Chapter 11

Classes have resumed and the castle is once again a flourish of activity, from tiny first years frantically searching for their classes to seventh years tearing their hair out while trying to cram information into their heads to pass their NEWTS. There is something soothing in the routine, knowing that despite the craziness outside of these walls, some things remain the same. Despite this, though, I can't shake the underlying feeling of uneasiness. It almost feels like the air before a summer storm rolls in, oppressively heavy and disturbingly still. I feel like I am constantly waiting for that first booming crack of thunder just before the sky opens up and it starts torrentially down pouring.

My mum always told me she thought I had a sharp sixth sense, nothing as dramatic as being a seer, of course, but an uncanny ability to feel when something or someone was wrong. It has certainly come in handy being a Healer, but if I am not careful it can also be a dreadful distraction. I am trying my best to contain my dread, and keep Severus from seeing my worry; Merlin knows he's got more than enough of his own to contend with. Honestly I still can't get used to him being the Defense professor instead of the Potions professor. With Slughorn back in that role I feel almost like I have traveled in time and am a student again. The rest of the professors who taught me and still reside at Hogwarts have acclimated to my role here of Healer and Professor, but Ole Sluggy still insists on treating me like a child. The only difference is that now that I have apparently "become a real someone" in his patronizing words, I am suddenly worth his attention. Sure, he always respected my abilities as an exemplary student, but since my family had no political pull or wealth (seeing as my mother and I refused to use my biological father's wealth or status after he…died) and I wasn't a joy-filled beauty like Lily, I was never the center of his focus. Merlin how I wish that was still the case! If that man asks me to be a "special guest speaker" at one of his "Slug Club" meetings one more time, I may just need to break my Hippocratic oath and punch him in the nose.

Unfortunately with him as the Potions Professor, it is impossible to avoid him, though. As part of that role, the Professor is supposed to supply the infirmary with needed potions. Poor Madame Pomfrey gets the brunt of those dealings, but far more often than I can believe is coincidence he trudges down to my office with a delivery, claiming Poppy wasn't in or had a patient requiring privacy. I am a professional, so I thank him and make the requisite small talk, but after he leaves I feel like I need to take a shower. His slimy opportunistic and self-serving ways are so obvious now! Sure he makes the potions we need, but the quality is just not the same as when Severus did it. I know, I know, you think I am just biased because of my feelings for Sev, but that's not the case. Even Poppy mentioned it, and I sincerely hope her rationale is not a deep-seated desire to rip Severus's clothes off and ride him like a cowboy on a bucking bronco! Ugh, now I've made myself sick with that mental image. Damn you, traitorous brain!

Anyway, thankfully Severus is still supplying the potions that I need for my higher level classes considering many of them are more complicated than the standard infirmary potions. Of course Severus gave the obligatory protest when Albus asked him to continue doing that, despite it no longer being part of his job, but secretly I think he is relieved to still have a reason to brew. Certainly Severus is gifted in Defense, and the Dark Arts themselves, but his true passion has always been potions. Why else would he agree to make not only the potions for my class, but also the wolfsbane for the hospital's Werewolf Assistance program? Well, I'm sure being able to call the Minister himself out on his lying claim that he had approached "every Potions Master in the UK" about making the serum and claiming they had all turned him down, was a large part of his motivation.

I can't help but smile as I recall the scene in the Wizenmagot meeting a few months ago just prior to Fudge being summarily kicked out of power when they opened the floor to new business and Albus "innocently" inquired about the lack of wolfsbane for the program, in front of a few members of the press who just happened to attend that particular session. When Minister Fudge made his faulty claim Severus rose like an avenging angel and tore him to pieces. Merlin, just recalling it makes me want him right now.

Hopefully I won't need to wait much longer to fulfill those desires since I am confident that I can prove to Severus in our occlumency session today that I have finally mastered the art. Speaking of, here comes my dark angel now. "Hello Professor," I greet him professionally since there are still students going form their last classes to their dorms in the hall outside of my door.

"Healer Bradford," he replies with a sharp nod of his head. The door closes behind him and I activate the locking and silencing spells that are standard for when we have both our occlumency as well as our treatment sessions. Immediately I give him a seductive smirk and he raises his dark brows at me.

"I think today is going to be the day I finally get you out of those robes again, Severus," I purr as I stalk over to him like a jungle cat hunting her prey.

