A Muggles Importance

Harry woke up, startled. His dream was so livid, so real, that he assumed it was-as usual. He had seen a girl-a Muggle, judging by the look of her clothing-slightly younger than he was. She was running in a forest, but from what he couldn't tell. She looked hurt however, yet there were no injuries he could see.

So what was it?

Whatever it was, and whoever she was, he would have to tell Dumbledore-she was hurt; she was a Muggle; and seeing as his dreams were usually about Voldemort...

He sat up and grabbed a quill and scrap of parchment.

Dear Dumbledore

I'm sorry to bother you, but I had another dream, and it worried me. I saw a Muggle girl with blonde hair running through a dark forest, looking hurt and scared. Yet I could hear nor see a pursuer or any wound. As my dreams are usually about Voldemort's doings, and this was a Muggle, I thought that I should tell you.

Harry

It seemed good, quick and to the point. Poking a sleeping Hedwig awake, he gave an owl treat to her and the letter. She didn't seem happy about the hour but left anyway.

___

Harry got a letter sent back the next morning, Hedwig looking tired, but not as he had felt. He had seen her again, running, and this time she looked more terrified and kept looking over her shoulder. He put Hedwig in her cage and turned his attention back to the letter.

Quickly opening it, he saw Dumbledores writing, which was usually neat and well written, scrawled hurriedly on a shred of parchment.

Harry

I thank you for telling me. You're not the only one who has seen her. Snape tells me of a Muggle girl whom Voldemort has been angrily talking about, one that has toiled his dreams. This may very well be the same girl.

In any case we must be watchful. If both you and Voldemort are seeing her, then we should be careful. He might want to kill her, to stop his 'nightmares'.

Dumbledore

Harry shook his head at the mention of Snape-why did Dumbledore trust him? He couldn't see who would, or why for the matter.

Deciding he didn't need to send a letter back to Dumbledore, he remembered with a jolt his Godfather Sirius.

Why hadn't he thought of him before?

Quickly grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill, he outlined his two dreams carefully, and then said he'd already told Dumbledore.

He poked Hedwig, who screeched and didn't seem happy about sending another letter, and watched her leave.

He sighed and heard "HARRY!" from downstairs, suddenly remembering that he still had another month ahead with them.

___

Squeak squeak squeak.

Harry scrubbed the dishes, pausing every so often to listen for Hedwig.

Squeak squeak squeak.

Pause.

Squeak squeak s-flaflapflapflap.

Harry rushed to the window and saw a very, very annoyed Hedwig beating her wings up against the glass. He let her in-the Dursleys were out celebrating Dudley's birthday-and he took the letter, wiping off his hands as well.

Harry

I heard about her from Dumbledore, told me to keep an eye out for her, yet I haven't seen a hair on her head.

I am suspicious of this whole matter and am worried for your safety. I will breathe again when you're back in school and not out in the open where Voldemort can get to you.

Sirius

"Not again." Great. Now Sirius and Dumbledore were worrying about his security and sanity.

WHY does summer have to be so long?

___

Dumbledore paced his study, thinking hard. He knew not of whom this Muggle girl was; nor, why Harry and Voldemort were dreaming of her. However it seemed quite important to Dumbledore that she be found before Voldemort got to her.

With a sigh, he sat down into his chair. "Fawkes, my friend, I wish there was something I could do. Have you any ideas?" Fawkes let out one low note before hopping off of his perch and fluttering over to a cabinet, where he remained perched on top.

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course! Newspapers! What was I thinking...naturally there would be something about a Muggle missing in a newspaper?"

He quickly headed up to the owlrey, and gave an owl a few Muggle coins. "Go and get me a Muggle newspaper, please." The owl hooted quizzically but headed off, the money jingling in his talons.

___

Harry was outside, working in the garden, when he saw an owl swoop down overhead. It hooted a few times, and Harry saw it carrying Muggle money. What it wanted, he had no clue.

"I can't help you, I can't understand you." It hooted angrily and flew off, then came back, dropping a coin on his head. (A/N I've never been to Britain...do they even use coins?)

"Ow!" He rubbed his head and held out the piece.

The owl refused it and dropped them all on him, then flew over to the house. The newspaper was sitting outside, as Aunt Petunia never used it and Uncle Vernon was away on a trip for work.

He didn't mind when it perched on top, but then it began to fly away with it.

"Hey! Get back here! I'll get in trouble if you take that!" Yet the owl paid no heed and flew away. Aunt Petunia yelled out for him to start working and to stop talking and causing a racket.

