A/N: Hello! Apparently today is Slytherin Pride day, so show your love for Slytherin! Draco was always my favorite, I can't even remember how long I've had the hots for him. :x. Anyways... nothing too crazy in this chapter, but there is a flashback to the troll scene that is written in 3rd person rather than the OC POV that I've been using. Just wanted to clarify that before you might get confused. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Harry Potter in here. I'm just happily sitting in the sandbox and letting my imagination run wild!

Chapter 4: Recovery

I'm not sure how much time has passed since the troll attack. I remember waking up once in the hospital wing. The nurse - Madame Pompfrey - was there applying some kind of ointment onto my back. I was laying on my side, and was instructed to not lay on my back unless I want to be in pain again. It still stung, but not as bad as before. When I felt her applying the ointment, it was cool to the touch, and then it started to numb the area. I noted in particular one area where she pretty much applied the ointment from one side to the other. How bad was it? After she was done, I fell back asleep.

When I woke up again, it was dark. Auntie Minnie sat in a chair next to my bed.

"Auntie," I said, groggily. "How long have you been here?"

"Not for long, dear," she replied, worry written all over her face.

"Supper just finished. How are you feeling?" She reached out and held my hand. I looked down, and I could see bruises and small cuts from the wood that hit us. I sighed, wincing at the pain coming from my back.

"I wish I could say I was fine, but I'm clearly not. Where is Hermione?" I looked around and noticed she wasn't here.

"Hermione is perfectly fine, except for some minor bruising. If it wasn't for you, she would have been in grave danger," Auntie Minnie said, squeezing my hand. I smiled, relieved that she was really okay. She looked at me for a while, and I could tell she was contemplating on asking me something.

"How bad is my back? I feel so stiff and it stings so bad," I asked, curious.

"Are you sure you want to see the extent of your injuries, Mia?" she replied. They must be bad if she's actually calling me Mia now. I had to see, though. I wanted to see.

I nodded, and with pursed lips, she waved her wand and 2 mirrors appeared, one on each side of my bed. The mirror in front of me reflected the image of the mirror behind me, which currently showed my back covered by the blanket. Auntie Minnie gingerly removed the blanket, and I could start to see all of the cuts and gashes and bruises painting my back. My eyes widened as I tried to come up to a sitting position, pain pulsating through my body with every movement. Madame Pompfrey came running to my right side as Auntie Minnie held my left side, and they both hoisted me up. There was still some dried blood in some spots, but for the most part, the cuts were healing except for the huge gash on the lower part of my back. I could see the skin coming together to become a scar, it just didn't heal as fast as the others I guess. Bruises were spread generously across my back were the cuts didn't take up space.

"That troll did some serious damage, but it was nothing I couldn't fix," Madame Pompfrey said, looking at the gash healing. It was interesting to actually see my skin moving, watching it heal on its own.

"How long have I been in here?" I asked. I couldn't stop staring at my back.

"This is the 3rd night. Assuming your last wound heals nicely, I can let you go tomorrow, but until then you are staying put," the nurse said, pointing towards my bed.

Three nights? It was that bad? How did I even get here? The last thing I remember was being thrown backwards then looking for Hermione. After that it was all a blur. I needed to know how I got here.

"Thank you Madame Pompfrey," I said as she walked away. I turned to look at Auntie Minnie.

"How did I get here, Auntie? I don't remember coming here after the attack." I rattled my brain, trying to remember, but nothing comes up. She sighed, sitting down again.

"What do you remember from that night?" I told her that I remembered following the students out while they were trying to figure out how to get the troll. When I had reached the bathroom I went inside because I heard someone, and it was Hermione. When I tried to get her to leave with me, the troll came in and that's when the chaos started. I told her the last thing I remember was lying on the bathroom floor and holding Hermione's hand, and someone picking me up and taking me somewhere, which I'm guessing now, is here.

"Then I guess I will start from there," she said, looking at me.

