Disclaimer: never did and never will own it. J.K. Rowling does.
Spoilers: Goblet of Fire

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~ A Taste Of Silence - Prologue ~

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I took the idea of the Veritaserum administered by Sirius on Hermione and the question about Severus in Auror Borealis's Tell Me Lies. However, though the beginning of Hermione's reaction is similar to the one in Auror Borealis's story, the end is not... In short, the premise is the same, but what's next is my idea :)

Warning, this chapter may be quite unsettling!

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The big black dog blinked as the students entered the classroom. As soon as everybody was seated, the dog transformed into a man. Sirius Black, new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, ex-Azkaban convict, godfather of Harry Potter and unregistered Animagus until the previous year.

At the threshold of the classroom stood a dark silhouette and Sirius Black glared at him before smiling at his class.

“Today we will talk about the effect of the Veritaserum potion. Snape… Professor Snape accepted to brew a batch of it for you to see how it works.”

Severus crossed the room and handed Sirius the tiny bottle.

“I would rather avoid to put any of you in an awkward position, so I’ll ask someone who doesn’t spend time breaking the rules, for example… Miss Granger, would you accept to volunteer for the experiment?”

Chocolate brown eyes looked up at him. Hermione squirmed on her chair and finally nodded. She stood up and came to Sirius. He smiled at her, giving her the bottle.

“Don’t worry, Hermione, I won’t ask about the excursions with Harry and Ron,” he murmured.

She nodded again, looked down at the bottle and her face twisted in apprehension. Taking a deep breath, she gulped down the content before returning to her seat.

“It takes only a minute before the potion is in effect. Miss Granger will have to answer any question asked to her. It is impossible to resist Veritaserum. As my colleague can confirm it, the potion purely saps the will of the person. Some people, with a very strong will, can sometimes alter the words, but they will still say the truth. I want you to see the effects, since it is a weapon often used by unscrupulous people. Please keep in mind that, whatever Miss Granger says, you would have reacted the same way had you ingested the potion. Miss Granger, are you ready?”

She looked up warily and nodded.

“Don’t worry, Miss Granger,” he said, smiling comfortingly.

He glanced around and saw Severus, standing next to his desk. A grin spread on Sirius’s face.

“Tell us, Miss Granger, what do you think of Professor Snape?”

Severus scowled but didn’t protest. Almost everybody in the class smirked, waiting for stinging insults to come from Hermione. She didn’t like to criticise teachers, but she had a sharp tongue. The result should be amusing.

~*~

Hermione went white, her eyes becoming huge. She opened her mouth and clamped her hand on it before she could utter a word.

“Tell us,” Sirius insisted. “I know you are a respectful student, but anything you say won’t be held against you.”

She shook her head, her eyes pleading. Sirius, looking concerned, came to her and gently pried her hand off her mouth.

“It’s alright, Hermione,” he said soothingly. “He won’t mind.”

Once again, her mouth opened but then a fierce gleam invaded her eyes and she savagely bit down on her tongue. Blood appeared on her lips.

“Snape? Does the potion make people bleed?”

“No. She’s fighting it, trying to resist its power. Miss Granger, don’t worry. I promise I won’t change my opinion about you no matter what you say.”

Harry frowned.

“Hermione, let go!” he whispered urgently. “Don’t hurt yourself trying to be a good girl!”

Surreptitiously, Hermione took her wand and directed it at herself.

“Silesco,” she murmured, a new wave of pain shooting in her mouth.

Her tongue became numb and she gratefully breathed deeply. But the Veritaserum was conceived to overcome every obstacle and the Silentium Charm wasn’t enough to counter it. Fighting her urge of saying whatever was on the tip of her tongue, she clenched her jaws again, blood smearing her chin. Thankfully the spell still kept her tongue numb enough for her not to feel too much pain. Severus looked at her suspiciously as Sirius knelt by her side.

“Hermione! Hermione, stop this!”

He tried to force her jaws open, but only succeeded in spreading blood everywhere on her chin and cheeks and on his fingers.

“Class dismissed!” roared Severus. “Black, call Poppy, quickly!”

“What?”

“Do you think I don’t know this reaction? For goodness’ sake, Black, I’ve seen people under Veritaserum and she won’t talk! Dismiss the class and call Poppy!”

Despite the urgency in Severus’s tone, the students were slow to leave the class, glancing back at Hermione. Severus tried his luck opening her jaws while Sirius fumbled in search for Floo powder.

“Miss Granger, this is just an experiment. You can tell how you feel about me. I’ve heard it all, you know, I don’t think you can surprise me or insult me in any way. Miss Granger, be reasonable!”

“What is she doing?” asked Sirius, frantic.

“She’s biting her tongue off, you fool!” snapped Severus, still trying to coax Hermione out of her decision.

She choked and he closed his eyes in defeat. Sirius reacted like lightning and held a basin under her chin. Obediently, she brought up the blood filling her mouth. A soft splash in the basin made Sirius turn green, looking at the piece of flesh lying in the middle of the blood. Under his very eyes, it turned black and shrivelled up. Sirius felt sick.

~*~

He looked up at Hermione who answered with a defiant glare. Shaking, he put the basin on a table and buried his face in his hands.

“Oh Gods…” he moaned in horror.