Chapter Three: The Promise
"Albus! What on earth are you doing?"
Minerva. He sighed. "Trying to save Severus."
"With that?" The Headmaster glanced around his office and tried to envision it as she would. Severus was asleep in his white hospital bed in the center of the room; all the furniture had been cleared away. The contraptions he had set up to assist with the spell constituted a sophisticated and highly complex experimental apparatus—but Minerva likely saw it as little more than a convoluted jumble of silver and glass. It was the first time she had seen his "office toys" in use for anything but play, and from the look on her face, she was quite unnerved by his intended use of them. "Albus…what are you doing?" she asked again, the marked gravity and concern in her voice unmistakable.
His face tightened. "Saving Severus," he said determinedly.
Minerva paused. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked quietly.
Albus hesitated and looked away. "I didn't think that you wanted to hear," he replied, his voice equally soft. He looked up at her, pained and instantly apologetic, but his words had struck home and he winced as Minerva flinched visibly.
It had been hard for her, very hard, to hear about their numerous failures to bring Severus back. When she could no longer bear to ask the doctors herself, Albus brought her news of the latest developments—or lack thereof—in Severus's progress. Eventually, exhausted and unwilling to see the same look of shattered hope on Minerva's face again, Albus had ceased to inform her of their latest attempts unless real progress had been made. She could live with the knowledge that they were trying. She did not need to know how often they had failed. In the still silence of the room, Albus swore that this time, things would be different.
"Tell me."
A/N: Much thanks again to everyone who reviewed--I'm sorry that even these really short chapters have been taking so long to get out.
Reviews (and reviewers) are adored! ;-)
