Almost Human

Almost Human

Chapter 3

Visiting Day

When Snape returned to his rooms, a summons from Albus awaited him.

He frowned. It couldn't be anything urgent, or the Headmaster would have had the message find him in the hospital wing.

On the other hand, Albus hadn't asked to see him since their talk in the infirmary.

He hurried up the stairs to Dumbledore's rooms.

"My dear boy," Albus said, ushering him into the sitting room. "Tea? Biscuit? Here, try one of the chocolate-covered ones."

He did. "You wanted to see me, Albus?" He could almost fool himself into thinking that Dumbledore might have an assignment for him.

He didn't, of course. "I have a rather exciting surprise for you."

"You realize I loathe surprises."

The twinkle in Albus's eye faded for a moment. Perhaps he had forgotten.

Or perhaps he was thinking about just why Severus hated surprises.

"Er. You'll like this one. The Ministry has decided to award you the Order of Merlin. Again."

"What for?" he asked blankly.

"For your devoted service to the Order of the Phoenix, of course, as well as saving the life of a Hogwarts student, at grave personal risk."

"They're giving me a medal for saving Draco's life?" Funny. He'd have expected the reverse, if anything.

"Yes. Second class."

"Well, then." If it had been Potter, it would have been a first.

"We'll schedule the presentation ceremony for when Draco's up and about--I assume you'd prefer it that way?"

"Yes, thank you." But he found himself strangely reluctant to be hauled up in front of the entire school to have some damned medal hung around his neck. There was a time he'd wanted public recognition more than anything else he could imagine. He'd thought that if they only knew what he'd accomplished, what he'd sacrificed, they'd have to respect him.

Now, he wasn't sure he cared.

But Albus looked so disappointed that he wasn't turning cartwheels with joy that Severus managed to paste a smile on his face and say, "That is exciting news, Albus. Will you be making a speech?"

"Of course, my dear boy." The Headmaster twinkled at him.

"I quite look forward to it," he lied. Then Severus thought about how Draco'd react when he told him the news. He'd be happy about it. That made him feel a bit better about the whole thing.

#

Psst! Draco, wake up!"

He'd been dreaming about the hospital, and when he woke up he said stupidly, "Lydia?"

"Who in hell's she?"

He squinted up at the figure standing above him, her face lit from below by wand light. "Zeno?" he asked, shielding his eyes with one hand.

"Yeah. Sorry to wake you, but I didn't fancy the whole House knowing I'd been to see you."

"Of course," he said vaguely, glad she hadn't come in the middle of one of his nightmares. "Sit down," he suggested, waving her toward the Professor's chair.

She perched on it. "I heard all about what happened. The whole school knows--it was even in the Prophet."

Funny, he hadn't thought about that. "What did they say? About the Professor?"

She frowned. "You haven't seen it? Well...at first they said it didn't make any sense, and focused on how it proved the rumours were right, he'd been a Death Eater all along. They even circulated a petition calling for his immediate arrest and trial. Then Dumbledore issued a statement explaining that he'd been spying for him, against the Dark Lord, all along. And I guess it's true--Dumbledore told us, too, at dinner one night."

"It's true," Draco told her. Mostly, anyway.

"You already knew?"

"Yes."

"Why did he do that?" She sounded genuinely mystified. "It must have been awfully dangerous."

"I...we've talked about it, but it's awfully personal. I don't think I should pass it on. You ought to ask him."

"Ask him? 'Cheerio, Professor Snape, I just wanted to know, why'd you betray the Dark Lord?' Maybe you could, but not me."

"I'll go with you, if you like, to talk to him, once I'm up and about."

"Maybe," Zenobia said dubiously.

"How's the rest of the school taking the news?"

"Well, most of our House thinks it's awfully clever of him to wangle out of Azkaban like that, though some say he's a blood traitor like the rest of the Professors here. The rest of the students...well, they believe Dumbledore, though I overheard some girls in the washroom wondering if Snape could've fooled him somehow."

"Dumbledore's sharper than he looks. The Professor says he can't lie to him."

"Well, that would be a clever thing to say if he was, wouldn't it?" Zenobia asked shrewdly.

"True enough. But he isn't. You weren't there--I was sure the Dark Lord would kill us both. If I--well, I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd let me die, to save himself."

"You wouldn't be able to blame him, you'd be dead," Zenobia pointed out.

"Yes, well." He didn't want to think about that. "He's a real hero, the Professor."

"It hasn't made him any nicer in lessons, that's for sure.

