When All is Lost One is Found

Chapter 47: Nightmares

When All is Lost, One is Found

Author: Rinoaebastel

Chapter 47: Nightmares

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than writing practice. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.

AN: This story may contain scenes taken from the Harry Potter movies and books, but it's not exact dialogue, just rewording of dialogue or omission. It is not marked.

November 1996

The books were spread around the small rectangular wooden table, opened on different pages and showing various kinds of curses and their counter curses. Most of the text was strikethrough and the margins were filled with small elegant handwriting, almost making the book illegible for anyone except its owner.

The brown quill moved with haste as he wrote new notes with the material he was gathering from the books and from his experience through the years.

A book had answers but not for everything. There were variants, situations in which things could change in a second. It was hard to predict what some of his brain-dead students would do, but he'd managed to keep them alive so far. It was made even more difficult by the fact they put no effort into the class and didn't even look at the material most of the time. They didn't realize the value in having a former Death Eater teaching them how to fight.

He had a few bright students, but there was only one person that was as meticulous as he was. Unfortunately, the rest of the students avoided her like a plague now that she didn't stick with Potter. If they'd stuck with her instead of him, they might've learned something. She was the brains of that group. He was going to have to intervene if things didn't get better soon, but right now, he intended to make her strong on her own. She had to gain confidence. She needed to learn that they needed her, but she most certainly didn't need them.

A soft knock interrupted his trail of thoughts. He frowned at the door and then checked the clock to make sure he hadn't lost track of time. It was two in the morning. Usually, only Dumbledore would be awake enough to come down here. The only other way someone would come is if there was a problem with one of the Slytherins. The latter was more probable since the headmaster had taken a trip to Merlin knows where.

He was glad to know the man took advantage of the working potion, but he also had a greater chance of being killed every time he left.

After leaving the quill inside the inkpot, he rose from his seated position on his green rug and walked towards the door. He formed his scowl and opened the door. A shivering girl, with her arms around her body was waiting in his office. The messy brown hair was unmistakable.

The young witch looked at him as soon as she noticed the door opening, and with tentative steps, came near him. In the small amount of light filtering into that room, he could make out how pale she was, how her eyes looked red and puffy like she had been crying.

"Miss Granger? What are you doing here? It's past curfew."

Her response was to come closer. She wasn't well. But why seek him? It was risky to come here to the dungeons.

"I-I didn't know where to go..." She looked defenseless, lost, and alone.

Closing his eyes, he let a tired breath escape his lungs and opened the door fully, silently offering her entrance to his quarters.