Disclaimer: Don't sue; I don't intend any sort of copyright infringement. JKR claims to be flattered by fanfiction.
A/N – Here we go again. I believe this will be a double post. Yes. I keep the chapters this length on average. I have reasons, I like medium length chapters.
This has not been beta read because sadilou is out of town. She gets back tomorrow, but who really wants me to wait?
I think this segment is a bit choppy, but I don't think I'll be changing it anytime soon.
*****
Severus woke at midmorning to sunlight peeking between the drapes on his bedroom window. One bright little beam was shining right in his eyes.
He had been aware of the sunbeam for half an hour before that, but only in that sleepy dreaming way of early morning.
He sighed, squeezed his eyes further shut and moved his head, but that brought him to full consciousness. He rolled over and hid his face in his pillow.
Time to get up, he told himself. He pushed himself up onto his arms and gasped. He rolled onto his back and touched the throbbing pain enveloping his shoulder.
What? When? How? He suddenly recalled the harrowing Floo ride the day before.
Severus sat up carefully. He drew his gray nightshirt over his head and craned his neck to see the damage. It had already blossomed into a nasty looking bruise.
He mulled over the nightshirt that he did not recall putting on the night before. His sleep fogged brain came up with a name. Humby.
Humby was also responsible for the covers that had been tucked up to his chin most of the night. For as long as Severus could recall, Humby had always changed him and tucked him in whenever he was too exhausted or too lazy to do those things for himself.
He groaned. Humby should have been resting, not performing extra chores to keep him comfortable.
Especially after yesterday.
Severus groaned again as he remembered healing many of the injured students. He threw his nightshirt in the general direction of his laundry hamper and fell back against his pillows. He would have some new nightmares after all that had happened yesterday.
Nightmares. He should see about getting himself one of those talismans like Harry had. Not from Black. He scowled at the thought.
Could he convince Molly Weasley to make him one without…? He sighed. There was no way in the world that he was going to ask her – or Miss Granger, either. He would have to do some research in some of his – nonexistent – spare time.
He should ask about Harry's dream too. Dumbledore should have some information by now. From the way Harry described the trapped man, it was either Crabbe or Goyle. Would they be able to use either of those thickheaded louts to thwart Voldemort?
Severus threw back his covers. Something about his arm stopped him again. The Mark! It was almost completely faded. It hadn't looked so faint in more than a year.
Harry.
If there was any chance of ridding himself of the Mark forever, his son was the key. He stood, favoring his shoulder only slightly and began to get ready to face the day.
*****
A/N – Gusha is sticking her tongue out at me.
*****
Severus swept into the staff room. As he had hoped, Minerva was there. She sat in her customary chair, sipping tea and reading her copy of Transfiguration Weekly.
Somewhat to his surprise, she was not alone. Albus Dumbledore sat in the chair beside her, reading what looked like an ancient dime store novel. Beside him a pair of knitting needles were working away furiously at what appeared to be a sock.
Good. He needed to talk to them both.
He moved a straight backed chair from its place by the wall and sat facing them.
He waited for them to look up.
At almost the same moment, his two coworkers lowered their reading material and looked up at him.
Severus hid his amusement through long years of practice.
"Ah, Severus." Albus said, smiling slightly. "Did you sleep well?"
Severus nodded curtly. "Sheer exhaustion will do that to you."
"I didn't think to ask last night." Minerva said, laying her magazine in her lap. "Are you and Harry all right?"
"No lasting damage." Severus said, rolling his shoulder as if to remind himself that it still hurt. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you, both of you, about Harry." Severus unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt and displayed his forearm for both of them.
"It faded." Minerva's eyes widened. "When and how?"
"Harry touched it and willed it to stop hurting." Severus covered his arm once again. "If he can do that, don't you think he might be able to remove it altogether?"
Severus looked at Minerva. Minerva looked at Albus. Albus glanced at each of them and then into the knitting basket by his feet.
"Yes." Dumbledore said finally. "It must be tried, at least."
Minerva nodded and let out the breath she had been holding. "Yes, it must be tried. I only hope that the results are no worse than when we tried before."
None of them made eye contact for a moment. No one had been hurt the last time, but magical backlash had been known to kill.
"It ought to work." Albus said softly. "If Harry can manage the spell. Why didn't I think of this before?"
"He has done a great many difficult things." Minerva said quietly. "More than we ever could have expected or asked."
Severus swallowed hard and nodded.
Minerva closed her magazine and started to rise. "We can use my workroom again."
