Chapter 21: The Unexpected
Staring at the paper didn't help her mind to calm down, or her pounding heart to slow. With dazed movements, she opened the door to her room, walked in, then closed and locked it behind her. 'What does this mean?', she puzzled as she slumped down onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling for hours trying to figure out the meaning of the note. Sleep came before any answers though, and before she knew it, the sun had risen.
Blythe blinked repeatedly, rubbed her eyes and stretched. She couldn't believe it was already morning, it felt as though she hadn't slept at all. Dog tired, Blythe groggily made her way to the bathroom for her morning routine. The hot water didn't make her feel any better either. As she ran a brush through her hair she just kept mumbling, "Five more minutes. Please, just five more minutes."
A sudden knock at the door startled her out of her dozing. She rose from her seat, quickly dressed and opened the door to see Remus Lupin looking strained and worried.
"Remus? What's wrong?"
He stumbled into the room and almost collapsed in a chair. Blythe quickly walked over and kneeled beside him taking his hand in hers for comfort.
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright, Blythe. I've been really worried about your safety."
She gave him a quizzical look. "What for? I've been perfectly fine."
"Remember those notes you were receiving?"
Blythe stopped and thought for a moment, then it dawned on her. "Yes, I remember. Coincidentally, why didn't you get back to me?"
"I didn't send you those letters, Blythe. I don't know who did, but you somehow managed to just miss them everywhere you went."
"Wha? What do you mean they weren't from you?"
"Just what I said. I wasn't the one who wrote those letters, Blythe. I'm still trying to find out who did. I've been so scared that something happened to you that I finally tracked down the Headmaster to find out where you were."
"Well, the letters signed by you aren't the only ones I've received." Reluctantly Blythe stood and walked to her night table to retrieve the letter she'd gotten the previous night. She handed it over to a curious looking Remus and kneeled beside him again.
His eyes moved rapidly over the parchment, then his face paled even more. "When did you get this?"
"Last night."
Remus sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair. He pulled his hand away from Blythe and rubbed it against his other hand nervously. "This isn't good. I have to find out who's sending these to you." Without warning, he leaned forward, cupped Blythe's face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "Promise me you won't go anywhere alone, Blythe."
"What?" A deep frown creased her brow as she quickly pulled away from him. "Are you insane? What makes you think I need an escort everywhere I go? I may not be a Witch, but I am not going to be treated like some helpless child, Remus! I understand that you want to make sure I'm protected, but this is simply ridiculous. I'll make no such promises."
His own brow furrowed, and for the first time, his voice rose a notch in aggravation. "Blythe, now isn't the time for a petty dispute. I want you to promise me that you'll have someone with you to make sure you're safe."
"No, Remus! Forget it. It won't happen.", she argued back.
Then his hands clutched her shoulders and he gave her a little shake. "Listen to me! This isn't some game. It's not child's play where you can run around being carefree. I'm talking about life or death here, Blythe, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Her temper flared so high that her voice became eerily calm and low key. "Let me go, Remus."
He stared at her in shock and bewilderment not knowing what to make of her tone. "I-I'm sorry, Blythe, but you don't seem to understand how serious this situation..."
"Get out."
"What? Blythe, please, listen to me!"
"I mean it, Remus. Get out.", her tone remained cold and unfeeling despite how torn she was inside.
He rose slowly from the chair, walked to the door and paused for a moment before stating angrily, "I don't play games, Blythe. Not with anyone, and certainly not with you. Either you listen or you don't, it's up to you. All I wanted was a friend, and to help you. But if you think you can make it on your own, there's nothing I can do about it." With that said, he swept out of the room.
Blythe collapsed into the chair Remus had been in and looked at the floor. "I'm not a child and don't want to be treated like one. I may not have any magic in my blood, but I'm still an adult and can fend for myself. I wish you'd stop treating me like I'm inferior to you, Remus." After a few minutes of getting herself back under control, Blythe stood and walked out of her room.
When the day's classes had ended, she walked to her room again, changed into a bathing suit, slipped on a light dress and headed down to the lake. She thanked her lucky stars when she noticed she was the only one out there. She slipped out of the dress and dove into the lake without a care. Her body floated on the surface for awhile when something grabbed her ankle and started dragging her deeper.
