Wrapped in his thick black cloak, the young Severus Snape wandered down an odd corridor. He knew it was late, but he wasn't yet tired, and he mulled over the previous night's events in his mind. He wasn't so sure one of the third years wouldn't try something foolish anyway. Making his way silently to the entrance hall, Severus tried to think about other things.

A quick flash of moonlight flooded into the hall and then was gone… quickly deducing, Severus ran almost headlong into the door, barely stopping to open it.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He cursed. I should have known…He saw a thin figure sprinting toward the forest, and with a sudden burst of strength, began to overtake it.

Wildly grabbing at the figure's robes, Severus realized it was Gregory Pfeiffer, the gawky third-year. He felt fabric in his hand and, grabbing it, yanked hard, causing the boy to stumble and fall. Severus tripped and landed on top of hi. Struggling to getaway, Gregory scratched Severus's face with flailing hands and pulled a lock of his fine blue-black hair free from its ponytail. Severus kept a tight hold in the boy's robes and managed to keep him down.

Looking up, Severus noticed a light moving quickly toward them from the direction of the forest. The Gamekeeper…! Damn it! He silently cursed his luck and carefully pried the third-year's hands from his robes.

"'Ere, now, what do you think you're doing out this late?" The gamekeeper, Ogg, a great hairy man, lifted both boys easily from where they lay prostrate on the ground. "I ought to take you both to Dumbledore, I should."

Severus felt himself grabbed by his upper arm and pulled forward into the great castle. Now that they were caught, he reasoned dryly, they would probably both be expelled. Severus cursed to himself again, shaking his head. What would his father say? Stealing a glance at Gregory, he saw fear written all over the boy's face, and was satisfied.

Up a staircase, down a hallway, up another staircase, and they stopped in front of a small wooden door partway down another hallway. A shiny silver plaque on it read, in scrunched loopy letters, ALBUS DUMBLEDORE. Ogg knocked once and a tired voice called out:

"Enter…"

Severus's arm suddenly relaxed as Ogg reached out to open the office door. He was shoved roughly inside and was followed by the gamekeeper and a panting Gregory before the door shut again.

"Caught these two fighting, I did. Out on the grounds… Thought you should know, maybe punish them," Ogg grunted. Dumbledore nodded at him, taking off his half-moon glasses, and waved for him to leave. "But Mr. Dumbledore sir…"

"I will hear enough from these two boys, thank you, Ogg," Dumbledore sighed. The gamekeeper nodded his bushy brown head reluctantly and left without another word.

"Now," Dumbledore said, turning to the two students, "Sit." They did. Gregory kept shifting, his eyes darting at Severus, who merely leaned back, cold black eyes studying the Assistant Headmaster warily. "I expect you can explain yourselves?" Dumbledore continued, looking at Severus expectantly.

Shifting, the sixth year nodded slowly. Dumbledore waited patiently, leaning forward over his desk and folding his hands.

"There were… several third years in my House," Severus began, glancing at Gregory, "Who thought it would be funny to sneak out to the Forbidden Forest in order to prove their bravery to… others."

Gregory half rose out of his chair, a furious look on his face, and opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced with a look from Dumbledore. He sank back down and glared at Severus, who pretended not to notice. Dumbledore nodded for him to continue. Taking a deep breath he did.

"I was out, walking around the halls tonight, when I saw Gregory leave the castle. I thought, that since he was one of the third years… that he would try something stupid."

By now Gregory was silently fuming in his seat, beyond words. Dumbledore turned to him.

"Is this true?"

"Professor," Gregory sneered, "I wasn't being stupid…"

"Oh?"

"It's just that the Gryffindors have been so… mean to us that I thought…"

"That sneaking out and getting into a fight would get you respected?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily. "Of course you thought about this? Please continue," he added to Severus.

"Well, I had tried to talk them out of it," Severus said, "But I guess it didn't work. I followed him out and he started running… so I grabbed his robes and he turned on me."

 Severus only now became aware of the burning stripes across his face and a funny dull tingling in his left arm. He rubbed at it self-consciously as the feeling came back to his fingers.

Dumbledore sat back, stroking his short gray beard that went halfway down his chest. He looked from Gregory to Severus to Gregory again. Severus's face began to sting ferociously, and he longed to run it under water to relieve the pain. After a time, Dumbledore spoke.

"I am sorry to say," he said, looking between the two boys, that despite your good intentions –" here his gaze lingered on Severus – "You will both be dealt with severely. Gregory Pfeiffer… fifty points from Slytherin, and two months of detentions. Be glad it's not more. As for Severus Snape… ten points from Slytherin—" Severus let out a sudden rush of air he didn't realize he had been holding—"and two detentions. I will also be notifying both of your parents." Replacing his half-moon spectacles, the Assistant Headmaster stared at both Slytherins for a second before leaning forward again. "I trust you don't need me to make sure you both get to bed safely?"

"No, sir," Pfeiffer grumbled.

As the boys rose to leave, Dumbledore called after them.

"I daresay Madam Marche is still awake, Mr. Snape… Severus… you may want to get those scratches looked at."