Chapter 3: Returning to Hogwarts

The grounds of Hogwarts were a blur. She walked as fast as she could, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She used the light of her wand to guide her, but she scarcely needed it; the path to Hogwarts was familiar after so many Hogsmead trips in her youth.

It wasn't long before she reached the great doors. They were closed, as expected, but with the help of her wand she managed her way through. Even despite the protective enchantments placed upon it. It was as if Hogwarts knew she was a professor now, as if it knew she belonged there.

She didn't have time to dwell on this thought. The torches lit along the corridors as she hurried down them, taking the quickest route she knew to Dumbledore's office. A few of the paintings called out in faint voices, disturbed and disrupted from their sleep.

She climbed the staircases, thankful that they remained still, and eventually emerged on the seventh floor. As she set off down the corridor towards the office, she heard footsteps approaching in the opposite direction. Though she knew there was no safer place than Hogwarts, she lifted her wand in preparation, waiting for the footsteps to near.

From the darkness emerged an even darker figure. His expression appeared grim, the circles beneath his eyes a sheer black, heavier than before. He walked with purpose, but paused upon seeing Violetta in the middle of the corridor. A sneer grew on his lips, almost automatically.

"Lower your wand. One might think you were up to something, wandering the halls this late at night," Severus said in an authoritative tone, as if he were scolding a student. "You told Dumbledore you would not be here till morning."

He stepped into the light, the torches flickering beside them illuminating his pale face. Violetta obeyed, lowering her wand to her side.

A number of retorts appeared in Violetta's mind, but she momentarily seemed to have lost her voice. She realised then that her wand hand was shaking, her breathing hard and fast.

The sneer dropped from Snape's lips as he took in her dishevelled appearance, a frown replacing it. "What happened?" he asked.

"I—" Her voice shook and she immediately scolded herself. Taking a moment to relax, she forced herself to regain control. She would not whimper and cry like a little girl. "Someone broke in to my apartment. I didn't want to risk being caught, so I apparated here. I was on my way to Dumbledore's office."

Snape shook his head, grinding his teeth together. "You foolish girl! Given how easily I broke through your door this evening, I thought you intelligent enough to at least lock it with a more powerful spell."

"I did!" Violetta snapped. "I locked it with the most powerful charm I knew. I even locked the damn window. You know as well as I that no locking charm or simple protective enchantments are enough to prevent a Death Eater breaking in when they know where you are."

Snape remained silent, seething with anger. Ever since she'd met him at Hogwarts, all she'd ever experienced was his anger.

"They know where I am," she said quietly, the words settling in her mind. The thought of it sickened her. "I can't risk going back alone. They might be waiting for me."

Snape didn't immediately respond. He studied her for a moment, with the same dark frown upon his face. The anger dissipated, replaced by what she could only describe as a resolute look, as if he'd decided something.

"Follow me," Snape ordered, striding forwards and heading back down the stairs.

Violetta automatically followed him, but a frown tugged at her brows. "Where are we going?"

"Where do you think?" Snape hissed, his voice echoing down the staircase. "I'm going with you, so that you might safely transport your things to Hogwarts."

If it were anyone else, Violetta might have thanked them. But Severus Snape would not want her thanks, and she was even less likely to give it. One good action did not forgive any of his unwarranted anger towards her, at Hogwarts and earlier in her apartment. She knew Severus Snape likely still loathed the very sight of her — he was following Dumbledore's orders, not acting out of the kindness of his heart.

It made her consider his allegiance to Dumbledore. Snape was helping her, something he very clearly didn't want to do, which meant that Dumbledore held power over him. She wondered what it was that tied the two together, and how deep this tie between them truly was.

They walked in silence, Snape remaining two strides ahead of her at all times. He brandished his wand to open the great doors and led her back through the path to the gate. Once they reached the edge of the grounds, he walked through the gate as if it weren't there, just as she had earlier.

Then he held out his hand towards her. She felt the urge to make a comment, just as he had done earlier that day. But her voice left her once more and she could feel the faint traces of fear beginning to rise inside her, prickling beneath her skin.

If Snape had noticed this fear, he didn't show any sign of it. He merely stared ahead, waiting for her touch.

She placed her hand in his and a taught line of energy immediately drew them together. She felt the familiar dark well of magical energy within him, and she knew he felt her power too. But he didn't draw from it like before. He spun swiftly on the spot, pulling her into the darkness with him.

