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The Water of Life: Chapter 1
Severus Snape bowed deeply and sincerely to the thin man seated in front of him, Takashi Hagino, who inclined his head respectfully. "I wish there were more we could do to help you, old friend," he steepled his fingers in front of him with a sigh. "Unfortunately, my hands are tied." His clipped Japanese accent was formal, but Severus knew the apologies were genuine.
"Not to worry, Hagino," he held the nondescript vial in front of his glittering eyes. "With this at our disposal, I believe you will have done more than enough." The English wizard bowed again; rather than returning the gesture, the other man simply pulled his lips and brow into tight lines.
"I only give it to you because I trust you implicitly. You will use it wisely, and will not allow it to fall into the wrong hands. I must admit, however… I still wish for you to reconsider other options. This cannot be all you have left…"
Severus gazed unblinkingly for a moment, "I assure you. I have pursued every possible avenue before this. As no magical domain beyond our own is willing to lend us their strength, we have been given no choice but to explore ways in which we can… improve our existing assets." He let the implied meaning sink in before continuing, "Nevertheless, this will only be used in a last resort situation, and only by our most specialized, self-possessed soldiers."
"You have my confidence, friend. Please, remember what I said about the madness that potion can cause…" he shook his head slowly, despondently, before eyeing the flask. "Perhaps you, at least, may be capable of procuring an antidote where I have failed."
A curtain of hair hid his face as the former Potions Professor bowed deeply once more. "I thank you again, Hagino. I hope we can meet again soon." With a flourish of his billowing cloak, he was gone.
Hermione brushed her bangs behind her ear with one hand, while gently guiding her wand along the wound marring Theo's bare thigh, muttering an incantation under her breath in fierce concentration. The skin slowly wove its way back together under a dim white glow. When the thin scar of flesh was all that could be seen, she finally removed her wand and spoke, "There. That should speed up the recovery process." When he made to move from his position on the bed, she laid her hand on his shoulder to still him, "It's not completely healed just yet, though."
He groaned in frustration, but said nothing, instead leaning back against the pillows on the makeshift hospital bed and shifting the blanket over his lap to make himself more comfortable, already predicting what her next words would be.
She took the opportunity to eye the door warily, as though hoping someone would walk through at any moment; eventually she turned back to her colleague, "Although I've closed the skin and taken care of the worst of it, your tendons are still weak. We need Snape's potion stores to finish the mending. Any weight on your leg right now will cause them to tear again. Understood?"
At first, he merely glowered in response and crossed his arms. He knew there would be no point in trying to argue against her. When she made to exit the room, he finally shouted after her, "You guys better not go on any bloody raids before I'm healed. Understood?" He mocked her earlier tone, not even understanding exactly why he felt so angry at her specifically.
As the door clicked shut, he deflated, his brain registering just how tired she had looked as she'd closed the door. Hell, they were all tired. So damn tired.
Blaise and Draco appeared suddenly in the middle of the living room, just as Ron was claiming victory over Terry in a round of Wizards' Chess. The jovial, easy atmosphere quickly dissipated as everyone took in the sight of Severus Snape hanging limply between them, his arms thrown haphazardly over each of their shoulders.
Ernie swore. Terry knocked over the chess table in his haste to help, Anthony and Harry had already sprung up from their seats and were moving to relieve the former Slytherins of their burden. Krum was working to Transfigure the couch into a makeshift hospital bed, while Hermione was already running her wand over the three for diagnostic scans. Draco and Blaise were still panting lightly as the witch coaxed them gently into chairs.
Ernie kept his wand trained on Theo, ready to stabilize the slightly larger man in case he lost his balance while testing his leg once again. He had been placed in charge of overseeing Nott's rehabilitation, as he was the second most knowledgeable in Healing magic. It had been a few weeks since Theodore Nott had received the injury, and recovery was slow-going despite the steady supply of potions their former professor was concocting.
Draco and Blaise had been largely unscathed in the ambush that occurred when they were escorting an exhausted Severus Snape, who had just Apparated back to Britain from an unknown international location, back to the Hollow. Rather than physical injuries, their pride had taken the brunt of the damage for not having been able to better protect their former Head of House. To reduce his exposure to their guilt-ridden faces, he had sent them to gather ingredients for more potions.
The older wizard in question had healed, from all outward appearances, but the curse with which he'd been hit was still wreaking havoc on his mind; it flowed within him, dampening his magical current to about ¼ its normal strength. His mood soured even more terrifically than normal as he was relegated to nothing more than potions-brewing.
Anthony and Terry had set themselves to researching, such a task being the forte of the former Ravenclaws, in an attempt to find the curse, its origins, and a way to reverse it. Harry and Lupin were travelling on reconnaissance duty, hoping to find traces of the spell caster so they could capture and bring the witch or wizard in for interrogation. Ron had been tasked with preparing dinner, having learned much from his mother once the war got underway, while Hermione made her way to Snape's lab in order to discuss their options.
