Okay, so I finished a few days earlier than expected. Hope that's not a problem. ^_^ Okay, so this chapter is dedicated to three people. KelseyHalliwell, for story-alerting, Corona14, for helping me when I got writer's block, and MeggosaysLeggomyEggo, for getting me off my you-know-what and updating today instead of waiting. So that's it! Enjoy!


Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my plot and my characters. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Go ahead and try to sue me, I only have three dollars in my wallet. Don't spend it all in one place.

Chapter 2: Rescues and Revelations

The next day, the four wizards were back at the Biluxy residence. Snape knocked on the door, and Emily once again answered.

"Oh, it's you," she said. "Looking for Samantha? She's probably still in her room; it's upstairs, right-hand hallway, second door on the right. Go right on in; the door doesn't lock."

"Thank you," said Snape. The four friends followed Emily's directions, coming to a door that had no visible lock on it. They knocked on it, and hearing no response, Snape opened the door, finding the room to be empty of people. They stepped inside to make sure they hadn't missed anything, but the room was dead silent. Ron started to say something, but no sound came out. He motioned wildly for Snape, and he tried to speak again, no sound coming out whatsoever. Snape stepped back into the hallway, motioning for the teens to do so as well.

"I have an idea about this," he said. "When we go back inside, try to yell as loudly as you can."

He stepped back inside, the teens following suit, yelling their heads off. Or so they thought. Not a sound escaped their lips. Snape motioned for them to stop, pulling his wand out of his sleeve. With a flick of his wrist, the Silencing Charm that was on the room fell with a slight bang.

"David was always good at Charms," Snape thought. Could it have been him? And if so, then why?

Almost as if the world had heard him, a sniffling sound could be heard coming from the wardrobe, which was barred shut. Snape strode quickly over to the wardrobe, stuffing his wand back up his sleeve as he went, the three friends following behind him. When he got to the doors, he could clearly hear someone crying as though they'd been doing so for quite a while. He unbarred the wardrobe and opened the doors, and there was a collective gasp from all those who were in the room.

There, amid the clothes, Sam was curled up in a sitting position with her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped around them and her forehead on her knees. She was rocking back and forth, crying like a frightened child. What startled the four the most, though, were the bruises that covered almost all of her pale skin. Bruises that definitely weren't there the night before.

"Sam?" Snape called softly, but he got no response. Gently, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. As soon as he touched her, she flinched away so hard that for a second he thought she was having a seizure. He withdrew his hand and watched in horror as she started crying harder. He motioned for the three teens to follow him a little bit away from the wardrobe.

"Ms. Granger," he said. "I want you to find her suitcase and pack it with everything she will need this school year. Understand?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir, but aren't we supposed to wait until we can convince her to go?"

Snape's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Yes, Ms. Granger, we should definitely leave her with her obviously abusive parents to follow Professor Dumbledore's orders. He. Will. Understand. Now go get started."

Hermione left to go find a suitcase, and Snape turned to Harry and Ron. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," he addressed them, "you two will be assisting me in getting her out of the wardrobe and calming her down. Use any means necessary. Understand?" Seeing nods, he turned back to the wardrobe. "Let's go."

They went back to the wardrobe, finding that Sam hadn't moved an inch since they'd left her. Snape, anticipating noise, cast a Muffliato spell on the door.

"Sam?" He got no response again. "Sam, we're going to get you out of there." He gently took her arm, intending to lead her out, but she jerked it away.

"Don't!" she yelled, eyes shut tightly.

Snape tried to pat her shoulder to comfort her, but that only made things worse.

"No, please don't!" Sam yelled, trying to get away from the hand. "Don't hit me again, please!"

Snape withdrew his hand, watching helplessly as she started sobbing.

"Sam?" he asked, loud enough for her to hear over her sobs. "Sam! Listen to me, Sam; it's Mr. Snape. I'm not going to hit you. I'm going to pick you up now; I'm not going to hurt you."

