Snafu

Snafu - Chapter 5

The Great Hall was bustling Monday morning as the excited students discussed the upcoming duel between Malfoy and Professor Kidrin when Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived for breakfast.

"Draco doesn't look so great this morning," Ron observed aloud, taking his seat at the Gryffindor table.

Harry glanced back to the Slytherin table and saw that Draco was unusually quiet as he ate that morning.

"Sirius told me his father was here on Saturday afternoon trying to have it stopped," Harry replied, reaching across the table for a warm pumpkin muffin.

"Speaking of Sirius, did you tell him the good news yet?" Ron asked, as he attempted to spread a messy glob of strawberry jam on his toast.

Harry had decided that he was no longer going to go out of his way to try to get Sirius's attention. It had become very clear to him that his godfather's affections lay with Jena Kidrin.

"Nah," said Harry matter-of-factly, "I suppose he'll find out I'm Quidditch Captain when we play our first game." Assuming he even shows up, he added to himself.

"When's the first game?" Ron asked through a mouthful of jam and toast.

"The twenty-eighth. Two weeks from Saturday. We're going against Slytherin," Harry replied. "Kinda earlier than usual for the start of the season. I just hope we can be ready by then," he added, with a slight hint of nervousness.

Ron dismissed Harry's uneasy tone with a wave. "C'mon, Harry, look at what you've done in the past four years. Quidditch Captain will be just another notch on your belt."

Harry was glad Ron was being so supportive of him. Due to Ron's past streaks of jealousy, Harry had almost been afraid to tell his best friend that he'd been made Gryffindor's Captain.

"Well, I'm glad you're so confident," Harry said wiping his mouth with a napkin, "Still, I think I'll send an owl to Oliver. I could use some advice from someone experienced with all this."

Harry tossed his napkin down lightly onto his empty plate and stood from the table.

"Harry, we've got class in twenty minutes," Hermione piped in, looking up from the book she had been quietly reading.

"It'll only take a minute," Harry said. "I can easily make it to the owlery, write a quick note and be back in plenty of time."

"Don't forget, we're meeting Professor Kidrin at the entrance doors today, not the classroom," Hermione called, as Harry hurried away.

Ron watched Harry exit through the doors of the Great Hall then turned back to Hermione, who had gone back to reading her book.

"You think Harry's all right, Hermione?" he asked, taking a quick sip of hot cocoa.

The cocoa was hotter than Ron had expected and he pulled the mug away from his mouth quickly, causing a bit of it to spill down the front of his robes. He looked up to see if Hermione had witnessed his clumsiness, but, to his relief, she still had her face buried in her book.

"Well, he's clearly jealous that Sirius is so enthralled with Professor Kidrin," she stated, without looking up from her reading. She turned a page in her book and continued, "It's really no more attractive coming from Harry than it was coming from you."

Ron, who had been frantically trying to dry the wet spot the cocoa had left on his robes, looked up with surprise.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked shortly.

Hermione looked over her book at him, but remained silent.

While Ron knew she was talking about last term's incident with Viktor Krum, he was certainly not about to acknowledge it.

He stood up abruptly and Hermione slammed her book closed.

"Now, where are you going?" she asked, assuming he was upset with her for bringing up the jealousy subject.

"I've got to change my robes," Ron mumbled back.

Hermione watched him throw his napkin down on the table and push in his chair abruptly.

"And yes, I know I've got fifteen minutes 'til class starts, and yes, I know we're supposed to meet and the entrance doors, so you can save your breath, mother."

With that, Ron turned and walked off, trying to cover the wet spot on his robes as he passed the other House tables.

I wonder if he knows how cute he is when he's frustrated, she thought with a grin, watching him exit the Great Hall.

XXX

Harry had decided to take the route past Sirius's classroom on his way back from the owlery. When he arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he found the door was closed and there was a note tacked on it.

To the Fourth Year Defense Against the Dark Arts Students:

Today's class will be meeting on the lawn outside the main entrance.

Signed, Professor S. Black

Harry's heart leapt as he finished reading the notice Sirius had left for his fourth-years.

"Excellent," he said excitedly, forgetting his vow to himself to be nonchalant when it came to his godfather.

