Author's Note: Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! I can't believe that there's over two hundred of you awesome people out there that are enjoying this story enough to see where it goes :D

Shout out to Jazzy, Evelanda, Naomi Alejandra768, Xtremesparkles, haleygur7, and the guest that left reviews on the last chapter! Each one made me smile and jump up and down in giddiness :D

I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or anything else resembling what J.K. Rowling introduced us all to. Just the plot and OC are mine.


Chapter 14

Avalynn resolutely ignored Sirius and James throughout dinner, only speaking to the other Gryffindors occupying the table. The only indication she gave to acknowledge the boys' presence was that she continued to clutch Sirius' hand in her own for the duration of the meal. Speaking to Remus was difficult enough as it was, and annoyed with Sirius or not, Ava was not about to let herself look like a lovesick fool in front of the entire school. As irritating as the Black heir's attitude could be, the witch was able to breathe a sigh of relief when his touch grounded in her reality, keeping her from reaching out to Remus once his enchanting green eyes were fixed on hers. She desperately hoped that her magic wouldn't manipulate her body and mind as it had before.

After dinner, Ava was able to escape the Marauders' company with her Defense tutoring session as an excuse. Judging by the pouting expressions on Sirius and James' faces, she wasn't going to be able to ignore them much longer. She let out a frustrated huff as she ascended the staircase outside the Great Hall. They just need to get over their rivalry with Snape and everything will be fine. I'm not going to bend to their stupid rule of not hanging out with Slytherins when I practically need to be with them. Well, Severus and Regulus at least. And Benedict, she added with a smile. The Transfiguration classroom thankfully had all of the desks already moved out of the way, so as Ava waited for Kingsley Shacklebolt to arrive, she practiced the only first year Defense spell she knew. Expelliarmus. Too caught up in her spell-casting, Ava was startled when the door opened and revealed a large figure. As the person stepped into the classroom, she had to bite back a laugh, remembering her initial thought of Kingsley being a tiny, little kid since he was most definitely anything but little.

"Ava McGonagall, right?" her tutor asked in a young, light voice that didn't seem to match his physique.

"Yep, and you're Kingsley, right?" she replied as she took a few steps closer and reached out to shake his hand. Standing much closer to the dark skinned wizard gave Ava a chance to really take in the thirteen year-old. Regardless of his height reaching six feet and having a muscular build— Probably from Quidditch, Ava reasoned—he held her hand gently as he introduced himself. Kingsley explained with a smile that even though he was earning extra credit for the tutoring lessons, he was interested in dueling, so he intended to teach Ava as much as he possibly could so that he could have a school-sanctioned dueling partner to practice with. Ava laughed lightly, thinking, The kid does turn out to be an Auror after all.

For the next hour, the Ravenclaw taught Ava Petrificus Totalus and Rennervate since she was able to prove herself with Expelliarmus right away. As Kingsley was instructing Ava, he would critique the way that she held herself, so she quickly learned the best ways to move her body along with her spell-casting. She had just begun practicing Impedimenta when Kingsley's wand vibrated and emitted a rather annoying rooster sound.

The wizard laughed at Ava's surprised expression. "That's my morning alarm sound, sorry. It's rather effective."

"I can imagine. So, does that mean we're done for today?"

He nodded as he picked up his schoolbag. "Yeah, we'll meet up again next Wednesday, same place, same time."

"Okay," Ava replied, trying to not let her disappointment show. She couldn't practice Defense only once a week! That was one of the most important subjects she needed training in. After saying goodbye, Ava pushed that letdown to the back of her mind and thought over the spells and footwork that she had learned while making the way back to the quarters she shared with McGonagall. Realizing her improvement in defensive spells helped Ava feel more accomplished than she had all week and she retired for the night in a happy mood.


