I Was Younger Then

Moments With Snape: Stay Alive

A loud yell startled Penny from her sleep. She bolted upright, looking around in confusion, instead of finding her dormitory it was the dark common room that swam in her vision as she rubbed her eyes. She must have fallen asleep during the festivities for Gryffindor winning the quidditch cup. Apparently, no one had bothered to wake her so she could return to her bed. Her brain had not quite regained its normal function when a light from the portrait hole caught her attention; it was standing ajar as though someone had just entered and intended to return any moment to leave again.

The sight of it unnerved Penny who knew it was much too late for any of her classmates to have left the common room. Before she had the chance to investigate, the answer to her fears came thudding down the stairs, causing Penny to spring to her feet and turn to face the man making for the portrait hole. The breath caught in her chest when he stopped just before he ran headlong into her, suddenly realizing she was there. The dark eyes found her face and appeared to widen in shock, a softness fell over his features as though he knew Penny but had not seen her for many years.

Startled by his abrupt entrance and still groggy from sleep, Penny's own eyes strayed downward over the skeletal form, in whose hand was a knife. And then she realized she was looking at Sirius Black and he'd just come from the boys dormitory where Harry was. A cold dread spread through Penny and she took an involuntary step back, "You didn't kill him, you didn't kill Harry!" she said loudly, angrily.

Her accusation pulled Black from his daze and his eyes became hard, seemingly aware of the stirring that was likely to stumble their way towards them any moment. He advanced on Penny and pushed her roughly out of the way with one hand and made for the portrait. Filled with a reckless rage, Penny turned on her heel and ran after him, Sir Cadogan yelling after her as she ran as fast as she could after Black's footsteps. She did not know what she intended to do, or why she'd done it when she should have left it to the teachers, all she knew was she was filled with such hatred for Black that her legs moved without any real thought,. He'd betrayed her parents, was the reason they were dead, and had possibly just harmed Harry. Every fiber in Penny's body wanted nothing more than to catch Black, to make him hurt, and to steal his life away from him the same way he had stolen so much for her.

For being so emaciated, Black was fast and did not slow down, Penny noting how he seemed to know of all the passageways and shortcuts, as though he knew the castle inside out, even in the dark. Slipping a few times in her haste, Black was getting further and further away from her, until they made it out the door on the side of the castle that led toward the greenhouses. Penny knew this would be her chance, she was good at sprinting, dodging around corners, not so much. Finally, he looked back at her, somewhat alarmed. Penny didn't care that her bare feet were screaming in pain, she pushed forward with a great surge of energy.

Deciding he was not going to lose her in a 400 meter dash to the forest, Black changed course and made straight for the nearest greenhouse, throwing the door open and disappearing. Penny skidded to a halt and dashed inside, shutting and latching the door behind her, she would not allow him to sneak out without her noticing.

Her chest heaving, she squinted around, all was dark, all was silent and there was no sign of Black. Either he had some dumb luck, or he was much smarter than she gave him credit for because he'd chosen the smallest greenhouse, the one that was not used for teaching and was instead filled with old flower beds and tall shelving the whole way through. Penny had only been inside here a handful of times when Professor Sprout asked her to retrieve tools, or seedlings, but she was aware there was only one exit.

Reaching to her right, Penny picked up a hand shovel, having left her wand behind in the common room, she needed something to inflict damage with, and Black was carrying a knife. Penny stood for a moment, the adrenaline coursing through her easing just long enough for her to consider that perhaps she had made the most foolish of mistakes allowing Black to lure into the empty greenhouse, no one knowing she was missing or where she was likely to be. Black was a mass murderer, surely killing a 13-year old girl would be a simple task for him. But a stirring to Penny's left sent the adrenaline coursing again and she forgot worries, taking several slow, quiet steps toward the first row of shelving.