Shadows

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Not even five minutes later, Severus was marching through the castle halls, such a dark look on his face that if any students had been out about, they would have run for their lives. How dare that brat run off? Was she an idiot? It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't injured, or if she a student. Then at least he could punish her accordingly.

But no, this little girl without a name or any memories, was stumbling around the castle somewhere, without knowing anything about magic. And this castle wasn't exactly safe, even if it was a school. Ghosts, Peeves the poltergeist, moving staircases, and of course, any wander Gryffindors. They would have to find her as soon as possible, before she hurt herself.

Flinging the doors open as he entering the hospital wing, Severus wasn't surprised to see Madam Pomfrey looking frantic. She had never lost a student before, and certainly not one that was still injured. McGonagall was already at her side, trying to calm her down, while Dumbledore stood near by looking worried. They must have arrived by the Floo. Severus could have used the Floo to return to the hospital wing the moment he was called, but he didn't like to use it unless absolutely necessary. It gave him a headache, and potions with alcohol didn't mix well.

Dumbledore looked up at Severus' arrival. "Severus."

"I take it she hasn't been found yet," said Severus.

"Not yet," answered Dumbledore.

"How did this happened?"

Off to the side, Madam Pomfrey cried out, "Its all my fault! I gave her the Skele-Gro for her wrist before she went to sleep, but then she woke up and was complaining about the pain, so I went to get her a potion for it! When I came back, she was gone!" A sob escaped her. "I knew she didn't know anything about magic, I should have kept a closer eye on her, or at least lock the doors!" The sobs became louder.

"Now, now, dear, it wasn't your fault," said McGonagall soothingly. "And right now, we have to focus on finding the poor girl."

"If we even knew her name, we could try the Locate spell," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "Alas, if wouldn't do much good anyway, since the ward's surrounding Hogwarts does not permit those kind of spells."

"The best thing we can do at the moment, Headmaster, is search for the girl on our own," said Severus dryly. "We will have to split up."

"An excellent idea, Severus," said Dumbledore, the twinkles in his eyes going into overdrive. It made Severus a little wary. "I will search the dungeons and first floor along with Poppy. Minerva, the second floor, and Severus, the third floor, if you please. I will alert the other professors and ask that they search the other floors and towers."

"Do you - sniff - think she went that far?" asked the sniffling nurse.

"Its a possibility." Smiling gently, Dumbledore patted Madam Pomfrey on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find her. Now, if any of us find her, we will alert the others with some sort of spell, understand?"

"Yes, Headmaster," said Severus, white Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall both nodded. Without saying another word to his fellow professors, Severus marched off, heading towards the third floor. He almost hoped that he didn't find the brat, otherwise he just might want to hex her for keeping him out of bed.

The third floor was like any other floor at night - dark, quiet, and to any besides Severus Snape, creepy without the usual hustle and bustle of students. The portraits were all sleeping, though some woke up at his arrival, and none of the ghost were around, not even Peeves was out.

Glancing around the empty hall, Severus lifted his wand. "Lumos," he said lowly with a swish. A small of ball of soft blue light appeared at the end of his wand, and he swept it around slowly, searching for any sort of clue as to where that girl went.

"Oi! Put that light out!" a nearby portrait of a fat and oddly colourful wizard said loudly. "We're trying to sleep!"

"Silence!" snarled the potions professor. "I am not in the mood for your petty complaints."

Looking offended, the wizard made an angry noise before he slipped out of his portrait, quickly disappearing from view as he went to the next portrait, ready to quietly complain to whoever would listen. Smirking in triumph, Severus made his way to the first door. It opened with a creak, and carefully, Severus swept his wand across the classroom. But there was no sign of anyone being in there recently. Now scowling in disappointment, Severus shut the door before he made his way to the next one.

Half an hour later, and almost the entire third floor searched, and Severus was getting angrier by the second. Where could that little brat have gone? She couldn't have gotten that far, and the pain of her bones re-growing would definitely slow her down, for it wasn't a pleasant process, it was like that area was filled with a large amount of pins and needles.

Huffing, Severus shook his head as he closed another door. She was probably on another floor, and soon enough, one of the Professors would send him a message telling him that they found her.

And as the thought went through his mind, a white blur came zooming down the corridor, pausing in front of him before becoming a small paper white dove; Madam Pomfrey's he assumed as it opened it beak wide. "We've searched the entire first floor and the dungeon, no sign of her," said the dove in the matron's voice. "Dumbledore has employed the other professors and the ghost to look for her as well." And then as quickly as it came, the dove was gone, nothing more the a piece of paper on the ground.

