Severus jerked awake, staring down at the Patronus next to his bed. The cat opened its mouth to speak, Minerva's voice informing him that he was needed on the second floor.
"Possible intruder. Keep an eye out on your way up here."
He dressed as quickly as possible, holding his wand at the ready as he crept upstairs. There was no sign of any disturbance, however, the halls peaceful and silent. He only heard voices when he'd reached his destination, picking up on the low murmur of conversation as he swept into the guest wing.
"Ah, Severus, there you are."
"What happened?" He looked past Flitwick, his eyes narrowing as he spotted a small figure in flannel pajamas. What was she doing down here?
"Severus," Minerva said, waving him over. "Miss Granger says…"
"Someone was in my room!"
"We've checked and there's no sign of any intruder. A nightmare, perhaps?"
"He was in there!" Hermione insisted. "Standing right at the foot of my bed!"
"He?" Severus frowned. "Who?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. It was too dark to see."
"Then how can you be sure…"
"I know what I saw!"
"Severus, may I speak with you for a moment?"
He nodded at Minerva, following her until they were both out of earshot.
"She's been sleeping in the guest quarters?" he said, his voice low. "Why?"
"I thought she could use her own space."
"As opposed to other students who…"
"She missed an entire year of school," Minerva interrupted. "Not to mention everything else she's been through. We were worried she might have trouble adjusting."
"We?" He echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Molly Weasley wrote me. She said Hermione wasn't herself over the summer, avoiding the family and going off on her own all the time. It seemed she was having difficulty interacting with others, so we agreed that…"
"Meddling old bat."
Minerva blinked. "Pardon?"
"Not you," he said. "Molly."
"Well, she did live with the girl for several months. I'm sure she knows what's best."
Severus shook his head, choosing not to mention all those visits to St. Mungo's. She'd had no trouble socializing with him, had she? True, she'd grumbled about the Weasleys quite a bit, but who wouldn't? They really were a meddling lot, as intrusive as they were annoying.
"Has it occurred to either of you that Miss Granger might know what's best for herself? She isn't a child."
"I know she's not…" Minerva frowned. "Severus, why is this bothering you?"
"Bothering me? Not at all. I simply question the wisdom of allowing Molly Weasley to make decisions on the girl's behalf… especially when those decisions might compromise her safety."
"Her safety hasn't been compromised."
"No? According to her…"
"I heard what she said, Severus. I also know that the door was shut when we arrived. No one else was in there, nor were there any signs of intrusion."
"If the intruder knew the password…"
"Riddle."
"Riddle?" he repeated, ignoring the chill that skittered up his spine.
Minerva nodded. "No one can access that room without answering the riddle. Besides, there's only one door. If someone had managed to gain access, don't you think she would've seen them leave?"
He opened his mouth and then closed it again, forced to concede the point.
"She had a nightmare, that's all. I'll have Poppy give her a calming draught."
"Very well." He hesitated, letting out a heavy sigh. "If anything changes…"
"I'll let you know. Good night, Severus."
Nightmares? That did seem like a logical explanation, yet Severus couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Wouldn't Hermione of all people know the difference between a real threat and an imagined one? She was the veteran of a war, not some cowering child still foolish enough to believe there were monsters under her bed.
He shut the door to his office, pouring himself a glass of Firewhiskey before he dumped the contents back in the bottle. No, he couldn't drink. Didn't want to, really. If there was an intruder in the castle, he'd need to be on high alert, in full possession of his senses. True, this might very well be a false alarm, but still…
Still, he felt restless, his nerves tingling in a way they hadn't done since Voldemort had fallen. He settled himself at his desk, forcing himself to focus on a pile of essays that needed to be graded.
This was something he had done frequently during the war. It had always managed to calm him, his anxieties soothed by the monotony of the task. That was particularly true in this case – how many poorly written essays on the properties of fluxweed could one read before they died of boredom?