Snape bent down and gently lifted the sobbing girl up. Apparently she hadn't heard a word he'd just said, for as soon as he touched her, she started flailing, trying desperately to get away.

"No!" she screamed. "No, don't touch me! Please, Dad, I didn't do anything! Let me go!"

One of her flailing arms hit Snape in the face, hard. He hissed in pain, but didn't do anything.

"Ms. Granger, come here!" he shouted. Hermione was there in a flash. "Are you almost done?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir, her suitcase was half-packed already."

He saved this information in the back of his head for later, and nodded. "Well done. Listen to me, all of you. I'm going to put her on the ground, and I need you three to hold down her arms and legs so that she doesn't hurt herself. Understand? Sit on them if you have to."

The trio nodded, and Snape laid her on the ground, cradling her head in his lap. The three teens immediately grabbed her flailing limbs and held them down.

"No!" Sam screamed again. "Let me go!" She thrashed even harder, to no avail. This panicked her even more. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"Don't let her go!" Snape shouted over her.

Finally, a burst of accidental magic sent Snape and Ron crashing into nearby walls. "Get away!" Sam screamed.

Snape slowly made his way back to Sam, cursing in his mind. Dumbledore hadn't been joking when he'd said she was powerful. He was followed by Ron, who once again took an arm. Snape grabbed her head with one hand and rustled through his pockets with another, finally pulling out a vial full of a pearly-blue liquid. He uncorked the vial with his teeth, squeezing Sam's cheeks until the pressure made her open her mouth. He quickly poured the substance into her mouth. Snape dropped the vial; he saw that Sam was choking herself by refusing to swallow the liquid. He massaged her throat, and after a second, she swallowed, coughing and gasping.

"Professor Snape?" asked Harry, worry clear in his voice. "What—,"

"It was only a Calming Drought, Mr. Potter," Snape answered. "We will be covering them this year."

Harry nodded, and the four wizards watched as Sam's thrashings slowed and finally stopped. Her eyes fluttered open, and they flicked from Ron, to Harry, to Hermione before settling on Snape, whose face was directly above hers.

"Mr. Snape?" she asked, she asked, her voice hoarse and throat raw.

"Yes, Sam?" he replied softly.

Her eyes watered and she blinked, causing the tears to fall. "I'm sorry," she said waveringly.

He gently brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for."

She sniffed, wiping tears from her face. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Sam?" Hermione asked. "I'm packing your suitcase. Do you need anything else? I've got your clothes, your toothbrush, toothpaste,—ahem—girly items, eyeliner—is that it?"

Sam sat up. "Just about," she said. "But I'll get the rest."

"What does 'the rest' involve? I'll help."

"Four things. My cell phone, my laptop, my i-Pod, and my glasses."

There was a moment of silence as the wizards thought about whether to tell her she couldn't bring electronics because they wouldn't work. Ron finally broke it, but for a different reason.

"You wear glasses?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I'm practically blind without them. I wouldn't be able to tell Harry and Mr. Snape apart if I wasn't wearing them."

"Why aren't you wearing them now?"

"I've got my contacts in."

"…What are contacts?"

"You don't know what contacts are?" Ron shook his head. "Wow. They're a lifesaver, lemme tell you. Instead of wearing glasses that make me look like a nerd, I can wear contacts and look completely normal."

"But how do they work?"

"I'm not exactly sure. All I know is you tell your eye doctor you want some, he gives them to you, you go home and put them in. Bingo, you can see, and you don't look like a nerd."

"What d'you by 'put them in'?"

"Well, you— never mind, let me just show you, it'll be easier."

Sam walked to a wall mirror and used two fingers to widen her eyes, taking a third finger and poking it in her eye without blinking. She then took her fingers away; a clear, curved disk perched on one.

"See?" She showed it to the four wizards, and then took a bottle labeled Opti-Clean and squirted some of the liquid into the contact; once again widening her eyes and using a mirror to guide it back in. She blinked, and her eye watered a bit. She went and rummaged through her chest of drawers, coming up with the other items she'd named, putting the laptop and her glasses, which were in a hard case, in her suitcase along with any chargers that she needed. She pocketed her cell phone and i-Pod.

