A/N: Still having fun? I hope so, and no matter what you think keep the
reviews coming! I'm going to go get some more cough drops and come back to
write until I drop. Once the school week starts, you can say goodbye to
updating, for the most part. I'll try my best, though, and if all else
fails I'll have another chapter up by next Saturday night. Please review!!!
Two weeks after Christmas and they still hadn't set out for Italy. Hermione was beginning to worry--it wasn't like Roux to delay his plans for long, Nanosh had been frequently disappearing, and when he did enter the houseboat, he looked haggard and upset. Then the rumors began to circulate. Vesh, the big-eared boy who was so good with magic tricks, was dying.
~~
Severus had taken to walking along the shore on his own whenever he had a free moment. It called back some memories of the solitude he had treasured while living in the dungeons at Hogwarts. Both he and Hermione had especially missed the school on Christmas day. Even the dour Potions Master could feel nostalgic about the feast shared by faculty and what few students remained for the holidays, and even though he turned up his nose at the festivities publicly, there was a certain charm to receiving gifts by owl. Even though he only got one gift, always from Albus.
These uncharacteristically sentimental thoughts were occupying Severus' mind when he was actually spoken to by someone other than Hermione or Nanosh for the first time in weeks. A short, squat old woman in a bright purple skirt was beckoning him into one of the other houseboats.
"You, here," she ordered, pointing to the ground in front of her, and oddly enough, Severus found himself compelled to obey. Cautiously, he stepped towards the door, trying valiantly not to wince as the wrinkled, leathery old woman moved aside and the scents of illness and death washed over him. Peeking into the room, he saw two other women and a bed inhabited by a pale, bone-thin boy with large ears. It was hard to associate this dilapidated figure with the perky young boy who had bragged about his magic tricks.
"Tatoya, why did you bring him here?" snapped one of the women, who then began complaining loudly in that language Severus couldn't comprehend. He didn't have to understand to get an idea of what she was saying about him, though.
The old crone--Tatoya, apparently--grabbed Severus' arm and looked him straight in the eye. He couldn't break the stare for the life of him.
"Tatoya saw this man in the crystal," she declared decisively, enunciating every word so that it was almost painfully clear, despite her heavy accent. "He will help the boy, our Vesh." Something about this woman caused the younger two to move aside. Tightening her already blood-flow-stopping grip on Severus' arm, she all but dragged him to the boy's bedside. Vesh looked up at him through glassy, crusted eyes and murmured something unintelligible. His fever was obviously high--dangerously so. That was Severus' first concern. For the cause of the problem, he suspected blood poisoning. Turning to Tatoya, he asked her gently for the equipment to do what he did best.
"Do you have a pot, milk, and some cone flower?" He was shocked when the women immediately obeyed his request.
~~
An hour later, Severus had given the boy some warm milk to induce sleep, and was currently grinding the cone flower for his herbal remedy. Not all potions had to be magical to be effective, after all.
Tatoya had been immensely helpful, ordering the younger women around like a seasoned army officer and making sure that they left Severus alone. But he did her one of the women whisper, "That man is a curse. He will kill our Vesh, and you are helping him." Severus now knew that he not only had to save this boy for his family's sake, but for his own.
The medication was ready to be administered by the time Nanosh forced his way into the room. Tatoya squawked and threatened to touch Nanosh with her skirts, but he dodged her. (Severus had learned that the lower half of a woman was "marhime," or unclean, except to the woman's husband, and that if a man was contaminated no other man could speak to him until he had been pardoned by a gathering of the judges of all surrounding Gypsy tribes.)
Nanosh grabbed Snape violently and tried to snatch the cup that contained the only thing that could save Vesh's life. Severus held it away from the angry man's reaching hands and, out of instinct, kneed him. Hard. Nanosh would not be comfortable for days.
By this time, Tatoya had regained control. "Nanosh!" she scolded furiously, making sharp and erratic gestures with her callused hands. "Are you crazy? This man is going to save Vesh! You want to kill the boy? You mess with that man!" Apparently Tatoya had earned respect even among the men. She turned to Severus. "Finish it."
After Severus had forced the liquid down the tiny boy's throat, all anyone could do was wait. Eventually Hermione found out where her husband had gone--though she still didn't think of him as husband--and went to wait with him.
