Disclaimer (because one hasn't been up in a while): I do not own Harry Potter. Not even in my wildest dreams.

Aubrieanna's arm was numb. She expected that the silence of the room would have numbed her brain if it hadn't been for the sheer amount of horror and confusion. For the past three hours, she had stood with a shaking Lily outside the hospital wing. Aubrieanna was still unsure of whether the shaking was from fear or anger, but Lily's reaction to the event had been so intense that Aubrieanna had been terrified to leave her. For the past three hours, she had stood with Lily outside the hospital wing, feeling her friend's trembling fingernails digging into her right arm. Now she was sitting in a too-quite common room, waiting for Lily to return from taking the calming draught that Professor Slughorn had made for her. Aubrieanna had tried to follow her, particularly as she had been fetched by the unsavory Slytherin, Severus Snape, but Snape had been adamant that the potion would work best if Lily was not being crowded by others.

Lily hadn't disagreed with Snape's explanation, so Aubrieanna had assumed it to be true, and Slughorn loved Lily, so she would be completely safe in his office...

If she ever gets there. Said the cynical little voice in Aubrieanna's head. She checked her watch. Lily had been gone for a half-hour. How long did it take for a calming draught to actually begin to take effect? Aubrieanna knew that she should know this, but no matter how hard she racked her brains all she remembered about calming draught s was 'bring to a boil for seventeen and a quarter minutes, stirring counter-clockwise'.

Aubrieanna searched the common room for something to distract her from her pointless worrying, but everyone that was left sitting there seemed to be in a similar state of mind. The Gryffindor common room, famous for it's boisterous parties following victorious Quidditch matches, was comatose. Even Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black, who were frequently a source of cheer in even depressing situations, were completely silent, wondering exactly what kind of trouble their friend was in.

As it got later and later, the common room's occupants slowly climbed up the stairs to prepare for bed. Aubrieanna again checked her watch, and her suspicions grew. Few potions took much more than an hour to begin to work, and Lily had been gone longer than that. Aubrieanna stood and climbed out of the portrait hole, thankful for finding an excuse to move as she moved quietly through the corridors. There were still a few minutes for her to be wandering the halls without getting into trouble, but attracting attention still didn't seem like the thing to do tonight.

Aubrieanna's walk to the dungeons was a quick one and soon she was standing outside the door to Professor Slughorn's office, listening to two voices inside.

"All the same," Slughorn's voice was audible even while being muffled by a heavy wooden door, "I was shocked that the students have reacted as well as they did. After all, Eric was quite a popular fellow, and for James Potter to act like this is extremely confusing. Still, I haven't been asked to mix up a single calming potion." He paused before adding thoughtfully, "Although, I suppose that it is likely that there is a fairly large supply of that sort of thing in the hospital wing."

Aubrieanna recognized Professor Flitwick's distinctive squeak. "Has there been any news on what actually happened to the boy?"

"Well, it certainly appeared that it was a simple accident, but Dumbledore did summon for Professor Hyant a few hours ago, so it is possible that Dark Arts may have been involved."

"The real question I have, is to exactly what extent Mr. Potter was involved in all of this." Aubrieanna heard Flitwick say as she turned to leave the dungeons. Lily wasn't in Slughorn's office. She had never even been sent for, and if she wasn't there, where was she and what exactly did Snape want with her? Lily and Snape had certainly left the hospital wing in the general direction of the dungeons, but they could have gone almost anywhere from there. Aubrieanna didn't bother checking the Library or the Great Hall, if Snape was going to harm Lily, then he certainly wouldn't have done so in such a public part of the castle. Instead, she started to run towards the entrance hall and out on to the Hogwarts Grounds.

Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness, Aubrieanna listened carefully for signs of movement, and was rewarded by the sound of two fast-approaching sets of footsteps. As the two people drew closer, Aubrieanna was relieved to recognize Lily's voice hissing angrily at someone.

"I still fail to see how exactly any of this concerns you." She spat.

"It concerns me because Munch is a complete moron and Potter is clearly dangerous." Said a voice that was almost familiar. Aubrieanna tried hard to remember who the voice belonged to, but there was so much emotion in it that it was impossible to tell.

"Oh, and your friends are much better."

"I've told you, Lily, they aren't friends. They're... allies." The footsteps stopped.

"Whatever you're calling them, you act more like them everyday. You're so worried all the time, and so angry. And about what? You won't tell me. Every time I ask you about it you avoid the question and you lie about it! Every since the end of last year you've been impossible."

"For God's sake Lily, I can't tell you what's going on. It's just big, very big and it doesn't concern you. What I want to know, what I need to talk to you about, is why you aren't listening to the advice I gave you over Christmas. I specifically told you to keep your head down, to try to detach yourself from those Muggles, and there you are in the middle of a massive party..."

"Those Muggles are my family. You've met them. You know how much they mean to me. And the party was my sister's wedding! How was I not supposed to go?"

"I'm telling you once and for all Lily, you have to stop all this."

"Stop what? Seeing my family? Just because they're Muggles?" Lily demanded.

"It's not like that Lily, really."

"I suppose that's your problem with Eric too? That he's a Muggle-born."

"My problem with Eric is that being around him is dangerous right now."

"Why? Just because Potter knocked him off his broom you're worried about me? That's sweet, really" Lily said, almost bitterly.

"Think about it for a minute. Eric Munch has been in the hospital wing for over seven hours now. There is more going on than a simple concussion."

"That doesn't put me in danger."

