I know that Percy Weasley had left Hogwarts, and I am actually kicking myself now for putting him in Prefect. But I'm re-reading the whole Harry Potter series and I keep confusing myself, and ultimately, you lot. Sorry…

"Shadows are falling, and I've been here all day.

It's too hot to sleep, the time is running away.

Feels like my soul has turned into steel.

I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal.

It's not even room enough to be anywhere,

It's not dark yet, but it's getting there."

'Not Dark Yet'   Bob Dylan

Standing in front of the Office door, Daniel tried to think of what Severus could want. Turning the knob, she stepped into the cool room. There was always a strange chemical smell that lingered around this area of the school.

"Severus?" she called out. No answer. Glancing around, she noticed some of the cupboard doors were open, closing them all; she cleared up a spill on the floor and made herself at home. Picking a book off the shelf, she sat down on a chair and read for a bit. About ten minutes later, Severus and Alexander burst through the door, laughing hysterically.  Stopping when they saw her, a weird little smile remained on their faces.

"I called for you ages ago." Severus said, puzzled. The front of his robes were wet. Staring pointedly at him, Daniel stood up and made a show of smoothing out her robes and Severus noticed himself and went to get changed.

"What's going on?" she asked Alexander, who was making himself some tea. Giving her an apologetic look over the rim of the teacup, Alexander gurgled the tea in his throat.

"Severus found out about Malfoy." He replied hoarsely. Groaning, Daniel collapsed back onto the chair.

 "How does he know?"  She asked him, although she already knew.

Alexander went to answer, but Severus had re-entered the room, wearing long sort of longish shirt. Instead of answering, he tapped the side of his head. Daniel nodded understandingly. It was always hard keeping secrets from a Snape, unless you knew how.

Sitting down opposite her, Severus and Alexander looked like the 'odder couple'. Alexander was neatly dressed in Muggle clothing, and Severus looked like an escapee from an Insane Asylum, wearing an oversized white-ish shirt and red socks.

"I know about Malfoy." Severus said quietly, staring at the area between her eyes. Alexander looked mildly humored.

 "And I can understand that you were...hungry...but I have to impress upon you the severity of what you've done." He looked relieved to have said it.

"Yes, I am deeply sorry for taking a bite out of Draco Malfoy and I can guarantee it will never happen again unless I am really really hungry."

Daniel recited in a monotone. Alexander grinned. Severus made a disgruntled noise and pulled something out from under the sofa he was sitting on.

"Dumbledore sent me these." He said quickly. More blood. Opening the airtight case, Daniel was greeted with at least enough blood to do her for a month. Smiling broadly, she clasped it closed again.

"It's human." Severus stated roughly. He was making even more tea. He must live off it. Suddenly, there was a huge crash resounding through the stone ceiling. Severus looked puzzled and walked quickly out the door.

"I'll stay here." Alexander said sleepily, as Daniel followed. Sprinting up the stairs, Daniel found Mad Eye Moody, Filch, and Severus all standing arguing at the foot of a staircase. Glancing up the stairs, she got the distinct impression someone was there. A saponaceous smell drifted down from about the middle of the stairs. Clambering up the rough stone steps, the three men still arguing behind her, Daniel definitely sensed someone. Coming up to the trick stair, she distinctly heard someone say her name.

"What?" she whispered.

"It's me, Harry."

"What are you doing?" said a voice from behind her, jumping, Daniel turned to Severus standing on the step beneath her.

"I thought I heard something." She answered. Severus inhaled deeply.

"Do you smell soap?" he asked, confused.

"The prefect's bathroom isn't far from here. It's probably someone having a bath." She replied, casting a proud little glance to where she hoped Harry's head was. Severus turned and descended the stairs.

"Thanks Daniel." Harry whispered gratefully. Following Severus, Daniel felt suddenly tired.

"I'm off." She said simply, and Severus nodded in acknowledgement.

On the way back to Common Room, Daniel collected the case from Severus' office, and avoided waking Alexander, who was muttering about digestive biscuits in his sleep.

The next day, Harry looked absolutely depressed at breakfast. The sadness had set in after he had received an owl, so Daniel presumed it must be something to do with Sirius. At least Rita Skeeter had published nothing. Nothing about Daniel, anyway.

Later that day, Slytherins and Gryffindors had Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had managed to procure two baby unicorns. Gleaming in the sunlight, the foals were responsive and friendly and not at all wary of the boys. After Draco had his fill of petting the foals, he went and sat in the shadow created by Hagrid's hut. The girls of the group were making high-pitched 'Aww' noises every time the foals did something completely normal, like blinking or eating sugar lumps. After Daniel had fed one of them a handful of sugar lumps, and wondered about the affects it would have on their teeth, she went and sat next to Draco. He froze. Leaning in close to him, she asked,

"What did you think of the unicorn foals?" Draco looked as though she was going to rip out his heart in front of the whole class.

