Chapter Two: Close Call
Sure enough Hermione found the instructions on the back of his letter to make the potion. Hermione had made this potion with ease in Potions class but the circumstances were quite different now. She wasn't making it to show Professor Snape up, she was doing this to save his life. Suddenly, a hot wave of panic swept over her.
I cant do this! His life is in my hands! I have loathed him since I met him and now I have to save his life, she thought to herself.
"Well Granger? I expect you should be getting to work now? If you're just going to sit there like an idiot than you can leave." Snape said with his lip curled.
"I can assure you sir that I would rather be anywhere but here. But given the circumstances, I am not just going to leave you here to die!" Hermione shouted.
"Very well. You will find all the ingredients over there on that shelf. Dumbledore left them here for you. The cauldron and everything else you need will be downstairs next to the living area. Lorish can help you find your way around." He said.
Hermione started to leave the room when he started to speak again. "Word of caution Granger. This house is very unsafe in places, especially to a mudbl-.... to a witch like yourself. If I find you snooping where you don't belong, you will be asked to leave at once." Snape said with an evil grin.
"If you're going to be nothing but a rude pompous jerk while I'm here, I would like nothing more than to leave, I can assure you of that." Hermione said with an equally evil grin.
After Hermione grabbed the ingredients she needed off of Snape's shelf, she then turned swiftly and exited the bedroom. She was infuriated, but it had felt awfully good she noticed to stand up to Snape. She would have loved to do this again, but remembered that Professor Snape lay gravely injured and only she could help him. She needed to get to work right away. However, she didn't know how to get to the potion-preparing (caldron room?) room.
"Lorish? Um...Lorish? You there?" Asked Hermione with a quivering voice. Ever since she had started S.P.E.W. she had vowed to never give orders to a House-Elf.
Just thenwhat seemed to be a feeble wisp of smoke transformed itself into the House-Elf Lorish.
"Lorish at your service Miss. What is it that you require?" Asked Lorish in a very polite tone.
"Directions to Snape's personal potions room (caldron room?)please, if you will." Hermione said gently, trying not to offend Lorish.
"This way, please." Lorish said with a delightful smile.
Hermione followed Lorish to the door she had noticed on her way up to Snape's room. It was the red door with the biting handle. She turned to ask Lorish how to enter but he had already gone. Isn't it odd that he is so keen to help, but disappears so quickly when I really need him, Hermione thought to herself. With no other theories as to how to enter the room, she merely wrapped her hand in the sleeve of her robes, and turned the doorknob. Surprisingly, the doorknob did not try to gnaw off her fingers.
When she entered the room she couldn't see a single thing. Typical of course, dark man – dark house, she said in her mind. She muttered "Lumos!" and her wand tip ignited with bright light and she could see where she was.
Standing just outside the doorway she could see what seemed to be a low-ceilinged room, with dingy, rotting, walls and a single black rusty cauldron in the corner of the room. This struck her as odd because as Snape was avid in potions, she would've thought it would be more of an impressive room.
She took a step into the room, and just as her foot crossed the threshold, the room started to morph right in front of her eyes. No more was it a dilapidated, musty room, but she was looking at a very different room. The walls were now shiny and black and the floors resembling them as well. There were many portraits of a variety of people hanging on the wall and Hermione noticed a caption underneath a picture of a particularly odd looking man with a long black pointed beard.
Rodolfo Noxus
Potions Master at St. Mungo's
1778-1821
This seemed normal to her, the only thing is that none of the pictures were moving, which unnerved her a bit. She noticed a fireplace which was already burning, a row of extremely expensive looking cauldrons, and a large grey cabinet of what she was sure was full of potion ingredients.
Hermione checked to make sure that she had all of the ingredients needed, but noticed she was missing monkswood. She walked over to the grey cabinet which did contain potion ingredients and began to search for monkswood. It was not difficult for her to notice it was missing because all of Snape's bottled ingredients were clearly labeled with a name and date and were neatly arranged in alphabetical order.
She knew there to be an alternative to monkswood, but this would require her to let the potion mature for a full moon's cycle. She could not even think of putting up with Snape for that long. However, she reached into the cabinet and retrieved the ingredient labeled 'Astrophel' and walked over to the cauldron nearest her.
It took nearly two hours to complete the first phase of this very difficult concoction and she had only just noticed it was starting to get dark outside through the one window in the room. She was just about to leave and let her potion simmer when she heard someone open the door.
"Hello Miss. Master wants to inform you that dinner is now being served in the dining area. He will not be dining with you this evening as he is immobile, but requests you to eat nonetheless." Lorish said quickly.
"Right...thanks Lorish." Hermione said.
Hermione made her way to the dining area by following Lorish. She did not want to roam around in Snape's house ever since he had threatened her. But she wondered how dangerous a house could really be after all. When she arrived at the dinner table she noticed that an exceptional feast had been prepared and it was only for one person.
"Lorish, why did you cook all of this? I thought Snape wasn't dining?" Hermione questioned.
