Authors Note: Hey everyone, I'm really sorry for taking so long to update the chapters. A lot has been happening. My mother moved out and I had responsibility thrust on me really quickly. I have been getting ill, suffering from depression as well as being in and out of the hospital and almost losing my home multiple times.

I realize that there has been someone telling everyone who reads these that I stopped writing because of an argument I got into with one of my reviewers. That isn't true. I cherish each and everyone of my readers because without you all, this story wouldn't have even gotten this far. I wanted to take the time to thank everyone for reading and supporting me this far into this story. It means the world to me that you all enjoy it and are eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

Also as a quick announcement. Someone has victimized my account. They have contacted some of my friends, saying that they can take over and are handing them my story to do with as they please. I am going to continue writing this story and I am planning on finishing to the end. And if by any chance anyone receives any messages from me that are rude or hurtful, please contact me to get it straightened out whether I can confirm or deny. As I had said before, someone had hacked my account at one point for some odd reason. Probably just to prove that they can do it.

Thank you so much for staying with me this long. You all mean so much to me!

With much love
~Ellenyx

Chapter 20

Her knees stung as the cold, damp cement bit into her knees. Small pebbles indented her palms as she crawled through the dark and dusty crawl space. She had been unaware up until now that Hogwarts even had these crawl spaces in the walls. Why would a school like this even knee crawl spaces such as these? She didn't know, and to be honest, she didn't exactly care at the moment.

"Tell me again, why am I the one crawling through the darkest, dirtiest, most forgotten parts of the castle?" She grunted into a severed ear pinned to the front of her shirt as she came to an intersection, the tunnels splitting off into three different directions.

"Because you're a girl," Georges voice quipped through a pair of lips at her ear, whispering.

"And girls are small." Fred followed up like clockwork.

"Yes, and girls are also wearing short skirts. Which way do I take?" She waited. An eyeball on her forehead looked back and forth between the three different tunnels before the twins answered in unison.

"Straight." She nodded and continued crawling.

"So what is this plan you two have?" She stopped after a minute or two, rubbing her palms together from the stickiness of the dust. It was musty, smelling like wet stone and cobwebs. Spiders followed her through the darkness, remaining to the walls so as not to get squished.

"Well, you're going to crawl through the crawl spaces"

"Get to the vent"

"Unload the contents of that pouch we gave you through the grate,"

"Wait until she triggers them then-"

"Boom! We deliver her a surprise that will keep her entertained for a few hours." They finished off together. She grimaced at the thought as she sat back on her bottom. She had enough room in there to sit normally on her butt with her head touching the top of the crawl space, but that was about it. Well, if you wanted to count normal as having your back hunched over and your neck cramped down.

"So...like...what's going to happen to her though? It's not going to hurt her is it?" She questioned, concerned for whether or not the contents of the shimmering silk pouch around her neck were dangerous or not.

"Ahh?"

"Sounds to me like you want to protect her,"

"Like a Slytherin,"

"Oh definitely, like a Slytherin."

"Enough!" She snarled, her blood boiling as they taunted her through the severed, magical body parts at her lips and ear. "I wouldn't give a flying wizards bosom if she leapt from the tallest building in the world without a broom! I just don't want to be the cause of someone's death do you understand me?"

"Oh trust me, she won't get hurt." George confirmed.

"Unless she breaks an ankle while running,"

"But even if she does-"

"We have potions for that." Again the finished at the same time.

"So it's just designed to scare her?" She questioned, in hopes to relieve the terrible feeling welling up in the pit of her stomach.

"Yes, just to scare her." Fred agreed.

"Good," She turned and pushed herself back to her knees, "now I'll be able to sleep without the haunting dreams of having blown off a witches head. Even if she did deserve it." She continued through the tunnels, following the spiders as she went. She listened to the twins sing and tell jokes as she crawled for anywhere between 5 minutes to 20. Coming to the last round about she whispered. "Why the hell are there crawl spaces in the walls of Hogwarts anyway?" She turned the corner and made her way down the second crawl space, coming up on her desired vent.