"Do be careful, dear. I'll come see you when we're safe," Minerva said to Mia, holding her hands. When Mia ran off with the rest of students, she returned her focus to the group of faculty behind her. Professor Quirrel was able to recover from his fainting spell when announcing the troll was on school grounds, and was now among the people devising a plan to thwart the troll.

"Certainly we don't need all of us to confront this thing!" Professor Sprout said, almost sounding frightened. A few of the other professors agreed, while Snape just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I agree. I think only a few of us should go," Minerva said. She thought for a second.

"Myself, Snape, and Quirrel will go and assess the situation. The rest can follow just in case we need assistance." Snape gave an audible grunt.

"Might I ask, Minerva, why you are dragging me into this?" Snape asked, obviously looking annoyed.

"There's no time for that, Severus. Our students are in danger." And with that, Minerva turned on her heel and started walking out.

"Professor Quirrel! Where did you say you saw the troll last?" Minerva asked the stuttering professor. He started to explain that the troll was down in the dungeons, walking around aimlessly, dragging around a hunk of wood to destroy everything in its way.

They turned the corner and suddenly heard the footsteps of the troll coming. It was definitely not in the dungeons anymore. They scurried back behind the corner they just came around, wands out and ready. Snape lead the trio, looking around the corner and eyeing the troll walking towards them. He looked back at this colleagues and pressed his finger up to his lips, signaling them to stay quiet. He looked around the corner again, and the troll was halfway through the doorway going into the girls' bathroom. He motioned for them to follow as they quietly made their way down the corridor. Suddenly, they heard the crashing of stalls and the distinct yell of a young woman.

"Mia," Minerva said, all color draining from her face. She and Severus quickly made their way towards the bathroom, the troll taking another swing, and another yell came ringing through the corridor. Finally, they made it and quietly aimed their wands at the troll. Minerva was so focused on the troll that she didn't notice Mia standing there. Severus did, and grabbed Minerva's wrist to catch her attention.

He saw Mia standing there with determined eyes.

"MIA!" Severus yelled. He wasn't quite sure why he did that, but he felt fear in that moment. Fear for Mia, that something horrible would happen to her. After the night he was in her quarters with Minerva and realizing the power that could potentially reside in this woman, he took it upon himself to try and help her and figure out who she is. He genuinely didn't want anything to happen to her.

"Fuck off, troll!" Mia yelled.

And with that, everything that Severus had been speculating had been confirmed.

Magic exploded from Mia, and he could see the ripple effect as it left her and hit Hermione and the troll. Somehow, the magic knew not to harm Hermione, so it merely threw both of them backwards. The troll, however, was not so lucky. The magic hit it with full force, knocking the wind out of it and sending the troll flying towards the ground. By the time it got to Severus and Minerva, it was just a gust of wind that pushed them against the bathroom wall. Once it was quiet, Minerva and Severus looked at each other. Quirrel somehow managed to miss the spectacle, but came just in time to tend to the troll.

"You were right, Severus. She does have magic," Minerva said, quietly. She wondered how she could have missed that while watching her grow up. There were definite signs, but Mia never exhibited them. Even when she casually ran a diagnostic spell when she was of age to come to Hogwarts, there was no trace of magic at all in her body.

"Hermione," they heard Mia say. Both rushed over to where Hermione and Mia were laying. In the distance, they could hear Professor Dumbledore and Hagrid coming towards them. Minerva noticed Mia reaching out to Hermione, holding her hand.

Severus just stood there and stared and this courageous yet idiotic woman on the floor. How could she have not known she had magic? And she has a lot, by the look of it. Non-verbal spells can be complicated to even the most seasoned of witches and wizards, but Mia made it look so easy. He knew it had something to do with the Dark Magic that he sensed inside of her, but how it got there in the first place has been running him in circles.

"Minerva, Severus, thank you for taking care of this problem," Dumbledore said, walking towards them with Hagrid in tow.