Hoping to catch a minute with Sirius before class, Harry started at a quick sprint down the corridor. He was imagining how excited Sirius would be when Harry told him his news about becoming Quidditch Captain, when he turned the corner and... BANG!

Harry fell backwards with a jolt, his glasses knocked from his face. He felt around the floor for them and promptly slid them back on, looking up to see what or whom he had just hit.

Staring back at him with a befuddled look on her own face was Professor Kidrin, who like himself, had fallen backwards onto the cold stone floor.

Harry noticed she was wearing the same long wool coat she had had on the night she had given the Weasley's detention, leading him to believe she must have just come from outdoors.

Before Harry had a chance to register what had just happened, he saw Addie, Professor Kidrin's snake, wrap around her arm and make its way up to her shoulder, where it settled comfortably around her neck.

Well, aren't you going to say 'excuse me'? Harry heard a voice similar to the one he had heard in Muggle Studies class the previous week and now realized it had been Addie he had heard.

"Excuse me," both Harry and Jena said to each other in unison.

They each got to their feet and Harry brushed himself off quickly.

"It was my fault entirely, Professor," Harry started quickly, "I was just trying to hurry to talk to Siri...Professor Black and I wasn't paying attention..."

Harry's voice dropped off as he noticed the odd look on Professor Kidrin's face. She was gazing at him as if seeing Harry for the first time.

"Professor?" Harry said nervously, wondering just how hard he had knocked her. "Professor Kidrin, are you alright? Do you need me to take you to the hospital wing?"

Harry held out his arm, ready to escort the Muggle Studies Professor to Madam Pomfrey.

Professor Kidrin shook the dazed look from her face. "No, no. I'm fine. Just threw me for a loop," she replied, quietly.

She glanced down at her watch before continuing, "Oh my, five minutes until class. I'd better get Addie back. You'll let everyone know I'll be there shortly?"

Before waiting for Harry to reply, Professor Kidrin continued down the corridor towards her own classroom.

Once safely inside her classroom, Jena closed the door and made her way to the glass tank while unwrapping Addie from around her neck.

Now that wasn't so bad, was it?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jena replied, laying the snake gently down into the tank.

"I don't know why you're so nervous. The boy seems perfectly content. He has his godfather back, friends who care about him and you said he's now Quidditch Captain for his House. What more could a fifteen year old wizard want?"

"His parents, for one," Jena shot back as she tossed a mouse into the tank for the Adder snake to devour.

XXX

When Harry finally made it to the main doors of the castle, he found the area void of any students except Ron and Hermione.

"Where is everybody?" Harry asked Ron, who, along with Hermione, was staring out the window towards the front lawn.

"Out there," Ron replied, pointing out the window.

Harry squeezed in between Ron and Hermione so that he could get a look.

"What's Snape doin' here?" Harry asked, once he got a look out the window.

Across the lawn, they could see Professor Snape speaking with Draco. Malfoy appeared to be listening intently to his Head of House, nodding his head as Snape spoke.

"Well, come on then," said Harry, heading to the door, "I want to see Sirius."

"We're supposed to wait by the door," Hermione called to the two boys, but Harry and Ron had already gone out.

Hermione gave a quick look around the main hall for any sign of Professor Kidrin, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, honestly," she mumbled, and she too went out the door.

"Professor Kidrin specifically told us to wait by the doors," Hermione said as she caught up with them.

"She told me to tell everyone she'd be coming along shortly," Harry said has he continued at a quick pace towards Sirius and his group of Defense Against the Dark Arts students, "and seeing as how everyone is already outside...."

"When was this?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"I ran into her in the corridor a few moments ago," Harry answered, flatly.

Sirius, who had been pacing the area waiting for Jena, noticed the three Gryffindor students heading his way.

"Good morning, Harry," Sirius said as they came to a halt before him. "Ron, Hermione, how are you doing this morning?" He gave each of them a nod and smiled.

"Good morning, Siri..." Ron started before Hermione nudged him firmly with her elbow.

"Good morning, Professor Black," Hermione said, stressing the words so that Ron would take a hint.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Thought it would be an interesting demonstration for my fourth years to see," he replied, "And I'm glad I'm here."

