Alex wasn't looking forward to her next detention at all. She liked Snape well enough when it was just the two of them. He was more patient. Still, she didn't bring it up during their DADA lesson.
"Alex!" He snapped and she looked up alarmed. "You're falling asleep."
"Sorry."
"I will need you alert for your detention later." He said. He pulled out a small vial and held it out to her.
"I'm okay."
"Clearly."
"I don't need wideye potion. Besides, once it wears off I'll crash."
"It won't wear off for about five hours, and you should be in bed by then."
"I don't need wideye potion." She repeated and he put it away.
"Then, if you would please try to stay awake."
"I'm awake, sorry." She said. "Really, I don't know why I'm so tired."
"How long did you sleep last night?"
"Aren't you supposed to be my teacher right now?"
"As your teacher, I can be concerned."
"About my education."
"And your well-being. You are a student at this school. You live here, and your health has been entrusted to the faculty here."
"Does that include Quildemort last year?"
"I assure you the dark lord's presence at the school last year was a fluke."
"An evil mastermind infiltrates the school and it's a fluke?"
"You should not have had to go through what you did with him. I'm sure it was unsettling knowing the dark lord resided in the body of one of your tutors. It must have been awful keeping it a secret."
"Don't call him the dark lord. Say his name. Voldemort. Tom Riddle. Either of them. He's not just dark, he's evil and he's not a lord."
"You're right." Alex sat with a frown before sitting up.
"And I didn't know Voldemort was in Quirrel until he showed himself."
"Of course."
"Why would you think I did?"
"It was a slip of the tongue." Alex looked suspicious.
"No it wasn't." He said nothing and just looked at her. "You've figured it out."
"I admit, your knowledge on death eaters and your year long absence helped."
"Have you told Dumbledore?"
"No."
"Are you going to?"
"Why haven't you?" It was Alex's turn to stay silent. "What happened when you went missing?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You spent a year in Voldemort's company." Alex looked down at the book in front of her. At least Snape didn't call him the dark lord this time.
"I'm not like him, if that's what you're worried about. No part of me thinks he's right."
"I know."
"I don't want to talk about it. I just want to forget about it."
"You need to tell an adult, Alex. Whatever happened, it was not your fault."
"I did a lot of things that were my fault." She snapped her book shut and tried to rush out of the potions lab. The door shut before she reached it. She turned around and looked terrified. Her eyes had glazed over, as though in a trance as she cowered. "I won't run. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Snape strode over to her.
"Alex? Alexandra?" The name only made her cower more. "Alex. You are not there anymore. You are at Hogwarts. You are not with Voldemort. You are safe."
"Safe." She whispered, before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed.
"Are you going to make this a yearly thing?" Was the first thing Alex heard when she woke up. She blinked before realising Hermione was sitting beside her. "Because, honestly I'm going to need a warning for next time."
"What happened?"
"You fainted. And no magical book to blame it on this time." Snape said in a droll voice. He was standing at the foot of her bed, talking to Madam Pomfrey. Alex tried to sit up, but Madam Pomfrey immediately protested.
"No no. You need to rest, young lady."
"You gave us all quite the scare." Hermione looked concerned.
"I'm never going to live this down, am I?"
"I think you have other things to worry about. How do you feel?"
"Fine." Snape left and she looked up guiltily.
"I'll administer some dreamless sleep and a sedative potion in ten minutes. After that, I'm sorry but you will have to leave, Miss Granger."
"Wait, no! I'm fine. Really."
"You're malnourished and sleep deprived, Miss Weasley."
"I'm ok." She insisted.
"Alex, it's okay." Hermione tried to comfort. She and Madam Pomfrey shared a look and Madam Pomfrey walked away.
"No, it's not."
"You said you were eating a little less and sleeping a little less to get control over yourself. You didn't say you were starving yourself and becoming an insomniac. What happened?"
"It was working. Last year, but then I got used to it, and it was getting strong again. I swear though, I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
"Hermione, if I stay here, it's gonna be bad. If I don't have control over it, I could hurt someone. You have to help me."
"What can I do? If you don't get enough sleep or food, you could die. Madam Pomfrey knows that. She's never going to let you out of here, unless she's sure you're okay." Hermione reached out to touch her hand. "Look, just rest right now. And whatever happens tomorrow, I'll help you. With your impulse control or whatever. But you have to promise you'll look out for yourself too."
"Yeah." Alex didn't sound very convincing.
"I didn't know if you wanted Cedric to see you like this yet, so I told him to come visit tomorrow. That way you could be prepared."
"Tell him not to come. I don't think I want anyone around."
"I'll see what I can do."
"I also need one more favour."
"What?"
"I don't remember everything, but I think Snape knows, or at least guesses, where I was. Not everything. Not about anything. Just that I was with... him."
"Right."
"Can you talk to him? Find out what he knows?"
"Talk to Snape? Me?"
"He doesn't hate you."
"He certainly doesn't like me. Alex!"
"Please. I wouldn't ask unless it was important."
"Only if you promise to get some rest and let Madam Pomfrey do whatever she needs to make sure you're okay." The matron was back. "No arguments."
"Promise." Alex nodded solemnly. Madam Pomfrey looked at the two of them carefully.
"Here you go, dear." She held out a cup. Hermione watched as Alex reached out and gulped down the concoction.
