A/N: Ok, so I've had this chapter and the next one planned out for a while now, but I needed a good place to put them. So I figured this was the best place. Hopefully these are long enough for people to enjoy. And hopefully I'll have this finished by August!

CHAPTER 9: WE'RE NOT SAFE YET

Morgana studied the intricate patterns in the down comforter on her four-poster, tracing each curving line with a graceful finger. Her eyelids were heavy, and the bed was so comfortable. It wouldn't be very difficult for her to just close her eyes and become enfolded in the warm arms of sleep; but each time she closed her eyes, horrible visions from the past suddenly brought themselves forward, and there was a continuous struggle to keep her screams at bay.

A faint knock on the door startled her enough that she jumped off the bed and landed in a heap on the floor. "Come in," she groaned, shaking her head.

"Are you alright?" a dark voice echoed through the room. Morgana felt her face heat up as she realized who had just entered her chambers, and hastily stood to greet him.

"Yes, Severus, I'm fine…thank you," she said groggily. "You gave me a fright, that's all. What are you doing up here, anyway?" She took her seat back on the bed and gestured for the older man to do the same.

"Curiosity," he whispered, staring her down.

"Ah." Morgana nodded her head knowingly, her brown tresses falling fashionably across her face. "I was wondering when you would start asking the tough questions."

A guilty grin tugged on Severus's lips and he sighed. He knew how irritating it was to be questioned about one's past. But even his was more open knowledge than Morgana's. Nobody knew a thing about her, and those that did refused to divulge.

Before he could ask, Morgana began speaking, muttering thoughts as they came to her, knowing that if she could trust anyone, it would be Severus Snape. "It's horrible…sometimes just sitting in class, grading papers…and they're just outside the door, going to class or to lunch or who-knows-where…and they sit in class and sometimes…sometimes I get so lost in the beautiful rhythm of their hearts that I need them to repeat what they were saying…it's awful."

Staring blankly at her, not quite sure what course to take, he said, "I'm amazed you've lasted this long. I haven't known many vampires to survive so long in an environment such as this without…succumbing…to forces beyond their control."

"How many vampires have you known, though?" she snorted, drawing her legs up and resting her chin on her knees.

"I knew your father," Snape whispered, turning his glance away from her penetrating eyes.

A faint gasp escaped her lips. "You knew him?"

Severus nodded stoically. "I joined the Dark Lord a few months after I graduated Hogwarts. Your father was one not to be toyed with. He was the Dark Lord's…disciplinarian, as it were. Before you saw the fury of the Dark Lord, you would be…'scolded'…by Alistair."

Her eyes widened with a realization that sent panic down her spine. "Does he know you work here now?" she hissed, terrified.

His onyx eyes looked confused as he answered, "Yes…this is my assignment…why do you ask?"

Morgana slid off the bed and began pacing, back and forth across the room, wringing her hands in fright. "If he knows I'm here, and he's still in the employ of Voldemort…"

Understanding flooded Severus's mind as he muttered, "…Then he could instruct me to bring you in…or kill you."

"And I'm sure you wouldn't have a second thought about doing that," she spat. Severus ignored her comment, and she continued. "What could I do to stop this from happening? I could go to the headmaster –"

"– Who could do nothing –"

"– there's no stopping you from being summoned; Voldemort will know you're avoiding him if you do."

Severus waved a hand to stop her. "This is all based on the assumption that your father already knows you work here," he said assuredly.

Morgana raised an eyebrow and replied, "And with Lucius's precious son Draco as one of my students, I'm sure good old Dad is already well informed of my whereabouts!" She collapsed onto the sofa, pinching the bridge of her nose and clenching her eyes shut. Severus thought she looked as if she were having a migraine, something he knew far too much about. "My supply…it's so low, I can't have another phial until tomorrow morning…and I'm so weak…"

Snape winced as the subject of her unnatural feeding habits was brought back into the light. "We've already been over this. You cannot harm the students, I won't allow it. Hogsmeade is too small for a death to go unnoticed, and with a vampire teaching at the school just up the hill, they'll know it was you," he explained, placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

"There's always the city," Morgana whispered.

Snape looked on the woman with horror. "You would consider risking your life like that? If you leave this castle, Alistair will track you down in moments! Even if you were to get away, you wouldn't be able to Apparate past the gate, and –"

"Severus, you forget what I am!" Morgana shouted. "I can shimmer, remember? The wards on the castle have no affect on me."

"Which means they have no affect on Alistair. He could get in at any moment," Severus reminded her.

"Well thank you for stating the obvious! How do you think he managed it last time?" she said, exasperated. "Anyway, he wouldn't risk revealing you or showing himself. He would do anything to remain in the Dark Lord's favor."

Wouldn't we all? The dark thought crossed Severus's mind as he said, "The headmaster would be horrified if he found out you left the safety of the school to go out and kill an innocent person. You have enough in your stores to last you until March, maybe April, if you keep a rigorous check on yourself. I suggest you wait until then before jumping to desperate measures."

Morgana tilted her head to look at him, but she found in incredibly difficult to look Severus Snape in the eye. She looked everywhere but his face, trying to convince him she wouldn't leave.

"Promise me you won't leave the castle!" Snape yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her.

Morgana stared at the floor and nodded. "I won't. I promise," she whispered.