Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own any of the characters in this story. They
were all created by the wonderful author, J.K. Rowling. The only
characters that are truly mine are Angeline, Lyle, and a few lesser
characters that will pop up from time to time.
1 ~ Chapter 3 ~
The three sat around the little table in the corner of the room. There was a light sound of music coming from an enchanted band that was just barely heard over the talking crowds of witches and wizards that were gathered. The silence that could be found at their table, however, was deadly. Angeline shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "So, Professor Snape, what do you teach at Hogwarts?"
"Potions," came the prompt, short answer.
A new spark kindled in Angeline's bright, green eyes. "Fascinating. You must be a very skilled wizard to teach such an intricate art." She smiled, hoping he would tell her about his classes. She had always had a passion for potions, but she scarcely met anyone else who shared in her enthusiasm.
Snape was taken aback. He rarely received compliments, so this of course made him uncomfortable. Being a Slytherin, however, his face did not reflect his emotions. He nodded in appreciation and offered no furtherance on the conversation.
"Shouldn't we be heading towards the school? It is rather late." Lyle broke the silence. He did not like Angeline's new interest in the cold, sneering man that sat across from him. It was time to get her mind off of him.
"As you wish," Snape replied, emotionlessly. He, too, was glad to be leaving.
As they stood to leave the Three Broomsticks, a flash of red light exploded outside the door followed by screams and a rushing of people out the door. Snape pulled his wand out of his robe and stood protectively in front of the siblings. He swung open the door in time to be knocked to the floor by a burst of green light. His wand was knocked across the floor. There were more screams and Lyle grabbed Angeline's arm and jerked her out of the way just as what appeared to be a bolt of lightning shot through the room from the street outside.
Snape clutched his chest and felt blindly for his wand. He was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, and the room was growing dim. Angeline knelt down beside him and clutched his arm. She was dragging him away from the door. Lights were still blazing outside when a tall, dark man entered the room. He was accompanied by three other men, all wearing masks. The man in the center yelled, "Expelliarmus!" and everyone in the room shot backwards. Some turned to run, but were stopped by a snap of the man's fingers. The tall, thin man grabbed Angeline's arm and pulled her toward him. His twisted, evil grin caused her to shudder. She fought to get away, but he was stronger, and her energy seemed to be draining from her. Snape sprang forward, knocking the man to the ground and allowing Angeline to escape his clutches. Unfortunately, without his wand, there was little else he could do except fight. The two rolled across the ground and exchanged punches. Snape found it increasingly difficult to remain focused. He saw his wand out of the corner of his eye and he held out his hand to grab it.
Across the room, several men were fighting with the three strangers. Harry had placed on his Invisibility cloak when the fighting began outside. He told Hermione and Ron to run to the school and tell Dumbledore what was happening. Against his better judgment, he grabbed Snape's wand and handed it to him, barely avoiding being knocked across the room.
Snape saw the wand come toward him and thought he must be imagining it. The man put one hand around Snape's throat and the other around the wrist that contained the wand. Snape's energy was gone, and he was gasping for breath. Harry threw the cloak off and shouted, "Separatias!" The man shot across the room and hit the wall. Unphased and angry, he leapt to his feet and pointed his wand at Harry. Snape shouted "Accio wand," at the same time as Harry, and the wand shot across the room. The stranger bound across the room quicker than Harry could stop him. He again grabbed Angeline's arm and determined to jerk her out the door. Harry yelled "Petrificous Totalis!" and pointed his wand at the man, but nothing happened. He had created a Shielding charm that protected him from magic, but it did not protect his wand. Harry ran desperately across the room to stop the man. Snape reached out and grabbed the stranger's leg, causing him to fall hard against the floor. Angered, but not hurt, he sprang to his feet and kicked Snape hard in the stomach and then in the leg. Harry sprang on the man's back and began beating and kicking as hard as he could. Angeline freed herself and ran to Snape's side Harry was slung across the room and landed on his side next to Snape. Harry felt his arm snap. It was broken. He grimaced and struggled to his feet, clutching his arm.
Snape's vision blurred and faded in and out. He saw Harry next to him on the floor. "G-g-get out. . . hur…hurry," Snape managed to breathe out through pulsating pain and gasps for air. "N-now. . . P-potter."
Harry's eyes darted around the room. He could not get out, and besides, he could not leave Snape despite how much Snape hated him. Angeline held her hand up, her energy now recovering, and beckoned her wand toward her. She grabbed it and managed to place a shielding charm around the three of them just as a bolt of red light shot across the room. It was reflected and shot back in the direction from which it came.