~~
"Severus, I hope for both of your sakes that Vesh makes it out of this alive."
"Yes--you've invested too much effort in me to give up now," he remarked, half sarcastically.
"It's true, you know." He looked at her, surprised. "I wonder what everyone back at Hogwarts is thinking right now? I'm sure your disappearance was devastating to them." He snorted.
"I doubt it, Hermione. Truly, I do."
"Why? Hogwarts can't be the same without you. The students may not even have realized it, but life just wouldn't be as sweet without having to survive Potions."
"Hermione, you've already pitied me enough to get stuck with me for a year. You don't need to lie to me and think that's what I want you to say." He sighed, and Hermione suddenly realized just how sad and lonely Severus Snape really was.
"Dumbledore loves you like a son. Harry and Ron wouldn't have known what to do with themselves. Merlin, even Neville now appreciates you. And I know that even though you were a real prat when I was your student, I would have missed you, too." Hermione said all of this in a quiet voice that let Severus know that she was telling him the truth. All he could do was stare at her, his eyes clouded with confusion and desperate desire to believe her, and by the time he did open his mouth to say something, Vesh was stirring for the first time in hours.
"What are you doing here?" he asked loudly as he yawned. At the sound of the boy's voice, Tatoya came rushing in. When she saw the child trying to sit up, she began to laugh and cry at the same time.
"My Vesh! My darling grandchild!" she sobbed as she clung to the boy for dear life. "Nanosh! Come quickly!" He entered, his worried look evaporating when he saw the child looking alive and well. Severus knew that while Vesh still needed to rest, the boy would live. He allowed himself to smile for the first time in years as Nanosh reached to embrace the boy, unashamed that tears were rolling down his own cheeks.
Hermione had never seen Severus smile, but she knew she wanted him to do it more often. She felt her heart swell with pride in his achievement, though she wasn't sure why. She supposed that by now she considered him a friend.
Severus didn't stay long before he tried to make his escape and leave Vesh and Tatoya to themselves. But as he was leaving, Nanosh leapt up and stopped him before he could get all the way out the door, moving quickly even though his limp remained from their earlier..episode. The man looked earnestly at Severus, his eyes filled with the exact opposite of his earlier malice.
"Thank you," he gasped, as fresh tears sprung into his eyes. "Thank you for saving my son."
Two weeks after Christmas and they still hadn't set out for Italy. Hermione was beginning to worry--it wasn't like Roux to delay his plans for long, Nanosh had been frequently disappearing, and when he did enter the houseboat, he looked haggard and upset. Then the rumors began to circulate. Vesh, the big-eared boy who was so good with magic tricks, was dying.
~~
Severus had taken to walking along the shore on his own whenever he had a free moment. It called back some memories of the solitude he had treasured while living in the dungeons at Hogwarts. Both he and Hermione had especially missed the school on Christmas day. Even the dour Potions Master could feel nostalgic about the feast shared by faculty and what few students remained for the holidays, and even though he turned up his nose at the festivities publicly, there was a certain charm to receiving gifts by owl. Even though he only got one gift, always from Albus.
These uncharacteristically sentimental thoughts were occupying Severus' mind when he was actually spoken to by someone other than Hermione or Nanosh for the first time in weeks. A short, squat old woman in a bright purple skirt was beckoning him into one of the other houseboats.
"You, here," she ordered, pointing to the ground in front of her, and oddly enough, Severus found himself compelled to obey. Cautiously, he stepped towards the door, trying valiantly not to wince as the wrinkled, leathery old woman moved aside and the scents of illness and death washed over him. Peeking into the room, he saw two other women and a bed inhabited by a pale, bone-thin boy with large ears. It was hard to associate this dilapidated figure with the perky young boy who had bragged about his magic tricks.
"Tatoya, why did you bring him here?" snapped one of the women, who then began complaining loudly in that language Severus couldn't comprehend. He didn't have to understand to get an idea of what she was saying about him, though.
The old crone--Tatoya, apparently--grabbed Severus' arm and looked him straight in the eye. He couldn't break the stare for the life of him.
