Not the best of Birthdays.

Disclaimers as in chapter 1 :-)
Sorry it took so long. I hope this chapter doesn\'t disappoint :-(

Thankyou Heather, jessicat1982, giova, oz_angel and MoD for your lovely reviews. Hugs to all :-)

*********

Chapter 2

I wake sitting on a cold hard surface, not dead, twin areas of throbbing pain can attest to that, but feeling strangely numb none the less.
Peering through half closed eyes I wonder how it is I am still alive.
My answer is crouched near my feet staring out down the hall, pale face and hands appear almost disembodied as his robes and hair blend with the shadows, the only movement slender fingers drumming a tattoo on one knee.

As though sensing my stare the hand stills and he turns to regard me, for a moment black eyes are made darker pools by the absence of light. Then he leans forward.

\"Welcome back Miss Granger.\"

Snape sounds anything but pleased to see me, one ghostly hand shoots out and I flinch at the sudden, unexpected movement smashing my head into the wall behind me.
He hisses in annoyance.

\"Calm yourself woman, I\'m checking you for concussion not trying to throttle you.\"

I get the idea he\'s reconsidering that, but fresh nausea and pain aren\'t helping me keep a clear head at the moment, I hope colliding with hard surfaces isn\'t habit forming.
Findit hat hard not to squirm as long, unnaturally warm fingers curl under my chin I try to distract myself by mentally reciting my third year syllabus which goes completely out mind as he gently moves my head from side to side. An explosion of light from his wand stabs like needles into my unprepared eyes which he studies for a moment longer.
The flare activates my carefully suppressed fear and confusion. Anger sparks, fed by his closeness and the futile conviction that I really shouldn\'t have been enjoying his touch quite so much. I can\'t help myself, I can\'t stop the words as they grind out.

\"Calm!!....You expect me to what?....Sit here whilst you almost blind me, whilst a mad, student butchering Hooch roams the corridors?. You of all people expect me to be calm?
Today I\'ve been humiliated, discovered a body, knifed, almost killed and...\"

Shit! He has a point, the analytical brain sticks it\'s oar in, my acting like a first year isn\'t going to help anyone, I thought I\'d grown out of this kind of self pity. The anger drains away, leaving me feeling numb again but vaguely worried at his lack of reaction.

\"Oh I\'m relaxed. Far, far too relaxed for a woman facing death not that long ago.\"

Sarcasm is never lost on him, even this bitter brand, an eyebrow raises delicately.

\"And yet here you are in all you irritating glory. It was a most incompetent attempt on your life.\"

Shuddering with the knowledge that I wouldn\'t be alive if he hadn\'t come across me when he did i stare fixedly at my tightly bound ankle and am forced to admit.

\"Not if you hadn\'t been there.\"

The barest upturn of one corner of his mouth, not quite a smile, almost a smirk and he purrs.

\"I\'m glad you\'ve realised that.\"

Moving my eyes to my upper arm which is bandaged in a similar fashion to my ankle I summon the last reserves of my courage.

\"Why didn\'t you just heal my ankle with a spell?\"

\"I am a Potions master, not as you would seem to believe, a fully qualified Mediwitch.\"

Something about the answer grates but his tone and some newly dredged-from-somewhere common sense tells me to leave it be for now.

\"Umm..ok...Thankyou.

He stares at me in surprise.

\"For what?\"

\"For saving me from...\"

I neatly avoid replaying the scene in my head.

\"...that. And for the first aid.\"

Snape looks slightly embarrassed at the recognition, quickly reinstating his habitual glare and I wonder how come I\'ve seen so much of a different side to him than the bastard I know so well. Well maybe not so different, just less malicious.

\"What were you doing in the kitchen Miss Granger?\"

His voice startles me from my musing.

\"You mean other than trying to escape a rabid Hooch?\"

\"Don\'t try my patience.\"

It comes out as a low growl and if I hadn\'t been looking at him as carefully as I am I would have missed the carefully quelled flicker of panic? in his eyes.
Sighing I give him the story to date.

\"I don\'t know, Dobby turned up clearly distressed about something in the kitchen. He kept going on about how \'it\' was an accident, and before you ask, I don\'t know what \'it\' was either.\"

A practically inaudible \"Something you don\'t know, I\'m shocked.\" makes me turn to face him but he\'s gone back to staring into the darkness again. Louder this time.

\"I have yet to successfully contact Dumbledore, but whatever is effecting Hooch has also stricken Madam Pomfrey and Lupin.\"

For a moment the half grin is purely feral.

\"The latter is no longer a problem.\"

I won\'t thinout out that, i don\'t even want to speculate about what he means by it.
Surely he wouldn\'t have killed Remus. Would he?

The pop of someone apperating next to us has me scrabbling for my wand. I realise it\'s missing about the same time as I recognise the small, very frightened form of Dobby. I\'ll worry about the wand later, right now I have questions that need answering.

\"Dobby please tell me what\'s going on.\"

Mutely he repositions himself so I\'m between him and Snape before sitting curled into the smallest shape he can manage. Haltingly he ns. ns.

\"Dobby was trying to help, he meant nothing bad. It was going to make everyones happy, at least for a while....\"

He stares at his knees. From the corner of my eye I see Snapes fingers restart drumming against the floor. Pitching my voice as softly as possible I ask.

\"What was going to make us all happy?\"

Tear filled eyes dart from side to side and for a moment I think he won\'t answer the question. If he could have got any smaller I\'m sure he would have tried but finally he whispers.

