Woot! Chapter 4 is here! This one is a really long one, so it will take me a while to repost again, but...

Disclaimer: Yup, you guessed it. I don't own squat.

Note - Remus Lupin is going to continue to be the DADA teacher in this fic, also I'm wondering if any of you would like a Harry/Mannie or Ron/Mannie or Draco/Mannie romance to start. R&R as usual. Love you all!

-M.Pet

Hermione sat comfortably in a large red chair near the fireplace. The first day of the school day had been a busy one, and she had just finished her homework. Now, she sat languidly in the warmth of the fire, reading a book. Her breathing calmed as she relaxed into the engaging tale of god and a mortal as star-crossed lovers. As she was relishing the feel of the slippery pages against her fingers, the quiet, peaceful atmosphere was shattered by a miffed-looking Mandara Mortacrin; who positively stormed into the room with all the grace and dignity of a hippo in a Jacuzzi. Hermione raised an accusing eyebrow at the intruder, who flopped onto her bed with a huff, and rolled over facing the wall. Hermione put her book face down on her lap.

"Want to talk about it?"

The reply was pathetic and muffled

"If doffent madder."

"What?"

"It doesn't matter."

"What doesn't?"

"What's bothering me."

"Ah, so there is something bothering you."

"No."

"Alright then. I'll continue to read."

Hermione counted the seconds, as she waited to see if Mannie would rise to the bait. By and by, her patience was rewarded.

"I hate Snape."

Hermione peered over the top of her book at Mannie, who was now sitting up in bed, scribbling notes of some sort in a clean, but slightly tattered notebook. Hermione studied her for a moment before replying.

"Mmm. Most do."

There was a slap, as Mannie slammed her notebook shut, and glared at the wall.

"Those notes were mine, blast it! How dare he take them!" She put her head in her hands dejectedly. "I can't even remember what I had written."

"What are you talking about?"

"In class today. I figured out how to improve a formula for calming patients down. But I can't for the life of me remember what I had thought of. I left them in Snape's room, but when I went back to get them, he wouldn't let me have them."

"What?"

"I know. And he also took 5 points from Gryffindor, because I was rude to him."

Mannie's fist shook slightly.

"Those…were….my…NOTES!"

The spot on the wall that she had been glaring at suddenly burst into purply-blue flames. Hermione jumped up and was about to scream, but before she got the chance, Mannie had leapt over the wall, and placed her hands over the flames. In a moment they disappeared, and all that was left were singe marks on the wall, which also disappeared under Mannie's touch. Hermione sat back down heavily in shock. Mannie ran to her.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I lose control, and I…well, I'm really sorry, Hermione."

Hermione looked at Mannie. All the anger and pent-up frustration had disappeared in her eyes, and was replaced with the sad, dark wells of nothingness. Hermione wasn't sure which one she disliked more.

-----

Mannie inwardly cursed at herself. Setting the wall on fire. What was wrong with her? She angrily scribbled in her notebook. When she and Joseph and Franz had been kept in that tiny dungeon, she had managed to hide away a notebook she had pilfered from one of the Deatheaters. In it, she had all sorts of notes and ideas, and spells she had made up while they were there. It had helped keep her mind off the pain, and more importantly, it had kept her sane. Tiny drawings of unicorns and minotaurs, and their muscle structure ran across the page she was currently filling with reworkings of a spell she had thought of about a year earlier. Color fascinated her, and being able to change it from one to another, was something that highly appealed to her mind. She rummaged around in one of her drawers until her search proved successful, and she held up a little red ball. Cupping it in the palm of her hand, she softly chanted,

"Trixius, maxuis. Trixius maxius, VERT"

The ball in her hand did not change color. Mannie, disappointed, set the ball on her lap as she tapped her pencil on her paper. Absently, she looked at the little ball again in frustration.

"Why won't you change color?"