"So, where are we goin'?" she asked.

Snape gestured to the door. "Away from here," he said. "It's quite obvious that your parents are unfit to take care of you. Come along, we're leaving." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sam stopped him. "What time is it?"

"It's about ten-thirty. Why?"

"Am or pm?"

"Am, of course. Why?"

"Because that means no one's here. I was just making sure of that. She leaves at ten."

"Your mother?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"For work."

"Oh, what does she do?" Hermione asked.

"She's a hooker. Come on, let's go."

As they were walking down the stairs, a thought hit Sam. "Am I ever coming back?"

"Only to get your things," Snape answered firmly.

"Cool. Hold on a sec."

Sam ran the rest of the way down the stairs, the four wizards following her the best they could. She was in the living room, facing a large picture of David, Emily, and a much younger Sam that was hanging on the wall. She looked at it for a moment, then drew a fist back and punched it right in the middle, sending cracks throughout all of the glass. She walked over to them.

"I've always wanted to do that," she explained. "Come on, let's blow this place."

***Line Break***

Snape and Sam were alone in one of the two rooms he'd rented. Or so they thought. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had quietly snuck back in under the Invisibility Cloak after Snape had made them leave. They wanted to see how badly their friend was hurt.

At the moment, Snape was wondering about Sam's hearing. She was listening to her i-Pod so loudly that everyone could hear every word that was being said.

"Maybe it's some kind of defense," he thought. "If she listens to it loudly enough, then she won't be able to think about what had happened." At least, he hoped that was the reason.

"Black dress, with the tights underneath.

I've got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth.

And she's an actress (actress), but she ain't got no need.

She's got money from her parents and a trust fund back East.

T-t-t-tongues, always pressed to your cheeks

While my tongue is on the inside of some other girl's teeth.

T-tell your boyfriend (boyfriend), if he says he's got beef,

That I'm a vegetarian, and I ain't f*ck*n' scared of him.

She wants to touch me, wo-ah

She wants to love me, wo-ah

She'll never leave me, wo-ah, wo-ah, oh, o-oh.

Don't trust a hoe,

Never trust a hoe,

Won't trust a hoe,

Don't trust me.

X's, on the back of your hands…"

Snape wondered mildly about American teens in general, what with such influences. 'Don't trust a hoe', really. He tapped Sam on the shoulder, and she turned the i-Pod off, removing her ear-buds.

"I've finished with your visible bruises," he said. "Are there any other wounds I need to know about?"

Sam paused a moment, as if debating whether to say yes or not. Finally, she shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" she said, leaning back in her chair and wincing. Snape looked amused.

"Liar. There's something bothering your back. Go lay down; I'll be there in a moment."

Sam wanted to argue, but knew it would be worse for her if she did. "You want me to take my shirt off?" she asked, resigned.

"That would be helpful, yes," Snape replied, his back to her as he compared two different potions.

"'Kay." When she took her shirt off, the three teens had to restrain themselves from gasping. There were bruises, yes, more than they'd care to count; but along with those were angry red and purple blisters, as though she'd been touched with a hot piece of metal.

Snape turned around, a look of shock on his face as he took in the state of her back. He turned back to his bag and grabbed a jar of burn cream. He contemplated asking where the burns came from before healing them, but decided it could wait when he saw the peaceful look on Sam's face; she ,amazingly, slept while listening to her i-Pod, using her rolled-up shirt as a pillow.

"I wake up every evenin' with a big smile on my face.

And it never feels out of place.

And you're still prob'ly workin' at a ninety-five pace.

I wonder how bad that tastes.

When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell.

When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell.

If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well,

Then he's a fool, it's just as well, hope he gives you hell.

Now where's that picket fence, love?

And where's that shiny car?..."