The next morning, Ava was double checking her timetable, and saw that she did indeed have Transfiguration, History of Magic, and Astronomy again today. She picked through her scrambled eggs, feeling slightly guilty that today wasn't her favorite setup of classes, even though it included her aunt's class. Movement from across the table drew her attention. Remus and Lily sat down, amidst a conversation about the Quidditch match schedule being released within the next few days. Ava's head whipped towards the entrance of the Great Hall, scanning the bodies and hoping to locate Sirius or James. When she didn't find them, she turned to Lily and Remus with a panicked expression.

Of course, the werewolf saw her face and with a voice full of worry asked, "What's wrong, Ava? Are you feeling okay?"

The witch cringed at the thought of him noticing, but nodded even though her face was beginning to pale as she keep her eyes firmly on her plate. "Where's Sirius and James?" Ava questioned, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"They overslept, but they'll be here soon," Lily reassured.

Ava clenched her fists that were resting atop the table, squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Feeling quite similar to how she did right before her panic attack in the Shrieking Shack, the witch was desperately trying to calm herself down. She hadn't been close to Remus without James or Sirius being there as well and she trembled from the effort it was taking to restrain herself just from hearing his stupid voice asking stupid questions. Ava once more checked the door of the massive dining hall and saw that the boys had yet to make an appearance. Just as she was about to get up and leave, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, Ava watched in fascinated horror as Remus reached out a hand and covered her own.


Remus could feel Moony stand at attention the instant Ava's face showed how anxious she was at the idea of James and Sirius being late to breakfast. As far as he could tell though, she went about her classes just fine without their presence. However, it was clear from the witch's body language that she was not okay at all. His heart went out to her as Moony began to pace in nervousness. Ava was still new to Hogwarts, recently lost her mother, and was uprooted from her life. And now she must be worried without the first friends that she seemed to make at the school. The girl now truly looked on the verge of panicking, shaking slightly and pale, so, in an attempt to settle Moony and his own worries, as well as Ava's, he reached out and covered one of her clenched fists with his hand.

Remus had hoped to comfort Ava until his friends arrived, but his gesture seemed to work better than expected. Color returned to her face and her body relaxed. She slowly gazed up and flashed him a warm smile. Happiness and warmth seemed to radiate from the girl in front of him, causing the werewolf to return her grin. His eyebrows rose in surprise when Ava loosened her fist and turned her hand over to lace her fingers with his own.

Looking up at Remus beneath her lashes, Ava sat forward in her seat while tugging slightly on his hand and asked, "Hey, Remus?" in a husky voice that made his mouth go dry.

He swallowed. "Yeah, Ava?"

Her grip tightened on his hand suddenly and she pulled back from him with wide eyes. She was clutching the hand that was just intertwined with his to her chest. "Don't touch me," she snapped before vacating the table as quickly as possible.

With bewilderment written all over his face, Remus turned to Lily and quietly asked, "What just happened?"

The red haired witch shook her head and said, "I have no idea, Remus." After another moment, she added, "But it seems like she really don't want you to touch her."

The werewolf visibly flinched, and replayed the scene in his mind, trying to understand. After connecting the dots, he grimaced and began to forcefully stab his breakfast sausage onto his fork. With a deep frown etched on his face, Remus thought, Of course, you idiot. She knows you're a werewolf. No one would want a monster to touch them. It's no wonder she freaked out when James and Sirius didn't show up. She's afraid to be alone with me. He could feel Moony whimper in the background. No. Shut up. She doesn't want anything to do with us…She deserves better anyway, he concluded with a miserable sigh.


Avalynn shoved her way through the latecomers at the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Oi! Quit your pushing!" a familiar voice bellowed.

With tears in her eyes, Ava cleared a path to her friend. Sirius and James were walking together, just trying to make their way to breakfast, but paused when they noticed Ava. Her lost expression and shining eyes made it feel like someone had punched them in the gut.

