Disclaimer: Not mine

I Need to Breathe

Chapter 2

The Darkest Comes Before the Dawn

Hermione skirted around Whomping Willow, not trusting that it would allow her in without taking a swipe at her. She frowned, and lifted her chin, as if a show of bravery would be enough to intimidate the tree into not accosting her. Scanning the grounds as she ran, moving her wand from side to side, she finally sunk to her knees and crawled into the hole where she and Harry had left him.

Her nose wrinkled as the coppery smell of blood and loosened bowels assailed her. Gagging behind her hand, she waited until she could breathe through her nose, clamping her mouth shut against the stench that had become so strong she could taste it in the air. Lowering her hand back to the damp ground, she continued moving until she was at last back to where they had left the dead potions Master.

Now that she had enough room to move her wand, she hastily cleaned the air and fell back onto her knees beside her teacher. He would be horrified to know that in the throes of death he had fouled himself. She felt her mouth try to turn down and her lower lip begin to tremble as she pointed her wand at his trousers and hoped she could clean him enough to lend him some dignity.

Closing her eyes, she let her chin fall to her chest and began to sob. So many were lost tonight, so many she would never see again. I need to do this, she thought as she opened her eyes, lifted her head, and looked at the prone body in front of her. She tentatively looked at his chest, and saw his gently curled fingers. Without thinking, her hand automatically turned his over, exposing the callused pads on his fingers and the scars on his palms.

Hermione gasped as an epiphany washed over her. She snapped her eyes to his face and in a breathless rush called to him. Placing her hand on his face she turned his head slowly towards her, brought her wand up with her other, and whispered Lumos in an awed voice. My gods, she thought, my gods, his hand is warm. Supple and warm.

She jumped up and stepped back, as if he had scalded her with the touch of his skin. It was impossible, impossible to have had survived what he had been through tonight. Pressing her back to the wall, she took deep breaths, needing to calm herself before she could approach him again. They had not checked to see if he still breathed, to see if there had been hope, so sure that no one could have survived.

Waiting until the sound of her own heartbeat no longer pounded in her ears, she held her wand in front of her and inched closer. She froze seeing his eyes open and look directly at her. His lips moved and his outstretched hand reflexively clenched, his fingers curling into a fist, or the ghost of a grip around a wand. A sound, not unlike the hiss of a snake was the only thing she heard as she crept closer, not sure if it was an attempt to talk or his breath leaving his lungs. She lowered her eyes to stare at his mouth, willing herself to read his lips and understand what he wanted without going closer. He should be dead, she thought, we left him because he should be dead.

She lowered down onto one knee, leaning back, as if he would reach out and grab her. Still with her eyes fixed on his mouth, she took a deep breath and leaned forward, for a moment forgetting her fear in her need to hear him. Lowering her head, she stared at him, willing to hear his voice.

Hermione shook her head, as again the only sound she heard was a hiss of air. Laying her wand down, she braced herself on the floor with her hands, turning her head and putting her ear to his mouth.

"Finish it."

"No!" She sprung back and sat on her heels, horrified that he would ask. "I can't do that Professor, I can't."

He closed his eyes and she thought she heard a sigh as he fell back unconscious. Looking past the gouges that raked down his face, she suddenly seemed to wake up and know that he needed medical care, and he needed it now. This was not the time for self-recriminations.

"Lumos," she said firmly, and put her wand in the air, to levitate over his neck, shining a bead of light into his wounds. She took a deep breath, grabbed hold of his ripped collar and pulled it down.

She expected to see a mass of ragged edges and a gaping wound, but what she saw was a wound, nearly healed. She pulled the wand down lower and studied the dressing. Sitting back on her heels she looked at the floor around him and wondered how he had managed to bring anything with him, and wondered how he could have done this, when he had been in no condition to treat himself. She knew he had been as close to death as he could have been.

Standing up, she took her wand and searched the room, looking for any hint of medical supplies that could have been hidden before the battle. Then looking back at his prone body she chewed her lip and considered her next step. She couldn't take him to St. Mungo's. She was sure a Death Eater would go untreated, and to take him to the castle would be the same as signing his death warrant. The place was still crawling with Aurors and parents that would finish off what Nagini had started not asking questions or caring.

"Professor," she whispered, falling to her knees next to him. "Don't worry, I'll think of something."

She pulled up the hem of her uniform, ripped a small piece of fabric, and transfiguring it into a blanket she covered him. Considering making him a pillow, she looked at the wound, and decided not to move his head until the healing was more complete. Thin threads of white tissue were the only thing holding the wound closed. She would wait until he was more stable, until the Aurors had left, or until she could think of something else to do.