"I don't think it is us you should be thanking," Severus said, looking down at Mia on the floor. Her blood was slowly starting to pool behind her back.

"This was Mia's doing?" Dumbledore asked, dumbfounded.

"It appears so, Albus," Minerva said, a million questions running through her mind.

"Well, I guess we will find out what happened after we take the young ladies to the infirmary. Hagrid, if you could please," Dumbledore asked the gentle giant. Hagrid nodded as he went to collect the two ladies.

"That won't be necessary Hagrid," Severus said, stopping him from picking up Mia. He stepped in between the giant and the unconscious girl.

"I will take care of her." He turned and knelt down to look at her injuries.

He was curious, if she had this much magic in her, what else is she capable of? He motioned for everyone to go on without him, and he would be responsible for Mia. He lifted up her shirt to see the cuts on her back. They were fresh and elevated, blood seeping out of them. He winced, wishing he could just turn her over and heal her wounds himself, but Poppy would be furious. He did notice the wounds were faintly glowing, traces of magic, like it was trying to heal the wounds on its own. He sighed, putting her shirt back down and picking her up. He was so wrapped up in looking at her that he didn't realize she was saying "no" the whole time and trying to push him out of the way.

"Hermione!" Mia tried to yell, but came out as a small squeak. He adjusted her in his arms as she continued to squirm.

"Calm down, Mia. You're fine. Hermione's fine," he whispered to her. He looked down and her face, wishing there was more he could do to calm her down. She was staring at him with frightened eyes, but he could tell she was not all there.

"She's in trouble, like I was," she said, grabbing onto his coat, tears streaming down her face. He held onto her tighter, hoping his embrace would put her mind at ease.

"Not anymore. You saved her," Severus replied, looking down at her again. Her head was resting against his chest, and he could feel her breath start to match his calm, steady beat. They turned a corner, almost to the infirmary.

"I did? Is she going to be okay?" Severus rolled his eyes. How could she be so worried about that foolish girl?

"Yes, and you will be too," he replied, seeing the doors to the infirmary in the distance.

"You lost this time, Lucas," Mia finally said before resting her head firmly on his chest.

He had to stop to look at her shocked body. Lucas. He remembered Minerva mentioning this man's name when he came to aid her in her quarters. His brow rose as high as it could go. It was almost like pieces of a puzzle were coming together. There was only one person he knew that went by the name Lucas, and they dealt with a good amount of Dark Magic. Why didn't he realize it further? Why didn't he think of that as a possibility that night she had her attack? He would have to investigate further to see if there was even a connection, but it was the only logical reason for all of this happening. He started to walk again, faster this time, towards the infirmary.

I couldn't sleep that night, not after what Auntie Minnie told me. I used magic? I have magic? I couldn't believe it. Did my parents always know? Obviously Auntie Minnie never knew, she was just as surprised as I was. She said she would sit down with me when I'm better to figure out how I have magic. I winced as I slowly shifted from one side to the other.

Mia, dear.

My eyes darted around the room, trying to see where that voice was coming from. There was no one else in the hospital wing except for one student who was healing from an injury from playing a game called Quidditch.

Sorry baby, I couldn't be there to hold your hand while you get better. Why didn't you tell me you were a witch? I would have brought you here ages ago.

Lucas. How was he in my head? He's the last person I'd ever want to talk to! I shut my eyes, hoping it would help shut him out, too.

That's not how it works, I'm afraid. Now that you're here in the wizarding world, though, I'd love to get together. You left me, and I think you owe me some answers.

And like that, the voice went quiet, and didn't come back the rest of the night. My heart raced a million miles and hour. Is he here in the castle? Has he seen me since I've been here at Hogwarts? I could see his face, smiling at me. But it wasn't a genuine smile; it was one that had a hidden agenda.

I looked around one more time, just to make sure he really wasn't there, before I cried myself to sleep.

It's been about a week since I left the hospital wing, and everything was returning to normal. Lucas's voice never came back after that night.

