How he regretted giving up those memories now! He was never meant to leave that forsaken boathouse. Death was his final ultimate reward. He had earned it! After spending his life serving both masters without regard to himself, the Dark Lord had finally granted him release from his servitude. Death was the only way out of such a lifestyle. Death released him from his loss, from his pain, from a world that detested and distrusted him. He was a Slytherin, a spy, a murderer, a Death Eater... He was the remnant of a world now gone, a part of the past that did not belong in this new world-
But that impetuous girl could not simply leave him to rest in peace. As the boy he spent his life protecting went to the Dark Lord to die, she came for him, bringing the vast majority of his potions lab with her... Even now, he did not understand why she came. Never did he expect she would desert the trio to try to save him of all people-especially not because of a few stupid memories.
He had been slipping in and out of consciousness when she arrived.
Leaning in close to him, she had whispered:"I will save you."
His mind was screaming no, he did not desire salvation; saving him from death was damning him to live a life of emptiness.
"Professor! You mustn't die! Look at me." She demanded. Why he had wanted to ask... Wanted to stop her, wanted to be free, wanted to leave all his pain behind... But instead, his eyes locked with hers and all went black as she cast a stasis spell over his body.
Hermoine frantically worked to draw the deadly toxin out of her professor's wounds. She was certain a fair amount was already in his blood, but she had to have a sample to add to her anti-venom. She had developed the anti-venom originally for basilisk injuries after Ron nearly accidentally killed himself with a basilisk fang. For such an athlete, the boy was so clumsy... However after some experimentation, she had found the potion she developed was the ultimate anti-venom. Simply, add a small sample of the venom to the potion immediately before administering it to the infected and the potion would target and destroy any venom within the body.
She had gotten the idea from muggle medicine. With her parents background, she grew up understanding how vaccines, antibodies, and white blood cells work and applied this knowledge to develop her anti-venom. But she had never tried the potion on such a strong venom or such a severely injured victim. She could only hope it was not too late. The stasis spell was wearing off too quickly. She had to administer the potion before the spell failed.
She tilted his head up and began to pour the solution into his mouth, but quickly realized her folly. The stasis spell would prevent him from swallowing or ingesting any of the potion. Improvising she transfigured the vial into a syringe and began injecting the potion. First around the bites, then finally with a force she didn't know she had, she plunged the needle into to his heart and filled it with a large portion of the anti-venom. This way she knew as soon as she removed the stasis spell, her potion would be sent all over his body destroying Nagiri's poison.
Holding her breath, Hermoine waved her wand over the body in front of her removing the magic that had been keeping Severus Snape from Death. Immediately, she poured the remainder of the anti-venom over the wounds. She had no time to wonder if it would work, she turned her focus to closing the bloody gashes. The anti-venom would do no good if he bled to death. Healing came natural to her and many of the spells she used were of her own development. Taking muggle medical practices, she used those foundations to develop spells that mirrored the processes. Her healing kept the trio alive many times during their search for the slivers of Voldemort's soul.
After closing the wounds and scanning him for additional injuries, Hermoine administered a vial of blood replenishing potion and a sleeping draught. She paced the floor, before levitating Snape and beginning the trek back up to the castle...or what was left of it anyway. The rush of working to save a life was beginning to pass. As her adrenaline faded, tears began to flow down her face. Harry had gone to Voldemort. He was going to, maybe already had sacrificed his life. It was his request that she go back to the boathouse. He sent her to save Snape. His final words still rang through her mind. Harry was giving up his life for her; he loved her.
Severus Snape awoke at Spinner's End. He knew even before opening his eyes that he was back in that house, but he sensed he was not alone. His suspicions were confirmed as the door creaked open, and foot steps were followed by whispers. He would know that voice anywhere, his godson! Draco sounded so tired; how much time had passed since the battle at Hogwarts? Had Voldemort been defeated? So many questions... But there would be no answers tonight, as he again succumb to sleep.
Hermoine arrived early each day to access Snape's status. Her final promise to Harry had been to save the man's life and she intended to do just that. As she stepped out of the fireplace, she tried her best to keep quiet. Malfoy had been staying with his godfather watching over him. She did not wish to wake the moody blonde. Letting herself into Snape's bedroom still felt intrusive and wrong; the man fought to keep his life private and yet here she was in his living quarters. The shades were drawn as usual, but opened easily to allow the rising sun to stream in through the window.
The Potion Master still looked so pale, pale even for him. His neck was healed, but horribly scarred. Doubts were creeping into her mind. Perhaps he would never wake, perhaps her anti-venom did not work properly...she had been in such a rush. Yet, his chest still rose and fell with each even, smooth breath. She had not failed; Snape still lived, even if both Harry and Voldemort did not. A sob escaped her chest and tears threatened to fall once again. There had been so much death. She refused to allow any more. Taking a few deep calming breaths, she managed to compose herself.
Crossing the room to his bedside,she gazed down at her professor. Brushing his hair from his face, she felt no elevated temperature. A quick check with her wand confirmed that there were no signs of anything being wrong with the man. His magic was strong and stable, breathing and heart rates were normal. He appeared to be perfect health, except he did not wake.
What could she do? With an unceremonious huff, Hermoine plopped into a chair and scowled at her professor. It had been three days. Three days with no change. He had not responded to any stimuli; few believed he would ever recover.
"Please wake up."
It seemed like an overly simple thing to say, but she couldn't seem to find any other words.
"Water."
The word was so softly spoken, she almost didn't hear him.
"MALFOY!"
She rushed to Snape's bedside offering him the drink he requested. A very disheveled blonde head poked in the door, but his sneer immediately faded into a genuine smile at the sight before him. His godfather was awake.
"leave." The comment was clearly directed at Hermoine. While she was not surprised by Snape's cold nature, it still hurt. She was the very reason he was alive, but she did as she was told. Draco took the chair she had been in and pulled it even closer to the bed. Neither if the men were known for being particularly affectionate, but Draco did not even hesitate before hugging his mentor.
"Tell me." Snape managed to mutter after a few moments of silence. Draco hesitated not sure of where to even begin. "It has been three days since you were bitten, but it is all over now." Draco told him of Harry and Voldemort's confrontation, of their deaths, of how Hermoine saved his life. Draco told him everything.
Lightly, his fingertips grazed over the puffy scar tissue. He had underestimated her power, her healing abilities, even her brewing skill. He could not help feeling even more sullen than usual, perhaps because he himself did not discover the remedy.
