The Last Sanguimagus

It was early. Too early. Severus rubbed his aching forehead as he pulled on a robe. Even a hot shower hadn't eased his hangover.

The absinthe was exactly where he had left it the night before, though the empty bottle of firewhisky that had followed it was on the floor. The fairy was reduced to back flips, as she no longer had enough room for cartwheels.

He fingered one of the glasses, remembering the look on Sarah's face as she had indulged, how relaxed she had seemed, how she had looked content to him for the first time.

They had kissed.

He was still shocked by the intensity of the feelings that had accompanied it.

There was a muffled knock at his office door, and he whirled around. His heart squeezed in his chest. It might be Sarah, and he had no idea what to say to her yet. He had no idea what to think, even. Last night still seemed like a strange dream.

His hand rested on the doorknob for a long moment before he opened the door, only to find Pomona, who looked positively grim. She handed him the Early Edition of the Prophet without saying a word.

"What's this?" he demanded.

"Look at the headline," she said ominously.

Grindelwald's Servant Teaches at Hogwarts!

He swore. Skimming the article made him swear again, even louder.

"There is no way Albus can keep her on now," said Pomona, looking upset. "The parents will force her out. Did you know about this? She's...they make her sound like a monster!"

The article was everything Sarah had said last night at the Order meeting, some of it nearly verbatim. "I knew of some things," he said carefully, opening to the second page and continuing to scan.

"She practices blood magic!" said Pomona, sounding distressed. "I thought she seemed aloof...reserved...but this...Severus, she kills things. She kills wizards! She uses their blood for spells. I thought Silas was exaggerating about her, but here it is, worse than he ever hinted at." She paused for a moment. "Could they have made this up, do you think? They were awfully nasty to Harry two years ago..."

"I need to go speak with Sarah," he said abruptly. "May I take this?"

"Well, yes," she said, looking displeased. "Yes, of course."

A flight of stairs and a hallway later, he was pounding on her door. There was no answer. He let himself into her office, clutching the paper so tightly his fingers hurt. His mind raced. Who could have betrayed the Order like this? Fletcher? One of the red-haired menaces?

Could it have been Silas? Severus nearly growled at the thought. Silas had promised, like the rest of them, not to break Sarah's confidence. The very idea made his blood boil.

The door to her bedroom was ajar, but she was nowhere to be seen. He noticed a closed door at the far end of the bedroom, and yanked it open.

Sarah looked up at him, surprise on her face. She was reclining in a steaming tub of water, her hair slicked back, one long arm resting on the edge. "Good morning, Severus."

"Ah..." His hand was frozen on the doorknob as he stood there awkwardly.

"Either come in and close the door, or get out and close the door. You're letting in cold air."

He took a step in and closed the door behind him. For a moment all he could do was stare. He had seen her naked before, of course, but this was unexpected, and after last night it seemed different. He blinked, and then remembered the article. "The early edition of the Prophet has come in," he said, controlling his voice as best as possible.

"And you need help with the crossword puzzle?" she said, a rare smile appearing.

"No, nothing so pleasant," he said quietly.

"Well," she said, the smile disappearing. "I suppose it was time to get out anyway." She picked up her wand, which had been resting on a low table next to the bath. Stepping out of the tub stiffly, she cast a few drying charms, and then gestured to a pile of clothing. He averted his eyes as she put on her undergarments and pulled on her robe. The door opened, and her boots came floating in. She used her wand to put them on one foot at a time, a system she must have developed when she had been unable to lean forward without pain. "Tell me about this article, then."

"Here." He handed it to her, wincing inwardly. Her eyes seemed at ease, and he was angry at the paper, knowing it would upset her.

She gasped at the headline. "Oh no," she murmured, her eyes swiftly moving back and forth across the page. When she turned to the second page, she frowned. "This...this is what I said at that meeting last night?"

"Yes."

"Everything?"

"Yes. Some of it is nearly verbatim, in fact."

"There was nothing else," she pressed, glancing at him.

"No," he answered, puzzled.

