Uncharted Territory

[Monty Pendleton]

Patrolling duty always seemed to come around faster during the cooler months. The leaves on the trees had begun to turn auburn and fall, and the autumnal rain made boots a necessity for crossing the muddy grounds. Winter was well on its way, and Monty for one was dreading its arrival. It wasn't the bitter chill or short days that caused his aversion for the season, but that along with it came the holidays. Had the option been available to him, the potions professor would have spent the entire six weeks in the castle. After all, now that his house had been condemned, Hogwarts really was the only place he could call home.

Trying and failing to push aside the uneasiness he felt, Monty pushed open the doors to the entrance hall and slipped inside. In this weather, he doubted he'd catch students out on the grounds after curfew; they were far more likely to be sneaking around the castle, evading punishment and causing all manner of mischief. Professor Pendleton didn't exactly condone their behaviour, but he couldn't be called the strictest teacher in the school. Discreetly escorting students to their dormitories was far less hassle than taking them to their Head of House.

The second floor corridor was one of the first places Monty's route led him. He knew his way through the castle well, and though it was dark, a simple lumos spell was enough for the Professor to stay on track. He was not, however, expecting to hear a muffled sob break through the corridor's silence. He turned in the direction of the noise, stretching his wand out in front of him to illuminate the door to the abandoned classroom. "Hello?" he called nervously through the closed wood, both concerned and a little fearful. Perhaps it was one of the castle's ghosts, or even a mere hallucination. It was quite late, after all. But it also could have been a student, and from the sounds of things, they were terribly upset. Monty turned the door handle and pushed, but it wouldn't budge. His apprehension growing, he knocked twice. "Is somebody in there?"

 

[Saveli Pendleton]

Why had Saveli kept the letter? She couldn't explain her need to horde things from her past life, the presents her father had given her and the words he'd written her in letters. This letter couldn't be considered a momentum, no, it was horrible, awful words that she couldn't imagine anyone saying aloud to her. However her father was right about her mother - useless wh0re. She was abandoning her. The conversation before break was so painful that Saveli refused to even go home. She supposed it wasn't all bad, she spent a bit of tiem with her Potions - erm ex potions - professor whom was also in the castle for the holidays.

A sob broke through Saveli's lips. The sound was so loud she couldn't believe it had even come from her. Merlin she needed to gain a grip on herself. This was going to get her caught, this stupid need to cry. What if she were the reason the Slytherins' were given a curfew like her sister's house? Another sob rippled through her chest, causing her arms to shake and her knees which were wrapped to her chest to wobble. For a moment after the sob had passed the room was silent, only the sound of tears striking ground to be heard by those with superhuman hearing. The blonde then heard the noise of footsteps. Leaned against the door she knew no one would see her and held her breath, and her sobs, and her tears in hoping the sound of shoes on stone would pass. However holding in the air - with it's inability to escape from a running nose - only caused her to burst out with one more sob. That was the one that caught this man's attention.

Once the voice came through Saveli's ears she recognized it. Of all the people in the school that could catch her - had she not had her eyes squeezed shut she'd have rolled them. Attempting to remain silent was futile at this point and Saveli continued to cry into her arms without answering. Maybe he would feel uncomfortable and just go away. Just go away

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty's apprehension was growing at a rapid pace. Whoever was in there must have been leaning against the door to prevent it from being opened, and the Potions Professor wasn't entirely comfortable being on the other side of it. Though he couldn't tell who it was by their tears alone, he could still determine that they belonged to that of a young student.

Monty leant against the stone door frame and knocked again, this time a little more gently than before. His main concern was that the student in the classroom might have been hurt, although he supposed they would have responded by now had that been the case. This thought brought him a little relief, but not enough to entirely quell his discomfort. The muffled cries continued to perforate through the dark silence. Should he fetch the headmistress? It seemed a nuisance to wake her so late at night, but Monty was fast running out of options. Comforting upset students was not really his forte. "I'm not leaving you like this," he said gently, hoping that he could save time by putting that out there quickly. "But I need to know you're safe in there." The Professor rubbed his chin, thinking fast. "Just... knock on the door or something, if you have to." He would have much preferred verbal confirmation of the student's safety, but as a worrier by nature, even a knock would put his mind at ease.

