Chapter Twenty-Three

The Girl Who Lived

Jennifer felt a warm tingle spread across her face, breaking through a dense white haze. She really didn't want to wake up; she wanted to get back to the dream she was having. Voldemort had been in it, his wand was pointed at her. His face had been terrible, she remembered, and she'd been in pain, but then a green and white light hit her from two different directions, and the pain stopped. There had been a loud noise, but it hadn't woken her, and then a silence. Severus was there, then Dumbledore and then Minerva, who had been upset. Then she had been moved, and afterwards they had left her alone, until at last she was aware that Severus was there. He paced the room for a long time, and then suddenly he had leaned over and kissed her. She wanted to see where this dream was going, she thought with frustration.

She felt a coarse hand across her forehead and smelled a faint aroma of dragon wing powder and chamomile. It was a real hand, she knew, someone wanting her to wake up. After a moment, the hand was gone.

"Damn. Perhaps not," she heard a sad, familiar voice say. "You're an old fool, Severus. I'm sorry, Jennifer. At least I was able to keep you alive."

Jennifer opened her eyes in surprise, looking around. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Severus Snape sat with his hands over his eyes, as if deep in thought and grief. Kept me alive? Voldemort cast the Killing Curse at her, but she was alive? But then maybe that meant… but it couldn't be.

"This is real? I'm not dreaming?" she said out loud, listening to the sound of her own voice. Severus spun around in complete surprise, and for once his face was clear as to what he was thinking. He couldn't believe he had woken her. The surprise melted into fear before giving in to relief and incredulity. Finally he forced his expression into a lopsided smile.

"Well," he said slowly, "this is going to complicate things." Jennifer stared at him in utter astonishment. He wakes her from what must have had to been Cosmic Sleep and that was the first thing he could think of to say?

"Well, if it was going to complicate things that much, how come you just didn't go and let him kill me, like we agreed on in the beginning?" she challenged him out of annoyance.

"Oh come now," Severus smirked, trying to regain his composure. "That is obviously a baited question, and one we both know the answer to already. You can do better than that."

"Does that mean you're not going to answer it?" she asked. He gazed at her thoughtfully, hesitantly brushing her cheek with his hand, encouraged by the flush in her cheeks. She closed her eyes. "Now I know I'm dreaming," she smiled.

"No," Severus said, frowning deeply. "If this were a dream, Voldemort would be dead, the Death Eaters disbanded and imprisoned, and there would be nothing standing in our way." He leaned down and kissed her lovingly, her lips trembling as she returned it. He slowly pulled away to look in her dazed green eyes, his face deadly serious. "No one can know what truly happened, Jennifer. No one. Voldemort will soon learn that you are not dead, and if he suspects who countercursed him…" he didn't bother to finish, knowing she already knew the answer to that.

"Don't go back, Severus, it's too dangerous," she pleaded softly, but Severus shook his head.

"Not going back now would be the same as admitting that I saved you. In a way, I'm actually safer by going. I just don't know how I'm going to be able to cover this up yet. The Death Eaters were all masked, so he can't be completely certain if any of us cast it. Potter maybe? I would rather that no more blame fell upon him under the circumstances. Not that Voldemort could hate him any more than he already does."

"How did you manage it?" she whispered.

"Just a little time manipulation with the help of a speed potion and slow potion. You were the one who gave me the idea, when I listened to your speech on Cosmic Sleep. I decided then that I would be ready for the next time he tried harming you. I began carrying one of each potion in my cloak all the time, so before I left I took the speed, and began softly chanting the countercurse before he even cast the death spell, so that the moment I cast it, I was in sync. I almost used a little time device instead to go back and put you to sleep, but I didn't want to chance getting seen in two places, and I wasn't quite sure I'd get the timing right even then."

"What made you so sure you could wake me up?" Jennifer asked. But the look on his face betrayed the fact he hadn't been sure at all. He sighed softly.

"I suspected it after what you saw in the Mirror of Erised, although I admit I spent quite a long time trying to convince myself it was just a harmless infatuation. Or rather, not so harmless considering all the things that happened once we were mixed up together. And I attempted to convince myself I was only attracted to you because you were attracted to me," he admitted. "However, it does seem that logic failed somewhat."

"Only you would try to apply logic to something like this," Jennifer teased.

"If it's any consolation, if it hadn't worked, I was fully prepared to do everything in my power to see that you woke up one way or the other. I would never have abandoned you," he said seriously. But Jennifer had never doubted that, even before he said it.

