Disclaimer:  Everything recognizable from the Harry Potter universe belongs to J K Rowling, no infringement is intended to any copyright holder

Beloved on this Earth

                                                                                                                   ~ 0 ~

Sitting in Dumbledore's office for one of their regular meetings to apprise him of any new developments within Voldemort's ranks, Severus turned in his chair as he heard a rap on the large wooden door behind him.  His vague curiosity gave way to frozen hostility at the sight of Lupin and the transforming figure of Black making their way into the room.

'Ah, Severus,' Remus said, his gaze flickering warily between the two men.  'Is Professor Dumbledore not here?'

Snape's eyes narrowed as Black swaggered over towards Dumbledore's desk, his tame keeper trailing more slowly behind.  'Obviously not.'

'Well, do you know when he's going to be back?' Remus asked, placing himself deliberately in front of Snape and blocking Black instantly from his vision.

'He shouldn't be long; he was called away to a private Floo message in his rooms,' Snape bit out.

'Didn't want you listening in, eh?'  Sirius asked, bouncing into view over Remus's left shoulder. 'Looks like Dumbledore doesn't trust you quite as much as you like to think.'

Snape smiled nastily.  'I realise that animals have no understanding of the concept of privacy, Black, but given that you do on occasion return to your human form, I would have thought you'd have managed to acquire at least some notion of it by now.  But then, I suppose there are those that will always struggle in their attempts to understand the workings of the civilised world.'

'Hit a bit of a nerve there, did I, Snape?' Sirius asked, his face scrunched into falsely apologetic lines.  'You really shouldn't be so sensitive about it - I can't think of a single other Death Eater Dumbledore would allow into the school to teach.'  Sirius raised an open palm to slap himself on the forehead.  'What am I saying?  I meant ex-Death Eater of course!"

Snape let out a snort of disgust and turned pointedly away, his expression forbidding.

Remus gave a small, apologetic cough, which Snape completely ignored.  'Ah, Sirius, maybe we should come back later -'

'Forget it,' Sirius said loudly.  'I've got just as much right to be here as anyone. And I have some important news.  I'll wait till the Headmaster gets back.'

'But I have classes to get to -'

'Well then, go!'  Sirius said immediately.  'We'll be fine.  Oh, and don't worry about coming to pick me up later; Dumbledore said he'll take me down to Lois's chambers when we're finished.'  His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he took in Snape's sudden tension, but he didn't pause in his casually spoken speech.  'I think he's quite looking forward to it - apparently his father was incredibly allergic to fur so he was never even allowed to keep so much as a Puffskein when he was a boy, let alone a dog.'  

'Did you say Lois's chambers?' Remus demanded.  His eyebrows furrowed in mingled puzzlement and suspicion.  'Why would you go there?'

'Harry asked her if we could use her rooms to meet in and she very kindly said yes,' Sirius said easily.  'It's so much nicer there than using that empty classroom up in the Astronomy Tower Dumbledore set up.  Actually, I think it's done her good too; Harry said she's seemed a bit down lately, so having dinner guests has probably taken her mind off whatever's bothering her.   You know,' Sirius said, a thoughtful frown appearing on his forehead, 'I really must get her a gift to thank her for everything she's done for the two of us the last few days.' 

'Last few days?  You've been there before?' Remus demanded sharply.

'Well, just last night - didn't I mention it?  Must have slipped my mind,' Sirius said with a dismissive wave of his hand when Remus shook his head.  'Anyway, after I'd explained I wasn't leaving until today, Lois said we were both welcome back again tonight.'  His thoughtful expression faded to one of roguish good humour.  'Maybe I could take her some nice wine - whatever it was the house-elves served last night it was pretty bad.  Not that it didn't do the trick,' he said with a hearty laugh.  'Beautiful women and wine are one of my favourite combinations.  I'm kidding, I'm kidding,' Sirius said as Remus frowned, a lecture obviously brewing.  'There's no need to look so disapproving, Moony, we waited until Harry was safely tucked up in his bed before we broke out the second bottle.  I wouldn't dream of setting him a bad example.  Okay, maybe I would,' he admitted good-naturedly when Remus's previous lowered eyebrows shot skyward in disbelief, 'but Lois certainly wouldn't.'

