Minerva McGonagall was not the only professor to have her sleep abruptly disturbed that night.

Severus was awakened around midnight as well by a sharp knock on his door and a girl's voice calling, "Professor Snape? Please wake up, sir. We need you."

Severus had just drifted off to sleep, but he was a light sleeper and so woke again immediately. "What's wrong, Jones?" He recognized the voice as belonging to his fifth-year-prefect for the girl's dormitory.

"It's Aria Lupin, sir. She's having some kind of nightmare, sir, screaming and shivering something awful, but we can't wake her."

Severus suppressed a groan and slipped out of his warm bed. "I'll be there in a few minutes, Jones. Don't try and wake her until I get there."

"I won't, sir."

Severus quickly pulled on his shoes and threw on a green sleeping robe, for it was chilly in the dungeons. Child, why did you have to pick tonight of all nights to have a bloody flashback? He thought irritably, even though he knew it wasn't the girl's fault this had happened. Truth be told, he'd been expecting this to occur for over two weeks now.

As he'd told Remus, Aria had suppressed her grief and guilt over her father's death, and now it had caught up with her, in the form of horrendous nightmares.

Severus sighed heavily and pulled open the door. He just wished he'd gotten a bit more rest, because he'd rather not have to deal with an emotionally distraught child on only four hours of sleep.

Except now he had no choice.

When he finally arrived at the girl's dorm, he discovered that half of the girl's dorm mates were awake and gathered about her bed. He waved them swiftly away and approached the moaning thrashing figure silently, moving like a wraith. The first thing he noticed, besides the fact that she was tangled in the bedcovers, was that one hand was fisted atop them and even as he watched, a strange golden glow emerged and the girl's hand shifted, becoming a cougar's paw and then the tip of a hawk's wing and then back to a hand.

Dearest Merlin, she's shifting in her sleep! He thought in consternation. Whatever nightmare she's having must be terrible for her to shift forms even slightly without being aware of it.

"What's wrong with her?" hissed one girl. "Is she becoming a monster?"

He turned and gave the quivering second year a quelling glance. "Of course not, Miss Danridge! Now quit asking foolish questions and return to your beds, all of you. The last thing I need is a bunch of silly girls hovering like geese. A monster indeed! Miss Lupin is nothing of the sort."

"B-but, sir! She-her hand, it became a paw!" babbled the other girl.

Severus cursed her poor timing. He soon saw he'd have to come up with something to allay their fears. "Yes, because Lupin is a shape-slipper, a rare Animagus who can assume two animal forms at will."

"Two?" repeated Jones in awe.

"Yes, two. Now be off with you. Waking Miss Lupin from her enchanted sleep requires intense concentration, so I need absolute silence."

The girls obeyed, returning to their beds or watching in utter silence as he gently clasped her shoulder and placed the tip of his wand against Aria's temple, murmuring a quick Legilimency spell as he did so. He dared not wake her conventionally, there was no telling if she'd become startled and transform all the way, or become scared and remain stuck in a partial form. He wasn't about to risk his student's, not to mention his best friend's only living relative's, life.

The silver and green hangings and the four poster bed melted away as Severus entered the dreamscape of Aria's mind.

• * * * * * *

A chimera snarled, low and throaty, in warning, all three heads hissing and weaving in the air. The lion head roared, the goat's breathed a short jet of fire, and the serpent head hissed, venom dripping from its fangs. All of its attention was focused on the skinny man with the camera standing not four feet away, casually snapping off shot after shot, oblivious to the irritation the flash was causing the beast's sensitive eyes, or the fact that the lair was home to three mewling kits as well.

"Dad! That's enough, you'd better come away from there," called a girl's voice from behind him. "She's growing really aggressive and you don't want to startle her."

"Relax, kiddo," came Rene's response, tossed casually over a shoulder. "I know what I'm doing." He adjusted the angle of his lens slightly and took another photo.

The chimera's tail lashed and the snarl climbed into a wail.

"Dad, please!" Aria cried. "She's very nervous, her kits are hungry. You've got enough pictures now come away!"

Listen to your daughter, you idiot, Snape silently berated the foolish wizard. She knows more than you do right now, look at the way the chimera is tensing, about to spring. Move, you jackass!

