Anything that's not blatant is a riddle
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Author's penname: Elixa Amethyst
Voices of the Past Part III
Written May 2002 onwards, pre Order of the Phoenix.
All characters and things you recognise, are © JKRowling, no infringement intended.

All references to "mediwizard" mean healer.
Please read parts I and II first.

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Chapter Two
Sinister Sleeping

When I woke, it was dark. It took a second for me to remember where I was in the silence of the dungeon office. I felt a slight draught around my feet and twitched them. The rest of my body was warm, and I realised there was a blanket upon me, quite soft. I wondered what time it was. The school clock chimed quarter past an hour, which didn't really help, since I'd have to wait another three-quarters to hear the hour. From the silence and the lack of light I suspected it was very early morning if not still the middle of the night. I turned my head to look for a window and reminded myself there wasn't one in this office. It was too far down for one. I turned back and saw the embers of the fire in the grate. It lit the room just enough for me to make out that in the chair opposite me sat Severus. He'd dropped off too, wearing the long grey nightshirt. I watched him sleep for a while before I too dropped back into the land of nod.

McGonagall was the only person present in the hall when I arrived.
"Morning Elixa." She called a copy of the Daily Prophet in her hands. I walked slowly over to her.
"Morning Professor. Any news on Kerry?" The deputy head mistress shook her head slightly.
"Nothing more than news on what is to happen today. Kerry's parents stayed overnight. The board of governors is assembling with some ministry today. You and Professor Snape may well be called out of lessons." She looked concerned over the top of her glasses.
"Is it true that they're going to try and get rid of Dumbledore like they did when the Chamber of Secrets was opened?" I asked. "Mr Alanis was threatening me with it yesterday."
"We will fight much against it, all of us." She gave a kind smile. The door opened and several Gryffindors came in.
"I'll speak with you later perhaps? I suppose Professor Quirrell has mentioned what happened last night?"
"He has. I'm sure it's just the fact Kerry's missing and your mind is searching for her." I gave a slight smile and walked to the Slytherin table where Lysander and company were sat. I made sure I sat further down away from them, hoping Susan and Draco would appear soon.

The whole school caught on that Kerry was missing, and someone leaked it to the Daily Prophet. I caught sight of Severus returning to his office in the evening and hurried over to him, leaving Draco to return to the common room with Susan. He looked grave.
"I can tell by your face it wasn't a good day." I said quietly. Severus didn't answer, he opened the door and I followed him in.
"Dumbledore has been suspended, and I could be too. They didn't want to ask you because they don't want to trust a child's testimony."
"I'm not a child." I said quickly, almost without thinking. Severus looked up at me and leant against the table.
"In some ways you still are… but then again, in some ways we all are."

Susan knew Dumbledore might not be in the castle after tonight, so she took her chances, summoning me from my bed at about one in the morning. She had collated the knowledge we had gathered the previous evening with many other nights' work, and she ordered me out into the dark and cold corridors of the school. Quirrell passed me as I hid in the shadows, holding my breath until he was out of sight. He wasn't changing his route, which was good.
"Go on, he's well away, you've done it." I crept across the corridor of the fifth floor towards the gargoyle. It took me seconds of chanting with pressure combined with instructions from Susan to break through the charms preventing the gargoyle from moving of it's own accord, and the thing fell quietly to one side, it's eyes shut and stone limbs almost limp, if you could call stone limp. To get up the stairs Susan must have managed to lift me, but I found myself in Dumbledore's office, the torches extinguished. Susan led me straight to the hidden entrance to the headmaster's chambers, which was a different entrance to the one I had entered at the start of the summer holidays. Susan had already searched my mind for that and knew it was more risky. I had to concentrate very hard to get through the next weave of charms. My mind slightly tried to break free and Susan held me fast, hissing in my ear about killing me. Unbelievably I found myself standing over Dumbledore's sleeping form around ten minutes following the defeat of the gargoyle. I stepped forwards and checked around myself.
"You back out now and you will die, I guarantee that Amethyst." I raised my wand hand, Susan's voice commanding me to say the words becoming ever more persistent.
"Avada kedavra… Avada kedavra...!" She hissed in my ear. I opened my mouth and started to form the first syllable, my wand pointing straight at the sleeping form of Dumbledore.
"Elixa- no!" Severus followed his exclamation with "Expelliarmus!"- a disarming charm.
"Block it- block it!" Screamed Susan's voice in my ear. I did as was commanded. "Get rid of him!" The voice hissed. I faced my uncle and couldn't do it. Susan was screaming in my ear, starting to inflict painful curses on me. I just couldn't harm him. Severus disarmed me and grabbed my arm. Susan released me from the curse and I found myself in Dumbledore's bedchambers with no recollection of why I was there or who had been controlling me.

"No recollection at all Miss Amethyst?" Dumbledore asked once again. I shook my head.
"No Professor, none whatsoever." Severus was staring at me from where he was sat across the office. Professor Moody was present in the room watching me closely. He suddenly snapped his head up and spoke.
"Professor McGonagall has arrived, Fudge is here…" I put my head in my hands, I'd just tried to murder Dumbledore, what was wrong with me? The Minister of Magic came in with the deputy headmistress and regarded me as if I was something poisonous.
"Is this the one?" He asked.
"Cornelius this is Miss Amethyst." Dumbledore informed him, and then went to introduce me to the Minister, but Fudge interrupted.
"Percy, the veritaserum please."