Well I am glad that you are enjoying it so much Connie, but don't send yourself to the mental hospital from fits! I'm not sure if I'll get around to updating tomorrow due to my class schedule, so I am updating again right now. Enjoy!

After leaving Dumbledore's office I practically sprinted back to the common room, knowing that Ron, Hermione, and Harry were probably freaking about what was going on. Once I got in I explained to them (in great depth because Hermione would accept no less) everything that had happened. Ron called Umbridge and Fudge some words too harsh to repeat, and Hermione rambled about how they couldn't expel me over an honest mistake. Harry had remained rather quiet, eyeing me in a sort of way that made me feel uneasy. He felt bad that he had been nagging me when clearly there was something else going on with me. He felt his problems were less important than mine. He had no idea just how connected they were.

I wanted to stay and discuss with them longer but the day had flown, especially since we still had a History of Magic class, then dinner, then I had to go to detention with Snape.

They wanted to talk more about it at dinner but I didn't feel comfortable, especially with Umbridge eyeing me the way she was. She was going to be an even bigger problem than I had imagined.

Once I was done with my pumpkin juice I got up and headed towards the dungeons. When Professor Snape said he had work to be done in the potion's laboratory, I didn't have the slightest idea what he meant. To be quite honest I wasn't really looking forward to an evening alone with Snape.

When I approached the wooden doors I knocked, entering upon Snape's, "Come in," which was spoken in his usually bored tone. I closed the door behind me and eyed him.

"Tonight you will be helping me clean out jars whose content has expired. I haven't gotten around to it, so you'll be doing the task for me. They are line along the shelfs on that wall," Professor Snape said, pointing towards the wall for me. "You can either stay until they are all complete or we can do two hours an evening until you are finished. Whichever you prefer."

I raised my eyebrows slightly. Snape giving me an option on how to serve my detention.

"I'll finish them all tonight," I said, heading over to the shelves. One night alone with Snape to pester me was enough.

"Miss Carson, for my own reference, did you intentionally mean to do what you did to Professor Umbridge?"

"No, it was an honest mistake," I said pulling down the first jar. Professor Snape had set up a bucket of water and suds, a sponge floating on the top of it. Next to that was another bucket where I could rinse the jars, a third bucket where I could put the clean jars when I was done with them, and a fourth empty bucket where I could pour the expired contents.

I twisted off the cap to the first jar and coughed at the horrible smell that came from it. Hastily I poured the contents into the empty bucket before practically throwing it into the water and suds bucket. Imagine rotten eggs times ten.

"Bad batch of flubberworm mucous," Professor Snape said, leaning over to eye the contents in the bucket. Did the smell not bother him at all?

At that moment I was wishing I had a clothes pin or something to plug my nose so the stench couldn't make its way into my body. I didn't even want to speak for fear the horrible smell would become a taste upon my tongue.

"Miss Carson, what had you really gone to discuss with the Headmaster before your incident with Umbridge?"

I looked up at him. Did he think because he had spoken up for me earlier that he could now have his own personal interrogation with me?

"What I said at the testimony was the truth. I merely went to discuss my classes with him."

Snape lowered himself so that he was practically sitting on the ground with me, his eyes staring intently at the side of my face.

"Your courses. You see, I beg to differ that that was the nature of your visit. It takes a lot of emotion to channel the elements the way you did. Water is perhaps the most difficult element, but to channel it in ice form. That takes a lot of anger."

I turned to stare at him, surprised by how close he was, but not letting it show on my face.

"It's O.W.L.s year Professor. We are all a little stressed."

"Hmm," Snape said, a small smirk coming across his face. "And you are such a dedicated student that you let yourself get so worked up over your grades. Please Miss Carson, do you mistake me for a baboon?"

I cleared my throat. "If I had been talking to Dumbledore about something else, which I'm not saying I was, I don't really think it is any of your business. What happens between Dumbledore and me is between Dumbledore and me."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "Well Umbridge is right on one thing. You surely don't know when to bite your tongue," Snape said, emphasizing the last couple of words in that way of his.

"I speak the truth, as harsh as it may be. Besides, why are you so concerned with my well being anyway?"

Snape was silent for a couple of moments, numerous thoughts running through his head so quickly it was hard to decipher them. "I find it fascinating the abilities that Phoenix animagis possess and I would like to figure out what exactly it is that makes you tick. Or should I say makes those powers of yours reveal themselves."

I stared at him for a couple of moments before thoroughly scrubbing the jar, rinsing it, and putting it in the bin. Apparently Snape had bewitched the final bin because as soon as I put the clean jar in it became dry.

"Well I am not really interested in exploring it, thank you very much," I said, pulling down another jar.

"You aren't. Not even the slightest? Not even if you could channel it for good?"

"That's different," I said. "And Professor McGonagall will be the one to teach me how to use my abilities correctly," I said, smacking the jar so all its contents fell into the bucket. Thank heavens this one didn't smell nearly as bad as the rotten flubberworm mucous.

"And you think she will be able to teach you everything?"

"She will teach me as much as she knows, I am sure," I said, scrubbing the jar.

Snape moved so close that I could practically feel his breath on my neck. "It frustrates me how your mind is closed off even though I am one of the best at Occulmency. How is it that you can invade other minds so easily and yet I cannot even catch a glimpse of yours?"

His closeness was making me nervous, and to my surprise I actually noticed my hands starting to turn a light shade of blue.

"And why are you capable of seeing into my future and yet I cannot even see into it myself?"

"I don't know. Lucky I guess," I said quietly.

Professor Snape looked down at my hands which I had shoved into the water to rinse the jar.

"Quite chilly in here, isn't it?" Snape asked, before getting up and walking back to his desk.

He was pushing my buttons. He wanted to see me use my new gift.