of sleep last night was beginning to catch up with her, as were the images that were forever engraved in her brain. How did Snape do it? The amount of will and determination he must contain far surpassed hers. She could no longer fault in him his cruel, harsh behavior. The things he has seen and been forced to do were unimaginable to most. She shivered as she briefly considered what sort of memories plagued him at night.

Still she found herself confused on why he had not berated her on her disgraceful reaction last night. The man took every opportunity possible to highlight how immature he believed her to be. So, why had he not already done so? She nibbled on her bottom lip and frowned when she remembered the image of his white knuckles clenching the pensieve. Obviously, the memory still held a strong, lasting effect on him.

"Miss Granger!" Poppy called, making Hermione jump and drop her list. Hermione huffed and left the paper on the floor.

"Yes?" she asked as she sprinted out of the stockroom. Poppy moved to the side to reveal a very prickly Luna Lovegood. Hermione gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "Luna! What happened?" she questioned.

"It seems I've fallen into a rather large nettle bush," she said with a small, sad smile.

"These needles will have to be removed individually, by hand," Poppy said in a slightly sympathetic tone. "You cannot remove nettles by magic, as it makes their burning effect much stronger."

"Oh dear," Luna sighed.

"I trust you can handle this, Miss Granger?" Poppy asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes mam," Hermione said with a stern nod.

"Very well. Follow up with soothing salve," Poppy ordered in the transit of making her way back to her office.

"What happened?" Hermione asked again as she began to remove the barbs as gently as possible.

"Today was the nettle harvesting day in Herbology," Hermione sneered her lip at the mention of the dreaded day, "I tripped over my own feet and landed in a rather large bush, wouldn't you know," Luna said with a small smile.

Hermione hummed to herself. Something about Luna was off- more than usual. She seemed a smidge put-off. The two girls remained quiet for close to half an hour before Hermione broke the silence awkwardly, "I need you to remove your shirt, please," she said quietly. Though most of the girls in the dormitory undressed and dressed together, Hermione was a very private person.

When Luna did not respond, Hermione cleared her throat and said, "Luna?"

"Hm?" the other girl hummed, still faraway in her thoughts.

"Your shirt?" Hermione replied, with a nod.

"Oh yes, of course," she said. She carefully extracted her uniform shirt, wincing when a few of the barbs were pulled out with it.

"Thank you," Hermione said, trying not to fidget awkwardly. Eventually, her uneasiness dissipated over time. It took nearly an hour to finish removing the rest of the nettles from her body.

"How's that? Do you feel any that I've missed?" Hermione asked, taking a step back to reexamine her body. Luna gently ran her hands over her skin and shook her head.

"No, I believe you've gotten them all. Thank you, Hermione," she said sincerely.

"Now, for the best part," Hermione said with a smile. She held up her finger and quickly made a dash to the supply closet. "Here we are," she said, holding up a jar of soothing salve. The sigh Luna made when the cool cream touched her skin made Hermione laugh.

"Oh, that is lovely," Luna said, her burning skin finally getting some relief. Hermione hummed and handed the jar to Luna.

"This jar should be enough to last you through the night. Apply a thin layer before you go to bed. If you wake up in the morning and are still uncomfortable, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will give you another application," she paused and grabbed a stray hospital gown from the linen closet. She picked up Luna's torn, bloody uniform and said, "I'll have your uniform top sent to the laundry. The house elves will repair it and get it cleaned up for you." She tossed the garment into a nearby hamper and helped to fasten the snaps on the back of the hospital gown.

"Thank you, Hermione," Luna said sincerely. She rose to her feet and slipped on her coat.

"You are welcome," Hermione chewed on her lip in a moment of indecisiveness. Deciding that she didn't want to pry, she smiled at Luna and walked her to the door.

