Finding Father

Chatper 23- Betrayals

"Professor? Professor Snape!" I say frantically, shaking his shoulder. It's several moments before he stirs. He groans and pushes himself into a sitting position. He doesn't seem to quite understand I'm there yet; he must have been hit pretty hard with a stunning spell. Snape brushes back his hair with his hand, looks up, and his black eyes meet my brown ones.

"Avery! What are you doing here?" he gasps. "How did you find this place?"

"I followed you," I say, trembling. "Who cursed you?"

"Did you not see them? How did you miss them?"

"Some people left this house through the passage and I hid from them and watched them. It was Harry Potter and his two friends and Professor Lupin? And two people I didn't recognize. Did they do this to you?"

"Those little Gryffindor rats all stunned me at once," Snape growls. "And those people with them were none other than Sirius Black and a friend of his. I was trying to arrest them when I was stunned."

"Oh god," I whisper. "Sirius Black? I knew he had been friends with Lupin and Harry's father but from what Lupin told me, he hated Sirius now! Are they working together?"

"Evidentially so," Snape hisses. "I must go after them." He climbed to his feet, mostly recovered from the stunning spell. I'm slightly dumbfounded. I was friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I had trusted Professor Lupin. And to find out they had all betrayed me was disturbing.

"Let me help, what can I do?" I ask, following Snape out of the room.

"It is too dangerous, you are going back to the castle. Black has gotten your mother, I can't risk you," Snape says harshly as we head down the stairs and into the main floor of the house.

"But that is the reason I have to help get him! He killed my mother, Professor! Let me avenge her!"

"No! I will not allow it." Snape opens the trapdoor and climbs down. I follow close behind and have to run slightly to keep up as he strides down the tunnel.

I try arguing more, but his answer remains firmly no.

"How will you make sure I get back to the castle? Let me come with you and you can watch me more carefully," I protest.

"I have ways," Snape replies without even a glance towards me. "Expecto patronum." Something silvery burst from the tip of Snape's wand and was off and gone in an instant.

"What was that?" I ask.

"A message," he replies.

When we reach the end of the tunnel, we are met by someone.

"Alb- Professor Dumbledore, sir." Snape says after glancing at me. I'm glad my message met you in time."

"Oh yes, Severus. Now, would you all care to explain to me why you just left the passage in the Whomping Willow?"

"Just a misunderstanding gone wrong," Snape says smoothly. "Sir, if you would please accompany Avery to the castle, I do believe she is not the only student out tonight and I have taken it upon myself to track down the others."

"And is Avery not capable of walking up herself?" Dumbledore asks. I flick my eyes between Dumbledore and Snape, not daring interfere.

"Sir, I will explain all when I return to the castle, but I have reason to believe the grounds are not safe tonight. Just- take Avery to the castle, I trust only you to- to keep my daughter safe."

Dumbledore raises his eyebrows, but doesn't say a word. He only beckons me to follow him. I take another look at Snape, glaring at him in the dark, before reluctantly following the headmaster.