Rachel was frowning over the potions book she was reading. She was coming to understand that brewing potions was not as simple as she had once believed. Ingredients could vary in a lot of ways and wouldn't always have the same effect. Preparation of the ingredients could change those effects even further. That wasn't even taking into consideration interactions between ingredients and all the different things you could do while brewing.

"I'm going to go take a shower," Millie said as she closed her book.

"Okay," Rachel said, looking up briefly as Millie left.

Theo had already gone to sit with some of the other second year boys as he was trying to put in the appearance of friendship with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle so that if their fathers talked it would seem like they were all friends.

Rachel went back to her library book, tapping her thumb against the edge of the pages as she tried to make sense of what she was reading.

"Rachel."

Rachel looked up again and found Leander standing next to her. "Hello," she said.

"I was wondering if you'd come with me for a little bit," Leander said, smiling down at her.

"Where? Isn't it almost curfew?" Rachel asked, a little bit confused. This had never happened before.

"I just want to show you something. Prefects like to reward good students. And you don't need to worry about being out past curfew when you're with a prefect," Leander said.

Rachel put her notes in the book to mark where she was and closed the book.

"You can leave that here, we won't be too long," Leander said.

Wondering if this was something that Professor Snape told his prefects to do, Rachel followed him out of the Slytherin common room. "If it's how to get into the kitchens, I already know," she said.

Leander laughed. "I'm glad you know. But no, it's better than that. It's somewhere only prefects are allowed to go. Come on."

They set off through the castle, climbing the grand staircase after they went through the entrance hall. "Tell me how your classes have been going."

Rachel chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "Fine for everything but Defense."

"Lockhart is useless, isn't he?" Leander laughed again. "Professor Snape has been letting us come to him if we have questions about what is in the NEWT study guide. I feel bad for the students who aren't Slytherins. I trust you and your study group have found a way to stay caught up."

"Millie got the Defense book from last year and we've been doing lessons from that," Rachel explained as they climbed another flight of stairs.

"Good, I figured you lot would have managed. You're smart to be taking your studies seriously in your first and second year. A lot of students, including some Slytherins I can name, think they can be prepared just by going to class and doing the homework. Then in fifth year, when it comes time for OWLs, they have no idea how to study," Leander said. "That's one of the reasons Professor Snape has upper years and prefects tutor the first and second years, so they learn those skills early on. Of course you can't teach those who aren't willing to learn."

Rachel nodded, knowing he was talking about Crabbe and Goyle, and probably also Draco for different reasons.

"Now, we've got to keep this a secret. Like I said, only prefects are allowed in here, so no one else can know, okay?" Leander asked, looking down at Rachel as they came to a stop somewhere on the fifth floor.

"Okay," Rachel agreed, knowing she'd probably at least tell Millie and swear her to secrecy. It wasn't like making a promise to Professor Snape.

"Acantha," Leander said and the door obligingly unlatched.

Rachel looked around the room as Leander led her inside. It was entirely made of white marble. There were bathroom stalls on one side, and a big pool surrounded by golden taps in the center. All of it was lit by a candle filled chandelier. "Hogwarts has a pool?"

"A bath, really," Leander said. "Back long ago people used to take communal baths. Now this bathroom is reserved for the prefects."

Rachel tried to imagine the prefects taking a communal bath and couldn't quite do it.

"Go try out the taps," Leander said.

Rachel went to the pool - or bath, whatever it was - and knelt down and turned on one of the taps. Hot water poured out along with huge pink and blue bubbles.

"Try out some of the others, they all do something different," Leander prompted after a moment.

She turned off the pink and blue bubbles tap and moved onto the next one. It produced hot water and square orange bubbles. Rachel reached down enough to catch some of the bubbles and tried to see if she could stack them. She could get about three before they popped. The next tap had pale blue perfumed water, which she turned off quickly. The next had bubbles that bounced up into the air and fell back down into the pool. She particularly liked the tap that sent jets of water in arcs across the pool.

It didn't take long at all, especially considering the size, for the pool to fill full of hot bubbly water.

"Alright, let's take a swim," Leander said, dropping his robes to the floor.

Rachel froze from where she was turning off the last tap. "I can't swim," she said, hoping Leander wasn't about to take off all of his clothes.