"I will bring the gown back tomorrow, if that is alright?" Luna said, fingering the hem

"Yes, tomorrow is fine. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will, thank you," and with that, Luna gave her a small wave and quietly disappeared out the door and into the hallway. Hermione looked after her with a frown. Something odd was going on.

"Miss Granger," Poppy said from behind her, making Hermione jump.

"Yes, Madam?"

"You must begin work on your incident report," she said with a motion to her office. Hermione nodded and followed her into her office. She traced her finger down the extensive line of student files until she found Luna's. Pulling the thin book out of place, she sat down at the far end of Madam Pomfrey's desk and quickly reported the diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare.

Once finished, she closed the folder and nibbled a bit on her lip. "Madam Pomfrey, I was wondering if I could discuss something with you?" she said with a hopeful look. Most of the time, the know-it-all could easily persuade the elder woman in a discussion concerning anything related to the practice of medicine.

"Yes?" Poppy said, though still writing on her infirmary reports.

"I was wondering if you could give me information on the spell Requiescelacertosus?" Hermione asked. She had been pondering on the spell ever since she had stumbled upon it yesterday before Neville's potion incident.

Poppy looked up with somewhat of a surprised look. "What do you know of this spell?"

"I do not know much. I know it is fundamentally used to cease muscle contractions during child birth. It relaxes the uterine muscles and expels the fetus out in one movement."

"May I ask where you learned of this spell, Miss Granger?" Poppy asked. Hermione's eyes widened for a second and she bit her lip nervously. If she told Madam Pomfrey of the book, Madam Pince would see it as a betrayal.

Deciding in this instance it was better to lie than tell the truth, she blurted out, "I found the spell in a book I purchased from the market."

"What book is this?" she asked, disbelief seeping into her tone.

"I don't remember the name," Hermione said, looking down at her lap. Poppy hummed.

"Very well, then. The Requiescelacertosus spell is a very ancient spell," Hermione sighed inwardly when it seemed Poppy had given up her line of questioning, "It dates back to the ancient times of Merlin himself. It is a very precise and intricate spell; not every witch or wizard can perform it. The caster of the spell must have superior knowledge of the human anatomy. Every exact location of the nerve endings, muscles, arteries, and the like must be known. This being said, even if one was to know each and every cranny of the human body, it is still extremely difficult to control a cohesive, precise string of magic. Magic is an essence that is ever moving. There is no dimension in magic. Because of this, there is a high risk that the free flowing magic within the body could spread out to affect another area of the body that could be mere centimeters away."

"But Madam, spells and charms are used to heal the body on a daily basis. Why is it that this particular spell is any different?" she asked with a frown.

"This is no ordinary spell. It is highly volatile. Even with the use of a wand, you magic will still not be as concentrated as it needs to be. The amount of magic that must be used creates an extraordinarily concentrated spell. Take the Cruciatus Curse, for example. It takes a great source of magic to be performed. Though the nerves are the primary target of the curse, it also affects other sections of the body, such as the clenching of muscles and the aching in bones."

Hermione rubbed her pointer finger over her bottom lip in thought as she digested the information. "So, if the magic bleeds off course from its intended route, it could cause adverse effects. If the magic is too strong, or it nicks a surrounding area, it could cause the muscles to tighten in response?" she asked.

Poppy nodded her head gravely. "In which case, the fetus would be crushed by the tightening of the uterine wall. It is for this reason this spell has been band from the Wizarding World for many centuries now."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "Why have there been no reports on anyone using this spell to utilize more than just the uterine contractions during child birth? Could the spell not be used in the instance to ease muscle cramps brought on by rigorous muscle use?" she asked.

Poppy shrugged. "I have not stumbled across any such accounts. However, that does not mean it is not possible. This topic is null, Miss Granger. The spell is forbidden. I assure you any outcome will most likely be far worse than what you shall start with," she said with a wave of her hand. Clearly, the mediwitch had reached her fill of the conversation.

Hermione's mind raced. The downfall of the spell was being able to target a specific part of the body without tainting any other area. A wand was the physical instrument that directed magic. What on Earth could be more accurate?

