Let lies lie don't let them shine.
The blind man staggers.
And he grabs at his eyes.
He can't do anything.
Everything is a lie.

August 30th 8PM Tuesday

"Do do dooo do do dooo, do do doooo do do dooo dooooo…"

"What in the world are you singing?" Severus asked as I walked into our little compartment and closed the door behind me.

"It's the theme from the Odd Couple," I replied with a shrug.

"Odd what?"

"The odd couple," I rolled my eyes, "It's a show about two men that live together but they have completely different personalities. One guy is easygoing and laidback while the other guy is an obsessive compulsive neat freak who takes everything way too seriously." Severus sent me a threatening glare and I just smiled at him innocently.

I popped the top on the bottle of pumpkin juice I was holding in my hand and sipped it slowly. It was very sweet and nicely chilled. I sat sideways on my seat and swung my legs up so that I could lie down and watch the dark scenery go by.

"Where did you get that?" Severus asked and gestured to the bottle in my hand.

"Some kid handed it to me on my way back from the bathroom," I replied with a shrug.

"And you just took it without a second thought?!" he exclaimed, "Are you mad? It could be poisoned." I rolled my eyes and took another sip. Suddenly there was a soft knock at the door. I stared at the door for a moment and then glanced at Severus; he made no move to answer it.

"Come in!" I called out. The door opened to reveal a pretty Asian woman with long black hair. She appeared to be close to Hermione's age.

"Hello Severus," she said softly and Severus nodded his head in return. She then turned to give me a critical look, "and you must be Miss Riddle."

"You can call me Jenny," I replied as I stood up to shake her hand. The woman matched my height of 5'5 almost exactly. Our eyes locked and we both stared at the other with a cold expression.

"Cho Chang," she said as she dropped my hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well," I replied in return. Her eyes softened a bit as she glanced over at Severus. He didn't seem to notice though since he was staring intently out the compartment window.

"So," she said slowly, "Neville tells me you'll be visiting Hogwarts."

"Yes," I said with a nod and then added, "Severus invited me." It wasn't really a lie. I had been invited after all. "Are you a professor there?"

"Yes," she replied in a cool tone, "I have taught Charms at Hogwarts for years now. It's a wonderful school and I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself."

"I'm sure that I will," I answered with a fake smile. "After all," I added with a wry grin, "I'll have Severus there to show me around." Cho's eyes widened for a moment before she sent Severus a look that could kill a normal man.

"Is that so," she spat as she continued to stare at him. When she turned back to look at me she attempted a smile which came out as more of a grimace. "I will see you both later then."

"See you later!" I said with a cheery smile and wave. Cho turned quickly and left the compartment, shutting the door with an angry tug. It slammed against the frame and slid back open. I shut it and locked it before turning around to face Severus.

"Do you want to tell me what all that was about?" I asked with a smirk. Severus gave me a bored look and pretended to look for something in the bag sitting next to him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered innocently.

"Are you telling me that you have no idea why that woman looked at me like she wanted to bite my head off?" I asked incredulously.

"Who knows," he replied with a shrug, "Perhaps Cho doesn't like you." He pulled out a book and began to read while I sat down across from him. I actually thought he was reading until I noticed the book was upside down.

"Well, well, well," I said with an evil grin, "Severus you dirty dog you. She's a little young for you isn't she." The book Severus was holding was flying at me. Once again I ducked at the last moment and it missed. "Why Severus, I think you've become violent in your old age."

"I don't know what you are talking about," he sneered.

"I think you do," I stated, "Not that I blame her of course. You do have that tall, dark and mysterious look down pat."

"What on earth is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing really, it's just that you're quite intriguing and a lot of women go for that sort of thing," I explained. A "hmpf" was all I received in reply. "I can't believe you're blushing Severus."

"I am doing no such thing," he said as he glared down at his feet.

"Whatever you say Severus," I chuckled, "I have to ask though…did you two shag?"

"That's it!" Severus exclaimed loudly, "I'm going to go check on the students. One would hope that it would be possible for you to pull your mind out of the gutter by the time I return." He stalked out of the compartment and shut the door behind him, giving me one final glare through the glass.

I yawned sleepily as I lay down on the seat. It was still early but for some reason I felt incredibly tired. "Nox," I said softly to the empty compartment and the room became bathed in the soft glow coming from the hallway. My eyes closed and before I knew it I was fast asleep.

"This is fun, ask it another question," Lucas said with a smile as we both sat in the grass next to the small green snake. He had been frightened the first time he heard me speak to a snake, but he realized later that I had saved his life and soon speaking to the snakes in the backyard had become just another game for the two of us.

"What should I ask him?"

"Ask him if he has a name," he replied. I hissed at the snake and it hissed back. To me it sounded as if I was speaking English except for an underlying soft hissing noise.

"He says his name is Randall and he used to belong to a little boy that looked like you," I interpreted.