She seemed both sad and relieved at the same time. "I wonder how long it will take for the parents to rise up and demand my resignation," she said softly. "I was actually beginning to enjoy teaching..."

"Not long, I would imagine," he answered.

She read the article once more as she stood there, and he watched her face closely. Her expression was one of intense concentration. "Thank you for bringing it to my attention," she said finally, handing it back to him. "I was planning on heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Would you care to join me?"

He was speechless for a moment, but then he had to admit that there was little she could do at the moment. "You will speak to the Headmaster, I assume?"

"Of course," she said, walking out into the hall. He had no choice but to follow.

***

The sleeping rooster was warm under Sarah's left arm. The school was quiet tonight, in the manner of Sunday nights. She supposed that most of the children were studying, or in their common rooms.

She felt different. It was almost as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders when she woke in the morning; she felt lighter. Even the article hadn't affected her as strongly as it could have. The fact that part of her past had been revealed had ironically freed her as well as damned her. She no longer had to be concerned about concealing her secrets. There were worse things on the horizon now, things that spelled her resignation, and more hiding, but still, she couldn't help but feel as if the largest part of her worrying had vanished.

There was also the matter of the kiss. It had been unexpected, but she knew from long familiarity that absinthe tended to bring out things that were hidden, emotions that could not be admitted to in the harsh light of day. He had kissed her, and she had responded, and she knew that somewhere within her she had desired it. It seemed so strange, she reflected; for years he had haunted her waking thoughts, and despite the negative associations, she found herself attracted to him.

She could hear footsteps in the distance around the corner, and wondered who it might be. Her errand wasn't exactly sanctioned by the Headmaster, though he knew of it, and he had made it plain; the fewer who knew, the better. Steeling her nerves, she continued her course, trying to conceal the rooster.

Turning the corner, she sighed in relief. It was Severus, robes billowing as usual, and he looked at her quizzically as he came to a stop in front of her.

"Good afternoon," she said.

He arched an eyebrow and looked pointedly at the sleeping rooster.

"It's...a bit of a story," she hedged. When it became obvious that he was going to wait until she told it, she sighed. "Follow me." The abandoned girls' bathroom was near, and she noticed that he hesitated before he went through the door behind her.

"What, exactly, are you doing?" he said, when she finally stood before the wall of sinks. Sudden realization dawned on his face. "This is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

"Yes," she replied.

He looked at the rooster again. "You think there might be another basilisk."

"Yes."

"And you were planning on going by yourself."

"Well, technically the rooster is accompanying me..."

He sneered. "I'm certain that his company is beyond reproach, but hopefully you won't refuse mine as well."

She hesitated. "I'm not certain that it's necessary...but you're welcome to join me, if you wish." She turned to the sinks and began to examine the taps, until she found one with a snake scratched into it. He was silent beside her, and she wondered what he thought of last night, and if he regretted it.

Taking out her knife, she poked a fingertip and caressed the cold bronze of the tap with the blood. After a moment, it spun, glowing, and the sink slid down into the floor, revealing an open pipe. Her seal was still intact, and she released it.

Judging the dimension of the hole, she went to the wooden doors of the stall and used her wand to slice out two round discs. She dropped them into the pipe and they slid out of sight with a scraping sound. "Shall we?"

"What were those for?" he asked, looking perplexed.

"I couldn't find any other easily accessible exits last time," she said. "I used a disk as a platform, and levitated myself back up the tunnel while standing on it."

She awkwardly climbed in first. The pipe was full of twists and turns, slimy and cold. It was pitch black after a few feet, but she could not draw her wand for light, because she was holding onto the rooster with both hands as she slid down into the depths of the school.

The pipe opened up unexpectedly, and she fell to the ground in a tangle of robes. Rubbing her elbow, she stood up, sidestepping the entrance. She drew her wand. "Lumos." The tip glowed with a soft blue light.

There was a muffled thump and a curse, and then Severus was getting to his feet behind her, looking down at his robes with an expression of disgust.

