The Blood Compact – Chapter 48 – Safe at Prince Manor

Severus landed them both not very far from Hogwarts actually. On the very island where Dumbledore had been buried. He had never been there since the old wizard had died. Too dangerous – what a Death-Eater like him was supposed to do in such a place, mourning his master's enemy ?

He was aware they did not have a lot of time. Most likely Harry or someone else would want to come here to pay tribute to the former Headmaster. They had landed a few yards away from the white marble stone.

"Dumbledore's grave," Severus explained briefly to Amelia. Severus left her leaning against a tree. "Stay here, I have something to check." He got closer. She had never been here either. He could see that the white slab covering the resting-place had been broken and the grave opened. There were relents of Dark magic around. Voldemort had been there. Severus glanced inside the tomb and saw Dumbledore's body.

It had not been profaned, to his great relief. Only a wand was missing between the old hands. The Elder Wand, because of which Severus had nearly died earlier in the boathouse. As this was the custom, witches and wizards were buried with their wands. It came to his mind that Potter might wish to replace the Elder Wand where it belonged. But he would not be surprised that the Elder Wand knew a whole another fate due to its dangerousness. Leaving it in an unsupervised grave that could be opened like the Dark Lord had, was not a good idea.

Severus wondered briefly what he would have done with such a dangerous magical artefact. But he focused quickly on the task ahead. He raised his wand and with a spell, he repaired the slab and put it back over the grave. "Everything is in good order now, Albus," he said softly. His lips curled up a bit. He would have many things to tell the old man once back at the manor.

Severus got back to the young witch. All the tension he had felt lately was subsiding. He was literally exhausted. The last magic he had displayed to escape Hogwarts had taken its toll on him. Even a simple spell like Reparo he had just used had taken more of his energy than he had thought it would first.

"Amelia... We need to go back to the manor."

"Severus, are you fine ?" Her worried voice showed she would not be convinced by a positive answer. He knew it and shook his head.

"Amelia, you'll have to Apparate us to the manor. I can't... do it..." Now he was panting, a hand on his chest.

"Severus !" She sounded truly alarmed. She unbuttoned his frock coat and slid a hand under. She felt a wetness there and got her hand out. It was covered with blood. "Oh, Severus... You should have told me about your wound... You're always so courageous, so brave !"

His dark eyes gazed at her almost apologetically. He gave her her wand and put his own back into his left sleeve. "Let's go, Amelia... But Apparate and Disapparate us in at least three or four different locations before the manor..."

"To confuse any possible pursuers, yes, I will," she said with the most reassuring tone she could muster. "And once there I'll take care of you." She put a quick kiss on his lips.

He smiled weakly and nodded. He took her in his arms. She grabbed his body. "I'm ready, Amelia." She smiled and in a second, they were gone.


They landed in a forest. "Where are we ?" he asked.

"The Forest of Dean, where we had met Harry and his friend, for the Sword and the other Horcruxes."

"Ah, yes." Severus remembered of course. Yet, the only memory that was now coming to his mind was the passionate kiss they had exchanged there, once they had completed their mission successfully.

They walked a little before Apparating to another place. This time, it was in a deserted area nearby a small city that did not look so different from Spinner's End. "My home town in Wales," she explained to him. One more time, they walked away from their Apparition point.

"One more Disapparition to another place before the manor," Severus told her. He was glad she could Apparate them both, he felt too weak for that and he did not wish to risk Splinching that may prove serious, maybe fatal, in his present condition.

She nodded and grabbed his arm, Disapparating them after kissing his lips. They landed in a dark alley that Severus recognized. They had been there already – when they had escaped the Ministry of Magic, before Disapparating to the Prince manor. She had remembered the place. Save that it was daylight. In their dishevelled wizarding attire, for sure they would not be long before drawing attention. Amelia dragged him to the end of the alley and she Disapparated them from there.

For the last time, they Apparated and arrived in a meadow nearby a tract of forest that Severus recognized. They walked a little but Amelia could see he was exhausted. "Hang on to me, love," she said before Disapparating them directly in front of the manor gates.

Severus was too much exhausted to scold her this was imprudent, Apparating so close to his property. But at this point, he was grateful for her idea as he was way too much spent. They crossed the gates that let them in after she had disabled the wards. He sighed deeply out of relief at the notion that now, they were safe.

He could let go now. His mission was over. The war was over. He let go and collapsed.

Amelia shrieked his name. She realized he had just passed out. She cast a Mobilicorpus on him and led him inside the house. They both entered the building as such, Amelia still limping, Severus still out cold. Despite her twisted ankle, she was determined enough to carry on like this. She brought him directly to the study, where she laid him on the mattress where she used to sleep, in front of the grate.

