Chapter 24: None of the Above
Rose opened her eyes to find that she was lying in a strange bed, again. It appeared that she was in an old-fashioned hospital ward. She turned her head to see Severus Snape in an armchair beside her bed, fast asleep. She was so tired, and so very thirsty, that clearing her throat produced a gurgling noise but no relief. The man in the armchair, however, woke and brought a glass to her lips as he raised her up to drink. After a few swallows, she whispered, "Ever since I started hanging around with you, I keep waking up in places I've never been before."
"And I don't think I ever slept so much in a chair before in my life," he replied. "How do you feel?"
"I am tired, drained. Nothing hurts; nothing feels broken. What happened?" Rose lay back and closed her eyes again.
"You repelled an Unforgivable curse. Just exactly how did you do it?" Severus asked.
"I didn't do anything," she sighed. "I don't know how to do anything."
Madame Pomfrey and Albus Dumbledore came in during the questions. "I think Rose was the reservoir, and this pendant the engine." He held Elizabeth Snape's pendant in his hand. "Your mother wasn't a classically trained witch, Severus."
"She wasn't trained at all," he replied. "Her talents didn't manifest themselves until after she was grown, so she studied with her grandmother, who was more a Druid than anything else. That pendant was originally Great- grandmother's; I've worn it since Mother's death, and it has never defended me against curses. It didn't even defend my mother from her husband's curse."
"He infected her with a disease. She died of a natural illness, not a magical one." Dumbledore replied. Severus closed his eyes in pain. "At the time, nobody knew about the cause of such cancers, and there still is no cure in the advanced stages. But this synergy between Rose and her pendant, that is something new to me. I've asked Hermione to do some research in the library. We shall see if she turns up anything."
"If you are all through interrogating my patient, I would like to continue her cure. I am Madame Pomfrey, Rose, but you may call me Poppy. Are you ready for some food?"
At this, Rose's stomach gave off a very loud growling noise. "Well, I think that answers that question. When Rose is sleeping again, will you come up to my office, Severus? Some food and drink and rest, and you should both be back on your feet in time for the next dancing class. Make sure he eats, too, my dear." Albus gave the pendant back to Severus, bid Rose 'bon appetit' and departed. Poppy scurried off to summon food from the kitchens.
"I realize this hasn't been the best introduction to Hogwarts or to the magical world for you. Wherever the light is brighter, the shadows are much darker." Severus had a bitter look on his face. "I wasn't even there to protect you." He hung the pendant around her neck again.
"But you did protect me with your mother's charm," Rose protested. "You did exactly right." Poppy entered with a cart loaded with enough food for four.
"Dumb luck doesn't count for much with us," Severus replied. He took a tray from Poppy and started to spoon soup into Rose.
"It's better than no luck at all. Trust me." Rose retorted. "I have to contact my customer and explain why I am not on the job. Do you have your cell phone, Russ?"
"It's already Wednesday. What are you going to say?" Severus remarked absently.
"Wednesday! I've been asleep three days!" Rose was startled into silence, mechanically eating as he fed her. "I'll tell the customer I've been hospitalized with influenza."
"That would be one way to describe it," Severus smiled.
*******************************************************
After feeding Rose and eating some himself, Severus Snape retired to his rooms, where he showered and dressed in his Hogwarts robes. Rose had drifted off directly after he kissed her. He didn't need to provide any inducement, for which he was grateful. He was reluctant to find out what effects any form of magic might have on her and her surroundings until they could test under controlled conditions.
When Snape met the Headmaster in his chambers, Albus expressed similar misgivings. "It is fortunate that everything turned out so well for us. I don't know what Bella used on Hagrid to knock him out, and neither does he. His memory has been wiped. Hermione said that Bella didn't get any information from Rose, and the Grangers also didn't provide anything, not even their names. The Aurors are not getting much from Bella, either, but they do know how she escaped. Peter Pettigrew wormed his way into Azkaban. I never thought he had it in him, but with the absence of the Dementors, prison isn't what it used to be. At least Bella is locked up again. Security has been tightened to account for Animagi." Albus popped a lemon sherbet into his mouth. "Severus, about Rose."
"I will be offering for her, once she is fully aware of what it would mean to live in a magical world. If she declines to join me in this culture, I will offer to join her in hers." Severus Snape was back in business. The mask of indifference, the haughty sneer, every protective measure he had ever adopted was deployed.
"I believe that you both will find your way together. I am happy for you, too." Albus wasn't twinkling, though. "But what I wanted to say concerns her performance at Hagrid's. Severus, Rose is unique. I have never seen nor heard of any talent like hers. There must be some testing to try to define the extent of her abilities, latent or not. Is she a Muggle, a witch, or something else entirely? And if the last, what? I think we could do a better job of diagnosis than any Muggle scientist. I want you to convince her to find out, for all our sakes."
"Of course, Headmaster." Severus rose. "If you will excuse me, I will go see how the Potions classes are running in my absence."
