The Last Sanguimagus

Sarah dreamt.

Severus stands before her. Not the Severus of her past, his face filled with youthful hauteur; this is the Severus she knows now, older, his black eyes filled with some emotion she can't identify.

"You must," he says. "I am ready...I know what I am...I cannot be forgiven..." He seems suffused with some inner agony. His arms are outstretched, as if he was waiting for something.

She looks past him, and he is forgotten in an instant.

Lucius Malfoy stands there. Her heart leaps in her chest. Something uncontrollable within her takes hold. "I vowed to kill you," she says angrily.

He laughs. "Really? You don't like my gift?" He twirls his wand lazily.

Her pockets are empty. There is only one option left. She pulls up her left sleeve.

Her fingertips find nothing but smooth flesh. She looks down, and to her horror finds her forearm unblemished. No nail. No wand. No knife.

A green flash explodes around her...

She woke with an inarticulate cry. Panting, she covered her face with her hands, trying to regain some calm. Her heart thudded much too quickly in her chest. Pain blossomed in her back.

She opened her eyes and dropped her hands. The room was ablaze with light. It was nearly the middle of the day, and she was quite alone.

She thought of last night's ordeal. The Dark Lord. Lucius. Macnair.

Severus.

He had been there, in her room, helping her. He had brought her to the castle, as he said he would. But he had been there as well, watching coldly as Lucius slammed her face into the floor. Was he really a spy? If he wasn't, she was certainly in trouble...

Her mind was still foggy, but one thing was clear. She must speak to the Headmaster.

***

Harry woke up, and for a moment he was confused. There was no canopy; he wasn't in his bed. He was in the Hospital Wing.

He put on his glasses and sat up. Ron was snoring away in the bed next to his. Hermione was in the next bed over, and Madam Pomfrey sat in a chair nearby, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I see you're awake, Harry," she said.

"Hermione...is she..."

Ron's snoring abruptly ceased. "Hmm? What?" He blinked owlishly.

"Hermione will be fine," said Pomfrey calmly. "But she will need to stay here today so that I can keep an eye on her."

"What happened to her?" asked Harry.

"A nasty hex," said Madam Pomfrey. "But you both should return to your dormitory and try to make it to the Great Hall for breakfast. I daresay that the Headmaster will have an announcement to make." She began fussing over Hermione again.

The Great Hall was strangely subdued. Many of the students whispered to each other furtively when they arrived. Ron and Harry sat down next to Ginny. "Where's Hermione?" she asked.

"She's still in the Hospital Wing," said Ron.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, but Pomfrey is making her stay there today," said Ron, frowning. He looked unhappy.

"Are you all right?" asked Neville worriedly to them both.

"We're fine," said Harry, attempting a smile. He noticed that Snape and Tanner were both absent, and felt mildly alarmed.

Dumbledore stood up, and the Hall fell silent. "Many of you witnessed an attack yesterday," he began. "A teacher was abducted, and students were hexed." There was a murmur at this. Some of the first years looked frightened. "I am happy to inform you that the teacher has returned, and the students in question are fine. However, in light of this incident, I feel it necessary to cancel all future Hogsmeade visits for now." He sat down again, and Professor McGonagall leaned in to say something in his ear.

"What happened?" asked Ginny.

"We'll tell you the whole story at the next meeting," said Harry to Ginny and Neville.

***

There was a pounding in his skull that defied description. Severus groaned and sat up.

The light filtering in from the high window meant that it was day, nearly midday if he had guessed correctly. He rubbed his eyes. His mouth was parched, and his joints were stiff.

He looked down and realised that he was still in his robes. Last night he'd been too tired to change. Even now he still felt worn out from last night's harrowing events; sleep had been uneasy, at best.

Starting the morning with a large tumbler of firewhiskey wasn't really the best way to begin the day, but considering that it was nearly noon he didn't think it mattered as much. He changed into a fresh set of robes.

The Great Hall seemed rather quiet for once, which was fine with him, really. He sat down in his accustomed seat between Aurora and the Headmaster.

"Good day, Severus," said Aurora.

He nodded brusquely to her.

"The Headmaster has cancelled Hogsmeade visits," said Pomona.

He was in the process of putting bacon on his plate, but he stopped. "Cancelled?"