On the path back to the castle, Hermione saw Aurors searching the grounds and coming closer to the Whomping Willow. She began to run. If they found him, she knew he would not live long enough to go to trial. It would be a feather in the cap of any Auror that could bring down Severus Snape. She needed help.

She couldn't find Harry, knowing that he would either be in the Headmaster's office or at the Ministry answering questions, or being hidden away until the grounds were cleared, she scanned the Great Hall for someone else that may be able to help her. Her lip curled up as she saw the small Malfoy family sitting together. She fought an urge to pull her wand and hex them all.

Looking beyond them, she saw not who was here, but who was missing and fought back a sob. That is when she realized how quiet it was, how quiet the sound of crying could be. Gut retching sounds came from the families that gathered around the long tables that held the bodies. An occasional wail of anguish could be heard when a mother found a child's body, curses moaned in a father's grief filled the room, joined by the sobs of students and staff alike.

"Grams wants to know if you'll come home with us," Neville's voice came from behind her. "She knows you don't have anywhere to go. You know, with your parents and all."

"What?" She fought to concentrate on what he was saying and tear her mind away from the horror in front of her. "I … I hadn't thought it, I mean… I don't know … are they sending everyone home?"

"Those that still have someone at home should go. Some are staying because …" He swallowed hard and blinked back his own tears. "Katie just found out she's alone. Her parents are both gone."

"I guess I'll stay here then." She wanted to hug him, but knew if she did, she would fall apart.

"I have to do something first," he took her elbow and pulled her back to the wall. "It's about him, Snape."

"You? It was you that tried to heal him? My god, Neville, he made it, he's alive."

"I … it was Nagini, I saw … it was like I saw what happened. I think the sword did it. I've been thinking that it's like Fawkes. It … he was loyal to the Headmaster and I think the sword somehow knew that too and showed me where he was. This past year I thought he was with the Carrows, everyone did, but … I don't know, Hermione, what I felt and saw when the sword was in Nagini ... I saw it because he was loyal. I just had the feeling that he loved the Headmaster as much … more than we did." Neville shrugged and looked around nervously.

"He's alive, whatever you did worked." She laid her hand on his arm and looked up to him tearfully. "But he is weak. He's going to die if something more isn't done."

"The leeching moss should be changed, and he needs a Blood-Replenishing potion."

"You happened to have leeching moss? What? You just happened to have it in your pocket?"

"Yeah, well … I thought if I got hit with a Sectumsempra I could pack the wound against infection." He swallowed hard. "I used it on Snape with some of Nagini's blood. I thought it might draw out the poison if I could get it started. You know, sort of tell the moss what to suck out, get it started, I think Muggles say osmosis…something like that."

"I don't know if it's working like that, but the wound is closing. Neville, we have to get him out of there before they find him or he tries to move."

"He can't."

"Why? Is … you gave him the potion? The one for pain? My gods, Neville, you gave him the whole thing?"

"Yeah, well … I didn't think he should move around."

Hermione snorted. "Move? He's lucky he is breathing."

"He was bad off, Hermione. If he tried to move before his throat healed he would bleed to death."

"What now? We have to find somewhere to hide him."

"Tell Madam Pomfrey, let her take care of him." Neville searched the room looking for the mediwitch.

"She won't leave here, not until the students are all taken care of and by that time it may be too late." Hermione frowned. "She doesn't know about him yet, she may not be willing to help. She may still think he is… you know."

"I don't know, Hermione. Look around. No one is going to think to look for him for a while, maybe we can get him out."

"The Aurors are almost to the Willow. If they find the burrow hole they'll find him, and you know as well as I do that they will say he was already dead when they found him."

Neville looked at his grandmother who stood with her arm around Molly Weasley. "Give me a minute."

"Oh, Neville, no! Not after what she has gone through!"

"You don't know her very well." He grinned sheepishly. "Sometimes … Okay, most of the time she is scary, but she's mad at them all. Not just the Death Eaters, but … well, the Order too. She never understood why Dumbledore let it go on so long, and why she was never asked to help, add that to the fact that she blames the Aurors for not getting to Mum and Dad in time to help and she is exactly what we need."

"But, Neville, she… well, she's…"

"She's not as old as Dumbledore was, if that's what you're trying not to say," he said, frowning.

"Then you ask her. In the meantime I'm heading up to the infirmary and stealing whatever we need."