Remus paused, opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again with a snap.  He hesitated for a moment longer, looked worriedly over at the far door that led to Dumbledore's private rooms, and then over to the unnaturally still figure of Snape sitting stiff-backed in his chair.  Finally, Remus shrugged his shoulders in a vaguely hopeless gesture.  'Right then, if you're all sorted, I suppose I'll be. off.'

'Bye.' Sirius beamed, reaching over to pluck a pear drop from a crystal bowl on the desk and drop it into his mouth, where he immediately began crunching loudly.  Snape turned stiffly in the chair he sat in, refusing to acknowledge the other man's departure by word or deed.

Remus let out a deep sigh and left the room without looking back. 

The tension left behind him was smothering.  In a pool of resentful silence, Snape drew his robes around him, a feeling of burning anger and frustration boiling in his stomach.  Out of the corner of his eye, he watched with clenched fists as Black began wandering around the room, pulling books and knick-knacks from the shelves at random, and pausing for a moment to stare out of the large brass telescope onto the grounds below.  With an impatient gesture, Sirius knocked the lens away and began another circuit of the room, coming to a halt as he discovered a Wizard's Wireless half hidden behind a pile of books.  He fiddled with the knob, letting out a pleased grunt when the initial crackle and hiss gave way to crystal clear reception and the sound of big band music. 

With great difficulty, Snape directed his gaze squarely back in front of himself in an effort to ignore the other man's attempt to unsettle him.  His new position caused him to miss the huge grin that suddenly lit Sirius's face as the opening notes of the next song began.  Pulling his wand, Sirius pointed it at the wireless on the desk, a quick spell increasing the volume until the music was dipping gently around the room.  Although the sound level could still, just about, be classified as background, the music could no longer be ignored - or enjoyed; Sirius was whistling cheerfully along to the blare of trumpets and only stopped to break into song along with the singer.

'How lucky can one guy be -'

Snape stiffened at the malicious glee that was clearly visible in Sirius's off key rendition, but managed to prevent showing any other betraying emotion.  Moving slowly across the room, Sirius positioned himself behind Snape, the smile of his face almost too big to be contained.

'- I kissed her and she kissed me.'

Snape straightened abruptly, his fists uncurling long enough to clutch at the arms of the chair, his nails digging painfully into the hard wood as he fought the urge to rise.

'Like a fellow once said, "Ain't that a kick in the head?"'

Breathing deeply through his nose, Snape was aware of another flurry of robes behind him as Black moved closer still, his voice low and gleeful.

'Her room was completely Black, I hugged her and she hugged back -'

The rest of his words were abruptly curtailed as Snape shoved his chair backwards with a jolt.  Sirius jumped smartly out of the way, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid the outstretched hands that grabbed him by his robe collar, practically lifting him from the ground as the chair smashed onto the hard stone floor, the splinter of wood acting as a punctuation mark.

'What's your problem, Snape?' Sirius asked in a wickedly innocent, if rather strangled, tone - Snape's hands were now wrapped tightly around his throat. 'Was I out of tune?'

'Don't think I don't know what you're doing,' Snape hissed, his hands tightening with bruising force on the other man's neck.  'If you've laid a finger on her -'

'You'll what?' Sirius taunted.  He raised his own hands to tug at Snape's wrists, allowing him to breathe a little easier, although he hadn't managed to completely free himself yet.  'Forbid her to have anything to do with me?  Oh wait, that's right, she's not too interested in your opinions at the moment, is she?'  With a flash of movement, Sirius released his grasp and dropped his hands down, only to snap them immediately back up to break Snape's hold on his neck in a forceful motion.  

'Or did you mean you'd make me stop seeing her?' Sirius scorned, his head tilted at a cocky angle as he crowded in on Snape.

'Just watch me,' Snape snarled, his left fist smashing with surprising force into Sirius's grinning face.

