7 – I'll Be There

Dumbledore was sitting in his office when he suddenly got the feeling something was wrong. Not wrong as in 'You-Know-Who' had returned to power, wrong as in something had happened which he could have prevented.

'Severus…' He muttered, running from his office. He went down the corridor, down the stairs to the dungeon and opened up the secret passage to Snape's quarters.

He knocked, there was no reply. 'Severus, are you in there!' Dumbledore called. Yet again there was no reply. He tried the door to find it was locked.

'Alohomora!' Dumbledore said, and the door sprang open to reveal Snape lying on the floor, unconscious.

'Oh no… oh no…' Dumbledore said, moving over and bending down by Severus. He noticed the Basilisk fang sticking into the Professor's arm, and pulled it out, leaving a rather large wound.

'Severus, can you hear me?' Dumbledore said, shaking Snape. Snape didn't say or do anything. He was still breathing, but that was about it.

'Don't go anywhere.' Dumbledore said, leaving the room and heading back up the stairs to the main entrance. Luckily, he almost immediately spotted Minerva McGonagall talking to Professor Flitwick halfway up the stairs.

'Minerva! Filius!' He called, running up to them.

'Why the hurry?' Flitwick asked.

'Severus has tried to kill himself!'

'Oh my God!' McGonagall said.

'Look, I want you, Filius, to go to my office and send the fastest owl in the school to St. Mungo's.' Flitwick nodded and went up the staircase.

'Minerva, I want you to find Heidi and Draco, tell them what's happening.'

McGonagall nodded, and went down the stairs and into the Great Hall.

***

Heidi sat in McGonagall's office, feeling rather confused. This was the second time today that she had been sent to a teacher's office for no apparent reason. She became even more confused when Draco appeared.

'McGonagall asked you to come here?' He asked anti-sociably.

Heidi nodded. 'What are you doing here?'

Draco shrugged. He didn't sit down next to Heidi but went and stood in a corner, just as McGonagall came in.

'Um… please may you come and sit down, Draco. I need to tell you something important.'

Draco reluctantly came out of his corner and sat next to Heidi.

'I take it Professor Snape has talked to you about Lucius, Narcissa, him and myself?' She asked Draco, who nodded.

'Well… your father,' (Heidi looked confused as to why McGonagall was calling Snape Draco's father). 'Has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He tried to kill himself with a Basilisk fang – he is critically ill.'

Heidi burst into tears and Draco just looked very shocked. Forgetting all about the strict teacher – pupil relationship McGonagall and Heidi were meant to have at school, Minerva hugged her daughter to try and calm her tears.

'This… this is my fault, isn't it?' Draco muttered. 'I shouted at him… when he said he was my father.'

'Your father?' Heidi asked as McGonagall let her go and returned to her desk.

'You're brother and sister.' McGonagall said. It was Heidi's turn to look shocked.

'It's my fault!' Draco said again. 'He probably thinks I hate him… just because of that argument earlier…'

McGonagall didn't pursue the matter of 'that argument', but asked Draco, 'Well, do you hate him?'

'No, of course I don't hate him!' Draco said.

'Could you accept him as your father?'

Draco hung his head, obviously thinking about his future – whether he would rather be with Lucius and Narcissa or Snape.

'Yes… I could accept him… I could love him as my father…'

McGonagall noticed the clock on the wall opposite from her desk. 'It's late.' She said. 'I suggest you return to your dormitories and get a good sleep. Do not, under any circumstances, tell anyone else what I have told you, do I make myself clear?'

Draco and Heidi nodded.

'In the morning, you will both be able to go to St. Mungo's to be with your father.'

***

It was about half past ten the following morning when Heidi and Draco arrived at St. Mungo's. They had walked with Professor McGonagall, as it was only just outside Hogsmeade.

Since they had found out that they were brother and sister, they had put their differences aside and made up. Draco still refused to be at all kind to Harry, Hermione or the Weasleys, but Heidi wouldn't be friendly to Crabbe or Goyle either, so they were even.

They noticed that several other teachers were already at the hospital, sending their best wishes to Severus. As they entered the main reception they saw Professor Dumbledore, Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick standing in a corner, talking in hushed voices.

'Stay there, you two.' McGonagall ordered, before walking over to the rest of the teachers.

'What's happening?' She asked Dumbledore.

'Well, he's alive.' He said.

'And stable.' Flitwick added.

'Not that you'd care.' Hooch said viciously.

'What makes you think that, Suzanne?' McGonagall snapped back. 'Just because there is no romance between us anymore, that doesn't mean I don't care!'