Sirius reached out to her, but she turned away. Her resulting glare caused confused frowns to form on the boys' faces. "You weren't there," she said in a trembling voice. Just as James opened his mouth to question her, Ava continued. "You weren't there, and I needed you." Without allowing her friends to respond, the witch stormed off in the crowd, leaving the boys' feeling somewhat useless even though they didn't understand the full meaning of her words yet. It wasn't until they sat down at the Gryffindor table and heard the tale from Remus and Lily that Ava's words made any sense. James and Sirius gave each other looks full of guilt.

"I'm sure you'll find her later and work it all out, right?" Remus commented in a clipped tone that surprised his friends.


By the time Avalynn reached the Transfiguration classroom, she was able to calm down and her crying subsided. The witch's solitary trek through the corridors allowed her to process the emotions overwhelming her mind, and Ava didn't quite like what she found. It was rather apparent that she couldn't trust herself around Remus, and she was mortified by her behavior. The idea of her body reacting without her permission felt unsettling and perverse. What had just happened in the Great Hall reinforced Ava's determination to ignore her connection with Remus. It was too much of a distraction and completely unfair to impose such a controlling force upon the unsuspecting werewolf. While her magic clearly thought that her love life should be a priority, Ava knew that researching a way home and acclimating to the Wizarding World were the tasks she should focus on. The witch came to the conclusion that she needed to stay as far away from Remus and the Marauders as possible. She could just imagine the protestations from Sirius and James, trying to convince her to give the werewolf a chance, and her will was wearing thin as it was. Thinking back on her actions, Ava cringed at the blame she laid upon James and Sirius. They weren't late on purpose, and she probably shouldn't have been so short with them before running away. Doesn't matter, she thought harshly. I'm staying away from them and Remus anyway.

The witch absentmindedly followed her classmates into the room and tried to give her aunt a smile that more than likely came out as a grimace. With a sigh, she plopped down in the same desk as the other day and took out her supplies for the lesson. Fortunately, the spells required Ava's full concentration, relegating thoughts of her precarious connection with Remus to the back of her mind. While Professor McGonagall made her rounds up and down the rows of desks, she paused to casually remind Ava of her first year exam the next day and gave the girl a questioning look at the lack of an enthusiastic response. At the end of the class, Ava made to leave the room with her head ducked, avoiding eye contact with her aunt, but she couldn't blatantly ignore the stern tone that called her name.

Turning and approaching the professor's desk, she asked, "Yes, Aunt Minerva?"

"I noticed that you were a little…withdrawn during our lesson today. Is everything alright?"

Ava pressed her lips together and nodded slowly, debating if she should reveal the latest development in her soulmate link to Remus.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes. "If you say so, but please bare in mind that if you are ever needing someone to confide in, I'm here, Ava."

Relieved that the professor wasn't going to push the issue, the younger witch nodded quickly and scampered out of the room. Now that she was a few minutes behind the rest of the students heading to lunch, Ava paused in the empty corridor, considering whether or not she actually wanted to eat in the Great Hall. Without much deliberation, she turned and headed in the opposite direction to the staircase that would lead her down to the Kitchens. I do not want another "drunken love" episode happening. This last time was stronger than before too, so who knows what'll happen even if Sirius and James are there, she thought. As Ava descended the stairs she realized that eating in the Kitchens would be useful other than just as a way to avoid Remus because she'd be able to study more and maybe even actually practice some spells. She grinned to herself at the idea of taking Kingsley by surprise next week during their tutoring lesson.

After politely asking Flopsy to fix her plate of the food already being served in the Great Hall, Ava ate her lunch as she worked her way through the theoretical explanation of the defensive spells she practiced with Kingsley the night before. The witch was just finishing her meal when the telltale flicker of pain sparked in her chest. With a huff of annoyance, Ava bookmarked her textbook page and began to dig through her schoolbag for the pain potion that she was beginning to loathe. The taste wasn't so bad, but it was a constant reminder of the connection to Remus, and she hated being dependent on the potion.

