Author's note: I know this is shorter than usual, but when I wrote the last line, I just felt like it should end there. I've got more coming, don't worry :)

Shout out to SeraphNoir, haleygur7, and Faemyeon for the reviews last chapter! Thank you :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 15

Severus Snape was sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, his dark eyes scanning the Gryffindor table. It had been a week since he lashed out at Avalynn and stormed out of the Potions lab without looking back. He was looking for the witch's typical messy bun or braid, even though he knew it was useless. He hadn't seen her all week in the dining hall, and only caught glimpses of her in the library. It wasn't like he was concerned for Ava's well-being or anything like that, no, definitely not. He just wanted to make sure the witch wouldn't do anything foolish after their argument. At least that's what he told himself. Besides, didn't he have the responsibility to check after her since she ingested an experimental potion that he created? Having the week to cool down and reflect on his words and actions, Snape felt like a complete asshole. Ava divulged all of her secrets to me, exposing herself emotionally, and what did I do? he grumbled internally. I attacked her, without thinking of the consequences. He couldn't help but compare the situation to that which lost him Lily's friendship. He was truly upset with someone else and directed his anger at the wrong person. Snape let his hatred of the Marauders and his fear of the werewolf cloud his judgment following Ava's retelling of her story. In that moment, he just couldn't see beyond the fact that the witch sitting in front of him was magically bound to the creature that had almost killed him.

However, from what the Slytherin had observed that week, Ava was steering clear of the Marauders as well. That was especially evident the last two days. In the classes that the seventh-year Gryffindors shared with the Slytherins, Snape noticed Black and Potter watching him with narrowed eyes. He scoffed, knowing that Ava's avoidance of the Marauders had nothing to do with him and everything to do with them. Even though the Gryffindor idiots weren't currently looking in his direction, Snape sent his hardest glower across the Great Hall, cursing their inane ability to steal his friends away from him. His glare softened with that thought. He hadn't realized how attached he'd become to the new Gryffindor witch. Maybe it wouldn't hurt for him to try a little harder to locate the girl. She probably can't stand the sight of you now, he thought harshly. But the memory of Ava curled up on the stone floor of the Potions lab flashed before his mind. Her painful whimper resounded in his ears.

Snape's dazed look caused Regulus to bump his shoulder. "You alright, mate?" he whispered. Seeing that Severus was jolted from his thoughts, Regulus asked, "What's got your head in the clouds anyway?", before taking another bite of his lunch.

Snape pressed his lips together in deliberation. If anyone were to understand his precarious friendship with Ava due to her proximity with the Marauders, it would be Regulus. "McGonagall and I may have gotten into an argument last week, and I haven't seen much of her since."

The younger Slytherin's eyebrows rose. "Well, she's shown up to two Astronomy lessons this week, but she was looking a little worse for wear this last time."

Snape's gaze whipped to his friend's. "How so?"

Regulus shrugged. "She had pretty dark circles under her eyes, and they were puffy and red, like she had been crying." He grimaced. "I suppose that could've been because of you, Severus." With a sigh, he added, "Look, I'm not going to ask for details of your argument, I know better than that. But, maybe you should think about whether or not Ava really deserved to draw your ire. She's really a nice girl, you know. A little pipsqueak in Gryffindor made a snide comment about me being a part of their lesson the other night since I'm a Slytherin, and I chose to ignore him like we always do with the young ones, but Ava didn't. She stood up for me, and Slytherin as a house, and forced the kid to think about why he was prejudiced against someone he didn't even know."

Snape raised his brows in pleasant surprise. He knew that Ava didn't judge others by their houses, but it was good to see that she continued in that way even after their unpleasant interaction in the Potions lab. "Was there anything else you noticed about her physical appearance or behavior?"

Regulus looked at him with furrowed brows. "Yes, actually. Last night, she was packing up her telescope and nearly dropped it. Good thing I was there because it would've smashed against the floor. I took it from her and saw that her hands were shaking slightly, but she brushed it off as being tired. Not to mention, she looked a little woozy and swayed a bit after carrying everything back down the Astronomy Tower. She just repeated that she was really tired and hadn't eaten that much since breakfast." He narrowed his eyes at the older wizard. "You think there's something else going on, don't you?"

