Title : working title – Hogwarts under siege
Author : odyssey
Disclaimer : This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Brothers Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Spoilers : to be safe – for all four books
Summary : When a mysterious disease attacks Hogwarts in Harry´s 7th year it is up to Prof. Snape to find a cure in time.
Preliminary comments : YES! YES! YES! I´ve gotten 5 reviews!!! THANK YOU! Now I´m busy jumping around the room and singing and dancing because I´m soooo happy! You made my day!
Dedication : To all the great fanfic-writers whose stories have brought me hours of pleasant entertainment. I hope that I can give some of it back with my little narration.
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Thud. Thud. Thud.
Severus Snape wasn´t sure whether the rhythmic drumming resulted from his heartbeats or from the heavy fall of his feet against the cool stone floor.
`Get out of my way!´ he shouted irritably and a handful of scared Hufflepuffs flattened themselves against the wall staring bewildered at the retreating figure of their potions master.
`Moira?´ Severus asked without decreasing his speed, `are you still with me?´
A weak nod answered him, barely noticeable against his robes.
`Prof… ´ she started carefully but was interrupted as her body started convulsing and she had to throw up again. Green liquid poured over her chin and dripped down onto her robes, making her Gryffindor emblem shine in a dirty brown colour. Moira desperately clutched the first thing she got hold of, Prof. Snape´s robes, forgetting her usual fear and antipathy for the man. She was not aware how he came to an abrupt halt and tried to stabilize her as he had done in the dungeon. She also didn´t see the students backing away from them, she didn´t hear their terrified gasps and startled screams. Moira Donovan was too preoccupied with the searing pain that shot through her stomach and the overwhelming urge to throw up.
`Moira! Relax, girl, just relax.´ Severus let off a constant stream of soothing nonsense and hoped that his calm and composed voice (at least he hoped that it sounded calm and composed) would help to calm the terrified student. Frantically he grabbed his wand and raised it in order to use the soothing charms which had helped her in the dungeons.
`Cal… ´ He didn´t get any further. Moira started thrashing around, kicking out with arms and legs, screaming and crying at the top of her lungs. Letting go of his wand Snape had to use his full strength to ensure that she didn´t injure herself by accident.
`Calmare !´ The spell was spoken with authority and worked instantly. Moira´s arms fell limply onto the floor and she stopped her struggle. A huge, blistered hand pushed Snape away and took his place next to the unconscious girl. Madame Pomfrey, the matron, had arrived.
`Conjure a stretcher, Severus.´ she ordered briskly without taking her eyes off Moira. Skilled hands checked the girl´s body then she gently levitated her onto Snape´s stretcher.
The journey to the hospital wing was quick and quiet. Severus followed Pomfrey´s heavy footsteps like a sleepwalker lost in his own thoughts. How could that have happened? A student collapsing! During his lesson no less! Under his supervision!
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Stunned silence filled the dungeon after Snape had vanished with Moira. How? What? Thoughts swirled around wildly, fear reflected in each face, the query between Slytherin and Gryffindor forgotten as they all shared the same feeling : fear.
A loud `clang!´ broke the silence as a mortar slid out of Lavender Brown´s hands and fell clattering to the ground. That broke the invisible dam and almost at once several terrified sobs resounded in the classroom. Miserable whimpering mixed with exclamations of fear and surprise, shortly followed by the first accusations.
`Damn you Slytherins! What did you put into her potion?´ Parvati screeched.
A chorus of indignant voices answered her.
`We didn´t put anything into it! Mabye she was just too stupid to make a proper potion and poisoned herself!´
`Didn´t she sit next to Neville? What did he put into it!´
Neville´s face blushed a deep shade of red while Harry and Ron jumped to his defence, screaming back at the enraged Slytherins.
`You poisoned Moira and now you dare to accuse Neville?´ a vein pounded on Ron´s forehead and even Harry, who usually was the centre of calmness, gritted his teeth in barely restrained anger.