Almost as if to answer, a tiny spot appeared at the very tip of the ball. Holding her breath, Mannie watched patiently as the spot grew, and slowly inched around the ball, turning it a bright, smooth green. She picked it up and watched fascinated as the color completely turned from red to green. She grinned. It had worked! She jumped up and dashed into the main room, where she tripped, and fell into the lap of a surprised Harry.

"Sorry Harry!"

Mannie felt her ears turn red as she struggled to get up out of Harry's lap.

"Not at all. You are most welcome to fall into my lap anytime you please."

Mannie avoided his eyes for fear that she would begin to giggle like a silly little kindergartener if she faced him. Apologizing again, she rushed out, waving at the Fat Lady who admonished her with a shaking finger.

"Running around like a bunch of hooligans! Slow down, you! You're going to get hurt!"

Mannie rushed off to McGonagall's classroom, where she slowed to a stop, and knocked softly at the door. There was a murmur of voices, and Mannie could hear someone else in there besides the Professor. McGonagall replied,

"Come in."

Opening the door a crack, Mannie lowered her head.

"I didn't mean to intrude, Professor, I can wait outside."

"Nonsense. It must be important if you ran all the way here to tell me, and yes, don't argue with me, I could hear you running all the way down the hall."

Mannie fully stepped into the room, and looking up, immediately wished she hadn't come. Snape was standing off to the side, with her notes in his hand, and a stern look on his face. McGonagall did not like to be kept waiting.

"Well, Mandara?"

"Um…no, Professor. It can wait till tomorrow morning."

"No. I want to know what was so important you had to dash over here at top speed to show me."

Mannie looked at Snape who returned her look with a piercing gaze.

-----

Snape returned Mannie's look with one of his own. The little upstart, glaring at him like that. He continued to stare her down, until she finally broke his gaze and looked at her hands. Her voice was timid.

"I…That is, do you remember when I asked you about a spell earlier, Professor McGonagall?"

The woman nodded.

"Well, I figured it out."

The girl opened her hand, and held out a green ball. Staring at it intently she said, barely above a whisper,

"Trixius, maxuis. Trixius maxius, VIOLET!"

Snape watched the girl. Her emotionless eyes had suddenly sparked with imagination and curiosity. He watched the ball, but nothing was happening. Minerva was also impatient.

"What is it supposed to do?"

"Watch"

In the girl's hand, the green ball suddenly developed a spot, which gradually widened, and s stretched to reveal purple. The color seeped around the ball until it was fully purple, and no hint of green could be seen. Mandara set the ball down on a desk.

"I just wanted you to see. Thank you for your time."

She turned and began to leave, when Minerva called her back. Snape watched as she scribbled down some titles of books in the library.

"I think you will find these helpful."

Mandara took them and nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Professor."

Snape turned towards Minerva.

"I must take my leave now; I also, thank you for your time."

Snape watched as the girl tried to beat him to the door, but he made it there ahead of her. He opened the door for her, and gestured out. She looked up at him, with her big eyes that currently held watchful curiosity, like a mouse watching a cat on a leash. She walked through, and Snape followed her. He turned down the hall in the direction of Gryffindor. He looked behind him expectantly. Mandara was standing there, looking confused.

"Your hall, Miss Mortacrin is this way. Have you forgotten?"

Her eyes flashed.

"No, I have not forgotten. But Slytherin Hall is the opposite way, have you forgotten?"

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Mortacrin, for being cheeky with me. I do not tolerate that kind of behavior."

Snape began walking briskly in the direction of Gryffindor.

"Quickly, Miss Mortacrin. You are supposed to be in your rooms by this time."
Snape could hear a veritable hiss of anger as the girl ran to catch up with him. He turned toward her, and stared down at her.

"For the third time today, Miss Mortacrin. No running indoors."

"I'm not trying to run!"

It looked like she was about to say more, but she looked up at him, and then fell silent. As they walked down the hall she suddenly broke the quiet.

"I don't like you."

