AN/ Hello! Thanks again to Professor Severus Tobias Snape for reviewing, and to those who followed! Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! :)

Chapter 11: Nothing More, Nothing Less.

"I've got your outfit ready. Do you want to come and get it later on?" Callum asked as they walked into the Potions classroom.

"I've got detention straight after dinner," Wendy took her seat and opened up her potions book. "How about you bring it to me tomorrow?"

"Sure," He beamed over at her. "Did you hear that the dungeon bat made Mindy cry?"

Dungeon bat? Oh...She watched the man in question march into the room with his robes billowing behind him.

"Cry?" She retorted.

"She was a blubbering mess by the time he'd finished talking to her in front of everyone in the corridor. I wonder what he said to make her cry so badly?" Both of them watched Professor Snape hover over his desk and pull out a book, then turn towards the board and write information down.

He made Mindy cry...because she made me cry? No, there's no way that's true. Callum nudged her arm.

"Mindy deserved it. She's always been a bully, it's about time someone gave her a taste of her own medicine," Wendy found it odd that Callum kept bringing up Mindy whenever they were together. Maybe I'm just thinking too much about it.

The lesson passed by quickly and Snape didn't look her way once. He didn't come over to check their potion, nor tell them to shut up when Callum babbled on next to her. How strange? Did I offend him?

She shrugged at the thought, then left the classroom. She kind of wanted him to ask her to stay behind; it didn't matter anyway as they would be seeing each other later at her detention. Last night's detention had been the start of his strange behaviour. He made her clean cauldrons and prep ingredients, not once asking the questions she knew he had. Something is troubling him.

"Hello," Potter cut in front of her. "Can we talk?"

For Merlin's sake. "I have a lesson to get to-"

"No you don't, you're usually in the library this period. 'Mione told me," His words made her eyes narrow.

"Are you keeping tabs on me?" Her voice was shrill causing a few people to look their way. "I think I made it very clear that I don't want to talk to any of you."

"We want to help-"

"With what!?" She yelled. "I don't need help!"

"I was very close to Dumbledore which means we should talk," He explained, ignoring her blatant signals that she wished to be anywhere but here.

"Potter," Her voice was low. "Don't you dare think you knew him like I did...Don't for a second think you can come to me to reminisce about him. He wasn't your friend, he was your mentor and Headmaster. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You don't know that-"

"I know everything, Potter," She stabbed her finger against his chest. "I know every little detail about every little thing," Each point was punctuated with a poke. "You and your friends were pawns in my father's game, OK? I'm the only person that knew who he truly was - regardless of his cynical ways - I loved him, meaning I lost way more than you did when he died."

Potter sighed. "In the letter, he mentioned that he hoped we could become friends."

"What?"

"You haven't read it yet?" She shook her head. "Read it."

"Don't tell me what to do, Potter," She bawled her fingers into a fist. "I have things to do," Wendy barged past him and stormed off in the direction of the library.

Father, I know you mean well, but you're worsening my grief right now. I just want to be left alone.

She buried herself in her books and focused on rewriting the Charms essay Mindy had ruined yesterday. Ten minutes in and she lost her patience, her hand wouldn't stop shaking and she felt the overwhelming urge to cry. Oh how I wish to just scream, just one big clamorous scream.

Wendy had never gotten around to grieving properly for her father. The weeks following his death had been filled with attempts to end Snape's life. She'd only broken down once; while Hagrid rocked her to sleep, but that had been all. Sometimes things got too much so she had a little cry in the Domain, other than that, she hadn't had time to come to terms with it.

I need a week away from Hogwarts. It was hard enough that she expected to see her father walk around the corner, or come out of his office. She wanted him to come and comfort her after a nightmare, then offer her sweets. She missed his gravelly voice when he sang a lullaby to her.

I miss him so much.

Her bottom lip began to quiver and the tears dispersed the ink on the parchment. Here I am, crying again in the library.

"Um...are you alright?" A squeak came from next to her, and Wendy's head turned in the direction of a too small seventh year. Her hair was almost white, yet when you looked hard enough there were flecks of gold throughout. Her eyes were a deep brown - a striking contrast against her pale complexion. Her Slytherin robes blanketed her tiny frame; pooling the floor around her.

The button-nosed Slytherin moved to sit opposite her. "I'm Violetta."

"Hi," She whispered back feeling nervous, then quickly wiped her tears away. "Are you new?"

"Yes, I transferred here from the Durmstrang Institute," She said. "My parents moved out there before I turned ten, then we moved back to England a few months ago."

