A/N: I went back and fixed the typos I found in the last chapter. I found nine! And no one said a thing. You guys can't go so easy on me. I'm a typo Nazi.

This chapter is for InkPhantom who has been persistent in reminding me that I need to update. Sorry that it took so long. I won't bore you with excuses. I know this isn't nearly as long as the last but it's so you all know that I'm still in love with Snape and I'm not dead. Hopefully the next update won't take me so long.

Chapter 4- A Growing Darkness

October 1990

"What triggered it this time?" Dumbledore asked and Snape looked on in confusion.

Millie said nothing but presented her wand to Dumbledore. "Who was she?"

Dumbledore placed an arm around Millie's shoulders and guided her to the chair in front of his desk without another word. He looked over his shoulder at Severus.

"Should I stay, Headmaster?" Snape asked, secretly hoping that he could gather more information. With Millie's back to him, he missed the sneer that crossed her face but Dumbledore did not.

"That will not be necessary, Severus. You may go."

Snape hesitated by the door a moment longer before leaving and closing the office door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Dumbledore turned his attention back to Millie. Silent tears continued to trail from her eyes but she did not sob. Instead she sat rigid and clutched the arms of the chair, turning her knuckles white. As she addressed the headmaster again she did so through gritted teeth. Swallowing hard, she repeated her question.

"Who was she?" she asked, gesturing towards the wand which now set upon her lap.

"Lily," he said. "But before I give you any more details about her life, I'd like to know just what it was that you saw."

Millie nodded and wiped the tears from her face. "I've never experienced anything like it. I didn't just see the events happening. Instead, it was like they were happening to me but I wasn't me. I was her," she said, gesturing towards her wand. "I was seeing things through her eyes instead of being a bystander."

"How do you know whose eyes you were looking through?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, it started when I picked up my wand to move it from the bed to my bedside table. Then when I was her, I saw the same wand still in my hands."

"What did she look like?"

"Red hair and fair skin was all I could gather. Did Lily have red hair?"

Dumbledore nodded and paced in front of Millie in silence. His hands were folded in front of him, thumbs twiddling.

"Don't you want to know what I saw?" Millie asked after a moment.

Dumbledore paused, then nodded for Millie to continue.

"I was here at Hogwarts but the uniforms were different. They seemed older. I was outside with fellow students and there seemed to be commotion near the lake. I saw four young men huddled together. Looking at them I felt irritated or annoyed which was a first. I mean I usually don't feel much during the visions but this one was so much stronger. I feel like there is something more to it… some deeper meaning."

"Is that all you saw?"

"Hardly," said Millie. "One of the boys stepped forward and winked in my direction. Only then did I realize he had his wand out and pointed towards another student. He was levitating the poor boy and making him hang upside down. When I stepped forward it all seemed to stop. I looked at the young man that they had been bullying and though I didn't recognize him something seemed oddly familiar about him. It was as though he was a long-lost friend. He looked up at me and I saw his mouth move but his speech was mumbled. Whatever he said to me… hurt. I actually felt my heart shatter inside my chest."

Pausing for a moment to allow Dumbledore to soak in the information the broken-hearted feeling resurfaced and Millie found that the heavy feeling made it hard to breathe. She tried to regain her composure and placed a hand on her chest, wishing to soothe the pain.

"What else?" Dumbledore asked, watching her closely. Judging by her reaction, he knew there was more to the story.

"I turned away from the boy and suddenly I wasn't at school anymore. Instead I was inside of a house. The windows were dark and there was a small child in my arms. The feeling of hurt and being heart-broken was still there but even more so was the feeling of panic, dread and pure desperation.

"There was a tall figure standing in front of me. He or she was cloaked in black and a hood obscured their face from my view. Looking at that figure," Millie shook her head at the memory, "I was terrified. I actually felt like my feet were frozen to the spot. My heart was pounding against my ribcage and there was a bright flash of green light. Then I felt a coldness creep through my veins and everything went dark."

"Then?"

Millie shrugged. "That's all," she said, avoiding his gaze. "Then I came to you."

"Why the dirty look towards Professor Snape?"

"Huh?"

