A/N: Hello A. Delaford, thank you for the detailed review. And just in case anyone one else is worried about it, I can at least tell you Lorien will NOT end up with Sirius. They are just friends.

Welcome Arinya, Peaceful nightmares, Kranberries, and Cheshire! Thanks to all for chiming in with reviews this chapter.

Hey Jigglydot! Just as long as it's bronze and not silver. I am a registered werewolf, you know.

Nytd sits at her computer typing, and looks up briefly as Severus walks into the room, looking irritated.

"What is it now?" she asks.

"I feel I must say something," Snape replies.

"Severus, we've been over this already. I'm not letting you read the next chapter."

"You've left me lying in the hospital wing, and obviously it looks bad." He pauses for a moment and his eyes narrow. "You're going to let me die, aren't you?"

"What? Where did you get that idea?" Nytd asks.

"It's true, isn't it? Kill off the dark wizard and give the girl to the handsome Gryffindor? Isn't that how it always goes?" Snape asks bitterly.

"Severus, you're over reacting." Nytd tries to sound reassuring. "What makes you think I'd kill you off?" She turns to give her full attention to the dark haired wizard standing near her.

Snape looks back out the door for a moment. Off in the distance the sounds of people shouting and laughing can be heard.

"Are they still at it?" Nytd asks.

Snape nods, indicating that the volleyball game is still going on in Nytd's backyard. Remus, Sirius, and Lorien vs. Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Black's charmed the damn ball again."

Nytd suddenly looks alarmed. "They haven't got the booms out again, have they?"

"I don't believe so," Snape replies sullenly. He gives her a wounded look.

Nytd sighs. "Oh, all right! Here." She moves over a little and pats the edge of her chair.

Severus eyes her warily for a moment and then joins her in front of the monitor as she calls up the next chapter.

"There. Read it," Nytd says.

Mistress of the Healing Arts ~*~

Remus and Sirius looked at each other and gulped. Lorien wasn't kidding.

"Don't bother deciding which one. Decide which one goes first." She looked at Remus. "He's going to die if we wait."

Remus took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Take off your robe. Roll up your shirtsleeve. Left arm. You too, Sirius. I'll need you next. Ron get a chair." Lorien directed the others where she needed them.

Remus quickly did as he was told and stood next to Lorien. He cringed slightly as he saw the tiny sharp blade she held in her hand.

She secured Snape's left arm as she had his right. She indicated that Remus would sit facing his head and grip Snape's left hand with his own, their wrists pressed together as if he had just defeated the Slytherin in arm wrestling.

"Ready?" she asked, gripping his wrist palm up.

He nodded and braced himself.

She spoke words he didn't recognize as she made a small slice across his wrist. He could tell it was deep but there was no blood, and it only hurt a little. She let go and did the same to Snape. "Ok, now." She indicated Snape's arm.

Remus cringed again as he locked arms with the man on the table. He didn't like the thought of being in contact with the Dark Mark that was still black on Snape's forearm.

Lorien passed her hands around their wrists and spoke again. An earth spell; stabilizing, unifying, renewing. Remus felt that he was now magically bound to Snape. "You'll feel it let go when it's done." she said to Remus.

She turned back to Harry. "Here, switch." She handed him fresh gauze and discarded the blood soaked ones. She went back to check his pulse. Still rapid and weak. He was still losing too much blood.

"I'll take over now, Harry." She placed her own hands where his had been. Harry backed away thankfully to stand by Ron and Dumbledore. He stared at his hands, covered in Snape's blood. Dumbledore spoke a word and the blood was gone.

"Thanks," Harry croaked weakly.

Lorien spoke to Remus. "Let me know if his breathing changes. At all."

She closed her eyes and focused on the wound, searching its depths. There was bleeding from the skin and muscle underneath, but she was looking for a deeper source of hemorrhage. She concentrated and probed deeper. "Come on, where is it?" she spoke to herself aloud.

She continued to scan, to search deeper. The eyes of an eagle in the air.

She had it. The stab wound had penetrated deep enough to lacerate part of his right liver lobe. She could sense the blood steadily welling out of the wound. She took several deep breaths and began the repair.

The men in the room watched as Lorien concentrated with her hands on Snape. The longer she concentrated, the more rapid her own breathing became. Perspiration had broken out on her forehead.

Lorien could sense the damage to the liver was closing but something was wrong. She could feel Snape's already weak pulse becoming very irregular. "Come on, Severus. Stay with me!" she commanded. She redoubled her efforts, lightheaded with the exertion.

"Lorien!" Lupin's voice was alarmed. "He's not breathing."

She opened her eyes. She couldn't pick up even a faint pulse. "Severus!" she gasped.

Suddenly she was on the table herself, straddling the dying man.

"Albus!" she cried.

The headmaster spoke in a voice that was much calmer than he felt. "He's coming," was all he said.

Each person in the room winced as she compressed Snape's chest sharply, several times in rapid succession. She tipped his head back further to open his airway and pressed her mouth over his, breathing for him. She repeated the sequence again and then checked for a pulse. Nothing.

