Home is where the heart is

It was dark, all around. Deep shadows cast over the silent graveyard, and there was nothing but silence........until a sound of shuffling approached. When it became unbearably close, Harry felt a roaring, unbelievable pain in his scar, and sank to the ground on his knees. Through a red haze of pain, he heard a high-pitched, chilling voice.

"Kill the spare."

A flash of blindingly green light. And then, Harry looked up, into the empty depths of Cedric's eyes. They were dull and lifeless, widened in surprise. He was dead.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Cedric! Nooooooooo!" screamed Harry. His voice echoed around him, and suddenly he was falling through a grey mist. "Nooooo........." The echoes went on and on and on......they engulfed him into a pit of anguish, horror and darkness.......

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"Harry! Wake up!" pleaded a voice from a far distance. Harry felt himself being shaken. "Harry, open your eyes!"

Slowly, Harry returned to reality. Sirius' face swam above him. "Sirius?" he croaked, trembling like a little child. "Shhh....it's okay, Harry, it's okay." comforted Sirius. He was holding Harry, who was soaked in sweat. Harry went limp. "Another nightmare?" he asked dully.

Sirius frowned in concern. "Another......? Why didn't you tell someone? Harry, how often do you have these dreams?"

Harry was silent, and tried to sit up for himself. It was the middle of the night, and Sirius had lit a few candles, which cast eerie patterns across the walls. "Harry?" pressed Sirius.

Harry shrugged, wrapping his arms around his thin figure. "I'm fine. Sorry for waking you up."

"Bull. Harry, don't lie. You were dreaming about the third task, weren't you?" said Sirius roughly. Watching his godson thrash wildly in his sleep and moaning had scared him. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry hung his head in shame. His first night here, and already he was causing concern over his mental health. Typical. He must look like a big baby.

"I...I keep seeing Cedric being murdered.....every night, I have the same dream...." he whispered, fighting back tears. They sat there in silence, until Sirius gave him a hug, and Harry buried his face in his shoulder. Knowing that someone was there, who actually gave a damn about him was a comfort. A parent-figure.

He and Sirius sat there for a long time, until Sirius let go of Harry and looked at him kindly.

"How about a midnight snack and a game of chess?" he asked. Harry gave a shaky smile, and slid out of bed, praying that his legs would keep up. Those nightmares took a lot out of him.

Out in the living room, all that remained from the fire earlier was a pile of glowing embers. Sirius poked at them, and added a few logs. Harry took the chessboard and pieces off the coffee table, and sat on the mat in front of the fire. He began to set the board up. Sirius disappeared into the kitchen, and then came back with some chocolate-chip cookies and two mugs of hot chocolate (with plenty of sugar.) Setting these down, Sirius sat on the floor with Harry.

"Black or white?" asked Harry quietly. "Why, black, of course," answered Sirius with a small grin, using an old pun. For the next hour, Sirius and Harry silently played chess, occasionally munching on the cookies or sipping from their mugs. Eventually, Harry made his final move, checkmating Sirius' king. "Checkmate." he declared.

Sirius made a face. "I've never been too good at chess. I always lose against Remus...."

Harry smiled, and cleared away the chess pieces. Looking up, he saw Sirius watching him closely. Then, Sirius spoke. "Alright there, Harry?"

"Yeah...you didn't have to stay up, you know," Harry told him. Sirius looked disturbed. "What kind of guardian.....or friend would I be, to leave you when you were feeling so down? Harry, your happiness means a lot more to me than a few hours of sleep," he said softly. Harry looked down. Sirius was still watching him.

"Harry.....the third task changed you. I can see it - Remus sees it as well. You've been through horrors that nobody should have experienced....let alone a teenager. And I want you to know that me and Moony are always here to listen to anything you have to say."

Harry stared at Sirius. And then he slowly smiled, abet shyly. "Y'know, if my dad was still alive, I'd hope that he was like you." Sirius looked a little stunned at this comment. Then, he shook his head sadly, thinking of all the years he had missed, of Harry's childhood.

"Harry, I honestly doubt I'm father material. After all, I haven't really been near children.....or normal people, for that matter - since you were born. Er....speaking of that, would you like to hear some of the things about you when you were a baby?" Sirius changed the topic quickly, steering it away from his broodings.

Harry looked eager. "That would be great!" He had always wondered what it had been like, with his parents. Sirius cleared his throat, and began.

