One Hundred And One Ways To Brew Lust

14. Dobby confesses

***

Hermione said goodbye to Snape at the door and wandered up the steps lost in warm thoughts. On her way back to Gryffindor tower, she turned rnerrner only to be accosted by the acrid smell of wool steeped in alcohol. She looked down, noticing several champagne flutes strewn across the carpet. Suddenly, she felt a raspy tongue lick up her cheek.

“Ew! Peeves, get away!”

“Pretty little Mudblood, give us a kiss! Go on, give us a kiss!” Peeves was hovering around in a haphazard, drunken manner, making disgusting kissing noises. She stormed down the corridor, listening to him utter insults and obscenities once he realised she would be giving him no joy tonight. Quite clearly, no one had been spared from the Lust Potion.

When Hermione returned to Gryffindor tower, not only did she find she had not been missed, but there was no one there to miss her. Lavender and Parvati’s beds were empty.

“Great! I must be the only person in my House sleeping alone tonight!” she grumped to herself. Then she snickered, “well, me and Peeves!”

***

The next morning, Hermione awoke with a splitting headache. Her roommates’ beds lay untouched. She made her way groggily to breakfast. The Great Hall was unusually quiet. Many students seemed to be suffering from serious hangovers, holding their heads in agony. Some were simply missing. Ron and Harry were conspicuous in their absence.

It was rare for Dumbledore to speak at breakfast, but today he rose as they were finishing their pumpkin juices.

“As many of you are now aware, Hogwarts was the scene of a major prank gone wrong last night. The guilty parties have been identified and will be punished. Meanwhile, you should find your headaches clearinen aen as we speak. I took the liberty of imbibing the breakfast food and drink with generous quantities of anti-lust potion, a universal antidohichhich should bring you back to your senses.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled merrily at this.

“Now, since this is to be our last meal together before many of you depart for the Christmas holidays…” he continued.

But Hermione wasn’t listening anymore. She looked up to the High Table, where Snape had just put down his cup of juice to listen to the Headmaster. Her heart sank when she noted his sneer of polite indifference. Mr. Hyde would be back. She could only hope that he’d indulge in a little glass of port tonight. She’d avoid him in the meantime.

She left the Hall after breakfast, heading out for some fresh air. Snape surprised her at the door. With nowhere to run, she braced herself for his ins.
s.

“Darling,” he whispered, “I’m so glad to see you looking well. Last night was magical, my Sweet.” He leaned in closer to her ear, “And we’ll practically have the place to ourselves for the holidays.” He straightened up again. Then, as he noticed other students nearing, he added: “Well, Miss Granger, I shall be glad to be rid of such an insufferable know-it-all for the duration of the holidays!” The Gryffindors passing by glared at him in anger. He winked at her once they’d passed, and then headed back into the school.

Hermione couldn’t understand why he was still acting so kindly towards her.

“Unless he’s under something other than a lust spell…” she thought out loud. “I must find Dobby!”

She headed back in, and down to the kitchens. This time, Dobby was there, watching over Winky as she slept by the fireplace. Hermione felt uncomfortable intruding on them, but Dobby seemed delighted to see her.

“Miss Hermione! Swibby told Dobby you were looking for him the day before last! Please forgive Dobby. Dobby had to take Winky out for a walk.”

“It’s good to see you Dobby.” She was unsure how to proceed. She found it impossible to believe Dobby would do something this wicked. She decided to tread lightly. “Dobby… there’s no deli way way to put this. Have you been… putting some kind of potion into the port wine?”

Hermione would have thought it impossible had she not seen it with her own eyes, but Dobby’s eyes grew even wider than their usual saucer-size. He started to leave the room, and she thought she’d committed a fatal error, assuming he was departing in a huff. But to her surprise, he turned, motioning for her to follow. He led her into the pantry and shut the door.

“Please, Miss. Do not speak of this in front of Winky. I had to do it for her own protection,” he glanced through the pantry door nervously.
don don’t understand,” Hermione said, dumbfounded.