"Don't worry, I can transfigure our clothes into swimsuits. Watch," he said. He took off his shirt, shoes, socks, and trousers and then transfigured his underpants into a pair of dark green swimming trunks. "Come over here."

Rachel walked over to him slowly. Suddenly this didn't feel like a fun adventure anymore.

"Take off your robes," he said, pointing his wand at her.

Rachel did as she was told. She could feel her heart beating in her throat. She felt a weird sensation and looked down to see that Leander had transfigured her shirt and underwear into a two piece pale yellow swimsuit.

"Get the rest of your clothes off and we'll go in," Leander said.

Rachel reluctantly took off her shoes and socks and discreetly checked under her skirt to make sure the swimsuit she felt against her body was really there, before she took off her skirt as well. "I don't know how to swim," she said quietly.

"What? Really?" Leander asked, looking surprised.

Rachel shook her head.

"That's alright. I'll teach you. Take off your glasses too, they'll be useless in the water," Leander said.

Rachel set her glasses with her shoes and the world became a little blurrier. She didn't mind. She didn't think she really wanted to be present for this anyway.

"Come on," Leander said again.

She walked over to the pool and sat on the edge, letting her legs dangle into the warm water.

Leander sat down next to her and put his hand on her back. "Just slide in and keep one of your hands on the edge to hold you up."

Rachel took a steadying breath and eased herself into the water, holding onto the edge like Leander had said. She couldn't touch the bottom with her feet.

Leander slid down into the pool. He was tall enough he could stand without holding onto the edge, though only his head and shoulders were above the bubbles. "Do you know how to float?"

She shook her head. She'd never even been into a pool before.

"I'll show you. It's just like our lessons in the common room. Push yourself up onto your back and try to fill your stomach with air. It helps to hold your arms and your legs out at first," Leander said. He jumped up so that he was floating on his back for a moment before he dropped back down into the water. "Simple. Your turn. Take my hand."

Reluctant to leave the edge, Rachel grabbed onto his hand. She could feel herself sinking down into the water until Leander grabbed her other arm and held her upright.

"Okay, now lean backward," Leander instructed.

Rachel bit her lower lip and leaned backward, certain she was about to get a face full of water. She could feel Leander's hand moving so that it was now under her back and he was supporting her weight.

"Let your head rest on the water and try to take a few deep breaths," Leander said.

She let her head go back and was relieved that while she could feel the water come up on her face it wasn't in her eyes or her mouth.

"You're shaking. Try to relax," Leander said, resting his other hand on Rachel's stomach. "Try to make my hand move up with your breaths."

Rachel couldn't do it, it felt too difficult to breathe and she could feel that all of her muscles were tense.

"Maybe floating on your back is a little too much for the first time," Leander said. "Come back into the water and we'll just kind of float here."

Rachel was a little bit relieved as her body sank back into the water.

"Here, hold onto my shoulder instead, this is hurting," Leander said.

She immediately let go of his forearm and used one hand to hold onto his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her to hold her against his side. "That's better."

They stayed like that for a little while and then Rachel felt Leander take her free hand and bring it down. Rachel braced herself as she felt him wrap her hand around his penis and begin to move it up and down.

She exhaled slowly and tried to go to her nowhere place. She was well practiced at that, she'd had to be. Her nowhere place was the absence of everything. No one was there - there were no sounds, no sensations.

"Good girl," Leander said quietly.

Rachel took another breath and tried again. She had to leave, in mind if not in body. She couldn't stay. Why wasn't it working?

She stared at the golden-framed painting of a mermaid on the wall. The mermaid's eyes were closed and her hair fluttered as she slept. She could do this. She could go be with the mermaid. Asleep. She just had to let go.

"That's it," Leander said. He bent his head down and kissed Rachel, his tongue invading her mouth.

When he broke away, Rachel felt herself gasp for air. Why couldn't she leave? Had it just been too long since the last time she'd gone there?

What seemed like an eternity later, Leander shuddered and gasped, signalling that he was done. He released the vice grip on her hand. "Thank you," he said. "Are you ready to get out?"

Rachel nodded.

Leander brought her over to the edge and Rachel pulled herself out. That wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"Dry off, we should get back to the common room," Leander said as he handed her a large white fluffy towel.

Rachel dried off and got as much of the water out of her hair as possible.

