1995

Though Severus had now gathered some of the pieces of himself that were attached to Shaylah, he would still have moments where his current demeanor would shine through. The shadow of her Severus lost in the sneers and harsh words. It had become less frequent in the recent months as they had begun to spend more time together but it was something that was unavoidable as two versions of himself coexisted in the same mind.

The potions lessons were extended to five days a week after dinner. Some of those nights were spent in a pile of discarded robes and ecstacy. The beast she had so longed to meet again unleashed from its bindings as Severus shredded her clothes from her body.

Other nights were spent over a cauldron, watching shimmering colors dance as she added ingredients and stirred with precision. Her abilities had drastically improved along with Severus' patience. When a small explosion had covered them both in soot, she watched the sneer form on his lips but it was quickly swept away by a fit of laughter as Shaylah herself lost her composure. She snorted and held her sides as giggles poured out of her. Severus' face was plastered with a smile that met his eyes.

Moody had made it a habit of making a fool out of Shaylah in his classes, asking questions that no seventh year student would be able to answer. Shaylah would be forced to bite her tongue. She did in fact know the explanation but she could not give it. Instead she would hang her head and give a shameful 'I don't know sir.'

Moody would then use her as an example of incompetence, though no one else in her class was capable of giving him an acceptable answer and he didn't allow them to try. Nate had noticed the snide remarks and the pleasure Moody took in tearing Shaylah down. "What did you do to piss him off?" He had asked jokingly.

"Guess I'm just as inept in the Dark Arts as I am at potions." she had said, landing a snort from Nate in response.

"He still shouldn't treat you like that. He's become more vicious than Snape."

Shaylah didn't let Moody burrow under her skin, she knew that a wrench had been thrown into his plans. His path had come to a grinding halt and he knew it was her fault. She would take all the mocking laughter and hurtful jabs she was met with if it meant he never laid a finger on the goblet.

Severus did not tell her what he and Dumbledore had discussed but he assured her that her concerns were not dismissed by the Headmaster. She didn't push for more information, she left him with his secrets.

Severus would sometimes ask questions about their family and the future during their sessions. Shaylah would tell him of the times they shared and of their children, but she knew if the path remained steady ahead of them those experiences would be different.

Time moved briskly and Shaylah once again found herself in a pile of homework as the end of the year approached. The N.E.W.T exams loomed closer, as did the last task of the tournament. Pressure closed in on her from all sides, if Moody was allowed near the Goblet of Fire everything would collapse.

"Mind if I join you?" A friendly voice asked as Shaylah sat with a leaning pile of books and scattered pieces of parchment strewn over a library table.

"Of course." she said without looking up. Gesturing at the seat across from her. Nate carefully moved the haphazardly stacked pile of books to make space for his own work.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Shaylah didn't acknowledge the question immediately. "Shay?"

She hummed absentmindedly. Her quill never stalled as she wrote all the uses for Valerian Root. "Oh, yes. I'm just tired."

"Snape is really working you with those nightly classes huh?"

Shaylah felt the heat enter her cheeks. She chuckled nervously and cleared her throat. "A little, but my skills have drastically improved. I'm not worried about blowing anything up during the exam."

Nate gave her a small smile. "I'm pretty confident I'll get high marks on my exams. I'll have to if I want to pursue a career as an Auror."

Shaylah's quill finally stilled as she looked up at her friend. She reached across the table and placed her hand on his. "You're extremely intelligent Nate and I have no doubts you will make a great Auror," he beamed at her.

Nate nodded and a determined look fell over his face. "Well, better get this done."

They studied in silence until it was time for dinner. Shaylah replaced her books and gathered her parchment while Nate did the same. They made their way to the Great Hall but Shaylah was quickly pulled aside by a furious looking Severus who barked at Nate to get to his table.

"We have a problem." Severus snarled as he pulled Shaylah down the stairs toward the dungeons. He didn't speak again until they were safely tucked into his office with a silencing charm set in place.

"What is it Severus?" Shaylah asked as he paced back and forth in front of her. His hands were folded behind his back and his brows were furrowed with thought.

"You said Moody turns the goblet into a portkey?" Shaylah nodded her head. "When does he do that? How?"

"I don't know Severus. I only know what you told me."

"Come with me."

He swung the office door open and pulled Shaylah through the castle, he didn't slow for anyone who tried to stop him. She wasn't sure where they were going until they arrived at the gargoyle. Severus kept her wrist gently gripped in his hand as they ascended the stairs. They entered the office that she had come to know so well. Fawkes, the phoenix squaked as they entered. The brilliant bird watched them intently as Severus led her to where the goblet sat on its pedestal waiting to be claimed.

The goblet emitted a soft blue glow that danced on the walls around it. Severus eyed it with suspicion as he approached, his face wrinkled as if there were a bad stench in the air. Then he produced his wand and hovered it over the open face of the goblet, then the sides. Each wave was precise and the movements were performed multiple times.

