One Last Chance

The rest of the Summer holiday's passed and soon it was the night of the feast. Severus had spent the remainder of his free time brewing and making lesson plans for the upcoming school year. He had woken up to an empty bed after his night with Lupin. Over the next month they had became friends. Yes, friends. The word sounded foreign in his mind.

The only friends he had ever had were Lily and Albus. Even that didn't really count. Lily was his lover and Albus was more like his father than his friend. He found himself completely comfortable to just sit and chat about the upcoming school year with him.

They hadn't had anymore heart wrenching moments together and they never spoke of that night again. It was like it had never happened. Yet, something had changed that night. He didn't know if Lupin knew it, but he knew he did. He missed the feeling of Lupin's arm around his waist as he slept. Missed the feeling of security he had experienced when he was around. Missed his weight on the other side of the bed. He didn't think he had feelings for the other man. No, he surely didn't. He had just been lonely and Lupin had been there to comfort him. That was all it was.

Severus took his seat at the staff table just as the student's began filing into the Great Hall. He was surprised to see Potter, Weasley, and Granger coming in with the rest of the student's. He had known that every grade was repeating the previous year since they hadn't been taught properly, but he hadn't expected the golden trio to return. He had expected them to think an education was beneath them now that they had conquered the Dark Lord.

"I didn't think they were coming back either." He heard a voice in his ear. He turned and saw Lupin had sat next to him. "You didn't know?" He asked, surprised. He knew that the man was very close with Potter as well as the Weasley's. "Molly had mentioned that they were coming back, but I didn't know if it was true or not. She had insisted they were coming back last year, even when they had informed her countless times that they weren't. I asked Harry in our letters, but he never seemed to be able to give me a straight answer so I assumed they weren't either." Severus nodded and turned his attention back to the student's. They had all filed in now and the first years were about to be sorted.

His eyes caught attention of a small boy with flaming red hair. The child looked like a Weasley, but as far as he knew, they hadn't popped any out lately. "Is that a Weasley?" He asked Lupin who nodded in conformation. Ah, so he had been right. "He's Molly's sister's son." He turned his attention back to the sorting. Severus watched as five were sorted into Gryffindor, three into Hufflepuff, seven into Ravenclaw, and four into Slytherin. There was only one student left now, the Weasley boy.

He zoned out, not even bothering to pay attention. He would be sorted into Gryffindor, no doubt about that one. "SLYTHERIN!" He suddenly heard the sorting hat scream. His head shot up and his eyes widened as he watched the boy slowly walk across the hall to the Slytherin table. There was dead silence for a few moments before a polite applause broke out.

His eyes skimmed the Gryffindor table until he found who he was looking for. The two youngest Weasley's were looking at the Slytherin table open mouthed. He glanced at the Slytherin table and saw that some of the older student's looked furious. He didn't even have to ask why. Although the Weasley's were pure blood's, they were the biggest blood traitors in the wizarding world. They were in constant rival with most of the remaining pure blood families. Not to mention, Gryffindor and Slytherin houses had a constant rivalry going and every single Weasley had been sorted into Gryffindor. Until now.

He cast a look over at the boy and saw he was sitting alone. He felt sorry for him. He was surely going to be out cast. He made a mental note to keep an eye on him before beginning to eat his food.

The feast ended and he waited until the hall was nearly empty before getting up and beginning his walk to the dungeons. As he was walking, he heard a voice call out to him. "Professor!" He turned and saw that it was Potter coming toward him. What did the boy want now? "Yes?" He mentally scolded himself for being so cold. The boy had saved his life after all. "I just wanted to check and see how your doing. I never really got a chance to talk with you after that day in the hospital wing." Potter actually cared about how he was doing?

He was still doing awful. He was still haunted with nightmares of his past. Still fighting the urge not to cry half of the time. Still alone. Unwanted. "Fine, I suppose." He replied. "Well, I'm glad. See you in class Professor." In class? Why would the boy be taking Potions? Oh yeah. He wanted to become an Auror. "Potter." He called after him, not completely aware of what he was doing. He turned around to look at him. "Thank you." The boy gave him a strange look and he didn't blame him. Since when did Severus Snape say thank you to anyone? "For what Professor?" He asked him. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking the boy right in the eyes, Lily's eyes. "For saving my life." He said before turning on his heel and walking to the dungeons, never looking back.