After a brief, breathless moment, they emerged outside her apartment, the street light flickering above them. Snape instantly dropped her hand and pulled his wand from his robes, raising it in front of him. He scanned the front of the house, before walking towards her front door, which was closed, bearing no sign of a break-in.

He didn't wait for her to follow. He climbed the steps to her front door, before opening it with a flick of his wand. The street was as quiet as ever and nobody attacked Snape as he entered. Willing herself to move, she quickly caught up to him, making sure she didn't stand too close behind him.

"Homenum revelio," Snape muttered beneath his breath.

Silence met him.

"There's no one here."

For a moment, she thought he was going to scold her, accuse her of lying to him. But he didn't look back at her, or lower his wand. His body was tense, as if he expected someone to jump out at them.

"Pack your things, quickly," he ordered.

As much as she hated being told what to do, by a man she hated no less, she quickly followed his orders. She brushed past him towards her bedroom, wand still raised high. Her heart pounded against her chest as she opened her bedroom door, even though Snape had confirmed there was no one there.

She heard him muttering spells in the main room, his eyes intently focused on her apartment.

So not to mess up her work, she gathered the pieces of parchment gently together in her hands, before binding them together and sealing them within a velvet bag. She then summoned a large trunk from her wardrobe, the same one she'd used as a child when leaving for Hogwarts.

It didn't take her long to pack her things; she didn't have many belongings and with a wand everything was far easier. Though she almost missed that excitable feeling of packing her things by hand, like she'd had to during her time at Hogwarts. She placed her velvet bag carefully at the top of her suitcase, before sealing it shut.

Snape eyed her and her belongings when she returned to the main room, her trunk levitating behind her. "There was someone here."

"Who?" Violetta asked.

"I cannot identify them, they left no trace. It seems they believed you'd be sleeping, which is why they didn't act quicker," Snape explained, his voice softer than she'd ever heard it. Though she knew this softness was not directed towards her; he was merely lost in thought, explaining the situation more to himself than to her. "It was a careless act. Had they truly intended to capture you, they would not have risked coming alone and they would not have dawdled so much after they heard you disapparate."

"Then why would they come, if not to capture me?"

Snape continued his examination of the apartment, his eyes settling on every crevice, looking for any piece of evidence he could. "Perhaps to frighten you, or perhaps they came for something else."

Violetta almost shivered at the thought. But she repressed this urge, willing the fear away from her body.

Snape appeared to break from his thoughts then, his eyes settling back on her. "Take my arm," he ordered sharply.

As before, Violetta did as she was told, her fingers curling around his forearm. She grabbed her trunk by its strap, whilst she wondered why Snape had wanted her to take his arm, rather than his hand. Could the thought of touching her really repulse him that much, even if it was brief? But as the familiar feel of his magic breached her thoughts, she believed she might have her answer. The line between them felt weaker this time, obstructed almost, and she realised then, that Snape's clothing was acting as a barrier to their connection.

The darkness descended once more. In the flash of an eye, there were outside the Hogwarts gates. Snape immediately pulled his arm away from her and set off through the gates without a word.

She remained lost in thought, considering her new revelation as she followed him up through the Hogwarts grounds. How she had never noticed it before, she would never know. But it made sense. It was why her mother and her brother Sirius had never noticed her ability; in all the time she spent with them, they never really touched her skin. Only Regulus had ever held her hand, or hugged her goodnight.

It was how Barty had come to understand the depths of her power. She'd been closer to him than anyone in the world, and never realised that by doing so she was revealing things she didn't intend to. She'd always wondered how he'd come to learn of her ability, when he'd never tried to draw from her, even when they held hands or kissed. Until the day he'd asked her about it, she'd always thought he knew no different. He'd asked in such a gentle way, merely inquiring about the power he felt whenever he touched her, likely pretending he knew as little as possible.

She'd revealed herself to him then — all the secrets she knew of her power, of how she feared it.

Her thoughts snapped back to reality, shoving the memories of Barty from her mind. Thinking of him was like diving into a pool of ice, cold and shocking, igniting the betrayal that still lingered thirteen years later.

She realised that she'd followed Snape down into the dungeons. As he didn't tell her otherwise, she presumed she was still meant to follow.

"Dumbledore has arranged an office and private chambers for you three doors down from the Slytherin Common Room. You may use an empty classroom for your lessons," Snape said, his voice monotone and bored, as if he had better things to do than show her to her room. The softness from his voice was long gone.

