The man was a bear. A bear dressed in the bright green robes that marked Healers in St. Mungo's. His face and body were wide harsh and not something to be messed with. His hair was light blonde and wild and thick around his face. His eyes a bright sharp gray, mostly blue, that told all who met him that he was not one to be intimidated. His name was Healer Jay Gallagher, Head of St. Mugo's temporary spell damage unit. Besides him was Megan, the poor medi-witch that had first treated our couple, looking rather pale under her tan. Her hazel eyes darting from side to side like a trapped animal waiting for a kick from its unamused master.
Before the large bulk of Healer Gallagher and the frightened twitches of Megan sat, tied neatly to two chairs, Hermione Granger and Severus Snape. Both looking on the edge of murder. The great rumble of Healer Gallagher's voice made Megan jump.
"Since all the damage that came to the room and medical personal last time you two talked about your condition, we have decided that it was best that both of you where restrained and silence before we start." Hermione and Severus said nothing. Gallagher didn't expect them to, seeing as they were silenced. He went on as Megan made a small chocking noise from his left, most likely because of the dark looks that marked the two patients faces.
"Now due to the occurrence last May, both of you are having some lingering physical side effects. These may or may not worsen over time and there seems to be no other treatment then a short period of time within each others company: four hours once every two weeks. I am sure both of you can handle that with out too much trouble." Here the Healer raised his eye brows slightly before continuing on.
"You may have to increase the time but for now that is all that is needed. As for Miss. Turpin's past comments of a neurological connection," Megan squeaked slightly at the mention of her name. "There is some indications. However, you most certainly will not be able to read each other thoughts." Healer Gallagher shot a reprimanding look at Megan making her squeak again.
"As far as I, or anyone else, can tell the only side effect from that are the physical sickness. Perhaps you might catch some emotion or thought from the other person. Typically, if they are of a particularly strong in nature and if you are in physical contact with the other person. Now I am going to unsilence you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Miss. Turpin as I have other duties to attend to." Megan's eyes were wide in horror as she watched the older Healer walk from the room. Her eyes glazed over with the beginnings of tears as Megan turned back to the two in front of her.
:::
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Severus Snape stood in his private lab stirring a very volatile potion. The deep greenish blue a soothing balm on his soul. One last turn and...
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His grip on the handle on the stirring rod tightened his right hand shaking slightly with anger as he added the bumbleblade and lowered the heat. Next the...
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Stop." The low treating hiss of Severus' voice matched the soft crackle and bubble of the room around him. He reached the third clockwise turn before a slightly bemused voice answered; clear sweet and out of place in the low sounds of Severus' sanctuary.
"Stop what?" Severus could feel his temper flaring as his hands finished the tenth circle over the now purpleish red of the bubbling liquid.
"You know very well what." He could practically feel her exasperation and stifled amusement.
"I hope you know that just because you say I know something doesn't actually mean that I know it." Severus simply glared at Hermione's half smiling face and returned to his elixir. If she was going to be purposely obtuse there was nothing for it. The damn tapping started once more, the end of her quill hitting the edge of her desk in the rhythm of a long forgotten muggle song. The beat tickling some distant corner of Severus' mind. He had heard this song some where before. Severus' felt his irritation rising again and unsuccessfully tried to push it back down.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Severus' face snarled down at the glittering surface of his brew as if the poor liquid was what was causing all his troubles and not the woman the was lounging in a cramped desk chair just a few feet behind him. One month, fourteen hours and fifteen something minutes: That was the time it had been since his life long sentencing by Healer Gallagher. He was now doomed to spend part of his life with the woman that had forced him to live, or at least exist, in the world he had been trying to escape.
Severus almost paused when he realized that the sound of Miss. Granger's restlessness had stopped. He glanced slyly back at Hermione. Her gaze was intense and focused as if she was looking at a problem she could not quite find the answer to. Severus returned his eyes to his potion. He hated it when she looked at him like that because it usually meant that she would start talking and the one thing that Severus hated more then her infernal fidgeting, the double damned woman could never hold still, was when she talked.