Just then, a booming voice came from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see who had yelled, and to Harry's relief, it was Dumbledore. Hermione and Ron peeked around from behind his robes. The four men, out of fear, disapperated just as if they had never been there. Ron and Hermione ran to help Harry to his feet. He was bruised, scratched, and had a broken arm. This paled in comparison to Snape. His already pale face was now white, and he was sweating as if he had just had a bucket of water dumped on him. Still gasping for breath, he laid perfectly still on the floor, his eyes held tightly shut in an attempt to suppress the pain and humiliation he was feeling.
Dumbledore knelt down next to Snape and put his hand on his shoulder. Seconds later, the Ministry of Magic was flooding the area and assisting the injured. Dumbledore summonsed a floating stretcher and levitated Snape's body onto it. He looked at the students. "We must get Severus to the school at once. He has been hurt very badly."
Snape fought to stay conscious. He thought he heard Dumbledore, but maybe it was just his imagination. His head was swimming. He attempted to raise his hand to his head, but it felt as though it was made of lead. So was the feeling on his chest. It was becoming increasingly heavy, until all at once, everything was gone.
The carriage was a the doors of the castle. The stretcher followed Dumbledore up the stairs. Angeline gasped when she looked at Snape. He had stopped breathing. "Put the stretcher down!" Angeline shrieked to Dumbledore, who complied immediately. Tears began to stream down Hermione's cheeks. Dumbledore placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned her face into his robes and sobbed. Snape had been cruel to his students, but he didn't deserve to die.
Angeline knelt over Snape's body. She looked like she was afraid, but she quickly suppressed it. She placed her hands on Snape's chest and closed her eyes. His heart was still beating. "It could work," she thought. Her hands began to glow and she concentrated even harder. Just then, Lyle burst into the hall, his nose bleeding and broken, and his eye black.
"Stop!" he commanded her, breaking her concentration. He grabbed her arm to pull her away.
"I can't let him die, Lyle. He saved my life." She jerked her arm away and knelt down again. She closed her eyes and concentrated. As her hands began to glow again, so did Snape's entire body.
This went on for several minutes. Ron and Harry watched her with their mouths open in amazement. Lyle watched with concern in his eyes and a sneer on his mouth.
Finally, the glowing stopped and Angeline fell limply across him. Madam Pomfrey rounded the staircase and stopped beside Dumbledore. Lyle picked Angeline up and carried her quietly up the stairs behind Dumbledore, the stretcher, and the parade of children.
Madam Pomfrey ushered everyone out of the infirmary except the injured. A few minutes later, she allowed their re-entry once Snape, Angeline, and Harry were in a bed. Pomfrey tapped Lyle's nose and order him to eat a piece of chocolate, after which his nose was completely healed. Angeline's eyes opened, and she sat sluggishly up in the bed while Madam Pomfrey performed a number of spells on Snape. "Is he going to be alright?" she managed to weakly whisper.
"I'm not sure. He is extremely weak. It's as if his energy were sucked out of him. He has a steady heartbeat. His blood pressure is okay, but he has a few broken ribs and a broken leg. Those will be easy enough to fix, but he's going to have to stay here for a good week or more." Madam Pomfrey scurried around the bed to get a red potion out of a drawer. She handed it to Harry and told him to drink it. She then went to Angeline and told her to drink something in a blue bottle.
Hermione approached Angeline's bed. In a nostalgic whisper, she said, "You're a mediphagic, aren't you?" Angeline's smile was answer enough. "I've read all about them. There are supposed to be only three in the whole world."
Dumbledore approached the bed. "Hermione, I would like you to meet Professor Angeline Atwood. She will be teaching Arithmancy this semester, as Professor Vector is taking a sabbatical." Dumbledore turned towards Lyle. "And this is Professor Lyle Atwood, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
The three nodded and told their names. "Now, Hermione, Ron, Harry, I must ask you to remain in the school until the term begins. There is too much dark activity going on, and it will not be safe in Hogsmeade. The Death Eaters have been quiet until tonight, and I'm afraid they have caught everyone off guard, including myself. I must ask you not to speak of any of this to the students when they arrive. I do not want widespread chaos the first day of classes. I must also ask that none of you mention Professor Atwood's mediphagic powers." They each promised, and Dumbledore and Lyle left the others to rest in the infirmary.
Harry looked admiringly at Angeline. "I'm sorry, but what exactly is a mediphagic?"
"I have the ability to heal others, but I'm afraid that right now my powers are limited. I am not powerful enough to heal a person completely, and the meditation renders me temporarily powerless and weak. You see. . . I never had anyone to teach me how to use my powers appropriately when I was young, so I'm still having to figure some things out as they come along." Angeline looked over at Snape who was still unconscious. "It seems like the killing curse is no longer good enough for the Death Eaters. Now they have to have a curse that slowly tortures and then kills a person. . . I was able to keep the curse from killing him, but I did not have enough energy left to heal him." She stopped and thought a moment. "I'll try again later when I have more strength."