Growling now, Severus sent the paper on fire, watching it quickly burn into nothing more then ashes before stomped his way over to the next door, which lead to a cupboard. Where was that blasted girl? His pale hand wrapped around the bronze handle, and Severus yanked the door open, prepared to see only some brooms and rags. Instead, he froze.

Huddle in the corner of the small cupboard was the girl, whimpering softly as she clutched her once boneless wrist, its wrappings now a very light brown. She was still in the thin nightgown, shivering from the cold, and the dragon Dumbledore had given her was in her lap. "It hurts," she whispered, even though Severus was sure she didn't know he was there, since her eyes were screwed shut. "It hurts."

Softening - only slightly! - in concern, Severus knelt down so that he was at eye level with the girl. "Enough of your whimpering, child." he said firmly.

At that, the girl's eyes snapped open, and the professor was again subject to the bright green eyes that reminded him too much of Lily. "Y-You're that magic guy," the girl stuttered out. "The one in m-my mind." Her eyes went wide at that memory, and she immediately shut them again. "No! You promise you wouldn't again!"

"I am not going to enter you mind again," snapped out Severus. "Now what did you think you were doing, leaving the infirmary? You're still injured, and the medicine Madam Pomfrey gave you will cause some pain until your wrist is completely healed."

Sniffling, the girl opened her eyes. "But it was scary in there! And too big! All those shadows were gonna get me!"

Frowning since he didn't understand what the blasted girl meant, Severus reached out with his mind, with a light enough touch that she would never notice he was there.

The infirmary wasn't completely dark, a few lite candles dimly glowing so that the corner of the girl was sleeping it was just bright enough so she could see. The girl whimpered, glancing around. Without the curtains surrounding her, it felt as if the room was enormous, never ending, and where the candle light stopped shining, she could see flickers of shadows, creeping up to her so they could hurt her.

A hand, large fingers, dark eyes, and a evil grin with the promise of pain. With a flinch, the girl dove under the blankets, pulling it tight around her as she shook in fear.

Retreating from her mind, Severus sighed. She wasn't afraid of the dark, like most children were, or small spaces. She was afraid of shadows and large spaces.

"Are you gonna make me go back?" asked the girl quietly, clutching at her dragon. "I don't wanna."

Would he make her go back to a place she was scared of? Madam Pomfrey would, determined to make sure that the girl was close by in case of an emergency. But what emergency could happen? She no longer had hypothermia, any breaks had been healed, and any bruises or bleeding had been taken care of. In fact, the only thing wrong was the pain that the Skele-Gro was probably causing her.

"I will have to take you back there," Severus finally said, and the girl shrank. "But I'll make sure that the shadows are gone before I leave you." No, he wasn't acting nice. He was just trying to get her out of the damn cupboard so he could go back to his rooms. That's what he told himself.

Biting her lip, the girl thought about it for a few long moment before she spoke again. "Promise?"

"Yes," Severus snapped. She always wanted a damn promise. "Now come along, child, its late. We should get you back to bed."

Nodding, the girl tried to stand up, using her good hand to cling to the wall, her dragon held awkwardly across her chest with her bad arm. He could see her legs were trembling with effort, her knobby knees knocking together. "Sorry," she said, glancing at him. "My legs feel kinda funny."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes - it was a juvenile thing to do - Severus held out his hand. The girl's eyes went wide at the gesture, and he snapped out, "It will not bite, child. Now take my hand, I would like to get back to my rooms at a reasonable hour."

Eying his hand like it was a wild dog, she slowly reached out with her own hand - only to stumble forward since she was no longer holding on to the wall. Before Severus knew what he was doing, he had his arms held out, catching the girl before she hit the ground. It felt like she weighed nothing, and he could feel bones through her nightgown. "Are you always this clumsy?" asked Severus dryly.

"Sorry!" the girl squealed, and tried to stand up again.

"Stop your fidgeting, child," Severus snapped again. He was doing that a lot. "It will be much quicker if I just carry you." Scooping up the girl before she could protest, he soon had her in his arms, cradled across his chest. He remembered his mother doing this when he was little.

"I-I can walk!" the girl protested, even though her good hand was clutching at his robes. "Really!"

