"I Can't Let You Love Me" chapter 16
Dumbledore was kneeling beside the unconscious Pomfrey in an instant as Snape quickly tore about the clinic to be sure Phoebe and Jeffrey were truly missing.
"Ennervate," Dumbledore said directing his wand at Poppy's still form. Immediately, she began to stir. Her hand flew up to grasp the back of her head as she opened her eyes. She let out a low moan then, her eyes seemed to sharpen into and quickly slide out of focus as she jumped and struggled to get to her feet.
"Poppy, Poppy, it's Albus," Dumbledore said, grasping the panicky woman's arms, "You're alright, we're here."
Pomfrey stilled looked at Snape and Dumbledore and gave herself a little shake followed by a shuddering breath.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore asked.
Again Pomfrey's hand went to the back of her head, seemingly of its own volition. "It's a bit fuzzy, I'm afraid. I remember walking down to the clinic and knocking on the door." The Hogwarts nurse scowled, "Then, when I opened the door, all Hell seemed to break loose. A man, a man in dark robes swooped down on me and grabbed me," Dumbledore ran a soothing hand up and down Poppy's arm as her voice shook slightly, "I tried to get away but he was so strong, too strong, then someone called out 'stupefy' and then you were waking me up."
"Did you see their faces?" Snape asked, with surprising gentleness
"No, no I didn't"
"That probably saved you," Snape said too softly for Poppy to hear. Dumbledore, however, caught every word and his brow creased before he spoke again.
"Poppy, do you remember anything else, what the room looked like, who was here, even just the briefest glimpse of something different than it is now?"
Pomfrey looked around slowly then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She opened and closed them again and finally spoke, "Everything happened so quickly, it's just a blur. The only thing that I can remember is that I think there was something on the floor, a bundle or a pile of something."
"Just one?" Dumbledore prodded gently.
"Maybe. Maybe two. I'm not sure," Poppy said fatigue beginning to make her voice ragged.
Dumbledore looked up at Snape, "Severus, do you have an idea of where you might find James Barnes? We need to tell him what has happened and ask him to look at Poppy," He turned his gaze back to Pomfrey, "I believe you hit your head when you fell after being stupefied, my friend."
"I think you're right." Pomfrey replied wincing as her hand rubbed the back of her head.
Snape returned with the elder Doctor Barnes about one half hour later. James Barnes was very tense, each muscle seemed drawn and ready to spring.
"Alright," he said harshly as Severus closed the clinic door, "What the Hell is it? Tell me!"
Snape's mouth formed a grim line at these words but he took a deep breath and spoke carefully and calmly, "James, Jeffrey and his patient, Professor Taylor, are missing." Severus noted two things at these words. The first was that James Barnes paled considerably. The second was that Dumbledore had come out of the exam room where Pomfrey had undoubtedly been moved.
"We have reason to believe," Severus continued, steeling his resolve to finish explaining it all, "That they may have been taken by Death Eaters in the service of Voldemort."
James Barnes was a strong man of not inconsiderable courage. As a doctor he was no stranger to brutality... even the extreme brutality of Voldemort and his minions. He was used to absorbing shocking and even frightening information and continuing the task at hand. This, Severus suspected, was what he was trying to do; out of habit if nothing else.
"I see," he began weakly, "Well, then, we will need to... We will need... We'll need..."
"James!" Dumbledore exclaimed with a note of alarm as Severus grabbed the doctor whose knees had given way beneath him. Dumbledore helped Severus get James to a chair where the healer took several deep steadying breaths and then put his head in his hands. Both men kept a reassuring hand on the distraught healer. After a moment however, Severus noticed his hand was beginning to tremble so he lifted it and walked silently to the other side of the room to collect himself.
Those few moments of silence and James Barnes' reaction had made it much more difficult for Severus to shove aside the conjecture and mental imagery of what may have happened to Phoebe and Jeffrey. He knew all too well the danger they were in. He had seen it first hand. He had plenty of mental photographs to go with the anxieties.
"Severus" Albus Dumbledore's voice broke into his thoughts as a warm hand was laid on his shoulder. "Severus, are you all right for the moment?"
Snape nodded and turned to look at the older wizard. "Severus, you'll need to get back to the castle. The Death Eaters will likely look to find you there. I am sorry to send you off on your own, but you need to get back. I will help James see to Poppy and return with them both as quickly as I may."
Severus nodded and looked past Dumbledore to James Barnes. The doctor met his eye with an anxious but determined look. He nodded at Snape who nodded curtly back and quickly took his leave.
