Chapter Two: Taking Care

Apparating back home with Emily in his arms felt like something out of a dream for Severus. On the one hand, he rejoiced in having her out of that filthy, dank hole of a prison and felt no shame in that. On the other, what exactly he had rescued was uncertain as yet. She had made neither move nor sound during the trip back out of Azkaban, merely turned her face to his shoulder when they encountered the violent sunlight.. And, now that he had this silent, unresponsive creature in his home, he had no clue how to begin.

With his incredible potions skills, Severus could have been one of the world's greatest mediwizards, but care-taking had, to say the least, never been his specialty. Truth be told, without Albus and Minerva's constant badgering, he probably wouldn't even take care of himself.

A deep inhale gave him to know, unquestionably, what his first order of business had to be.

Merlin knew how long it had been since she'd had a bath, (her "analyst" probably relied on third-rate cleansing spells) but it was long enough that her hair, once the color of autumn leaves in the early-morning sunlight was a greasy, foul-smelling, rust-colored mess that made his own locks look like an advertisement for grooming potions. It was far easier than it should've been to continue carrying her through the foyer, up the stairs, and to his bath, talking softly all the while.

When they reached their destination, he conjured a soft chair for her to rest in while he ran a warm bath and summoned a nest of clean towels. The act of disrobing her was one he had dreamed of for most of his adolescent and some of his adult life, but the circumstances of fantasy had been very different from this.

The rank, threadbare shirt practically fell to pieces when he gave it a solid tug, and the trousers fared little better. She wore nothing underneath, and he shuddered to see a body that had once been an object of desire for almost every male in Hogwarts reduced to sallow, nearly translucent, skin and bone.

Once she had been immersed fully in the bath, he heard, to his great delight, a small, hoarse sound which might have been a moan escape her throat, and Severus smiled, a genuine expression of happiness that few had ever seen. At the first touch of a soft, soapy sponge, she sighed and the corners of her mouth turned ever-so-slightly upwards. He took it as an encouraging sign, and continued until she was literally squeaky from head to toe, enjoying a thoroughly unexpected satisfaction from the task.

"Do you recall," he began softly as he sat her on the cushioned stool, and began to pat her dry, "the incident at the Yule Ball in our sixth year when you spiked the professors' punchbowl with a potion that diminished inhibitions? I never told you this but, later that night, Lucius caught Albus and Minerva having an exceedingly inappropriate encounter in the Astronomy tower. So involved were they, in fact, that they didn't even notice him pass by. It ruined his rather substantial sexual appetite for a month." Snape chuckled softly. "Served him right, I suppose. He was ridiculously randy."

He dried her hair with a wave of his wand, and stood back to survey his work. She was not pretty by any means, she was in fact rather difficult to look upon, a haunted, emaciated thing, but at least she was clean, and her hair was auburn once again. It was a start.

He reached up to brush a stray lock of hair from her eyes and stopped, drawing the hand back reflexively. It was uncomfortable enough that she was completely naked in his presence. That, at least, was necessary. There was no need whatsoever for intimate gestures.

It would be prudent to remind himself, as well, that this was not exactly a rescue. Indeed, he had only borrowed her to perform a dangerous, time-consuming task. Assuming he could restore her well enough to be of use, she would serve The Order's purpose, then return to her cell in Azkaban with nothing save a slightly shortened sentence and perhaps a few amenities.

That was damnably easy to forget.

Predictably, she offered no hint of struggle or protest when he scooped her back up and carried her to the guest room. It had, thankfully, been made habitable by Liri, the resident house elf in his newly-acquired dwelling. It took only a short time to make her comfortable in the bed before sweeping from the room, but several minutes to ward the door with enchantments specifically designed to negate runic magic... just in case. For now, there were potions to brew and spells to research, but for one fragile moment, he rested his forehead against the door and imagined that the woman inside was still his Emily, and she had finally come home.

Headmaster,

I have collected Miss Grey from Azkaban, and she is, regrettably, in worse condition than we anticipated. Not only is she physically malnourished, but her mind, as well, seems to have withered from the lack of stimulation and an over-abundance of sedatives.