He barely glanced in her direction, instead concentrating as he stirred the potion in front of him, when she entered the room. "Miss Granger, make no mistake. I am well aware of the research you have tasked to those flobberworms. It is for naught, as I have previously told you. Why you insist on being infuriatingly dense—" she cut him off with a glare. The man had long before decided to respect his former students after seeing how hard they had been fighting, the lengths they had gone to protect their community, and the maturity they had now exuded for quite some time. That didn't stop him from needing a reminder to show that respect from time to time.
He sighed and lowered his gaze to the cauldron simmering between them, glowering at the dark liquid, "I know what this is." The solution slowly began to shimmer a sparkling green, the glow casting his face into eerie shadow.
The younger witch blanched more at the tone of his statement than his expression, "What is it then?" She couldn't help herself from hesitantly leaning forward in expectation; although apprehension squeezed at her chest due to the sudden ominous tenor of his demeanor, she couldn't restrain the part of her that always grew eager at the prospect of learning something new. He motioned for her to sit, although the irritation on his face lingered.
"As I'm sure you've already deduced, this is an ancient, dark curse." He continued as she nodded her affirmation, "It was used primarily on Muggleborns and criminals in the dark ages, as a means of control. There has only been one case of its use recorded since that time… Grindelwald."
Hermione hissed through her teeth, "Am I right in assuming then, Professor, that there is no known way to reverse the effects?"
"Insufferable as always, Miss Granger," Snape lips curled into an almost imperceptible wry smile as he regarded her.
She grinned in response, amused at how the wizard now meant words previously used for insults as terms of endearment. Working together as closely as they had for many years now had not only convinced the hook-nosed man to see his former students in a different light, but the younger members of the Corps had been allowed to see his true nature as well. Hermione would even dare to guess there was not only mutual respect, but care, passed between him and even the Golden Trio now.
Because of that, her smile fell immediately when she realized the implications of his confirmation. "We won't give up yet, Professor. Every spare moment will be spent researching; I've got our best minds—" she stopped abruptly at the look in his eyes when they snapped up to meet her own. Something akin to fury swirled in their dark depths, and she found it difficult not to shy away.
"Has it not crossed your mind that perhaps the spell was not designed to be reversible, you insolent girl?" his ire rang out, though his voice was barely above a whisper.
In her school days, Hermione would have taken the bait, but she refused to react to his attempted provocation. She had finally learned that such was simply the sullen man's way of letting off steam, or hiding his personal insecurities – by insulting another or proving his intellectual superiority – but she knew they were equals now.
"I certainly have considered that possibility, Severus," she dropped the title which she normally opted for using out of habit, looking to remind him of their stations. "However, we are searching for options beyond the realm of reversal as well. We have considered multiple angles, and are focusing primarily on the two best options theoretically. Something like a siphoning spell which can locate your magic where it's being held and redirect it around the barrier, or even a potion which can be used to compromise the integrity of the barrier itself."
At her second suggestion, his eyes flicked to a vial on his shelf too quickly for her to catch the target; his lips drew into a thin line. In a flash, however, his expression was impassive once again, "Then I'll leave you to it."
Hermione had learned to recognize a dismissal, and knew that there would be no further discussion on the matter at this juncture. Reluctantly, she acquiesced, though she resolved to pursue the subject again at a later time.
A brown curtain of hair hung around Hermione's face as she leaned over Theo's leg, poring over her newest diagnostic spells and recording the results on a chart. After a tense moment, she turned to him with a smile, slowly straightening her spine to work out the kinks her hunch position had caused, "You're all healed. There are no more signs of any injury internally, with only this tiny scar left on your skin to show it ever happened at all."
He let out a shaky breath as she tapped the scar in question with her forefinger before moving to step away. She was stopped when Nott's hand whipped out and gently grasped her elbow, causing her to turn to him once more. He kept his eyes firmly on where his hand lay, "Well, I just…er…that is…" It was when his eyes met hers that she realized his cheeks were tinged light pink, "I just wanted to thank you for, you know…healing me…and all you do, for the Corps." He dropped her elbow lightning quick and turned to pull his trousers back over the previously injured area.
The witch tried not to show her surprise; it was the first time one of the former Slytherins had thanked her even though there was no longer any animosity between them. She felt her own cheeks warm at the show at gratitude and flashed him a bright smile, "It's no problem, Theo. I'm just happy I could help. I don't know what we'd do without you." In an effort to dispel the slight awkwardness before leaving the room, she quickly added, "Just don't let it happen again."
Author's Note: First off, sorry for the terrible delay! I had written this and planned to upload it only a few days after the prologue, but then my days got busier. Busy days turned to busy weeks, and weeks turned to months...
So, I'm trying a new writing style with this. Kind of a snippets sort of progression instead of just a straight, never-ending narrative. Please let me know your opinion on the matter?
Also, for those who have watched or played Hakuouki, from which I got the basic idea for this story, I will let you know that each of the Corps has a Shinsengumi counterpart. Who do you think is whom? I'm curious to know how obvious I've made it thus far.
What are your thoughts on the story altogether? As usual, I can't promise incredibly frequent updates, but I will do my best to return to this whenever I get the opportunity. Thanks as always for your patience, and most of all for reading!