"Snape?"
"Come through," Severus called as cordially as he could to his activated floo. He remained seated in his chair though, he'd be damned if he'd stand up for Sirius Black.
Black stepped through the floo and immediately swiped ashes off himself straight on to Severus' floor.
"Oh, sorry," Black looked down at the mess he had made and cleaned it with a swipe of his wand. "I'm ready," he said.
"You have taken the potion?" Severus asked skeptically. It had been nothing short of an absolute miracle to get Potter to acknowledge and treat his illness. Black accepting a potion Severus created, to treat an illness Severus had never heard him acknowledge, was perhaps the most fantastical story Severus had ever heard. Yet, Lupin had swore he had.
Not that Severus considered Remus Lupin to be a beacon of truth or honesty when it came to the actions of Sirius Black.
"Yeah, took it on the sixth, just like you said. And it lasts a month, right?"
"It does," Severus peered at Black. "Forgive me for my skepticism, but as this trial must be successful to treat Harry, you are sure you took the potion?"
"Yes I'm sure," Black stuck his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes, somehow managing to look much like Potter himself. "You don't have to trust me, but I'm not an idiot. Rem told me what he thought I had. And it made sense, you know? My whole family's mad. I just feel bad that Harry had the bad luck to go and catch it from us."
Severus refrained from snorting. Black may have easily accepted his diagnosis, yet he clearly had no true understanding of how mental illnesses worked.
"Have you experienced any side effects in the last two weeks since taking the potion?"
"Felt pretty nauseous for a couple of days," Black said. "And-" he held his left hand out and Severus saw as it trembled slightly, "that's been going on since maybe day five?"
Damn.
Severus got up to more closely examine Black's hand.
"Harry had a tremble in his right hand for about a month after he began the pills," he mused out loud. "You will likely follow the same timeline. How many days, approximately, would you say you were nauseous and what level of nausea was it? On a scale of 1-10?"
"Got sick the first day I took it, until maybe day seven? It was rough. I'd say probably an 8, but it wasn't constant."
A week of severe nausea, a month of trembling in the hands. The nausea can be treated with another potion, the trembling must be endured. If Potter followed a similar timeline to Black though, the tremble would not appear until after the second task.
"Harry must have bypassed that side effect while he was comatose," Severus said regarding the nausea. He went back to his desk and made notes on his parchment. "You took no anti-nausea potions? And you are able to cast with no changes?"
"No, no potions, just like you said. And yeah I've been casting fine."
"I would like you to drink this." Severus grabbed the pain-relieving potion on his desk and floated it to Black.
"Am I going to end up in St Mungo's?" Black asked with a wary glance at the crystal vial.
"You should not," Severus said evenly. "Harry's poisoning was due to the interaction of the neurological influence of muggle medication not safely interacting with the magical properties of potions. Much like how muggle electronics do not work in areas of high concentrations of magic."
Black nodded, then squared his shoulders and threw the potion back in one quick swallow. Severus watched very closely as he did this and after five minutes of Black shuffling uncomfortably under Severus' intense gaze, Severus was pleased to mark it successful.
"Excellent," he said. "One last test if you wouldn't mind."
"Sure, what-"
"Confractus," Severus murmured with a tap of his wand to Black's wrist.
"FUCK! Damnit Snape!" Black howled as he cradled his newly broken wrist. "Why the Hell would you do that?!"
"I need to ensure that healing spells will not interact poorly with the potion," Severus smirked.
If it was a pleasant side effect of the test he truly did need to administer that he got to break Black's wrist, then he would keep that to himself.
"You could have warned me," Black growled.
"I could have," Severus agreed. "Hold still now."
"Brackium Emendo."
Both men watched as Black's wrist was healed. Severus checked the pallor of his face, his vitals, and the tremble in his left hand, and was pleased to mark it all as an overall success.
"Excellent. I will begin treating Harry today."
As long as the little madman accepts the potion as he had agreed to.
"Awesome," Black smiled and bounced on his feet. "Can I wait here and see him?"
"No," Severus said shortly. "I will begin sending your potion along with Lupin's every month. You may leave."
"But..." Black stopped his annoying bouncing and his bright smile dimmed the slightest amount. "I have something for Harry. And I want to wish him luck with the next task, it's in four days, isn't it?"
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten very slowly.
"Fine," he snapped. "Excuse me."
Severus turned his back to Black and summoned his patronus, as he was rather unwilling to leave Black alone in his office.
"Harry, meet me in my office as quickly as you are able. Alone, if you would not mind."
"Go," he flicked his wand at the silver fox. "Go to Harry."
Both men watched as the fox bound through the office walls in search of the child it was inspired by.
"Didn't your patronus used to be a doe?" Black asked.