`Who do you think you´re …´
`QUIET!´ a shrill voice cut in. Trembling and incredibly pale Hermione emerged from her place at the wall which she hadn´t left during the whole commotion. `We need to clear the room. Go back into your common rooms and stay there. Whatever it is that produced Moira´s reaction may be in the air of the classroom.´
Both Slytherins and Gryffindors immediately ceased their argument and headed for their bags, pushing and tugging at anything that stood in their way.
`NO!´ Hermione shouted once more, `Leave that stuff here! It may be contaminated. Now leave this room!´
Terrified most of the students dropped their bags as if they were made of pure poison and practically fled from the dungeons, leaving Hermione, Ron and Harry alone in the stained and deserted classroom.
`Blimey!´ Ron whispered with trembling lips, `I think I want this year to be boring again.´
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The hospital wing was buzzing with life. Madame Pomfrey hovered over Moira like a giant mother hen, running this way and that and constantly muttering different combinations of spells.
`Accio Mandragona!´ The matron held out a large hand as a tin filled with parts of a green plant flew through the air. She caught it with practised ease and poured some leaves over the unconscious girl while chanting an incantation in a low voice. Her brows furrowed as she carefully watched Moira´s reaction to the herb, then she swung around in a flash.
`Accio Sanguinaria rosea! Accio alraunae! Accio aquariatus potion!´
Several pots and tins cut through the air like projectiles giving Severus Snape who had followed Pomfrey into her inner sanctum hardly any time to duck out of their way. Old reflexes sprang to life and he quickly jumped behind an unoccupied bed.
`Pomfrey?´ he asked carefully from behind his barricade, `How is she? Will she be o.k.?´
`Severus? You´re still here?´ Madame Pomfrey seemed to have forgotten her colleague over her worries.
`Yes. How is…?´
`Get OUT!´ Pomfrey screamed. `You´re disturbing my concentration! Get out!´
`She´s my pupil! I have to…!´
`Out! Go get Dumbledore or something! Just LEAVE!´ In order to emphasize her point she threw a package of bandages at him then turned her attention back to more important matters.
Snape stood frozen for about a second while two instincts battled each other inside him. `Don´t leave her! She´s your student! You´re responsible for her condition!´ one of them screamed while the other, the cold one, the logical one, kept repeating :`Fool! There is nothing that you can do for her now. She´s in good hands. Go and get Dumbledore!´
Finally logic defeated compassion and Severus dashed out of the infirmary past puzzled students and teachers. He skidded to a sudden halt in front of a stone gargoyle which guarded the entrance of Dumbledore´s office and started shouting the password.
`Fluffy slippers! Fluffy slippers! Fluffy slippers!´
Grunting the gargoyle shuffled aside and Severus jumped through the opening nearly colliding with the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.
`My, my, my, Severus. Calm down, lad. Going into hysterics won´t help the poor girl, you know.´
Snape stared at Dumbledore. He already knew what had happened? How?
`You…you knew? Then why aren´t you in the hospital wing?´
Dumbledore cleared his throat. `I had some very important things to do.´
`More important than a collapsing student?´ Snape cried in disbelief.
Dumbledore´s eyebrows rose and a faint smile appeared on his face. `Is that concern that I hear? Concern for a Gryffindor?´
Snape let a frustrated howl which made the headmaster chuckle into his long silver beard.
`Come now, Severus. Let us head for the hospital wing and see what we can do.´
Together the headmaster and the potions master made their way to Madame Pomfrey´s domain. In the meantime the corridors were filled with anxious students and teachers who had heard the commotion and numerous rumours had started to spread around the school. Calmly Dumbledore sent the students back into their classrooms, offering soothing words and calming hysterical outbursts while Snape waited impatiently beside him.
After what seemed like hours they finally reached the hospital wing. An eerie silence filled the rooms and mocked the tragic events which had taken place only a little while before.