"We don't know, we just found out about them last year."

"Yeah, but it is convenient getting from one place to another,"

"Even if you do get covered in dust,"

"And Spiders." They spoke as if trying to spook her. Grunting she studied the room infront of her before grabbing the satchel around her neck to make sure it didn't swing forward and hit anything.

"The spiders were the least unpleasant thing of this journey. I can think of two others whom top my list at the moment." She spoke, sounding preoccupied.

"Oh poo on you." George muttered.

"I'm putting you two down for a second." She whispered, being careful Umbridge didn't hear her. Unclipping the ear from her shirt and the lips from her ear she placed them on the stone infront of her before grabbing the silky rope of the pouch around her neck and pulling it up off from around her head. She opened the pouch to find little black marbles. They were small, possibly the size of 6mm bb pellets. She swallowed hard before spilling a little out into her hand. She shifted, sliding her legs out from under her so she would be more comfortable. Leaning forward she carefully poured them out onto the cement and one by one pushed them through the grate, making sure that Umbridge wouldn't see them.

She thought at first they were going to fall straight to the floor, but much to her surprise they became almost magnetic and stuck to the wall for a few moments before rolling down along the cracks. She watched them at first, in awe by the small black BB's, but quickly snapped out of it realizing that if she didn't hurry up Umbridge would find out and she'd risk expulsion -or being arrested if she found out the extremities of the beads.

Pouring the rest of them into her hands she poured them over the side of the vent and watched as they rolled down the wall virtually silently and positioned themselves all throughout the room, sitting there still, camouflaged amongst the carpeting. A few minutes rolled by as nothing happened. Replacing the pouch around her neck she re-attached the ear and lips to their original places and whispered. "Why aren't they doing anything?" The twins didn't say anything at first, she was about to repeat herself when Fred finally chimed in.

"They need to be triggered." He replied.

"Like a landmine." George confirmed.

"Hold on, if we go silent it's because of Filch." Fred whispered again. "Meet us by the womens rest room. Where Hermione was attacked by that troll first year." Her forehead crinkled as she grimaced.

"Hermione was attacked by a troll?" There was silence for a second, then George spoke.

"Yeah...you...don't remember?"

"It was kind of like...a big deal."

"I wasn't here for Hermione's first year remember?" She reminded them. It wasn't a shock that they would have forgotten. She was their age and in some of their classes. She was originally supposed to be three years younger them as far as grades went. She was pretty sure that even half of the teachers had forgotten which grade she was supposed to be in.

"Oh yeah. Well, we'll leave you to it. Meet us by the bathrooms or something like that near the court yard."

"Goodluck!" And with that the lips at her ear zipped up, going dead. She stopped, waiting to see if that was really the end of the conversation, then sighed, looking back through the vent. It didn't look like Umbridge would be moving anytime soon. She looked pretty dead set in sitting at that desk, not moving for a long time. Nibbling on her lip Nyx looked around the room, trying to find something, someway to set them off. Her eyes stopped on a single bead, planted right behind Umbridge's chair. If only she would roll her chair back just a little. Adjust or something. She mused, biting her lip. A single spider slid down a thin string infront of her face, startling her for a second. She grimaced looking at it and shook her head, going back to looking at Umbridge, then it hit her.

"Hey," She lifted her hand and straightened her palm, allowing the small spider to fall onto her fingertips. "I have a request, please, it would mean the world to me." She whispered. With her free hand she grabbed the pendant around her neck and stared the small spider in the eyes. "I need you to go and drop down in front of Umbridge, I promise you, you will remain safe. I just need her to be startled just enough to move." The spider didn't do anything for a second except look at her. She waited for five minutes, then frowned. Perhaps she could only ask them if they had any knowledge of the language she spoke, like Aragog?

Closing her eyes she leaned back against the wall and shook her head. She was going to be there forever and Fred and George were going to get caught. If only that fat cow would move!