Deciding he'd rather not find out, Severus rose to his feet, stifling a yawn. He opened the door to his private quarters, only to stop in his tracks as he spotted a slip of parchment under his boot. He leaned over to pick it up, his eyes widening as he read the message it contained.
This war will never be over. Not until I finish what he started.
"All right, Hermione?"
She nodded, reaching for a glass of pumpkin juice. "Fine, thanks."
"I heard you had a nightmare."
"What? Who told you that?"
Swallowing a mouthful of eggs, Ginny pointed to a roll of parchment on the table. "Mum wrote me."
"How would your mum know…" Hermione trailed off, shaking her head. "Anyway, it wasn't a nightmare. Someone was in my room."
Ginny shrugged, buttering a piece of toast before she responded. "Yeah, I've had that happen. Nerine hangs her robes on the bed post sometimes, and I swear, it looks just like…"
"No, I didn't imagine it. I saw them move, I…"
"You know what might help? Get Madame Pomfrey to give you some Dreamless Sleep. I took that for the first few days after I came back and it worked wonders."
"I don't need… look, let's just forget it, all right? I'm fine."
"Okay." Ginny returned her attention to her plate, devouring a couple sausages. "Hey, did I tell you that the Holyhead Harpies are recruiting next year? I was thinking of trying out."
Hermione nodded, glancing up at the Head Table. To her surprise, Professor Snape was staring directly at her, his brow furrowed. Why? Did he believe her? Or did he assume she'd only been overreacting to a nightmare?
She hoped it wasn't the latter. It was embarrassing to have anyone think she couldn't handle a bad dream, but him? She'd hate for him to think of her as childish or immature, especially after all the progress they'd made over the past few months.
Of course, there was nothing she could do about it right now. She just hoped the intruder would be caught, proving to herself and everyone else that she'd been telling the truth.
"I'll see you later," she told Ginny, reaching for her bag. "I've got to get to class."
Later that evening, Hermione headed to the library, eager to work on her latest essay. Strategies for using Transfiguration to combat Dark magic? Personally, she found the subject matter fascinating. She handed her permission slip to Madame Pince, making her way over to the Restricted Section.
It took her a while to find what she needed. She selected one book and then another, grabbing three more before she was satisfied. Finally, she headed back down the aisle, her arms laden down with ancient texts.
"Granger…" a voice whispered, so faint she barely heard it.
She stopped in her tracks, frowning as she glanced over her shoulder. Of course, she saw no one – other than her and Madame Pince, the library was deserted.
Shaking her head, she continued on her way, deciding it must've been her imagination. But then she heard a rustling sound, followed by soft, quick footsteps on the other side of the aisle.
"Madame Pince?"
It wasn't the librarian. Deep down, she knew that, stuffing the books in her bag before she pulled out her wand. She peered through the gaps in the shelves, her breath catching in her throat as she glimpsed a shadow on the other side.
Unfortunately, she couldn't get a good look at whoever it was. They ducked around the corner, disappearing from sight.
What should she do? Should she call for help, or…
"Confundus."
The speaker said something else, though she couldn't understand them. Just a brief, barely audible whisper and her vision grew fuzzy around the edges, scraps of parchment flying around her head. Her arm was moving, wand slashing through the air… she couldn't seem to stop. Another whisper and she snatched several more books of the shelves, giving them the same treatment.
"Enough."
She understood that final word, though it was too late to figure out who'd said it. All she could do was stare at the ground, her eyes widening in horror as she realized what she'd done.
"Madame Pince? Madame Pince!"
"No need to shout. I can hear you just…" The librarian swept into the aisle, letting out a choking sound as she spotted the mess. "What have you done?"
"I didn't do it!" Hermione said hastily. "I mean, I did, but not on purpose! I was Confunded by… well, I don't know who cast the spell, but everything got fuzzy, and…"
"No one else has entered this library," said Madame Pince, biting off each word like she was chewing on a hard piece of taffy. "Not for hours. It's despicable enough that you would ruin such valuable property. Offering such a poor excuse for your behavior? That is inexcusable."
