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Chapter 6

Eleni had taken Snape's advice and gone directly to dinner. Then after a hurried good night to everyone in the Gryffindor common room, she had gone straight to her room. Once undressed and ready for bed, she sat on the edge of the bed and took out the pencil thin vial of blue liquid from her pocket. She held it up against the orange candlelight and stared at it.

Several times she went to drink it but hesitated at the last moment. Was it really a dreamless sleeping potion as he told her? Or had Snape spiked it with something else. Surely not she thought. Surely he wouldn't wish her harm. But then who knew what went through his mind.

Minutes passed and the doubts persisted, almost sending her back to the common room to ask the others for advice. But she knew that they'd tell her to get rid of the potion. No one in Gryffindor liked Snape. Actually if the truth be known, they loathed him, especially Harry and Ron.

And not only that. If she asked their opinion about the potion, she'd have to explain about everything else, which at the moment she'd rather not do.

Still Snape had been brusque but kind when she had blacked out in his office and eerily aware of her situation. Pity she thought, that her mind was clouded with fatigue because she'd love to replay their entire conversation in her head and get a clearer picture of what was going on. It disconcerted Eleni that Snape seemed to know about the dream and how it was affecting her. He had hung around his office during her detention like he knew that she was going to black out.

And if he knew something, what about the other professors. Professor Dumbledore had been so sure the night of her arrival that she'd be sorted into Gryffindor. Didn't he say something that he had wanted her at Hogwarts for a long time?

She shook her head. No, not now she told herself. Perhaps tomorrow after a good nights sleep. She'd think about it then and if need be, she'd go and see Snape and demand some answers. Today in his office he had almost become approachable. Perhaps he wouldn't mind a few questions.

Okay she told herself here goes. She took a deep breath. On the count of three. One, two…three.

Eleni swallowed the contents in one swallow. The taste was slightly bitter with an undertone of blackcurrant. But before she could put another thought together, a wonderful soft drowsiness permeated down through her body, like soft feather cushions. She yawned deeply and crawled under the covers and snuggled down under the quilt. Without another thought she fell soundly asleep and not once during the night did the dream come to visit.

The following morning, Eleni slowly drifted back to consciousness, feeling like she was floating over gentle river currents. When she finally opened her eyes, she realised that she had overslept and missed breakfast. But even with the growling in her stomach, Eleni didn't mind. Not one bit because she had had the best sleep in months. A beautiful one, one that she hadn't wanted to wake up from. 

She stared at the ceiling and smiled thinking that she'd be willing to have detention with Snape for the rest of the year if it meant getting the potion every night. Throwing back the covers, Eleni got up with a bright, clear head and went to the bathroom to wash.

***************

A thin layer of dew was still spread across the ground, despite the sun having broken free from behind the clouds. Eleni sat with the rest of the Gryffindors waiting for the first quidditch match of the season to begin.

Ravenclaw against Gryffindor. She was looking forward to watching Harry in action. Everyone had raved about his brilliance as a seeker and the excitement about the upcoming match had by last night reached fever pitch.

'You're looking happy and rested,' said Hermoine, as Eleni munched on a chocolate frog, waiting for the match to begin.

'Why not,' she said. 'It's Saturday, I've had a great sleep and I'm going to be watching Harry play for the first time.'

'I've noticed you've been looking tired,' said Hermoine, 'like you're not sleeping much.'

'Well not any more,' grinned Eleni. 'From now on I intend to have a good night's sleep every night.'

'Oh look,' said Hermoine, 'here's Ron.'

'Hi,' he said to the two of them after collapsing red faced beside them. 'I had to run the whole way, I thought I was going to miss the beginning.'

'Where have you been?' asked Hermoine. 'I was looking for you everywhere after breakfast.'

'Sending an owl to my parents, confirming that Harry's coming to spend Christmas with us. Mum's sent two owls this week to remind me.'

'I wish I could come too,' said Hermoine, 'but my parents see so little of me they said I couldn't go.'

'Mum's organising a big Weasley Christmas lunch and she really wanted Harry and Hermoine to be there,' Ron explained to Eleni. 'It'll be the first Christmas we've had together for years. Even my two older brothers Bill and Charlie are coming and Percy's invited his girlfriend.'

'Ohhh,' cried Hermoine, 'is he still going out with Penelope?'

'Of course,' said Ron, 'although I don't know what she sees in him.'

'Eleni what are you doing over Christmas?' asked Hermoine.

'I'm staying here,' she said. 'I don't fancy spending Christmas at the orphanage, so

I put my name down.'

'Nearly everyone's going home this Christmas,' said Hermoine. 'With what happened to Cedric, I think all the mum's and dad's want their children home this year.'