The phrase was simple, honest, and profoundly child-like. Snape rolled his eyes until they felt as if they might pop out of his head. Turning to face her, he addressed her,

"Miss Mortacrin, that is neither my fault, nor my concern. I am here to teach, or to discipline. If you dislike me because you are suffering the repercussions of your own behavior, then I must say that is childish and most unfortunate for you."

He turned and began to walk down the hall again at a fast clip, forcing her to run again, to catch up.

"Miss Mortacrin. Stop running."

This child turning out to be more of a brat than he had at first suspected. It peeved him that she only acted this way alone with him. Not ten minuets before, she had been the epitome of manners in a witch. Now, she was a brazen little hussy who was in sore need of someone to teach her a little respect. One thing was certain, however. Snape was sure that the child had it in for him

-----

Mannie was sure that Snape had it in for her. She angrily stomped to her room, where a disgruntled Hermione was already getting into bed to sleep. Adrienne walked in after her, and began chattering away about the entire day. Mannie stifled the urge to stuff a pillow in her mouth, and shrugged off her black robes. After changing into her pajamas, she wiggled into bed, and turned over towards the wall. And listening to Adrienne's ceaseless talking, she fell asleep.

The next morning, Mannie jumped out of bed, showered, changed and was one of the first people in the main room. Spotting Fred and George waving to her, she walked over to them, and joined them on their way down to breakfast. There, she ate a hurried breakfast, and walked briskly to her Potions Class. She sat down at her desk, where a thick tome was situated. Similar books sat in front of the other chairs on the desks of the classroom. Mannie put her stuff down and opened the cover of the book. There, neatly folded in half were her notes from yesterday. Mannie excitedly opened them, and looked over them. To her astonishment, several corrections to her measurements and calculations had been made over her own writing in green ink. Mannie looked up to where Snape was sitting at his desk, but he did not look up at her, nor did he give any indication that he had returned her notes. Mannie looked back at the corrections he made, and felt a tiny stab of remorse at hating him so much yesterday. After all, it looked like he had only kept her notes to correct them. She looked further down to a small note at the bottom of the paper.

'Very clever, Miss Mortacrin. However, I ask that you reserve improving on spells and potions to doing them outside of class, and concentrate on what we are doing.'

The tiny stab of remorse died away, and Mannie scowled to herself as she sat in her chair. The only thing she could concentrate on was not pulling that man's hair out by the roots.

Harry watched Mannie unfold some papers she found in her book, and observed her face go from surprised, to somewhat embarrassed, to quizzical, to anger. He loved the way her face was so expressive. He sighed to himself. To bad it never smiled. Students slowly filed into the classroom as Snape stood and waved the door shut with a flick of his wand. He began calling out names, as sleepy voices answered 'here'. Harry nearly laughed aloud when he saw Mannie staring at Snape waiting for him to call her name. As soon as he did, Mannie said 'here' loudly and clearly. Snape raised an eyebrow sarcastically.

"Ah, Miss Mortacrin. I'm so delighted that you've decided to pay attention today in my class."

Harry watched as Mannie simply nodded and looked up at Snape with her huge, expressionless eyes. If Snape felt at all uncomfortable under Mannie's seemingly knowing gaze, he made no sign of it and continued with roll call. Snape then turned and indicated the books on their desks.

"These are the texts we will be utilizing in the class. For tonight's homework, you are to read the first three chapters, and complete the questions at the end of each."

Scattered groans filled the room as Snape continued.

"You will also write a comprehensive essay on the value of ancient potions, and the improvements that have been done on several methods of obtaining ingredients."

The sound of quills scratching across paper, copying down the instructions filled the room as Snape gestured to a large stack of various ingredients at the end of each desk.

"Today, you will be creating one such ancient potion, used mainly reverse the effects of mental and physical pain. I assign partners. The instructions are with the ingredients."