"I should have warned you about the slime," she said. "Sorry. Can you hold him for a moment?"

He took the rooster from her, scowling.

"And my wand?" She handed it to him, drawing her knife again. "I realize that you are a competent wizard, and no doubt you have an idea of what you would do if faced with an adult basilisk, but I have a spell that might help." Slicing the back of her hand in a practiced gesture, she daubed the blood onto her fingertips, concentrating on the effect. "Close your eyes..."

He looked apprehensive for a moment. "What, exactly..."

"Explaining it will take longer than seeing it for yourself," she said. He reluctantly closed his eyes. "This will feel a little cold, I'm sorry." She reached up and lightly smeared his right eyelid with blood.

He stepped back suddenly and opened his eyes in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"I'm smearing blood on your eyelids," she said. "Stand still so I can finish."

He closed his eyes again, wincing as she touched his right eyelid, and again when she touched his left. "Are you finished yet?"

"Yes." She closed her own eyes and repeated the spell.

"Are you going to tell me what it is you've cast?" he said impatiently.

"Close your eyes again and it should become obvious."

He handed her the rooster and her wand, and closed his eyes. "I see nothing out of the ordinary...ah."

"It's a bit disorienting, I know."

"How exactly does it work?" He waved one hand in front of his face.

"You aren't actually looking at anything," she said, adjusting the rooster under her arm. "You are seeing what the blood itself is able to 'see.' It isn't like looking through a pane of glass, or into a mirror...it's almost as if...someone else is looking at it for you, and drawing what they see." She closed her own eyes. Before her, limned in an eerie faint glow, she could see Severus and the outline of the pipe. It was shaky, at best, but certainly better than the alternative.

"It can thwart a basilisk's gaze, then? Interesting." He spread his fingers out and wiggled them. "It's rather sketchy, though."

"Well, yes, but at least you will be able to gauge where the basilisk is. If there is a basilisk."

"You think there might not be one?"

"When I was here last, the basilisk was rather underdeveloped, and easily dispatched. I'm not certain what will happen this time. The magic in the chamber is tremendously powerful, but it's very old. It might not have hatched a new basilisk yet. Or we might be facing an adult one...hence the rooster. And the spell." She opened her eyes.

His were still closed, and he took a tentative step forward.

"Hopefully we won't need either," she added. She turned and looked into the blackness, gripping her wand tightly.

"This way, then?" said Severus, opening his eyes. The tunnel loomed in front of them, dark and suffocating.

"Yes." As they walked, she felt acutely aware of his presence next to her.

"Slytherin created all of this with blood magic?" asked Severus quietly.

"Some of it," she said. "If you were more familiar with the bloodsight, you would have noticed earlier that the walls are much more vivid than they normally are with this spell."

"Ah."

Bones crackled underneath their feet as they walked further down the tunnel. "I have been meaning to tell you," she began, "that on Friday evening I was approached by a student of yours."

"Who?" he asked, looking guarded.

"Nott." She raised her wand hand higher, to better illuminate a rather pronounced left-hand turn in the tunnel. "He offered me a deal, which he said was from the Dark Lord."

Severus stopped and turned toward her, his face unreadable. "A deal?"

"He had a bit of parchment with him. It bore the Dark Mark, in wax," she said, stopping as well. "I think it might have actually been legitimate, though I didn't touch it. Nott had already broken the seal, and he told me that the Dark Lord was willing to repeat my arrangement with Erich."

"Nott had already read it, then."

"Yes."

"What was the incentive the Dark Lord offered you?"

She smiled ruefully. Severus was sharp as a knife, and clearly knew the ways of the Dark Lord only too well. "He said that he would protect me from...Lucius. In return, I would provide him with research. Obviously he didn't fully understand the details of my time at Das Herrenhaus."

"That's rather surprising," said Severus thoughtfully.

"It is probable that he didn't think it likely that a seventy year old wizard would dally with a witch barely in her twenties."

Severus's eyebrows threatened to disappear into his hairline. "Grindelwald was seventy?"

