Accidental Encounters
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
14
Views:
9,896
Reviews:
45
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
14
Views:
9,896
Reviews:
45
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
The Intimoritus Potion
Chapter Five: The Intimoritus Potion
It was dark when Hermione arrived at Hogsmeade station, but students were spilling off the Hogwarts Express onto the platform with lit wands, so small baubles of ligere ere darting everywhere. That, combined with the screaming and air of confusion and fear, created quite an ominous scene. Even through the darkness, Hermione could pick the huge form of Hagrid making his way through the sea of students, but when he reached her, she whockhocked to find the huge man looking panicked. “There y’are, Hermione. I can’ do an’thin with ‘em. Can’ do nothin’...”
Hermione patted him on his forearm, and tried to look around his immense person to the platform beyond. There were no other teachers in evidence. It was likely they were waiting at the Great Hall, as was the custom, completely unaware of the drama at the station.
Hermione ducked under Hagrid’s arm and ran towards the nearest screaming student. It looked like a first year, flat on his back with his face contorted in pain. Other than that, Hermione couldn’t see any physical evidence of what ailed him. At the edge of her vision, several other first year students were staggering off the train, struggling to support each other as pain wracked their small bodies. What on earth had happened?
Hermione spun around and saw Elizar and Penurryurrying towards the platform, the wizard’s little legs pumping furiously to keep up with Penny’s longer strides. They came to a halt beside Hagrid and, although Penny paled at the scene before her, they were all looking expectantly at Hermione. Surprised by the sudden authority vested in her, she barked, “Quickly! Get all of the injured students together on the platform. Anyone who isn’t injured gets back on the train!”
She turned back to the young student on the ground, and looked closely at him. He had a bright blue stain around his mouth, and in his agony he was rubbing his fingertips raw on the cobblestones. As Penny brought more students over, some of them barely able to crawl, she saw that they all had stains around their mouths: some yellow, some green and some blue. She couldn’t explain the stains, but the agony of the young students matched with what she had read about the Intimoritus Potion, a newly developed dark potion. Its effects were similar to swallowing Muggle acid – it slowly ate out a person’s insides, and it ensured a slow and painful death. It was the Crucio Curse in a potion.
How could this have happened, and to innocent chin, an, at that?
There were now five students on the ground before her, retching horribly and wailing loudly. All of a sudden, a young girl bearing the crest of Hufflepuff, started coughing violently, before she fell into a deathly silence. Hermione didn’t need Penny to swoop down and feel for a pulse to know that they had lost the girl.
***
She felt strangely calm, as though she hadn’t just watched a child suffer terribly and die. Even in death, her face was twisted in pain. Lng ang around, Hermione could barely hear, barely see what was happening anymore – she just knew the others were going to follow the youufflufflepuff…
Suddenly there were dark forms swooping all around her, and she felt a familiar pair of arms around her … Harry?!? Harry, here?
A team of Aurors had arrived, and were running about the platform issuing orders. They were familiar with this sort of thing - with suffering and death, with the worst that the Dark siduld uld throw at you. That didn’t make them any more personable though. Harry had barely wrapped Hermione in ack, ck, comforting hug when an Auror, who was obviously his supervisor, snapped at him, “Pay attention, you! Just because you carry that scar doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two from the likes of us!” With a sympathetic backwards glance, Harry followed the Auror, who was now callously poking at the dead Hufflepuff girl with the tip of his wand.
Elizar and Penny were retreating backwards, obviously willing to hand the reins to the Aurors. Hermione, however, retained just enough sense of mind to gather a sample of saliva from the dead girl, as well as a sample of the stain around her mouth. There was still the mystery of how the Intimoritus got into them, for she couldn’t imagine anyone ingesting it of their own volition.
***
Despite that, she didn’t remember much of the walk back to the Bacon House. Penny was sobbing quietly, for she too had never had to deal with a death from Accidental Magic. Elizar was leading them both by the hand, but Hermione remembered none of the scenery. Only when she was safely settled by the fireplace in her guesthouse, did she allow herself to weep.
This wasn’t what she had signed up for! She was here to fix up silly little accidents, like when someone wasn’t paying attention and added too much Viggler Skin to their cough potion, and they needekindkind soul to stop the chronic giggling which would result. She didn’t sign up to witness death and destruction on the most horrifying scale. It was beyond imagining how anybody could murder children in such a cruel way.
***
Hermione had lost track of the time again, although it couldn’t have been more than two hours since she’d first gotten the call-out to Hogsmeade Station. She had been staring into space, when a burst of flames in the fire brought her back to earth, and she was surprised to see Harry standing by the grate, coaxing the fire back into life.
