Paws, Pranks, and Potions

The Cat and the Snake

It wasn't that hard, for all she would hem hem about her status, all it took was a simple second year charm. Months of muscle memory meant that the fourth step being just one centimeter smaller caused the High Inquisitor to take a tumble down the stairs.

Severus quickly reversed his reducio and tucked his wand away as he watched her tumble down the stairs. He was confident that none of the students would have seen his wand out, not with them all laughing at the woman as she fell down multiple floors of the Grand Staircase.

Minerva huffed in amusement as she saw Severus tuck away his wand. However, she watched with growing worry as the woman did catch herself, only landing on the final step with a crack. "Out of the way!"

She quickly pushed through the students, feeling the magic of the stairs quieten beneath her feet as she hurried towards the pink lady. Her wand was out by the first floor, so the moment she got within reach she cast a diagnostics spell.

Severus hurried down the stairs the second he saw the older woman's step freeze for a second. In reach, he ran his own spell, eyes widening slightly as he realised the damage that had been caused. His medical license might not have been as intensive as Poppy's, but he knew they needed to stop Umbridge from any attempt at moving.

Crouching down next to the woman, eyeing Minerva carefully, he ran a second diagnostic just in case. He supposed their only saving grace was the fact she was knocked unconscious by the fall and hadn't managed to move her neck yet. It was broken in such a way if she so much as twitched she ran the risk of affecting the brainstem.

Minerva worked on stabilising the witch so she wouldn't move while she saw Severus doe head towards the healing halls. She looked back up, noticing the growing crowd of students surrounding them on the stairs. She quickly held her wand to her throat and amplified her voice. "Students, please head to your common rooms."

Severus looked up sharply as none of the students started to move away. "The Deputy Headmistress has given you an instruction," he called loudly, watching as most of the students started to scramble away. Only a few foolish Gryffindors stayed alongside some of the Ravenclaws too curious for their own good. "Any student I spot within the next minute will be serving detention with me until the end of this half term."

Minerva watched as the students evacuated the staircases, disappearing from sight in under a minute. "You are much too strict with the students, they're only curious."

Severus raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the emerald clad witch. "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile," he responded.

Confident that Umbridge was stable, Minerva turned her full attention to the Potion's Master. "A minute is hardly fair if you threaten detentions."

Severus kept his eyebrow raised. "Like you didn't aid their escape," he replied. He looked down, scanning the fallen witch visually. She wasn't showing any signs of waking, which was not good with the impact she took to her head. The initial benefit of her being unconscious was slipping away now she wasn't waking. "Besides, it is only a week until the break." He felt his lips twitch into a small smirk.

Minerva huffed out another laugh. "So there is a soft side to the dungeon bat."

Severus felt the smirk drop right off into a frown. He looked down at the witch laid across the floor. He was hardly soft. He didn't mean to do this. She'd just irritated him, splitting his snakes down the seams. He worked hard to keep them stitched together, and she tore that apart. He meant to humiliate, not nearly kill her. He wasn't Potter.

Minerva frowned at Severus, noticing the way he went distant as he checked over the fallen witch. She stayed silent as they waited for Poppy to arrive, knowing that Severus wasn't going to be open for any more talking.