Ignoring her, Severus drew his wand. That immediately shut her up while he momentarily thought of a happy thought. "Expecto patronum!" he finally said. A burst of white light came from the end of his wand, and a white mist appeared, vaguely looking like a large, four legged creature. He wasn't ready let Dumbledore see what his Patronus was just yet. "Dumbledore, I have found the girl, you may tell the other professors that they may stop the search. I shall meet you back at the infirmary with the child." He flicked his wand, and the light leapt away, disappearing as it went through a stone wall.

"Was that more magic?" asked the girl in a whisper as he stashed his wand away. "It was so pretty."

"Hn," was the simple answer Severus gave before he started forward, intent on getting this girl back so he could get to his rooms. Of course, it seemed that someone had other plans.

Soft footsteps and whispers stopped the professor before he had even taken two steps. The child in his arms glanced up at him, probably wondering why he was stopping, but thankful, stayed quiet. Not bothering to draw his wand, he pressed himself to the wall, the darkness hiding him. Though the same couldn't be said for the girl, who's nightgown was bright white.

Scowling, he did the only thing he could do at the moment - he brought out his wand again and with a tap, turned the glowing white gown pitch black. "Stay quiet and keep your head down," he ordered with a whisper, and received a nod against his chest in answer.

A few more moments passed before he could finally see a small ball of light as the two students turned the hall before unknowingly making their way towards him. "Maybe we should go back, Bill," whispered one that Severus recognized as Charlie Weasley. "Snape might be wandering around."

"I doubt it," said the other student, Bill Weasley. "Remember what McGonagall said? I bet he's probably in his room, wondering how he could use the stranger in his potions."

"You would be wrong, Mr. Weasley," said Severus as he stepped forward.

~o0o~

Charlie Weasley glanced around, only seeing portraits as they slept. "Maybe we should go back, Bill," he whispered to his brother. It was Bill's idea to sneak down to see the stranger that McGonagall had said would be staying in the infirmary for awhile. He didn't want to do - he had never broke curfew before - but he wanted to prove to his older brother that he wasn't scared. "Snape might be wandering around."

Scoffing softly, Bill shook his head. "I doubt it. Remember what McGonagall said?" He grinned. "I bet he's probably in his room, wondering how he could use the stranger in his potions."

Before Charlie could even force out a laugh, a figure stepped out of the shadow's. "You would be wrong, Mr. Weasley," drawled Snape.

"P-Professor Snape," forced out Bill. "We were just - ah..."

"Can't even give a good explanation to why you're out in the corridors past curfew?" sneered Snape. "Let me guess, you wanted to see our new visitor?"

As Bill tried to stammer out a reply, Charlie was distracted by something stirring in the professors arms, mostly hidden in the dark robes. In fact, it was only thanks to the light his brother swung around that he saw it. Something lifted its head up briefly, and Charlie could see a small, pale face. It was a girl, about the same age as his youngest brother, Ron, with ink black hair that blended with Snape's robes and bright green eyes that shone in the darkness like fairy lights. The girl noticed his stare, and she buried her face back in Professor's Snape's chest.

A kid? What was a kid doing in Hogwarts? And why the bloody hell was Snape holding her? It was like Charlie had just stepped into some strange universe - like in those Muggle stories he read without his mum knowing.

"Both of you will lose ten points for Gryffindor," Snape was saying, ignoring the girl in his arms, "and you will each have detention with me the night after tomorrow as punishment."

"But its Christmas Eve!" yelped Bill.

"You should have that before you decided to sneak out," said Snape without pause.

The girl lifted her head again, looking up at Snape. Charlie wondered if she could see up his large hook nose. "Sir?" she said softly. He could know see that she was holding something - was that a stuffed dragon?

Snape looked down at her with a glare, and she flinched a little, but went on. "Can't they do their pu-punishment after Christmas?" she asked rather bravely. "Please?"

Their was silence as both Charlie and Bill stared at the girl, their jaws dropped to the floor. Was this kid really trying to stand up to Snape for them? Didn't she know that no one stood up to Snape and lived? Except for Dumbledore, course, but he was the strongest wizard alive! She was just a little girl.

"And why should I do that?" sneered Snape.

"Be-Because it would nice?" the girl said timidly.

In the back of his mind, Charlie wondered if this girl had a death wish. Did she really just tell Professor Snape - the evil bat of the dungeons - to do something because it would be nice? This man was never nice to anyone except his Slytherins, it was unheard of!