The feeling of tiny little legs scuttling across her palm caught her attention as the spider scrambled down her arm and out through the vent. "Great," She whispered, watching it. "Fine, abandon me, not like I care either way." She scoffed and turned her head, looking down at her lap. Suddenly, Umbridge gasped. Nyx's head snapped up just in time for her to catch the woman slide her chair backwards, retreating from a single spider that had dropped from the ceiling onto the papers she was working on. The chair leg hit the bead located behind her and Nyx's breath caught in her throat. It took only a second for it to explode into a colorful, loud explosion of magic.

Screaming Umbridge jumped forward, whirling around. In a gigantic chain reaction, the other beads went off, exploding in colors of blue, green, red, yellow and purple. A victorious smile stretched across Nyx's face as she watched the short, squatty woman jump back and forth, dodging explosions of color, screaming as the next one went off. Turning, Umbridge made her way for the door, attempting to escape the bursts, but the beads rolled after her, exploding one by one. Nyx could hardly contain her excitement, having to hold her hand over her mouth to keep from giving her position away. The very spider that had scared Umbridge crawled back in through the grate and stood at her knees. "You my friend, are bloody brilliant." Nyx smiled, looking down at him.

Looking back up she noticed something peculiar about the papers on Umbridges desk, an expulsion document from what she could see. She debated on leaving and ignoring it, but if Umbridge was planning on expelling someone...

"Oh bloody hell." She muttered. Reaching forward she examined the vent. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen any vents like this anywhere else in this school." She noted. Grabbing the grates she gave it a firm jiggle. It was unscrewed and came off rather easy, almost as if that grate had purposely been assembled for the sole purpose of her gaining access to it later. But that would be ridiculous. Turning, she carefully slid through the hole, her legs danging over the side as her feet searched for any hard, sturdy surfaces to lower herself down onto. She wheezed a bit as the air was squished from her lungs. After about a minute her toes grazed a desk. Carefully she lowered herself out enough to test the state of the desk, making sure it didn't collapse the moment she put her weight on it. When it seemed as if it would hold her without a problem she put all of her weight down and carefully lowered herself onto the floor.

Turning she looked around, making sure that there were none of the beads left that she could accidentally step on and scare herself into a heart attack. Spotting nothing she kept her eye on the door for a second before making her way to the table. Grabbing the papers that Umbridge was looking as she flipped through them, her forehead crinkling. "So she was planning on expelling someone." She whispered. On the paper at the top in large bold letter was the name Harry Potter.

Flipping the documents she saw that Umbridge wasn't just planning on expelling Potter, but Hermione and Ron along with George and Fred. "So she's planning on getting rid of the trouble makers so that her absolute rule won't be compromised." She snarled. "That blasphemous, pot belly boar! How dare she, how is she allowed to get away with this sort of-" The sound of a chemical bowl hit the floor, making her jump. She looked up to see that Umbridge still had some of the stuff from the Defense Against the Dark Arts class still stacked away. Out of sight out of mind. Swallowing she reached up, grabbing the pendant around her neck. She stared at the papers nervously, unsure of what to do next. On the desk underneath where the expulsion papers had been she saw a folder labeled Severus across it.

Her eyebrows furrowed. Turning she placed the documents involving her friends on the desk beside her and reached forward, grabbing the folder. She hesitated at first, not sure if she wanted to read the contents inside. She knew that whatever it was that was in there was negative, but just what about it was negative? She chewed her bottom lip, thinking back to some of the times where Umbridge would taunt Severus, asking him questions that she knew the answer too. Nyx wasn't sure if Umbridge had a sort of...sadistic love for Severus by how nasty she seemed to go out of her way towards the potions teacher, or if she was just a sadistic woman all together. Nyx was afraid of the thought of Umbridge having emotions like that for Severus, and she didn't want to open the folder and have them be confirmed. But what if it wasn't an affection folder?