'You sneaky Slytherin bastard - you're right handed!'  Sirius growled, spitting blood onto the floor and looking more wary now as he and Snape circled each other cautiously.

'Yes, how very Slytherin of me; having two hands and the ability to use them both.'

Snape's sneer unexpectedly rearranged itself into a grimace of pain.  He straightened abruptly and manoeuvred himself awkwardly out of range, 'Kicking, Black?' he asked, sounding slightly out of breath now.  'Isn't that a fighting style reserved for nine-year-old girls?'

'I didn't kick you - that was judo, a Muggle form of defence that you obviously know nothing about!' Sirius blustered.

'No, this is judo,' Snape said, reaching forward to grab the other man's upper arms in a tight hold, his left foot sweeping out to hook Sirius's booted ankle and continuing on in an arc to send him sprawling to the ground.

Sirius stared up at Snape from his slumped position on the floor, his eyes glinting with loathing.  The room was filled with the sound of their laboured breathing, neither of them prepared to be the first to break the bitter silence with words.  'Not going to try and kick me in the ribs while I'm down here, Snape?' Sirius finally demanded, his face full of scorn.

'No.  Aren't you going to pull your wand?  Or were you perhaps waiting until I had my back turned before you tried that?'  Snape said, holding the other man's burning gaze.  Sirius was the first to look away.

'I didn't mean to kick you,' Sirius finally said sullenly.  'Well, I did,' he amended, 'but not like a. well, not like that - my foot slipped.'

Snape made no reply, but his tautly held body relaxed infinitesimally. 

'How'd you know how to do that anyway, Snape?'  Sirius demanded.  He struggled to lever himself from the floor, wincing as his knees groaned in protest. 

'I read a book.'

'Well that explains everything,' Sirius muttered sarcastically when no further information was forthcoming. 'You do realise that if I was at my normal weight, I could kick your skinny arse in a second?'

Snape gave Sirius a considering look, taking in the traces of the sleekly muscled man that was still visible within the too thin frame, a legacy of his years in Azkaban. 'Physically, maybe,' Snape conceded, with a supremely unworried shrug.  'Mentally, never.'  Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but Snape swept on, his voice hardening.  'I meant what I said, Black, stay away from Lois if you value what's left of your life.'

Sirius tutted impatiently.  'You're so bloody gullible, Snape!  I've never even been to her chambers.  As a matter of fact, we've only ever spoken once.'

Snape made an angry move towards him, but Sirius held up his hands to forestall him.  'Enough - Dumbledore will be back any minute, and frankly, I don't fancy finding out what he'd do if he found us wrestling on the floor.  In any case,' Sirius said with a very self-satisfied look, 'there's something I was going to discuss with the Headmaster, but you might as well hear it too, and this is as good a time as any.  Lois's ring -'

'I knew that treacherous werewolf couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut!  When I get my hands on him -'

'Remus didn't say a word!  I only heard about it at all because I was waiting in the cupboard for him, and you were too busy spilling your guts to bother checking if the room was empty!  Anyway,' he hurried on as Snape's expression darkened, 'I decided to see if I could dig anything up about the ring.'

'Why would you do that?'  Snape demanded.

'Lois has done a lot for Harry; I owe her, and apart from that, I like her - why wouldn't I try to help if I could?'

Snape let out a disparaging snort.  'And what form did this "help" take?'

'I have a contact who was pretty close to some of Voldemort's inner circle last time round - Winston Farrell.  He's kept his nose clean since of course - on the surface, at least.  He had to face some pretty tricky questioning from the Ministry after Harry defeated Voldemort, so he's not about to put himself in that position again, but he knows more than he lets on, that's for sure.'

Snape felt an unaccountable frisson of dread shiver down his spine.  'And what question did you put to this font of knowledge?'

Sirius rolled his eyes.  'I asked if he knew anything about the ring.' 

'And did he?' Snape asked, his voice almost too low to be heard.