She looks like the secret love child of Lucius Malfoy, Wendy bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.

"I've heard good things about the Durmstrang Institute," She replied, trying to steer the conversation away from her crying.

"It was OK," She muttered, then eyed her suspiciously. "Why're you upset?"

"Oh, w-well it's nothing really...I'm just stressed out," What is it with me and sounding pathetic?

"I understand. The seventh year is the toughest one," Wendy was grateful that she wasn't going to push it any further. "Hogwarts is not as good as I imagined it to be."

"The papers tend to big it up too much," She smiled wiping her tears from her essay. "It's just your average witchcraft and wizardry school."

"Well, the Dark Lord was defeated here so I guess that's something to be proud of," Violetta pulled out a piece of paper that had her timetable written on, and slid it over to Wendy. "Do we have any lessons together?"

Wendy scanned the page, then nodded. "We have Charms and Herbology together."

"That's great!" She exclaimed. "I'm not very good at making friends."

"Neither am I," She replied. "You're doing a good job at it though."

This made her blush. "Thank you...do you have any friends?"

"I have a house-elf that cares for me as I care for her...then, I kind of have somebody that watches over me, but he isn't exactly a friend."

"I don't understand why you don't have friends? I like talking to you!" She bounced in her seat and Wendy laughed.

"Most people don't share the same opinion as you, nevertheless, thank you," She looked down at her Charms essay and decided to scrap it. I'll rewrite it later.

…

Her father's letter stayed in the waistband of her skirt throughout the day. She had returned to open it at lunch time, but chickened out. She'd completely forgotten about it when she was in Herbology, as she was bonding with Violet - she told me to call her that.

They both had an interest in reading, but it turns out that Violet hates Potions with a burning passion. Professor Snape will only add fuel to that fire. Wendy liked listening about her family. She had muggle parents who loved each other very much and wanted the best for their daughter in the world of magic. I wonder how the Slytherins dealt with having a Muggle join their house. Draco Malfoy had returned to finish his seventh year; Wendy had seen him once but knew he'd have a hell of a lot to say about it.

She paused outside of the Potions room, then knocked.

No reply.

Wendy knocked again, yet he didn't answer. She placed her hand against the door and pushed it open. "Hello?" She called out and was met with the silence of an empty classroom. "Professor?" Maybe he's in his private chambers? Best not go looking there...he'd hex me.

She cautiously approached the door that led to his private rooms, then quickly knocked.

Nothing.

Suddenly, the door creaked open. "Sir?" She paused in the doorway, then pushed the door open the rest of the way. Her mouth opened agape at all the books lining the walls. "Bloody hell…" She walked further into the room and stopped in front of his desk. There was a door to her right which she assumed was his bedroom. I'm definitely not opening that door.

The room is very...Snape-ish. I understand why people call him a dungeon bat now.

She felt her father's letter branding itself into her hip. With a swipe of her hand, she retrieved it from her waistband and glared at her name on the envelope. I should get it over and done with.

Wendy was struck with a sudden thought. Why did the door open by itself? Surely he has strong wards up? Her eyes faltered on the Daily Prophet residing on his desk - its date was a couple of months old. She reached out to scan over the front, her lip curling at the article.

She didn't read the newspaper often. I think I should start though.

There in black letters was the headline that Rufus Omberford had escaped from Azkaban, but the worst part was how easy it was to miss. The majority of the front page was filled with information on the Golden Trio; on Harry BLOODY Potter!

I cannot believe this is happening! He escaped… Wendy was so caught up in the revelation that she didn't hear the person approach her from behind.

"Miss Nottingham!" A scream of fright tore from her lips, then before she could register what was happening, she was on the floor.

Huh?

A few more befuddled blinks, then things slowly fell into place.

Her body felt freer so she stretched out her newfound posture. An animalistic purr rumbled through her sharp teeth, and her pawed feet tapped against the cold floor; claws scratching the surface. She exhaled sharply, causing her small ears to twitch as they focused on their new surroundings.

Her magic still wasn't prominent in her body, but she felt a whole lot better than she did before. I feel relaxed. I feel at one with myself again. I feel-

Suddenly, the situation dawned on her. I JUST SHIFTED IN FRONT OF PROFESSOR SNAPE!

She whirled around on her paws, tilting her large head up at him and fearfully looked at him through her green eyes.

Why the heck is he smiling for!? This isn't funny!

He crouched down to her level, placing his book next to him. "You've just got yourself two more weeks of detention, Miss Nottingham."

Oh, bugger.