Disclaimer: None of the characters or settings in this story belong to me, well a couple of things that you're not likely to see JK Rowling write because they popped out of my head and not hers… Yes I know my writing doesn't even compare…

Author's Note: Okay I think I have got over the sadness of the last chapter – which I hated writing by the way. This chapter is concentrating on some very odd occurrences that are generally very warped… I'm going to allow you to read on at your own risk and if this chapter is a little too strange or warped for your liking please tell me and I may need to change some stuff but I feel so sorry for Severus… ~_~; *sobs*

Please read on…

::~::~::

With the rise of the sun comes the dawn of his misery.

The Moonlight He Missed

Severus woke up feeling so sick he didn't know what had hit him - he was cold and shaking on a wooden floor face down. He wasn't quite sure how he had got there but it felt as if someone had got inside his body and thrown him off a cliff repeatedly. The pain was intense and sharp rushing down his spine and back round his torso causing him to shudder. He sat up confused and a little distressed; he was completely naked and didn't know how he had ended up that way. All he could remember was running from Hogwarts, from Raine but he couldn't for the life of him remember why he had been running away from her, two different types of insane laughter invaded his head, one cruel hissing torturing cackle the other a sarcastic hum of amusement.

He felt so exposed, he knew where he was - it was the Riddle House, not a pleasant place. He found his robes strewn on the bed a few rips in it and his trousers were on the floor, kicked away a rip in the leg. What had he done? He pulled on his tattered clothes trying to think about what had happened finally pulling his shoes on and walking painfully from the building without a backward glance. He rushed past all the doors praying that he wouldn't run into one of the other Death Eaters, looking this beat up around them would make them think he had betrayed Voldemort and thus make him vunerable and he didn't feel he had the energy to fight them physically or mentally.

He disapparated and appeared in the same place in Hogsmeade, luckily it was too early for people to be outside so he crept back to the secret entrance to the dungeons and into his office where he sank into his chair and tried to think about what had happened. There was no way that he could have just lost an evening. He decided it best to go and speak with Dumbledore; there might be a way to patch up the gap in his memory unless someone had stolen it from him permanently. Raine was the only one he remembered, and he was running, why?

He changed his robes so as not to draw attention to himself as he hobbled to Dumbledore's office, students that he walked past gave him funny looks, he tried to mute the limp as much as possible but to no avail. He felt slightly more respectable now; at least he didn't look like he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. But he still felt like he'd been robbed and this made him very uneasy and uncomfortable. He didn't like the feeling that he had lost all that time. It may have only been about six hours but you could do a lot of damage in six hours.

"Cheesy Crackers!" He said when he reached the stone gargoyle. What was it with Dumbledore and Muggle foods? The door slid open and Snape tried to run up the sliding steps but was in too much pain. He clutched his stomach and opened the large oak doors his fingers and hands aching from the effort.

"Good morning Severus. How are you?" Dumbledore asked politely as he sat reading behind his desk, Severus could see an owl flying away, Dumbledore must have received a letter.

"Not good Sir," Severus spluttered slumping himself in the chair opposite, even when he had been subjected to the Cruciatus curse he'd never felt this bad.

"Oh, why's that?" Dumbledore said looking up as Snape curled up in the chair trying to stop his whole body aching.

"I woke up this morning in the Riddle House, only I don't know what happened, or how I got there or what I did!" He said quickly in his desperation to get a few answers but why was he asking Dumbledore, he hadn't seen him before he left, Raine must know – she had to have a few answers.

"How do you not know what you did?" Dumbledore asked seeming slightly worried, Voldemort could have made him do any number of things and he'd be none the wiser.

"Well I... I woke up on the floor feeling like I'd been thrashed to bits. And… I… I… er…" Severus could bring himself to actually say it. Dumbledore was old and he felt kind of embarrassed to explain the way he had felt and looked when he woke up in the morning.

"You what Severus? I understand that you have come here asking for help. I can't help unless I know what happened to you this morning," Dumbledore had now lost the twinkle in his sapphire eyes and they glittered with sadness, he trusted Severus and now there was something that he felt he had to hold back, it distressed the older wizard to think what could have happened in those missing hours.

"I was…naked and my robes ripped, I was face down on the floorboards and I was so cold," he began to shake in the chair, Dumbledore didn't know what to think. "I was sweating madly and the only thing I could remember was from the evening before; I was running from Professor Stark. I can't remember why or what I did. I really don't know, and all I hear is an insane laughter gripping my brain and shaking me. I've got so many bruises on my stomach and my chest, my face and arms are fine but the rest of me is black and blue all over. It's all gone - my memory can't pick up what happened. I've lost about six hours and it's scaring me to death!" He continued his voice rattling. "I think I may have been used…" he said continuing to shake uncontrollably.

