To Protect

07

With a skeptical look, Severus groaned under his breath, "Right..."

Even though he would have rather not, he ended up taking her with to the third floor corridor where a room was supposably keeping the philosopher's stone.

Eleanor leaned against the wall next to him as she watched Snape unlock it.

"Do you think Quirrell is in there?" She asked pointing to the door.

He only looked to her instead of answering her question, "Stand back, get to the opposite wall." He ordered, "I just need you to keep a lookout... then I'm taking you back to your room."

She did what he said as he opened the door and shut it quickly behind him.

Eleanor whipped out her wand before she looked both ways of the empty hallway.

For a moment all Eleanor could hear was the quiet, like there had been nothing in the room Severus was in. That is until a monstrous bark was heard than the door slamming shut with Severus standing behind it. "What the bloody hell was that?!" Her eyes  narrowed down to see blood, "My God you're bleeding!"

Indeed Eleanor was right, Snape looked down to see that the three headed beast had scratched his leg pretty bad.

"I'm fine." He stated swinging his cloak over his leg, "He wasn't in there." He limped away from the door. "Come along."

Eleanor tried to keep up, she was still a little drunk, but the scare has sobered her up a bit.

Turning the corner they had ran into the devil himself. Quirrell tried to turn around from the direction they came from, but Severus caught up to him by the collar of his shirt.

"A little walk with a troll on the loose, huh Quirrell?" He asked the nervous man.

"W-what?" The dark arts teacher stuttered.

Mcgonagall then came forward from one end of the hall, completely ignoring the way Severus was grabbing Quirrell threateningly, "I'm missing three gryffindors!"

Severus and Eleanor gave eachother a hard look.

"Oh no..." Eleanor muttered before the four teachers ran to track down where the troll had gone.

A loud crash was heard from the girls lavatory. Suddenly, Mcgonagall, Snape, Adler and Quirrell entered in a rush. Then gasped at the sight before them.

A troll laying unconscious, the restroom destroyed and Harry, Ron and Hermione looking up at the professors in panicked shock.

McGonagall eyed the children sternly, "Oh, my goodness! E-Explain yourselves, both of you!"

Harry avoided eye contact with Eleanor as she stared down at him in disappointment and fright. The night of her brothers death could have been the night of his as well.

"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall." Hermione spoke up as everyone turned to her with bewildered expressions.

"Miss Granger—" Mcgonagall started

"I went looking for the troll. I'd read about them and thought I could handle it, but I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come and found me...I'd probably be dead."

McGonagall sighed, "Be that as it may...it was an extremely foolish thing to do!"

Harry's eyes stare down at Snape's leg, which had a large cut on it. Snape notices and covers it up, glaring to Harry.

"I would have expected more rational behaviour on your part, Miss Granger. 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of judgment. As for you two gentlemen, I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many students could take on a full grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. 5 points, will be awarded to each of you. For sheer dumb luck."

As Mcgonagall exited the restroom, everyone was forced to look Eleanor in the eyes when she said, "I am very disappointed with you three, very disappointed."

Harry who had found pleasure for getting points for gryffindor, had a sudden urge of sadness rush through him as he watched Eleanor followed by snape walk out.

"Don't take it to heart Harry, she'll get over it." Ron tried to cheer his friend up.

"I'm going to bed." He muttered as the three first years left Quirrell to clean up the mess.

Eleanor was so upset, angry, angry at herself for thinking that she was going to protect harry all the time. Tears fell from her face as she rushed to her sleeping chambers.

"It's not your fault." Snape muttered behind Eleanor. "He's an arrogant boy, he just needs to learn."

Her watering eyes glared back at him for a moment, but kept her mouth shut as she kept walking.

"Don't look at me like that—"

"You know, I really don't need this right now." Eleanor cried as the both of them paused in their steps, the only light in the dungeons was given by moonlight that shined through the window, Snape could still see the look of sorrow on her face even through darkness.

"Being here was a mistake," She shook her head, "I thought I was stable enough for the job...It's not healthy for my mentality. Not for Harry. Hogwarts isn't safe. It's all a lie, I can't do this. I'm sorry." She turned to unlock her door. "I was meant to be here to protect him, but Harry was almost killed because I was too stupid to not think of his safety when you mentioned that bloody troll to be out!"

Eleanor walked into her room beginning to shut the door, but instead a foot blocked it from shutting. Snape's intimidating tall form crowding the crack in the door. "For all I know which is none of my business, but I think you're overthinking it, plus that fire whiskey is taking over your system."

She tried shutting the door again, but failed to do so. "Out of the way."

His dark eyes narrowed to her, "James and Lily wouldn't want you giving up on their kid, neither on yourself. Just think about that, and I dearly hope, you wake up tomorrow and understand what I mean." With that he let her shut the door.

Eleanor never made it to bed that night. Instead she layed next to her door, thinking about what severus said.