"A few things before you go." Albus said. Minerva settled back into her chair. "Severus, I thought you would want to know that Mr. Goyle was recovered, alive, from the rubble. We sent his son to go see him. He is in the secure ward at St. Mungo's. He has not woken yet, but he is expected to recover. I thought Harry would want to know." Albus explained.
"Of course." Severus nodded. He glanced at Minerva and they stood.
"Just one more thing, Severus." Albus said. "Our mutual friend contacted me early this morning. He was in Hogsmeade last night. He wants to meet with you."
Severus stiffened and shot a glance at Minerva. He relaxed. She knew this already, or Albus never would have brought it up.
"I trust he is spending the day in his usual room?" He said.
Albus nodded.
Severus clenched his teeth and nodded back. "I will see him this evening."
*****
Ron had returned before Harry woke again. He had been allowed to see Ginny for about ten minutes. Madame Pomphrey was insisting on only family visits while she still had more than twenty patients to care for.
Harry was playing chess with Ron when Humby appeared beside them. The old elf bowed deeply.
"How are you this morning, Humby?" Harry asked, taking one of Ron's pawns before turning completely to Humby.
"Humby is fine, sir. He is charged to give this to the Young Master, sir." Humby offered Harry a sheet of parchment, folded in half once.
Harry took it. It read:
Harry,
Come to the Transfiguration corridor as soon as possible.
Severus (Still the same scrawl)
Harry read the note several times before crumbling it and putting it in his pocket. "Looks like I'll have to go." He started putting the chess pieces back in their starting poses.
"Is there anything else that Humby can do for the Young Master?" Humby asked with another flourishing bow.
"Do you play chess, Humby?" Harry asked, smiling disturbingly.
The old elf's eyes widened. "Humby has not played chess in many years, sir. But Humby was once very good, sir." He leaned forward and whispered. "Humby has even beaten Master Severus."
"Good, than you can beat Ron while I go see what Sev wants. Sit here and take my place." Harry stood. "Ron needs some distracting."
"What's up, mate?" Ron asked, placing his own pieces back in their places.
"Don't know." Harry replied. "Sev is rather cryptic in his note."
Harry started for the door, but then hurried to his dorm room instead. He turned the key in Della's trunk three times and opened the lid. He scrolled the bookshelf to Della's letter diary and slipped the book into his pocket.
*****
A/N – I don't think I write Dumbledore terribly well. Now on to the next chapter.
A/N – Here we go again. I believe this will be a double post. Yes. I keep the chapters this length on average. I have reasons, I like medium length chapters.
This has not been beta read because sadilou is out of town. She gets back tomorrow, but who really wants me to wait?
I think this segment is a bit choppy, but I don't think I'll be changing it anytime soon.
*****
Severus woke at midmorning to sunlight peeking between the drapes on his bedroom window. One bright little beam was shining right in his eyes.
He had been aware of the sunbeam for half an hour before that, but only in that sleepy dreaming way of early morning.
He sighed, squeezed his eyes further shut and moved his head, but that brought him to full consciousness. He rolled over and hid his face in his pillow.
Time to get up, he told himself. He pushed himself up onto his arms and gasped. He rolled onto his back and touched the throbbing pain enveloping his shoulder.
What? When? How? He suddenly recalled the harrowing Floo ride the day before.
Severus sat up carefully. He drew his gray nightshirt over his head and craned his neck to see the damage. It had already blossomed into a nasty looking bruise.
He mulled over the nightshirt that he did not recall putting on the night before. His sleep fogged brain came up with a name. Humby.
Humby was also responsible for the covers that had been tucked up to his chin most of the night. For as long as Severus could recall, Humby had always changed him and tucked him in whenever he was too exhausted or too lazy to do those things for himself.
He groaned. Humby should have been resting, not performing extra chores to keep him comfortable.
Especially after yesterday.
Severus groaned again as he remembered healing many of the injured students. He threw his nightshirt in the general direction of his laundry hamper and fell back against his pillows. He would have some new nightmares after all that had happened yesterday.
Nightmares. He should see about getting himself one of those talismans like Harry had. Not from Black. He scowled at the thought.
Could he convince Molly Weasley to make him one without…? He sighed. There was no way in the world that he was going to ask her – or Miss Granger, either. He would have to do some research in some of his – nonexistent – spare time.
He should ask about Harry's dream too. Dumbledore should have some information by now. From the way Harry described the trapped man, it was either Crabbe or Goyle. Would they be able to use either of those thickheaded louts to thwart Voldemort?
Severus threw back his covers. Something about his arm stopped him again. The Mark! It was almost completely faded. It hadn't looked so faint in more than a year.