Severus was in a terrible mood at breakfast the next morning. No more brewing potions, laying around, and chatting with Lupin all day. It was the first day of term and he had to get up to teach. He didn't even acknowledge anyone else as he ate in silence, not wanting to see so many people at such an early hour. He even ignored Lupin's advances to talk to him. He just wanted to go back to bed, but he had a class of idiot first years to teach.

The morning passed quickly and with little disruption. He had managed to scare his class of first years half to death and take ten points from Hufflepuff for tardiness in his third year class. He headed down to the Great Hall for lunch, taking a spot in the middle of the table. Minerva showed up a few minutes later, sitting next to him. "I just had to discipline a few Slytherins." He grew kind of angry at that remark. They were from his house, so it was his job to punish them. He usually let them off easier than he would anyone else, but so what?

She took his silence as a good thing and continued on. "They were making fun of the new Weasley boy." That pissed him off, but he wasn't surprised. He knew that they wouldn't see him as their equal, no matter what house he was in. "What were they doing and who was it." He managed to get out through his gritted teeth. "Miss. Granger was instructing him on where to find the class he has after lunch. After she walked away is when the taunting began. They called him a mudblood lover and said he didn't belong in their house." He felt anger practically pouring out of his body.

He hated the word mudblood and despised anybody who used it. This was mostly due to the fact that Lily had been Muggle born and also due to the fact that it was just vile. He knew Minerva didn't know he felt that strongly about the word so he tried to keep his anger inside. He took a couple deep breaths to control himself, but looked down as he heard a smashing noise. He had managed to crush his goblet in his hand.

A couple student's were looking on, but he didn't care. He banished the pieces and produced another goblet out of thin air. "Who?" He managed to get out. He looked and saw Minerva looking at him as if she'd never seen him in her life. He knew that his anger probably completely threw her off. "Goyle, Bulstrode, and Avery. I took twenty points." That's it? She took twenty points for the use of the word mudblood?

He practically jumped out of his seat, his chair clattering loudly as he walked toward the Slythern table. He could feel the eyes of every single person in the Great Hall on him, but he didn't pay them any attention. He reached where the seventh years were sitting. "Goyle, Bulstrode, and Avery. Come with me." They looked at him as if he were crazy. He was known for not disciplining his students. "NOW!" He screamed at them. They listened this time, following him out into the entrance hall.

"What's goin on Professor?" He heard Goyle ask him. "Thought it would be funny to torment the new Weasley boy?" He heard himself ask them. "Well yeah." Bulstrode said, smirking as if it was the most obvious conclusion on earth. "I don't see anything funny here Miss. Bulstrode!" He barked at them, amused to see that they all recoiled back. "I thought you'd be proud of us sir." Avery said from behind Goyle. Proud? Were these children out of their minds?! He grabbed the boy by the shoulders. "You thought I'd be proud that three seventh years are tormenting a first year?! You thought I'd be proud that three Slytherins are tormenting a fellow Slytherin?! You thought I'd be proud that you called the boy a mudblood lover?!"

He released the boy as they all three stared at him, shocked by his sudden outburst as well as his newly found discipline. "I will be taking fifty points." He paused as they all gasped in horror. "Each." He informed them, almost gleefully. "In addition to that, you will all three serve detention with Mr. Filch every night at seven pm for the next two weeks. You will apologize to the boy at dinner. And you will NEVER use a word like that again or say another word to the Weasley boy after you apologize. I don't want to see you so much as look at him. Do I make myself clear?" The three children nodded at him, wide eyed. "Good, now get out of my sight." He snarled at them.

He then stomped off to his next class, knowing he was a few minutes late. They were his seventh year N.E.W.T. class and he'd left the instructions on the board, so Merlin help them if they weren't working. He flung the door open and was shocked to see that they were all working and that all hell hadn't broken loose in his absence. After all, this class consisted of mainly all Gryffindor's and Slytherin's. He strode through the room, taking a seat at his desk and filling a glass with water. He took a long drink and watched as the student's attempted to brew a Calming Draught.

