Hello again, my faithful readers, thank you for your wonderful reviews! Knowing that some of you are staying up all night reading my work is the HIGHEST praise I can think of! I have gone back through a few events and realized that I have made a few minor mistakes. These have been rectified and I will be keeping my eyes peeled for more! On with the story!


Chapter 44: The Mask of the Slytherin

Lavinia spent the next few days in a sullen silence. Her mother was doing everything she could to try to cheer her up, but it wasn't working; no matter how much Lavinia smiled and pretended, nothing could lift the dark weight from her heart and mind. She was dreading her return to Hogwarts more than ever. Malcolm might be gone, but others would take his place, and they would be angry that he was gone. She shivered at the thought. There was no telling what was in store for her now.

The day she was due to return to Hogwarts, Professor Snape arrived early to collect her. At a questioning glance from Audra, he explained, "It is too dangerous for her to ride the train; there is no one to watch over her." He took Lavinia's trunk and shrunk it, shoving it into his pocket and offering his arm. Lavinia plucked up her courage and embraced her mother. "Love you, Mum," she whispered.

"I love you too, sweetheart," Audra replied, stroking her daughter's red curls. She gave Lavinia a kiss on the cheek. "Be safe, dear." There was worry in Audra's eyes as Lavinia nodded and took her Professor's arm. "Please keep her safe, Professor," she pleaded to Snape.

"I will do my best," Snape replied with a bow of his head. Audra composed herself, wiping away the stray tear that had fallen down her face. Lavinia waved and gave her mother a false smile, but Audra saw the fear in her child's eyes as the Professor whisked her away into thin air. Audra released a sob and made her way back into the house, riddled with worry.

Lavinia stroked the black fur of her cloak as she made her way across the grounds with the surly Potions Master. They did not speak until they had passed the lake. "Are you prepared for the start of this term, Miss Cross?" Snape asked. Lavinia shook her head.

"Not in the slightest, Professor," she murmured. Snape frowned.

"What would help?" he asked. Lavinia looked at him.

"Not returning," she replied.

"I understand completely," he sighed. "My time at Hogwarts was nowhere near the caliber of unpleasant that yours is, but I felt much of the same dread."

"How did you get past it?"

"I never did."

They entered the castle in silence.

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Lavinia spent the day in Snape's office, preparing herself for the arrival of the rest of the school. Her dread was amplified tenfold now that she was here; it was making her nauseous. Snape suggested another dose of Calming Potion, but she just raised an eyebrow at him, jaw set. There was a spark in her eyes that told him not to argue. She sighed and retrieved her tape player from her bag. The music helped, and she locked away her emotions and cleared her mind. By the time she heard the thundering of the arriving students, she had turned herself into stone.

She made her way to the Great Hall silently, back straight and head held high. Her expression was cold and empty. Eyes and whispers followed her as she took her seat near the teachers' table. Angry glares bored into her as she began to eat.

James plopped down in the seat next to hers and shot a nasty look at the students who were glaring at Lavinia. "Not wise, James," she murmured, gracefully taking a sip of pumpkin juice. James shrugged.

"Don't really care, mate," he replied, picking up his fork and loading his plate. Lavinia rolled her eyes and returned her attention to her food. James asked no questions as they ate, merely sat next to her in silence. They descended the stairs to the dungeons together, and he bade her goodnight at the stairs. She lay in her bed for hours before finally falling into a fitful, nightmare-plagued sleep.

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The next few days were a test of Lavinia's strength. She pushed herself to her limits, never allowing her pain or exhaustion to show. She kept her mask of cold indifference up for the world to see. The screaming creature inside of her was kept at bay with music and sheer will. She only allowed her mask to drop when she closed the door to Snape's office behind her in the evenings.

One evening found her curled up in Snape's private lab, book entirely forgotten, staring into the flames. Snape entered the room, grumbling about Potter and Dumbledore. "…don't see why I must referee a ridiculous game, he won't try it again so soon," he growled, collapsing into the chair next to Lavinia's. He pinched the bridge of his hooked nose and sighed. Then his eyes fell on Lavinia. Her mask was completely discarded, her expression one of complete and utter despair. "Miss Cross?" he inquired, cocking his head to the side. She started, wide eyes falling onto him. Her expression did not change. Snape sighed. "Do you wish to talk?"

