A/N: Hello everyone! Wow, it feels like forever since I've updated. I finally had a light day at work so I can post this. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 12: Heart Break and Break-Ins

On Saturday morning I headed over to the Great Hall for breakfast. I woke up in a good mood today, no nightmares or flashbacks, and today was the day Severus and I would be chaperoning the students to Hogsmeade. After breakfast, I only had just enough time to change into my attire for the day before meeting everyone at the front of the castle.

"Is this everyone?" I asked, looking out at the group of students. There were about thirty of them, excited on taking their trip to Hogsmeade this weekend. Severus nodded, eyeing each and every one of them.

"Once we arrive at Hogsmeade, most of the students will disperse, and we won't see them again until it is time to return to the castle. We can walk around the village at that time," Severus said, getting ready to speak to the students. He went over the rules and the time when they would have to return at the meeting point.

"If you – so eagerly – need to talk to someone, you can talk to myself or Professor Taylor. I would suggest speaking to Professor Taylor first before bothering with me," he said, walking through the sea of students before leading them out of the castle.

It was a long walk, but it was an amazing sight to see once we got there. Severus waved off the students, and they all went their separate ways. Once the students were gone, he looked at me with his eyebrow raised.

"Shall we take a stroll along the High Street?" he asked, playfully. I laughed as we walked along the path, passing various shops. There was a shop called Dominic Maestro's that I definitely wanted to check out later. There was also a shop called Honeydukes that was very popular during this time of day. I could see a lot of Hogwarts students in that store. I also saw a store front for Ollivanders; Severus said that this is a local branch for the wand shop.

He took me to a place called Tomes and Scrolls. They had books and rolls of parchment on just about anything. There were several books on spells and magic that I wanted to get, so I took them up to the front to pay for them. The store clerk wrapped the books for me. Once we left the shop, Severus took the stack of books from my hand, tapped his wand on the wrapping, and it shrunk until it was about the size of his palm.

"That is something I will definitely have to learn," I said, amazed by what he did.

He casually put the small package in his pocket. "I can teach you when we return to Hogwarts. I have no other plans after Hogsmeade." I nodded, excited that I'll get to spend more time with him today.

We still had quite a bit of time before returning, so he took me to this place called the Three Broomsticks. It was owned by a lady called Madam Rosmerta. She had a pretty face, and a lot of the men in the pub seemed to like her.

"What would you like to order?" Severus asked as we took a booth towards the back. I looked over to where there was a list of drinks that you could order.

"What is Butterbeer?" I asked. It didn't sound appealing, but I was curious to try it.

"It's a non-alcoholic drink, most of the students fancy that. I suggest you try it if you haven't had it before." I nodded, agreeing to try the Butterbeer. Severus ordered for the both of us. Once Madam Rosmerta walked away to get our drinks, Severus turned his attention back to me.

"Okay, you got to tell me, have you ever had eyes for Madam Rosmerta before?" I asked with a mischievous smile.

"Merlin, no," he said, disgustingly. "I rarely frequent this pub. I rarely frequent Hogsmeade."

"So I've been told," I said, thanking Madam Rosmerta for my mug. "Auntie told me how you like to excuse yourself from your chaperoning duties."

"That would be correct," he said, taking a sip of his firewhiskey. "I'd rather be grading papers than watching over these hormone filled students."

I laughed, trying the Butterbeer for the first time. "This drink is amazing!" I said, staring at the mug. It reminded me of butterscotch. I took another sip, and noticed a familiar blonde man coming our way.

"Fuck my life," I said, slamming my mug down.

Severus looked at me in surprise. "Such colorful words," he said, but turned to see Lucas standing at our table.

"Ah, Mia. How wonderful to see you," Lucas said, staring down at me. I didn't bother to greet him, letting my piercing eyes do the talking. He smiled before looking at Severus. "And Severus, I never thought I would see you here. How good it is to see and old friend."

I shot a glance over to Severus. Friends? These two were friends? Are they still friends? My eyes darted back between the two of them as Lucas purposefully shoved himself next to Severus, who did not seem happy to be sharing his side of the booth.

"My love, have you thought about our conversation the last time we met?" he asked me, folding his hands on the table. I could feel myself fuming with various emotions. I could see Severus staring at me through the corner of my eye, awaiting my answer.