Harry followed Sirius's gaze a short way over to where Professor Snape and Draco were standing. Snape appeared to be giving a nervous-looking Malfoy some last minute instructions... or perhaps, an ultimatum.

"Does Colin have that bloody camera surgically implanted around his neck?" Ron asked, noticing Colin Creevey, a fourth year Gryffindor standing with the group from Sirius' class.

Harry chuckled, being all too familiar with Colin's constant photographing of everything.

"Ah, here we go," said Sirius as something behind Harry caught his attention. "Will you excuse me?"

They each turned and saw that Professor Kidrin had just come from the castle and was making her way towards the awaiting crowd.

"I know, I'm late," she said quickly as Sirius approached her.

"Actually, you're right on time," he replied, trying to keep up with her quick pace.

"You brought your class out, I see," she said as the two made their way towards the awaiting students.

Jena slowed her steps and surveyed the large group on the lawn.

"I thought it would be a good demonstration for them to watch," Sirius lied.

"Uh-huh," she mumbled, knowing full well that he was using this as an excuse to keep an eye on her. She made a mental note to talk with Albus about Sirius' duties.

"Besides, they're not all mine," he continued as they stopped a short distance from the awaiting students. "Seems Snape decided he needed to bring his entire Potions class down this morning."

Sirius glanced suspiciously Snape's way as the Potions Master continued his conversation with the young Malfoy, neither of whom gave any notice of Kidrin's arrival.

"Well, he's got a lot riding on this you know," Jena replied, as she, too, glanced their way.

"Fifty points hardly seems reason enough for that bloke to emerge from his dungeonous tomb," Sirius grunted.

Jena grinned mischievously, knowing that Snape was more likely present this morning because of their private bet.

He really doesn't want to go to Hogsmeade with me, she thought to herself.

"You're horrible, Sirius," she smirked.

Professor Kidrin approached the anxious group of students before her.

"Good morning, class," she started, and a few students mumbled a "good morning" back to her. "We have a few guests joining us today. Professor Black's Defense Against the Dark Arts students are here as well as Professor Snape's Potions class. I would like to welcome you all."

The students gathered in closer around Professor Kidrin as she continued speaking.

"Now this will be very similar, I believe, to a Wizard's Duel, which many of you are familiar with, I assume."

Some of the students nodded; many of them had been present during the duel between Harry and Draco three years earlier.

"All right, I will need you to part and give Mr. Malfoy and myself ample room to work," she continued and the students began to fall back away from her. "I will advise you that you would probably be smart not to stand directly behind me. A semi-circle is best I believe. We don't need anyone being hit by Mr. Malfoy's spells when they miss me," she grinned and a few of the students (none of which were Slytherins, of course) sniggered.

After the students had formed a human arc, Professor Kidrin surveyed the set up and nodded in approval.

"Perfect. Now, Mr. Malfoy, if you would be so kind as to join me," she waved towards Draco who was standing, along with Professor Snape, behind the formation of students.

Draco looked to Snape, who nodded his approval, and Draco joined the Muggle Studies Professor in the center.

"Now, I myself am not entirely familiar with the exact process of a Wizard's Duel, so I'll run through how this particular duel will go," she started, "Mr. Malfoy and myself will stand center here facing each other. After bowing, we shall both take our stances and on the count of three, Mr. Malfoy, you will attack."

Draco nodded in comprehension.

"Wonderful. Now before we begin, does anyone have any questions?" she looked to the silent students, some of which shook their heads.

The sound of someone clearing his throat came from behind Malfoy, and Snape stepped forward.

"Shouldn't you show the students that you are, in fact, unarmed, Professor?" he asked with a smirk. "We wouldn't want anyone accusing you of foul play."

"That's not necessary, Snape," Sirius shot out defensively, "If anyone should be checked out, it's your student."

Professor Kidrin put her hand up to Sirius to silence him.

"No, no, he's right, Professor Black" she said, removing her coat under which she wore a black bodysuit. Anyone with eyes could see at that moment that there was absolutely no place to hide a wand, or any type of weapon, for that matter. She tossed the wool coat to the ground and raised her arms into the air. "Go on then, Professor, do your search."