"Well, I remember the day that Lily was in labour with you. For about six hours, I believe. James was having a nervous breakdown. So, of course, me, Moony, and......Wormail were there, to try and keep him sane. Lily kicked him out of the delivery room, so he was stuck outside. In the end, we took him down the road to a pub for a few drinks, to calm his nerves. He kept on saying that he didn't know if he could be a good dad. Moony talked to him for a while......whatever he said, it managed to knock some sense into James. I'm no good with the whole 'calming speech' thing.

When we dragged him back, you were just being born. By then, all of us were fretting, and pacing up and down the hallway. Really, it must have been hilarious for the nurses at the time, watching four grown men acting so strangely," he said, with a crooked smile.

"When you finally decided to make an entrance, James almost knocked down the door to see you first. I remember the goofy grin he was wearing, when he first held you. It was the proudest moment of his life. Of course, the rest of us grabbed you afterwards, and ended up fighting over who got to hold you next. I don't think Lily was too pleased, because she yelled that she was exhausted, and why don't we try being in labour for six hours, and, erm, basically threw us out." Sirius began to chuckle. "Lily could be very persuasive...."

Harry was snorting with laughter, imagining his mother bullying four tall, grown men (well, in Wormtail's case, tall wasn't really the word). Sirius smiled. "I suppose that was why James loved her. Lily was always cheerful - and always had a good comeback," he added.

"Although, at Hogwarts, they never liked each other. I clearly remember her declaring to the whole of Gryffindor house one night that James was an insufferable prat. Then again, that was the day after he cursed her robes so that they were see-through, and then snuck upstairs and charmed the rest of her underwear to flash red and gold...."

By now, Harry was rolling on the floor, shaking with laughter. Sirius was laughing as well.

"In our 7th year, that all changed. I think James suddenly noticed how beautiful your mother was. He became extremely jealous of anyone who asked her out on a date. At one point, I was dating her myself......" Sirius trailed off, enjoying the flabbergasted expression on Harry's face. "You dated my mum?" he asked, shocked. Sirius nodded ruefully.

"Yep. And James gave me a black eye for it. I decided it was wiser to hand her over to Prongsy. After school, they moved in together, but didn't officially get married for a few years. Then, they had you. And that, my boy, is the relationship of your parents, in a nutshell." Sirius glanced at the grandfather clock. "Four AM.....Harry, do you feel better?" he asked quietly. Harry smiled reassuringly.

"I'm ok now. You can go back to bed, if you like." Sirius frowned. "What about you?"

"I'll stay here for a bit. Don't worry....I'll go to bed soon," he added, seeing the unsure look on Sirius' face. Reluctantly, Sirius got up. "Alright......but get to bed soon. Don't stay up thinking for too long." he told Harry. Then, he returned to the bedroom.

Harry gazed at the fire, but not really seeing it. His dad hadn't even liked his mum until 7th year. That was pretty weird.....it couldn't have been that much longer afterwards that they moved in together. And Sirius had even dated her! That was really weird. His dad had actually decked Sirius over a girl! Well, not just any girl. His mum.

It must have been a very interesting year.... thought Harry, dryly.

Leaning against an armchair, he stared up at the ceiling. His parents.......their faces appeared in his mind, smiling, and he drowsily smiled back. Then, unknowingly, Harry drifted off right there on the floor. Later, he felt himself being lifted up and carried to his bed. "You really need to eat more," a voice murmured, placing him on his bed. In response, Harry shifted, still asleep.

"G'night, Prongsy junior," Sirius whispered. Then, he blew out the candle he had lit, and clambered back into bed. Following Harry's example, Sirius quickly fell into a deep sleep.

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Tap tap.

"Mmmmmmmrrrrrrfffff."

Tap tap.

"Mrrrrrrfffffffffffffffffffff.........."

The house elf paused outside the door. Should he go in? The room's occupant didn't sound too friendly at the moment. But Dumbledore had ordered that the new professor's room be tended to, so that was what he should do. Carefully, the tiny elf pushed open the door of the suite and peeked around the corner with one huge eye. A suitcase sat in the middle of the large room, still not unpacked, and Danielle was sprawled out, on top of her new, large bed, still fully clothed and completely dead-to-the-world.

The elf known as Sparky tutted. This was no good! Obviously, this new teacher would need some looking after. It was already midday and she was still asleep. However, on closer inspection Sparky could see the exhaustion on her face and the slightly haggard look about her.

