Thanks for the various reviews - I will warn you right now, I am hyper-
sensitive about my art and criticism, so be aware if you choose to
critique... you may not like the result.
I had chosen to up the rating on this as I feel it is too hard-core even to
be pg-13. however my reviews dropped dramatically and made me cry.
However, I wouldn't want my kid reading this story.
A couple of questions. Each time I write a Dumbledore scene, I get this
crazy craving for Hot Chocolate. Does this happen to anyone else????
And
Every time a write a Severus scene, I am compelled to have a drink of hard
liquor and contemplate the wrongs of the world..
Does this happen to anyone else, ever???
Am I just another Insane Slytherin??
Harsh chapter.. Enjoy!!!
INCANTATION
Wish I'd died instead of lived
A zombie hides my face
Shell forgotten
with its memories
Diaries left
with cryptic entries
Wand to chest, enervate spell to restart the heart, along with a pressure charm. For love nor Galleons could Severus remember any of the breathing charms, so he settled for the next best thing.
"Hermione, breathe!"
His voice called out to her through the darkness.
"Hermione, you MUST breathe!"
More urgently this time, there was a hint of panic in it.
"Stupid girl, breathe now! Dammit. an entire infirmary and no Medi-witch to be found. Salazar's curse is upon us. Now BREATHE!"
With that, thin lips met young full ones and a gush of air was sent down into her lungs, only to escape out through her nose moments later, unused.
"Fuck! Bloody Muggle useless 'life-saving' techniques. Try again. Breath child, come on, you can do it."
With that he pinched her nose slightly harder than intended and breathed hard into her mouth. Hermione's chest expanded, and then released.
"Four, three, two, one.. Breathe!"
More air was forced into her lungs, and he could feel a slight pulse in her neck.
"Come on girl, you can do it! Breathe on your own!"
The infirmary door flew open and Madame Pomfrey came rushing in.
"What is going on here? What are you doing with this girl, Severus? Oh my Merlins! Is she even alive?" The old woman pulled her wand and ran it quickly over the girl's body. Severus glared at her as he continued to force air into her lungs; however the body showed no inclination to begin its habitual pattern of exchanging oxygen-laced air with carbon dioxide on its own.
"Step back Severus, I am going to place a breathing charm on her. What happened. was she attacked?"
The woman swept her arm back and called out.
"Aspirare!"
Nothing changed. However, the girls arm had begun seeping blood again, and the flow was growing consistently stronger. The potions master stepped forward and grasped the shredded forearm tightly with both hands, attempting to seal the gaping wounds with his bare palms. Madame Pomfrey rubbed her brow, thinking hard of more powerful incantations.
She repeated the previous breathing charms and the enervating spell on the heart, as well as a variety of blood-pressure increasing spells and stabilizing charms. Nothing seemed to change. and occasion faint flutter of a pulse, but nothing to go by.
"Let me try again, slightly different this time...Halare!"
The girl's skin changed to a deeper shade of pale grey, her lips growing blue. Snape reached down for the pulse, and could find none. The arm had nearly stopped its flow at this point, and he continued to hold onto it tightly, willing the young witch to live. The Medi-witch reached over to draw the sheet over the girls face, but the glare on the Slytherin House Head stopped her in her tracks.
She began sputtering an explanation."the healing charms and spells won't work, and I don't believe we can save her through any methods available to us. Maybe in a Muggle hospital or St Mungos, but not here at Hogwarts. Believe me that she is gone, Severus. Stop torturing yourself. It is over. She should be left to die in peace. We've done what we can."
Severus Snape was incensed. How dare she give up so quickly.? "Bullshit. I will do it myself if I must. And for Merlin's sake, get MINERVA MCGONAGALL UP HERE NOW!!!! Bloody useless Medi-witch. Good for nothing but dealing with acne and pre-pubescent histrionics."
Pulling his wand out from his sleeve, he swept it across the room to the storage, where he commanded "Accio bandages!" They flew across the room, Madame Pomfrey ducking to avoid be decapitated, and wound themselves tightly around the girls arm from elbow to wrist tying themselves neatly above the injury site. The flustered woman took her opportunity and bolted out the door, screaming for McGonagall to come and help. Not one to take a moment to admire the fine creation of self-applying bandages, Severus focused all his energy on the seemingly dead girl. He remembered the spells that Dumbledore had taught him before allowing him to spy on Voldemorte and his Death Eaters.