Harry sighed, digging back down into the earth.

___

The owl, a large tawny, flew long and hard, resting only once on the way back to Hogwarts. He tapped his talon against the window, and Dumbledore woke with a start.

"Sorry, sorry, coming...I wasn't expecting you back so fast." The owl hooted, confused, not knowing whether it was a compliment or an insult he had just heard. However Dumbledore took the newspaper and said to him, "You may go back, I have nothing more to deliver." Its job done, he hooted softly and returned to his perch in the owlrey.

___

Back in his office, Dumbledore looked through the paper He usually read the weekend ones as they usually covered the most, however once a week he got a Muggle daily one-that made twice this week.

It made him wonder how the owls could put the coins into the slots (A/N I'm used to those little newspaper dispensers, there's one outside of every store almost, so I just included it here) without being steady-he had never seen an owl hover before.

He opened up to the local section and there, in bold headlines, said

Girl still not found-Police fear death, kidnapping

Accompanied with a picture of a blonde, tall and thin girl who was playing a game of soccer.

She seemed to fit the description both Harry and Severus gave. Quickly scanning the article, he saw sentences that jumped out from the paper:

"...missing for three days..." Harry had begun seeing the dreams three days ago.

"...grades...going down...friend's moved away...parents divorcing...may have cracked..." Perhaps she had run away. He had known a few students whom had left their homes when under pressure.

Yet, that wasn't the part that startled him.

"...she isn't the first to disappear. A few others have gone without a trace..." He thought about the location of where that was. It wasn't far from where Voldemort was rumored to last be seen. Indeed, it seemed as though lately he was using the terror he inspired to attack Muggles. He did not want to think of the fate of these poor girls.

With a shake of his head, he stood up and went to find Severus and alert him of what she looked like in case she fell into Voldemort's hands, and to alert Hagrid in case she was found in the forest.

___

Severus Snape paced back and forth about his office, thinking.

He'd just been to Voldemort again, and the Muggle girl still tainted his mind.

Good.

He thought it funny (A/N: 'Not funny ha-ha, more like funny weird'- Marco, Animorphs) that a young Muggle girl could cause him so much agony and frustration.

He was convinced that he was to kill her and that she would lead to either Harry and Dumbledore's downfall, or his.

He himself had no idea who she was, and had only a vague idea of what she looked like, yet she seemed familiar somehow.

He stopped pacing and rubbed his eyes. It was early yet, and he needed to clear his mind, so he thought he would go out for a walk to help.

However as he was about to head outside he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Dumbledore rushing towards him. Normally, Albus hardly ever rushed unless it was urgent, so Severus stopped and waited. And was it urgent indeed.

"Severus. I have urgent news. I think I may have found our Muggle girl." Snape raised his eyebrows in question. "Here." Albus handed him a Muggle newspaper clipping.

Girl still not found-Police fear death, kidnapping

Veria Vegh, 13, of Salisbury England, has still not been found.

While friends and family may still be hopeful for a break, it appears very unlikely that Veria is alive. She has been missing for three days now, and not a hint of her whereabouts has been found.

She disappeared three nights ago, while on the way home from a meeting with some friends. Her parents say that she was supposed to come directly home, but she had been known to wander at times, so they did not begin to worry until it got dark.

That was their first mistake, police officials say.

Her parents also thought she had just run away. They had recently divorced and a lot of pressure had been put on her.

"Her grades were going down already, and her friend's moved away. That compiled with her parents divorcing, she may have cracked." It doesn't help that her extended family all but drowned in the Atlantic after an accident when she was two.

The strange part is, she isn't the first from her school to disappear. A few others had gone without a trace. Elizabeth Hillocks, Rachel Cunnings, and Riana Albertson have also disappeared. All female, but all of different heights, ages, hair color, and skin color. There is no pattern, as would usually be suspected in murder or rape.

"We can only hope that she is alive, if not well."

Above the story there was a picture of a Muggle girl with blonde hair and greenish blue eyes. She was tall and slightly thin for her age and height. In this picture she appeared to be playing some sort of Muggle sport. Either that or she just carried around a white and black checkered ball for the heck of it.

Muggles did strange things, yet he recognized this as a part of soccer

Severus looked up, surprised. "Where did you find this?"

"Unlike many of our Ministry friends, I enjoy reading Muggle newspapers and see if there are any connections with Voldemort." The portraits who had been watching all flinched and turned back to whatever they were doing before he arrived.