Presently, she is resting comfortably in a heavily warded chamber, and I am finishing several physical and mental restoratives of considerable potency. Should they yield the expected results, she and I will be at Hogwarts within the week.

Sincerely,

S. Snape

Severus,

Allow me to, once again, extend my thanks to you for accepting this undoubtedly awkward undertaking. You are one of the few whom I would trust with a task of this magnitude. I sensed in your last letter that you are unhappy with Miss Grey's condition for more than academic reasons, and I must remind you to remember your duty to The Order in this assignment. Your relationship with Miss Grey is no longer social.

I know that you were convinced of her innocence, and until she openly admitted her guilt I feared that you would betray your assignment and tell the Ministry what you knew of her relationship with Voldemort in an effort to aid her. What you told me those many years ago was correct. Her actions made little sense; however, you also told me how irrational she had become since taking the Mark. You are well aware of the madness that comes with that kind of power.

Keep me updated on your progress with her, and if it seems a lost cause, Severus, leave it be. Take her back to Azkaban. It is still possible that I could somehow find the time to undo the damage to the school myself. Perhaps I could have Minerva head he Order in my absence. It would, admittedly, be tremendously problematical, but not utterly impossible.

I do, however, have great faith in your potions. I am also well-acquainted with your formidable will, as it has driven me near to madness on more than one occasion. I'm certain that it will prove useful when dealing with your ward.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Severus dropped the letter onto the desk and rubbed his weary eyes. Albus would choose just the words to make him feel like some wayward child who needed reminding of his chores. Honestly, it was as if he hadn't aged since his days as Dumbledore's student. Of course, the older wizard did consider him to be something of an adopted son. That was what had drawn Severus away from the darkness and to his side in the first place. Still, it was infuriating to have him insinuate that he was in any way controlled by emotion. Were his feelings any factor at all, he would have stayed with Emily, no matter what her father thought of his bloodline.

But Snape had stepped aside, all because he was so damnably rational, and it had devastated both of them; made him cold and bitter, and her... well, no one really understood what had happened to her. One day she was his Emily, mischievous and cunning, the next, she was a hateful, bloodthirsty fiend.

But, something strange had happened that night with her brother, Eric. Gryffindor though he was, they were close, as close as those damned Weasley twins. She had nearly lost her life three nights prior because she refused Voldemort's order to take his, and The Dark Lord's response had been to torture their father to death. Well, not Voldemort, personally. Lucius, Severus, and Bellatrix had done the actual work.

There was no understanding what had happened during those three days, and Emily had not bothered explaining. The Dark Mark had been enough to damn her in the courts, but her affirmative answer to the question of whether she had killed Eric had earned her a life sentence.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. It had been, without a doubt, the worst day of his life, the day of her trial. Dumbledore had forbade him from speaking in her defense, knowing that it would ruin his credibility as a Death Eater, and consequently his position as a spy. Even if he had testified on her behalf, she had admitted her guilt freely. There was nothing that anyone could do to save her from her fate.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Albus had said kindly as they led her away, "but she is a murderer."

Snape had given him a long, hard glare before answering. "So am I."

Emily woke within an unusually pleasant dream. She was clean and warm and rested on a soft, sweet-smelling bed. The drapes were drawn, and a gentle light filtered through, creating a golden glow on the polished wood floor. Vaguely, she recalled a soft, deep voice sliding over her like a velvet blanket, and hoped that this dream would include the owner. It had been an eternity since she'd heard a kind voice... even in her own head.

Severus scowled down at the listless woman, wondering how exactly to go about doing this. He certainly had no plan to 'force the potions down her throat' as Thomas had, but she seemed incapable of taking them herself. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of the situation. Why in the name of all that was magical was there not a spell for introducing a potion into a subject's bloodstream without imbibing it? He made a mental note to create one just as soon as this disaster was sorted out. A muggle syringe might work, but he had very little expertise in the use of medical equipment, much less the non-magical variety, and feared he might do more harm than good with one those contraptions.

In the end, he simply propped her against his arm, tilted her head back, poured the first dose in her mouth... and ground his teeth when she spat it back out.