'If you want,' said Ron to Eleni, 'I could ask mum if you can come for Christmas too. I'm sure she'll say yes, after all with my large family, what's one more.'

Eleni blushed at his unabashed kindness. 'Thanks,' she said, 'I appreciate it but I can't. Professor McGonagall kind of insisted that I spend Christmas here, so I can catch up with my work. You see I'm pretty behind, I've missed a lot of school and she's organising all these tutorials with her and the other professors.'

Ron looked at her with a mixture of awe and horror. 'You poor thing,' he said. 'Great Christmas you're going to have, with the teachers breathing down your neck.'

'Unfortunately, there's not much I can do about it,' said Eleni, 'and I really didn't want to go back to the orphanage. It would probably be more miserable than spending Christmas at Hogwarts.'

'I don't think having extra tutoring over Christmas is that bad,' said Hermoine. 'It wouldn't bother me.'

'Oh you would say that wouldn't you,' said Ron. 'Teacher's pet.'

'I am not,' cried Hermoine. She stopped when she saw the wry grin on his face. 'Stop teasing or I'll set those freckles on fire.'

'Do that,' he said, 'and I'll make every bird in the district come and nest in your hair.'

Eleni smiled as she listened to their banter.

'Anyway,' Hermoine said to her, 'Christmas at Hogwarts is pretty good. You can basically do as you please and Christmas day is wonderful.'

'And you'll have the Gryffindor common room to yourself,' said Ron 'You won't have to fight for a place to seat.'

'Look, look,' cried out Hermoine, 'the teams are coming out. Look there's Harry.'

Eleni settled back in her seat, the anticipation growing but hoping that Harry didn't take too long to catch the snitch. She was starving.

**************

After the game, the whole school headed for the Great Hall for lunch. The Gryffindor crowd was blazing and buzzing with excitement.

'Did you see Harry's acrobatics? Said Colin Creevey, Harry's number one fan. 'What a manoeuvre. He's the best.'

'What about the nose dive,' said someone else. 'Wouldn't the muggles like to see that. He was faster than a jet fighter.'

'Well by my calculations, it puts Gryffindor well in front,' said Ron, laughing as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, slunk past with their heads down. 'How's it going Malfoy?' he called out. 'Bet you can't wait for the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match.'

'Up yours Weasley,' growled Malfoy. 'Why don't you go home to Mummy?'

'Come here and say that,' said Ron.

'Come on Ron, leave it alone,' said Hermoine. 'We have to hurry, we told Harry we'd save him a spot, so let's not waste time fighting with Malfoy and his cronies.'

'Suppose you're right,' said Ron, holding his wand and just itching for a duel with Malfoy.

'So Eleni how did you enjoy the match?' asked Hermoine.

'It was wonderful,' she said. 'Not that I've seen an abundance of games but that last bit when Harry did that nose dive for the snitch was the most exciting thing I've ever seen.'

'Didn't Melvin, your last school have Quidditch?' ask Ron.

'Yes but the teams are nothing as good as what I saw today.'

They entered the castle, still enthusing about the game, when they ran into the billowing robes of Professor Snape. He looked as pleased as Malfoy at Gryffindor's victory.

'Ten points from Gryffindor,' he snapped, looking over everyone's head at Eleni who was standing at the back.

Ron opened his mouth ready to give Snape a smart retort but smartly closed it when he saw the sneer on the face.

'One word Weasley,' warned Snape, 'and it will be another ten points and a detention.'

Hermoine tugged at Ron's robes, pulling him away. 'Sorry Professor Snape,' she said. 'Next time we'll watch where we're going.'

'See I was right,' Ron muttered to her, 'you're a teacher's pet.'

Eleni kept her head down and moved to follow them.

'A word Miss Devon,' said Snape, in his deep sonorous voice.

Eleni remained behind and watched the others meander away, talking amongst themselves and turning to see what Snape wanted with her.

'I see Miss Devon you used the potion,' he said.

Eleni smiled, despite his uninviting face. 'The potion was fantastic,' she said. 'I really want to thank you. I had the best sleep and the dream stayed away….'

'Good,' he said, handing her another vial, 'this is for tonight.'

'Thankyou,' she said, taking the potion as if he had just given her half the gold in Gringotts. 'Umm Professor Snape,' she began a little nervously, 'you seem to know… well…I mean… when you gave me the potion yesterday, you…seemed to know about the dream.'

Snape snorted impatiently. 'Logic Miss Devon. It's been clear you're not sleeping, therefore it must be a dream disturbing your sleep.'

'But…' she began again.

'Miss Devon,' said Snape, eyeing with distaste the crowd of students rushing past to lunch, 'if you need to say something to me, I suggest we move away from this busy thoroughfare, to a quieter area.'

