Okay, so I have no excuse for not updating since...November 13? Really? It's been that long? Wow, okay then I am terribly sorry. So much has happened, I quit college, moved back to my mums and even gained a boyfriend (who is an actual fanboy!). This update is terribly short but it's something until I can find what to write again. Please review as they make me happy and encourage me to write...please don't kill me for this :/
It has been 2 weeks since those blasted medical exams and since then I have been keeping my eye on Potter. He is the only person I can think about. Thankfully there wasn't any abuse cases this year but I still think that Potter may be one. That is if we can catch him. He turns up to classes on time but he never hands in homework or does any work. If you give him detention he never turns up and when you ask why he just stares at you. He never turns up to meals. It's like outside of classes, he doesn't exist. All of the teachers and even Dumbledore are becoming anxious about him. Whenever he shows up he is always pale and thin. He looks severely ill and in all honestly, he looks to be on his death bed.
I was currently sat in my living quarters contemplating how to corner the boy. A tumbler of firewhiskey was in my hand and I slowly sipped it whilst staring into the fire. Curfew was half an hour ago for the first years and so lights out would be about now.
Suddenly the wards around the first year dormitory's went off alerting me that one of them wasn't in the room. The wards hadn't told me that someone was late for curfew so I guessed that they were still in the common room and had forgotten the time.
Placing my glass onto the coffee table, I stood and quickly used a secret passage that linked my quarters with the Slytherin common room. I strode up the stairs and as soon as I got to the first years rooms I automatically knew who wasn't in bed. Opening the door my thoughts were confirmed; Harry Potter wasn't in the room. I strode back downstairs to the common room and decided to try a point me spell instead of riling up the whole castle to look for him. Strangely, it pointed me towards the back of the common room in the direction of a rarely used fireplace. However, there was only a handful of Slytherins in the common room and they were all seated in the more warmer and well lit part of the common room. I tried the spell again in hopes that he may have moved away since I cancelled the spell last but it still pointed me towards the fireplace. Surely he couldn't have used the floo?
"Having trouble?". The voice made me jump. Looking up to where the voice came from, I realised it was the portrait of Salazar Slytherin that hung over the fireplace.
"Unfortunately, yes. One of the new Slytherins are not in bed which is where they are supposed to be and a point me spell gives me the location of this fireplace. You haven't seen him by any chance?" I asked the founder of Slytherin.
"Would he be extremely small with dark hair?" I gave a nod to his descriptions. "He has been sitting in this area for the past week and a half. Merlin knows why when he can be in a warmer part. I told him to go sit in a warmer area but he refused. I even got an elf to make a fire but he just moved to the other side of the room. I finally gave up and let him be. He comes everyday at the same time and so I get a house elf to put a warming charm on the sofa just before he arrives. Don't want him catching his death" he ranted to me. So this is where he has been hiding.
"As good as it is to know where he has been hiding, where is he now?". I wanted to shout but I knew it would make Salazar drag this out even more.
"I finally got bored of him just sitting there everyday. He never even brings a book or any homework. Just stares into empty space. Did you know that there are many many hidden passages in this school. Most of them intertwine with each other so no matter where you enter the passages you can end up anywhere in the castle. This fireplace is one of those many entrances and I gave him the directions to get to the infirmary but I told him it was to get to somewhere safe. He should arrive at the tapestry of Lady Loxley in around 5 minutes"
"Finally, a bloody answer" I growled out and began to storm away to the floo but Salazar began talking again and even though he was just a painting I knew it was wise to listen.
"Don't be harsh with him Severus. He needs to know he is safe before he can reveal himself. Treat him like an injured cat. He needs to be coaxed into help and boy does he need the help" I graciously nodded at him before crossing the room to the floo and quickly arriving at the infirmary. Striding to the doors i opened them and began watching the tapestry across the hall just waiting for Potter to arrive.