"Come on!" She slammed her palms into his chest again, and once more filled his lungs with a breath.

A clear note sounded in the air behind her, but she didn't stop what she was doing. She knew the phoenix had arrived. "Fawkes!" she gasped. "Here!"

She felt the weight of the bird on her shoulder as he landed and regarded the man in front of them with a bright eye.

"Help me," she begged.

The flame colored bird bowed his head and blinked. Several tears fell to dampen the skin over Snape's heart. Lorien placed her hands back over the spot and concentrated for everything she was worth. It was a magic born of fire; expanding, assertive and full of willpower and life force. She could hear the beautiful phoenix song rising next to her in encouragement. It was the only thing she was aware of.

Remus felt the magical bond between himself and Snape loosen. He pulled his arm away and stood, taking a step back to watch the witch before him. Lorien looked as though she might collapse any moment herself, and he was fearful that she might. Remus glanced quickly at his arm and was surprised to see only a trace of blood at the wound.

Lorien was in the dark and she was surrounded by the flames of the fire she conjured in her mind. She knew of nothing but the bond between herself, the man and the bird, and held onto it with every last ounce of strength she possessed. She felt herself reeling, felt her grip slipping. "No!" she gasped, and as the phoenix song grew more brilliant she forced herself to make one last tremendous effort. The inferno in her mind for an instant blazed higher, and then died.

Remus jumped to steady her as she almost slid off the table.

Snape gasped for breath as the phoenix launched itself into the air.

Every pair of eyes in the room went wide when they saw the spark of life in the man on the table.

"Help me," Lorien said to Remus softly. He helped her down from the table and kept a steadying hand on her.

"Sirius?" Her voice was weak and her eyes pleaded with him as she saw him hesitate slightly. "Please?"

Sirius looked from Lorien to Remus who nodded in encouragement as well. He nodded silently and stepped forward. For the second time tonight he was trying to save Snape's life. Something he never imagined himself doing.

He sat and stared at the floor uncomfortably and she made the connection. Remus walked beside her as she moved to the other side of the table and hung the second potion bottle that Ron had brought her.

She placed her hand on Snape's neck. His pulse was regular now, and slightly stronger. She allowed herself only a small bit of relief and went back to the wound. She could tell that most of the inner damage had been repaired, but she didn't know if she had the strength to finish closing it. Fawkes landed on Snape and solved her problem by dropping a few more tears on the wound.

"Thank you." She smiled weakly as she looked the beautiful bird in the eyes. It regarded her thoughtfully for a moment and launched itself into the air again, coming to rest on Dumbledore's shoulder.

Her eyes went from the bird to the headmaster.

"Lorien?" he asked.

"He's stable for the moment, but he has a long way to go." She sounded exhausted.

Dumbledore approached the witch and placed his hands on her shoulders. "It'll be alright. Severus is a very powerful wizard." His blue eyes met hers as he spoke. "You've given him a chance now, and that's all he's ever needed."

He turned to Harry and Ron. "Come gentlemen. I believe we could all use some hot chocolate?"

Harry and Ron reluctantly followed the headmaster. What they had witnessed had been absolutely amazing, and they were just as surprised to find how concerned they were about Snape.

Lorien kept track of Snape's steadily strengthening pulse until the bond with Sirius released. She went briefly to the supplies on the shelf and returned with two vials of clear pink liquid. She handed one to each of the men.

"Drink this," she said to them. It will compensate for the blood loss. Now, you both need to go and get some rest."

"We'll stay with you," Offered Remus. Sirius nodded in agreement.

"No. You've both done enough." She placed a hand on the arm of each man. "Thank you. You've probably saved his life."

Sirius spoke quietly. "What we did was only a small part, Lorien. You're the reason he'll live."

She shrugged and sighed tiredly. "Ok. Both of you, OUT." She smiled weakly.

"Really, we don't..." began Remus.

"Out. He needs to rest. You can come back later," she said sternly.

Remus was slightly amused that she reminded him of Poppy. "You were amazing," he whispered, and then he kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave with Sirius.

Lorien did not feel amazing at that point. She watched the two friends leave and turned back to Severus. She cleaned up around the table and then cleaned all the blood off of him. Lorien laid a blanket over the still figure. She went and sat in the chair at his side and placed her hand near the Dark Mark. His pulse was steady and stronger. She nodded to herself. She sat quietly for a moment, the only sound in the room was the soft regular breathing coming from the man before her.

She realized as she sat there, that he would live. He would be fine. Slowly she could feel her clinical demeanor drain away. It retreated and left her sitting there with nothing but her emotions, now that everyone had left, and they came washing over her in a raging flood.

Lorien buried her face against Snape's shoulder and began to cry.

An hour or so later Dumbledore came back into the infirmary. He walked to where Lorien was sitting, keeping vigil next to Snape, and moved to stand on the opposite side of the table. Her eyes flicked briefly to the headmaster and then back to Severus. She said nothing.

