Before we begin, I'd like to apologize for how long it took me to write this update, short as it is. *begs for forgiveness* I had way too much schoolwork to do to fufill all of my obligations. It probably won't happen again until mid-terms. (One can only hope . . .)

Also, this chapter contains a lot of Snape OOCness, but don't worry, next chapter he'll be right back to his normal, nasty, sarcastic, cruel self. (You know, the personality we all love! ^_^)

"Serverus, really, someone else can look after her." Dumbledore patted the younger man on the shoulder. They were sitting in the Hospital Wing a few beds away from the still-sleeping Kerri. It had been nearly a week since the attack, and she had not stirred. Madame Pomfrey could come up with no explanation for her lack of consciousness, and if it weren't for Dumbledore's gentle insistence that she would indeed awaken, one would think she was in a coma. "You don't need to blame yourself . ."

"I most certainly do not blame myself, Albus! I blame her!" Snape almost yelled at the headmaster. Realizing how he sounded, he took a deep breath to calm himself and continued quietly. "All right, I admit I feel slightly responsible for what happened to her. I am her teacher, no matter what my personal opinion of her is, and I should have made sure she didn't try to get herself killed. But," he paused and pointed at the sleeping girl, "That is not why I am still here in the infirmary."

"Oh?" The headmaster raised his eyebrows bemusedly. "And what is the reason?"

"The reason is that she's got a lot of explaining to do, and I want to be here when she wakes up so I can get some answers!"

"I see. And why don't you simply ask me now?"

With a sigh, Snape leant back in his chair. "Albus, you and I both know that getting a straight answer out of you is about as likely as Potter suddenly deciding that I'm his new best friend. It's easier to wait a while and get them out of her."

"I see." Dumbledore repeated, looking thoughtful. "That is usually the case, but given the recent developments, I believe you have the right to know everything that is my right to tell you."

Snape blinked. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, definitely not something to pass up. "So?" he asked cautiously.

With twinkling eyes, Dumbledore answered, "So, what?"

"Albus!"

"All right, all right, I'm sorry, Severus. I'll get down to business now." The smile suddenly faded from his eyes and he let out a deep sigh. "Miss Harper's parents were killed by Death Eaters when she was very young, which I'm sure you already know. They died in a very . . . bloody fashion." A shadow crossed his face and he paused for a second before continuing. "After the attack, the Aurors found her in the remains of her house and took her in. They could find no surviving relatives to care for her, and her young mind was in shock, so they kept her.

"Eventually, she recovered, though obviously not entirely. An experience like that does not simply dissolve without any scars." Snape winced. He'd had plenty of experiences like that. Most of those painful memories had faded away, leaving only a dull ache. Some, however, remained ever fresh in his mind, waiting for a word, a gesture, that would recall them with a stab of fresh pain. Like now. He stared down at his hands as images flashed through his mind. How strange that the hands that can brew potions to heal any wound can also have caused so much pain . . . Pain that I could have prevented . . . I wonder if I could have saved her parents . . . I wonder who they were. . . For the first time, he felt a slight twinge of sympathy for the girl.

Realizing that the headmaster was watching him silently, he composed himself. "I'm sorry, Albus. What were you saying?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "There's really not much more I can say. The Aurors kept her on a short leash until now. She begged them to allow her to come to Hogwarts so she could study potion-making. They let her go, on the condition that she not go anywhere else without either their permission or a trusted chaperone."

"Sounds like they trust her about as far as I do." Snape muttered dryly. "You wouldn't happen to know why?"

With another shrug, Dumbledore put on his best innocent expression. Snape groaned. He wasn't getting anything out of him on this subject, no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps a different subject. After a moment's thought, he asked, "What about Longbottom? Why did you bring him with us during the attack? He isn't someone I would have chosen for backup."

"Miss Harper knew Mr. Longbottom when she was younger."

Snape nodded. That made sense. Longbottom's parents had been Aurors after all, before they had been subjected to the Cruciatus. "But why take him along?"

Dumbledore wagged his finger at Snape. "Patience, Severus. I was getting to that." He began looking thoughtful again.

After a few seconds, Snape cleared his throat. "Well?"

The innocent expression returned in full force. "Well, what?"

"Albus!"

With a chuckle, Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. "I'm just teasing you, Serverus. No need to get so uptight about it."

"I'm always uptight. Now please answer the question."

"If you grovel like that, how can I resist?" He turned to look at the sleeping girl. "Actually, there's not much more for me to tell here either. You'll have to ask Miss Harper for the details, but I can tell you that she was very protective of him even then. A big sister-little brother relationship, I guess you could say. They hadn't seen each other since his parents were admitted to St. Mungo's. "

"So you hoped that her sense of responsibility for him would spur her to fight."

"Exactly." The headmaster stood and stretched. "Well, I'd best be going. I've got some work to do. There's a staff meeting today." Seeing the annoyed look on Snape's face, he smiled. "Don't worry, Severus. You're excused. We're only talking about the Halloween Feast anyway."

"What about it?" Snape asked, curious. "That feast's been the same since I was a student."

"I know. That's why we wanted to try something different this year. I'm putting out the idea of a masquerade ball." A mischievous grin crossed his face. "Costumes, masks, a nonrecognizable charm on the Great Hall, that sort of thing. Should be loads of fun."

Snape grimaced. "Joy of joys." The things that the headmaster came up with…. The costumes and masks were bad enough, but a nonrecognizable charm would make things even worse in his opinion. Also known as the "Strangers in the Night" charm, it was usually used for wizardly costume balls or on Halloween. the charm in place, someone could be talking to their own mother and never know it. Many wizards felt that it lent an air of mystique, Snape felt that it lent an air of helplessness. It was easily breakable in certain circumstances, to guard against it being used as Dark Arts, but he still disliked the idea that his worst enemies could be right next to him and he would have no idea. But who was he to argue with the headmaster? "Loads of fun." he echoed weakly.

"Of course!" Dumbledore's smile got even wider as he began heading out the door.

"Albus?" Snape suddenly asked, "Do you know why that Death Eater came to Hogwarts? Why he attacked Miss Harper?"

Serious again, Dumbledore looked off into the distance. "Miss Harper had a little confrontation with Mr. Malfoy in the library a while back. I suspect that he told his father about it. I'm sure you can figure out the rest."

Frowning, Snape said, "But why send a Death Eater? That seems like overkill for just one girl, but it's nowhere near enough to mount a real attack. The Death Eaters aren't that stupid, especially now that Voldemort's back. He's not like Lucius. He wouldn't waste precious men by sending them to Hogwarts."

With a sigh, Dumbledore tapped his fingers against the handle of the door before opening it. "I don't suppose we'll ever know. But now at least we have warning, and we can take care that it does not happen again."

Snape watched Dumbledore as he began to walk off. He knows why. He knows why, and he doesn't want to say. How much else does he know?

Stopping in the doorway, the headmaster looked over his shoulder at the younger man. "Oh, and Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that you're worried about Miss Harper."