Here's the weekly chapter (sorry it's a day late... :(... ) But thank you so much to anonymis (Guest), Moon Lantern and ozioma. eze.1 for the reviews!

Enjoy! (And I promise to some of you... Harry will show up in about three chapters. ;)

Chapter 7: Safe

Voldemort was glaring at me, his evil red eyes sparking with anger, rage pouring off him in waves despite his calm and collected mask. He was in the drawing room, sitting in a high-backed chair with his gigantic snake curled around his shoulders like a huge, malevolent scarf.

"You ran."

It was a simple statement hissed from the lipless mouth, but the threat was clear in his tone. He continued in the deadly quiet voice.

"And you will pay for it."

He stood and strode over to me, the snake still around his shoulders. I tried to run, but I was frozen in place. I tried to scream, but my voice seemed to be missing. My eyes shone with fright as he raised his bone-white wand pointing it straight at my face.

"CRUCIO!" He screamed, his voice high and cold once more, echoing through the high-ceilinged room.

I felt the pain seize my body as it had so many times before. I was writhing, screaming; my voice found at last. I could hear his laughs echoing around the dark room and willed the pain to cease, wished for release, but none came. A voice, new and gentle, broke through the haze of pain. I felt a hand on my shoulder and tried to escape, shying away from the touch.

"Leah! Leah! Miss Potter! Miss Potter, wake up!" I felt release as I realized it had been a dream, the majority of the pain fading. The voice definitely didn't belong to Voldemort. I breathed hard, breaths coming in harsh gasps and my body trembling from the aftereffects of the curse.

My eyes stayed shut, the darkness of my eyelids giving an illusion of peace and safety. Then I remembered the new voice. Bright light filled my vision as my eyes fluttered open and I quickly closed them, lifting my still-shaking arms to shield my face from the glare. I held back a moan. I was so sore.

Every one of my muscles burned and ached. My head felt like someone had pounded it with a hammer. I shifted and couldn't hold back another moan as sharp pain lanced through my whole body, concentrated in my head. I resigned myself to not moving and explored my surroundings with my other senses.

Touch. I was laying on something soft, a crisp sheet pulled over me. Something soft. My bed in the prison had been okay, but the new bed felt positively heavenly against my battered skin.

Smell. There was a strange odor I couldn't place. I scanned my memory before realizing it was antiseptic.

A soft, clean bed, bright lights and antiseptic. A hospital. My brain told me. But how did I end up in a hospital? The last thing I remembered was collapsing on a random doorstep, knocking on the front door while I was about to pass out from exhaustion and blood-loss. I remembered a vaguely familiar man opening the door, then nothing. Maybe he brought me here?

I attempted to open my eyes again and, after blinking a few more times, managed to adjust to the painfully white lights shining from the ceiling.

There was breathing to my right and I turned my head sharply, wincing as pain spiked through my head once again. A tall man with unnaturally long silver hair and silver-rimmed half-moon spectacles was gazing down at me with a sad sort of smile on his face. I breathed a bit easier; he looked safe enough.

I sat up a little too quickly and collapsed back onto the bed once again. My muscles felt frozen from soreness.

"Wh-where am I?" I croaked, my voice hoarse from screaming. The man's shining blue eyes twinkling with sparks of happiness, as though he was proud of my determination to speak my mind, even when I was in pain.

"You are currently in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts dear child. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." I gaped at him and his eyes twinkled again, mirth flashing through the brilliant blue.

His eyes were deep pools of emotion. I looked closer and saw relief, concern, joy and… kindness. The only adult in whom I had seen true kindness displayed was Ms. Fawley.

"You are insane," I stated plainly. He only chuckled in response.

A door to my left creaked open and quick footsteps approached. I couldn't find the strength to turn my head and look at the newcomer.

"Is she alright headmaster?"

The voice was one of pure concern, sadness rippling in the undertones. I turned my head slowly to look at the new person and gazed upon a man with slightly greasy black hair coming towards me, his sallow skin pale. My heart seemed to stop, my eyes widening.

"No." I whispered, trembling once again. "No. Y-you're one of THEM!"

I was shouting, running on pure adrenaline. I backed away cautiously, away from the man. I could remember the man from the night I had received my Dark Mark. He had been sitting directly to the right of Voldemort. His right-hand man.

My words seemed to shock him. He froze for a second, surprise flashing across his features before he began to advance once again. The soreness of my limbs forgotten I sprang from the bed and ran, tears streaming down my cheeks. I had barely gotten three steps before strong arms encircled me, holding me tightly.

I yelled out, struggling against my captor in a fruitless struggle for release. Every muscle in my body tensed once again as I trembled, my body quaking with sobs. I had thought I was free.