"My answer hasn't changed. It's still a no. A – very – hard no," I said, locking my gaze with his. "I don't know why you're still trying. It's never going to change." I'm not sure where this surge of confidence is coming from, but it's definitely helping. I was gripping to my mug for dear life. I could see Severus glancing at my hands and at my mug.

Lucas huffed, looking annoyed at me. "Well Severus, I think you have finally done it. You now have something I want. This will be quite interesting." He moved to stand, but then motioned for Severus to follow him. "If I could have a word with you, privately. Until next time, Mia."

"There won't be a next time," I said coldly, looking away as both men walked outside to talk.

I couldn't believe it. I can't believe my former-crazy-stalking ex-boyfriend is friends with the guy I'm currently dating. I refuse to call him my boyfriend now, even if he was. I don't know if I can knowing that they are friends with each other. I sighed in frustration, trying to make sense of this whole situation all while trying to curb the anxiety and panic of being so close to that man again. I really don't want to see him again. At least not in close proximity. It seems this wizarding world is a small community, but if I could avoid him at all costs, I will gladly do whatever it takes. I could subtly hear something bubbling nearby. I looked down to see that I somehow made my Butterbeer bubble. I let go of the mug, and the bubbles stopped.

"Mia, I can explain," Severus said as he slid into his seat.

I put up my hand to stop him. This must be what he didn't want to tell me. "Just. Don't. I'm just so angry right now. I don't want to say anything that I'll end up regretting later." I wanted to yell at him, throw my mug at him, punch him, then punch Lucas, but I couldn't do that here.

I needed to breathe. I needed to get out of here. I need to be by myself.

"I'm going back to the castle. You can tell Minerva that I can do another weekend since I'm abandoning my duties mid-day," I said rather harshly. I wished that I didn't, but I couldn't help with the anger and frustration I had inside of me.

He grabbed my hand before I would walk away. "Please, if I could have a word with you on this. I need to explain myself. I don't want to lose you."

I looked at him, and his eyes looked so sad. I don't think I have ever seen this emotion on him before, and it hit straight to my heart. I held onto his hand and nodded. "I'll meet you in your rooms tonight after dinner." Reluctantly, I let go and walked away, wiping the tears from my eyes.

The sun had gone down for the day, but I didn't have an appetite when it was time for dinner. I really wanted to try and not see Severus unless I really had to, so I opted to stay in my room. May be if I don't go to dinner then he will think I won't meet him in his room tonight to talk. I sat on the couch and listened to the fire crackle and pop, watched as the flames danced into oblivion. I strummed random chords on my guitar, wincing as I would move my fingers. I've been playing since the moment I made it back to my room, which I'm guessing has been a few hours now. I could tell that my fingertips were getting red and raw, but that didn't matter to me.

I would rather think about my raw fingers than to think about what happened at Hogsmeade.

Several chords later, I noticed there was red on my fingers. I took the rag that I had used earlier when they bled the first time and wiped the fresh blood off, wincing again at the contact from the rag. A soft knock came to by door as I wiped my second finger.

"It's open!" I said, wiping the third. Ouch. The door opened then closed, and I turned to see Severus walk around the couch, and stopped to see what I was doing.

"You weren't at dinner tonight," he said, eyeing my fingers.

"I wasn't hungry, so I just stayed here," I replied, wiping the last two. I flexed my hand, closing it and then opening it to stretch it out. I threw the rag onto the table and moved over so Severus could sit on the couch with me.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, taking the guitar from me and then gingerly taking my left hand. He held it, palm up, and looked at my fingertips, all in their red, raw glory.

"It comes with the territory, I guess. I was just playing for a long time and this is just the wear and tear," I said, casually. His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked guilty. It was almost as if he felt like it was his fault. He took his wand out and said "Ferula," and tiny bandages began to wrap themselves around my fingers. Once the bandages were done wrapping themselves, he checked every finger to make sure they were on securely. He was being so sweet, so gentle, and so loving in this very moment. It was hard to be mad at him anymore for what happened.

"There is something I need you know," I told him, holding both of his hands. His thumbs grazed over the back of my hands as I tried to put my words together.

"I just want you to know that I am not mad at you for what happened earlier with Lucas. I was for a little bit, but I'm over it. There was no way you would have known that the guy that screwed me for life is one of your friends."

His grip tightened on me. "We are not friends. Not anymore. Once I realized he was the one that was causing all of this, I confronted him, and I'm still trying to get answers," he said, anger in his face.

