Standing Alone

Part 4

Harry and Ron were gone when I came back down, so much for spending time with my brother. I sigh and head to the library. After spending most of the day reading, I decided to go to bed when I ran into someone.

"Ah miss. Potter." Head master Dumbledore greets

"Sorry headmaster." I whisper

"Quite alright child." He says "Professor Snape tells me you're quite gifted in potions." He continues

"He did?" I ask softly

"That he did, enjoy your night Holly." Dumbledore says continuing on his way

I couldn't help but smile. I was good at something, even though Harry seems to be pushing me away; I was doing something I found brought me happiness. It was way better than being with the Dursley's. I laid in bed and fell asleep.

Suddenly my eyes open and I jerk up in bed. I can't catch my breath and my back is on fire. I was tempted to go and lay next to Harry for comfort but he didn't want me near him. I stumble out of bed and exit the dorms. I was still breathing heavily, and tried to calm myself down with a walk.

"Out of bed." a deep voice says and I jump at the sound of the voice. I glance behind me to see Professor Snape.

"What happened?" he asks as he sees my distress

I shake my head and feel dizzy

"Follow me." He states and strides away

I do my best to keep up as I'm still heaving

He leads me to the dungeons and I know we're heading to the potions room.

"Sit" he says and I sit in the closet chair.

"Here drink this, it will help you relax." He explains and hands me a potion

I drink it quick and slowly feel my breathing get better. I take a deep breath and sigh in relieve.

"Better?' he asks and I nod

"Now tell me what happened." he commands and I sigh

"I had a nightmare." I say softly playing with my nails

"I believe that is the second nightmare that has left you in this state." He says and I nod softly

"I also believe I said if it happened again, you were to talk about it. Correct?" he asks watching me and I nod again.

I take a couple breaths and I start to tear up.

"if. I... I can't." I whisper shaking my head

Professor sighs and sits back; I assume frustrated with my lack of cooperation.

He stands and looks through the potions and picks one up.

"Just this once I will allow you to take this potion and get some rest." He states turning to face me

"Thank you." I whisper taking the dreamless drought

"Go back to your dorm now." he responds and I nod taking my leave.

When I awake in the morning, I feel refreshed and lay there for a while. I decided it was time to get up and go to the library. I find a new book to read and become engrossed in it. I was startled when I heard a sudden voice call me. I jump and see Professor Snape.

"Miss. Potter." He says again

"Sorry, Professor." I say softly

"I would like to get started on those extra lessons, if you're ready." He states and I nod excited

"Potions room." he states and I grab my bag and follow him

We get to the classroom and I set my bag down and sit waiting for instructions'.

"First some ground rules; no making potions without my permission. No stealing ingredients to make potions in secret. Finally, if these lessons prove to be a waste of my time, they will end indefinably. Any questions?' he asks

"No sir" I say

"Before we get to the brewing I would to access your skills." he says and hands me a book

We go through the book and he quizzes me along the way.

The session takes about two hours to complete and I learned more in those hours than I have the first day in class. Professor was going to let me choose a potion to try soon and I was excited about trying something new.

I woke up the in the morning excited about brewing a potion that I got ready relatively quickly. I went down to the common room and found Harry alone. I stepped closer and saw him deep in thought.

"Hi." I say sitting next to him

"Hey Holly." he says

"What's wrong?' I ask

"Nothing Holly. Go do whatever it is you're doing today." he says and I sigh

I get up annoyed by the lack of communication with my own brother. I give him one last look and head to the potions' room.

"Miss. Potter." Professor greets

"Professor." I speak

"Have you given any thought as to what you are brewing today?" he asks and I nod

I take out my potions book and flip to the page.

"Are you sure?" Professor asks as I point to the page

"Yes, sir" I answer

"Any particular reason?" He pushes

"No sir, just sounds interesting." I answer

I picked an anti-inflammatory potion. I knew professor would become curious and question me but it was worth the risk if it works.

"Alright go grab the ingredients and I will prep the cauldron." he instructs

I walk over to the closet and gather the necessary ingredients.

I followed the instructions but the potion wasn't perfect. I felt disappointed in myself and frowned.

"This is better than I was expecting from a first year." Snape compliments

I still wasn't satisfied and wanted to know where I messed up.

"This was a good attempt, next week we will discuss how to improve it." He says and I nod

"Thank you, professor" I say

After cleaning up I start to head up to the common room.

"She's not there, it's just me and my parents." I hear the end of hushed whispers

I peek around the corner and see Harry and Ron talking.

"I can't blame you Harry, I wouldn't want her as a sister. She's just too strange." Ron says and I realize they are talking about me.

My eyes start to water at the harsh words

"Holly!" Harrys says when he sees me standing here

"It's not what it sounds like." He tries to explain and steps towards me. I turn and run from the situation.

"Holly!" Harry calls for me

I ignore him and keep running until I'm far away. I curl up in a deserted dark corner. I let the tears fall at the thought of my brother not wanting me to disappear.

I don't understand where this is coming from. Did he always feel this way? I pull my knees tighter to my chest and let out a loud sob.