'Not much, but some.  It looks like it probably did come from Lois's grandfather.  Apparently, Farrell knew one of the Death Eaters who took part in the raid the night Conall Eadon was murdered - they didn't know what they were looking for at the time, but it was definitely something Voldemort wanted.  Their orders were to search the house and bring back anything even slightly unusual.  They were disturbed, of course, and his friend was one of the Death Eaters who was killed, so he had no idea what happened afterwards.  Makes sense that Voldemort would be after it though - it sounds like a pretty handy device, and he had enough spies in the Department of Mysteries who'd have been able to leak the information to him, even if they didn't know the specifics.'

'So then,' Snape began, his tone dangerous, 'thanks to your bumbling interference, there is now a very good chance that not only does the Dark Lord know exactly what the item is that he was so desperate to obtain all those years ago, but also precisely where and, more specifically, with whom he can find it?'

'Hang on a minute!  Don't go trying to pin any of the blame on me!  You said yourself her rooms were broken into - that means someone else must already know!'

'Well if they didn't before they do now,' Snape spat.  'As it was, there was still the chance that there was nothing more sinister going on than a foolish student prank.'

'Now let's, er, just think about this -'

'Do you have no brain whatsoever!' Snape suddenly shouted.  'Did you mention Lois by name?' He made a hissing sound of disgust when the other man's eyes dropped immediately from his.  'What in God's name were you thinking?  You listened in on the conversation!  You heard me telling Lupin exactly who already knew about the ring and what it was capable of, and yet still you went bounding off, trying to play the big hero and putting Lois's life at risk by doing so!'

'That may have been one of the parts I missed,' Sirius admitted with obvious reluctance.  'The, ah, the door on the cupboard is quite thick and the gap was pretty small -'

'You idiot!  You utter idiot!'

Sirius scowled at the insult, but didn't respond.

Snape began pacing the room, his face taut with concentration. 'Can this - source - of your be trusted?' he asked, whipping back round to face Sirius.

'I don't know.  Probably about as much as we can trust you.'

Snape smiled darkly.  'So then, not at all.'

Sirius turned away, apparently tired of attempting to bait Snape further.  'His information's for sale,' he admitted grudgingly.  'For the right money, that is.  I'm sure he wouldn't actually go looking for a buyer, though, especially if the buyer was Voldemort.  He's far too cautious to throw his hat in with anything to do with Dark Magic after what happened last time.  I'm certain he'll keep this to himself.'  Sirius paused, an uneasy look drifting momentarily across his face.  'Almost certain.'

Swearing furiously, Snape stormed towards the door.  'You'd better hope for your sake that you're right, Black!' he snarled, wrenching the door open with enough force to rock it on its hinges.  'I suggest you explain to Dumbledore what you've done as soon as he arrives, and the next time you get the urge to take matters into your own stupid hands - don't!'

***

'No, Neville, don't add it yet!'

Hermione's desperate whisper had Ron and Harry's wary gaze shooting over to the nearby cauldron she and Neville shared.  To their great relief, she seemed to have the situation under control for the moment, although she was looking unusually frazzled; her hair was sticking up wildly in several directions as if she had run despairing hands through it more than once, and she actually had Neville's trembling right arm held in what looked like a painful grip.  She carefully loosened her hold and pulled back, allowing the sweating boy to ease the spoon he had been holding over the steaming cauldron back into the small slate rest on the desk. 

'That was close,' Ron muttered.  He furtively attempted to push their own cauldron slightly further away on the long workbench they shared with the other pair.  'I think that was Carbel Venom Neville was about to drop in there - he'd have blown us all sky high!'

Harry sneaked a look at Snape who was sitting at his high desk in front of them, staring blankly at the classroom's far wall.  He was aware of several other pairs of eyes following his own gaze, all of them wondering why Gryffindor wasn't down a significant amount of points right now.

There had been numerous mutterings over the past week that something was seriously wrong with Snape.  He was as nasty as ever, but his hatred seemed vague and unfocussed.  To everyone's immense shock, none more so than Malfoy himself, he'd even taken points off the Slytherin boy during their last Potions class.  Until his chat with Lois, Harry had assumed it was something to do with Voldemort; now he suspected it had nothing to do with that at all.