But of course Rene paid no heed to either his daughter or to Severus's silent urging. He continued to stand there, getting close-ups of the rare chimera.

"Dad, hurry!" Aria called, one final time.

The chimera's wings rustled against its back as it moved.

Rene started to back off, shifting a foot, inch by inch.

Too late.

The monster, enraged at being the center of attention, and hungry as well, lunged at the wizard biologist, one huge paw ripping into the camera before it and Rene's arm.

Blood splattered the dark rock and Rene yelled, but it was lost in the chimera's roar and Aria's scream.

Then the beast was on the hapless wizard, biting and tearing.

Aria hesitated for maybe a fraction of a second before blurring into cougar form and springing upon the creature's back, trying to dislodge it, raking all four sets of claws down the monster's back.

The chimera's goat head belched fire as it whirled about to confront this new threat, though the cougar was many times smaller than the beast, which was the size of a rhino. Aria swatted at the goat's head, growling and wailing a cougar war song.

But it was not enough.

The chimera refused to be drawn from her prey, and continued to maim the wizard pinned beneath her paws, ignoring the cougar clawing at her.

The snake's head whipped about, striking at the annoyance perched upon its back, and the cougar was forced to jump away, lest the snake's fangs impale her.

Severus watched unseen, as the cougar Aria made one last valiant attempt to get to her father, who lay dying on the ground between the monster's paws.

But the chimera refused to be driven away by a mere cat, and slammed the cougar hard with one lightning quick blow of her paw.

Aria was knocked sprawling some five feet into the air, and the last sight she saw before passing out was the chimera picking up her father's limp form in its jaws and carrying him away.

Then the cougar became a girl, who reached out a hand pleadingly and screamed in denial, "No! Dad!"

Severus showed himself then, coming over to her and gripping her shoulder.

"Aria, it's time to wake up. Wake up, Aria, you're dreaming."

"Dad! Please! Don't go!" she sobbed.

"Aria Lupin!" Severus shook her hard. "Wake up! Now!"

The girl jerked her head up, her amber eyes filled with a sorrow so dreadful it nearly made him weep. "What? Who?"

"Aria, wake up," he repeated. "This is a dream, now open your eyes, child."

"Uncle Sev?" her voice quivered.

"I'm here, now open your eyes," he urged.

"Okay."

He felt the dreamscape shudder and blur and he quickly exited her mind.

• * * * * * *

All of that had taken barely the space of five heartbeats, for within the mind there is no time. Severus blinked, coming out of the Legilimency spell and lowering his wand just as Aria stirred, groaned and awakened.

Her hand stopped shifting then, remaining human as she slowly rubbed her eyes and sat up. Her amber eyes were confused at first, but then they grew misty with tears. "Oh God . . .Dad . . .damn you, why?" was all she managed before bursting into tears.

"Miss Lupin," Severus began softly, then murmured, "Aria . . ."

Instinctively, she reached for him and before he could blink her arms were about his neck and she was clinging to him, sobbing into his shoulder.

He lifted her up and held her, she was light, surprisingly so. Cradling her securely against his chest, he turned to Jones and the few others who were still awake and said quietly, "I'm taking Miss Lupin to my quarters for a half-an-hour to calm her down. The rest of you, go back to bed, the show's over."

They obeyed, scrambling back into their beds.

Severus walked back into his quarters, leaving the door open, the way he always did when he was alone with a female student, so no one would be able to accuse him of any impropriety. This was by no means the first student he'd comforted after a nightmare, but her cries tore at him, for they were not born of fear, but of terrible pain and grief.

He settled upon the couch and patted her gently on the back, one hand rubbing slow even circles and murmuring soothingly. "Hush now . . .yes, I know . . . I'm here . . ."

"Uncle Sev?" came the muffled voice from his shoulder.

"Yes, Aria, it's me."

"My dad . . .I tried . . .but it wasn't enough!" she wailed softly.

Severus winced and stroked her hair. "Aria, you did all you could, child. Don't blame yourself. You're only thirteen . . .no child is a match for a fully grown chimera, even if you can shift forms. . ."

