Selena opened the infirmary doors with a lively spirit, she didn't mind if anybody from across the hall was watching, though she still inspected the scene after. Poppy was away for business at St. Mungo's, leaving the Mediwizard in-charge of the clinic for the time being. Everything about her morning was going a little too well, it was almost too good to be true.
"Madam Pomfrey?" Perhaps, she may have jinxed it, though.
"Hermione? Boys?" Selena turned to see three timid Gryffindors under the entrance archway. Ron appeared to be the most anxious among them, and the Mediwizard noticed his hands were firmly clasped together. "You're here quite early… Unfortunately, Madam Pomfrey isn't in today. Can I help you, instead?"
"Better you than Pomfrey, actually." Ron croaked straightforwardly, much to Selena's surprise. They didn't mutter any more words as the red-headed boy brought out one of his hands, which were remarkably swelling. She's seen this kind of injury before and it shocked her so.
"It was probably that stray dog…" Harry mumbled an excuse, side-glancing Hermione for help.
The young witch's mouth was just as dry. "Yes… The dog in… in Hogsmeade."
Selena was unamused, beckoning to Ron to sit on one of the hospital beds. "Nice try, you two. I've seen this kind of swelling loads of times before, so it could only mean one thing, though I could not so much as wrap my head around the idea." The three of them visibly gulped. Selena breathed, "Where, in Merlin's beard, was there a dragon?" She wasn't mad, actually too bubbled in concern to feel anything else.
"Well, actually—" Hermione was cut off by Harry.
"We couldn't tell you." The boy said, eyeing both her friends with an arched brow. "We promised we wouldn't say a word."
Selena never even tried with them, remembering how close James and his friends were, they would never expose secrets they promised to keep, even if that meant getting caught. She released a breath, "Fine, I shall not pry if you do not want me to." A wary smile.
Harry nodded slowly. "Thank you."
"I just need to know if the dragon is accessible to any other student. We wouldn't want anybody else catching on to more dragon bites now, do we?" Selena muttered while fetching a basin and dry towel. "If you must know, dragon bites can be deadly."
"Deadly!" Ron panicked and squirmed in the bed, making Selena chuckle as she calms him down.
"No worries, Ron." She picks up his wounded hand gently. "In your case, you'll be good as new after a few days. It only looks like a bite of a baby dragon, after all."
"Trust us, Miss Stellifer, the dragon's under someone's immensely good care. Nobody would find out." Hermione ensured. With this information, Selena's mind went into deep critical thinking.
Not even the Headmaster, for sure. Her lips shifted into a smile. "That's good to hear. How about the swelling? Does anybody else know about this?" Selena asked, directing it more to Ron than the others.
"It's just between us. I only got this last night, anyway." Said the boy on the bed.
"Wonderful… not the swelling, of course." She filled the basin with water dispersed from her wand. "I'll be able to lessen the swelling by tomorrow, so that's when you tell Madam Pomfrey it was a stray dog's bite." She chuckled, allowing the vicinity's mood to lighten a little. "Also, don't explain that you came from Hogsmeade, dears. First-years aren't allowed, she'll figure it out right away."
"Why aren't dragons allowed on the school grounds, Miss Stellifer?" Harry questioned, to which Selena blinked at for the first few seconds.
"For very obvious reasons, dear; One being that it is school grounds. Not a lot of people here know how to care for dragons, so the more chances of injuries and even deaths. Dragons cannot be trained or tamed, they only get used to their environments and perhaps, the figures around them, but not so much as to lose their cannibalistic instinct."
"That's actually a good point." Hermione agreed with her. Harry only nodded, then refused to make eye contact with the Mediwizard.
"Well, I believe you've all had your breakfast?" The three pupils spewed a 'yes' in unison. Selena addressed Harry and Hermione, "You two must make your way to classes now. Ron shall be excused for the rest of the day, I'll make the memo to your professors after classes."
"I agree, Harry. We'll miss Professor Binns' lecture." The frizzy-haired girl urged. It reminded Selena of her younger Ravenclaw self.