Snape moved down the rows calling out partners. Harry was paired with a rather skinny Slytherin girl named Ellen. He joined her at the table they were assigned, and sat down. Ellen handed him the bowl with the eel in it, a jar with several frozen eyeballs, maggots, and a paring knife. She took the tuber leaves, and the freshwater coral. Harry was indignant.

"Why do I have to do all the disgusting parts of the potion?"

"Because I'm a girl, and I don't want to get my hands dirty."

"Well, what if I don't want to get my hands dirty?"

"It won't matter, they already are. A little more slime and grit won't be visible through the grime you seem to have already collected on your hands in the first hour of school."

"Harry looked down at his hands. There was nothing wrong with them."

"But-"

Snape came bustling down the aisle as he chided students who were messing up the potion. He stopped by Harry.

"Potter, get to work!"

He swept by, and Harry, with a scowl, resigned himself to peeling the skin of the eel, paring the eyeballs, and mashing the maggots. He rolled his eyes. Well, at least Mannie was having more fun than he was.

-----

Mannie glared at Draco Malfoy.

"If you so much as look at me again, I swear, Draco, I will-"

"Will what, Mandara?"

Draco looked at her with icy blue eyes beneath blond hair that fell in front of his eyes. She positively shook with frustration and angrily turned back to her work.

"Consider yourself lucky, you poor excuse for a wizard. If we were not in school, the things I would like to do to you…"

"What about me? Can I do things to you?"

She turned on him, embarrassment heating her cheeks.

"Stop it!"

A figure loomed over them both.

"What is the problem here?"

Mannie shot daggers at him through her eyes.

"Nothing, Professor."

"Glad to hear it. Please get to work."

Draco smirked.

"Sure thing Professor."

Without looking, he picked up a vial on the table, and sloshed it into the cauldron. Mannie saw the chemical reaction begin to take place, and shoved Draco out of the way. With lightning speed, she put her hand over the bubbling mass, and chanted a containment spell. There was a violent explosion, but it was controlled beneath her hand and arm. She breathed a sigh of relief, but then sucked it back in again, when she felt the pain shoot up her arm. She snatched her hand away from the cauldron, and held it against her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut, and gritted her teeth against the pain. Draco picked himself up from the floor.

"Bloody hell…"

Snape turned and snapped at the rest of the room.

"Get back to work. There is nothing more to see."

He turned to Draco.

"Malfoy, you fool, get this mess cleaned up, and start the potion over again. You might've killed someone with that last stunt you pulled. Never just put something into a cauldron full of who knows what. There are instructions for a reason. Kindly follow them."

Mannie slowly opened one eye to survey the damage to her arm. The mere sight made her feel sick to her stomach. It looked like her skin had melted away, revealing her muscles beneath, and it was bleeding profusely. She felt Snape quickly usher her out the door, and down the hall, but before they reached Madame Pomfrey's office, Mannie felt her head grow dizzy, and passed out.

-----

Severus Snape walked as fast as he could to Madame Pomfrey's office without jostling the girl and her bloody arm. Merlin, the child hadn't even uttered a sound when that cauldron had exploded beneath her hand. Snape had been amazed that she had reacted that quickly. She had taken care of the problem swiftly, and efficiently. The only argument that Snape could make, was that she obviously did not hold her own life in very high regard. It could have killed her, what she did, if she hadn't thought to put a containment spell on the potion. That fool, Malfoy. He did not even belong in Slytherin, he was so stupid. The girl had saved him from something particularly nasty, and all because he couldn't read and follow simple directions. Snape muttered idle curses as he swept hurriedly down the hall. The girl weighed entirely too light. He barely felt her sink in his arms, as he carried her with utmost care to Madame Pomfrey's. As soon as he entered, Madame Pomfrey took one look at her, and nodding, led the way to a bed. The child was bustled from his arms, and Madame laid her down on the bed, carefully setting the arm down on a damp cloth. She then administered some liquid down the slightly parted lips of the girl, and turning motioned Snape to remove himself from the room.

