Chapter 3
It was now Halloween day. The whole school was bustling about excitedly about the Halloween feast that would happen that night. Krista had been into the Great Hall earlier that day and had seen the decorations which were absolutely spectacular. Things were mostly as she remembered in her first year at Hogwarts. Giant pumpkins grown by the school's ground keeper Hagrid were set about the hall. Magical bats floated about the enchanted ceiling. The head table was as festive as the rest of the hall.
She sat in her office for most of the day, making out the next day's lesson plan. As the room grew colder and colder she knew it must be getting dark outside; the castle's dungeons tended to get drafty towards nightfall. Finally, she set down her quill and headed toward the Great Hall. The castle was alive with chatting students as she walked down the corridors. Several students greeted her along the way; she had become their favorite teacher some were saying.
She waltzed into the Great Hall and took her seat at the head table. Not many teachers had arrived. She was looking forward most to seeing Severus Snape. They had been talking on and off since the last quidditch game. She enjoyed their talks, even though he didn't always have much to say. Finally, only minutes before the dinner would start, the doors swung open and in trudged Professor Snape. The customary quiet fell over the room. She found it rather amusing how this happened every time.
When he sat down she said, "Good afternoon Professor Snape."
He turned his pale face toward her. "Good afternoon Professor Trebaxus," he said.
Soon, quiet fell over the room once again and Dumbledore stood up in front of the room. "Good afternoon students. Without further ado, let's get the Halloween feast started," he said. He waved his hands and the meal appeared before their very eyes. The choices of food seamed limitless. Krista politely took out a bit of this and that and began to munch on her dinner. She remembered she enjoyed her Halloween feast when she was in Hogwarts.
After the meal had been going on for quite some time, Professor Snape spoke up. "Professor Trebaxus, I get a strange feeling I've seen you somewhere before," he said, the cold black eyes fixating on her.
She swallowed what food she had in her mouth and said, "Well, I was a student here for a short time; only for one year," She replied.
His eyes looked her over quickly. "May I ask what house you were in?"
"Slytherin," she said shortly.
He raised his eyebrows slightly. "Oh were you? I must have seen you there before," he said, his soft voice straightforward.
She didn't want to let on that she had figured this out earlier. "Come to think of it, I'm quite sure I've seen you before as well," she said. The slight raise of the eyebrows again. He really didn't want to invade any privacy so he ended the questions there. The dinner items were suddenly whisked away and onto the table came the desserts. This was Krista's favorite part of the meal. She had always had a sweet tooth.
She had barely taken a bite of a tart when the room started quieting. She wondered what had caused the students' settle. She looked up and saw an owl flying down from the ceiling. It was a dark plumed owl with specks of brown and black. It landed in front of her and dropped a note on the table and quickly flew away. Krista stared at the note for a moment in a bit of shock. It was not normal for owls to come at this time of night.
She picked the note up, turned it over and broke the seal. She opened it and saw the scarlet scrawl of a quill. Her pale face drained of all color as she read:
Dear Krista Trebaxus,
We at the Prison of Azkaban regret to inform you of the passing of your father, Abraham Trebaxus, on October 29. He will be buried at the previously selected area chosen by him. We're terribly sorry for your loss.
Sincerely,
Azkaban Staff
She tried not to have a startled look on her face but she couldn't hold it in. The whole Hall was staring at her in wonder. "I'm sorry, I must be excused," she said, her voice wavering terribly. She got up from the table, clutching the parchment, and walked quickly out of the room. Students and teachers were whispering to each other. She felt as if all eyes were on her.
Once she had left the room burst into surprised conversation. Dumbledore stood up. "Everyone quiet down and go back to your dinner," he said, trying to convince the crowd nothing was wrong.
Snape watched her leave with a startled look on his face. He got up from the table and began to walk toward the door. He paused by Dumbledore and said quickly, "I'm going after her." Dumbledore nodded, somewhat confused himself, and he walked swiftly away. The students were now watching him in alarm.
As he was walking through the hallways, he realized he didn't know what had motivated him to leave the feast. He felt some wild urge to go to her. He hurried through the dungeons and finally came to her room. She had her back turned to the door and she was propped against the desk; her arms were all that seemed to hold her up.
When he entered into the room she turned in surprise. Tears stained her lovely pale face. She stifled a sob and continued to stare at him. Helplessness and despair were all that he could see in her usually jovial eyes. Without another thought, he walked over to her and embraced her tightly. She held on tight to him, her tiny arms wrapped around his waist and she rested her head on his shoulder. Quiet sobs escaped her lips. He stroked her hair lovingly. He realized he didn't even know what she was upset about and that he had never even done anything like this before. He'd never been pressed so tightly to another person, nor had he felt such emotion.
