I Can't Bother

Chapter 9

Fall

Convincing his over-extended body to remove itself from the relative, if not sterile and impersonal, comfort of the infirmary bed was a task within itself. It was imperative that he preformed this task on his own; to request the help of Madame Pomfrey, or worse, Albus Dumbledore, would spell doom to his plan. He needed an escape from this blasted place, and the sooner the better. He hoped that increasing the distance between him and the esteemed Ms Granger would lessen the effects of the spell. In the deep recesses of his mind, Severus knew that this was futile. A binding spell was a binding spell after all, whether you were 15 feet, 15 miles or 15 continents away. None-the-less, it was an excellent hope, and he clung to it fervently.

The Vitalis Potion would require a great strength of dedication and will, not to mention the basic energy involved in the brewing process. If he were in full form it would be a daunting task. Instead, he was supporting the system of a seriously ill, angst-ridden and distressed teenaged girl. Fate never grew tired of practical jokes. Breathing in deeply, Severus forced his expression to remain neutral as he braced all the muscles in his core, and rose inelegantly from the bed. The actor stepped upon the stage, the curtains opening for the first act.

He had replaced his ridiculous powder-blue hospital issue night garb with more respectable layers of midnight linen and silk, resuming the appearance of the esteemed and feared Potions Master of Hogwarts. Drawing himself to his full and slightly imposing height of 6'1", he had almost convinced himself that the task was attainable. He had just convinced himself only to have the momentum of emotional dedication blown to smithereens as the matron of the castle flew at him in a concerned fury. As soon as she began speaking, he felt the familiar heady sensation of Hermione's blood pressure soaring. Like the fumes from a botched potion, it both heightened his emotional sense of being while creating the physical sensation of having the gravitational pull of the planet doubled. It nauseated him, and placed a slightly ethereal look to his surroundings as stars and bright spots floated in his vision. Placing an elegant hand over his eyes, he spoke slowly and clearly, his self-control suddenly unreliable. It was an effort to force his voice to remain level and authoritative. His words were few and well chosen.

"You are upsetting the girl."

"Severus, I cannot allow you to leave in this state, it is clearly too dangerous. You need to rest and regain your strength. I cannot have you collapsing in the hallways or on a staircase." Clearly she had neither heard nor understood him. The shrill tone continued on.

The familiar headiness, followed by an unfamiliar and breathtakingly agonizing bolt of pain running from temple to the back of his skull immobilized the sharp reply laying across his well-honed tongue. The pain was so sudden and unexpected that he was forced to seat himself abruptly at the foot of the bed he had previously occupied, lest he should drop to the floor. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingernails, certain that he would be rewarded not only by an ugly bruise on either size of his already over-sized nose, but most likely a few drops of blood, he bullied the pain to a dull throb and spoke again more urgently.

"You are upsetting THE GIRL. You must be aware that she is our priority, and the key the state of my health at this point in time. It is in all of our best interests that you lower your voice and speak in a civilized manner. Histrionics get us no-where. I guarantee that you do NOT want her physical stress levels to go any higher. She is fragile at best."

Voice dropping low, once again resuming his classroom demeanour, Severus was effective in silencing the fretting Medi-Witch. The effect was lost somewhat as he inadvertently blanched as another bout of pain coursing through his skull. The already thin mouth drew into a tight line; the heavily arched brow drew tighter. In a moment of painful enlightenment, he realized that he had just described Hermione Granger, Gryfindor know-it-all and Head pain-in-the-arse as fragile. The wonders of his life and the ironies of the world would never cease to amaze him. Circe's Knickers, this was all getting so out of control.

"Her condition is worsening. You need to attend to her immediately. Based on the side effects, I believe she is close to having either a stroke or a coronary. The entire situation is perilous at best, but you know I am her only hope." The reality of Severus' survival riding on his unlikely success remained unsaid.

Suddenly quiet, blocking the sense of panic at not being able to help her patients (as she was accustomed to), Poppy Pomfrey gripped Severus Snape's arm tightly. He gasped and she let go of his arm, remembering with some guilt the wounds traversing Ms Grangers' forearms. The link that Severus had placed between himself and the child rose to the forefront of his mind, and as the ramifications of his statement sunk in, and she spoke in a carefully metered tone.

"Go then. Keep me informed of anything. Should you need my help, don't hesitate to ask for it. I will do whatever I can, and I trust your decisions in this matter. Should the girl begin to fail, I will floo an assistant to your chambers immediately. It nothing else, you should be kept comfortable and pain free. Keep the portal in your rooms unwarded." The matron's voice had become suddenly resolved, clear and concise, the business of medicine took precedence of the humanity of emotionalism. She left him to return to Hermione's bedside.

Severus' reply was equally as impersonal, as he went into uncharted territory and began giving the medi-witch instructions on how to best deal with her charge. He had an intuitive feeling that she would be neither neither offended nor angered by this action.

"Calming charms. Lots of them. Keep trying to heal the physical wounds as best you can. I wouldn't suggest another blood volumizer at this point, as she might rupture a vessel. If she is kept stable, I will be able to work at three quarters the capacity I normally can."

Moving cautiously so as not to trigger any more bouts of pain or dizziness, Severus took one more cleansing breath and waited a moment for the ward to right itself under his feet. Opening his eyes, which were then riveted to the oak doors at the far end of the room, Severus began the slow task of leaving the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey's final words echoed unhappily in his ears. It was the words unspoken which disturbed him the most.

"It nothing else, you should be kept comfortable and pain free."

A/N:

As always, thanks so much for the time and effort you have all taken in reviewing my work. I care deeply for these characters, and as such a great deal of agonizing has gone into deciding how they should and shouldn't act, where the story should progress too, and how it all should look on paper. Big thanks to everyone for your patience in waiting and dealing with uploading issues from my end. It's not abandoned kids! Thanks again, Big Love to you all!