Sorry it's been so dreadfully long, but I've had to make a deal with myself. I'm running out of pre-written chapters so I've told myself that I can't update before wroting another one. I'm hoping it's going to work to get me back into the saddle of things. Anyway, I won't keep you waiting for this chapter. READ ON!
Friday 23rd - Wednesday 28th February 1996
Friday 23rd
Morning
Great Hall
Hogwarts
Abigail was talking in a hushed voice with Potter, Weasley and Longbottom. She wasn't doing it inconspicuously either. It matched the Weasley boy's lack of skill in espionage at least.
"They can't be plotting anything Snape." Umbridge dutifully ensured me in her scratchy voice. "They are being too conspicuous. Besides, Abigail will tell us if they are."
"A fact I am well aware of." I patiently replied. "Tell me, has your inquisitorial squad made an impact on the students?" I loathed to have a conversation with her but she had the answers I needed.
"Of course." She simpered. "I have a mass detention with many a Gryffindor and a few Ravenclaws tonight. They will be writing lines. Care to join us?"
I felt sick at how she could discuss the slow torture of the students in such a casual manor. People like her did not deserve to live. "I will no doubt have a detention of my own."
"Oh a shame." She replied. "I would have liked to get to know you better."
Care of Magical Creatures
Before DADA
"Keep your heads down in her class, Harry." I advised. "You too, Ron. We need as many of us to go as possible. There's already a bunch of us in detention with her."
"Stop worrying, Abigail." Ron sighed. "You're driving me insane."
"Alright, but whatever you do, don't react to anyone in the inquisit – omhp." I was shoved to the floor and face planted a puddle of mud.
"Oi!" Ron shouted.
I quickly scrambled up to see him pointing his wand at Pansy Parkinson.
"Walk away, Weasley." She snarled. "This one is between me and Snape."
"Her name's Abigail." Ron growled back.
"Leave it, Ron." I told him and pushed him back to the creature he was supposed to be looking after. "What's up, Pansy?" I asked as I wiped my face.
"I know you're up to something." She said quietly and stepped closer to me. "Something you're not telling Draco and Professor Snape. Something you're not telling the Dark Lord. I'm going to find out what it is and then I will tell your master whether you're his daughter or not."
"Save it, Parkinson. Your parents are barely looked at by my father. He won't even glance at you. I can either tell him that you've insulted me or you can beg my forgiveness. I find it amusing to take pity on the innocent and naïve. For a time."
"How long?" she gulped with a pale face.
"Until I grow board of them."
"I beg your forgiveness, My Lady." She said with a bowed head and hid her trembling lip. "I will never insult you again. I am shamed to have done so."
"It would serve you well to remember this shame, Pansy." I said dismissively and then turned back to Ron and Harry.
Pansy walked off. Both of my friends were pale faced with shock and disbelief.
"You're scary, you know that?" Ron asked with a gulp.
"I'm not scary." I said with a sigh. "Abigail Riddle is."
Abigail, ask a forth year Gryffindor if any of the potions students are already in detention.
Uh, okay….
They're not as far as Ginny knows. Isn't Luna in that lesson too?
Miss Lovegood? Yes. Tell them both to disrupt my lesson.
There wasn't much more I could do until the class arrived. It was actually one of the more enjoyable classes I had as the Gryffindors had learned to at least keep the noise down and the Ravenclaws were, well, Ravenclaws. Intelligent. Miss Lovegood was especially good at potions. I wondered how much of this plan would have to do with exploding cauldrons and screaming children. I hoped not much.
I only had to wait five minutes before the class filed in and calmly took to their seats. Neither the Misses Weasley or Lovegood looked like they knew anything unusual was going to happen which I took as a blessing. It was going to be unexpected. All the better.
I set them to work on a simple pepper-up potion and then took to stalking the class just waiting for the distraction to come.
When it did come it was spectacular. From two cauldrons a blast of light and plumes of smoke erupted into the classroom, turning the air thick. A couple of girls began to scream and a couple of the boys yelled in surprise, but the smoke cleared away quick enough. Weasley and Lovegood looked like Seamus Finnegan did after most of my practical lessons – faces blackened out with soot and hair awry.
"What," I began quietly, dangerously, "do you two have to say for yourselves?"
"She did it." they said at the same time and pointed at each other.
