Disclaimer: If you really think that I am J. K. Rowling, then I’m really worried about you.
Waiting.
Waiting was probably the hardest thing to do, Hermione decided. Severus had left several hours ago to try to discover what had happened to Martha Collins and, if she were still alive, to try to rescue her.
Albus Dumbledore had returned Hermione to Hogwarts almost as soon as Severus left, much to Bill’s chagrin. Sleep was suggested by the Headmaster. But Hermione knew she would not be able to sleep until Severus returned. It was ominous to note he had not been summoned, yet he was still prowling around and would be asking questions of the other Death Eaters. It was a dangerous activity. Should Voldemort become too suspicious of the Potions master’s questions, it would mean the end of Severus.
And so, Hermione instead went to the Potions lab and checked over the stores to see if they were low enough on anything to justify brewing it. Eventually, she decided the Skele-Gro was low enough and she set up her cauldron to begin brewing a batch.
Severus Snape strode quickly through a hidden passage waving a stretcher before him. It took only a few moments, but he felt as if an hourglass were trickling the sand faster and faster. There were two bodies on the stretcher and he bellowed for Poppy even before he reached the doors of the Hospital Wing. Poppy rushed to open the doors and helped guide the stretcher in.
“Two of them, Severus?” she asked with concern. “Is one of them…”
“I believe so,” Severus bit out. “It is rather difficult to tell.”
Poppy moved each of the bodies to their own bed and began running her wand over one girl, doing diagnostic magic. “She’s under stasis?” Poppy queried, a frown appearing on her face.
“They both are,” Severus snarled. “They would have died otherwise.”
The mediwitch did not point out that they could still lose one or both of the girls just by bringing them out of stasis. She knew Severus would never have done this unless he felt it was truly necessary.
He moved off to the fireplace and performed a quick Incendio. With a pinch of Floo powder, he made a fire-call to the Headmaster. Albus informed him he would be down momentarily. Next, Severus fire-called Hermione. Instinct told him she would be in the Potions lab. His instinct proved correct.
“Hermione,” he ground out, “bring four Medi-cases to the Hospital Wing immediately.” Severus did not wait for a verbal response, but pulled his head out of the fireplace and returned to Poppy’s side. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’ve got this one, I think she is the worst off,” Poppy told him. “You can start with that one. She has three broken ribs on the right side and I fear her lung is punctured.”
For several moments, they worked in silence trying to repair the injuries the girls had suffered. Poppy realized there was so much damage that without the stasis spell, neither girl would have made it to Hogwarts. Hermione entered with the Medi-cases. It had been her idea some months prior, to make up cases similar to Muggle first-aid kits. However, these kits contained potions that could almost bring a person back from death. They were also shrinkable, ensuring every member of The Order of the Phoenix was able to carry two of them at all times.
“Leave the cases and go,” commanded Severus. There was no reason why she should have to see such carnage.
Hermione set the cases down and open them, beginning to hand out potions. Severus glared at her, seething inwardly. Can’t she see that I’m trying to spare her this? It was bad enough that he had had to see it, to have to pretend to revel in the destruction of another human being.
“Hermione, I will need four vials of Blood Replenishing potion,” Poppy ordered. “And some Skele-Gro.”
The young witch withdrew several vials of the Blood Replenishing potion from one pocket and some Skele-Gro from her other pocket. She looked at the two young girls anxiously.
“Why aren’t they breathing?” she asked hesitantly.
“I used a stasis potion,” Snape snapped. His irritation at her questions was obvious. He looked up and saw her quizzical expression. “Really, Hermione,” he said sarcastically. “You do not remember the First year speech? Brew fame, bottle glory and…”
“Even put a stopper in death,” they said the line together. Busy as he was, Severus was secretly pleased that she said it in the exact same vocal intonations as he did.
“Very good, Hermione,” he said softly and noticed Poppy’s startled gaze. Severus bent his head and began working on the girl.
Albus walked quickly into the Hospital ward. “Severus, I am glad you are safe.” He regarded Poppy's young patient. “I see you found Miss Collins.” His voice was grave.
“Lucius Malfoy was celebrating his release from Azkaban,” Severus said bitterly. “These two girls were part of the entertainment.” He began casting a spell to heal broken ribs.
“Any idea who the second girl is?” Poppy interrupted.
Severus shook his head. “I believe she is a Muggle, but I am not sure,” he admitted. “I felt I had a chance to save these two.”
Hermione gasped at the thought there were more he could not save. She wondered how such evil madmen could be allowed to flourish in the world. And caught herself wondering how much of it Severus saw--or worse, had to participate in, simply so that the Order of the Phoenix could be supplied with information. She glanced at him just as he was looking up at her. His jaw was set and she knew he could see the sorrow in her eyes.
