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Then he was there, in his former student's head. Looking around it felt odd, it wasn't right. Quietly he made his way forward. Everything around him was a light grey. The feeling of foreboding. At the far end of where ever he was he saw what looked like an archway. Seeing nothing else he made his way through. The second he stepped through he found himself in the Gryffindor tower. He was looking at his former student hunched over, studiously looking at a parchment. Walking forward he saw numbers. Numbers that were attached to odd names, and then he remembered all of the odd candies that showed up. It was that moment it dawned on him that it was Nickie who had brought all that in. He smiled, thinking that of course it would be the American that somehow ended up in Hogwarts.

"I always wondered how long it would take for one of my teachers to find out." Said a voice from behind. He startled and turned around to see an older version of the girl. They stood there staring at each other before she suddenly whipped around looking behind. She backed up and ended up right in front of him. Then she turned again this time grabbing onto him and pulling him through the painting.

On the other side, they were met with a light-yellow house. There was a chain-link fence where a group of children were playing. She stopped and tilted her head. Then without missing a beat she started walking and he followed. They walked through the gate, and up the cement steps. She opened a screen door and turned the nob on the main door that had a festive wreath hanging. When she pushed, the door open the was a clinking noise from the wreath hitting the door. Walking in they saw the whole family when she was rather little, all sitting around a small Christmas tree.

She stopped for a moment, looking at something that must mean a lot. He glanced down to see her eyes filled with tears. But then she kept walking. They walked into the other room, a small kitchen. It looked homey maybe a little cluttered but it was lived in. At the table a little boy was sitting next to another young version of her. They were playing with pay dough, making 'fancy cakes'. She turned still looking at the little boy laughing, and made her way down three steps. Then out the doors they went. This time he found himself back where he started. In the grey room with the arch.

"It hurts to fight." She said turning to face her old potions master. She looked at him, in her eyes he could see she was tired and in pain. But at this time there was nothing he could do. "He wants me to give up, to join him. If I don't he will kill me." As she told him this he saw her slowly ringing her hands together. She was shaking slightly and her eyes looked a little sunken. But what really caught his attention was the look in her eyes. The light was gone. Whatever she was fighting it was already taking its toll and it had only been a day.

"What is his name?" Severus asked. Hoping that if she knew what she had just said then maybe she knew who it was as well. And then they could get her back to the realm of consciousness.

"I don't know, he will not give me a name. But, but I remember something about a king." The moment she said that everything started getting hazy and there was a pressure building in his mind. Everything around them grew with tension.

"King of, of what?" He ground out the pressure becoming worse. Though he had to hang on, so that she could tell him. It felt as though there were two extremely strong hands pushing him backwards. The feeling so defined that he could feel the individual fingers on his shoulders.

"Of stone. Of carven stone." She whispered, there was terror in her eyes. That was the last he saw her. The room she was in a few shades darker than before.

She looked to where he had been standing for only a second before she turned on her heel and ran back through the arch. Behind she could feel him getting closer. Yet she was determined not to let him win. Jumping to another memory she saw that she was back in school. So, she went to the least practical memory she had here. One where she had become friends with Draco. She turned and saw when they were in the courtyard. She was in one of the arched windows at the edge. And for whatever reason he had come and sought out her company.

She watched as her metaphorical hackle raised. Then she watched as he apologized to her for the latest dumb thing he had done. From that point, they had become friends. It made her heart warm thinking on it. It was an odd and impractical memory. But she figured they it might buy her some time before the King found her again.


There was someone holding him up. The pressure he felt before was dissipating and now it was a white static. Soon though it turned into a distant hum. Either way it unnerved him. It was a magic he didn't know how to fight. None of them did. He didn't realize his eyes were closed until he was sat down and he had leaned forward so that his face was in his hands. Blinking a few times because the light hurt. So, he closed them again. When the distant hum left was he able to recall everything. The memories, what she said.

"She said he was a king. A king of carven stone." He grunted out. And then everything went black. The others Sirius Black caught him and he leaned him back into the chair where he had first put him. He looked to the others but they didn't seem worried.

"Who is that?" Asked Ron. He looked worried his eyes glancing back to Nickie. She hadn't moved once since she had as they said come under attack.

"A Dwarven King to the East. A powerful Black Drake who a while back has seemed to have lost his mind." Said a new voice from the door way. "Names Bilbo Baggins." Said a shorter creature none from the Wizarding World had ever seen.

"What are you?" Asked Ron. At the Hermione hit his shoulder to point out that he was being rude. But Bilbo only smiled.

"I am a Hobbit. I come from a place called the Shire. Though I came here with Gandalf. He said things were happening and that I should tag along and see what it is. Though I am not sure what help I am going to be." He said sounding sheepish.

"Well at this point if you could find a way to get Thorin to leave this girls mind that would be helpful." Said Thranduil. At that moment, suddenly Nickie arched up in the bed her muscles clenching tightly. Those who were not needed back out of the room quickly. Sirius and Lupin wen about taking Severus out and into another room.