She inhaled deeply, eyes closing. She knew she had to open it, because if it was something else, she needed to know. She couldn't just leave it behind and let Umbridge do what she wishes to her beloved potions master. Sliding her thumb into the folder she opened it. The parchment inside was heavy, and when Nyx opened her eyes, what she saw inside both relieve and terrified her. Umbridge wasn't having some sort of love attraction to the potions master, no, but what it was could possibly rip her beloved teacher away from her forever.

"She...she's going to fire him." She whimpered, her eyes watering. Suddenly the sound of heels caught her attention. Her eyes snapped up as Umbridge's voice echoed through the halls, followed by Filches. I'm doomed. She thought to herself. Gasping she turned to quickly grab the documents of her friends, but her hand accidentally hit the side of the desk, spilling the contents of her teachers folder all of the floor. Quickly, without thinking twice she bent down and quickly crumpled up the papers, slamming them into the folder, her other hand reaching up and back to grab the expulsion documents. When she stood up she felt a tug at her neck but ignored it. It was probably her shirt anyway getting caught on the edge of the desk.

Turning she made a dash for the vent. Throwing the papers inside she jumped up and dragged herself back into the crawlspace and turned around, pushing the grate back in place just as Umbridge and Filch entered the room, Umbridge yelling loudly. "I want to find out which of those blasted children were behind it!" She shouted, her face red, her hair a mess.

"It was probably Potter," Filch quivered, a nasty expression plastered across his nasty mug. "He's been trouble ever since he got here, if it were up to me I would feed him to the fishes. Not like he 'as any parents who would miss him." Nyx glared through the grates at him, waiting just long enough to see if they were going to notice the papers missing and catching her breath before she made her way back. Umbridge stopped and looked at him with her usual blank not-happy-not-angry-more-cocky smirk.

"That's a very crude thing to say Argus." She admitted, her voice soft.

"Yeah, well it's true." He swallowed, not sure if he had said something wrong, but the way she walked over to him, even Nyx could tell she didn't care. "If they can't realize how good of a job you're doing as headmaster maybe they should just be expelled. Trouble makers will always rally other trouble makers."

"Oh Argus, do you always flatter women like this?" She tittered disgustingly. Nyx's upper lip twitched as she watched in horror as Argus leaned down, kissing the squatty toad on the lips. She gagged silently and covered her eyes with one hand and her neck with the other, trying to will the vomit back down, but something caught her attention. Looking down, a small wave of panic rupturing through her chest, she noticed that something was off. Pulling out her shirt she spotted just what it was. Gasping she clasped her hands over her mouth and practically threw herself back at the grate. There on the floor, tucked partially underneath Umbridges desk, was her pendant. The pendant she was supposed to keep safe with her life. The pendant that was now...unguarded.

Nyx crawled out of the crawlspace in a flurry. Her heart was racing as a voice in the back of her mind kept repeating go back. Go back and get the pendant!

"I can't," She answered it, swallowing hard as she made her way down the hallway, the papers tucked inside the folder, stowed away under her arm. "If I go back Umbridge will get the papers and she'll expel me and the others, not to mention she'll fire Severus." She choked, nearly beginning to cry.

What's more important? Your boyfriend getting fired or the Dark Lord getting that pendant and destroying the world?

"I don't know. Four or five years ago I would have said yipee to destroying the world." She stopped and looked around, panicking. "Oh God what am I going to do. I can't go back...what if...what if I go at night? I can sneak back in there and take it back and it'll be as if nothing ever ha-"

"Miss Fairbourne." A deep voice interrupted. She screamed and whirled around looking at him.

"Ha-ve you no decency for someones heart condition!" She hissed. He looked at her confused, his arms crossed.

"What heart condition Miss Fairbourne?" She panted, resting her hand across her heart, her eyes fluttering.

"The heart condition you just gave me sir. You scared 20 years of my life away and I hope that you're happy." He snorted and rolled his eyes, turning.

"Stop being dramatic and come on, there is something I must speak with you about." He made his way back into his classroom. She hesitated and looked down at the folder under his arm and bit her lip.

