Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Hogwarts universe, I earn nothing. I am just playing - with a loving heart and neverending joy.
Chapter 34
Hermione was desperate. Everything, she had really tried everything to heal the wounds that Severus was covered with. But to no avail. The poison of that fucking piece of worm crap simply was too strong, a perfect masterpiece of death and destruction. Blood-repenishing potions - wherever she should have got them - couldn't have kept up with the loss in the first place, she had to stop it, somehow, damn, damn, damn it.
And in addition to that she could feel that Bellatrix's cursed wand was also resisting from countering the magic of her idol. It was a nightmare.
She threw the loathed part away and without further thinking she used Severus' wand, which she had never even touched before.
Better. Much better. Astonishingly much better.
But still not enough.
He died in her arms and there was nothing she could do about it.
If by then she had not known what Severus truly meant to her, it would have been that moment when she would have realized how she couldn't even imagine a life without him. Weeping, she held his face in her hands and wished her tears were those of a phoenix so that here and now she could perform the magical miracle she needed.
A phoenix.
Fawkes.
A memory hit Hermione like a clap of thunder and she straightened up with a hefty curse. She was such an idiot, so stupid, so incapable!
She feverishly rummaged through her cloak until she finally found it, a little creased but still glowing - the feather Fawkes had entrusted to her the day after Albus' death at Hogwarts. A little uncertain about what to do with it, she looked from the blood-covered body in front of her to the feather and back and tried to empathize with the magic of this rare object. As if by itself, her hand then lowered over his body and she gently wiped the wounds with the feather, conjuring a 'Vulnera sanentur' with renewed courage.
Small, glowing particles detached themselves from the feather, penetrated the wounds against the almost dried up stream of blood, more and more, a golden shimmering stream that was finally not only able to hold onto the last sign of life in Severus' body but even to bring it back.
Minutes passed in which, in a miraculous way, not only the wounds seemed to close, but the blood circulation also seemed to stabilize. At some point the golden stream dried up, the feather - now inconspicuous and grey - had done its work and Hermione leaned back, watching the still unconcious man in front of her. He was breathing deeply and regularly, which indicated that the danger was over and healing had begun.
The tension dropped from Hermione and she took a deep breath, raised her head and whispered in relief, "Thank you, Fawkes, thank you a thousand times ..."
He would live.
He would live and kill her, of course, for her glorious idea of saving him, she thought smiling through her tears, then she looked at her loyal soldier. Winky had been a sobbing echo of her through all phases of desperation and her big eyes were like lakes full of tears as well.
But suddenly the gaze of the little elf lady went past Hermione and focused on a point behind her. Fast like lightning she jumped between Hermione and the shadow, from which Aberforth Dumbledore stepped into the scene.
Hermione was startled, quickly grabbed Snape's wand again and spread her arms protectively to shield him.
Aberforth stopped and raised his hands so that Hermione could see that he was unarmed.
Merlin, if his brother could have seen that:
An unconscious Snape, scarcely saved from death and above him a determined protector who watched over him like a bloodstained queen guarding her crown.
In front of this the queen's bodyguard, equally determined, yet still sniffling a little bit.
And inbetween, sinking gently to the ground, the life-saving feather of Fawkes, the closest confidante and - as Aberforth had sometimes thought - his brother's only real friend.
"Don't be afraid," he said reassuringly, although from what he'd observed this team was more of a reason for him to be afraid than he was for them. "I have no resentments against Severus Snape."
The house-elf didn't change her suspicious attitude, but Hermione dropped her arms with a look that was both alert and inquiring.
"My brother told me that he wasn't to blame for what happened. You don't need to protect him from me, Hermione."
Hermione frowned skeptically. "What did he tell you?"
She wasn't naive, thought Aberforth.
"Before he died, Albus asked me to forgive Severus Snape for anything he would do." He shrugged indifferently, hands still raised in reassurance. "He left out the little detail that it was his own assassination, though."