He pitied the new professor. Quietly, as not to wake her, Sparky went over to a cupboard and pulled out a blanket, and then covered Danielle with it, making sure she was comfortable. Then, he set about unpacking her trunk. It only took a bit of his magic to undo the lock, and then he began to sort her clothes into piles, before folding them and placing them into the chest of drawers. He didn't find it embarrassing to unpack her underwear either - to a house elf, such things were of interest to humans only.

Once finished with her clothing, Sparky hesitated at the rest of her belongings. Clothes were one thing, but unpacking personal objects wasn't right. He decided to leave the rest of the case untouched. Looking back at the witch, Sparky had a feeling that she would sleep for the rest of the day - through hail, wind and fire. Shaking his head, the house elf tucked the blanket around her snugly, before slipping out of the room.

Danielle slept on, and dreamed of times long past.

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Danielle, before the start of 2nd year, 1971

"Danielle!" a voice called from downstairs. "Lunch!"

Looking up from the book she was reading, Danielle sighed and bookmarked the page. The Lives Of Famous Witches Throughout Time would have to wait until later. Rolling off her bed, she bounded down the stairs of the Rivendale's two-storey home and burst into the kitchen. Danielle sniffed the air hopefully. "Chicken soup? Chicken stew?" she guessed, turning to her mother, who was stirring a large pot on the stove.

Samantha Rivendale smiled at the bright look on her oldest daughter's face. "Of course, honey. Your favourite. Could you please get Tabby and Rose? I think they're in the garden."

Nodding energetically, Danielle went out through the back door and scanned the very large, very overgrown garden. Her two younger sisters loved to play hide'n'seek in the thick undergrowth, and pretend that they were explorers in the Amazon jungle. Frowning slightly, Danielle looked around, until she saw the telltale patch of red in a nearby bush, which could only belong to Tabby's favourite, brilliantly scarlet jumper.

"Hmmm......I wonder where those two rascals could have disappeared to?" Danielle said loudly, looking up at the sky in a baffled manner. She heard Tabby giggle, and pretended to cock her ears towards the small willow tree. "What's that? Has a tiger gone and eaten my little sisters? Ah well. All the more chicken stew for me. Such a pity, really." Danielle sighed in defeat and turned to go back into the house, when Tabby jumped out of the bush.

"No we're not! We're right here, silly!" she squealed, latching herself onto Danielle's waist. Rose suddenly appeared from behind the back shed. "I wasn't eaten! I'm right here!" she scolded Danielle in her adorable, five-year-old voice. Danielle grinned and looked down at Tabby, who had attached herself quite firmly onto Danielle's waist. "Well, I guess this means that I won't be eating all the stew by myself, then," she said, in a disappointed tone. When Tabby and Rose screwed up their noses at her, Danielle laughed and managed to pry Tabby's hands off her waist. "Let's go inside and have lunch."

Rose, with her everlasting energy, darted ahead and into the house. Picking Tabby up, Danielle followed, smiling. Unlike many of the girls at Hogwarts, who complained of how annoying their younger siblings were, she had always been very close to her sisters. Most of her friends couldn't understand it at first, but during the Christmas holidays when Lily and Arabella had stayed over, both had instantly fallen in love with the two, almost impossibly cute girls.

Back in the kitchen, Danielle put Tabby down and sat in her own chair, looking expectantly at her mother. Mrs Rivendale chuckled at the eager expressions on the faces of her children and threw up her hands in mock-pleading. "Okay, okay! I can take a hint! Here is your delicious lunch for today." She set a bowl of stew in front of Danielle, Tabby and Rose. Quickly, they dug in.

"Danni, you really should go outside and play," her mother said, sitting down and starting on her own soup. "You spend entirely too long in your bedroom reading. A young, hyperactive girl like you should be bouncing around outside, causing havoc."

"Mum, I like reading," Danielle interjected, slurping her food. "Besides, there isn't much to do. None of my friends live around here, anyway."

"What about that nice boy who lives on the other side of town?" Mrs Rivendale asked.

Danielle snorted rudely and grimaced. "That jerk? No way."

"Now, watch your language, Danielle. And he isn't a 'jerk', his parents are perfectly nice people. And both his parents are wizards. You really should get to know him."

Oh, I know him, all right.

"Yeah, yeah. What time is Dad coming home?" Danielle asked, successfully turning the conversation away from that git that lived too close for her liking.

