Severed Ties || Severus Snape

27. I'll Figure It Out Myself

For much of the following week, Emma found herself distracted by work. As much as she wanted to sleuth and play detective, as much as she wanted to find out what happened to her aunt, she still had a job to do. The kids were depending on her. And since she'd wasted away the weekend, she had to spent most of her free time marking homework. She didn't go down to the Great Hall to eat anymore; she simply ate in her office, so that she could continue working.

She didn't even get a chance to speak to Severus properly. And she still hadn't apologised for missing dinner the other night.

One evening, as she was struggling through a heap of essays, there was a knock on her door. She lifted her head hopefully. Would that be Severus, finally forcing her to take a break from work? God knows I could use it. "Come in!"

The door creaked open, revealing a hesitant Harry. His eyes flicked to the pile of scrolls on her desk. With the doorknob still in his hand, he asked, "Do you have a moment?"

"Yeah, of course!" She gestured for him to sit down, as she tidied away some of the scrolls.

Harry shut the door behind him and stepped into the office, but he stopped behind the chair, fiddling with the sleeves of his robes. "Last time..." He hesitated, but seemed to find his voice again. "I told you something bad is happening in the school. Remember?"

Emma's eyebrows knotted together in thought. When had she last spoken to him again? "Oh! Yes, of course! Those Ministry people interrupted us. Sorry, Harry, it's been a hectic couple of weeks."

He shook his head. "It's okay. It's just... Something strange happened. Yesterday, in detention."

"Something strange happened in detention? And here I was thinking detentions were supposed to be boring." Her weak attempt at a joke did not seem to lighten the mood. "Go on then, what was it?"

"Hagrid took us out to the Forbidden Forest to find an injured unicorn."

She raised an eyebrow, muttering, "That is a strange detention."

"I saw something. Something evil. He was cloaked, I didn't see his face, but he was bending over the unicorn. It was already dead. I think... I think he was taking its blood." The boy shuddered at the thought.

"Taking unicorn blood?" Emma's jaw dropped. "That's... awful!"

"Hermione read about them. She said it can make someone immortal."

"Yes, but at a terrible price." She hesitated, choosing not to elaborate on that. "You really think you saw a person take that creature's blood? They can't have been... trying to tend to the wound, or something?"

He shook his head forcefully. "I'm sure of it. I never saw his face, but... I think I know who it was."

Emma sat up straight. "You do? Who?"

Harry glanced over his shoulder. "It's... It's someone from Hogwarts."

"Okay," she said, gesturing for him to continue. When he didn't, she added, "Have you told all of this to Hagrid?"

His shoulders sagged and he stared at the floor. "Yeah. He didn't believe me."

Ah. So that's why you're so nervous. "Did he say why?"

"He says anyone who works here can be trusted, because Dumbledore trusts them."

A smile tugged at her lips. "He does make a good point there, Harry."

"Even Dumbledore can make a mistake!" Harry shot back.

"Fair enough. Go on then, who do you think it was?"