"Miss Granger," Poppy said, dragging her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Give this to Professor Snape. It is an excuse as to why you will be late," she said, holding up a piece of parchment in her nimble hands. Hermione gasped and snatched the paper out of her hand.

"Thank you!" she nearly shouted as she collected her items into her pack and made a beeline to the door.

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"You are late, Miss Granger," Snape snapped the moment Hermione entered the darkened room. She scowled and slapped the excuse Madam Pomfrey had written on his desk. Severus glared at her icily as he snatched up the small piece of paper. He scanned over it, sneered, and threw it into the waste basket beside his desk.

"You will stay an additional thirty minutes tonight," he said. He smirked when her face began turning red.

"But, Madam Pomfrey-"

"You are under my tutelage. You will do as I say. Begin brewing the medicinal potions for the medical wing," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Hermione huffed under her breath, and closed her eyes. After a few calming breaths, she made her way over to her work station that was previously set up by the Potions Master. She swiftly fell into her routine.

She released a rather large yawn while she stirred the calming drought clockwise. Her eyelids were beginning to droop. She could feel her bed calling her name. Her mind began to wonder to the horrific images now engraved into her brain. She shivered slightly and slapped her cheek in an effort to wake up and keep herself focused on the task at hand.

Severus smirked at her pathetic attempt to wake herself up. He knew all too well how she was feeling. However, he had to say, even though she was clearly exhausted, her precision when prepping and brewing potions was still up to par. Even though she was forced into the position, he knew that she had the knowledge and drive to take his place for the time being as Potions Professor.

Once she was finally done, she bottled and labeled the potions so they could be stored correctly in Poppy's stock room. She huffed angrily when she realized she still had the additional thirty minutes to go before she could leave. She sat down rather ungracefully and yawned once more. Peeking up to make sure Snape was still sucked into grading, she laid her head on the desk, hoping to be able to sleep the thirty minutes through. No more than three seconds after her eyes closed, Snape quietly said, "Miss Granger."

Her head snapped up and she gave him a glare that just about damned near rivaled his own. He raised his eyebrow, somewhat amused before he began to speak again, "There are dirty cauldrons in the supply closet. You are to clean them all- without magic, and store them properly." She stared at him with resentment, to which he replied with a sharp, "Now!"

Hermione sighed under her breath and pushed her chair away from the table. She glared at him over her shoulder as she stepped into the supply closet. Her heart sunk at the vast number of dirty cauldrons that were piled up carelessly. Cursing the despised professor under hear breath, she rolled up her sleeves and promptly went to scrubbing.

With four cauldrons clean, and five more to go, she paused and wiped at the sweat beginning to bead on her forehead. It was then that she heard a soft thud. Her eyebrow perked up in interest when she heard it once again. She curiously began inspecting the area where the noise was coming from. She maneuvered her way to the last dirty cauldron and peeked into it. She slightly jumped when she saw a glass vial subtly roll itself against the walls of the cauldron. After observing it for a minute more, she mustered up the courage to pick it up and study it.

Her brows furrowed in confusion when she held it up to the dim light to see that it looked to be filled up with spiraling smoke. She gasped in horror when an eyeball appeared from seemingly nowhere within the smoke. What the hell was this thing?

All of her thought processes flew out the window however, when a high pitched, shrill scream pierced the tiny stockroom from within the vial. Hermione dropped the glass vial onto the floor, and shrieked in horror as the smoke began to fill the room the second the vial had shattered. Ingredients began flying off the shelves, and premade potions began spilling onto the floor. Hermione squealed once again as a jar of pickled slugs was emptied right above her head. She heard a familiar giggle and growled in anger. "Peeves!" she yelled, realizing at last what her tormentor was.