Before she could cry out, she was completely submerged. All she could make out through the murky liquid was something green and hideous dragging her deeper into the lake. Her mind registered the thing as something that wasn't the giant squid. Then, just as suddenly as she'd been pulled down, she was being dragged back up. She felt something sharp, like teeth, digging into her shoulder and pulling her from the water. When she'd finally reached dry land, she opened her eyes and looked through the cloudy mist that was her vision.
She made out something large, black and extremely hairy. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. Her sight now cleared a bit, she took a closer look up at a man in black robes. Her brain tried to comprehend why he would save her life when she noticed movement from the corner of her eye. She turned her head, despite the pain in her neck and shoulder, to see the rapidly retreating form of a very big, black dog. When she looked up at the man again, she could see his lips moving as though words were coming out, but her ears were filled with water and she couldn't hear a thing.
Snape grabbed her arms and roughly pulled her up to her feet as he stared down at her face with a bitter grimace. Finally Blythe could start to hear what he was saying.
"What do you think you're doing out here?"
"Huh?", she asked dazedly.
He sounded as though he was growling for a moment, then repeated his question.
"I was....swimming. S-something grabbed m..."
"That's obvious. Now, would you mind telling me why you decided to have a swim in the lake?"
"Why not?" Her senses were finally beginning to come back and she felt as though she was being given the third degree. And by Severus Snape no less!
"Are you so daft that you didn't realize the dangers that lurk in those waters? What do you think might have happened if that Grindylow had managed to drag you to the bottom of the lake?"
She pulled herself free and yelled. "What's it matter to you?!"
His reflexes were quicker though, and just as she'd freed herself from his grasp, and screamed her words, his hold was back in place, this time on her shoulders. "It simply does, Miss Farrah. I have my own reasons for saving your pathetic and worthless hide."
Blythe winced and tried to get away from him again, but his grip tightened and she fell to the ground like a stone. The agony in her shoulder finally taking it's toll and forcing her to succumb to darkness.
Staring at the paper didn't help her mind to calm down, or her pounding heart to slow. With dazed movements, she opened the door to her room, walked in, then closed and locked it behind her. 'What does this mean?', she puzzled as she slumped down onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling for hours trying to figure out the meaning of the note. Sleep came before any answers though, and before she knew it, the sun had risen.
Blythe blinked repeatedly, rubbed her eyes and stretched. She couldn't believe it was already morning, it felt as though she hadn't slept at all. Dog tired, Blythe groggily made her way to the bathroom for her morning routine. The hot water didn't make her feel any better either. As she ran a brush through her hair she just kept mumbling, "Five more minutes. Please, just five more minutes."
A sudden knock at the door startled her out of her dozing. She rose from her seat, quickly dressed and opened the door to see Remus Lupin looking strained and worried.
"Remus? What's wrong?"
He stumbled into the room and almost collapsed in a chair. Blythe quickly walked over and kneeled beside him taking his hand in hers for comfort.
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright, Blythe. I've been really worried about your safety."
She gave him a quizzical look. "What for? I've been perfectly fine."
"Remember those notes you were receiving?"
Blythe stopped and thought for a moment, then it dawned on her. "Yes, I remember. Coincidentally, why didn't you get back to me?"
"I didn't send you those letters, Blythe. I don't know who did, but you somehow managed to just miss them everywhere you went."
"Wha? What do you mean they weren't from you?"
"Just what I said. I wasn't the one who wrote those letters, Blythe. I'm still trying to find out who did. I've been so scared that something happened to you that I finally tracked down the Headmaster to find out where you were."
"Well, the letters signed by you aren't the only ones I've received." Reluctantly Blythe stood and walked to her night table to retrieve the letter she'd gotten the previous night. She handed it over to a curious looking Remus and kneeled beside him again.
His eyes moved rapidly over the parchment, then his face paled even more. "When did you get this?"
"Last night."
Remus sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair. He pulled his hand away from Blythe and rubbed it against his other hand nervously. "This isn't good. I have to find out who's sending these to you." Without warning, he leaned forward, cupped Blythe's face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "Promise me you won't go anywhere alone, Blythe."
