Mind Games of Water

By: Lynn Metallium

Disclaimer: I am but a poor little American girl and I do not own Harry Potter and co., that privilege goes to the wonderful J.K. Rowling, (my hero! XD) so please don't sue me and all that stuff because I would be sad and cry and you wouldn't get any money because I had to use it all for college XD

Author's Notes: At the end since I know you're all...eager and stuff XD

Chapter 2

The infirmary had always been quiet, but the silence that had fallen was rather frightening. Harry had slipped through the doorway less then five minutes ago, right behind the Headmaster, which was probably not very intelligent of him, but he attempted to push that thought out of his mind.

"Ah, Poppy, Minerva....What seems to be the trouble here?" Dumbledore spoke, shaking Harry out of his thoughts and he quickly tuned into whatever would be spoken. Maybe he would learn more about the water sprite, who was currently amusing herself at the window, pulling the shade up and then letting it fall. It was odd, but she seemed like a three year old, and content in doing the strange action.

"Albus-" Professor McGonagall pressed her lips tightly together.

Harry was sure that if she continued to do that, one day she would simply eat her lips off altogether and then he wasn't sure what would happen because she wouldn't have anything to press together anymore.

"I was preparing for class when one of the seventh year potions students came running into my room, babbling excessively. I thought he had lost his mind Albus! He told me that Professor Snape was out cold on the dungeon floor. At first I thought perhaps it was...well..." McGonagall glanced sideways at the Headmaster who nodded his head solemnly in understanding. "But then the boy said there was a person, sitting on his desk, a naked person I might add-"

A dirty look from Professor McGonagall was shot at the sprite, who was still caught up with the shade and was ignoring them obviously.

"I was slightly worried then, random strangers cant just breach the castle security without anyone noticing! So I sent for Madam Pomfrey and I rushed to the dungeon, where it was just as the student said Albus...She-" Minerva gestured to the sprite. "Was there and Severus was unconscious-"

A moment of silence covered over them before Dumbledore finally turned slowly towards the sprite sitting in the windowsill, playing with the shades.

"Hello Ysaelin, it's been some time hasn't it?"

Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey only watched him silently, they didn't seem nearly as shocked as Harry was that the Headmaster knew this creature.

"Hm..." Ysaelin's eyes fluttered over to the headmaster, her mouth quirking up into some sort of sour smile. "So you say Albus, but it's not like you don't know where I've been. You could have visited."

"Ah..Yes-"Albus hung his head but his eyes twinkled faintly as he watched her from under his overgrown eyebrows. "Too true my old friend, too true. But you must know the situation at hand, and how little time I have truly had, but as you say, you know where I've been and you could have visited all too easily."

"Of course I could have...But I know you're a busy man Albus, nothing like the old days, no time to play is there? I got lonely," Her eyes shifted back to the window to stare outside. "So I did come visit. Not as friendly inside as I remember it-"

"I'm sorry to hear that Ysaelin, but surely you must understand, as I have said, the situation at hand with...him-" Albus watched her. Although his eyes were twinkling outside, Harry noted a cold hard edge to them and he vaguely wondered if Hermione was right, that Ysaelin was dangerous.

"Perhaps," Ysaelin continued to stare out the window, only speaking in a disconnected, aloof voice. "Perhaps even more then you Albus-"

The headmaster raises one fuzzy eyebrow and watched her intently. He had many duties to Hogwarts, but if he remembered correctly, standing about having a verbal spar with the water sprite from the lake was not one of them. One had to be careful with Ysaelin though, she enjoyed the verbal spar, and if you stopped before she was rather amused, one could only hope her temper wouldn't suddenly flare to light. Water sprites could be tricky like that, their emotions were as unpredictable as the sea in storm, Albus had learned this once long ago, the hard way.

"Ysaelin," Albus started, he was treading dangerous grounds. "I must ask, even though I am pleased to see you, what the reason for such a visit is. Surely it was not just that you were lonely-"

The sprite suddenly turned her head, as if actually seeing the Headmaster for the first time and her eyes lit up with amusement.

"Oh Albus, you were always so perceptive. Right as always, there's always a second story behind everything," She laughed, abandoning the windowsill, her feet treading across the floor, taking dainty steps as if the floor were ice, to Severus's bed side. She stared down at his blank sleeping face. "He amuses me Albus. It must be why you saved him, he amuses you as well doesn't he."

"From time to time," Albus answered with a small smile, although there was very little humor behind it. "Pray tell Ysaelin, what have you done to him?"

Ysaelin turned to stare with him with a look on her face as if he had just asked her the earth's most foolish question. Slowly her mouth twisted into a sneer that Albus could only take as a bad sign.

