Harry Potter sat next to Snape's bed. He held onto his hand for dear life. The healers had just told him that chances were slim for Severus' survival. Snape might not have been his favourite teacher but Potter couldn't care less. The sacrifices this man has made for his sake were unimaginable.

Snape had been lying in St. Mungos for well over a month. His condition had improved but yesterday it had changed drastically. The healers couldn't explain and Harry was desperate. He didn't know what to do. He tried talking to Snape but nothing. He tried the 'vulnera senantur' incantation but nothing happened. The situation seemed hexed. On second thought perhaps it was just that, hexed. Harry checked for spells, curses or hexes upon Snape and the whole room but found nothing. He sighed. Just as Harry meant to call for a healer to ask about Snape's health for the umpteenth time the door burst open.

A woman with short blonde hair in a frock coat akin to a pirate's coat entered the room. She set her eyes on Snape's bed. Ignoring Harry by his side, she started yelling.

"Severus Tobias Snape, you blithering idiot! How many times have you been trying to get out of my birthday celebration and succeeded?" Harry thought Snape had winced but thought nothing of it. He was too shocked by this strange woman who had appeared out of nowhere. "One should think after Dumbledore's death and the fall of the Dark Lord that you would drop the charade. Apparently I was the only one who thought so." Harry blinked. She realized that Snape was lying here about to die and she kept screaming like a banshee.

"How dare you? How dare you pretend to be dying with that boy sitting next to you. If you think I'll believe this nonsense you are very wrong indeed." Harry stared at her and ducked. What the heck was happening?

The woman looked at him and back to Snape. She took a step closer to his bed, her eyes slowly forming into slits., you will really need a healer to put the pieces that'll remain of you back together.", she threatened.

Harry looked at Snape and noticed him moving his jaw. He couldn't believe his eyes. Snape pretending to be in a life-threatening situation with Harry himself holding his hand? Now that seemed as though it was something the man wouldn't allow to happen to him. His old Potion's Master never ceased to amaze him.

"Open your eyes now.", the woman hissed through gritted teeth. She sounded even harsher than when he, when he was angry with a whole class of Gryffindors. But this was just too much. Harry slowly stood up and took a step in her direction.

"Madam, I'm very sorry to disappoint you but I don't think that Prof- Severus will open his eyes now." She turned to look at Harry when a faint voice started to speak.

"Leave it, Potter! She's a hopeless case. I have been trying for twenty years to get her to shut up.", Snape whispered.

"Back from the death, are you now Severus?"

Harry blinked. Had Snape really just pretended to be on the verge of death? That seemed so unlike him.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking, that just because you have suddenly found your voice again, that I will be sitting on your bedside and be crying like a baby because you deemed me worthy to speak to. I am still very angry at you. I realize that that bloody snake got you but I don't understand how you are incapable of writing with a neck injury."

"Grace, would you please stop raising your voice like that?", Snape asked and sat up in his bed. Harry looked at the woman in question and kept the smile trying to escape his lips in cheek. Snape had just called the woman by her given name which seemed as unfitting for her as could only be. Harry's opinion of this woman up to this point was that he thought her to be more on the practical side of life. Around her eyes and mouth he made out small wrinkles that supposedly came from smiling and laughing. Her dark eyes were focused on Snape and her hair was a mess. He supposed her hair was supposed to be like that for it seemed gelled. Harry pushed a hand through his own hair, as he continued to analyse this strange woman. From the way they were talking to each other she seemed to be a friend of Snape's. How could she? She wore baggy trousers underneath her frock coat. She held a tricorn in one hand that Harry hadn't noticed before. The pirate-like look seemed almost complete. Just as he started to wonder whether she had a wooden leg she spoke up again.

"I wouldn't have had a reason to yell at you if you were not such a bloody bollix. How much of a gobshite does one have to be to not even write his own alter ego?" After this outburst it was obvious that she came from Ireland. No one except the Irish Healer around swore like that and that quite regularly.

"Do you want me to apologise?"

"What good would that do me if you don't mean it?"

"I wouldn't mean it. I just meant to be courteous?"

"You and courteous, my arse! What feckin eejit would blackmail the Healers into making this poor boy and every one else around you for that matter believing that you were about to die?"

Snape attempted to say something but she shushed him.

"I'm not finished yet. Who would do all that only to not attend my blasted party? How far would you have gone?" She now waited for an answer. Harry nervously looked at Snape. He remembered the last time Hermione had looked at him that way. It was a bad day. A very bad day,

"I do have to admit that I played with the idea of faking my own death for I would finally divest myself of Potter but originally I intended to remain like so until tomorrow.", Snape told her and Harry stared at him with mouth agape. He just remembered to shut it before he looked like a fish and tried to make a dash for the door when a strong hand held him back by his shoulder.

"Did you call him Potter?", the woman named Grace asked still staring at Snape who just nodded and groaned when he remembered his injury. The woman now turned to look at him.

"You are James Potter's offspring?" As he nodded she continued. "Harry Potter -the chosen one as they call you. Well Severus you told me that he looked like James but this is just ridiculous."

Severus muttered something about the ridiculousness of her outfit but Grace ignored him. She took a closer look at Harry.

"Boy, you look exactly like you father except-"

"The eyes. I have my mother's eyes. I know."

"Just as impertinent as your father too, I see. I was about to comment on your height but now that you say it. Yes, you have your mother's eyes." She let go of Harry's shoulder and he abruptly left through the big wooden doors.