"Yeah, me too." Carefully she followed him in, allowing the door to shut behind her."What did you wish to talk to me about sir?" Turning he sat at his desk and motioned her to sit down as well. She hesitated before taking the seat.

"The headmaster-"

"Squatty toad." She interrupted. He stopped for a second, looking slightly irritated before continuing on.

"The headmaster came to my room a few moments ago, hollering about students using charms in her office." He started matter-of-factly.

"What did you tell her?" Nyx leaned forward a bit, looking him in the eyes as he spoke.

"I told her that that was impossible. Any sort of charms were banned, no student can even get the materials to make even the most simplest of potions let alone a complicated pranking charm." Nyx smiled, knowing that he had lied to Umbridge.

"So you lied to her?" He shot her an insulted look before sitting back in his chair.

"Of course not, I told her the truth. The materials to make charms are banned, students can't get any to make any charms." He trailed off a bit, looking at her in return before smirking a bit. "But I didn't tell her that I taught my students common items that grow even in the schools courtyard in which they can use as substitutes for such charms." Nyx smiled as her heart fluttered. Her potions teacher had decieved Umbridge without an actual lie, spiking her admiration for the man through the roof.

"Really? So what happened after that?" Nyx pressed, sliding to the front of her seat, excited to hear how far her professor had gone.

"Well," He linked his fingers on his desk. A part of him that was buried beneath his stern, stoney demeanor radiated both smugness and pride for what he'd done, and to Nyx, it was as obvious to her as rain on a window. "She explained to me the type of charm that was used, a prank no doubt used by the Weasley twins," He grimaced as he leaned down. Grabbing a thick glass bottle he lifted it and put it on the table, removing the cap. "I told her that those tricks follow her around by scent, if she were to drink this," he pushed the bottle forward. Nyx looked at it confused for a second then back at him. Grabbing the neck of the bottle she looked down into it, spotting a shimmering red liquid. "her scent would become untraceable and she wouldn't be bothered by them anymore." He explained.

"What does it really do?" She looked back in the bottle. Carefully she placed her nose at the rim and smelled it. It was a fruity scent, both bitter and sweet.

"It's a paralyzing potion. What muggles would call the Stiff as a board potion." Nyx looked at him shocked.

"Paralyzing potion?! But won't she know it was you the moment she suddenly goes stiff, your charm being the last thing she drank?" Nyx swallowed, feeling nervous for her teacher now that there was a definite reason to fire him.

"What do you take me for Miss Fairbourne? A fool?" He reached forward and grabbed the bottle, pulling it away. Replacing the cap he leaned over once more, tucking the bottle away in a cabinet in his desk. "The charm will take effect when she drinks exactly 2 liters of a liquid. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be two hours from now." He sat back up and smiled. "By then, she'll be in a place far away from accusing me of drugging her. She'll more than likely blame it on Peeves or another student, but she won't be able to do anything about it until after 48 hours." Nyx grinned, liking the thought of having 48 hours to be able to do what needed to be done. It won her and her friends enough time to get plans all sorted out.

Suddenly she was reminded. Everything that was going on. Everything that was piling up against them. She stared at her Potions teacher for a few moments, then remembered what Bria told her the night of the Yule Ball. Biting her lip she ran it through her head. She was robbed her chance to tell the professor she loved him that night, and she was running out of time. She knew that if she were to hold off any longer there wouldn't be a chance to tell him she loved him. "Is something wrong Miss Fairbourne?" Severus spoke, breaking her out of her own thoughts. She looked at him nervously, knowing that this was the time. It was now, or never. Inhaling she closed her eyes, her fingers wrapped tightly around her robes.