"What's wrong?" he whispered gently into her ear. She reluctantly let him go and walked over to her desk. She picked up the small piece of parchment and handed it to him. She walked away and resumed her position of propping against the desk. He read over the note quickly and then sighed. He replaced the note on her desk and hugged her again. She was sobbing a little less quietly now. He closed his eyes and let her cry. It was killing him to see her this way.
He had never been a counselor at the least bit. He wasn't very good at showing or caring for emotion. He wanted to find out what had happened nonetheless although he wasn't exactly sure how to ask without sounding rude. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked. She released him and looked into his eyes. After a moment, she nodded. She walked over behind her desk and sat down; he remained standing. She pulled a cloth from a desk drawer and blotted her eyes and then began the story.
"My father and my mother both were heavy into the Dark Arts and they were big followers of Voldemort. Voldemort wasn't big then, he was just starting. When I was twelve, my parents decided to move away, to help spread the word of their master. I, being a child, didn't understand what was going on. So we left this area. I had to leave Hogwarts just before my second year. They then enrolled me in Durmstrang after the move. I finished up my schooling there. As I grew older, I understood what was happening. I knew what my parents were doing was wrong and that I couldn't tell anyone about them. If the least idea slipped that they were Voldemort's followers they could be in serious trouble. Shortly after my graduation from Durmstrang my parents confronted me."
"They wanted me to pursue a life like theirs; to be a servant of Lord Voldemort; to become a death eater. I didn't want to live a life of running away and I knew that if we were caught we could suffer dire consequences. I wanted to please my parents and really didn't want to separate from them. However, I didn't want the life they were choosing for me. Both were angry with me but what disturbed me most was that my father, who once dearly adored me, wouldn't even see me. He said that I had disgraced them. Our once golden relationship was destroyed. I left them when I was twenty and I never saw them again. I struck up the job with the ministry soon after; I had done very well in school. The job didn't seem to suit me so I left only after a year. From then on I traveled, using what I had learned to help people. It was the day that Voldemort disappeared that I heard of my parents. Rumors were flying around that my father was put into Azkaban and my mother had abandoned him shortly before that time. I wanted to go see my father again but never struck up the courage to do so. As for my mother, she may still be alive. I couldn't care less either way."
She looked away with a bit of a scowl on her face when she said the last sentence. Severus saw the dissonance on her face. He debated on whether he should tell her he had once been a death eater. He decided it could wait. She was already distressed enough. He was pretty lost on what to say next. Finally, he said, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
She shook her head no. "I'll be fine. I'm sorry I've wasted your night," she said apologetically.
"Not at all," he said, a short smile crossing his face. As he started to leave he looked back. "Are you sure you will be alright?" he asked, his voice flat as always.
She felt a smile come across her face. "I'm positive." As he turned to walk away she said, "Thank you though, for seeing about me."
He turned once more. "My pleasure," he said. With that, he left the room.
After he'd gone she sighed. As a tear rolled down her cheek, she recalled his embrace. It had somewhat surprised her but she had been too upset to show it. Yet, she liked the feeling, his body pressed to hers. She heard footsteps in the hallway and quickly dabbed at her eyes. Dumbledore walked into the room looking rather grim. He said nothing but walked up to her and sat on the edge of her desk. "Severus just informed me as I was coming down here of what has happened," he said carefully. She nodded and looked to the floor.
"I'm very sorry Krista. I knew your father once before, although the years had parted us." She nodded again, still looking at the floor. A moment of silence passed between them. Dumbledore thought of how to proceed. "If you need the day off tomorrow, I can arrange for a substitute. It will be no problem at all."
She looked up at him. "No, I will be fine. It just came as quite a shock to me," she said, stifling tears.
He looked at her doubtfully. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes, I will be fine." She assured him.
He nodded and stood up. "Very well then. Oh and Krista, do get some rest and don't dwell on the negative things; remember him for who he used to be," he said, his expression serious yet comforting. She closed her eyes and nodded. He smiled hopefully to her and left the room.
She hoped that this wouldn't have reached the students. She wouldn't want to burst into tears during the middle of a class. Thinking of her classes she was thankful that she had already made out tomorrow's lesson plan. All she wanted to do now was to go to sleep and wake up to a new day; although she knew it would be hard to do so.