Towards the end of the class, he got up to examine their potions. He walked through the desks, nodding at the potions although most of them were incorrect. He stopped when he got to Weasley's which was puke green instead of a dark forest green. "That would be a zero for the day Mr. Weasley." He said as he banished his potion. He heard a few snickers from the Slytherins. Things never changed. He peered into Potter's cauldron and was surprised to see that he had actually managed to brew the potion correctly.

Upon examining the rest of the cauldrons, he discovered that the only other person who managed to get it completely right was Draco. He walked to the front of the class and stopped. "If any of you would like to see the correct way to make a Calming Draught, then I suggest you get up off your arse's and come have a look in Mr. Malfoy or Mr. Potter's cauldron." He enjoyed the shocked look he got from the whole class at his not treating Potter like dirt. He conjured two phials and instructed the boys to fill them with their potions, making a mental note to label them and send them to the hospital wing later on.

The bell rang and the student's began filing out as he continued to grade paper's. A few moments passed and he noticed that the student's were taking longer than usual to exit the room. He looked up, wanting to know why. He watched in surprise as Potter shot his friends a look to go without him. They gave him a strange look, but went on without him. He began packing up his bag as slowly as he could and Severus could have sworn he caught him glancing at Draco.

"Come on Draco." He heard Parkinson command him and watched as she batted her eyelashes at him. He didn't seem to be interested in the little snot. "Go on. I'll just be a minute." The two sworn enemies had just told their friends to go on without them. What was going on? He watched as she left the room pouting and soon it was only the three of them left in the room. He watched out of the corner of his eye as they slowly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

He couldn't resist following them and he strode to the door, opening it a crack so he could see out. "So I guess I'll see you later Dray." It appeared that he had caught the end of their conversation. Dray? What was that all about. "Yeah, see you later." Draco said back as Potter headed toward the Great Hall. Draco grabbed his hand and pulled him back. Potter looked confused as well as he turned to face Draco. "I hate this. I hate that we have to hide this from everybody." Did he just say that or were his ears deceiving him?

"Me too." Potter said before walking off. Severus let the door shut behind him in shock. He didn't know what the hell was going on. He did know one thing, though. Potter and Draco were sworn enemies. They hated each other as much as himself and James Potter had. Draco's father was a Death Eater who had tried to capture Potter. Although Draco was not evil, he had still let the Death Eaters into the castle and been marked. So what was that? He didn't know, but he was going to figure it out somehow.

He kept a close eye on the two boys at dinner, but he didn't see them so much as glance at each other. He smirked to himself as he saw the three Slytherin's come in. He hadn't forgotten about the apology they had to make. He was purposely taking his time. Making them think he had forgotten or that he was going to let them off. What he was really waiting for was the middle of dinner, when everybody would be watching. He was going to embarress them as much as he could.

Remus hadn't shown up and he found himself wondering where the man was. He had wanted him to see what he was about to force his Slytherin's to do. He figured the man was either to tired or to busy to come so he pushed it to the back of his mind as he stood up to go collect his snake's.

He once again felt eyes on him as he made his way over to the Slytherin table, stopping in front of the three. "I believe." He paused, watching as looks of horror appeared on their face's. "That you three have an apology to make." They were shocked all right. They really hadn't been expecting him to follow through with it. They slowly stood up and Severus marched them over to the Gryffindor table, where the boy had taken to sitting with the Weasley's, Potter, Longbottom, and Granger.

He became aware of the fact that all the student's and staff in the hall had grown silent. He knew that they were all watching, waiting to see what would happen in the Slytherin-Gryffindor exchange. All the teenagers looked up as they stopped in front of them. Potter had been sitting next to the boy, trying to teach him how to do a simple hover charm. "What do you assholes want." The Weasley boy said, scowling up at them. Normally, Severus would have taken ten points for language, but he let it go. After all, they were exactly what he had called them.

His Slytherin's looked up at him, but he just gave them a look to continue on. "We wanted to." Avery began, having trouble getting it out. "Apologize to um" He paused again, not knowing the boy's first name. "Jacob." Potter said. Severus watched as he put an arm protectively around the boy's shoulder's. "Yeah well.We just wanted to say that we're" Avery trailed off, unable to finish. "Sorry." Bulstrode finished for him. "We're sorry for what we said and um." She looked up at him and he nodded at her to continue. "It won't happen again." The Gryffindor's just stared at the Slytherin's in shock as they walked away.

