Ooh fanfic is all shiny and new and it confused em for a moment but I got there in the end to give you another chapter, this one more mellow than the last.

The common room was busy, purposely busy in a way that everyone doing homework doesn't bring about. Everyone had a reason for doing homework but tonight everyone was doing it through… politeness. So they wouldn't be tempted to ask questions and speculate amongst themselves. Trix found it more annoying than if they were all muttering to their neighbours.

She paused inside the door a moment before walking towards the fire where she saw Sam sitting deep in thought. He looked understandably troubled. Still wrapped in his cloak he looked like he'd just come in from a long walk even though he'd been inside for a couple of hours. A chocolate frog was sullenly walking up his chest and over his shoulder.

Trix sat in the opposite chair and looked into the fire waiting for him to speak. This was one of those times when she wished she had a glass of wine to mull over or a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"Did Laura really go to the salon?" he asked not looking away from the window.

"Well her hair is a bit shorter like Dad said, so yeah I guess she did."

"What happened to the rest of us?"

"A memory charm was used against you. You were then imperioused and then used the curse on Sophia to keep her away from the castle for long enough. Probably told to forget you walked around the lake."

"We walked around the lake?" he continued staring out the window. "My knee doesn't even hurt."

"Because you never fell over."

"But the memory is so real."

"I know."

Trix fell silent too and looked back to the fire.

"Everyone went to their dorms." Sam said.

"How are they?"

"How are any of us?" he looked at Trix for the first time and saw that something else was troubling her. Something that went much deeper than what had happened today. It was mortal fear.

He got up and knelt in front of her taking one of her hands in his.

"Dad thinks this has to do with the vision I had."

"The one where he dies?"

She flinched. "Yes." A tear fell from her eye. "He thinks it has everything to do with that. And still he won't do anything." Her voice broke and for the first time ever Sam saw her fall from her normal confident self and crumble into a nervous wreck.

"Are you really that scared?"

"Of course I am. You're all in danger too. If I'd gone back to France…"

He sat up a little and pulled her into his arms where she quietly sobbed the evening away telling him about how she dreamed it every night and when waking it was like she lost him all over again even though it had never happened. She sat in the chair long after everyone else had gone to bed and Sam sat opposite her in his chair once her tears had dried out.

"You'll be allowed to see your parents tomorrow I think." Trix said at long last. She walked towards the dorms.

Sam stood from his chair. "Trixabelle… Sleep well."

"Don't stay up too late."

In the morning there were whisperings in the Great Hall which Trixabelle and her friends ignored. Laura was still in the hospital wing but was to be let out shortly after breakfast. It was the first time they had all been together since visiting Laura in the hospital wing and they all knew the truth of their actions. None of the guys dared look at Sophia whether through shame or fear that she would say something to hurt them. They ate in a subdued silence and didn't look up from their plates and let the people around them tell the Slytherins to shut up and leave them alone.

Unsurprisingly it was already in the Daily Prophet but Trix didn't have the heart to set the paper on fire. Nor did she or her friends eat much.

"Your parents are awaiting you." A voice said. It was Severus.

Everyone but Trix got up from the table and hurried towards the guest rooms.

"Trixabelle?"

"You're already here." she sipped at a goblet.

"You should come anyway."

She looked at him across the table and fixed him with a disinterested look.

"Come now, Bella, we mustn't be late."

"What?"

"Nothing." He said distractedly and walked out the hall.

They went to the guest lounge where everyone's parents were anxiously waiting. Laura was already there being fussed over by her parents. Others were being hugged and a few tears were shed. After a few moments they all joined Trixabelle and Severus on the sofas.

"None of you are to go to Hogsmeade until the person who did this is found." Severus started without preamble. He paused expecting one of them to say that it was unfair but what happened seemed to have shocked them into submission. "Aurors are on their way."

Trixabelle turned her head to look out of a large window at the warm day outside. Other students were already making their way to Hogsmeade for their last chance of escape from the castle grounds before they were locked in for the next three weeks. Once again she wondered what had really happened to all of them whilst there yesterday. Yesterday which already seemed a million miles away. A hand closed over hers.

"You are all to remain here for your safety."

"You will keep us posted, won't you, Severus?" Sophia's mum, Madison, asked.

"Of course."

"Thank you, Severus." She said and turned back to her daughter.

Everyone else took that as a sign that the meeting was over and ventured out to separate corners of the room for privacy. Severus beckoned Trixabelle into an antechamber where there were just two seats. Neither of them sat down.

"How were they last night?" Severus asked.

"All went straight to bed apart from Sam. He's confused, troubled by it all. Stayed up late thinking."

"You told him what we spoke of?"

She nodded now wondering if it was a wise decision. At the same time though she knew he wouldn't tell anyone and felt mollified at the thought.

"You were right to share it. He will help you I'm sure."

Trixabelle nodded and looked up at him. "Are we still having a class today?"

"In the evening perhaps –"

"'Perhaps'? My friends could have been killed!"

"You need some time to recover. Go to my lounge and sit by the fire."

"I have homework to do."

"Not today. Rest. Recover. Write to your Aunt and Uncle if you want but do not do any homework."

"You're busy?" she asked in a small voice.

"The Aurors will arrive soon."

Trixabelle nodded and slipped out of the room.

Severus than made his way up to his office where two Aurors were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He spoke the password and let them up asking them how many were coming and how long until they all arrived.

"Another two I think. Will be here by night fall." One of them, a scarred woman with black hair and olive skin said in an accented voice. Her name was Millicent and was going to captain all those that came to the school. "Tell us what happened and we'll sort them when they arrive."