Amelia put Severus' Ebony wand on the sofa nearby. With a skillful Disvesto, she got him rid of his frock coat, his waistcoat and his shirt, soaked with blood. She would take care of their cleaning later.

Amelia checked the wound. It had to be cleaned first. She went to the kitchen where she knew Severus had stored a few potions in a cabinet in case he would come back injured from a Death-Eater meeting. She brought back everything she may need, including a bottle of her breast milk.

She removed the Gryffindor scarf that bandaged his chest carefully. She took her wand and began to cast the counter-curse again. She took a deep breath. "Vulnera Sanantur... Vulnera Sanantur... Vulnera Sanantur... Vulnera Sanantur... Vulnera Sanantur..." she repeated several times, fully focused, until the wound closed. She remembered she had read somewhere that wounds inflicted by Dark magic could never really cure. She hoped Severus would not be crippled that way forever. He came back to his senses at this very moment.

"Now the dittany," Amelia said softly. She caressed his cheek and forehead gently, like she used to with children. He was not a child but she felt a strong maternal urge rising in her chest.

Amelia conjured up a clean cloth she replicated for different uses. She poured some of her breast milk on one of them to clean his wound, as she had noticed it had had some positive effect before. Then with another, she applied some dittany. "Now, you'll drink some blood-replenishing potion, Severus. I think you could do with some."

He smirked weakly. "Indeed..."

She bandaged his wound, keeping the dittany-soaked cloth on his chest. She helped him sit and drink the blood-replenishing potion. He seemed to feel better after that. She held him close to her for long seconds, time for him to come back fully to his senses. She felt exhausted but reassured too.

"I'm very fortunate to have you, Amelia," he said eventually.

She looked at him and smiled. "So am I, Severus, to have you. I'm a lucky woman."

They both realized they had not slept in almost 24 hours. The night had been long for them both. "I want you to sleep, Severus." She helped him lay on the makeshift bed she slept in.

"No. Show me your ankle," he said while sitting on his elbows. He felt his magic was stronger now.

Amelia was too much tired to resist. She sat beside him. "Give me your leg." She obeyed and put her ankle close to his hands. "Give me my wand." She did so. He cast a healing charm there. "Episkey !" A sweet heat invaded that part of her body before a sharp pain hit her.

"Ouch !" She almost jerked under the pain. For a second, she had had the feeling he had twisted her joint the whole other way round. But now the pain was gone. He rotated her ankle gently. She felt no more discomfort. "Oh, thank you, Severus... I think I can walk now."

"Yes, you can, but you too should go to bed. We both need our sleep."

She rose from her place. "Not before I've checked the wards on the house, Severus."

He nodded his approval. She was the one in charge, obviously, which amused him to no end, even if he did not show it. She was a dependable witch and he liked that.

He thought about Dumbledore's portrait in the drawing-room. He hoped it would be empty, so as not to delay her return to him. He did not wish to talk to the old wizard now. He would do so tomorrow. Or after tomorrow. Or... probably never.

Amelia came back a few minutes later. She helped him remove his boots and socks. She kindled a gentle fire in the grate nearby and removed her shoes, shawl and shirt. She noticed that a bit of milk had leaked from her nipples but she could not care less. She was way too much exhausted to express her milk now. She would do so later. When she woke up. She was surprised she could still have some, after all the emotions she had had in the last 24 hours.

Severus had already fallen asleep. She watched him for a few seconds, smiled at him, kissed his cheek before covering their bodies with the blanket. She coiled herself against him and fell quickly asleep. Nobody would take him from her now. She would see to that.


I was delighted by all the positive reviews about the previous chapter, especially about the way Severus made his exit from Hogwarts, with Amelia, Death-Eater style. As I was reading them reviews, a sentence from the Order of the Phoenix came to my mind. That's the one Phineas (in the book)/Kingsley (in the movie) says to Cornelius Fudge about Dumbledore's escape with Fawkes. Here is what Kingsley or Harry or Horace (yes, yes, Horace would be great saying such a thing !) may have told Minerva about Severus, in my fanfic : "You may not like him, Minerva, but you can't deny it : Severus's got style !"

Here we have a small chapter, perfect for a transition between Hogwarts and the fury of the castle's battlegrounds, and a more secure location, where our two heroes can lick their wounds and have a well deserved rest after all these efforts and emotions, without mentioning a close call for our beloved Potions Master.

But rest assured : the story is not over, more to come ! So stay tuned. And feel free to leave reviews. The war may be over, but the muses are still there, looking forward to be fed.