"I did not know he would be there today. He usually doesn't frequent that place either. In this world, he is a very wealthy man, with a high status within the wizarding community. He can get whatever his heart so chooses to desire, and it's a bit annoying." He pulled me closer to him, so that he could drape his arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head onto him, and swung my legs over his, and his other hand instinctively rested on top of my knees.

"Why am I so special to him? I'm not even from this world, and he somehow found me and was able to control me. And why all of a sudden do I now have magic?" I traced the line of his robes, trying to put all of the pieces together. I had lived a normal life, up until we all had realized that I was able to wield magic. Was there something that my parents kept from me?

"As I have said before, you have the potential to be a very powerful witch. I'm assuming Lucas somehow knew this information, and wants you for your power, whatever it may be. It's hard to be sure since your magic is just presenting it now."

We both sat in silence for a few minutes. I could feel his fingers tracing circles around my shoulders, which was calming. The more time we sat there, the more I was able to get over what has happened. I could feel my anger for Severus disappearing, but my anger towards Lucas still stayed the same.

"I want everything to be okay between us," I said, finally breaking the silence. "I just don't know if I can trust you, knowing that you were friends with him." The silence came again, both of us staring into the fire. "I just need time to sort through my thoughts."

"Take as much time as you need," he said, with a hint of sadness in his voice. I rose from my seat next to him, and stood in front of the fireplace.

I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the warmth of the fire hit my skin. "I think I'm going to go to bed." I heard him make his way towards the door, opening it, then closing it. I didn't bother to look back.

The feelings that I have been experiencing today decided this was the perfect time to come pouring out of me. I crumbled to the floor and automatically folded myself into the fetal position, violently sobbing. My eyes were screwed shut but I could still feel the tears freely flowing. My thoughts were all over the place, going back and forth from memories with Lucas to memories with Severus. My heart felt like it just wanted to break, but I could feel it yearning for Severus. I know this is the barrier I needed to let down, but for some reason I just couldn't do it. It was a constant tug of war between my heart and my brain, and it was taking a toll on me.

I needed to let all of it go and say "none of it matters" so that I could move on with my life. I couldn't condemn Severus just because he knew Lucas. That would be unfair and cruel of me. This is my life now, and Severus is the man I want to be with, no matter what the fallout may ultimately be with Lucas. I needed to trust him, and he needs to know that I trust him. And I need to trust myself that I won't fall back to my old ways.

I was at the lake again, but the weather was gloomy. Dark gray clouds loomed over me as I sat, knees tucked under my chin, looking out into the abyss. It was cold, and it looked like it was going to rain any minute. I closed my eyes, trying to clear my thoughts. I tucked my knees in tighter as the wind blew.

I wish he was here with me. I wish he was here right now.

Everything started to turn black and white, all the color just fading away. My tears fell silently onto my jeans. I watched as the ripples from the lake turned from a dark blue to a gray. All the rocks that lined the lake were different shades of gray, and some were black.

I stared into the lake for however long I was sitting there, not saying a word. Finally, it started to rain.

And it poured.

I woke up with a startle, realizing I was uncomfortably laying on the floor in front of the fireplace. There was a blanket draped over me, and I wasn't sure where it came from. I don't remember purposefully laying on the floor to go to sleep. I picked up the blanket and made my way towards my bed, and plopped down, wrapping myself like a burrito in the blanket. I almost immediately fell back asleep as the warmth of the blanket enveloped me.

I spent the next two weeks in my classroom, doing final preparations and using it as a getaway from my room. I saw Auntie Minnie a few times, but I didn't talk to her much. She knew something was up, but she didn't want to ask me. She helped me a few times when I had to move some things, but that was the extent of our time together.

I saw Severus even less. I refused to go to the Great Hall for meals, and somehow the house elves knew to bring me food during mealtime. I guess Auntie Minnie started that once she noticed I was skipping out on a few meals. I could hear from the students in the halls that Severus was being more cruel than usual, freely taking house points as he pleased. I have only seen him once, and it was in passing in the corridors.

It was about mid-week when I was walking through the hallways, trying to get some fresh air. I was just about finished with all of my prep, and there was no use trying to hide in my classroom. Auntie Minnie came flying down the hall, her face filled with concern and horror.

"Auntie? Is everything alright?" I asked as she slowed to talk to me.