"Four o'clock. He's leaving work early today.....I think there's a strike at the office or something," Mrs Rivendale said, finishing her bowl and getting up to put it in the sink. "Really, I don't see why all the workers must insist on causing such trouble for people. Your father gets up at five in the morning, just to drive to London, and then he works all day in the newspaper offices, before having to leaving late and not get back until eight in the evening. I've told him he should switch jobs, but...."

Mrs Rivendale sighed, and her blue eyes looked out of the window sadly. "Daddy isn't home much anymore," Rose said, poking at her food with a spoon. "Will he play with us tonight?"

"Yeah, will Dad help me make a cubby house? All of Danni's keep on falling down," Tabby added, giggling at the insulted look on Danielle's face.

"They do not! You two crazy monkeys keep on pulling them down," sniffed Danielle. She finished her own bowl and stood up to place it in the sink. "I'm going to go and read some more," she announced. Mrs Rivendale frowned. "Are you sure you don't want any second helpings?" she asked, eyeing her daughter's small and slender body. "You need to put some weight on."

"Mum! I'm not a big eater, you know that. And I don't need to get fat to be healthy," Danielle replied, edging out of the kitchen, eager to get back to her books. "I'll eat a second helping at dinner, okay?" And with that, she disappeared up the stairs. Back in her room, Danielle shut the door and grabbed her book, slumping back onto the bed and engrossing herself into the fascinating and exciting lives of interesting witches throughout time. It really was amazing, the sorts of things that medieval witches did, to scare ignorant and narrow-minded Muggles.

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In her sleep, the thirty-seven year-old Danielle smiled into her pillow as she slept, dreaming of the happy times she had spent with her wonderful family.

Several hours later, Danielle woke up and blinked groggily, wondering where on earth she was. Then, slowly, her memory came back of the previous day, and she let out a groan. Of course. She had collapsed, completely exhausted, for.....my, had she really been asleep for sixteen hours?!

Amazed, Danielle sat up and looked around the room. Her large suitcase was wide open, and it looked as if it was half empty. Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, Danielle stood up and swayed. Ooh, she could still feel the after-effects of the aeroplane trip. She wouldn't ever travel on one of those things again, if she could help it. Not if they made her feel this weird.

Danielle went over to her trunk and anxiously crouched down and checked it. Yes, someone had obviously unpacked all her clothes. Luckily, the person hadn't touched her other stuff. Straightening again, her eyes fell onto the chests of drawers, against one of the walls. Going on a hunch, she started to open the drawers and was relieved to find that all of her things had been placed neatly into them. And folded quite nicely, too. Even her sock drawer was orderly, which was a first. As if anyone would try and nick off with some of my underwear, she thought, amused.

But then Danielle looked down on herself and became aware of how crinkled and creased her clothes were, and that she must look awful. Cringing, she spotted the door to the adjoining bathroom, and peered at herself in the mirror. Ack.

Her eyes were puffy from sleep, her hair had managed to get out of the somewhat controlled ponytail it had been in to start with, and she quite frankly looked queasy. Danielle sighed and turned, to find a huge bath alongside the sink and mirror. Oh, good. Maybe a long soak would wake her up a bit. Feeling more cheerful, Danielle decided to quickly unpack the rest of her trunk before having a bath, and went back into the bedroom.

Kneeling bedside the suitcase, Danielle reached in and drew out a few selective photoframes. Including the one that she treasured more than any other. Gently, she placed them next to her, and one after another, pulled out numerous things. The small model of the Milky Way, that she liked to absently watch now and again, the very detailed Dark Detector, in the shape of a beautiful mirror that she could hang up, the little nick-knacks that she picked up during her travels. Going around the room, Danielle placed them in random spots, organising them and making this new home of hers really seem like home.

Once she was finished and satisfied with the result, Danielle stuffed the empty suitcase into the bottom of the large wardrobe, and inspected her room. Yes, it was just as she wanted it. She left the bedroom and now took her time in inspecting the bathroom. It was very decently sized, and was sparkling clean. Gratefully, Danielle began to run a bath, turning the extra tap on the side to add bubbles. One it was filled, she pulled off all her dirty, worn clothes and stepped into the bath.

It must be one of the biggest luxuries for humans, Danielle thought blissfully, sinking down into the bath. There is nothing - nothing - like a hot bath after a hellish experience.

She must have spent nearly an hour there, soaking her aching bones. It felt wonderful, to be able to just sit there and pretend that she had no worries, no anxieties, nothing to make her uneasy. And while she was there, Danielle mulled over the feeling of being in Hogwarts again. It was......odd, in the least. And it was even stranger to be there as a teacher, not a student. I wonder if the other teachers felt the same when they started teaching here?

