Chapter 25:
The day had in fact started like any other and Hermione was happy for that. She had been pulled into a warm room by Albus Dumbledore. She had been asked to repeat to him exactly what had happened when she had been held captive by the dark lord Voldemort and Hermione did so. She had recounted everything with a calm monotone voice and betrayed no emotion. Viktor had warned her that Dumbledore would have probably wanted to disect what had happened and he told Hermione to just think of something happy when she had to say the hard parts. She did so and was relieved when she realized that it didn't hurt as much. She silently thanked Viktor since he had made the meeting earlier.
So other than that and a few curious stares she recieved from the people around her everything went smoothly like any other morning in Grimmauld place. Unfortunatly the arrival of Lupin, Snape and Moody changed all of that.
"Oh Hermione honey will you get the door? My hands are quite full and it's only Remus and a couple friends of his." Molly said from a stirring pot in front of her.
"Of course Ms. Weasley, I'll be right back." She replied with a slight smile. Viktor was helping the Weasley matriarch with the cooking with a bemused and very confused expression of his face. He had no idea what he was doing but since nothing had yet caught on fire Hermione and Molly thought he was doing better than any of the other boys.
The door was banging louder and louder without a breath and Hermione flinched when she heard Ms. Black painting start screeching.
"Blood traitors. Mudblood filth. Oh my how will this house ever survive these dirty blood loving leeches."
Hermione wandered to the door with faster steps and knew that even if it was Tom Riddle himself, he was going to get an earful for waking the horrid framed beast. She finally reached the door and flung it wide to find none other than Remus Lupin, a haggard looking Severus Snape and a very angered Moody. Snape was being held between Remus and Moody and he looked like he was about to keel over.
Hermione was suddenly hit with about 180 pounds of man in the chest as the two men dropped him on her. She caught him as best as she could and turned her wide eyes to the others at the door.
"What is going on?" Hermione tried to yell but it was impossible to hear over the pictures wails and shouts. Hermione felt her blood boil and placed Snape on a chair nearby before she ran to the picture and screamed. "Shut the fuck up you stupid DEAD woman! If you don't shut the trap you call a mouth this instant I will come after you with the turpentine and then a bloody match! I have just about had enough of your pasty face and lurid shouts so you will be a nice little painting and shut up or I, the mudblood will set you on fire and this whole bloody house!" Everyone looked at her with mouths wide and she stunned them further when the painting did not only shut up but let Hermione close her curtains. Hermione returned a little red faced but completely normal as if she hadn't just screamed the bricks from the house.
"What is going on?" She repeated in the dead silence. At that moment Viktor ran to the room looking from the odd painting to Hermione with a smile and finally to Snape. His face set in a grim line before he came up behind her.
"Dumbledore assured us that you could treat Severus's wounds while we have an emergency meeting with the order." Lupin said looking at her gravely.
"Well I can try but I need to be at the meeting." Hermione countered quickly.
"He needs to be treated right away Ms. Granger..." Moody said patiently.
Hermione sighed and resolutly decided that she would help him and just demand to know what happened after.
"Hermione I will go to the meeting and tell you what was said so you can help him." Viktor supplied quietly helping her grab the now unconscious man. Hermione agreed with a slight nod and Viktor helped her bring Snape up the stairs to a spare room.
Once he was settled Viktor gave her a peck on the cheek and ran to the dining hall.
Hermione ran a shaky hand over Snape's brow to check his temperature. She didn't understand why she was the one Dumbledore had recomended since she only knew what she knew about health care from the many muggle and magical books she had read. She had no training whatsoever and she realized this now that she was alone with a dying man who's life was in her hands.
She wasted no time in worrying of her no experience. She felt no fever and concluded that he was breathing albeit terribly and he seemed to have no head injuries or sickness. She pushed her hand downward on his chest and felt a sticky wet substance on her fingers. She held back a scream when she held her hand to the light and saw the blood that now coated her hand. She lit all the candles in the room and bathed the bed in bright light. Hermione peeled of the bloodstained outer cloak and pulled off the shirt under. The garments had three large tears and his skin was ripped in three long jagged lines across his pale chest. Hermione whimpered slightly and felt way over her head. The sared girl conjured some towels and washed his woods so she could clearly see them. They were deep and long and Hermione felt answers flooding her mind in a panicked rush. "Allright I have to apply pressure to stop the bleeding..." She whispered and pushed her hand to his chest. She threw a couple healing spells on his chest and looked over his body to find any more cuts.