The school week passed quickly and he soon found that it was the weekend. Finally. Now he could get some peace and quiet. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to see the little brats too often before Monday. He had agreed to spend the night with Remus, having a drink or two in his quarters. As he began walking to Remus's quarters, he could see people staring at him. He ignored the stares of the students. He shot a few death glares behind him as he walked, hoping to scare them off. He knew they probably found it strange that he was walking anywhere that wasn't the dungeons or the Great Hall. He perfered to be alone, they all knew that. At least, that's what they thought about him. No one actually knew anything about the real him and he intended to keep it that way.

He reached Remus's quarters and knocked three times. Remus opened the door and ushered him inside. He took a seat in his usual arm chair by the fire and Remus sat across from him, pouring them both a drink. Severus removed his robe and kicked off his shoes, laying his feet on the coffee table. He had grown to be completely comfortable around Remus as well as in his quarters. He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Remus smiled as he watched him and Severus felt a lurching in his stomach. It wasn't a bad thing. He didn't know what it was, but he knew it had to do with the fact that Remus had just smiled at him.

"Rough week?" Remus asked, a mask of concern on his face. "Terrible. I've had to discipline more Slytherin's this week alone than in my entire teaching career. Not to mention the first years are annoying the hell out of me." It appeared from his very first lesson that the first years were very anxious to learn. They bombarded him with questions and hardly reacted to his glares of death. It was as if nobody had told them not to cross him. "Ah yes, your Slytherin's. I've been hearing that they've been giving Jacob a lot of trouble." Despite his warnings, the little brats continued to torment the poor boy. It seemed as if even the student's from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had joined in on the torment. He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Remus walked over and opened the door. "Hello Remus." He recognized Minerva's voice immediately. "Sorry to bother you on your Friday night, but I need you to sign these paper's. The ministry is now doing background checks and making all the teachers sign a contract form." They were doing background checks? He was totally screwed unless Fudge said something to them. Just because his charges were cleared didn't mean that they would forget who he used to be. "Sure, not a problem. Come in and have a seat while I go grab a quill." Severus quickly removed his feet from the table and sat up straight. Damn that man.

Minerva entered the sitting room and he saw a look of shock on her face at him sitting there in Muggle clothes with no shoes on. "What a surprise Severus! I didn't expect to find you here." Yeah, well he hadn't expected her to interrupt their drinking session either. "Ah yes, Severus was just here to have a drink and catch up about the week." Remus answered before he could as he came back into the room.

The look of shock returned to her face. "Don't look so shocked Minerva. I do venture out of the dungeons on rare occasions" He said with a small smile on his face. She looked as if she would keel over from seeing any hint of an expression on his face. "Very rare occasions indeed." She said as Remus handed the paper's over. "Have a nice night." She called over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

"I think she almost had a heart attack when she saw me sitting here." He couldn't help but burst out laughing as he said it. For the next hour or so they talked, drank, and laughed together. He was beginning to get very drunk as he suggested they play a drinking game. Remus drunkenly agreed. "What game?" Remus asked him. "Truth or Dare!" He slurred. Remus chuckled at the game he used to play when he was a child. "Okay I dare you to dance the Witches Slide." Severus laughed as he stood up and began stumbling around, trying to dance the popular dance. "Now I get to dare you!" He almost shouted. He hadn't been this drunk in years. He hadn't allowed himself to laugh like this in years, either. It felt nice. "I dare you to show me your underwear." He was curious as to what underwear the wolf wore and he also wanted to live up to the point of the game: to embarress the hell out of people.

Remus blushed as he slowly pulled down his trousers to reveal a pair of midnight blue boxers. "He looks damn good in them." Severus caught himself thinking and scolded himself. "I dare you to show me your tattoo's." Severus took no time in removing his sweater to reveal his tattoo's.

The first was on his shoulder blade. It was the tattoo he got when his mother died. "E.J.P. Never Forgotten" It read with angel wings surrounding it. The next tattoo was on his upper arm. It made him want to cry even looking at it. He turned to let Remus see. "Lily Marie Evans" It read in neat script. Underneath it was a tiny lily and below that it said one word "Always" He turned to put his shirt on and saw Remus looking at his left arm. He had forgotten about it in his drunk state. He quickly turned and began to put his shirt on, but Remus stopped him.

