A/N: Chapter beta read by Forty-Two Dreams. All remaining mistakes are mine.
IN A RUSH
All of Snape's Slytherin instincts were yelling at him to leave and save his own skin, but he just couldn't move. His eyes were rooted on the immobile bodies of the three dead or dying members of the Order of the Phoenix.
There was nothing he could have done to prevent this from happening without spoiling his cover. Dumbledore had stated it very clearly on several occasions: keeping his cover came before everything. But was it really worth it now that the Dark Lord suspected one of his followers to be a traitor? It would only be a matter of time before his identity was uncovered.
Snape remained still, deep in his considerations, until he realised he was standing alone. All the Death Eaters were gone, and Voldemort as well. Had anyone seen him lingering? he wondered anxiously. He cast several looks around but found no one.
His attention was drawn back to the bodies of the members of the Order by the sound of Wilson's ragged breathing. Maybe it wasn't too late, he suddenly realised. In a way, she had just saved his life - even if it hadn't been her prime concern - and the least he could do was try to return the favour. Especially since should he fail to repay this debt, it would be transferred to the witch's closest living relative, namely Lupin - and he would do anything to avoid owing a life debt to him.
Did he hate life debts… As if one wasn't enough…
"Wilson," he called as he knelt next to the witch, but she was still unconscious. "Wilson!" he insisted. He hesitated for a second. "Endora. Endora!"
Her eyes eventually opened slowly. She blinked a couple of times when blood blurred her vision. It took her a couple more seconds to focus on him, and when she did she suddenly started back with a glint of panic in her eyes.
What was she doing? he wondered as she recoiled away from him the best she could considering her state. It was really not the moment for a display of such a childish behaviour and to forget they were on the same –
His mask. His Death Eater mask, he was still wearing it, he realised. He removed it quickly. He had never imagined she would ever look relieved to see him.
"It's all right, they're all gone," he told her as she cast an anxious look around. "I can't perform any Healing Charm," he then confessed on an informative tone. "I would lend you my wand, but I doubt you're in any condition to cast any spell."
Wilson nodded slowly. She had obvious troubles breathing and keeping her attention focused. He had to take her to a Medi-wizard immediately. As he lifted his wand to conjure a stretcher, she grabbed his wrist with a strength he wouldn't have expected, digging her nails into his skin.
"Severus," she whispered painfully. "Kill me," she pleaded as she cast him an insistent look.
Snape stared at her. She was very aware of the gravity of her wounds and knew she was condemned if not healed in a short delay. And since none of them could do the healing… she was asking him to shorten her suffering and dispense what she considered as an inevitable outcome.
She probably knew using the Killing curse wouldn't be a first for him - it was common knowledge to her that he had been a Death Eater. But she couldn't know that since the last time he used it he had decided to never resort to it again, whatever the circumstances.
"No," he replied firmly, hoping he wouldn't regret not granting her what could likely be her last wish.
"Please," she implored, her eyes filling with tears as he freed his hand and conjured a stretcher. "I don't want to die like this… Not like this…" Her tears were mingling with the blood on her face.
She kept mumbling some incomprehensible syllables - among which Snape was sure he recognised a couple of curses. As he was about to levitate her to the stretcher, he suddenly took a step back when Wilson rolled to her side and started to cough uncontrollably. There was now a large stain of blood on the light layer of snow just where his boots had been a second before.
"Please…" she asked again as her coughs turned into sobs, while he levitated her to the stretcher at last.
St Mungo was totally out of the question. The Dark Lord would be able all too easily to know she had been brought there, and one could get in way too effortlessly to make it a safe place - the example of Bode was telling.
"I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey," he stated as he levitated the stretcher itself.
Hogwarts was the only place he could think of where it would be safe to bring her. A place where she would be able to hide from the Dark Lord's knowledge while she healed.
She was caught by a new fit of coughs. It was the stretcher that was now stained with blood. Snape grabbed one of its corners and disapparated. When he apparated just outside Hogwarts grounds she was still coughing. He hurried towards the castle, urging the stretcher in front of him.
When Wilson eventually stopped coughing, she seemed to have trouble catching her breath. With each attempt she frowned and winced in pain more and more. The entrance to the castle had never seemed so far to Snape. They were only halfway down the grounds when Wilson passed out, one of her arms falling limply over the edge of the stretcher.
Without interrupting their progression, he pushed her arm back on the stretcher and lightly tapped her cheek with the back of his fingers. She had to stay awake the longest possible to have a chance. There was only one thing that could work when one was between consciousness and coma: the conditioned reflexes of the unconscious.
"Miss Lupin, the ingredients of a Shrinking Potion?" he demanded with his best authoritative teacher tone.
Wilson's eyes fluttered open. She looked disoriented for a second but eventually spoke slowly.
"A rat's liver…" she whispered with difficulty.
As they kept advancing towards the castle she sporadically mentioned the rest of the list of ingredients. Each of her answers took longer than the previous one.
"A caterpillar…" Wilson muttered as Snape pushed the stretcher past the gates.
Her breathing was now wheezing and her eyes were closing slowly again.
"Miss Lupin! I'm waiting!" he urged commandingly as he began to climb the stairs, the levitating stretcher still ahead of him.
She half opened her eyelids.
"A dry fig…" she continued.
Snape hurried up the stairs. Why did the Hospital Wing have to be located at the very top of the castle? The only higher place was the astronomy tower. He gave a quick look at Wilson: she was totally livid and a wince of pain was engraved on her face. As he was only a few steps away from the next level, the stairs began to move.