Leander had untransfigured his swimsuit and was getting dressed again. "Here, I'll put your clothes back. The swimsuit looks nice, you should consider getting one," he said, pointing his wand at her.

Her swimsuit returned to being her shirt and underwear, though they were still wet. Rachel ignored that and put her glasses on, pulled on her skirt, along with her socks and shoes, and then her robes.

She followed Leander all the way back down to the Slytherin common room and managed to remember to pick up her book from where she'd left it on one of the tables. She went into the girls dorms and changed into her pajamas, leaving her clothes on the floor so the House Elves knew to collect them.

Rachel pulled her bed curtains closed, which she usually didn't like to do because it made her feel confined, and curled up with her stuffed bunny. Her hair was still wet, but she knew better than to use a drying charm on it. She didn't particularly care right now, she'd deal with it in the morning.

She was still awake to hear Millie, Pansy, and Daphne come into the dorm. Millie asked if anyone had seen Rachel go to bed and Daphne replied that she must have turned in early.

The room went completely dark as someone turned off the lights and Rachel lay still and tried to reach her nowhere place. She had to be able to get there. She had to.

She didn't sleep very much on Monday night and she got up early on Tuesday to take a shower because her hair was tangled since she hadn't rinsed it or combed it after it got wet.

Classes went by quickly though Rachel didn't pay much attention. While at first she was still obsessing about not being able to get to her nowhere place, another thought caught her full attention. What if Leander told her to go with him again? And, what if he wanted more the next time?

It was that line of thought that reminded her of something that had happened last year. Professor Snape and Torey had both told her that she was supposed to tell them if someone tried to have sex with her or if they touched her sexually. What Leander had done wasn't really sex, and it hadn't exactly been touching her, but it did kind of fall into the category of sex stuff, didn't it?

Rachel hardly noticed as Professor Lockhart continued with his retellings of his adventures as she thought about trying to tell Professor Snape. She supposed she could wait until she saw Torey on Saturday, but what if Leander wanted to do something before then? Then she would have to tell them that she hadn't done what they'd told her to do right away.

She couldn't picture herself just telling Professor Snape outright. What if he was upset with her for being out after curfew, or for being in the prefect's bathroom? When she'd first gone to live with Professor Snape she'd decided that she had to make sure and follow the rules so he wouldn't get upset with her, and she'd really intended to do so. Leander had just made it seem so reasonable for her to go with him last night.

It wasn't until the end of class as she was writing down her assignment in her planner - write a short story about spending a holiday with a magical beast and how you would defend yourself and your family - that she realized what she could do. She could write Professor Snape a note, like she used to when she couldn't speak, and then he could read it and have time to become less upset before he talked to her about it.

Rachel followed her friends to their study room and paused outside the door. "I have to go see Professor Snape."

"Right now?" Hermione asked. "Isn't he still teaching?"

He definitely was still teaching, which is why Rachel wanted to go now. "Yes, but he asked me to come down directly after class," she lied, shifting uncomfortably.

"Is everything okay?" Millie asked.

Rachel nodded. "I might wind up staying for dinner, I don't know, so I'll likely just see you in the common room later." That should at least give her enough time for Professor Snape to read her note and then calm down again.

"Do you want one of us to walk you down?" Theo asked.

Rachel shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll see you later." She left before she had to answer any more questions and lie again.

The hallways and staircases were busy with students who had just gotten out of class. She forced herself to focus on not bumping into anyone and she finally made it to Professor Snape's office. Hoping that the door between his office and his classroom was closed, Rachel opened the door and peered inside. To her relief the door was closed and she could hear the sound of Professor Snape's voice as he lectured, though she couldn't make out the words he was saying.

She closed the hallway door behind her and went through the wall that led into his private quarters. She sat down at the dinner table and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag.

She hesitated for a long moment before she began to write. It was hard to figure out what she was supposed to tell him so that he'd understand why she wrote the note in the first place.

A wave of what she recognized as anxiety hit her as she stood up and left the note on the table. She definitely did not want to be here when he found it. She slipped back out through the office and went to the Slytherin common room. She went to her dorm, unpacked her bag, and realized she didn't want to be here either. It would be way too easy for Professor Snape to read the note and come straight here.

