When the Stars Fall

Twenty-Six: The Disappearance of the Dark Mark

A sigh filled the sterile surroundings of the infirmary as the ever-watchful gaze of the young man stayed on his wife. At the sound of the door opening, the young man startled and drew his wand on the intruder.

"Put down your wand," a familiar voice said, and the young man relaxed with a small smile spreading across his lips.

"Sev--Father, must you always look in on me? I'm fine, really," the young man said.

"Draco, you're my blood, of course I have to look in on you, for the sake of my sanity as well as your own good," Severus replied and then his eyes fell on the young pregnant woman. "And how is she?"

"Sleeping now, but she's restless, moody, and absolutely appalled at being kept here. Still I know I would be hard pressed to make her rest if she were to return to our rooms," the young man replied, as he lifted his hand and lightly stroked her cheeks.

Severus Snape looked from his son to the young woman on the bed, and felt something catching in his throat. "It's a wonder she's even alive. How could anyone, man or monster cast such a curse on a woman carrying a child?" he asked, and then his brow furrowed, "Will she wake?"

Draco shook his head, "No. After testing Madame Pomfrey's limits today, the mediwitch put a sleep on her. Once she is certain that Hermione is back to her full strength, then she will release her."

"But it's been two weeks already, and she's due soon," Severus answered.

"It's a full month until June. She will be better by then. She has to be," the boy answered, his voice thick, as he took her hand.

Severus narrowed his sable eyes at the boy and looked at him. "What aren't you telling me?"

"The reason I insisted upon bringing her to the infirmary was because... Well after we were found there was celebrating and she didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. I was the only one really given medical attention, because I managed to survive the killing curse. That night she collapsed. I felt my whole world fall away from me. I can't lose her," the boy spoke fiercely as he took the slender hand of his wife in his and kissed the palm tenderly.

"She's been getting steadily weaker. Pomfrey thinks that the curse may have affected Hermione in a way that wasn't anticipated. No one really knows how long she was under the influence of the curse. Pomfrey doesn't think she will be strong enough to survive the birth. She said that births were a difficult thing to go through on their own without complications. So many things can go wrong, and now... I want to give her all of my strength, but how can I when she is the sole reason that I'm strong?" the boy's voice was laced with fear and desperation.

"Fate can't possibly be that cruel..." Severus said and then grimaced, "But can you please tell me what it was that you were thinking when you took that bloody oath with Potter? Potter of all people!"

"I think that bond was the reason I survived the curse," Draco whispered softly and looked up at his father, midnight eyes meeting black.

Severus sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yet another life's debt that I owe to the bloody Potters. And the little sod is now a permanent part of this family, your blood brother. That bond can't be ignored, he may as well call me father at this point. You never make things easy, do you Draco?"

Draco wasn't listening anymore though. There was a far off look in his eyes as he clutched his wife's limp hand in his and leaned his elbows onto her bed. Severus watched in mute fascination. It was almost as if Draco was already mourning her loss. The man shook himself, wondering what could possibly be going through his son's mind at that very moment, and then he heard something that sparked a chill throughout his body...

"It is hard to forgive, and to look at those eyes, and feel those wasted hands," Draco whispered. "Kill me again; and don't let me see your eyes! I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer--but yours! How can I?"

"Draco?" Severus said and gave the boy's shoulder a slight shake.

The boy's head snapped up and his eyes were filled with pain. "What will I do without her?" he asked, his eyes pleading with his father for answers.

"Why resign to what you don't know?" Severus asked.

The boy's strange eyes shifted to his father's left arm and he saw the bottom half of the Dark Mark, and then asked, "Why did you resign to it?"

Severus followed his son's gaze and abruptly stood. He swallowed thickly and with a sweep of his robes he left the room. Once he was out in the corridor he leaned against the wall, his head hanging low as he closed his eyes and took in a deep shaky breath. Suddenly a spark of memory filled him. The potion. Remus' potion from the Gypsy caravan.

He turned toward the direction of the stairwell that lead to the dungeons and took off at an alarming speed. Upon reaching his door he breathlessly gave the password and entered his chambers gasping and looking about wildly. Remus stood from the chair by the fire and gave his lover a puzzling look.

"Severus?" he asked.

"The potion," he said and realization dawn on Remus.

The former werewolf hurried into the bedroom, and after the sound of a drawer opening hurried back out of the bedroom with a black glass vial in his hand. He handed the vial to Severus, who uncorked it, took a swallow, and then shrank in upon himself. The bottle slipping from his hands and landing upon the floor, but oddly enough the glass didn't shatter. Before the precious liquid could be lost, Remus quickly corked the bottle and then went to his lover's side as the man clutched his stomach, kneeling in what looked like pain.

A fierce wind collected in the room, and the Potion Master's robes were torn to shreds, and he began to howl in pain as the black mark on his arm began to glow a bright bloody red, burning him, almost as though he were being branded again, but this pain was infinitely worse. He grabbed his arms, his breathing growing shallow. The veins in his neck bulged and he felt as though he were drowning, suffocating, and then a bright white light exploded within him and surrounded him, bathing him, and the pain was slowly beginning to dissipate. He closed his eyes against the fierce glow, and when he opened them again he blinked, and looked around him.

Everything had changed. He could see things more clearly, almost as though life teemed in everything around him, and then he sucked in a deep gulp of air and turned to face his lover, and a wave of strong emotion, of love hit him full force. He looked at the former werewolf in awe and realized that he couldn't hear his lover's thoughts, but the waves of emotion washing over him he could clearly read.

"Severus?" Remus asked hesitantly and slowly approached him.