"Need I deal with not only your Gryffindor idiocy and lack of intelligence you are supposed to possess," I looked between them, "but must I also endure a childish squabble? Miss Weasley, need I request your mother to send one of her infamous howlers?"
"No sir." She said looking at the wall, so defiant. I picked up on it.
"Do not, Miss Weasley, take that tone with me." I ghosted over to her. "Tell me your pathetic side of the story."
"Luna swapped my ingredients over, Sir."
"Indeed." That, Abigail knew, was the ultimate sin in my classroom. It was a good reason for me to get me angry enough to do what I was about to. I turned to Miss Lovegood and stalked over there too in a swirl of my robes. "And why, Miss Lovegood, has your cauldron exploded?"
"She swapped my ingredients over too, sir." She replied in her Irish lilt.
"Only because you –"
"Quiet!" I barked over the top of the impending argument. "Were you not informed at the beginning of your time here that the swapping over of ingredients would earn the whole class detention?"
"Yes, sir." They both muttered.
"Everyone will present themselves back here at seven this evening." Everyone else groaned. "Dismissed."
They filed out muttering amongst themselves and shooting glances at the Weasley and Lovegood girls. I smirked after them and waited for seven in the evening to roll around.
Dinner
Great Hall
"Abigail, what was all that about earlier? He put us in detention." Ginny asked as soon as she sat down and interrupted my conversation with Neville.
First of all I frowned, then it hit me. "Saves you getting put in detention with Umbridge just for walking around." I shrugged. "Trust him."
"Right." she didn't sound impressed.
"You mean he didn't tell you if there was more to the plan?"
"There's more to the plan?" she arched her eyebrow.
"I hope so. Hang on."
I took my enchanted parchment out and asked him.
"He says there is." I told them.
"Well?" Ginny asked. "What is it?"
"Didn't say."
She scowled a bit more and sat down a little further down the table.
7-'0'-clock
Potions Classroom
The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws filed into my classroom each looking as sullen as the last. They sat down without having to be told and silently looked at their desks. Some looked at them in puzzlement as there were piles of paper on them and others were empty. The empty places were fewer in number and were most noticeable on the Gryffindor side but there were a few on the Ravenclaw side.
"Those with papers on their desks will remain here and copy out the information with complete concentration. The rest of you go through the door directly opposite this one and your task will become apparent."
Weasley looked over to Lovegood and then they got up already slowly putting the pieces together. Their companions soon followed knowing that the opportunity would not rise again.
7:30pm
Detention Room
"Look what I found, Professor." Draco bragged as he dragged me into the detention room.
Row upon row of desks had been set out and every single one was taken up by a student and each of them were holding a blood quill. They all looked up with Draco's announcement.
"Who said you could look up?" Umbridge asked in her scratchy voice.
Everyone got back to work.
Draco pushed me to a desk that suddenly appeared at the back of the room. I knew the drill well enough – I'd heard complaints about this type of detention all over the castle. I began writing her mantra: I must not tell lies.
Ironic that. It was my job to tell lies. The message wouldn't be sinking in any time soon.
We all sat there until ten in the evening writing the lines over and over again in our own blood. People began to softly gasp as the pain of the words prickled and sunk in. I felt it too towards the end of our time and the back of my hand slowly began to bleed. At the next Death Eater meeting I was going to rat her out so fast she wasn't going to know what happened.
"You are dismissed." We were told. "I hope you carry this message with you, always. Hehe."
I resisted the urge to hex her into oblivion and walked from the room and headed not towards Gryffindor tower but to mine and Sev's quarters.
He was sat at his desk marking papers when I got there with a pot of tea steaming by his side. Charity was in there too. She smiled when she saw me but it faltered when she saw the anger in my eyes.
"Didn't it go very well?" she asked.
"Wouldn't know. A group of us almost got caught by the squad so I delayed them while the fifth years went to the meeting."
"Oh, well that was noble of –" she gasped. "What happened to your hand?"
Sev looked up too.
"Detention happened." I drawled.
Severus got up from the desk thunder in his eyes. He walked over to me and examined the wound with a delicate hands and concerned eyes.
"I can handle it, Sev." I said in what I hoped was a calming voice.
"Leave it to me." he said and then swept out of the room.
I watched uneasily after him.
Dolores Umbridge's Office
The door banged open which made the wretched woman jump from her chair. It banged closed behind me after bouncing off the wall.
