Reconstruction of a Death Eater

Trying to Raise the Dead

"I know we shouldn't be seen together, but what could I do? We are supposed to be the pattern cards for the Dark Side, but he is something else indeed! The others, Greyback, Goyle, even the Lestranges were screaming and howling and promising everything. Me too, I admit. But not Severus. He just stood there and took it, again and again, an Unforgivable Curse which no one is supposed to be able to resist. But he never gave an inch. Then the Dark Lord began using cutting jinxes, bludger hexes and any other torture spell he could think of, but despite the pain, Severus never made a single noise, not one! Every time he fell to his knees, the Dark Lord stopped and laughed, but Uncle Severus just slowly and carefully climbed to his feet and said he had done nothing he was ashamed of. Again and again he repeated that line, those words, even when his bones were sticking out of his very skin, and then he walked out. He walked out!" The voice was tired and slightly hysterical, soft and insistent, on the very verge of collapse.

Everyone had forgotten about Draco Malfoy, one of the rising young stars of the Death Eater Movement, who was now standing in the inner sanctum of the Order's headquarters, big as life and bold as brass. Arthur, pressed into service with Tonks to brew a Blood Replenishing Potion, re-aimed his already drawn wand by habit, and Tonks drew hers immediately. Both wands orientated on the boy who did not notice the new and immediate threat.

Draco continued as if in a trance, "Lord Voldemort," - even now there was a sharp intake of breath at the mention of his name, but it did not register with the blond youth. "He just snapped completely, left reality behind while allowing his rage to take over. His last few raids had been foiled by the Aurors, and he was out to find the traitor. Determined to find one, and anyone would do, guilty or innocent had no bearing. Anyone and everyone in the room was in the firing line, and everyone suffered the Cruciatus Curse indiscriminately. Then Professor Snape walked in, arriving late for some reason, and the Dark Lord went berserk! He said Snape was the only one who knew all the details of his plans. He was a trusted lieutenant, given rights and privileges above and beyond anyone else, and yet he was still a traitor to the cause, no matter what he professed. I suppose the Lord had forgotten about crowing in anticipation to everyone in the Great Hall, bragging about how wonderful the next few weeks were to be, what a triumphant campaign he was going to wage." The sheer disgust in the young man's voice was amazing to his listeners, too real and heartfelt to be faked.

He blinked suddenly, a much more familiar sneer curving his lips. "Gods, I hate that ugly unacceptable travesty of a man with his extremely bad grammar and overweening ego! He is so... so aesthetically unappealing. Really disgusting! At least Dumbledore didn't monologue; I'll give him that much credit, although some of his lectures were more suited to five-year olds. The Dark Lord said he would do whatever it took to get the truth out of Snape, but he was really just looking for a convenient outlet for his temper, a scapegoat if you like. He seemed to have a very personal grudge against Uncle Severus and took great pleasure in hurting and humiliating him in front of everyone else. All I could do was stand there and watch and pray he would not be killed. Oh Merlin, what have I done?" The young voice rose in a wail as the boy's own wounds and curse signatures flared and beat at his nerves. "If I hadn't acquired an anonymous owl to pass on that information, if I had just kept quiet, this would never have happened. He would never have hurt Uncle Severus like that, with such studied and intense hatred. I fell over him in the alley; I couldn't just leave him, not after what I'd done to him."

Two thoughts met and merged to form a decision in Arthur's mind almost instantly. "Hush now, Draco, it's alright, son. We'll see to your Uncle Severus and do our best to keep him alive. You go with Tonks and she'll take care of you, get you some potions and deal with those tremors," Arthur soothed the young man who looked as if he was at his last gasp, too, as the curse shivers shook his whole frame. In fact, he resembled a small, terrified child with his frail blond looks and enormous, tear-drowned eyes.

Madam Pomfrey was too engrossed in her work to notice what was happening. Molly merely looked up, smiled approvingly and then returned to her ministrations, knowing Arthur would cope with the badly-used child. He had always been the more sympathetic of them when it came to dealing with the children's hurts, either physical or emotional. She was the practical one who dealt in discipline and order.

Roger was open-mouthed, especially when Arthur gave the boy a one-armed hug before turning him toward the door. Sometimes Molly and Arthur were too kind and naïve for this war, which he feared would be the end of them.

Tonks was incensed. "What?" she exclaimed. "Are you insane? He's a viper! A Death Eater in training! He always has been. Have you seen the dossier on him and his accursed family at Auror headquarters, it's half a foot thick, I tell you. He helped kill Professor Dumbledore, not even a year ago! Surely you remember that small fact? We should get rid of him now before he does more damage, before he is allowed to spread word of where this headquarters is situated. You don't get chances like this plunked in your lap every day!"