The uncomfortable sensation behind Ava's ribs unexpectedly increased from a small burning ember of pain to a full-fledged fire, eliciting a startled yelp from the girl. She nearly dropped her bag, but increased her grip and hurriedly searched for the vial. Her face was scrunched up in pain as she noticed multiple sets of large, round eyes watching her movements. Finally making contact with the cool glass, she snatched the potion from the bag and downed it in a second. Ava took big gulps of air, trying to settle her nerves, as she glanced around the room. A not so small gathering of house elves was eyeing the recovering witch.

"What are you all looking at?" she grumbled under her breath.

"All of yous back to work!" a tiny voice yelled out.

Ava peeked up to see a concerned looking Flopsy making her way over the to table. Before the witch could even open her mouth, the elf asked, "Are you okay Missus McGonagall?" With a nod from the girl, Flopsy's expression turned hard. "Please tell me if Is is mistaken Missus, but Professors McGonagall doesn't know about yous getting worse, does she?"

Startled by the stern voice in which the diminutive elf spoke to her, Ava gulped before attempting to placate Flopsy. "It's really not that bad. I just have to make sure to take the potion fast enough, and everything's fine." The house elf's face softened but she didn't look completely convinced, so the witch continued. "Please, Flopsy, don't worry Aunt Minerva other this. She's been so kind to me since I've arrived here, and I don't want to burden her further. I'll tell her if it gets any worse though if that makes you feel any better." Flopsy nodded firmly with a grunt of approval before disappearing back into the kitchen.

With a sigh of relief, Ava sat back in her chair and tidied her table which had been bumped a few times during the struggle to find the pain potion. After she checked her wristwatch and saw that lunch had twenty minutes remaining, she resumed reading the Defense textbook, slightly miffed that she wouldn't have time to practice the spells. A little while before the lunch period ended, Ava left for History of Magic class with an internal groan. Looking on the bright side, the class may be boring beyond belief, but it gave her extra time to studying. The oldest first-year student settled into her desk and took out her Potions book instead of the required text, specifically reading through the table of contents and index to locate all information regarding pain potions. Only about fifteen minutes later, Ava slammed her Potions textbook with a growl, startling the younger students seated around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath, mentally talking herself down. It's fine, don't worry. It's just the first-year book anyway, it's not like eleven and twelve year olds have much use for advanced information on extra strength pain potions. She briefly tuned into Professor Binns' lesson before deciding that her time would be better spent reading through her Potions book anyway. Snape was likely to quiz her later that night during their tutoring meet-up and then again in the Potions lab too. She reopened her Potions text with the hope that their experiments would prove fruitful because, to be honest, she was a little worried about the physical part of her connection to Remus getting worse.

The remaining time in History of Magic and then the following lesson in Astronomy passed slowly for Ava. Professor Gestirn merely had the students partner up to review their homework from the other night, and since she had assistance from Regulus, the wizard with years of experience hadn't let her make any mistakes. Helping her partner with corrections didn't make the class go by any faster either, but eventually it was over. Finding herself with a free hour before dinner, the persistent witch headed to the library, making her way to the study spot she shared with Snape. The table bathed in sunlight was already occupied by the Slytherin, and upon remembering his comment from last time, Ava silently approached, sat down, and took out her supplies for Defense and Charms. It wasn't until nearly five minutes later when Snape spoke.

"Well, you've proven that at least some Gryffindors can learn manners."

She looked up from reading the theory behind the first-year Defense spells Kingsley taught her and gave Snape a small smile. "I try." Amusement briefly flashed across his face before he resumed writing his essay. Still smiling, Ava returned to her own studying. It wasn't until she opened the third year Charms textbook that Snape spoke again.

"You're already on third year Charms?" he asked with both eyebrows raised.

The witch merely shrugged and said, "I'm just trying to catch up as quickly as I can."

The Slytherin cleared his throat. "Well, it seems that you are doing well so far." Ava's head whipped up to look at him, surprised that he would pay her a compliment of any sort. Snape's eyes narrowed at the witch trying to hold back a smile. "Let's just hope you can do the same with Potions."