“Winky… has been getting a lot worse in the last months, Miss. She is pining… pining for death.”

“You mean, she’s suicidal?” Hermione asked, shocked and now very concerned for Winky.

“Yes, Miss, especially around the full moon. So Dobby had to use special elf madgick to bind himself to her.”

“Hoow dow does this elf bin wor work?”

“Well, we both drink the same potion. Of course, Winky does not know she is drinking it. Dobby had to put it in her wine. But it helps Dobby to know how Winky is feeling, and I take her away from here when,” and now he lowered his voice so that it was barely audible, “when things get very bad. This is why Dobby and Winky went away for the full moon. I take her somewhere that does not have sharp knives.” Dobby lowered his tear-filled eyes at this last statement.

Hermione felt terribly sad for Winky. “Dobby, don’t you think Winky should seek some kind of counselling? Maybe it would help her to talk. Maybe she needs anti-depressants or something.”

Dobby looked up at her with wonder. “Dobby does not know about that, Miss. Dobby will talk to Madam Pomfrey.” Then he added rather sadly, “But Dobby is not hopeful, Miss. Wizards do not usually study elf treatment. They have never really worried about us.”

Hermione felt a flare of sympathy and indignation at this. Now more than ever, she knew that SPEW would be her life’s work. In the midst of pondering Winky’s woes, she was brought back to the question of the port. It all seemed so trivial in light of poor Winky’s affliction, but she did need to get to the bottom of this.

“Dobby, have you put this potion into all the port wine?”

“Oh no, Miss! Humans should not touch elf potions, it is unknown how it would affect them! No, Miss. I only put it into the wine Winky drinks. Dobby is afraid that Winky has rather expensive taste. Her favourite is vintage Offley’s Reserve. I have special bottles set aside for her.”

Hermione groaned inwardly. Somehow, Snape must have accidentally taken one of the bottles.

“Dobby, I reaneedneed to know what potion you used, and what the ingredients are.”

Dobby regarded her with suspicion.

“You know me,” she added hastily. “If I’m going to fight for elf rights, I need to know about these things.”

Dobby’s face brightened at this. “You are a kind, wonderful lady, Miss Hermione. Dobby knew of your bravery and intelligence, but not of your kind and generous nature!”

Hermione smiled nervously. “So, the potion?”

“Well, it is called Elf Binding Potion.”

“whatwhat does it contain?”

“Dobby does not know, Miss. It was a special potion which gets stronger during the full moon. Dobby bought it from an old hag in Knockturn Alley.”

Hermione’s face fell. “Which shop?”

”She does not own a shop, but she sells her wares outside the Necromancer’s shop every Sunday afternoon, Miss.”

Hermione said goodbye to Dobby after promising to check in on him and Winky before Christmas break. It looked like she’d be heading for London tomorrow.

***

She excused herself hastily after dinner, dodging Snape’s request to meet him back at his chambers. She explained to him that she wasn’t feeling well. When he offered to brew her a potion to fix it, she told him politely that she felt she’d ingested enough potions, and that this particular female ailment had no cure. Snape nodded in understanding.

***

Next day, Hermione took the footpath down towards Hogsmeade. Once she was outside the grounds of Hogwarts, shearatarated to the Leaky Cauldron, where she ate a quick lunch.

After a brief stop for money at Gringotts, she headed for Knockturn Alley with apprehension. The place gave her the creeps. The street was nearly deserted, as not all its shops were open on a Sunday. It added to her sense of impending doom.

She passed Liverwort’s and the Hand of Mephisto, finally stopping outside the Necromancer’s shop. It was closed, and the shrunken heads in its window peered up at her menacingly.

Seated at a small table outside the shop was a misshapen figure, with wiry, scraggly black hair which hung in lifeless, limp strands down her face and back. It was matted from neglect and looked as if it hadn’t been washed in years. The hag wore filthy rags on her back, and was surrounded by the strong odour of rotting fish.

