Another Story

Chapter Nine

In which the results of the meeting are made known

Hermione had taken a book from Severus' impressive library, to which he had granted her access almost immediately upon their return from the demon realm, and was reading to occupy her mind when she heard a loud thump in the bedroom. Her heart leapt as she laid the book aside and quickly rose from the couch.

"Severus?" she called hopefully.

The sound the reached her ears was not a reply. It was merely an indistinct sound. She dashed into the other room to find a heap of tangled and grass-and-mud-strained robes lying upon the floor a few feet away from the bed, the center of the apartment. For a moment she thought that something had gone wrong. Then her stomach lurched as the robes seemed to twitch violently.

"Severus?" she questioned, kneeling next to him and pulling away the hood that had fallen over his face.

Some part of her wished that she had not pulled back the hood as she saw his bleached skin and dark eyes wide in horror and unyielding pain. His lips, stained with blood that ran down his chin in a thin rivulet, moved almost soundlessly. He twitched violently and coughed. His head listed to one side as though he were not strong enough to hold it up. She snaked an arm behind him, causing him to howl in pain and perhaps fear.

Her stomach roiled as she drew her wand and began fervently murmuring every anti-Cruciatus spell she had ever learned, had taught herself in the previous weeks. The sporadic trembling refused to subside. Severus muttered a few incoherent words. His eyes were becoming bleary and unfocused. She could almost feel him slipping away as she continued to say the spells.

"I must get help. I can't do this alone," she told herself as the healing enchantments showed little sign of working.

"Severus," she said, pausing to catch her breath. He did not seem to hear her. She turned his head toward her, wincing as he experienced a spasm of pain. "I need to get help. Please, Severus, give me some sign that you'll be all right in the meantime."

Nothing. He merely whimpered against the pain and struggled weakly away from her. But she knew that she had no choice and gently reclined him on the carpet before dashing to the fireplace. Who to contact first ... Madam Pomfrey or Professor Dumbledore? She needed them both, but knew that having the mediwitch there was more important and that Pomfrey would alert the headmaster for her.

"Madam Pomfrey," she said in a panicky voice as she tossed some powder into the fire.

Only a few moments later Poppy's head appeared in the flames.

"Yes, dear?" she asked.

"It's Severus. Please ... he needs help immediately," said Hermione.

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened, but she nodded, "I will be right there."

"The headmaster ..."

"Of course. Take care of Severus until I can get there," Poppy instructed.

Hermione nodded mutely before scrambling back to the bedroom where Severus was still lying upon the floor.

"Severus, please, say something," she pleaded, taking up her wand and beginning the restorative spells again.

He looked at her blankly, moving his bloodstained lips without making a sound. She shivered as she looked into his eyes and saw nothing left in them of the man she loved. Only emptiness and the last remnants of the suffering he had endured. A sob stuck in her throat as she tried to press onward, repeating healing and soothing spells over and over again.

"Is this madness? Is that what has happened to him?" she questioned wildly.

Severus convulsed weakly. He stirred slightly, moving his clenched right hand to a position over his heart. She could see a flash of gold in his hand as he did so. It was the port key. He was still holding onto it as though for dear life. Tears filled Hermione's eyes.

She touched the top of his hand gently. He did not flinch or recoil. The spells had done their work at last. She was certain that he was still in pain, but the worst of it had been stripped away. All that remained was the fear and what seemed to her to be madness.

"Love?" she questioned, slipping her wand back into her robes.

His eyelids fluttered as though he heard her words, but could not acknowledge them. She cautiously touched his face. He shivered slightly and mumbled something. Not words. Just sounds. She hushed him gently, brushing away little bits of dirt and wiping away smudges. It was all that remained that she could do for him.

"Severus, if you can hear me ..." she started to say.

The she heard the sound of someone coming through the floo. She looked over her shoulder to see Madam Pomfrey, followed by a floating bag of her medical things and a moment later the headmaster. They both looked very grim and worried. Looking into Severus' eyes again, Hermione knew that it was not without good reason.

"I did all the anti-Cruciatus spells," she told Madam Pomfrey as the older witch knelt upon the other side of Severus, who stared at her for a moment before his gaze seemed to roam the room, perceiving nothing and understanding nothing that was happening around him.

"Good, Miss Granger, very good," said the mediwitch, sweeping her wand over Severus. "Merlin! I've never seen it this bad before," she said, taking a corked bottle from her bag. "Open his mouth for me," she instructed.

Hermione gently coaxed his mouth open and watched as Pomfrey tipped the mixture into his mouth and cast a quick spell to ensure that he swallowed without choking on the murky gray draught. He coughed softly and relaxed.

"Will he be all right?" asked Hermione as Poppy began fishing through her bag again. She glanced up at Professor Dumbledore who was watching them with a sad expression.

"It's too soon to say," said Poppy, taking out another vial of viscous orange liquid that bubbled as she uncorked it. "Again," she ordered.