As Snape applied the various potions and creams to Sam's back, he thought about David. He had done this to her, that much was for sure, and Snape felt terrible about making her go back home, where this had obviously awaited her. David, when at Hogwarts, had been a true Ravenclaw, always studying, always getting top marks in everything. He'd always seemed a distrustful person, though. He'd never bought into James Potter's popularity, or anyone else's for that matter. He hadn't had any friends, though; he'd kept himself to himself mostly.

Snape then remembered Sam's apparent fear of him along with the half-packed suitcase, and wondered what kind of person David had turned into. What could drive a man to hurt his only child like this? Now it made sense to him why Sam was addicted to drugs and alcohol. It was her escape from her home life.

With a newfound understanding of the girl in front of him, Snape gently woke her.

"Sam? Wake up," he said softly. He'd paused her i-Pod a few minutes before, not wanting her to burst her eardrums.

Sam moaned tiredly and turned her face away from him.

"Josh. Cops on our trail again?" she murmured quietly.

"No, Sam. Josh isn't here. It's just you and me, Mr. Snape."

"Mr. Snape. Don't make me go back."

"I won't Sam. Not ever."

"Good…. D'you know what I want?"

"What?"

"A family."

"You already have one."

"They don't count. They're just people. Not family."

"Is there anyone you want to be in your family?"

"Uh-huh. You and Ricky and Alan and Bobby and Zack. Not Josh. Josh can't be family yet."

Snape was surprised, to say the least. He didn't know who the four boys she'd mentioned were, but he could guess. They were most likely four of the five boys she was friends with. Josh, is he remembered correctly, was the blonde from the memories who'd stolen cigarettes and a lighter for her. It seemed those five boys were the only friends she had, and Snape was very pleased to be included in that.

"Will you be part of my family?" Sam asked, sounding like a little girl.

Snape could feel his heart melt a bit. "Yes, of course I'll be part of your family, Sam," he replied.

"Good. It's just you and me for now. Just you and me…" She stirred, and a second later she yawned hugely and pushed herself into a kneeling position. She stayed kneeling there for a moment before realizing Snape was next to her. She grabbed her shirt and threw it on.

"So," she stated. "I guess you have some questions."

Snape sat down next to her. "Yes, I do. But first, you need to know that I don't think any less of you because of this, alright? You also need to know that none of this was your fault. Understand?"

"Okay."

"Now, with that being said, how long has this been going on? Do you remember?"

She nodded. "I remember it exactly. It was my eighth birthday. I said something along the lines of: 'I wish you didn't work, Mom. You should be home more', and he went ballistic on me, yelling about how ungrateful I was. Didn't I know that my mom works hard hours to afford me? She could get rid of me anytime, and I should just be grateful she hasn't realized that I'm not worth it yet."

The pain of the memory showed on her face, and as she recounted the tale, Sam looked progressively closer to tears, and by the time she was finished with her tale she looked to be on the breaking point. Snape did the only thing he could think of; he gently placed his hand on her back and rubbed it in smooth circles. He felt her flinch at first, no doubt not expecting that from him, but eventually she calmed down and allowed him to do so. It was strange to him; someone relying on him for comfort, but he enjoyed it.

"What were the burns on your back from?" Snape asked.

"My dad, of course. A pack of cigarettes fell out of my pocket, and of course it was the open one. He made me give him all the cigarettes I had, along with the lighter. He thought it'd be best if he taught me the dangers of smoking. Apparently, he thinks you can get burned easily by them."

"Oh, Sam. Come here, it's alright now."

Sam turned and buried her face in Snape's shoulder, sobbing, much as she had when she was a very small child. She didn't understand why she was crying, exactly, she'd gone through much worse without shedding a single tear afterwards. The answer was simple; no one had ever shown her simple compassion like this before, as she would never tell her friends what her dad did to her, since most of them had been through it already. What Snape was doing, just letting her cry while he rubbed her back, was making her crumble from the inside.