"Ms. Fairholm, he has informed me of…how shall I say… your 'disagreements.'"

"He just infuriates me is all," she said.

"It had nothing to do with the vision?"

This man really does not miss a trick! "Well I have a new theory," she said. "And I rather think that it's his fault I had the vision in the first place."

"Go on."

"During our lessons tonight he grated on my nerves more than usual and tempers rose. I couldn't help but wonder that maybe this vision was so much stronger because my mind wasn't clear like usual. Instead my emotions were running high. Perhaps that's what caused me to feel so much."

"That is an interesting theory," he said, "but it is something we will have to keep an eye on and document. Have you written any of this down?"

"No, sir. I was so frightened and upset I came straight to you. Was that wrong?"

"No, never," he said with a reassuring smile. "But I do expect you to write this all down tonight while it is fresh in your head even though it is late."

Millie looked up at the clock on the wall. Holy Christ! It's almost one in the morning. How long have I been in here?

Sensing her thoughts, Dumbledore dismissed her from his office.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up so late, professor," she said.

"It's no bother," he said and bid her goodnight.

Millie smiled back at him then paused as she was about to step through the door.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes?"

"Is Professor Snape a bad man?"

Dumbledore seemed bothered by her inquisition. "Why do you ask?"

"All of my visions involve death, darkness and bad things in general. In the hospital wing last month…well the potion he brewed for me was good…so is he bad?"

"I find it interesting that you have drawn that conclusion. I hadn't realized it but it does seem that your visions circulate around the more negative aspects of the world."

"So Professor Snape?"

Dumbledore stared back at Millie for a moment with a twinkle in his eyes. Then he smiled. "It is, as they say, 'food for thought.'" With that he ushered her out of his office and encouraged her to not think too hard about the subject.

Once she was gone he walked over to his pensieve and pressed the tip of his wand to his temple. Not only did he wish to remember Millie's visions but her theory about Snape had bothered him more than he wished to admit.

Snape spent little time undressing from his robes as he readied for bed. It had been yet another long day at the end of a long week which was near the end of a long month. In what I'm sure will be part of another exhaustive year. Stupid girl. Why the hell is she so special and why must Albus be so vague?

With heavy footfalls, he marched into the bathroom attached to his chambers and grasped his toothbrush tightly. The fact that little paste remained in the tube only angered him further but he found that he took great joy in squeezing out every last drop. Once the remaining toothpaste was on his brush he felt satisfied that he had kneaded all life and purpose from the tube and heaved it across the room towards the waste bin.

As he put all of his remaining frustrations from the day into the vigorous brushing of his teeth, Snape stared at his reflection in the mirror. The youthful vigor that could once be seen in his black orbs was gone, having been replaced by some darkness years ago. He looked down at the reflection of his left arm as it braced the edge of the counter. The faded marking of the skull and snake stared back at him and a hollow pain filled his heart. His shoulders stooped. Will it never stop haunting me?

He spit into the sink and rinsed his brush before placing it back onto the counter. Cupping his hands under the faucet, he gathered some of the cool water and splashed his face before straightening and regarding his reflection once more.

Why doesn't Dumbledore trust me anymore? He never used to leave me in the dark but this Fairholm girl... I just don't understand why he won't tell me what is going on especially if he wants me to keep an eye on her. It makes no sense. The only reason I could think that he wouldn't tell me would be that he doesn't trust me. BUT WHY! I've done no wrong. I've held up my end of the bargain and the war is over now. Isn't it?

He left the washroom and turned down the covers, studying the mark on his arm again in the dim candle light. He ran two fingers along the tainted skin and shivered. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could sense a darkness there. It was weak but it was present and he wondered if it would ever grow into something stronger. Forcing his eyes and thoughts away from the mark, he snuffed out the candle and tried to relax but the meeting with Dumbledore kept resurfacing in his thoughts no matter how many times he tried to think of something else.

He wants me to listen to the girl? He must know this is driving me mad. Maybe he isn't saying anything because he doesn't know or isn't sure of what he knows. That is a possibility but what is there to know? Snape pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, groaning loudly. Just be patient. Play your cards right. Time answers all questions.