Disclaimers: refer to previous chapters

Chapter 10 was turning out to be too long, so I've divided into two. Chapter 11 is done and will be updated within days.

These next chapters are climatic, as Eleni's memory returns and she runs into the Forbidden Forest. Snape puts himself into danger by looking for her.

Thanks to those who have reviewed especially Starlight. I'd appreciate anyone reading the story to drop in a review too, you know how nice strokes are.

Well anyway enjoy part one.

Chapter 10

Snape was floating peaceful and sublime in his dream, ignoring whatever it was that was trying to return him to consciousness. It was like a ceaseless banging, like someone had left a door open somewhere.

'Why doesn't someone shut the damm thing up,' he muttered in his sleep.

Then from somewhere he heard a familiar voice.

'Severus,' it said, 'wake up. Severus.'

He mumbled in his sleep, willing the persistent voice to go away.

Suddenly his eyes shot open in recognition. The sound he could hear was not a door banging somewhere, it was frantic knocking and it was coming from outside his door.

'Severus, please open the door,' said the voice.

Snape cursed and pointed his finger to the lamp beside him. Instantly it lit up as he threw back the covers. This better not be some sort of student prank he thought. But the knocking did not stop.

'Yes what do you want,' he said crossly, flinging the door open.

Professor McGonagall was standing in her nightgown.

'Minerva,' he said in surprise. 'What is it?'

'Severus,' she said, 'I hate to disturb you but with Albus away and…'

'What's wrong?' he asked, noting the agitation in her voice. And by the look in her eyes Snape knew that this was no unnecessary false alarm.

'Eleni is not in her bed,' she said. 'I've looked but she seems to have disappeared.'

'Are you sure? She's probably on some escapade with Potter, Weasley and Granger.'

'No,' she said, 'I thought of that but they're all fast asleep. Two of the first years came to wake me. They were terrified because they had heard screams and yells coming from Eleni's room. I went to check and found her bed empty.'

Snape rubbed his chin in rapid movement, his eyes glittering in the lamplight.

'Severus,' said McGonagall, 'I thought you said you gave her a potion to diminish the effects.'

'Of course I did,' he said impatiently, 'but it's useless discussing that now. She needs to be found immediately.'

'Shall I wake Filch.'

'No,' he said, 'I'll find her myself.' He waved his wand. His nightshirt was replaced by his usual dark attire.' Snape then spoke sharply to his wand, which rolled around in his hand and then pointed to the direction of the stairs.

'Don't worry Minerva,' he said. 'I'll find her.'

'But what if she's outside the castle grounds. You know Albus warned you about leaving it's protection.'

'Don't worry I'll be fine. I'm sure she hasn't gone far.'

Snape's wand behaved like an over eager hound dog, straining in his hand, willing him to go faster. It led him up out of the dungeons, through the corridors, to the main entrance and in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Perhaps she's gone there, Snape thought, stepping quickly through the dewy grass. But when he reached Hagrid's hut, he saw that there were no lights and that his wand had no interest in stopping.

Snape contemplated momentarily, waking Hagrid up to help with the search but it would only take time and enough time had been wasted. I'll find her myself he thought, she has to be around him somewhere.

Inevitability the wand led him to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Snape stopped and breathed angrily. 'Damm,' he said, 'she should know better. All students know that this forest is off limits. She'll be lucky is she's not expelled.'

But he knew that he had no choice. If he was to find her, he had to go into the forest, no matter the risk. Snape took a deep breath and took his first steps, noticing that the black mark on his forearm had begun to tingle. He also noted that there wasn't a star in the sky, like they had taken fright and scampered off but Snape kept walking, not daring to stop.

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

Eleni was running. Running and running. Her heart thumped in protest but she pushed herself on and on. She stumbled and wrestled through broken branches, always getting up when she tripped and fell over.

She ran like a pack of wolves were chasing her. Only that the wolves that were chasing her, were lodged in her mind, tearing it apart.

The forest became thicker, the branches stretching out like cat's claws, intertwined with each other, clutching at her clothes, ripping, as if the forest had become alive with a malevolent power.

'Let me go,' she'd cry, every time the branches entrapped her. Somehow she'd manage to fight free and continue.

But to Eleni it appeared that the trees were moving, closing in, wanting to do battle with her. She fought tirelessly but eventually a root lifted from the ground and flung her up, somersaulting her into the ground.

There with her head mushed into the ground, she began to cry. Rasping sobs erupted out of her, like waves crashing onto rocks. Despair and pain sunk deep into every fibre of her being.

Please let me die she wept. I want to die. Please someone let me die.

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

Snape doubted he had ever cursed as much or been this angry. Only Sirius Black's escape from the clutches of the Dementors had been worse.

Whatever had possessed her to come out here, he spat to himself. There was going to be hell to pay for this foolish behaviour.

But through the tirade of angry words, Snape couldn't help noticing that the air had thickened around him and that a grey mist was swirling at his ankles like a ferocious whirlpool.

In the back of his mind, he knew that with every step he was entrapping himself in the gravest of dangers.

'Damm you Eleni,' he muttered again, 'where the hell are you? Surely by now you would have run yourself out with exhaustion.'

Snape's wand suddenly stiffened in his hand and swung its beam to the right.

Except for the sound of his breath, the forest had gone silent, like a desert on a hot summer's day.

Then he heard it. A muffled sound in the direction of where he wand was pointing. He fought his way through the undergrowth, using his wand to blast the branches out of his way. Then he saw what looked like a shaking form by a tree trunk. When he got closer he saw that the form was wrapped in foetal position and sobbing into the hard ground.

Despite his fury, Snape was relieved he had found her. Now all he had to do was get her and himself out of the forest in one piece.