"Too dangerous," said Aurora. "After yesterday..."

"Ah," he said. "Yes, quite right."

"Severus," said Dumbledore, "I would like to see you in my office after lunch, if possible."

"Certainly, Headmaster," answered Severus.

Sarah entered the hall, looking determined but pale, and began to walk towards the staff table, though she seemed a little taken aback when most of the students turned to stare at her. After she sat down she glanced across the table, and his eyes met hers for a moment. Her expression was difficult to decipher.

"Is she all right?" asked Aurora.

"Yes," he said, tearing his attention away from her.

"Poppy said she was a mess."

"As well you would be after an encounter with the Dark Lord," he snapped.

Aurora rolled her eyes and turned back towards Pomona.

***

Severus rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had been in the Headmaster's office for nearly a half hour, rehashing the evening's meeting and subsequent events, and his back pained him. He suddenly realised that the Headmaster had stopped talking and looked up.

Bright blue eyes looked into his own. "I've kept you long enough. I don't doubt you're tired after the weekend's events."

"I'm fine, Headmaster," he said, sitting up straighter and dropping his hands to his side.

"There is one last piece of business I would like to bring up before you go," said Dumbledore. He took a sip of tea.

"Business?" asked Severus.

"I have been speaking with Remus, and he agrees that we are too few in number. We need to gather new members into the Order."

Severus frowned uncontrollably. Black and Potter were gone now, but Lupin still remained, ensconced in that awful house, dispensing advice alongside adolescent butterbeer. "And does Lupin have any ideas?" he asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone.

"Actually, I have an idea," said Dumbledore calmly. "Silas Marten."

Time actually seemed to freeze for a moment. Severus nearly choked on his rage. "Silas Marten?!" he spat.

"Yes," answered Dumbledore. "I feel he would be an asset to the Order. He has extensive knowledge of Defence Against the Dark Arts, as he has been teaching it for nearly four decades. He is relatively talented with a wand, he helped in the fight against Grindelwald, and he is a close friend of Alastor Moody."

Severus leapt out of his seat. "He is--he is a conniving, pompous wretch--" he spluttered.

"Please, Severus, calm down," said Dumbledore. Severus resumed his seat, quaking with anger. "Silas may be a bit...overzealous at times, but he has the children's best interests at heart, and he is firmly on our side."

"He--he tried to blackmail me!"

Dumbledore sighed. "There is still a chance that he will not be accepted. Remus has suggested that we allow the potential members a chance to present their case, and let the Order vote."

Severus tried to calm himself, but it wasn't working. One insufferable git for another, he seethed. "Are you suggesting that we show them the location of our headquarters, interview them, and if they are not accepted, let them leave?" he said incredulously.

"It isn't the way we've operated before, I know," said Dumbledore, "but Remus makes a good case. We cannot recruit as we did last time. And if someone isn't accepted, then we will perform a Memory Charm--"

"Memory Charms can be broken," said Severus softly. "Or have you forgotten Bertha Jorkins?"

"Enough," said Dumbledore, and there was a touch of anger in his voice. "We cannot risk operating as we always have. Peter has, no doubt, informed Voldemort of our every move in the past fight against him." Severus winced. "Now we must concentrate on the future. The next meeting will be Saturday afternoon, and I will ask Silas to join us then."

Saturday afternoon. "Very well." He could not keep the bitterness from his voice. Silas Marten, a member of the Order. It was inconceivable.

"I must ask you to put aside your dislike of the fellow and view him objectively, Severus," said Dumbledore. "He would be an excellent asset to the Order, of that I have no doubt." He smiled sadly at him. "Good day, Severus."

"Good day, Headmaster," he said quietly.

The door swung open silently, and he paused at the top of the gargoyle staircase. So Silas Marten was to be the next Order member. He scowled. Yet again, a Gryffindor threatened Severus, but was not punished...no, he was rewarded for his actions by an invitation to the Order. Only his Slytherin friends had, once again, cared enough to protect him from Auror persecution.

He did not want to imagine the insufferable prat as an Order member. Silas would be in his element at meetings, pontificating...

He only hoped that enough of the other members would see him for what he was. He had little hope of that, though, especially now that he knew of Silas's friendship with Moody.

***