No longer able to keep back a grin, Ava shook her head knowingly, but kept her mouth shut. When it came time for the pair to attend dinner in the Great Hall, the witch hesitantly asked Snape if he would like to join her in the Kitchens, and her relieved sigh was audible when he replied in the affirmative. On their way downstairs, Ava told Snape of her progress in each of her classes before the wizard asked if Ava was still intending to work with him in the Potions lab after the meal.

She frowned, but nodded. "Of course I will. I said I would, didn't I?" she asked in an annoyed tone. The Slytherin grumbled something about flighty Gryffindors, causing Ava to firmly tell him that she doesn't break her word or promises. Dinner passed uneventfully as Avalynn and Snape ate in a comfortable silence while reading through their respective textbooks.


For the umpteenth time, James turned to the giant doors of the dining hall, hoping to see Avalynn waltzing through them. However, it seemed that she wouldn't be making an appearance for this meal as well.

Lily noticed the wizard's gaze. "I'm sure she's just fine James. She probably just needs some alone time," she tried to reassure him.

He nodded, but turned to Sirius. His friend looked back at him with a troubled expression, indicating that he didn't know what to do either. When Ava had skipped lunch, they briefly discussed looking for her, but decided to give her some space. Now that she's missed a second meal, it was becoming more difficult for the two boys to keep their distance. But it wasn't like they could pull out the Marauder's Map in the middle of the Great Hall, so their investigation into Ava's whereabouts would have to wait until later.


As Avalynn and Snape made their way to the dungeons, the Slytherin pestered the poor girl with rudimentary Potions questions. Even though Ava knew that he was just trying to ascertain her preparedness for actually brewing a potion, it was starting to grate on her nerves. Before she could snap at Snape to stop, they arrived at the Potions lab, causing her excitement to bubble up uncontrollably.

The witch grasped onto Snape's arm and gave it a slight squeeze. "Thank you for letting me come with you," she told him with a smile. "And for helping me try to make a stronger potion."

With a raised brow, he looked down to where Ava's hand was latched onto him. "I'm beginning to reconsider my offer."

She smiled, but released his arm. "Nonsense, I bet you're looking forward to experimenting as much as I am. Even though, it may be for different reasons." Ava was under no illusions that Snape most likely didn't want to help her out of the goodness of his heart, but she wasn't holding it against him.

The Potions lab was through an unmarked door of the Potions classroom, and the Slytherin led Ava towards a work station that had the most basic materials already set up. He ordered that she stay put while he gathered the ingredients, which didn't take too long, and then Snape began instructing Ava on how to prepare each ingredient they would need. It was obvious that he gave her the easiest ones to prepare, but she understood since it was only her first time brewing a potion. Ava was familiar with the theory of slicing and dicing and whatnot, but it was a bit different when the ingredient was slimy or prickly and you had to figure out a way to work around that. Thankfully, Snape was rather patient with her lack of skills, but it probably helped that she actually listened and therefore improved with each step.

Most of the conversation consisted of Snape critiquing Ava's techniques, but he startled the witch at the mention of going to get the test rat. "The what now?" she exclaimed.

Speaking slowly, as if to a child, Snape repeated, "The test rat. We need something to test the potion on before you can safely consume it." With a frown, Ava opened her mouth to protest, but the wizard cut her off. "We are experimenting here, McGonagall. Do you really want to be the first subject to test a potion that's brand new? Now, I've already thought ahead with my specific alterations to the potion, but any number of things could happen that I haven't foreseen."

"Like what?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "I don't know, how about the potion reacting badly with your stomach acid and eating through the lining? Or if it doesn't even make it that far and is too acidic for even your esophagus?" Ava grimaced. "Or all of your hair could fall out?" He had to keep from smiling when the girl reached up to her hair as if to check that it was still there. "Or it could cause a seizure, or any number of other things." Without waiting for a response, Snape left the room with his robes billowing behind him, forcing a chuckle from Ava. When he returned with the squeaking test rat, she tried her best to not acknowledge its presence. The wizard began to heat the cauldron and spoke each step he was taking aloud to Ava, explaining why he did each a certain way. For example, the base of the potion should be instantly heated, rather than slowly heated, which is why he lit the fire under the cauldron and waited before adding any ingredients.

