Chapter 8

"Severus are you well?" Dumbledore's voice was soft and concerned as I woke in the hospital wing – I didn't recall apparating to Hogwarts.

"I ache, headmaster," seemingly the dark lord's curse had taken more out of me than I realised.

"To right you ache, Severus; what in the name of god possessed you into going there alone when it was clearly a trap," came the rather harsh reality tones of Poppy Pomfrey.

"I was protecting Potter from making any stupid mistakes," I tried to suggest that this was a bad thing. Which it wasn't.

"Come now child, you say that as if it's a bad thing," Albus again, couldn't the man deal with Fudge. The minister had seen the dark lord himself, there was no reason for him to distrust the headmaster. "Severus, the minister wants a word; there's nothing I can do about it," but please, please be polite was left unspoken but never the less heard.

"I shall try, Professor," the kind sparkle in the headmaster's eyes turned to surprise; I hadn't called him professor in years. Before anything else could be said, the minister forced both doors open with a large boom as each hit the walls to which they were hinged.

"Ah, Severus Snape," he always said my name with a certain amount of distain, "how long have you been spying for the headmaster?"

"Minister, you should allow my patient his rest; of which he clearly needs," this being directed both at Fudge and myself.

"Madame Pomfrey, allow the minister his question, then I shall rest," she sighed and returned to her office. Leaving Dumbledore and Fudge glaring at each other, and as always Fudge backed down first.

"Nearly twenty years, minister," his eyebrows raised – in disbelief no doubt.

"Very well," he continued to bombard me with questions, none of which I considered important until "Your patronus was a doe, what's its significance?" I stared at him for a few minutes, the headmaster tried to direct him away from this line of enquiries but Fudge ignored him.

"The significance of the patronus is very personal, minister; and I'd prefer to keep it as such," seemingly he didn't believe me.

"Allow me to guess then, the first you killed?" I shook my head, we'd be here all night if he kept going down this path, "fine tortured?" again I shook my head, "no, what about loved?" I glared at him as my head nodded of its own free will. "Well, who was she?" I didn't get a chance to answer as Dumbledore silenced me whilst saying,

"Minister, that's enough; he's tired let him sleep," Indeed I was tired – too tired to care.

"Dumbledore, this is a ministry matter and you're not legally headmaster; Dolores is," I snorted as I rolled over, clearly a symbol that the conversation was as its end. Pomfrey had clearly seen my movements and arrived to shoo both Albus and Fudge from her ward. As the doors shut I drifted into sleep.