Shaylah stood silently watching Severus work. She wasn't sure what it was he was doing but she dared not interrupt. She jumped when Severus cursed, his voice bounced off the walls around them. Fawkes let out a defiant squawk in response. "It's already a portkey."

"Can you remove the enchantment? Reverse it?"

"I-I'm not sure. I've never seen the need to try."

Someone cleared their throat behind them. Dumbledore stood with his hands folded together in front of him. An unidentifiable expression on his face. "What exactly did I miss?" He asked.

Shaylah approached him and placed a hand on his arm. "Please sir, I'm begging you to check Moody's flask."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked toward Severus. "What was this about a portkey?"

Severus crossed the room to where Dumbledore stood and explained the discovery he had just made. Dumbledore's brow furrowed as he listened, the same shadow Shaylah had seen before passed behind his eyes. Shaylah stood quietly beside them, listening to the tone of Dumbledore's voice as he questioned Severus. There was no urgency in his voice, no surprise. The future flashed before her, visions of her fallen friends. A terrible slideshow of loss and regret. Her stomach simmered with panic and her throat coated with bile when Vex's lifeless body implanted itself in the forefront. She cut into the conversation with rage dripping from her words. "If you do not stop Moody, I will." She warned.

Dumbledore's attention fell on her. His expression was that of a disappointed parent when their child had spoken out of turn. "There are certain events that must take place, Miss Epans, we cannot interfere."

"I watched too many people die, you have no idea the door you will open if you do nothing. In fourteen years Barty Jr. Will be choked with his own tongue, but I would take great pride in expediting his sentence."

Dumbledore did not immediately respond. Perhaps he was absorbing the information Shaylah had so venomously spat at him. Her heart hammered in her chest, panic mixed with the heavy worry that came from Dumbledore's lack of understanding or perhaps it was exceptional understanding. The lines blurred somewhere but she would never see them clearly.

"Barty Jr.?" He asked softly.

"That's who Moody is, well who is masquerading as Moody." Shaylah didn't give him a chance to respond, she flew towards the door on feet that feared the ground. The pattering of two sets of feet behind her filled her ears as she tore through the castle. Both Dumbledore and Severus called to her but she would not slow. When she arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom she burst through the door without a second thought. Moody sat behind his desk, a stack of parchment towering beside him. He waved his wand and the door slammed shut behind her, his blue eye whirred in its socket, stopping on the door.

"Here to explain why you're too incompetent to answer questions in my class?" He smirked.

Shaylah produced her wand, her fingers trembled as she prepared to do what needed to be done. Moody stood slowly and pulled his flask from the pocket of his coat. He gestured toward her before attempting to take a sip but Shaylah shot it from his hand. The look of surprise on his face was quickly wiped away by a sneer. A growl erupted from his throat as he produced his own wand and shot a vibrant green spell from its tip. Shaylah leapt behind a row of desks as heavy knocks filled the room.

"Not now, I'm busy!" Moody shouted. His blue mechanical eye seemed to look in all directions at once as he waved his wand along the row of desks. "Now now, don't attack me because you're useless." The desk to her left blew into pieces, bombarding her with bits of metal and wood. She attempted to disarm him, shooting spells between where the now destroyed desk once stood and from underneath the one she was using for cover. Her aim was failing her. The desk to her right met the same fate as the last, leaving her in a layer of wood bits and dust.

She swallowed the fear that loomed so heavy in her throat, choking down her courage. She stood and faced the man, but the face that looked back at her was not Alastor Moody. Barty Crouch Jr. Stared back at her. Moody's blue eye rolled on the floor, zipping around in all directions. Barty's tongue ran across his bottom lip, a disgusting habit. From the tip of her wand shot a fiery snake. The same one she had once used to kill one of the men who murdered Vex.

Barty's eyes glimmered with the reflection of the striking reptile as it lurched toward him. He formed a shield that succeeded in suppressing the snake's blow. When the blaze dissipated, Barty had only suffered singed hair. He raised his wand, the killing curse dancing on his tongue but he was blown back by the blast that blew the door open. Dumbledore and Severus rushed in simultaneously, their wands drawn.

Dumbledore's eyes were saucers as he watched Barty compose himself, his own wand was drawn and his tongue darted over his bottom lip. Severus took a step toward him and was forced to deflect a spell. A similar look to the one she had seen when he killed Griffon was present in his eyes. Barty sent several more spells but Severus deflected them with ease as he encroached on the now shrinking man. Severus sent Barty flying into the blackboard, the board spun and slid across the room. Severus shoved his wand into Barty's throat just like he had Griffon's and Shaylah feared she was about to witness the man be torn from the inside out.

Dumbledore's voice shattered the tension that had become suffocating. "Severus, please hold him while I send for the Ministry. Then we will discuss what to do about the goblet." The old wizard disappeared through the torn doorway. Shaylah joined Severus, her wand trained on Barty.