 

[Saveli Pendleton]

Saveli remained quiet as Monty's almost fatherly voice broke through the door and into her aching mind. His request for her to knock did not fall on deaf ears, though she paused for some time. One one thousand - she thought of the consequences if she didn't knock. Two one thousand, if she did she could lose house points. Three one thousand - oh what the hell. The blonde woman gave two short knocks followed by two quicker knocks, a habit she hadn't realized she had - being that she had always knocked as such. With her knocks taken care of the girl placed her hand back across her knees to hug them tight to her chest once more.

This was a nightmare, she was upset, once more Monty would see her cry, she was going to lose house points, and class in the morning was going to be hell - she might as well not even go. What was the point in going to these classes anyways? She was abandoned now, moving schools most likely. Nothing mattered anymore.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

The sound of the knock brought Monty great relief, but the feeling was short lived. The Professor furrowed his brow in bewilderment. He knew that knock from somewhere. Its distinctive pattern separated it from any other knock he'd heard before. In the silence following, Monty thought back over the last few months, until finally it clicked. Saveli. He'd seen a lot of the Slytherin lately, mostly by way of detention and unfortunate coincidence. This evening, it seemed, was another of the latter.

Monty gave an inaudible sigh and slumped slightly into the wall. The poor girl was clearly having a rough time. Where were her friends? He recalled her telling him that the only friend of hers who was aware of her situation had moved away. Perhaps that was why she was crying by herself. Whatever the reason, Monty's chest hurt with the empathy he felt. It seemed only yesterday that it had been him on the other side of the locked door, hiding away and refusing the help he'd needed. Though he didn't know the details of Saveli's circumstances, he didn't need to to wish he could take her pain away. She was a good child, really - even if she did have a bit of an attitude on her.

"Thank you," he said eventually, deciding against revealing he knew who the knock belonged to. She clearly didn't want him to know, or she'd have told him already. "I know you don't want to talk, but I really need you to open this door for me," he tried gently, without much hope for success. Frustratingly, for as long as Saveli was sat behind the door, he couldn't use force to open it without the risk of hurting her. He tried the handle again, just in case she'd moved away, but it still wouldn't budge. "I'm not comfortable knowing that I can't get to you if you're hurt."

 

[Saveli Pendleton]

The woman's sobs had finally ceased and she sat in silence curled into herself. There was nothing Saveli wouldn't give to actually be curled into herself, to hide inside her own mind, and kick the hell out of the parts of her brain that cared about her parents, possibly kill those parts. She didn't want to die herself, but cut out the pieces that loved her family - that missed her brothers, and her mother... and her father. It was something that she'd never escape though and she knew that. She would forever be a shadow of her parents who didn't love her - a shadow of who she could have been.

Finally Monty spoke once more through the door and she sighed. Standing slowly, wobbling knees preventing her from moving with speed, the sleep-depraved Slytherin moved toward the door. Her hand rested on the handle and she once again weighed options in her mind on what were consequences to opening the door and facing Monty. She'd of course appear weak, he'd know it was her crying, he'd take points from her. Though Monty had been nothing but comforting as it were, she couldn't help but fear he'd give up upon hearing her reason for being upset. Regardless she had to come out some time, and she was sure he was either going to stand there all night or go and get someone to get her out - so she turned the handle and opened the door, eyes squinting against the candle-lit halls. "Evening." She spoke in a hushed whisper, her body swaying slightly, her eyes turned downward.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty took a step back when the door began to open, but made no effort to look surprised at Saveli standing behind it. Instead he gave a quiet sigh, wondering how it was that he should always be the one to stumble across the Slytherin. Even with her eyes turned downwards, it was clear to the Professor that she'd been crying before he found her. There was nothing else for it - Monty would have to approach the Headmistress with his concern. He'd have sought out Saveli's Head of House, but somehow he doubted it was in Kalif's interest to ensure his students had friends they could talk to. Professor King, on the other hand, would be almost certain to understand.