Ten minutes later he was quietly closing the door of his lounge behind him. Sat on the sofa where she had spent many days sleeping at the start of the year Trixabelle was writing a letter. She looked more content than she had in the past few long hours.

There isn't much more to tell of what happened over the weekend, not that it's quite over yet. I'll be glad when it is.

Dad's just come back. Earlier than we both expected but I don't feel quite so lonely anymore. Or jealous.

I'm still worried about him though. I wish he would act or show at least some sign of fear of dying. I don't understand him at all sometimes. I wish you were here to talk some sense into him. Not only would it be great to see him getting told off for real as apposed to a Howler but maybe he might fight it. He even thinks the attacks are linked to the vision I had. Why is it he's doing everything to keep everyone but himself safe? Is it that he hasn't actually accepted it at all? That he's afraid? I know he is even if he won't admit it. When we were talking about it last night I could see it in his eyes for a moment.

The Daily Prophet has already picked the story up and blown it out of proportion and spun some lies in it no doubt. This isn't doing anything for his chances at the trial in January. I don't even know if he has a plan to keep himself out of Azkaban. He's far to calm about that too. I don't even know if it's entered his mind that this will make the trial worse for him. Why doesn't he seem at all concerned about himself?

All my friends are still pretty shaken. Sophia and Laura especially. The guys won't look at either of them for whatever reason. I don't see why they don't just apologise. They'll understand. Won't they?

And why Laura, not me? I maybe would have been able to fight off the Imperious Curse and captured the person who did it and we'd have some answers. Who ever is behind this has already tired to kill Professor Trelawney. Who says it won't be one of them next?

I guess… well I don't know.

I found the cloak you wrapped for me. Unfortunately the scarf is serving as a bandage at the minute – Dad got hit by the Whomping Willow. That tree keeps giving him trouble lately. Do you think they get dementia too? The gloves work wonders and the hood does stay on in the wind. I think the shoulder has almost knitted itself back together – the willow took a chunk out of it, but your genious, Aunt Ruth appears to be paying off. And the pockets are awesome at hiding sweets.

Love you always,

Trixabelle.

She gave the letter to her owl Horizon and stood by the window for a couple of minutes watching her disappear. With a sigh she turned back into the room where her dad was reading a letter of his.

"You still haven't got that sorted?" she asked looking at his bandaged hand. "Like the bandage too much? I told you we'd move onto red soon."

"Madam Pomfrey has been busy enough." he said.

Trix sighed and rummaged around in a desk for a bandage thinking there should surely be some left over from when she was injured. When she found one she sat next to Severus and took his hand in hers. He went to pull it away but she fixed him a glare and began undoing the scarf from round his hand.

"Did you even wash this out?" she asked brushing dried blood away from the wound. She got up and filled a bowl with water.

Cutting some of the bandage off, she gently wiped the blood, dirt and tiny bits of twig away. She caught his eye for a moment and gave him an exasperated look. She went back to wiping dirt away and he flinched.

"Well no wonder it bloody hurts!" she said a few moments later. She got up and found a bottle of pain medicine, also left over from when she was injured. "Sip this. Constantly."

She then took his hand back in hers and braced herself. She'd never been the best with digging around in wounds to get bits of dirt out. The twig that was still buried under her dad's skin suddenly made dirt look insignificant. Grasping it between her fingers she held her dad's arm tight with her other hand and tugged it until it came all the way out.

"Two inches of willow, Dad. Collecting to make a wand?"

A reflexive smile appeared on his face and he drank some more medicine.

"You seem better."

"Everyday tasks." She shrugged.

"This is an everyday task?"

"Well, not quite but… Fancy a game of wizards' chess?"

"After lunch." He said as the bell tolled. "You awoke very late. All of you."

At the table none of the guys were looking at Laura or Sophia but staring at their plates whilst conversing with the people around them. Sophia and Laura kept their conversation between themselves and their parents. Trix sat in the gap between Archie's dad, and her dad surprised her by sitting next her and Sophia. Sam was opposite Severus.

"This could be awkward for awhile." Trix murmured.

"Give them time." He said taking the proffered morning paper from Madison.

On the front was a picture of Trix and her friends with Severus in the Broomsticks sitting at their table with the title Memory Charms, Imperious Curses and Whomping Willows. It was written by Rita Skeeter. Trixabelle asked if she could just blow it up now to save the effort of reading it but he read it all the same. After a while he actually became very interested which made Trixabelle lean over to look at it.

The beginning was predictably a load of rubbish, the middle detailed what had happened during the day and the end slandered her dad. The interesting thing was the picture in the middle – another one of them all sat in the Broomsticks. In the background was an adult who looked like he was paying them far too much attention and fitted Aberforth's description of the man who had run away behind the Whomping Willow.

"Laura, Sophia, guys," Trix said taking the paper from Severus and lay it down as flat as she could on the still food covered table, "do any of you recognise this man?"

They all crowded round the paper and studied it for a moment.

"No." Archie firmly said with a shake of his head. He sat back down and so did all the others.

"That was a yes if ever I saw one even though I don't recognise him either." Trix whispered to her dad who nodded once in response. "Go and show the Aurors. I'll be fine."

Severus left.

"Where's he going?" Sophia asked.

"To tell the Aurors that's the guy they're looking for."

"But none of us recognised him, Trix." Sam said.

"Yes we did. We've just been told not to tell anyone."

"Look, Trix I know you want to protect –"

"It's nothing to do with that. He knows what he's doing." Trix took a bite of her sandwich and the rest of lunch passed without a word exchanged between them.

Mellow and relaxing. Nothing much happened but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Please review!

Next time we find out who was in the vision Trix had and who's going to kill her father...

Harry Potter belongs entirely to J.K. Rowling