"I shall notify Harry and Sirius about this as well as the Ministry, although I think for all the good it would do I'd much rather find myself a safe Bertie Bott's bean." Severus smiled slightly; it was a well known fact Dumbledore didn't care for those at all.

"Anything else?"

"No, I'm afraid that's it. See you later."

"Good bye."

Severus turned and walked outside, needing a walk now more than ever.

Despite what many of the students thought, he did not wither away if he saw the sun.

___

Once outside, he strode about the grounds. Normally he would be keeping an eye out for students, but fortunately during the summer there weren't such bothers around.

The lake looked peaceful and calm this morning, the sun reflecting off the water like colored glass. It was peaceful and calm, yet it was strange, he thought. If the surface was unmoving, then the creatures underwater shouldn't be moving. He shook his head. That was wrong, he knew, but that's what logic brought to him. Perhaps it was just the magic of the area. That must be it.

He shook his head again, disgusted with himself. He'd never been great at magic, he was always better at potions. That was one of the only reasons that he had ever joined the Death Eaters in the first place.

Thinking of his childhood brought back many unwanted memories. He'd never been very popular, always in the shadows. At first it was terrible, always getting insulted, but he eventually learned that he was better off without people. Of course, it might not have been so bad if it weren't for those stupid Gryffindors, but...

Shaking his head again, he thought of the Muggle girl. She seemed similar to him but that she had friends, or so the article said.

He had personal experiences with newspapers not being entirely truthful.

She had had a tough life, no doubt about it. Of course his was tougher but then again he was older. Not that she had to worry about joining Death Eaters or not joining them, however there were definitely some tough choices anyone would have to make in life.

___

His thoughts were interrupted however by a noise coming from the forest. No, not a noise; noises. Something was obviously disturbing the birds and other animals. He pulled his wand out, ready and willing to bet it was another stinking werewolf terrorizing the land.

But it wasn't.

He saw a flash of something through the trees, and then it stumbled out and ran at him. He could see immediately it was a human, but who it was he couldn't tell; her head was turned and she was staring in back of her.

In fact, she was about t-OOF!

Severus stumbled backwards but didn't fall. She had fallen backwards but quickly got up. She looked scared, and her eyes went wide when she saw him. She looked him up and down, turned, and fled in the direction opposite of the lake.

Oh, curses, the stupid girl was getting away.

He ran after her, for once in his life glad of his height and long strides. He caught up to her easily; she was already tiring and it didn't help she appeared to be hurt. He reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.

Big mistake.

He felt her stop and grab his arm that was grabbing her arm, and he was then suddenly on the ground and she was running again. Boy, was she fast. He stood up and resumed chase, this time grabbing her arm to stop her, then letting go.

The result?

She fell over.

However she was quick to get up, saying things so fast and rude that he didn't understand them.

He grabbed her arm again, and this time he could understand her. "Lemme go! Lemme go! Now! Get the hell off me!" Jeeze, the kid could put up a fight. She twisted her arm almost out of his grip, and he grabbed her other arm so she couldn't struggle as much.

"Stop! Stop moving, I'm trying to help you. You're hurt; you're limping and you're arm's very bad, I'm trying-"

"I don't care! Lemme go! Oh, hell, lemme or I swear I'll tell authorities about this! Get the hell off me!"

He laughed. "If I know you, then you aren't going to the authorities; you don't want anyone to see you." She stopped struggling for a moment.

"Either you're a stalker, or you read newspapers. I'm not sure which; you don't exactly look like an innocent person."

Severus was annoyed. "I am not a stalker."

"Oh yeah? Then you belong to a cult! You're just out to kill me for the hell of it!"

"Who said I was in a cult? Who said I wanted to kill you?"

"Well, no one I know outside of a cult wears stupid clothing. Unless you're...well...'that way', if you get my meaning."" He sighed. Of course; she was a Muggle and worse jeans and a shirt, not robes. Hey, wait a...

"I'm not gay. And anyway, like those are normal?" She looked down. She was wearing a faded blue pair of pants, with a rip above the knee. She also has on a black shirt that was slightly bloodstained near one sleeve, with a pentagram and a (fake) drop of blood in the middle.

"So? It's more normal than what you're wearing!"

"Kids. Honestly, you Muggles-"

"Muggle? Oh, is that a term for someone outside of your cult, is it! Ha! You think you're so smart but you're not fooling me!" He shook his head.

"I am not in a cult, not out to kill you or otherwise do you harm, and I am not a stalker."

