The Name in Red **COMPLETE**

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The Name in Red.

Chapter 4: The Roots of the Problem.
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Professor McGonagall pushed her way past the heavy double doors leading out of the hospital wing. They creaked loudly as she opened them. She walked quickly down the darkened hall, not bothering to shut the large doors behind her. Her footsteps were silent, muffled by the slippers she usually wore around her own private quarters in the Headmaster's tower. She had been in bed when Severus burst in to fetch her. He had spoke animatedly of an injured girl he had found outside the castle. His hair and robes had been wet from the storm, and the front of his chest and arms bore dark crimson stains. He quickly stopped back off in the dungeons to change before reappearing in the hospital wing after he had sent Minerva there.

Stopping to stand next to a liberally dented suit of armor, she waited, looking back in the direction she had just come from. Mere seconds later, she heard the large doors to the hospital wing creak shut. Hurried footsteps were then echoing down the hallway toward her. Snape approached her out of the darkness, and McGonagall turned and began to continue her way down the hall with him at a leisurely pace. Neither spoke for some time, both of them deep in thought. Finally, McGonagall broke the silence.

"I saw what you did," she said softly.

"Yes," replied Snape, his voice also soft. There would not be anyone up and about in the castle at this time of night, except perhaps for Filch. Still, they did not wish to risk being overheard by speaking loudly. "I thought it best for now. It should stick for a while, until we can find out more."

The pair continued to walk along in silence.

"Does it trouble you?" Snape inquired.

"Not in the slightest, although I must admit it I was taken aback at first," McGonagall replied. There was a moment's pause. "It is the details of her story over which I am concerned. It is hard to deny what she described to us. The ability of witches or wizards who themselves are able to manipulate time, however minutely, is almost unheard of," she said. "She did this without even thinking or knowing. The same goes for what she described about the Centaur's leg. The girl had no idea what she was doing."

McGonagall could dimly see Snape nodding in agreement beside her, but he remained silent. She spoke on.

"Performing magic subconsciously when one's life is in danger is not uncommon by any means," she said, "But the reaction she produced was extraordinary. I sincerely hope you are finished denying that she is a witch, Severus."

Snape remained silent, but nodded again. He folded his hands behind his back as he continued to walk.

"It troubles me," he said at last.

"It is somewhat unusual, Severus, but not unheard of. Why should that trouble you, of all things?" asked McGonagall.

"It's just...," he began, pausing to collect his thoughts. "When I first brought the girl inside, I looked at her... It was not the same, then," he stated.

"I see," replied McGonagall. She sounded grave. Coming to a stop, she turned to face Snape. They had arrived in front of the gargoyle which guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's tower. At the mention of cockroach clusters, it stepped aside, revealing the moving spiral staircase leading up to the office. While the stairs gracefully raised themselves, she spoke again.

"It is clear that we have much to discuss with this girl, and many questions that have yet to be asked," she said. "I shall be returning to the hospital wing at midday, to continue speaking with her. I think it best that you came as well, Severus. This is an unfamiliar place for her, but as long as she feels that she has people here to trust, I am sure that she will be up to telling us quite a lot about herself. You are, after all, the one who saved her."

"If you insist," replied Snape.

"I do," said McGonagall. She then bade him goodnight. Snape made a small bow in reply, turning to walk in the direction of the staircases which would lead him downward. McGonagall turned and disappeared up the spiral staircase, the gargoyle stepping back into place behind her.

As Snape headed toward his dungeon quarters, he thought to himself. It certainly had been an interesting night. He descended into the lower reaches of the castle, the vision of the girl still swimming vividly in his mind.


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Light was streaming in from somewhere. She could see it just beyond her eyelids. It was not the strange white light she had seen before, however; it was richer and warmer. It was sunlight.

Sarah's eyelids fluttered open. She found herself in the same small bed that she had first awoken in when regaining consciousness during the night. Upon sitting up, she discovered that a large, white curtain had been erected around the bed, shielding her from the view of the rest of the infirmary. She could see sunlight pouring in through the high windows on either side of her. It was now daytime, and the heavy storm which had driven her here had finally ceased.

She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. The so-called potion she taken before going to sleep had done its job; she had slept extremely well, and her pain had lessened. She even felt well enough to get up.

Leaning very far to her left, she peeked her head out from the curtain surrounding the bed. She could see no one, and the infirmary was completely silent. Deciding that she must be alone, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and carefully stood up, stepping out of the curtain. She could still feel aches and pains, especially in her right shoulder and in her chest, but she did feel much better.