"Oh my… erm… Is there anything else Severus?" Dumbledore asked taking the pensive off the shelf and tapping his left temple with his wand sending a tiny cloudy thought into the misty dish. "Perhaps we had better go and speak with Raine… She may be able to shed a little light on why you were running away from her."

"Yes!" He snapped not keeping his emotions in check, he'd lost time somewhere and he didn't know where. "I need to go and speak with Stark. I want to know if she knows what happened," he said falling out of the chair, then getting to his feet. "Good bye Headmaster," he said with a final note of worry as he tried to excuse himself from the room.

"I think you should go and see Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore said looking at Snape as he reached the door.

"I think you're right," he said leaving the room and falling down the spiral staircase with a clatter before getting to his feet again.

::~::~::~::~::~::

Raine sat in her office feeling sick; she'd just the most horrible experience and anything anyone said would cut her up. She shook violently in her seat, she needed to keep this to herself, she couldn't tell anyone. She looked at the clock, it was time for her first lesson, but she couldn't face anyone. Not like this, not after that... She sank deeper into the chair trying to think of someone to blame, but there was no one. Severus was not to blame, she knew that, she'd hypnotised him, but Quentus, he'd been the one that invoked the situation. It was his fault, she'd kill him. She looked at some of the pictures on her desk. There was one of Quentus and two other men as well as her in the same one, looking happy and content like a proper family. She smashed the glass in the frame with her fist and pulled the picture out not caring about what she did.

"You love this don't you?" She snapped at the picture glowering at the happy looking Quentus who had his arm around her along with the other two gentlemen who looked a lot happier than Quentus even though he did appear to be happy. She made a fold along where Quentus invaded the picture and ripped it off. She placed the rest of the picture down gently and reached into her robes pulling out a silver lighter.

"You'll regret it! You'll really regret it!" She yelled making a spark of fire appear before the lighter created a flame. She burned the piece of photo at the edges, the picture version of her now worst enemy began to sweat and go frantic as it tried to escape the picture, but there was no chance for the tiny blot of colour to escape. The miniature Quentus seemed to be screaming, though being a picture was completely silent. Raine liked that expression - she wanted to see that on his face for a long time and wanted to see it more often. As the bottom of the picture began to burn she could see the picture plead, holding up his hands desperately to be set free out of the heat but she watched it burn in agony, she drew a lot of pleasure from watching it frazzle.

When it was finally over and the poor little Quentus-thing had gone off to wherever dead photo images went to, she swept the ashes into the dustbin and looked at the other two men in the photo. They were slowly edging away from her tiny image trembling and her picture went a little pink in the face with a small menacing grin creeping into it.

There was a knock at the door. Short and sharp, she looked to the door fearfully, there was another knock and she began to shake – why couldn't they leave her alone, what if it was Severus? She couldn't face him, not right now.

"Who's there?!" She demanded attempting to sound casual in a sharp voice but still shaking like a leaf.

"It's Professor Dumbledore," He said from behind the door. "Could I have a word?" His voice was calm and collected, happy sounding just like he normally was.

"Come in," she said shortly.

"Raine, why are you not teaching?" He asked looking at her with a penetrating stare. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" She snapped. "I just can't face anyone!"

"Perhaps you should go to see Madam Pomfrey. She might be a able to help you," he said impassive as normal.

"I don't need help!" She snapped looking out of her office window, it was directly above the lake, there didn't seem to be any bank just a straight cliff edge to the water.

"Well, I'll cover your lesson today Raine but I expect to see you at work tomorrow," he said leaving the room.

::~::~::~::~::~::

Raine watched the water ripple and wave beneath her; it seemed so peaceful; it was taking her mind off more serious matters. The day was passing and she continued to watch absently out the window as the sun began to cast different lights in the room and into her face as the day drew on.

"Professor Stark?" A voice called from behind her, she jumped the tone was familiar.

"Who's there?!" She squeaked.

"It's me, Severus? I'd like to ask you a few questions," he said in a voice filled with terror from what had happened to him, he knew nothing about what had happened and she may be able to help. She knew what happened, but she wasn't going to tell.

"No! Go away!" She cried turning to face him - he was already in the room. He was limping and his expression desperate, he wanted to recover the time. He didn't know how. Her heart began to beat so fast it was fogging her mind - she couldn't think straight, everything was going mad in her head, she was going to pass out.