"Is that so?" he inquires drolly, giving me no visible reaction.

Before I can respond, though, he launches a non-verbal legilimency attack on me. I immediately feel it, though I can tell he is trying to be subtle and I focus on only the memories I want him to see. He presses harder and the pressure become noticeable rather than delicate, but I do not relent. I create additional false memories for him to reach, to simulate the idea that he has successfully penetrated my mind. However, I make sure to create ones he will know for a fact are false so he realizes which technique I am employing. Finally, the pressure becomes intense, all finesse gone, and I can feel a headache developing behind my temples as he tries to tear through my barriers, searching now for specific feelings and memories. It's at this point that I decide to demonstrate the final defense of occlumency; forcing a legilimens out. I build up my concentration, picturing a tornado gathering speed and strength. I single out the point of pressure and direct my mental energies there, sweeping his consciousness up after a hard won fight and expelling him from my mind.

He rocks back for a moment, a bead of sweat dripping down his stern brow, and his onyx eyes are blown wide. I am panting from the mental exertion but I can't stop the smile from spreading upon my face.

"You've done it," Severus breathes with a hint of discernable awe. "You really have mastered occlumency."

"You think I'd be able to withstand…him?" I ask hopefully.

"Yes, I do. I gave you all that I had at the end and I couldn't break through. You're ready."

"YES!" I exclaim in victory, doing an impromptu little (dorky, I am sure) happy dance. To my utter astonishment, Severus scoops me up and twirls me around, the most beautiful smile I have ever seen blossoming on his face. Suddenly his warm, pliant lips are on mine and my joy explodes in a frenetic burst of love and lust. He is ripping at my robes indiscriminately, shuffling me over towards one of the treatment cots, leaving a trail of discarded clothes in our wake. I am mimicking his movements, removing his robes and underclothes, getting tangled up in each other as we both try to remove each other's shirts at the same time. Just as I manage to get his up over his head he pushes me down onto the cot, which creaks ominously but seems to hold up under the onslaught, for the moment.

Before I can so much as breathe, he is on top of me, his slim hot body pressing onto me, the evidence of his passion digging insistently into my hip. His raven locks fall over his shoulder, creating a curtain and shrouding us in our own private world of fervor and yearning. He kisses me again, but this is nothing like the ones before. This kiss is full of relief, desperation, and what feels a lot like love. As he pulls back, a hesitant question tinged with fear in his eyes, I cup his cheek and smile softly. I understand what he is saying, even if he can never garner the words to vocalize it, and as he smiles slightly in return I feel all the rips and tears in my heart mend.

I hold no illusions that things will be smooth sailing from this moment on; I know we are in for a rough road ahead and there is a higher than average chance that one or both of us may not make it out of this war alive, but for now, none of that can touch us. No matter what horrors will come our way, they won't break us, because we truly and completely have each other now, and that is enough.


The past month has been the most blissful and most difficult of my life. Being able to be with Severus fully has been glorious, but having to constantly restrain myself in public and keep our relationship secret has been more difficult than passing my Healer's certification exam! I am so in love with this man I just want to shout it from the rooftops, but I can't even whisper it in the dungeons. Now don't get me wrong, I am not one who usually goes in for PDAs, but it would be nice to not have to constantly second guess every movement I make around Severus. I am constantly wondering if I am standing too close, or smiling too much, or if the love is shining in my eyes every time I gaze upon his visage.

Nobody has said anything yet, so I suppose I haven't blown our cover, but it is getting increasingly difficult the more serious our relationship becomes. Still, I know I can't truly complain; now that I have mastered occlumency Severus finally feels comfortable with our relationship and isn't completely shutting me out from his heart. That is the best gift a girl could ask for. Who knows, maybe by this time next year this horrendous war will be over, Snake Face will be dead, and Severus will finally be free.

I am broken out of my musings by a large shimmering Bear patronus. "El, I need your assistance immediately. Come to the infirmary as soon as you can. A student has been cursed," the bear states in Madame Pomfrey's voice. Shit! I hope this wasn't a Death Eater attack! Today was a Hogsmeade day for the older students so they were out of the castle, unprotected.

I am up out of my chair in the blink of an eye, abandoning the papers I was grading as I rush for the floo in my office. Thank Merlin this one gives me access to the floo in the infirmary in the event of just such an emergency; though, I never imagined the emergency would involve a student instead of Severus.