She turned to the high window at her side. Placing her hands on its sill, she leaned forward, peering out of it curiously. Her eyes widened, taking in the breathtaking view; she was surrounded by mountains and forest. Off in the distance she could see a large, strange-looking complex which appeared to be some kind of sporting arena. The sky was mostly clear, sprinkled only with a few clouds. The sun was bright and getting quite high.

Turning her back on the window, she walked out into the middle of the infirmary. Looking around, she saw that she was indeed quite alone. She strode around the room a few times, stretching her legs. Her feet were bare on the cold stone floor, and she was beginning to get a bit chilly in her torn clothing. Passing by the large cabinet resting against the wall, she stopped. Walking up to it, she saw that its doors were ever-so-slightly ajar. She glanced around again, noting that she was still alone. She was suddenly possessed with an insatiable desire to look inside the cabinet.

Carefully opening its doors, she was met with the sight of dozens upon dozens of flasks and bottles glittering at her in the room's sunlight. Her eyes widened. They ranged in size from very small to quite large, and there was a myriad of different colors. Some of them bore intricate designs and were shaped like strange things that she did not recognize. Others looked quite normal, resembling the flask that she had broken, and the flask from which she had drank.

She leaned in to examine them closer, brimming with curiosity about what each of them could do. She closely inspected a larger, white-colored bottle which appeared to be stoppered with a small skull. It read "Skele-gro" in big black lettering across its front. Sarah snorted to herself in amusement; it didn't take much imagination to realize what this particular potion would do. She looked toward the back of another shelf, where she could see several very dusty bottles which read "Mandrake Restorative Draught". Looking to the shelf above it, she saw a flask which looked identical to the one that she had broken. Daring to carefully pick it up, she began to examine it. This must have been what Snape had first tried to get her to drink, still thinking her to be unconscious.

Her mind barely had time to process the words "Invigoration Draught" before one of the infirmary's large doors creaked open loudly. Sarah gave a huge start, nearly dropping the flask in the process, and quickly replaced it back in the cabinet. Shutting it, she quickly spun about to face the doors.

Entering the hospital wing was a handsome young man with glasses and very untidy-looking black hair. He was dressed in a flowing black robe which hung open casually, revealing a vest over a white shirt. Tucked into this vest was a neatly-knotted tie of scarlet and gold. He was carrying a small, unlabeled box in his hands, and he was absently looking down at the floor as he entered. He turned to carefully close the door behind him. He then approached the other, smaller door in the room, knocking on it nonchalantly. He had not yet looked up to discover that he wasn't alone in the hospital wing. He looked to be absorbed with his own random thoughts.

When the door on which he had knocked did not open, he finally glanced up. Thinking he was completely alone, he did a small double-take as he spotted the girl standing only a few feet away from him, in front of the large potion cabinet. She looked petrified.

The young man did not recognize this girl. He quickly took in her appearance. She was pleasant on the eyes, but it looked as if she had been roughed up. She was wearing shredded Muggle clothing, and her feet were bare. She was slim, slightly shorter than himself in height, with a mane of very dark, straight brown hair which fell almost to her hips. Her arms had a few bruises and scratches. There were a few scratches on her face as well. He met her eyes, which were a deep brown. He smiled at her kindly, noting her apparent anxiety at his appearance in the hospital wing.

She seemed to relax when the green-eyed young man smiled at her. She mentally scolded herself; it had already been made quite clear to her that she was in no danger here. She had nothing to fear from this normal-enough looking person. She allowed herself to give him a small smile in return. Her eyes then flickered up to his forehead, where she saw the most peculiar-looking scar. It was shaped like a bolt of lightening. Her brows furrowed, and she tilted her head to the side slightly as she examined it. The young man cleared his throat quietly, taking notice of her awkward scrutiny.

"That's a really weird scar," Sarah began carefully, hoping not to offend him, "What's it from?" she asked.

The young man's green eyes widened, and he looked thoroughly taken aback. This girl did not have a European accent, and she seemed to not recognize his iconic mark in the slightest.

"You mean you don't know who-," the young man began, but he was interrupted by the doors of the hospital wing bursting open, creaking loudly. He immediately turned away from the girl to look at the source of the noise.

Madam Pomfrey hurried into the room, looking slightly flushed. Her eyes widened upon spotting Sarah out of bed, and standing very near to Harry Potter.

