"Oh God, it's Quirrell teaching us!" I moan. I'm going to owl Ginny later.
"Relax! You are literally hyperventilating," Charlotte says soothingly.
"Yeah?" I ask. "You try calming down when you've got to spend two hours with a guy who probably carved into your arm!"
"Look at it this way, he isn't going to do anything in a class full of kids," she says. I sigh.
"G-g-good m-morning c-class," Quirrell stuttered as he opened the door. "F-f-find y-yourselves a seat."
I raise my eyebrow at Charlotte, who also seems suspicious of this guy. His eyes meet mine and a look of horror crosses his face. We scuttle to the back pf the room. Charlotte gradually takes out her notebook from her bag. She gets out two quills and an ink pot. Checking Quirrell is busy, she sets the notebook between us on a new page.

Did you see how he looked at me?, I write.
Yeah, I definitely don't trust him, Charlotte replies

I look up to see what Quirrell's stuttering about. He's just going through classroom expectations so I put my head down and scrawl another message to Charlotte.

And that stutter...I write, raising my eyebrow.
I know! It's so fake!
So do you think it's him then?
It's likely.

We look up and listen to Quirrell for the rest of the lesson. I remain a calm facade but my brain is buzzing with questions and I feel sick. I know Charlotte can see through me because she gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. At the end of the lesson, Quirrell looks up at me.
"E-Emily could-could I have a-a word w-with you?" he stutters. I freeze and my blood runs cold.
"Char?" I croak, nervous tears welling in my eyes. She nods at me. I walk down to the front feeling comforted by the fact Charlotte is coming too. She's put the disillusiont charm on herself.
"So," he sneers, losing his nervousness. "You."
"Me," I say defiantly. He grabs my arm and (before I can jerk away) rips my cloak's arm off with magic. He runs his hand along the words.
"Yes, you'll be our slave soon," he says in relish. He grabs my leg causing me to lose balance. He runs his thumb along the lightning bolt and it sears with pain. "Now, you will not tell anyone about today or cover the scar today and neither will your friend, otherwise your friend will pay the price. Yes, I know she's here."
He brandishes a knife in my face and then moves it to wear Charlotte's face probably is. He clasps his hand on my knee and I cry out in pain. I walk out closely followed by Charlotte.
"Charlotte," I say, with tears running down my face. She turns herself back to normal. Her face is ashen.
"Do you think he will injure me?" she asks in a whisper.
"Honestly? Yes. He had no problem injuring me," I say probably a bit too bluntly. I put a comforting arm around her. I then whisper to her. "I think we ought to tell Ced though."
"Yeah, he won't tell a soul so no one will know," she whispers back. "I'll go tell him now, you, tell Snape."
I cringe, knowing he'll be furious that I didn't tell him this morning. Then I remember something. The cut! Quirrell's cut is out for all to see. Awkwardly I turn my forearm so the cut faces my side. I hold it there using my other hand. Charlotte waves and sprints to Cedric. I sigh and make my way to the staff room.
When I arrive, I timidly knock. Luckily for me, it's Snape who answers. He gives me a questioning look but lets me in.
" Emily I do have marking to do. This better be important," he says. I shift my arm to let the cut show. "Emily! What have you done? I didn't realise you were in a bad place."
"I'm not! I didn't do it!" I cry, realising what he's implying. Snape hugs me close and conjures up a bandage. He starts to put it on.
"No! I'm not allowed to cover it!" I cry in anguish. "Use your legilimency, then I won't have told you anything. Charlotte's life is on the line!"
"Keep it facing your side then. Why didn't you tell me?" he asks.
"I don't want anyone getting hurt," I reply meekly.
"And what's changed?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.
"I know the person who's doing it is in this school and people are more likely to get hurt if I don't tell you. Also, Charlotte told me I had to," I say.
"Emily, I'll watch over him for you," he says. "I'll make sure no one else is harmed. Don't worry Charlotte is safe."
"I'm not allowed to tell anyone, though," I cry. "And I have! Well, I've let you into my mind."
"Exactly, but I don't think he can tell when you tell someone, tell the twins but make sure they don't do anything. He can only tell if they do something," he explains.
"How am I to make sure no one sees this, Severus?" I say in a whisper.
"Go to the hospital wing, say you've had a fainting spell and I'll put a note in your registers. You're excused from the rest of your lessons today.
"Oh." I say in disappointment.
" Unless you want others to know," he says significantly.
"No, not really," I say.
"Tell the twins, then let them take you to the hospital wing, when you're free to go, make your way with them to their common room. Okay?" he asks. I nod slowly and leave the staff room. "Oh, Emily?"
I walk back in, "Yeah?"
"You, Cedric and Charlotte are going to stay in the Gryfindor common room until it's safe, I'll get a room set up for the three of you, you'll be sharing, I hope that's okay. I just figure it will be safer in there for now," he says. I nod. I leave again and head to find the twins.
"Eldred! Georgie!" I gasp when I see them. I explain the whole situation to them. At the end, I fall to the floor in a dramatic faint.
"Emily!" George cries. "Oh my God, Emily's fainted! Fred, help me take her to the hospital wing."
Fred lifts me up and runs to the hospital wing.
"Lay her down here," Madam Pomfrey says frantically when she sees us. "What happened?"
"She just fainted I think," George says in a fake worried voice. I blink my eyes open.
"What? Where are we?" I ask.
"You've fainted and we're in the hospital wing," Madam Pomfrey explains briskly. "Do you need anything?"
"Water," I gasp. She bustles off to get me some water.
"You're good at this," George says in awe.
"Thank you Georgie," I say.
Madam Pomfrey comes back with a glass of water and a chocolate frog. She hands them both to me and I down the water and nibble at the frog.
"You're looking better already, don't go to lessons though, boys, can you escort her to the Hufflepuff common room?" she asks. The twins nod and lead me away