Chapter 10

Anastasia opened her eyes. The light hurt and her head heaved in waves of pain. She started coughing up dust as she tried to sit up. She held her head in her hands before feeling a sharp pain in her chest. She ran her fingers over her skin and felt heat in between her collarbones. She looked down to see the tips of her fingers coated in blood. In a panic she rose to her feet, wobbling as she looked down at her limbs assessing any damage. She was in her school uniform but she didn't have her jumper and some buttons on her shirt were missing. She was surrounded by foreign objects, and she flickered her blurry eyes desperately. She turned in circles, trying to remember where she was or what had happened.

The fireplace. She walked over and ran her fingers over the brick, collecting dust. She spun around to see if she recognised anything else. She walked past a large cabinet and piles of trunks, weaving through all the clutter before landing in front of an old desk. It was worn down and the wood had warped and cracked. Anastasia covered her mouth as she gasped. What had happened here? She walked around the desk and sat in the old chair, Tom's chair. She looked up and could see herself lying there naked with Tom over her. She shook her head, trying to remember what had happened. She could still feel hands on her wrists, his breath on her chest, his eyes...

"The necklace"." Anastasia whispered, her hands frantically feeling around her neck. She felt the stinging in between her collarbones again. It was gone. She could feel the blood drying as she felt the wound where the skull charm should be.

Fear was taking over her. Where was Tom? Where did all these things come from? Her stomach twisted as her legs twitched anxiously. After some time she made herself stand up. She had to find out what had happened, maybe Tom was looking for her or maybe someone at Hogwarts could explain. She began weaving through the piles of clutter and furniture. Once she reached the opening wall the room of requirement provided the door, proving she was where she believed she was. A slight wave of relief washed over her. She pushed the door open and was pleasantly surprised. It was the same corridor. She was at Hogwarts, she could hear students talking in the distance. She released a huge sigh. She just had to find Tom, he would be able to tell her what happened. She wrapped her robes around her, trying to cover her missing buttons and the wound. As she turned a corner she ran directly into a girl, knocking the books out of her hands.

"Oh I'm so sorry..." Anastasia mumbled as she knelt down to pick up the books.

"Don't worry it's alright." The girl knelt down next to next to her. As Anastasia stood up to hand over the books she noticed the girls unkempt hair.

"Sorry I don't think I've ever seen you before, what's your name?" The girl asked with a furrowed brow, assessing Anastasia's face inquisitively. Anastasia was thinking the same thing, the girl looked to be her age and as far as she knew she had memorised everyone in her year.

"Anastasia, who are you?" Anastasia's eyes wondered to her robes, a Gryffindor. She racked her brain trying to think if she'd ever seen her before.

"Hermione Granger." The girl replied looking even more confused. The pair stared at one another, and a clear tension hung in the air between them. Anastasia had never heard that name before. Something was wrong, the atmosphere that surrounded her seemed off. She looked down at the books the girl was carrying. On the top was a potions textbook she had never seen before, it looked strange to her.

"Well, um... lovely to make your acquaintance Miss Granger, but I must go..." Anastasia said turning away from the girl. She walked away as fast as she could, but could feel the girl eyeing her as she left. She walked she past more students, all of whom she didn't recognise. Panic began to bubble in her stomach. She was clearly still in Hogwarts, but who were al these people? Why did it seem so different? She picked up her pace and headed towards the Slytherin common room, trying to look around as little as possible. Once she reached the door she said the password.

"Black Lake." The door remained locked. Anastasia looked around warily. "Black Lake." She stated, louder this time, but the door still didn't move. Anastasia started to shake with frustration, but just as she was about to scream the password she felt someone approaching.

"And who might you be?" The voice was low and stern. Anastasia turned to see a pale man with jet black hair.

"I'm sorry? Who are you?" Anastasia whispered. The man stopped with a sharp frown on his face as he stared at her. He looked at her robes and furrowed his brows.

"I am Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House. Tell me, where did you get those robes?" His eyes trailed up and down her clothes. Anastasia froze. What did he mean he was head of Slytherin? She had never seen him before. She thought she might be dreaming, or had she gone gone mad. She didn't have Tom to protect her. The only person she could think of was Headmaster Dippet. She trusted him, despite Tom's disapproval, and he liked her a lot.

"I'm sorry Professor, I appear to have got myself lost I was looking for the Headmaster office." Small beads of sweat were forming on her forehead, as Professor Snape continued his stare. He nodded slowly before lifting a hand out of his robe.

"This way..." He began walking. She considered trying to make a run from it, but decided to follow him. She knew where the office was, so she would know if he was trying to take her somewhere else. As the walked she was relieved the man asked no further questions. She tried to keep her head down, almost afraid to notice anything else strange, but she couldn't help looking up occasionally only to continually see unfamiliar faces. Once they reached the office Professor Snape knocked on the door.

"Wait here." He stated before entering the office. Anastasia stood, still trying to wrap her robes tightly around her. Professor Snape reappeared quickly and indicated for Anastasia to go in. She hesitated for a moment before passing Snape and entering the office. When she looked up she saw an old man standing behind a desk. For a second she didn't recognise him.

"Professor Dumbledore?" He looked so much older, his beard was double the length. She froze. Where was Headmaster Dippet?