"Wow!" exclaimed Lucas excitedly, "Ask him what the little boys name was." I began to hiss once again until I heard the backdoor of the house open and I turned to see Lucas' mother walk over to us with a strange look on her face.

"Lucas, come with me," she said sternly as she grabbed Lucas by the arm and dragged him toward the house. Randall, our snake friend had slithered off somewhere, so I stood up to follow Lucas and his mother inside. His mom held up one hand and stopped me before I could walk through the doorway.

"No," she snapped, "you stay out here until your father comes to get you. I don't want you in my house." The door closed and I stood standing in front of it more than a little confused.

Lucas' mom had always been so nice to me. She made us sandwiches for lunch and she would always cut the crusts off. She would bring out lemonade when it was hot. She would even fix my dad's poor attempts at braiding my hair.

Now it seemed as if she was mad at me for some reason that I couldn't understand. I didn't remember breaking anything or spilling anything. So why was she mad?

I walked over to the swing set in the backyard and sat down on one of the swings. Looking up at the house I could see Lucas looking down at me from his bedroom window. He gave me a small wave and I waved back at him. He gave me a sad smile before his mother pulled him away from the window and the curtains were closed.

It was beginning to become late and the sun was almost down. The shadows in the backyard seemed to come alive and I watched them nervously as I walked toward the backdoor.

"Please let me in Mrs. Bones!" I yelled as I pounded my little fists on the door, "I'm scared, please let me in." I stood there waiting but the door never opened. I sat down on the ground next to the door and began to sob. I pounded weakly on the door once again and attempted to call out, but it came out as more of a strangled whisper.

"Lucas…"

THUMP!

I sat up quickly and looked around the compartment. Severus was sitting back in his seat looking down at me in amusement. It took me a few minutes to realize that I had fallen out of my seat onto the floor.

"Have a nice nap," he asked.

"Does it look like it," I said as I crawled back onto my seat. The back of my head hurt like hell and I rubbed it gently as I glared at Severus. "Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" he questioned, completely ignoring what I had said. "Who was Lucas?" I fidgeted in my seat and stared out the window into the night.

"Just a friend," I replied.

"I didn't think you had any friends," he stated.

"I don't," I replied, "He was a friend I had when I was a child. We lost touch."

"Lost touch?" he asked as he studied my face, "What happened?"

"We just grew apart," I said with a smile, "it happens. I'm going back to sleep." I stretched out on my seat once more and stared up at the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Severus doing the same thing.

"Aren't you the slightest bit nervous about going to Hogwarts?" Severus asked out of nowhere.

"I'd be stupid not to be," I snorted, "Then again, my father always said bravery and stupidity go hand in hand."

"That's sounds like something I would say," Severus replied with a chuckle.

"After meeting you I figured that's where he got it from," I said as I turned to lie on my side. I could see Severus' eyes shining in the moonlight as he stared back at me.

"You seem quite fearless," Severus said softly. I shook my head.

"No," I said with a frown, "I'm not fearless. I just don't care."

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.

"Why did you become a Death Eater?" I asked and his eyes grew wide. I continued before giving him a chance to answer. "Why did you then become a spy? Why did Ginny marry three men she didn't love? Why did my father become a killer?" For a moment it appeared that he was going to answer but instead he just continued to stare at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Let me put it this way instead," I explained, "What saved Neville from insanity after he lost his wife? How did Draco survive losing everything he had ever known?"

"I don't understand," he said with a sigh and we both turned to lie on our backs once again. Severus had his eyes closed while I stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Neville's children saved him from insanity," I explained, "You helped Draco to survive."

"Don't you see?" I asked without expecting an answer, "Ginny endured three loveless marriages because she couldn't have the one she loved. You became a Death Eater because you had no one in your life to care if you did become one. My father became a man who didn't care whether he lived or died because he lost the last of his family."

"But what does it all mean?" he asked in frustration.

"Everyone needs something to hold them up," I explained, "Something to keep them going. When someone has nothing left they will grasp at anything they can to keep them going, without a thought to consequences or danger."

"This," I said as I gestured at the compartment around us, "is what I'm doing to keep myself going. What does it matter what happens to me? Why should I be afraid of future consequences? I have no one to go home to. There's no one waiting there for me wondering when I'll be back. If no one else cares then why should I care?" The compartment became dark and silent as a cloud passed over the moon, effectively blocking its glow.

"I care," Severus said softly.

"You," I snorted, "How can you care about someone you don't even know?"

"Why else would I help you?" he asked angrily, "Why else would I look out for you? Why would I even bother to take you to Hogwarts?"

"I believe I already answered that question," I replied sadly.

"What?"

"Let me ask you a question Severus," I whispered, "What's keeping you going? What are you grasping at?" My questions were met with silence. I could hear Severus shifting in his seat and I turned over to face the back of my own seat. My nightmare and the conversation with Severus had exhausted me and I was more than happy when I felt myself falling into a deep sleep.