She forced herself to stop crying, as she well knew it would get her nowhere. She lifted her head from Snape's shoulder, moving so she was just sitting next to him. Snape kept on rubbing her back, feeling that she needed it.

"I have just one more question," he said.

"Oh, yeah? Go ahead."

"Who's Josh?"

"Umm… Why?"

"You were saying 'Josh' in your sleep. Who is he?"

"Oh, uh—he's my boyfriend."

"Really? May we meet him?"

"All of you?"

"Yes. I mean, I'm going to be watching out for you for awhile; I need to know who to kill if someone hurts you, after. And you know they'll want to help. They're quite determined children, actually."

That made Sam smile. "It might be hard for you to kill him; he's almost better at fighting than me. But I don't see why ya'll can't meet him. I mean, with an argument like that… I'll call him. Is a half-hour from now good?"

Snape nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

Sam stood up and grabbed a walkie-talkie from her pocket, sitting back down. She gave it two long squawks, then paused a second before giving it two shorter ones. Snape realized that Sam and her friends most likely had a sort of code for this type of thing. Sam pressed the 'TALK' button, bringing the device to her mouth.

"VampireGirl to WerewolfBoy, come in WerewolfBoy," she said.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other under the Invisibility Cloak, each thinking the same thing. Were they talking about real vampires and werewolves, or were they just ignorant Muggle codenames?

The walkie-talkie crackled to life, a semi-deep teenage voice coming from it.

"Sam! Are you okay? I was going to get everyone some food when I heard the Rock Squad bragging about leaving a girl in some alley. Did they do anything to you? Do I need to go kick some ass?"

"Woah! Calm down, Josh, I'm okay. They didn't do anything like what you're thinking to me, they hate me too much. The last time the cops got me I broke their record, remember? They just roughed me up a bit; they felt like they needed to tell me to back off their record. And let's face it; if you went down there alone, it would be you getting' your ass whooped, not them."

Chuckling came from the speaker. "You're right. Which record did you break, again? The 'More Stubborn than a Donkey' record or the 'Got a Mouth like a Pirate' record?"

"Ha-ha, you're so funny. Not. It was something along the lines of 'Most Times Arrested by the Same Officer' record."

"Ah. I bet Officer Blaise is getting annoyed with you by now."

"Nah, he's a good guy, he just got mixed in with the wrong crowd, that's all."

Josh snorted. "Yeah, I bet that's what he says about you."

Sam laughed.

"So what happened?" Josh asked. "Why didn't you just come back last night? We were waiting."

"Simple: my dad came back earlier than expected."

"Oh, God. Did that bastard force you into that goddamned wardrobe again?"

"Yeah."

"That bastard! He knows you're claustrophobic, yet he still shoves you in there! God, I wanna strangle him right now! Are you alright, babe? Did he do anything to you when he let you out this time?"

"I'm fine. He didn't let me out this time, actually. A friend came, and he let me out."

Josh's voice turned cold and quiet. "A friend? Who? Do I know him?"

"Woah, calm down, Josh. Don't get all possessive on me. He's old enough to be my dad. Actually, they went to school together. But anyway, he took me away from my parents, and now he wants to meet you, along with three of his students."

"He's a teacher?"

"Yeah."

"Excuse me?" interrupted Snape, amusement on his face. "Are you calling me old?"

"No; I'm not. I'm just reassuring him he has nothing to worry about. He can get really possessive sometimes."

"Okay," Josh said finally. "I'll meet them. When?"

"Half an hour, but I'll meet you in twenty."

"Alright. Where?"

"You know where the Holiday Inn is? Right across from there, the corner of Bougainvillea and Florida, the side near the old people's activity center. You know where I'm talkin' about, right?"

"Yeah. Okay, that's good. See you in twenty then."

"'Kay. Love ya', Josh."

"Love you, too, Sam. WerewolfBoy, over and out."

"VampireGirl; peace out."