Rose opened her eyes to find that she was lying in a strange bed, again. It appeared that she was in an old-fashioned hospital ward. She turned her head to see Severus Snape in an armchair beside her bed, fast asleep. She was so tired, and so very thirsty, that clearing her throat produced a gurgling noise but no relief. The man in the armchair, however, woke and brought a glass to her lips as he raised her up to drink. After a few swallows, she whispered, "Ever since I started hanging around with you, I keep waking up in places I've never been before."
"And I don't think I ever slept so much in a chair before in my life," he replied. "How do you feel?"
"I am tired, drained. Nothing hurts; nothing feels broken. What happened?" Rose lay back and closed her eyes again.
"You repelled an Unforgivable curse. Just exactly how did you do it?" Severus asked.
"I didn't do anything," she sighed. "I don't know how to do anything."
Madame Pomfrey and Albus Dumbledore came in during the questions. "I think Rose was the reservoir, and this pendant the engine." He held Elizabeth Snape's pendant in his hand. "Your mother wasn't a classically trained witch, Severus."
"She wasn't trained at all," he replied. "Her talents didn't manifest themselves until after she was grown, so she studied with her grandmother, who was more a Druid than anything else. That pendant was originally Great- grandmother's; I've worn it since Mother's death, and it has never defended me against curses. It didn't even defend my mother from her husband's curse."
"He infected her with a disease. She died of a natural illness, not a magical one." Dumbledore replied. Severus closed his eyes in pain. "At the time, nobody knew about the cause of such cancers, and there still is no cure in the advanced stages. But this synergy between Rose and her pendant, that is something new to me. I've asked Hermione to do some research in the library. We shall see if she turns up anything."
"If you are all through interrogating my patient, I would like to continue her cure. I am Madame Pomfrey, Rose, but you may call me Poppy. Are you ready for some food?"
At this, Rose's stomach gave off a very loud growling noise. "Well, I think that answers that question. When Rose is sleeping again, will you come up to my office, Severus? Some food and drink and rest, and you should both be back on your feet in time for the next dancing class. Make sure he eats, too, my dear." Albus gave the pendant back to Severus, bid Rose 'bon appetit' and departed. Poppy scurried off to summon food from the kitchens.
"I realize this hasn't been the best introduction to Hogwarts or to the magical world for you. Wherever the light is brighter, the shadows are much darker." Severus had a bitter look on his face. "I wasn't even there to protect you." He hung the pendant around her neck again.
"But you did protect me with your mother's charm," Rose protested. "You did exactly right." Poppy entered with a cart loaded with enough food for four.
"Dumb luck doesn't count for much with us," Severus replied. He took a tray from Poppy and started to spoon soup into Rose.
"It's better than no luck at all. Trust me." Rose retorted. "I have to contact my customer and explain why I am not on the job. Do you have your cell phone, Russ?"
"It's already Wednesday. What are you going to say?" Severus remarked absently.
"Wednesday! I've been asleep three days!" Rose was startled into silence, mechanically eating as he fed her. "I'll tell the customer I've been hospitalized with influenza."
"That would be one way to describe it," Severus smiled.
*******************************************************
After feeding Rose and eating some himself, Severus Snape retired to his rooms, where he showered and dressed in his Hogwarts robes. Rose had drifted off directly after he kissed her. He didn't need to provide any inducement, for which he was grateful. He was reluctant to find out what effects any form of magic might have on her and her surroundings until they could test under controlled conditions.
When Snape met the Headmaster in his chambers, Albus expressed similar misgivings. "It is fortunate that everything turned out so well for us. I don't know what Bella used on Hagrid to knock him out, and neither does he. His memory has been wiped. Hermione said that Bella didn't get any information from Rose, and the Grangers also didn't provide anything, not even their names. The Aurors are not getting much from Bella, either, but they do know how she escaped. Peter Pettigrew wormed his way into Azkaban. I never thought he had it in him, but with the absence of the Dementors, prison isn't what it used to be. At least Bella is locked up again. Security has been tightened to account for Animagi." Albus popped a lemon sherbet into his mouth. "Severus, about Rose."
"I will be offering for her, once she is fully aware of what it would mean to live in a magical world. If she declines to join me in this culture, I will offer to join her in hers." Severus Snape was back in business. The mask of indifference, the haughty sneer, every protective measure he had ever adopted was deployed.
"I believe that you both will find your way together. I am happy for you, too." Albus wasn't twinkling, though. "But what I wanted to say concerns her performance at Hagrid's. Severus, Rose is unique. I have never seen nor heard of any talent like hers. There must be some testing to try to define the extent of her abilities, latent or not. Is she a Muggle, a witch, or something else entirely? And if the last, what? I think we could do a better job of diagnosis than any Muggle scientist. I want you to convince her to find out, for all our sakes."
"Of course, Headmaster." Severus rose. "If you will excuse me, I will go see how the Potions classes are running in my absence."