{Disclaimer:  The Harry Potter World was created by J.K. Rowling and rights are owned by, but not limited to Scholastic Books and Warner Brothers.  I, therefore, own nothing save the characters that were created by my imagination.}

Chapter 24

Not Yet

**Finding my way back to sanity again/Though what I really know what I'm gonna do when I get there/ Take a breath and hold on tight/Spin around one more time/And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace  "Breathing"  Lifehouse**

Andy groaned as she shifted her position in the rumpled sheets.  White hot needles of pain and agony seared through every muscle and every bone in her body.  Waves of blue light crackled sporadically over her small frame.  She could feel her hand resting in someone else's, strong fingers gripping tightly.  Her first thought was that either Sirius or Remus had come early to find out what had happened to her.  She knew they at least cared for her, especially Sirius given his reaction when she had only disappeared for a few hours.  Over two days had passed since Lord Voldemort had brought them to the castle.  Sirius was going to be frantic and if he had figured it out, which he more than likely had, was ready to subject Snape to extreme amounts of painful torture.  That might or might not be a good thing, depending on her mood at the point when that occurred.

Andy sighed as another spasm rocked her body.  In her mind she cursed Voldemort, his minions, and everything he had done to destroy her life and other lives.  She felt the other hand squeeze hers as if just to tell her that he was there for her.  Andy debated again on who was there with her.  Sirius would have been talking to her, she figured knowing quite well he could talk the ears off a rock when he wanted to.  He could be quiet if something was bothering him.  That might explain the soundlessness.  Remus was naturally a more silent, brooding type of person.  He could endure long periods of time without saying a word.  It was his nature.  It was a toss up between the two.  She couldn't remember what day it was for the lack of knowing how long she had been asleep.  Knowing who taught which class when did not help when the classes changed on a daily basis.  Opening her eyes would be the only way to tell who it was and affirm her guessing.  Andy cracked her eyelids, breaking the grainy seal of sleep.  She waited for the room to stop spinning and her eyes to regain focus.  With a triumphant effort, her head turned to face the man in the chair beside her.

"Hey, Sev."  She rasped, voice like rough sandpaper coated in suffering.  She hadn't expected Snape to be there.  It had come as a complete surprise.  There was no blame to hold against him.  It hadn't been his fault that Voldemort had wanted her to brew his invincibility potion.  "What the hell happened to me?"

Snape peered up from the book he had been studying.  "You were hit by a rather powerful curse most likely created by the Dark Lord himself."

"That might explain why I feel like I was run over by a four-masted English sailing ship during a monsoon."

"Is that possible?"

"I think it is.  Which curse was it?"

"I'm not sure."

"I thought you knew more about the Dark Arts than any one else here."

"I do," he admitted softly.  "But there are darker wizards than I am."

"Thank, Sev.  I owe you again."

"The debt was canceled when you completely healed me.  I felt it disintegrate.  You would have survived without me."

"No, I wouldn't have.  You kept me sane.  As much as I despise you, you did allow me to keep the remaining shards of my sanity."

"I almost left you in the forest."

Another crackling of blue light slashed down her body.  "Maybe you should have left me there.  Being eaten alive by a pack of carnivorous rabbits might have been more pleasant than having to deal with this."

Snape gave her an odd look, attempting to picture the concept of carnivorous rabbits and finally decided the pain was causing her to hallucinate.  "I would not have let you die."

"How sweet of you."

"You have yet to explain your motives to me."

"You are keeping me alive just to get answers.  Typical Slytherin approach to life."  Andy yawned, letting her eyes slid shut.  She squeezed her hand in gratitude that he was there.

Snape studied her small hand, tiny in his own.  He could see its fine bone structure, slender fingers gripping with quiet strength.  Physically, she was stronger than most people with her build.  It had surprised him at first.  She had never seemed the type of person to be able to defend herself.  She seemed too intelligent, too gentle, and too silent even.  But it was always the quiet ones that got you.  He had never expected her to be that way, yet many times she had been the cause of his infirmary visits.  Pit bull had been rather appropriate.

Andy drew back her hand, pulling it into herself as she curled into a fetal ball.  He eyes flashed open for a moment and she gave him a genuine smile.  "Thanks, Sev." She slid into the deep sleep of the sick and weary.

The door to the room crashed open, revealing a rather panicked Sirius Black.  Sirius's expression changed to distaste as he noticed Snape's occupancy of the room.  "You bastard!  Get your large, obnoxious nose out of here, Snape!"

Snape closed the book he had been reading and lifted his head to look at the other man.  "What gives you the authority to tell me what to do?"

"I told you to get out of here.  Leave Andy alone.  You know she hates you."

"You are wrong, Black, quite wrong indeed," Severus stood up, glaring at Sirius eye to eye.  "McGee does not hold me in the highest regards, but she does not completely hate me."

"You lie."

"And I suppose a brainless git like yourself can read minds?  I'm afraid I didn't see that listed in the skills to learn in Azkaban."

Sirius boiled in fury.  He knew that Snape was purposely bating him just to get him mad.  It was all a game to Snape, a game he played quite well.  "Just get out."

"What do you plan to do if I don't?"