"Potter!" said Pomfrey loudly, immediately striding up to the pair. She took Sarah by the shoulders, turned her around, and steered her back toward her bed forcibly. Sarah complied, walking along as Pomfrey pushed her, confused. Reaching the bed surrounded by the white curtain, Pomfrey flung them open, turned Sarah around by the shoulders once more, and sat her down on the bed. Quickly throwing the curtain closed again, she called back to Harry.

"What can I do for you today, Mr. Potter?" she asked loudly, hurrying back toward him.

Harry, eyes wide at Pomfrey's actions and apparently flustered state, regarded the small box in his hands. He placed it in his right hand and extended it toward her slightly.

"Professor Slughorn asked me to bring-," Harry began shakily. Pomfrey, who was beginning to make him quite nervous, interrupted him. He barely had time to speak before she was upon him, taking the box from his outstretched hand.

"Ah yes, this will be the Strengthening Solution I asked for," she said quickly, placing the box on top of the large cabinet. "Thank you, Mr. Potter," she said, and began shooing Harry out of the hospital wing.

Harry, now very curious as to what was going on, began backing toward the doors as Pomfrey swept him in that direction. His mouth open, his bright green eyes swept to the white curtain which he had seen the girl disappear behind. He looked to Pomfrey and back again several times. Something about this girl clearly had gotten Pomfrey in a state when she had seen Harry standing with her.

"Madam Pomfrey, who's-," Harry tried to begin, but Pomfrey cut him off again.

"Tell Professor Slughorn I send my thanks," she said loudly, finally managing to shoo Harry out of the doors. "Thank you again, Mr. Potter," she said, quickly closing them, leaving Harry standing alone in the corridor outside looking utterly bewildered. He shrugged and turned away from the doors, headed back toward the Gryffindor common room. There he would tell Ron and Hermione about the strange young witch in the hospital wing who didn't seem to recognize Harry Potter's scar.


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After shutting the large doors, Madam Pomfrey took a deep breath. Turning back into the room, she saw Sarah peeking out at her through the curtain around her bed and looking quite confused. With a sigh, she approached the large cabinet in which Sarah had been snooping, taking the small box from on top of it. Unwrapping it carefully, she removed a few small bottles, setting them to stand on the top of the cabinet. Sarah watched her curiously.

"What were you doing out of bed, Miss Garrend?" Pomfrey called over her shoulder.

"Oh," said Sarah. She was hoping that she hadn't gotten herself into trouble. "I woke up saw that I was alone, and I felt like stretching my legs, so I got up."

"The way I saw it," Pomfrey said, still fussing with the bottles, "You were not alone, Miss Garrend," Pomfrey sounded stern and concerned, but not angry.

"He wasn't here when I first got up," Sarah explained, "I was just-," she paused. I was just sneaking around in that cabinet of yours... "I was just walking around and looking out the windows when he came in."

"I see," Pomfrey replied. "Did you speak with him at all?" she asked, now approaching Sarah's bed with one of the new bottles in hand.

"No, not really," said Sarah, warily eyeing the flask Pomfrey was bringing over. "I had just asked him something when you came in and put me back in bed. He didn't get to answer."

Pomfrey un-stoppered the bottle and placed it on the small cabinet next to the bed. She removed her wand from her pocket and tapped the large white curtain surrounding it. Sarah watched as the curtain rolled itself away, folded itself up, and stowed itself neatly against the wall. Placing her wand back in her pocket, Pomfrey picked up the small bottle and held it out to Sarah.

"Please drink this," she instructed, "It will help you feel better."

When Sarah had taken the bottle from her, Pomfrey left the bedside and returned to the large cabinet again. She quickly busied herself in it once more. Gulping down its contents, Sarah shrugged and regarded the bottle from which she had drank. This potion almost tasted good. She then set the empty bottle down on the cabinet next to her.

"Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape should be coming soon," Pomfrey called from within the cabinet.

Sarah nodded. Several minutes passed, during which Madam Pomfrey continued organizing the contents of the cabinet, and Sarah sat silently on the bed. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the infirmary's doors opened once again. To Sarah's relief, the two other people whom she recognized in this place entered the hospital wing, shutting the doors behind them. Professor McGonagall was now dressed in emerald green robes, and Snape still looked exactly the same in his black attire. Doesn't he ever wear anything else? Sarah thought idly as she watched them greet Madam Pomfrey. They continued speaking with Pomfrey for a minute or two. Sarah watched, her eyes on Snape's dark form, thinking about nothing in particular.

