An American Professor

Erin's heart was in her throat as she turned to face Voldemort. He was alone she realized, but it was a hollow sense of relief. She knew she was no match for him. He had his wand trained on her.

"Very tricky my dear daughter, maybe you should have been in Slytherin."

"You got what you wanted, Snape raped me. I may be with child, obviously I don't know yet. Leave me alone. You could be hurting your potential heir."

"Daughter, only a fool would believe you could keep a baby after the jaunt you've been through. No, you'll come back. Snape needs to attempt the job again. If he can't seem to get you with child, I can always pick another loyal servant to give me an heir. Lucius is especially anxious to get his hands on you."

"I won't go with you."

"Don't be ignorant, you don't have a choice." The dog began growling. "Is he going to protect you? A filthy mutt? I'll fix that problem. "Avada Ke-"

"No!" Erin yelled as he was finishing the curse she used all of her remaining energy to jump at the last minute in front of the dog and pushed the both of them to the ground and rolled away. The ray of green light hit a tree and flew off of it. As he turned to try again Erin braced herself for the death she felt was imminent. Instead she saw Voldemort's face contort in pain as he grabbed his wand arm with his other hand. In the blink of an eye he'd disappeared. Erin fainted in her shock.

Hagrid lowered his crossbow and ran to where Erin lay on the forest floor. The dog waited until Hagrid had reached Erin's side before streaking towards the castle. Hagrid gingerly checked Erin's pulse, it was weak, but steady. He carefully cradled her in his arms and began carrying her to the Hospital Wing. Luckily no students were mingling in the corridors, so the trip was unobstructed by curious bystanders.

As they arrived, Hagrid laid Erin down on a bed gently. Dumbledore arrived a minute later. "Hagrid, did you see anything?"

"Perfessor, You-Know-Who was tryin' ta kill thuh two, so I shot him with my crossbow, and he left. Erin passed out afterwards."

Dumbledore turned to Poppy. "I don't believe she's eaten in days, and she's been running, literally, since that time. The strain must have caused her to faint." Pomfrey nodded and set to work on her patient. "We'll have to wait to get the full story when she wakes up. Oh, one last thing, this dog will stay with her, and let's try to keep it quiet that she's here until I can make a formal announcement at dinner."

Hagrid cleared his throat. "Uh, can I stay too?"

"Of course, Hagrid."

Erin could hear them talking and she wanted desperately to respond, but she couldn't make her mouth move. She also realized that she couldn't open her eyes. Becoming so frustrated she tried to cry, but the tears wouldn't come out. She suddenly felt very, very tired, but she didn't want to sleep.

Pomfrey was having considerable trouble in trying to revive her. Erin wondered if she hit her head when fainting. Pomfrey must have wondered the same thing as she began feeling around Erin's head. Finding a large knot on the back of Erin's head confirmed their suspicions. Erin desperately tried to open her eyes one last time, when she was again unsuccessful she finally gave up and fell sound asleep.

She awoke later to voices. They belonged to Dumbledore and a man whom she did not recognize. Erin again tried to move her mouth or blink, just to move something, but she couldn't get anything to respond. She decided she would concentrate really hard on one area.

Focusing on her fingers, she screamed in her head, move, move, move! She felt them move. Dumbledore saw. "Look, Professor Worhli's fingers moved!"

"What does it mean?" the other man asked.

"Well, it could be a reflex, but I think she is awake, and she's trying to move them."

Yes! Yes! Yes! she screamed inside her head, I'm here! Ok, try something else, move your fingers again. Move, move move!

"It happened again!" the other man cried out. Erin was so exhausted from her last attempt she drifted back into unconsciousness.

Becoming aware of her surroundings again, Erin pulled herself from her unconsciousness, but was unsure as to how long she'd been out. Realizing that Harry was in the room, Erin tried to call out, only to be disappointed in finding that she still couldn't.

Ok, concentrate, Erin, she willed herself. Speak, speak, speak! She heard a groan escape her lips, and felt the people in the room move to her bed. She moved her fingers, it was easier this time and she began to concentrate really hard to say 'Harry?' All she got was "Har".

"I think she's calling to you, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Erin, if you can hear me, wiggle your fingers." She did.

"She's conscious, she just can't wake up!" Harry cried.

Dumbledore asked, "Erin, if Harry's right, wiggle your fingers." She did.

"How can we get her back, Dumbledore?"

"Erin, if you know how to fix what's wrong with you, move your fingers." She didn't move. "If you're still with us, move your fingers now." She did. "Well, I'll be." Dumbledore started.