He noticed that she looked extremely tired, and that her eyes were red. She'd been crying. Probably the enormity of what had happened finally hit her.

"How is he?" the white haired wizard asked.

"Fine. Better," she answered quietly.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Fine. A little tired, that's all." She smiled at him.

"Would you like a break?" he offered. "I'll sit with him."

"No, thanks. I'll stay." Her gaze went back to the unconscious man.

He tried a different tactic. "I imagine it'll be quite some time before he wakes up?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Lorien said.

"You'll probably want to be here when he does. Why don't you go sleep for a while so you'll be rested if he needs anything else," Dumbledore suggested.

She opened her mouth to protest and then closed it again. Dumbledore could see that she knew she should, but that she didn't want to leave. His eyes went meaningfully to a hospital bed nearby.

"You can rest there, and that way I can get you immediately, if needed."

She smiled wearily and nodded. She gave the headmaster her seat and went to lie down on the bed nearby. From where she was she could see the older man take the younger one's hand in his and begin his watch.

"You care about him a lot," she said softly.

"Yes, Lorien. Very much," he replied without taking his gaze off Severus.

"You've known him a long time?" she asked quietly.

"Since he was a boy," Dumbledore replied.

"He's difficult to get to know," Lorien said, and then suppressed a yawn.

The headmaster smiled a little. "Difficult, but not impossible."

She smiled back sleepily. "No, not impossible."

"Rest now. He'll be pleased if you're here when he wakes," Dumbledore said softly.

"Will he?" Her eyes were closed and her voice was fading.

"Yes, Lorien," He said to the sleeping witch. "I believe he would find that most agreeable."

Hermione assumed that Ron and Harry were still sleeping early Saturday morning. She never guessed that they would be up before her, and she couldn't believe when they came through the portrait entrance into the common room. She did a double take as she realized they were wearing pajamas under their robes.

She narrowed her eyes at them as they approach. "I've missed something, haven't I?" She sounded perturbed.

"I'll say!" Exclaimed Ron. "Do we have a story for you," He began excitedly, looking around the empty common room. They huddled around a table in the corner and they boys began to tell her about what had transpired early that morning. Hermione's eyes got larger as they told her about Remus and Sirius.

"Don't you think that's a problem?" she asked.

"What?" said Harry.

Hermione thought it was obvious. "The blood....from Remus!"

"Wow! I never thought about that!" said Ron.

"Lorien wouldn't have had Remus help if it was going to be a problem, would she?" asked Harry.

Hermione considered it for a minute. Would lycanthropy be better than death? She supposed it probably would. "She might if things were as bad as you say they were."

"We'll have to ask her later," said Ron.

"Later?" she asked.

"Yeah. Dumbledore said we could go back later today to see how things were going," Harry said.

Hermione smiled at her friends. "Wait, you guys are tying to tell me that you're worried about Snape?"

"Well....um...."they began.

"After all he's put us through?" She was still smiling.

"Hermione, the man almost died," Ron said.

"I understand. I'm just....well it's funny in a way."

"You wouldn't think it was funny at all if you'd had his blood all over your hands," said Harry.

"No. I imagine I wouldn't." She was sympathizing with her friend now. "I'll go with you later."

Lorien was still asleep, and Dumbledore was still keeping watch when Remus came back to the infirmary an hour or so later. He went to the older mage first.

"How are things?" he asked the headmaster.

Dumbledore looked up at Remus. "Stable. Lorien is resting."

"Good." His gaze went to the sleeping woman.

"Remus?" the older wizard spoke.

"Yes?" Remus asked distractedly as he watched Lorien.

"What you did was a noble thing today. You and Sirius," Dumbledore said, sounding very solemn.

Remus looked back at the headmaster. "The man was dying, Albus," he said.

"I know, and I never doubted for a moment that either of you would do the right thing." The headmaster finally smiled at the younger man.

"Yes, well I'm glad at least one of us was so sure," Remus admitted.

"I know that the two of you and Severus don't have a great history. Perhaps this is an opportunity to mend a few wounds?" Dumbledore asked hopefully.

Remus looked at Lorien and back at the older wizard. He sighed. "I don't know."

Dumbledore nodded. Evidently things were as he suspected.

Remus walked over to where Lorien was curled up sleeping. He watched her for a moment and then brushed a wayward strand of hair out of her face.

"It's difficult to believe that she would openly offer her friendship to a werewolf and a Death Eater. She's accepted each of us for who we are, faults and all," Remus replied.

"It is merely the hallmark of a true friend, Remus. I think in part it's because she appreciates being accepted for who she is by both of you," Dumbledore speculated.

The werewolf nodded and walked back to stand next to Dumbledore. He glanced at Snape.

"Severus is going to be fine, isn't he?" he asked.

"Yes. I believe he'll make a complete recovery, given a little time and Lorien's help," answered Dumbledore, watching Lupin's reaction.

"Good. I know she would be hurt if anything happened to him." Remus stood there thoughtfully for a minute, and then left.

A/N: The Nytd/Severus thing comes as a result of writing fanfiction at weird hours of the night. (

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