“When did you get here?”
“Just then. You seemed a little out of it, though.”
“Yeah, I guess…”
Harry surveyed her critically, and then said quietly, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright. It isn’t easy to deal with things like this.” Hermione laughed bitterly.
“No.”
Harry looked at her again, and he seemed to be choosing his words carefully, for when he next spoke the words came out haltingly. “You know, we still don’t know whether it was an attack or an accident.”
“What do you mean? As if something like that could just be an ‘Oops! We won’t try that again!’ kind of thing!” Hermione was suddenly angry. “It – has - to be from a dark potion.”
“’Mione, it looked like the Intimoritus but nobody knows for sure yet. The Aurors were called in as a precaution, but this is still in your jurisdiction. Unless you prove tht wat wasn’t an accident, nobody will be taking it from you. In fact, I daresay the Ministry will be very interested in what you have to say.”
The enormity of his words suddenly hit Hermione. It was true – this was all on her shoulders. It was up to her to find out what happened, and before something so horrific could happen again.
***
The mystery, the aching need to prevent such a massacre in the future, and the purely scientific thrill of the chase was enough to spur Hermione into action immediately. She threw her cloak back on, and tore into her office. She summoned the samples she had collected and set about casting diagnosis charms. Harry watched with interest as she expertly maneuvered her wand over the saliva sample, being careful not to touch it.
The sample tested positive for the Intimoritus Potion, so there was no doubt about it. But how had the children come into contact with it? She turned to the sample of the stain, and found basic Muggle food colouring, as well as a variation on the Chameleon Charm. Harry was frowning over Hermione’s shoulder as she puzzled this. None of the uninjured students had had stains on their lips, so the stain had to be the link to the source.
But when she said as much, Harry sighed regretfully. When Hermione looked expectantly at him, he just whispered, “I think I know where the stain is from. But there had to be a mistake. It simply cannot be possible!”
*************
A/N: Thank you everyone for your kind reviews – I hardly expected anyone to read this! Thanlso lso to Sandy for pointing out that error.
Sorry to keep you hanging – I wanted to write a few chapters ahead to ensure that all of my loose ends and little subplots scattered through this chapter and the next might eventually be tied up.
In case you are interested, I did a J.K. Rowling and squashed some Latin roots together for the name of the dark potion. Intimus = inner/interior; Moriturus = to decay.
It was dark when Hermione arrived at Hogsmeade station, but students were spilling off the Hogwarts Express onto the platform with lit wands, so small baubles of ligere ere darting everywhere. That, combined with the screaming and air of confusion and fear, created quite an ominous scene. Even through the darkness, Hermione could pick the huge form of Hagrid making his way through the sea of students, but when he reached her, she whockhocked to find the huge man looking panicked. “There y’are, Hermione. I can’ do an’thin with ‘em. Can’ do nothin’...”
Hermione patted him on his forearm, and tried to look around his immense person to the platform beyond. There were no other teachers in evidence. It was likely they were waiting at the Great Hall, as was the custom, completely unaware of the drama at the station.
Hermione ducked under Hagrid’s arm and ran towards the nearest screaming student. It looked like a first year, flat on his back with his face contorted in pain. Other than that, Hermione couldn’t see any physical evidence of what ailed him. At the edge of her vision, several other first year students were staggering off the train, struggling to support each other as pain wracked their small bodies. What on earth had happened?
Hermione spun around and saw Elizar and Penurryurrying towards the platform, the wizard’s little legs pumping furiously to keep up with Penny’s longer strides. They came to a halt beside Hagrid and, although Penny paled at the scene before her, they were all looking expectantly at Hermione. Surprised by the sudden authority vested in her, she barked, “Quickly! Get all of the injured students together on the platform. Anyone who isn’t injured gets back on the train!”
She turned back to the young student on the ground, and looked closely at him. He had a bright blue stain around his mouth, and in his agony he was rubbing his fingertips raw on the cobblestones. As Penny brought more students over, some of them barely able to crawl, she saw that they all had stains around their mouths: some yellow, some green and some blue. She couldn’t explain the stains, but the agony of the young students matched with what she had read about the Intimoritus Potion, a newly developed dark potion. Its effects were similar to swallowing Muggle acid – it slowly ate out a person’s insides, and it ensured a slow and painful death. It was the Crucio Curse in a potion.
How could this have happened, and to innocent chin, an, at that?
There were now five students on the ground before her, retching horribly and wailing loudly. All of a sudden, a young girl bearing the crest of Hufflepuff, started coughing violently, before she fell into a deathly silence. Hermione didn’t need Penny to swoop down and feel for a pulse to know that they had lost the girl.