Her brow and nose were wet with small drops of moisture and the sweat was pooling on her back. The hairs on her body stood on end when she found another deep crimson slash on his thigh. She cut away the fabric of his soaking slacks and remembered her belt. She pulled it off and wiped off a couple tears with her elbow as she threaded it around his leg. As she pulled the belt tight he bucked her slightly at the pain but she held fast and pulled tighter until she knew the bleeding had stopped.
She washed the blood away from his chest and legs and wondered what was her next step. Hermions realized that the wounds had to be cleaned properly and charmed and again bandaged. She remembered the cleansing potion she had made for a distraction not long ago and the gauze she had in her safety kit that her parents had told her to carry around with her in her gym bag.
Hermione ran as fast as her shortlegs would allow and all but broke down her bedroom door as she ran in. She ripped her bags apart and found the items she was looking for. When she returned to him he was covered in a cold sweat and Hermione felt as if the clock of his life was ticking. She rememberd the pain she had when her mother had cleaned her cut when she had fallen from her bike and knew that it would hurt even more for such a big cut. She placed a half assed pain charm and put her leather hair strap into his mouth so he could bite down.
Hermione worked quickly to reduce the pain of the cleansing process of his wounds but after the first swipe of her rag over his chest Snape opened his eyes in pain and starred at her in pain. Hermione felt tears cloud her eyes and pushed them back with her sleeve once more. "I'm sorry proffesor I'm trying my best but I have to clean this mess up." She said to him in the smallest and most petrified voice. Snape seemed to regard her a moment before falling back into the pillows and nodding slightly. "Allright Proffesor Bite down on that leather and it will be over soon." She said to comfort him. 'Now something to calm me' She thought wildly. She started to hum slightly and felt a little tension fall off her shoulders. Her hums got louder and stronger until she was singing. She disenfected the slashes quickly and precisely all the while singing to herself in an almost calm and beautiful way.
The time flew fast and Dnape had once again seeked refuge in the blackness of unconsciouness. Hermione samg soft melodies and her hand stop shaking, her movements were sure and swift. Before she knew it Snape was actually resting quite peacefully and the color in his cheeks and body had returned faintly. His breathing was no longer ragged and though she knew he needed much more attention to see for anything she might have missed she felt very confident and proud of the work she had done.
Viktor, Dumbledore, Moody and Lupin returned to the spare room after the lengthy and stressing meetin to find Hermione dabbing Severus's forhead whilst humming slightly. "Well I see I was not wrong in putting him in your care for the time being Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said with a smile gracing his lips. Hermione was startled, she threw her damp rag in the air and whipped her head to them so fast her neck cracked. "Oh headmaster I didn't realize you were here." She said faintly, her cheeks turning red as she rubbed her neck.
She fumbled with the rag in the bowl to remoisten it and Lupin started to say something. Hermione turned her head to him and forgot to take her hand out of the bowl so it came crashing down on her. She was completely soaked with cool water and her cheeks were an even darker shade of red.
Hemione stood akwardly. "Yes well I don't know about that headmaster. I will say goodnight. I am sure you can take care of him from here. I did as much as I could I cleaned him up cleaned his wounds cast a couple healing charms and you know a pain charm and I wrapped him up so he should be allright for now. You will probably want to chekc for broken bones, ribs and ect since I don't know how..." She let all this information in one huge breath and did all but run from the room in pure mortification.
Viktor had bid everyone goodnight before he went to find Hermione. He was amazed on how well she had done but knew that there were now more pressing things to talk about. When he found her he held his breath in complete rapture. She was sitting on her bed and the last dying rays of sunlight were illuminating her pale face. Her caramel curls were catching the light in a most fetching way and the other half of her face was plunged in different shades of darkness. She looked so beautiful in the sunset he thought. The sight sent a tug in his chest when he realized that he may not be able to watch her in the sunset everyday and everynight if Voldemort won and the army of the light fell to his knee's. "Hermione... I think I should tell you what happened at today's meeting..." He said gravely. Hermione's eyes widened and she feared the worst...
AN: DUN DUN DUN! Omg so what do you think it is eh? Tell me in reviews and I hope you enjoyed it even though there was no like real romance in it. I will add more like romance material when I get the plot out of the way a little more so you may have to endure another chapter or two of this no romance all crying sad stuff... R+R pweese.
Pozdravi, Selene