She gazed at him for a moment as if she had a hard time understanding his words. Tears welled up in her too wide eyes, but she blinked them back furiously. It was then that Snape noticed how tired she appeared. There were deep hollows under her eyes and her movements were sluggish.

"When did you last sleep, Miss Cross?" he asked. She cocked her head at him.

"I… I don't know, Professor. The potions don't work anymore," she whispered, biting her lip. She ran a shaking hand through her hair and sighed, slumping back against the chair. Snape stood and crossed to one of his bookshelves, searching the titles. He pulled out an old brown text with gold lettering. The title was in a foreign language. He skimmed through it until he found what he was searching for.

"Perhaps this may help," he said, handing her the tome. She took it and scanned the page. The language was wrong, but the diagram was quite clear.

"A dream catcher?" she asked, eyebrow raised. Snape nodded and pointed his wand at the text. The words changed from whatever language they'd been in before to English.

"According to Native American legend, there was once a Spider Woman, Asibikaashi, that cared for the children and people of the Ojibwe tribe. The people were eventually spread out far and wide, and Asibikaashi could no longer reach them all, so the women of the tribe would weave magical webs for the children to snare the nightmares and allow only pleasant dreams to pass through as the little ones slept. When the sun would rise, the nightmares that were trapped within the snares would burn out in the light. There is much truth to the legend; the materials that the dream snares were made of were indeed of magical properties, and the magical members of the tribes would place enchantments upon them to give them the ability to decipher good dreams from bad. The feathers, which allowed the good dreams to pass through, were taken from the tails of phoenixes. The webs are made from acromantula gossamer. The hoops are taken from willow vines. I have access to all the ingredients. We could make it, but you will have to assist me. The dream snare must be attuned to you," the Professor explained. Lavinia gazed at the page thoughtfully, head cocked.

"It requires a Patronus?" she queried. Snape nodded.

"Of course, you will not have learned the Patronus Charm. You've seen the silvery creatures that Miss Prewett and I have used to communicate when you have been in danger, correct?" Lavinia nodded. "That is a Patronus. It is created using a happy memory and the incantation, Expecto Patronum." Snape Summoned another text, opening it to a page featuring a moving diagram of a Patronus. "Consequently, your Patronus will also tell you your spirit animal, a process needed to become an Animagus."

Lavinia nodded, taking the text and studying the process carefully. She started to doze, and Snape shook his head. She was too exhausted to perform this task now. He decided to let her sleep a bit, but as he settled in to a good book, she started awake with a soft squeak of distress. Snape sighed.

"I think an enchanted sleep would do you good tonight, Miss Cross. We will begin with learning the Patronus Charm and the creation of the dream snare tomorrow," he said softly, startling her. She nodded and stood. She swayed on the spot, lost her footing, landed back in the chair, and started to cry. Snape knelt down in front of her and ever so softly grazed her shoulder. To his surprise, she curled her thin fingers around his hand, and it seemed to steady her. She took a great, shuddering breath and dried her face. "Perhaps, for good measure, you should spend the night in a private chamber, yes?" Snape murmured, pulling Lavinia to her feet and keeping her upright. She nodded, relief flashing in her eyes momentarily. He led her to a chamber across from his own and Transfigured her robes into a more comfortable sleep shift. She crawled into the moderately sized bed and wrapped herself up in her blankets.

"This enchantment will allow you to sleep throughout the night without dreams. I will lift it tomorrow morning. You should feel much more stable then," he explained. He raised his wand and she flinched. "Easy, Miss Cross. You know I will not cause you harm," he said softly, his voice enveloping her like velvet. She visibly forced herself to relax, and he began to chant softly. She lost herself in his deep, silky timbre as she drifted off into her enchanted slumber.


So... my dream snare idea... Love it? Hate it? Curious? Let me know in the reviews!