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Chapter 3: Unconscious
"Damn," hissed Snape as he burst into the baths, he should have known that the idiot would try something like this instead of just asking for help.
The air smelled like blood, and the water of the deep bath was stained crimson. In the centre, at the bottom, lay a still, dark form.
Snape dove in, grabbing the boy by the hair and dragging him out. A few charms later, and he was sprinting to the Hospital Wing, clutching his dying and possibly dead godson in his arms and, for the first time in many years, praying to any higher power who was listening to preserve the life he held so carefully.
As he burst in, the Headmaster looked up from where he sat beside Ginny's bed. "Severus, what--" he questioned anxiously.
"You know why, Dumbledore, you know exactly why," hissed the pale and dripping Potions Master, "He tried to kill himself when he saw how much worse the Dark Lord could make things."
Madam Pomfrey shrieked as she saw Draco's limp form. He had been safe and sound only an hour earlier, and now he lay, hovering between life and death. She grabbed the boy from his arms and laid him on the bed beside the one where Ginny lay, still whimpering pitifully in her sleep.
She began Healing his wounds, but they resisted her charms, having been cut magically. "Stupid boy," she said sadly, "Stupid, stupid boy. Why couldn't he just be unimaginative and dull and use a normal blade?"
Severus, who was sitting, ashen, by Draco's bed, replied quietly, "Because he's never seen non-magical injuries. He learned this from his father."
Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened at that and bent more furiously over the boy. At long last, she wrapped his wounds and began pouring potions down his throat.
"Here, Severus," she said, "Take this Pepper-up for yourself - you look like hell. Then keep spooning the Blood Replenishing Potion into him. He'll need the rest of the bottle and then another one, and then another bottle of Skin Mending Potion - I couldn't get enough into him before. After that I'll check in on him again."
"Pomona," said Snape quietly, "Will he live?"
She pursed her lips and looked at him gravely. "He should pull through, but it's to early to be certain. He died as I laid him down, Severus, and it took everything I had to pull him back. Even if he does survive, his mind may be damaged, and he's likely to try this again as soon as you let him out of your sight. I would suggest that he went home to be cared for by his parents, but as I suspect that his father was behind this, I am at a loss."
Snape nodded silently and took the potions. Madam Pomfrey went over to Dumbledore, bent over Ginny. As he spooned the potion into his godson, he listened to the quiet conversation they were having about the young woman so much like the redhead he loved. He feared as much for the Weasley girl as for Draco, and his heart felt as if it would explode with worry. Snape was afraid, and for a man who survived on a mask of malice and a deep love for a dead woman, this emotion pained him more than he could have expected.
"Albus, I thought that she was past all that," said Madam Pomfrey in a hushed voice.
"It seems not. Mr. Potter spoke to me about a certain event which he feared may have brought the memories back, but both he and her brother felt that she had recovered from this incident."
"What happened, Albus."
The headmaster coughed delicately and whispered something in her ear. The matron scowled. "I had a better opinion of him than that."
"Pomona, he is a sixteen-year-old boy and Miss Weasley is a very attractive young woman who was consenting. Neither of them could have known the consequences, and I assure you that he is extraordinarily remorseful and has been given her forgiveness."
Snape frowned. What the hell had Potter done to her? Certainly even Dumbledore wouldn't be so forgiving if he had raped her, but that was certainly what it sounded like.
The matron pursed her lips and sighed. "I suppose that's up to your discretion, Albus. But I have no idea what to do for her. When I examined her, I found that she is quite undernourished - it seems as if she hasn't been eating at all. And the way she keeps whispering 'Tom'... She may be mad, Albus, and if she is, I don't know how to help her."
Dumbledore drew his wand and murmured a spell. He furrowed his brows for a moment, and then heaved a sigh in relief. "Her mind is still functioning. It seems, however, that she is extremely traumatized. She was upset when Mr. Malfoy found her, but after he touched her, she was lost in hallucinations. I believe that if we let her recover from this incident, she will be able to tell us exactly the problem. We shall have to work from there."
"So what do you propose?"
"We must keep the Malfoy boy here for a few days at least, and I think that we ought to leave Miss Weasley where she is for now. In time, one or both may need to be transferred to St. Mungo's, and Ginevra may need to go home to recover, but for now, we shall leave them be."
"Albus if anyone else gets seriously hurt, I won't be able to help all of them."
"Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley shouldn't need too much care, only rest and supervision, but if you need any assistance, I will make sure that St. Mungo's keeps someone on hand to help you."
She nodded, "All right, Albus. I'll keep them here until we see how bad the situation is. Now if you don't mind, I need to go see to Mr. Malfoy, and perhaps you should put Severus to bed. I'll give you a potion for him to take."
"Of course, Pomona. Be sure to get some sleep. I'll inform Miss Weasley's family in the morning, but I will ask them to refrain from coming to visit her until we better understand the situation."
The Headmaster all but dragged Snape out of the Hospital Wing, and after Madam Pomfrey finished treating Draco, she set the appropriate charms which would wake her in an emergency and went to bed.