"I'm here, Poppy!" I call out as soon as I step out of the floo in the infirmary.

"Over here, El!" she shouts in return, her voice emanating from behind a privacy screen near the entrance to the room. I can tell from her tone that whatever I am walking into isn't going to be an easy fix. My fears are confirmed as I round the screen and see a Gryffindor girl, pale as milk, lying motionless on the cot.

"What happened?" I ask, casting the Sterilitatem charm upon myself before beginning to examine the girl. Madame Pomfrey tells me how the patient, Katie Bell, was brought in from Hogsmeade after seemingly being put under the Imperious curse and then going into a fit, levitating and screaming in agony.

"None of my diagnostics have been able to identify the curse, so I put her under a stasis spell for now," she explains worriedly.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance with that," a deep silky baritone voice that I would recognize anywhere rings out. "This necklace was in Miss Bell's possession just before she showed signs of the curse," he explains, carefully unwrapping a beautiful (if a bit ostentatious) silver and opal necklace. I can already sense the Dark Magic oozing from the object. "I suspect whatever curse was placed upon Miss Bell is the result of her having touched this item. Her friend claims the box it was in opened up amidst her trying to seize the item from Miss Bell, and once she touched it, that was when she began reacting as Madame Pomfrey described."

"Thank you, Severus, I am sure this will be most helpful," I comment as I levitate the necklace and its wrapping to an exam table. I begin running through all of the curse detection spells I have learned in my training as well as those my father has taught me through the years. Finally, one of them catalyzes a reaction, causing the necklace to glow a sickly orange color. Severus inhales sharply before regaining control and assuming his stoic façade again.

"Letifera Dolensa" I whisper, hardly believing this can be the true outcome. "The Bringer of Painful Death curse."

"No!" Madame Pomfrey gasps with pure horror. "It can't possibly be! Why would anyone want to curse an innocent girl with such a dark curse?"

"I don't believe this object was intended for Miss Bell," Severus explains seemingly calmly, though I can tell he is haunted by the revelation of the curse's type. He gives me a penetrating look and suddenly I know exactly what he was implying. Katie was just the unwitting, and unwilling, messenger; Dumbledore was the intended recipient for the cursed necklace. My heart plummets as I know this means Draco has begun trying to fulfill his task of murdering Albus, and our time to find a cure for the Headmaster's cursed hand and save Sev from having to do the worst thing imaginable in order to save Draco's soul, is running out. I push all of that to the back of my mind for the moment, though, focusing on saving the life of the innocent girl who was caught in the crossfire.

"If this is Letifera Dolensa, though, then how did Katie survive?" I ask aloud, putting the pieces together like a puzzle in my mind. This curse is known to cause death to any who encounter it.

"Her gloves!" Madame Pomfrey cries, pointing to Katie's hands, which are still covered in her dark gray wool gloves.

"Perhaps, but that would stop the curse from activating at all, since it would prevent the necklace from touching her skin, which is required for this curse to activate," Severus muses.

Suddenly, a thought strikes me and I move to examine Katie's glove clad hands more closely. "Ah ha! There, on her right hand, there is a very small hole in her glove. She must have touched the necklace there, but since so little of her skin was in contact with it, the result was not death…at least not yet."

"Good work, El," Poppy compliments. "Do you know the treatment for this awful curse?"

"I do," I hedge, "but it is not easy or quick. She will need potions every day to stop the curse from spreading, an ointment applied to her skin to draw out the curse already imbedded in her, and a barrage of restorative and strengthening spells applied every few hours. I am afraid the two of us cannot adequately provide the level of constant care she will need. However, I have a friend at St. Mungos in the spell damage ward who specializes in this class of curses. I will floo call him and have him prep her for admittance," I assure her.

"Excellent. Thank you, El. I will keep Katie in stasis until they arrive to transport her. In the meantime I will let the Headmaster know the status of the situation."

Once she is out of the room Severus pulls me to his side for a brief, but firm hug. "We will find a way to stop this," he swears to me, seemingly knowing that I need reassurance in this moment. "I have fought too long and too hard, expecting to have nothing at the end of the struggle, to give up now that I finally have something worth fighting for."

My eyes glisten with unshed tears, knowing how difficult it is for Severus to show vulnerability like this. "Thank you, Sev, I know we will," I acknowledge with a small smile before heading to the floo to call my former colleague about Miss Bell's condition.