"I...I have something important I have to say." He didn't say anything. Instead he leaned back, raising an eyebrow. She exhaled a quivering breath then opened her eyes again. "Do you remember, the night of the Yule Ball I told you I had something I'd wanted to tell you since the end of my first year here?" He looked at her confused, his forehead crinkling. She wasn't sure if that was a sign that he didn't remember, or that he did and he didn't want to. "I...I want to tell you now. And I know that...I know that if I wait any longer I'll never get the chance to tell you." She swallowed hard, her heart pounding visibly in her chest. She felt the room turn hot, her fingers shake. Her stomach was churning and her voice crackled as she spoke.

"Well?" He rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, waiting for her to speak. She licked her dry lips and looked up at him. As she stared into his eyes she saw the young potions teacher she had kissed multiple times under that tree by the stream in her dreams. She saw the intoxicated Potions professor enveloped in the snow beneath her, his hot lips on hers, the taste of pumpkin juice and spirits on his tongue. She couldn't procrastinate anymore. She had to say it. Exhaling deeply she squeezed a fistful of her robes.

"I...I love you sir." She spoke, loudly for only them to hear it. He didn't say a word, nothing but the sound of student in the halls going to their next classes could be heard, then, the silence was broken.

"Excuse me?" She looked him in the eyes, wondering if she had mumbled it the first time. With more ease than before, she repeated herself.

"I love you." He looked at her with a blank expression at first as the words sank in, then his eyebrows furrowed.

"That is ridiculous Miss Fairbourne, and here I thought you were being serious and not just playing another prank on me." He rolled his eyes. She felt as if he had cranked his hand back and punched her in the chest as his words dug into her heart. It was her eyebrows that furrowed this time.

"I'm not joking sir, I'm being serious."

"That is ludicrous," He insisted. Her blood began to boil.

"How and why is is ludicrous?" She hissed lightly.

"I am a professor and you are a student-"

"You always use that excuse!" She barked, interrupting him.

"Because it is the truth!" He snarled back.

"It doesn't matter whether I am a student and you are my professor because I still love you-"

"No you don't!" He growled standing up, slamming his hand on his desk.

"Yes I do!" She stood as well, challenging him, her knuckles clenched at her sides, the folder in her right hand crinkling in white knuckles. "I love you with all my heart," She followed him as he walked around his desk, rolling his eyes as he made for the door. "And I know that you love me too!"

"Oh I do do I? And tell me how you got that heinous thought!" He continued for the door.

"You told me every night in my dreams!" She screamed, tears coming to her eyes. "And Amare Somnium doesn't lie, you even told me yourself!" He stopped and whirled around looking at her. She gasped realizing that she'd said too much.

"What!" He hollered, his voice echoing off of the walls. "You..." He stopped and looked at her, his face red with anger.

"Severus please, it doesn't matter. I haven't used it for so long and I even returned what I didn't use." She pleaded with him. "Ever since the Dark Lord-"

"You what!" He barked, stopping her. She jumped as his voice hurt her ears. She bit her lip, tears trickling down her cheeks. "You invaded my dreams!" He walked over, his wand pulled out as if he were going to use it on her. She backed up a bit, crying as he approached her. "You...you played the part of a woman I loved...you played with my heart!" He screamed at her. "This whole time I thought it was Lily and it was you!" He stood a foot or two away from her. "And then you invite the Dark Lord into your dreams! You jeopradized the safety of the school!"

"I didn't mean to! I just...I couldn't stand to be away from you Severus!" She howled.

"No, but you'll do all in your power to hurt me. Even in my dreams I can't be with the woman I love, I'm plagued by you!" He growled, glaring her down.

"Lily is dead!" She snarled, her eyes flickering from violet to blue. Severus stopped looking at her as she continued. "Lily doesn't love you and I was made to watch in the background as she rejected you! I love you Severus but you never realized that did you!" She took a step forward.

"Emilie, you're the reason behind this." He commented rather calmly as if he'd never been angry. "The stench of your presence is stifling." Nyx's jaw dropped at the insult.

"The stench?" She hissed. "You're forgetting whom it was that remained at your side, through thick and through thin and you have the nerve to insult me?"

