Chapter Six: Dangerous Wandering
She had no destination point, but found herself walking through the forest, stopping every now and then to think about what was running through her mind, or to observe the many animals scuttling on the forest floor. As she crept closer to the heart of the forest she found that the trees were getting closer together, the trees taller, and the sunlight lessening. When she realized how much it was starting to look like the Forbidden Forest, she decided to turn around and leave, not wanting to find out if a monster like Aragog lay hidden in Snape's forest. She turned around and assumed she was still on the path, because she had never left it, but the path had disappeared. She wandered around looking for it and couldn't see a single trace of it. She didn't know what to do! She had left her wand by her bedside and could think of no other way to find her way out. She didn't know what else to do, so she thought the only thing to do was to scream for Professor Snape. Just as she opened her mouth to scream, her eyes went dark, her knees buckled and she fell to the forest floor, unconscious.
Back in the house, Snape had just finished breakfast and was also thinking along the same lines as Hermione. He had very much wanted to leave the house and go to a pub to relieve some stress, but was very much incapable of even getting out of bed. He had no choice but to stay in bed...or did he?
He took out his wand and said an incantation, which conjured up a mobile chair for Snape. He also used his wand to float himself safely into the chair. He directed the movement of the chair with the simple flick of his wrist, holding his wand and made his way safely downstairs (flying over the stairs, of course) and led himself outside. He was very grateful for not coming across Hermione, because he could not face her and risk seeing his past love in her eyes, or having her scold him for leaving bed.
All though he was safely in his wheelchair, the pain in his wound was starting to burn and sear throughout his body. He paid no attention to this however, and merely made his way into the forest exactly as Hermione had done. He had no idea she was lying in there unconscious, but the forest was safe for Snape because he had tamed it, and knew his way well around. He moved in and out of the forest until dusk, letting all his thoughts run through his head. He didn't know what to think about Hermione's blood being in his potion. She must have really wanted to save him if she gave up her own blood to save his life.
After a long day of roaming through the forest, he thought it odd that Hermione didn't notice that he was gone all day, and she wouldn't go looking for him if she had. Maybe she didn't really care about him, maybe she was elated at the fact that he was gone and wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. He was turning to leave when he saw a dark shape lying ahead of him. He thought it was probably just an animal sleeping on the path, but he went to check it out anyway. There were many dangerous creatures in the forest, some the ministry didn't even know about, and he wanted to make sure that one of them hadn't died.
When he approached the unshaped lump, he noticed it was covered in shiny brown fur. But after a second glance, he noticed it was shiny brown hair, and it wasn't an animal, it was Hermione. Next to her, he saw what looked like bits of golden and black fur. He had known what had happened in an instant and he was sure Hermione was dead. He pulled out his wand and levitated her back to the house.
When he got to the house, he had found an empty bedroom for her and lay her gently on the bed. Hermione looked extremely pale and was stone cold. He wheeled himself to the potion room but realized, there was nothing he could do. He headed back to Hermione's room...
Snape had sat beside Hermione's bedside for days. She was alive, but he feared she would slowly fade away. He maintained the potion while she was ill, but couldn't do much, because it caused him pain to move around. After the second day of watching her, he checked on the potion and went to the cupboard to add an ingredient, but when he reached up, all he could see was white, and he had a blinding pain shoot throughout his entire body. He decided to go back to Hermione's room and just hope she woke up soon. The only person that could save him was dying just as he was. As the third day passed, Snape was becoming increasingly ill and could hardly stand to move at all. He simply stayed by her bedside and watch her breath in and out, hoping she would survive what he knew, which was terrible, had happened to her. After the fourth day of watching her lifeless body hold on to itself, he saw her eyes twitch, and then slowly open.
To Hermione, her lids seemed so heavy that she couldn't stand to lift them. She had no idea what had happened and how she was transported from the forest to a bedroom she had never seen before. She had suddenly noticed that her entire body ached and she felt nauseous. There were shooting pains running all over her body and she found it difficult to breathe. She had never felt so ill and miserable in her entire life. She was trying to sit up when she realized she couldn't move anything. The only thing she was capable of was blinking, and that caused her intense pain.