"We'll see you later, Ron." Says Harry after sparing one final glance, then the two were off to History of Magic.
Selena and Ron were left alone in the warm infirmary. "Shall we get on with healing that, dear? Now, tell me if I go a little too far, this may sting quite a bit, but it would feel great afterwards."
"Ack!" Ron flinched at the contact with the damp towel. The water in the basin was infused with all sorts of magical infusions with great healing properties. "You're right, Miss Stellifer, it does feel good afterwards. It's like… It's minty! But not as something you could taste." The boy smiled, leaving Selena to giggle heartily.
"You're absolutely right, Ron." She said. "Let me just apply some of this," Selena rubbed a slime-like concoction on the swelling area. "And we'll merely observe it for the rest of the day."
"And with this, I'm just excused from all my classes?" Ron gasped in bewilderment—the good kind, for sure.
"Well, yes. Dragon bites are quite sensitive, you see. You couldn't exactly write with a swelling hand, and it's not safe for it to come into contact with anything or anyone either." Selena explained. "Otherwise, the outcomes may be much more worse than this."
"Wicked." The boy's red hair spilled on the white sheets as he rested his head against the pillows.
"You may as well just continue sleeping, or if you get hungry again, just tell me and I'll ask a kitchen elf to come upstairs with some food." The Mediwizard suggested as she went to the foot of the bed to clean the basin. The Gryffindor grinned from ear to ear, Selena chuckled, he probably thinks he's like royalty today. However, the boy took her advice and slept throughout most of the morning.
"Miss Stellifer," He groggily called from his bed, just woken up. "You said it wasn't your first time healing dragon bites… How many times have you done it then?"
"Well, before I came here, I was a Mediwizard at St. Mungo's for a decade, and for two years, I was assigned to work in the Dai Llewellyn Ward which was meant for serious injuries caused by magical creatures, such as bites and scratches…So, I've seen loads of dragon bites, some cases more worse than yours."
"Oh! You worked at St. Mungo's Hospital! That's wicked!" He exclaimed, making Selena smile coyly. "Mum took my brother Charlie there once when he was little, he had a nasty bite too, from a young Hippogriff, I think."
"I was probably still a trainee back then, or else I should've remembered." She spoke her thoughts.
Suddenly, it was as if an invisible question mark appeared on top of Ron's puzzled face. "Hold on, if you already worked there, why did you come to Hogwarts?"
Selena tried her best not to falter, careful of her words as to not expose the true reason. "You see, Professor Dumbledore needs my help. For a senile yet powerful man like him, some things concerning his health just couldn't be foreseen by him alone."
"Is the Headmaster ill?" Ron pushed, though out of concern.
"You could say that, I suppose. However, it's not as serious as one may think. I'm just here to monitor him until signs of improvement are prominent. And while he is busy, I'm doubling as a matron here as well."
"Ah, I see… Well, I do hope the Headmaster gets well soon, though I still want you to stay." Ron beamed, and Selena's heart began to glow in awe. "You're… more gentle than Madam Pomfrey, and if I get sick or injured again I want you to take care of me… Or anyone! Harry and Hermione would love that as well."
"That's very sweet of you, Ron." Selena tittered and ruffled his fluffy red hair.
It didn't take long until the echoes of students bounced off the old walls of the castle, signalling that lunch had already commenced. And as if it were staged, Harry and Hermione entered the infirmary just as Ron said he was hungry.
"Hello, Miss Stellifer." Greeted Hermione as Harry rushed to his red-haired friend.
"Hello, Hermione." The Mediwizard smiled down at her.
"I didn't know you were a Ravenclaw back when you were here, top of all your classes too!" She excitedly said.
Selena chuckled, "Where did you hear that?"
The young girl shyly broke eye contact. "I asked Professor McGonagall about you earlier, after class."