Sam gave the walkie-talkie one long squawk, signaling the all-clear. She dropped the device back into her pocket as Harry, Ron, and Hermione snuck back out of the room.

"WerewolfBoy and VampireGirl? What was that all about?"

Sam reddened a bit, looking embarrassed. "Oh, those are just codenames. You know, in case we need to talk about each other when the cops are around."

"Ah. Did you pick them out yourself?"

"Well, everyone else picked theirs out, but I couldn't think of one, so Josh gave me mine, 'cause of how pale my skin is."

Snape could see how important Josh was to her, and decided that she needed to know she wouldn't be seeing much of him that year. She needed to know that she was a witch, and a powerful one at that, and that she'd be going to Hogwarts, so she could say her good-byes now.

"Sam? Do you know what your father and I have in common?"

She shook her head.

"We're wizards. And you are a witch."

Sam gaped. "You mean as in wands and spells and potions and real magic? Not illusions?"

Snape nodded.

"Prove it."

"Fair enough. Tell me; what's your least favorite colour?" he asked as he pulled his wand out of his sleeve.

"Pink. The brighter the worse."

With an almost imperceptible wave of his wand, Snape said, "Well, that's odd, considering that's your hair colour."

"What?" Sam went into the bathroom; a moment later, Snape heard her shriek. She came running back out, eyes wide, hair a horrible, blinding shade of pink.

"Okay, I believe you; now please change my hair back!"

Snape had to restrain himself from laughing at the look on her face as he again waved his wand, changing Sam's hair back to black. She ran into the bathroom again, checking to make sure her hair was completely black. Satisfied, she walked back to Snape.

"Alright," she said slowly, as if trying to figure it out. "You're a wizard. Apparently my dad's one, too. Now you're telling me that I'm one? How?"

"It's generally a genetic thing, but there are some wizards who are born from a family with absolutely none in them."

"Wait—are Harry, Ron, and Hermione wizards, too?"

"Yes. They're quite good at Defense, too, but don't tell them I said that. They'll get swelled heads."

Sam laughed, and then turned serious. "But how do you know? How can you tell?"

Snape frowned in thought. "I don't know, exactly. I'm not the one who decides it; that's the headmaster's job. But there is no doubt you have magic."

"So, if I do; what does that mean?"

"It means that you can go to school."

"You mean like a magic school?"

"I mean exactly a magic school."

"Woah… Wait a sec—is that how you know my dad?"

"Yes, we went to Hogwarts at the same time."

"Oh, yeah! That's the name of the school he told me he went to. 'Cept he told me it's for really smart people."

"Well, he was wrong. Hogwarts is a school for anyone with magical ability, no matter if they're smart or not."

"So do I get to go there? Where is it?"

"It's in Britain, and yes, you do get to go there. That is, if you agree, of course."

"Duh, of course I agree! When do we leave?"

The corners of Snape's mouth turned up a bit at the girl's excitement. "Term does not start until September first; although I do believe we will be leaving tomorrow."

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not sure; I have to get in contact with the headmaster first. I do believe that you will be going to the Burrow for your training, though. I need an owl." He said the last part almost to himself.

As if it had heard him, an owl with a pouch attached to its leg stating "The United States Owl Postal Service" landed on the windowsill, hooting softly. It waited until Snape opened the window, then it hopped onto the little coffee table. Snape wrote a quick letter using the hotel's pen and paper, conjuring an envelope out of thin air to put it in. He handed the envelope to the owl, who held it in its beak. Sam could see the name on the envelope, "Albus Dumbledore", who was most likely the headmaster. After Snape dropped some strange-looking coins in the pouch, the owl flew away, and Snape shut the window.

Snape turned back around, glancing at the clock. Seeing the time, he strode to the door. "Come, we need to go," he said.

"What? Why?"

"Because you were supposed to meet Josh five minutes ago, and we still need to get the others."

"Oh. That makes sense."

They went to the room across the hall from them, explaining to the trio what was going on, not realizing that they already knew. A few minutes later, the five were in an elevator heading down to the lobby. As soon as the doors opened, Sam power-walked to the doors, the four wizards hurrying to catch up to her.