Snape stepped forward, pulling his wand from under his cloak.

"Accio," he said, pointing his wand at her.

Jena winced as he spoke the words to the Summoning Charm.

Harry remembered how Mrs. Weasley had used this same charm on Fred and George when they had tried to smuggle their candies to the Quidditch World Cup the summer before last. All of their hidden treats had jumped from the twins' hiding spots: their pockets, the lining of their jackets and the cuffs of their trousers when she had used it on them. Much to Snape's dismay, though, nothing came from Professor Kidrin.

"Satisfied, Professor?" Jena asked, putting her arms back down at her sides.

Snape did not reply, instead returning to his place behind Malfoy wearing a scowl on his sallow face.

"Professor Snape, so as I'm not to be accused of any underhandedness, why don't you do the count for us?"

Snape nodded and Jena put her attentions back to Draco. She bowed graciously to her opponent, as was customary before a duel, and Malfoy followed suit.

"Wand at the ready," Snape snapped and Malfoy took his stance, his wand cocked back.

Jena stood still and looked into Malfoy's eyes.

I wonder if he has Lucius's eyes, she thought to herself. The eyes that were staring back at her were cold, grey and full of spite. Jena felt a surge of malice inside herself - a feeling that was foreign to the young Professor.

Snape began to count down.

"One." Jena saw Malfoy's grip on his wand tighten.

"Two." His brow furrowed deeper, a look of extreme concentration on his face.

"Three."

It all happened so quickly, no one who witnessed the duel was able to accurately describe what had occurred, when they relayed the event to other students later that day.

Draco had not even gotten through the first syllable of his spell, "Furn..." before Professor Kidrin reacted.

She kicked one leg up knocking Draco's wand from his grasp before spinning in a complete circle on her grounded leg, catching Malfoy behind the back and knocking him, on his back to the ground with a great force before landing on him.

Kidrin's left forearm was positioned across the boy's neck, keeping him pinned tightly to the ground.

Bloody hell, she's gonna kill me, he thought as he gasped for air, the pressure of her arm tightening on his neck.

Straddling him Jena leaned down, her mouth next to his ear.

"I would love to see your father's face when he hears about this," she whispered coolly to the stunned young Malfoy.

Draco did not respond though, his eyes were now fixated on the gold charm hanging from Professor Kidrin's necklace, which had fallen from under her bodysuit as she bent down over him. He recognized the markings on the charm.

Colin Creevey had moved from his position on the sidelines and was now standing where Jena had had her back before the attack.

Jena took the arm that was over Malfoy's neck and tilted his head up violently, removing his gaze from the charm. She pushed his head back so that all he could see was an inverted Colin Creevey ready to snap a photograph.

"Smile for the camera, Draco," she said as she put on her most brilliant smile and the camera flashed.

Jena immediately removed herself from the fallen Slytherin student and stood up, replacing her necklace under her bodysuit. She casually brushed a few blades of grass from her legs and held her hand out to assist Draco off the ground.

Malfoy, of course, refused any assistance from his Muggle Studies Professor. He stood up, adjusted his robes and rubbed his neck, which was throbbing.

None of the onlookers seemed to have noticed what had just occurred being as their backs had been to the crowd.

Professor Kidrin turned back to the group of students who were now moving in closer to the pair.

"Alright then, those of you who are in my class, you have the rest of the time to yourselves. I think we've had plenty of excitement for one morning," Professor Kidrin announced to her class, trying to catch her breath.

Pansy Parkinson approached Draco, holding his wand, which she had retrieved from the ground.

"She cheated, Draco. I'm sure Professor Snape will take care of it," she said as she handed him his wand. He grabbed it from her without a word.

Draco glanced Snape's way.

Maybe I'd best tell Snape first. He'll know what to do, he thought to himself. The look on the Snape's face told Draco now would not be a good time to go to him with his finding.

The irate Potions Master was instructing his own group of students to get back to the dungeons.

"Weasleys," Snape spat to Fred and George, "playtime is over. I suggest you make your way back to class before I start deducting points from both of you."

Both Fred and George congratulated Professor Kidrin on her victory, before trudging across the lawn to the castle.