Severus flinched as he felt the man's hands touch the awful mark on his arm. He made to pull away, but stopped as Remus began carefully stroking it. It felt nice. He felt like electricity was running up his entire arm at the man's touch. He had never felt this way when anyone had touched him. Not even Lily.

He slowly turned towards Remus. He felt the mans hand move from his arm and met his stare. He knew he should turn, flee from the room. Knew he couldn't get close to the man. Knew he would pay dearly for it if he did. "I dare you" He paused, not knowing if he should go any farther. He looked back into Remus's soft, amber eyes. That was all it took for him to decide. "to kiss me." He finished.

Remus just stared back at him for a moment. Severus didn't back down, didn't break eye contact, didn't turn to go. Remus took a step toward him and leaned in. He closed his eyes and felt the man's lips moving on his own. He felt that familiar jolt of electricity shooting throughout his entire body as he responded back, kissing the man like he had never kissed anybody in his entire life. He felt light headed as they continued to kiss. He didn't think it had anything to do with the alcohol, either.

He couldn't help but smile as he cupped Remus's face in his hands, slowing the kiss down. He was trying to savor it as much as he could. He wanted it to last forever. He didn't want to break apart. He was content with standing in this spot for the rest of his life, just kissing Remus. Remus suddenly pulled apart from him and wound his arms around his neck. "Just for the record." He muttered into Severus's ear. "Yeah?" He asked, trying to catch his breath. "You didn't need to dare me."

The next two week's were the most awkward week's of his life. After the kiss with Remus, they hadn't said another word, just fallen asleep together. Upon waking up, he had quickly left as the wolf slept soundly. He felt bad for leaving like that, but it was absolutely necessary. Throughout the following week, Remus tried to talk to him several times, but he mostly avoided him. He purposely sat in between two other people at all meals, hardly ever left the dungeons, and threw himself into his work as if to forget about everything that had happened. He could tell the other man was hurt. He felt awful for it, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't go there.

He had allowed his shield's to fall down. The very shield's that he had spent that past sixteen years building around himself. Then one man came along and they almost instantly tore down. He didn't understand why Remus had this effect on him, but he knew enough not to pursue it. He had allowed himself to get close to someone again. Any kind of closeness was too close for him. He wouldn't allow himself to care about another person, only to lose them in the end. He had experienced that too much in his life. He would just pretend that it had never happened. That they hadn't became friends. That they hadn't started to become more.

He would forget the feeling of the man's arm's around him. Lose the sense of security he felt when the other man was around. Forget the electricity that shot through his body at the man's touch. He wished there were another way, but there wasn't. This was the only way to do it.

The tormenting of the Weasley boy still continued despite Severus's best effort's to put an end to it all. He hadn't heard them call him a mudblood lover again, but he had heard them yell things like "blood traitor" followed by a quick jostling in the hallway. Anytime he saw it, he would take ten points from whichever house and give them a good yelling.

His level of curiosity was still high as he kept seeing Potter and Draco talk in secret all throughout the school. He still didn't know what to make of this newly formed friendship or why it had occurred. The two seemed very keen to keep the friendship private and he understood why. If anybody saw the Slytherin and Griffyndor exchanging so much as a look of politeness they would be bombarded with questions, scolded for making friends with the enemy, and if he knew his Slytherin's like he thought he did, may even be outcast.

It was a Friday night, exactly two week's after the kiss with Remus, and Severus was patrolling the corridors looking for late night stragglers. He was mainly looking for couple's, hiding somewhere throughout the castle to do their dirty work. He always seemed to catch at least one or two when he was patrolling. The idiots weren't very good at finding a proper hiding place to shag each other. He grimaced at the thought and began climbing the stairs toward the Owlery. He never failed to catch a student up there late at night either trying to send a letter unnoticed, doing some form of sexual activity, or just merely enjoying the view. Sure enough, he heard voices as he reached the steps leading up to the Owlery.

He stopped at the top to listen for a moment. "I can't do this anymore!" He was shocked to hear Draco's voice coming from the room. He was positive it was him, he would know it anywhere. He was even more shocked to hear that it sounded like the boy was crying.

