The semester started off well. Zandra proved to be a great asset to the Gryffindor House. Because of her hard work and determination, the points were rolling in. She became very popular among the Gryffindor students. It wasn't long before the Gryffindors had a good lead over Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw was third and Slytherin was last in House points for the first time in ages.
Autumn had arrived and the Slytherins had moved up a good bit in the House points. They were now second, just fifteen points behind Gryffindor. But all of the students forgot about the House points for a while. They knew that the Halloween feast was coming up. They couldn't wait! They knew that Dumbledore would have the Great Hall decorated with live bats and Hagrid would bring gigantic pumpkins to be carved. Halloween was always a fun time at Hogwarts. Finally the evening arrived. Maleficent had told Severus that she would meet him in the Great Hall. She wanted to finish reading a chapter in her Charms textbook. Severus mentally told her that she could read it anytime but Maleficent replied that she only had a few pages left to read. He shrugged and followed the rest of the Slytherins down to the Great Hall.
James's group was already in the Great Hall enjoying the dinner when Severus entered. They all noticed that Maleficent was not with him. Maleficent and Severus were usually together at any event that they attended outside of classes. As Severussat down at the Slytherin table, Peter Pettigrew excused himself and left the Great Hall. James watched as he exited the large room and closed the doors behind him. Pettigrew wanted to "talk" to Maleficent about the petticoat incident that had happened during the previous year. He was still embarrassed about it and sought out to make sure she didn't do it again. He headed for the dungeons and waited. He didn't have to wait long.
Maleficent had just left the Slytherin common room and was heading up the stairs when she heard footsteps. She looked around but no one was there. Ignoring it, she continued on her way. When she reached the top of the stairs, something jumped out from behind the statue of Farina the Frightened, startling her. She reached for her wand but the person shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Her wand went flying back down the stairs. The person pointed his wand at her. She looked at him and recognized him as Peter Pettigrew. "What do you want?" she said calmly. Outside, she kept her calm appearance. Inside, she was a bit nervous. She called out to Severus in her mind, "Severus! I need your help! Come to the dungeons now!" Severus was enjoying a bit of roast beef when he heard Maleficent's quavering voice in his mind. He dropped his fork, jumped up, and dashed out of the room. Some of the students watched curiously but didn't follow him.
"I've been wanting to talk to you ever since you humiliated me last year in front of everyone in our Herbology class, Maleficent," Peter said. Maleficent said, "You deserved it, Peter. Now leave me alone." She moved to step past him but he reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back. His eyes were cold and angry and he whispered, "No, you'll stay and hear me out. There's no wand or Snape to help you out now." Maleficent pulled her arm out of his grasp and tried to run but he grabbed her cloak and pulled, causing her to lose her balance. She fell. There was a very sharp pain in her ankle and she knew it had been sprained. All the same, she got up and leaned against the wall. "What in the heck do you want me to do, Pettigrew? Apologize in front of everyone? I don't think so! Not after the way you treated me! Now back off!" Maleficent shouted. Her voice revealed the pain she was feeling. She took a step forward but Pettigrew pulled her back. "You'll regret doing that to me, Slytherin!" he exclaimed. He was angry and pushed her. She fell backwards, tumbling down the stone steps. She landed at the bottom of the steps, silent and not moving. Pettigrew's eyes went wide at what he'd just done. Had he killed her? But he didn't even have time to think about it.
Severus rounded the corner as Maleficent was pushed. He saw her fall backwards down the stairs. He was furious! Anger raged inside him. His best friend, the only person who had ever given him a fair chance, had just been attacked, possibly killed. His eyes narrowed. He let out a yell of rage and chared at Pettigrew. Pettigrew turned just in time to see Severus running angrily towards him. He jumped to the side and pulled out his wand but Severus was faster than he was. Severus reached out, grabbed his wand, and quickly snapped it in two. He threw the pieces down and growled, "I warned Potter to leave her alone. But you don't get a warning, you bastard!" Severus lunged at Pettigrew, who tried to get out of the way but wasn't quick enough. Severus grabbed him, picked him up, and hurled him at the wall. Severus was fueled with anger and rage and easily slammed the Gryffindor into the stone wall. Peter coughed and struggled to his feet, crying, "Leave me alone, Snape! Just leave me alone!" Pettigrew ran to hide behind the statue of Farina the Frightened. Severus grabbed his wand and expelled the statue. It flew across the hall, shattering into a thousand pieces. The sound was heard all the way up in the Great Hall. Everyone went quiet. Dumbledore ran from the room, followed closely by McGonagall and Maxwell.