"Whatever. Like you'd admit it." She glared at him.

"Hey, calm down-"

"I'll calm down when you let me go!"

"I'm not letting you go until I get some answers."

"'Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.'"

Snape blinked.

"What?"

"'Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see!' Haven't you ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail? It's the old man from scene twenty four!"

"Umm...no."

"God, you're worse off than I am."

"Hey, now wait a minute."

"Dum dum dum, dum dee dum dum dum-" (A/N Jeopardy theme!)

"What kind of a child are you?"

"Possessed! I am insane and mad, and should be left the hell alone!"

"Quite. However I'm afraid that's impossible until you...err...'answer me these questions three.'"

"'Ask me the questions queer one, (A/N 'Bridge keeper' in the movie), I am not afraid.'"

"Right. What is your name?"

She grinned, looking a little deranged. "Lady Veria of Salisubury."

"Umm...right. What are you doing here?" (A/N What is your quest?)

"To seek a new life."

"I see...Why did you leave?"

"Orange."

"What? I asked you-"

"Oh, ok. Family, friends-or, as it may be, enemies-, family, school, family, enemies...did I mention my family?"

"Your parents wouldn't happen to be divorced, would they?"

"Hey, hey, hold on-I said I'd answer three questions."

"What? No, you didn't. You said you'd ask three questions."

"You cheat! You lousy old scumbag!" She tried to twist out of his grip again.

"I am not a lousy old scumbag, you stupid little kid."

"Stupid little kid? I oughta punch you right in the nose!"

"Well, you can't, as I'm holding your wrists."

"No, I can't punch you in the nose, but I can kick."

"Wha-OW!" Snape let go, bending over, grabbing his knee. He had a feeling she was aiming for something else but missed in close range.

"Ha! Take that, you miserable old person...thing...guy...yeah! Take that!"

"That's the best you can do? A kid your age should at least know how to insult someone, you idiotic little pint sized delinquent." He realized she wasn't running or trying to get away. She obviously wasn't one to back out of a fight.

"You call that good? Ok, so maybe it was good...in the seventies. And I'm not a delinquent!"

"It was better than 'person guy thing yeah'."

"So you claim that you don't want to harm me, yet you beat me down."

"With words, you miserable little twit."

"Twit? Well, you stupid old coot,-"

"Oh, I'm not exactly old," said Snape irritably. "I'm 32."

"32? God, my parents aren't that old! Of course, they're not exactly good parents, so..."

"Great." He sighed. He was getting tired of this kid fast. "Look-I won't hurt you, I swear it. But you need help. Your arm is very badly injured, and your leg looks pretty bad to."

"Well, thank you Mr. Observant."

"That's Snape to you."

"Snape? What the hell kinda name is that?"

Now he was pissed. "Look, Veria-"

"That's Miss Vegh, to you."

"Don't get sarcastic. Now will you please let me help you?"

"Fine. But don't touch me."

"Fine by me."

He walked next to her, leading her to the castle.

"That? Jeeze, no wonder you look queer! You live in a broken down old castle! I was wondering why you looked like you could use a shower."

If Snape was pissed before, it was nothing like it was now. "Me? At least I know enough to wash blood away when I get hurt. And I don't need a shower!"

"Nice hair."

"Shut up!"

"Rrrr, ffft!" She made claws with her hands, and then let it drop. "Anyway, I was attacked. And quit diverting; tell me why you live in a dump."

"It isn't a dump. You're just a Muggle."

"Muggle?"

"Non-magic people." She laughed as he suspected she would.

"Non-magic? And you thought-me also, for that matter-that I was a loony! HA!"

"Look, will you just tell me what happened?" He continued to walk up to the castle.

"Ok, fine. Well, I was going through this forest, see? And-"

"Yes, I see it.

She glared at him but said nothing. "And then I felt like I was being watched. Sixth Sense like. So, I look around and see a wolf watching me. Just one, so I knew there had to be others around, they hunt in packs. Well, I found a long sturdy stick as quick as I could and sharpened it, acting like I was oblivious to the fact that I was being watched.

"I wasn't however, I was watching it quietly.

"Eventually, it attacked me when I got close and WHAM! I impaled it with the stick! It was alone though, which was weird...really weird."

"A-Alone?"

"Yes."

"Oh, no..."

"What?"

"Nothing." He didn't want her scorning again, not until he was sure it was a werewolf bite. It could just be a stray wolf, however...

He didn't want to think about that.