After a few minutes of Snape meticulously measuring and adding ingredients to the simmering cauldron, he announced that it needed to brew for another two hours before they were to let it cool. Ava knew from reading about the potions used in the first-year curriculum that potions usually took several hours to brew, so she knew to bring some studying materials with her. However, the witch was tired of just reading about the spells, and felt the need to actually practice some. Stepping several feet away from the work tables, Ava brandished her wand and began to try performing the rest of the first-year Defense spells that she hadn't learned from Kingsley. It was rather obvious to Snape what Ava was attempting to do, even more so that she needed a partner. Rolling his eyes, he stood up from the stool he had been using and approached the Gryffindor.

"You'd do a lot better if you had an opponent," he told Ava.

She hesitated, knowing that the Slytherin was quite skilled, and accidentally allowed fear to flash across her face briefly.

Snape saw the emotion, but assumed it was because he was a seventh-year student while she wasn't well versed in defensive spells yet. He had no inkling that it was because Ava knew how formidable of a wizard he would become. "I'll adjust my spells appropriately for your skill level, Ava. I know that you're just starting to practice magic. I'm not an idiot." At her nod, Snape cast a protective bubble around the cauldron just in case any of their spells rebounded.

He most certainly wasn't as easy on Ava as Kingsley was, so she was covered in sweat and panting within minutes. Looking back on it, she should've known that it was inevitable for Snape's natural teaching attitude to emerge. Ava made the mistake of pausing to wipe sweat off her face, and the Slytherin used her own distraction to throw a spell at her which emitted harmless green sparks. However, they stung a tiny bit and were rather startling. When she yelped in surprise, instead of apologizing, he snap at her for being stupid and foolish enough to let her guard down. Her jaw dropped and eyes widened after his outburst, but the expression that the future professor bore was too much for Ava to handle and she let out a laugh.

On the other hand, Snape didn't think the situation was as humorous as the witch did. He was afraid for a moment that he had offended her, but now it felt as though she was laughing at him. Spotting the anger in the wizard's eyes, Ava quickly attempted to use Impedimenta to slow him down, but it wasn't nearly powerful enough. He responded with an Expelliarmus that knocked Ava to the ground, on her ass and she felt her wand start to slip, but she managed to tighten her grip on it. This time, Snape did feel that he reacted poorly since his spell was stronger than he meant for it to be and based upon his friend's face, it wasn't too pleasant being thrown to the ground. He lowered his wand and stepped towards Ava, beginning to apologize, intending on helping her up from the floor. However, seeing the Slytherin's guard drop, Avalynn cast Expelliarmus, successfully summoning Snape's wand from his hand.

Freezing in place, it took the wizard a moment to register what had just happened. Snape begrudgingly felt something akin to respect bubbling up in his feelings for the Gryffindor. He shook his head and gave Ava a half-hearted sneer as he snatched back his wand. Instead of taking his position on the other side of the room, he stood next to her and explained that it would be more fun if he taught her more spells. For the rest of the two hours, Snape instructed Ava on the wand movements and incantations for Locomotor Wibbly, Locomotor Mortis, Rictusempra, and Tarantallegra. When the timer for checking the potion had gone off on Snape's wand, he realized that teaching Ava Defensive spells was taking longer than he had planned.

As he walked up to the work table to finish up the experimental potion, he off-handedly said, "We can continue our pseudo-dueling tomorrow while our next attempt brews."

Ava had to keep in her squeal of excitement, but then frowned, realizing Snape's comment showed that he assumed tonight's potion wouldn't be their last. "Do you think the potion won't work?" she asked as she too approached to work table.

