For the week that followed Jaden felt much better. She still ached inside but was finding that it was becoming endurable. Her nightmares were decreasing and her grades were even getting back to normal again. She spent her free time writing poetry or reading as usual, but she found that her poems were taking an interesting turn, expressing less despair and more relief. She sent one of the better ones to her grandmother, who loved it and said she read it everyday. She smiled at her guardian's letter, reading the neat calligraphy over several times. She was in the library and it was stormy outside, but neither rained nor snowed. The clouds looked like they'd been nailed into the sky with shiny silver nails, mist hovering around the trees. She wrote.

Bright golden leaves

That garnish the trees

Waltz with the fog up above

Countless shades

Deep purples and grays

Fit my mood like a glove

While deciding if she'd rather replace "waltz" with "sing", she noticed someone had approached her table. Looking up she saw none other than Clint who offered her a cautious smile.

"Hi," they said in unison, both chuckling after. He was looking well and asked how she was.

"Fine," was her honest reply.

"Really?" Clint said, looking at her gravely. "I mean…" he sat down across from her, making sure no one was around to overhear. He lowered his voice. "I was just worried. Suddenly Bryan's expelled and you're missing for a few days. Did something happen?"

Jaden didn't know how to reply. She half wanted to tell him, but then didn't fully know if she could trust him not to tell anyone else. Then again, he'd trusted her enough to tell her when Bryan had hurt him…to warn her. She shrugged.

"Listen…I'm sorry if me telling you about Bryan made him angry with you."

"No, Clint, I don't think that was the reason."

"What do you mean? Something did happen then. You don't have to tell me…just, are you okay?"

"I'm fine now. It worked out I think." Clint seemed to be thinking over something, debating with himself.

"What's wrong?" she asked, suspecting he had more to talk with her about.

"I just…Okay, so the reason Bryan started beating me up was because…"

She waited patiently for him to go on.

"He was always staring at you and hanging around you even when you didn't know he was around. Like he was stalking you or something. I wasn't going to do anything at first but then I found a bunch of love letters and poems written for you under his bed. I wanted to warn you then but then he caught me and, well, he was really furious. Then he started beating me up and…"

Jaden was surprised, but nodded. "It's okay, I understand."

"I swear, he must have known some really advanced magic because once when a teacher saw what he was doing, he only greeted us and walked away."

"Really? Which teacher was it?"

"Professor Snape." She stared at him, not believing it.

"But he-Professor Snape is far more advanced than any of the students here and would have detected the spell right away….right?"

"I dunno, but he didn't stop him. Come to think of it though, Professor Sprout was able to stop him one time, and McGonagall too."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She shook her head.

"You're sure he knew that you were getting beat up?"

"Yes, Bryan had already given me a bloody nose and I was on the ground. It was pretty obvious."

"And Snape just walked away?"

"Yeah. A few times actually. Crazy, right?"

Rage filled Jaden as she stood, the chair making a loud screech as it slid away from her. Her hands were in tight fists, her eyes narrowed.

"You okay? Jaden? Hey, Ja-!" But she was running for the exit, paying no attention to the librarian that yelled after her. Her feet slapped the corridors as she tore through them, hair flying behind her; fury infusing her very core. Snape had been lying to her the whole time, playing with her like it was some great joke. He could have stopped all those kids from being beat up, but had no sympathy for them like he pretended to have for her. She'd begun to trust him, and he'd been letting Bryan's actions slide by unnoticed. What did he think he was doing? She'd thought that he'd been sincere when he comforted her, that the strict and heartless potions master was showing her a shred of kindness, truly concerned. Now she saw him for the fake her really was, and hated him for it. Who in their right mind let someone beat someone else up especially when it was their job to stop it? She flew down the dungeon steps, frightening a first year Slytherin girl who moved quickly out of Jaden's way. The door was closed when Jaden reached it, flinging it open without thought. She leapt inside, seeing no sign of Snape at first.

"What is the meaning of this?" Snape called from the back of the classroom, putting down a few vials he'd been cleaning with his wand. "You do not simply barge in unannounced." But she was coming towards him fast, obvious loathing in her eyes. She wanted to hit him, to curse him, to demand an explanation. When she reached him though, all she could do was point her wand at his chest, jabbing it at his black robes. He opened his mouth as if to speak but she interrupted him.

"Why?" was all she could manage to say. He raised an eyebrow, baffled.

"Why what, Miss Newman?"

"You know what," she daringly stated. Never had she been so direct with a teacher before, but now she was willing to make an exception.

"No, Miss Newman, I assure you I don't. Now if you'd be so kind-"

"Liar! You let him do it." She pressed her wand harder into his chest, it taking everything she had not to hex him. "All those kids. You knew he was hurting them and you didn't do a thing to stop it!" He could see the pressure welling up inside her, knew that she'd found out the truth, or part of it.

"Miss Newman…you only have one side of the story. If you'll put down the wand and allow me to explain-"

"It's been explained."

He sighed, getting irritated.

"Why did you help me? Why me and not any of the others? And why did you pretend to care afterwards? I was stupid enough to believe that you were actually concerned."

"I was-" but she cut him off with a spell, her anger reaching its breaking point. Swiftly blocking the hex with his own wand, he grabbed her hand and angled it so her wand was no longer facing him, pushing her against the wall to restrain her from doing anything she might regret later.

Jaden exhaled sharply as her back hit the wall, Snape shoving her into it harshly. She heard her wand drop to the stone and was instantly reminded of how defenseless she'd felt while being attacked by Bryan. They're all the same, a voice whispered in her head. The same panicked sensation gripped her and she began to strike out at her professor, trying to push him away.

"Miss New-" she hit him in the jaw and it took everything Severus had to not slap her right across the face. Instead he seized her wrists, pinning them to her sides sharply. "Miss Newman, control yourself!" But she resisted on, kicking him sharply.

"This coming from you? You clearly don't know the meaning of that word." She was beginning to feel tears, though they did not surface much to her appreciation. "What, did you enjoy watching him beat them?"

"Miss Newman-"

"You're supposed to stop things like that from happening, and you actually encouraged them!"

"Miss Newman!" He gripped her wrists tighter, clenching his teeth.

"Did you know that he was planning on doing that to me? Was it all some sort of game or joke to you two? How do I know he's really in that 'disciplinary' school? You dragged him off that night and then I was asleep for four days. Everything I've heard has been from you. You-"

SLAP.

She'd gone too far. Jaden froze as Severus lowered his hand. She remained with her head turned to the side, eyes wide with alarm. He stepped away from her, picking up her wand and setting it on the desk where he took a seat, rubbing his jaw.

Forgive me, he thought, wondering how he could possibly make her listen to the truth now.