Finally, Snape and McGonagall approached her bed. McGonagall was smiling lightly as she regarded the girl, but Snape looked severe, almost glaring at her again. Assuming that Snape didn't like to be looked at for some reason, Sarah looked away from him.

"You look much better today, dear," said McGonagall kindly. Sarah smiled a bit.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better too," she said.

"Well since you are feeling so well, dear, I thought we might get down to business and talk some more," said McGonagall. "If you are feeling up to it, of course," she smiled at the girl and then cast a glance to Snape, who simply quirked a brow.

"Sure, I don't mind," replied Sarah, eager to be helpful.

"Wonderful," said McGonagall. She casually seated herself at the foot of the bed, crossing her legs elegantly. Snape remained standing, arms across his chest.

"What would you like to know?" Sarah asked, looking from McGonagall to Snape. She quickly looked away when Snape furrowed his brows at her. He really doesn't like being looked at, thought Sarah, feeling awkward.

"Well," began McGonagall, clearing her throat, "When witches and wizards are very young, they sometimes don't have control over their magic, and use it without intending to. Children in magical families would of course know what had happened, but Muggleborns would be unable to explain it."

Sarah nodded, listening.

"I was wondering whether anything strange like this had occurred to you, dear?" asked McGonagall. "Before the events of last night, of course?"

"Yes, now that you mention it," Sarah nodded. "I hadn't thought about it in years because I had no clue what happened, so I sort of just shrugged it off."

"Could you please tell us what happened, dear?" asked McGonagall.

"I was really little," said Sarah, "About nine or ten, I think. I was on the playground at school and there were these kids who would always pick on me. One of them was named Michael," Sarah explained, "And one day, Michael decided it would be a great idea to chase me around and hit me with this huge stick he'd found."

"So he and a few other kids chased me away from the playground, toward this big tree out in the field. The stick really hurt, and I had nowhere to go. Luckily I was a pretty good climber, and I managed to get up the tree so I was just out of Michael's reach. But they wouldn't go away."

Sarah took a deep breath.

"They started throwing rocks at me, and calling me names. I just wanted them to leave me alone," she said.

Snape's expression softened slightly as he listened to the girl's story. He himself had a similar memory of being humiliated by a group of children, in front of a large tree.

"They just kept throwing things at me and taunting me," Sarah continued, "And then..."

Sarah winced very hard as if she were in pain. She was actually picturing the details of what she was about to describe.

"Then I got really angry. Angrier than I could ever remember being," she continued, still wincing. "They had picked on me too much for too long. I was sick of it. I was so angry that I started wanting to hurt them, anything to get them to leave me alone. I closed my eyes."

"The next thing I knew, the tree I was in sort of shook I heard the kids start screaming, so I opened my eyes, and I looked down. It looked like the tree's roots had come up out of the ground and started attacking the kids. When one of the teachers on the playground heard the kids screaming she ran over and saw what was going on, and started trying to pull the kids away from the tree. Some of them got pretty beat up."

She paused. McGonagall was wearing a rapt expression; even Snape was having a difficult time masking his attentiveness while he listened to the girl's story.

"Once the kids were safe, the roots stopped moving and went back into the ground. I was just sort of watching, terrified. I didn't know what was going on. I thought the tree might attack me next, so I jumped out of it. The teacher saw me and I got scared. I ran home, but I didn't tell anyone about what happened."

"The next day at school, it was the strangest thing...," said Sarah, "Nobody looked at me funny. None of the kids had a scratch on them. When I got back onto the playground I could see that the tree in the field was gone, just completely gone. It didn't even look like it had been uprooted or chopped down. It had just disappeared. And when I asked the other kids about it, and the teacher, they seemed to think that I was crazy, and that there had never been a tree there in the first place. They had no idea what I was talking about."

McGonagall and Snape turned to look at each other simultaneously, their eyes wide. Just before Sarah opened her eyes again, they turned back to her, still listening.

"It was like it had never even happened, and on top of that, the kids stopped picking on me completely," she explained. "I was so confused. After a while I started thinking that maybe I had dreamed it, but it had all felt so real that I couldn't really convince myself that it hadn't been. I couldn't explain it."

"I just sort of decided to forget about it. And pretty soon after that, I had to move again, so I was never able to find out if they were just pulling my leg and pretending like it hadn't happened. Nothing else would explain why they were acting that way. But I guess magic could," Sarah stopped speaking and looked at McGonagall, hoping that she would verify this assumption.