"Severus! What a surprise." She stuttered and fell back into her chair shrinking into it.
I stalked round the desk using a little magic to make the folds of my robes billow out behind me for effect. The room went unnaturally cold and the windows frosted over as if a Dementor were passing by. The tea froze over in its pink teacup.
"The Dark Lord will not be pleased when he discovered your transgression." I said in a calm voice that anyone with half a brain cell knew not to argue with. I kind of hoped she didn't possess even half a brain cell so that I had an excuse to completely lose my temper with her. It was difficult enough as it was.
"She sat down Severus she –"
"Was keeping her cover however with your help she could have kept it without being hurt. You must use your intellect more."
"How could I when she put me in that situation?"
"Lie." I straightened up and walked back around the desk. "The Dark Lord will be most displeased when he hears about your mistake. Until you see judgement from him you will no doubt remember that Abigail is also my sister and not only am I protective of her, but her familiar is too. I will not protect you from the feline." I slipped out the door and charmed the multiple cats on the walls to screech an off key rendition of the infamous muggle song 'I know something you don't know'.
Just as the door was beginning to close Lynx slipped in.
Saturday 24th
Dolores Umbridge's Office
Mid-Morning
The pathetic woman looked scared as soon as I walked into the room. I let her stay scared for a while as I leisurely looked around the room and turned the volume of the damned annoying charm Sev had put on the plates down to a dull hum. It still grated on my nerves. Then I looked out of her window and then look my time to sit down in front of her desk. I morosely wondered how many other people had been regular visitors in here.
Lynx was sat on the window sill glaring at the woman with unblinking eyes. Umbridge looked uncomfortable under her gaze.
"My brother has already paid you a visit I believe?" I asked the wall behind her fat head. "You are lucky he was able to control his temper before he arrived for he left our rooms in a tempest of fury." I looked down to her with a sneer of displeasure. It wasn't faked. "You should have intervened last night. None in the Inner Circle like to be associated with incompetence and my father especially does not like it. I would hate to have to tell him that I have been surrounded by incompetence all year. You are already walking a fine line, Dolores. Do not make it a wire." Without looking at her a moment longer I stood from the chair and walked out of the room changing the cat's warbling to "I know a song that will get on your nerves".
Hospital wing
Miss Granger was eating toast when I arrived. There was a book in her lap and a note book by her side. She had a pen in her hand. Poppy had informed Minerva that she'd been awake for most of the day yesterday but hadn't been strong enough to move around. She'd asked for me again. Like Abigail's taxi service I was at her beck and call.
She didn't notice me until I was sat in the chair by her bedside.
"You are much recovered." I noted.
She gasped. "I didn't see you there, sir."
"I am no longer Severus then?" I jested to try and relieve the tension. It worked when I had to get Abigail to open up. Miss Granger looked shocked and embarrassed.
"I did not mean… I was…."
"Delirious." I said for her. "Madam Pomfrey said you wished to speak with me."
"Yes." She looked relieved at the change of subject. It was something we were both prepared to talk about and knew how to handle. "I wondered how you were both coping with the guilt."
"It would have been easier if you had not repelled the healing spells we used." I said pointedly.
She rightly looked shamed and looked at her knees. I pressed the advantage whilst I had it.
"Did I not tell you that you were to be Abigail's confidant and nothing more? Was it not our agreement that you would stay out of the war as much as possible even if it made mine and Abigail's lives more difficult? Were you not supposed to follow our instructions a discussed before you were even allowed to agree to enter this situation?" she didn't respond but looked despondently at her knees. "I am waiting, Miss Granger."
"Yes, sir." She whispered. A teardrop fell onto the quilt. "I did not mean to worry you."
"You succeeded more brilliantly than even you could have hoped to." I snapped.
"I'm sorry."
"Good." I sat back in my chair and folded my arms satisfied that she'd apologise to my sister as soon as she saw her. "I am glad you are safe. We will talk more of the technicalities when you are better." I dropped the angry professor guise and talked to her as I would Abigail. "Is there anything you would like to talk about? I know what going though that is like."
"No." she shook her head vigorously. "I know I'll have to I just… can't. Not yet. It still hurts too much."
"Very well. Remember that both Abigail and I are always available to talk to."
"I know. Thank you."
"You must rest if you wish to see your friends later. I believe they are allowed to visit after lunch." I stood up to leave.