Draco shrugged and changed the subject. "How's Quidditch going? Are the Slytherins treating you right?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm learning loads. Zachary Hall is the other new Beater."

They talked about Quidditch and lessons for another quarter of an hour, before Zenobia stood up and said, "I had better go to bed. See you."

"Goodnight. Come back if you want."

#

"Morning, Professor." Draco was sitting up in bed, eating breakfast.

"Good morning, Draco." Severus sat in his usual place.

"Do you want some of this toast? Dobby always brings enough for an army."

"Thanks." Draco marmaladed a piece of toast and passed it to him, while Snape located a teacup and poured.

Then Draco said, "Zenobia--"

At the same moment Severus said, "Dumbledore--"

"Go ahead," Draco told him.

"Dumbledore told me last night, I'm to have that Order of Merlin after all."

"He'd better have done," Draco muttered.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Well," Snape continued hastily, "It's to be presented once you're up and about. He's making the entire school come."

"Really?" Draco said with satisfaction. "That ought to be fun. Who's the Prophet sending?"

"I don't know that they're sending anyone."

"We'll see about that."

"I don't care if they're there or not."

"Speaking of," Draco asked around a mouthful of bacon, "What have they been saying about us?"
"Us?"

"You. Me. Us," Draco explained, pointing to make his meaning clear.

"You don't need to worry about any of that." He didn't want Draco reading what the Prophet had written. The later, more accurate articles would make him remember what had happened, and the early reports' lies and innuendo would only upset him.

"Dobby, are you around somewhere?"

The House-Elf appeared. "Dobby is here, sir. Is Master Draco needing something?"

"Yes, I need every issue of the Prophet since I've been here."

The House-Elf's lantern-like eyes widened. "Since Draco is being at Hogwarts?"

"No, since Draco has been in the Hospital Wing. The last two weeks or so. You might ask Madame Pince."

Dobby bowed. "Dobby will find them, sir!" He disappeared.

"If you don't want to tell me about it, I'll just have to read them myself," Draco told him archly.

"I should be here when you read them." Severus knew he couldn't stop Draco reading them. He could stop the House-Elf bringing him the papers, but Draco wouldn't leave it at that. Next he'd ask one of his Dragons to bring them, and they wouldn't obey if Severus told them not to, any more than any of the students listened to anything he said.

"Is it that bad?" Draco asked.

"It isn't good."

"Zenobia stopped by last night. She filled me in a little bit."

"Oh?" He could have wrung her neck.

"She said they wanted to have you arrested. Was that the worst?"

Severus thought. "Except for some of the letters to the editor, yes." There were a few he ought to keep Draco from reading, one way or the other.

"I can probably imagine." Draco said.

He probably could. Severus supposed it was absurd, worrying about Draco reading that people wanted him dead, when he'd actually almost been killed.

Draco continued., "I ought to know, don't you think, what people are saying about it, before I go back to school?"

"Don't pay any attention to what they say."

Draco rolled his eyes. "That's worked for you, has it?"

"Well enough," Snape lied.

#

About noon, Dobby tottered in under a stack of back issues of the Daily Prophet. "Dobby has found Master Draco's newspapers!" he squealed.

"Capital, Dobby, thanks a lot." Draco cleared a space on his bedside table for them.

"Dobby hopes Master Draco is getting better soon!" the House-elf shrieked.

"I should," he said. "That's what the Healers say, anyway."

"Dobby's sister is dying from the Bad Curse, Master Draco! Dobby knows how bad it can be."

Draco vaguely remembered that there had once been four House-Elves at the Manor. One had disappeared when he was about nine. "Noola, wasn't that her name?"

"Yes, Master Draco. She was Dobby's younger sister."

"I'm sorry," Draco said. It must have been Father who'd killed her.

Dobby apparently realized then that taking about someone who'd died from the Cruciatus Curse was perhaps not the best way of cheering a patient. "But Master Draco is not dying, Master Draco is getting better!"

"Yes, he is."

"Is Master Draco needing anything else?"

"No. Thanks again, Dobby."

The House Elf left, and Draco was left alone with his thoughts. He'd tried to work on his schoolwork, but he found it hard to concentrate. He'd be better able to keep his mind on it, he thought, when he was attending lessons again.

He was a little stir-crazy from being confined to bed for so many days. That was all. That was why everything reminded him of being attacked. That was why he was tired all the time, but couldn't sleep at night.