While the rest of the students had begun to cautiously enjoy the unusual situation, Neville had most definitely not.  With each passing Potions lesson, his terror grew.  He was convinced that Snape's new attitude was a trap of some kind, aimed squarely at him.  As a result, Hermione had taken to supervising Neville's every move.  The fact that Snape had allowed this to continue without comment had sent Neville's nervousness skyrocketing until he was now at the stage that he couldn't even light the flame under his cauldron without setting his sleeves on fire.

Harry felt his arm being nudged and looked up to see Ron gesturing towards Snape, who was still sitting apparently lost in some unpleasant thought.  'What's up with him?' Ron said in a low voice, not even bothering to whisper now.  'D'you think he's sick?'

'Dunno,' Harry shrugged.  He hadn't told Ron and Hermione about his conversation with Lois yet, partly because he didn't think Lois would appreciate him discussing it with them, but mostly because he didn't enjoy dwelling on her relationship with Snape, even if it was over now.

'Well, whatever's wrong with him, he should keep a closer eye on Neville,' Ron muttered.  'I mean, it's not right Hermione having to spend all lesson watching him like that and he is supposed to be the teacher, even if he is a rubbish one.'

Harry was about to agree when Snape suddenly glanced up, his black gaze narrowing on Ron, who hurriedly directed his attention back to the tulip stems he was slicing.  With a rustle of robes, Snape stood from behind the desk, his expression hard as he advanced on the class with silent foot treads. 

'You should all now be at the halfway stage,' he said, bending to peer into Seamus Finnigan's cauldron, a sneer on his lips.  'Which means your potions should be bright red, not, Mr Finnigan, puce.'  Seamus grimaced and began to stir furiously at his bubbling cauldron, already under pressure thanks to the absence of his normal Potions partner.  Dean Thomas had been confined to the Infirmary after accidentally eating one of Fred and George's experimental cough drops.  Harry privately wondered how "accidental" it had been; the twins had long since run out of willing victims for their new products and had lately resorted to slightly more underhand methods of consumer testing.

Snape's hand reached out to still Seamus's frantic movements.  'It is too late for that now, Finnegan, the time to stir your potion was ten minutes ago.  Throw it away and start again.  Your carelessness has just lost you five points from Gryffindor and if you are late for your next class because of this, another five more.  Now, for those of you that have been paying attention, you may begin to slowly add.  Longbottom, NO!' 

But it was too late.  Hermione, distracted by Snape's instructions, had taken her eyes off Neville for a fraction of a second too long and the panic-struck fifth year had picked up the silver spoon that was used for the Carbel Venom to measure out the crushed Ashwinder egg shells.  Neville just had time to raise horrified eyes to meet Hermione's before the cauldron exploded the instant the tainted ingredients hit the volatile mixture. 

Harry dived under the desk as the bright red liquid shot out of Neville's cauldron.  He grabbed Ron's arm to drag him with him as he went, Hermione and Neville too far away to be reached in time.  As their knees crashed painfully onto the stone floor, he heard screams echoing around him, and Ron's voice swearing furiously in his ear. 

'STAY BACK!' Snape shouted. 'Anyone who has not been splashed move to the back of the class!  The rest of you move forward!'

The screams and shouts immediately died down leaving only the sound of occasional soft sobs.  Harry ducked cautiously back out from the protection of the desk and winced at the sight that met him.  Snape was sweeping about the classroom, his wand out, vaporising huge chunks of material from robes that were stained red with the gloopy potion mixture.  The people he hadn't got to yet were dancing about anxiously as the potion hissed and sizzled, eating away at the cloth at an alarming rate.  Luckily, no one seemed badly hurt and most of the damage appeared to be restricted to robe sleeves as the students had flung their arms up over their faces to protect themselves from the liquid falling from above.  Hermione, missing her left robe sleeve entirely, let out a soft whimper as Ron, who was first to her side, gingerly pressed a pink spot on her bare arm. 