The first thing Hermione saw when she opened her eyes was a blurry vision of a dark haired, very pale sickly looking man. She knew it must have been Snape. She was trying to move her mouth to speak but couldn't say anything. She couldn't move a muscle. She was entirely frustrated. She wanted to know what happened and where she was.
Professor Snape was sitting in his wheelchair, felling just as awful as Hermione, but was elated to see that she was conscious and breathing. He knew that, under the circumstances, she would not be able to move or speak so he knew what to do.
"Miss Granger," he said weakly, "I know what has happened to you and I'm sure you would love to ask me but you cant right now. You were in the forest, when...." He started, "You were – attacked, without realizing it." He said miserably.
Hermione wanted to ask him what she was attacked by. She wasn't buying the story because she had just simply fainted, feeling no pain or any sort which would have come from an attack.
"There are many dangerous creatures in my forest miss granger, and it was very unwise of you to go wandering in there..." he began, but wanted to seem more comforting to her, so he changed is tone. "You were most unfortunate to come across a ....Nundu." he said, turning whiter, if possible.
Hermione knew she had heard that name somewhere before, but she was so confused and had so much on her mind she couldn't think of where she had heard that before.
"I know you, Miss Granger, and you probably know what a Nundu is, but I will not explain it to you know, you need rest. I would be preparing a potion which could spare you, but there is no cure for this. You need to wait it out, you may survive, if you are strong enough, and you may not." He sounded so nonchalant about telling her she might die, but Hermione was not afraid. She finally understood what Snape must feel like. "I'm going to leave you to rest Granger. If you do have enough strength in you to fight this out, then you should recover in a few days. I cant maintain the potion as I can barely move, just as yourself," he said with a small smile, "However, It merely needs to brew for the next week and no ingredients need to be added at this time, so we'll be ok. I need to get myself to bed as well. I am getting much worse than I imagined and with every word I speak, I am only depriving myself of my health. Rest up Granger." He finished, and with that magicked himself upstairs to bed.
Hermione couldn't open her mouth to argue. She had barely enough strength or pain tolerance to keep her eyes open, so she let them close and drifted off to sleep. She felt so helpless, and she was the one that was supposed to be helping him, but somehow, they both managed to become injured.
When Hermione woke up, she found that she move, ever so slightly, but she could move her mouth enough to talk. She was going to try to call for Snape, but she saw that he was right next to her. He had conjured up a bed on the other side of hers and he was fast asleep. He looked completely awful, and Hermione feared she wouldn't be able to maket the potion in time. She called for Snape, so he would wake, and he did. Her voice was hoarse but she could still talk.
"Yes Granger?" he said in a quiet tone. "I expect you'll want answers now?" he said, forcing a smile.
"Y-Yes." It was taking enormous amount of effort for her to talk. "What...is...nunda? What happened?" she asked.
She felt selfish because she wanted all of the answers, but Snape didn't look well enough to talk.
"Well Granger. You were roaming in my forest and came across a Nundu. I brought you back here, and you managed to wake up so I could get some information in you. You have since been sleeping for the past four days." He managed to say. "I know you are smart Granger, and you know what a Nundu is. You must have read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is that right?" he asked.
He was right, she had read that book from front to cover on numerous occasions. She was racking her brain and it suddenly dawned on her. She knew what a Nundu was. A look of horror and pain fell over her face. She was going to die.
"A Nundu, as you probably remember, is one of the most dangerous animals known to wizards. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to find Them, it says -" he began, but Hermione interrupted.
"-An East African beast that is arguably the most dangerous in the world. A gigantic leopard that moves silently despite its size and whose breath causes disease virulent enough to eliminate entire villages, it has never yet been subdued by fever than a hundred skilled wizards working together." She said, reciting the passage that was now burned in her brain. She had no more strength left in her to say any more. She remember opening her mouth to scream for Snape....that's when she fell down...that's when she inhaled it's breath....that's when she was sentenced to death.
"Yes, Granger. Very good. I have been raising a Nundu here ever since it was an egg, therefore, it is tame towards me and cannot harm me, but I still keep a great distance, and an air bubble around the forest so its breath penetrates no one outside of the forest. The other animals in the forest are safe from it as well. However, when you're in the forest, you are in danger. You inhaled its breath and it affected you right away. You seem to be fighting off it's affect very well, but only time will tell. There is no potion to cure this, so you will have to be patient and stay in bed. I conjured a bed for me here so I can keep an eye on you. Your potion is brewing and will be fine until you get better. You should get some more rest. I know that's all you seem to be doing, but it will help." Snape explained with what looked like a smile.