Obstinate witch! It's not that bad!

Well, it seemed her stubbornness had remained unchanged, at least.

A single eyebrow arched as he watched the potion that had taken three days to brew drip down the stone wall. "You should know, Emily," he intoned dryly, "that, including unpaid wagers from our seventh year, those wasted ingredients bring your total debt to me to over three hundred and fifty galleons. At some point, I shall expect you to pay me."

For a brief moment, he considered several complex options, but his Slytherin nature won out in the end. With a smirk of dark satisfaction, he drew his wand, placed the tip between her eyes, and spoke.

"Imperio."

It was no great achievement. Her mind was so unguarded at present that Neville Longbottom could've managed to put her under the Imperius curse. Still, the results were very satisfying. With a modicum of illegal coercion, she took the next two potions eagerly as he murmured encouragement, still supporting her nearly-insubstantial weight in his arms.

Three days later, she was a bit more difficult to support, and he was greatly pleased. It was not for nothing that Severus Snape was one of the most world-renown potion masters. These particular marvels of magic had been his own impromptu devising. Indeed, he had practically formulated them as they brewed. It was not normally the way he worked, but necessity was the mother of invention, and the damage to the school had inspired him to utilize his mind as he hadn't done in years.

How wonderful, he thought, stirring one of many bubbling cauldrons in his workroom, to face a challenge, again. He'd spent nearly every waking minute of the past few days doing what he loved best, and he had the travesty of the school and Emily's lamentable condition to thank for it. He smiled. One of the perks of not having much of a conscience was that one didn't have to endure its constant nagging. He wasn't thrilled about the school being attacked, but no one had been hurt and it had given him a chance to see Emily again. He had determined as well that, before he sent her back to Azkaban, he would know the reason for her brother's death.

Carefully, he poured the still-boiling potion into a large goblet and headed back upstairs. This would be the first of the mental restoratives, and he was confident that it would work as well as his other potions had. Soon, Emily would be something like herself again. He didn't know whether to look forward to that time or dread it. One anxiety at a time, Severus, he counseled himself, swinging the door open and stepping inside.

What he saw there was the first thing to give him serious pause in many long years.

Emily was up, standing at the window with the curtains drawn back and blinking hard into the afternoon sun. At the sound of the closing door, she turned, wide-eyed and visibly shaking.

"Emily," he breathed.

She took a tiny step back, and he fought the urge to close the distance. It wouldn't do to frighten her any more. It was best to maintain his distance until he could get into her mind and find out exactly what was going on inside.

"Who are you?" she managed to rasp, then doubled over, coughing violently from the effort.

He was at her side in a heartbeat.

Lady Jenilyn: Thank you so much for your unfailing support! Without your encouragement, I'm not sure that I would've even posted this second chapter. Yes, Emily did use her gift with runes to get James and Sirius into trouble, and I'll expand on that later on in the story. The story of Hogwarts and what's happened there is coming as well. Emily did seem to have that "bad-girl" thing going on, didn't she? There's a reason for that. I find it interesting that you view her as being older than she's meant to be. That scene was supposed to occur in their fifth year, by the way, shortly after the whole incident that we saw in Snape's pensieve in OOTP. Sorry about your problem with the Astronomy Tower. They sound as though they're awfully picky. I hope it's worth the effort. I HOPE this turns out to be even remotely cool. The idea was really groovy in theory. If it doesn't pan out on the screen, I think I'll cry. And I hope my other friends find me soon. I miss them.

Queen of the Faeries 1: Oh, I'm so glad to see you! Thanks for the review. Since so many people have requested it, I will definitely be continuing the Not For Sale line of stories. In my head, Alex has already started another huge adventure with Lucius and Severus, but I'd like to get this story out of my head and onto the screen before it drives me insane! Hope you enjoy it.

Quietude: Thank you so much for reviewing! And, I appreciate your review of the last chapter of The Side I'm Always On, as well. I'm happy to see you here. As you expressed an interest in Alex's lack of submission and your own personal bloodlust, (good for you for not being ashamed) I'd be happy to e-mail the alternate ending to you. You might like the first version better. Let me know!