Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it's off to work we go...
Date: Monday, 9 April, 2001
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Place: Hogwarts School, Snape's office
Characters Involved: Bill Weasley and Severus Snape
Rating: Better make it Pg-13, Bill gets a potty-mouth around the full moon!
After their first discussion about the Wolfsbane, Severus had given Bill the normal potion throughout the next cycle, just as if he had been a full werewolf, so as to have a 'baseline' from which to draw. Like the werewolves, Bill received no alteration in his mood-swings or general irritability from this potion.
The next month, Severus had attempted to modify the ingredients slightly, tweaking it with the slightest addition of a tincture of one of Longbottom's Mimbulous hybrids - the one using Chamomile - a long known sedative.
Unfortunately, those results had been rather disastrous from what Severus could glean. He hadn't enough opportunity to discuss it thoroughly to ascertain precisely what had happened, but when next he had seen Mr. Weasley, the young man's wife had fled to France.
Severus hated failure. Abject, abysmal, spectacular failure in particular! Unfortunately, the truth about potions research was that it was quite impossible to have any grand success without countless very flamboyant failures along the way. It was no accident that the best brewers kept their primary work-space well insulated. Indeed, such precautions prevented accidents from causing property damage.
When one is working with living specimens, it is impossible to insulate the failure from the outside world, completely. Severus had a strong pang of guilt to think that Weasley's marriage might be suffering collateral damage from his potions experiments. Fortunately, he had a great deal of experience with ignoring guilt.
He arrived early to his office after ensuring the werewolves were awake and as well as could be expected after their transformation. A nagging worry lingered in the back of his mind. Remus had been gone almost all day yesterday, barely returning to Spinner's End in time for the transformation. He'd looked distinctly ruffled when he returned, as though he'd been dragged through the forest by one of Hagrid's Thestrals, and this morning there were faint bruises visible on his back which had to be quite fresh, else the natural rapid-healing rate of the lycanthropy would have eliminated them.
Clearly there was a tale to be told, there. Severus was looking forward to hearing it, but could not bring himself to try to drag it from the exhausted werewolf in the short time between finally waking and Severus' needing to leave to get to Hogwarts.
Stacks of notes were neatly organised on his desk - the initial notes in one pile, then the notes after the original wolfsbane, then the more sketchy notations on the first trial - Severus hoped to fill this out more in this interview as well. There was also a stack of blank parchment, awaiting his fresh notations on this round of potion. He'd used the Belladonna hybrid this time, and had high-hopes for some modicum of success.
There was also a fresh supply of the salve he had been providing the younger man. His scars were not responding as rapidly as June's had - but Weasley was not receiving the full reconstructive treatment Ginevra had provided. Still, they were definitely showing signs of improvement, which helped soothe Severus' ruffled ego over the wolfsbane potion.
For now, all he could do was review the notes he had, and wait.
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Place: Hogwarts School, Snape's office
Characters Involved: Bill Weasley and Severus Snape
Rating: Better make it Pg-13, Bill gets a potty-mouth around the full moon!
After their first discussion about the Wolfsbane, Severus had given Bill the normal potion throughout the next cycle, just as if he had been a full werewolf, so as to have a 'baseline' from which to draw. Like the werewolves, Bill received no alteration in his mood-swings or general irritability from this potion.
The next month, Severus had attempted to modify the ingredients slightly, tweaking it with the slightest addition of a tincture of one of Longbottom's Mimbulous hybrids - the one using Chamomile - a long known sedative.
Unfortunately, those results had been rather disastrous from what Severus could glean. He hadn't enough opportunity to discuss it thoroughly to ascertain precisely what had happened, but when next he had seen Mr. Weasley, the young man's wife had fled to France.
Severus hated failure. Abject, abysmal, spectacular failure in particular! Unfortunately, the truth about potions research was that it was quite impossible to have any grand success without countless very flamboyant failures along the way. It was no accident that the best brewers kept their primary work-space well insulated. Indeed, such precautions prevented accidents from causing property damage.
When one is working with living specimens, it is impossible to insulate the failure from the outside world, completely. Severus had a strong pang of guilt to think that Weasley's marriage might be suffering collateral damage from his potions experiments. Fortunately, he had a great deal of experience with ignoring guilt.
He arrived early to his office after ensuring the werewolves were awake and as well as could be expected after their transformation. A nagging worry lingered in the back of his mind. Remus had been gone almost all day yesterday, barely returning to Spinner's End in time for the transformation. He'd looked distinctly ruffled when he returned, as though he'd been dragged through the forest by one of Hagrid's Thestrals, and this morning there were faint bruises visible on his back which had to be quite fresh, else the natural rapid-healing rate of the lycanthropy would have eliminated them.
Clearly there was a tale to be told, there. Severus was looking forward to hearing it, but could not bring himself to try to drag it from the exhausted werewolf in the short time between finally waking and Severus' needing to leave to get to Hogwarts.
Stacks of notes were neatly organised on his desk - the initial notes in one pile, then the notes after the original wolfsbane, then the more sketchy notations on the first trial - Severus hoped to fill this out more in this interview as well. There was also a stack of blank parchment, awaiting his fresh notations on this round of potion. He'd used the Belladonna hybrid this time, and had high-hopes for some modicum of success.
There was also a fresh supply of the salve he had been providing the younger man. His scars were not responding as rapidly as June's had - but Weasley was not receiving the full reconstructive treatment Ginevra had provided. Still, they were definitely showing signs of improvement, which helped soothe Severus' ruffled ego over the wolfsbane potion.
For now, all he could do was review the notes he had, and wait.