Chapter 4: The Dark Mark

Summary: Severus notices a change.

Severus came to it slowly. It felt as if he was under the water, trying to raise to the surface. He could make out the smell of potions and he felt warm and cozy. When he managed to open his eyes, his vision was bleary and it took a few minutes for everything to become clear.

"Infirmary." he whispered to himself. Why was he here? Was he sick? He had been sick, he knew. He had felt better for a couple of days after drinking his potion but then the symptoms had returned. He hadn't taken the potion again, afraid of an overdose. The potion may not have been working correctly but some of the ingredients were dangerous when consumed in large doses. And then … his left forearm had started to burn.

Severus grabbed his arm, even though it didn't hurt anymore. Potter and Lupin had been in his office and for a moment he had felt like the mark was ripping his flesh. Frowning, Severus lifted the sleeve of his pajama to check if his arm was still intact.

Everything seemed to be in order, except he couldn't see the mark. He brought his forearm closer to his eyes and inspected it carefully. The faint outline that showed where the mark once had stood was no longer there. His skin was pale and smooth and the weight of the magic that had been there since he was eighteen was gone.

Severus dropped his arm when he heard footsteps approaching. He glanced at the door and realized he was in a private room. Madam Pomfrey stepped through the door a second later. She stopped in her tracks as her eyes fell on him and blinked before her features softened and a small smile appeared on her lips. "Look who's finally up!" she said brightly and came closer, running her wand over him.

"How long?" asked Severus, his voice raspy.

"This would be the fourth day."

Severus frowned, counting the days in his head. "It's Tuesday?"

"Yes. The other Professors had been covering your classes, mostly Charity."

"What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Poppy asked him, her tone turning professional.

"I … I remember it was Hogsmeade weekend and then … there was Potter and Lupin. I called him, I think." said Severus, getting frustrated.

"It's alright. That's normal." Poppy assured him. "From what Remus said, you had seen Mr. Potter carrying Zonko's merchandise and were talking to him in your office to make sure he hadn't left the school and then you called Remus to help you resolve the situation."

Severus shook his head. It came back to him. It was just like Lupin to stretch the truth and cover up for Potter. "I think I fainted." he said uncertainly.

"You did. And then you had a seizure and another one the next day. I don't know what caused the episode but it seemed to have passed." explained Poppy. "How are you feeling, now?" she asked.

"I'm fine." answered Severus and he meant it. He was tired and weak, but there was no ache, nausea or headache. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. What did that mean? Could it be …

"You're far from fine, but with some rest you'll be back on your feet in no time."

"I don't want to stay in the infirmary." he said, panicking.

"Calm down, Severus. Stress isn't good for you. If you can be a good boy and do as I say for a couple of days, you can go to your own rooms. Now, how about some Porridge? You need to eat to get your strength back."

"Soup. I'd rather have soup." said Severus. He needed her away for more than a couple of minutes.

"Soup is fine. I'll order you a nice thick chicken soup." agreed Poppy, before turning to leave.

Severus sat still until she closed the door behind her and then reached under his pillow, hoping to find his wand. He relaxed a little as his fingers closed around the dark wood and summoned the clipboard sitting on the table by the door.

Severus scanned the parchment pinned to the clipboard and swore. The medication listed there were normal treatment for seizures. If Poppy hadn't given him anything to cure the symptoms of his potion withdrawal, it meant the symptoms had disappeared on their own and the cloaking potion was out of his system.

Severus took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves and come up with a plan. He had no idea what he would turn into, but he probably had a few days until the changes appeared. He needed to get out of here as soon as possible and if the changes started while he was still in the hospital, then he'd just have to use a glamour charm to hide it.

Feeling a little better, he waved his wand again to get the clipboard back where it had been and lied down but tensed again as remembered something. He ran his wand over his left forearm, the mark was truly gone. There was no trace of magic there anymore. The thing that had been taunting him all these years, the mark of the biggest mistake of his life had vanished.

It must have been the cloaking potion. He had started taking the potion when he was very young; before his magical core had become whole, years before he had taken the mark. Once the effects of the potion had started to wear off, the mark had gone with it. The magic in the mark had become entangled with the magic of the potion and once the effects of the cloaking potion had lifted, it had forced the mark to come off as well, and that's what had caused his seizures.

Severus jumped a little as Poppy opened the door once more and came in with a tray. She put the tray on the bedside table and sighed. "What did I tell you? If you want out of here, you have to behave." she scolded and pried the wand gently out of his hand. "Now, eat. You're skin and bones." she added and levitated the tray over the bed.

Severus picked up the spoon. She was right, no one was going to notice the absence of his mark but they were sure to notice if his appearance changed and he had to get better if he wanted to go through that in privet.