Penny and Neville decided the library was a good place to use their free period. They spent the better part of an hour talking through their charms homework and Penny helped Neville with an essay he was working on. The study session felt quite productive to Penny and Neville appeared beyond delighted that she remained with him. The boy was really kind hearted and wanted to do well, he just lacked confidence.

"Your voice is there, I see it, you just need to believe in it," Penny said, yawning as she gave herself a one-armed stretch.

"Thanks Penny, that really helped me, sometimes I feel so stuck getting my thoughts out," Neville said, his cheeks red.

"Keep working at it, you''ll get it in no time, don't let the process get you down. I remember in elementary school I was the last kid to learn how to read!" Penny admitted, recalling how Harry tormented her for being 'dumber than Dudley.'

She scowled inwardly, being slow at something was not nearly the same thing as being an unfortunate chunk of existence, like her cousin. He had no redeeming qualities. Penny on the other-hand thought she was great, and offered those in her life true enjoyment. Her self-acceptance was precisely the thing Snape hated most about her, because, apparently, it was an attribute her father also prized. Penny could not see it as a fault, and often imagined the kind of conversations she might have had with her dad if he wasn't…

A group of whispering girls rushed past them, prodding Penny from her depressing thoughts. They were peering through the bookcases and whispering, "He's so handsome, there's no way he won't win!"

"I'll be back," Penny said to Neville, getting up.

As she expected, Cedric was sitting at a table with his usual entourage of handsome Hufflepuff boys. They had books open, but were definitely not studying, instead they were laughing to some whispered joke. Penny strode over, placed her palms on the table in front of Diggory and bent close to his face.

"Excuse me, the library is not for handsome Hogwarts champions who don't need to study, it's reserved for common folk who don't have fanclubs," Penny said in her best impersonation of Madam Pince, the librarian.

"Sit down, Penny, you idiot," Cedric grinned, sliding over and patting the tiny space he made for her on his seat.

Penny slid in next to him and he draped his arm over her shoulder to keep them both on the chair.

"So, champion, our show is ruined now, I hope you're happy."

"You'll really have to forgive me, what if I let you touch my cup when I win it? Will that spare me from your displeasure" he joked, giving her a handsome smile, his teeth almost unnaturally white.

"I can't be too displeased with you, I'll likely be sitting out this show too, with this," she gestured to her arm.

His face become much less amused when he glanced at her shoulder. He pushed aside her hair to expose her neck to get a better look at her bruise, scowling at it.

"It's as awful as everyone said," he said darkly, tracing the discoloration with his pointer finger. "This might sound awful, but I wish I had seen it."

"You really should have, Krum losing the game of chicken was the best moment of my life, pity it cost me this," Penny sighed.

Cedric laughed, and the sound was as pretty as the rest of him. He was truly a distracting person to sit so close to. Penny turned away from him to see his fan club angrily whispering from their vantage point. It probably wasn't kind to provoke them this way, but it gave Penny some amount of internal satisfaction.

"Just beat him for me, and I'll forgive you of anything."

"Not rooting for your brother then?" James Knickelbee, a black haired boy said, a note of derision in his voice.

"Can't get enough attention, that one, can he," the boy beside Kncikelbee chimed in.

The group suddenly looked mutinous, and Cedric shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"Are you stupid," Penny said unapologetically. "Harry didn't put his name in the cup."

"Right," James Knickelbee said with an eye roll.

"Are you actually thick enough to think he could get past Dumbledore's enchantment? Dumbledore. Not to mention he has zero desire to participate in this tournament, and will be lucky to come out alive," Penny said angrily, getting to her feet. She was no longer in the mood to continue in their company.

Cedric ran after her and stopped her before she rounded the corner to the table where Neville was still working.

"Penny, Pen, wait," he said, grabbing her arm, and forcing her to look at him.

"I'm sorry, but they're idiots and if you-" she began.

"I don't! They have no clue what they're talking about. I get it, he's your twin, and I wouldn't fancy being the youngest in this tournament" he said. He was holding her at arm's length, both his hands gripping her upper arms, though wary of her injury. He looked down at her with his pretty, pleading eyes and Penny found her irritation quickly abating. Being an insanely attractive person was definitely a super power, she noted.

"Harry has enough on his plate, and I know people like to talk about him, but people don't know him, Cedric. He isn't the center of attention type, and certainly wasn't looking to try and take your thunder."