He dropped his arms and looked Hermione openly in the face.
"My brother always had a great talent for making sure that you only realize afterwards what he really had said." From the young woman's brief snort, he realized that she knew exactly what he was talking about.
The elder wizard tilted his head and looked at the young woman curiously.
"But how do you fit into this story now - as far as I know, Potter has a completely different view of things than what I just saw here. And what the hell have I just seen here? "
Hermione sighed, got up, and addressed the still suspicious house-elf lady in a friendly voice.
"Winky, thank you very much for your vigilance and protection. The headmaster is safe here, everything is fine."
The addressed nodded and then stepped a little nervously from one foot to the other.
"Miss Captain Hermione, please, is Winky still on duty here?"
"No, Winky, if you ... if Hogwarts needs you elsewhere, you don't have to stay here."
Winky gave a noticeable sigh of relief. "Hogwarts needs Winky in many places. Lots of fights. But Winky knows that a company must not be separated."
Barty Crouch Sr.'s lessons must have been really lasting, Hermione thought.
"If the company is in danger, I'll call you, Winky. I promise to you.
But you also have to promise me something."
She knelt in front of the little lady and put her hands gently on the places where she guessed the shoulders to be. Winky looked at her with wide eyes.
"Please take good care of yourself, promise me that. Be careful."
The elf lady nodded gravely. "Winky promises that, Miss Captain Hermione."
Hermione smiled and got up again. "Thank you, Winky."
With a 'plop' the creature was gone and Hermione turned back to Aberforth, who had given up even thinking about which of the seemingly three hundred and twenty-eight questions he should ask about what the hell had been going on at Hogwarts lately.
"You are right, Mr. Dumbledore," she said. "Harry has a very different view of things. He doesn't know either that I've always trusted Professor Snape." She looked down at Snape, who was now in a deep sleep of recovery instead of unconsciousness.
"If only I knew why he is doing all this to himself," she said, more to herself. Aberforth looked at her thoughtfully and remembered his brother's words, 'He is a brave young man whose heart had played a painful trick on him.'.
This couldn't have anything to do with Hermione, despite the clearly more than amicable feelings she seemed to have for Snape; she must have been a baby at the time Albus had been talking about. He tried to remember earlier connections, but Severus had always been a rare guest in his pub and when he had been there, he had been extremely silent, sitting in the corner, watching the scene. Everything Aberforth knew about him he had always learned through other people's talk.
He noticed that he was being watched, too, and smiled.
"Don't worry, young lady. This house is very discreet. What are you going to do now?"
"I have to go back to the castle, joining the others. Would you care for him until ... "
The last word hung in the air like a question mark. She didn't know how to end the sentence and instead just shrugged.
However, Aberforth understood and nodded.
"Of course I will, Hermione. My abilities are extremely limited compared to what you pulled off here earlier, but luckily now it seems, nothing is necessary other than a good night's sleep. I should be able to do that."
He got serious.
"And girl, I'll keep this exit from the castle safe here for as long as I can. If it gets too bad up there, then get out of there."
Hermione nodded and smiled briefly.
"Thank you. For everything."
She looked at Snape for a last time, then turned around resolutely. Still holding his wand in her hand, she ran to get back to the castle as quickly as possible. Behind her, the painting slid back in front of the secret entrance and Aberforth and his sister watched her for a long time until she had disappeared in the picture too.
"Well, well, well... it seems to me, our dear brother missed something, what do you think, Ariana?" Aberforth shook his head and scratched his forehead lost in thought. Then he bent down and picked up the wand that Hermione had thrown away. It looked strangely familiar but he could not remember where he had seen it before.
"A free elf, a phoenix and a beautiful young woman - I would say that it is quite overcrowded for a complete outcast."
The woman in the painting smiled and shrugged her shoulders in a good-natured gesture. Aberforth chuckled.
"You're right. I'll find out soon enough. Then let's see if we can find anything better than the floor for the boy."