Harry.
If there was any chance of ridding himself of the Mark forever, his son was the key. He stood, favoring his shoulder only slightly and began to get ready to face the day.
*****
A/N – Gusha is sticking her tongue out at me.
*****
Severus swept into the staff room. As he had hoped, Minerva was there. She sat in her customary chair, sipping tea and reading her copy of Transfiguration Weekly.
Somewhat to his surprise, she was not alone. Albus Dumbledore sat in the chair beside her, reading what looked like an ancient dime store novel. Beside him a pair of knitting needles were working away furiously at what appeared to be a sock.
Good. He needed to talk to them both.
He moved a straight backed chair from its place by the wall and sat facing them.
He waited for them to look up.
At almost the same moment, his two coworkers lowered their reading material and looked up at him.
Severus hid his amusement through long years of practice.
"Ah, Severus." Albus said, smiling slightly. "Did you sleep well?"
Severus nodded curtly. "Sheer exhaustion will do that to you."
"I didn't think to ask last night." Minerva said, laying her magazine in her lap. "Are you and Harry all right?"
"No lasting damage." Severus said, rolling his shoulder as if to remind himself that it still hurt. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you, both of you, about Harry." Severus unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt and displayed his forearm for both of them.
"It faded." Minerva's eyes widened. "When and how?"
"Harry touched it and willed it to stop hurting." Severus covered his arm once again. "If he can do that, don't you think he might be able to remove it altogether?"
Severus looked at Minerva. Minerva looked at Albus. Albus glanced at each of them and then into the knitting basket by his feet.
"Yes." Dumbledore said finally. "It must be tried, at least."
Minerva nodded and let out the breath she had been holding. "Yes, it must be tried. I only hope that the results are no worse than when we tried before."
None of them made eye contact for a moment. No one had been hurt the last time, but magical backlash had been known to kill.
"It ought to work." Albus said softly. "If Harry can manage the spell. Why didn't I think of this before?"
"He has done a great many difficult things." Minerva said quietly. "More than we ever could have expected or asked."
Severus swallowed hard and nodded.
Minerva closed her magazine and started to rise. "We can use my workroom again."
"A few things before you go." Albus said. Minerva settled back into her chair. "Severus, I thought you would want to know that Mr. Goyle was recovered, alive, from the rubble. We sent his son to go see him. He is in the secure ward at St. Mungo's. He has not woken yet, but he is expected to recover. I thought Harry would want to know." Albus explained.
"Of course." Severus nodded. He glanced at Minerva and they stood.
"Just one more thing, Severus." Albus said. "Our mutual friend contacted me early this morning. He was in Hogsmeade last night. He wants to meet with you."
Severus stiffened and shot a glance at Minerva. He relaxed. She knew this already, or Albus never would have brought it up.
"I trust he is spending the day in his usual room?" He said.
Albus nodded.
Severus clenched his teeth and nodded back. "I will see him this evening."
*****
Ron had returned before Harry woke again. He had been allowed to see Ginny for about ten minutes. Madame Pomphrey was insisting on only family visits while she still had more than twenty patients to care for.
Harry was playing chess with Ron when Humby appeared beside them. The old elf bowed deeply.
"How are you this morning, Humby?" Harry asked, taking one of Ron's pawns before turning completely to Humby.
"Humby is fine, sir. He is charged to give this to the Young Master, sir." Humby offered Harry a sheet of parchment, folded in half once.
Harry took it. It read:
Harry,
Come to the Transfiguration corridor as soon as possible.
Severus (Still the same scrawl)
Harry read the note several times before crumbling it and putting it in his pocket. "Looks like I'll have to go." He started putting the chess pieces back in their starting poses.
"Is there anything else that Humby can do for the Young Master?" Humby asked with another flourishing bow.
"Do you play chess, Humby?" Harry asked, smiling disturbingly.
The old elf's eyes widened. "Humby has not played chess in many years, sir. But Humby was once very good, sir." He leaned forward and whispered. "Humby has even beaten Master Severus."
"Good, than you can beat Ron while I go see what Sev wants. Sit here and take my place." Harry stood. "Ron needs some distracting."
"What's up, mate?" Ron asked, placing his own pieces back in their places.
"Don't know." Harry replied. "Sev is rather cryptic in his note."
Harry started for the door, but then hurried to his dorm room instead. He turned the key in Della's trunk three times and opened the lid. He scrolled the bookshelf to Della's letter diary and slipped the book into his pocket.
*****
A/N – I don't think I write Dumbledore terribly well. Now on to the next chapter.