"What...have I done with him?" The blue skinned sprite let out a hissing laugh. "Oh Albus, I give you too much credit it appears. What else would I do with him?"

"I am afraid my dear...that I have become old and senile, you must tell me for I could never guess as well as I once did," Albus stared at her through his moon spectacles and Ysaelin raised one eyebrow.

"Why....I sent him to Juiidai Albus-"

Harry watched in utter horror as the Headmaster's face suddenly paled as all the blood drained from his cheeks. Albus felt himself become rather light headed as he stared at the sprite.

"No," His voice was heavy as he tried to think of the words to convince the spiteful creature to release his potion's master. "Bring him back-"

"He'll like it there..." Ysaelin smiled wistfully, ignoring the stare of the Headmaster and the confused looks of the two women and the unknown stare of Harry. She was silent for a moment as she reached out to run a hand over Snape's forehead, pushing away a few strands of black hair. "Do you remember Albus....?"

Albus sat suddenly, hard, upon an abandoned cot and suddenly he felt very old, very old indeed.

"How could I have forgotten Ysaelin...How could I forget..Juiidai.." Just saying the name made him want to shutter.

"Albus- I don't understand, what is this Juiidai?" Minerva spoke, voicing the question that was laying heavily on Harry's and no doubt Poppy's mind as well. Albus said nothing for a moment, resting his forehead in his hands.

"Sir...are you well?" Madam Pomfrey took a step forward before Albus simply waved her away, taking in a deep breath and climbing slowly back to his feet.

"You should explain to them Albus, and let them know there is nothing to be done. I enjoy this game too much to end it too soon," Ysaelin was drifting away from Severus back to the window, her eyes looking distant and watery.

"Ysaelin, I would like my potion's master back, preferably now, not later. I would prefer you not to play this game," Albus took a step towards her.

"Oh I know what you would prefer Albus..." The sprite reached out with one hand to touch the cold glass panel. "I tire Albus...I must return to the lake. I will return. Rest assured that Severus is safe-" She shot him a half smirk from the windowsill before suddenly becoming transparent, nothing more then an outline and then nothing but a wet puddle on the windowsill. Harry stared in awe, she was gone.

"Albus!" Minerva's voice came back, insisting and furious. "Explain the meaning of all this! I've never enjoyed puzzles and I don't plan to start now-"

A sigh escaped the Headmaster's mouth as he stared at Severus with a solemn look.

"I suppose when one wants to tell a tale, they would start at the beginning," He started, licking his chapped lips. Minerva only pursed her lips hard and forced herself to keep a scathing remark to herself.

"Ysaelin's family has lived in that lake for longer then Hogwarts itself has been here, they've always occupied the grounds, her mother lived there before her, and her mothers mother before her, and so forth and so on. When Ysaelin was entering her 500th year of life, her mother, as in their family tradition, would give over the Hogwarts grounds to her daughter, if she could live seven years in a human body, no easy task for a sprite, as you noticed just now how quickly they become weak separated from their home water.

Ysaelin entered Hogwarts at the time Severus was a student, she was sorted a Ravenclaw, Minerva you must remember her? Perhaps not...she had a nasty habit of cleaning peoples minds after she had her kicks and I'm sure Poppy never met her. She had an odd way of always healing her own wounds, as most sprites tend to do. But now I'm getting off my story...

During the course of the time Ysaelin was here at school, she came to my attention as more then any normal human, I of course knew of her mother, Annalin, and her residence in the lake. I left it alone, knowing as long as she fulfilled her task without interruption, we would have no wrath of an angry Annalin upon us.

Unfortunately we were not so lucky, and one of the students figured her out, teased her, taunted her. Annalin had Ysaelin clear the girl's mind, completely, sending the girl into a coma like state. The student was reduced to nothing in a matter of seconds. The student's parents were understandably furious and wanted their daughter restored, but Ysaelin refused. When I confronted her about it, that was the first time I ever heard her speak of Juiidai. She told me that she couldn't come back, not until she learned her lesson. Even I, as Headmaster cannot force her to do my will. She could flatten me in seconds, just like that student, and flatten me she did.

Eventually she did let her go, and the student came out of her coma state utterly destroyed. I wanted to understand what had happened to my student, how someone could come out of a simple coma state such an utter mental reck. Ysaelin explained to me that it wasn't like a coma, more like a dream sequence that ran on and on until she, the mistress of the dream sequence, decided the dreamer had had enough and in a sense, woke the victim up.