She finally looked up from her knees with a smile on her face. "I will. Thank you for coming… Severus." She said tentatively.
"Do not think on it, Hermione." I allowed a hand to rest on her shoulder and then I swept out of the room.
After Dinner
Hospital Wing
Madam Poppy Pomfrey looked down at the three of us with her stern gaze. We'd run all the way here after dinner, a message from Sev saying we were allowed to see Hermione at last. Excitement bubbled within the three of us but we simmered a little under that gaze and looked at her solemnly.
"There will be no loud noise, incessant question asking or fast movements." We were told. "And, Abigail, do not squeeze the air out of her." she raised her stern eyebrow. "In you go."
She opened the doors for us and we walked in. Hermione was sat in a chair with a blanket on her knees and a thick jumper on even though it was a nice day outside. We waked over to her as her smile widened. Subconsciously our pace picked up and we had to hold ourselves back from running at her. When we did stop walking we stood in an awkward crescent around her.
"Hey." She smiled.
"Hi." We replied at the same time.
"How are you?" Ron asked.
"Fine." she replied with a smile even though she wasn't. "Madam Pomfrey says I'll only be in here for another month or so."
"Another month!"
"Oh Ronald, did you really expect any –"
I flew towards her and hugged her round the neck with tears already falling from my eyes.
"Don't ever do that to me again!" I scalded. Then I realised I was doing exactly what I shouldn't be and let her breathe again. I didn't let her go though. "I'm so glad you're alright."
"I'm sorry." She cried into my shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Hey." I soothed and rubbed her back. "You're home now. You're safe."
"Yeah." she nodded and sat up. "How was the meeting? Dumbledore's Army?"
"It was great!" Ron exclaimed. "Harry was fantastic!"
"Neville almost got my wand." Harry grinned.
"And you, Abigail?" Hermione asked looking over to me where I was sat on her bed.
"Didn't make it. Detention with –"
"Abbie what happened to your hand?" she gasped and leaned over to look at it. She gasped as she leaned over and fell back against her chair.
"Hermione!" both Ron and Harry exclaimed and rushed forward.
I pushed through them to that she had some space and waved my wand over her. "No damage done. Try to sit still, Hermione." I told her as she recovered. She was holding Ron's hand.
"I'm alright." She said a moment later and relaxed. "Tell me what happened. Everything." She looked between Ron and Harry with excited eyes. "Did S… Snape help teach you?"
I narrowed my eyes at her when I saw a light blush creep onto her face.
"No." Harry began. "Loads of us got put in detention with Umbridge so in return he put the fourth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws – Ginny and Luna's class – in mass detention then he sent a note to me telling me that there needed to be a tunnel connecting his classroom and the Room of Requirement. We were ten minutes in and then most of their class came through the tunnel! It was brilliant, Hermione!" he looked at me. "Tell Professor Snape thanks for me."
"Oh do it yourself, Harry! He isn't that scary." Hermione snapped.
"Isn't that scary?" Ron asked. "Hermione the foul git tortured you!"
"He's not a foul git, Ronald!" she flared in his defence and looked like she wanted to get up and slap him. "When I was… there…" she forced the word out, "he did his best to help me and he's been looking after me since I got back. You have a lot to thank him for including my life."
"I'm –"
"Go. Leave."
For a long moment no one moved. Then slowly Harry stood up and tugged Ron with him. I stayed sat down. Hermione waited until they were out the doors before she talked. She didn't look at me.
"Will you help me into bed?" she asked.
"Of course." I replied.
She moved slowly and stiffly. I offered to levitate her but she refused, she was too independent for that. I had to be careful to not let her strain too much. I hated having to do it; the Hermione I knew was independent and headstrong and didn't rely on others for help. When she got into the bed she sank into it.
"I'd like to be alone."
"Alright." I said in a sad voice and quietly walked out of the hospital wing.
Harry and Ron were waiting for me outside. Ron was busy looking at the floor.
"How is she?" Harry asked.
"Tired. Come with me, I want to show you something." I said and walked towards Dumbledore's office.
"Can I help you three?" Dumbledore asked. "Why, Mr. Weasley what ever is the matter?"
Ron finally looked up from the floor. "We just went to see Hermione, sir."
"Ah, I see." He said in his all knowing way. "And how is Miss Granger?"
"Alright, sir."