"No, that sounds more like something you'd do," he grinned.

Rolling her eyes, Penny punched his arm with her useless left hand. The action likely hurt her more than him.

"I better go, or your fan club will hate me again. You really should do us all a favor and just start dating someone."

"When you finally say yes, I'll make that happen," he called after her.

Penny looked back at him and smirked, "I can't date someone who's prettier than me," and returned to her table to gather her things.

"I'm gonna hit the showers before Astronomy tonight, Neville, I'll see you later."

He bade her farewell, and Penny set off to the 4th floor bathrooms on the east side of the castle. Five steps out of the library, Penny reversed course, remembering she still needed to post Lupin's letter, which was really more like a novel after her stay in the Hospital Wing. The Owlery was on the top of the West tower and a nice little walk for Penny to think quietly. Life was very loud lately, and Penny often spent so much time in other's company she forgot what her own thoughts sounded like. It was strange, how still the world was around her, her steps echoing down the empty corridors. The suits of armor creaked slightly as she passed them, and the portraits moved with life as their lonely inhabitants clamored to get a look at their visitor. It was a much quieter part of the castle. She imagined all the generations of students, who, like her, had likely walked this path to share their secrets, send their love letters, and write home. The thought of it made her smile.

When she reached the top of the stairs to the Owerly, she jumped in surprise to find another figure already there and tying a letter to snowy-white owl. His black hair was disheveled as always. Harry was concentrating, his brows furrowed, and looked too adorable for Penny to handle. He hadn't noticed her yet, so she strode towards him and ruffled his hair.

"I didn't even feel you, are you hiding?" she asked.

"What? No, I just was in a hurry," Harry said, standing with Hedwig perched on his arm.

"Strange, maybe I wasn't paying attention, but I'm not usually surprised by you. Who're you writing to, anyway?"

"Sirius. He says he's headed back here," Harry said, his voice strangled with guilt.

Penny reached for his shoulder and he turned to look at her, his green eyes, so like her own, staring back at her, full with worry.

"Because your name was in the cup." Penny said, more to herself than him.

"He can't," Harry said desperately. And Penny understood. Her twin, always wanting to face his battles alone.

He loved Sirius, the only family either of them had. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he caused Sirius harm. He was very unlike Penny, unlike anyone really. As selfless as any person could ever be. Penny, in her greedy heart, for a guilty moment was elated at the idea of seeing Sirius. The thought of the horrible fate that awaited him if he were caught hadn't even crossed her mind. But that was Harry's first thought. Of course it was, her brother was forever the hero. But Penny couldn't help but feel relieved, she had a bad feeling about the tournament and the more people to protect Harry, the better.

"I don't think the owl will help, Sirius does what he wants, but I do think it's serious enough, Harry. Someone has it out for you."

"Voldemort has had it out for me since I was born, I won't let Sirius go back to Azkaban for this!"

"Dumbledore is here, and no one knows about his animagus form," Penny sighed, coaxing a small owl off its perch to tie her own letter to.

"I have to try," he said, setting his jaw.

"Of course you do."

They sent their respective owls off and walked together until they parted ways on the 5th floor, where Harry veered left for the Gryffindor common room, and Penny continued on to the girls showers. She still had a ways to go when she noticed two figures move out from the shadows just ahead of her. One had pushed the other and stood in their path, preventing them from escaping down the staircase. Penny crept closer, but made sure to move near the suit of armor, so as to block her from view.

"Severus, it is getting darker, don't pretend you haven't noticed!"

Squinting, Penny realized it was Karkaroff, the Durmstrang headmaster, speaking, and he seemed frightened. Snape on the other hand, looked livid.

"I don't know what you are referring to," Snape sneered.

"You can't fool me, Severus, it hasn't been this dark since before. . ."

"I see no reason to discuss this, you are operating under some illusion-"

Karkaroff grabbed Snape's forearm, yanking at his sleeve as though something hid beneath it. "Roll up your sleeve then," he demanded.

Snape had his wand in the other man's face before Penny even blinked. Snape's expression was deadly calm, his lips a fine line, it was terrifying how much power emanated from him, his eyes forever calculating.

"I told you, I see no reason to discuss this," he said in a dangerously low voice.

