Chapter Ten: Hidden Talents

Adara's eyes opened as the sunlight struck her face. She was still in the same position as she was the night before. Knelt down on her knees with her elbows on the window sill and her chin resting in her palms. She stood and stretched. Surprisingly her body did not ache, despite the awkward position she had slept in. Her eyes roved the room and for a moment she wondered what day it was. Then she was aware it was the weekend and smiled. "Perfect. I have the next two days entirely to myself to do as I wish."

She washed and dressed then did up her hair and left her room. The halls were silent, as they tended to be on the mornings of weekends. It was a chance for students and faculty alike to get a bit of extra sleep. Adara, however, had always been a morning person. She rose when the sun did and could last well into the night without need of sleep. She made her way out onto the grounds, a chill wind blew through the trees. It was October now, and the temperature was dropping for autumn. Though the weather rarely seemed to bother her, she wrapped her cloak tightly about her to keep it from whipping her legs and ankles and made her way to the lake.

The sky was a clear blue, not a cloud could be seen on the horizon, and though the weather was brisk, it was still relatively mild for the month. She sat on the cool grass and looked out over the lake with a soft smile on her face. Her hands were folded in her lap and her navy eyes sparkled in the sunlight. One long tentacle rose out of the lake and glistened as beads of water rolled off it. The giant squid's body followed and it looked around to see only Adara out that morning.

"Greetings, my underwater friend. Is everything still in order beneath the surface?"

In answer, the giant squid moved closer to the water's edge and snaked one, long tentacle towards her. The tip of it gently slid over her hands. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm pleased to hear that." She patted the squid briefly. "Go on back to sleep, my friend. The day has barely started and no one is about yet."

The squid moved away and disappeared beneath the surface of the lake again.

Adara sighed and looked to the sky. "What shall I do today?" Deciding that her office could always use a good cleaning, she stood from the ground and made her way back to Hogwarts.

On her way to her office, she was stopped by Snape. "I have a few more tasks for you to carry out, Miss Sage."

She closed her eyes a moment, then looked at the man. "And what are they, Sir? I was just on my way to my office to get some cleaning done."

"And the tidying of your office is more important than anything else?"

"Our offices are our duties to maintain, Sir. I prefer to keep mine in order. However, if what you need of me is important, I'll put my errands to the side."

Snape looked her over coldly. Her answer obviously hadn't pleased him. "Good idea, Miss Sage. Considering you are a Professor's Aide, I have need of you."

She thought of correcting him and saying that she was technically Graft's assistant, but the look on his face told her to hold her tongue. At least for the time being, she would listen. "What would you like me to do?"

The Professor handed her a list of chores he needed finished by the end of the day. The parchment was filled from front to back with tedious little jobs. 'Meaningless, time consuming work. I'm beginning to wonder if he's only doing this to annoy me,' Adara frowned and thought as her eyes skimmed the page. "Very well, Sir. I will have these finished as soon as possible. Was there anything else?" Before the question even left her lips, she knew she would regret asking it.

"Yes, there is, Miss Sage. However, I'll wait until you're done with that list before I give you the second one."

"And how many lists are there altogether, Sir?"

"Only the two ... for now," he answered with a bitter sneer.

She nodded and made her way down the corridor before Snape could request anything else at the last minute. She arrived at Snape's classroom within a matter of minutes and walked in as she glared at the parchment. Using one swift movement, she pulled a wand from her robes and set to work tending to everything on the list. With one charm, she commanded the cauldrons to clean themselves, with another books were sent off to sort themselves on the shelves, and with a final spell desks were wiped clean. She put the wand down, took up a broom and began sweeping the floor. "I feel like I've been demoted from teacher's assistant to janitor," she muttered under her breath.

A strange meow sounded behind her and she turned to find Mrs. Norris standing in the doorway. Adara stopped sweeping and crouched down for a moment, reaching her hand out to the red-eyed cat. "Hello, my dear. Have you come to keep me company while I work?" The cat walked over and rubbed against her hand with a soft purr. "At least someone appreciates me," she spoke with a sigh.

Mr. Filch appeared next glaring down at both the cat and Adara. "What's this? Trying to take a teacher's position wasn't enough for you, eh? You have to take my job as well?"

She looked up and smiled cheerfully. "Greetings, Mr. Filch. I'm terribly sorry about this, but Professor Snape asked me to clean his classroom. I still don't know why."

"Well, let me give yeh a hand at least. Professor Snape can be picky about how things are done."

"So I've noticed." Adara rose from the floor as Mrs. Norris took a seat on one of the stools to watch. "How have the students been treating you, Sir?"

"Same as they always have. Nothin' but hooligans."

She laughed softly and nodded. "It seems respect for others was lost ages ago."