He had known Draco his entire life and he was no one to cry without very good reason. He reminded him of himself at that age. As strong as they come and unwilling to break under the highest amount of pressure. So why was he standing in the Owlery, crying to someone? "I know. I can't either." He heard another boy's voice say. Was it Potter? The two had been secretly meeting all over the school since the start of term.

Eager to find out, Severus cast a quick Disillusement charm over himself before slowly pushing the door open a crack. Even though he was invisible, he didn't dare to push the door open all the way, not wanting himself to be noticed. He almost gasped in shock as he saw Draco and Potter standing there in a tight embrace. He waited for the two to speak again. "Harry I lo-" Draco tried to speak, but Potter shook his head and moved out of the embrace.

Severus watched as Draco suddenly grew very angry through his tears. "No you listen to me!" Draco screamed, grabbing Potter by his shoulder's. "I love you! I love you so much that it hurts! I don't give a damn what anybody has to say about it anymore! Your mine and nobody can take that from me no matter how hard they try!" Severus's eyes widened at the sudden realization. Draco and Potter were together. They were...gay?

He had never taken Potter to be that way. He had been with the Weasley girl throughout his sixth year and if he wasn't mistaken he had be infatuated with that older Ravenclaw a couple years back as well. As for Draco, it wasn't all that hard to believe. He had never known Draco to show any interest in the girl's that constantly surrounded him at school. He still couldn't believe that this was who he had chosen to be with, of all people. What would his father say if he knew? Knew he was gay, much less that he was dating Harry Potter?

They were now sitting by one of the window's. Potter had taken the other boy in his arms and was stroking his hair, whispering in his ear. Severus should have busted them. Should have broken up the little party and informed them that he knew about them. He would have done it without hesitation any other time, but as he stood watching them, he found that he didn't have the heart to take this moment away from them. They looked so content to just be with each other. Just to be able to be themselves for once. They both deserved it after everything they had been through.

Draco had never been given proper affection throughout his life. He'd had to grow up watching his parents seek money and power while completely ignoring him in the process. To make up for their absence, his parent's had practically showered him with gift's. Bought him anything his little heart desired. They'd caused him to become the cruel, manipulative little boy he had been when he'd first arrived at Hogwarts. He had been brain washed from a very young age. He'd been taught that pure blood's were the only people that should be accepted in the wizarding world and that anyone beneath that was the scum under his shoes. They taught him that money meant everything and it was the way to power. They'd taught him how to manipulate and threaten people to get what he wanted.

After the Dark Lord's return, he'd had to watch his parent's serve the Dark Lord, expected to follow in their footsteps. He'd then been forced to become a Death Eater at the age of sixteen and instructed to kill. He'd had to see things in his life that no one should see, let alone a teenager. Now his parent's were locked up in Azkaban, his aunt Bellatrix was dead, and he had no one left to care for him. He felt truly sorry for the boy. None of what had happened was his fault, yet he was being punished the most for it.

Potter had been worse off then Draco. He knew what Petunia was like from when he'd known her and he doubted the woman had changed one bit. Severus had also noticed how thin the boy had looked when he came back every term. He'd noticed how much he would eat at mealtimes for the first few day's.

When he'd visited Grimmauld place a few summer's ago, his biggest concern was confirmed. He'd watched as the boy removed his jacket and shirt, thinking that no one could see him. He had watched as the boy proceeded to use Bruise Balm on the purple bruises coating his back, arms, and chest. He'd seen where there were a few mark's that looked like gashes from a whip on his back, but he never saw the boy touch those. He had been pissed when he saw how Lily's son was being treated by her own family.

He'd gone to Dumbledore and told him what he'd seen, but the old man had made it very clear that he had to keep returning because of the blood wards. Aside from the beatings and having the darkest wizard of the age trying to kill him constantly, Potter had lost every person in his life that had actually cared for him. His parent's, his god father, Dumbledore, and the members of the order. The golden trio was still intact, but Severus had noticed that he seemed to be drifting away from the other two lately. He had a feeling it had to due with his newfound relationship with the Slytherin.

He was just glad to see that the two boys who had been left with absolutely nothing could get joy out of each other. He turned on the step and left them there together, not wanting to take away one of their rare moment's together. It was as if he had never noticed them. "My god, I've gone soft." He thought to himself as he abandoned patrolling the corridor's to go sit outside. He knew nobody would be out at this time of night as he headed down to the Entrance Hall.