Severus was very compliant as they gave him the medicine. Hermione stroked his forehead after he was made to swallow.

"Albus? What happened?" asked Professor McGonagall from the doorway. Hermione, being otherwise preoccupied, had not heard her enter.

"Miss Granger, please step outside with Professor McGonagall for a moment while the headmaster and I attend to Severus," instructed Madam Pomfrey.

"No, I can't leave him!" she protested.

"Just for a few moments," said Poppy. "While we get him into bed."

"You aren't taking him to the hospital wing?" asked Hermione in confusion.

"We could hardly do more for him there, and in this situation ... familiar surroundings might keep him calmer, which is very important," she explained.

Pomfrey did not wish to add that if the students saw him and knew what had happened, that would be something of a panic. No, keeping Severus there was the best option for everyone involved, including the potions' master, who valued his privacy like some men valued gold and silver.

"Hermione ..." said her head of house from the door.

Hermione nodded silently and touched Severus' cheek one last time before standing and following Minerva out. Professor McGonagall closed the door behind them.

"Poppy, you can tell me the truth," said Albus as the mediwitch magically undressed Severus and levitated him onto the bed.

She positioned him comfortably on his stomach and began covering him with blankets against the chill in the dungeon air. For a moment her imperturbable and professional exterior dropped and she closed her eyes, remembering Severus as the fragile young man he had been in his school days and the no less fragile adult that he had been when he first returned to them. It was heart-rending. She cast a warming charm on the linens and took his pulse before daring to answer the headmaster.

"His mind has been broken. I don't know if he will ever be sane again," she said, reaching for his right hand, which was still clasped around an unfamiliar object.

She tried to take it from him, but he whimpered in protest and clutched it harder, withdrawing his hand from hers and slipping it under the covers.

"It appeared to a pocket watch," noted Dumbledore quietly.

"If he wants it so much, then perhaps I should let him keep it," she decided almost reluctantly.

"Perhaps you should not tell Hermione what you told me about his condition. It might be better for her not to know."

"She is a smart girl, Albus. If given the opportunity, she will examine him for herself and find out how seriously he was tortured, if she doesn't already know that."

"But she won't give up hope so easily."

"You underestimate her. She won't give up so long as he is still alive," said Poppy.

Meanwhile in the other room of the potions' master's chambers, Minerva and Hermione were sitting on the couch. The younger of the two women was fighting to keep her tears back and slowly losing the battle.

"He's going to be like that for the rest of his life, isn't he?" Hermione questioned, remembering stories she had heard the previous year about Neville Longbottom's parents.

"Hermione, Severus is very strong," Minerva told her sternly. "And he is a fighter. He would never give up, so neither should you."

"I know, but you didn't see his eyes," she said quietly, squeezing her own eyes closed to stop the tears.

"I've seen it before, Hermione, during the last war, but it is always difficult when it's someone we care about," said Minerva in agreement.

Hermione only nodded. She was struggling not cry in front of stern Professor McGonagall and did not trust herself to speak. She was afraid that if she broke down, that she would be sent away, sent back to her dormitory and away from Severus. That she would not be allowed to see him.

"I know he loves you, Hermione. All of the staff can see it in his eyes whenever he happens to look at you. Don't underestimate the power of that love," she told Hermione gently.

"I've often wondered ... Is that just something people say or is it ... real?" asked Hermione.

"It was love that saved young Mister Potter as a baby and again as a first year student, according to what I have heard from the headmaster. I would say that is proof enough for me," said Minerva.

Just then the door to the bedroom opened to reveal Professor Dumbledore, cutting off any further questions Hermione might have had, and she had more than a few, though she was afraid to ask many of them, knowing that their answers would be too terrible to bear.

"Miss Granger, Minerva, you may come in now," he said to them.

Hermione might not have noticed the sorrow in his eyes, but it was very apparent to Minerva, especially after knowing him for so long. She knew that there was no good news to be had in that room as she followed Hermione into it. For the first time in years his eyes did not seem to twinkle. Minerva looked at him questioningly after Hermione had entered the room. He simply shook his head wearily and stepped back into the chamber.

Hermione walked over to the bed where Severus was lying covered by blankets. Poppy moved aside for her. Looking at Severus, Hermione noticed that his eyes were half closed, probably thanks to one of Madam Pomfrey's draughts. She brushed a few stray strands of hair from his face and managed a trembling smile. He blinked slowly, but showed no sign of recognition.

"Miss Granger ..." Dumbledore began to say.

"Please don't send me away," she blurted out, turning quickly.

Albus chuckled quietly and said, "I would never dream of separating the two of you at this time. Someone needs to stay with him. Poppy cannot always be here. And I believe that if anyone can be a healing influence for our dear Severus, it is you, Miss Granger."

"But if his condition changes significantly, you must notify me at once," Madam Pomfrey cut in sharply.

"I can do that," said Hermione, feeling momentarily relieved.

"I have no doubt that you can," said Poppy.

"Then I can stay here tonight?" questioned Hermione to be certain that she understood properly.