He knew she knew that, but her grief was too strong for rational explanations then, and so he stopped talking about it, instead encouraging her to release some of her pent up emotions. "Yes . . .cry if you want . . .you need this . . .good . . ." He held her and let her weep all over him, for she needed the solace of tears, needed time to mourn, for only then could she begin to accept and heal from the tragedy she had endured.

Aria couldn't ever remember crying this much before, she had learned when she was eight that tears solved nothing. Tears could not bring back her mother, and tears hadn't helped when her great-grandmother had died either. Her father had never dealt well with weepy females, and Aria could recall several times when he'd shouted at her for crying as a five-year-old, saying she was acting like a baby. After that, she'd been careful never to cry where he could see and eventually she managed to suppress her tears so well that she hardly ever cried.

At Rene's funeral, she'd been the sole mourner, save for a few reporters from the journal who had shown up out of professional courtesy and her father's attorney, Mr. Sanders. Not even her old teacher Joachim Velasquez had been contacted in time, the funeral had been a rather hurried affair, since they hadn't had a body left to bury.

She had stood there in her black mourning clothes, which was an old dress dyed black, sweating in the heat of the South American sun, listening to the priest droning on and on about how Rene Lupin was now in the arms of God, clasped to the bosom of the Almighty in Paradise, and she'd wanted to laugh. The last sight she'd had of him had been the chimera hauling him away to her lair to feed her kits, so God must be pretty good at putting people back together again. She had remained dry-eyed throughout the brief service, too numb to accept the fact that she was legally an orphan now, refusing to break down in front of strangers, but most of all afraid to acknowledge that her father's own carelessness had caused his death.

Now, however, that resentment surged up along with the hot tears and she cried into Severus's robe, "I told him to leave . . .I could feel her anger . . .but he didn't listen to me! He never did! Why?"

Her outburst didn't surprise the Potions Master, not after what he'd seen in her mind. "Perhaps he thought he knew what he was best," he replied, wanting her get the resentment off her chest before it poisoned her.

"He didn't! He was a-a stupid ass!" sobbed Aria angrily. "Damn you, Dad! You didn't even have a Shield Charm up, you just went right over and started snapping pictures like a dumb novice! I can't miss this opportunity to shoot a female chimera, honey! Was it worth it then? Hope they've got photo ops in heaven, you selfish bastard!" she shouted. "You always cared more for your work than you did for your family!"

Severus said nothing, simply allowed her to rant, until the knot of resentment in her chest had eased and she began to cry again, snuggled into his chest. He held her for long moments, until the force of her sobs began to ebb, then he asked, "Aria? Would you like me to firecall your Uncle Remmy?" His mouth twisted into an amused half-smile as he said Remus's nickname.

For several long moments, the girl was silent, then she nodded, very slowly.

"All right. Sit here and I'll be back in a second," he instructed, gently lifting her from his lap and placing her beside him on the sofa. She curled up like a lost kitten while he rose, tossed a handful of Floo powder into his fireplace and called, "Remus Lupin's quarters!"

The flames turned green and Severus stuck his head through. "Remus, it's Severus. I need you to come here immediately."

Remus woke instantly upon hearing Severus's voice in his sitting room. Like his friend, the werewolf slept very lightly and had excellent hearing besides. "Sev? What's the matter? Is it Aria?"

"Yes, Moony, Aria had a nightmare tonight and she's very shaken up," Severus told the werewolf, who was now kneeling before the fireplace, looking directly into his friend's dark eyes. "I think it's best if you come here and speak with her. I did my best to comfort her, but she really needs you, Uncle Remmy," he added with a mischievous grin.

Remus grimaced, then heaved a sigh. "Tell her I'll be right there, soon as I get on some clothes. And don't call me that, Sev!"

"Why not?"

"Because only two people were ever allowed to call me that dreadful name, and one of them's been dead for five years and the other is now my ward," replied Remus testily.

"Very well, Lupin. Don't get in a snit, wolf," chuckled the Potions Master. Then he withdrew from the fire to await Lupin's arrival.

