Chapter 13: "Be aware of evil men."

Circe's Friday evening was going much the same as all her other Friday's had been for a long while: namely, very busy. She was nested into her corner of the library, already several books and maps deep in her research. She must have looked at every blueprint and drawing of Hogwarts from the Norman Conquest to World War Two. All of them invariably absent of a neatly labeled subterranean room showing where The Chamber of Secrets was located. Circe was beginning to lose her nerve. She had found very little of use at all. All of her hours of work stuck in these book-lined walls with nought to show for it was breaking her spirit. Not to mention her stamina for long days and late nights was already wavering.

She closed another useless book on the plumbing structure of the castle and tossed it to the side. It had been dark out for a number of hours and Minerva would skin her alive if she wasn't back in their rooms by the late evening. She always managed to smuggle a few books under her coat and into bed with her as Mcgonagall kept a very close eye on her following the night of Colin Creevey's attack. She'd already be annoyed that Circe was out by herself past dark. She reckoned Minerva would give her a detention if she still could. Still, she appreciated her friend was trying to save her from burnout, but every second spare Circe had was vital. The quicker she found her breakthrough moment, the sooner the school could be a safe place again.

That is, of course, if Quidditch practice, gigging, a full teaching timetable and Gilderoy's new Duelling Club didn't finish her off first…

Of course, Gilderoy couldn't pass up the opportunity to be at the center of attention. Her little alcove in the library enabled her to be hidden from sight enough to eavesdrop in on students' conversations. From what she'd heard, everyone and their mum would be attending tomorrow and somehow she'd been roped into chaperoning.

Circe sighed to herself, internally bemoaning how she'd managed to wave goodbye to the first free Saturday she'd had for almost three months. Myron had blissfully cancelled their gig that weekend and all Quidditch matches had been postponed for the near future. Yet she could have guessed the fates would find a way of dropping something onto her plate. Something with Gilderoy's presence, just to drive the knife in. She glanced down at her watch and sighed again. She looked around the room and noticed that she was yet again alone in the empty space.

Bugger, Minerva will be pissed with me. I should know better than to be caught by myself with something awful stalking about. Especially after the search party I caused last time…

She started filing away her books and manuscripts in a hurry, already hearing Mcgonagall's chiding voice in her ears.

She stopped dead as she lifted the last of her books off the desk she'd been working at. Underneath her evening's work she'd placed an old newspaper from The Daily Prophet from some twelve years ago, judging by the date in the corner. She'd found the news archives at the beginning of her evening and had been searching for any headlines pertaining to renovations or exploration done at Hogwarts in days gone past. She'd found two things of use in her newspaper hunt: the first being reports of the first time attacks like this had happened at Hogwarts, all the way back in the forties. Surprising, to say the least, but ultimately a dead end as she theorized whoever had been conducting the attacks back then would be long gone from Hogwarts now. Plus, they seemed to have come to a swift end when a student had died, and Circe hoped this time around it wouldn't come to that, if she had anything to say about it.

Still, would have been nice if Dumbledore had told me this had happened here before… she thought.

The second newspaper find had peaked her interest for an entirely different reason. That particular issue had caught her eye, not because of her enquiry, but because of the dark, brooding photograph on the front page: Severus, looking up from his shoes, straight into the camera that had snapped him, emerging from what looked like a Ministry hearing. "Full story on page 3." read the caption beneath it. She of course wanted to read it then and there but self-discipline had forced her to place it on the bottom of her research pile as a keepsake for later. As her fruitless hunt for the Chamber gained momentum, she'd ended up completely forgetting about it… until then.

She looked down at Severus's dark eyes, suspicious and shifty in his picture. Circe'd had half a mind to try and smuggle the paper back under the covers with her that evening. She'd found herself thinking of Severus often enough as she stared at the canopy of her bed, her hands roaming to the tender places on her body. But now, she paused and reconsidered the headline again. The Newspaper was published not long after the end of the War, in that strange time of turmoil when wizarding families from all over the country found themselves exposed as Death Eaters and pulled up in front of the Minister. It was the "Nuremberg Trials" of the wizarding world and it had all happened around about the same time Circe had been largely removed from the magical world. She knew Severus had served in the wizarding war, being almost six years her senior, but in what capacity she didn't know. She sank slowly back into her chair and teased apart the slightly yellowing pages.

"The trial of Severus Tobias Snape concluded today in hearing room 203 of the Ministry. A jury of his peers found Mr. Snape not guilty of the charges raised against him.

Allegations had been made against Snape (22) pertaining to his loyalties in the Great Wizarding War. Several prominent Death Eaters mentioned Snape in their trials as an ally of the now deceased Dark Lord. "Severus was present at our meetings. Check his arm, he bears the same mark of allegiance as all of them." stated Karkaroff. V, at his trial on the 23rd of December.

Despite the surmounting and damning evidence against him, Severus walks from the Ministry today a free man. This is largely due to the testimony of his star character witness. Court records do not disclose who this individual was but following the testimony of this person, they were able to assure the jury beyond reasonable doubt that Snape was innocent.

The Daily Prophet asks the following questions: who was this person and why was their word enough to discount the many many accusations put towards Snape by other convicted Death Eaters? Furthermore, should Headmaster Dumbledore be letting into his employ an individual who fought possibly on the wrong side of the war? Would you want your children to be taught by an alleged Death Eater?"

