Haunted Memories

-Chapter Four-

Behind the Scenes

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters within J.K. Rowling's story.

Days passed and the students became restless. It was to be the last Hogsmeade trip of the year and Hermione had once been scheduled to supervise the trip. Headmistress McGonagall smiled to Hermione during breakfast. Looking over the Great Hall, Hermione could see that most of the students from third grade and up were fidgeting and talking excitedly with their friends. They would not waste another minute of their time at school, not when it was the last trip to Hogsmeade of the year. Not only that, Hermione caught a couple of second years scowling.

Only a couple of months left until they get to go to Hogsmeade too.

"Hermione, I'm sure you're excited about supervising the students down at Hogsmeade, but seeing as you had things planned earlier in the week, I was wondering if you'd like the day off."

Hermione took a couple of minutes to register what the Headmistress had just said. Things planned earlier this week? Then a smile spread across Hermione's face.

"Minerva! That would be a wonderful idea! What a thing to suggest. It would be the perfect time to go visit Remus and Tonks!"

The Headmistress smiled fondly at her former student. Hermione was dressed in a dark robe, ready to face whatever the students could dish out. But seeing as she was excused from supervising duties, she ran through a list of other articles of clothing that she could wear for her visit. Right after breakfast, Hermione sent a short note to Remus, asking if it was alright to visit.

Not long afterwards, Remus' reply reached Hermione, right after she picked out a dark purple robe accentuated with golden sparks around the sleeves and neckline. Hermione smiled and brushed through her hair. Scowling at a particular tangle, she stopped for a while to look through her pile of work. There wasn't much to be done, only plan out the N.E.W.T. classes' last itinerary before the exams start. Revision was the key this week and Hermione hoped her students were up to the stress that would be piled up on top of them.

While heading out towards the front door, Hermione happened upon a group of young third years and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. "Hello, Professor Adigios. Thank you so much for taking over my shift today."

The new DADA professor was a tall man with pale silver hair. He had once been an auror who used to supervise the dementors in the wizard's prison, Azkaban. But through the years, Professor Adigios grew tired of working with the dementors. "Ah, Professor Granger, it's a pleasure to be supervising such young cheery looking children again. It's been too long since I've felt such happiness. Constant visits to Azkaban can be quite hard on the body and soul."

Hermione nodded then slightly jumped at the voice of the Potions professor behind her. "Hermione dear. Have fun on your visit. I dare say you thoroughly need your rest. You've been looking kind of stressed lately."

Hermione turned to greet her ex-Potions professor, Horace Slughorn. Three years ago, when Hermione started working at Hogwarts, she was surprised to see that Professor Slughorn was still in the position for Potions professor. Not only that, he had changed a lot since the years that Hermione had been student. She still remembered the "Slug-Club". But compared to what Professor Slughorn was like now, Hermione was flabbergasted.

The once cheerfully plump professor was now thin and pale. His robes surrounded his thinner frame, hiding the many scars that he had sustained during the war. His usual smile hid the fact that he too had been haunted by the memories of war and merely five years could not take off the fact that he had seen too much, young, innocent blood being spilled on the grounds of Hogwarts.

Slughorn was a Slytherin. He knew when to leave and when to stay, yet with all his cunning and sly maneuvers, there was no way that Horace Slughorn could escape the castle with the deatheaters, surrounding the place. Taking one last look out at the darkening sky, and the large green apparition of You-Know-Who's mark, Slughorn shrank against the classroom door and sighed deeply. He was in the midst of the war.

His moment of contemplation was interrupted as students' voices were heard. Many of the brave seventh years were already fighting against the deatheaters. Once or twice, he heard a few being brought back into the safety of the castle. Slughorn hung his head. Here he was trapping himself in the classroom while the young fought for the safety of all their friends. He told his legs to start moving, but Slughorn only succeeded in moving an inch before his Slytherin instincts told him to take cover. A large blast errupted near his classroom and he was thrown back and landed across a nearby desk. Moaning with pain, he was greeted with the sight of five deatheaters smiling ruefully at the injured students on the ground. Many were bloody and battered and a few had no expressions on their faces as they stared in wide eyed horror at the dead amongst their friends.

The professor saw some first years. Their blood pouring along the ground like a red river, while the deatheaters, smashed their bones and ripped their bodys. Children were screaming with horror. Some already gone mad. His eyes narrowed as rage filled his every nerve. The next thing he knew, ignoring the pain and the broken rib or two, Slughorn launched himself into the battle and threw a curse towards the deatheaters. They had no time to respond as the Slytherin gave all he had into the power of the curses. Two of the deatheaters, fell to the ground without a sound. Another who was too slow to even lift his wand found himself bounded by magical ropes which started to tighten horribly around his body. The other two deatheaters threw their own spells against Slughorn, but the power driving the outraged professor, kept his wounds from hurting. Down went another deatheater as he threw a slashing curse at the professor. His associate fell over the bodies of the students and found himself staring into the pale faces of the dead. He had no time to react as Slughorn smashed his face to the ground and everything was dark.

Slughorn grabbed the children and lead them into deeper parts of the castle. Finding the Room of Requirement, he made sure that all the children were safely inside, explaining to them that the room would give them anything they needed. At this very moment, first aid kits were set neatly on tables and hospital beds lined the walls. Making sure that at least a fifth year was around to take care of the younger ones, Slughorn dismissed himself and ran towards the entrance, where more children were trapped by deatheaters. His blood spilled freely from his wounds, but he noticed nothing.

At the entrance, a seventh year girl was crying profusely as several deatheaters pointed wands at her. Her face was pale and she shook immensely as they told her to kill her friend, laying in an odd angle on the ground. The girl shook her head but the deatheater insisted. Finally, another laughed and sent the Imperius curse towards her. Slughorn watched in horror, as the girl started to grab the wand set before her. Her hands shook and her face registered a mix of emotions. She was trying to fight it. A name floated across Slughorn's mind for a moment as he stepped up and gently binded the girl so that she could not move. 'Lavender Brown' Slughorn thought, 'Good girl, fighting the Imperius Curse.' The deatheaters advanced towards him, but was stop as yet another explostion rocked the castle. Before they could attack, Slughorn had them bound and others were sent flying in the opposite direction. Even so, Slughorn was starting to feel the pain of his wounds. Looking down, he was surprised to see a large gash run from his knee to the back of his ankle. Numerous thorns had sprouted around the wound where a deatheater had placed a curse on him. The thing was tightening dangerously and he felt himself struggle to maintain his balance. Before he could stumble, Slughorn grabbed the unconcious girl on the ground and levitated the struggling Lavender. Trying hard not to fall, he went back to the Room of Requirement, where he found even more children gathered than before. He smiled, apparently the children were helping others to find their safe haven.

Lavender Brown was finally freed of the curse, as the deatheater had been knocked unconcious and Slughorn gratefully let his binding spell go. His wounds cried out to him to stop moving. Just as the darkness started to creep up to him, he glimpsed the face of Madame Pomfrey running towards him with a numerous potions in her hands.

A/N: Thanks all for your support and reviews. They help me to post the next chapter.

Cecelle: Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way. Soon the characters in the story will reveal more about what happened in the war and the Final Battle. The trials will be covered and Severus Snape will eventually come back into the story, but perhaps not as we had once knew him as.

Excessivelyperky: Thank you again for your support. Yes, the shadows do play an important part. I'm rather fond of playing with the mysterious.