Penny did not know where her free time and weekend went. How it was already Tuesday again and how she was still behind on homework was beyond her. Lupin's letter also loomed on the outskirts of her mind on the pile of all-the-crap-need-doing, but she just didn't have the time to get to it. Talking to Harry Ron and Hermione had eaten up Friday. They found her in the common room and immediately barraged her with questions about what had transpired. Hermione had so kindly brought Harry and Ron up to speed on what expression was and how Grindelwald had been known for it. Ron didn't seem phased by the connection to such a dark wizard, he thought it was cool and wanted to test her abilities on any stupid little thing he could think of. He even fantasized about how she could help Gryffindor with their quidditch matches because 'no one would know she was performing magic.' Harry, in an irritated voice, reminded Ron that the Gryffindor quidditch team performed perfectly well without cheating. The next brilliant idea of Ron's was to set up a cheating ring, to which Hermione thoroughly chewed him out.

On Saturday, Harry had convinced Penny to walk the grounds with him. It was nice to be alone with her twin, their minds at ease, and their conversation flowing like it had when they were children. Neither could finish a thought without the other one interjecting, already knowing the end of the sentence. It made them laugh and reminded Penny of simpler times. Of course, Harry had become obsessed with Snape's behavior with Mad-Eye Moody, he never really could believe Snape wasn't up to something. He was also convinced Penny would not be safe in his company. This was one of the only topics Harry and her diverged. Penny refused to hear it, she understood where Harry's anger and bias came from, and Snape deserved it for how cruel he often was to Harry, but things were different for her, she had known a Severus Snape Harry had never seen. It saddened her that the man spent so much of his time being cruel, but she, herself, was unable to hold it against him, or to stay away from him. It angered Harry, but that would not stop Penny.

Snape didn't show up to the Great Hall over the weekend, it concerned Penny slightly, but they had also parted ways on strange terms. The bruise on her upper arm was green and purple when she showered early Sunday morning. It took all of her resolve not to search out the man, but her homework being beyond the point of being able to ignore was a good incentive to stay on task. Harry was also in crisis and gave her the look he saves for when he is three papers deep and does not know where to start. All four of them sat in the common room reading and writing, Penny double checking many of the questionable facts Ron and Harry tried to insert into their papers. It was evident they had never listened to a thing in History of Magic. Their essay, which was mostly a review from the year before, was filled with confused, half-muddled ideas and some of the goblins Ron referenced were completely made up.

By the time Tuesday afternoon rolled around Penny's eyes were bloodshot from all the studying she had done. She rubbed them vigorously in an attempt to make them remain open long enough to finally respond to Lupin. The revisions to her essay were finished, well, she told herself they were finished because she needed to stop obsessing over it. Lupin would be able to help her with anything else she missed. Flattening her parchment to write to Lupin felt rather soothing, like her chest was finally releasing all that was trying desperately to stay inside. She looked down at his photograph that she kept with her and smiled. Dipping her quill she wrote,

Dear Lupin,

It's so good to hear from you. I liked the photos you sent, the sunflower suits you! Are you sure you want to enter my work? I just wrote you my thoughts and felt they were kind of all over the place, I hadn't written in any particular format. But I won't lie, I'd be ecstatic if the prophet were to publish it, and I thank you for your words of encouragement, they really mean a lot. My first week back has not been very good, so your letter was a welcome delight.

Some strange things have been going on at Hogwarts this term. I imagine you already know of the Triwizard Tournament. The Bulgarians were in my class, and well, I did magic in class without my wand, and Viktor Krum (yup the quidditch star!) accused me of doing 'expression'. It was a very tense moment. Then Professor McGonagall sent me to see Professor Dumbledore, and he says that I do have this expression, though I do not quite understand what it is? He said Grindelwald was known for it and the ministry will want to make an inquiry. This is just a lot to take in, and to top it off Snape apparently believes the Bulgarians have it in for me, but I am not very familiar with the history of this, or what expression is. How could I not know something like this about myself? Does this make me different? It feels like people look at me differently, but I don't think they understand it either. It's just, well, I worry, will I end up in the dark arts? Sometimes I wish dad were here, I look at his picture and want so terribly to ask him what it all means, would he have accepted me if he knew?

Harry hasn't been very happy with me, he thinks I am too trusting of Professor Snape and that I should spend less time with the man. I really wish you were still at Hogwarts, it really isn't the same without you and our new DADA Professor, Moody, is very strange. . .

Penny paused for a moment and then glanced at the clock, she would need to finish writing to Lupin later, quidditch would be starting soon, and this week she intended to play. Soaring above all her fears and thoughts sounded just like the remedy she needed.