1 ~ Chapter 3 ~
The three sat around the little table in the corner of the room. There was a light sound of music coming from an enchanted band that was just barely heard over the talking crowds of witches and wizards that were gathered. The silence that could be found at their table, however, was deadly. Angeline shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "So, Professor Snape, what do you teach at Hogwarts?"
"Potions," came the prompt, short answer.
A new spark kindled in Angeline's bright, green eyes. "Fascinating. You must be a very skilled wizard to teach such an intricate art." She smiled, hoping he would tell her about his classes. She had always had a passion for potions, but she scarcely met anyone else who shared in her enthusiasm.
Snape was taken aback. He rarely received compliments, so this of course made him uncomfortable. Being a Slytherin, however, his face did not reflect his emotions. He nodded in appreciation and offered no furtherance on the conversation.
"Shouldn't we be heading towards the school? It is rather late." Lyle broke the silence. He did not like Angeline's new interest in the cold, sneering man that sat across from him. It was time to get her mind off of him.
"As you wish," Snape replied, emotionlessly. He, too, was glad to be leaving.
As they stood to leave the Three Broomsticks, a flash of red light exploded outside the door followed by screams and a rushing of people out the door. Snape pulled his wand out of his robe and stood protectively in front of the siblings. He swung open the door in time to be knocked to the floor by a burst of green light. His wand was knocked across the floor. There were more screams and Lyle grabbed Angeline's arm and jerked her out of the way just as what appeared to be a bolt of lightning shot through the room from the street outside.
Snape clutched his chest and felt blindly for his wand. He was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, and the room was growing dim. Angeline knelt down beside him and clutched his arm. She was dragging him away from the door. Lights were still blazing outside when a tall, dark man entered the room. He was accompanied by three other men, all wearing masks. The man in the center yelled, "Expelliarmus!" and everyone in the room shot backwards. Some turned to run, but were stopped by a snap of the man's fingers. The tall, thin man grabbed Angeline's arm and pulled her toward him. His twisted, evil grin caused her to shudder. She fought to get away, but he was stronger, and her energy seemed to be draining from her. Snape sprang forward, knocking the man to the ground and allowing Angeline to escape his clutches. Unfortunately, without his wand, there was little else he could do except fight. The two rolled across the ground and exchanged punches. Snape found it increasingly difficult to remain focused. He saw his wand out of the corner of his eye and he held out his hand to grab it.
Across the room, several men were fighting with the three strangers. Harry had placed on his Invisibility cloak when the fighting began outside. He told Hermione and Ron to run to the school and tell Dumbledore what was happening. Against his better judgment, he grabbed Snape's wand and handed it to him, barely avoiding being knocked across the room.
Snape saw the wand come toward him and thought he must be imagining it. The man put one hand around Snape's throat and the other around the wrist that contained the wand. Snape's energy was gone, and he was gasping for breath. Harry threw the cloak off and shouted, "Separatias!" The man shot across the room and hit the wall. Unphased and angry, he leapt to his feet and pointed his wand at Harry. Snape shouted "Accio wand," at the same time as Harry, and the wand shot across the room. The stranger bound across the room quicker than Harry could stop him. He again grabbed Angeline's arm and determined to jerk her out the door. Harry yelled "Petrificous Totalis!" and pointed his wand at the man, but nothing happened. He had created a Shielding charm that protected him from magic, but it did not protect his wand. Harry ran desperately across the room to stop the man. Snape reached out and grabbed the stranger's leg, causing him to fall hard against the floor. Angered, but not hurt, he sprang to his feet and kicked Snape hard in the stomach and then in the leg. Harry sprang on the man's back and began beating and kicking as hard as he could. Angeline freed herself and ran to Snape's side Harry was slung across the room and landed on his side next to Snape. Harry felt his arm snap. It was broken. He grimaced and struggled to his feet, clutching his arm.
Snape's vision blurred and faded in and out. He saw Harry next to him on the floor. "G-g-get out. . . hur…hurry," Snape managed to breathe out through pulsating pain and gasps for air. "N-now. . . P-potter."
Harry's eyes darted around the room. He could not get out, and besides, he could not leave Snape despite how much Snape hated him. Angeline held her hand up, her energy now recovering, and beckoned her wand toward her. She grabbed it and managed to place a shielding charm around the three of them just as a bolt of red light shot across the room. It was reflected and shot back in the direction from which it came.
