Author's Note: A nice long section to thrill the readers. Assuming I have any aside from my loyal two. I'll state again that commentary is welcome, so long as the words are polite. I can't improve my skills if I don't know what readers find wrong, now can I?

Admissions: HP chars belong to J. K. Rowling, Leiko to me, and Ravindra to my soul-sister Rave.

Section 10: But Why Me?

Leiko growled as she regained consciousness. She was instantly aware of her surroundings. It was the hospital wing again. Why did she keep ending up in there? Her memory flashed and she hissed at the realization that someone had dared to enter her mind. She remembered only the emotions, the feelings, of the event, not specific details. She'd have to find out if anyone knew the one who had attacked her.

A noise attracted her attention to the bed beside hers. A boy lay there, still sleeping. She knew him. Potter...that was it. Why was he there? Surely he hadn't been the one who invaded her mind. Had she hurt him somehow as she fought off the assailant?

"Good to see you awake, Leiko. We've been worried, you know."

The gryffin turned and saw Snape standing beside her. She cocked an eyebrow at him and gave a doubtful look.

"We?"

"The Headmaster has been eager to question you about your attacker. You said a name, do you remember it?"

"Yes. I felt the name more than I heard it when he was in my head. Voldemort."

Snape winced. He did not especially like to hear that name. Leiko noticed this and decided not to use the name again. She might enjoy teasing the Potion's Master in the name of fun, but she had no wish cause him real discomfort.

"You know who he is. Tell me or I'll scratch your eyes out and don't think I won't. I'm rather ticked at him."

"Yes, I imagine you are. I'd rather not talk about it. Dumbledore wants to see you. I'll go tell him you're awake."

"Wait. Why is that kid in here? He seemed healthy enough when I had him in class."

Snape's expression revealed just how he felt about the sleeping boy. Leiko was amazed that a single man could posses a scowl that would frighten a dragon. Interesting.

"He passed out when you did. Dumbledore knows the details. Now if you'll excuse me I shall go tell the Headmaster that you are awake."

Leiko couldn't help but notice that Snape didn't want to talk about either her attacker or the boy. She stared at the occupant of the bed beside her, pondering why a grown man would hate a child so. She'd get to the bottom of that mystery later. Dumbledore was coming down the hall. She could hear him talking to someone.

"We still don't know why, Severus. She's the only one who might know that."

So Snape was with him. She'd half expected the wizard to go back to his dungeon.

"Greetings, Headmaster. I understand you wish to speak with me?"

"Ah, yes. I trust you remember the events of last night? Good. I suppose you are waiting to hear what I know of the attack. Very little, I'm afraid. It seems that Voldemort was able to attack you through young Mr. Potter there. The two share a link, you see, and it was through that link that the Dark Lord was able to reach you. Can you think of any reason he would be interested in you?"

"There are many reasons one might be interested in me. You may have noticed that I tend to stand out."

"True, but the individual in question is bent on conquering the world. He seeks power..."

"In that case I know exactly why he'd want me. You've both seen the purple light that dwells within me. It is that power that he would crave, I think. But how did he know of me? I haven't been here long, and have not gone outside the castle walls since my transformation."

Snape and Dumbledore exchanged looks. They had sensed the strength she held, but had not realized just how tempting that much raw power would be to the Dark Lord. Snape shifted uncomfortably as the Headmaster continued.

"Voldemort has many followers, and quite a few of them have children attending Hogwarts. I do not doubt that one or more owled their parents and informed them of your presence here. And the parents, in turn, informed their master."

"Malfoy. I felt something wrong him but I couldn't figure out what. He felt a lot like Snape, actually. Darkness fills you both, but Malfoy was more sinister. I should have known he was a threat."

"Draco Malfoy?"

"No, Lucius. I bumped into him earlier."

Snape's eyes widened and Dumbledore looked at her with surprise. So Lucius Malfoy had met her in person and realized how important she could be to the Dark Lord. No doubt the man knew of her true identity and felt that a human form was easier to deal with than a gryphonic one.

"So that is why Lucius came to Hogwarts. I had wondered why he would risk coming here for no reason."

Leiko suddenly thought of something as she watched the two wizards. Snape truly did feel of the same darkness that Lucius had radiated. The exact same. And, now that she thought on it, the darkness was of foreign origin.

"Snape. What's your connection with Lucius Malfoy? And don't you dare lie. I'll make you pay for it later."

The Potion's Master was startled at the sudden change in topic. That was the last thing he'd expected the woman to ask him. He didn't want to tell her but Dumbledore was heading for the door leaving him with no option but to answer.

"Well?"

Snape sighed and resigned himself to revealing his secret. This was not something he took pleasure in doing.

"I am a Death Eater, a follower of the Dark Lord. I don't truly serve him anymore, though. I spy for Dumbledore. It's not something I'm proud of."

A pair of green eyes regarded him coldly. She was annoyed at Snape and he knew it. He looked away, trying to prepare for the tongue lashing she'd give him. But when he looked back, instead of anger he saw desire. She was staring at him in the same way she stared at her food. He could not hide the surprise he felt, and before he could say a thing she'd sat up and grabbed him by the collar of his robes. She was biting him!

Leiko sank her teeth into the flesh of Snape's neck, being careful not to break the skin. She didn't want his blood, the gryffin just felt like biting something. She was only mildly surprised when the man grasped her arms and started to squeeze, digging his fingernails into her skin. So that's how he wanted it. A test to see who could take the most pain. Very well, she'd show him just how tough she really was. Her teeth broke the skin.

"Aggh!"

Their eyes snapped open and the pair froze. Looking around, they saw Harry sitting up in his bed staring at them with horror and disgust on his face. Leiko felt the rage rise in Severus and quickly hissed at him to be silent. She, on the other hand, was going to let the boy know just how annoyed she was. Why did he have to pick that moment to wake up? Although, now that she thought about it, Harry could not have been very pleased to open his eyes and see a professor who hated him embracing a woman he admired.

"Keep your mouth shut, Potter. I have no grudge against you, but you did choose just the wrong moment to wake up."

Harry's mouth hanging open, the shock he felt apparent on his pale face. The boy finally gathered himself sufficiently to speak.

"I thought Hermione was just being funny. But...you really do have a thing for Snape?"

Leiko noticed how the boy said that. He did not like Snape any more than Snape liked him, and he seemed to be begging her to deny his query.

"Hate to disappoint you but yes, I do suppose I have a 'thing' for Snape. Speaking of which...stop bleeding all over me, Severus. I'm not in the mood to lick it off."

The very audible 'eewww' from Mr. Potter combined with the look Leiko gave him convinced Snape to leave. The boy was still trying to purge his mind of the idea of the two of them together when Leiko looked back at him.

"Get over it, kid. You would have seen worse than that if you'd woken up a few minutes later. Now go back to sleep. It looks like we'll both be kept here a while and, as you scared off my preferred entertainment, I'd like to sink into oblivion for a while so I won't know I'm here."

Harry tried not to gag at the thought of Snape 'entertaining' the new professor. She was right...he'd been lucky to have woken up before they had time to do more than bite each other. He watched the woman curl up under the sheet and wondered if the biting was a gryffin thing. He didn't really want to find out, but he found himself liking Leiko despite her Snape-like qualities and it made him nauseous to think of her with that evil bat of a professor.

The boy gave the lump on the bed beside his another look before settling back against his pillow. Perhaps she was right about that oblivion thing. The Boy Who Lived rolled over and went back to sleep, almost glad that his nightmares would banish the image of Leiko with Snape from his mind.