I admit that I was curious, so I asked her to send me to this Juiidai, and even now, I note that as one of the few things in my life that I really truly regret. It's hard to forget the look she gave me, one of complete pity as she said,

'Albus, Juiidai is not for you, you cannot go-'

But you must know I am a very stubborn old man,-"

"That is an understatement Albus-" Minerva suddenly broke in with a snort. Albus only gave her a stern look.

"And I should hope that it remains that way for some great time Minerva," The twinkling in his eyes broke the stern look on his face. "But where was I...."

He trailed off, his eyes glazing over in the memories. Harry wanted to leap out and grab hold of the old man and shake him. He wanted to tell him that he was about to speak of Juiidai, where Snape was, what the sprite had done. The green eyed boy was enraptured, it seemed so unreal, but at the same time, frighteningly truthful. Luckily for the antsy boy, Madam Pomfrey broke in.

"You were going to tell us about Juiidai," Poppy spoke as she fluttered about Severus, checking his temperature. "Maybe tell us something to help Severus-"

"There will be nothing we can do here if Severus is truly in Juiidai as Ysaelin says," Albus slowly turned away, his eyes shinning with the memories he would have rather forgotten. "Juiidai is a nothing more then an illusion world. It is all in Severus's mind, or rather, Ysaelins. She fuels the world, it's her imaginary land, but everything that happens, happens inside Severus's mind. It bends to his will and if he can figure that out , then he will come out no worse for the wear. One can make things happen, good or bad, but one does not typically figure that out inside Juiidai until it is too late. He will think there is nothing to be done, and only the worse can come from it. Juiidai can be harsh, but Severus is a strong man, he has always had a strong will and I can only trust that he will come out of this experience only wiser then he went into it."

"Albus, surely there is something-!" Minerva continued to press her lips so tightly together they were nothing more then white angry lines on her face.

"There is nothing Minerva," Albus suddenly looked very old, and he felt old as well. "Nothing until Ysaelin decides it. I will go to the lake and attempt to reason with her. If nothing can be accomplished, I will attempt to send for Annalin and hope she will right her daughter's foolish trick."

"Very well Albus..." Minerva and Poppy looked at one another, defeated. Albus slowly turned his back to them, his eyes loosing their shine.

"You will let me know if he changes Poppy-" He called over his shoulder as he started to shuffle towards the door as Minerva started to follow

"Of course Headmaster..." Madam Pomfrey stared after the two and continued to stare at the door way for a while after they left. A silence fell in the infirmary and Harry attempted not to breath too hard, less Madam Pomfrey hear him and call Albus back to sniff him out. He watched the nurse woman turn back to Professor Snape and give him a long stare.

"You may be a snarky bastard Severus," She whispered. "But I do hope that you come out of this alive, whatever this may be-"

Shaking her head slightly, she pulled the blanket up from the foot of the bed and draped it over the professor, smoothing out the wrinkles before giving him one last blank stare and turning to walk out of the small cubical.

Harry stood there for a long time staring at Professor Snape's face, his mind spinning. What if he didn't come out ok? What if he was mentally incapable for the rest of his life? Sure the guy was a snarky bastard like Madam Pomfrey said, but even snarky bastardly potions masters didn't deserve such a fate.

Carefully his little mind turned the situation over and about in his mind, maybe there was something he could do. He could actually hear Snape now, telling him to just mind his own business, to-

'Stop seeking the spotlight you spoiled brat.'

Harry sighed and shook his head. No, he wasn't trying to seek the spotlight, he just wanted to help Snape, help him like the older man had helped him. It was only far.

Suddenly it came to him. When he had spoken to Ysaelin, she had seemed rather taken with him. Maybe...maybe, just this once, he could use his fame to his advantage. If the famous Boy-Who-Lived came and asked her to free Snape, maybe she would listen to him.

The longer he thought about it, the better the plan sounded. A crooked smile burst onto his lips, not that anyone could see him under his invisibility cloak, but that was of no importance. He could do something...he could help Snape.

"Don't worry Professor, I'm going to help you-" His voice melted into the air and then he was gone at a run. He had to get to the lake after all.


Author's Notes: Gawd..that took me longer then I really expected. Work took up my whole weekend. I tried really hard to keep everyone IC...hopefully I did a decent job (Sev is much easier then say...Dumbledore Xx...) I hope I did a decent job explaining Juiidai to everyone. Thank you to everyone that has left me reviews, you've really made me feel like I can continue -

To everyone wanting to know about the white cards, hopefully that will get explained in the next chapter as that one will focus solely on Severus and Harry inside of Juiidai and how everything works there -;; (It took me a long time to figure it out myself XD)

Lynn