"I will personally break every bone in your body."

"You have threatened to do that to me numerous times already and it has yet to happen.  Empty treats are rather highly ineffective."

"Then I will start by breaking your insufferably large head."

Snape sneered.  "I would like to see you try."

Sirius leapt forward, fist out stretched and ready to pummel the Slytherin into the cold stone below.  Snape pushed it out of the way as if it were a bothersome insect.  He grabbed onto the wrist of the second punch thrown, forcing Sirius to the ground in a wrist lock.  Snape placed a large black boot on his enemy's shoulder, laughing softly.  "Just remember, Black, you attempted to hit me first."

"Let him go, Severus," Dumbledore's voice came from the entrance way.

Snape released his hold.  Black stood up, massaging the shoulder where the Slytherin had stepped on him, and glowered murderously.

"I believe some explanations are in order," Dumbledore had moved to stand just inside the room.

"He wouldn't leave," Sirius spat venomously.

"That was not the explanations I was looking for.  The two of you can resolve this at a later date."  He turned toward Snape.  "Right now, I would like to know where you were for the last two days."

Snape sat back down in his original chair near Andy's bedside.  "It started at the trials actually.  My Master summoned me to bring him Andromeda McGee.  I believe he placed a Port Key in my pocket that could only be activated when McGee was in contact with me."

Sirius looked to be sick at the thought of his girl friend in direct contact with the slimy git of a Slytherin.

"No, Black, I did nothing to her.  What ever your twisted mind was thinking, no, we did nothing."  Snape continued, "The Port Key brought us to one of my Master's many fortresses.  He ordered McGee to make the Merlin's Potion for him."  There was a falter in his monotone speech as he did not know how to explain the rest of the consequences.

"She did not make it?"

"That was surprised me the most.  She agreed to brew the potion."

"Andy did what?" Sirius yelped.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid, Black?  You heard me correctly.  Your girl friend brewed the Merlin's Potion.  She used to heal me first, then waited for it to gain full potency.  We watched Lord Voldemort shudder drink it.  He let me go, cursed her, and sent us back into the Forbidden Forest."

Dumbledore appeared rather worried.  "I don't suppose she explained any reason for doing this?"

Snape shook his head.  "No, I'm afraid she did not.  She only promised to explain everything at a later date."

"Then we can only hope that she knows exactly what she is doing.  Severus, please inform me if her condition changes.  Good day to both of you."  The Head Master swept out of the room.

Sirius, shell-shocked from what he had just heard, regained his voice.  "Andy would never do such a thing!  She completely hated him!  She wouldn't do, not after what he did to her!"

"She brewed it.  I watched the entire process."  The Slytherin smirked.  "Obviously, your little do-gooder is not as wonderful as you think she is."

"Sod off, Snape."

"You can't make yourself admit it, can you, Black?  Your precious McGee may have an evil streak."

"You conned her into it, didn't you?  It was your entire fault!"

"Yet again you are quick to cast the blame upon me.  The decision was entirely of her own.  I had no say in the matter."  Not that he could have persuaded her otherwise given his state of being at the time and the fact he was still supposedly loyal to the Dark Lord.

Sirius gave a derisive snort.  "I have no reason to believe you."

"Then don't believe me.  It is your choice, but I do not lie."

The bell rang for the changing of classes.  Sirius shot a final glare at his nemesis and left.  He couldn't believe that Andy would have done such a thing.  It did not make any sense that she would have willingly supported the Dark Lord, much less grant him powers to be invincible.  What did he have to offer her?  He knew she was still bitter about being locked away because of her earlier refusal.  If she hated him so, why had she gone and done it?  The question remained in his mind through out all of his classes and into the night.  He could find no logical reasoning to what she had done.  There was nothing to prove that anything was possible.

{Author's Note:  Yes, dear readers, the questions asked by Sirius shall be answered in the next chapter.  I just wanted to let you know that this was typed after my grandparent's fiftieth wedding anniversary and also after my four cousins and I linked arms and went skipping down the yellow brick road in Chittenango, NY.  Chittenango, NY is the birthplace of L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard Of Oz.  Two of my cousins happen to live there, so we went and skipped down the yellow brick road.  Then we got ice cream at a place called "Oz Cream."  Amusing life we hold, isn't it?  And the carnivorous rabbits are a slight Monty Python reference.  "RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!" Oh, well.  Enough of that.  School has started and I have an over loaded schedule, so postings will definitely be less frequent.  Marching band season has also begun, so we have competitions every Saturday.  My life is way too busy for my own good!

Anna Black:  I have problems spelling.  I was also in a hurry to post the chapter.  It was the night before school started, so I was a bit rushed.  Sev will have many moments, but that's his problem.  I finally typed chapter 31 with the Quidditch match, though it might be changed.  I have to send it to my beta yet.  It's over 3000 words long.  I think how it is, is that something reappeared.  She didn't have her name on the Map in the first place.  It was the guys' project.  But yes, she slowly reappeared in the pictures, documents, and such.  I couldn't resist the "I am invincible!" line.

Hope you enjoyed that chapter and please read and review.  Peace, Love, and Ice Cream, Nataly Ravenlock}