"Mia dear, I need you to help the faculty that are in the Great Hall. No student is to leave that hall unless instructed by either myself or Dumbledore. Do you have your wand with you?"

"Yes, I do," I said, showing her where I tucked it away in my robes.

She nodded. "Keep it close. I do hope you don't need it, but you never know." She gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. "Stay safe, my dear."

We parted ways as I started to make my way towards the Great Hall. The corridors were eerily quiet as I swiftly made my way to the hallway leading to the faculty entrance. I walked through the door, chatter from the students and the faculty echoing through the room. I looked around to see who was here. Everyone except for Auntie Minnie, Professor Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Severus we're here with me. I looked towards the sea of students, amazed to see all of the houses mingling with each other. Usually they were all divided, but because of whatever circumstance we were in, they had all come together as one.

"Ah, Ms. Taylor, we are so relieved to see you," one of the professors said to me.

"I'm relieved to be here," I responded. "Do we know what's going on?" I asked, hoping someone could shed some light on what was happening.

"Dumbledore didn't tell us specifically," another professor said in almost a whisper. "But it sounds like students made their way to the out of bounds area on the third floor. Merlin, those students are asking for an expulsion."

"We have been instructed to keep an eye on the students in here, until the situation has been resolved," the first professor added. I nodded, checking to make sure my wand was where it should be.

"What are we supposed to do with the students? Is there something we can give them to pass the time?" I asked, looking at the students. I could tell that some of them were starting to look restless and bored. They obviously didn't know what was going on.

The two professors I were talking to both shook their heads. "Unfortunately not, but they are not allowed to leave until Minerva or Headmaster Dumbledore have returned."

I sighed, wishing there was a way I could find out what they were up to or how it was going. Then I started to wonder who were the students that went into the out of bounds area.

"Did you happen to see Quirinus on your way here?" the second professor asked me.

"Who?" I didn't know anyone by the name of Quirinus.

"My apologies, Professor Quirrell. Quirinus is his first name. No one has seen him all day, and he is not here now."

I shuddered at the thought of Professor Quirrell. But they were right, I haven't seen him at all, and he was suspiciously absent from the Great Hall. I shook my head, and the professor looked worried.

"May be he went with the other faculty to help with the situation?" I suggested.

The professor nodded in agreement. "That could be possible. He is our Dark Arts teacher, he could prove to be helpful to them if there was such magic being used, although highly unlikely."

We all moved to sit at the faculty table, and patiently waited, making small talk to help the time pass by. One hour passed, then two, then three. What could be talking so long? Why haven't they tried to get a hold of any of us? It was almost time for dinner, and one of the professors instructed the house elves to release the dinner plates early so that we all could eat. This helped the atmosphere of the room, as everyone was starting to get a little antsy. The food helped to calm people down, including me.

Then my mind wandered to Severus. I missed him dearly these past couple of weeks. Although the time apart really helped me catch up on some things and really cleared my mind, it didn't help the fact that I did have some serious feelings for him. Somewhere between shelving my newly bought books and sorting out my lesson plans by week, I realized how much I've come to care for him. I don't think my feelings would have gone this far if I wasn't ready to put myself into another relationship. One of my resolutions for this year was to let go of my past and move on, and it was at this point I had fulfilled that resolution. May be pursing something more with him won't be too bad, and I know he is nothing like Lucas. I just hope it isn't too late to fix things.

Another hour passed before the large doors to the Great Hall started to shake, almost like someone was trying to get in.

"Those doors are locked, and I warded them," Professor Flitwick said. The doors shook again, and the room was silent.

I could feel panic coursing through me, but I willed myself to stay calm, for the sake of everyone in this room. Defensively, I took out my wand and started making my way towards the back. One of the professors ordered the students to stand back as myself, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and one other professor made our way towards the doors. We made a semi-circle around the doors, Professor Sprout and the professor I didn't know stood on either side and myself and Professor Flitwick standing directly in front of each door.

My wand shook in my hand, but I kept my breathing even to help stay calm. I could feel the familiar tingling in my hands, and I turned my thoughts to Severus. "I have to apologize, Professor Flitwick," I whispered as the door rattled again. "I'm fairly new to my magic, but I'll try my best. I won't let anything happen to these kids."

Professor Flitwick nodded. "Don't you worry, Ms. Taylor. We all have each other's backs here. Your bravery speaks volumes."