"You don't agree, Abigail?"
"She was alright until Ron insulted Sev in front of her. Can I borrow your pensieve, Dumb-er-Dore? I need so show him something for Hermione's sake."
"Of course." He smiled. "I'll pay Miss Granger a visit I think."
"She wants to be alone right now."
"No matter I will visit Argus instead." He glided from the room and closed the door behind him.
Harry and Ron looked at me with a question in their eyes. I didn't answer them until I'd opened the cabinet I knew contained the pensieve. I took my wand to my temple and pulled at an appropriate memory. I hadn't done this before but had been told how to do it and the consequences of getting it wrong. They weren't good. I was relying on the fear of spending the next decade in St. Mungo's to help me get it right.
"What did you just do?" Ron asked and pointed at my head. "What was that thing?"
"A memory." I explained. "The pensieve allows you to examine memories, even ones that aren't your own. Care to join me?" I asked and looked into the magic bowl.
I landed in the memory less than gracefully. I wasn't the only one because Harry and Ron landed on their arses too. I paused the memory before it could play.
"You saw him on the train after we both had to hurt Hermione. This happened the night we got back here."
I turned back to the memory and played it.
Severus was in our lounge alone by the fire. I was stood in the kitchen door way but he thought I was in bed and had no idea I was stood behind him. The fire burned low plunging everything into deep shadow making the room look small and close. Severus leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands. Stress lined his weary face and tension made hunched shoulders.
He sighed and got up as an old man would – supporting himself on the arms of the chair and moved slowly as if the effort was too great.
"He looks depressed." Ron whispered.
"He never wanted to let her go." I whispered feeling the pain of the memory all over again as if it really was only just happening. "He was furious, but he never let it show. Not in front of me at least."
The Severus in the memory shuffled from the mantle piece towards the kitchen. He wasn't looking where he was going and kicked a stool that had been left by the wall. He didn't seem to notice.
"Sev?" the memory me asked. I mouthed the word at the same time and had to remind myself that even if I did reach out to him he wouldn't feel or acknowledge it.
He looked up in surprise and quickly schooled his features and straightened up. In the memory I touched his face and stroked his cheek with my thumb. "It couldn't have been anyone else."
"I know." He sighed and drew me into a hug.
I ended the memory and we were spat out from the pensieve and landed on the floor on our backs. We all slowly got up and looked at each other for a moment.
"I guess we should thank Professor Snape for helping us out then." Harry said. "Coming, Ron?"
I smiled a small, victorious smile and quietly pulled my enchanted parchment out as we descended the stairs. Sev was in his office and was going to wait for us.
Severus Snape's Office
Evening
Pansy Parkinson was one of the least tolerable Slytherins I had the displeasure to teach. She was intelligent as the majority of them were but she didn't apply herself and preferred to latch herself onto Draco than pay attention in class. Even in potions she didn't put in her full effort. Which was exactly why she was sat in my office re-doing the last essay which she'd failed. She had the audacity to look board.
Then the unthinkable happened. Potter put in an appearance with Ronald Weasley at the opportune time.
"Have you finally decided to apologise for your many transgressions in my class Misters Potter and Weasley?" I asked and leaned back in the chair.
"We were wondering, Sir, if we could talk to you for a minute." Potter said. "Uh… in private." He glanced over at Parkinson.
I looked at them for a moment wondering what the trick was, what they were planning. There had to be something they were up to. Some ulterior motive at the very least.
"Very well. Miss Parkinson, come back in five minutes."
"Yes, Sir." She said and scuttled from the classroom.
The door closed.
"Well?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, sir, we… We want to apologise for being so… so…"
"Yes, Potter?"
"Gryffindorish?" he asked.
Reading between the lines I understood his meaning. Still making him say it out loud was going to be a lot more satisfying than taking this explanation.
"I do not believe 'Gryffindorish' is a word, Mr. Potter."
"Fine. We'll… act more like Abigail from now on. We're sorry for being so annoying."
"And what divine light has inspired this apology? Mr. Weasley may for once be more literate."
He looked up from the rug for the first time. "Hermione said you've been helping to look after her."
"At last. Something has made you see that there is something more important than your rule breaking and idiotic bravery. Send Miss Parkinson in on your way out."
"Oh, bloody hell, Severus," Abigail sighed and walked in closing the door behind her. "Take the olive branch."