When she arrived at the pitch the sky was a perfect blue with bubbly white clouds zooming across it. The wind would make for an interesting game. Just ahead of her were the usual group discussing teams. Snape was looming in the background, sitting stiffly on the bleachers, his cloak closed tightly against the wind. Penny only lingered on his face for a moment because several new faces moved into her field of vision and her stomach turned upside down. Malfoy stood beside a group of stocky looking Bulgarians. Penny groaned inwardly, wondering if Snape would even let her fly, and attempted to join the group unnoticed. The effort lasted all of two seconds.

"We get Penny!" Hannah Abbot yelled, beckoning Penny to her her.

The Durmstrang students immediately began murmuring in Bulgarian, Viktor Krum among them.

"We're playing against a professional quidditch star, we have no chance!" Penny whispered to Hannah.

Unfortunately, her team seemed to be more excited by the prospect of playing against Viktor Krum, and Malfoy seemed all too content to be on the team with the Bulgarians, foreseeing an easy win. With a great sigh, Penny put on her yellow ribbon, signifying her team and went to choose a broom with the others. Viktor Krum picked up his broom first, giving it a scathing look.

"A nimbus," he laughed, showing it to the other Durmstrang students, who snickered to themselves.

"At Durmstrang ve have firebolts, a gift from the International Quidditch League," a tall, dark haired Durmstrang student said to Malfoy.

Ignoring the rest of the conversation, Penny took a broom, she would be playing chaser. While Harry always liked to play seeker and was exceptional at it, Penny preferred the role of chaser. Most people assumed, being twins, they would like all the same things. It was hard not to roll her eyes sometimes when people voiced their amazement that Harry and Penny were, indeed, their own people with their own interests. Penny found being a seeker dull, she enjoyed the energy, thrill and tension of chaser, and of course the satisfaction of scoring.

The teams lifted off from the ground and Penny's heart soared through her chest. The sensation was unlike anything else, it made her burst into a huge, stupid grin. Flying felt like the most natural thing in the world for Penny. All her exhaustion dissipated as soon as her feet left the ground, leaving only the exhilaration of the game to be played. Waiting for the balls to be released, Penny noticed a figure join Snape, was it the Durmstrang headmaster? It was hard to tell from where she was, but judging by Snape's stiff posture that was turned decidedly away from the person, it was apparent he did not want the company. Penny chuckled inwardly, it was about time Snape was forced to suffer, especially after Penny's last violent encounter with him.

The whistle was blown and they were off, Krum shooting past Penny, his robes whipping her in the face. He was a spectacular flyer, but she got the feeling he was doing more than showing off, it felt like a message to her. Pushing the thought away, she soared towards the center of the field, shook Malfoy's hand and then began the chase. The Durmstrang students were fierce players, one taking up residence as a beater and the other two players as chasers, Krum was obviously the seeker. Penny managed to take control of the quaffle and soared towards the goals Malfoy was guarding, the Bulgarians hot on her tail. They managed to flank her on either side, one of them spitting in her face when he rolled towards her, as though to knock her off her broom. Penny dropped the quaffle, but managed to dodge the in-coming bludger the Bulgarian had tried to force her into.

Anger welling in her belly, she wiped her face and zoomed after them. She managed to intercept the quaffle and pass it to Hannah before they had turned tail. Weaving after Hannah, Penny took control of the quaffle and scored on Malfoy. Again, Krum zoomed in front of her, causing her to stop abruptly and nearly be thrown off her broom. It was becoming more evident that Snape's warnings may have been validated, never in Penny's life had she experienced such an aggressive game of quidditch.

With some amazing broom work, Hannah, Marietta and Penny managed to score three more times, angering Viktor Krum, who yelled in Bulgarian at his teammates, before flying off with a burst of speed in search of the snitch. In the single moment that it took to look at Krum, two bludgers sailed towards Penny, one hitting her in the side, the other almost hitting her in the the face, except she tumbled sideways off her broom from the first bludger, barely catching herself with one hand. She dangled, gasping for the air needed to make the horrible pain in her ribcage subside long enough to pull herself back on. She could hear the yells of the crowd watching while Hannah managed to help her get back onto her broom. Setting her jaw, Penny became suddenly obsessed with winning. If the Durmstrangs had it out for her then she would rub their nose in a loss.

Circling back across the pitch, Penny took the quaffle yet again, passed it off and then in a moment of dread saw Viktor's head snap to his right as though he saw something. While her teammates were headed towards Malfoy, Penny darted off towards Krum, if she was fast enough she would cut him off, otherwise she would lose the game of chicken. He was so transfixed on the small golden ball he did not see her coming. A moment before his fingers would have ended the game he saw her as she crossed the path between him and the snitch. For an awful second Penny thought he would plough straight through her, but then he veered sharply to his right. Halfway through the maneuver, his foot collided with the side of her head. Stars burst into her vision and she barely managed to stay on her broom. Unfortunately, the disorientation was all that was required for the Durmstrang beater to smash the bludger directly at her head. Before Penny could even blink, it collided with the side of her neck, causing her head to feel as though it had been dislocated from her spine. She was jarred sideways, grasping her neck with both hands, and fell off her broom.

