Forgotten Memories, Painful Past

Chapter Four

Counting the Days

---

"Gone, you say?" Dumbledore frowned. "I see. Just vanished?" She nodded. "Don't worry. He'll be back. He's on business."

Raine felt rather foolish. "For the Order?"

The elderly man nodded, watching her carefully through his half-crescent lenses. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

She didn't like being left out of this. She knew he was doing work that was probably very dangerous yet she could not know if he was going to be gone long or what he was doing more precisely. Accustomed to getting what she wanted in her home, Raine was rather unsettled about the whole thing. Dumbledore hadn't asked why she'd been with him, for that she was grateful.

"I'll need you to cover his third year classes until his return. I'll have other teachers cover for the higher level classes." Albus smiled. "Thank you for notifying me."

Raine sighed, "I can teach higher than third year, Albus..."

He nodded judiciously, "I realize that, but please, the third years will be fine."

Caught between feeling insulted and wanting to know more about Severus, Raine decided nothing good would come of further conversation. "Good evening Headmaster," she took her leave rather hurriedly.

---

Third year potions had gone well, Raine decided as she walked in to her class and prepared for sixth year Defense. Shaking her head, she charmed the chalk as it began to write on the blackboard. She thought about the three spells they'd practice in double Defense today. Impedimenta and Incarcerous were the first two words scribbled on the board.

Hermione and Ronald Weasley wandered in. He sat down as she approached Ms. Sullivan's desk. "Professor?"

Definitions began to appear on the blackboard. "Yes Miss Granger?"

"What'd you say to Harry? His mood is greatly improved... And... Well, I was wondering how you did it..." She looked rather shy about it all.

Raine smiled, "It was simple really. I told him that if he quit, Voldemort would win." Ron still flinched at the sound of the name from his seat. "I told him if the Dark Lord won, then Hogwarts would not be here to offer wizards like him reprieve from people like the Dursleys." Her smile slid down a bit, looking less sincere. "I also told him that if he wasn't here to play Quidditch, Malfoy would win the Cup this year."

Hermione chuckled softly, "Thank you Professor... For cheering up Harry. H-He really seems happy again." She looked behind the Professor with a guise of confusion. Raine turned around to see Severus's name written on the board in large writing with a massive exclamation point at the end. "Something the matter?"

"No, everything's fine." The writing quickly erased itself. She'd gotten side-tracked again, worrying about Severus still. A soft blush was apparent on her cheeks but the two students just sat calmly and awaited the rest of the class.

Harry entered shortly after and smiled at his friends before turning to Raine. "Professor Sullivan, Dumbledore has asked me to tell you that I'll need your help with my remedial potions during Professor Snape's absence."

She mouthed the word 'remedial potions' with a confused look. She was certain Harry wouldn't need remedial potions, no matter how Snape hated him. "I'll see you in my office to set up a time after class Mr. Potter. Thank you."

"No problem Professor." With a rather jovial smile, he approached his friends. The three sat together chatting as a few Slytherins and other students piled in.

Snape's absence had been announced at breakfast that morning, so it wasn't a surprise that many people were gabbing about him. What was shocking was the fact that several students mentioned the fact that Raine had been with him when he left. How in the name of all that was magical did kids find out details that were supposed to be confidential? 'Oh, right' She mused, 'It's Hogwarts...'

"Quiet down class." She stood, "Can anyone tell me which curse on the board deals with fire?"

Raine did not call on Hermione's anxiously awaiting hand. She scanned the room. "Ms. Parkinson?"

The young Slytherin looked up from her place beside Draco Malfoy. "Um..." Her eyes shifted to the list behind Professor Sullivan. Not Impedimenta... She sighed, "Well, Incarcerous sounds like incarcerate... So, Incindio?"

"Incendio..." She corrected her pronunciation. "Yes, that's correct." The professor turned to pull out several large blankets from an old carpet bag. "These are fire resistant. I want you each to wrap yourselves in these when you're attacked. Failure to do so will result in two weeks detention and twenty points from your house." The blankets floated to each student. "Now who knows what Impedimenta does?"

Harry and Hermione raised their hands. Raine smiled, "Mr. Potter?"

He had a rather proud grin on his face, Defense was something Harry knew all too well by his sixth year. "Impedimenta will freeze or slow down your target. Sometimes it can disorient them."

"Splendid. Five points to Gryffindor." She removed her wand. "Finally we have the Incarcerous charm. Pansy was very intelligent in commenting that the charm sounds like the word 'incarcerate.' This charm will detain your enemy under most circumstances but can also be rather easily blocked." Professor Sullivan came around her desk. "Harry, since you seem to know your spells so well, we'll see if you can block my Incarcerous charm."