"Besides, you don't wanna be busy on Christmas Eve, do ya?" the girl went on. "I mean, that's when you spend time with your family, and put out cookies for Saint Nicolas!" She looked to the Weasley boys. "Right?"

Still in shock, Charlie and Bill nodded slowly, almost out of reflex.

"... Fine," spat Snape. "Your detentions will be with me the day after Christmas. Now get back to your dorms and into bed before I change my mind!"

Nodding rapidly, both the Weasley boys raced ahead, not wanting to get in even more trouble. The last thing they heard before they were out of range was the girl saying, "Thank you!" brightly to Snape.

They were soon outside the Gryffindor common rooms, panting harshly in front of Fat Lady painting, who was clicking her tongue as she looked down on them. Finally catching his breathe, Charlie looked to his brother and said, "We are never doing that again!" Then he punched his brother in the arm.

Giving the password to the Gryffindor guardian, Charlie made his way to his currently empty room, ignoring his brother's groans about getting detention. He was going to go write to his mum and ask her to send some extra fudge to him - so he could give it to that girl. He had to thank her, of course, it was the polite thing to do. And besides, who didn't love his mother fudge?

~o0o~

"Ah, its good see that you are unharmed, young lady," said Dumbledore with a bright smile.

The girl didn't hesitate to bury her face in Severus' shoulder, her good hand clutching at his robes once more. Her robes were white again, making her look paler then usual in the bright light that filled the room. For some reason, she seemed to be scared of everyone except him, though Severus couldn't see why - she should be scared of him instead!

"What were you thinking, young lady?" scolded Madam Pomfrey, no longer hysterical. "Just running off like that. You could have been seriously hurt." She blinked when the girl didn't even look up. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine, if only a little cold and tired," Severus said as he moved to the bed. "She was hiding in a cupboard on the third floor. Said she was scared of the shadows in here." When Madam Pomfrey frowned, he sighed and said, "Just don't worry about lighting any candles, and I'd keep the curtains around the bed."

As Severus tried to put the girl down - finally - she cried out and wrapped her good arm tightly around his neck. If he hadn't been expecting it, he might have choked. "No! Please don't go!"

"Let go of me, child,' snapped Severus, tugging her.

"No! Please don't leave me alone again!" the girl whimpered. "You said you'd get rid of the shadows!"

"And I will," Severus growled. "But you have to let me go first!"

Whimpering again, it took the girl a moment before she finally let her arm fall back into her lap. Severus placed her on the bed, and without waiting a moment, Madam Pomfrey was at her side, pulling up her blankets and looking over her for any visible wounds. "Are you alright, dear? Anything hurt?"

Flinching, the girl looked to her hands. "M'okay," she mumbled. "My wrist was hurtin', but not anymore."

"Mm." Very gently, Madam Pomfrey looked over her wrist, lighting pressing against it with her second and third finger. The girl was watching her like a wild animal, just waiting for her to attack. Severus had seen many children in his house like that when they first came to Hogwarts - yet he still hadn't gotten use to it.

"Well, it looks like your bones have all grown back with no complications," Madam Pomfrey finally said as she stepped back. With a flick, the bandages were gone. "I say all you need now is a good nights sleep." She waved her wand, and the curtains wrapped half around her bed, Severus still at her side. "Can you turn out the lights when you leave, Severus?"

"Of course," said Severus with a nod.

"It seems this young lady is growing fond of you," said Dumbledore with a chuckle as he joined them. The twinkle in his eyes was getting brighter by the second. "I'm glad, Severus."

"Well, I'm not," growled Severus lowly.

"Sev'rus? Is that your name?" asked the girl as she rubbed her wrist. She wrinkled her nose when Dumbledore nodded. "Its kinda funny. But," she went on before Severus could snap at her, "I like it." Then she sighed. "Wish I could remember my name."

"Well, I'm sure your family will remind you what your name is once we find them," said Dumbledore in a comforting way. But it didn't help, the girl simply nodded her head and stared at her hands, twisting them in her lap.

"I hope you sleep well," said Dumbledore. "Goodnight, young lady." As the girl mumbled her own goodnight, he turned to Severus. "Goodnight, Severus."

"I will see you in the morning, Headmaster," Severus said with a nod.

As Dumbledore left, the girl grabs the sleeve of his robe. "The shadows?" she said in a whisper.