The Headmaster began assisting in the healing of Martha Collins, who was in far worse shape than the poor unnamed Muggle. Eventually, Severus stepped back and said, “I’ve done all that I can for this one.”
Poppy nodded. “I believe we have done all that we can for Miss Collins, too.”
From his voluminous cloak, Severus produced a battered potions case. He unwarded it and took out two tiny vials of a red potion. Wordlessly, he handed one to Albus. Hermione knew it must be the antidote to the stasis potion. It crossed her mind what an incredibly brave, risky thing Severus had done by slipping the potion to each of the girls and placing them in stasis.
Gently, the girls’ mouths were opened and the reviving potion was poured into their mouths. Hermione watched in silence, barely breathing, as Severus held the Muggle girl in one arm and tenderly rubbed her throat with his long fingers. There was a slight feeling of unreality to the scene, Hermione thought. She would have thought the Head of Slytherin would carry his House’s prejudice against Muggles. But from the look on Severus’ face, at this moment in time, saving this girl’s life was the most important thing he would ever do.
It was then, Hermione knew she could love this man. It wasn’t the kindness he showed her, or his jealousy, but the fact he would go to any length to save an unknown Muggle girl. The Muggle girl was the one who swallowed first, and came back to life coughing and sputtering.
The girl opened her eyes and glanced around fearfully. Albus spoke to her quietly and told her she was safe now.
“Dreamless Sleep potion, Hermione,” Severus commanded, holding out his hand without looking at her. Hermione placed the vial in his open hand wordlessly and watched as he coaxed the young girl to drink it.
“M-my m-mother,” she begged him, her hands clutching at his wrists.
In a tone that was unrecognizable as that of the Potions professor who terrorized his students, Severus softly told her that they were being looked after and she needed to drink this medicine. Hermione was not surprised to see the girl obey. As soon as she began drifting to sleep, Severus eased her back on pillows and drew the blankets around her. Quickly, he moved over to the Collins girl and asked after her.
“She’s breathing but still unconscious,” Poppy answered him. “I think it’s because of her head injury, but I won’t be able to tell until that has had a chance to heal.”
“You have saved two of them, Severus,” Albus said gently.
“And I left more to die,” Severus ground out as he closed his potions case and re-warded it before returning it to his pocket.
“You cannot save everyone, Severus,” Albus reminded him. “Because of you, these two girls will live.”
Severus turned to the sleeping forms and sneered, “Will either of them be thankful in the morning when they wake and find themselves orphaned? Will they be grateful I left others of their family there to suffer and die? Or will they curse me and say they would rather be dead?”
“Once they realize what you’ve done,” Hermione interjected firmly, “they will be grateful.”
“So you say, so you say,” Severus remarked, deriding her opinion. “It has been my experience that people are rarely appreciative that you have allowed their family to die.” He turned and stalked out of the infirmary, his black cloak billowing behind him.
“I don’t understand why they let him leave with the girls,” Hermione murmured to herself. But Dumbledore heard her.
“Severus routinely tells the Death Eaters that he needs body parts for various potions,” Albus explained. “In that way, he is allowed to walk through the survivors and choose his ‘victims’. He can usually escape with one or two that way.”
Poppy looked up from tending Martha Collins. “But Severus only remembers the ones he cannot save,” she said, looking grim.
“He seems to forget that there are many people who owe him their very life,” Albus said stroking his beard.
Hermione stared at the doors from which the Potions master had exited. As usual, she was thinking extremely hard, barely hearing Albus and Poppy’s discussion on when they would Obliviate the Muggle girl and how to turn her over to Muggle authorities.
If one would have asked her while she was still a student her opinion of Severus Snape, Hermione would have said he was a strict teacher-sarcastic, but still deserving of respect. Lately, she had been seeing quite a different side of him. Hermione realized his interest in her surpassed a mentor status and how it must have galled him to be ordered by Voldemort to seduce her. She had assumed his reluctance to touch her was due to his prejudice. She was, after all, a ‘Mudblood’.
Now, after seeing the lengths to which he would go to save an unnamed Muggle girl, Hermione wondered from where his unwillingness came. Could it be that he was being a gentleman? Did he simply not want to force her?
After seeing this other side of him, Hermione decided to give him a bit more time, but not long.
She was tired of waiting.
Authors Notes: Yes, the infamous plot bunny has spoken. I am so grateful this story has garnered so many terrific, loyal readers! Your reviews keep this alive. It started out as a one-shot and has grown, thanks to you.
I would also like to make some special thanks here to my two Angels who spent a good deal of their money on Dragonspeak Voice Recognition Software for me. It has become increasingly difficult to type and with this software, I am able to continue telling stories and keep my plot bunnies happy. Thank you both very much!
As always, please feed the bunnies. Thank you all!