Circe closed the paper solemnly, feeling like her chest had been ripped apart. She sat still for a long while, trying to mentally digest what she had just read. Her eyes stared vacantly at the picture of Severus on the front page, each time he looked up at the camera sending a shiver down Circe's spine. She wanted to weep, but no tears came. She felt numb, heavy limbed, cold to her core.

"A Death Eater…" she whispered to the air around her. "Not you… please not you...".

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She pressed her attack and sent a series of small sizzling jets of magic his way. They whizzed like a rocket firework, deafening to anyone watching in awe. Each time, Severus shielded himself from the onslaught, sending the sparks in a myriad of directions around him. But she was pushing him back, getting closer and closer to him. Yet there was no break in her onslaught for Severus to retaliate. He was almost at the end of his side of the platform when she was almost upon him. In a moment of desperation, he swept his wand at her vulnerable feet, screaming "Everte Statum!" as he allowed one of her hexes to hit him square in the chest.

Simultaneously, an excruciating electrical shock wracked Severus's chest and he sank to the floor, whilst Circe had been blindsided by Severus's tactic and she went spinning through the air, landing hard on her front. With the wind knocked out of her, her face landed hard on the platform below her. Her nose exploded in pain and she cried out. Severus was the first to rise and saw the steady stream of blood now flowing down Circe's face. She dabbed at it with her sleeve, much to the horror of the onlooker's face's around.

"I'm fine! Don't stop!" She almost screamed.

What crazy bastard takes a hex full on in the chest? She raged in her mind. That could have been a cruciatus or the killing curse if I was an enemy. He's either incredibly stupid or incredibly brave… or both.

Despite her protestations, Snape halted momentarily, his wand poised protectively in front of him. He moaned quietly from the ache in his chest, luckily for him only a small electrifying hex, but he almost pained just as much from seeing Circe's bloody nose.

"I said I'm fine!" Circe shouted at him "A Death Eater wouldn't stop for you mid-duel if you'd hurt yourself fighting them!"

Circe saw the lightning quick twinge of hurt pass over Severus's face. She regretted saying what she'd said almost instantly, but there was no going back now.

"Kampanoulia Flamaria" he hissed, his signature blue flame erupting from his wand.

He sent it in a wave-like onslaught at her, and it was now her turn to block. How cool it felt as it nearly enveloped her, involuntarily bringing back memories of how Severus had used it in the Stone's protection. She could almost feel Severus's hurt in the icy lick of those flames around her. It was overwhelming. Deadly. Consuming.

She had to think. How to fi

ght back? She couldn't break the barage like Snape had, she'd freeze-burn to death from the bluebell flame. She gritted her teeth together in a feral snarl, building up the push charge deep inside her. She roared as she felt her magic pool in the pit of her stomach. Mouths hung agape around her, even Severus stared in awe.

"Expulso!" She finally shouted, sending the charged retaliation back down the platform.

It broke the torrent of blue flames as Snape and others close enough to feel the shockwave of the blast had to duck for cover.

She was exhausted, panting and sweating freely, but she dared not stop now. As Severus stumbled and tried to maintain his balance, Circe could see it was time for her final move. Snape reeled, his ears ringing from the blast he had just endured. His balance shot, he knew he was a gonner when he raised his head to see Circe powerfully stamping her foot down into the wood of the dais.

The wood creaked and rumbled below his feet. It seemed to warp and distort, all coming from Circe's foot, snaking and moving its way like a live animal scrabbled beneath the surface. Suddenly, a board beneath his footing sprang upwards as sharply as a heavily weighted seesaw. It caught his left foot and He finally lost his precarious balance as the springboard sent him toppling backwards. He landed hard on his back as the wind was knocked out of him.

Within seconds she was on top of him.

"Expelliarmus!" Her final spell came, and he felt his wand spin from his fingers into her hand.

There was absolute silence as they stared fiercely at each other, her wand pointed square at his face. Above him, her nose was still bloody and her breath still ragged, looking every bit like the conquering warrior she was. Despite his wounded pride and sore back, he found himself utterly captivated by her savagery. Their eyes locked and their panting breaths synched. Slowly, Severus raised his arms.

"Yield." He said in a low voice, yet the room was still enough that all heard it.

Heated discussions rippled through the students once more as Circe dropped her wand. She thought she better offer him a hand up, being the good sportsman she was. He took it after a second's reluctance and was pulled to his feet. Lockheart came bounding towards them both, eager to bask in their hard-won glory for himself.

"Fantastic, Professors!" He cried "It just goes to show, when you're taught by the best, even the most seasoned duellists fall prey to you, eh-Circe?!"

He nudged her in the ribs. Circe wanted to punch something, namely him, but she was too exhausted to even entertain following the idea through.

Through it all, the chatter, Lochkeart's crooning, Fred and George exchanging their bets nearby, Severus and Circe had not stopped staring at each other. Severus gave a short little stiff-backed bow to her.

I guess that's all the congratulations I'm getting from you. Circe thought dryly.

She returned his curt bow.

"Professor." she said shortly, and turning on her heels she marched from the dais and out of the Great Hall.

She felt all eyes upon her as she did so, including Severus', but she dared not look back. The adrenaline within her now fading, her nose was excruciating.

Still, it was a measly wound to have suffered for someone who had taken on a Death Eater and lived to tell the tale…