Karkaroff took a step away from Snape and rolled up his own sleeve as he went. He turned just enough for Penny to see a mark on his forearm. It was dim, almost faded, but Penny could still make out the outline of the shape: a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth-the dark mark. A moment later, Penny yelped with pain, clutching her head which had inexplicably exploded with the pain of the familiar presence trying to force its way back into her skull. She swayed on the spot and knocked the suit of armor she was hiding behind over causing it to clatter loudly to the floor.

She could make out the cursing of the two men, but not much more until swift steps echoed around her, clearly headed in her direction. Penny could barely see through the pain, but she had not lost her senses. Motivated by fear, she spun around and stumbled as quickly as she could, back the way she came. The dark mark was the mark of Voldemort and given to his servants. If Penny had interpreted the argument they were having correctly, she was currently alone with two Death Eaters. She did not want to think, or understand, she just wanted to move. The betrayal, if he, the man she trusted more than most, were a Death Eater was more than she cared to consider in the moment

His pincer-like grip caught her and yanked her back around to face him. He towered menacingly over her, the lines of his face hard, his eyes searching for confirmation of what he suspected. Penny pulled against him, trying to pry herself free, her heart thumping with fear.

"Penny," he said delicately, clearly trying to assess the situation.

"P-p-Professor."

"Leaving so soon?" he said, softly.

"Didn't see you there, " she lied, glancing over his shoulder for Karkaroff, but he seemed to have made himself scarce.

"Is that so, what were you doing then?"

Penny's stomach flipped uncomfortably and her head was still pounding, the buzzing growing louder and more distracting. He held her firmly by the upper arm and Penny knew she had no hope of escaping his clutches, not without magic. But his wand was still in his hand, while Penny's was tucked in her pocket. She would not be winning a duel, especially with her crippled wand arm.

"I got a headache," she blurted out. It was technically the truth, her head still felt on the verge of exploding. ". . .on my way to the showers, so I decided to turn around," she quickly added.

"Indeed. You know what I think, I think you were listening in on conversations that don't concern you, about matters you could not possibly understand," he hissed.

"Some things are pretty black and white, sir. Alas, I have no idea what you are referring to, but perhaps you'd care to share what you were doing here and clear matters up," Penny replied, turning the tables on Snape.

"I will not tolerate such wanton disrespect. You are so like your father, strutting around the castle like you own the place, like everything concerns you!" he said through gritted teeth.

"Where do you get off being the mad one? I was walking down a corridor, in broad daylight mind you, when you accosted me!" Penny accused.

"Don't think me a fool, Potter! " he yelled, shaking her violently. But her words seemed to have the intended effect because he released her, causing her to stumble backwards into the wall behind her. But then he stepped in close to her like a cat playing with its prey before it went in for the fatal strike.

"A fool? I think you're unhinged, but I imagine you'd have to be to become a Death Eater!" Penny retorted in barely more than a whisper, her tone laced with venom.

"Ah, there it is, the self-important Penny Potter, indulged and disillusioned into believing she knows more than the rest, tantrumming like a spoiled brat."

His voice had become steadily lower, waspish, as it does when his anger reaches the boiling point. Penny should have taken the warning and backtracked, but her anger and curiosity made her reckless. The more the man interrogated her, the more her heart believed the awful possibility to be true.

"Deny it then, deny it and I'll admit to everything you just accused me of," Penny demanded in a strangled voice.

The silence was deafening, Penny wasn't even sure Snape was still breathing. She held her own breath, courage faltering slightly in the prolonged silence. Very slowly, he bridged the invisible bubble that normally existed between them, and stepped into her space. He bent down, his nose mere inches from Penny's own. She tried to move away, but the wall held her firm. His hot breath hit her cheek, and his dark eyes bored into her head.

"I, unlike you, am the professor here, I owe no explanation. I can do whatever I like, it is you who will do as I say, or face the consequences," he said in a velvety voice, jamming his wand into her chest. A spark flew from it when it made contact with her, burning her cheek.

Penny's chest hitched in fear, her heart beating uncomfortably. Snape was not only a fully educated wizard, she knew he was considered exceptional among most. Penny had never envisioned a situation where she would be on the opposite end of his wand, she trusted the man, looked up to him even. But had she ever really known him? His face was livid, more deranged than she had ever seen it, but it was nothing compared to the cruel delight that shone on it, that terrified her.