But just before she could get all of the sentence out she heard a startling pop across the table. She looked over and saw Severus Snape sitting in the chair opposite herself. Hermione's heart started beating rather fast. She wasn't exactly too keen on the idea of dining with Snape at the moment.(If he's sick and unable to make the potion himself why can he apperate and eat a full course meal? Generally when you are that sick food isn't on your mind.)
"Professor, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked rather surprised.
"As this is my house, I think it is appropriate for me to dine in my own house (dining room?) Granger. Now if you don't mind I would like to enjoy my meal in peace." He remarked. "But seeing as I'm dining with you, I doubt that is possible..." he said, thinking Hermione could not hear him.
"What I meant sir is that you should really be in your room resting. I did not come all this way to save your life if you are not going to cooperate." Hermione said questioning whether or not it was too bold of her to say this.
"MY HOUSE, MY DECISIONS! NOW SHUT YOUR MUDBLOOD MOUTH GRANGER!" Snape shouted at the top of his lungs.
He had just realized what he had said and didn't understand why he was so angry...Hermione hadn't even been that annoying this evening. He wanted to apologize...but to her. He just put his napkin on his lap and began to eat his supper. He thought Hermione was just going to shrug it off, but as he was cutting a piece of his chicken, he heard a rather quiet sniff, as if someone was crying. He looked up from his plate and sure enough one single glistening tear was running down Hermione Granger's cheeks.
Snape was absolutely speechless. He had always known Granger to be completely stubborn and let things run off her back, but for some reason she had really taken what he said to heart. He didn't know what to say. He just looked at her oddly for a moment and then decided to spit something out.
"Oh bloody hell Granger! What is the matter with you?" Snape asked coolly.
"Its just that...you....and then you said...and i...." Was all that Hermione managed to get out between sobs. She was quite flustered and angry so much so that she got up leaving her dinner untouched and proceeded to the room where her potion was brewing.
She sat on the hard, cold stone floor on in the potion's room staring at the now crimson colored potion that was brewing in Snape's cauldron. She had come all this way and was going to do so much work...and for what? If she had stopped now and didn't continue making the potion then Snape would never return to Hogwart's. She liked the thought of that, but only for a split second. She couldn't bear the thought of Snape's death eating away at her conscience when she knew she could prevent it.
This is it...I have no choice. I have to actually help Snape. Hermione said in her mind.
So she got upstirred the potion while adding 20 lacewing flies and then exited her room to find Snape.
She had followed Lorish around the house quite a bit now that she felt she didn't need his help, so she began her journey down a series of long, dark corridors. She knew she was going the wrong way when she stumbled upon a hallway that ended in a door with a sign that said, 'enter at your own risk' she quickly turned around to go the other way, but when she turned around, she found herself face to face with Snape himself. She gave a tiny jump at the sight of him. (She's been following Lorish around? Sort of comes out of nowhere as does her looking for Snape somewhere other than his room.)
"Professor! Really, you could have said something! You gave me a fright!" Hermione said abruptly.
"Granger, I'm sure that I warned you not to go roaming about in my house, am I right?" snapped Professor Snape.
"Yes sir, it's just that I was getting tired, but you haven't showed me where I'm staying. I expect I have a room prepared." Guessed Hermione.
"You expected wrong Granger. You will be sleeping on the daybed in the living area. This house is not accustomed to housing muggle-borns such as yourself and keeping you in your own room would only further risk your life while you are staying here." said Snape.
"Professor, I don't understand, how can a house bring me dang-" Started Hermione, who was interrupted by Snape.
"Just keep quiet and follow me to your bed Granger." Snapped Snape.
Hermione didn't have time to ask anymore questions because Snape was already halfway down the hallway.
They arrived in the living room where Hermione noticed an old, moth-eaten day bed in the far corner of the room. She hadn't really expected Snape to put her up in a grand suite, but anything else would've been better. She had seen a blanket and pillow were already laying on the end of the bed and made her way over to Snape.
"You know Professor, you really shouldn't be walking around like that. Exerting yourself will only progress the effects of the poison in your system." Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"You know Granger, you don't know everything. I have been absolutely fine this entire evening. Even well enough to put up with you and your..." But just as Snape was mouthing these last words he had turned sickly pale.
"Professor, what's wrong?" Hermione asked quickly.
But it was too late, Professor Snape had fallen to the ground with a large (loud?) thud. She had widened her eyes in terror and had feared the worst instantly. He couldn't be.....dead?
Hermione rushed over to Snape's cold limp body. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't even move. The first thing she thought of was the potion, but that wouldn't be done for at least 3 weeks. If she administered it to him now, it would poison him because it wouldn't have fully matured.
She pulled her wand out of her robes and said, "Wingardium leviosa!" pointing directly at Snape. She raised her wand and walked behind Snape, while his limp body floated along. She had to get him to his room, but she had no Idea where to go. Suddenly, Lorish appeared right in front of Hermione.
"Right this way Miss." Said Lorish.
