Redemption

13

Throughout the next few days, I kept a close eye on my mentor. Ever since he told me the story behind the diamond, he'd been acting strangely. He was a little more jumpy than usual, he'd reverted to the distant demeanour I'd grown accustomed to as his student. He rarely showed for meals, hid away in his chambers, excused me from my duties early in the evenings.

To say I was concerned for the secretive man, was a minimisation of how I truly felt towards him. It wasn't my place to do anything, but I felt the need to intervene, speak to someone about it.

I awoke early during the first week of December, feeling colder than usual. I turned to the magical window I'd installed upon first arriving. I didn't like not being able to see outside, seeing as we were in the dungeons, thus meaning under the lake.

Surely enough, snowflakes fell to the ground gently, coating the grass and the whomping willow. Covering the roofs of the school's tall towers. It was fascinating. I was never a big fan of winter, but the falling snow reminded me of all the wonderful times I'd had with my parents as a child. Before being accepted to Hogwarts, the most magical thing in the world to me was the changing of the seasons. How the falling leaves quickly turned to snow, and how flowers popped up from beneath the frozen ground.

I felt a large smile grace my face at the thought of my family. I missed them terribly.

I dressed for the day after taking a long hot shower, washing away all the scary dreams, sweeping them from my mind.

Heading to the High Table for breakfast, I exchange pleasant conversation with MGonagall and Hagrid, discussed new plant shipments with Sprout, and wondered where on earth Snape was. What happened for him to be so distant all of a sudden? I thought we'd made progress, but every step forward felt like I'd been blasted back to the past.

It was beyond unusual, and I wouldn't stand for it any longer. If he kept hiding, it would get in the way of my apprenticeship, something I realise I truly valued. I made my way down the stairs quickly, passing by students heading to breakfast. "Morning Miss Granger." They called.

I sent a smile in their direction, as I skipped down the last few steps, and pushed open the classroom door. "Professor?" I called. It appeared he wasn't in his class, as he normally was in the mornings. I knocked at the office door, waiting impatiently. I felt an odd churning in my stomach. Something was not right... Not at all.

I knocked again, this time Minky appeared, grabbing my hand. "Minky's mistress must come quickly. Professor Snape needs help." At her words, my heart began to pound, practically beating out of my chest. When did Snape ever need anyone's help? What was going on?

She pulled me through his office and into his quarters. The rooms were not at all the same I had visited at the beginning of term. There were papers littering the floors, furniture that had been overturned, quills and ink pots laying around haphazardly. I heard an angered yell, hurrying to follow the sound. I entered Snape's bedroom, to see him kneeling on the ground, head in his hands. The room was a disaster area.

I hurried to his side, kneeling beside him. "Professor, what happened?"

He raked a hand through his dark hair, looking up slowly. There was a newspaper article on the ground before him. I picked it up slowly, reading the headline.

'Deatheater Terror attack at Quidditch World Cup'

I glanced at the picture, it was the pitch I had visited with the Weasleys in my fourth year. The year Hogwarts had hosted the Triwizard Tournament. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine, as memories of that night flashed through my mind. There had been so much fire, panic, screaming... We'd almost lost Harry.