Danielle suddenly remembered that it was nearly time for dinner, and that she'd probably have to meet all of the other professors. Oh, I am so not looking forward to that. I bet they'll all stare at me like I'm a walking miracle or a ghost or something.

Finally, she got out of the bath and drained the water out. Wrapping a big, fluffy towel around her, Danielle opened the door of the bathroom and walked into the bedroom. However, upon entering, she let out a small yell, nearly dropping the towel, before stopping in her tracks.

There was a house elf in her room, staring at her in horror.

"Oh, Sparky is very sorry miss, very sorry!" the house elf gasped, quickly turning around and clapping a hand over his eyes. "Sparky didn't know that miss was washing! He came in to make a fire!" As if to back up his word, Sparky pointed to the fireplace, his back still turned and his eyes tightly shut. Danielle, once she had gotten over the shock of finding an elf in her room, softened and nearly giggled at the situation.

"Um, it's okay, Sparky......go ahead, I'll change in the bathroom," she said politely, before quickly opening her drawers and grabbing some underwear and a robe. Then she locked herself back into the bathroom, before laughing herself sick. Honestly, the expression on the house elf's face......although Danielle doubted that hers had been any better.

Dressed, Danielle rubbed her long hair dry, and attempted to bush it straight. But her hair never did what it should, and instead frizzed up all around her head. "Argghhhh. I need my wand," Danielle muttered, and cautiously went back out into the bedroom. Sparky was gone, and there was a good fire going on the hearth. Her bed had also been straightened, and the pillows fluffed up. House elves really were useful creatures........especially when you were feeling lazy.

After using her wand to control her hair, abet for a short time, Danielle set herself, before tucking her wand into her robes, and opened the door of her rooms, peeking outside. It was getting dark now, but she faintly remembered where her rooms were. Somewhere on the fifth floor, if she remembered correctly. Slipping out, Danielle began to walk down the corridor, looking around constantly. It felt as if she had never left. The same paintings, the same suits of armour.....it was eerie.

It took Danielle longer than she would have liked, to find her way to the Great Hall. Peeves showed up and took delight in throwing ink bombs at her, forcing Danielle to sprint up and down the staircases in a very undignified manner. When managing to lose the irritating poltergeist, Danielle accidentally found herself in the entrance hall. Relieved, she pushed open the doors of the Great Hall and strode in. Several professors were already there, and abruptly stopped talking as she marched up to the staff table.

Professor Flitwick - tiny as ever, I see. Minerva McGonnagall.....whoa, she hasn't changed a bit! Some grey hairs, though......Severus Snape - the one teacher who doesn't looked surprised, shocked or stunned to see me. Elaine Sinistra - hey, wasn't she in the year above me at school? And.....who's the weird lady in the shimmery shawl? And what's with the glasses?

These thoughts crossed Danielle's mind, as she walked right up to the table with a lot more confidence than she felt. When she reached them, Severus gave her a nod in greeting. Nodding back, Danielle smiled nervously at the teachers. Besides herself, Severus and Elaine, the other teachers were getting on in their years, in reality, much older than they appeared.

There was a moment of awkward silence, before Minerva stood and surveyed her. "Danielle," the stern woman said, indicating that she take a seat. "It's.....it's good to see you again. I presume that you've been sleeping all day?"

Embarrassed, Danielle nodded. "I'm not too good at long-distance travelling," she said ruefully.

Minerva smiled. "Well, I can certainly sympathise with you there. Albus should be down any moment.....in the meantime, I think some introductions are in order."

Sitting down in the chair beside Snape, Danielle looked at the other professors in interest. "It's a pleasure to meet you," said a balding old man who was sitting on Flitwick's right. "I'm Alfred Daniels.....I teach Muggle Studies."

"Hello, Alfred. I'm Danielle, as I'm sure most of you know by now," Danielle said, trying to look as friendly as possibly, despite her nervousness. It seemed to work, as the other professors smiled back and became more relaxed.

"My name is Alison Vector," The elderly woman on McGonnagall's left said cheerfully. "I'm an old hand at Arithmancy. Been teaching it for at least fifteen years."

"Oh....you must have come a few years after I left, myself," Danielle told her. "I'm sure I would have remembered you otherwise. Arithmancy was one of my favourite subjects at school."