"I can feel again, Remus. I can feel. I can feel life, and I can..." Severus paused and looked at the man before him, a strange expression crossing his face. "When he marked me, he stole my empathy, my emotions. That's why I lost my love for her, for everything. It's back. It's back and I can love again. Oh Gods, Remus, I can love again."

The mild mannered man looked at the babbling man before him, noticing immediately the change in him. He appeared younger, his flesh coloring a bit, his hair looking well cared for, and shining with a luster that had blue highlights in it, and his eyes, though still black shone with a fierce emotion, and happiness. The change in the formerly cold Potions Master was profound.

"You were an empath?" Remus whispered and then turned his face to the floor, color rising faintly to his cheeks. "So you knew..."

Severus grasped the other man's chin in his hands. "Yes, I knew, but I couldn't bring myself to use that against you."

"Is that why you kissed me the night I told you?" Remus asked.

Severus nodded. "But there was a spark. You're here with me now because I want you to be, and you want to be here. Do you still want that now?"

Remus' eyes widened at the longing look in the dark haired man's eyes. "Yes," he whispered, the consequences be damned.

"There's more to tell you, though..." Severus began, and then drew in a long breath. "Draco fears that Hermione may be dying. Ever since Lucius cursed her she's been growing weaker. No one really thought to check her, not until the night after she was under the curse. We were all concerned over Draco, especially her. The effects this could have on her... If something were to happen to her I honestly don't know what would become of him Remus. He loves her so much. I fear going into that room now. To feel the depth of his love for her, and the pain he is going through. I don't know if I could stand it."

"If there is one thing I've learned in this world, Severus, it is to hope. For however bleak things may look, there is always a chance, however small it might be," Remus said, his kind brown eyes glowing in the firelight.

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Draco looked upon his sleeping wife, feeling almost as though he'd betrayed her. How could he have let her drink the sleeping potion without telling her what it was? Guilt washed over him, but he soon squashed it, knowing that he'd done it with the best of intentions. She needed the healing sleep. She looked so peaceful, and fragile lying there on the white sickbed.

He closed his eyes, his brow furrowing in deep thought, his hand lightly stroking her swollen stomach, and feeling a slight bump. He smiled and opened his eyes immediately. It was a relief to know that the twins were fine. He closed his eyes and felt his throat swell, at the thought of having come so close to losing his family. He didn't think he could survive after such loss.

At the sound of the door opening and closing, he turned, but saw no one there. He shook his head, but still he felt a presence. Then something filtered into his mind, a recollection of an invisibility cloak, and he could feel someone in the room. A strange presence, one that was connected to him, a brother.

"Potter?" he said, and with a rustle of cloth the boy in question appeared, and folded a shimmering cloak across his arm.

"Draco, you can call me Harry now. We're brothers, remember?" the dark haired boy said.

A small smile crossed the blond's lips. "You know, I always wanted a brother, Pot--Harry. I never thought it would be you though."

"And I didn't want to always be the only Boy-Who-Lived," Harry said wryly.

"How does it feel to share the title with me?" Draco asked.

Harry snorted and then grinned wickedly. "For a Snape you aren't so bad. And if Sirius heard me say that he'd collapse. He's still trying to adjust to your father and Remus. Of course with us being brothers that makes him a part of the Snape family. Which has him crossing himself every time he thinks of it. It's really funny to watch. Of course Ron is still in shock over the whole thing. He said something about everything always happening while he's always too out of it to witness anything."

"He should consider himself lucky to be alive," Draco replied. "Lucius could have easily killed him instead of just knocking him out."

"Very true," Harry said thoughtfully and then his eyes fell on the sleeping figure of one of his best friends. "So, how is she?"

"Under a healing sleep. Madame Pomfrey plans to keep her under the sleep until she shows signs of recovery. Oh Merlin, if only I'd insisted they check up on her sooner. They were all concerned over me. How could they not look over her sooner? I should have said something, done something..."

"It wasn't your fault. They wouldn't let you say anything. It should have been me. NO one could have known this would happen. Stop blaming yourself," Harry said and then pulled a chair next to the blond, and together they sat in companionable silence, each blaming themselves for things that neither of them could have prevented.

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Severus Snape took a deep breath, bracing himself to face his son as he opened the infirmary door. He was hit with a wave of guilt from two sources. He exhaled slowly and then stepped into the room, carefully closing the door, but still the two boys were sitting side by side, one blond, the other black headed. They both turned to look at him, and he was faced with the two sources of guilt.

Both of the boys' mouths fell open in shock as they looked at the man before them, recognizing him, but noticing how different he seemed. The man then unconsciously scratched his left arm and both sets of stunned eyes noticed the absence of the Dark Mark.

"Snape?" "Father?" the pair of them said at the same time.

He looked at them, feeling their confusion outweigh their guilt for a moment. A smile spread across his somewhat bookish, and handsome face. He raised an eyebrow at them and approached them slowly.

"The darkness is finally gone. I feel whole again. Everything is so bright now. It's amazing to be able to feel again," he said.

What do you think happened to him? Harry thought in Draco's direction, and the blond shrugged, but Severus caught the looked the pair shared and knew they were communicating.

He sighed, almost missing his former abilities as a thought-reader. The two boys then looked at him and realized that he hadn't heard Harry's thought.

"What happened to you?" Draco finally asked.

"Remus had a potion from a Gypsy caravan. It cleansed me of the darkness of the Mark. I'm an empath again, as I used to be in the days of my youth," Severus Snape answered.

Harry came to the conclusion first. "So you can't read thoughts anymore?"

With Snape's nod they all shared a look and then everything seemed different. If there was a way to banish the darkness, the evil of the mark, then there was hope for Hermione. All three men turned to look at the woman lying on the bed and each of their expressions held hope. For even in the darkest of situations, hope, however small, is always present...