'Ladies, ladies. This is not a time to be arguing.' Dumbledore said. Minerva and Suzanne ignored him.

'I bet you'd give a lot to have him back though, wouldn't you?' Suzanne Hooch threw at Minerva McGonagall.

'No. We're just good friends.'

'Whatever. You're just jealous because he loves me now instead of you.'

***

Heidi and Draco spent most of the day at Snape's bedside. Despite all the thing he was being given to fight the poison, he was still unconscious. All sorts of magical spells had been put on him to try and wake him up and rid him of the poison, but nothing was working.

It was a week later when he finally came round. He had just been injected with some kind of anti-venom potion the hospital had managed to get hold of from another wizard hospital in Greece. (Basilisks originated in Greece, and are more common there than in Britain, where there haven't been any sightings of them for four hundred years, apart from in the Chamber of Secrets).

About ten minutes after the injection, Snape started to show signs of life. Heidi, who had been holding Snape's hand, felt him grip her hand back.

'Dad?' She asked. 'Dad, can you hear me?'

Snape muttered something incoherently.

'Father? Are you alright?' Draco asked.

Snape opened his eyes groggily, taking in his rather blurry surroundings. 'I'm alive.' He muttered.

'Heidi, go and find Dumbledore.' Draco said. Heidi obeyed, and left the small room.

'I'm sorry.' Draco said, now that he was alone with his real father for the first time since he found out he wasn't a Malfoy. 'I'm sorry I shouted, sorry I told you that you were wrong.' He took hold of his father's hand.

'Draco? You're here!' Snape muttered.

'Of course I am. You're my father, and you're ill.'

'But… you didn't want me…'

'I've been thinking.' Draco said. 'And you're my father now, not Lucius Malfoy. I'm not a Malfoy any more, and I never wish to be one again. I'm part of your family now.'

Snape gave a very weak smile as Heidi re-entered the room, leading Dumbledore.

'Severus, you're awake!' Dumbledore exclaimed. 'How are you feeling?'

'Tired, confused…'

'You've been unconscious for a week; you're bound to be confused.'

'A week?'

'Yes. You're friends and children were very worried that you wouldn't wake up.'

'What about Suzi? Has she been here?'

'Suzanne has been down here a lot, but she is also needed at the school.  She had to carry on teaching as well, and a Quidditch match to referee.'

'Quidditch! Slytherin… how did they do.'

'Luckily for you, there has only been one match – Ravenclaw v. Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw won 180 – 60, if you wanted to know. Anyway, I better be off to the school – I'll tell Suzanne you've woken up, she'll probably be down later.' Dumbledore said before leaving the room.

'Mum's not getting on very well with Madam Hooch.' Heidi said.

'I didn't think they would… I'm to blame for that. Minerva's still annoyed that I left her, and now that I'm with Suzi… Madam Hooch, she's just even more annoyed.'

***

A few weeks had past, Snape was back at Hogwarts and everything was back to normal, apart from the fact that Snape became much kinder to Heidi, even in classes. Draco was desperate to drop Malfoy as his surname, and use Snape instead, but Severus had told him to wait until the Summer Holidays, when all the formalities would be dealt with.

Snape and McGonagall were arguing over where Heidi went at the end of the year, now that she got on equally well with both parents. McGonagall said that a girl needs her mother more than her father, which Snape completely ignored, saying that it should be Heidi's choice, not theirs.

Dumbledore did call Snape, Hooch and McGonagall to his office to deal with all their differences, and to try and sort everything else out once and for all.

In the end the following was decided: Draco would move to live with Snape. (Dumbledore would owl Lucius to deal with everything); Heidi had decided to spend alternate Summer Holidays with her mother and father, as she always spent the other two at school anyway and there were to be no more arguments between McGonagall and Hooch.

All too soon the end of the year came. All the students went down to the Hogwarts Express, apart from Draco and Heidi. Snape lived in Hogsmeade, so there was little point in going all the way to London just to come back again.

Once the rest of the school had left, Heidi and Draco followed their father from the school to start a new life.

~You and I must make a pact

We must bring salvation back

Where there is love

I'll be there

I reach out my hand to you

I'll have faith in all you do

Just call my name

And I'll be there

I'll be there to comfort you

I'll build my world of dreams around you

I'm so glad that I found you

I'll be there with a love that's strong

I'll be your strength

I'll keep holding on and on

Oh yes I will

Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter

Togetherness, well that's what I'm after

Whenever you need me

I'll be there

I'll be there to protect you

With an unselfish love that respects you

Just call my name

I'll be there~