"It did." Severus sat in his seat and prepared himself for the fight he expected from Potter. Two days ago the child was debating on if dead men could rise from the graves and if Crouch Senior had ever been a Death Eater. And although he had yet to pull any impulsively idiotic stunts, Severus was quite sure he was in a manic upswing. Which may make his acceptance of the potion much more difficult to gain.
"When did it change?" Black asked, apparently still discussing Severus' patronus.
"I would prefer we wait for Harry in silence."
"Fine," Black shrugged and leaned against the fireplace.
The silence lasted all of a minute before Black began again.
"Sorry mate, I hate silence. So did Harry change your patronus or do you have a secret girlfriend?"
"Shut up," Severus groaned. "You and I are not 'mates' and my relationships are my business."
"So it was Harry. I knew it. Kid is kind of like a fox, isn't he? All sly and sneaky, but adorable too, you know?"
Severus decided that ignoring Black would be his best course of action. He pursued his notes instead as Black continued to chatter away.
"Hey, Snape, did you hear me?"
Severus grit his back teeth together and looked up at Black.
"What?" he hissed.
Black hardly looked cowed at all. In fact, he looked entirely too comfortable speaking with Severus in his office.
"I said, did Harry know I was the trial patient for your experiment?"
"He did not," Severus said. "Though he was already quite aware of your illness."
"How?" Black asked. Severus would have scoffed if it were not for the genuine surprise in the man's voice.
"I believe it was around the time you recommended he skip school to travel to Russia on a flying motorbike," Severus said drily. "I should thank you, had it not been for your manic behavior that day, Harry may never have recognized the illness in himself."
He would not thank Black, though he should. Brewing the Lithium potion for the man was as much of an acknowledgment as he would give him.
"Huh. Rem said that my moods are always up and down like a yo-yo," Black slumped his shoulders and finally, blessedly, fell silent.
Severus reviewed the dosages he had calculated, taking in to account the weight differences between Potter and Black, and compared them one last time to the cloudy grey potion he had portioned out.
"I'm here!" Potter announced as he stepped through the office door, Theodore trailing behind him slowly.
"Excellent listening skills," Severus snorted. "Perhaps you missed the part where I instructed you to come alone?"
"I didn't," Potter shrugged. "But I figured it was about the potion, yeah? And I'm sick of Theo asking me if I took it. So I brought him with."
"Hey Pup," Black called cheerily. "How are you?"
"Why-" Potter glowered at Severus, "Why is he here?!"
"I was the test subject," Black grinned. "We're diagnosis twins, Pup. Plus I have something for you after you take your potion."
Potter's glower dimmed to something more akin to curiosity.
"You tested the potion?" he asked Black.
"Yep. And you're going to be nauseous, but Snape'll give you a potion for it."
Potter and Theodore shared a quick glance, Theodore jerked his head in a short nod, and Potter shrugged.
"'Kay," he said. "Let's get this over with."
No fighting? No bargaining? No threats or deals?
Was this even Potter?
"You will only need to take this once a month, in my presence," Severus said slowly. "Is this acceptable?"
"Acceptable," Potter rolled his eyes as he mimicked Severus' drawl.
Which was as effective as anything at proving his identity.
"Here," Severus handed him the potion.
"Tastes terrible," Black told him with an infuriating grin. "But it probably works if Snape made it."
"Course it does," Potter grumbled. "Snape's a bloody genius."
Severus pretended that comment did not boost his own moral at this expenditure.
"Cheers then," Potter toasted the vial to Black and threw it down in one deep gulp.
Severus released a deep sigh at the ease of which Potter accepted the potion. He truly had expected a spat to come before this.
"Ugh," he shivered. "Disgusting."
"A taste you will only suffer through once a month," Severus said. "Here," Severus handed him a shrunken case of half a dozen anti-nausea potions, "take no more than one every twelve hours. If you require more, inform me immediately."
Potter nodded, but it was Theodore that caught his eye. Severus had little doubt who would be monitoring the times Potter took those.
"And here," Black thrust a badly wrapped package towards Potter. "I got you something."
"Why?" Potter asked, eyeing the package cautiously.
"Because you're going to feel like garbage tonight and I figured it might cheer you up," Black shrugged with a grin. "And technically we purchased it, so it's not a big deal."
Potter seemed to accept this reasoning, which actually was clever of Black to use as begrudgingly as Severus would admit to such a thing, and slowly opened the package.
Which was a damned knife.
Another damned knife.
"I've already got a pocket knife," Potter said as he gently traced the sapphire blue handle.
"This ones magic," Black said. "It can cut through any knot and undo any lock."
Black is an irredeemable oaf.
"Brill," Potter's eyes lit up and even Theodore looked interested. "Thanks, I guess."