Something about her voice, sweet, eloquent, the sound made a part of his psyche awake as it never had before. Severus' shifted his weight slightly at the thought. He didn't like the feeling. It was... uncomfortable. Hermione sighed and rustled in her chair. A clear sign that she wanted to say something but was still finding the right words before she voiced her thoughts. She clicked her tongue against her teeth and began to speak.
"Do you remember the day you woke from your coma?" Severus didn't look back at her when he spoke his voice almost too low to be heard.
"Yes."
"You told me that our lives are nothing but what we make of them. Do you remember that?" Severus didn't answer this time. Hermione bore on anyways.
"That day you told me that you thought that people were evil, because the only experiences you had where the ones that showed you evil. That day..." Here Hermione's voice broke slightly as she fought down tears.
"That day you said you thought I was... just as evil as any other person you had met. That I was villainous, monstrous, horrible. Why..." Again she choked.
"Why do you think that?"
"You ask this after all you have done?" Hermione answer was weak.
"Yes. I... I want to know." A hiss this time the kind that made many men and women draw back in fear.
"Yes. Yes. You always are so curious and so thickheaded." There was a slight pause as Severus cast a charm over his potion and turned to face her.
"Miss. Granger. Miss. Granger, Miss. Granger, Miss. Granger. You delved into my mind, without my permission, to pull me out of a coma that I did not want to be pulled out of and still you have the nerve, the stupidity, to ask me why I don't think you are as wholesome as you think you are."
"I was trying to help you!" The words made Severus' face curl in distaste.
"Have you ever heard the saying, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions?' What you did to me was closer to rape or assault then it was to any kind of help."
"I didn't mean..."
"It doesn't matter what you meant. It matters what you did and now not only you have to face the consequences of your actions." Severus turned back to his potion and began to work again.
"What if I could change your mind?" Severus snorted.
"About what, Miss. Granger?"
"About my actions. About people. You said that the world is what we make of it." Severus half turned to look solidly at Hermione.
"No, Miss. Granger. You have done enough, I do not need to be fixed. Just leave me alone."
"No." Seveurs' snarled at the word.
"No?"
"No."
"And why the hell not?"
"I hurt you. I may not of meant to, but I did. I can't just leave that as it is. I may not be able to go back and stop myself from waking you but I can try to make what I did right. If not in your mind then at least in mine." Severus' smile was bitter and his voice biting.
"And what if you just make things worse? What then, Miss. Granger?"
"I don't know. I can only do my best to make sure that something like that doesn't happen."
"Ah yes, your best. That is so reassuring. Knowing that you will be doing your best to, again, ignore what I desire."
Hermione didn't reply. She just turned her eyes back to the page before her. Severus stood a moment looking at her before he too returned his full attention to the hissing cauldron in front of him. A few minutes later the room again was filled the the sound of a blue feathered quill hitting the side of a worn desk.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
:::
In our freckle little tale we must now focus on other major characters in our plot and that is why we find ourselves outside the Potter residence on a fine day in late January. A bright morning with a crisp sweet wind blowing from the east and a peek of sunshine that would warm your cheeks if you gave it a chance.
Now you may think that the character that was referred, would be Mr. Potter or even his new live in girlfriend Miss. Ginny Weasley that, however, that is not the case. No, we cast our scene in a different area of the house. To be specific, the downstairs kitchen, where two house elves could be found arguing over a hot pot of stew that was meant to be that night's dinner.
"You's over salted the soup." Kreacher insult was clear as day to the pretty young house elf that stood besides him as with a quick flick of her finger she whacked him in the back of his head with the wooden spoon that sat beside him.
"You's won't talk to Dollie like that! Oh noes you won't! Missys told me that I's should break you's of that habit." Kreacher just glared at Dollie and her large blue eyes.