Severus then pulled his bitch face #2 that was blatantly telling Regulus to mind his own business. His friend raised his hands minutely to indicate surrender. Pleased that the younger Slytherin was going to let the subject drop, for now, Snape let his mind ponder over the new information about Ava and he didn't particular care for the answer he found.


Across the Great Hall, the thoughts of Sirius Black also revolved around the elusive witch they had all begun to care for. Next to him, James kept glancing up at the massive doors, waiting for Ava to make an appearance, but Sirius had given up on her coming into the Great Hall on her own. He and James had used the Marauder's Map to try to pin down the sneaky witch and demand answers from her. She had been clearly avoiding them all week, and even stopped eating in the Kitchens because a couple days ago they were able to corner her there and talk for a few minutes. Sirius rolled his eyes, thinking back on the conversation. It hadn't been helpful at all. Ava was evasive with her responses, causing himself and James to get even more heated. They felt incredibly guilty about leaving Ava to her own devices around Remus at breakfast last week, but now she wouldn't even have a real discussion with them. With their conversation going nowhere, both parties had gotten fed up with each other, and once voices were being raised, Ava again claimed studying as her excuse before she took off running down the corridor. James and Sirius hadn't bothered giving chase since the witch wasn't being honest with them anyway.

They could draw their own conclusions from what happened with Remus during the meal that caused everything to go to shit, but he and James couldn't do any damage control until they knew exactly why Avalynn was refusing to be anywhere near them. James had a theory that Snape had something to do with Ava being so upset because they hadn't seen her spending time with him either. Sirius was getting to the point where he'd skip class to track down the girl. The only reason he hadn't yet was that it was their N.E.W.T.S. year and he knew Mum and Dad wouldn't approve. The witch had been spending more time in her quarters, which they couldn't get into without her opening the door, and Professor McGonagall may not have been privy to all that was going on, but she understood that her niece wasn't willing to be bothered by the Marauders for the time being. They also had class at the same time for the most part, but it was especially difficult for the boys to pinpoint Ava's whereabouts when there were times that she would disappear off the map all together.


Later that day found Avalynn McGonagall in the library after classes, as per usual for the witch. Even though her friendships were faltering, her drive to learn magic was not. She sat down at a small table in the corner of the library that had become her new study spot, and mentally ran through her classes to determine what homework she should start with. Third-year Charms, second-year Defense or Transfiguration, or first-year Potions, History of Magic, or Astronomy? She wholeheartedly believed that Defense Against the Dark Arts would be the most useful and she wanted to progress faster in that particular subject, so she chose to work on that first. Throughout the essay for Defense, Ava had to keep pausing because her hand would start to shake too much and her writing became too sloppy. She would sigh, assume it was just because she was writing so much and unused to writing with a quill, and resume when her hand felt back to normal. She was nearly finished when a throat cleared, causing her gaze to flicker up from her parchment and see one of the last people she thought would seek her out.

Snape's eyes noticed that slight tremor in Ava's writing hand even though she was trying to hide it. "How many extra strength pain potions are you taking each day?" he asked brusquely. Ava merely looked at him in silence with a dumbfounded expression. He stepped closer to her and repeated the question.

Bewildered by his sudden appearance and demanding questions, Ava dumbly replied, "A few." She shook her head, remembering that Snape had decided that they weren't friends anymore. She voiced this thought aloud and added, "So why would you care anyway?" with furrowed brows.

Snape's expression softened for a moment, which Ava managed to catch, before his face was once more a blank canvas. "I'm merely following up for posterity's sake. For the experimental potion from last week."

With a raised brow, Ava nodded slowly although she knew better. The potion had been out of her system for days at this point, which the Slytherin would definitely be aware of.

Snape let out an annoyed grumble. It was obvious that Avalynn was not going to make this easy on him. He could sense her body tensing when he sat in the chair beside her own, eliciting a sigh from the wizard. "Look," he huffed in exasperation. "I may have been…a little…"

"Harsh, rude, inconsiderate?" Ava suggested, causing Snape to wince.