Five minutes later, Remus stepped through the fireplace and went immediately to the girl curled on the couch, sniffling into a green handkerchief Severus had handed her. "Aria, sweetheart, it's okay." He sat next to her and rested his arm lightly across her shoulders, waiting to see if she would accept his touch. "Sev says you had a nightmare. Want to tell me about it?"

She lifted her face to look at him, and said softly, "It was about Dad. When he died . . .I told him to leave her alone, but he didn't listen, and I tried to save him, I really did, but I wasn't quick enough . . .!" More tears followed this statement, slowly trickling down the girl's blotchy face. "I'm really sorry, Uncle Remmy!"

Remus pulled her into his arms then, his reluctance vanished in the face of his child's obvious pain. "Oh Merlin, Aria! You don't have a damn thing to be sorry for, honey. Your dad was an adult, he knew what he was doing, or he thought he did. Rene was always a reckless devil, kid, he never listened to anybody, the stubborn fool-not me, or my father, not Gran Lara, not even your mum. His death is not your fault, kid! He always said someday his work would be the death of him, Aria Lenore," Remus said thickly, tears in his own eyes. "And it was, may God forgive me, it was."

"But maybe if I could've . . ."

"No!" Remus cried, then said sharply, "Look at me, Aria." He waited until she had turned to face him. "Don't play what if, little one, that'll get you nothing but guilt and tears, and there's nothing you ought to feel guilty over. Rene would be the first to tell you that being a magical creature biologist was a dangerous profession, especially given the creatures he studied. He was the adult, you were the child, it wasn't your job to protect him. It was his job to protect you . . .and himself." Lupin shook his head. "My brother was very good at only completing a task halfway, as I'm sure you know." He gently took her face in his hands. "Stop blaming yourself, kid. Rene would never want that. He always loved a dramatic ending, the stubborn ass. Can you promise me that? Because if not, I'm going to find a way to go to heaven and kick my brother's arse for being such a thoughtless fool."

In spite of herself, Aria smiled at her uncle. "Okay. I'll try, Uncle Remmy."

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear." He hugged her then.

She buried her head in his shoulder and whispered, "Sometimes he made me so mad . . .but I loved him anyway. And I really miss him . . ." She began to cry again, softly.

Remus stroked her hair, running his fingers through the thick silky strands rhythmically. "Shhh . . .I know, Aria love. I miss the big show-off too." He buried his face in his niece's hair and cried also.

Severus quickly withdrew into his small kitchen, after shutting the door to his quarters, wanting to give the two some privacy to mourn. He then set about making tea with a dash of a Calming Draught in it, figuring the two would welcome it once they had allowed their grief to run its course. He was relieved that the girl seemed to be turning to Remus for comfort now instead of himself, for the werewolf needed someone to love and trust him as much as Aria did.

The Potions Master made himself a cup of tea as well, only he laced his with a Headache Remedy, since his unplanned use of Legilimency on Aria had given him a nasty headache. He sat in the kitchen and sipped his tea slowly, allowing the two in the den time to bond. After fifteen minutes, he decided it was safe to venture back into the den, and he placed the two cups of tea on a tray, reheated them with a warming charm, and entered the room.

Aria and Remus were sitting next to each other on the couch, red-eyed, but calmer. Remus glanced up as his friend set the tray with the tea on the table and said apologetically, "Sorry, Sev, didn't mean to turn into a waterfall right here in your living room."

"As a certain werewolf once said to me after I'd lost my wife, you needed it and that's what I'm here for, so quit apologizing and just drink your tea," Severus ordered. "I told you someday I'd return the favor, Moony."

"Thanks, Sev." Remus said gratefully, and picked up a cup and sipped it.

Aria took the other one, sniffed it and frowned. "What's in it? There's something besides just tea in here."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You can smell the potion I put in there?"

"Yeah. My nose is better than most people's, Uncle Sev. Comes from being a shape-slipper, I guess. I hear, see, and smell better than regular people." Aria told him. She was still a bit embarrassed at the way she'd totally lost it before, but the Slytherin's matter-of-fact attitude alleviated some of her humiliation. "What's in this?"

"I put in a dash of a Calming Draught, child. It'll soothe your nerves and help you sleep. I figured you could both use it."