"Honestly, I didn't…"
"You've destroyed six books, four of which are irreplaceable. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Hermione opened her mouth and then closed it again, unable to think of a suitable response. Really, what could she say? It wasn't like Madame Pince would believe her.
"Please," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "May I speak with Professor McGonagall?"
"Yes, you most certainly can. In fact, I think the headmistress should be summoned immediately."
Severus retired to his quarters right after dinner, deciding to make an early night of it. He wasn't particularly tired, but the day had been stressful, leaving him longing for a bit of quiet time. What he needed was a pile of books and a nice cup of tea, something to distract him from his troubled thoughts.
Of course, that was easier said than done. He'd spent all day dwelling on the supposed intruder, unable to stop thinking about the note he'd received. Was it any coincidence that both those things had happened on the same night? Somehow, he doubted it.
How had someone gained access to his office? How had they found their way into her room? His was protected by a password he'd never shared with another soul, hers guarded by a riddle that had to be relatively secure.
This war will never be over. Not until I finish what he started.
Was it a tasteless prank? A genuine threat? Both of those possibilities set him on edge, though of course, the latter was far more disturbing. Finish what he started… what did that mean? Was it a reference to Voldemort's plan to conquer the Wizarding world… or his attempt to kill his most "loyal" servant?
Severus shook his head, refusing to dwell on it any longer. He flipped open a book as he sipped his tea, perusing an exhaustive list of Chinese potions ingredients.
The distraction worked, at least for a little while. He finished half the book along with an entire pot of tea, surprised to discover it was well past 11 PM. Of course, he was still wide awake, nerves thrumming under the effects of far too much caffeine. He leaned back in his chair, deciding it wouldn't hurt to read a few more…
His head snapped up, his eyes scanning the room. Was he hearing things? No, there it was again, a soft, peculiar noise like someone was shuffling a deck of cards.
Where was it coming from? Drawing his wand, he pointed it at his trunk, which seemed to be the source.
It moved.
Only slightly at first, but then it started to shake, hinges squeaking like something inside was attempting to break free. A Boggart, perhaps? He flicked his wand, bracing himself as he unfastened the latches.
"Riddik…"
He stumbled backward, his eyes widening as the trunk exploded. Dozens of photographs flew across the room, duplicating themselves in rapid succession. They covered the bed, the floor, piling up until they were several layers deep. Even then, they didn't stop, countless images of Lily laughing up at him as he struggled to bring them under control.
"Prohibere duplici!" Cursing under his breath, he tried again. "Summa desinunt!"
After a few more attempts, he managed to stop the duplication, though it didn't end there. He cast what seemed like hundreds of Vanishing spells, finally returning his quarters to their former state. Tucking a single copy of the picture back in the little box, he closed the trunk, reinforcing it with an extra set of wards.
What did it matter that someone had gained access to his office? That was nothing compared to them invading his private quarters. What they'd done, attempting to torture him with Lily's picture, of all things…
That was personal. Far too personal.
Severus sighed, returning to his armchair though he no longer had any motivation to read. He stared into the fire instead, waiting to see if there were any other signs of a disturbance. A couple hours passed before he relaxed somewhat, though even then, he couldn't imagine falling asleep. He searched for something to take the edge off, desperate for a few hours of peace.
Firewhiskey? No, he needed something more effective.
He summoned a vial of Dreamless Sleep, tipping it into his mouth. To his relief, the immunity he'd developed over the summer had worn off, his eyelids growing heavy as he slipped into bed. He'd have to be more careful about his dosage in the future, just to be sure that the potion retained its effectiveness. Really, he'd been foolish to overindulge, should've known better than to…
Severus did fall asleep, though it certainly wasn't dreamless. He woke up an hour later, the sound of his screams still echoing off the walls.