`Poppy?´ Dumbledore inquired in a calm voice.
There was some rustle of tissue and the matron emerged around a corner looking serious and weary.
`How is Miss Donovan?´ Dumbledore asked.
`I had to use a freezing charm.´ Madame Pomfrey replied in a hoarse voice, obviously holding back tears. `The girl is relatively safe for the moment, but we have to find out what has caused this reaction. I´ve never seen anything like it.´
Dumbledore turned to Snape. `Severus, do you have any idea?´
The potions master shook his dark head. `None at all.´
`We need to discover the reason for it all as fast as we can.´ Pomfrey added glumly, `I can´t keep her in this state for longer than two days without causing some lasting damage.´
A thick silence descended over the trio and was only broken after Dumbledore cleared his throat once more.
`Stabilize her for as long as you can, Poppy, and alert me if there is any change in her condition.´
Madame Pomfrey nodded and went back into the room where Moira Donovan lay frozen on her stretcher. Her body covered in a thick layer of ice and icicles hanging down from her unfeeling fingers.
Outside Snape addressed Dumbledore in a low voice. `I shoudn´t have paired her with Longbottom.´
Despite the dire situation Dumbledore could not suppress a chuckle. `Do you still believe that everything that goes wrong is poor Neville´s fault?´
`Yes. His or Potter´s.´ Severus hissed.
Dumbledore sighed deeply. `This has exhausted both of us. I will go and talk to Minerva while you should look after your Slytherins. Send the seventh-years to Poppy for a security check; just to be sure that whatever it was didn´t affect them. Let her also check out your own health.´ Thoughtfully the headmaster studied the younger man. `Maybe you should get yourself cleaned up first, Severus. You look a mess…even more than usual.´
Severus let out a long suffering sigh as he looked down his dirty and dishevelled robes. He should have stayed bed today.
Comments :
· May : Liked your review as well! Thanks again, you´re doing wonders for my ego! Don´t worry, I´ll keep writing.
· PurpleSailorSaturn7 : So you like `Softie-Snape´, hm? My version of him does indeed have a soft side which corresponds with his behaviour in the books, i.e. when he saves Harry in the 1st book. I´m quite sure that he doesn´t do that because he has taken a liking to Mr.Potter but rather out of a feeling of responsibility for his pupils. Anyway, we will continue to see this side of him by `looking into his head´, but the rest of Hogwarts will have to deal with Mr.Sarcastic. Thank you for your kind review.
· EmilyS : Thank you, thank you, thank you! Like I said before, I think that Mrs.Rowling´s Snape has this kind side as well. It´s just that we don´t get to see it, because the narration isn´t told from his point of view. I´m trying very hard to keep him in character, but Mr.Snape is quite fickle (and that´s why we love him, isn´t it? )
· Emma : Well, it remains to be seen what has happened to Moira. Maybe her disease has a natural cause or maybe it´s a plot of those nasty Death Eaters or something different altogether? Who knows?
By the way – if you´re asking yourself after this chapter : `why don´t they simply use phoenix tears?´ I´ve taken that into account and it will be addressed in the next chapter.
Anyway, thank you for your nice review. It made me really happy.
· Rosmerta : I´d like to order a cup of butterbeer! That´s you, right? Madame Rosmerta, the dazzling waitress in the `Three Broomsticks´? I´m honoured that my story is read in Hogsmeade.
Right, now to your review: first of all – thank you. It means a lot to me.
I´m glad that you think they´re all in character since I had my doubts about `Softie-Snape´
and don´t speak `Hagrid-speech´. In fact, I was surprised myself that nobody has already
written anything about this particular scenario ( at least not that I´m aware of). I
think that Snape would be the perfect person to investigate the background of this `attack´.
However, he will get a little help from his faithful Slytherins and even a few *gasp*
Gryffindors!
Thanks again to all reviewers and a lot of virtual hugs to you.
By the way, I´m trying to review your stories as well so please let me know if you have written something.