The sixth year stood rather nervously and walked across the room. He stood about ten feet in front of her. "All right Professor."

"Incarcerous!" The bolt flew from her wand as she held it firmly. She watched to see what Harry would do with utmost interest.

Harry studied her a moment, then reacted the instant the spell was cast. If it was simple to deflect... "Protego!" The offending charm failed and Harry sighed with relief. It had been rather simple.

The class clapped, well, the Gryffindors did. Harry took his seat as Miss Sullivan went back around to her desk and picked up a clipboard. "We'll be heading outside now. I want you all to first practice effectively casting the Incarcerous charm before the protection charm is used. Start with Impedimenta, then Incendio and finally the Incarcerous charm. Let's get going. You'll need all the time in class today to get these down I suspect..." The class headed outside.

---

Raine's head whipped around at the sound of a charm she hadn't instructed them to practice. "Accio!" She approached Crabbe, his wand now in her hand. "What is the meaning of this?"

Vincent was stammering, "W-We finished our assignment e-early and we were practicing other m-magic."

"That is not a spell I have taught you yet. It is not safe for you to practice especially on your peers!" She turned to Gregory Goyle. "Finite Incantatem." His bloating head shrank back to normal. "Oh for Rowena's sake, go see Madam Pomfrey. Tell her you need a shrinking potion and some common sense." Her spell would only be temporary, a potion was needed to cure him. Her glare fixed back on Crabbe. "That'll be twenty points from Slytherin and a week's detention with Filch. I've got no use for a dunderhead like you, I'm sure he can put you to good work!"

Malfoy snickered, "Smooth." He turned back to Pansy and practiced the Incarcerous charm again. It was quite effect, even if she had been looking the other way.

Shaking her head softly, she returned to help Millicent get the Impedimenta charm right.

---

Three days before winter finals, Raine was sitting at her desk drawing up a potions final she hadn't planned on needing. Severus still hadn't returned. It'd been nearly two weeks, she was worried sick. She'd been left to replace the potion stock in the Hospital Wing in his absence, but worse, she'd heard awful rumors. Students were saying the Dark Lord killed him, that he'd been kidnapped, and that he'd killed himself. The last rumor had been one that Raine fiercely refuted. Severus would never kill himself.

"Professor?" She recognized Harry's voice. Right, he had 'remedial potions' today.

"Take a seat, I'll be with you in a minute." The quill stopped moving and she folded the parchment up, putting a hex on it in case anyone tried to steal the answers before she finished. "Ready?"

His lips formed a tight line. "Professor, I'm worried about Snape."

Raine sighed and sat across from him. "Professor Snape," she corrected, "He will be fine. He's a brilliant wizard and I'm certain he will be able to take care of himself. If he needed help, Dumbledore would know." She could tell Harry had a strong faith in the Headmaster and that the words would sooth his anxiety. "Now are you ready or not Mr. Potter?"

Harry gave a faint grin, almost resembling James's. "I was born ready." He stood up, preparing to be mentally bombarded by the legilmen. She was as strong as Snape had been to him, and while it hurt, it was making him much stronger. He gave a wince as she held up her wand.

---

Heaving a nostalgic sigh, Harry waved to Hermione as she left. Her family was going on another vacation for the winter. Ron was staying at Hogwarts with him though, which made things a little better. Snape was still missing and that definitely didn't make things any better. Sure, he loathed the guy as the Professor equally loathed him, but if Voldemort had anything to do with this, Harry really wanted to see him back safely.

Professor Sullivan had given all the finals, and they were nothing short of Snape's rigorous ones in years past, but it still wasn't the same. He sort of missed the biased greasy git. Harry turned to Ron. "Feel like visiting Hagrid?"

Ron nodded, adding a soft sigh. "Why not?" He wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck. "Let's go."

---

Little sleep was wearing on Raine's nerves. She could've sworn she'd just seen an owl at her window. With no wizarding family to speak of, this was highly unlikely, if that. Tugging the window open, she found that she wasn't crazy. The owl landed on the sill, hooting. It wasn't an owl she recognized, but she pulled the letter from his foot. It was her brother, Akim. He was a squib, and therefore not considered part of her family by anyone but her. He was back in London after a long stay in America.

The fact that he'd used owl post amazed her. Then she got to the end of the letter. He'd heard that she was teaching when he'd asked around in all the right places. Akim had also heard rumors of Voldemort's return. He urged her to leave.

Raine sighed heavily, shaking her head. Muttering 'fool' under her breath in Russian, she began her reply. All she could think to write about was Severus's absence.