"Why? I need your help, I don't know what happened to me last night and you're the last person I saw," he said walking closer to her she began to sidle back to the wall.

"No! Go away! Please, leave me alone!" She begged backing against the wall again, the window directly behind her.

"What's the matter with you Raine? I'm the one missing time, something or someone robbed me of my memory of last night and I don't know what happened. Help me," he pleaded.

"I don't know! I have no idea please leave!" Tears began to fill her eyes, and her throat began to ache - her whole being crying within but not wanting to show it on the outside.

"What's the matter with you?!" He snapped. "You know something!" He yelled walking round the desk. Raine's eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped over the window ledge her arms hanging out tipping her weight out the window extremely quickly.

"Raine?!" He said panicking and freezing on the spot as she began to slip over the other side of the window and outside into the wind. All it would take was one forceful gust and she'd be out the window, then it came and the rest of her body tipped out.

"Raaa-ineeee!!" Severus shouted as her delicate feet and black shoes disappeared from view. He looked out of the window to see nothing; the splash he had heard must have swallowed her up. "RAINE!" He shouted out of the window. He looked around to see if she was going to emerge but there was nothing. He ran from the room to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. The students looked at him strangely as he wheezed in the doorway.

"Professor Dumbledore! It's Stark! She's fallen out of the second floor window. She passed out before I could do anything she went out of the window and into the lake. She didn't emerge!" He shouted forcing the class to go silent and listen in to the news. Dumbledore looked at the class calmly and dismissed them, when they were gone Severus ran to the window and leaned out shouting back at the quiet old man who didn't seem to care at all. "She's dead! I didn't see her pop up, she was completely out of it then the wind caught her and she was gone! Oh my God! What's happening around here?!"

"Calm down Severus!" Dumbledore snapped. "I'm sure there is a way that she's not dead, don't jump to conclusions, she may turn up, I'll have the Mer-people look out for her."

"But she would need air! It's my fault!" He shouted falling to his knees and rubbing his face in his hands.

"Let's go and have a talk in my office shall we Severus?" Dumbledore said looking at the quivering man kneeling before him rattling with fear.

"How could she have survived, she's dead. Oh God, she's dead!" Snape cried so much that his voice resounded in the corridors. The students that had been dismissed walked back to hear what he had to say.

"Severus, this isn't the place, please come to my office."

"Why are you so calm? You've just lost a member of staff!" Snape snapped deliriously.

"Are you sure you saw what you thought you saw?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"What sort of question is that? Of course I saw it! She got sucked out the window! Then I heard the splash and didn't see her. What are you suggesting she can fly?" He said sarcastically.

"No of course not Severus but perhaps she duped you, you know what Raine's like. She's always teasing you," Dumbledore said this calmly but it seemed to increase Snape's outrage and panic.

"At a time like this?! I'm telling you she passed out and toppled out of the window! How could I not see it! She was crying and telling me to get away from her then she began to sway and go white then she passed out. There was no way I could have mistaken what I saw!" He yelled, the students looked at him like he was evil or something, like he'd killed her, it was how it was making him feel anyway, like he'd killed her perhaps if he had done what she had asked, perhaps she wouldn't have fallen.

"Severus, please!" Dumbledore commanded.

"I have to go to the lake I have to see if she's there, if she survived, I can't talk! I lose six hours and the world falls apart around me!" Snape continued to rant and mumble as he walked down the corridor pushing his way through the students stumbling every now and again.

"Then let's go and look at the Lake, see if she's there," Dumbledore said with an air of finality walking briskly from the room following Snape as he continued to babble about anything and everything to try to keep his mind straight.

::~::~::~::~::~::

Something long and slimy gripped her round the stomach, she was too dazed to figure out what is was when she was almost thrown from the lake landing on her back outside the water. All the water was forced out of her as she landed on the bank. She rolled to her side to see what had got her in the water but it was gone. She looked at Hogwarts and then to the water. Got to her feet and crept back up to her office being careful not to be seen. When she got into her office she looked at her desk then listened around her like a hawk before opening on of the larger drawers and getting inside of it.

The drawer was the whole depth of the desk and just wide enough. She clambered inside wet and frightened and pulled it shut with her inside. She just wanted to make the world go away.

There was some sound out side her door, she could tell who they were. The door clicked then opened making the voices clearer.

"I just walked in and she passed out. She fell out of that window.... Please tell me she's okay... I couldn't cope if I thought she was dead," a desperate voice sounded. She knew it was Severus, she squeaked from within her drawer.