"Where are you going?" Pansy asked Malfoy as he walked away.

Draco did not answer, but continued towards the castle.

"Good show," came Sirius's voice from behind Professor Kidrin. Jena was watching Draco walking quickly away and knew what he was doing. She knew at that moment, he was going to write to Lucius, to tell his father what he had seen.

"Snape looks pretty peeved," Sirius added, drawing Jena's gaze away from Malfoy and towards Professor Snape.

It was clear to Jena, by Snape's malicious attitude towards his students, that this man did not like to lose.

"You'd better get your class along as well," Jena said to Sirius, "I've got to get more mice for Addie. Hagrid's been doing a bang up job getting them together for me."

Sirius hated the thought of leaving her alone, but decided against arguing with her about it in front of the few students that still remained.

"See you at lunch then?" he asked.

Jena nodded and started in the direction of Hagrid's hut as Sirius gathered up his own group of students.

As she made her way across the dew-laden grass towards Hagrid's a gust of cold air hit her body causing her to stop abruptly, realizing she had left her coat lying on the ground. She turned to go back and retrieve it and let out a gasp. She was face to face with Professor Snape, who had her coat draped over his arm.

"Professor," she said, meeting his glare, "you startled me."

Snape held out his arm and she took her coat from it. She glanced over his shoulder and saw that there was no one left outside with them.

"You should really be more careful, Professor," he said with a smirk, "It would be a shame if you were to fall ill."

Professor Kidrin chose to ignore the heavy sarcasm with which he delivered this statement and offered him a simple "thank you".

"I suppose you think yourself quite clever," he mumbled as she slipped on her coat. "You've done more damage than good with your little trick today."

"Trick?" she asked, looking down as she buttoned up her coat. She realized at that moment that her thick, wool coat could not protect her from the chill of Snape's icy glare. "I'd hardly call martial arts a trick. It was quite simply a means by which to unarm my opponent."

"You've given these students a false sense. Don't you agree? Having them believe that a common Muggle can evade a wizard's attack?"

"Perhaps," she replied, trying not to hide the nervousness she suddenly felt, "but if just one of those students thinks twice before pulling their wands on a Muggle, then I'd be satisfied."

"In case you've not noticed, Professor," Snape snarled, "there is a war brewing out there. We hardly need silly little exhibits such as this taking place now, of all times."

"I will teach my students the way I feel is best. I don't come down to your dungeons and instruct you on how many Ashwinder eggs to put in a Love Potion, so I would appreciate it if you would be so kind as to keep your nose out of my class." The last sentence came out harsher than she had intended, and she noticed his lip curl in annoyance. "Now if you'll excuse me, Professor, I've things to attend to."

She turned quickly on her heels and began again towards Hagrid's.

Jena had taken no more than two steps before she heard Snape's voice, now full of viciousness, "Pedafix Intrageo".

Her feet froze suddenly, causing her to fall forward, her knees bending. Jena pushed her herself up awkwardly. Her feet would not move from the ground, and she felt an intense pressure coming from inside her shoes as if her small feet were growing at an enormous rate.

After righting herself, with some difficulty, she looked downward. Her shoes had broken open, unable to handle the pressure. Her feet, she saw were not growing at all. In fact, she no longer had feet, but rather a series of interloping roots that were shooting out from below her ankles at an alarming rate. Jena bent down, frantically feeling for her own feet, but there was nothing but roots.

Jena looked up to Snape who was standing over her, his wand in his hand. He looked slightly amused, if this man could even feel such an emotion. He seemed to be taking an unnerving amount of pleasure in her situation.

"Are you insane?" she asked as she dug at the ground wildly, trying to find the ends of the roots and stunt their growth. It seemed pointless, she soon found, to bother digging, as it seemed the deeper she dug, the deeper the sensation of the roots went.

She gave up and stood upright again, tipping awkwardly as she did.

"What have you done, Professor?" she asked, her voice now more panicked

"Simply proving a point," he said silkily, "While it is possible to avoid being hit with a spell in a controlled environment, clearly it is not so in a real life situation."

"Okay," she started, trying to sound calm, "you've proven your point. Now if you'll please release me, I'll be on my way."

