Tea at Madam Puddifoot’s by Subversa

Tea at Madam Puddifoot's by Subversa

Thanks to beaweasley2 for her hard work in putting this project together, and to Shug, who beta-read for me.

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Phyllis Steek stared at the glowing yellow card in her hand, nervous and unhappy. Why in the world had she been so stupid as to tap on the silly game box with her wand and say, 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'? Now look where it left her! She had been enjoying a perfectly lovely Saturday in Hogsmeade, chatting with her girlfriends and eyeing up the boys, and now she was going to have to curse her Potions professor without him noticing!

As if that were even possible.

And she had so been enjoying her life ... it would be sad to die so young. And imagine how Professor Snape would feel when he realised he had turned on and cursed one of his own students. He would be devastated! For a moment, Phyllis drifted off into a dream, wherein Professor Snape fell to his knees beside her lifeless body, raising his fists to the sky in tormented anguish before snatching her up and cradling her to his chest, recalling how he had always secretly admired her ...

'Phyllis!'

She jerked around, hastily stuffing her game card back into her pocket, before realising it was her friend, Domina Arcanum. 'What?' she demanded rather crossly.

'It's your card,' Domina said shrewdly. 'Don't deny it...I saw it glow.'

Phyllis sighed heavily. 'Yes,' she admitted.

Domina raised her eyebrows. 'You adore him...why wouldn't you want to draw his attention?'

Phyllis half-heartedly returned a wave to the Bedsworth twins and began to trudge along the High Street. 'If he really noticed me, it would be brilliant,' she said, glancing up at her taller friend. 'But this is just going to annoy him, if I can even manage to pull it off.'

Domina shrugged philosophically. 'Well, he was really perfectly civil to me, all things considered,' she said.

'And your prank is still on-going,' Phyllis pointed out. 'You're still wearing armour to Potions class.'

A secretive smile crossed Domina's face. 'The pay-off will be well worth it,' she assured Phyllis. 'Just get it over with...the girls will be gagging to hear about it.'

'I suppose,' Phyllis said fatalistically.

'Aren't you coming to the Three Broomsticks?' Domina asked, stopping in front of Scrivenshaft's and looking back over her shoulder at the pub. 'We're meeting for Butterbeers.'

Phyllis shook her head. 'I'm not in the mood,' she said. 'You go on; I'll see you at dinner.'

With a cheerful wave, Domina strode away, and Phyllis stared after her, mentally reviewing the incantations for Memory Charms. Drawing her wand, she traced the proper movements through the air, murmuring, Obliviate! No, no, that was far too dangerous...what if she erased Professor Snape's memory the way poor Professor Lockhart had done to himself? She needed something much simpler...a short-term memory alteration spell. Turning aside, she hurried into the tiny Book Nook, a new book shop recently opened in Hogsmeade. She might as well see what sort of spell books they had on offer.

Half an hour later, she was completely absorbed with In Charm's Way: A Witch's Guide to Wizards and Ways to Woo Them. People at Hogwarts had often commented on the bookish ways of Hermione Granger, that swotty Gryffindor with the ridiculous hair...but those people had never seen a Ravenclaw communing with the written word. Phyllis was so engrossed, she even failed to notice when a tall figure cast a shadow on the pages of her book.

Sprawled on the rug before the hearth at the back of the shop, Phyllis read over the Mimicking Memory Spell again, committing the incantation and wand movements to ... well, to memory.

'Miss Steek.'

'...Memoria Simulus!' she murmured, waving her wand gracefully, unaware of the black-cloaked and booted figure beside her.

'Miss Steek!'

Phyllis jumped, her wand-arm jerking wide, and stared in disbelieving horror as Professor Severus Snape, whose forbidding glare had accompanied his barking utterance of her name, went muzzy-eyed and confused before her very eyes.

'Sir!' she exclaimed, leaping to her feet, the spell book clutched in one hand.

Professor Snape blinked at her. 'What are you reading?' he inquired in completely different voice.

Phyllis gaped at him. She had never heard him use that tone of voice! Not even when he was speaking to his Slytherins, or that time she had hidden herself in the coat cupboard in the staff room and listened to him chatting with the other professors over tea.

'N-nothing!' she said, sheathing her wand hurriedly and clutching the book to her chest with both hands.

Professor Snape smiled in a friendly way. 'But you were so immersed,' he said easily. 'I enjoy a good book, as well...let me see it.'

Phyllis felt her heart turn over in her chest. Dear Merlin, he was smiling at her. Yes, his teeth were rather scary, but his eyes were crinkled at the corners in such an engaging manner. It was much nicer than she had ever imagined to have him smile at her...and she had imagined it often. Domina and the other girls teased her about it, but she couldn't help it: She fancied her teacher.

Helplessly, she offered the book to him, and he read the title with a chuckle. 'You're out to woo a lad, I see,' he said, accepting the tome and flipping through the pages.

Phyllis stared at her fingers, which had brushed his as he took the book. He had touched her. She would never wash that hand again. Never!