"What?" A deep frown creased her brow as she quickly pulled away from him. "Are you insane? What makes you think I need an escort everywhere I go? I may not be a Witch, but I am not going to be treated like some helpless child, Remus! I understand that you want to make sure I'm protected, but this is simply ridiculous. I'll make no such promises."
His own brow furrowed, and for the first time, his voice rose a notch in aggravation. "Blythe, now isn't the time for a petty dispute. I want you to promise me that you'll have someone with you to make sure you're safe."
"No, Remus! Forget it. It won't happen.", she argued back.
Then his hands clutched her shoulders and he gave her a little shake. "Listen to me! This isn't some game. It's not child's play where you can run around being carefree. I'm talking about life or death here, Blythe, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Her temper flared so high that her voice became eerily calm and low key. "Let me go, Remus."
He stared at her in shock and bewilderment not knowing what to make of her tone. "I-I'm sorry, Blythe, but you don't seem to understand how serious this situation..."
"Get out."
"What? Blythe, please, listen to me!"
"I mean it, Remus. Get out.", her tone remained cold and unfeeling despite how torn she was inside.
He rose slowly from the chair, walked to the door and paused for a moment before stating angrily, "I don't play games, Blythe. Not with anyone, and certainly not with you. Either you listen or you don't, it's up to you. All I wanted was a friend, and to help you. But if you think you can make it on your own, there's nothing I can do about it." With that said, he swept out of the room.
Blythe collapsed into the chair Remus had been in and looked at the floor. "I'm not a child and don't want to be treated like one. I may not have any magic in my blood, but I'm still an adult and can fend for myself. I wish you'd stop treating me like I'm inferior to you, Remus." After a few minutes of getting herself back under control, Blythe stood and walked out of her room.
When the day's classes had ended, she walked to her room again, changed into a bathing suit, slipped on a light dress and headed down to the lake. She thanked her lucky stars when she noticed she was the only one out there. She slipped out of the dress and dove into the lake without a care. Her body floated on the surface for awhile when something grabbed her ankle and started dragging her deeper.
Before she could cry out, she was completely submerged. All she could make out through the murky liquid was something green and hideous dragging her deeper into the lake. Her mind registered the thing as something that wasn't the giant squid. Then, just as suddenly as she'd been pulled down, she was being dragged back up. She felt something sharp, like teeth, digging into her shoulder and pulling her from the water. When she'd finally reached dry land, she opened her eyes and looked through the cloudy mist that was her vision.
She made out something large, black and extremely hairy. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. Her sight now cleared a bit, she took a closer look up at a man in black robes. Her brain tried to comprehend why he would save her life when she noticed movement from the corner of her eye. She turned her head, despite the pain in her neck and shoulder, to see the rapidly retreating form of a very big, black dog. When she looked up at the man again, she could see his lips moving as though words were coming out, but her ears were filled with water and she couldn't hear a thing.
Snape grabbed her arms and roughly pulled her up to her feet as he stared down at her face with a bitter grimace. Finally Blythe could start to hear what he was saying.
"What do you think you're doing out here?"
"Huh?", she asked dazedly.
He sounded as though he was growling for a moment, then repeated his question.
"I was....swimming. S-something grabbed m..."
"That's obvious. Now, would you mind telling me why you decided to have a swim in the lake?"
"Why not?" Her senses were finally beginning to come back and she felt as though she was being given the third degree. And by Severus Snape no less!
"Are you so daft that you didn't realize the dangers that lurk in those waters? What do you think might have happened if that Grindylow had managed to drag you to the bottom of the lake?"
She pulled herself free and yelled. "What's it matter to you?!"
His reflexes were quicker though, and just as she'd freed herself from his grasp, and screamed her words, his hold was back in place, this time on her shoulders. "It simply does, Miss Farrah. I have my own reasons for saving your pathetic and worthless hide."
Blythe winced and tried to get away from him again, but his grip tightened and she fell to the ground like a stone. The agony in her shoulder finally taking it's toll and forcing her to succumb to darkness.