ICLYLM Chapter 33 "Inch by Inch"
A/N: Troy is back! Now, whatever happened to Debbi and Caius Julius? Thanks all the reviews for 32 were a real boost during a difficult time.
It was with tremendous relief Severus Snape saw the Forbidden Forest appear around him. He unbound the dog, Snuffles, from him and took a moment to catch his breath. His energy was rapidly dwindling and they were not out of the woods yet (as it were). They needed to get across the boundaries to Hogwarts as quickly as they could manage. Severus looked down at the dog, who oozed weariness and pain. That wasn't going to be very fast. They'd better move.
"Snuffles, we've got to get onto Hogwarts' grounds as soon as we can." He said to the dog. Snuffles looked up at him balefully and dropped down to his belly.
"No, No, Snuffles, you can't... they could come after us at any moment! Padfoot! You must get up."
The dog sighed and pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. "Good boy!" Snape praised as the dog took a very shaky step in the right direction. Hell, this was going to take forever! He tried to muster a last little bit of energy and aimed a levitation spell at the animagus. He managed to raise the dog a pitiful few inches off the ground. Still, it was good enough. He moved beside Snuffles and began to make his way toward the edge of Hogwarts, levitating the animagus with him.
The progess was painfully slow in more ways than one, but it was progress. Severus just had to keep moving, keep moving...
When at last they had crossed over the boundary to Hogwarts, Snape looked, again, at his watch. Twelve Thirty. It was close enough. He could still go back with the story he and Dumbledore had concocted. He could still maintain his cover. It wasn't too late, was it?
Yet he kept moving methodically forward, levitating the dog at his side. Some time later (he wasn't consulting his watch and had no real sense of how long) he felt the dark mark burn. Voldemort was calling him. Voldemort was angry. Voldemort would not give up. The pain would grow progressively worse until he either returned to the Dark Lord or went insane. Only Dumbledore knew how to negate the burning of the Dark Mark and the castle was still quite some distance away. He really should return. That was the most sensible thing. He could keep spying for Albus and The Mark... it would stop burning.
But, still, his steps continued to stubbornly carry him forward toward the castle. The part of him browbeaten into submission as a child kept trying to convince him to go back. The hope that he had so painfully gained over these last years kept pulling him forward. If he could just make it to the castle he could stop. He could stop being a spy, stop being a Death Eater, stop being more of a bastard than he really was.
A surge of pain in his arm brought him to his knees and he tore at his arm in agony. Snuffles remained slightly levitated beside him, head lolling back and forth as he rose and fell an inch or so every few moments. The dog looked unconscious. He couldn't just leave Sirius in the forest, he'd be breakfast for some beast or other. He had to keep going, keep moving toward the castle... toward hope. Gritting his teeth he got up and began to move painfully toward the castle once again. A few feet down the path his knees buckled with a surge of pain in his arm and he went down again, hard.
He stayed down, panting for several moments, trying to think. It was no good. He'd never make it at this rate, he'd have to go back. No! He was too close, too
close. There was Sirius to protect as well. If he had to crawl he would keep moving forward. He would not go back...
As morning wore on with no news from Severus Phoebe shut down. She had clearly decided Severus was not coming back and she closed in on herself refusing to respond to either healer.
"How much danger do you think she's in?" Jeffrey asked his father softly.
James Barnes shook his head, "The mind is a powerful thing, Jeff, there's really no way to tell."
Still, neither healer was inclined to give up without a fight. When neither could reach the witch through the healing bond, James looked at his son with a glint of steel in his eye.
"It's time for dirty pool, isn't it, Dad?" Jeffrey asked.
"I wouldn't call it that, necessarily. I prefer to think of it as using all the means at our disposal," the older healer said moving to his satchel. "She can't will herself to die if she's unconscious, and that may buy us some time."
"But can't she? Haven't you seen people in a coma give up?"
"It's rare, very rare," James said, his eye on a syringe as he drew a dose of potion up into it. "She may be able to, but this will at least slow her down." The elder healer moved to Phoebe's side.
"Phoebe, I need to give you a shot. Just a pinch and a prick" He found muscle in the arm and delivered the potion. Phoebe began to blink owlishly at once as James moved to dispose of the needle in the little sharps box in his bag.
"Once she's under one of us can try a healing bond again. She ought to be less resistant."
"Which one of us should do it? You're more experienced."
"Yes, Jeff, but you've got an emotional connection to her that I don't. And you care very much about Severus... that's an important bond that you also share. I think it should be you."
Jeffrey sighed and nodded.
"Meanwhile," James said ringing a bell, "We should send word to the headmaster to have a through search made of the forest and grounds just in case Severus is back but hurt."
A house elf with floppy bat-like ears appeared with a crack and James made his request.
"Professor Lupin is already taking searches in the woods, Doctor sir. But he must stop soon, sir," the house elf squeaked in reply.
"Why, Dobby?"
"The Headmaster is having his memorial for the poor professor who died, sir." Dobby said with a knowing wink, "All of the professors and many of the students must be there, Doctor James, sir, so that the evil wizards are sure she is dead, sir. Professor Lupin will search again afterward, Doctor James, Dobby will help him sir, if it pleases you, sir. Dobby misses Professor Snape." the elf finished sadly.
James Barnes placed a gentle hand on the House Elf's head. "It would please me very much, Dobby," He said gently, "Dobby or Professor Lupin must send word IMMEDIATELY if they find anything at all. This is very important Dobby."
"Dobby will make sure Doctor James and Doctor Jeffrey hear news 'immediately'." Dobby said with slightly improved spirits, then he disappeared with another loud crack.
"This is just a little too ironic for my taste, Dad," Jeffrey said.
"What is?"
"They're having a memorial service for our patient at the same time we are trying to save her life. It doesn't feel like a very good sign."
"I don't believe in signs, Jeffrey." James Barnes said matter-of-factly. "Neither should you."