A reassuring hand rubbed my back, a voice whispering a constant stream of consoling words that never reached my ears as I hiccupped my way to silence.

I looked up, confused, my vision hazy with tears, and my green eyes met blue, framed with silver hair. They shone concern and worry. I heard steps coming closer and looked away, pressing closer into the man's chest and shrinking away from the dark-haired man.

"Shhh." He said calmly as he continued to rub my back in smooth circles. "You're safe here."

I wanted to believe him, but my breath was coming in short gasps and my mind was fuzzy.

"Don't let him hurt me." I whimpered, tears pricking my eyes again. "D-don't let him take me back." My voice broke with fear. It was a whisper, a plea for help. My legs threatened to collapse as they shook. How could they do this to me? Give me a chance, then pull it away in a single instant.

"You will not be going back." He said firmly. He said it with such conviction that all tension drained instantly from my body. I knew innately that this was someone who could be trusted. That coupled with a sudden decrease of adrenaline caused me to crumple to the ground suddenly, my legs giving out.

Showing surprising strength for his age the man lifted me gently and placed me back on the bed, sitting me up comfortably. He gave me a spicy-tasting liquid to drink and my vision sharpened, everything coming into focus.

I saw that the silver-haired man had sat down on my right once again and that the other man, the Death Eater in his dark robes, was standing at the end of the bed, studying me with a critical eye. My breath hitched as I saw him staring at me. The older man's hand flew to mine, squeezing it reassuringly. I squeezed back, my eyes closed as I conveyed my fear and apprehension into pressure. I attempted to calm my breathing, but it didn't work. The old man cleared his throat as if to speak and I glanced over at him.

"Professor Snape here actually saved your life."

If I hadn't seen the man's mouth move I would have thought I had imagined the words. I gave him a reproachful look, disbelieving.

"B-but I saw- He was- What?" I spluttered. I couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Why would Voldemort's right-hand man save me? I thought they were all the same. Why didn't he just bring me back to his master? I shivered a bit at the thought and the older man squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Yes." The man chuckled. "He was the one who brought you here after you collapsed. He is actually my spy among Voldemort's ranks. It was lucky that he was home really."

"Lucky indeed." The dark-haired man, Professor Snape, sneered. I flinched and he softened his voice slightly, the accusatory tone not quite disappearing. "Another five seconds and I would have been gone." Then his voice changed, becoming softer and warmer, more caring. "May I see your arm?"

I held out my right arm reluctantly, still wary. I noticed a thick wrap of bandages around the forearm. My eyes were wide as I stared at them, worried about what had happened. I only remembered a lot of blood coming from that area, but I had dismissed it. I'd had worse. Professor Snape spoke again and I looked up at his face.

"The other arm."

I blushed, a pink tinge crawling up my cheeks at the knowledge of what he wanted to examine. I lowered my right arm and held out my left, palm up. I looked away as he drew nearer and flinched, my muscles contracting in anticipation as he rolled up my sleeve. He paused for a moment, but then continued until it was up to my elbow.

"You have still found no way to get rid of it, Severus?" the man asked Professor Snape. I focused my eyes on the floor, avoiding both of their eyes.

"Not that I know of, Headmaster."

Snape's voice sounded terribly sad. I glanced up at him against my will. He was frowning at my Dark Mark. "But hers is different." And before I knew it he held his arm next to mine, his left sleeve pulled up to reveal a Dark Mark. I gaped at him, then shuddered at the sight of the gruesome tattoo.

"See here." He said, pointing to my tattoo but being careful not to touch it. "The pattern and color are different."

I sat up, interested despite my hatred toward the Mark, looking at it closely for the first time in weeks.

He was right. Even through both of them had the same basic design, a skull with a snake coming out of it and curling around itself, there were differences. My snake was more detailed. Professor Snape's had markings and vague patterning; mine had sharp diamonds running the length of its back and solid black and white stripes on its underbelly. It also seemed to have a strange greenish tint to it, but I might have imagined it.

The man with the glasses looked like he was deep in thought, but I could hear the worry in his voice. "Can you think of any reason why Severus?"

He began to shake his head, but stopped, fixing his gaze on Dumbledore. Their eyes met and silent understanding passed between them. They were quiet through their exchange and I looked back and forth between them, trying to gain some knowledge of what they were conveying without words. I coughed gently, clearing my throat and both of them looked around at me, the connection broken.

"Um…" I said, put off by their staring. "Uh, I wondered if you had a theory." I shrank away from the stare he gave me, his dark eyes boring into mine. He blinked and I relaxed. It was creepy having him stare at me like that.

His lip curled and looked toward the other man as though asking for permission. I could see Dumbledore give the smallest of nods, but his eyes were guarded.

