Veritas vos Liberabit
Chapter 1: Suscitatio
Disclaimer: I own only the plot; J.K. Rowling owns the rest, mightily deserved, as well. I earn no profits from this story, other than the thrill of writing it. ;)
Warnings: Disregards DH Epilogue, but other than that is pretty compliant. If you haven't read DH, this is your spoiler alert! Mainly HG/SS, but other couples do appear. Rated M for a reason! ;x
A/N: I have pretty much revised this story from the beginning, so if you had already read Chapter 1, I'm sorry!. . .It is a lot better now, though, I promise!
Acknowledgements: J/K Rowling (of course), but MAJOR kudos to The Harry Potter Lexicon, without you guys, I would have had to figure out all the birth dates and such on my own. . .I owe you bunches!
Why was he still here? That damned snake should have finished it for him – he gave away everything! It was supposed to have been the end. So why could he hear monitors beeping and whispered voices?Especially his voice. Maybe he was dead, because surely, Harry Potter could not have survived. . .
"How is he doing today?" Harry Potter asked Healer Pye.
"He still remains unresponsive, but his vitals are stable."
"But he should be awake by now! It has been months," A new voice. Whose voice was that? Absolutely beautiful, it flowed out like honey. Obviously, they knew Potter somehow, but who did not?
"I apologize for the delay, Miss Granger, but Mr. Snape was basically defunct when you sent him in. We accomplished all we can with him, now it is all up to – Mr. Snape, no! Lie back down, you are not healthy enough to get up!"
Healer Pye came rushing in trying to force Severus back down, but Severus could not lie back down. Since when did the insufferable know-it-all have such a sweet voice? No. That bloody snake venom still be affecting his mind. He felt another pair of warmer, gentler hands on his shoulder, and he instantly relaxed. Lying back down, he rapidly drifted back into a slumber. "I'll just be in the next room. If he wakes again, just press the button on the wall behind you," Healer Pye directed, letting go of Severus and pointing at the red call button behind Severus' bed. Harry nodded, and Healer Pye swiftly walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
Harry turned to Hermione, quirking an eyebrow and clearing his throat. "Well, that was interesting."
"I am sure I have no idea what you mean, Harry," Hermione replied, lifting her chin in effrontery.
Harry snorted at that. "Right, Hermione, if you say so."
"I do say so! He just laid back because of two pairs of hands trying instead of one. He would have done the same if you tried instead of me," Hermione replied almost uncertainly.
"Er, right, Hermione. Well, the Weasleys will be expecting us back soon. Are you coming?"
"No, Harry. One of us should stay in case he wakes up again. I will be there in time for dinner, but if I need you here before then, I do know how to send a Patronus."
Harry shrugged and hugged Hermione good-bye, then exited the room to apparate to the Burrow. Hermione took a seat in the faux-leather recliner next to the window. She felt discomfited at Snape's behavior. He did seem to relax when she touched him, and it was not just because of another pair of hands. She had not even pushed down on him. As to her staying back instead of going got the Burrow, well, she seemed to be doing more and more of that lately. Professor Snape needed somebody there for him when he woke up, especially after everything he had done for them. Since Harry was always busy, Hermione took it upon herself. She felt like an interloper among the Weasleys. It was fallacious thinking, but there was no helping that. She and Ron ended their relationship a few weeks after the war, albeit mutually, but with Fred's passing withal, she felt the Weasleys needed their time. The Weasleys all disagreed with this reckoning, but Hermione also needed time to herself to recapitulate the past months. She grew up in a small family as an only child, she was not accustomed to an agglomeration of people around while she was grieving. No, this was one of those times Hermione Granger fancied being alone."Has he awoken again?" Healer Pye's voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts.
"Oh! No, no, he resides in sleep land still," Hermione replied, slightly startled. She really should not allow people to creep up on her like that. She experienced enough sneak attacks for a lifetime.
Healer Pye smiled, 'Alright, Hermione, you know where I am if you need me," he winked, "for anything."
Hermione grinned at the healer as he left the room. Healer Pye had been Snape's healer since Hermione sent him in, and Hermione felt she could talk to him about anything. She had given him a blow-by-blow of the entire Battle of Hogwarts, from both her and Harry's viewpoint. She left out Snape's memories, ascertaining those were a little more private. After that, Hermione felt she could talk to him about, well, anything. He listened very well. Hermione guessed that was part of being a healer, being attentive to all of your patients' needs. However, that was as far as Hermione Granger and Healer Pye's relationship went. He was just a healer that listened to her when she needed someone; neither of them expected nor wanted anything more.
Glancing at her former Potions Professor, Hermione rose out of the chair and headed towards the lobby. Fixing herself a cup of tea, Hermione glanced around the lobby. She recognized the plump blonde Welcome Witch directing the latest cauldron explosion victim to the correct room on the ground floor, but otherwise there were no patients waiting in the lobby. It only cohered in the magical world: no evil wizard attempting to 'absolve' the world of muggles, no patients lining the waiting room. Hermione smiled slightly to herself; at least some good came out of the war. Grabbing her cup and the today's edition of The Daily Prophet, Hermione hurried back to the Second Floor to Snape's room.
Setting her cup down on the bedside table, Hermione noticed Snape's blankets down at his knees. That was strange. She could swear they were pulled up when she left for tea. Placing her newspaper on the armchair, she stepped over to his bed. Lifting his blankets, she glimpsed his pale calves and knees. Almost blushing, she quickly diverted her gaze to move the blanket up. Then, noticing his catheter, she really did blush. Apparently, there were some things magic could not conceal. Why was she blushing, though? That was certainly not the first time she beheld a man's legs, and it was only natural for there to be a way for him to expel bodily fluids. The thought of Snape's 'bodily fluids' made Hermione blush further. Shaking her head, Hermione had pulled Snape's blankets up to his chest, laying them gently down when she looked up into a pair of black, cold eyes staring pointedly at her and a hand quickly snatching her wrist.