"When I first met him, yes," she said. "He was nearly ninety when...at the end." Severus had a strange look on his face, but she pressed forward nonetheless. "When I wouldn't accept the offer, Nott demanded that I teach him blood magic."

"You refused."

"Yes, of course. I have no wish to perpetuate blood magic. He pushed the issue, however, and threatened to leak information to the public about me."

"Do you think he was behind the article?"

"No," she said, shifting the rooster a bit higher under her arm. "Not unless he's a part of your...organization, which I highly doubt." Snape inclined his head in agreement. "When I wouldn't give in, he threatened you."

"Really." He seemed almost amused.

"He said that he could keep the Dark Lord from murdering you."

There was a pause, and then Severus laughed bitterly. "He thinks he's become one of the favored, I see. He'll realize, in time, that the Dark Lord has no favorites, only tools."

"He seemed fairly confident. He wears the Dark Mark, as well." She turned and began walking down the tunnel once more. "And the Dark Lord is sending him private missives, apparently. He bears watching."

"True." Severus walked beside her, seemingly lost in thought.

There was a room up ahead, and the light from her wand reflected eerily on the shed basilisk skin that lay inside. It was faded and blotchy, but here and there vivid green patches remained, gleaming. Part of the room had caved in, and she picked her way through the stones, much as she had the first time. Severus followed behind her, navigating the rocks with ease.

Eventually they came to the other side, and back into another gloomy corridor. They were both silent as they walked the narrow stone passage. It ended at an open doorway, flanked by intricately carved doors. She nodded to Severus, pointing to her eyes again to remind him of the blood magic she had cast.

The room was just as impressive as the last time she had seen it. It was huge, long and vaguely lit, with carved serpentine stone pillars that vanished into the darkness above. She changed her grip on the rooster, and put out the light on her wand.

Blood magic ran deep in this room. Sarah could feel it thrumming under her feet, powerful and undiminished despite its age. In fact, she suspected that it had grown in strength since Salazar's time. Hogwarts seemed to have a particular presence, a near-sentient feeling about it, and it was even more palpable here in the Chamber of Secrets.

There was a stirring sound, deep within the chamber, and her skin crawled. It was the dry sound of scales rubbing on stone, and it was louder than expected. This snake was obviously far larger than the last one had been, and her stomach clenched. It would not be as easy to kill.

She glanced at Severus, who seemed to understand what she had guessed, and he nodded. A few more cautious steps, and the statue of Salazar that dominated most of the opposite wall came into view. Its enormous mouth was agape, the black hole unsettling. The stirring sound grew louder, and she turned to Severus and gestured at him to close his eyes. He hesitated, but only for a moment. She did not bother muffling her footsteps as she approached the statue, knowing that it was useless. The creature had felt the vibrations from the first step they had taken into the chamber.

She put the bird on the floor, where it lay as if dead. Making a quick cut to her hand with her knife, she smeared its beak with blood, bringing it out of its enchanted slumber. Its eyes blinked open and it stood up, ruffling its feathers.

The basilisk hissed, and she closed her eyes just in time to see it slither into view. Her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't the largest she had seen, but it was mature enough to be in full possession of its powers. She looked down to see the reddish outline of the rooster freeze in place.

"Crow, you stupid thing!" she said, panicking. The rooster made no move at all except to shiver violently.

Severus grabbed her arm and dragged her backwards as the basilisk began to snake forward. The bloodsight revealed the serpent not as a faint outline, but as bright as if illuminated by daylight, sinuous and fanged in all of its malevolent, green glory. Next to her, Severus was a faint, blurred, dream image, and she heard him swear under his breath.

The basilisk reared back, and she marveled at its flawless coat of scales. Its amber eyes shone with a peculiar light that seemed to seek her out. It was almost painful against her eyelids, like waves of cold.

The serpent's tail twitched, and it hissed, loudly. Its fangs gleamed in the scant light as it surveyed them balefully, its long, forked tongue sampling the air.