Reading the newspaper would at least give him something to do, and he hadn't actually promised he'd wait until the Professor came back.

He'd just glance at the headlines, he decided.

"Death Eater Son Kidnapped from Hogwarts."

"Are Our Children Safe? Parents Wonder."

"Hogwarts Professor Revealed as Death Eater."

"Troubled Malfoy Heir: Victim or Cunning Liar?"

"Dumbledore Claims Snape is Order Spy."

"New Security Precautions to Keep Hogwarts Safe."

Draco ran his eyes over that article. Potter had allowed Dumbledore to see a map he had, showing all of the secret passages in the school--including the one behind the one-eyed witch, which the Death Eaters had used to get into the school. The story went on for a while about how great and heroic it was of Potter to share the map.

Draco, on the other hand, wondered why he had hadn't done sooner. Like, maybe, before someone almost got killed.

In any event, some of the passages had been closed off, and the others were being guarded by Ministry hit wizards on the outside, and by the castle ghosts inside the school. Other precautions were being taken, but their exact nature was being kept secret for security purposes.

All well and good, Draco thought savagely. Thank Merlin for Potter and his bloody map. They'd all be safe now.

The next article in the same copy reported--skeptically--on Dumbledore's explanation of the Professor's way record. " 'Professor Snape has served the Order of the Phoenix at great personal risk, in the present war and the last. I trust him with my life,'" Dumbledore was quoted. But the article went on to point out, "Headmaster Dumbledore is not trusting Severus Snape with his own life, but with the lives of most of Wizarding Britain's children."

Draco closed the paper in disgust.

#

"Hi, Draco." Neville stood in the doorway to the hospital wing. "Can I come in?" He looked unaccountably nervous.

Some people got like that, visiting the sick.

"Sure." He waved to a seat. "Do you want some grapes or something?"

"Er...thanks." But Neville didn't take any. "I bought you some Chocolate Frogs," he said, putting a sack next to the basket of fruit on the bedside table. "Granger and some of the others said they'd been to see you."

"Yeah." He wondered why Neville was telling him that. He'd been here, after all. They hadn't tiptoed in while he was asleep.

"They, uh...they asked me to come, but I didn't because I was afraid you...wouldn't be yourself."

He shrugged. "I'm all right. Except I can't walk."

Neville nodded. "What was it like?" he asked suddenly. "The...you know. The Cruciatus Curse." Draco's reluctance to answer must've shown on his face, because Neville said hastily, "I'm not--I'm asking because my parents...they were tortured by Death Eaters too."

Neville, he remembered, lived with his grandmother. "Did they die?"

"No. No, but it's almost worse. They lost their minds. They've been in St. Mungo's since I was a baby. I'm not sure they even know who I am."

"Oh." That explained why Neville wanted to know. "I'm not sure I can tell you. It's--the pain, it's indescribable. And it feels--feels like it's been going on forever." He searched for a better way to describe it. "It's horrible," was all he could find to say.

Neville bit his lip. "That's pretty much what the Healers have told me."

"I wish I could explain it better." Except he wasn't sure he did--Neville didn't really need to know what his parents' last moments of sanity had been like.

Neville changed the subject slightly. "And Snape really saved you?"

"Yes, he did. The Dark Lord told him to kill me, and I thought he was going to do it--" Snape, pacing toward him, wand at the ready, flashed behind his eyes "--but he didn't." Thinking he ought to explain, he added, "He's sort of by way of being my godfather. We've spent a lot of time together, since m father died."

"But--he's been as awful to you as he is to everyone else."

"That was so none of the Death Eaters would suspect anything. If any of the other kids told their parents...but I guess he didn't fool them well enough. They took me to test his loyalty."

Neville's eyes widened. "Guess he failed."

"Or passed, depending on how you look at it."

"He isn't any different in class. Last week in our lesson, Hermione stood up to say we all of us in Gryffindor believed him and Dumbledore, that he really was on our side. He called her a meddling know-it-all with an inflated understanding of the importance of her opinions, and took five points from Gryffindor for speaking out of turn."

Draco smiled. "That sounds like him," he said fondly. "What, did you expect him to be pleasant all of the sudden?"

"He's supposed to be on our side..."

"The line between hurting people's feelings and killing their children in front of him is not a fine one," Draco pointed out.

"Has Snape--"

"I don't know." Draco thought he probably had, but he wasn't about to say that. "He's a great man, Professor Snape."

"Dumbledore says we all owe him a lot," Neville said dubiously.

#