He stopped in the corridor, clearly waiting for her to leave him before he departed to his own quarters. She paused, feeling the urge to thank him again. It was the first time he hadn't condescended her — she almost wondered what had changed. Though his face still held the same frown which projected every bit of his dislike for her, there was no sneer or scathing comments. She wondered for how long that would last.

"Goodnight." She bid a slightly awkward goodbye, turning on her heel and levitating her trunk behind her, so that it followed her down the corridor.

Snape didn't bid her goodbye. Nor did she hear him move. She had the strange feeling that his eyes were following her, but she refused to look back. Instead, her thoughts filled with questions. Mostly of the stranger who'd broken into her apartment, without the aim of capturing her. But every so often, Snape slithered into her mind, an unwelcome presence. And she considered his intentions — debated whether she could ever trust this man who was supposedly going to help and protect her.

So far, he had proven more useful than she could have predicted. But she doubted she could ever truly trust him. An enigmatic and cruel man such as Snape always had his secrets. And men with secrets were never to be trusted and prone to betrayal.

~ In Time ~

Remus,

I had to leave for Hogwarts sooner than expected, so I will no longer be able to meet with you at my apartment. Please direct any new information you have to my private chambers in the dungeons. I would prefer to receive all owl mail from you privately, rather than by owl post in the Great Hall.

I hope you are well. Perhaps you could visit during the Christmas holidays so we can discuss my project further? I'm sure I will have begun the writing process by that time. Please let me know your answer soon and I will clear it with Albus.

Violetta

Violetta sealed the letter shut and made a note to visit the Owelry after her meeting with Dumbledore. He'd already sent a brief note to her this morning suggesting he would be available to discuss the events of the previous night.

Putting out the fire blazing in the hearth in her room, she gathered herself and made her way to the door. She'd forgotten how comfortable the Hogwart's beds were and how warm and safe she felt within the castle. She was glad that Dumbledore had organised her an office and classroom in the Dungeons. She'd spent much of her time in the dungeons as a Slytherin at Hogwarts — for her it was the most comfortable part of the castle.

Her private chambers sat above her office, for practicality. Like the Slytherin Common Room, there was a large set of stairs that led to the room where she slept, protecting her from the coldness of the dungeons. Whilst her office below was dark and inviting, the perfect setting to write. The set-up of her office would work far better than the flimsy desk in her apartment.

She descended the stairs and departed her office, beginning the long journey to Dumbledore's office on the seventh floor. A short time later, she said the password and made her way up the stairs.

The fear she'd felt last night was like a distant memory. Her sleep, thankfully, had also been dreamless and peaceful. Hogwarts was already taking effect on her. But she couldn't lower her guard too much. Protecting herself remained paramount.

"Good morning, Miss Campbell," Dumbledore greeted brightly as she entered his office.

"Violetta, please," she corrected him politely. "If I must call you Albus."

"Very well. Violetta, please sit down." She obeyed his orders and sat on the chair opposite his desk. Dumbledore appeared as bright as ever, wearing long, pale blue coloured robes and a pointed hat. "Severus has already informed me of what happened to you last night. But I thought it better to hear the tale from the source, so we can try and make sense of it. So please, tell me what happened."

Violetta recounted the night before, describing the strange presence she'd heard outside and the voice she'd heard mutter the spell. Dumbledore listened with interest, his expression calmly impassive as she spoke.

"Has this happened before?" Dumbledore asked.

Violetta shook her head. Memories of the night before swam in her mind, as she too tried to make sense of it all.

"And is there anyone with reason to visit you, without your knowledge?"

Violetta considered this for a moment. "You don't think this was a random Death Eater?"

"No, I do not. Nor does Severus," Dumbledore answered. "Had it been one of Lord Voldermort's followers, their intent would have been to capture you. And from what you and Severus have recounted, that does not appear to have been the culprit's intention at all."

Violetta frowned, the thought of it troubling her. Dumbledore watched her intently, at she thought through who would want break into her apartment. A faint idea soon grew in her mind, and she pressed her lips together, loathing the thought of it.

"There's only one…" She trailed off, trying to settle the anger and grief building within her. Any thought of her family always sent her into a downwards spiral of repressed memories. "My brother, Sirius…He might have reason to try visit me, even if he is on the run. He could have been spying on me, to relay information to the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore paused for a moment, but his expression revealed nothing. "Sirius Black is currently out of the country according to my update from the auror department…I have no reason to believe it could be him."