I think the hardest part of this recovery process was trying to take care of my wounds. Auntie Minnie had to come down to my room every night to apply the ointment on my back. Most of my cuts and bruises have fully healed, with the exception of the big gash on my lower back. That one took a little time, but it's just about fully healed. Auntie said this would probably be the last time I would need the ointment.

My first two days back I stayed in my room, laying down in bed or sitting in front of the fireplace. I was too exhausted to do anything. By day three I was able to get out and walk around the castle grounds a little bit. Classes were still in session, and some of the students would look at me while they passed me in the corridor. Hermione found me in one of the corridors to thank me for what I did.

"I don't know what would have happened If you didn't come to look for me," she said, looking down at the floor.

"Don't mention it. It's part of my job to make sure you guys are safe. I'd never let anything bad happen to you guys," I said, feeling a bit sheepish. It was true, though. I may not know any of the students here (yet), but any harm directed towards them would have to come through me first. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Thank you, professor. I'll never forget it," she said, looking over at her two friends. One of them was Harry Potter and I don't know who the redhead was.

"Sorry, professor, but I must be going. Harry, Ron and I have class soon and we cannot be late." I nodded as she ran off with her friends.

Well, that was something new to ponder. I'll have to get used to people calling me Professor. Professor Taylor has a nice ring to it. I smiled to myself as I walked back to my room to work on my syllabi. The rest of the school seems to be going back to normal, so I should try my best to go back, too.

As I closed my door, the fireplace came to life, flames dancing up into thin air. The rolls of parchment laid on the table in front of the couch. I went over to my small kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. I'm going to need it if I want to get knee deep in this teaching stuff.

Being able to immerse myself into my teaching material helps distract me from thinking about what happened. I hope that was a total fluke, and I sure as hell don't want him finding me here. I opted to sit on the floor instead of sitting of the couch to do my work. I took the rolls of parchment and lay them in front of me. Seeing as I deal with stress on an almost daily basis, I thought it would be wise to have my first class on muggle (that's the correct term, right?) stress relievers. These students must go through stress by coming to school here. Some students have even enrolled into extra classes. Layer on the weekly exams and NEWTs and OWLs that Auntie Minnie mentioned. That's a whole lot to be stressed about. I turned around towards the desk and grabbed the black notebook that I specifically bought to use for my classes. Inside was my favorite pen: a silver ballpoint pen with the words "Dr. Grip" printed on the side. I opened up to the first page and started writing my first lesson plan.

Five pages in and two cups of coffee later, my fireplace suddenly turned green. I looked up to see Auntie Minnie walking through.

"Hello, my dear. I see you've found some inspiration for your teaching," she said, eyeing my notebook. I smiled, looking up at her from the floor. She stayed for about an hour to help me with my lesson plan. It was like I was with my mom again, her sitting next to me while I explained to her what I wanted to do. She had me make some changes here and there, but she overall was very impressed with what I wanted to do. It's times like these I could see how close my mom and Auntie Minnie were. I could tell what mannerisms Auntie got from mom, and I could also see what mom got from Auntie. It's pretty hilarious, but it's good to have something that's like home.

It was close to supper when Auntie Minnie turned to leave.

"I'll see you in the Great Hall shortly," she said, grabbing some of the green powder. I waved to her as I started putting my notebook and rolls of parchment away.

"Oh, and by the way," she said, turning back. "Severus has come to me with your request about visiting his class. He says you can stop by next week." She gave me that smirk that told me she was up to something. My mom gave that look sometimes to my dad when she was up to something, too.
"That's great! I'm really excited. I think we will get along," I replied, setting my cup down into the sink. Auntie Minnie chuckled.

"I have yet to see him 'get along' with anyone. The most that man might do is tolerate us." She stopped to think. "Then again, he seems to have some interest in you."

"Wait, what? Auntie-" I couldn't even finish my thought and she was out the fireplace. I shook my head. She's exactly like mom.