I have been asked if I write as I go or have an outline. The answer is, "yes to both." :) Again, thank you all for the encouragement!
As ever, standard disclaimers apply.
It was a pleasant day and Molly had decided to allow Ginny, Ron, and Harry to spend a small portion of it outside. As long as they stayed within the bounds of the wards, of course. That (and the fact that they were in London not out in the country) meant, to the worried parent at least, no flying. No amount of wheedling to the contrary would convince her. Ron was set to keep needling her despite what should have been very obvious warnings of her waning patience, when Harry, a much more observant young man, abruptly said that he really didn't feel comfortable flying anyway. Mrs Weasley's brief look of gratitude made up for Ron's dismal pout.
"There's plenty else to do, Ron. Come on." The dark haired youth tugged on his friend's arm.
"Yeah, all right, then."
"Stay inside the wards!"
"Yes, mum." "We will Mrs. Weasley."
"I'll keep an eye on them, Mum," Ginny offered with a look of uncompromising severity.
Molly sighed as the boys scampered off, Ginny following more sedately. She gave a flick of her wand and the dirty dishes, pots and pans from breakfast piled into the sink where soapy water was waiting. She prepared another pot of tea and some toast and gathered these, with a jar of marmalade and pot of fresh butter, onto a tray. Another charm and the loaded tray was floating languidly. It followed silently as she left the kitchen and made her way upstairs.
She didn't bother knocking, he'd not have responded to it. She simply pushed the door open and quietly entered. "Professor? Would you like some tea, this morning?" She gestured for the tray to settle onto the table, then pulled a vial from her pocket. "Not too hot, dear, nor too strong," she didn't know if he heard her or not, but she'd always chattered to her children when they were ill and it comforted them, "a little sweet perhaps." She poured out a few drops of the fever reducing potion into the mug followed by tea and some warm water.
She settled into the chair at the bedside and with a small start saw that he was staring intently at her. She forced away her surprise and smiled gently. "Severus, Can you hear me?"
The man gave a barely perceptible nod but didn't speak. His expression showed only befuddlement.
"I'm sure you are not feeling at all well, just now, dear, but we're going to try to help you." She reassured firmly.
Surprisingly, this brought forth a strangled groan of agony and his eyes clenched shut as a tremor passed through his body.
"Oh dear. I suspect that was not the best thing to say, was it." She put the mug back on the table and reached down to brush his hair from his face. He cringed. She pulled back. "Severus, I am not going to hurt you. Do you hear me? Open your eyes and look at me." She waited while he processed this information and decided whether or not to believe her.
Either that, or he finally became curious when she said nothing more nor tried to touch him. His eyes opened, twin orbs of utter emptiness set in a grimace of consternation.
"Do you remember anything?" She asked. But at his complete lack of reaction, decided that was too broad a question. "Do you recognize me?" She asked very quietly. It did not surprise her when his head turned slightly in a small motion of negation. "Do you remember who you are?"
'No' again and she sighed. "Your name is Severus--"
"Not... Not Brandon?" a whispered rasp interrupted weakly.
"Certainly not. What a strange--" She cut herself off. "Did someone tell you that was your name?"
The tremors returned.
"Well never mind. It will come back to you. Now have some tea and a bit of toast and you should rest." She lay her wrist on his pale forehead and muttered to herself. Then worked about half the mug of weak, tepid tea (and more importantly the fever reducing potion) into him before he refused any more. The toast she had to finish herself as he grimaced and turned away when it was offered.
She sat with him, watching him sleep, drifting in and out of one nightmare after another while she worked on some knitting. Once he called out "Father, no!" (which made her glower as she connected that plea to the old scars she'd seen he carried), but mostly he just moaned and whispered incoherently.
--
"They have him back then," Dr. Sellinger grumbled out loud as she paced her sitting room. "Damn! Not that they will learn anything."
"I've seen the tapes. Your man was about as responsive as a vegetable."
"Yes, well. A ... minor setback. Although now I suppose we can call it bloody good luck!"
"Can you guarantee his silence?" The team leader, (she still did not know his name), demanded.
"I don't know."
"That's a 'no' in my book, doctor. If we can't retrieve him we'll have to eliminate him somewhat more permanently." The man shrugged.
"No! I need this subject. No other will do." She had to force herself not to rage. The team leader merely lifted a well formed brow in mild curiosity. "He's powerful. If we can break him and remake him we'll have his power at our command."
"And?"
"There's no--"
"Margaret, don't even try to lie. I'm a field agent. An experienced field agent, in fact. I see right through you, my dear."
"All right then. He killed someone I know." She looked away, out of her balcony doors and therefore missed the knowing glances that passed between the three men.
"That will do for now. So where do you suppose he is?"
"That depends on who came for him. Do you have descriptions?"
--
Molly called the children in for lunch just as Arthur walked up the front steps. Shortly after came Remus Lupin looking as weary as ever and then Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody. Not quite a full house, but enough. At least being in London meant that Arthur could have lunch and occasionally tea with them. Until school started anyway. Likely it would then just be her and Arthur and no children. She had expected Arthur and Remus. But Mad-Eye and Tonks were really not a surprise.
"Outdone yourself as always, Molly Weasley!" Moody complimented. "Saw the twins today. Passed by their shop. Seemed to be crowded with youngsters getting ready for the upcoming school year." He grinned
Arthur tried to hide a grin of pride and amusement while his wife tried to look peevish. "I suppose I am proud that they are so successful. But I am quite certain their former professors are less than enthralled."