"Yes, well. I was also blindsided, you know? That's quite a bit of information to drop on someone. I know I can be rather acerbic and impatient, but…"

"Is this an apology?" she asked, trying to save the Slytherin the effort of stumbling over his own words.

Snape's mouth was gaping open at Ava's blunt question. Closing his mouth, he nodded, assuming that the witch was getting ready to send him away.

However, unbeknownst to the wizard, she was desperately trying to contain her excitement. Severus Snape had just come to apologize to her. Snape! Considering his past track record with Lily, Ava could understand why Snape was behaving so skittish and unsure. His words may have been more cruel than necessary, but she was trying to see the situation from his perspective. Even unknowingly, Remus did try to attack him. Maybe after enough time, I'll change his mind on werewolves. Or at least Remus, she thought. Ava lightly kicked Snape's chair to make him look up at her, and then she flashed him a smile.

The wizard let out a sigh of relief, both at the thought of not needing to continue groveling and because Ava seemed to accept his apology. However, since it was clear that Ava was receptive to his apology, he returned to the stern future Potions Master from before. "Seriously, Ava. Exactly how often are you consuming an extra strength pain potion?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "About three to four a day, why?"

Snape shot up out of his chair and began to pace. "And you only take one when an episode is beginning? You don't take any preemptively?"

"No, only when I can tell one's about to start," Ava replied quietly. Her wide eyes followed his form, which was pacing even more so now.

"You're hands are shaking and you feel physically drained, correct?" Ava hesitated, so he added, "Don't lie."

"Yeah. I can't write more than a couple of paragraphs before my hands shake too badly. But what does that have to do with anything?" she asked with a frown.

Instead of answering her, Snape responded with another question. "Do you have any other symptoms?"

Indignation flashed across Ava's face. "Why are you being so…?" and she gestured about with her hands, "You know."

Snape stopped his pacing and stormed right up to Ava's face. He slowly repeated himself, "Do you have any other symptoms? And do not lie to me, Ava."

Ava's temper quelled at his seriousness. She gulped. "I've been having a hard time falling asleep." Snape looked thoughtful, but didn't say anything, so the witch continued, "But if I practice spells a whole bunch, then I get tired enough to actually fall asleep."

"What?!" Snape yelled, to which Ava immediately shushed him.

"We're in the library, Severus. Calm down," she said sternly. The Slytherin's brows rose at the use of his given name, but he neglected to comment on it. "Before you start screeching again, let's go somewhere a bit more private." Ava stood and began to pack her schoolbag up without waiting for a response.

"I do not screech," the wizard pouted.

Ava smiled at him. "Of course you don't, dear," she said before turning to leave the library.

Snape merely sneered at Ava's back before following her out into the corridor. He was deciding to trust the witch since she hadn't led him astray before with their trip to the Kitchens. He assumed they were retreating to her quarters, and was surprised when they began to climb several staircases. Both students were breathing heavily by the time they reached the seventh floor. "Where are you taking me?" Severus huffed out.

"Just wait and see," Ava told him with a grin before pacing back and forth in front of the stone wall.

The Slytherin looked on in confusion and startled when a door suddenly appeared. Ava was sure that his face would be priceless upon entering the room, so she waltzed on in before him and turned quickly to see his expression. Amazement, confusion, wonder, confusion, and then finally annoyance flashed across his visage. "What is this place?"

Ava spun around in a circle with her arms stretched out wide and announced, "Welcome to the Room of Requirement!" Now that she was looking around the room, it was obvious the room conjured something different for her and Severus. It wasn't the college living room that Ava had grown accustomed to, but it seemed to be just as cozy. Instead, there was a sofa and a comfy chair by a decent sized fireplace with a coffee table that looked perfect for studying, and there was an open space on the other side of the room with some sort of mat on the floor. It was nondescript enough that Ava couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be. "So, the magic of the room basically determines what you need inside the room and creates it for you. I've been in here about a dozen times now, but this is the first time that I'm seeing this particular room. I get that the set-up around the fireplace is for us to study, but what's that for?" She pointed at the mat taking up a large portion of the room.