Reaching the last student, Snape immediately began directing his wand at the desks where the potion continued to eat away at aged wood.  'Everyone who has been splashed, go to the Infirmary immediately,' Snape instructed from the side of his desk, his expression fierce. 'Those of you who are unharmed, clear away your colleagues' equipment and return to your common rooms until your next lesson.  If I discover any of you were found anywhere but your common rooms or the Infirmary during the next hour, you will be very sorry indeed.'

It took Harry a little longer than the few other remaining uninjured students to pack up his stuff, because he also had to collect Ron and Hermione's belongings together.  By the time he had everything tidied away, he was the only person remaining in the room.  As he made his way slowly to the door, the three cauldrons balanced awkwardly and clanging loudly together with every step, he glanced back to see Snape, now sitting hunched behind his desk.   His gaze dropped to the Potions Master's arm to see that large segments of both of his sleeves were missing.  Snape had obviously been splashed in the accident too, and judging by the expression on his face, it didn't look like he had got to it before the potion had burnt its way through the material. 

Harry couldn't prevent the instinctive grim satisfaction at seeing Snape so obviously in pain.  If it wasn't for Snape, he might be living with Sirius now instead of the Dursleys, and Lois wouldn't be forced to leave Hogwarts. 

He was almost out of the room when he heard an annoying voice in his head (that sounded very much like Hermione's), reminding him that if it wasn't for Snape, Quirrell might well have succeeded in his plan to kill him in his first year.  Harry hesitated for a moment as that thought sunk in, half hoping that he'd hear Ron's voice next arguing against helping him, 'Serves the greasy git right, Harry.  Leave him to suffer, mate, that's what I say - no less than he deserves.'  Unfortunately, no further advice was forthcoming from either of his absent friends, and with a long-suffering sigh, Harry wheeled around to face Snape once more.

'Professor Snape - er - are you going up to the Infirmary with the others?  Madam Pomfrey's got this paste for burns that works really -'

'I am well aware of what Madam Pomfrey has, Potter.  Who do you think provides the supplies for the Infirmary in the first place, you idiot boy?'  Snape snarled, but Harry could tell his heart wasn't in it.  He hadn't even looked up as he spoke and his lips were drawn back in pain.

'Oh, right, of course.'  Harry hesitated again, the words sticking in his throat.  'Have you got some of it here then?  I could. get it for you if you want.'

'In my office; second cupboard on the left, third shelf down,' Snape hissed, and Harry placed the cauldrons and bags on a nearby desk and hurried off, finding the bright orange paste without difficulty.

'Er, do you want me to put it on for you?' he offered reluctantly on his return, realising unhappily that there was no way Snape could attend to his burns in his current state.  Although his view was partially obstructed by the voluminous material that remained, from what he could see it looked as though both arms were equally damaged; he guessed it would be almost impossible for Snape to move them at all right now.

'Go ahead,' Snape said disinterestedly, shocking Harry immensely.  He normally had the distinct impression that Snape would rather crawl across broken glass naked than accept any assistance from him.  When Snape said nothing more, Harry reached hesitantly forward, easily pulling away the ruined right sleeve of Snape's black robe to reveal the injured arm underneath.  Harry blanched at the sight of the raw and angrily blistered skin the movement revealed.  He brought a hand up to cover his nose as he almost gagged at the sickening smell of burning flesh, which was even worse now that the covering cloth of his sleeve was gone.

'Professor, are you sure you wouldn't rather go to the Infirmary?  This looks really bad -'

'Either apply the salve or get out, Potter,' Snape growled and Harry gave a half shrug, walking over to the supply cupboard to pull out a spatula.  Back at the desk once more, he scooped out a large blob of the orange cream onto the wooden stick and as carefully as he could, applied it to Snape's scorched skin.  Although he didn't look up from his task, he felt the other man stiffen as a hiss of air was expelled from between obviously clenched teeth. 