Erin heard Flitwick's voice, "Has anyone tried a revitalization spell?"

"No, I don't think so, but I doubt that it would hurt much to try."

With that Erin heard Flitwick say, "Ennervate!" She tried to open her eyes and found that she could. She could also move her hands, but not her arms and legs. Trying to open her mouth, she realized with despair that she could not.

Pleading silently with her eyes to Dumbledore for them to try again. Dumbledore motioned for Flitwick to try once more. He repeated the spell and Erin could move her mouth, but not use her voice. She mouthed that Harry needed to do it. She didn't know why, but it was just something she knew instinctively.

Harry spoke the words and Erin felt as if a giant weight was lifted from her. She was surprised to find that she was not hungry, and assumed Pomfrey had gotten nourishment into her somehow. Erin thought about it for a moment before yelping with joy. She tried to sit up, only to fall back into bed. Erin realized she'd done it too quickly and gotten dizzy.

"Erin, can you tell me what happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"Which part?" she croaked.

"Don't strain yourself, but try and tell us as much as you can."

So, Erin began to tell them about Charlie who wasn't Charlie, but actually Wormtail. That he'd kidnapped her for Voldemort. When she got to the part about Voldemort's claims of being her father, she couldn't continue. So, instead she asked, "Is Severus back?"

Dumbledore nodded. "They released him a day ago, he's not in the best shape either. However, he has been conscious, but he insisted that this was your story to tell, not his."

Erin began to cry uncontrollably. She managed to gasp, "I need to see him, where is he?"

Dumbledore looked a little flustered by her sudden outburst. "Erin, in your condition, I think it's best that you do not."

"Where is he?" she repeated. Flitwick's face was distressed, while Harry's was rather confused.

"In his chambers," Dumbledore revealed reluctantly. Erin nodded and tried to continue the story, but found she was unable as she'd exhausted herself in her obstinacy. She fell back to sleep before any one else could say anything.

Erin awoke later that evening and looked around the room cautiously. It was completely dark, and none of her well wishers were present. Even her dog companion had left her side.

Rising from her bed guardedly, she began to search for the clothing she'd been brought to the wing in. Erin looked down at the pajamas she was wearing, and was grateful to see that they were the standard issue blue pajamas the hospital wing provided, as opposed to a Muggle-type hospital gown.

Finding her robes folded neatly in a pile, she rifled through them silently. She quickly located the item she was searching for: her map. She found a pair of slippers and pocketed her wand. Holding the map in front of her she said quietly, "Professor Snape's rooms." A line leading down towards the dungeons appeared. Erin shivered instinctively, but set her mind to seeing Snape for herself.

She slid along the walls quickly and quietly, praying she wouldn't meet up with Peeves or Filch unexpectedly. Finally reaching a tapestry of a gruesome battle scene no doubt from one of the Goblin Revolutions, Erin wondered what she should do next. She decided she should try to push the tapestry to the side, but as she did angry voices began to yell at her.

Pointing her wand at it she muttered, "Silencio," and their ugly voices muted immediately. Now she was standing in front of a door, shivering uncontrollably. Erin decided to try to open it with a standard spell. "Alohamora," she murmured. The door clicked open and Erin was rather surprised that it had worked.

She moved silently into the room. The layout was the same as hers was, except that it was decorated in dark greens and blacks. The fire was only a few glowing embers, and Erin tried to recall a time when she'd been in her own rooms without a fire. Even when she came to her rooms at the latest possible hours, the fire was always roaring especially now that it was approaching winter. Dismissing the thought, Erin moved through the room slowly. Her eyes adjusted gradually to the dim light. It was very cold, and she could almost see her own breath.

Wondering if she should light her wand, she contemplated this for a moment while standing in the room shivering. In the end, she decided against it. Finding the door to what she assumed was the bathroom, she held her breath and turned the knob.

The door did indeed lead into Snape's bathroom. Her legs were beginning to feel weak, so she barely took in the black and chrome decorating, as she reached for the door leading to his bedchambers. Her hand trembled as she turned the knob, not understanding why she was so nervous.

Peering cautiously into Snape's room she found that unlike her own rooms, his bedroom was equipped with three more floor to ceiling bookcases. His four-poster bed was adorned in deep green velvet with silver trimmings.

Snape was lying on his back and she could tell from the doorway that he was sleeping soundly. She crept to his bed, careful not to make a single sound. When she reached his bedside she stared at him for a few seconds before whispering his name, "Severus."

He jerked her down onto the bed and was lying on top of her with his wand against her throat before she could figure out what happened. "Holy shit," she gasped, "are you insane? It's just me!"