It was at this time, the stock room door slammed open, the Potion Professor looking the very definition of annoyed. Peeves whipped past him into the classroom, where he began overturning tables and chairs. Severus glowered at the being as it began crumpling papers off his desk and throwing it at them. Without so much a word, the potions master turned on his heel and left the classroom promptly. Hermione's jaw dropped in disbelief to have been left alone with the creature.

"Don't leave me here!" Hermione yelled after him, knowing that her plea was going to fall on deaf ears.

"The big bad know-it-all is afraid of little old me!" Peeves mocked. Hermione gritted her teeth and began planning an escape route. She was about to put her plans into action, when the class room door banged open. Severus was accompanied by a very angry looking Bloody Baron. Hermione smirked when the Poltergeist immediately went silent and still.

"What are you doing down here?" the Bloody Baron spat. The tone of his voice made Peeves squirm nervously. Figuring she was safe now, Hermione quietly crawled out from under a table she was seeking refuge from. She caught a slightly amused smirk on Severus's face as she ungracefully rose back up to her feet.

"The Big Nosed one put me in a bottle," Peeves whined like a small child. The Bloody Baron snarled his lip at the childish entity.

"You have been told countless times you are to stay away from the dungeons. I will ask you once more, why are you down here?" the Baron said, his expression and voice growing darker by the second. Peeves hugged himself and kept his beady little eyes on the floor.

"I have news for you, Master," the poltergeist answered obediently. When the Baron did not reply, Peeves hastily began to elaborate further. "I have a list of Slytherin students who are to claim a dark mark." Hermione's blood ran cold as she anxiously looked to the potion master. Severus said nothing as he quickly grabbed a quill and parchment, ready to take down the names.

"Adrian Pucey, Blaise Zabini, Carwin Ruttledge, Lyle Disner, and Ella Stables," Peeves listed off, counting on his gnarled little fingers. Hermione frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose. Lyle Disner was just a fourth year. What would the dark lord want with someone as young as him? She shook her head in disgust, coming to the conclusion she didn't actually want to know the answer to that question.

"Is that all you needed, sir?" the Bloody Baron addressed the professor. Severus nodded distractedly as he read through the list over and over. With a heavy breath he folded the parchment up and placed it in his frock pocket.

"Yes, that is all. Keep that damned thing out of here," he spat, motioning to the oddly calm poltergeist.

"Yes sir. Come," he said sternly to Peeves. Peeves immediately jumped to attention. The two spirits quietly phased through the wall, leaving Hermione and the professor in an eerie silence.

"Miss Granger," Severus said sternly, making the young woman jump.

"Yes?" she answered.

"I am sure I do not need to remind you that the information you have learned today must remain unspoken of?"

"No, Sir," she said quietly. He nodded at her slightly. When he continued to stare at her, she quickly turned her gaze to the mess riddled around the classroom. With a heavy sigh she flicked her wand and began cleaning up the classroom.

"Miss Granger, that will suffice," the potion master said when she began cleaning on the ruined stockroom. Hermione stared at the mess and frowned. She knew that he had to report to Professor Dumbledore about the list, which meant he would most likely be cleaning up this mess long after midnight. She turned around, ready to protest, and was met with vial full of a dreamless sleep potion in her face. She cocked her head in surprise and hesitantly took the potion from him.

"What is this for?" she asked quietly.

"Should you not know the answer to that, seeing as to how you are the one who in fact brewed it?" his voice lacked the usual bite to it. If she didn't know any better, it sounded like a joke. Hermione smiled shyly and tucked the potion away safely in her robe's pocket.

"Thank you Professor," she said quietly. Severus did not acknowledge that she had spoken, but she knew that he had heard her. Deciding not to test her luck, she quickly gathered her things and left the dungeons.

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*If you have never actually read the HP books, you will not know who Peeves is, as he is not in the movies (much to my anger).

AN/ 1)It has been a while since I've updated this story! The next chapter will be longer, as I am trying to get back into the swing of things.

2) Please review for me!