After he had scrapped the last of the mixture from the pot, Harry stood back to view his efforts.  Snape's burns did look better, but that was mostly because he could barely see them now under the thick covering of bright orange paste.  However, Snape was cautiously stretching the fingers of his hands out in front of him, so it looked as though the pain must have been easing at least a little.  Harry backed further away, wondering if he should just leave, when he caught sight of the grey pallor to Snape's face.  The Potions Master looked worse than he had ever seen him, and Harry found himself wondering about the truth of what Lois had told him.  Thinking about it again now, it seemed far more likely that that she was the one who had broken up with Snape, and then lied about what had happened to spare Snape's feelings.

If that was the case, it would certainly explain Snape's mood of late.  It might also mean that there was a way of preventing Lois from leaving - if she was only going because she felt guilty about being around Snape after what she'd done, from the way the Potions Master was acting lately, it didn't look as though he'd be happy to see her gone.  In fact, maybe he'd try to convince her to stay.  If he didn't already know that was.

Harry walked back towards the cauldrons, mulling it over and feeling a surprising flicker of pity for Snape.  He still didn't like him, that was for sure, but he couldn't help but think how humiliated he'd feel if he somehow managed to get Cho to go out with him, only for her to dump him a few months later.  It would be a million times worse if everyone knew about it, too.  He gave a small shudder, imagining the field day Malfoy would have with something like that. 

'Did you know Lois was leaving?' he asked bluntly, unable to come up with any more roundabout way of working the question into conversation.

'The majority of students and staff tend to do so at this time of year.  It's called the Christmas holidays, Potter, and it is my understanding that most families enjoy having their children return home to celebrate them,' Snape said, his attention still fixed on his flexing fingers.

'No, not for Christmas,' Harry replied coldly, all earlier pity instantly vanishing in the face of his cruel words.  'For good.  She's going to finish her training at St Mungos.'  He was very pleased to see Snape's dark head snap up at his words, his face somehow managing to go a shade paler, his black eyes glittering. Obviously Snape hadn't known of Lois's plans, nor was he pleased about them either.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, although he wasn't entirely sure what he was going to say.  Snape's harsh voice interrupted him before he had chance to find out.

'Get out, Potter,' Snape snarled through clenched teeth.

Harry gathered the awkward collection of cauldrons and bags back up, cursing the no magic in the corridors rule and feeling Snape's dark gaze boring into his back.  He fumbled with the door handle and finally wrenched it open with a jerk, hurrying out into the silent corridor, struck by the belated, and heartfelt, hope that Lois wouldn't discover what he'd done.

***

Lois was wandering the upper hallways of Hogwarts partly in an attempt to avoid the well-meaning sympathy and advice that she seemed unable to avoid lately and partly because she was saying goodbye to the castle.  Thankfully, she hadn't seen a soul since leaving her room late that morning, and the school seemed even more deserted than normal.  She puzzled over that for a second before realising why with a groan - the Ravenclaw versus Slytherin Quidditch match!  She had promised to meet Harry, Ron and Hermione to watch the game ten minutes ago.  Turning back the way she had just come, she hurried away, hoping the game wasn't over yet.  She had just reached a staircase that should lead directly to the Entrance Hall, when she froze at the sound of a muffled moan.

'Hello?' she called loudly into the deserted passageway.  'Is anyone there?'

Her question was met with a slightly louder moan and Lois quickened her step in the direction the noise had come from.  Turning a corner she found the slumped form of Elena Roupe sitting on the stone floor, her back resting against the wall, eyes closed and silent now.

'Elena!  What happened?  Are you okay?'  Lois crouched beside her, gently tapping the older woman's face as she spoke.  Elena's eyes flickered open and she focussed blurrily on Lois, her gaze sharpening quickly with recognition. 

'Lois, thank the heavens!  Someone took Potter.  Quickly, you have to follow. I don't know how long I have been here,' she muttered, sounding suddenly vague as her eyes became glassy and unfocussed once more.

'Calm down, Elena,' Lois soothed.  'What do you mean someone has Harry?  What happened - who did this to you?'