Soon enough, he tired of skimming the chapter headings and returned the book to her. 'I suppose it's fairly harmless,' he said, smiling again, his eyes meeting hers, and with a start, Phyllis realised why he was acting so oddly.

She had actually cast the memory charm on him! She hadn't meant to...she had only been practicing, and probably would never have had the nerve to actually do it!...but the deed was done, and his mind was open to her. If she was going to plant a false memory, now was her one and only chance, while he was vulnerable to her. Careful not to blink her brown eyes and interrupt the flow of magic, she projected an image into his mind, of the two of them having tea at Madam Puddifoot's, holding hands beneath the table whilst glittering pink confetti hearts rained down into their untouched teacups.

As she completed the deed, a faint crease appeared between his eyes. Hastily, Phyllis stepped away from him.

'Wh...' he began, sounding suspicious...and suspiciously like himself...but Phyllis whirled from him and scurried away.

'Enjoy your browsing, Professor,' she called over her shoulder as she fled.

***** *****

That night, Phyllis endured a perplexing array of nightmares, interspersed with vague, heated dreams in which she spent interludes with her professor. She awoke from one of the interlude dreams in a tangle of sheets, sweaty and confused. Why had she and Professor Snape been in a sheik's tent in the desert, reclining on colourful rugs? What had he been saying to her that made her tummy feel so odd?

Perhaps it would be better not to try to work it out.

Rising from her bed, she crossed quietly to the ewer stand and splashed icy water on her face, taking care not to disturb her dormitory mates. The sun was rising higher in the sky outside the dormer window. Today, she had to finish the dare she had been given or suffer the consequences of failing. With a shudder, she remembered poor Sadie and the horrid, slimy scales which had required a long stay in the infirmary under Madam Pomfrey's disapproving care. Phyllis didn't want to end up with scales...or whatever other disastrous thing the Weasley twins might visit upon an unsuspecting girl who failed to accomplish her goal.

Snatching up her clothes, she yanked her jumper over her head and did up the zip on her jeans before stuffing her feet in her trainers. Professor Snape always came to breakfast...she ought to know, considering how long she had been watching every move he made...so this morning would be the perfect time to finish her task.

She ought to have been pleased at the fabulous opportunity served up to her like a lolly on a stick, but instead, she felt unexpectedly nauseous when she reached the bottom of the marble staircase, only to see Professor Snape sweeping out of the Great Hall in his billowing black robes, his glittering eyes fixed on the staircase down to the dungeons.

Do it! she goaded herself, watching him stalk past. Do it now, before the charm wears off!

With less Ravenclaw forethought and rather more Gryffindor bravado, she thrust herself from the last step into Professor Snape's path.

'Good morning, sir!' she chirruped brightly.

He scowled at her, his nostrils flaring. 'There are several square feet of entrance hall for you to occupy without impeding my progress, Miss Steek,' he snapped peevishly. 'Remove yourself to one of them and get out of my path!'

Phyllis's heart thundered in her ears as she fought the urge to flee from his annoyance. She forced herself to step close to him, looking up into his irritated face with guileless brown eyes.

'I really enjoyed our time together, yesterday,' she said softly.

She watched him draw breath to shout at her, but then confusion touched his eyes. 'Tea ...' he said, studying her face.

Steeling herself, she touched his fingers, and he jerked away from her as if she had shocked him. 'My favourite part was pudding,' she said and winked.

'Pudding?' he whispered, horrified.

'With a cherry on top,' she added and walked away, hearing him turn as she passed him by.

'Wait,' he said, but she continued across the entrance hall, pulling the hateful card from her pocket as she went.

The letters on the card glowed green.

'Well done!'

Phyllis's head jerked up, and she saw Domina coming across the entrance hall, her eyes on the card.

Phyllis grinned, feeling relieved. 'Thanks!' she said, accepting her friend's high-five as they passed one another.

'Stop!'

Phyllis and Domina looked over at Professor Snape, who watched them with fierce dark eyes. 'I know what you're doing,' he hissed. 'I told you: It won't work!' And with a sneer, he spun away and disappeared down the dungeon stairs.

Domina frowned. 'That was a bit unreasonable of him,' she commented mildly.

But Phyllis watched his wrathful retreat with a heavy heart, remembering the genuine smile she had received from him the day before as their fingers brushed. 'He can be really nice,' she said, full of longing.

But Domina seemed not to hear. 'It'll be fun telling the girls how it went,' Domina said, tugging her toward their breakfast.

'I suppose,' Phyllis said, wishing it could be different. "I do hope Robin has good luck with her dare."

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And the fun continues...

Author's notes:

As you can see from the prompt below, I altered it slightly, in accordance with the demands of the Muse.

The original prompt is: 52) After the Yule Ball, (or Hogsmeade weekend), sneak up behind him and hit him with a temporary memory charm... the next day after class, tell him you had fun after the ball, (Hogsmeade weekend), then wink and walk away.