There were spells of various degrees which could save people who were dying, near death, or had appeared dead less than ten minutes. He also knew there was a vial in his dungeons, his personal store, one that he had told this child's class about on the first day of their first year.. The potion that could put a stopper in death. He would need to have her breathing resumed and heart beating on its own first, and then he could retrieve the revival potion from its secret location. If he could get her back to the point of near-death, it would be simple to administer the potion and revive the brightest student he had seen since he himself was a student at Hogwarts.
Placing his right hand over Hermione's heart, and left on her forehead, he closed his eyes and began chanting the incantation. The murmuring rose and fell, the sound of his deep timbre filling the room in a rich song of life reclaimed. This was much more than a mere charm or spell. this was energy transference, and it took a mighty toll on the giver. For a man who had survived many, many bouts of Cruciatus and lived to tell the tale, this would only be the equivalent to a severe bout of influenza.. To a lesser man, it would spell a coma or worse.
Over three minutes long, the arduous incantation outlined how the caster willingly offered their life energy, force and power to the receiver, and was willing to continue sharing these forces until the other person was able to recover and heal enough to be completely self-sufficient, or, if they were unable to fully recuperate, the giver would maintain the energy exchange until his natural demise. He sincerely hoped that Hermione would recover, as he could only imagine the implications of being linked to her for life. The chant was similar to those of the Gregorian Monks, complex and difficult, with inflections and tonality determining the success of the spell. One incorrect pause, a shift in intonation, a break in the voice, or mispronunciation would result in the death and both the student and the teacher.
The power of the words rose to a peak, and Severus felt stronger and more empowered than he had his entire life. It lifted to a crescendo, and then drained as quickly and powerfully as it had come. Waves of exhaustion began to sweep over Severus as he completed the last lines of the old Latin spell, and he felt a momentary surge of triumph that there had been success. This was not the first time it had been necessary to use it, but it had been a very, very long time. The last person still owed their life to him, although they had recovered quickly and Severus had been released for the bond within days, telling the receiver to forget that it had ever happened. But neither of them had ever forgotten.
He had, however thankfully, forgotten the side-effects on the caster, and was now reeling in the sudden drop in oxygen, blood pressure and higher consciousness he was experiencing. Smiling briefly at the concept that possibly this was the problem with Neville Longbottom, the though was dragged from him by a surge of pain through his body. The various life energies drained from him to fill the void in the body he had layer hands on, and as it did so organs began functioning at half capacity, and his focus began to drift. He could hear his first Arithmancy teacher explaining the universal laws of energy and how they affected magic, how if you create a void it must be filled, usually by whatever was nearest.. The voice left him as another course of pain ripped through his body, and he found his hands lifting from over the girl's heart and head, instead clenching his abdomen as a heavy sweat broke on his brow and the chills began as his body went into shock.
This was how Minerva McGonagall found them, Severus hunched over the bed, a hand on the girls good arm checking for a pulse, over hand over his stomach, nails tearing the fine linen of his robes, semi-conscious and gasping for air.
"Severus!! What is going on here?" She trilled in her heavy Scottish accent flying across the room to place a nearby chair under him as he swooned. Tears flowed freely down the older witch's face as she surveyed the damage done to Hermione at the girls own hand, and came stronger as she noted the girl was breathing. Cradling the student in her arms, the normally reserved Professor kissed her on the forehead and thanked every God she could name and even those she couldn't for sparing her life. So certain had Poppy been that Miss Granger had died that the owls had already been sent to the ministry and the girls parents. Minerva had run all the way from the Great hall to the Infirmary, terrified that she might not get to see her favourite student and bid her farewell before the body was removed. And yet, here she was, alive..Severus appearing near death. There could only be one explanation..
Severus had performed the Life-giving Incantation, one of the most dangerous and rarest forms of magic. He risked losing his life, all his magical abilities, and his mental stability on doing this. It was the most selfless thing a wizard could do. In comparison, loosing your life or taking Avada Kedavra on someone's behalf was a far kinder fate than winding up suspended in a half-dead state in St Mungo's for 100 years. Letting Hermione's head rest back down on the pillow and knowing that Dumbledore and Pomfrey would be arriving soon, she rose in a daze, grabbing the blankets off the next bed. Not knowing what else to do, Minerva wrapped the blankets around the shaking Potions Master and wondered for the first time how she had never seen him as lovable. Sitting on the arm of the chair she wrapped her arms around him and waited for help to come.