His words were very comforting, and I felt more confidence standing where I was at with them. Suddenly, the doors swung open, but no one was there. A slight breeze blew in as the four of us cautiously walked out of the Great Hall.

"Is everyone accounted for?" asked Professor Dumbledore as he somehow came out of nowhere. It looked like he had just rounded the corner as we all recognized him. He was walking alone, no other faculty with him.

"Yes, Headmaster," Professor Sprout said. "The rest of the staff is inside as well. We came up here when the doors began to shake."

"Ah, I apologize for the rattling," he said with this gentle, raspy voice. "I was attempting to open the doors, but it took quite a few attempts before they were able to open. I assume wards were in place for the students' protection?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Professor Flitwick said. "I put up the wards when we realized that we might be in there for quite some time."

"Job well done, Professor Flitwick. And to all of you as well. Now, let us return and I will give further instruction. The danger can be put behind us now, but we still have some questions that need answers."

Professor Dumbledore led us back into the Great Hall, where everyone was surprised to see him walking through. He stood at the front of the hall, and instructed Prefects to escort their houses back to their dormitories, and all faculty are to follow the houses closest to their quarters to ensure that they arrive safely. Once we were all dismissed by Professor Dumbledore, I followed behind the group of Slytherins toward the dungeons. Some of the students that trailed in the back tried to coax out of me what was going on, but unfortunately for them, I did not know much. They didn't seem satisfied with my answer, and walk back to rejoin with the rest of the group.

As the last student walked through the portrait hole, I turned to make my way back to my room, hoping to see Severus, but I didn't. I finally made it back to the door that lead to my room, and still no sign of Severus. I took one last look down the hallway before opening the door and taking a step inside. I closed the door, twirling my wand in my hands. I walked over to my bed and laid my wand and teaching robes on the blanket. A soft knock came to the door, and I was hoping it was him.

"Severus!" I sighed in relief, throwing my arms around him. He wrapped his arms around me tightly as he guided me backwards into my room. We stopped momentarily for him to kick my door shut.

"You're safe," he said, caressing my back. I never wanted to let go, I wanted to stay like this forever. We stopped at the foot of the bed, and his hands came around from my back to cup my face.

"I was so worried about you, we never heard anything for several hours," I told him, looking him over to see if there was any sign of injuries. Luckily, there were none, just dirt around his boots and the bottom of his trousers, along with some spots on his coat. "What happened?"

He motioned for me to sit before he explained the situation. "Three students entered the out of bounds area on the third floor. This is strictly forbidden, and I'm pleased to say they weren't from my house. There was an item on interest that was being stored on that level, and apparently Professor Quirrell was after that item. Although I have no idea as to why those three dunderheads would want to pursue the item, one of them – Potter – managed to stop Quirrell and kill him."

My eyes widened. I hoped he was joking, but his face said he was being serious.

"It also seems that Quirrell was not acting of his own accord. He was under the control of something else, something that is trying to make their way back into this world." His face read fear, anger, and sadness all at the same time. There was no way I could keep the incident from the Astronomy Tower from him anymore. I knew it had to be linked to this somehow.

I took a breath before starting. "The day that I ran from the Astronomy Tower, do you remember that?" He nodded, listening closely. "I was not running because I got claustrophobic. Professor Quirrell found me up in the tower. He said he had a message for me."

I closed my eyes, trying to curb the anxiety from remembering that moment. I felt his hands hold mine as I looked at him. "He had a face under that turban he wore. It never told me its name, but they said that one day I would stand side by side with them, but I refused. I was trying to get away when Quirrell pulled out his wand." He held my hands tighter, and I could see that the gears were turning in his head. "The last thing he said to me was that the Dark Lord would call me when he returned, then he let me go."

His eyes widened. "The Dark Lord?" he repeated. He closed his eyes for a minute and took a few deep breaths. Once he opened his eyes again, he cupped my face in his hands again, just like before. "I swear to you, nothing will happen to you while you are here and while you are with me. I will protect you, whatever it takes."

He pulled my face to his and our lips met. I wrapped my arms around him, as he laid me down on my bed. He deepened the kiss, and I opened my lips, our tongues colliding with each other. My fingers ran through his hair as he softly moaned.

We briefly broke away from each other and looked at one another, trying to catch for breath.

"Stay with me," I said breathlessly.

"Always," he whispered, lowering his head to kiss me again.