Snape eased off of her gasping slightly from the exertion. "Just a reflex. What are you doing here?"

Erin bristled slightly. "It's nice to see you, too."

"Oh, don't start. I haven't had the greatest couple of days."

Now she was really pissed, she stomped to the floor and stood facing him with her hands on her hips. "Oh, yes, that's right, I don't know what I was thinking, after all my past few days have been equivocal to winning the Nobel Prize," she hissed sarcastically.

"Did you have a particular reason for breaking into my rooms, or did you just want to berate me while I was half asleep?"

Erin stared at him with her mouth open. Was this the same man who helped her escape a few days earlier? The strain and stress of her entire ordeal caught up with her. Tears welled up in her yes and began to spill down her cheeks. She was furious with herself for crying in front of him, and wiped them away with the back of her hand, while stifling a sob with a cough. She turned to flee, but Snape caught her wrist.

When she turned back around to look at him, his black eyes were full of concern. "I didn't mean it. Don't leave." He gently pulled her back to sitting on the bed. "I'm surprised that you're up and around. I heard you only awoke today."

"That's true. I'm a little winded, and my legs feel pretty shaky, but I'm doing fine. So, what about you? Are you all right? Does he suspect you? Did he hurt you?"

Snape chuckled. "Do you make it a habit to ask fifty questions in one breath?"

"Do you like answering questions with questions?"

"Do you?"

"Severus," Erin began warningly.

"Ok, ok, no more unnecessary fighting. I'm all right, just a little sore. He has no idea I was in on it. In fact, that was quite a number you did on Malfoy. In fact, Voldemort thought that he was in on your escape. He took the brunt of the punishment."

Erin grimaced. "As much as I detest the man, I don't even want to think about what punishment from that monster entails." They were silent for a moment before Erin realized what Snape had said, and turned to him with wide eyes. "What do you mean brunt of it? Severus, what did he do to you?"

Snape looked down at the blanket. "Nothing I couldn't handle." Erin wrapped her arms around his stiffened shoulders. Neither one spoke for several minutes when Snape moved away. "You should get back, and get to bed."

"Yeah, you're right," she agreed but continued to sit on his bed.

"You aren't moving."

"I know, I'm just gearing up to leave."

"You're still not going." He paused for a moment before adding, "Do you want to just stay here for the night?"

"Well, I don't know if I can make the trip back up to the hospital wing."

"Fine." He slid to the other side of the bed and she gratefully snuggled under the covers. Erin was surprised to feel that his bed was toasty warm despite being in the dungeon.

"You know, it was really easy for me to get in here."

"I had to do that so Dumbledore and Pomfrey could get in and out."

"Aren't you worried a less than 'friendly' person could get in here?"

"There are sensors up that would alert Dumbledore immediately if an 'unfriendly' person were to encounter my chambers."

"Oh, ok," Erin sighed. She felt safe and comfortable lying so close to him.

"Are you going to try to molest me again?" Snape asked with a chuckle.

Erin turned to him shocked, "What?!"

"I'm just kidding."

"I thought so, you sure didn't seem to mind at the time." He chuckled again, but didn't answer. Erin rolled onto her side facing away from him and said, "Good-night."

"Good night," he echoed. Within a matter of moments she was fast asleep.

Erin awoke to irritated voices and bright sunlight the next morning. "She's in here. Professor Worhli, honestly, how do you expect to get better?"

Erin tried to focus on the voice and the person from which it came, when Snape's booming voice shook her fully awake. "Get out, now! Give Erin a bloody chance to wake up and she'll meet you in my sitting room. Out Pomfrey!"

"Well, I never," she sputtered, but left the room in a huff.

Erin sat up slowly and put her feet onto the floor finding her slippers quickly. "Well, what a way to wake up," she complained.

"I know," he grumbled, pushing past her to get to his wardrobe where he pulled out two dressing robes. "Here."

"Thanks, you know this probably looks really bad."

"I know, but who cares, we know the truth." With that they went into the sitting room to face the audience. It turned out that only Dumbledore and Pomfrey were in the sitting room. Dumbledore accepted the explanation immediately, but Pomfrey was more skeptical. Nevertheless, she began nagging Snape to get back into bed.

Erin used the opportunity to ask to return to her own rooms, rather than go back to the hospital wing. Dumbledore obliged, but requested that she wait to go back to teaching for a while. As disappointing as this was to Erin, she knew she wasn't strong enough yet, and agreed that Dumbledore was right about waiting to go back to her classroom.