Shaylah held her composure, though Morgan's idea of choking Barty with his own tongue kept traipsing through her mind. Each time his disgusting tongue ran over his lips she envisioned him choking on it. She stayed with Severus until Dumbledore returned and the Minister for Magic had arrived, at which point she was shooed from the room.

The stands around the massive hedges of the maze were once again packed tightly with spectators. Nate, Carrie, Shaylah and Marsha sat together. The seats were so crowded that the four of them were pressed tightly against each other. Nate made it clear that he bet on Potter this time when the Weasley twins came around. The excitement in the air was electric as the champions made their way to the entrance of the maze.

Dumbledore held his wand to his throat and his voice became amplified, quieting the anticipation that ran through the stands. He explained the rules of the task and that a teacher would be standing watch over the goblet, Professor McGonagall was hidden in the maze along with the trophy. No students were to touch the goblet when it was found, McGonagall would simply send up a signal which would cause the hedges to drop and produce the victor.

Severus had confided in Shaylah that they had attempted to remove the enchantment but were unsure if they were successful, therefore no one would touch the goblet until more diagnostics could be run. They were afraid it had become unstable. Alastor Moody, the Alastor Moody, stood next to Dumbledore and Fudge, his blue eye whirring in its socket. Severus sat just in front of Shaylah, his eyes watching the proceedings intently.

They had found Moody quite by accident, while rummaging through his office. The very office Barty had attacked Shaylah in. A large inconspicuous looking trunk had become his prison. According to Moody, he had heard everything that transpired, but no one heard his cries. It was unclear how long Barty had been wearing his skin, Moody's memory was hazy at best. Now he stood as himself again, in the position he should have held from the start.

Dumbledore turned to speak to the champions and the stands were hushed. A spark lit the air and Harry entered the maze first, followed by Cedric and then Viktor and Fleur. Muttering broke out in the crowd as all they could do now was wait. Nate bumped Shaylah with his shoulder, "What do you think is in the maze?"

Shaylah shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know but I'm glad I'm not in it."

A flare burst in the air and Fleur was quickly retrieved by Professor Flitwick. The Beuxbatons flooded to her in the clearing in front of the hedges. Tears poured down her cheeks as she was brought into the stands. It seemed the vines had pulled her in and she was unable to escape.

More chatter rippled across the crowd, Shaylah felt Severus stiffen in front of her. Carrie whispered her praises of Krum before another flare burst into the sky, "I bet it's Diggory this time." She stated. However the collapsed body that was pulled from the hedges was not Cedric, but Viktor. Carrie rose to her feet to see more clearly, her hand flew to her mouth as she chewed one of her nails waiting to hear what had happened.

Dumbledore held his wand to his throat and announced that Viktor would be fine, simply in shock from his run in with something in the maze. A collective sigh filled the air and Carrie returned to her seat, her hand held over her heart. Marsha wrapped her in a strong hug and they both rejoiced.

The wait seemed to go on forever, the suspense of who would emerge victorious made the air thick around them. The Weasley twins shouted and sang, trying to ease the boredom and tension. Almost the entire stadium had joined them as they sang, but everyone fell silent as a third flare burned the sky. Professor Moody emerged with a shaken Cedric, his voice was trembling as he was brought into the stands. Whatever he had seen had shaken him. A sea of people surrounded him, and more whispers broke out among the spectators.

"I'm glad I bet on Potter." Nate said arrogantly.

The four of them fell into conversation as they waited for Harry to emerge. Wondering what each of the champions had seen inside the maze and how Harry was fairing. Severus sat back in his seat and his shoulders came to rest on her knees. She longed to wrap her arms around his neck and tell him it would be alright. A new path had already begun to unfold when Cedric Diggory emerged from the hedges alive, and even before.

An awful clattering sound broke the air as a wiry white ball detonated from above the maze, the hedges began to descend and the entire stadium rose to their feet. The silence that enveloped them was deafening, as if the entirety of those in attendance had held their breath. When the last leaves had sunk, Harry stood with McGonagall, his hand clutched in hers and held above his head. Severus and Shaylah's hands were both a blur as they applauded.

The seats shook as people stampeded toward the clearing, shouts and applause ensued. Shaylah slipped from the crowd as they gathered around Harry, and hid behind the now abandoned stands. She pulled the photo from the pocket of her robes as Severus stepped behind her and rested his head on hers. His arms snaked around her middle as she held the picture up for him to see. Four smiling faces beamed back at them.

They stood in their original positions, Prince in front of Severus and Rose in front of Shaylah but something was different. The scenery behind them looked familiar but it was not the home she had left behind. She struggled to recall where she had seen it, but she felt she had never been there. Perhaps she had seen it in a dream or a photograph. Her children's faces were slightly different, freckles where there once were none. Rose's eyes were blue instead of brown and Prince's hair was dark like his father's instead of a dusty blonde.

The roars from the opposite side of the stands drove the thought from her mind, her family would prevail and Voldemort had not returned. She turned in Severus' arms and placed a kiss on his lips. Her task had been completed, now she just had to follow the path.