"Really? Perhaps you could lend me a hand in planning the curriculum for this year.....I'm always on the lookout for new ideas when it comes to teaching," Alison commented. Danielle had a feeling that Alison Vector would make a good ally in the times to come......she was quite likeable. The only person who hadn't made themselves known to Danielle was the scary-looking woman with the extremely big glasses. Danielle looked at her imploringly.

"Er, I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name," she said.

Scary-lady gave Danielle a misty smile. "I am Sybil Trelawney," she announced, in a mysterious voice. "I am the professor for Divinitation. The fates previously informed me of your arrival, my dear.....under quite tiring circumstances, I believe."

Danielle had no idea as to how she should respond. Beside her, she heard Severus snort under his breath, and out of the corner of her eye, was surprised to see him look at Trelawney in thinly veiled amusement. Luckily, Danielle was spared from replying, as Dumbledore chose that moment to appear out of the side door. "Oh, good," the eccentric headmaster said, smiling down at the members of his staff. "You're all here. I trust you slept well, Danielle?"

"Uh, yes. Very," Danielle mentally wondered if the whole world knew about her apparent day-long nap. It seemed that way. But there seemed to be something missing from the staff table. No. Someone. With a jolt, Danielle looked from side to side. "Where's Hagrid?" she asked.

Dumbledore exchanged a glance with McGonnagall. "Hagrid is doing an important job for me," he said carefully. "He should return at the beginning of the term."

Sensing that no more should be said on the subject, Danielle merely settled it with a nod. Dumbledore sat down in his seat. "Shall we begin dinner?" he asked. Without waiting, he clapped his hands, and the teacher's table was suddenly loaded with platters of food. Gratefully, Danielle tucked in. She was starving, after having not eaten in so long. Severus observed her in a dark sort of amusement.

"You're very hungry," he said, after a while. Danielle swallowed some of her steak and grinned sheepishly. "You'd be the same if you hadn't eaten in a while, either," she shrugged, starting on some roasted potatoes. Danielle kept on eating. And eating. She ate so much that afterwards she thought she'd explode. She'd never been a big eater, and it was a huge surprise, to see herself eating enough to feed three grown men. Finished, she put her fork down, after dessert, and massaged her stomach. "I think I ate a bit much....."

Albert Daniels laughed. "Ah, the young can astound you with the amount of food they consume," he chuckled. "Live it up, lass, before you become wrinkled and old like the rest of us, and can only manage to pick at your food."

"You're not old, Albert! Your mind hasn't matured a day over thirty," Alison told him.

After a few wisecracks, the staff members began to drift off in their separate ways. Danielle stood and then smothered a yawn. "You'd think that after a sixteen-hour nap, I'd be wide awake," she sighed, pushing her chair in. "I'm off to bed......hopefully I'll be up before midday tomorrow. Goodnight, everyone."

There was a chorus of 'goodnight's', and Danielle turned and left the Great Hall. Climbing the staircase, she wondered how on earth she would manage to get back to her rooms. Overall, the night hadn't been as bad as she'd thought. Sure, she'd gotten a few strange looks, and the teachers were obviously being cautious around her, but hey, nothing too bad.

"Danielle?" Someone called from behind. It was Severus, and he caught up with her.

"Severus? Is anything the matter?" Danielle inquired.

"You're going the wrong way towards your rooms," he said, looking down on her with his dark eyes. "I had a feeling that you would need help in finding them again."

"Oh - yes! That would be very helpful......I don't have a clue where I'm going," Danielle admitted, walking behind him as he turned into a different corridor. "Do you know where they are?"

Severus paused. "Of course. It's a good idea to know where all the teachers live, in case there is an emergency. I suggest you reacquaint yourself with the castle." They were now climbing another staircase, before going down another long corridor. "Rest assured, none of the students know where we live - we leave that up to their curiousity." Severus let out a short laugh, before turning the corner and stopping at the portrait of a noblewoman.

"Your rooms are behind here," he told her. "Only you can open the painting. The spell that protects it knows you."

"Okay.......well, thanks for helping me," Danielle said in relief. "I thought I'd have to wonder around for hours on my own to find my way back. Well, goodnight..."

"Goodnight," Severus said, before sweeping away down the corridor, no doubt to return to his own rooms. Danielle suspected that they were probably located in the dungeons somewhere. She placed her right hand onto the painting, and it swung open to reveal her rooms. "Convenient."

Climbing in, Danielle sat on her bed and flopped back, staring at the canopy. There was no doubt about it. This was going to be an interesting year.

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