Snape glanced at the direction Ava's finger was pointing and let out a loud laugh. Ava frowned, so he explained, "It's a dueling mat. Apparently, the room thinks you need more practice in Defense as well."

Ava gave him a snooty look, but said, "Thank you," aloud to the room. She plopped down in the over-sized chair near the fireplace, settling in for the lecture that Severus nearly started in the library. "Well, carry on, oh wise Potions Master."

The Slytherin merely raised an eyebrow at her attitude before explaining his previous reaction. "Based on your symptoms, I'm certain that you are consuming too many potions." The witch opened her mouth to protest, but Severus held up his hand. "You're showing signs of overdosing on certain ingredients that are used in the extra strength pain potion. There are a couple of poisonous plants used in the brewing process, but they're used in such small amounts that it wouldn't affect a person taking the potion a handful of times. However, since you seem to require at least three a day, you are essentially poisoning yourself very slowly." He paused to let that information sink in.

Ava sat back in the chair with a dazed expression and breathed out, "Oh great, I was worried it would be something bad."

The wizard pressed his lips together but carried on, beginning to pace as he spoke. "If you continue down this path, your tremors will only increase and then you'll likely experience painful muscle spasms. The most concerning part is the fact that you are magically draining yourself just to fall asleep."

The inexperienced witch grimaced and in a quiet voice, asked, "And that's bad because?"

Severus let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as he paused in his pacing. "If your magical core is drained, then your magic will struggle to protect your body from the potion's side effects. Especially since you're consuming more than the recommended amount of those particular ingredients, you need your magic at full strength to help defend your body against the amount of poison entering your bloodstream." Ava's mouth formed an "O." Without any real response from the Gryffindor, Severus resumed pacing and voiced his thoughts aloud. "So, we need to create a potion that will last longer and consists of ingredients that aren't toxic if consumed long term…"

Ava tuned out the Slytherin as he ran through a list of alternative plant and animal parts that could be used and various brewing conditions that could help extend the effects of the potion. She couldn't believe that on top of everything going on, she was accidentally poisoning herself. C'mon man, she thought. Cut me some slack. I'm doing the best I can. The little voice in the back of Ava's mind disagreed with that statement. She should be doing so much more. Last weekend, she scoured the library with Aunt Minerva, looking for any information pertaining to alternate worlds or a way to travel between them and they found absolutely nothing. Ava felt like such a shit daughter, friend, and dog-owner for pushing that dilemma to the back of her mind all week. There's only so much I can handle at once, she bemoaned internally. The witch decided to listen to Severus again since his voice was raising and becoming more frustrated. As soon as she made eye contact with the wizard, he shouted at her, "Why don't you just snog the wolf and see if that helps?"

Raising both brows, Ava calmly replied, "Maybe because a mindless creature couldn't possibly have any real feelings for me?"

His shoulders slumped as he protested, "That's not fair. I apologized."

The witch sighed as she put her head in her hands. "You're right." She looked at Severus. "I'm sorry."

He looked at the girl in bewildered silence. Severus was relieved that she wasn't going to rehash their past argument, but a different kind of panic settled in his chest when Ava's eyes began to tear up. The Slytherin took a seat on the couch, near the chair that Ava was residing in, and gently patted her knee. The witch sniffled and looked at his hand patting her leg for a moment before she let out a wet chuckle. "Thank you, Severus. I appreciate the gesture." It took nearly everything the wizard had not to puff out his chest in pride at the fact that he was able to handle a hysterical witch all on his own.

Shaking her head in amusement, Ava admitted, "I'm so stressed out right now. I'm worried. All the damn time. I'm trying to learn magic so that I can actually be useful in the future, but I'm also trying to find a way home, and I don't know what to do because it's just too much responsibility. Let's say I do find a way home. How am I supposed to leave this world knowing that I could potentially save lives and make it so much better if I just stayed? The worst part is that I'm enjoying myself here too!" Ava stood up from her chair and threw her hands in the air. "I love learning magic! It's amazing! I've only been able to dream of a world like this and now it's right in front of me, and I'm a part of it." She let out a deep sigh and softly asked, "How am I supposed to say no to that?" With a groan of annoyance, she continued, "And now it's my job to save people? Just because I happen to enjoy fantasy books? What the hell, man?"