"Well, she's wrong. I wasn't at the top of all my classes." Selena shrugged her shoulders, somewhat disappointedly. "The last two years of my Dark Arts Defences had good marks, but never the highest ones."
"Oh?" Hermione frowned. "Why was that? Were the topics really difficult?"
"No, dear. For me, it just wasn't quite… doable." Selena sighed, though internally grimaced, she remembered the embarrassment and pressure of being the face of Ravenclaw, but couldn't get through the one lesson everyone was able to perform. "You see, in the last two years of school, I couldn't quite produce—"
"Miss Stellifer," The smooth, low voice of the Potions Master rang through the walls of the Hospital Wing. Selena watched how the three students froze in recognizing it, as well. Then her gaze averted to his own onyx stare, he looked conflicted despite the stoic mask he's wearing. "Are you busy?"
She glanced at Ron. "Well, not at the moment, no. Do you need anything?"
"I need a word… And a favor." He glared at the three Gryffindors condescendingly, making Selena roll her eyes. She got up and trudged over to Ron's bed.
"You three should head to lunch. You too, Ron. It seems the swelling lessened much faster than I expected." With a flick of her wand, she put a charm over his hand. "It's a charm that serves like invisible gloves, so just in case your hands get messy, it won't come in contact with the wound."
"Wicked." Ron smirked, checking out his arm. Even Hermione looked over at him, impressed.
"Go on, now, you three. I must have a word with Professor Snape." The three exited skeptically, especially Harry, who couldn't stop glaring at Severus. "How long were you waiting?" She asked him.
"For a while…" He drawled, distracted. "What were they doing here?" The potioneer motioned towards the doorway as he took a few steps toward Selena.
"You make it sound as if they aren't supposed to be here." She snickered. "Although, if you must know, Harry and Hermione simply visited Ron, who is injured."
"Explains his absence in my class." The man crossed his arms. "Injured how exactly?"
"He was bitten by a dog, it swelled, then a trusty Mediwizard is now healing it." Selena smiled. "No need to fret over your student, Professor. He'll be alright by tomorrow or Saturday at most."
A scoff. "For the last time, I do not fret over my students."
"Sure… What are you here for, anyway?" She asked, and suddenly, Severus turned to face her slowly, eyes piercing into her own. He seemed so suspicious it's making her think he's onto something about her. "Professor?"
"I'm here for some… dittany." Selena didn't question why since Severus' countenance was making her anxious, it made her want him to leave, which was odd. She briefly pointed at the shelves, "The top one, rightmost."
He said nothing and instead, Selena carefully watched the man move across the room for the jar. His hand shot up and in a split second, all thanks to his slightly loose cuffs, it rolled back a little too far, revealing a mark on his forearm Selena couldn't possibly fathom. Severus Snape, a traitor? Before she even knew it, her hands were slowly snaking down her robes and her fingers were curling around her wand.
"Stupefy!" She casted.
"Protego!" Severus deflected, almost as if knowing she was gonna fire.
A bright red light flashed inside the Hospital Wing, heavy breathing followed. Now, they were just staring at each other, unmoving.
"I've seen that mark too many times, it's impossible not to recognize it." Selena was the first to talk, albeit calmly, though her wand was ever ready at her side. She glared at the now covered up Dark Mark.
"I've heard too many lies but Dumbledore being terminally ill is not one of them." The potioneer replied, mocking her. Selena had just realized that he was eavesdropping her conversation with Ron earlier. No wonder he was skeptical. "Are you really a matron, Miss Stellifer? Or should I tell the Ministry they're losing one of their staff members?"
"You're one to talk." She spat, "Death Eater… Are you sure you're not here to kill Dumbledore?" Then, she faltered a little, realizing... "Or maybe… maybe the kids were right… You're here to kill Harry!" She Disapparated before Severus could say or do anything, and she landed in front of the Headmaster's door, knocking vigorously.
The door opened just as Severus was seen Apparating inside the office, much to Dumbledore's surprise. Selena pointed at Severus and the other mirrored her, and in unison, they loudly revealed;
"She's a spy!"
