My apologies that this is so short after so long of a wait. I know where this is going to end up but have lost the thread of how to get there. It is slowly returning to me. Thank you for your continued interest.
Healer Collingsworth did a thorough exam of House's leg. "Well, there has been a bit of damage done. I'm going to give you a series of potions to take after a treatment here this morning. Some of the tendons and the muscle have many micro tears and the knee joint has been strained to the point of separation. Madam Pomfrey replaced it well but more treatment is needed and you'll need to be especially careful with it. I'd suggest you use crutches for a couple of weeks to take some strain off of it, even with the brace on."
"Great," House grimaced, rubbing his knee and thigh. "It's been feeling better too."
"Be gentle with it and it may go back to feeling better," Collingsworth admonished him lightly. "Whatever potion Headmaster Snape gave you to counter the cruciatus curse effects worked very well."
House nodded in agreement. "Snape isn't the youngest Potion's Master for nothing."
Collingsworth brought a pair of crutches to him and helped him quickly get them adjusted.
"Guess it's a good thing that I was wearing the brace."
"Definitely."
Collingsworth performed a deep healing spell to help the tendons and muscles begin to repair the microtears and then handed House a box of potions.
"One a day for a week, come back in two weeks and we'll see if you're back to where you were. Deal?"
"Deal," House responded. Narcissa took the box of potions and thanked the healer then walked alongside House to the main lobby.
"You'll have to be very careful using the floo. I'd take you by side-along but the apparition point is on the edge of the grounds," Narcissa said.
"Crutches are less of a challenge than the floo with crutches. I'll go with you."
Narcissa smirked and took his arm, taking them both back to Hogwarts.
The great hall was still buzzing about the attack when House crutched his way to the head table for dinner that night. Harry and Hermione stood to intercept him.
"Professor, I'm so sorry about Ron," Hermione said. "I hope it hasn't hurt your leg too badly."
"No, not too badly. The crutches are to give it a break to heal more than anything else. And why should you be sorry for something Weasley did?" House asked.
"Well, he's my boyfriend. I feel like I should have been able to stop him," Hermione answered sorrowfully.
"Yeah," Harry echoed. "We've been best friends since we met on the train when we were eleven. I never thought he'd do something like that."
"All right, listen to me, both of you. You knew he was having trouble. You tried talking with him. You took your concerns to his family, you kept an eye on him as often as you were able. You did everything right."
"But he still attacked you!" Hermione said guiltily.
"Here's a life lesson for you. It's possible to do everything right and still lose," House said, looking each of them in the eyes. "Sit down and eat your dinner."
It took some concerted effort from Ron's family as well as Harry and Hermione, but by the end of another week, Snape received word that Ron had at last agreed to accept counseling from a mind healer. He sent a reply back amending Weasley's status to suspended and added that he would need a letter from the mind healer to lift the suspension and allow him to return to school.
House had his initial project ready by then, with the help of his three students. They had pictures of both light and dark side losses and House made certain that there was nothing to indicate blood status or social class. The person's name and a caption that indicated their relationship to the person who turned in the picture was all that was included.
"Draco, whose picture are you going to put in?" Hermione asked as the group sat at the table to put the final spells in place to present the project to the staff and headmaster.
"No one," Draco answered curtly. "The people I've lost wouldn't get this project approved."
Hermione bit her lip as she thought very carefully about his answer. She understood what he was saying but that went against what Professor House was trying to do with the project.
"Do you have any pictures of your father that wouldn't immediately bring to mind his service to Voldemort? Something that would just show him as your father?" she asked carefully.
"A few," Draco answered slowly. "Why?"
"Well, the professor said the point of this exercise was to show the loss of people, of loved ones, regardless of what side they fought on. So if people saw a picture of him just as a father, then they might see beyond what he presented publicly."
"I do have one that would do that," Draco said after a moment. "Wait here, I'll go get it."
Ten minutes later, Draco returned to the classroom holding a picture clasped against his chest. He hesitated for a moment then held out the picture to Hermione who took it with careful respect. It showed Lucius, hair loose, clad in only a shirt and trousers, sitting on a pile of pillows reading a book to young Draco.
"This is perfect, Draco. All I see when I look at this picture is a father," Hermione said with a smile.
House looked at the picture and smiled as well. "We need to make sure people know to put in pictures like this one."
"Are you going to just show the pictures and captions, Professor?" Hermione asked as she copied the picture and handed the original back to Draco.
"No, we need some music to play during the show. An instrumental I think that would be appropriately respectful in tone but not a funeral dirge," House answered as he glanced over the pictures.
"What sort of a tone do you want to set?" Hermione asked.
"Something that starts out in a strong sense of loss, then turns melancholy before lifting the mood to one of looking ahead to the future."
"All that from one piece of music?" Draco scoffed. "That shouldn't be too hard to find."
House leaned over and flicked him on the head with his finger. "Not necessarily one piece of music but maybe a medley of pieces, custom arranged for the length of the slideshow."
"Who's going to do the arranging?"
"Me."
"You play, Professor?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Yeah, piano, guitar, harmonica. I'm thinking piano would be best suited to the occasion."
The sample slideshow was presented during a staff meeting the next night before dinner, which was held in the headmaster's office. House didn't have any music prepared but he explained what he had planned as the slides went by one by one.