Severus spent an anxious hour or more alone in his office pacing, re-arranging books, alphabetizing potion ingredients, anything to keep him from leaping out of his skin. During that time he tried desperately to focus only on the task at hand... only on what was before him. Asphodel after Arrowroot... s after r. This trick had served him well in the past it had allowed him to endure a great deal. But things had changed recently and many of his old coping methods weren't working as well.
He still tried. Tried not to think what might have happened to Jeffery and to Phoebe. But he knew who had them and why they were both gone. He also knew that, in a way, this was his fault too. Seeing James drop his head to his hands earlier had filled him with guilt. If he had only restrained himself and his feelings in the first place. If he had not been so selfish... Merlin knows, even if he had not been so stubborn after Phoebe came to him in the hospital wing. Yes, there was plenty of blame to go around, and he was entitled to a good portion of it.
Dammit! What was taking Albus so long? He thought this for what was easily the 45th time. This time, however, he was rewarded with a knock. Snape moved swiftly to the door and preformed a charm to see through it. Albus and James, thank Ptolemy! He opened the door swiftly only just resisting the urge to physically pull both men in.
He pulled two chairs around for them and then took his own.
"Poppy?" he asked simply.
"She will be alright. I have her up in the hospital wing. I'll be staying there tonight just as a precaution," James Barnes reported wearliy.
Snape nodded, at a loss for words.
"I need to get back up there; but before I do I need to know what you two think is going on. I've been as patient as I can be but..."
Dumbledore put a gentle hand on James' arm.
"You have been more than patient, more than dutiful toward Poppy, and we thank you. We are not trying to keep anything from you. You understand we needed an appropriate time and place."
Barnes nodded curtly, he was obviously biting back the urge to tell them to get on with it. Snape did.
"James, you examined Phoebe and got her history from Jeffrey?"
"Yes, of course," the healer's expression saddened as he shook his head, "Damn monsters."
"And," Snape continued gently but rather firmly, "You know who the baby's father is?"
James nodded, "I also know it doesn't matter because the pregnancy has to end or it will kill her."
"Yes, and there are some who..." Severus' throat was suddenly tight and quite painful. He tried to go on but couldn't manage.
"There are some," Dumbledore continued with a sympathetic look toward Snape, "Who would not want the Dark Lord's child aborted, if they knew the pregnancy exists. Lucius Malfoy was here today sniffing around. But, even if he hadn't been, I think the conclusion as to what has happened would be unavoidable."
"They know," James said in a strangled whisper.
"I believe they do. I also believe they are determined to keep her from terminating the pregnancy."
"But that will kill her."
"Yes, but that is of little consequence to Voldemort and his minions. If they can keep her alive long enough for the baby to be viable, they won't care if it kills her."
"By the four elements, they've taken Jeffrey to keep her alive as long as possible!" James gasped. His voice shook as he continued, "And once they have the child?"
"Jeffrey will be needed to keep it alive."
"And if it dies?"
"I hope to have retrieved both Jeffrey and Phoebe before this comes about," Dumbledore said calmly but firmly.
"They'll kill him, too, won't they?" James asked
It was Severus who answered, his voice barely above a whisper, "Yes they will."
James Barnes looked at Snape whose head had dropped to look at his hands, which he was wringing in his lap. The compassionate mind of a healer suddenly remembered...
"Jeffrey thought you were the father at first, Severus." he said in a distant voice.
Snape looked up at James with hollow eyes. "If only..." he said, bitterly.
"Severus, Jeffrey, we are going to figure out how to get them back," Dumbledore said firmly. We have an excellent chance of doing so, Severus, so long as they believe you are still loyal to Voldemort. So long as they do, you will probably hear the news of what is going on and where. You may even be pressed into service to brew potions."
Severus looked horrified and hopeful all at once. Yes, he had a good chance of discovering where they were, but to brew a potion to help keep Phoebe as some sort of incubator for the Dark Lord's spawn...
"And if Voldemort doesn't still trust Severus?" James asked anxiously.
"This will certainly tell us one way or another," Snape noted dryly.
"I am already working out others avenues, James." Dumbledore said. "In fact, I need to return to my office. Severus it is probably best you stay in your office or your rooms in case Malfoy comes back or sends someone. James, I will walk you back to the hospital wing." Dumbledore rose and James Barnes followed suit.
"Severus, if you don't mind, I'll just have Argus or Minerva drop around to check in on you." Dumbledore added.
"No need," Snape said in a strangely strangled voice.
"Severus, you need to-"
"No," Snape said, "I won't be here."
Comprehension dawned on the Headmasters face, along with concern. Dr. Barnes looked quite confused, however. Snape simply pulled up his left sleeve and showed the healer the Dark Mark burning fiercely on his arm.