Eleni nodded and nervously followed him, staying several steps behind, not wanting to walk alongside him.

'All right,' he eventually said, when they had reached a quiet, shadowy corridor. 'I need to let you know that all this is temporary. I will not be giving you the potion on a permanent basis.'

Eleni looked dumbfounded. What was he saying? After the great sleep she had had and now he was threatening to take it all away. 'But why?' she asked.

'There will come a point,' he said, 'when it will simply stop working because your sub conscious will do everything in its power to manifest itself. What happened in my office is an example of that.'

'But can't you make it stronger?'

'No Miss Devon, I can't. It's almost at its fullest potency now. The repression of your memory as distasteful as the memories might be, should not be your long term goal.'

'So then why give me the potion in the first place,' she cried.

'Because,' he said mildly, 'you're a hair's breath away from a complete mental and physical collapse. I am only giving you a break, so to speak.'

'When are you going to stop giving me the potion?'

'Christmas break is a week away,' he said. 'I think that should suffice. Professor McGonagall advised me that you'll be spending your Christmas at the school, taking extra tutorials.'

'But,' Eleni tried.

'Currently,' he continued, ignoring her interjection, 'I am working on a potion that will lessen the intensity of your dream. You will view everything at a distance, which will lesson the impact but still allow you to gradually recall events.'

Eleni shook her head wanting to pummel him with her fists. He was playing with her like she was a puppet on a string. He went to walk away but she stepped in his way.

'What is it now?' he said impatiently.

'Professor Snape,' she said, almost in tears. 'What if I don't want to remember?'

'Miss Devon as I suggested before, the repression of your memory shouldn't be your long term goal.'

'So if you know everything about me,' she cried angrily, 'why don't you tell me? That way I won't need any potion.'

'Careful Miss Devon, I don't tolerate insolence.'

'But there's so much I don't understand and you seem to know more of what's happening in my head than I do.'

'You overestimate me,' he said.

But Eleni wasn't ready to give up. 'Do you know what it's like being too afraid to fall asleep because you're terrified of what you might see in a dream? Well it's been like that for months and if I'm not allowed to take the dreamless potion for the rest of my life then I'd like to know what you know.'

Snape pursed his lips and glared at her. 'Each of us Miss Devon have our own demons to wrestle.'

'So you're not going to tell me what you know.'

For a moment Eleni thought he appeared to hesitate, as if considering his thoughts but then his mouth moved into his trademark sneer. 'Miss Devon, I regret that it's not in my place to speak.'

'So you do know something about my past,' she called out.

'Believe what you want to believe. Now if you excuse me, I must be going.'

Eleni watched him walk away, the anger rising through her head like jets of steam.

'Oh and Miss Devon,' he said, stopping and half turning to face her. 'The rest of your detention will resume on Monday. I hope you haven't forgotten you have a week of detentions left.'

If it wasn't that the potion she was holding was precious, Eleni would have thrown the vial to the floor and stamped on it. She turned and stormed back in the direction of the Great Hall. The hunger pangs she had been experiencing all through the game had all but disappeared.

However neither Eleni or Professor Snape had noticed a figure hiding deep in the shadows while they had been talking. When certain that the coast was clear, Draco Malfoy stepped out and smiled.

Now that was an interesting conversation he thought. Wonder what father will make of it when I tell him.

****************

The Gryffindor table eyed her curiously when she sat down for lunch.

'What did Snape want?' Ron asked her, sidling over. 'I saw him giving you a potion.'

'Are you sick or something?' asked Hermoine sounding concerned.

'Not exactly,' said Eleni, concentrating on filling her plate with chicken and steak, so she wouldn't have to look at them.

'You better be careful he's not trying to poison you,' said Harry, his face still flushed from the game.

'He's not,' she said.

'So then tell us what's in the potion,' Ron asked again.

'It's nothing,' she said. 'Just a dreamless sleep potion.'

'Why do you need a dreamless sleep potion?' asked Hermoine.

'To keep certain dreams away,' she said.

'But why is Snape giving it to you and not Madam Pomfrey?' asked Ron. 'She's the one that always gives out that potion.'

Eleni sighed and looked at them. 'It's nothing really,' she said, 'his is a stronger brew that's all.'

'I get a feeling there's a lot you're not telling us,' said Hermoine, eyeing her closely. Ron and Harry nodded in agreement.

And I get a feeling there's a lot Snape's not telling me, Eleni thought.

'Look,' she said as mildly as she could, 'it's nothing really. Just a dreamless sleep potion that for now I need to take.'

'It's never that simple when Snape's involved,' said Harry.

Eleni looked up and was relieved to see Professor McGonagall approach the Gryffindor table to congratulate him.

The quicker the attention was taken away from her, the better.