No no no, not now, Snape cursed inwardly and hoped it wouldn't lead them too far from their original course.
"Daisy roots…" Wilson's voice was barely audible.
When the stairs stopped, Snape realised he would now have to make a detour to take her to the Hospital Wing. He hurried all the more.
Hogwarts corridors were extremely silent, unusually silent even. At any time of the day or the night, during the school year and the holidays alike, the castle was always full of strange noises, odd creaks, portraits characters whispering, ghosts passing by… But this night, all he could hear was the noise Peeves made in the distance as he probably accomplished some mischief of his, and Wilson's latest fit of coughs.
This fit was particularly violent compared to the others. Only a couple more levels, Snape thought, they were almost there… He was actually relieved when Wilson stopped her dreadful coughing at last. Her wheezing breathing was much more endurable.
Wait a second. There was no more wheezing breathing. Keeping advancing, Snape gave a quick look at Wilson. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was half open, a trail of blood dripping from the corner of her lips and down her chin.
She hadn't stopped coughing, Snape realised. She had stopped breathing. He laid two fingers on her neck and only found a very weak pulse. He hurried even more.
It took him one more minute to reach the Hospital Wing at last but it felt like hours. He slammed the door open carelessly.
"Madam Pomfrey!" he called while transferring Wilson on one of the beds. "MADAM POMFREY!"
The Medi-witch came in through a side door, wearing a dressing gown.
"Severus, what is – " Her eyes widened with horror when her gaze fell on Wilson. "By Merlin's beard…" she whispered while taking her wand out and hurrying to the bedside.
"A broken rib – " Snape began to explain but Pomfrey pushed him away.
"Let me work now, Severus," she said pressingly.
Snape nodded and took a few steps back. Dumbledore burst in a couple of seconds later. The Headmaster exchanged a look with Snape before turning worried eyes to Wilson. Dumbledore remained still for a short moment before taking Snape to the side.
"The members of the Order that managed to escape the Ministry of Magic came to warn me as soon as they returned," the old wizard said. "It was a trap, wasn't it?"
Snape nodded. "The Dark Lord suspected the existence of a traitor, and he made all this up to make it sure. But he also has the Experimental Charms now."
"That's what I assumed," Dumbledore replied. "I came to warn you in turn as soon as I learned about it but you were already gone to the meeting." He paused and cast another look towards Wilson. Madam Pomfrey was still working on her. "What about the other two that were captured?" he asked at last.
"They're dead," Snape replied.
Dumbledore nodded sadly, a frown on his forehead. He was still looking towards Wilson. "And… Did she - "
"My cover is safe," Snape interrupted on an almost reproachful tone.
Dumbledore seemed to notice his susceptibility. He turned back to Snape and examined him with his scrutinizing eyes.
"Severus – " Dumbledore began on a soothing tone.
"I know," Snape interrupted again, rather harshly.
Oh yes, he knew all too well of Dumbledore's priorities. But tonight more than ever he was tired beyond any measure of all this spying business. If only he could bring his project to a conclusion and get rid of the Dark Mark at last once and for all… He would be rid of all these responsibilities with it.
Snape closed his eyes and sighed with tiredness. When he opened his eyes again, Dumbledore was observing him with concern.
"Severus, would you care to stay here and inform me when there is any evolution?" the old wizard asked. "I'm going to warn all the persons that should be informed."
Snape nodded briskly and Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing. Snape looked towards Wilson and Madam Pomfrey. The Medi-witch was still very busy, waving her wand restlessly.
Snape paced during a few seconds. Then he tried to focus his attention on a set of potions on a shelf. It wasn't much use, until he decided to make a mental inventory, adding each kind of potion to his list as he counted them, starting all over when he forgot a number. It was something he often did during his sleepless nights - going into his storeroom and take stock.
He had listed sixty seven potions of twelve different kinds when Madam Pomfrey called him and waved him to come. When he reached the bed, Snape noticed Wilson's face was still covered with blood and extremely pale. She didn't look healed at all.
"Severus," Madam Pomfrey began, "could you please prepare some strong Pain Relieving Potion? I'm afraid mine isn't powerful enough and she will be in great need of it when she wakes up."
Snape nodded mechanically. When. When she wakes up, not if. It was only then that Snape noticed the gentle rise and fall of her chest. She was quietly sleeping.
"I only healed the more important wounds, I fear a Brangane Syndrome," Madam Pomfrey explained.
Snape nodded again, knowingly this time. Someone could suffer from a Brangane Syndrome if subjected to too much magical healing in too short a time. The syndrome itself resulted in various permanent impairments. The original Mister Brangane had claimed that a third arm growing in his back wasn't an impairment, on the contrary, until said third arm suddenly decided to rebel and tried to strangle him.
"I will heal the minor wounds in a week, so she can be fit before the end of the holidays," Madam Pomfrey concluded.
Snape nodded one last time. "I'll go warn Dumbledore and prepare the Pain Relieving Potion, now."
As he left the Hospital Wing, Snape almost collided with Lupin who was rushing in.
"Severus?" Lupin said out of breath, as if he had just run up the stairs. "I came as soon as Dumbledore told me. How is she doing?" he asked with concern.
"She'll manage," Snape replied callously as he walked past the werewolf and down the stairs.
Coming Next: Christmas Holidays