She left the common room and went back up into the main section of the castle and started climbing staircases. She went as high as she could go without being in one of the towers and headed down the left corridor, restless energy and anxiety driving her feet. She came to a dead end and began to pace up and down the corridor, her thoughts focused now on finding a place to hide.

On one of her ways back and forth she noticed a door that she thought hadn't been there when she had first seen the corridor, otherwise she would have tried to open it. She pressed down on the latch of the door handle and found that it opened easily. The door swung open and Rachel looked inside.

To her surprise it was a very large room, with tall windows with the afternoon light streaming in, and the room was filled with what almost looked like a maze of walls all built out of furniture. She stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind herself and took a closer look. All of the furniture seemed damaged or broken and there were many items mingled among the piles of furniture. There were many books, some cloaks with stains or tears, bottles of potions, hats, jewels, and a few weapons, and all of that was only as far as Rachel could see.

She realized that if she was to go further into the room she would need to make a recognizable path for herself to get back out again. She plucked a few books from a wardrobe with a shattered front door and then a few of the necklaces from a stand nearby. At the corner, she propped a book up on the floor and placed a necklace over it so the red jewel rested on the front cover of the book. Now she'd know she'd been this way.

She walked for a time, continuing to pick up books and jewelry to mark her way, sometimes placing an extra item next to the book if it was particularly dark in that corner, such as placing a tiara on top of a bust of an old warlock who had probably seen better days even before he'd been carved. Eventually she came across a dusty couch that was leaning on a broken leg.

"Reparo," Rachel said, watching as the leg fixed itself. "Scourgify."

The dust disappeared and Rachel sank down into the corner seat of the couch and pulled her legs up close. It seemed like it had been a long time since she left that note for Professor Snape, but she thought it was likely his class hadn't even been let out yet. She would have to estimate the time as she didn't have a watch, but she thought that if she gave him two hours after his class let out, that would probably be enough time for him not to be so upset.

She opened one of the books she'd found and discovered that someone had made notes in the margins of the pages. She began to read, even though her concentration was not very good and she often looked up when she thought she heard a noise. It was never the sound of a person though and Rachel returned time and again to trying to focus on the book.

Severus sighed to himself as the last of his fifth year Gryffindor and Slytherin students left his classroom. He, like every other professor, had been harping on the importance of their OWLs for the entire year, yet for many of the students it hadn't seemed to make any difference. He suspected his sixth year class next year was going to be rather smaller than usual.

Setting a stack of essays on his office desk to be graded later, Severus went into his quarters with the intent of changing out of his brewing robes. He kept specific robes for use in the classroom and his laboratory and changed once he was done. He noticed a piece of parchment sitting on the table. Someone had been in his quarters, though the wards hadn't been disrupted which meant it was one of a handful of people.

He went into his bedroom and changed his robes, placing the ones he'd been wearing into a hamper for the House Elves to deal with, and then went back out to the table to examine the parchment. He picked it up and began to read.

'Professor Snape. A year ago you told me that you wanted to know if anyone was making me uncomfortable, and that I should tell you if they were. Last night, after curfew, Leander took me to the prefect's bathroom. He told me I should come with him and that he rewards good students. He took me to the prefect's bathroom and transfigured our clothes into swimming suits and we swam in the pool. While we were in the pool he held my hand and used it to touch himself until he was finished. After that he brought me back to the Slytherin common room. I hope you understand why I'm writing this note, because I thought you should know, because it was one of the things you said I should tell you. - Rachel'

Severus was acutely aware that the rush of cold he could feel in his body was mild shock. He read it again, trying to make certain he understood what Rachel had written. There wasn't a lot of room for interpretation. He needed to speak with Rachel, now.

He folded the note and put it into his pocket and then grabbed a quill from his desk in case Rachel was having difficulty speaking again. It was a short trip to the Slytherin common room and he looked around the students who were gathered. He didn't see Rachel, or her friends, anywhere.

He knocked on the door to the second year girls dormitory, not wanting to walk in while one of the girls was changing, and after a minute when he'd received no response he opened the door and went inside. No one was there.

Severus checked behind Rachel's bed curtains and under her bed, but she was nowhere to be found. He realized he'd forgotten to check Rachel's room back in his quarters, but he suspected she wasn't there. She was likely either with her friends or hiding somewhere in the castle. He left the girls dormitory, intent on checking his quarters, but stopped in his tracks when he saw that Leander had entered the common room along with some of the other seventh years.