Snape scoffed. "It could take us months or even years to create the kind of potion you're asking for." The worry that crossed Ava's face caused him to narrow his eyes at the witch as he doused the flame beneath the cauldron.

Ava felt a flicker of pain behind her sternum and rubbed it absentmindedly, not even considering what it might indicate since her thoughts were so focused on the potion they had created. Snape cast a spell to siphon some of potion into a glass vial before using a dropper to feed a small amount of the liquid to the test rat. Ava grimaced and felt guilty, hoping that nothing as Snape described would happen to the poor little guy. "We'll need to wait at least twenty-four hours to monitor the rat and any possible side effects the potion may have on it," Snape began to explain. He opened his mouth to continue, but was cut off by a groan of pain coming from the witch standing beside him. Looking to her in confusion, he asked, "McGonagall? Everything alright?"

The pain increasing in Ava's chest wouldn't allow her to be quiet any longer, and she knew it would only get worse. Ignoring Snape's question, she strode over to her schoolbag and began to desperately search for another vial of the pain potion, even though she remembered only packing one this morning. The one she had consumed during lunch. She whipped around to face the Slytherin with her arms wrapped around herself. "You wouldn't happen to have any pain potions on you right now, would you?" she gritted out as a wave of magic increased the pressure inside her ribs, forcing her to reach out and steady herself on the worktable.

For the first time in a long time, Severus Snape felt worry for another person. Someone whose company he had grown to appreciate in a mere week was in pain and in need of his help, but he didn't know what to do. He hated not knowing what to do. He spoke quickly as he approached Ava. "Is this the condition that you mentioned? What do you need?"

Ava nodded and whimpered as the painful sensation began to spread out further than just her chest. "I need a pain potion. Or you could send a Patronus to Pomfrey," she said as her body slumped to the ground. The fact that Ava seemed to let herself collapse and tears began to gather in the witch's eyes were enough to send Snape into a panic.

"I don't know how to cast a Patronus, Ava!" he shouted. He crouched down to the floor and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving his best attempt at comfort. However, Avalynn merely whimpered and began to withdraw into herself and the overwhelming pain that her magic was choosing to inflict.

Snape's eyes darted around the room and his mind raced. He knew that all stores of pain potions were kept in the Hospital Wing once they were brewed, and he daren't think of leaving Ava to fend for herself while he ran for help. Who knew what condition she would be in once he returned? His eyes landed on the worktable, honing in on the vial containing the test pain potion they had brewed that night. He clenched his jaw and looked down to Ava, alarmed to see that her condition hadn't subsided, but appeared to worsen.

The witch managed to peek her eyes open enough to see a blurry Snape hovering over her. "Just give me the potion we made," she said just before gasping in pain. Ava's eyes fluttered shut and her body went limp.

"Shit!" Snape cursed before he hurried across the room, gasped the potion, and returned to Ava's side. Pushing aside his worries of impropriety and social awkwardness, he pulled the witch half onto his lap and cradled her head in one hand, tilting it back. Upon opening Ava's mouth, Snape quickly poured the experimental pain potion into it, clinging to the hope that it would be enough. Once the future Potions Master massaged her throat and determined that the potion had indeed been swallowed, he cast Rennervate.

Ava woke with a gasp and her eyes widened once she realized her position in Snape's arms. Just a moment later, the witch let out an "Oomph!" as she was unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

"Do you have any idea what you just put me through, witch!?" the Slytherin yelled as he paced around the Potions lab. "I understood that you had a condition, but bloody hell, Ava." He stopped to look at her. "I have the distinct feeling that I just saved your life. That potion has not been fully tested though, and could have very well killed you just as easily as it helped you." The guilt on her face was very apparent, causing his rage to soften minutely. "That cannot happen again. You must always keep doses of pain potion with you. I will not be responsible for your well-being like that again. Do you understand?" Ava met his eyes, nodding silently. "Good. Now, if we are to continue our tutoring sessions and potion experimentations, I need to not be kept in the dark any longer. What exactly is the cause of your…?"