Jena looked down once again, as the feeling of the growth had stopped. She was still rooted to the ground like a tree, but the roots, apparently satisfied with their hold, had stopped their subterranean growth. She tugged each of her legs, but they both remained intact in the earth.

When Jena looked back to Snape, ready to receive the counter-spell to free her, she saw he was walking away from her.

"Where are you going, Professor?" she questioned him.

Snape did not so much as give a backward glance, instead continuing on towards the warmth of the castle. It occurred to her suddenly, as she watched him, his black cloak billowing behind him as a gust of frigid air came from the north, that he intended to leave her there, out in the cold, alone.

"What do you want from me, Snape?" she was pleading now. "Do you want me to beg? Fine, here I am. I'm begging. I'm begging you, Severus."

Jena fell down on her knees, which she found was painful to do with her legs so deeply rooted in the ground. When she looked up again, Snape was gone.

"Alright now, don't cry," she scolded herself, "This charm only lasts an hour or so. You'll be out well before lunch."

Jena was perfectly aware of the charm that Snape had used on her. She had witnessed Alastor Moody use it on Death Eaters years ago. While the spell itself was simple, it was very effective in keeping those he cast it on at a stand still until members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad could take them in for trial. Jena could not help but smile as she reminisced about time she had spent with the great Auror.

And here I am, she thought as she poked aimlessly at the roots keeping her down. What would Moody think of this? So much for 'constant vigilance'.

Jena wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her coat. She glanced around the grounds, hoping beyond hope that no one had seen her. To her relief, there was not a soul in sight.

Well, it can't get any worse than this, she thought.

Just then, a blast of thunder echoed though the atmosphere, signaling an oncoming storm.

XXX

"See Harry, I told ya' Sirius would be happy for you," Ron said as he scooped himself a helping of potatoes at lunch that afternoon.

"You said no such thing, Ron," Hermione interjected as she watched him shake his spoon, attempting to get the last smidge of potatoes off of it.

"Well I thought it," Ron mumbled, as the potatoes plopped down on his plate. "Why do you do that?" he asked Hermione with an air of annoyance.

"Do what?" she shot back defensively.

"You constantly contradict everything that comes out of my mouth," he shot back. "'You never said that.'; 'It's Professor Black, not Sirius.'; 'That is maroon, Ron, not red.'"

Ron's impersonation of Hermione caused Seamus to snigger, nearly making him choke on the chicken he was eating. "You two are worse than an old married couple," he said, taking a swig from his glass of water.

"Shut up," both Ron and Hermione said angrily in unison, before each going back to their own meals in silence.

Harry smiled to himself as he watched his two friends out of the corner of his eye. They had been the best of friends for four years now, but it seemed like a lifetime to Harry. Even if neither of them would admit it, Harry felt them pulling away little by little. He almost felt envious of them, wishing he had someone that would play around with him like they did with each other.

"So what else did you two talk about?" Ron asked Harry.

"Not much really," Harry replied, "he's gonna try and come to our practice though."

After that morning's duel, Harry had walked with Sirius as he returned to his class. Sirius, who had known Harry was feeling animosity towards Jena, addressed the subject.

"She's a good person, Harry," Sirius had told him, "Just a hard person to get to know. She lost her parents at a young age as well."

Harry, who of course could relate to that feeling of emptiness, felt a pang of guilt when Sirius had told him that. He promised himself at that moment he would stop feeling so much jealousy towards the amount of time his godfather spent with her.

In fact, he had not even given it a second thought when he saw both their chairs empty when he came to lunch that afternoon.

He glanced up to the Head Table and saw that Professor Snape looking more sour than usual as he ate.

After all, Harry thought to himself, she did kick Malfoy's arse. She can't be all that bad.

XXX

Severus, taking advantage of Black and Kidrin's absence at lunch that afternoon, helped himself to a second helping of pudding.

He glanced up from the Daily Prophet's crossword puzzle he had been working on and saw that most of the students had already left the Great Hall.

Two Hufflepuff boys were playing a game of Wizard's Chess on the far side of the Hall. Each destructive move echoed annoyingly in the nearly deserted room.