"Yes, and tomorrow and so on. I believe that I can arrange for you to be excused from classes tomorrow," said Dumbledore. The next day happened to be Friday.

"I have given him all the potions he will need for the next twelve to fourteen hours at the minimum. So you won't need to worry about that," said Madam Pomfrey. "But in case he is in pain later, I will leave something for you to give him," she added.

"Thank you," Hermione said softly, looking at Severus again. He appeared to be almost asleep.

"There isn't much that we can do for him right now," said Professor Dumbledore.

Madam Pomfrey nodded her agreement as she gathered her things together.

"Rest will do him as much good as anything else at the moment," she said.

Albus looked at Minerva and Poppy and asked, "Might I have a few words in private with Miss Granger?"

"Of course," nodded the mediwitch. "I will be in the hospital wing. I have ... some reading that might help with ... further treatments." She did not sound especially hopeful.

"And I will have Miss Brown discreetly pack a bag for Miss Granger," said Minerva.

"Good luck," said Hermione quietly, thinking of Lavender and her notoriously loose tongue. The entire dormitory would know something was wrong before breakfast, not that Hermione particularly cared.

The two women quietly exited the room and went on their way.

"You will need somewhere to sleep tonight. I don't think it would be good for you to keep an all night vigil," said Dumbledore, drawing his wand and conjuring a small and neatly made up bed next to Severus'.

"Thank you, sir, but I'm not sure that I will be able to sleep tonight," she said.

"Try, Miss Granger. You will surely need your strength before this is over," Dumbledore told her kindly.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm certain that you must have encountered it in your reading somewhere, but you know how important the first days, even the first hours, after Cruciatus-induced madness are to the victim," said Dumbledore, walking over to stand by Severus' bedside with her.

She watched as Dumbledore gently touched his shoulder, struck by the compassion, strong as any magic, that seemed to radiate from the headmaster. Severus moved slightly, but not away from his touch. Something about the gesture was like that of a father and his young son who had suddenly taken ill and did not understand why. Dumbledore sighed quietly and looked at Hermione.

"I have had only one student outside of Gryffindor house that I considered to be among my favorites," he told her.

"Severus?"

"Yes," he said with the very faintest hint of amusement in his voice as though it hid another emotion. Regret or grief perhaps. "When he was young, his first and second year, he was still an outsider in his house, hardly the ideal Slytherin. Sullen and slow to bow to anyone, even those more powerful than he was. Perhaps a bit arrogant and so studious that sometimes I thought Ravenclaw would have been a better fit for him. I do not often question the Sorting Hat, but in his case I sometimes wondered. He had such a sharp mind, especially for one so young, not unlike you, Hermione."

"Thank you, sir," she said quietly.

"Take good care of him. He deserves better than this," he said to her.

"I know, and I will do everything I can for him."

"Of course you will, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore with a soft smile. "Now I must take my leave," he said.

Dumbledore knew that Miss Granger's presence would be far more beneficial to the younger professor than his own. He had never had any children, though if he had, he could hardly have loved or cared for them more than he did Severus. But Hermione's feelings for the wounded wizard, scarcely more than a youth in the eyes of the aged headmaster, were stronger than that, even though they were new feelings. Perhaps because of that. And he firmly believed in the ability of love to both protect and to heal.

"I understand," said Hermione with a nod.

"Don't hesitate to call upon any of us, Poppy, Minerva, or myself, if you should need anything," he said before departing.

When Professor Dumbledore was gone, Hermione sat down on the bed next to Severus. He was still awake, but very still and calm. Her throat tightened as she tried to say something him. There were simply no words. She had been in love with him for only a few short weeks. And now he was out of his mind because of torture. What could she hope to say or even do to make it better for him?

She touched his soft black hair and felt tears finally trickle from her eyes and down her cheeks. He moved his cheek against her hand. Her heart leapt as she realized that he knew she was there and responded to her touch. He turned his head laboriously toward her, struggling against the weight of the charmed linens. His eyes were still empty and bleary beneath their heavy lids.

"Severus?" she questioned, gently caressing his cheek and forehead.

His eyelids drooped further. No recognition. Not even the hint of it. She smiled sadly, almost bitterly at him, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

"Will he be like this forever?" she wondered, feeling an icy coldness wash over her.

Hermione shivered at the thought and suddenly his eyes were open again, watching her with an almost unblinking gaze. He made a soft, but indistinct sound. She hushed him, rubbing his back cautiously. That seemed to appease him.

"Don't worry, Severus. Everything will be all right," she told him, though her words seemed hollow and empty even as she spoke them.

He merely closed his eyes again and seemed to drift closer to sleep, mollified by her touch and gentle words. Hermione blinked away tears again and did not leave his side until long after his breathing slowed and she was certain that Severus was sleeping at last. The morning sun was nearly upon the horizon many hours later when she doused the candles and went to the bed that had been prepared for her, knowing that Professor Dumbledore was correct: she would need all her strength for what was to come.