Kriss woke up with a start. Where was she? It was dark and cold. When her eyes got used to the dark, she saw that she was in a corridor, not in bed where she was supposed to be "Damn" she swore to herself "I can't believe I've started sleepwalking again!"
She stood up and rubbed her back, it ached where it had been pressed up against the cold stone floor, then started to walk back to her dorm. She shivered as a cold draft blew over her. She was only wearing a short nightdress that had lacing up the front.
Kriss knew why she was sleepwalking; she'd done it since she was little especially at times of stress or excitement. She was in her 7th year at Hogwarts and studying hard for her NEWTs. Kriss found the workload hard to cope with at times, all except for one subject, potions.
Kriss had the same aptitude and skill in potions as Professor Snape himself. Not that this meant he ever went easy on her; he expected nothing less than perfection from her at all times. Kriss had a sudden realization; Snape always patrolled the corridors in the early hours of the morning, as she had heard, from the ones who had been caught out of their dorms after curfew. If he found her out, like this she would be mortified. She was a little afraid of him like everyone else but, even though she hardly admitted it to herself, she had a crush on him.
Lost in thought she ascended a staircase, but when she went to lift her foot up it wouldn't move."Oh no, the trick step, how could I have been so stupid! I should have been looking where I was going!"
This sort of thing happened to Kriss often, as although she was very intelligent, she was also very clumsy. "Now what am I going to do?" Kriss wailed in desperation, she knew the only way to get out of the trick step was if someone physically pulled you out. Just as she was thinking of how awful it would be if it was Filch who found her first, as he was always up early, the sound of footsteps echoed of the walls.
Kriss's heart began to pound, who was it? She bit her lip and swallowed nervously as the footsteps got louder. Her eyes closed with dread as she heard them come to an abrupt halt. "Who is there?" said a sharp voice Kriss recognized, then "Lumos!" suddenly a bright flare of light blinded her temporarily and she recoiled from it. "Oh it is you Miss Firestone, what are you doing out here at this time of night?" He said suspiciously
"I'd been sleepwalking again, then I was trying to get back to my dorm when, I got stuck in the trick step!" explained Kriss.
"I would have thought you knew better by now Miss Firestone you are in your 7th year!" Snape said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Well are you going to pull me out?" Kriss asked impatiently.
"Yes, of course" Snape said, he tucked his wand into a nearby statue. She was nervous, she was about to be touched by the scariest teacher in the school in only a very flimsy nightie. He stepped behind her and Kriss's stomach turned to butterflies as she felt his arms slide around her waist. She saw his hands grip onto each other tightly, then she felt him pull, well it was more of a yank. Suddenly they were flying through the air, Kriss turned halfway down in order to stop herself but nevertheless landed at the bottom of the stairs; on top of the professor. She heard Snape groan underneath her, quickly she went to get off him, but in her rush, her nightie had caught on his tunic buttons.