Severus grabbed Pettigrew and threw him once more across the room. He hit the wall with a dull thud and slumped to the ground. He was out cold. Severus stood there, breathing for just a moment. Then he flew down the stairs to Maleficent, who lay in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. He knelt beside her and rolled her over. She was bleeding but still breathing. He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks. Then he began to speak into her mind, "Please wake up, Maleficent. I know you can hear me. Just wake up. Wake up." He kept talking to her, trying to awaken her. He heard a gasp unstairs and knew that Pettigrew had been found. He called out, "Someone, please help me." The three professors heard him and went down the stairs. They saw Severus sitting on the floor, holding an unconscious Maleficent in his arms. Dumbledore asked, "What happened?" Severus quickly told the tale of how Pettigrew left the feast to find Maleficent and make her pay for his humiliation the previous year. She had called out for help and he had come to help her. McGonagall said sternly, "I did not hear her call out for help, Severus." Severus glared at her and said, "Well you wouldn't. She and I can communicate through our minds, Professor." McGonagall's eyes widened a bit but she didn't say anything else. Maxwell said gently, "I'll take her to the hospital wing." Severus shook his head and said, "I'll do it, Professor." Maxwell nodded and let the boy carry her to Madam Pomfrey.
Madam Pomfrey was able to heal her sprained ankle and wake her up easily. Severus sat with her and held her hand as she woke up. Maleficent looked into his eyes when she woke up and said, "I knew you would come, Severus. I knew you would." He nodded. A lump had formed in his throat. He was unable to speak for fear of crying. But he couldn't let anyone see that. He just squeezed her hand and mentally said, "I took care of him for you. I don't think he'll have the guts to bother you again." When Madam Pomfrey released her, Severus helped her back to the Slytherin Common Room, making sure she would be all right. As she closed the door to the girls dormitory, he made a solemn vow that no one would ever, ever successfully hurt her again. If they tried, they would have to go through him. As he crawled into bed that evening, he thought about how afraid he was that she had been mortally wounded. He also thought about how truly angry he was at Pettigrew for trying to hurt her. Somewhere inside, he admitted something to himself. "I like her. I really like her. As more than just a friend," he thought to himself. A warmth came over him as he thought these very private thoughts. "Severus likes Maleficent," he thought. Yet, he was afraid to discuss it with her. He feared losing her as a friend, and would rather keep their friendship than scare her off with romantic mess. He fell asleep that evening deciding not to mention it to her or even think about it because she would learn the truth and he really didn't want to scare her away. She was all he really had.
Autumn had arrived and the Slytherins had moved up a good bit in the House points. They were now second, just fifteen points behind Gryffindor. But all of the students forgot about the House points for a while. They knew that the Halloween feast was coming up. They couldn't wait! They knew that Dumbledore would have the Great Hall decorated with live bats and Hagrid would bring gigantic pumpkins to be carved. Halloween was always a fun time at Hogwarts. Finally the evening arrived. Maleficent had told Severus that she would meet him in the Great Hall. She wanted to finish reading a chapter in her Charms textbook. Severus mentally told her that she could read it anytime but Maleficent replied that she only had a few pages left to read. He shrugged and followed the rest of the Slytherins down to the Great Hall.
James's group was already in the Great Hall enjoying the dinner when Severus entered. They all noticed that Maleficent was not with him. Maleficent and Severus were usually together at any event that they attended outside of classes. As Severussat down at the Slytherin table, Peter Pettigrew excused himself and left the Great Hall. James watched as he exited the large room and closed the doors behind him. Pettigrew wanted to "talk" to Maleficent about the petticoat incident that had happened during the previous year. He was still embarrassed about it and sought out to make sure she didn't do it again. He headed for the dungeons and waited. He didn't have to wait long.
Maleficent had just left the Slytherin common room and was heading up the stairs when she heard footsteps. She looked around but no one was there. Ignoring it, she continued on her way. When she reached the top of the stairs, something jumped out from behind the statue of Farina the Frightened, startling her. She reached for her wand but the person shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Her wand went flying back down the stairs. The person pointed his wand at her. She looked at him and recognized him as Peter Pettigrew. "What do you want?" she said calmly. Outside, she kept her calm appearance. Inside, she was a bit nervous. She called out to Severus in her mind, "Severus! I need your help! Come to the dungeons now!" Severus was enjoying a bit of roast beef when he heard Maleficent's quavering voice in his mind. He dropped his fork, jumped up, and dashed out of the room. Some of the students watched curiously but didn't follow him.