Moody chuckled. "Well, then. Be proud that they're also creating wonderful 'toys' for the Order." The scarred warrior shot her a wry grin. He then took on a look of disdain. "They are providing something useful to the Order unlike some supposed spy I could name."
Tonks stopped chewing her sandwich and rolled her eyes. Moody was going on about Snape again. One would have thought it was personal. She watched the man almost snarl. Actually... maybe it was personal.
Remus, however, was clearly not in the mood to witness another torrent of the ex-Auror's ire. "Give it a rest, Moody," he pleaded softly. "We've all heard this before."
Moody grumbled something not fit for mixed company but low enough that Molly didn't catch it. Neither did Harry or Ron but they snickered anyway. Ginny made a face that matched her mother's own indignant expression. Remus shook his head and volunteered to bring something up for Snape. Molly nodded, grateful for the break. Watching over Severus was tiring even though it consisted mostly of merely that; watching.
Tonks and Moody had left and Arthur was getting ready to return to his office when the knocker reverberated. Mrs Black's portrait started ranting. Molly groaned and rubbed her temples and went to get the door. "Shut up, you bloody hag!" She yelled at the curtained picture as she passed by it. She smoothed her hair and apron and opened the door, wand ready. Arthur, also with his wand out, hid in shadows behind her, ready to yell stupefy at the slightest hint of danger.
It was Madam Pomfrey and she looked grim.
"Oh dear," Molly sighed, stepping back to welcome the other witch. Arthur, at least, looked relieved at the identity of the caller. He slipped his wand away and came up to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.
"I've got to get back to the office." He didn't have to tell her to call him by floo if anything came up. He expected she knew that already. He nodded politely to Poppy and strode out, the door shutting itself behind him.
"Muggles!" The older witch grumbled. She shook the folder in her hand; it was the one she and Remus had been given by the receptionist at that Muggle hospital. Filthy place! "Some of the things they put into themselves! Disgusting!" She heaved a sigh as she started up the stairs. "Not that I fully understand any of this 'chemistry' of theirs. What is Arthur's fascination with them?"
Molly knew a rhetorical question when she heard one and this was most definitely a prime example of a rhetorical question!
The tirade ceased, however, just as the two witches reached the top of the stairs, when they espied Remus Lupin walking a shaking Snape back from the loo. Snape was shuffling along slowly, his weight all but collapsed against the werewolf's side. Remus looked over at the women and smiled wanly. "He had to go."
"He spoke to you?" Molly asked in surprise.
Lupin's smile broadened slightly as he shook his head. "He made his need known in other ways. He did pretty well walking there, but he's sort of run out of steam for the hike back."
Pomfrey, shoved the Muggle folder at Molly and came up along Snape's other side. With her trademark gentleness for the injured and ill, she took his arm in a nonetheless firm hold. Together they managed to bring the failing man back to the bedroom and sit him on the edge of the bed. He was so compliant, so totally not himself. Moody might have thought it an improvement of his personality but Molly did not.
Molly and Remus stood by, assisting when needed as Poppy examined her uncharacteristically uncomplaining patient. Though he might not have been in any condition to either care or argue, the wizard nurse was considerate enough that when she pulled off the robe, she made sure that his lap was covered. Molly winced at the scars, old and not so old, and the still healing burns and bruises. She avoided looking at the Dark Mark. Faded, it still stood out against the Potion Masters pale flesh.
At last Pomfrey was satisfied and coaxed her patient into laying back against the pillows. She lifted the blankets up to his shoulders, then lifted his head and moved his hair back out from under his shoulders. "So. No solid food yet, I take it."
"Not yet." Molly replied tersely. "He's taken weak tea."
"With 'Fever-Down?'" She made a mark on a parchment with her white quill.
Molly nodded, then said "yes" when she realized the other witch was writing, not watching her. "I think he might take a bit of restorative potion if it won't react with anything still in his system."
Pomfrey's head raised, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I don't know. Some of these... things they've put in him are nothing I've ever heard of. I looked up everything I could in that Physicians Desk Reference St Mungos has. But I'm not satisfied." Her voice lowered as if she were thinking out loud. "It does not feel right. Not at all." She sighed. "But he'll starve otherwise. Very well. Let us give him some restorative while I am here to watch his reaction."
With a wave of her wand, Molly reheated the pot of tea and poured out a half mugful. She added the cool water and Poppy poured out a small vial of nutritional restorative and stirred the concoction. The nurse then coaxed her patient to drink it. He accepted most of it before turning his head away. "Vile taste," the weak voice murmured flatly.
All three of his companions looked startled. Remus recovered his voice first. "I quite agree, Severus. Would you like some honey in it?"
Disappointingly, there was no response, even after several minutes of waiting. The dark eyes stared out vacantly. Poppy turned to Molly. "Get some rest, dear. We'll watch out for him. I want to see that there are no ill reactions."
Molly nodded and exited quietly. The thought of a rest did sound welcoming. But she thought she'd better check up on the children first.
Remus watched her leave. "She's taking on quite a lot, Poppy."
"Yes, she is. How are the rest of you doing?"
"Fine I think. What did you find out?"
"I do believe they have been using experimental drugs on him as well as torture."
Remus' eyebrows lifted slightly. "Drugs?" It surprised him to hear her use that terminology. But apparently the twentieth century had caught up to Wizarding medicine. "Erm... Surely not that place--"
"No. They just used those horrid 'psychotropics.' Bad enough for a Pureblood. He will have been elsewhere; look at the dates. He's been there only since the third of August. Where was he before that date?"
Remus sighed and ran a hand through his prematurely greying hair. "We need some Muggle help, perhaps."
--