"They're alright.' He said in a strangled voice. Daniel remained silent for a while.

"I always think unicorns are like Malfoys." She stated in a whisper.

"Why do you think that?" Draco screeched, turning heads.

"Because," she grinned, "when you were a baby, you had hair the colour of gold. And unicorns are gold when they're young. And now, when you're 15, you have silvery colored hair. And unicorns go silver when they age. And then, eventually, they go pure white. Like your father."  Draco stared at her, horrified.

"How…when did you see me?" the only tone of voice he could manage made him sound like a chipmunk.

"Your father and I know each other. I'm sure he's mentioned me. You're very like Lucius." Daniel finished, sneering happily at the highly amusing look of calculation on Draco's face.

"You didn't…" he cleared his throat, unable to finish the sentence.

"No. I didn't. Well. Once…but never again, because Lucius is diabetic. And you never want to get a diabetic." Daniel shuddered at the memory. Draco looked sickened. The bell rang up at the Castle to signal the end of the class. Getting up swiftly, Daniel watched Draco drag himself up the slope toward the doors. He slipped once on a bit a slick mud and Daniel snapped a hand around the scruff of his neck and yanked him up the rest of the hill. Wrenching her hand off him, Draco looked a bit disturbed that she had helped, but he hadn't really expected her to do anything in front of half the year. He had had a dream about her last night. A dream that resulted in a hasty shower and clean sheets before the rest of the boys had woken. Little snippets from the dream kept coming back to him, he remembered a particularly kinky bit as she grabbed the back of his neck.

"Draco." Said a soft voice in his ear. It was Daniel. "I warned you about thinking of me like that. As flattered as I am, I have no desire to share in your little fantasies." She glared at him. "Alright?"

Draco nodded. She had reminded rather forcefully of Professor Snape, and putting him in her place in the dream almost made him sick.

Daniel giggled. She was still looking at him.

"Don't think about him like that when he's in the vicinity." She hinted joyously, nodding behind him. Professor Snape was staring at Draco with an unreadable look on his face. Draco flushed the color of beetroot and ran off into the boy's toilets. Snape shot her a, 'he doesn't, does he?' look, and she shook her head. Looking relieved Severus walked into the Hall to get his dinner. And Draco, who had remembered that dinner was being served, ran back out of the toilets and into the Great Hall, banging into Snape on his way. Snape gave him a suggestive little grin and Draco shot up to the Slytherin Table. Frowning, Daniel took her place beside him.

"Does Snape think I like him?" Draco hissed from under the table.

"No. He's just trying to freak you out." Daniel answered kindly, passing him food while teachers filed past.

In the evening before the Second Task, Daniel had left the Common Room and was wandering aimlessly around the school. She hadn't got a plan for the Second Task yet, but last minute decisions were her forte.

The lake glinted tauntingly at her through the windows. She wondered how Dumbledore would get Severus into the lake without getting killed. Severus could swim, but by the time he got to the surface he'd be dead.

Finding herself back in the dungeons, Daniel sneaked around Filch, who was berating a suit of armor. Entering Snape's office, she was mildly surprised to find Alexander sitting reading all on his lonesome.

"They've taken Severus to the lake." He said gleefully. Obviously, the idea of Severus stuck a few hundred feet beneath the surface of a lake amused him.

"Did he put up a fight?" Daniel asked, sitting beside Alexander.

"Not at all! I was really shocked that he didn't start to whinge or cry or shout, I suppose he was still in shock from being the thing you'd miss the most." Alexander grinned at her, flicking through a book on his lap.

"Who did he think it was going to be?" Daniel said incredulously.

"Sirius, obviously." Alexander didn't take his eyes off the book.

"He knows he means more to me than Sirius." Alexander made a noise in the pit of his throat.

"He does know. Well, he knows now." They sat in silence for a while.

Alexander glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's late. You should get a good night's sleep for the task. You'll be swimming a lot, presumably." Standing up, Daniel was surprised when Alexander rose too and gave her a tight hug. "Be careful tomorrow." Said a muffled voice near her temple. Smiling faintly, Daniel returned to the Slytherin Common Room.

Can you get addicted to tea? I think I am.

These chapters are just flying out of my head. I can barely remember what I had planned for the story to begin with. Anyway, you lot seem to be liking it, so I'll not complain.

Thanks for the reviews.

Xanadan