"She'll be fine, Severus. Simple matter of re-growing skin, nothing more. I'll call you when she wakes up."

Severus opened his mouth to reply, but there really wasn't anything else to say or ask, so he nodded, and went back to his class which was in a mild uproar.

"Twenty points from both Gryffindor, and Slytherin! This is inexcusable. I cannot leave the room for two minuets without all manners and decorum going out the window, can I?"

The class immediately was silent, and got back to work post-haste, as Snape went to his desk at the front of the class, and watched them moodily over the tops of his fingers.

Snape waited for a call all day from Madame Pomfrey, but the end of the day came, and after classes, he still sat in his room trying to correct papers, but he couldn't, for worry about the blasted girl. It wasn't even that serious. Not like Potter's injuries, to be sure. It was nearly nine 'o clock when a helper of Madame Pomfrey's came and asked for Snape to join her to the ward. Snape followed, with a cold, calm expression on his face. He was determined to retain a professional outlook on all this. As soon as he got there, he spotted Dumbledore sitting by the girl's bed. A pit formed in his stomach, as he rushed forward. Madame Pomfrey was standing nearby looking mildly distressed.

"She has a slight infection, from the burn. It's nothing serious; mind you, but enough to give her a fever. She'd delirious, and had been saying…things. I thought it best to get the headmaster, and her guardian. Which appears to be you."

She looked up at Snape slightly quizzically, and motioned towards a chair next to the bed. Dumbledore looked up when Snape sat down.

"Ah, you're here. I must leave now, I have things to attend to."

Snape was more than frustrated now, "What about the girl?"

"Mandara? You're her guardian. She's fine, only slightly hallucinating. You can take care of her."

Before Snape had a chance to object, the headmaster had shown himself out of the room. Madame Pomfrey and her assistant also left, leaving a bewildered Snape alone to deal with the girl. She moaned, and tossed her head against the pillow. Snape instinctively put his hand against her forehead, and she seemed to turn into it. Snape gently pushed the hair out of her face with his hand, and murmured to her in comforting tones. She turned toward him, and opened her eyes. Snape froze. But her eyes were glazed over with the fever. She weakly reached out to him with her good arm.

"Mom…"

-----

Mannie's mom gently took her hand in hers, and rubbed it.

"Oh, Mom, I thought I would never see you again…"

Her mother remained silent, as she brushed Mannie's hair away from her eyes. Then, she rubbed her burned arm gently, massaging the tight muscles. But then she stopped, and looked like she was about to go. Mannie desperately tried to sit up and grab her.

"Mom, no please…Don't leave me alone. They'll hurt me."

Her mother spoke in a hushed voice, as she pushed Mannie back down onto the bed.

"I will never let anyone hurt you, Mandara."

"Mom? Call me Mannie like you used to."

"Mannie."

"Can you rub my arm again?"

Her mom complied, her fingers gently kneading the muscles, and re-grown skin on her arm.

"I need to leave now; you need to get some rest."

"But…Mom…"

Her mother seemed to hesitate, but then her face grew maternally stern.

"No buts. You need to rest. You're very feverish."

"Ok."

Mannie tugged her mother's arm.

"Kiss." She puckered her lips, to kiss her mother's cheek. Her mother, however did not bend down to kiss Mannie's cheek like she always did when she said goodnight. Mannie looked at her strangely.

"Mom?"

Her mother again hesitated, then leaned down, and kissed her softly on the cheek, and Mannie kissed her back. Her hair brushed Mannie's face, which was strange, because usually it was behind her ears, or tied back in a long braid down her back. Her mother pulled away, and Mannie touched the strands of hair lovingly as they caressed her cheek.

"Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, Mannie."

Her mother tucked the covers around Mannie's neck, and after turning out the lights, walked out the door.

-----

Snape walked down the hallway his thoughts jumbled together. The girl had thought he was her mother! He fervently hoped that the fever left her by the morning. Really. He had actually kissed the child. He barely knew her!