"Well let's have a look around, see if there are any clues as to why this has happened," Dumbledore said. She could hear his footsteps approaching her desk. "There is a ripped picture here, who do you suppose she ripped out of it? The frame is smashed as well. Had you seen this picture before?"

"No, I never got a look at them, when I came in here she had already done that. I'll have a look at this cabinet you take a look in the drawers," Snape said, Raine could here drawers opening and closing, Dumbledore was getting very close until she felt the light on her face. She looked up at the old Headmaster and then buried her head in her knees.

"Severus, would you go down to the dungeons please. I don't believe we're going to find anything," he said looking down at her slightly confused, still keeping his eyes on her he told Severus to leave to see if he could get any sense out of her on his own.

"Raine?" Dumbledore asked softly sitting in her chair having closed the door to give her chance to walk out by herself.

"What?" She said through what sounded like a sob.

"Can you come out of there so I can talk with you normally, I'm not accustomed to talking with furniture in spite of what anyone may think of me," Dumbledore said calmly leaning back in the chair. Raine popped her head out of the drawer.

"What is it you want to say?" She asked taking a seat on top of the desk.

"Why did you hide in the drawer?"

"I didn't want to see anyone," she snapped.

"Why not Raine? Is there something going on?"

"No!" She said quickly.

"Do you know what happened to Professor Snape last night?" Dumbledore fixed her with a penetrating stare. "He has lost some memory and can't piece together what happened."

"It's for his own good!" She said sharply.

"You wiped his memory?" Dumbledore was confused about this.

"I don't want to talk about it!" She said sharply.

"But this is serious Raine, what did he see? He seems to think he did something but he doesn't know what," Dumbledore looked at her his eyes flashing briefly, before settling by looking on her again.

"I can't tell you," she said biting her lip because she knew that Dumbledore was not the person to keep secrets from but he couldn't know what happened.

"Then when you feel that you are ready would you come and see me," he said leaving her on the desk. "However Raine, I should like you to be civil to Severus, throwing yourself out of windows isn't going to save you from him and he seems to have grown attached to you in a way I never thought he would to anyone. He thought you were dead earlier and I've never seen him that hysterical. It worries me. I am also very concerned for you, I'm unsure what's wrong but I do want to help you."

"There's nothing you can do now. And falling out the window earlier was an accident!" She said curling up on the desk.

"See you at dinner Raine, I trust you will be feeling better then," he said leaving her alone with her pain.

::~::~::~::~::~::

Dumbledore walked out of her office thinking of what to say to her, what he could do to find out what happened. He got the feeling this was something Raine would have completely destroyed in Snape's mind and he wouldn't have been able to recover it for him. What would have upset her so much? Severus would never know where the time went if she remained so stubborn.

::~::~::~::~::~::

There was a knock at the door and Raine jumped, she heard a man's voice mutter the unlocking charm at her door then click the handle open quietly with extreme precision. She sat up on the desk and her eyes widened to the size of dishes. A man with bright white hair walked in dressed in black his robes rippled as he stepped forwards to her.

"Astix!" She said immediately recognising him. "You scared me," she followed the shocked sound with relief, she hopped off the desk and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hello Raine," he said in a kindly voice, his eyes were a sparkling sapphires and his face was well aged.

"I missed you..." She whispered hugging him even tighter.

"I've missed you too Raine," he looked at her flushed face and glassy eyes with concern. "What happened?"

"It's all gone wrong Astix! It's all gone wrong!" She cried, he looked down at her with a perplexed expression.

"What has Raine?" He said smoothing a tear from her eye with one of his fingers.

"That bastard has incited something terrible this time, all because I wouldn't..."

"To think I call him a brother," Astix scowled narrowing his eyes and holding her closer, he rubbed his right hand over her hair gently. "It'll be okay Raine, it'll be okay," he whispered to calm her, he could feel her heart racing as he wrapped her in a warm embrace.

::~::~::

Author's Note: Okay what did you think please leave me a review say if you happened to like it or you think it sucks ass… I'd love to know what you think? But anyway… What did you think? Who is Astix? Have you read Shadows and Dust? You should if you want some incite into some other stuff… I didn't intend it to be that way but it is kind of turning into a prequel… Jam… Don't ask me I just like say it that's all… ^_^ hehe… I hope you are enjoying this story, I keep attempting to draw things to do with this story and up until now I have been unable to… There will be a picture of some stuff on my bio page soon because I achieved my first decent picture for one of my stories… This one! Okay I'm done now… I guess I should shut up now… m00f! lol

Ciao and stuff

I.C. Fire

silver_shadow54@hotmail.com