Pain Is Pain, No Matter What Form.

26) Snape's POV:

I tucked her in and thought she would be better without her robes on. Although it was chilly they weren't the most comfortable things to sleep in. I vanished her robes so she was just wearing her shirt, cardigan and skirt. I noticed her cardigan looked a little ruffled because she had something under it, but I knew it wouldn't be another cardigan for heat, she would have cast a heating charm and she wears short sleeved shirts. What could it be? I pulled up the sleeve of her cardigan and saw bandages. I wondered why she would have bandages on her wrists and then it hit me. I unraveled it carefully and saw many scars, some old, some healing, some just closed over and some fresh. I placed the bandage back in place and rolled down the sleeve again then tucked her arms under the cover. This was how she was coping? This was how she could force herself to be happy, she had a way of relieving the stress she felt in a way that is potentially able to take her life. The cuts seemed to be getting longer and a little deeper that what it looked like the others were. She would soon be a danger to herself. If she cuts too deep, even if by only an accident, then she could kill herself. I need to get to Remus and Sirius. I need to speak to Harry to see if he knows when either of them have their free period today.

"Sev?" Draco called from the classroom.

I walked through trying to keep the shock off of my face. Harry was there too. Good.

"Aria's bag is here but she isn't with Pansy outside. She said she went out to give you both privacy to talk. What happened?" Draco looked slightly disorientated.

"She is in my office sleeping. I gave her some dreamless sleep." I stated and took Aria's bag from the table and sat it behind my desk.

"Harry, when do your guardians have their free period today?" I asked looking at my time table.

My free period was after lunch. If they have their free period then too that is great so we get an entire period to discuss matters.

"Now I think. They have their free periods in the mornings because it means they can have a sleep in if they need it." Harry looked as though I asked him to recite a potions book word for word.

"Thank you. You can sit in here till the bell, oh and get Miss Parkinson from the hall please so she doesn't get too chilly." I left them to go to my office.

I used the floo network to go to Remus' office and it was empty. I walked into the classroom and they were both there.

"Severus? Don't you have a class to teach in about 5 minutes time?" Sirius looked up at me coming down the stairs.

"Yes but it is about Aria. I need one of you to get hold of Albus and tell him she is excused from all her classes. She looked like she was going to keel over so I gave her dreamless sleep and put her in my office bed." I sat on one of the desks.

"Sure. Thank you. I knew she hadn't slept well but she was out before us again this morning so we couldn't really speak to her. We heard her go out about half past 4. She is getting earlier and earlier now. We would stop her but then again we don't want to anger her when she is so fragile now. I just don't know how she can be so happy when she has been through something worse than hell." Remus sat opposite me on a desk.

Sirius followed him and sat on a desk next to him.

"Well. I don't want to have to sugar coat this next part so I will tell you outright. I got her out of her robes because it meant she would be more comfortable for sleeping and I saw her cardigan was sitting funny. I rolled up the sleeve to see it was bandages. At first I thought it was to maybe support her wrists because she was weak and then I also thought maybe it was to hide how thin she was and make us back off. I peeled the bandage back and well she has been cutting herself. It is at the point where she is cutting deeper and longer because the small cuts she used to make won't cover her pain anymore. She is more in danger to herself now because of this, if she cuts too deep then it means she could die if she isn't found right away to which we wouldn't have known if I hadn't found it today. We need to talk to her about it and offer her help and she won't take help from me because I have tried already." I let everything out under one breath.