But presently it was late at night - long past Saveli's curfew - and he doubted Ava would have appreciated being woken for anything that wasn't of utmost emergency. Monty sighed again without realising it and lowered his brightly lit wand as not to harm the girl's eyes. He was tired, and as such prone to get straight to the point, though his tone was still kind and devoid of any frustration. "Would you like to talk about something?"

 

[Saveli Pendleton]

Saveli mistook the sigh, she knew she was a burden to the professors in this school. Perhaps her going to a different school where no one but Tomas knew who she was was a good thing. The blonde continued to avert burning blue eyes, wondering why it was that he was the unlucky fool to deal with her. Anyone would be unlucky to deal with her. Her blonde locks fell over her face, covering tear stained cheeks and chapped lips from the prying eyes of a professor whom Saveli had hated for the beginning of her year at Hogwarts new Zealand.

She shrugged at his inquiry, for a minute testing what words would sound right to get him away. However what was the point, she was already in trouble, maybe garnishing pity wouldn't get any house points taken from her. "My mother has given up guardianship of me. I'll be moving schools in the following year." She spoke with a flat affect, not bothering to look at him. He would probably think it a pathetic reason to cry - as Saveli did.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Whatever Monty had been expecting, it wasn't what Saveli said next. His face fell at once, as did his shoulders, and what little happiness he'd been retaining that evening. First she had lost her father, then her mother, and now the last family she had left. Hogwarts. How could anybody willingly give up their child? Though Monty had left his family at a young age, he'd fled from them knowing that he was at least loved dearly by his mother. That thought alone had brought him solace during the lonely hours of the following nights. But Saveli's mother didn't care. She would feel no remorse giving up custody of her daughter and sending her away. From the tone in Saveli's voice, Monty could gather that much.

Monty cupped his cheek in his hand and rubbed his temple. This was out of his hands. It was even out of Ava's hands. As much as he wished there was, there was simply nothing anyone could do to keep Saveli at the school. Unless her mother had a very swift change of heart, she would be leaving in the next year. "I'm sorry to hear that, Saveli," he said solemnly, but uselessly. "If there's anything we can do... I'm sure your professors would take your situation into consideration for your exams..."

 

[Saveli Pendleton]

Saveli's eyes lacked any light that normally illuminated them and she shook her head slowly before shrugging. "It doesn't matter." She sounded defeated, her voice cracking just slightly. She finally looked up with eyes that spoke a need of belonging, one she was sure she'd never find in this school. The petite woman looked down the hall either way before finally sighing. "I have classes in the morning." She spoke in a matter-of-fact way, before looking at the professor. "If you could escort me back to the dungeons so I'm not risking any more lost house points I would accept that as help." Saveli finalized.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty looked down at the student he had come to be well acquainted with over the last year, and wondered how someone whose light usually burned so brightly could suddenly be extinguished. He knew Saveli not to be the quiet, defeated girl stood before him, but the fiery, quick tempered, but nonetheless resilient one. Was that what had happened to him? Had anyone noticed the day Monty lost his fire all those decades ago? No. He'd never made real friends, and his professors had probably cared the least out of everyone in the castle. Like Saveli, he'd had nobody.

But Saveli didn't have nobody. She had a Potions Professor that cared more than he ought to, and more than he could admit. Whether it was the way she reminded him of himself, or how he simply couldn't bear to see anyone suffer the way he had done, Monty cared. And whilst he didn't know how he could help, he knew that he wanted to.

"Yes, yes of course," he said kindly, lifting his wand hand to light the corridor and their way. They walked swiftly and in silence, until they reached the dungeons and offered polite parting words. Monty's patrolling duty wasn't over for another hour, so he headed back up to the second floor corridor as soon as Saveli had been delivered to her common room. His mind churned with thoughts of nothing but the Slytherin, and of ways he could help. But there was nothing. He was her Professor. He couldn't do anything. By the time his shift had come to an end, he'd had only one idea, and it was completely absurd. Preposterous. Terrifying, even.

Monty was going to need to talk to his boss.

---

FIN​