"Mr. Wickes, with me," Severus said as he strode over to them.

"Sir?" Leander asked.

"I need to speak with you in my office," Severus said, keeping his expression neutral. He was seething with anger at the boy, but it wouldn't do any good to show it. Not right now.

"Yes, sir," Leander said, looking at him warily.

Severus led him back to his office, intent on what he was about to do. "Sit," he said, pointing at a chair across from his desk.

Leander sat down. "Is there something wrong, sir?"

Severus sat down across from him. "That remains to be seen. Where were you last night?"

"I was doing rounds and then I was in the common room. Nothing really to report," Leander said.

"Are you certain?" Severus asked, meeting Leander's gaze.

"Yes, sir," Leander said, staring back at Severus.

Severus met Leander's mind and then pushed. It was almost too easy. Recent memories flitted through, classrooms, the common room, the Great Hall. And then, there, the prefect's bathroom with Rachel. He pushed there and saw Leander holding Rachel in the water, kissing her, all of it drenched in sexual release.

He kept going, searching for more memories that occupied the same space for Leander. He saw plenty of the inside of Leander's bed curtains, but he also saw glimpses of other girls that he recognized - Anges Monkleigh and Tracey Nettlebed, both third years, and Abigail Pugh, a fourth year, though all of them looked younger than they currently did. All far too young for Leander.

Severus withdrew from Leander's mind. "Is there anything you'd like to say in your own defense?"

"Sir?" Leander asked as he touched his temple. "I'm not sure what you mean. Did Rachel say something to you?"

"What would Rachel have to say?" Severus asked shortly, reaching the end of his patience.

"She just seemed a little weird yesterday, I don't know. You know how kids are," Leander said.

"Yes, I certainly do." Severus got to his feet and walked over to the fireplace. He threw in some floo powder. "Headmaster's office. Albus, I need you to come to my office, posthaste."

"On my way, Severus," Albus said.

Severus stood back and waited, noting the expression of fear on Leander's face.

Albus stepped through the fireplace and dusted soot from his lavender robes. "Yes, Severus? You said the matter was urgent."

"It is. There is a student in our school who is preying on younger students. I believe you will need to contact the MLE," Severus explained. He met Albus' eyes and offered forth the memories he'd just seen in Leander's mind. He felt the light brush of Albus' mind against his.

"I see," Albus said, straightening as he left Severus' mind. He turned to Leander. "Mr. Wickes. You may speak if you wish."

"She's lying, sir," Leander said immediately as he stood. "Anyone can see that Rachel's a troubled kid, and troubled kids make up stuff. It's not true."

"Lying," Severus said, his voice nearly a snarl.

Albus frowned. "I have a very unique gift, Mr. Wickes. I always know when someone is lying to me. Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"

"I'm telling the truth. I didn't do anything," Leander insisted.

Albus shook his head. "Pity."

Severus cast a small privacy ward around himself and Albus. "Ordinarily I would accompany you, but I must find Rachel."

"Find Rachel? You haven't spoken to her?" Albus asked, his forehead creasing in concern.

"No, she left me a note and I encountered Mr. Wickes before I found her," Severus said.

"I will deal with Mr. Wickes while you locate Rachel," Albus said with a nod.

"You will summon the MLE?" Severus pressed. He needed to know.

"I will," Albus said. "I'm afraid there's no saving Mr. Wickes from what he has done."

Severus nodded and dropped the privacy ward.

"Mr. Wickes, you will accompany me to my office," Albus said, his expression stern.

"Sir, I didn't do anything," Leander protested.

"That will be for the MLE to determine, I'm afraid," Albus said. "May I borrow your floo powder, Severus?"

"Of course," Severus said.

Albus threw in a handful. "Headmaster's office. After you, Mr. Wickes."

"Sir," Leander said, looking at Severus.

"Comply with the Headmaster," Severus said. He was quite done with Leander Wickes.

Leander looked betrayed but stepped into the green flames. Albus followed him a moment later.

Severus exhaled as the flames died out. That was one task complete. Now he needed to find Rachel.