"You're welcome, I guess," Black laughed. "I should get going though, Moony's waiting on me. See you in a few days Pup?"
"For what?" Potter looked up from the knife curiously.
"The second task Harry," Theodore sighed. "It's in four days."
"I know that," Potter sneered. "I don't know why he's coming though."
"To cheer you on of course," Black said. "Especially if you're going to be charging another dragon with a sword."
Which Severus prayed to Merlin, Muggle God, and Lily Evans would not be the case.
"You'll probably be pretty bored this time," Potter smirked. "But sure, see you then."
Severus waited until Black left, with last wishes of luck to Potter and a polite goodbye to Theodore, before he remarked on that odd comment.
"Why do you believe the spectators will be 'bored' during the second task?"
"You don't know what it is sir?" Theodore asked him.
"I do not," Severus admitted. Albus had been disturbingly tight lipped about the tasks around him. He had tried to pry it from Minerva during the tea time last week, yet she too was unaware of the upcoming challenge. "Harry, have you worked it out?"
"Yup," Potter said with a smug smile.
"You are certain?"
"Yessss," Potter said slowly with an irritated scowl. "I figured out the clue, and I've got a whole plan for it too."
"If you have already devised a plan, it would not be considered cheating if you shared it with me," Severus cajoled him.
It was still remarkable that Potter was concerned with 'cheating'. Potter didn't give a damn about rules when they pertained to his safety, yet if it collided with his image of a lone and powerful victor, then suddenly he would follow them.
Potter looked around the room as he thought this over.
"Pleaseee?" Theodore asked. "You still made the plan by yourself, we won't even tell you if it's a bad plan."
Severus absolutely would not agree to that stipulation. If Potter's plan put his life in danger then he would use every ounce of cunning he possessed to change the foolish child's mind.
"Alright, fine," Potter finally huffed. "But this is my plan so no comments, yeah?"
Theodore nodded eagerly while Severus tilted his head in acknowledgment of Potter's request. Not agreement, but acknowledgment.
"So the mermaids are going to take something important of mine, I figure my sword or my invisibility cloak, and then I have an hour to swim to their house, which Hagrid says is in the middle of the Black Lake, and then take back my item. Ta da!"
Severus and Theodore both gaped at Potter.
"Yeah that will be boring to watch," Theodore eventually scoffed. "At least it'll only last an hour."
"The Black Lake... in February..." Severus breathed. "What the Hell is wrong with Albus?!"
"I can use a warming charm," Potter shrugged. "And gillyweed lasts an hour, but I'm gonna bring extra in case I go over the time limit. But it'll be dead easy. Mermaids are afraid of magic, yeah? That's what the book says. So I tested it and my magic works underwater, kind of, so it'll be easy. It's just bullshit that they're going to steal my stuff."
"The riddle specifically said they will take something valuable of yours?" Severus asked.
"Yup. Something I'll 'sorely miss'. So probably my sword."
Severus and Theodore both snorted at that.
Only Potter would consider a sword to be the most valued of his belongings.
Severus carefully considered Potter's plan and found no real concerns with it, it was a decent enough plan to accomplish the task.
"Very well," he said. "I believe your plan is nearly foolproof. Though I would recommend-"
"AHT!" Potter interrupted him with a stern look. "No helping."
"Brat," Severus sighed. "Go. Inform me if you experience any severe side effects."
"'Kay, see ya later," Potter called as he turned and left the office. Theodore stopped in the doorway and turned to Severus.
"What was that bit of advice you were going to give him?"
"He should take his wand, the merfolk will be more afraid if he simply brandishes his wand than if he casts weakened spells underwater," Severus said quietly.
Theodore nodded and left.
Severus thanked whatever Gods were available for Theodore Nott's place in Potter's life.
***
Over the next few days Severus watched Potter carefully during meals and classes.
He appeared... normal.
Well, as normal as Potter ever appeared.
He still seemed distracted, and quieter than usual, but perhaps Severus had been wrong and he had been entering an episode of depression?
Regardless, within a couple of weeks his moods would stabilize.
Severus added the dates that Potter and Black would need additional doses to the datebook that listed the full moons. Potter would receive his on the 20th of every month, Black on the 6th. Severus also copied his recipe down multiple times and placed them in multiple safe locations, one being his personal vault, and one he mailed to Lupin. It would do Black and Potter no favors if Severus were incapacitated in some way in the future and they were unable to receive their needed medicinal potion.
Not that Severus was concerned with Black, but as he would undoubtedly take over as Potter's caretaker if Severus was unable to do so, then he would need all the help he could get.