"I've been wanting to talk to you ever since you humiliated me last year in front of everyone in our Herbology class, Maleficent," Peter said. Maleficent said, "You deserved it, Peter. Now leave me alone." She moved to step past him but he reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back. His eyes were cold and angry and he whispered, "No, you'll stay and hear me out. There's no wand or Snape to help you out now." Maleficent pulled her arm out of his grasp and tried to run but he grabbed her cloak and pulled, causing her to lose her balance. She fell. There was a very sharp pain in her ankle and she knew it had been sprained. All the same, she got up and leaned against the wall. "What in the heck do you want me to do, Pettigrew? Apologize in front of everyone? I don't think so! Not after the way you treated me! Now back off!" Maleficent shouted. Her voice revealed the pain she was feeling. She took a step forward but Pettigrew pulled her back. "You'll regret doing that to me, Slytherin!" he exclaimed. He was angry and pushed her. She fell backwards, tumbling down the stone steps. She landed at the bottom of the steps, silent and not moving. Pettigrew's eyes went wide at what he'd just done. Had he killed her? But he didn't even have time to think about it.
Severus rounded the corner as Maleficent was pushed. He saw her fall backwards down the stairs. He was furious! Anger raged inside him. His best friend, the only person who had ever given him a fair chance, had just been attacked, possibly killed. His eyes narrowed. He let out a yell of rage and chared at Pettigrew. Pettigrew turned just in time to see Severus running angrily towards him. He jumped to the side and pulled out his wand but Severus was faster than he was. Severus reached out, grabbed his wand, and quickly snapped it in two. He threw the pieces down and growled, "I warned Potter to leave her alone. But you don't get a warning, you bastard!" Severus lunged at Pettigrew, who tried to get out of the way but wasn't quick enough. Severus grabbed him, picked him up, and hurled him at the wall. Severus was fueled with anger and rage and easily slammed the Gryffindor into the stone wall. Peter coughed and struggled to his feet, crying, "Leave me alone, Snape! Just leave me alone!" Pettigrew ran to hide behind the statue of Farina the Frightened. Severus grabbed his wand and expelled the statue. It flew across the hall, shattering into a thousand pieces. The sound was heard all the way up in the Great Hall. Everyone went quiet. Dumbledore ran from the room, followed closely by McGonagall and Maxwell.
Severus grabbed Pettigrew and threw him once more across the room. He hit the wall with a dull thud and slumped to the ground. He was out cold. Severus stood there, breathing for just a moment. Then he flew down the stairs to Maleficent, who lay in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. He knelt beside her and rolled her over. She was bleeding but still breathing. He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks. Then he began to speak into her mind, "Please wake up, Maleficent. I know you can hear me. Just wake up. Wake up." He kept talking to her, trying to awaken her. He heard a gasp unstairs and knew that Pettigrew had been found. He called out, "Someone, please help me." The three professors heard him and went down the stairs. They saw Severus sitting on the floor, holding an unconscious Maleficent in his arms. Dumbledore asked, "What happened?" Severus quickly told the tale of how Pettigrew left the feast to find Maleficent and make her pay for his humiliation the previous year. She had called out for help and he had come to help her. McGonagall said sternly, "I did not hear her call out for help, Severus." Severus glared at her and said, "Well you wouldn't. She and I can communicate through our minds, Professor." McGonagall's eyes widened a bit but she didn't say anything else. Maxwell said gently, "I'll take her to the hospital wing." Severus shook his head and said, "I'll do it, Professor." Maxwell nodded and let the boy carry her to Madam Pomfrey.
Madam Pomfrey was able to heal her sprained ankle and wake her up easily. Severus sat with her and held her hand as she woke up. Maleficent looked into his eyes when she woke up and said, "I knew you would come, Severus. I knew you would." He nodded. A lump had formed in his throat. He was unable to speak for fear of crying. But he couldn't let anyone see that. He just squeezed her hand and mentally said, "I took care of him for you. I don't think he'll have the guts to bother you again." When Madam Pomfrey released her, Severus helped her back to the Slytherin Common Room, making sure she would be all right. As she closed the door to the girls dormitory, he made a solemn vow that no one would ever, ever successfully hurt her again. If they tried, they would have to go through him. As he crawled into bed that evening, he thought about how afraid he was that she had been mortally wounded. He also thought about how truly angry he was at Pettigrew for trying to hurt her. Somewhere inside, he admitted something to himself. "I like her. I really like her. As more than just a friend," he thought to himself. A warmth came over him as he thought these very private thoughts. "Severus likes Maleficent," he thought. Yet, he was afraid to discuss it with her. He feared losing her as a friend, and would rather keep their friendship than scare her off with romantic mess. He fell asleep that evening deciding not to mention it to her or even think about it because she would learn the truth and he really didn't want to scare her away. She was all he really had.