A quick glance showed that the rooster was in its path, still frozen. If the basilisk lunged it would be crushed, and that would destroy their only chance to end it quickly. She wasn't certain she could kill it at all without the rooster.

Severus stopped, as it was clearly useless to back up any further. "Conjunctivis!" he shouted. The basilisk swayed hypnotically, and the hex flew past it.

Sarah flicked her wand. "Leviosa," she said. The rooster floated upwards, and she made another impatient gesture, bringing it toward her.

The basilisk was gathering itself for the strike, and Sarah realized who its intended target was. "Run!" she shouted to him.

Severus paid her not the slightest mind. He stood still, and for a single, terrifying moment she thought he had been petrified until she heard him muttering. He slashed at the air with his wand, making an unfamiliar pattern.

The rooster was still sailing toward her, as if in slow motion.

She had two choices. She could stop the Levitation spell and drop the rooster, and try to save Severus, but lose the chance for the bird to finish off the monster quickly. Or she could hope that he had something up his sleeve and was able to hold off a nearly full-grown basilisk by himself, which would be quite a feat.

She only had a moment to decide. The rooster was still in the air as the basilisk reared back, hissing, its fangs gleaming.

As much as she wanted to keep Severus from harm, she had to keep the bird alive at all costs. She had no other way of killing a basilisk this powerful as quickly. She would just have to hope that Severus had a healing potion on his person, or that she could keep him alive while using a voice amplification spell to call for help.

There was a tremendous rush of air as the basilisk lunged forward, its mouth gaping. The green scales were a blur as it charged towards Severus. She found herself inhaling in fright.

"Watch out!" she cried. The rooster was still sailing toward her, and almost struck her in the head. She plucked it out of the air and turned to run, but stepped on the hem of her robe and nearly fell flat on her face instead.

She turned back just in time to see the basilisk strike Severus with all of its strength.

There was a deafening clang as it crashed into an invisible shield. Sarah put her free hand over one ear and winced as the beast reared back, spitting hideously. One of its fangs stuck out at an odd angle. It shook its head, and the fang fell out, spattering the floor with blood and venom. Severus backed away slowly, his entire body tense, and she felt a touch of awe. A shielding spell that powerful was impressive, though difficult to maintain. Already it had dissipated.

Its tail lashing in pain and fury, the basilisk weaved back and forth, striking one of the stone pillars. Blood dripped freely from its wounded mouth.

She dropped the rooster to the floor. "Crow!" she demanded. The bird only shuddered in terror. Flicking her wand, she cast a Cheering Charm in desperation. "Now, you stupid bird!"

The rooster puffed up suddenly, and strutted forward, looking excited.

Severus was next to her, his outline wavering against the brilliant glow of the serpent. "If we distract it, we might be able to make it back to the cave-in, and the basilisk will have difficulty getting past the fallen rocks," he said.

The serpent ceased to spit. Its forked tongue quivered as it tasted the air, and it turned to look at them with such malice in its eyes that Sarah shivered. "I don't think we have enough time," she said. She pocketed her wand and cut the back of her hand carelessly, taking as much blood as she could onto her fingertips. "They don't like cold...I will try to cause it pain while you get the Headmaster." The blood began to steam as she cooled it.

"Absolutely not," he said, sounding furious. "You will go to the Headmaster, and I will stay--"

Suddenly the rooster crowed loudly. The basilisk reared again, but this time in fright, its tail crashing into one of the pillars with a deafening bang. The rooster crowed again, and again, and the monster shuddered and writhed in agony, coiling around itself, its scales rubbing together with a horrible dry noise. A moment longer, and it fell to the ground, dead, and the entire chamber shook.

Sarah took a deep breath and then another, letting the icy blood she'd created fall to the ground. The rooster kept crowing raucously, and she resisted the urge to kick it.

"It's dead." Severus looked at it warily.

"Yes," she said, wiping her hand on her robe and walking unsteadily toward the body. She inspected it carefully. "It was...larger than I expected."