"What about, I mean... I understand why you want to keep this a secret, but… how can we just explain away being woken from a Cosmic Sleep?" she murmured.

"Perhaps we don't have to explain it," he suggested, pushing her hair back out of her face. "We could just tell everyone you are still asleep, and then tuck you away somewhere quiet until it's safe to return."

"What? No! I'm not going to hide any more than you are, and I'm definitely not playing Sleeping Beauty any longer than I have to," she said stubbornly.

"I could always put you back to sleep," he threatened her. She had never really argued with him before.

"Until when, Severus, until it's safe?" Jennifer asked. "When would that be? When Voldemort is dead? What if there are Death Eaters loose afterwards, not until they're all caught? And what if some other threat comes up in the meantime? How are you going to be able to protect someone who's asleep? At least if I'm awake, I can defend myself. And what if something happened to you while I was asleep? I'd be stuck like that forever. Besides, I still have to give out this year's finals."

"Fine, so you have some valid points," Severus admitted irritably. "Of course, it still leaves us with the problem of how to explain how you woke you up."

There was a soft knock at the door. Severus quickly stood up in alarm, glancing at Jennifer. Jennifer closed her eyes and tried to relax, her head slightly turned to the back wall in hopes she wouldn't give herself away. She heard Severus walk up to the door, raise the lock and open it.

"Greetings, Headmaster Dumbledore. How are Ron and Hermione?" Severus asked in a voice that was slightly louder than his normal tone of voice.

"Restless and wishing they didn't have to stay in bed. And how is our other patient doing?"

"Same as when you left her." Severus replied quickly, closing the door.

"Oh, really?" Someone sat on the bed beside her. "Let me see if I, with my great magic powers and wisdom, can find a cure for this problem."

Suddenly Jennifer felt someone poke her in the side. Oh no. After a few more playful pokes her side was assaulted with a round of them, launching her into a fit of giggles. It was no use; she opened her eyes, gazing apologetically at Severus.

"Oh look," smiled Dumbledore. "It seems that I have just discovered an alternative cure to Cosmic Sleep. So glad to see you back among the living, Jennifer. How are you feeling?"

"Happy," she answered after a moment, looking over at Severus, who met the gaze steadily. "Worried, anxious, solemn, unsure, perhaps even a little afraid, but mostly happy."

"My word, and you figured all of that out without looking into your pocket mirror," he winked at her, displaying it in his hand. "Don't worry, it's back to normal now. And I put a little something extra on it to keep it from getting in the wrong hands again." He patted her arm and got up, glancing over at Severus. "I won't keep you both for long. I'm sure you still have many things that you need to discuss." He held up his hand, seeing that Severus was going to interrupt, "and no, I'm not going to tell anyone. You need not worry about that. I just want to let you know that however the two of you decide to handle this, it is your decision alone and you have my support," he assured them, then smiled at Jennifer. But don't let him bully you, he thought towards her. Jennifer suppressed a smile. "I only ask that when you have all the details worked out, Severus, would you please come to my study and fill me in so we know how to proceed?"

Severus nodded to him.

"Of course, sir," Severus said quietly.

"Good, then I'll go and see to it you aren't disturbed further," he held his hand out, and Severus gave him the key. "I'll allow you to Apparate yourself out when you're ready, Severus." Dumbledore then left, locking the door behind himself. Severus sighed and sat back down beside the bed.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand. Is there anyone in particular who might suspect what really happened?" Severus asked her, sitting back down.

"Minerva, I think. Especially after the game," Jennifer murmured with a blush.

"Hm. Yes, I was doing it too," he admitted. "Oh, well, I don't suppose her knowing will be too much of a problem."

"Sirius suspects," Jennifer added. Severus squinted at her. "I kept turning him down! And the dance…"

"Hm. Yes, Dumbledore made me promise I wouldn't dance with you the rest of the night. He thought I was being careless," Severus scowled. "So I left."

"I was afraid it was something like that," Jennifer sighed. "I suppose we could pretend to dislike one another or something… but how would we be able to see each other without word leaking out? I mean, how would be able to communicate when we do want see each other? If we're going to see each other, that is," she added cautiously.

"We'll accomplish it with your talent for truth and my genius for discretion," he said at last. "Don't worry, Jennifer. After all we've been through together to get to this point, we're not going to turn our backs on each other now," he vowed sincerely.