\"Quelesinine.\"

I can feel the potions master behind me seething, unthinking I put a hand round his wrist to warn him to keep quiet. Rubbing my eyes with the free hand I analyse what the elf has told me.

Quelesinine. Very rare, highly dangerous in incorrect doses and exceptionally illegal.
The memory of Snapes words from my fourth year slide through my mind.
Small amounts are used to bypass higher brain functions, lowering inhibitions and strengthening emotions. The higher the dose the more any veneer of civilisation you have any pretence towards will crack. Ultimately, if enough is administered your braiasesases to function and you cease to be.
Mixing with other ingredients can direct the emotions triggered without the recipient ever knowing what has happened to them.

We are so screwed.

\"...in the mousse, there was s\'possed to be some for all the school but there was an accident and there was only enough left for the top table...\"

Dobby is continuing now, words spilling quickly from his mouth.

\"...we\'s tested it to make sure everybodys was safe...\"

\"How much did you use?\"

\"Ummm...some...I\'s not sure...it was in a book..we\'s was trying to help...everyone is so sad..\"

Again the house elf is reduced to tears. Oh Merlin, the teachers, as far as I know we were the only ones who didn\'t eat the lemon mousse. What if they are all like Hooch. I turn to Snape who is shaking with rage, his eyes blaze with it but the panic is there again as well. I was so sure he hadn\'t started his dessert when I sent it spinning off the table. What if I\'m wrong? Is there an antidote?

As though reading my mind and I really hope he isn\'t, he moves his head slowly in my direction. His words are clipped.

\"There is no potion to put this right. It will have to be waited out.\"

His gaze moves down to where my hand circles his wrist until I drop it then he gets up and moves further away.

Shaken by the days events and the memory of his pulse fluttering too fast against my fingertips I address the now silent house elf.


\"Dobby, can you get the house elves to get the students into their dormitories and warn the portraits not to let any of the teachers in until I say, and I do mean any teacher or person with glowing eyes.\"

The frail elf swallows nervously and nods, his eyes wider than normal.

\"But what if they don\'t go?\"

\"By any means necessary Dobby, abduct them if you have to, and explain to the guard pictures why it\'s imperative they do as you say. Get the ghosts to help if you can.\"

With another nod Dobby vanishes and I breath a small sigh of relief that something at leas bei being done and try to remember if anyone else at the head table other than me and possibly Snape didn\'t eat the dessert...


Snape is almost invisible in the darkness, therpnerpness in his voice makes me jump.

\"Now I suppose you will be wanting to go out searching for anyone one stupid enough to still be roaming the halls even given the house elves warnings...\"

Even with his back to me I can tell he\'s reassumed his familiar sneering role.

\"...How very Gryffindor of you Miss Granger.\"

If possible his tone becomes even more biting which does nothing to improve my mood.

\"Whilst you may get some sort of perverted thrill out of selfless idiocy I\'m simply not wired that way, don\'t expect me to be there to save you again.\"

The selfish, arrogant, bastard! I don\'t share his view that all the students are stupid and if I wasn\'t already injured I saw what Hooch did to the Hufflepuff girl I doubt I could out run something like that.

Oh Merlin! What I\'ve been trying to block out since I woke hits me full force and I slump back shaking to the floor not sure whether to laugh or cry, what comes out out is a strangled mix of the two.

\"Pull yourself together!\"

That\'s it, he just stepped one abrasive comment too far over the line and finally my temper wrests control over my hysteria. If I\'d had my wand I would have hexed him into next Tuesday, instead surging to my feet I half limp, half storm over to him, spinning him round and gripping his arms none too gently.

\"You are one of, if not the most obnoxious, callous, selfish bastards I have ever met...What the hell is your problem?\"

He leans forward features drawing tighter, obsidian eyes feverishly ominous and in the silkiest hiss replies,

\"I am well aware of what , I , I do not need you to remind me and if you ever.... \"

The smashing of china down the hall behind us interrupts his response.
Two pairs of baleful, yellow glowing eyes get closer. At speed.

\"Time to go.\"

Snape hauls me roughly to his side and half supporting, half dragging me we set off down the corridor as fast as I can go without falling over.

*****

He seems to know where he\'s going so I let himd med me.
Even bound as it is my ankle shoots pain through me whenever my foot hits the floor and I have to bite my lip to keep from whimpering. Daring to look behind me i can see something BIG gaining quickly, something big and furry and extremely pissed off.
The sudden redistribution of adrenaline through my system leaves me dragging Snape as my ankle becomes the least of my worries.
I only have to pant Remus\' name and my fleeiompaompanion is right up with me again.

Bright light shines ahead of us and the familiar sound of stone staircase grinding against stone staircase finally lets me know where we are.
My wildly beating heart drops li lea lead weight as I see the stairs in the distance twist away leaving a gaping hole.

The werewolf is so close it\'s possible to hear claws clattering on stone. Our only option is to jump to the fast moving steps leaving us behind.

\"I can\'t make that.\"

It hurts toce tce the words out, Snape tightens his hold stopping me from slowing even for a second.

\"I am aware of that. I however, can.\"

Oh gods and Merlin no!

The feeling of leaping into empty air makes me ill, another arm wraps around me and it seems forever before I open my eyes, longer before we land on solid ground.

I am hurriedly released and fall unceremoniously at his feet as Snape teeters on the edge of the landing. With my weight no longer balancing him and the movement of the surface beneath he topples backwards out of my desperate attempt to grab him and soundlessly falls, the crunch of his dark form impacting with another incoming staircase below echoes around the chamber like my worst nightmare.


Tbc...