"I'm impressed, Professor," McGonagall said as it ended. "I didn't think this would work but, it does."
"With the music behind it, all anyone will see are lost loved ones," Flitwick agreed. "Well, I approve the project."
Slughorn, Sprout, Pomfrey and McGonagall gave their approval as well then all looked to Severus for his opinion.
"You managed to even show Lucius in a very favorable light with that picture. I agree; I think this will work," Severus said. "On Halloween then?"
"Yes. Before the feast. Samhain is traditionally a time to honor ancestors, when the veil between the living and the dead is supposedly at its thinnest. It's also the Celtic new year, so I thought we'd capitalize on that, then turn to the 'new year' and end with the feast," House explained.
"Very well. The house elves will be told to hold the food as they would for the opening feast," Severus agreed.
"I did wish to speak with you about a related issue," Severus continued. "Minerva and I think it would be worthwhile to have mind healers come to the school to be available to the students and St Mungo's has agreed to send two healers every Sunday for four weeks to begin with. What is your opinion on that?"
"It'll take longer than four weeks," House replied. "And it isn't going to work for those that really need it unless we find a way to remove the stigma of needing to talk to a mind healer."
"How do you propose we do that?"
"We let it be known that we are talking to them. See if Potter and company would be willing to go first again. If people they think are strong need to talk, then they won't think so badly of themselves for needing the same thing."
Snape looked away, clearly very uncomfortable with the idea.
"No one needs to know what is said; that's confidential," House continued. "Just that we're talking to them."
"When you say 'we' do you plan to speak with them too?" Minerva asked, as uncomfortable with the idea as Severus was.
"Yes. I don't like doing it anymore than I can see you do. But as much as I hate it, it does help, and it will help the kids. We've already had one cast an unforgivable. Let's not have a suicide too."
"No! Surely not," Sprout exclaimed sadly.
"Trauma manifests in two ways; acting out against other people and acting out against yourself. Sorry to say it so bluntly but suicide is a very real and present threat. The other thing we can do is let a lesson plan go when the discussion leads them to talking about the war. I've done that a couple of times already. Better to skip the lesson and either make it up of assign it as homework and let them talk things through."
"Well," Severus said in a morose, resigned tone of voice. "I've killed Dumbledore for the students. I suppose I can talk to a mind healer for them."
"I'll send an owl to St Mungo's and get it set up right away," Minerva said, leaving to do so right away before any of them could change their minds.
Severus attended the evening meal on Saturday, instructing the house elves to hold the food until he spoke with the students. The hall was filled with conversation and speculation, until he got up and slowly made his way to the podium, leaning on his cane.
"Silence," he called out, and the hall, already beginning to quiet, fell into a hushed stillness.
"Beginning tomorrow and continuing every Sunday until further notice, there will be two mind healers from St. Mungo's here all day, for anyone who is having any difficulties they would like to talk about. Your conversations are voluntary and will remain confidential. They will arrive at 8 a.m. and remain until 8 p.m. The first and last hour of the day will be reserved for your teachers. They have been assigned the two empty classrooms in the 2nd floor corridor. I encourage anyone who is having difficulties to speak with them, students and staff alike."
Snape looked out over the student body and saw denial and resistance to the idea reflected back at him. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to summon the courage up to say more. His eyes snapped open when he heard Granger's voice ring out in the hall.
"Thank you for setting this up Headmaster," she said, standing up to meet his gaze. "I know that I would like to speak with them; I wasn't sure how to go about doing it while attending school."
"You're welcome, Miss Granger." He was relieved that she had taken the initiative to speak this time. He glanced at Potter who was scowling in the seat next to her, but he straightened up and nodded at Snape.
"Many of you may feel that going to a mind healer is admitting a defect, or a weakness," he continued. "We have, all of us, just gone through an incredibly traumatic experience. Far beyond the normal stresses and worries of day to day life. Even the strongest of us, find ourselves lost for a way to deal with the memories and the reality of life now. It is difficult to admit to needing help. It is difficult to ask for that help."
Snape paused again, looking around at all the students and back up at the staff table, before returning his attention to the students.
"I find myself in need of help, though I have had a great deal of support already. I intend to speak with the mind healers while they are here. I can only encourage you to do the same. Watch out for each other. Watch for someone who seems more angry or more despondent. Watch for someone who seems to feel nothing at all. Everyone reacts differently. We will need to pull together; with your class, with your year, with your house, and yes, with the school as a whole. Thank you for your attention."
As he turned to make his way back to his seat, the house elves served dinner and the students began to talk again. Partway through the meal, a note, enchanted to a bird, landed in front of his plate. He looked up and around to find Potter staring intensely at him.
Severus picked up the note and opened it warily. He and Potter had reached a truce and an understanding, but emotions were running high lately.
Headmaster, Just wanted you to know, that scowl wasn't anger at you or the idea of mind healers. I was thinking about how many times I would have liked to talk to someone about all that happened in the past. Even Dumbledore didn't want to really sit down and listen to me. I know now, with all the secrets, why he didn't allow it. Still makes me mad though. Do you think that maybe, now, I could talk about that with the mind healers? -HP
Severus raised an eyebrow as he read. This was completely outside of what he thought Potter might say. He looked up and caught his gaze again. Yes, he mouthed silently while nodding. Harry nodded and looked relieved, returning to his meal as Severus burnt the note up.