"There is only so much I can do." I said looking at all of them. "Here at Hogwarts we must be enemies and we seldom see each other outside of the castle. The 'olive branch' is all but redundant. We don't have to like each other we just have to trust each other."
Abigail shook her head. "Give us a moment guys."
They both walked out.
"Why can't you just –"
"Because I can't, Abigail. You know that."
"They're my friends, Severus! The war isn't as important as this!"
"For the moment it has to be."
"Why? Because you said so?" she glared and stalked out the room.
I sighed and called Parkinson back in.
Wednesday 28th February
Early Morning
Before Breakfast
Hospital Wing
Hermione was awake when I arrived and was talking to Albus. She seemed stronger than she had on Saturday already. Maybe the old man was working some magic on her as they spoke.
"Severus!" He called when he saw me. "A pleasant surprise. Miss Granger was kindly telling me about the last conversation you had together." His eyes were twinkling. Damn him.
"Indeed?" I asked and sat in the chair that was conjured for me. It was large and over comfortable which was exactly what I needed.
Abigail hadn't talked to me since Saturday evening and had barely participated in class. All I got from her were accusing, betrayed looking eyes which hurt a lot more than I thought it would. I needed to get her to open up, but I didn't know how. Not when she refused to talk to me.
"You are recovering well." I said to Miss Granger.
"I'm still going to be in here for a month." she grouched. "I should be helping Harry with Dumbledore's Army and making sure Ron gets all his homework done and helping Abigail with coping with the –"
"Do not worry, Miss Granger," Albus soothed. "I will make an appearance at the next meeting if it will put you at ease."
"You'd… You're busy with the war –"
He raised a hand to silence her. "Which must be fought on all fronts. I am quite interested in what my army looks like." He chuckled and winked, "I heard it was quite a success."
I listened to them talking until after the bell for breakfast tolled. I didn't have a class for the entire morning and spent an extra half an hour listening to them before going to mark essays in my office.
Charity Burbage was waiting for me when I arrived. She was drinking tea and looking at an essay that I knew wouldn't make much sense to her. I sat in the chair opposite her.
"You and Abigail are not talking?" she asked.
"A disagreement about Potter and Weasley." I said wearily. "She wanted an olive branch to be extended."
"And you said no?" she asked in exasperation. "It would make the war so much easier for her!"
"But not for me!" I snapped. "Everyone assumes that this is easy for me but it is not. I have to balance more than her and if Potter is the one that takes the back seat before her safety then so be it!" I looked fiercely at her and vaguely realised that I had shot out of my seat and had been gesturing with my hands in sharp, angular motions.
"So she is involved then?" she whispered.
"She is the Dark Lord's daughter. Compared to keeping her safe from that Potter and the rest of the Gryffindors are nothing. If you cannot accept that then it is best that you stay out of it."
"I… I have some papers to mark." She said and swiftly left the room wiping her eyes.
A few minutes later Minerva walked in and looked at me as if I were a misbehaving student once more.
"Would you care to explain why I just found Charity sobbing in the corridor?" she demanded and snatched the essay I was reading out of my hands. It was just as well I hadn't actually been reading it but glaring at it to try and sooth my temper.
"She made unfair accusations." I replied.
"I'd like the rest of it, Severus Snape." Her imperious voice rang through the room and made me feel like a child again. I knew what she was referring to but now that I was about to say it out loud again I realised what I'd just done and how stupid I'd been, what danger I'd exposed Abigail to.
"How am I going to fix this?" I asked her. I'd been stupid once today, I couldn't afford to do it twice.
"Talk to her. Both of them. Explain yourself properly no matter how uncomfortable it makes you. And, Severus, do it today before the fractured bridges burn."
She walked out of the office and quietly shut the door behind her. I followed her a moment later. I knew that Abigail had a free lesson now and I intended to find her.
I happened to see her down at Hagrid's hut when I was going up the astronomy tower. I hurried back down it almost crashing into Charity as she came up it. She teetered backwards but I quickly held her steady.
"Excuse me, Professor Snape." She said with her head down and tried to move passed me. I swiftly blocked her way. "I'm rather busy, Sever –"
"You have no lessons at th –"
"Please don't make me shout at you." She whispered to the floor. "I still don't know what to think and I have a class to teach in half an hour I need a clear head. Come and find me after class."
I let her pass and made my way back down the staircase and headed outside.