"It's not as large as the shed skin in the corridor," he said. Already he was completely in control again, his black eyes regarding the serpent keenly.

"Yes, well, that wasn't from this creature," she said. "That was from the beast that the Potter boy killed."

Severus grimaced at that. His eyes wandered toward the now-cheery bird, and he pointed at it with his wand. "Your rooster came close to becoming an ingredient for a potion tonight."

"He's not mine. I borrowed him from Hagrid." She pocketed her knife.

"Hagrid let you take one of his birds? I'm surprised." He put his wand away as well.

"He doesn't know that I borrowed him."

Severus smirked and continued to examine the carcass. "The eyes are a particularly prized potion ingredient," he murmured. "Basilisks are one of the most powerful serpents...I'm surprised, actually, that you don't want to harvest any of its blood."

"It's too late for that; it's already dead." She shivered. "And basilisk's blood has only one purpose in blood magic."

He looked puzzled for a moment, but then seemed to remember its use in the Undying Devotion spell. He shot her a look that was almost apologetic. "I see." An uncomfortable pause followed.

The rooster was now perched on top of the serpent, strutting with its chest puffed out.

Severus gingerly examined the remaining fang, and then stepped back, surveying the monster. "When I was younger, I used to wish that I had a basilisk at my command."

She looked at him, surprised that he was volunteering such information. "I was always partial to crups, myself."

"Crups don't petrify your enemies," he said darkly.

"No, that's true. They're more partial to chasing after kneazles." She paused for a moment. "You hoped to control the basilisk as a young man, then? To further your usefulness to the Dark Lord?"

He looked startled. "No, of course not. It was while I attended Hogwarts." He regarded the serpent again with a strange, bemused look on his face. "I often hoped that one would enter the Great Hall while all of the students were there, and bow down before me..."

"I would have been quite impressed at the time, were I not dead, or lucky enough to be only petrified, along with the rest of your audience." She watched as the rooster slipped, and then regained its footing with a cry of triumph.

He looked annoyed. "I assure you I was only thinking of people I hated at that time."

"There were other students that you hated enough to want to destroy?"

His gaze seemed to pierce her. "It's why the Dark Lord found it so easy to recruit me."

"Ah," she said, though she didn't understand what he meant.

He turned and looked around. "I've read that Slytherin had many followers here at Hogwarts..."

"Many of his closest friends and pupils helped him in the chamber's construction." She checked the hem of her robe; it had torn where she'd stepped on it. "The other Founders knew that he was creating something, but had no idea of its scope...or its purpose. Use the bloodsight; you'll see that the statue is quite impressive."

He closed his eyes. The smears of blood on his eyelids were very dark against his skin. "The statue..."

She closed her own eyes, and the statue of Slytherin glimmered in front of her. She reopened them to see plain, grey stone again. There was a faint crawling sensation under her skin, and she glanced towards the passageway, thinking that it was time to leave. "Well, now that the basilisk is dispatched..."

He frowned, and began to walk purposefully toward the statue.

"What is it?" she asked. Worried, she followed him.

"This," he said, bending down to look at a pile of identical smooth stones at the base of the statue. "Do you see?"

"Yes, I know, one glows," she said. "I noticed it last time, as well."

He retrieved the stone in question. "You don't think it odd that these stones are duplicates of each other, and that only one is enchanted?" He looked strange, holding a stone up to her face for her to see, while his own eyes were closed.

She shrugged. "It might have been a way to pass time. Perhaps he used it to practice a blood magic technique."

He opened his eyes, and looked at the statue. They stood near one of its giant feet, and this close, she could see snakes carved into the stone next to it. He gestured toward one serpentine image. "Don't you see?"

Unlike all of the other snakes, it was missing an eye. Severus reached up and placed the stone in the empty socket.

"Wait!" she said, alarmed, but it was too late. There was a whisper of sound, and then the quiet grinding of stone. A door that had been cleverly concealed by the intertwined snake carvings appeared, and swung open into a dark passageway.

"Lumos," said Severus, and his wand flared to life.