It was like he was feeding off her fear, relishing every agonizing moment she was afraid of his retribution. His magic emanated from him, sending a creeping chill up her spine. It was an awful breach of the trust in her relationship with him. Wizards never pointed their wands at each other unless they intended to do harm. His action tore what was left of her hope into pieces, she hadn't wanted to believe he could be a Death Eater, but the face looking back at her was one she had never known.

His wand burned against her chest, digging itself between her ribs, reprimanding her for her disrespect. The sensation unhinged Penny, if Snape intended to push her, she would push back, and in a fool-hardy motion she grabbed the tip of Snape's wand, and threw her weight towards him, causing him to stumble backwards a step.

"DENY IT," she roared.

He looked on the verge of cursing her, but Penny didn't care. Her own magic flared in her chest and felt as though it would burst out of her. They were suddenly encased in it, as it pulsed from her with every beat of her heart. The force of it howled around them, causing Snape's robes to billow around him. His anger and cruelty dissipated instantly. He made no move when she released his wand to reach desperately for his chest, grabbing a fist full of his shirt.

Penny didn't know what was happening, but she didn't care. The anger and pain spilled out of her, relieving the agony in her head. She could not think, she only felt the desperate need for the man to deny it, to confirm Karkroff was a liar. But he didn't, he just stared at her with a tortured expression. He was looking at her, but saw something else, something she could never see.

A memory that haunted; a place before her time; a curse he re-lived every-time her green eyes turned to him. Those were the emotions seeping through the cracks of his facade. She felt them as keenly as she felt her own anger, but she refused to let them reach her. The angry presence in her head pushed them away and forced its way further into her being, into her magic.

It did not like Snape, did not trust him, wanted Penny far from him. Her magic swelled under its command, and Penny screamed from the agony of it, falling to her knees, trying desperately to cling to Snape, staring up with pleading eyes through her blurring vision. She reached desperately for his mind, seeking his connection to anchor her, but his mind did not answer, he did not open to her, he was still lost in his thoughts. When his senses finally returned and his eyes shone with the realization, it was too late.

Her expression burst forth from her and Snape's shirt was wrenched from feeble fingers, and his dark eyes disappeared as the darkness swallowed her. The sensation was reminiscent of the squashing of a balloon, when it's squeezed from the outside until its insides explode. Penny was the balloon and she was being pressed from within as all sides. She could not tell where she began or ended, or if she was still on the 5th floor corridor, there was only agony.

But then, as suddenly as it started, the raging storm within her eased. She sat up, uncertain where she was or if it were even still her body she was inhabiting. The only thing she was certain of was, she was not alone. The intruder to her head stood before her, looking down at her with a handsome smile. Desperately, Penny looked around, but there was nothing to see. A blanket of emptiness encompassed them, except for the small amount of light that seemed to emanate from themselves. The man, who was really not much older than a boy, perhaps 19, watched her quietly, charming brown eyes taking in every inch of Penny.

Where had Snape gone, and how did she end up here? She wondered fearfully if she had hurt the man when she lost control. She desperately wanted to tell him she was sorry, she didn't mean it, but she knew he would not hear her from this place, their connection had been broken, and now she was a prisoner.

"Don't worry about Professor Snape, Penny, he won't be intruding on us again. You are a difficult person to get the attention of, but no matter, you're here now," the intruder said, extending his hand to her.

She scurried away from him, realizing her right arm was not in a sling and completely mobile. Wherever her magic had taken them, her body was somewhere else.

"You can't run, Penny, your expression helped me create this place, and it won't let you out until I say," he smiled, stepping toward her.

"Get out of my head!" she spat.

"If I did, your magic would consume you, but I can teach you how to control it, harness it and use it," he said quietly.

Behind him their world shifted, the walls of a small, dim lounge forming around them. The blanket of darkness parted, making Penny feel less disorientated. A fire crackled in the corner, and two armchairs sat vacant. The man beckoned for her to follow him. Gritting her teeth, Penny stood, hoping against odds she would find a way out of her own mind, if only she could reach Snape...

Even after such an explosive encounter with him, Penny could not help but wish for his presence, he had always been there to help her. The truth of the matter was, Death Eater or not, Penny had always felt safe with Severus Snape, if only he had felt the same and told her the truth.