Just then, a booming voice came from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see who had yelled, and to Harry's relief, it was Dumbledore. Hermione and Ron peeked around from behind his robes. The four men, out of fear, disapperated just as if they had never been there. Ron and Hermione ran to help Harry to his feet. He was bruised, scratched, and had a broken arm. This paled in comparison to Snape. His already pale face was now white, and he was sweating as if he had just had a bucket of water dumped on him. Still gasping for breath, he laid perfectly still on the floor, his eyes held tightly shut in an attempt to suppress the pain and humiliation he was feeling.
Dumbledore knelt down next to Snape and put his hand on his shoulder. Seconds later, the Ministry of Magic was flooding the area and assisting the injured. Dumbledore summonsed a floating stretcher and levitated Snape's body onto it. He looked at the students. "We must get Severus to the school at once. He has been hurt very badly."
Snape fought to stay conscious. He thought he heard Dumbledore, but maybe it was just his imagination. His head was swimming. He attempted to raise his hand to his head, but it felt as though it was made of lead. So was the feeling on his chest. It was becoming increasingly heavy, until all at once, everything was gone.
The carriage was a the doors of the castle. The stretcher followed Dumbledore up the stairs. Angeline gasped when she looked at Snape. He had stopped breathing. "Put the stretcher down!" Angeline shrieked to Dumbledore, who complied immediately. Tears began to stream down Hermione's cheeks. Dumbledore placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned her face into his robes and sobbed. Snape had been cruel to his students, but he didn't deserve to die.
Angeline knelt over Snape's body. She looked like she was afraid, but she quickly suppressed it. She placed her hands on Snape's chest and closed her eyes. His heart was still beating. "It could work," she thought. Her hands began to glow and she concentrated even harder. Just then, Lyle burst into the hall, his nose bleeding and broken, and his eye black.
"Stop!" he commanded her, breaking her concentration. He grabbed her arm to pull her away.
"I can't let him die, Lyle. He saved my life." She jerked her arm away and knelt down again. She closed her eyes and concentrated. As her hands began to glow again, so did Snape's entire body.
This went on for several minutes. Ron and Harry watched her with their mouths open in amazement. Lyle watched with concern in his eyes and a sneer on his mouth.
Finally, the glowing stopped and Angeline fell limply across him. Madam Pomfrey rounded the staircase and stopped beside Dumbledore. Lyle picked Angeline up and carried her quietly up the stairs behind Dumbledore, the stretcher, and the parade of children.
Madam Pomfrey ushered everyone out of the infirmary except the injured. A few minutes later, she allowed their re-entry once Snape, Angeline, and Harry were in a bed. Pomfrey tapped Lyle's nose and order him to eat a piece of chocolate, after which his nose was completely healed. Angeline's eyes opened, and she sat sluggishly up in the bed while Madam Pomfrey performed a number of spells on Snape. "Is he going to be alright?" she managed to weakly whisper.
"I'm not sure. He is extremely weak. It's as if his energy were sucked out of him. He has a steady heartbeat. His blood pressure is okay, but he has a few broken ribs and a broken leg. Those will be easy enough to fix, but he's going to have to stay here for a good week or more." Madam Pomfrey scurried around the bed to get a red potion out of a drawer. She handed it to Harry and told him to drink it. She then went to Angeline and told her to drink something in a blue bottle.
Hermione approached Angeline's bed. In a nostalgic whisper, she said, "You're a mediphagic, aren't you?" Angeline's smile was answer enough. "I've read all about them. There are supposed to be only three in the whole world."
Dumbledore approached the bed. "Hermione, I would like you to meet Professor Angeline Atwood. She will be teaching Arithmancy this semester, as Professor Vector is taking a sabbatical." Dumbledore turned towards Lyle. "And this is Professor Lyle Atwood, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
The three nodded and told their names. "Now, Hermione, Ron, Harry, I must ask you to remain in the school until the term begins. There is too much dark activity going on, and it will not be safe in Hogsmeade. The Death Eaters have been quiet until tonight, and I'm afraid they have caught everyone off guard, including myself. I must ask you not to speak of any of this to the students when they arrive. I do not want widespread chaos the first day of classes. I must also ask that none of you mention Professor Atwood's mediphagic powers." They each promised, and Dumbledore and Lyle left the others to rest in the infirmary.
Harry looked admiringly at Angeline. "I'm sorry, but what exactly is a mediphagic?"
"I have the ability to heal others, but I'm afraid that right now my powers are limited. I am not powerful enough to heal a person completely, and the meditation renders me temporarily powerless and weak. You see. . . I never had anyone to teach me how to use my powers appropriately when I was young, so I'm still having to figure some things out as they come along." Angeline looked over at Snape who was still unconscious. "It seems like the killing curse is no longer good enough for the Death Eaters. Now they have to have a curse that slowly tortures and then kills a person. . . I was able to keep the curse from killing him, but I did not have enough energy left to heal him." She stopped and thought a moment. "I'll try again later when I have more strength."