"This is not a good idea," she said, grabbing his arm.

He looked at her, nonplussed. "Do you sense something untoward here?"

"Not exactly, no," she hedged.

"I know where this leads," he said, and she could see the excitement in his eyes. "This leads to Slytherin's private study."

"I don't see how you could possibly know that."

"It doesn't take many guesses to figure it out." He smoothly slid out of her grasp and began to walk down the tunnel.

He'd been part of the Dark Lord's circle, and he was Head of Slytherin, she reflected; that could explain how he knew. "We should show this to the Headmaster..."

"Absolutely," he agreed.

The hallway was very short, and led to a deserted room. She looked around curiously. Few items remained. A wooden desk, half rotted into nothingness; an empty wine rack carved from stone; a few empty bottles. "I think you're right," she marveled. The back of her neck prickled, and she felt chilled. The air seemed unnaturally heavy.

"When I became the Head of Slytherin, I was given an old trunk full of parchments," he said, investigating the empty slots in the wine rack. "It contained many pieces of correspondence from past Heads of Slytherin. There were some very early letters, as well, written by Slytherin himself. Several of them mention his study, where he worked as he built the Chamber of Secrets."

"I've never heard of such a thing," she said, lightly running her fingers across the surface of the desk. They left faint trails in the dust.

"He must have wanted a place close to the chamber. Somewhere he could peruse the plans, and keep an eye on his workers, yet escape to the school at a moment's notice. There were rumored to be passages here...one to the Slytherin common room, and one to private quarters in the dungeons. I've always been curious about them." He looked deeper into one of the spaces in the wine rack, and pulled a folded bit of parchment out, looking at it speculatively before thrusting it into his pocket.

There were two doors in the shadows, faded and covered in dust. "Don't touch them," she warned as he stepped toward one. "They're heavily enchanted." The feeling of wrongness in the air was intensifying. "I think we should leave."

"Why is that?"

"I should never have followed you in here," she said. "I'm not a pure-blood. I think there are watching spells..."

He seemed to understand, then, and she turned and walked swiftly down the passageway toward the gloomy light of the chamber.

There was a whisper of sound that sounded strangely familiar. She turned to look at Severus. "The door!"

A loud grinding noise echoed in the air, and she broke into a run as the door began to slide shut.

He was right behind her, and he shoved her through bodily. She struck the stone floor with a gasp. He cursed as he slid past the opening and just managed to bring his foot through as the door sealed itself in place again.

The stone fell out of the eye of the snake, and rolled back to the pile.

"Diffindo," said Severus, sounding disgusted as he cut the back of his robe free from the door, where it was caught.

She stood up and rubbed her now twice-bruised elbow. The rooster crowed triumphantly from behind them.

"Apparently we weren't welcome," he said, brushing dust off his robes.

"I don't know...the study seemed almost...curious about us," she mused. "It felt as if it was tolerating us, allowing us to look for a moment, before it decided to react."

He patched the tear inelegantly, frowning. "No one's disturbed it for a thousand years, I would say. The Headmaster has never mentioned it to me...I doubt he knows it's there."

"I thought that the protective spells might not be triggered because I'm a Sanguimagus, but apparently I was wrong." The feeling of pressure was still there, if mostly diminished, and she had no wish to stay longer.

"It could have been my presence, as well," he said quietly.

She stared at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not a pure-blood." The expression on his face was inscrutable.

"But you were a Death Eater." Her mind whirled. "You're the Head of Slytherin..."

He nodded.

"You had to fool a great many people, then," she said wonderingly. "And for years, no less." Yes, he was as sharp as a knife. "That is..." She shook her head. Now was not the time for conversations. "We should go." She turned away from the now-hidden door.

They walked past the snake's carcass, and Sarah gestured with her wand, levitating the rooster in mid-crow. It gave out an indignant squawk. Severus gave one last lingering glance to the basilisk as they entered the tunnel.

The rooster was irritable, and she had to use two hands to restrain him. It was a losing battle, though, and she finally dropped it on the floor when they reached the room with the shed skin.