Harsh chapter.. Enjoy!!!
INCANTATION
Wish I'd died instead of lived
A zombie hides my face
Shell forgotten
with its memories
Diaries left
with cryptic entries
Wand to chest, enervate spell to restart the heart, along with a pressure charm. For love nor Galleons could Severus remember any of the breathing charms, so he settled for the next best thing.
"Hermione, breathe!"
His voice called out to her through the darkness.
"Hermione, you MUST breathe!"
More urgently this time, there was a hint of panic in it.
"Stupid girl, breathe now! Dammit. an entire infirmary and no Medi-witch to be found. Salazar's curse is upon us. Now BREATHE!"
With that, thin lips met young full ones and a gush of air was sent down into her lungs, only to escape out through her nose moments later, unused.
"Fuck! Bloody Muggle useless 'life-saving' techniques. Try again. Breath child, come on, you can do it."
With that he pinched her nose slightly harder than intended and breathed hard into her mouth. Hermione's chest expanded, and then released.
"Four, three, two, one.. Breathe!"
More air was forced into her lungs, and he could feel a slight pulse in her neck.
"Come on girl, you can do it! Breathe on your own!"
The infirmary door flew open and Madame Pomfrey came rushing in.
"What is going on here? What are you doing with this girl, Severus? Oh my Merlins! Is she even alive?" The old woman pulled her wand and ran it quickly over the girl's body. Severus glared at her as he continued to force air into her lungs; however the body showed no inclination to begin its habitual pattern of exchanging oxygen-laced air with carbon dioxide on its own.
"Step back Severus, I am going to place a breathing charm on her. What happened. was she attacked?"
The woman swept her arm back and called out.
"Aspirare!"
Nothing changed. However, the girls arm had begun seeping blood again, and the flow was growing consistently stronger. The potions master stepped forward and grasped the shredded forearm tightly with both hands, attempting to seal the gaping wounds with his bare palms. Madame Pomfrey rubbed her brow, thinking hard of more powerful incantations.
She repeated the previous breathing charms and the enervating spell on the heart, as well as a variety of blood-pressure increasing spells and stabilizing charms. Nothing seemed to change. and occasion faint flutter of a pulse, but nothing to go by.
"Let me try again, slightly different this time...Halare!"
The girl's skin changed to a deeper shade of pale grey, her lips growing blue. Snape reached down for the pulse, and could find none. The arm had nearly stopped its flow at this point, and he continued to hold onto it tightly, willing the young witch to live. The Medi-witch reached over to draw the sheet over the girls face, but the glare on the Slytherin House Head stopped her in her tracks.
She began sputtering an explanation."the healing charms and spells won't work, and I don't believe we can save her through any methods available to us. Maybe in a Muggle hospital or St Mungos, but not here at Hogwarts. Believe me that she is gone, Severus. Stop torturing yourself. It is over. She should be left to die in peace. We've done what we can."
Severus Snape was incensed. How dare she give up so quickly.? "Bullshit. I will do it myself if I must. And for Merlin's sake, get MINERVA MCGONAGALL UP HERE NOW!!!! Bloody useless Medi-witch. Good for nothing but dealing with acne and pre-pubescent histrionics."
Pulling his wand out from his sleeve, he swept it across the room to the storage, where he commanded "Accio bandages!" They flew across the room, Madame Pomfrey ducking to avoid be decapitated, and wound themselves tightly around the girls arm from elbow to wrist tying themselves neatly above the injury site. The flustered woman took her opportunity and bolted out the door, screaming for McGonagall to come and help. Not one to take a moment to admire the fine creation of self-applying bandages, Severus focused all his energy on the seemingly dead girl. He remembered the spells that Dumbledore had taught him before allowing him to spy on Voldemorte and his Death Eaters.