The Head Table, where Severus was sitting, was nearly empty as well. Beside him, Albus and Minerva were talking quietly with each other.

"Albus, those doors don't even have locks on them," Minerva said, keeping her voice low.

"I know, but that's what she says happened," Albus replied quietly as he fumbled with the wrapper of a lemon drop.

Severus only caught a few fragments of their discussion as he turned his attention back to his puzzle.

Fourteen Down: creature; native to Russia; infuses humans with sense of hopeless before devouring, he read the final clue to himself. Anyone with half a brain can do these silly puzzles. P-O-G-R-E-B-I-N, he silently mouthed the letters. I don't know why I even bother with these anymore.

He was just about to finish off the last of his tea and head to his office, when the side door to the Great Hall opened and Sirius entered, heading straight towards the Head Table.

Severus, assuming Professor Kidrin had told Sirius about their earlier confrontation, reached inside his robes slowly, fingering his wand.

Sirius, though, passed by Snape as if he hadn't even noticed him there, stopping in front of Albus.

"Everything all right now, Sirius?" Albus asked the out-of-breath Professor Black.

"Well, the fever has come down a bit. She's resting in her quarters now. Says she can relax better there than in the hospital wing," Sirius replied, his breath slowing.

Albus nodded.

"I think Poppy's running low on the Fever Reducer..." Sirius continued.

"Not to worry," Albus said calmly, "I'm sure Severus here can prepare another batch."

Sirius glanced over to Severus, who clearly had not an inkling of what was going on.

Sirius looked back to Albus and nodded. "All right then. I suppose I'll stop by the kitchen then and get her some warm soup. She really needs to eat," he leaned in closer and lowered his voice a bit as he continued, "Albus, I think it might be a good idea if you came to speak with her. She's pretty shaken."

"I'll be up shortly, then," Albus replied.

Sirius nodded, before turning to leave once more.

"Albus, should I send for a replacement for her classes?" Minerva asked after Sirius had left the Hall.

The old man shook his head. "No, I'm sure she'll be just fine by tomorrow. Why don't we just notify her afternoon students that classes will be cancelled."

"Right away, then," Professor McGonagall replied and hurried out of the Great Hall to do so.

The Hall was now completely empty now save, for Dumbledore and Snape. The two Hufflepuff boys who were playing chess had left for their afternoon classes.

Severus folded his Daily Prophet newspaper and prepared to leave as well, when Albus spoke.

"You'll have that Fever Reducing Potion to Poppy then, Severus?" the Headmaster asked.

"I can have it ready by this evening, Headmaster," he replied, standing from the table.

"Fine, fine. Professor Kidrin used up a great deal of Poppy's supply."

"Kidrin?" Snape asked with surprise.

"Yes. It seems she got herself locked out of the castle this morning after her duel with the Malfoy boy. Sat out in the cold rain for over an hour before Hagrid found her lying out on the lawn," Albus said as he watched Snape's reaction from over his half-moon spectacles.

Dumbledore noticed the look of confusion on the Potion Master's face as he continued, "The odd thing about it all is that when Hagrid found her, she wasn't wearing any shoes."

"But the doors of the castle aren't locked during the day..." Snape said, almost to himself.

Albus, his blue eyes twinkling slightly, stood from the table and began to leave. He continued speaking as he walked slowly towards the doors.

"Well, she says that's what happened, and I have no reason to believe otherwise," he said, not looking back at Snape, who was still standing at the Head Table, frozen with confusion.

"I mean, why would she lie about it?" Albus reached the door and turned back to Severus and saw that he was in deep thought.

"Good afternoon, Professor," Albus said as he walked through the door, leaving Snape alone.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster," Severus uttered quietly, his mind churning with questions.

Why hadn't Kidrin told Albus what had really happened? he thought. Perhaps she hadn't wanted to start trouble with the Headmaster, being new to the school. But still, she and Sirius seem inseparable. Surely she would have gone to him. But Sirius was just here and, had he known that I'd used the Rooting Charm on her and left her there, he'd have been irate. Yet he had barely given me a glance.

Snape pulled himself from the questions hammering inside his head, realizing he had a class to teach.

For the rest of the day though, he could think of nothing else.