Things Unexpected



Severus Snape pushed up his loose sleeves and grabbed a bit of leather cord to tie his hair out of his face. He didn't mind making these potions so much, especially during the summer when there were no students bothering him, but the clammy air of the dungeons below his house combined with the steam coming off the cauldron did tend to make one rather damp. After a few tentative minutes of wild boiling when he wasn't sure if he would have to dump the whole batch and start again from the beginning, it settled to a somewhat stable simmer. It appeared that at this point it would be stable enough that he could leave it, perhaps, and get a quick shower just to cleanse himself from the awful sliminess of it all.

Fifteen minutes later, fresh and in lighter clothes, he returned to the vaporous cauldron. It was to be a rather strong anaesthetic, with a time release healing potion mixed in, and those always proved difficult. He sighed and began stirring, and slowly added the powdered lavender. It took several hours of constant, mind-numbing motion before the steam abruptly ceased issuing from the cauldron, and it turned from a deep red to completely clear. He almost dropped his stirred into the solution by surprise. "It worked! By Merlin, I don't think I actually expected that to happen!" He quickly wrote down the proceedings in his journal before grabbing a blank parchment.



Doctor Broadmoor,

I apologize it this is terse, but I was able to complete the potion you requested. I understand that it is needed for the surgery this afternoon, so as soon as I can bottle it and clean myself up I will bring the required amounts over to you in the clinic. Please be sure to owl me in the future when other such needs arise.

Severus Snape



He exited his laboratory and hurried up the stairs to the cage where his owl was sleeping. "Up, girl, you've got a delivery." He quickly sealed and stamped the note before tying it to the owl's leg and opening the window to send it out. He paused a moment to consider before going to his room and changing into more appropriate clothing. The robes were unnecessary, and indeed a bad idea since he would probably have to walk through the Muggle hospital on his way to the clinic. He slipped his wand in his pocket before heading back to the dungeons. He bottled as much of the cauldron's contents as he could, grabbing three large bottles to take with him to the clinic. He went into the mudroom, the edge of his wards, and Apparated from there to a lavatory of a bookstore a few blocks away from the hospital. He discovered it to be almost always empty, though he shuddered to think of the problems he'd have to deal with if ever it wasn't.

Bethany wasn't waiting for him in front as she usually did when he had deliveries, and he had learned better than to ask the receptionist at the front desk about anyone from the clinic. He negotiated the busy patches by himself before walking through the wall that appeared to lead into the nursery. There she was, going down that corridor. He called to her as she turned into a doorway. "Bethany! Doctor Broadmoor!" She heard his voice and turned abruptly. He moved quickly to catch up with her. "Am I too late? Did you get my message? I came as quickly as I could. I'm almost positive it should work. It should be rather potent, actually."

"I'm sure it will be fine Severus. Thank you for doing this, and for your punctuality. Would you mind waiting out here just a moment while I check on the girl in here?" And without waiting for an answer, she disappeared into the room.

Severus leaned against the pale wall, sack in hand. He liked the challenge her potions demands posed to him, but somehow being around Bethany always brought out a tendency to babble, the effects of which embarrassed him to no end. She came back out several minutes later, using her wand to highlight several things on a chart and shrink it. "Here is the potion, Doctor Broadmoor. Only give the patient a few drops at first, and if it doesn't work, a bit more, but absolutely no more than a spoonful. Do you have any other tasks while I'm here?"

"Actually," she began, walking down the hall, "There is something I'd like you to deliver if it's not too much trouble. It's just inside the hospital, but it's out in the other half, you know."

"What do you need sent over there?" he asked harshly.

"It's to one of ours. Probably one of yours, actually. She was in for almost a year before her letter came, and let me tell you, that was a shock to them on the other side. I had to swear up and down I'd had no sign of it, and nothing to do with it. She's been spending most of her holidays here since, and even a few Christmases. Poor child."

"Why don't they move her over to this side, so she can at least have some familiar company?"

"She's Muggle-born. I've never met her parents, but I have reason to believe she's mostly supported by the state. Besides, it's leukemia, not exactly one we're prepared to handle. She's been coming over here a good bit, though. I showed her how to get here in her wheelchair after she got her letter, and have been picking up books and things for her for years."

He perked up at that last sentence, but didn't have time to ask her his question because she quickly handed him a package before turning away. "I'm sorry I can't talk, but that surgery will be starting any minute now."

He took the package and sighed in frustration. Mentally, he began running through images of his students, thinking who it might be and how they might have hidden such a thing. An overly cheery receptionist directed him to the right wing, and then he just had to walk down the hall of open doors, hoping it was a student he knew minimally. And please don't let it be one of Minerva's bloody Gryffindors.

Apparently the god that normally watched over Slytherins was otherwise occupied, because through the second to last door his eyes landed on the sleeping figure of none other than Hermione Granger.





Disclaimer: I do not own Severus or Hermione. I do own Bethany Broadmoor, but she's not really very important yet.



A/N: Hello, to all my lovely readers. I'm going to warn you now, I've been reading Snapefic for months, and somehow I've got a major block on things not involving the interaction between Snape and Hermione. So expect a few more of these in the future, though they are not in the same universe (really important that you remember that!). I am definitely going to continue updating this one, as long as somebody more than Jobey is reviewing.