Arthur sighed. "Think a minute. He's surrendered his wand without either of us even asking for it, and he blames himself for Severus' injuries just because he passed on some minor bits of information. Besides, things are rarely quite what they seem in this war, remember? We all wondered why Dumbledore seemed so ready to accept death, even begged for it from Severus. We all know Severus was protecting Draco due to the Binding he had made with Narcissa, and we also know Albus was protecting the both of them, too, with what turned out to be his dying breath. His last note stated that very clearly, if you remember? Professor Dumbledore knew he was not long for this world and wanted his death to be significant in securing Severus' place with You-Know-Who. It would seem rather ungrateful to kill Draco and ruin Albus' sacrifice for nothing, now wouldn't it?"

Her eyebrows raised, "Shit! I never thought...it makes sense though. I never understood why Dumbledore liked Snape so much. Why he was always defending the greasy git to all of us."

Roger stirred. "He thought of Snape as a salve to his conscience, someone he could rescue and succour after his failure with a...previous er, son." The man's slightly bitter tones trailed off into an embarrassed silence when he realised everyone was looking at him with a puzzled sort of questioning.

Tonks recovered first and shrugged dismissively. "If Malfoy is Snape's godson and also a spy, then I suppose Dumbledore had a soft spot for the boy, too"

They all focused on 'the boy'. Blood, dirt and tears stained the usually porcelain complexion; the typically immaculate hair and robes were streaked and soiled with slime and dirt. He was standing in the middle of the 'enemy camp', but he was oblivious to the wands pointed at his head. All he could do was stand riveted, staring at the pile of blood and meat he had dragged in, the mortal remains of his Uncle and Godfather, praying Severus survived the ordeal. If his Godfather died, then Draco knew it would be all his fault for having betrayed him in so many small ways, quite unintentionally. With every half-sobbed breath, tremors coursed over the boy, shaking the shredded robe and causing some of the odd facial ticks they were all far too familiar with. Severus might be shredded, but the boy had suffered his own round of the Cruciatus Curse, which was self-evident. "Tonks, my dear, keep him safe and out of the public eye, won't you? Take him upstairs and make sure he is cared for, cleaned up and fed."

"Sure, Arthur," the metamorphmagus uttered slightly awed; she was not easily impressed but Arthur's almost superhuman ability to forgive the enemy left her stunned and humbled. If the Weasleys, after losing so much, could accept the boy's self-evident repentance, then she could do no less.

For ages they had been debating over whom the new informant was, even as lately as a few hours ago, and this was not a picture any of them had drawn. Malfoy junior had earned his own notoriety for being present when Snape killed Dumbledore. They had both fled with the Death Eaters to join their Lord and Master wherever he had been hiding out at the time. Seeing Draco in the light of day, a war-weary boy unarmed and curse injured, with a tear-streaked face and trembling lip, seemed to dispel the horns and tail he had been credited with by the Daily Prophet. Taking pity on him, she curved an arm around the thin shoulders and led him away. After a few moments of heated internal debate, Tonks even managed a smile. "Come on, kid, I'll get you a bath going. There's a couple of potions in the bathroom with your name on them. They will help ease those tremors," she told him in the overly cheerful tones one saved especially for invalids and half wits.

The boy went with little resistance, staring back over his shoulder at his uncle until the door closed behind him.

~~*~~

'Moron! Idiot! Stand up straight! Who gave you permission to lie down? How dare you take such liberties!'

'You will learn that passage, word and gesture perfect, before any food or drink crosses your lips again. Do you understand?'

The crop cut across his shoulders as he sprang to attention, hands at his side, thumbs neatly tucked into his fists, eyes facing front.

'Dung, dirt, less than nothing! Human! I can see you thinking! How dare you even think about questioning me?'

'You despised excuse for a useless waste of space! Who gave you permission to leave your kennel?'

'Live with your discomfort. It is more than you deserve!'

"Yes, Grandmother," came the voice of a small child.

Severus knew how to live with discomfort; he had been taught it well. From the age of eighteen months when his mother had failed to protect him from his father and Grandmother, the old woman had subjected him to the test for vampirism. The tests themselves were painful and intrusive, causing the tiny child much terror and pain. He had failed every test, proving to be distressingly human, and Grandmother had begun a regime to force him to convert or kill him, whichever came first. And either outcome would have been equally welcome.

~~*~~

In the real world, Molly, Poppy and Roger looked at the head of the carcass on the table, unsure about what they had heard but knowing it wasn't good. They weren't quite sure what the man had said but the fact that he had managed to speak at all was distressing.

