1 : IMPERIO

CHAPTER 14: RECONSIDERING BELIEVES

Word Count: 5556

TW: Mention of Homicide. Proceed at your own risk

It had been a month and a half since Charlotte had gotten attacked, and Snape blamed himself for it. She didn't have to do it herself. What if she doesn't wake up? What then? There were all sorts of questions on his mind.

Snape woke up the morning of 14th February in hope that nothing more would go down till the end of the term.

He walked out the dungeons and towards the great hall for breakfast when he noticed few Slytherins standing outside the door disgusted.

"What is the matter?" he asked and they turned to him with revolted expressions.

"You should go in and check for yourself Professor," said Flint. Snape eyed the boy for a minute and walked past them and into the great hall.

It was pink and red everywhere. There walls were covered with large pink flowers, and there were heart shaped confetti all over the ground. His eyes roamed towards the teachers table and there sat Lockhart wearing hideous pink robes which matched the confetti. Beside him, McGonagall looked like she was ready to murder anyone who became anymore – well – pink.

"Lily would have drowned him in a cauldron full of water along with the confetti, and still made a useful potion" he heard Draco Malfoy say. Snape couldn't deny that. Charlotte sure would have found a better use of confetti and dead body over Lockhart's living existence.

He wished she wasn't petrified. That she was sitting in the dreadfully pink grate hall and hex every piece in blondie's body; because he wasn't allowed to do that. Maybe he could ask someone to do that for him.

Snape's eyes roamed towards the Gryffindor table where three of Charlotte's partners in crime sat whispering something to each other. He hoped it had something to with getting rid of Lockhart. But he couldn't ask them. They were Gryffindors.

His eyes then walked towards the Hufflepuff table where Cedric Diggory sat looking around repulsed. Maybe he could ask Diggory. A little bribery of house points and Lockhart would be crying at the end of the night.

But no. House points were important. Maybe he could ask one of the Slytherins to do the job. Double win.

"Mr. Malfoy" he called turning around. The boy stood at the entrance of the hall, not ready to step in at all cost. Snape couldn't blame him.

"Yes Professor?"

"I have a job for you"

As Charlotte had told, he did notice some changes in Ginny Weasley's behaviour. The youngest Weasley seemed quieter and quieter every day, and it did scare him a little. The plan Charlotte had explained to him was still on his mind. A diary. How the hell can a diary make someone do things? But this was the work of Lord Voldemort. Anything as possible.

The day went on, and he hadn't seen anything horrible happen to Lockhart. Till the time, he decided to revisit Charlotte improvised process of Wolfsbane. It sure was impressive how the thought started with something common and basic as Mandrake, and it grew till Blood Roots.

"How much less of powdered silver?" taking out a parchment and quill he started further breaking down the components into weights. If there was even a little more silver than needed the drinker would definitely die. Wolfsbane was no joke.

It didn't take time for him to do that. He wasn't the best potions master in England for no reason. What made him scratch his brain was the spell. The last spell that was capable of manipulation of Pritcher's Porritch.

"Might need to invent one" he sighed. "Salazar" he said looking up, and then sighed. "I need to find the spell before she wakes up. Might just give her a small surprise"