Trying not to gag, Hermione approached her. “Excuse me, ma’am. I’m looking for…”

“I know wot yer ‘ere for!” she snapped, looking up sharply. Hermione was caught in the glare of her sharp, beady black eyes. “I can smell it all over you. Lust! You wont a lust spell!”

“Er, actually, no. I’m here to ask you about a potion you sold an elf. He would have come more than a month ago, I think.”

The hag eyed her with suspicion. “ ‘Coulda sworn you smelled loik lust…” she trailed off. “Well, if you wont infa’mation, it’s gonna cost ya!”

Hermione was startled at this, but she pulled out five knuts from her change purse and put them on the table. The hag turned her nose up at this. So Hermione put one silver sickle on the table. A knotted old hand jolted out and hastily grabbed the money.

“Now, wot did this elf look loik?” she asked.

After descng Dng Dobby to her, she seemed to know immediately who he was.

“Not every day I sell Elf Binding Potion, is it! ‘Course I remember ‘im. ‘Needed a bit ‘o somefin’ extra to make it stronga at Full Moon.”

“Do you have any of it ?”
?”

“Yeh, but it’ll costya. Two galleons!”

Hermione was fuming. This was daylight robbery, but she had no choice. She put the money on the table. The hag fished about in a tattered old carpet bag, pulling out a small bottle, and a canvas sachet. “There ya go, luv. Mix ‘em togever once you get ‘ome.”
mionmione eyed the sachet with interest. “What’s in that?”

“Well, that’s ya wolfsbane, innit? Ta strengthen the potion at full moon, tame emotions an’ such.”

Hermione’s heart skipped a beat at this. Wolfsbane. “D-do you know what the effects would be on a human who took this potion for a prolonged period of time?”

“Humans? Don’t be daft! Humans don’t take Elf Binding Potion, an’ they sure as ‘ell wouldn’t take wolfsbane in it.” The hag rolled her eyes as if this was elementary. “Look luv, I could keep takin’ ya money, but to be honest, I’m ge’in’ right fed up wiv the soight of ya. I ‘aven’t got no more answers for ya, so why don’t you just shove off?”

At that, the hag turned her back on Hermione, pretending to be deeply interested in the contents of her carpet bag. Hermione got the ‘ell out of Knockturn Alley.

***

Wolfsbane. Who’d ever heard of a healthy human taking wolfsbane? What on earth might it do to Snape? She Apparated straight back to Hogsmeade, rushing back up to Hogwarts. When she arrived, she locked herself in her room. Parvati and Lavender were both gone for the holidays, so she’d at least have some privacy. Hermione spent all afternoon working on an incantation to reveal the contents of the bottle before her. What she found was not all that surprising.

The bottle contained a few of the same ingredients used in the Love Potion which Snape had taught them, including powdered dove tail feather used to promote harmony and understanding. But it also seemed to contain ginseng and sage, known for their calming effects. Several other ingredients, including Mandraoot,oot, were revealed by the incantation. Mandrake made sense, since Dobby was presumably trying to heal Winky’s pain.

Calming and healing, harmony and understanding… These effects had been at work on Snape for weeks while he drank his nightly glass of port. Well, that explains his change of temperament, Hermione thought glumly. The incantation also revealed that the potion contained mistletoe and mescaline. These last two were a bit of a mystery to Hermione. Must be the elf madgick that Dobby talked about, she thought. But why had Snape gotten so angry with her three nights ago? She knew he hadn’t drunk the port for a few nights before that.

“Hang on!” she said to herself, consulting a calendar. She counted backwards, realising that his change of personality had occurred on and around the full moon.

Hermione headed straight to the library. It was time to research the effects of wolfsbane on humans.


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Author\'s note: To all the people who\'ve taken the trouble to write reviews, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It really motivates me to post new chapers. So... now we know what Dobby did. But what\'s up with the wolfsbane? More soon!
lots of love, Luna