He clearly had no more to say because he laid down on his bed and fell asleep in an instant. Hermione was feeling no better than she was four days ago and she kept thinking she was going to die. Her body might not be able to fight off the diseases, and she was scared. She wanted to be by her friends and family, and least of all, Snape. He might have acted civil to her, but she had the oddest feeling that he had something to do with her being attacked, and she didn't like the look of his smile.
She was never more afraid of anything in her life. She may have faced countless dangers with Harry and Ron, but she was never this afraid of anything. She wished she hadn't known about the Nundu, because then it would seem less intimidating and fearful to her, but she couldn't turn back time, although she wished she could. She closed her eyes, and tried to ignore all of the pain swarming throughout her body, and slowly fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, she woke up to find a hot breakfast waiting next to her on the table.
At first, she thought Snape had done it, but he was asleep with a hot meal next to him as well. Just as she was going to wake Snape up, she heard a little 'pop' that sounded all too familiar.
She looked over to the door and saw the vague outline of what seemed to be a house elf. Her heart started racing and she thought it was Lorish that had returned to mess up things even more. But when the house elf moved closer, she saw who it was and gave a sigh of relief. She forced her mouth the say the word... "Dobby!"
It was indeed the house-elf Dobby. He was wearing several hats, socks, and a couple of sweaters. His big round eyes were so full of joy it looked as though he would have exploded.
"Yes, it is Dobby Miss! Dobby knows you cannot talk well so I will tell you that Dumbledore has sent Dobby to work here while you and my new master are both ill. Dobby is so sorry." He said, with a smile which made it awkward. "Dobby had made you both breakfast. Eat and then Dobby will return!" and with a 'pop' he was gone again and Hermione was left to eat breakfast. She reached for her food, but with every movement, it sent hot, sharp, pains everywhere in her body. She whispered 'Dobby' and somehow he heard and reappeared.
"Yes, Miss? Is breakfast not good?" he said looking disappointed.
"Cant move..." moaned Hermione.
"Of courses Dobby knew this, how could I be so stupid..." and Dobby began to start banging his head against the wall. He stopped after a minute and snapped his fingers. A forkful of food moved towards Hermione's mouth and she chewed it and swallowed. Dobby continued this until she was done. Dobby left again and Hermione turned on her side facing Snape.
He was breathing heavily and didn't sound well at all. Hermione was now more scared for him than herself. She knew it was her responsibility to watch over him, but she was still suspicious about him. She couldn't help thinking that Snape set the Nundu on her.
She was lying still for about ten minutes, before Snape showed signs of movement. Somehow, Dobby must have heard because he was there in an instant and began to help Snape with his breakfast. Snape could manage moving at least the days before, but his condition was worsening and so was Hermiones.
Neither of them knew it, but they did not have long to live. Unless Hermione successfully fought of the peril she was in, she wouldn't be able to finish the potion, and then Snape would die. The fate of them both, rested on Hermione and the help of Dobby.
For the next several days, Hermione's routine was very predictable. Dobby would appear in the morning to help her with lunch. After that she would usually try and sit up to read, although some days it was difficult for her to move at all. Dobby would also appear at lunch and get instructions from Hermione on what to do for the potion. She rested after lunch, too tired to do anything else, and wake up in time for dinner (dobby helping of course).
On the fourth day of her resting period, Hermione thought she was getting much better, but when Snape woke up, he was stunned at the look of Hermione. Snape had noticed that she was paler than usual, and her eyes appeared to be sunken in, and she just looked wiped out.
What Hermione didn't know and what Snape did, was that inside of Hermione's very body, there was a virus attacking everything inside of her. To Hermione, she didn't feel a thing, except that she was getting better. She was able to move and walk around and felt a like she could return to her daily routine without Dobby spoon-feeding her. Snape didn't object to this, because if he let her know that she was being internally attacked she would either become increasingly worried, or she would deny it completely, which one, he couldn't tell.