"Yes, dear, it certainly would," replied McGonagall. Sarah looked relieved, but couldn't help noticing that Professor McGonagall looked quite concerned about something. Sarah then looked to Snape, who was staring quite intensely at her. It was almost as if he were staring straight through her. When he realized the girl was looking at him, he gave a small start and looked away.

"I would have to agree," said Snape, staring hard at the floor.

"Did anything like this ever happen again?" McGonagall asked.

"No, not that I can remember," Sarah replied. "Not until last night, at any rate."

McGonagall nodded a few times. She then stood, straightening her robes, and turned toward where Madam Pomfrey had been. The cabinet was now closed, but the small door next to it was ajar.

"Poppy?" called McGonagall.

"Yes, Minerva?" Pomfrey's voice sounded from inside the other room.

"Do you feel that Miss Garrend would be well enough to take a little trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow morning?" yelled McGonagall.

"I do believe so, yes," Pomfrey yelled back. "She should be well enough to leave my care by tomorrow afternoon, as well."

"Thank you, Poppy," McGonagall turned back to the girl on the bed. "Well, Miss Garrend, it is clear as ever that you have magic. I myself believe it to be high time that you start learning how to control it. We won't be having any freak tree-attacks at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said confidently.

Sarah blushed faintly.

"As I am currently Headmistress, it would be highly inconvenient for me to leave the school for the morning," McGonagall continued, "But seeing how tomorrow is Saturday and there are no classes, I believe it fitting that Professor Snape take you."

Snape immediately looked to McGonagall, scowling. She seemed not to notice.

"Take me where?" asked Sarah.

"To Diagon Alley," explained McGonagall. "It is a well-known place where witches and wizards in the region do most of their shopping. There you will be able to purchase a wand. I believe you have already correctly guessed what they are," she nodded at the girl.

Sarah nodded in reply.

"Excellent," said McGonagall. Snape cleared his throat loudly.

"Yes, Severus?" McGonagall replied blithely.

"I will not be spending my Saturday taking the girl shopping," he said defiantly.

"As I have already said, Severus, I cannot leave the school at the present time. Furthermore, Poppy cannot leave the hospital wing unattended," said McGonagall. Snape began to shrink back. He knew where this explanation was going. "You are the only other person she knows here, Severus. She knows that she can trust you. Who else would you suggest take her? She cannot go alone."

Looking defeated, Snape simply grunted in a surly fashion and turned away. McGonagall looked quite pleased with herself.

"Lovely," she said. "Now that's settled. Very well, dear. Please get some more rest and obey Madam Pomfrey's wishes. Professor Snape will be back tomorrow morning to retrieve you, around ten," Snape gave a small grunt of protest designed to indicate that he was not at all pleased with this arrangement. "I shall see you when you return."

Sarah nodded agreeably.

"Thank you for sharing with us," said McGonagall. Sarah nodded again, indicating that it was no trouble at all. "I will have meals sent to you here. I do hope you enjoy your first excursion into the magical world," she smiled at the girl, and cast a very quick glance at Snape. He gave her a glare worthy of a basilisk. McGonagall then turned and left the hospital wing.

"Tomorrow, miss Garrend," Snape grumbled. He spun on his heel and trailed out of the hospital wing after McGonagall, slamming the doors shut behind him.

Sarah continued to stare at the doors for several more moments after Snape had left. Madam Pomfrey emerged from the other room.

"Now," she said, moving back toward Sarah's bed and taking her wand out once again, "Let's see what we can do about those clothes."

Sarah sat quietly as Madam Pomfrey magically mended her torn clothes. She reflected on what she had told Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. She had never told anyone about that before. She had assumed that, to them, it would be perfectly normal; McGonagall, however, had looked worried.

She then began to wonder about the following morning. She could not even begin to imagine what Diagon Alley would be like. She did know, however, that she would be in the company a rather uppity tour guide. Snape had sounded less than thrilled when McGonagall had volunteered him to take her, and he would probably be no less unpleasant when it actually came time to leave. Sarah hoped that Snape would let her enjoy the trip. As Madam Pomfrey continued to mend her clothes, Sarah idly thought to herself that she would not at all mind having the Snape that had carried her into the castle as a tour guide; this surly Snape, though, was a different story.


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A/N: There you have chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed it. Writing the trip to Diagon Alley is going to be fun! We will see a bit more of Harry, as well as Ron and Hermione, in the next chapter, I think. More soon! Please leave a review if you would be so kind. They are greatly encouraging! :)

Also, for those of you who may wondering, there will eventually be some very adult content in this story *cough*lemons*cough*, but it needs to be built up to.