The snake and the lion (Severus x OC)

4- Rose's fears

ATTENTION: this chapter mentions trauma

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The days and weeks passed, and Rose and Severus continued meeting every evening in the dungeons.

Severus gradually increased the difficulty level of the potions, but although Rose managed to prepare them, her craftsmanship did not improve. And it was not for lack of study and effort. Severus had lent her several potion books to study after class, and had made a copy of his own notes, but Rose had had no problem understanding the theory.

The problem was a very different one: Rose had very little self-confidence, and she became terrified when she stood in front of a cauldron. The situation was getting worse and worse, to the point that every night she had nightmares in which she was condemned to be swallowed by a giant cauldron.

Severus did everything he could to help her, going so far as to explain many of his secret tricks, but far from improving, Rose was steadily getting worse due to her fear. She constantly depended on Severus, and managed to prepare the potions thanks to his help, but in Slughorn's classes, where she couldn't count on him, Rose was a complete disaster.

Under normal conditions she would have taken refuge in Lily, but since she was still recovering in the infirmary, Rose had to settle for the help of James instead, who, by the way, was not a very good teacher and counselor.

Her grades didn't improve, and as a result, Severus' got worse. When he complained to the Professor, he was gently reminded that his grades and Rose's were linked, and while the girl didn't improve, he wouldn't get the results he wanted.

Severus became very angry and decided to talk to Rose that same evening. It was time to get rid of those stupid fears. However, something caught his attention, taking Rose out of his mind: Sirius Black was walking alone in the corridor.

This was a rare opportunity to get back at him, and he wasn't going to waste it. Severus hid behind a statue and cast a paralyzing spell on him. Since Sirius had his back to him, he couldn't see him, and Severus took the opportunity to cast all the spells and curses he could think of on him.

"Let's see if you awaken so many passions now, Black," he thought as he ran out and got lost in the corridors.

***

Half an hour later, Sirius managed to enter the Gryffindor common room. The only person present from seventh grade was Rose, who was taking advantage of her free time to complete her homework. She looked at him in disbelief with her mouth open.

"Sirius, is that you?" Rose asked when she finally recognized him. Sirius was totally deformed. His face was covered in warts, tentacles and scars, and his body was fatter and deformed by a hump. "Who did this to you?

"That... that Snivellus," he managed to stammer with difficulty, because he had two tongues. "When I catch him, I'm going to give him the beating of his life."

"Yes, of course, whatever you say," Rose hadn't understood anything Sirius said. "Come on, sit down, I'll see if I can take that off of you."

It took Rose almost an hour to return Sirius to his normal state. When she finished, she was exhausted, but Sirius seemed overjoyed when he touched his face and found that he was back to his normal self.

"Rose! You're wonderful," he exclaimed, kissing her face and hugging her waist.

"If I were you, I would go to the infirmary just in case, I don't trust the side effects of so many spells together," Rose tried to get those arms off her.