If the Crime Fits the Punishment

first off, more legal stuff..... as i said before, the people and places aren\'t mine. they\'re j.k. rowling\'s. i\'m only borrowing them for some good old fashioned smut! i\'ll send them home when through, hopefully no worse for the wear. then again..... ;p

Chapter Two: Snake in a Bag
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Professor Severus Snape stalked down the streets of Hogsmeade, snarling at any students he might come across. It was still mild for the month of June, and the sun shining brightly over head in the clear blue sky made him rather want to empty the contents of his stomach over some of the more joyous students. Not that he didn\'t enjoy the blue sky or the sun or Hogsmeade. He just preferred to enjoy it by himself. Away from the incessant chatter and jovialness of children.

Classes were officially out for the summer holidays. They had ended this afternoon, and the school was throwing an end of year party and feast this evening. The students wouldn\'t be leaving until tomorrow morning. He *so* looked forward to another night spent in their company. He was, however, looking forward to the silence that would echo the hallways of the castle over the summer. He often spent his summers in his dungeons, brewing potions and planning his next year\'s cirriculum.

The only reason he had come into Hogsmeade tonight instead of waiting until the children were all gone was because he had some private mail to pick up, and a few supplies that he needed tonight. He was in a foul mood for having to venture out of the castle walls in the presence of the students, who had acted as if they were nothing but addle-pates the entire day.

He had just reached the entrance to The Three Broomsticks, several small bags and parcels in his hand, when a young boy stepped in front of him. And refused to move. Snape couldn\'t believe the audacity of the child. He was purposely blocking the entrance. Snape gave the boy his complete attention, bestowing upon the urchin his most fearsome scowl. The lad cowered, but did not move from his spot. In fact, the boy\'s mouth worked as if he were going to speak. Severus sighed, not really attempting to control his frazzled temper.

\'Well, boy? Spit it out, or get out of my way! I\'ve not got all day!\' he hissed. The child before him shuddered, and Snape couldn\'t stop himself from giving an inward grin.

\'Begging your pardon, sir,\' the insolent little brat squeaked at him. \' I was asked to deliver this gift to you.\' The boy pushed an awkward, rectangular box into Snape\'s long, white fingered hands. Then he turned around and ran in the opposite direction, as if Fluffy were chasing him. As well as all the hounds of hell.

For several moments, Snape stood in front of the door to the popular pub, staring at the box in his hands. The boy had said gift. Who in the bloody hell would dare send him a gift? The box was some what heavy, and curiosity finally got the better of him. He stepped through the door, into the dark interior of The Three Broomsticks. After allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, he cast his gaze about the room for an empty table.

Luck was with him, as there was a single table standing empty. It was tucked into the far corner, leaving him distanced a small measure from everyone else in the pub. Carrying his gift almost absently, Snape made his way across the floor to the solitary table. He sat himself in the corner, the exact corner, so he could keep his eye on every one and thing in the room. Settling the box on the surface of the table before him, he stared. There was gift wrap on the box, black and sinister.... but apparently no card.

\'Who the bloody hell would send a gift without a card?\' he muttered under his breath. As if it had been waiting for him to speak, a card suddenly materialized on the top of the box. It was also black, made of heavy vellum reminiscent of invitations issued in the late 1800s. He picked up the card, opening it to look inside. A simple charm placed on the inside of the card cast a small amount of light, enabling easier reading. Faint rays illuminated Snape\'s pale cheeks as his black eyes scanned over the inscription inside.

Silver letters flowed across the page in elegant hand writing.

\' Dear Professor Snape,

You have been an inspiration to me for many years. Your forceful manner of teaching drove me on, made me strive to be the best I could be. At whatever I chose to do. I have never forgotten all you did for me, and I should like to repay you your kindness. Please accept this gift as a token of my appreciation. I sincerely hope you will get as much enjoyment out of it as I have out of your lessons.

As Always,

A Devoted Student\'

Snape stared at the darkly wrapped gift with as much surprise as he did the card accompanying it. A student thanking him? He had inspired one of his students to succeed? He was astounded..... No, he was shocked off his arse by the idea. Slowly he reached for the box, intent on pulling the paper from it. A thought struck him, and he paused as the startled expression he\'d been wearing was replaced by his usual sneer. This could be nothing other than a cruel joke, and there would be a hex on the box.

Pulling his wand from his voluminous robes, he cast a spell to detect any hexes that might be on the thing. Nothing happened. No warning bells or whistles. No bright splashes of colored lights. The box, it seemed, was hex free. And maybe, just maybe, it truly was a gift from a grateful student. As impossible, even implausible, as the idea was. He was torn for a moment, then said \' Fuck it,\' under his breath and ripped off the paper.

The black wrap shredded beneath his hands to reveal a plain white box with a pull open lid. A casual flick of one finger pulled the flap free of it\'s resting spot and sent the lid flopping back. He glanced inside and saw that there was a bottle settled into the heavy box. Lifting it out with one hand casually, he was pleasantly surprised to find himself presented with a bottle of brandy. His favorite brandy. The bottle was vintage, and he could only imagine what it would taste like. He\'d never had brandy this old. The closest he had ever come had been a bottle that was younger by nearly a quarter of a century.

At the thought, a glass appeared on the table before him, somewhere near his elbow. With a thought to how wonderful the brandy would taste, and what a nice gesture from a student, he pulled the cork free of the bottle\'s neck. Pungent fumes wafted across his nostrils as he poured two fingers into the snifter. The brandy was a clear amber color that gathered the light and intensified it. After taking a deep breath, pulling the scent to the bottoms of his lungs, he lifted, swirled, and sipped.

The vintage was superb, and Severus could barely contain the groan of pleasure the heady liquor ocaxed from him. He\'d never had the priviledge of tasting a vintage brandy of this caliber before. Another sip made him frown momentarily. The liquor seemed to be going to his head already. He felt sleepy, and he knew he could hold his drink better than that. He thought for a moment that his brain slipped sideways, because he had an unusual feeling that he was falling. Glancing about him, he saw that he was still sitting in the chair, in a pub full of Hogwart\'s students. They did, however, appear to be swirling about in a most unsettling manner.

Setting the glass down on the table before him, Severus put his head in his hands. The room had begun to spin, the edges of his vision going a little dark. Something was not quite right. If he didn\'t know better, he\'d swear he was completely pissed. But he hadn\'t even had a full glass of brandy. Just a couple of small sips. Either it was a powerful brew, or someone had managed to slip something into his drink.

There was no way he could fall asleep at a public table. He\'d never live the shame of it down, and he\'d have to work months to make his students properly fear him again. He needed to Apparate out of the pub. Maybe to the Shrieking Shack. He certainly couldn\'t Apparate back to his dungeons. Damn stupid wards! His brain was fuzzy, and it was hard to concentrate. Just when he thought he had himself under control, capable of managing the Apparate spell, laughter distracted him.

Severus lifted his bleary gaze. He could just make out the figure of a person standing over him. This person was the source of the laughter. Wicked laughter. Evil laughter. Directed at him. He opened his mouth to ask a question, find out why he was being laughed at. But the words never passed his lips. The world slid to one side, then went completely dark as he felt him self hurtling forward.....

end chapter two
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already working on three. stayed tuned.

thanks to madam shark for the help and inspiration. i love ya, hon!

also, thanks to my first reviewer, Lori. you\'re praise means alot. hope you like what\'s to come.