The sensation was still sickening even with the awful pain in her head and neck. Her entire body braced for the impact, the screams of those in the pitch echoing in her ear. And then, sooner than she thought possible, it reverberated through every bone in her body. The impact was worse than anything Penny could have managed. She had landed on her shoulder, which gave way under the force of gravity and she let loose a blood curdling scream, rolling sideways onto her back, choked with tears of pain. The sound of feet pounding against the ground met her wet ear, something was bleeding, but Penny could not tell what. The world spun before her and blackness threatened to over take her, but Penny refused to give the Durmstrangs the satisfaction of that. Instead, she gritted her teeth, swallowed her screams, and willed herself to remain conscious. It was really just more torture for herself. Hannah was the first to make it to Penny. She tossed her broom aside and ran the distance between them.

"She's bleeding!" she yelled before kneeling. "Merlin's beard, Penny…" she said, clearly afraid to touch Penny.

More voices pressed in as others made it across the pitch.

"Severus, it vas an accident, it vas just a game and clearly she vas out of her league," said a condescending voice.

"MOVE," Snape screamed, his voice maniacal with anger.

Everyone fled, including Hannah, who looked terrified. Snape's figure came into vision and he knelt down, his wand already out. His eyes darted over her injuries, assessing the most urgent. Once he seemed content, he began muttering something, his wand sweeping over her shoulder. Penny winced, her vision flooded with tears.

"Malfoy," Snape called. Draco appeared immediately, waiting for instruction. "To the Hospital Wing, bring Madam Pomfrey, inform her there is a neck injury," he commanded, not looking at Draco.

When Draco hesitated, staring at Penny with a mixture of fear and pity, Snape screamed again, "DON'T JUST STAND THERE AND OGLE, BOY. GO."

Even though Snape's anger was evident when he spoke, his composure remained quite calm and confident, his features stony. He pressed and prodded Penny's various body parts, muttering to himself under his breath. He managed to locate the source of the tingling in her spine, pressing firmly on the knot in her neck while uttering an incantation.

"Professor," Penny choked, trying to speak through what felt like a collapsed throat, "My throat-"

His gentle fingers moved there next, pressing on either side and without so much as acknowledging she spoke, he seemed to almost pull her throat back open. Penny's angry lungs gulped in the oxygen while Snape turned towards the crowd, finally aware of their presence.

"Get back to the castle now, this game is over. And Karkaroff, Dumbledore will hear of this," Snape hissed.

The fearful students yelled well wishes at Penny, promised to visit her in the Hospital Wing, and then moved toward the castle to spread the gossip about the Durmstrang's war against Penny. No doubt it would be the talk of the school. Penny didn't care, she was most fearful to face her twin. He would already be aware of her injury, she could feel his anxiety in a corner of her mind, much in the same way he likely felt some of her pain. She hoped he would not be too alarmed.

"I will need to test your nervous system to assess any permanent damage," Snape said, stressing the gravity of her stupidity with a disgusted look. His eyes were cold with rage, but behind his disheveled features Penny felt something else, like his worst fears had been confirmed.

"It was a pretty cool maneuver, though wasn't it, forcing Viktor Krum to swerve," Penny said, trying to find the silver lining of her predicament.

"Oh yes, and completely worth the cost of your spine," Snape said scornfully.

"Hey, I can still feel my toes!"

"Ms. Potter, you fell from over 50 feet, it is not your toes that are the issue."

While they spoke he busied himself tapping her nose and each finger, looking to her to confirm she felt it. His hands then moved to her abdomen, reaching for the buttons of her shirt,

"This will need to go," he said, unapologetically.

Penny nodded, she was in too much pain to care if Severus Snape took off her shirt.

"If Krum hadn't kicked me in the side of the head," Penny mumbled to distract herself.

"Then what, what would you have done, hmm?" Snape snapped, finally turning his irritation on her.

"We might have won," Penny said, offended by his tone.

She may have fallen off her broom, but at least she hadn't lost.

"Won…" he said in a dangerously low voice. "All of you Potters think you are so special, more clever than the others, and shouldn't have to be bothered to think! No, of course the popular Penny Potter cares how it looked, ignore the fact they wanted to seriously injure you-did seriously injure you! "

The words were cutting and unfair. Why on earth would she have believed they had wanted her to nearly die during a for-fun quidditch match?

"If you were so damn paranoid, why didn't you just catch me!" Penny yelled, trying pathetically to move herself away from Snape.

The agony of movement caused her to cry out in pain, Snape's hands forcing her to remain still, his eyes flashing.