Pleased with his overall success with the Lithium potion, Severus turned his research and experiments towards a potion to treat depression. A much simpler task overall. Many of the properties of the Potion of Euphoria would be cross-brewed and altered to actually change the chemical responses in a brain, as opposed to the temporary film the Potion of Euphoria placed over the mind.
When Severus summoned Theodore one evening to take his weight and measurements, he was further pleased to hear that although Potter was experiencing drastic waves of nausea, it was being immediately nullified by the potions he had provided.
Truly, despite the ongoing tournament, the ever darkening mark on his arm, and his consistent worry for his ward, Severus had scarcely ever enjoyed such a period of peace since Potter entered Hogwarts as he did the couple of days after administering Potter's potion.
Which, of course, was why Albus God Damned Dumbledore ruined it.
***
"Severus! Come in!" Albus called happily when Severus responded to his abrupt summons the evening before the second task. "Have a seat!"
Severus acknowledged Pomona, Olympe, and Igor with a curt nod of his head before taking the open seat Albus gestured towards.
"You requested me?" he asked.
"I did," Albus beamed. "I need your help, who would you say Harry is the closest to?"
"Besides yourself of course," Pomona said with a kind smile.
"Why?" Severus asked, an uneasy feeling twisting his stomach. With the presence of the other Professors, if Igor could be called such a title, this meeting was undoubtedly regarding the second task happening tomorrow.
Severus thought quickly through what Potter knew of the task as he tried to consider why Albus would be asking such an odd question... Potter said that something 'valuable' would be taken from him, which he believed to be either his sword or his fathers cloak. Surely... surely they hadn't meant a person.
"For ze second task," Olympe said. "Zey will be retrieving 'ostages."
"You're putting human hostages in the bottom of the lake?" Severus asked incredulously. "Have you all gone mad?!"
"They will be perfectly safe Severus," Albus said with an infuriating twinkly eyed smile. "I'm heartened that you care so deeply for your students. But rest assured, I do as well. No harm will come to any of them."
"Potter will not think so," Severus warned him. "He will be furious."
Potter may actually snap and kill Albus.
"No harm will come to Harry's friends," Albus repeated, as if that would prevent Potter's fury. "But we need someone. Someone invaluable to Potter."
"Who is Mister Diggory using?" Severus asked Pomona.
"His girlfriend, Miss Chang."
"And your students?" Severus asked the foreign Headmasters.
"Viktor will be using the young woman he took to the Ball, I believe her name is Katie Bell," Igor sneered. "He said that Potter was his closest friend, but we obviously couldn't choose him."
"Fleur said ze same zing," Olympe said with a soft smile. "She said zat 'Arry is 'er closest friend 'ere. So we shall be using 'er seester instead."
Trust Potter to have created such strong allies with the two powerful foreign competitors.
"Would Mister Fred Weasley be acceptable for Potter's hostage?" Albus asked.
"I said Miss Bones would be better," Pomona said.
"I..." Severus had never wished so hard that he was not the Head of Slytherin. How dare they put this decision in his hands?!
"I am unsure," he stalled as he desperately tried to think of which friend Potter would be least furious to discover in the bottom of the lake.
The answer was none of them. Potter was possessive and protective of his misfits, he would undoubtedly be infuriated to find even Frederick's twin brother in the lake.
Ultimately, the decision was taken right out of his hands with a small knock on Albus' door.
"Come in," Albus called merrily.
The five adults all watched as the petite Miss Lovegood waltzed in to the office.
"Professor Snape, you were looking for me?" she smiled brightly at him.
Severus stared at Miss Lovegood and felt his anxiety for the upcoming task triple. He had no idea how Miss Lovegood knew of his current predicament, though he was beginning to question the possibility that Lovegood was a true seer.
Lovegood would be an acceptable hostage, as, out of all his friends, Potter treated her the most tenderly. Miss Bones even firmly believed that Potter loved her.
Yet, he hardly wanted Potter in the lake, let alone the charming young witch who Severus had been considering offering an unprecedented apprenticeship to upon her graduation.
And Potter would would absolutely furious with him to discover what he would see as nothing less than an utter betrayal.
"I'll tell him it's my idea," Lovegood smiled gently, guessing at Severus' exact (deeply occluded) thoughts. "Don't worry."
"Delightful!" Albus cried, unflappably accepting of the odd appearance and voluntary placement of Miss Lovegood. "Luna my dear, why don't you head down to Professor McGonagall's office? The other's are waiting there."
"Yes sir," Lovegood smiled and floated out of the office as abruptly as she first appeared.
"Well, that's that then," Albus smiled. "We're all set for the task tomorrow."
Severus was not 'all set'. In fact, he may as well contact Lucius now because Potter was going to lose any composure he has built recently once he discovers this.
And Lucius would be the only one to keep his ward out of Azkaban once Potter publicly murdered Albus Dumbledore.