Why Potions are bad for your sanity

by Odeena Sabnach

Chapter 1: This is all Potter's doing!

>> Time: 7:03, PM
>> Location: Hoghwarts, outside Slytherin common room

The young girl looked around, then carefully raised her hood, uncovering her pale face.

"Password?" asked the portrait guard.

"Insomnia", hissed the girl. "Let me pass."

"Hmm... never seen you before", said the guard, eyeing the girl suspiciously. "I'll keep an eye for you when you get out."

The girl muttered something under her breath as the portrait opened, then stepped through. She lowered her hood, then peeked around until she saw what she was looking for. In a corner, Alicia Silver, the fifth-year Slytherin prefect, was playing Exploding Snap with two sixth-years. The girl quickly made their way to the three, then tapped Alicia on the shoulder.

"Yes, what - oh, my Lord in heavens!"

The girl hissed, "Ssh!"

"Uh... got to go. Meet you later?" With that, Alicia got up and half-dragged the girl up to the girls dorm. After putting a locking charm on the door, she took a deep breath. "Please, please tell me it's not - you."

The girl pulled back her hood, "It is me."

"Oh. My. Insanity. What in the name of the great Mungo happened to you - Severus?"

Snape - for it was, indeed, him - made a face. "It was Black. He put something in my goblet, and I - being the idiot I am - drank it. Go figure."

"A gender-changing potion", concluded Alicia. "Don't worry, they usually wear off in a few hours."

"This one won't!" Severus shouted, then he (or rather, she) did her best to calm down. "Right after dinner, I got this", she took a piece of parchment out of her robes. "Read."

"Dear Snape. I hope you don't mind the boys and I made some... *improvements* . You look better this way. The potion'll wear off, don't worry - in a week. Haha. Signed - Padfoot. That's Sirius."

"I know that's Sirius. What do I do?"

"Umm - stay here and curse your bad-luck? ...okay, bad joke. Honestly, Severus, I don't have a clue. There's only one person who could know what to do--"

"--Lilly."

"Don't EVEN go there. I was going to say Sirius."

"No way. Go find Lilly."

"OFF limits!"

"Pleeeeeease?"

"Okay, okay, just - stop it already! I'm going! Oh, and you better find a place to hide, the door won't stay locked forever." And with that, Alicia was gone.

~

Finding Lilly Evans was going to be a tough job. After searching the whole school and asking half the students in it - and even venturing to Gryffindor tower - Alicia was on the verge of having a nervous brakdown.

"Hello, hun! What's wrong?"

Alicia started, then turned around to stare straight into the twinkling eyes of Sirius Black. "Umm - nothing, what makes you think there's something wrong?"

"Well, about thirty seconds earlier, you looked like you were about to kill somebody."

"And this is all your fault."

"What?"

"You know - Severus, the potion - ring any bells?"

"Oooh, that! Well, I - err - I--"

"Forget it. Just help me find Lilly."

"Lilly? What for?"

"Oh would you just DO IT!" Alicia growled, then blushed as she noticed the staring students around them. "Umm, let's just - go - now!" She grasped his hand firmly. "Come on!"

"Okay. But not to find Lilly."

Alicia stopped. "What?"

"Let's go get the Mar--err, the parchment. Then it'll be easy."

"The par--ooh, the m--right, I got it. Let's."

A/N: Pleeeease read & review! ^_^