He went back into his quarters and called Rachel's name. He knocked on her door before entering and checked both her room and her bathroom. There was no sign of her.

He decided it would be fruitless to attempt to search the castle on his own. He left his quarters and went back down the hallway toward the Slytherin common room, coming to a stop before the portrait of Curbin the Brave. "Curbin, I need you."

"What do you need, Severus?" Curbin asked, picking up his shield and getting to his feet.

"Rachel Snow. I need to find her. It's urgent," Severus said. He could only hope that Rachel hadn't left the castle.

Curbin nodded. "I will spread the word through our network. Wait here for me to return." With that he was gone out the side of his portrait.

Severus waited. Waiting was something he'd gotten very good at over the years. Neither spying nor serving powerful wizards tended to be something that was easily or quickly accomplished. It was harder though, when the life of someone other than himself was the one affected by the waiting. The best case scenario was that Rachel was studying with her friends. The worst case was that Rachel had left the castle and was seeking a place to hide outside, perhaps in the Forbidden Forest, though he thought Rachel had more sense than to go in there.

Finally Curbin returned. "Rachel was last seen on the seventh floor. She went past Bruis Druimein's portrait several hours ago and hasn't been seen since."

"Thank you, Curbin. As always, I appreciate your service," Severus said.

"My service is to you and to the House, Severus, whenever you should need it," Curbin said, bowing his head.

Severus hurried back to his office. The nearest floo that wasn't attached to the common rooms for Gryffindor or Ravenclaw was the Arithmancy classroom on the seventh floor. He flooed there and hurried out of the classroom and into the main corridor.

"Sir Druimein," Severus said, approaching the portrait of a man sitting in a castle courtyard. He was wearing heavy black robes and had a red beard that would put Albus' to shame. "I'm told that a young student of mine, Rachel Snow, went past your portrait some time ago. Can you tell me what direction she went?"

"I saw her pass a few hours ago, good sir Slytherin, she went to the passageway down the left. I have not seen her since, and I would have, if she'd taken the stairs back down into the castle proper," the portrait explained.

"Thank you, sir," Severus said, inclining his head.

He went the direction the portrait had indicated. There were scant few rooms this far up in the castle. He checked the two classrooms, both of the bathrooms, and a storage room, but found no sign of Rachel. He finally came upon a door he didn't recognize and he opened it to find a large room with a labyrinth of broken furniture. He checked behind him as he pulled the door closed to ensure it simply didn't vanish from the inside. The last thing he wanted to do today was to have to send a Patronus to Albus letting him know he'd gotten trapped in the castle.

"Rachel," he called. "Are you here?"

"I'm here," Rachel's voice sounded distant and came from somewhere in the labyrinth.

"Can you send up red sparks with your wand so I can find you?" Severus called.

He watched and a moment later red sparks came from the left side of the labyrinth. He looked around the room once more to orient himself based on the way the sunlight coming through the windows covered the room. If he watched carefully, he should be able to find his way back out to the right end of the room.

Severus began to walk through the labyrinth, watching his surroundings with his wand at the ready, and checking up at the red sparks to make sure he was still heading in the right direction. After about fifteen minutes of twists and turns he finally spotted Rachel sitting on a couch, a book next to her.

"May I sit?" he asked, gesturing to the empty spot on the couch.

Rachel nodded.

Severus sat down and looked at her. She was curled up with one of her knees against her chest and some of her hair had fallen out of her plait and was curling at the side of her face. She looked very young.

"Can we talk about the note you wrote me?" Severus asked, searching for the right thing to say.

Rachel nodded again, now looking worried.

"Thank you for finding a way to tell me about what happened," Severus began. "You did the right thing. By telling me, you allowed me to deal with the situation to help keep you and other children safe."

Rachel shifted and started chewing her lower lip. "You're not upset with me?" she asked after a moment.

"No," Severus said, reminding himself that he was dealing with a child who had already been hurt in her short life. "I'm not upset with you at all. I'm upset with Leander. He's the one who hurt you."

She looked away. "He didn't really hurt me."

"He did," Severus said. "What he did is assault."

"I mean, what he did, it didn't hurt," Rachel clarified.

"I'm glad of that, at least, but it by no means excuses what he did or diminishes it," he said, not sure how to help Rachel understand.

"Are you going to speak with Leander?" she asked.