"He's a spy!"
Dumbledore merely blinked, unfazed. The two stare at him incredulously. This man was impossible.
"She's connected to the Ministry, I am sure of it." Snarled Severus, glaring at her shortly. "She lied about you having an illness. Would you believe that? I just know that once you trust her you'll be behind Azkaban bars the next minute."
"Professor, he's lying! I am no such thing and you know it!" Selena stomped, pleading with the Headmaster. "Severus is a Death Eater! I saw his Dark Mark and everything! And even if I were responsible for your being behind bars, at least I was not tasked to kill you by Voldemort!"
"That's enough, both of you." Dumbledore interferes before either of them could say another word. With a regretful smile, he walks down the steps of his library slowly. "I knew it, I should've told you both from the start."
"Told us what?" Selena instantly asked after his last word, evidently bewildered.
"That you both are on a mission—the same mission—though executed differently." He said, waiting for the tension between the two colleagues to die down. "I'd like to clear things, if you don't mind; Miss Stellifer is really a Mediwizard at St. Mungo's that I've asked to come here for a while to assist us in locating the horcruxes." Dumbledore said to Snape, then he faced Selena. "While Professor Snape, I will not lie, is a previous Death Eater, however, in the event Voldemort has risen again, he shall serve as our spy. I hope this does not change the way you look at each other."
"And you didn't bother telling us this before?" Selena inquired, noticing how Severus had gone quiet and his countenance unreadable.
"I feared that you would find the duties a little too burdening when I partner you both up… Which was the initial plan." The Headmaster exhaled.
"Partner me up?" Severus retorted, his tone as if someone betrayed him. "What? Did you think me incapable of performing the duties you assigned to me? Was my ten years of trusting you betrayal all along?"
"The thought has never crossed my mind, Severus. Do understand." Dumbledore replied calmly yet firmly. "I just thought that perhaps more could be done together."
Now, Selena had gone quiet. She didn't know what to feel or how to respond to this. Not that she was objecting Severus' partnership in the mission, however, she found herself wondering if she should agree… That is, if they were to be partnered up.
She was too caught up in her thoughts to listen to what Severus was telling Dumbledore. "—I brought this to myself and only myself. Nobody else should be involved in this bloody war. The protection of the boy is my responsibility—"
"Everyone is involved in the war, Severus. All witches and wizards of every age, race, and capability." The old man argued back. "Whether they want to be or not, they play a role in this. It just so happens that your role has a bigger impact."
Severus was rendered speechless, however intentionally. He also made no eye contact with either figure in the room. Once he made a movement to leave, so did Selena. "I'll see you at dinner, Professor." She nodded to Dumbledore and rushed to catch up with her colleague.
"Look, Professor, it's not a bad idea… Partnering up." Selena began at his side. Severus side-stared at her judgingly, he still said nothing. "If Voldemort does rise again, and you are called by his side, I can stall for you while you're away…"
"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" He sneered at her.
"Well, for one, I can take over your classes." The Mediwizard shrugged, causing Severus to roll his eyes at her. "Tell them you're ill or fetching potion ingredients in the meantime…"
"Selena, don't..." The potioneer released a deep sigh. "I want you to know that this mission has been carefully planned for ten years, and that I asked Dumbledore for his permission to execute it. I understand your intentions and your capabilities, however, this is my doing and mine only." He began to walk away when Selena, in her disbelief, bellowed;
"Hey!" Severus was forced to pause in his steps, evidently exasperated. "We have the same mission and that's to protect Harry. I'm just as involved as you are and you know it…" She didn't wait for him to respond, knowing that he wouldn't. "We both found out about Quirrell, we're both willing to take risks for Harry, and honestly, Severus, I'm the only person you can talk to about all this." He still refused to answer so Selena sighed and motioned to return back to the infirmary. "I'll give you time to think about it, but for now, I shall give you no promises that I will not help you in the event that Harry's welfare has been breached."
The two went their separate ways quietly.