"If Karkaroff hadn't been standing in my way like the oaf he is-" Snape spat, too enraged to complete his thought.

"Hang on, is that why you're mad, you looked away just like I did," Penny said, eyes wide, realization dawning.

Could Snape actually be upset because Karkaroff had stopped him from preventing an injury he suspected the Bulgarians would try to inflict and not that Penny had played?

"This has nothing to do with me, Potter, you were reckless and are paying the price for that recklessness."

"My name is Penny," she yelled at him, unable to control herself. She knew he only saved that vehement use of her surname for Harry and her father, his use against her was a low blow, even for him. Between the pain and his accusations, she did not have an ounce of self-restraint left and did not care.

"Your ineptness knows no bounds, I warned you Potter, but nothing penetrates that thick head of yours," Snape said spitefully.

"Get away from me," Penny spat.

"And let you further injure yourself, I think not."

" . ," Penny repeated, this time more forcefully.

"No," he replied cruelly, his mouth twisting in a horrible smile.

It was a peculiar way to have a conversation, Penny, almost completely immobile on the ground, the pain subdued, but not abated. Her right shoulder was in a sling, and Snape's hand still remained motionless on her stomach, the rest of his body shaking with the effort not to explode with his fury. If how she felt was any indication of how she looked, she was certain she must look pretty awful. But it could not be worse than the meanness etched in the lines of Snape's face. It was devoid of any softness or care she would have expected in the case of such an injury. The man blamed her, after she had been viciously attacked, as though she should live in some cage and worship every word that fell from his mouth. He had given her no explanation the other day, not to mention his warning did not include an, 'avoid every activity you participate in because the Durmstrang students want to kill you,' like what? How in Godrics Hollow would she have come to any of the conclusions Snape was accusing her of being too stupid to see? What world was he born to or lived in that violence of such a nature should be expected?

"You are intolerable, even more so than this arm,"

In a flash of annoyance and his thin fingers grasped her injured shoulder and squeezed just hard enough to elicit the yelp of pain he desired.
"You're worse than the Bulgarians, you sadist," Penny fumed through tears when he released her with a satisfied expression, daring her to try his patience again.

He bent in low, his hooked nose mere inches away from her, his long hair falling towards Penny's face, it smelled of bergamot and a smoldering fire. The smell was wonderful causing Penny's heart to thump annoyingly in her chest.

"What does that make you?" he said, his voice dripping with his accusation.

Unlike him, her feelings always betrayed her, and the nearness of Snape made it nearly impossible to conceal her conflict. She was annoyed with him, but the fluttering in her stomach was distracting. She had a need for his approval and was overly conscious of her addiction to irritating him just to know she could get under his skin. Perhaps she was a masochist, what else would motivate anyone into Snape's company, it certainly wasn't a mutually enjoyed conversation.

". . .In a lot of pain," Penny sighed, closing her eyes.

Snape made no reply, but his fingers on her buttons told her he was returning to his original task, likely to confirm the worst, the more to blame Penny for. Her shirt splayed open while his fingers groped unkindly at her organs, searching for any internal bleeding. Then, most pleasantly, his cold fingers grazed her side and she felt the familiar shock that came from him. She gasped before she could stop herself causing his hand to freeze in place.

"Your fingers are cold," Penny lied, refusing to return to the conversation about this feeling.

His finger trailed back over the same place, telling her he knew she was lying. Her eyes remained firmly closed, she could not bear to look at him, it was a purposefully mean thing to do to her in such a state, and after the humiliating encounter she had with him the other week about this feeling, she would not give him the pleasure. Yet, it was blissfully distracting, the humming of his fingers on her skin as they tapped gently on various locations, ensuring she could feel them. Her ticklishness became evident, and he looked content with her responsiveness to him when she finally opened her eyes again. Penny dared not say anything to invoke his displeasure yet again. When he was finished and satisfied she still had feeling in all her limbs, he tried to close her shirt with a paternal awkwardness.

Their eyes met quietly for one last moment, his hand lingering on her abdomen like he was afraid the wind would blow her shirt open, eyes full of what Penny dare not hope was genuine concern. Now that his anger had abated, in the last light of the day, she saw etched in the lines of his eyes, sadness. The sunset cast a pinkish glow, softening all of Snape's features and causing the tree's in the foreground to sparkle magnificently. In that moment she thought the man quite beautiful and wanted nothing more than to reach out to him, but then the sun disappeared and darkness shrouded his face again. Madam Pomfrey's steps were upon them, and on a stretcher, Penny was whisked away from the horrible, hard ground and the peculiar thoughts that confused her.

Snape's expression had reminded Penny of that desperate feeling she felt about her father sometimes-she did not want to disappoint Severus Snape, and the fact she had left regret lingering horribly in her chest.