Violetta's frown deepened. She stared hard at Dumbledore, searching his eyes, searching for any sense of a deeper meaning. Though there was no tell-tale sign, her instincts screamed that he was lying — he was withholding some sort of truth from her.

Dumbledore appeared to sense this change in mood. "I will investigate further. Should I find who did this, I will let you know immediately. I hope your private chambers are a welcome safe haven."

"They are," Violetta said tightly, restraining the anger from her tone. "Now, is that all, Albus? I have work to attend to. The start of term is only a week away."

"Indeed, it is," said Dumbledore. "There's just one other matter I called you here for."

"Go on."

"This year Hogwarts has agreed to host a legendary and historical event, named the Triwizard Tournament. I'm sure you have heard of it?" Dumbledore said, with a sort of excited twinkle in his eye.

"I have. But I thought it had been banned by the Ministry, considering the number of casualties?" Violetta responded.

"I have been meeting with the Ministry this summer and we have agreed to new safety measures to prevent any casualties," Dumbledore explained. "The Triwizard tournament will begin in October and will host two other wizarding schools, Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang."

"How exciting." Though there was a hint of sarcasm to her tone, she meant what she said. Witnessing the Triwizard Tournament in action would be a major historical event in years to come — perhaps it would be something she could write about in the future.

The excitement in Dumbledore's eyes faded then and she knew that bad news was soon to follow.

"The students of both schools will be arriving a week before, along with their headmistress, Madam Maxime, and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff."

Violetta froze. She fought hard agains the memories threatening to replay in her mind — that terrible day she'd tried so hard to forget.

Dumbledore sensed this, but continued. "We will also be joined by the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman, and the Head of the Department of International Magic Co-operation, Barty Crouch."

Her restrained anger began to slip through the cracks. As the memories burst free in her mind, her anger rose like a monster raging inside of her, and her body shook with the strength of it. "So you waited to tell me this, until you knew I couldn't leave," She said, her voice deadly calmed, filled with repressed rage. "You waited until after I'd accepted the job, after someone broke into my home and I fled here for protection! You manipulative, old—"

"I will not be spoken to in such a way, student nor staff," Dumbledore said calmly, but there was a new authoritative note to his voice. The portraits of former headmasters hummed their agreement in the background.

"Then don't treat me as he would have!" Though Violetta did not say his name, they both knew she referred the Dark Lord. "Tell me the truth and don't keep me in the dark."

"I will do so when I know I can trust you. As yet, you have not proved yourself to me."

Dumbledore met her hard glare. "Nor have you," Violetta said coldly.

"Hogwarts will always protect those who ask. But my protection does not come hand in hand with my trust." Dumbledore studied her carefully, his eyes intensely thoughtful. "For the time being, Severus and I will help you as best we can. When you have proven yourself worthy of my trust, I will tell you everything."

She wanted to scream at him, throw at him every bit of anger she had raging inside of her. But she didn't. The Dark Lord's current rise in power had forced her into a choice; him or Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore was her only hope of evading him. No matter what he did to her, it would be far better than the Dark Lords treatment of her.

So she pushed down all the anger inside of her, sweeping it under a very large rug. Her body stilled and the hand she hadn't realised was clutching her wand relaxed.

"You will not be forced into contact with Igor Karkaroff or Barty Crouch, nor will they have permission to interrogate you or any of my staff. I thought it merely courtesy to inform you of their presence."

"Right, well…" Violetta gathered herself, forcing the politeness back into her tone. "I must get back to my work."

Dumbledore nodded with a polite smile. "Good day to you."

"And you," Violetta muttered.

She swiftly departed Dumbledore's office, repressing the urge to slam the door closed. Her anger had always been something she'd struggled with — something her Mother had used to compare her to her estranged brother Sirius when she was a young teenager. Snape brought it out of her, as if he were coaxing a bear into attack, and now it seems, so had Dumbledore.

She was beginning to act like a child again and it had to stop. If she was going to successfully protect herself, it had to be different to the last time. She had to control herself. She could not trust blindly. And, most of all, she had to teach herself to use her power.

She pushed all thought of any interaction with Barty Crouch and Igor Karkaroff out of her mind. Instead, she focused, even more resolutely, on keeping herself safe.

A/N: I really hope you guys enjoyed this new update! I will try to post another chapter again as soon as possible. Thank you all for the reviews so far! I'm glad that you're all enjoying this story.