a/n aha ha ha hi... so last year got extremely busy, and im not gonna lie to you, this isn't a complete return. i'm in my second last year of high school rn, and its getting v busy, which might actually mean more updates. this chapter was written in stubborn procrastination of all the other bits of work i have to do, and i have a gut feeling i'll be doing it more often now i have so much to do. sooo.. yay? anyway i am very sorry for leaving you all hanging for over six months, but i'm back for now. lets say expect another update in three weeks? maybe? hope you enjoy this chapter, see you next time!

Lynn woke on an unfamiliar surface and to many, many aches all over her body. In the sleepy state she was in, she noticed how comfortable the place she was lying on was. It was nice, soft, and long enough that her sore legs could lay straight out. It was a good material too, felt like maybe velvet underneath her skin, she wasn't sure, her eyes were still closed.

And then her brain started catching up with her, and she remembered that she definitely shouldn't be on a velvety and cushioned surface, but the stone floor of a hallway in the castle. Her eyes flew open, and she sat up quickly, her heart beating fast. She immediately regretted moving so fast, as her whole body screamed its protests, and she groaned loudly, bringing her hand up to the back of her head, which was pounding painfully. Lynn cursed under her breath and forced herself to stand. She didn't know where she was, and that was very worrying.

The couch was, in fact, velvet, a deep green colour, as was most other things in the room. A tartan cushion sat on the armchair across from her, and there was a bare and neat stone fireplace against the wall. The green, the tartan, it was all very McGonagall, Lynn thought to herself. But she couldn't possibly be in the transfiguration teacher's quarters, it was quite clear to her how much the woman disliked her. The Slytherin common room, perhaps? She'd never actually had the chance to go inside yet, not being a Head of House.

Her legs were shaky under her, and they almost buckled when she took a step forward. Lynn grit her teeth and continued taking steps forward. Voldemort's punishment seemed almost more painful the morning after. Speaking of which, she looked over herself, and noticed someone had patched her up. She had less bruises than the night before, and almost all of her scrapes and scratches were gone. Lynn kept walking, around the back of the couch, and towards the door she could see against the wall.

"Are you quite sure you should be walking, Professor?"

Lynn paled. And then cursed.

So, it was McGonagall's quarters. She turned slowly, and saw Minerva standing across the room, her face pinched in a sour and disapproving look.

"Minerva," said Lynn, trying to force a smile onto her face. "Do I have you to thank for not waking up on the stone floors of the castle's hallways?"

McGonagall's face softened, ever so slightly, but not by much. "No, in fact you can take your thanks to Mister Longbottom. He was the one that seemed oddly dedicated to your cause, even after I told him of your… alliances."

Lynn couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disappointment in hearing that Longbottom knew of her status as a Death Eater. He never would trust her now, and she hoped he wouldn't take to hating her. It would make classes much more difficult.

"I was serious about you being up," McGonagall said, looking Lynn up and down. "They were quite substantial injuries that you sustained. "

Any colour left in her face drained. Oh. She must know about that. Lynn wanted to collapse inwards or disappear. There was a shame, mixed with disgust, that clenched in her stomach. The actions of the night before was something that she had wanted to keep between herself and Voldemort until the day she died. It seemed McGonagall had noticed this sudden dread.

"I see no purpose in informing the Order of the exact details of the state you were left in last night."

Lynn felt her respect for the Transfiguration teacher grow slightly. She cleared her throat. "Thank you."

McGonagall only nodded her had curtly in response.

"I should go," said Lynn. "I will be fine." And she continued on her way out of the door, with no protests from McGonagall.

Making her way to her own room went without any interruptions from students or faculty, which Lynn was very thankful of, as she knew she must have looked very fragile and unwell. She finally managed to get to her portrait, and stumbled in, hearing it close behind her. The sky outside her window was bright, and she realised she had no idea what time it was, or how long she had been unconscious. These were questions she should have asked McGonagall while she was in her quarters, before she had wasted more time in coming to her own.

Lynn flicked her eyes up to the clock that hung on the wall above the fireplace, and saw it read 7:26am. She let out a sigh of relief that she had not missed any classes, and hadn't missed breakfast either, so there would be no suspicions from students. What she needed, she thought to herself, was a headache potion and a strong coffee. That would hopefully get her through the day. So she went over to her kitchenette cabinets, and opened the one she reserved for potions. Lynn looked in dismay as the headache potion bottle sat there, empty, staring smugly at her. She cursed.

There were two options; one, put up with her headache (and general body ache) and risk looking and acting weak in front of staff and students, or two, find Severus and ask him for one. She really didn't want to, but she knew that number two was the better option. Groaning in frustration, Lynn walked to her fireplace, took some Floo Powder and knelt down (with more difficulty than she would like to admit), calling out for Severus' quarters. Of course there was no guarantee he was there, and if not she decided she would just take it, he wouldn't be there to stop her.

"Severus?" she called out and remembered how much she disliked having her face in the fireplace.

A few seconds of silence later, Lynn saw the form of the school's Headmaster enter his living room.

"What could you possibly want," he drawled, still sarcastic as ever in the hours of the morning, "at seven-thirty in the morning that could not wait until breakfast, Ms Davids?"

Lynn sighed. "I'm going to come through, it's extremely uncomfortable on the floor. One second." A moment later, Lynn stood in Severus' living room. He was staring at her, looking quite impatient.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any headache potions? Or any for aches in general," she asked, cringing internally and hating that she had to ask him for something. "I seem to have run out."

Severus squinted his eyes at her in annoyance, then turned on his heel and towards his kitchenette, and returned a moment later with two bottles. "You were summoned last night I assume?" He held them out for her to take.

Lynn took the first bottle from his hand, downed it quickly, and then swapped it for the second one, doing the same. They tasted awful. "The Dark Lord was not pleased about my lack of information. I didn't have anything to give him."

He only nodded and looked at her as though he was analysing her.

A part of Lynn thought she ought to tell Severus what happened when she arrived back at the castle, and as much as she didn't want to tell him she passed out, she knew he should know about the goings of the school.

"Longbottom found me last night," she said, feeling embarrassment bubble up in her chest. "I- uh, wasn't in the best of states, and he found me sitting on the floor of a corridor. He had been to see Minerva. He knows of my alliance to the Dark Lord."

If he had any kind of reaction to her statement, Severus didn't show it. "You were in your robes?" he asked.

Lynn shook her head. "No, Minerva told him. I, uh," her dignity was telling her to stop talking, now, "I ended up blacking out and the two of them helped me. I woke up in her quarters about half an hour ago."

Again, Severus' mask of apathy didn't move, he only nodded thoughtfully.

Clearing her throat, Lynn scratched at her eyebrow. "I should go. Thank you for the potions." Before waiting for his response, she stepped into the fireplace, and ended up back in her own quarters.

She could already feel the potions beginning to work, and began to ready herself for breakfast, and the day ahead.