Visions in the Night Sky
Chapter 14: A Rose That Can Grow Anywhere
When the Slytherin students returned to Hogwarts, they were battered and bruised from their encounters with the death eaters, but they had returned with their prize: their potions teachers. Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were waiting for them when they burst back in the large wooden doors, and escorted them to the hospital wing. By the end of the evening, Madam Pomfrey had pushed two of the hospital wing beds together side by side and the potions professors were tucked into them. The students insisted that it would be better for them if the first thing they saw when they awoke was each other. With all that they had been through, neither of them moved a muscle with the exception of breathing, for a week.
In that week, there were many outbursts of battle. There were times when each side worried that all was lost, and times they were sure that the day was won. In the end, on a sunny day in February, the shape of a familiar, messy head of hair cast a shadow on the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall looked up from her chair at the high table to see that indeed, Harry had come home not just carrying his shield and the sword of Gryffindor, but leaning upon his sturdy shoulder was Professor Dumbledore.
The reaction of the students and staff was immediate and loud. Minerva pushed through the crowd, Poppy and several others close behind her, and pressed herself into Albus' waiting arms. Poppy didn't stop behind her friend, but stood on tiptoe in search of another face. When she found him, hobbling slowly along with the stragglers at the end of the victorious procession, it was her turn to cry. She pushed further through the crowd of witches and wizards, young and old, and cried out, "Alastor!"
One good eye and one magical eye snapped to attention at the sound of this name. Alastor Moody looked around for the source of the cry but he needn't have looked long. He dropped his walking stick as Poppy came running and swept her up into his arms.
"I was so afraid I'd lost you!" she whispered.
"Oh, my Poppy," he murmured in reply, caressing her face. "There isn't a force on earth that could keep me from you!" Harry watched in quiet happiness as they kissed hungrily. He decided that it was best to let them be for a while, and turned back to face his classmates. They were trying to hoist him up onto their shoulders, but he held them back. They stood mystified as Harry approached the staff table and turned to face them.
"We have cause for celebration today," Harry began. "This morning, the evil wizard known as Lord Voldemort perished at my hand, but I could not have accomplished this, indeed, I could not have lived this long, had it not been for the support, knowledge, encouragement and love of the people in this room. The four wizards and witches that founded this school were all uniquely different, but they had a common vision, and that was that they strived to live in harmony with each other and the world around them.
"Though there are times that we disagree, we owe it to them and we owe it to ourselves to continue the legacy of peace that they worked so hard for. The threat of Lord Voldemort is no more, but his death eaters still exist. Many of them met the same end as their master today," Harry glanced pointedly at Draco, Crabbe, and Pansy. "and many of them escaped. Many good wizards and witches gave their lives today," Harry nodded to several more who had lost beloved classmates in the fight. "But still more of us have survived. This should serve to show us all one thing," Harry paused and looked out over the sea of people, his teachers, friends, classmates, fellow wizards and witches.
"Evil cannot live in a place where good people are willing to band together and protect each other. Evil cannot overcome us if we do not allow it to live in our hearts. If we are free people, if we are willing to lay down our differences and embrace the camaraderie that binds us together, then today, my friends, we have truly won!"
The roar of cheering, applause, whistling and stomping on the floor was deafening. Harry stood there, before his classmates, and only now, after the battle had been won and the day was done, did Harry allow himself some celebration.
After the elaborate dinner in the Great Hall, Madam Pomfrey made her way back to the hospital wing, Alastor Moody clinging tightly to her hand. They walked quietly into the wing and Poppy stopped her beloved near the window so that she could go and check on her patients. All the students who had been injured before had been released, so all that was left was Severus and Merewen, still lying unconscious on their beds.
Poppy pulled the covers up to their chins and lightly kissed the top of Merewen's head before once again grasping Alastor's hand and pulling him back with her toward her quarters in the back of the hospital wing.
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The morning sun streamed through the tall windows that graced Madam Pomfrey's bedroom. A light breeze ruffled the sheer draperies and, combined with the warmth of the sunshine, gently awakened the healer from her slumber. She would have immediately sat up and stretched, but she smiled as she felt the warm weight of another person beside her. Alastor's arm rested across her waist and secured her firmly against him. Poppy shifted slightly and her wedding ring caught the light, sending little sparkling rainbows all over the opposite wall. Alastor mumbled a bit in his sleep and snuggled closer to Poppy, burying his face in her hair. Poppy giggled and rolled over to face him.
"I've missed you so much!" Poppy whispered. Alastor's grip on her tightened and Poppy moaned softly. Moments later, Alastor had undone the top few buttons on her nightgown and let it slip away from her collar bones. Lightly, he blew a breath over her flesh and she moaned again. Alastor let a wicked smile cross his lips.
"Enough with the preliminaries, Alastor, kiss me!" Poppy begged.
"Oh, dear heart, the preliminaries are half the fun!" he said, undoing a few more buttons and lowering his head to kiss her chest. Poppy whimpered in joy as her heart rate and breathing doubled.
"Don't make me wait too long, love," Poppy warned.
"You won't wait, beloved. Not long at all,"
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Merewen thought she was dreaming. Since when had her prison received any sun? She also sensed the fullness of pillows and the warmth of a quilt. She fought her heavy eyelids and opened her eyes. Lying beside her, still very much asleep, was Severus. Merewen very softly found her voice as she slowly reached for his hand.
"Severus?"
Severus' bewildered brown eyes blinked open, taking in the surroundings.
"Merewen!" He murmured, reaching to pull her close. Since both of them were still very weak, this took some time, but Merewen managed to nestle herself into his arms.
"I was so scared!" Merewen whispered.
"They told me you were dead!" Severus replied.
"Part of me did die," Merewen whimpered. "Those monsters killed my baby right in front of me!" Severus swallowed the lump in his throat as he held Merewen tight. They cried for what felt like an eternity until Madam Pomfrey emerged from her quarters and saw that they were awake. Gently, she treated what remained of their wounds, and then ordered them to go back to sleep. She looked over at the crib near her bedroom door. It was empty. Poppy smirked. Young Mr. Malfoy had been here already this morning and claimed his young charge. Poppy sent Alastor to go and find Draco. Certainly, Severus and Merewen had needlessly mourned enough.
When Draco arrived, gently relinquished the baby to Madam Pomfrey, lingering at the door as she walked across the room. Draco knew that this wasn't by far the last time he'd see Radwan, but it probably would never again be in the same capacity. Perhaps Madam Pomfrey would mention to Professor Snape what a good babysitter he had been.
Poppy moved slowly to the beds that held the professors and gently sat down on Merewen's side. Softly, she called for them to wake up. When Severus saw the white wrapped bundle in Poppy's arms, he shuddered and started to cry again. Merewen awoke seconds later and she inched toward Severus when she too saw the bundle.
"Please, Poppy, don't do this to us again!" Severus begged. But Merewen had a different opinion.
"Give him to me!" she sobbed. Her instinctual need to hold her child overwhelmed her brain telling her that the baby was dead. She took the baby from Poppy and was shocked when the baby woke up and started to cry in her arms.
"What is this?" Severus cried, looking up at Poppy. She was brushing tears of her own from her eyes as she explained what Draco had discovered and the events of the past week. Severus folded his arms around his family and sobbed again. Poppy quietly tiptoed out of the hospital wing to give them some time alone. Thankfully, finally, the frightening ordeal was over.
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