"Lily, I keep telling you, every Muggle-born is in danger. I can't understand why, after all my warnings you would even consider going out with someone who openly declares he has Muggles for parents."

"Possibly because, in case it slipped your mind, my parents are Muggles too. It's never bothered you before, I can't understand why it would bother you now."

"I know what your parents are Lily. But I also know that things are changing. Look at the news. There are more murders, more missing people than ever. What didn't used to bother me..."

"So I'm not good enough to be seen with you now? Or are you just afraid?"

"I'm not afraid!" For the first time the voice sounded truly angry. After a heavy pause he continued, his voice carefully controlled. "It's not you either. It's who you're hanging around with. Munch alone is bad enough, but you're new friend Demura or whatever..."

"Aubrieanna De'Muerta. She's a good friend. And her father is pure-blood so I don't see why you should care..."

"What about her mother? No one knows anything about her. You're friend is more than likely part troll or hag or something. It's not just her though. It's Coleworth, the Pewits, Lupin. and let's not forget dear Potter."

"I don't hang around Potter. He hangs around me."

"Regardless, his family hasn't been in good graces with the rest of the pure-bloods for fifty years."

"So what are you saying? That I should refuse to speak to all my friends just because you are too ashamed to speak with me?"

"I'm saying that you're making yourself a target. A very prominent one. It needs to stop."

"Or what? You and all of the other foul-mouthed, high-and-mighty Slytherin will come and get me?"

There was a pause. Aubrieanna shrunk deeper into the shadows as she heard one set of footsteps coming closer to her. As they reach the door the figure turned and spoke again.

"Like I said, you're a target." The face of Severus Snape was visible for just a few moments before he slipped back inside the castle.

-----

Aubrieanna was had waited until Lily had went back inside the castle to make an attempt to get back to the Common Room. She took the least direct route possible, not wanting to run into Lily until she had had a chance to think about what she had just seen. Lily and Snape knew each other. They knew each other well from the sound of it, which was utterly bizarre as they were never ever seen together. But Aubrieanna had only known Lily a year, and from what Lily said they had started growing apart at the beginning of last year. Still, it sounded like Snape knew something more than Lily did.

Aubrieanna racked her brains, trying to remember anything else about the conversation she had just overheard. 'There is more going on than a simple concussion'... What did Snape think was going on? Slughorn had mentioned something about Professor Hyant, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, but he would only be needed if there was a curse or a jinx involved. Which, now that Aubrieanna had thought about it made more sense than Potter physically knocking Eric off of a broom. Eric was a good flyer, and James would have only had a split second to act. But a split second would be plenty for James to cast a spell. It seemed odd, James casting a dark spell on another student, in full view of the entire school. Certainly illogical, and James wasn't stupid. Somewhere from the back of her mind Aubrieanna remembered someone telling her that James's father had been an Auror, and if that was true, it would hardly seem right for James to use any dark arts at all.

One other thing was nagging at the back of Aubrieanna's mind. Snape had said that there more disappearances and killing than ever. Was he just referring to the Fayne murders? There had been other deaths reported in the newspaper, Aubrieanna remembered, but none of them were quite so gruesome. Back home it was completely normal for the obituaries to be filled with deaths of less-than-natural causes, so she hadn't been shocked. But if these deaths in the wizarding world were unusual, than it would appear that something was wrong.

Aubrieanna remembered a few weeks ago, when a fellow fifth year Ravenclaw student had been informed of the death of both of her parents. It was still unknown what exactly had taken place, but the important thing, the thing Aubrieanna would remember, was the look of pain on ht face of the Ravenclaw girl. Aubrieanna had seen that look so many times that she would have hoped she would have become caullose to it all. It hadn't happened yet.

As Aubrieanna buried herself in increasingly more troubling thoughts, she took a wrong turn, leading her away from the common room and back towards a large statue near Dumbledore's office. Very suddenly, she heard footsteps that were very close to being upon her. Darting behind the statue very quickly, she held her breath as she hoped that whoever was there would hurry off. There were two people whispering intently as they slowly, agonizingly slowly, it seemed, made their way up the corridor.

"I believe you mate, really I do. All I want to know is, are you sure of what you saw." The voice was very soft, but recognizable none-the-less as Sirius Black's.

"I didn't knock Munch off his broom, and I didn't jinx him. Dumbledore's proved that much with Prior Incantatem. And Munch, annoying sod that he is, is a good enough flyer that he didn't just fall off. I don't know what exactly happened, but there was dark magic involved, I saw some sort of spell come towards him, and we were flying near the Slytherin end of the field." This voice undeniably belonged to James.

"But you see what I'm saying, don't you? It's not proof."

"Yes, but when Munch finally woke up twenty minutes ago, he said the same thing. One of those slimy, greasy Slytherin were trying to pin his attack on me. And if you don't believe me..."

"I've already told you I believe you. I just doubt that everyone else will." He paused. "My point is that, as there is no real proof, the teachers can't give out a real punishment." Sirius's voice had taken a mischievous tone.

James seemed to notice this. "So what you're saying is..."

"Give the Slytherin what they deserve. And we should be twice as awful to dear Snivillus. He is, after all, the Slytherin Prefect and should do a better job keeping his housemates in line..."

Aubrieanna strained her ears to catch the rest of the conversation, but it was no good. She doubted that it would be exceptionally useful. She had already heard the most important thing: Even Eric Munch wasn't blaming his attack on Potter, which undoubtedly meant that Snape was right and that there was serious danger afoot.