Mona Lisa
Author’s notes:
It’s
ridiculous. But it popped into my head and refused to leave…
***
“Miss Granger! I believe that I stated
clearly that I did not want you to help Longbottom
with his potion?”
Hermione held her breath as she watched
Professor Snape advancing on her. His eyes were half
closed and with each step he took closer towards her, he became taller, more
intimidating.
She had been hissing instructions
towards Neville for the past twenty minutes. Poor Neville was terrible at
Potions and Veritaserum was a particularity difficult
one.
Snape’s face showed so much fury it made her cringe inwardly.
But Hermione Granger was not sorted into Gryffindor House for nothing. Straightening
her back, she looked straight into the Professor’s eyes.
“Detention for you and Longbottom”, Snape hissed, “and
fifty points from Gryffindor.
***
That evening an extremely angry Hermione
(she could have spend this time in the Library) and a terrified Neville (Snape could easily kill him) made their way to the
dungeons.
Guessing that Snape
would let them brew the Veritaserum again, Hermione
had given Neville a detailed recipe and he had been reciting it since they left
the Gryffinodor Tower.
She knocked on the door of the Potions
classroom and entered when she heard Snape call “Come
in”.
Snape stood there wearing his characteristic black robes
and scowl. Two cauldrons stood ready, simmering on a small fire.
“The both of you will brew Veritaserum”, he said curtly. Hermione nodded and attempted
to walk to her desk, but Snape stopped her with a
movement of his hand. In a low whisper he added, “If I hear so much as a
whimper coming out of you, Miss Granger, you will be brewing potions in this
classroom, every evening, until your graduation day”.
“Understood sir”, Hermione answered
equally curt. She started on the potion. Despite Snape,
she liked Potion. And although she would never admit it, she felt he was right.
The exact art and subtle knowledge of Potion brewing was indeed beautiful.
Occasionally she glanced at Neville. She
didn’t dare to whisper any instructions to him, but to her satisfaction she saw
that he was doing just fine.
Three hours later the Veritaserum was ready and Snape
advanced them.
“Let’s take a look at the mess you
undoubtedly made of this, shall we Longbottom”, he
sneered, hovering over Neville’s cauldron.
“I think Neville did well, sir”,
Hermione said without thinking.
Snape’s head snapped up. He glared at her for a long time,
and Hermione, who shrunk visibly under his gaze, felt herself getting more and
more nervous.
Eventually the Potions Master drawled,
“If Mr. Longbottom has managed to brew a proper Veritaserum, which I know he hasn’t, I shall take spoonful
of it myself”.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. Now that
was unexpected.
Snape pulled out his wand and Neville backed away,
trembling. But Snape drew his wand in slow circles
above the cauldron and muttered an incantation.
Nothing happened.
Slowly Snape
lowered his wand, looking… flabbergasted, Hermione realised. There was no other
word for it.
Without saying a word, Snape grabbed a spoon from the table and lowered it into
the Potion.
Hermione made a small sound of surprise.
Snape returned his gaze to her. “Despite what you and
your little friends might think of me, I am a man of my word”, he said silkily.
He brought the spoon to his mouth and
swallowed the potion. He shuddered for a second and Hermione realised he
was now under the effect of Veritaserum.
“What is you name, sir?” she asked
tentatively.
“Severus
Christopher Snape”, came the immediate reply.
“What is your occupation?” she asked
again.
“Potion Master at Hogwart’s
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”, the answer came like a bullet.
Hermione thought for a moment. This was
a chance to find out everything she had ever wanted to know about him. Then she
grinned inwardly. She had it. It was the perfect question.
“Why do you never smile, sir?”
An unexpected thing happened. A look of
sheer panic crossed over Snape’s features and he
grabbed his mouth with both his hands, muffling the words that came out.
“Professor…”,
Hermione spoke carefully, stepping closer towards him.
“Do not ask me that question…”, he gasped…”Do not ask me this…”
“Why do you never smile, Professor”,
Hermione asked again, still coming closer.
His lips were moving, but the words that
came out were incomprehensible.
“Bekowa Iego Iwels”.
She realised he was fighting it,
fighting the Potion. And she wondered what could be so terrible that he
attempted to fight the strongest truth serum to prevent himself
from saying it.
“Professor tell me, why don’t you ever
smile?” she asked in a clear, demanding tone of voice.
“Hermione…no… please don’t…” Neville
pleaded. The boy was as pale as a sheet.
“Why Professor…?”
“I..
don’t…smile…”, Snape said through clenched teeth, but
perfectly audible this time, “because… I… have… dimples…”
Hermione’s jaw dropped. She had expected
everything, except that. For a moment an image of Snape
with a full dimpled smile flashed through her mind and she shuddered.
Snape had buried his head in his hands and moaned softly. His
whole body was shaking.
“Get out… both of you…!” he groaned,
without taking his hands from his face. “Leave…or I will not be responsible for
what I do…. LEAVE!!!”
Shaking, half with fright and half with
laughter Neville and Hermione ran for the door, out of the dungeons and back to
the Gryffindor Tower.
Once there, they slide against the wall
to the ground and exploded with laughter.