"Oh. That's okay, I guess," she said, then drank some. "It tastes pretty good. Kind of fruity and nutty."

"Please finish it then," Remus urged. "You need a good night's sleep."

She made a face at him. "So do you. You look like death warmed over."

Remus pretended to glower at her frank assessment. "Now is that any way to talk about your uncle, miss?"

"Yeah, it is when it's the truth."

Remus pretended to wince. "Cruel, girl. Whoever said honesty was the best policy never had a sharp-tongued witch for a niece."

Aria gave him a half-smile. "You'd look better if you'd dye your hair," she suggested slyly.

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Some of it's gray."

"That's the werewolf in me," Remus retorted.

"If you dyed your hair, Uncle Remmy, maybe you could get a date or whatever."

Remus gaped at her in astonishment and Severus choked. "Oh, now wait just a blasted minute, young one! Don't even think about playing matchmaker for me. You know perfectly well I wouldn't make a suitable husband for anyone with my . . .curse."

"I disagree, Moony," Severus put in.

"Me too. The Wolfsbane makes you safe, right? So the woman doesn't need to worry about you going off and attacking her. Which means you can go out and have a normal life."

"The both of you are crazy. Werewolves are scrutinized by the Ministry, I'm restricted in the kinds of jobs I can apply for, and any woman I ever marry has to sign a form stating she understands the danger inherent in having a werewolf for a partner. How in hell can I ever find a woman willing to put up with that?"

"You're not serious?" Severus scowled. "Those bloody bigoted bunch of-" he cut off the rest of what he was about to say, remembering that Aria was in the room.

"Stupid is as stupid does," Aria said disgustedly. Then she added, "But Uncle Remmy, Gran Lara used to say that every person has a soulmate out there, somewhere, and when it's time you'll find her."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Aria, darling, I loved Gran dearly, but the woman wouldn't rest until she had everyone on earth happily married with five kids. She also believed that if an owl hooted three times it meant someone was going to die and a bit of dirt from a loved one's grave kept away ghosts. She and Lacey were always doing tarot readings, trying to predict everyone's future, and over half the time they were wrong."

"That seems to be typical of Seers," remarked Snape with a faintly sarcastic air.

"But the other half of the time they were right," Aria pointed out. "I believe in what she said about soulmates, Uncle Remmy."

Remus smiled down at her tolerantly. "You can believe whatever you like, but I'm perfectly content as a bachelor, Aria. You're the only woman I need, kid."

"Ugh! Please, Uncle Remmy!"

"What? What's wrong with what I just said?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "Never mind. You're a guy, you wouldn't get it."

Remus exchanged mystified looks with Severus, who merely shrugged. Teenage girls were just as much of a puzzle to him as they were to the werewolf despite all his years as a teacher. One reason why he thanked God he'd had a son instead of a daughter, because he didn't think he'd be capable of raising a girl alone, without Lily there.

Remus rubbed a hand across his eyes. "I'm never at my best in the middle of the night. Not to mention, the full moon is in a week."

"It's already started to affect you?" his niece asked curiously.

"Uh, yes. The closer the full moon is, the more I feel tired and irritable and achy. I start to lose my appetite too, for everything except rare meat," Remus admitted quietly. Normally he would never have discussed the effects of his curse with anyone, but Severus already knew the symptoms and Aria was family and needed to know what to expect since she lived with him.

"Oh." Aria said, thinking some of her uncle's symptoms reminded her of PMS. Wonder if he gets bloated and has cramps too? She wondered, stifling a giggle. She thanked God neither Remus or Severus could read her mind, they'd probably drop dead of shock at her musings. Stop it, Aria! It's not funny, he has a very serious condition! She scolded herself sternly. She really didn't find her uncle's problem very funny, but sometimes her odd sense of humor ran away with her. It was one of the few things she'd had in common with her father, that quirky sarcastic bent. She had gotten her looks from her mom, but her personality was her own.

"Does it hurt a lot when you, uh, change?" she asked diffidently. The first few times she'd shifted forms it had been uncomfortable, but after a month of practice, and Master Velasquez's exercise regimen, she was able to control her changes so it didn't hurt and with more practice learned how to shift nearly instantaneously.