"We call them episodes," Ava said, looking at the floor. She hadn't intended on bringing the Slytherin into her confidence quite yet, but it seemed like he wasn't going to let this issue drop. She figured that in order to gain his trust at some point, she would need to show that she trusted him as well.

Snape quirked an eyebrow. "We?"

The witch nodded, still avoiding his eyes. "Professor McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey, Sirius, and James." She risked a glance at Snape's face and saw that he wasn't surprised in the slightest. He nodded, gesturing for her to continue her explanation. Ava sighed. "There's a lot more to this whole fucked up situation than you realize. I can't tell you too much without a Wizard's Oath from you first." The wizard frowned and opened his mouth to argue, but Ava cut him off. "The oath is to make sure you don't spread my secrets around, but it's also to protect you from accidentally revealing anything and becoming a target since you'd know those secrets."

To say that Snape was intrigued would be an understatement. It might not be the wisest course of action, but he wanted to know what kind of secrets Avalynn McGonagall had that would require such an oath from him. He nodded, causing the witch to let out a breath of relief. After incanting the oath, Snape took a seat in a chair and motioned for Ava to do the same. Embarrassed with the realization that she was still sitting on the floor, she quickly pushed herself up, dragged a chair closer to Snape, and sat down. She took a deep breath and began. "This is going to sound absolutely insane, but bear with me, okay?" With raised eyebrows, Snape merely nodded and silently absorbed Ava's story over the next hour or so.

Once the witch finished her far-fetched, but seemingly possible, tale, Snape abruptly stood from his chair and began pacing the room once more. Startled, Ava asked, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" he mimicked with a sneer. He let out a bitter laugh. "What's wrong is that the only other true friend that I've seemed to make, besides Regulus, is tangled up in the Marauders' bullshit once again." He stopped to look at Ava with cold eyes. "To make matters worse, you're bound to that disgusting monster."

Ava sucked in a breath and covered her mouth with her hand. Tears began to pool in her eyes. "How-how could you say something like that about Remus?"

Snape stormed over to where she was still sitting and snarled, "How could I? What about them? What about your dear Remus? The werewolf who almost killed me?!"

Her stomach dropped to the floor. Shit. Shit! How could I have forgotten about that?! Snape opened his mouth to continue ranting, but Ava beat him to it. "I swear, Severus, Remus would never intentionally hurt you, or anyone. I know Sirius is a real asshole, but please keep in mind that Remus isn't fully in control of himself. And didn't James try to stop you?"

He glared as he said, "But of course, how could I forget Saint Potter coming to the rescue? But with your beastly soulmate out of control, he doesn't belong here."

Ava couldn't help the tears that began to run down her face. She must have forgotten how ruthless and cutting Snape could be with his words. Did he not just listen to her explain the magical pull to Remus and how difficult she found this whole soulmate situation to be?

"He belongs in Azkaban," Snape finished, chest heaving.

Ava let out a strangled sob as she wrapped her arms around herself. "You can't mean that. It wasn't his fault," she said while shaking her head in disbelief. The mere thought of Remus being taken away from her physically hurt.

Seeing the devastation upon Ava's face at the suggestion of the werewolf being hauled off to the wizarding jail did nothing to dissuade Snape from pouring salt into the wounds that his words had created. "With your assumed beloved behind bars, you wouldn't have to worry about his probable rejection of your feelings. I doubt a senseless creature would feel the magical connection between the two of you anyhow."

Crying earnestly, Ava blubbered out, "Why are you saying such cruel things, Snape? I thought we were friends." This wasn't turning out like Ava had planned at all.

"We were," he stated tersely before turning to storm out of the lab, leaving Avalynn sitting there in shock and drenched by her own tears. She couldn't even find the humor in Snape's black robes billowing around him as he vanished through the door.