"It could be because he used Nagini's venom for your Mark." He said carefully, as though testing each word before uttering it. I shivered as I looked down at my left forearm. It did look a lot like the green and black snake that was always seen around him. I hated that snake.

The three of us fell into silence. It stretched longer and longer but none of us broke it. Just as it was getting awkward I saw movement in the corner of my eye. I spun around, pulling my left sleeve down over the menacing tattoo.

It was a kind-faced, matronly woman with wispy brown hair who had obviously just exited the door at the end of the hospital ward. It was small and probably led to an office.

The nurse scurried over to me, a scowl on her face. "Am I allowed to attend to my patient now?" she huffed, assessing me with her eyes. She waved her wand once over me and I scrambled backwards, my breath coming in short bursts. I closed my eyes, ready for the inevitable pain, but it never came. After a few moments of silence I looked up at the three adults clustered around my bed, looks of shock and pity on their faces. I turned away from their gazes, pulling my knees into my chest as tears ran down my face. I didn't want them to see me as weak, but I was so scared of the pain I was sure would be quick in coming.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and shied away. I looked into the dark eyes of Professor Snape. The black orbs that had looked so emotionless from a distance were actually dark brown and full of concern.

"Are you alright?" The simple question was all it took. Even though I had been scared of him and what he stood for, something made me trust him. I threw myself into his chest, sobbing.

I was tired of pretending, tired of trying to be strong. He tensed suddenly, as though he was unused to affection. I barely noticed, my body racked with sobs. I could feel his hand on my back, reassuring and solid through my torrent of emotions.

"It's alright, Leah." He said, holding me close. His voice was deep and calming. I had never had a parent's touch, one that was meant to comfort and protect, but I imagined that this was what it would feel like. My breathing relaxed as I leaned into his warm chest, peace washing over me for the first time in a long while.

Finally I felt calm enough to sit up. Relieved that the silver-haired man and the matron were considerate enough to have their own whispered conversation while I broke down, I hastily wiped my eyes on a handkerchief handed to me by Professor Snape. "Thank you sir." I whispered. He gave a stiff nod. The other two adults turned toward us.

The matron looked terribly guilty. "I'm so very sorry dear." She said, looking worried. "I should have told you what I was doing." She then motioned to a roll of thick parchment that I hadn't seen before. "I was just running a diagnostic spell to see the extent of your injuries. I apologize if it was interpreted differently."

I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

She unrolled the parchment, scanning the results of her spell. "Nothing looks too bad." She mused, eyes whizzing back and forth. "Nearly everything has been healed. All injuries except for some bruising and that nasty cut on your right arm. The main problems are malnutrition and exhaustion." I nodded. I had figured as much. They (being Bellatrix and Voldemort) always wanted me to be fully healed for my next torture session. I shivered despite myself.

"Are you cold dear?" she asked kindly, having noticed my shivering. I shook my head mutely. She didn't need to know why I was so scared. I winced as a dull pain shot through my head once more. She frowned, glanced down at the paper once more, then bustled away to a glass-fronted cabinet on the far side of the room where dozens of glass vials sat in wait.

Soft clinking was heard as she rummaged through the various colors of liquids and she came back with three of them that she had selected. A green one, a dark blue (nearly black) one and a soft lilac one were clutched in her hand.

"Drink this one." She said, unstoppering the green one and handing it to me. I took it and looked at it warily.

"What does it do?"

"That there is a potion to help with the bruises and hopefully heal that gash on your arm a bit. It should also make your headache go away." She said, eying me expectantly when I just looked at it. "Well what are you waiting for?"

I brought the vial to my lips, my hand trembling slightly. It tasted strange, like boiled cabbage. I coughed and the silver-haired man conjured up a glass of water for me. I took it gratefully. I glanced down at my arms and thankfully a few of the bruises were gone. I shook my head experimentally and sighed with relief when no sudden bursts of pain shot through it.

"This one is a nutrition potion." She handed me the recently uncorked midnight blue potion. It actually tasted quite nice, like orange juice with a hint of vanilla.

"And this-" She began, picking up the purple potion.

"Actually Poppy, I think that should wait." The bespectacled man said, raising a hand. "Just for a few minutes."

"But why should she not take it headmaster? The girl obviously needs sleep!" 'Poppy' said angrily. "Whatever you need to ask her can wait for tomorrow morning!" She glared at the man, her brown eyes flashing menacingly.

"She needs to-" he began, but broke off as I gave a deep yawn. It was getting hard for me to stay awake, but I shook my head to wake me up a bit. All the excitement of the day was catching up to me, but I had no desire to sleep. Not if my dreams would be plagued by nightmares of Voldemort or his Death Eaters.

"It's alright ma'am." I said. "I don't really want to sleep right now."