***
She felt strangely calm, as though she hadn’t just watched a child suffer terribly and die. Even in death, her face was twisted in pain. Lng ang around, Hermione could barely hear, barely see what was happening anymore – she just knew the others were going to follow the youufflufflepuff…
Suddenly there were dark forms swooping all around her, and she felt a familiar pair of arms around her … Harry?!? Harry, here?
A team of Aurors had arrived, and were running about the platform issuing orders. They were familiar with this sort of thing - with suffering and death, with the worst that the Dark siduld uld throw at you. That didn’t make them any more personable though. Harry had barely wrapped Hermione in ack, ck, comforting hug when an Auror, who was obviously his supervisor, snapped at him, “Pay attention, you! Just because you carry that scar doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two from the likes of us!” With a sympathetic backwards glance, Harry followed the Auror, who was now callously poking at the dead Hufflepuff girl with the tip of his wand.
Elizar and Penny were retreating backwards, obviously willing to hand the reins to the Aurors. Hermione, however, retained just enough sense of mind to gather a sample of saliva from the dead girl, as well as a sample of the stain around her mouth. There was still the mystery of how the Intimoritus got into them, for she couldn’t imagine anyone ingesting it of their own volition.
***
Despite that, she didn’t remember much of the walk back to the Bacon House. Penny was sobbing quietly, for she too had never had to deal with a death from Accidental Magic. Elizar was leading them both by the hand, but Hermione remembered none of the scenery. Only when she was safely settled by the fireplace in her guesthouse, did she allow herself to weep.
This wasn’t what she had signed up for! She was here to fix up silly little accidents, like when someone wasn’t paying attention and added too much Viggler Skin to their cough potion, and they needekindkind soul to stop the chronic giggling which would result. She didn’t sign up to witness death and destruction on the most horrifying scale. It was beyond imagining how anybody could murder children in such a cruel way.
***
Hermione had lost track of the time again, although it couldn’t have been more than two hours since she’d first gotten the call-out to Hogsmeade Station. She had been staring into space, when a burst of flames in the fire brought her back to earth, and she was surprised to see Harry standing by the grate, coaxing the fire back into life.
“When did you get here?”
“Just then. You seemed a little out of it, though.”
“Yeah, I guess…”
Harry surveyed her critically, and then said quietly, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright. It isn’t easy to deal with things like this.” Hermione laughed bitterly.
“No.”
Harry looked at her again, and he seemed to be choosing his words carefully, for when he next spoke the words came out haltingly. “You know, we still don’t know whether it was an attack or an accident.”
“What do you mean? As if something like that could just be an ‘Oops! We won’t try that again!’ kind of thing!” Hermione was suddenly angry. “It – has - to be from a dark potion.”
“’Mione, it looked like the Intimoritus but nobody knows for sure yet. The Aurors were called in as a precaution, but this is still in your jurisdiction. Unless you prove tht wat wasn’t an accident, nobody will be taking it from you. In fact, I daresay the Ministry will be very interested in what you have to say.”
The enormity of his words suddenly hit Hermione. It was true – this was all on her shoulders. It was up to her to find out what happened, and before something so horrific could happen again.
***
The mystery, the aching need to prevent such a massacre in the future, and the purely scientific thrill of the chase was enough to spur Hermione into action immediately. She threw her cloak back on, and tore into her office. She summoned the samples she had collected and set about casting diagnosis charms. Harry watched with interest as she expertly maneuvered her wand over the saliva sample, being careful not to touch it.
The sample tested positive for the Intimoritus Potion, so there was no doubt about it. But how had the children come into contact with it? She turned to the sample of the stain, and found basic Muggle food colouring, as well as a variation on the Chameleon Charm. Harry was frowning over Hermione’s shoulder as she puzzled this. None of the uninjured students had had stains on their lips, so the stain had to be the link to the source.
But when she said as much, Harry sighed regretfully. When Hermione looked expectantly at him, he just whispered, “I think I know where the stain is from. But there had to be a mistake. It simply cannot be possible!”
*************
A/N: Thank you everyone for your kind reviews – I hardly expected anyone to read this! Thanlso lso to Sandy for pointing out that error.
Sorry to keep you hanging – I wanted to write a few chapters ahead to ensure that all of my loose ends and little subplots scattered through this chapter and the next might eventually be tied up.
In case you are interested, I did a J.K. Rowling and squashed some Latin roots together for the name of the dark potion. Intimus = inner/interior; Moriturus = to decay.