"I already have. He is with the Headmaster and the MLE is being summoned to deal with him," Severus said.

Rachel looked up. "MLE?"

"The Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. They take people who have broken the law into custody so they can stand trial," he explained.

Her eyes grew wide behind her glasses. "Stand trial?"

Severus realized that Rachel had no real concept of wizarding legal systems, which made sense given that he'd never explained it to her and she certainly had no reason to seek the information on her own. "They will bring him in front of a selection of the Wizengamot, who will hear evidence in the case, and then decide on a verdict. If he's deemed guilty, they will then give him a sentence."

"But why?" Rachel asked, her forehead creasing.

"Because what he was doing to you and those other girls was against the law and is very serious," Severus said.

"Other girls?"

"Yes, Leander has assaulted other students as well. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't written the note about what happened to you," Severus said.

Rachel looked away again, her fingers playing with the ends of her robes.

Severus got the feeling that he was not doing a very good job at this. He knew he needed to comfort Rachel, reassure her somehow, but at the same time he couldn't let her think that what happened was alright. That would only set her up to be hurt again.

"Do you have any questions?" he settled on asking.

"You're really not mad at me?" Rachel asked again.

"No, I'm not," Severus said.

"Even though I was out past curfew and I was in the prefect's bathroom and I'm not a prefect?" she pressed.

"You were brought there by a prefect. Under most circumstances you're supposed to do things the prefects ask of you," Severus said. He was trying not to regret how much faith he'd placed in his prefects.

Rachel looked confused. "How do I know when I'm not supposed to listen to them?"

"You should listen to them when they're giving you advice for studying, or telling you to go back to the common room or your dormitory," Severus began as he tried to find a concrete way of explaining this to Rachel. "However, if they ask you to do something you're uncomfortable with, or something that you know is against the rules, or if they're asking you to go somewhere with them, you can ask for more information or come to me. This goes for all students, not just the prefects, and it goes for the professors too."

"The professors too?" Rachel asked.

"Yes. While you should listen to them in class and do as they ask, if they're asking you to do something and you're concerned about it, you can say that you need to ask me and I will intercede," Severus explained, thinking of how easily Quirrell could have stolen away with Rachel and it could have been hours before anyone noticed. "This particularly applies when someone is asking you to go somewhere with them. Ask them where they want you to go. If it's off school grounds, say no and come find me. If it's somewhere you don't want to go, tell them that, and if they insist, tell them that I've instructed you to come to me to get permission. If it's someone you don't feel comfortable to be alone with, ask if you can bring your friends with you, or tell them that you need to ask me first and I will help you tell them no."

Rachel still looked worried. "What if they try to make me go with them anyway?"

"Yell for help or run away. If it's a student you're running from, try to find a professor. If it's a professor you're running from, try to find me, Mirvera, Poppy, or Albus." Before all of this he would have told her to try to find a Slytherin prefect, but right now that seemed like inappropriate advice.

"I think a professor would stop me if I tried to run off," she said.

"Have any of the professors tried to get you alone or done anything you're uncomfortable with?" he asked, half dreading the answer.

She shook her head. "No. Not since Professor Lockhart and the lettuce thing."

"He hasn't done anything else?" he asked.

"No, he's asked some other students to help him with demonstrations and his readings, but he doesn't call on me," Rachel said.

"Good. Let me know immediately if that changes." Severus didn't think Lockhart was a threat, but he still wouldn't stand for him harassing Rachel. "Do you have any other questions?"

Rachel shook her head.

"If you're ready to leave here, we can go have dinner in my quarters. You can decide if you wish to stay there tonight or go back to your dorm," Severus said.

Rachel nodded and got to her feet. "I know the way out."

"You do?"

"I left books with jewelry on them so that I knew the path back," Rachel said, pointing down at a book with a necklace on it.

"Very wise, though you should be careful about what you touch in the wizarding world, jewelry especially. There are some people who place curses on jewelry as a deterrent to anyone but themselves from handling it, to prevent theft," Severus explained.

Rachel nodded. "How can you tell if something is cursed?"

"There's a variety of spells, though I can teach you the simplest later, after we get back to my quarters," Severus said.

"Okay," Rachel agreed, leading the way back out.

Severus followed her, wishing he knew what he was supposed to do or say that would help.