They stepped outside; shielding their eyes, for the sun was just low enough that it shone directly into their eyes. Sam spotted Josh on the opposite corner, and she sped out across the street, ignoring the crosswalk sign that clearly stated to 'WAIT'.

"What on earth is she doing?" asked Hermione. "She could be hit!"

But Sam wasn't hit. She was quite good at dodging cars, it seemed. She made it to the other side quite easily without harm, laughing all the way.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," she said to Josh when she got to him.

Josh didn't say anything, but gazed at her intensely, eventually reaching down and tilting her chin up until their eyes met. Wordlessly, he caught her lips with his, embracing her at the same time.

On the other side of the street, the four wizards watched them, waiting for the crosswalk sign to change to 'WALK'.

"Erm," said Ron uncomfortably, "why are they snogging in public?"

"I heard that it's not such a big deal here," answered Harry.

Finally, the crosswalk sign changed to 'WALK', and the four wizards crossed the street, getting to the other side just as Josh and Sam broke apart.

"What the hell was that for?" asked Sam.

Josh smiled. "For making me worry," he replied.

Sam punched him in the shoulder playfully. "How many times do I have to tell you not to worry about me?"

Josh noticed the four wizards watching them, and he placed an arm around Sam's waist protectively. "What're you lookin' at?" he asked them.

Sam saw who Josh was talking to. "Oh, there you are. These are the friends I was talking about, Josh." She gestured to each person in turn as she made the introductions. "Josh, meet Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Mr. Snape. Guys, meet Josh."

The three teens waved, while Snape stepped forward to shake Josh's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Josh," he said.

"Uh, nice to meet you, too, uh, Mr. Snape." A thought then hit Josh. "Hey, are you the friend Sam was talking about? The one who came and took her out of the wardrobe?"

"Yes, that would be me. Although I did have some help from these three."

Josh gave a real smile. "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Uh, Mr. Snape?" Sam interrupted. "Do you mind if Josh and I go hang out for a little? I mean, 'cause of school and all." Josh gave her a quizzical look.

"Of course, Sam. Just be back by dark, please. More unkind things tend to happen at night, and we wouldn't want anything like that to happen to you, now would we?"

Sam understood what he was talking about, and she smiled. "Of course not. I'll be back before it gets dark. See you later!" She waved.

"Have fun, and be safe, Sam."

She took Josh's hand, and together they walked away, Sam turning around and quickly flashing the four wizards the peace sign before turning back around. The four that were left behind waved, and then went back to the hotel, Snape hoping that he hadn't just made a big mistake.

***Line Break***

About two hours later, it was dark, and Sam hadn't come back. Ron and Harry were playing Wizard's chess as Hermione looked on, and Snape was reading a book, or rather trying to. He'd been on the same line for five minutes, his mind a mile away. He was wondering about where Sam had gone; she should've been there by dark, and that was thirty minutes ago.

His tension wasn't helped by the fact that they'd heard police sirens very close by only forty-five minutes ago. Snape was quickly becoming a bundle of nerves, and was quickly becoming irritated because of it. The hotel phone rang, making everyone jump about a foot in the air. Snape strode over to the desk where it was resting and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Snape?"

"Sam! Where are you? Are you alright?"

He heard sniffles. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where on earth have you been? I was worried out of my mind!"

He heard more sniffles. "I need your help."

"Whatever with? Sam, what's going on?"

"Please don't be mad, okay?"

"I won't be mad, just tell me where you are." Snape was getting worried. What had happened?

There was a pause before she answered. "I—I got arrested."

Oh, look at that! I left you a cliffie! Enjoy! Lol, but I hoped you liked it. My next update should be August 9th at the latest, but maybe before then. If you review, I'll write faster, and then you'll get an update faster. Don't you just love how that works? I do. Until next time! ~(^_^)~

~artyluvr (Kendall)