Severus sucked in a breath at the realization that they hadn't discussed Ava being from another world and having an outsider's perspective on the Wizarding World at all last week because his childish brain was focused on the wrong information and caused him to flee in a panicked rage. With the wizard's reaction to the reminder of her knowing this world from a set of books, Ava prepared herself for a barrage of questions. Last week, she had been careful to skip over the fact that she knows personal information about certain people. She only mentioned knowing major events and places, like Hogwarts.

The Slytherin looked at the otherworldly girl with wide eyes before asking, "So, how exactly does that work? You've read books about the Wizarding World?"

Ava sighed, knowing that she couldn't lie to Severus, or he'd found out and then never trust her. "I had you take the oath for a reason. This is mainly why," she said before launching into a basic explanation of the time line that the books followed. She cautiously walked him through the idea that she knew information about certain people because of her insight from reading the books.

With narrowed eyes, Severus asked, "Am I to assume that I'm one of those people?" Ava hesitantly nodded. He took several deep breaths with his nostrils flared before settling. He was understandably upset that the witch might know personal things about himself, but he could also acknowledge the fact that she isn't the kind of person to use secrets for her own gain.

The Gryffindor didn't want to upset him further, but she had to ask. "Severus," she began softly. "Have you met with someone called the Dark Lord?" He couldn't hide the genuine shock behind his mask of indifference this time. He nodded dumbly before Ava asked another distressing question. "I swear on my magic that your answer will not affect my opinion of you as a person, but are you a Death Eater?" His eyes widened in realization that she truly did know dangerous information, and the wizard stretched out his left arm, slowly pulling back his sleeve to reveal his pale, unmarked arm.

"Thank God," Ava breathed out with a smile.

With a grimace, Severus said, "I'm supposed to take the Mark after graduation."

The witch groaned and flopped back on the couch, muttering about her plans needing to be fast tracked. She nonchalantly said, "As soon as I'm strong enough to hold my own, I'm defeating Voldemort once and for all." Severus scoffed and then started laughing, for quite a while, before he realized that Ava had propped her head up to look at him. She wasn't smiling and was wearing the most serious expression he had seen on her. "I'm not joking. He needs to be stopped before the war escalates."

The Slytherin frowned. "What war?"

Sitting forward, with her elbows on her knees, Ava explained, "A war is going to start soon, Voldemort and his Death Eaters against pretty much everyone else, but it won't be out in the open for a while. I'd like to stop it before it even gets that far."

Shaking his head, Severus said, "I doubt the Dark Lord is going to launch a full blown war against the Ministry."

"Think about it like this, then. A small group of radicals slowly grows, but when the government and majority of citizens don't agree with their beliefs, it becomes a sort of political war. But then, taking over is more difficult than the radicals initially imagined and they find that their leader, this 'Dark Lord', is willing to even commit murder in order to take over the government. Some of those radicals have been waiting for a moment like this. To be violent without consequences. Then imagine too, that this leader has his own agenda. Yeah, he may push for Pureblood customs and laws that favor Purebloods and Halfbloods over Muggleborns, but he also wants to eradicate Muggles, which then extends to Muggleborns as time goes on. Not only that, but he wants to live forever, so he creates these objects that hold a piece of his soul so that even if he physically dies, his soul won't. And let's say that he creates a handful of these objects, splitting his soul and mind into multiple pieces. How stable do you think this leader will be? Do you think he'll care if people die because they're in his way of power? Do you think he'll stop when the government opposes him, or when a vigilante organization is formed to combat his members?" She paused. "Because I'll tell you right now that he won't. He wouldn't hesitate to commit mass murder if that's what allowed him power and eternal life."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Severus spoke. "Are you saying that the Dark Lord has made Horcruxes?"

Surprise flashed across Ava's face. "Oh good, you know what they are. That'll save some explaining."

The wizard balked at her easy-going tone. "And you said he's created more than one?" he asked, his voice becoming higher pitched. "How can you be so calm?"

Ava smiled. "Because we have time. And he has no idea that I exist and that I'm coming for him," she said with a dangerous gleam in her eyes.