AN: I struggled with this one rather a lot. I sincerely hope it's worth the effort.
Enjoy the ride.

Love, Annabeth…

Watching Over You

Snape was carrying someone toward the school, which in and of itself was incredibly strange, but that wasn't what drew Betty's attention.

For one, all his Shadows were back to their near-solid form and crowding close around him, second, and far more important, there were two glowing people walking on either side of Snape. Or perhaps glowing wasn't the right word, Betty thought, moving to follow Snape, shiny white aura was more accurate. She was only a few meters away now, and she could see that Snape carrying a small child. The white figures didn't seem to be real people, much the same way Shadows weren't, and they were a red-headed woman and a tall man with black hair and glasses. They looked like Lily and James Potter but a bit different, older maybe.

"Professor Snape!" Betty called, making him stop and whirl around. She ran up to him. "Are going to see Professor Dumbledore?" Snape regarded her suspiciously before he nodded curtly, once. "Great. I'll come with you."

He shot her cold look and began walking again. "You will most certainly not. Haven't you got anything better to do, Miss Gray?"

"No, sir. My friends are busy, my things are packed and I've begun my summer homework in Potions. Besides, I need to see the headmaster about Shadows and that kid you're carrying." She nodded at the boy, who, on closer inspection, appeared to be asleep or unconscious. She was almost running to keep up with Snape. Scowling, he shot her another cold look though he didn't comment or attempt to dissuade her again.

By the time they finally reached the gargoyle which guarded the entrance to the headmaster's office, Betty was panting harshly. "Candy Canes." She heard Snape say and then the gargoyle moved aside to allow view to a staircase. Betty followed Snape still breathing fast and loud, and stopped two steps below him. Unwarned, she nearly fell when the staircase lurched beneath her feet and then smoothly spun upwards. She glared at Snape's back.

Dumbledore seemed to have known beforehand that they would arrive at that precise moment; he asked them to enter before they had managed to knock. When Betty followed Snape into the office she saw Dumbledore murmuring to a big red bird –Phoenix, her mind whispered- but he turned around a moment later.

"Headmaster, I've brought the boy with me. No child should be made to live in such conditions. The Muggles seemed to be glad to be rid of him." Betty watched Snape's arms tighten slightly while he spoke, though neither his voice nor his face betrayed any emotions.

"Muggles? May I ask who the child is?" Snape glared at her, but this wasn't cold, this was hot anger.

At that moment the Lily Potter with her white aura stepped in front of Betty. She stepped back in surprise –she'd nearly forgotten about those two- and ignored Snape and Dumbledore's strange looks while she tried –and failed- to control her expression. Lily mouthed one word. Help.

Betty couldn't control the tiny strangled scream that escaped her throat then, and her hands groped frantically for something to sit on. When she couldn't find anything her legs gave out and she landed in a heap on the floor beside Snape.

"Oh God." She whispered and then dark spots appeared in her field of vision. They expanded as she swayed and then everything was black.

Betty awoke to a strange mixture of bright white light and a dark hovering shadow. She blinked a few times and shook her head to dispel the fuzziness. The light turned out to be James Potter with his aura and the shadow was Snape scowling down at her while he tucked away his wand. It was somewhat comical to see them like that, standing side by side with similar expressions of scornful concern. "I apologize, sir. I was merely… startled." Betty sighed, while she watched the concern leave Snape's face and his scowl intensified. "I suppose I'll have to tell you a bit about Shadows so you'll understand why these-" she cut herself off, breathe deeply for a moment and lowered herself gratefully into the comfortable chair Dumbledore provided with a wave of his wand. "Before I begin, I want to know who that child is." She thrust her chin forward and crossed arms, waiting until Dumbledore nodded before looking around for the boy. She found him sitting in a small chair to her right. Snape stood a step behind them, hovering near the child. He had messy black hair, his shoulders hunched forward protectively and he peered at the adults through the curtain of his hair. In short, he made himself small and preferably invisible.

"Hello. My name is Betty. Who are you?" Betty smiled at him, though she had to work hard to maintain her cheerfulness as the boy hunched down further, wrapping his thin arms around himself. Snape made an indiscernible noise and swooped forward, recoiling again immediately; the boy had flinched violently at the movement. Dumbledore sighed deeply, turning a soul-piercing stare on Betty. She fought not to squirm but her hands twitched anyway. Thank Merlin for wide sleeves.

"This young man-" Snape snorted. "-is Harry Potter. Professor Snape went to see how he and his relatives were fairing. One of their neighbours had her suspicions, you see. She was certain he was being abused, as his babysitter, she was in an excellent position to judge." He glanced at Snape who nodded slightly, making the headmaster sigh again. "I'm afraid she was correct. Now, I trust you will keep this to yourself, Miss Gray." He gave her another one of those stares and she nodded immediately. What else could she have done? Harry woke the instinct Raphaela, Nikki's sister, did. Mum called it maternal instinct. "It's something most every woman has. And you're a woman, make no mistake. Not fully grown, of course, but a woman nonetheless." Mum would say. Raphaela was ten years minus a day younger than Betty. She had practically raised the girl, Aunt Jessica seeming unable to care for anyone or anything after her fist daughter's death. She'd not even nursed the child. Raphaela had often slipped up and called Betty 'Mama' without thinking. It always sent a sting of pain and a rush of love through her. It was curious that Harry Potter should invoke, if not the same, at least vastly similar feelings in Betty. Protectiveness, anger at the ones that hurt him, a strange fondness that could easily grow into love, given time.

Betty suppressed a sigh. "I have a… gift." She began cautiously. "I see Shadows. They're almost like ghosts, only they're a mixture of memories and desires. They're invisible to most people. I can see them since I was six. I watched my cousin die of cancer, and I'm pretty sure it triggered the ability. Shadows are like ghost in that they haunt people. They fill their thoughts, their dreams, their minds and hearts. In my experience, nearly everyone has at least one Shadow. But I suspect that's much to do with the war. Many people lost relatives, friends and lovers, and sometimes that leaves the survivors with Shadows. Both of you have them." Betty watched the Phoenix intently. She didn't dare look at her teachers. She laughed bitterly. "I can pick out the Muggleborns in the lower years simply by looking for Shadows." She turned her gaze in Harry. "There's just one problem. Harry here doesn't have Shadows. He was probably too young at his parents' to remember them. Harry has something else. They look like Shadows and not at the same time. They react to people the same way but they're surrounded by white light. Sort of the way angels do in pictures." Betty smiled at Harry for a moment before turning to look at Dumbledore. "They're James and Lily Potter. And Lily asked for help."

PS: So, what do you think? I'm in need of reassurance that people are actually reading this, and if they (you) are, what they think. Mom reads all my stuff, but she's a bit biased in my opinion, and I'd love to have more than one opinion. *hint, hint*
See ya!