"I think yeh in for it this time, Severus." Hagrid warned when I was near his hut. "She's in the vegetable patch at the moment." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and then turned back to the class of seventh years he was teaching. They were looking at Fawkes quietly drawing him.
Fortunately the vegetable patch was over a slight brow and round the corner. Abigail waved when she saw me. So much for having my head ripped off. I waked over to her to see her digging up beetroots with a trowel.
"Charity told me what you said to her." she began without preamble and in a stronger voice than I was expecting considering the topic of conversation. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. I just sometimes forget that you're not a superhero."
I chuckled. I couldn't help myself. "A superhero?" she didn't reply but pulled another vegetable up.
"You know, maybe you need a confidant too." Abigail mused. Then she straightened up with a gasp. "What time is it?" she grabbed for my right wrist and pulled the sleeve up. "Ah hell. I need to get to the top of the divination tower in three minutes."
I shook my head as she ran out of the vegetable patch and watched her as she hurried towards the castle.
Divination Tower
I slammed the trap door open and hauled myself through it even though my chest was heaving and my heart hammering a fast, rhythmic tattoo in my chest.
"Whatever is that racket?" Trelawney asked from the front of the classroom.
"Sorry – Profess – or – Trew – lawn – ey – " I gasped holding a stitch that was at my side as I staggered though the chairs and tables to plonk myself down between Ron and Harry. Lavender and Parvati wrinkled their noses – I smelled like dragon dung fertiliser. Even Ron and Harry moved away and they both had colds and blocked up noses.
"Yes, well, my dear…" Trelawney began not sure where to start. She turned round and picked up a few burning incense sticks and put them on the table. "Harry, my dear boy, will you help her catch up?" she walked away and stood behind Neville.
"Where have you been?" Ron asked incredulously as he covered his nose with his scarf.
"Hagrid's." I said simply and waved my wand over myself and siphoned the dung and its smell away. Ron relaxed. "You two really should go and see Madam Pomfrey about those colds." I looked down at the book that had been handed out. "Dreams?" I asked remembering what I'd learned about them with Narcissa. It wasn't all that interesting actually.
Midnight
Staffroom
Minerva looked like she wanted to impart one of her infamous rants upon us. I made her her usual cup of tea with cream and put it in her hands. She clenched it and the tension went from her face to her hands. She took a breath and then looked between Charity and I.
"Say what you wish to say, Charity." She said.
"I don't have anything to say to Severus." Charity retorted, looked in the other direction and sipped her coffee.
"You are angry with Severus." Minerva stated.
"Not so much as disappointed."
I flinched in my chair and bit my tongue before I said something that would upset her even more. I was of the opinion that we should just obliviate her but apparently it wasn't 'morally right'. It was a lot easier though and safer for all of us.
"Can you not see why we did not tell you?"
"I do not have to like it, Minerva." Charity snapped and slammed her coffee down on the table that was beside her. "I helped look after Abigail as if she were my own! Don't I deserve to know who she really is?"
"We thought it safer for Abigail if fewer people knew." I said in a neutral voice.
"She said that too, though she looked relieved when I told her I know." She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "I trusted you to always tell the truth. I trusted you to have Abigail's best interests at heart!"
"I do!" I shouted and flew out of my seat. I was vaguely aware of Minerva throwing her hands up in defeat. "Do not dare to accuse me otherwise! There was no way of keeping her out of this! Do you not think I would have risked everything if there was a way to keep her safe? I – "
"Severus!" Albus's voice boomed through the room stopping me mid-rant. I turned to face him. "I need you in my office. Preferably with a cool head." he winked and then Apparated back from where he'd come from.
Charity took the opportunity to leave and stalked from the room slamming the door behind herself. Minerva sighed and stayed slumped in her chair for a moment. I was at a momentary loss.
"Well, that went well." Minerva said.
"It was never going to go well, Minerva. Excuse me." I waked over to the floo and went to the headmaster's office.
A long forgotten figure sat in one of the chairs in Albus's office. I hadn't seen her since my Hogwarts years but she was easy enough to recognise as no one had hair quite a silvery as her, not even Dumbledore.
