𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the one with the dreamless sleep

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, this is my fault!" I said in a ragged voice, for what seemed like the thousandth time. My vision was blurry with tears and I was having trouble breathing.

"You have to be practical, Skylar," Professor Snape said, mixing a Potion.

I was in his territory, aka, his chambers. In the dungeons. I hadn't expected solace to come in the form of Snape. Neither did I expect his chambers to be so bare and clean.

It had already been a shocking to get a message from Snape today morning to meet him in the Potions room. He had possibly heard about my nightmares - it's so embarrassing, honestly - and also guessed it must be saddening for me for failing to stop Crouch's death.

Therefore, I am here now, in his chambers while he brew me a dreamless sleep potion.

"Albus wanted to see you. The Potion's going to take about forty minutes to be prepared. What do you add to finish a Dreamless Sleep draught?" Always a teacher.

"It's an advanced sixth year Potion, professor," I grunted. "Crushed Lacewing."

"I knew you knew it. We should go now."

I think I looked terrible because he looked at me with poorly disguised pity. I hated it. He wasn't even trying to hide that he pitied me.

Then he sat in front of me, crouched, on the floor, bringing his eyes level with mine. Such a fatherly gesture.

What? It's Snape.

"There are two wolves," he started.

"Oh my God where?" I jumped. He grabbed my shoulders and made me still. Through my blurry eyes of saw his black ones. Up close, they didn't look so black. They were a really dark brown. Like chocolate.

"They're fighting. One of them is despair and hatred," he sighed. "The other is love and hope. Which one wins?"

I blinked. If this was a folk story, I didn't know it.

"The bigger one?"

"How does one become bigger than the other?" he asked.

"If it eats healthier?" I didn't understand where he was going with this. He raised a thin eyebrow.

"So?" he asked again.

Then it clicked a little bit. Almost there.

"Do I happen to be in charge of feeding them?" I asked. He nodded.

"Then it'll be whichever wolf I feed," I said. Then blinked. "Oh."

"Choose the right wolf to feed, Skylar."

"Okay, I have formulated the plan," I said. After Professor Snape's inspiring story, I had some boosted self confidence. I had washed my face and walked to Professor Dumbledore's office in my pj's. And let me tell you one more thing. I hadn't had anything planned until thirty minutes ago.

"You'll have to wait till I enter the Maze. Then, somehow lure Professor Moody to his chambers. Make sure that he doesn't sip anything from the flask he has. Then, Stupefy him. He'll faint. Then, open that brief case thing he has in his room. You'll see the original Mad Eye there. Take him out. Tend his injuries. By then, I hope, my work at resurrecting Voldemort would be over, and, by the Angel, no one dies.

"This all has to happen while we're in the Maze. You need to give him Veritaserum the moment he comes back to consciousness. Bring him outside so everyone is present while he confesses everything."