She gave me a questioning look and I looked away from her gaze. I could hear whispers from the direction of the adults and footsteps as someone walked away.

Looking up, I saw that the matron had left. Neither of the men made an attempt at conversation and I didn't either. We just sat in the immaculately clean hospital wing. After a long minute of utter silence I assumed the matron wasn't coming back. A few minutes after that I was getting quite bored. I didn't want to talk about what had happened, so I changed the subject.

"So, um… Who exactly are you?" I asked, directing the question at the silver-haired man and cringing when it came out so bluntly. His lips twitched into a smile and he looked down at me kindly.

"I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School." He said, his eyes twinkling. "The matron was Madam Pomfery, the nurse in this Hospital Wing, and that," he motioned to Professor Snape, "is Professor Severus Snape, the Potions Master. Does that answer your question?" I nodded silently. We sat in silence for another minute before I asked the question that had been burning within me since I had woken up.

"Why am I here?"

Both Professors exchanged a look.

"We were wondering if you could tell us that Miss Potter." Professor Dumbledore said, looking intently at me. I ducked my head, trying to calm my breathing. I didn't want to relive my experiences in my self-proclaimed prison.

"Could we do that tomorrow?" I asked weakly, looking down at my hands. When they were silent I looked up anxiously. They were looking at me sadly.

"Of course my dear." Professor Dumbledore finally said, looking a bit disappointed. "Just drink this potion and you can go to sleep." He made to grab the purple potion. I shook my head vigorously, fearful.

"I don't want to sleep." I said quickly.

"And why not?" Professor Snape asked, looking confused. "You need sleep."

"Nightmares." I mumbled, not meeting his eye.

"What was that?" he asked sharply. I flinched.

"N-nightmares, sir." I said, my voice shaking. "Dreams about B-bellatrix and Voldemort." He cringed away from the name while Dumbledore stayed still.

"What kind of nightmares child?" Dumbledore asked, eyes betraying his worry.

I shook my head, unwilling to say.

He repeated the question and I just looked away. Professor Snape put his fingers beneath my chin, lifting it up so I was looking at him.

"We need to know."

Tears formed in my eyes. I knew they wouldn't let me get out of my explanation. "H-he says cru- something and then… then… " I trailed away, hugging my knees close to my chest and burying my head in my arms. "I don't really want to talk about it." I mumbled.

"That's perfectly fine." Professor Dumbledore said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Just be ready tomorrow to explain a bit more." I unconsciously pulled my knees closer. I didn't want to talk about it.

"Just drink this Miss Potter." I looked up and saw him holding the purple potion. "It provides a dreamless sleep." He put emphasis on the word 'dreamless', but I didn't believe him. How could anything take away nightmares.

"Don't forget we are wizards Miss Potter." Professor Snape drawled. "With magic."

I vaguely wondered how he had known what I had been thinking, but brushed it off, then shook my head again. "I'd really rather just not sleep." I said, then cringed as he glared at me.

"Miss Potter," He said in a voice of determined calm. "You will drink this potion now or we will magic it into your stomach. It is your choice. It will have the same results either way."

My eyes widened and Professor Dumbledore said "Severus" in a warning voice. He gave a warning look at the Potions Master. Then he turned to me. He looked a bit troubled, but spoke firmly. "I can assure you that this potion will allow you to have a dreamless sleep, child. Trust us." His twinkling blue eyes shone with kindness and truth. I hesitantly held out my hand for the vial.

He placed the small bottle in my hand and I pulled out the stopper with little difficulty. Looking at it warily I brought it to my mouth. It smelled revolting, as if someone had liquefied sweaty socks and then added essence of skunk. What that would taste like. I gagged, but managed to swallow it, before realizing it tasted a bit like apples.

Seconds later I felt as though I had run a marathon. I sagged back onto my bed as Professor Dumbledore took the empty vial from my unresisting grip. My vision blurred, refocused, then went blurry again. I could feel sleep calling to me and I accepted. I fell into blackness.

A/N: don't you just love spell check? MS Word tried to get me to change Pomfery to Puffery, Bellatrix to Bellany, Voldemort to Voltmeter (possibly my favorite suggestion), Dumbledore to Tumbledown and Snape to Snipe. The grammar checker also got quite angry at me for using so many fragments and commas... oh well, that's life! ;D

To anonymis (because you are a guest, you will only see this if you read it...): In response to your review, sorry, but you don't get Leah's escape story until chapter 14... or 15... I can't remember. ;)

Thanks again for reading! Remember that reviews = inspiration = early chapter! :D (except not this week, but if you readers scrounge up 5+ reviews for this chapter, I'll give you two next Saturday! ;)

Love you all! Bye!

-Megan