She poked a finger with her knife, and concentrated. Blood rose like a ribbon from her fingertip, winding toward the rooster and enveloping it in a thin mist of red. It promptly fell over.

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"It's just asleep," she said, picking up the infuriating bird and tucking it under one arm.

They walked in silence for a few steps, until Severus looked at her again, his expression unreadable. "I assume that you've spoken with the Headmaster about the article. What are your plans?"

"I will try to maintain my position as long as I possibly can," she said quietly. "He said he would defend me as best as he was able. He mentioned, again, that I would have a place here at Hogwarts, even if I am stripped of my teaching position."

"What will you do if the Wizengamot decides that you are to be sent to Azkaban?" His dark eyes focused on hers, and she was acutely aware of the way they seemed to pierce her.

"The Headmaster has made arrangements," she replied. "That's all he would say."

Severus stared at her for a long moment before nodding. "And do you have your own plan?"

"Run." She brushed a stray wisp of hair from her face. "Not very subtle, I know."

"It's just what the Dark Lord will expect you to do." Severus looked as impassive as ever, except for his eyes, which glittered strangely. "There must be somewhere you can go."

"Where?" she said. "My father's house? I've been cast out. Das Herrenhaus? Gone. My mother's family is long since buried. I have no one left but the Headmaster, and should something happen to him..."

Severus grew quiet as they drew near the tunnel that led back up to the castle.

The wooden disks lay where she had left them, and she briefly wondered how to manage levitating a disk and holding onto a rooster at the same time. She looked up into the tunnel. Perhaps she could levitate the rooster up by itself, if she could remember the twists and turns...

His hand was on her arm. He pulled her around, pressing her against the wall, and leaned down to kiss her. It was no gentle, dreamy kiss like the night before; it was fierce, yet awkward. She was trapped between him and the cold stone behind her, and caught by surprise. She pushed him away.

The hurt on his face blazed, and she almost thought he was going to hex her. His hands were clenched. She stood for a moment, frozen. He had seemed almost...inexperienced, self-conscious, without the absinthe to strip away his inhibitions.

If she did not do something quickly, his pride would be injured, perhaps enough to eschew her. He was her only real friend in the castle. Worse yet, she found herself wanting to kiss him again.

She stepped toward him, and he regarded her warily. The vulnerability in his eyes was all it took for her to put her hand on his shoulder, and he brought his face closer, uncertain. He tried to kiss her again, too aggressively, and she backed away slightly before carefully touching her lips to his gently. He did not close his eyes, and it bothered her, but she tried to simply lose herself in the kiss. I miss Erich, she thought; he'd been an extraordinary kisser.

Severus suddenly broke the kiss, looking away, his eyes dark. His entire body radiated tension.

She had no idea what to think. One moment he was devouring her, the next, cold as a thestral's heart.

She suddenly felt overwhelmed by the events of the evening. She turned and levitated one of the wooden disks. "Get on, and I'll send you and the rooster up."

"You first," he said softly. His tone made her shiver; she knew it meant that he was angry.

"Fine," she said, standing on the disk. She held the rooster tightly and sent herself through, not bothering to wait for him.

The castle was quiet, and she encountered only ghosts on her way to the front door.

The cold winter air chilled her to the bone, and she cast a warming charm as she made her way toward Hagrid's hut. She returned the rooster to Hagrid's enclosure only slightly worse for the wear. Hagrid was nowhere to be seen.

She thought of kissing Severus, and felt a twist of unease. Simple, sweet men did not attract her; they never had. Instead of Emil, I choose Erich; and now Severus. Complicated men. Difficult men.

With a sudden start, she remembered that he was a Legilimens. Could he have seen her thoughts of Erich as she kissed him? She cursed aloud. It would certainly explain his change of mood.

She was very near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and the icy wind that sprang up from its depths cut right through her warming charm. She wished she had a cloak. There was a faint light shining from deep within the forest for a moment, and then it died, leaving the forest bleak and dark again.