Filch had always liked Adara. She treated him no differently than she would a Professor or the Headmaster himself. When others were rude to him, she never hesitated to defend the man stating that he was providing them a service by keeping the halls clean and making sure rules weren't being broken. He had more respect for her than most, especially since she had never been the type to shun honest effort and was rarely afraid of getting a little dirty. The two of them finished the room within moments and Adara looked down at the list. It had changed the second the last duty was completed and was now a new list of chores for Snape's office. She sighed and shook her head.

The caretaker walked over, took the list from her hand and half grinned. "Go on and do your own job now, Miss Sage. I can finish the rest for yeh."

"Thank you, Sir. I appreciate this." She curtsied quickly and swept from the room to deal with her own office.

After half an hour had passed, her office was spotless again. She was placing books back on the shelf when she heard an urgent knock at the door and looked up with curiosity. She quickly rose, walked across the room and opened the door to find a very upset Hermione. The young girl began sputtering incoherently as soon as she saw Adara.

She placed her hands on Hermione's shoulders and spoke softly. "Please, slow down, dear. I can barely understand you."

Hermione took a deep breath and responded in short, frantic bursts. "It's Harry," she began. "He's hurt ... badly."

Adara's face and eyes became those of determination. "Where is he?"

"The Hospital Wing."

She immediately ran down the hallway as fast as her feet would carry her. Through corridors and hidden passageways she flew until she reached the Hospital Wing. It was a trip that would take most half an hour the long way, a trek that took her all of ten minutes. She rushed in and hastily approached Madam Pomfrey. "Where is he?" she asked directly.

Pomfrey met Adara's worrisome eyes and dropped her gaze knowing who the assistant was referring to. "He's over there behind the curtain. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for the lad."

Adara watched a tear fall from the woman's eye. She knew that in all of Pomfrey's years, the experienced nurse had rarely lost a patient, and when she did, she suffered greatly. She nodded, and though she sympathized, she kept her voice serious and calm. "I know there is likely little time left, but I need to know what happened to him and how severe his injuries are."

Pomfrey explained that there had just been a Quidditch match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The beaters from the Slytherin team had targeted Harry and aimed two Bludgers at him while he was chasing the Snitch. Both had blind-sided him and collided with each side of the boy's head, causing his skull to cave in. They had not finished there. Apparently unsatisfied with what they'd done, they continued the attack until Harry hit the ground. He'd lost a great deal of blood and had a multitude of broken bones, internal injuries and more.

When the nurse finished explaining the situation, Adara nodded and spoke firmly. "I am not to be disturbed." Pomfrey gave her a questioning look, but before she could inquire about anything, Adara slipped behind the curtain surrounding the dying boy.

"Please do not let me fail him," she whispered to herself, then placed one hand gently upon his head and the other over his chest. Words immediately began forming on her lips. Words that only she knew and understood. A pale blue glow surrounded her body and flowed from the tips of her fingers then over Harry himself. Her eyes became dull and distant and she was scarcely aware of his wounds slowly healing.

Hours passed like days as she continued the strange ritual. She could hear voices as though from afar, but she paid them no mind and kept to her work. Night had fallen by the time she finished. Her voice died away and she blinked a few times so her eyes could refocus. Adara looked over Harry's seemingly lifeless body and nodded. "It is done."

She came out from behind the curtain and found herself faced with six pairs of eyes. Hermione, Ron, Pomfrey, McGonagall and Snape all bore curious looks to one degree or another. Dumbledore's blue orbs possessed a more knowing expression.

"H-how is he?" ventured Professor McGonagall.

"He'll be fine, Madam. I've done what I can, the rest is up to Harry."

The four adults and Hermione nodded in understanding. Only Ron didn't seem to know what she meant, and he showed no fear in voicing his confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" His tone held a note of annoyance.

"What she means, Mr. Weasley, is that it's time for you to find your dormitory and remain there the rest of the night." Snape turned his cold, black eyes to Hermione. "The same applies to you, Miss Granger."

"Yes, Sir," the two answered in unison and headed out the door.

Adara sighed and leaned heavily against the nearest wall.

"Are you alright, dear?" Pomfrey appeared at her elbow eager to help.

"Yes, I'll be fine, Madam. I simply need to rest awhile."

"Young Mr. Potter is healed then?" pressed McGonagall.

Adara smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes. Physically he is no longer injured. However, his mind, rather, his psyche may have taken damage even I cannot repair. His body felt intense pain, and he suffered more than most could survive. He is indeed a strong boy, but he is still very young and his mind may not be able to recover like his body has." She turned her eyes to Snape then and posed a bold statement in the form of a question. "I trust those Slytherin players have been dealt with accordingly?"

Professor Snape narrowed his eyes and nodded as he answered. "I assure you they've been properly punished, Miss Sage."

"I'm pleased to hear that." She sighed again and stood straight. "Now, if there are no more questions or emergencies, I would like to go to my room and recover."

Pomfrey and McGonagall seemed to want to ask more, but Dumbledore, silent until then, quieted them both with a glance. "I shall escort you back to your chambers, Adara, with the assistance of Severus."

She smiled gratefully at him and slowly made her way towards the door.