"Missys' bad blood. Good elves don't listen to her, even Hogwart's ones know better." Again the spoon struck the back of Kreacher's skull. Kreacher snarled before turning to cut a innocent looking turnip. The sorry thing didn't stand a chance.
"You's don't talk about Missys like that! She's done more for me then any of your's." Kreacher gave a nasty half smile.
"That's because you's and she's got more in common then a two peas in a pod." Dollie beamed before Kreacher spoke his next few words.
"Not a lick of sense between the two of you's." Dollie gritted her teeth as she cast a sharp eye towards a copper frying pan. Kreacher quickly changed the subject.
"What's you doing heres anyway? Missys doesn't send yous most nights." Tears welled up in Dollies eyes making Kreacher fidget and look away.
"Somethings been wrong with Missys! For months and months. She gets hurt whens I's away, passes out on the floor and never ever is she the same, always always sad, never never home. Even before she is hurt at the job. Missys is not right and there is nothings I's can do!" The shrill crying sent Kreacher into a panic his eyes twice the size as he tried to do something, anything, to get Dollie to stop.
"Missys will be fine. Shes always is." Dollie just sobbed louder at the words.
"Nots this time! Not this time!" Kreacher shifted nervously before awkwardly sliding his arm around the distress elf.
"Don'ts worry. We'll help her. We'll fix her. That what good elves do." Dollie's tears slowed but didn't stop. Kreacher gave her a rather ghastly smile one the Dollie returned tearfully. An hour later the stew was simmering happily and unknown to anyone else, two rather devilish house elves were hatching a plot.
:::
At nightfall of the same day we find ourselves in the upper compartments of the Potter home. In the sitting room were Miss. Weasley and Mr. Potter sat having a light tea after a rather heavy dinner. The fire in the room the only source of light, making a silhouette of Harry's bent frame. His head in his hands. His glasses on the table by an untouched cup of tea. Ginny stood in the doorway of the room a worried look upon her face. Her own tea cupped in her hand and just as full as Harry's.
"Harry?" He looked up and gave a grim smile.
"I am alright, Gin. Just worried."
"You're always worried Harry. It's one of the things I like best about you," and almost in an after tone, "and one of the things I hate most too." Harry smiled happily at the last part and patted the cushion beside him.
"Don't loom in the dark, love, I might mistake you for Snape." Ginny half grinned and snuggled herself down into Harry's side.
"So who is worrying you this time? Ron?"
"No, Hermione. Ever since the break up between the two both have been..." Harry searched for a word, "off. I thought that Ron was the most broken up about it but now. I don't know Gin. She tried to kill herself last May. Maybe if I had been there for her more she wouldn't have done it." Tears filled his eyes as he looked down on Ginny. Ginny just looked up at him her face serious.
"Harry I highly doubt you could have stopped her. She's been torn up about Snape since the day they found him alive in the that dirty old house. Maybe Ron was just the push she needed to do something about it. You know her, crazy as a bat and brilliant for it. If you where there she would most likely have stunned you and gone in anyway." Harry's amused look was stained with tears.
"I know Gin. It's just she spend more time with Snape then she does us now."
"I think it's her way of healing, Harry. She never did quite move past what happened in the war. Never let it heal at all. I think it was because of him. It ripped open her heart everyday at work. What she needs now is space." Harry kiss her his eyes bright green in the dim light of the dark room.
"I don't know what I would do with our you, Gin. I love you." A smile from Harry's love and another sweet kiss passed between them.
"I love you too, Harry."
A short space away two magical beings departed from the kitchen to start their self assigned mission.
:::
A/N : Thank you all so much for all the wonderful reviews! I am sorry it took so long for me to update. I just got a new job and it took a few days to adjust! Please, please, please tell me what you think of this chapter! It really means a lot to me to hear from you guys! You all are my muse! :)
Happy days!
