FIC: An Elixir to Induce Euphoria (PG)
Title: An Elixir to Induce Euphoria
Type: Fic
Age-Range Category: Three
Character: Severus Snape
Author: goddess47
Rating: PG
Note(s): Eileen Prince Snape has a date of death of April 1986, which I have adopted for this story.
Summary: There wasn't enough information!
Severus growled at the mess in front of him and then sighed heavily. He needed more time! The bare two months of the summer were not long enough to do the potions work he wanted to do. And that assumed Albus didn't have him haring off after some vague rumor the old fool had heard.
"Merlin! I wish I could just get this to work!" Severus muttered to himself. "And get Albus to leave me alone." He shook his head to clear it. He needed to focus to have a chance to get this done.
His copy - his mother's copy - of Advanced Potion Making lay open on the bench. He had used it while in school and during his Mastery and, while Libatius Borage wasn't wrong, many of his potions could be improved with minor changes.
Minor changes would not do. He needed something special. He hoped he had it but it was taking too long to perfect.
Severus stared for several minutes at his mother's handwriting on the ingredients page for 'An Elixir to Induce Euphoria.'
Peppermint. That was all it said. Not when, or how much, or what it might do.
He sighed and missed her again. She had died four months ago and Severus didn't have to look at a calendar to know it was four months ago today.
In April - the Hogwarts Easter break - he had been in Egypt gathering potion ingredients that were better for being harvested by the hand of the user. His mother had died alone at Spinner's End and Severus had found her when he had returned from his trip. She had been dead for at least two days as far as Severus could determine. The Healers at St. Mungo's determined she had a heart attack and one had said that if she had sought or been given immediate help, there was a faint chance she might have lived.
He had her buried next to his father in a Muggle cemetery. The Prince family had disowned her and it was simpler to bury her with the husband she had loved, at least once upon a time.
The trip to Egypt had cost him too many Galleons he could not afford and he needed to recoup the expense somehow. His hope lay in getting this potion variation completed, written up, and then published. Only with publication could he get the recognition he needed to sell the formula and earn money.
The Elixir did indeed induce euphoria, but to an extreme degree. The excitement and happiness was intense, well beyond the level of even an over-powered Cheering Charm. What he hoped to control better was the occasional side effect of the potion which included excessive singing and nose-tweaking that could be embarrassing.
This was attempt number twelve. Severus included a measured amount of minced peppermint after the other ingredients had been added and the stirring had been completed. The original potion was an overly bright sunshine yellow - said to represent cheerfulness. This attempt immediately turned a sallow green and smelled atrocious. He vanished the potion, sighed and made a note in his journal about the attempt.
Deciding he needed a break, Severus scoured the cauldron and put it on the bench to dry. He put away the dry ingredients and cast a stasis charm over the fresh ingredients.
He made a mental note that he'd need more Shrivelfig soon. Luckily, they were inexpensive and readily available. But he should have enough for at least two more attempts.
He opened a tinned soup for lunch, adding grocery shopping to the mental list of 'things that needed doing.' A set of simple household charms kept the house relatively clean but it did not do the shopping or meal preparation for him.
It was while grocery shopping at the local market that he saw the fresh peppermint for sale. He stared at the bundles of bunched branches and frowned. Maybe he was thinking too hard about this.
On his next attempt, Severus added a single leaf of peppermint to the potion. The yellow color did not change, which, compared to his previous attempts, was a good thing. Feeling like he was on the right track, on the next attempt he added a small spring of peppermint.
The color of the potion remained a sunny yellow but not as nauseatingly bright as the original potion. Severus placed a single drop of potion on his tongue. It tasted right and a feeling of induced happiness swept through him But the happiness was gently tempered and less frantic than the original potion.
Delighted to have solved the mystery, he added to the notes in the book and cleaned up the workspace. Now the task was to write it all up and submit his manuscript to The Potioneer for consideration for publication.
--
As the owls came in to deliver mail on a Tuesday morning in October, Severus was surprised to see a post owl heading his way. The barn owl settled on the table in front of him and held out an envelope to him. Severus took the envelope and set it on the table next to his plate.
Severus held out a rasher of bacon to the owl, who delicately took the offering and then took off.
"What do you have there?" Filius asked, eyes dancing. Severus never received mail and it was enough to make anyone curious. Severus didn't have to look to see Albus staring in his own curiosity.
"I do not know," Severus admitted. "I was not expecting any mail." He ignored the missive and continued to eat the remainder of his breakfast and drink the last of his tea.
He stood, picked up the envelope and said, "If you will excuse me, I have to prepare for class."
In his room, Severus turned the envelope over several times. It was hand-addressed to him at Hogwarts but had no other identifying information. He scanned it for charms and, finding none, he opened it.
The masthead on the letter declared it was from The Potioneer.
Potion Master Snape,
We have received your manuscript on the variation for 'An Elixir to Induce Euphoria.'
The editorial board has decided that this is a minor variation of the elixir and we will be editing your manuscript to fit the needs of the journal.
Your article should be published in the April or May edition of the journal. We will send you five copies of the journal when it is published, for you to use as you please.
Thank you for your submission.
Edwin Woodrake - Editor-in-chief
A minor variation! Severus shook his head in dismay. All that work, to be declared minor!
"Blast it!" Severus swore. He wanted to… he sighed. He didn't know what he wanted to do.
He cast a quick Tempus and realized he needed to get to class. The Slytherin-Gryffindor first years would be waiting on him.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He did it again.
On with the day.