Elena made a frustrated sound and brushed Lois's hands impatiently away.  'I was on my way to the Quidditch match, when I heard someone shouting for help.  I called out and I recognised Potter's voice, he managed to say someone had him, but that is all.  I chased after them but when I got here, whoever had him must have been waiting for me, because when I turned the corner I was hit on the head.'  Elena was looking grey now, her accent thickening and her voice rising and falling as she spoke. 'I saw the edge of a cloak as I fell.  After that I knew nothing until you came.'  She fell silent and then roused herself with a jerk.  'Lois, you must go after them!'

'But, Elena, I can't leave you like this,' Lois protested, pulling her wand and pointing it towards the older woman's head preparing to assess the damage.  Before she could do more than mumble the beginning of a spell her wand hand was grasped in a bruising grip.  Lois looked dazedly up into Elena's glittering eyes.

'There is no time!  I will be fine, but I cannot say the same for Potter.'

'How will I find him?' Lois asked, not arguing further. 'And what can I do anyway?'

'I was able to place a guiding spell on my attacker as I fell, but it was weak; too weak to last.  You must follow the footprints before they vanish - they should appear on the ground a minute after the charmed person walks.  I will show you how to perform the same spell on yourself and then I will get Dumbledore and follow on,' she said weakly, her pallor changing to a sickly shade of green as Lois helped her to rise.  After a couple of false starts, the spell was finally cast, but the resultant drain on Elena's strength was worrying.  Lois hesitated a second further, unhappy about leaving the other woman in her current condition, but at that, Elena's closed eyes shot open, blazing green fire down at her.  'Go, Lois, before it is too late!'

Lois was eternally grateful that she was wearing jeans and trainers as she sprinted up the corridor, closely following the ghostly outlines gleaming on the old stone floors.  As she turned the first corner, she skidded to a halt as she heard a muffled sound from behind her.  'Elena?' she called into the now silent hall.  'Elena, was that you?'  Only silence met her question, and hoping the noise had just been Elena making her way for help, rather than her falling unconscious to the ground, Lois set off again.

She reached for her wand as she made her way along the corridors, mentally running through all the curses she knew that might halt a determined kidnapper in their tracks.  Unfortunately, she could come up with so few - in fact none - she wasn't greatly reassured by this.  Her fingers tightened nevertheless around the comforting feel of smooth wood against her palm - no one liked a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, magical or not.

The footsteps were becoming harder and harder to make out and Lois put on a burst of speed, her side beginning to ache from a painful stitch.  She rounded one corner after another, completely lost now, only the almost paralysing fear for Harry keeping her going at all.  Finally she reached what she at first assumed to be a dead end.  She let out a breathless hiss of anger and spun on her heel, just catching sight of a pale footprint on the bottom step of a very ancient looking staircase half hidden by a rusty suit of armour, milliseconds before it winked out of existence. 

Cautiously, she headed towards the shadowed steps, making her way slowly up them in the hope of masking her approach should anyone be waiting for her at the top.  The staircase narrowed as it rose, the ceiling becoming progressively lower with every step.  By the time she had reached a large wooden door, she was feeling uncomfortably claustrophobic in the confined space.  She hesitated with her hand on the handle, hearing no sounds from behind the door other than the howling of the wind - the stairs must lead to one of the rooftop towers.  She looked behind her one last time, very slightly reassured by her own glowing white footprints shining clearly behind her; no one should have any trouble following them at least.

Sucking in a deep, steadying breath, Lois turned the heavy brass handle and stepped cautiously through the door and straight into the sights of a wand aimed directly at her.

'Merlin's beard!' came a half-amused, half-furious voice over the sound of the howling wind.  'It never rains but it pours around here, doesn't it?'

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A/N  Thank you all so much for the reviews!  It's been so long since I last posted, I truly didn't expect any, which made them all the sweeter. :)  Thanks must also go again to Axelle for the marvellous beta reading - a chore I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. ;)  The song Sirius sang along with to annoy Snape is, "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" - the Robbie Williams version.  I'd link to it, but ff.net doesn't seem to like links.