The fifth day, Hermione woke up and was able to eat breakfast on her own. She got dressed and headed straight downstairs, eager to work on the potion that had been Dobby's priority for the past days. She thought she would find it completely screwed up, but to her surprise, Dobby seemed to have followed her instructions to the exactness, and the potion looked like it was doing just fine. She went to the ingredient cupboard, added some powder of unicorn horn, and headed back to the bedroom to check on Snape.
Although she was a bit frightened of him at the moment, she was also becoming very worried about him. She knew he was getting worse. The most moving he could do was to move his head slightly or raise a finger. He was still capable of talking, but he was barely eating and lay in bed all day, looking worse by the minute. She couldn't understand why, but all she could do was watch over him and continue to make the potion.
When she entered the bedroom again, she walked over to his bed and checked his pulse. It was slowing down a lot, and he was even worse than he imagine. She decided that she couldn't wait any longer for the potion, so she would have to go back to the very potion she used to slow the effects. It wouldn't last very long since his condition was so terrible, but it might help, in the smallest of ways.
Hermione headed downstairs but decided she didn't want do this alone.
"Dobby! Dob—" She said, but before she could finish calling him, he was right in front of her, looking extremely proud, and ready to help.
"Yes Miss! What can Dobby to for Miss?" he asked enthusiastically.
"Well, I need to make another potion to help Professor Snape...I was just wondering if you wanted to help or...er...keep me company?" she asked, expecting a no. She didn't think that house-elfs usually did that sort of thing.
"Dobby would be delighted!" and they both made their way to the potions room together.
Hermione began putting the ingredients she needed into the nearest cauldron and she was stirring in between ingredients.
"So...Dobby...what do you do in your free time here?" Hermione asked as if he was on a vacation of some sort.
"Free time, Miss? Dobby does not have free time. Dobby has been helping master, keeping house clean, and ridding house of nasty things....terrible things....things that Dumbledore doesn't even here. But do not tell Master! Oh No! Dumbledore says to keep it a secret." He said, but then turned panicky. "NO! I has told you! I should not have told you Miss!" he yelped and then proceeded to stick his head in the flames of the cauldron fire nearest him. Before Dobby could set himself on fire, Hermione dragged him out and tried to comfort him.
"Dobby its ok. I wont tell Snape." She said gently. "But what exactly are you getting rid of dobby...what are the nasty things..." she asked curiously.
"I cannot speak of them...NO!" Dobby yelled, with fright in his big round eyes.
"Dobby...please. I promise I wont tell your master!" she pleaded.
"Ok..." he said with a tinge of guilt in his voice. "They are the nastiest most terrible things Miss! They are spells, charms, creatures, and much more that are to rid muggle bornn from inhabiting this house!" he said.
"But I'm a muggle born...how can I live here if there are certain enchantments preventing me from being here." She asked, because it wasn't making much sense to her. She added some dried nettle to the potion and continued to listen to dobby.
"Dumbledore says Master has made sure that you are safe. Dobby does not know how, but you is Miss. Dumbledore tells me how to rid of these nasty things to make you safer, but they is not working Miss!"
Hermione didn't know what to say. The first thing she was thinking about was why Snape would have anti-muggle born charms on his home, and then how she was safe from them. Maybe he was lying and she wasn't really safe at all! But then she saw an image of Dying Snape's body and she couldn't help but feel he was telling the truth. Snape was a git but he wouldn't try to murder her....or would he?
Dobby and Hermione chatted for a long period of time until she was ready to add the last ingredient. Just as last time, Hermione let a little bit of herself drip into the potion and watched it to crimson red. Dobby was quite squeamish so he looked away at this point. . Luckily, the potion didn't need to brew too long, and she could take it right up to Snape.
Hermione was pretty sure Dobby wouldn't lace the potion with anything so she trusted him. She took it directly up to Snape who was sleeping at the moment. Hermione sat on his bed and gently nudged his shoulder and it took him a while to fully wake up. Hermione helped him drink the potion, and when he had swallowed it all, he had no strength to stay awake so he drifted off to sleep again.
Hermione and Dobby went downstairs to make their lunch together. Hermione had time on her hands, and she didn't want to be alone so she was very thankful she had someone to spend time with, even though it was an overly-friendly, eccentric, self-punishing house-elf.