"Tatoya saw this man in the crystal," she declared decisively, enunciating every word so that it was almost painfully clear, despite her heavy accent. "He will help the boy, our Vesh." Something about this woman caused the younger two to move aside. Tightening her already blood-flow-stopping grip on Severus' arm, she all but dragged him to the boy's bedside. Vesh looked up at him through glassy, crusted eyes and murmured something unintelligible. His fever was obviously high--dangerously so. That was Severus' first concern. For the cause of the problem, he suspected blood poisoning. Turning to Tatoya, he asked her gently for the equipment to do what he did best.
"Do you have a pot, milk, and some cone flower?" He was shocked when the women immediately obeyed his request.
~~
An hour later, Severus had given the boy some warm milk to induce sleep, and was currently grinding the cone flower for his herbal remedy. Not all potions had to be magical to be effective, after all.
Tatoya had been immensely helpful, ordering the younger women around like a seasoned army officer and making sure that they left Severus alone. But he did her one of the women whisper, "That man is a curse. He will kill our Vesh, and you are helping him." Severus now knew that he not only had to save this boy for his family's sake, but for his own.
The medication was ready to be administered by the time Nanosh forced his way into the room. Tatoya squawked and threatened to touch Nanosh with her skirts, but he dodged her. (Severus had learned that the lower half of a woman was "marhime," or unclean, except to the woman's husband, and that if a man was contaminated no other man could speak to him until he had been pardoned by a gathering of the judges of all surrounding Gypsy tribes.)
Nanosh grabbed Snape violently and tried to snatch the cup that contained the only thing that could save Vesh's life. Severus held it away from the angry man's reaching hands and, out of instinct, kneed him. Hard. Nanosh would not be comfortable for days.
By this time, Tatoya had regained control. "Nanosh!" she scolded furiously, making sharp and erratic gestures with her callused hands. "Are you crazy? This man is going to save Vesh! You want to kill the boy? You mess with that man!" Apparently Tatoya had earned respect even among the men. She turned to Severus. "Finish it."
After Severus had forced the liquid down the tiny boy's throat, all anyone could do was wait. Eventually Hermione found out where her husband had gone--though she still didn't think of him as husband--and went to wait with him.
~~
"Severus, I hope for both of your sakes that Vesh makes it out of this alive."
"Yes--you've invested too much effort in me to give up now," he remarked, half sarcastically.
"It's true, you know." He looked at her, surprised. "I wonder what everyone back at Hogwarts is thinking right now? I'm sure your disappearance was devastating to them." He snorted.
"I doubt it, Hermione. Truly, I do."
"Why? Hogwarts can't be the same without you. The students may not even have realized it, but life just wouldn't be as sweet without having to survive Potions."
"Hermione, you've already pitied me enough to get stuck with me for a year. You don't need to lie to me and think that's what I want you to say." He sighed, and Hermione suddenly realized just how sad and lonely Severus Snape really was.
"Dumbledore loves you like a son. Harry and Ron wouldn't have known what to do with themselves. Merlin, even Neville now appreciates you. And I know that even though you were a real prat when I was your student, I would have missed you, too." Hermione said all of this in a quiet voice that let Severus know that she was telling him the truth. All he could do was stare at her, his eyes clouded with confusion and desperate desire to believe her, and by the time he did open his mouth to say something, Vesh was stirring for the first time in hours.
"What are you doing here?" he asked loudly as he yawned. At the sound of the boy's voice, Tatoya came rushing in. When she saw the child trying to sit up, she began to laugh and cry at the same time.
"My Vesh! My darling grandchild!" she sobbed as she clung to the boy for dear life. "Nanosh! Come quickly!" He entered, his worried look evaporating when he saw the child looking alive and well. Severus knew that while Vesh still needed to rest, the boy would live. He allowed himself to smile for the first time in years as Nanosh reached to embrace the boy, unashamed that tears were rolling down his own cheeks.
Hermione had never seen Severus smile, but she knew she wanted him to do it more often. She felt her heart swell with pride in his achievement, though she wasn't sure why. She supposed that by now she considered him a friend.
Severus didn't stay long before he tried to make his escape and leave Vesh and Tatoya to themselves. But as he was leaving, Nanosh leapt up and stopped him before he could get all the way out the door, moving quickly even though his limp remained from their earlier..episode. The man looked earnestly at Severus, his eyes filled with the exact opposite of his earlier malice.
"Thank you," he gasped, as fresh tears sprung into his eyes. "Thank you for saving my son."