---

She sat straight up in bed, her mouth opened wide in a silent shriek of absolute terror. Screaming, she tried to block out the memories. She was shaking terribly as she climbed out of bed and headed for the dungeons. She needed one of those dreamless draughts herself... Wiping any trace of the remaining tears from her eyes, she opened the door.

As she walked in to the cabinets and pulled out the necessary jars and flasks, Raine heard a groan. She gasped, barely keeping the materials in her hands as she set them on a table and followed the sound. Around the corner, in his office on the floor, Raine saw Severus.

His deep black eyes were filled with agony. "Katya..." He hadn't wanted anyone to see him like this, but her? After she'd seen him bruised and bloody, embarrassed beyond belief and half-dead in a pool of his own blood... This was the last straw.

She heard his embarrassment and felt his anger. He wasn't concentrating on his occulmency at the moment. Raine pulled her nightshift up to her thighs and fell to her knees in front of him. "Sev..." She hadn't called him that since Hogwarts.

"Go." What had been intended to sound like a harsh rejection came out as more of a plea from the dark man's voice. His black eyes tried to remain stoic and cold, but he found it hard in the face of such tormenting anguish.

"Shh..." Taking out her wand, she pulled his upper body in to her lap. "It's okay, I can help." Raine had been forced to be schooled as a mediwitch when she'd returned to Russia. It was what respectable women did then... And she'd needed to set an example. "Dolorosa reducio!" Her hands wandered over his body, inspecting cautiously. "What hurts the most?"

Severus tried to fend off the invading touches, "My pride." His voice oozed sarcasm.

Raine sighed, "If you're well enough to be a smart ass I should just leave you here..." She didn't move. "Skeletus reparo!"His broken wrist began to mend slowly, though it cracked sickeningly. "I'll get a pain reduction potion and a bone repair potion." She propped him up against his desk. "Then you'll need a good day's rest."

He groaned faintly, closing his eyes. "Term's over?"

"The children have been gone for two day's time." Raine's voice traveled from the storage closet. "Only about thirty stayed here this winter. Not a surprise with all the political intrigue involved lately..." She reappeared at his side shortly and held a vial to his lips. "Drink it. Don't be a stubborn git."

Severus eyed her angrily but swallowed both vials after thorough inspection of their contents. "I can't sleep until I've spoken with Albus..."

Raine handed him one last vial, "For the swelling... take it."

Having realized he could trust her after the first two vials, he drank the last one without further inspection. The taste of sweet honey and peaches filled his mouth. Damn her. "This isn't for the swelling..." He was drowsy, it'd been a dreamless draught.

"I'll put you to bed and notify Albus of your return. You were too stubborn to rest on your own, so I thought I'd give you some personal encouragement."

Somehow she managed to help him up and in to his personal chambers. Laying him out on the bed, Raine pulled back the covers and sighed. Severus was hardly even awake anymore. With a moment's hesitation for propriety's sake, she removed his shoes and socks. His cloak was discarded in one of two chairs in his room and she covered him up with the blankets. He could sleep in his shirt and pants, she sure wasn't going to strip him. Raine sat in the other chair near his bed for a few moments, making sure he was asleep, before heading for Dumbledore's office.

---

"Albus? Albus, are you awake?" Raine entered his office nervously.

As she expected, the Headmaster was sitting at his desk. Raine began to wonder if he ever found time to sleep. "What is it that I can help you with Miss P- Sullivan."

Raine realized he'd almost called her by her Russian name. Giving him a thankful smile at his correction, she sighed softly. "Severus has returned. He had a broken wrist, and his ankles were terribly swollen... I'm sure they've just started mending from rather nasty sprangs. Aside some minor cuts and bruises, his wrist is healing and I gave him a dreamless draught. What I'm more worried about is his mind, he seemed rather defeated. He didn't even curse at me when I tricked him in to drinking that draught."

Once again, Dumbledore did not ask why Raine had been the one to find him. "You've had medical training?" She nodded. "I suppose they'll be no point in calling Madam Pomfrey down then." He sighed softly, "How long will he sleep?"

"My potions are usually made for highest efficiency so I would say eight hours with only about ten minutes leave for marginal error."

He nodded. "Very well. Would you like to be summoned when he awakens?"

Raine watched him with a mix of confusion and surprise. "I was planning on staying by his side. I won't be sleeping any further tonight regardless..." The Headmaster nodded his consent.

"I will be down around nine am. Do not leave his side for an instant." Nodding her affirmation, Raine turned and left.

---

End Chapter Four