Forehead Graffiti by Southern_Witch_69

Forehead Graffiti by Southern_Witch_69

Thanks go to beaweasley2 for putting together this round robin and for all the authors who’ve participated!

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As I walked down to the Potions classroom in the dungeons, I felt the card in my pocket vibrate slightly. I pull back from my friends slightly and peek inside, seeing the yellow glow. “Bugger,” I mutter darkly, knowing that it’s now my turn to try my prank on Snape. I look around for Margarite to let her know that it’s finally my turn but don’t see her among us. We’d thought something had gone wrong when a whole day had passed and saw no change in my card.

“What’s that, Austrina? Something wrong?” asks Sadie Fawcett, a Ravenclaw and friend—one who is also in on the game we girls are playing.

“My card’s just gone yellow.”

“Better you than me,” she sympathizes. “I heard Snape’s in a right foul mood today.”

“Thanks so much, mate,” I say dryly, flipping my long dark hair off my shoulders and swatting her with it as I do so.

“I kept wondering if it was going to skip you and be me instead.”

“I wouldn’t be so lucky. Blast, there’s the bat now. Look lively.”

Sadie giggles and enters the classroom ahead of me. We all settle into our desks and quiet down as my prey glides across to the blackboard.

“Instructions can be found,” he flicks his wand, “here. You have exactly one hour. Get what you need and begin.”

We quickly gather what we need and set out to work, not wanting to call attention upon ourselves. I watch as he leaves us to our work and enters his storeroom. After he doesn’t return for nearly twenty minutes, I pretend to be missing the flobberworm mucus needed to thicken my potion.

On shaky legs I make my way to the storeroom and peek in. To my surprise, Professor Snape is sitting in a chair, leaning back against the wall, with a phial in one hand. His eyes are closed!

Bloody hell, he’s asleep!

This might be my only chance to complete my prank! It would be right hilarious to see him entering the Great Hall for luncheon and have everyone snickering about the lightning bolt mark drawn onto his forehead! I mean, his hatred for the Potter boy is legend. The irony would be delicious.

The trusty pen filled with indelible ink is in the same pocket that I’ve been keeping the card in. I slide my hand into it and slowly creep forward. Harry Potter Wanna Be Professor Snape, here we come!

I lean forward, so close I can feel his hot breath hitting my cheek, and click the pen open, holding my eyes closed tightly as I do so, cringing in fear, and thinking, He’s going to wake, he’s going to wake, he’s… not waking? His breathing hasn’t changed. I crack an eye open and see that he’s still asleep.

Biting my lip in concentration, I bring the pen up, ready to begin my graffiti upon his face, when I notice the lines about his eyes and his expression. Why would Snape simply fall asleep like this? That’s not something he’s ever done before! He has been looking a bit ragged lately and has been even more foul than usual. Something’s got to be going on that we don’t know about.

And here I am wanting to make things harder for him, make him the laughing stock of Hogwarts because of some stupid dare. Well, I won’t do it. Poor sod. Guilt floods through me as I straighten and scurry back to my desk. I’ll leave this childish nonsense up to the other girls.

Of course, as soon as I think this, I feel the card vibrating in my pocket again. Shite! It fucking knows, doesn’t it?

One look shows that it’s glowing red, signaling my failure. I’m almost afraid of what might happen next, for failing shall bring about some horrid Weasley prank. When nothing happens immediately, I shrug and finish my potion. I’ll just have to tell the girls that I couldn’t go through with it and that there were no side effects.

Before the end of class, Professor Snape appears again, looking rested, and I feel much better about myself for some reason. It feels as though I’ve done something good, which is very odd for me. I rather like being naughty when I can. As we begin to turn in our samples and file out of the class, his silky voice calls out and caresses me.

“Oh, Miss Lamia?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Come here.”

Once we are alone, he looks at me and says, “What have you done with yourself?”

“Sorry?”

“You’ve got donkey ears growing out of your head. They’re elongating even now. Did you not just see the way Miss Fawcett was making hand gestures at you?”

Shite! “No, sir, I was bottling my potion.” How had I not felt these ears? My hands are drawn to the top of my head where, sure enough, I feel the furry blighters.

“No ingredient should have caused this. Were you hexed in my class while I was… rearranging my stores?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” I reply shakily, though I have a feeling the Weasley prank—punishment for not fulfilling my card’s instructions—is starting.

“And you—what the…? Look at that!”

I turn around and see nothing in the room behind me. He’s pointing and gawping at me. “Er… you’ve a donkey tail!”

Turning and turning, trying to reach behind me to catch sight of my supposed tail, I feel my face heat horribly in my embarrassment and wonder if I look very much like a cat or dog that chases its tail.

“What’s going on here?” I ask, panicked, finally snatching it with my hand.

He holds back laughter admirably and holds out a small, jagged mirror for me to glance into. My face that was heating from embarrassment? It wasn’t embarrassment at all. It was magic etching three letters across my forehead: A-S-S.

“Ass!”

“You’d best hurry to the infirmary, Miss Lamia, before you start growing a donkey’s snout and teeth—or start hee-hawing!”

I leave my booksack behind as I make a run for it. As the door bangs against the wall, I finally hear his voice explode in laughter. Though I’m humiliated, I wonder if he’s had much to laugh about lately and figure it’s all right that he’s found amusement in my situation—so long as nobody but Pomfrey sees me this way!

“Hee-hawlways comes out on top, doesn’t he?” I mutter and nearly faint as I hear my voice—the first words sounding much like an ass’s call.

********** ***********

Sadie,

Austrina

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And the fun continues...

SW Says: Not very long, I know, but I felt this was a fun solution—one that gave Snape a little well-deserved break. Anyone know why I chose Austrina and Lamia for my first and last name? LOL

My prank was to draw a lightning bolt shape on the good professor’s forehead with indelible ink.