It's A One Time Thing It Just Happens A Lot.

It's nothing to do with trust

Six spiders in her room.

One she could deal with. Encourage it into a cup using the end of her wand or encourage it out the door. And if all else failed the sole of her boot worked quite well. Although that was definitely sweat inducing, as they tended to move faster than she did. But six at once all in a little group on the mattress? That she couldn't deal with, especially as lighting the lamps in her room seemed to bring them to life and towards her.

She had managed to jump on the chair and stupefy one; the others had sensed danger and scuttled under the bed. Where, she had no doubt, they watched her with beady eyes and glistening fangs.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been stood there when Severus had calmly unlocked her door and walked in. But she'd never been so pleased to see him.

But six spiders?

She turned over and slid her hand under the pillow to cushion her head better.

She shivered as she thought about the big, hairy, eight legged fiends that had been sitting on her bed. She had never seen so many spiders in one go. She shuddered again. Where had they come from? She knew there were no more now, not after Severus had searched for her.

An image of him on his knees with his head stuck under her bed made her smile. He was a good man; despite what everyone else saw, despite the way he treated people. Well, he was good to her; sometimes.

She frowned and watched the flame of the candle flickering.

He'd asked her if she was pregnant? Where on earth had he got that one from? She thought back over the day.

She shook her head; it would certainly explain a few things. The tiredness, the dizziness; possibly even the blackouts. But she wasn't, and it didn't.

Sighing she turned back over and looked straight into Severus' black eyes.

"Oh!" She was startled. "I thought you were asleep."

"Can't sleep, Megan?" His eyes were alert, no hint of sleepiness in them.

Meg sat up and drew her knees to her chest to look down at him. He turned to lie on his back, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Why can't you sleep?"

"Why can't you?" she returned.

"Don't answer a question with a question."

"I'm not sleepy." She shrugged. "Probably slept too much in Remus' office."

She bit her lip; they never really resolved anything today. They very rarely did, but then she only had herself to blame for that.

"Severus, nothing happened, y'know."

"I know," he replied softly. "What were you thinking about?"

"When? In his office?"

"No, now. Instead of sleeping." He sat up beside her and turned slightly to face her. The grey night shirt he wore buttoned up to his throat.

"The spiders," she admitted. It was a safe topic.

"I can assure you, there are no spiders in here."

"Oh, I know," she said quickly. "I was just thinking how I'd never seen so many at once."

"Where were they?"

"They were on the bed when I came in," she replied, picking nervously at a loose thread on the edging around the oversized t-shirt she wore in bed.

"Together?"

"Yeah, in a heap."

"Megan, were they moving when you came in? Fighting?"

"I don't know. I just lit the lamps and the light seemed to make them wake up, as if they'd been group napping or something. Why?"

Severus lay back down, his mind working quickly.

"Megan, have you had any others in there before?"

"What spiders or men?" she tried to joke and stopped when she saw his face.

"Er, sorry, erm. No, not that many at once. I think since I've been here I've found maybe two in here. And not nearly as big as those monsters! Why?"

"Odd."

"Scary," she corrected him and shuddered.

"How long have you been scared of them?" he asked and watched as she looked guilty.

"Er... I was about four I think." She shifted and decided to tell him.

"I was never scared of them before that. But I was sometimes cruel. I found two spiders once and was playing with them; I encouraged them down this hole and then blocked it up. It haunted me for weeks, those poor spiders. I must have suffocated them. I had horrible nightmares after that. I've never been nasty to animals since." She looked down at him.

"Every child has their moments. You learnt from yours," he informed her quietly.

"Megan, was your friend scared of them?" He watched her face closely.

"No. She used to laugh at me." She half smiled at him. "But then I never told her why I was scared." She frowned at him. "Why the twenty questions?"

"Interested."

"You're not scared of them, are you? Of course you're not." She snorted in self-mockery.

"Why do you say of course not?"

"You don't come across as the type," she said gently. "I don't think anything would scare you," she added.

He arched an eyebrow at her but didn't respond directly.

"Would you believe me if I told you Hagrid was?" he spoke quietly several seconds later.

"No!" She snorted with laughter. "The man had a three headed dog according to Neville, and raised a dragon; I can't see Spiders doing much to him."

"You're not quite a gullible as I had thought then," he snorted and tugged her down beside him.

"Severus?"

"Hmm?"

"How did they get in here?" she asked the question that had been playing around on the edge of her mind.

"I'm not certain; yet."

She looked side-ways at him and slid her feet under his leg.

"Goodnight," she muttered and turned over, her feet still tucked under his leg. She felt safe with him beside her. Spiders couldn't hurt her if he was near.

"Goodnight, Megan," he replied vaguely, his thoughts beginning to fall into place.