Chessie: Make it stop!

Snape: R.O.O. still doesn't own. I'll be telling this part.

At long last, with Dumbledore gone, I was free to roam the castle to look for Chessie. I checked almost every nook and cranny, and was horrified to learn that Quirrel was also missing. I immediately put the search for Chessie on hold as I raced into the third floor corridor, somehow stunning the bloody Cerberus, and managing to go through all the trials. Finally, at Minerva's, I saw the youngest Weasley boy passed out.

"Great, Potter and Granger are down here, too," I growled, stepping over him and ignoring the chess pieces, which recognized me.

I went forwards into the room I set up, lifting myself through the fire with magic, and was startled to find Granger sobbing and trying not to puke. A bloodcurdling scream was heard, and I jerked my head towards the source in horror.

Chessie.

She was screaming, her back arching in pain, but only at something that she could see and feel. She was screaming, begging for something to stop, and I realized the spell that had been used.

"Oh no," I gaped, "Oh God, no!"

"Professor," Granger sobbed, "I-I d-didn't do it, I-I promise!"

"I know," I scowled, "It takes a very dark, and very powerful, being to do this spell."

"What does it do?" she asked fearfully as I drew up upon my magic.

"It turns your deepest desire into your worst nightmare," I told her. "Most of the time it mentally destroys a person after prolonged amounts of time, much like the Unforgivable curses. It should be an Unforgivable curse."

"I-she was like this when I found her," she said fearfully, "She's-she's arched her back five or six times since I got here."

"Shit!" I swore in a panic and she visibly jumped at my anger as I whisked out my wand. "Tantibus Remotionem!"

Immediately, the screaming died down and her breathing began to be a little less labored. I stood behind Granger, fearing the worst. Chessie blinked, looking around the room. however, when she saw me, her eyes widened.

"No! No! no more, please! Please, no more, Sensei! No more!" she screamed, and I frowned confused at what she was talking about. "No more, please! I'll be good, I promise! Please, just don't-no more! No more, please, please no more pain!"

I frowned and went towards her. she screamed louder, and I backed off towards the far wall. This was bad, this was very bad. Well, at least it hadn't been me that screwed up this time. well, that I knew of.

"Severus," Dumbledore said calmly as he stepped through. "Ah, good, you found her."

"Them," I said pointing at Chessie. "Deepest Nightmare Curse, I believe. She started screaming when I removed whatever curse it was from her. she seems to think I hurt her…"

"Ah, I will explain that later, my boy," he said calmly, "In the meantime, I believe it best that we put her into a sleep, yes?"

I nodded sadly before casting Legilimens on Chessie. I watched the nightmare curse in horror – so that was why she had been begging me! – but, was that? Oh, no! Shit!

I withdrew and immediately raced towards the only cauldron in the room and vomited violently. Albus of course ignored me and went on to his precious Potter, but Granger for some strange reason hovered fearfully nearby.

"S-sir? C-can I help?" she squeaked, and I shot her a glare as I tried to catch my breath.

Naturally, Albus ignores me again as he walks by with a now unconscious Potter, and I could only hope he picked up Chessie for me. Wait, no, no he didn't. Well, shit, she'd hate me now, for sure. I scowled and almost passed out as I leaned back against the wall.

"Professor!" Granger gasped in shock and fear, and I swallowed the bile in my throat.

"I'm fine," I rasped. "Not a word of this."

"I wouldn't dream of it, sir," she promised, making an X with her fingers over her heart.

I could see the hollow and terrified gaze as Chessie continued to stare at me as though I were her own personal demon. I had to fix this somehow, but I had no idea how to. it was out of my control, the piece of Voldemort that had apparently been inside Quirrel had fled now (I'd felt the mark burn as it flew past me) and I was once again alone in life.

"Sensei," Chessie croaked, and my eyes snapped to hers. "Why?"

"Because," I said calmly. "It wasn't real. it was just an illusion, I promise. I'll show you the spell he used in the book of the restricted section if you don't believe me. Just don't throw a tantrum. Whatever you do, remain calm."

"Calm," she said blankly. "Calm? Calm?"

Oh shit, I'd snapped a wire.

"Granger, cover your ears," I ordered, and she clamped her hands over her ears as I cast the most powerful Mufflatio spellI could upon her.

Next thing I knew, Chessie was screaming and cursing me out in a slew of languages, a couple of them I didn't even recognize. After what seemed like hours, when she was finally hoarse from screaming everything I'd done to her, I shook my head.

"It was an illusion," I promised. "Here, it's a spell that shows what happened. Priori Scaenae!"

I flicked my wand and the scenes appeared before us in a bit of a reverse order. Quirrel casting the Cruciatus curse – holy hippogriffs, five times! How did she survive? Never mind that, he just cast the nightmare charm on her. a few more issues later, Potter and Granger show up. They argue, naturally not noticing Chessie until Potter has gone through the fires after Quirrel and Chessie screams in pain.

Then Granger notices her and looks after her until the real version of my body got there, and not the one in Chessie's mind. I canceled the spell, and she gaped at me in shock.

"Sensei," she moaned before passing out.

"Well, at least she's not throwing a tantrum," I shrugged. "Merlin knows that would be the coming of the next apocalypse when she threw a tantrum directed at me."

With that said, I calmly walked on ahead to the mirror of Erised to stand before it. The scene was now different, with a Chessie who had just woken up in the hospital wing after her ordeal just now. She was smiling and waving, as though nothing had happened, and was happily prancing around, playing with me in my backyard. Her parents had given me secret and unofficial custody of her, and she had completely forgotten what had happened with Quirrel.

Alarmingly, after that, time sped up and I watched her grow up at my side. Eventually, the mirror returned to where I had been staring at it before – parenthood alongside Chessie. I sighed, looking longingly at what could now never be, and I stepped aside and motioned for Granger to look in the mirror.

"Professor, what is this mirror?" she asked, and I explained what it did and asked what she saw. "I-I see myself in the Hogwarts Library. I've read the whole thing, except the restricted section. Madame Pince is giving me the key – all those books!"

Definitely an insufferable know-it-all.

"Joy," I croaked out and forced a goblet of summoned water down my throat.

"Why? What did you see, Professor?"

"Me? I found myself wielding a bottle of firewhiskey and destroying those in my past who dared to harm me," I shrugged, lying easily. It was halfway true – it had been what I saw when I was twenty, before I had betrayed Lily. "Among other things."

Granger shuddered, and I left the room to go check up on my little snake. I calmly lifter her into my arms and led Granger out of there as the tiny first year clung to one of my arms fearfully. I hated the little Gryffindor chit, but I was the only one to be able to get her out of here.

I ignored the Hospital wing and took them straight to my quarters. I was tired – after three and a half days straight on my feet, it was definitely time to get some sleep.

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