Hermione didn't even have time to question how Lorish knew that Hermione needed directions or why he had known where she had been. She just simply followed Lorish and ended up right in Snape's bedroom.
She ushered his body into his bedroom with her wand and made sure he was laid gently down upon the bed.
Sure he was in his room now, but how was that going to help him? She had absolutely no idea what to do next.
She put her warm hand on Snape's cold wrist and to her delightfelt a pulse. It was slow (faint), but at least it was there.
She had a million things racing through her mind at that point. She couldn't give him the potion or it would kill him, which would defeat the whole purpose of why she was there. But thena thought suddenly came to her.
I don't need to cure him right now! All I need to do is simply slow the effects of the poison! At this thought Hermione ran downstairs, leaving Snape's lifeless body unattended and headed toward the potion room.
She opened the shiny grey door to the cabinet filled with ingredients. She grabbed Thamsrax, beetle wings and powdered root of Morsnil and then headed over to the cauldron right next to the one brewing the cure to Snape's illness. There was one other important ingredient she needed for this potion that could not be found in the cupboard, but Hermione had it nonetheless.
Shebegan adding all the proper ingredients in a frenzy and it was coming togetherbeautifully. The only thing that was making Hermione nervous was that he may already be fading beyond her skill to aide him. She kept stirring the potion, which was the only thing that was keeping him off of her mind. She added the last and most important ingredient, the one not found in the cabinet, but the one that Hermione had brought with her. She quickly scooped up some potion and bottled it up in a flask she had found in the cabinet and raced up to Snape's room hoping he had not already died.
When she entered, she was extremely shocked to see Snape sitting up on his bed, reading a magazine called 'Powerful Potions Today'.
"Ah, Granger. Did you bring my potion?" Asked Snape, with an extremely strained voice.
He might have been up and awake, but he did not look good and sounded even worse. He was acting as though nothing happened and didn't even ask how had had gotten from the living area to his bed. He seemed to be contented with the fact that he was even alive.
"I'm afraid it wont be done for about a month sir. But I did bring this potion which will slow the effects of the snake venom. I'm sure it will work, but for how long I don't know. From this point on, I would just strongly advise that you stay in bed at all times. I can make sure that Lorish can bring your meals up to your bedroom and anything else you need." Hermione said proudly.
She felt as though a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders at the sight of seeing him up and somewhat well. He still looked a bit peaky and pale, and she noticed he was clammy and shaking, but at least he was awake.
Hermione walked over to Snape's bedside and poured the contents of the flask into a goblet laying on his nightstand. She held out the goblet for Snape to take, but he made no effort to take it.
"Miss Granger, I am incapable of moving my limbs at this moment so I don't think I am up to taking a potion. Leave it on my nightstand and I will take it later when I can properly move my appendages." Snape said with a smirk. The last thing he wanted was a filthy little mudblood to save his life.
"Professor, you really ought to take this now. If I could just..." Hermione began, but it was too odd for her to complete the sentence. She was a bit repulsed by the fact that she had to help Snape drink something.
"I'll be fine Granger. Even if I was inches from death, you would be the last person I would call upon for help." He said with a curled lip and raised eyebrows. "Now if you don't mind..." he added, gesturing towards his magazine.
"Professor if you don't drink this you WILL be inches from death, and you will not die as long as I am here to help, so don't be so insufferable, and TAKE THE DAMN POTION WITH MY HELP OR YOU WILL DIE!" Screamed Hermione with an usually large amount of effort.
She hadn't meant to yell, but it seemed she was not going to get the message out any other way.
Snape hadn't said a word. He was completely astounded at her tone with him, but was suddenly taking her seriously. He hadn't really thought he was going to die. Does she know something I don't? Thought Snape to himself.
"Fine Granger, get Lorish and I will take the potion with his help." He remarked looking sullen.
"Very well," Hermione said with a bit of a smile on her face, "Lorish! Lorish!" She called, expecting to see a thin wisp of vapor any second now, but he was not coming.
"LORISH! GET UP HERE THIS INSTANT!" Yelled Snape.
"Sir, I don't think he's coming. Let me help you." She advanced toward Snape's side quickly and Snape suddenly looked a bit paler.
"Don't be stupid Granger. I don't need your help." Snape said.
"So in other words you want to die?" Said Hermione calmly.
"Of course not. That's preposterous." Snape barked. "Oh very well Granger but hurry up. I fancy a nap."
Hermione sat down on the bed opposite Snape and held the goblet up to his lips. Her hands were shaking faster and faster as she got nearer to his mouth. Hermione was very uncomfortable being so close to Snape, but without her help he would die and she couldn't live with that on her mind. Although she loathed him in every sense, he was still a human being.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Hermione was slowly pouring the contents of the goblet into Snape's mouth and she was relieved when she set the cup back down on his night stand.
"Right then, sir. I'm off to bed. If you need anything-" She began...
"I am sure I will be quite capable of doing it myself. Good night Granger." Said Snape, as he deepened his gaze back into his potions magazine.