There were spells of various degrees which could save people who were dying, near death, or had appeared dead less than ten minutes. He also knew there was a vial in his dungeons, his personal store, one that he had told this child's class about on the first day of their first year.. The potion that could put a stopper in death. He would need to have her breathing resumed and heart beating on its own first, and then he could retrieve the revival potion from its secret location. If he could get her back to the point of near-death, it would be simple to administer the potion and revive the brightest student he had seen since he himself was a student at Hogwarts.
Placing his right hand over Hermione's heart, and left on her forehead, he closed his eyes and began chanting the incantation. The murmuring rose and fell, the sound of his deep timbre filling the room in a rich song of life reclaimed. This was much more than a mere charm or spell. this was energy transference, and it took a mighty toll on the giver. For a man who had survived many, many bouts of Cruciatus and lived to tell the tale, this would only be the equivalent to a severe bout of influenza.. To a lesser man, it would spell a coma or worse.
Over three minutes long, the arduous incantation outlined how the caster willingly offered their life energy, force and power to the receiver, and was willing to continue sharing these forces until the other person was able to recover and heal enough to be completely self-sufficient, or, if they were unable to fully recuperate, the giver would maintain the energy exchange until his natural demise. He sincerely hoped that Hermione would recover, as he could only imagine the implications of being linked to her for life. The chant was similar to those of the Gregorian Monks, complex and difficult, with inflections and tonality determining the success of the spell. One incorrect pause, a shift in intonation, a break in the voice, or mispronunciation would result in the death and both the student and the teacher.
The power of the words rose to a peak, and Severus felt stronger and more empowered than he had his entire life. It lifted to a crescendo, and then drained as quickly and powerfully as it had come. Waves of exhaustion began to sweep over Severus as he completed the last lines of the old Latin spell, and he felt a momentary surge of triumph that there had been success. This was not the first time it had been necessary to use it, but it had been a very, very long time. The last person still owed their life to him, although they had recovered quickly and Severus had been released for the bond within days, telling the receiver to forget that it had ever happened. But neither of them had ever forgotten.
He had, however thankfully, forgotten the side-effects on the caster, and was now reeling in the sudden drop in oxygen, blood pressure and higher consciousness he was experiencing. Smiling briefly at the concept that possibly this was the problem with Neville Longbottom, the though was dragged from him by a surge of pain through his body. The various life energies drained from him to fill the void in the body he had layer hands on, and as it did so organs began functioning at half capacity, and his focus began to drift. He could hear his first Arithmancy teacher explaining the universal laws of energy and how they affected magic, how if you create a void it must be filled, usually by whatever was nearest.. The voice left him as another course of pain ripped through his body, and he found his hands lifting from over the girl's heart and head, instead clenching his abdomen as a heavy sweat broke on his brow and the chills began as his body went into shock.
This was how Minerva McGonagall found them, Severus hunched over the bed, a hand on the girls good arm checking for a pulse, over hand over his stomach, nails tearing the fine linen of his robes, semi-conscious and gasping for air.
"Severus!! What is going on here?" She trilled in her heavy Scottish accent flying across the room to place a nearby chair under him as he swooned. Tears flowed freely down the older witch's face as she surveyed the damage done to Hermione at the girls own hand, and came stronger as she noted the girl was breathing. Cradling the student in her arms, the normally reserved Professor kissed her on the forehead and thanked every God she could name and even those she couldn't for sparing her life. So certain had Poppy been that Miss Granger had died that the owls had already been sent to the ministry and the girls parents. Minerva had run all the way from the Great hall to the Infirmary, terrified that she might not get to see her favourite student and bid her farewell before the body was removed. And yet, here she was, alive..Severus appearing near death. There could only be one explanation..
Severus had performed the Life-giving Incantation, one of the most dangerous and rarest forms of magic. He risked losing his life, all his magical abilities, and his mental stability on doing this. It was the most selfless thing a wizard could do. In comparison, loosing your life or taking Avada Kedavra on someone's behalf was a far kinder fate than winding up suspended in a half-dead state in St Mungo's for 100 years. Letting Hermione's head rest back down on the pillow and knowing that Dumbledore and Pomfrey would be arriving soon, she rose in a daze, grabbing the blankets off the next bed. Not knowing what else to do, Minerva wrapped the blankets around the shaking Potions Master and wondered for the first time how she had never seen him as lovable. Sitting on the arm of the chair she wrapped her arms around him and waited for help to come.