"You were always a nuisance Emilie! You were always popping up in places you weren't supposed to be, and I see that that hasn't changed!" He hollered over her. "I can never escape you, if not for you I would have ended up with Lily!"

"If not for me you would be dead!" She shrieked. "I have loved you far longer than Lily at a much greater depth than she could ever love you!" She cried, pointing to herself. "I have loved you for so long-" Severus rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. You married a man who looked like me because you were too much of a coward to tell me! And now that you're dead you've possessed your daughter and are feeding off of her courage to make yourself seem like the worlds most valuable lover! You were nothing like Lily!"

"I never told you because you were too busy feeling sorry for yourself to move on from that insatiable ditz! I bent over backwards for you and the day I died you were no where to be found! I was your friend from the beginning and what happened? You ended up taking care of the woman who refused you because of you calling her a mud-blood!" Growling Severus turned her back on her, heading for the door once again. "And here you are. You dare tell me that I am using my daughter to batter away my cowardice to tell you that I love you, when it is our own strength that we are admitting our true feelings to you! You just can't handle it because we aren't Mrs Potter!"

"The girl doesn't love me! She is confused under your influence! She feels your love and suffers because of your possession!"

"Her love for you is just as genuine as mine!" He turned looking at her, his eyes narrow.

"Get out of her." Emilie stopped, looking at him shocked, confused.

"What?"

"Get out of that child, she has suffered enough!"

"I will not leave my child!" She snarls.

"Then I will force you, if it will save her the agony of being influenced by one who has over stayed their welcome in this world than so be it!"

"Severus, if you separate us Ellenyx will-" Grabbing his wand he whipped it out, and waved it, angrily barking a spell.

"Exorcismo!" A white burst of energy flew from the tip of his wand. Gasping it smashed into Nyx's chest, sending her flying backwards to the floor. She inhaled sharply as the white light absorbed into her body, her eyes and mouth illuminated as if she were filled to the brim. Severus watched in horror, having never used that spell before. After a few seconds, her back arched and her body stiff as a statue, she slumbed to the floor, her eyes closed. Severus swallowed, brushing his hair out of the way as he gave Nyx room. Carefully he took a step forward to see if Nyx was alright. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, white and blank. Her mouth opened wide and a loud, eerie shriek filled the room.

A pale, white figure pulled herself from Nyx's throat and was yanked away, being dragged down into the floor never to be seen again. Once the spirit was gone, Nyx laid on the floor once more, limp, her eyes closed. Hesitating, Severus walked over and dropped to his knees. He carefully gathered the girl into his arms and rested a hand on the side of her neck. He felt her pulse beat normally.

Groaning, her forehead crinkled as she began to stir from her unconciousness. Severus sighed with relief as he waited, hoping that now that Emilie was gone Nyx could start acting like a normal Hogwarts student.

The girls eyes fluttered before remaining open. They were green, Severus noted. Instead of the unnatural violet they had once been, they were now green, and she looked a little different. More pale, her cheeks a little more rosey, and her eyes softer and less wild. Nyx looked up at Severus. Sitting up, Severus helped her into a sitting position before pushing himself to his feet. "There you go Miss Fairbourne" He dusted his knees off. "now you don't have to worry about those troublesome, parasitic feelings." He announced rather proudly. She looked at him for a second, blinking without saying a word. "What's wrong?" He looked at her, wondering if she was mad at him for it when she spoke.

"You're lovely sir. Am I at a London theatre? This is rather a curious place though for actors to perform." She looked about. "Curious and curious." Severus stared at her, his eyes wide. He wasn't sure if she was joking, or being serious. "I..." She frowned looking down, craddling her forehead in the palm of her hand. "I...I can't seem to remember my name though...or...how I got here." A sudden doomed feeling swept over Severus as she spoke. He took a step back knowing that if he had made a bad mistake, just because he couldn't accept the girls love. Not only did he use an untested spell within the school boundaries...but he used them on a student and now she was mentally the equivalent of a muggle.