Raising an eyebrow at the request, Severus raised his wand and pointed it at the nearest light, which looked like a Muggle oil lamp, save for the fact that there was a ball of light inside it. With a silent 'Nox', the light was out, and he repeated that spell until there was only one light left, near the door.

"There, I've gotten rid of your shadows," said Severus in a sneer. "Now go to sleep." He was just about to close the curtains when the girl spoke again.

"Sir? Will you come back tomorrow?" the girl asked softly, looking as she would be afraid of his answer.

"We will see," Severus answered, since he wasn't sure himself. He wanted to just say no, but more then likely, Dumbledore would probably force him to come down again, ignoring the fact that he wouldn't want to. "Sleep."

Nodding, the girl laid down, pulling the blankets over her and holding the dragon close. "Good night, Mr. Sev'rus," she said with a yawn, snuggling to her pillow. "And... thank you."

Pulling the curtains shut, Severus marched to the door and with one final spell, the last light went on, leaving the room in total darkness before he shut the door.

~o0o~

The moment the door was closed, the room was enveloped in pitch black darkness that instantly calmed her. The girl was sure that even if she held her hand right up to her face, she still won't be able to see it.

Holding her stuffed dragon tight, the girl sighed happily. She knew that this wasn't the best situation, but she didn't feel so bad anymore. Yes, she didn't even know her own name, or if she even had a family, let alone remember who they were. But she had been told that magic existed, and her toy proved it, thanks to the man with the really long beard, even though he scared her a little. She liked the dark man, Mr. Sev'rus, better.

Smiling, the girl had to hold back a giggle. To others, Mr. Sev'rus might seem too mean, but to her, he was just being himself. And to her, that was a good thing. He wasn't trying to be fake, not like the grandpa, or the nurse who had lied to her. He was always straight forward. She liked that.

Brushing her lanky hair away from her face, the girl sighed. She had yet to look in a mirror, she had no idea what she looked like. She guessed that she had black hair, and pale skin with a tiny body, but her eyes, her face, even her age, she didn't remember. It was like her mind had been wiped clean.

Biting her lip, the girl suddenly wished for light, like Mr. Sev'rus did, so she could find her way to the bathroom.

And as she wished for it, the nearby lamp suddenly lit up, flooding the corner of her room with light. Blinking as the light blinded her briefly, the girl took a moment to wonder what just happened before scrambling out of bed, leaving of her toy dragon there to wait for her. She padded over to the nearby door, her bare feet tingling as they hit the cold floor, which she hoped lead to the bathroom.

Whatever the room was, it was dark when the girl peeked inside. It took her a moment to realize that it was the bathroom, though a strange one. Another light lit up the room, showing a large tub that was the size of a small pool, small chamber pots, and round basin's for sinks with large mirrors hanging over them. The girl frowned, the mirrors were too high up, she couldn't see them. Still, she was gonna try.

Grabbing the edge of the sink, the girl stood on her tip toes, trying to pull herself up. But before could groan about how short she seemed to be, small steps appeared underneath her, causing her to squeak in shock as she was suddenly high in the air. As she got over the magic that just seemed to happened, she looked into the mirror, and gasped.

She looked awful. She was deathly pale, and so thin that her cheeks were hallow Her black hair was hanging around her face as heavy strands, and her eyes, a bright green color, had black circles under them, making her wonder when the last time she got a good nights sleep.

Lifting a hand, the girl traced her face with a light touch. She wished that she remembered - anything, everything. It was horrible wondering what your own name was, who your parents were, or if she even had family. And she had to wonder why she even lost her memories.

It was a long time before the girl finally looked away from the mirror, making her way carefully down the steps. As she touched the tile floor, she shivered, she hadn't realized how cold she had gotten just standing there. Rubbing her arms, she made her back to her bed, making sure to stay quite so not to wake the nurse.

As she reached the bed, the girl frowned. Something felt wrong. Not with the bed itself, but... it felt like there was something - someone missing. Touching the edge of the bed, the girl closed her eyes, hoping a memory would come to her.

Seconds ticked by, and nothing came to mind. Wishing she could remember with a heavy sigh, the girl climbed into bed, bringing her stuffed dragon into her thin arms and pulling the blankets around her, while the light went out almost instantly. The dragon, somehow, made her feel better, like she wasn't alone, even though it couldn't talk to her.

"Goodnight, Mr. Dragon," the nameless girl whispered to her toy before she curled up, closing her eyes. "I'll give you a better name tomorrow..." she muttered as she finally drifted to sleep.