"He shouldn't be conscious, shouldn't be able to speak ... or think or ... anything!" Roger said uncertainly, glancing at the two women. "His mind is completely empty, not a trace of thought to be found. And there are enough potions running around in his system to embalm him completely, never mind heal him."

Neither woman had an answer or an explanation so they turned back to their work and were quickly engrossed in it once again.

~~*~~

'Grandmother??? How dare you defile me with that title? You are not worthy of that claim!'

'You are not worthy of the air you breathe!'

'How dare you even look at me!'

The crop lashed at his shoulders again.

~~*~~

The body in front of them suddenly went rigid as a board, tearing at the already torn flesh and making various wounds begin to bleed again . They looked at each other startled. "He seems not only to have retreated into his mind, but also in time," Roger ventured. "My statement still stands, how on earth can he be speaking or moving when we have him under so many spells? The Acclaro spell says he's a vegetable."

"We'll have to work that one out later. His Legilimency and Occlumency are of such an order that the usual spells may be useless against them. I've cobbled him together temporarily and done all I can with his heart for now. If I don't get started on the other organs, it will all be for naught. Where are you up to, Molly?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

"Well, I had managed to stop him bleeding to death externally, but that last lot of, whatever it was, has started a few places bleeding again, nothing serious, thank Goodness. Most of the major bones are back together again, apart from a few splinters that we may need to remove, if they won't reattach. I planned to deal with the lesser bones next. Finding one intact will be the real trick," replied Molly soberly.

"Roger?"

"I've dealt with the physical damage, the skull fracture is fused, and the bruising and swelling of the brain have been alleviated. The rest, well..." He shrugged in defeat.

"Can you move to his lungs then? They seem to have been scorched internally; I need to get to what's left of his kidneys. Much as I hate to do it, I'm going to have to remove this one, it is beyond help. Arthur, how is that Blood Replenishing Potion going? We've already used up our whole supply."

"I'm just bottling it now, Poppy," Arthur assured her, tapping the caps and sealing them carefully.

"Has it been two hours already? You better start another batch straight away; we're in for a long night." She sighed deeply and started to work again.

~~*~~

"You unworthy slime from the primordial ooze."

"That's right, give up like that evolutionary mistake that died after spitting you out!"

"You are thinking again, are you not? No, I am not required to love a reject like you. I'm offering you the key to untold riches, and you defile that gift with your human fancies."

"You are just as bad as the pathetic fools that spawned you. Love conquers all, ha! Love is the excuse weak people use to cover mistakes like you."

"Arrogance...what do you have to be arrogant about? It is as bad as crying like a worthless accident. I can discard that error like the others."

The burning pain in his joints turned to fire as she turned the screw on the rack he had been placed in many days ago.

~~*~~

The arms of the body on the table suddenly flew overhead as all the joints in the body cracked from fingertips to toes. Molly gasped as the bones of Severus' forearm that she had spent so long putting back together fell apart, the almost completed spell shattering under the unexpected movement. All three almost instinctively snapped out body binds and holding spells over the injuries they had been working on to minimise the damage the unexpected movement had caused.

"What the...?" exclaimed Poppy. "Roger, can you do something about this? These reactions he's having could undo all we've done. It'll kill him! Oh quick, Molly, put some pressure on that artery, it's about to pop the holding spell again!"

"I wish I could immobilise him," Roger replied in exasperation. "I've tried every spell, incantation and charm I can think of to hold him but they are useless. Hell...I've even explored my knowledge of dark magic, which isn't much, I must admit, but is all related to quelling mind and body so that they are more open to the forces of magic being applied to them. I even tried to put him into a bewitched coma, although that is really not advised by any medical authority in cases of brain trauma. I hit a brick wall in his mind, didn't even manage to contact a trace of his real personality, just some vague memories and fleeting snatches of pain. The Occlumency loop he has gone into is shielding his whole mind so totally, it's impregnable," said Roger with palpable respect in his tone. "On the other hand, he feels no pain from his injuries even when he involuntarily aggravates them, and if he does slip over the edge into the next life, then it will be a pleasant and easy going, which is more than most people can expect these days," he added in consolation, seeing the fear and despair on Molly's face.

"We'll just have to do what we can then and hope he doesn't slip away from us," murmured Poppy.

"He is so stubborn he probably won't go, simply for spite and awkwardness." Roger grinned crookedly at the two women who smiled back sadly, and then he nodded to the neo-corpse in front of them. "Even so, I think we should do everything we can to help keep his stubborn body and soul together, don't you think?"

They all went back to the well-ordered routine they had developed over the last months, each working in unison to heal the poor souls that unfortunately crossed the paths of the Death Eaters. Severus now lay as still as death, no more twitching and moving as they worked hard and fast to conserve his life and energy.