Chapter Twelve

Worry

Severus was a very proper and imposing wizard no one could argue that. He could be give to over reacting and of course his temper was nasty but he would never been seen doing something…undignified. But at that moment a worry had filled him that was his daughter could be dying and he had never been able to tell her that...he slowed to a stop, fighting not to drop his jaw in shock.

He felt his face go pale at the sight of the mangled body with a rust-red centaur next to it. "Lenore?" he gasped before dropping to his knees beside her.

"Leo!" The werewolf's voice shouted.

He raced towards his daughter and Severus looked up sharply. "Get away from her, werewolf." He hissed, he didn't want that filth touching his daughter.

"This is no time for you pride to get in the way." The werewolf snapped just as angrily.

"GET AWAY!" Snape thundered and slowly the wolf retreated.

Unnoticed by him every time he shouted, Lenore would squeeze Adem's hand, tremors of fear pressing in her eyes. He turned back to his daughter but instead found an angry centaur. "You humans are foolish, fighting now. Someone fetch a healer." He said firmly.

"Arthur, go fire call Poppy. Tell her its urgent." Albus said gravely, the twinkle gone from his eyes. "Moody, go with him, when he's done relay what we've talked about to the other members in the order."

Snape looked at his daughter and brushed hair out of her face. She winced, her eyes, now almost a pitch black…almost like his eyes, were darting around wildly almost as if…Merlin no, he thought, realizing why. She was blind. "Lenore, what happened?" She started to recoil but a cry of pain hit her as she tried to move. "Don't move, idiot child!"

Tears fell from her eyes as they darted around, her breath becoming more jagged. "Remus," she gasped out before her body coughed and convulsed. Pain caused her to pass out for a moment.

Rage burned in him as his eyes shot to the werewolf as he started towards her the moment she said his name but Snape was on his feet and in the man's face before he could event take four steps. "Get away from her. I don't want an animal like you near my daughter."

"She trusts me now more than you! Would you like to scare her more than she already is!" he shouted. "She doesn't know you!"

"She doesn't know you either!" Snape retorted.

"Severus, step back and let Remus near her. He won't harm her." Albus interjected.

His eyes snapped to the Headmaster. If there was a single moment he ever wanted to throttle the Headmaster right at the moment was it. He didn't want to werewolf near his child, she had obviously grown a bond with him when she first met him but still. He sneered and glared at the werewolf taking a step back. Much to his hatred, no matter how mad he was at the Headmaster he almost never disobeyed…unless it regarded Potter.

Muffled voices hit Lenore's ears again. She must have passed out…perhaps it was all just a dr—no! Ow! Her thoughts screamed, tears escaped her eyes as the pain hit her again. The voices became clearer and she opened her eyes. She was growing used to the pitch-blackness her eyes now saw. She squeezed Adem's hand again he was still with her. The rune must have called him to her when she fell.

She had heard Remus's voice in the din earlier. Another tear escaped her eye as she struggled to find the strength to call him again. "Remus," she gasped before coughing again.

"Hush, child, I'm here." A warm hand brushed some of the loose hair off her face. "Poppy, our Mediwitch, will be here soon. Just don't move too much."

"What happened, Lenore?" It was Dumbledore's voice.

"I was walking." She drew in a breath. Each time she breathed it felt like someone was stabbing her and she wondered if not breathing at all would be better. "Ex—exploring." She let out a small cry of pain as her pain gave another pulse. "It hurts." Tears fell from her face and suddenly two hands wiped them away, one on either side of her.

"I know, Leo. But you've got to be strong, honey."

She knew she was acting like a child but she hurt, everywhere. "But I have been. For hours…" she mumbled before coughing again, this time she sprayed something out. She felt her cheeks burn slightly, she must have just spit all over herself.

Someone wiped her mouth with a gentle clothe. "This isn't good, Albus. Where is Poppy?" Remus sounded worried. What wasn't good? She thought. Yeah, I hurt like hell but so—ew! I must have bit my tongue or something, she thought as the taste of blood lingered in her mouth.

"How long have you been here, Lenore?" Albus asked her, obviously ignoring Remus's question.

She answered by another round of coughs, not intentionally of course. "A little over an hour, I'd say. That was when the rune burned and I was farther away than I should have been." It was Adem's voice answering.

"Some time later we'll address why you burned a rune on my daughter's hand?" Snape's cold voice sliced through the blackness.

Lenore almost shivered but she fought it. The shiver would make her pass out again. She had to tell them about the rat. She had to tell them. "Rat," she whispered.

"What?" asked Adem as she drew in a ragged breathe.

Remus (for she assume it was him) was wiping her face while she tried to get the words out. "Rat with silver foot," His hand froze. "Pushed me."

"What did you just say?" his voice was low and controlled but hollow and he sounded as if he was blocking something.

"Silver foot, on a rat, man…had silver hand. Same thing." She coughed again, this time something was causing her to choke. She gagged until she rolled her head to the side. She felt something drip out of her mouth and down her cheek. It wasn't drool. "Pushed me." She felt her energy slip away. "Don't leave me," she gasped out before she lost all consciousness and drifted into the dream world. Her hand, that burning jet-black (still unnoticed by her), started to flash a sickly green, a green that would have matched Avada Kevavra.


(A/N) So...does anyone have any theories on what it means when it flashes green? It's kind of obvious but hey tell me what you think.