Evelyn Umbridge, niece of Dolores Umbridge, was a fellow Slytherin from my year and had been the only Slytherin to stand by me in my friendship with Lily and so we became fast friends also. She thought me an idiot for following Dark Arts, but she didn't berate me for it because she was secretly interested in them as well and suspected that learning Dark Arts would help with defending against them. She wasn't vocal in that opinion of course, but I knew she was secretly intrigued by them. After I made Lily hate me she tried her best to comfort me but I didn't allow her to make me feel better. I wish I had.
"Evelyn?" I asked.
She turned to me; her grey eyes making her look more like a magical creature than a human being. Then I saw that there were tears in them. For a moment she didn't seem to recognise me, but then she did and suddenly her arms were round my neck and was crying.
For a moment I didn't know what to do but then I remembered what I did with Abigail the last time she was this scared. I guided Evelyn back to her chair and made her let go of me.
"He's got my girls. He's got my girls!" she cried and fell forward into my chest.
I soothed her as best as I could and looked to Albus. He seemed as confused as I was.
"Evelyn, what happened?" I made her sit upright and looked into her eyes.
"He came to the shop and asked for my help… he legiliminsed me and then he took my girls. Severus, he took my girls!" she clutched at my robes and tried to shake me to make me understand.
"Who?" I asked even though I knew exactly which bastard she was talking about.
"The Dark Lord." She let go of me and rolled her left sleeve up. A dark mark had been burned into her skin.
I sighed and allowed her to collapse into my chest again and I held her.
"Why did Voldemort go to you?" Albus asked.
Evelyn didn't reply so I told him where she worked and what she did. Dumbledore didn't like what I told him.
A couple of hours later I carried Evelyn down to my chambers as she was asleep. Minerva and Filius were waiting for me when I arrived. Minerva once again looked like she wanted to rant at something Albus had done. I took Evelyn into my room and then with a strengthening sigh walked back into the lounge and sat on the sofa as Minerva had occupied my armchair. She was already holding a cup of tea.
"He's mad." She snapped. "To bring that thing into Hogwarts. Has he no idea the danger it poses to the students?" she looked at both of us but we knew by now not to respond. Instead we looked into our tea cups. "If it's not enchanting the ceiling in the Great Hall to rain then it's having trampolines instead of staircases and quad-bikes instead of carriages! Is there no stopping him? He's gone too far this time! We have to put a stop to it! This is insane." She looked at us expectantly.
Filius and I looked at each other for a moment, neither of us knowing what she was talking about.
"Well?" Minerva asked. "Am I not right to be concerned?"
"Of course you are, Minerva." Filius began. "But what are you talking about?"
"What am I –" she asked indignantly as if accusing us of not listening to her. "He's bringing the Philosopher's Stone into the castle for protection."
"I do not see the trouble in that." I said slowly. "It will be well protected and the Dark Lord will not dare to set foot in here while Albus is headmaster."
"At the rate Dolores is making educational decrees Albus won't be here for long! And that's not the worst of it!" Minerva huffed.
I was failing to understand what could be worse than a Hogwarts without Dumbledore to guard it. Filius seemed to have the same misunderstanding as I was. "What is worse?" I asked.
"He's asked Hagrid to bring Fluffy in to guard it."
I stared at her and blinked a few times waiting for her to tell me she'd said it in jest. However when she didn't I had to realise she was being serious. The last time I'd seen the Cerberus it was tearing around the staffroom trying to eat Fang and had been lulled to sleep with a lullaby and a piano.
"There will be other things guarding the stone of course but any curious students who go into the third floor corridor after Easter will first of all come across a man eating Cerberus. And with Dolores still here! He'll be sacked and sent to Azkaban even sooner!" Minerva resumed and stood from her chair and began pacing. Normally this was when anyone within earshot slumped in their seats and hid behind marking or books but Filius and I followed her with our eyes.
"Does that man not know what is best for him? The stone could simply be destroyed but he's insistent on keeping it in one piece so the Flamal's can keep creating the elixir of life. True Hogwarts is safe, but only for so long if we can't defeat You-Know-Who before he defeats us! He wants you two to think of a layer of protection each and to give your ideas to him the day before the stone arrives whenever that is. Now, if you will excuse me I am going to bed for all the good it will do me." she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room and slammed the door.
Filius looked worried. He was right to be, I was worried myself.
So... Soon my dear readers, soon I will jumble the Philospoher's Stone up to further this story! I actually can't wait until I get a chance to write those chapters! Please leave a review!
Next time: A trip to remember.
J.K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter