The Road Ahead

"How could there be such a stupid fool in this world!"

After waking Snape, Pomona roared at him.

He did not need to make up lies to deceive her. Not far from where he had fallen lay gleaming Unicorn hairs. Considering their partnership in selling antidotes, Mr. Snape had come up with a plan to scrape a little powder from a Unicorn's horn, saving money and increasing profits. He just had not expected even gentle Unicorns to kick, much less kick him unconscious.

"Shut up, Hufflepuff." Snape shook his groggy head and slowly tried to stand.

Only after he stood did Pomona remember that she had been so busy saving him that she had forgotten to cast a spell on her own face.

"I can't see." Snape rubbed his eyes in alarm.

Pomona let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, it's temporary." She stood as well. "It's the curse for harming a Unicorn. You didn't truly hurt it, so it'll wear off soon."

"Then where do the Unicorn horns sold on the market come from?"

She shrugged as Lily would have done, then remembered that he could not see and added, "I don't know, but I think we can ask Hagrid."

She took his hand and led him onward, casting a small spell over her face as she walked. Soon, she had become that unremarkable Hogwarts first-year again.

Snape was unusually obedient. Pomona glanced at the frightened expression on his face and curled her lip. He was still just a child who had not grown up.

Hagrid's hut was the only place on the moor with lights. Its warm yellow glow lit the road ahead like a lighthouse. She rather liked that "ferocious" half-giant.

"You should know the Forbidden Forest is dangerous right now." Pomona started making small talk. "I heard there are werewolves about."

Snape did not reply. Pomona thought the topic might have frightened him, so she changed it. "How did you meet Lily?"

"We lived across the river." Snape actually answered. "Sometimes she and her sister came to play by the river, and I could see her."

"Did she see you?"

"One day, her sister ran off and left her behind. I went over and spoke to her. That was it."

Pomona looked back at Snape. He was plain-looking and could not sweet-talk anyone. Even with all his talent, he was destined to be single for life.

"Did you see Lily's gift?" Pomona turned back to focus on leading the way. "She can make ordinary plants move like magical plants."

"I saw it, which was why I decided she was a witch. But so what? She only made a little flower move."

She could not be bothered explaining it further to this Potions idiot.

"She said she likes cooking and thinks Potions is much like cooking. Could you teach her some Potions?"

"How we get along is none of your business."

"You don't think Gryffindor girls won't punish a traitor who plays with Slytherins, do you?" Pomona ignored the distance in his voice and continued. "You can't get into the girls' dormitory."

Snape fell silent. His school robes brushed through the grass with a soft rustling sound, and it sounded wonderfully pleasant.

"Starting today, I won't be coming anymore!" Wearing the face of a Muggle woman, she said to the big-nosed old bat, "I have many things to do. Neville will bring you the ingredients you want."

"Would he dare?" He snorted through his nostrils like a Dragon.

"Lupin was the one leading him astray..."

"Do you enjoy seeing me in women's clothes, Pomona? If you do, lend me your skirt."

Since he had put it that way, she knew he could never forgive Neville.

"I'll have the Hufflepuff students isolate Harry," she said humbly. "He never should have entered the Triwizard Tournament in the first place."

The old bat finally showed a faintly satisfied smile. He set down his quill and laced his fingers together, assuming the posture of a negotiator. "Now we can continue talking."

He looked her up and down. "Your hair still can't be transformed?"

Madam Pomona Sprout had long, flowing gray hair. It was the only thing that could be called beautiful about that short, plump witch. Yet she was kind and fair, a good Head of House who had little presence.

"I could never transform it with a wand before, and Potions don't work either."

"Ollivander's wands generally use Unicorn hair, never Unicorn horn. Ground horn, along with other things such as Phoenix feathers, can also be used to make wand cores. Why does he use only one material?" He began pondering the question.

"Do you think everything can be mixed together like your potions? Stop thinking about that and think about how to make Harry breathe underwater for an hour!"

"How will Cedric solve it?"

"You'll find out then. This time, I'll definitely win!"

"What are you winning? That boy is in sixth year, while Harry Potter is only in fourth year."

"You're making excuses for yourself again!"

"Let's change the wager." The big-nosed old bat smiled coldly. "Let's see which of them can ask Cho Chang to the Christmas ball first!"

"You?" Pomona planted her hands on her hips and looked the person behind the desk up and down. "When you were in school, you never successfully asked even one girl to a Death Eater ball."

"That's because I never asked." Snape smiled even more happily. "This time, win or lose, I'll be happy. What could be more entertaining than the great Chosen One standing alone in the middle of the dance floor, staring blankly into space?"

"What if he succeeds?"

"Then I'll dance with you." He spoke dismissively, then picked up his quill and resumed grading assignments, marking one T after another on the parchment.

"You know dancing with me won't necessarily kill you," Pomona reminded him.

"Hasn't Dumbledore always wanted to see my memories of the Dark Lord? You can try using Legilimency on me again." That smug smile of I've got something on you appeared on his face again. "Men infatuated with Veela forget everything in the world. They neither eat nor drink nor sleep, just as if they have been struck by the Imperius Curse. Those under the curse feel their minds go blank, yet they feel incomparably happy. Legilimency and the Imperius Curse work on the same principle. Thanks to you, I became a master of Occlumency."

"Yes, the little joke we made before ended up helping you tremendously, didn't it, Severus?" Pomona said coldly. "If you had not become a Death Eater, you would never have known what the Imperius Curse looked like."

The smile vanished from his face.

"Watch out for Karkaroff. He teaches at Durmstrang. If the servants of two generations of Dark Lords join forces, who do you think could stand against them? I've attended enough funerals, but I especially don't want to attend yours. I truly don't know where things went wrong for you to get mixed up with Mulciber and the others. If I had known, I never would have taught you Sectumsempra. Then you would never have gotten a taste of Dark Magic."

"Get out!" he roared.

"Don't make the same mistake, Severus. Sirius Black was not Lily's killer. You know that!" She picked up the empty basket and pulled open the door. "You're not young anymore. Don't let impulse cloud your head like some foolish boy. Harry is not your enemy. He is Lily's child."

Pomona looked back in confusion at the timid boy behind her. She felt that Tom Riddle really had taught him something, but what exactly was it? She truly could not figure it out.