"It used to. Before the Wolfsbane, the transformation was bloody excruciating. But with the potion, I transform into a full wolf and not a monster, so it doesn't hurt all that much."

"Oh. Too bad it couldn't be like that all the time," his niece said sadly.

"Mmm, we don't always get what we want, kid."

"True." She glanced speculatively at her Head of House. "Okay, Uncle Remmy, if I can't convince you to find a girlfriend, maybe I can convince Sev here."

"Oh no! Get that notion out of your head right now, you interfering little imp!" Severus cried, horrified.

"Why? You could be quite a catch, Uncle Sev," said Aria with a wicked smile. "You're not bad looking, you know. Maybe a new haircut and something besides black robes . . ."

"Stop! My hair is fine and I like black," Severus sputtered. "I don't need any help in that department, Miss Lupin, thank you very much. I was married once and she was everything I ever wanted and no other woman could even come close, so curb your enthusiasm, little miss matchmaker!"

Aria was grinning, delighted to discover she could make the conservative Potions Master nervous with her little suggestions. "Oh. Was she your soulmate then?"

Severus nodded, ignoring Remus's chuckle. "She was, and that is why I've never remarried."

"Well, that's different," the girl sighed. She shot another considering glance at Remus.

"Aria . . ." he warned.

"You're no fun," she pouted.

"Good," Remus snorted. "I'm not supposed to be fun. I'm supposed to be strict and hard and keep you on the straight and narrow, miss. Like a proper guardian."

"Good luck," Severus muttered and Lupin glared at him.

"You sound like a prison warden," his niece grumbled.

"I'll become one if you don't quit trying to, uh, what's the word you teenagers use now--?" Remus frowned. "-fix me up with someone, Aria Lenore, is that understood?"

"Yes sir, Professor," she gave him a mock-salute. "Understood loud and clear, sir!"

"Are you making fun of me?"

She gave him a wide-eyed stare. "Would I do that?"

"Definitely, brat," put in Severus.

Before Aria could answer him, the fireplace flared and Dumbledore's voice called, "Severus! Unscramble the Floo network, there's an emergency!"

Severus muttered the countercharm and the fireplace flared green. "What's the problem, Headmaster?"

Albus stuck his head through. "Sirius Black has entered the castle again, Severus. Young Ron woke up to find him standing over his bed with a knife, and then Black ran. We need you to help search, and you as well, Remus," he added, upon catching sight of the werewolf seated on the sofa.

"Have you sealed all the exits?" demanded Severus, getting to his feet.

"Yes, but Sirius is very elusive, he may have slipped by me before I noticed."

"We're on our way," Severus said as the Headmaster's face withdrew.

"How could Sirius Black get into the castle?" Aria wondered. "Aren't the wards designed to keep out intruders?"

"Black's a clever bastard," Severus said shortly. "He grew up here, he knows plenty of secret passages. Come on, Moony. Time's wasting."

"Aria, I want you to go back to your dorm room and stay there." Remus ordered. "Sirius can't get into the Slytherin portrait hole unless he has the password."

"But Uncle Remmy, maybe I could help find him."

"Out of the question," Remus cried, going pale. "Finding Sirius is our job, not yours. Now do as I say, young lady. I want you to be safe and right now the safest place is in your bed."

Aria opened her mouth to argue, but Severus interceded. "Disobeying a direct order from a professor, Miss Lupin, will result in a detention and loss of House points. Doing so in front of me will result in a week's worth of detention, so don't test me."

Aria looked from one to the other, but both men wore their sternest expressions and she gave in after a moment. "Okay. I'll go to bed. Killjoys!"

"Mind the attitude, miss!" snapped Severus.

"Yes sir," she muttered, subdued by his glower. Severus in a temper was not something she wished to experience, from all the stories she'd heard. "Good night." She went over to hug Remus. "Good luck. If you do catch Black, kick his butt, Uncle Remmy."

"Believe me, I will," the werewolf vowed grimly, and hugged his niece. "Off with you now."

Aria went, and the two elder wizards accompanied her down to the portrait hole, making sure she was safely inside before joining the rest of the staff in searching the school.