Ugh...Finals..Brain hurts...Sorry the chapter took so long. I should have had it done by Thanksgiving, but my professors had other ideas. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can after this.
Kerri flew backwards in shock and collided with the corridor wall behind her. She stared at her blood-covered hand, whimpering. He was dead, he had to be dead. No human could lose that much blood and still be alive. But if he died . . .
Gritting her teeth, she pressed her fingers against his neck. Some of the Aurors had tried to teach her Mediwizardry, but with her iffy magic the best she could do was basic first aid and a few simple charms. It just wouldn't do to have a Healer that might not be able to heal. She'd never thought that what she had learned would come in handy, especially not like this!
She held her breath, feeling around for a pulse. "Come on . . .Come on. . ." she muttered, "If you die, Professor, I will dig up your bones and curse them individually and by name. I didn't make up that wonderful lie to tell to Umbridge to have you come along and spoil it by keeling over on your doorstep. Bugger it. . ." Her hand was shaking so hard that she would never be able to tell if there was any life in him. She forced herself to take several deep breaths, ignoring the coppery smell that seemed to invade every part of her. Placing her hand to his throat once more, she carefully slid her fingers to just under his jawbone. Nothing. No, wait . . . Just the slightest of flutters . . . was he . .?
"I have to do something about his wounds," she muttered, "If I leave him here like this, he'll bleed to death before I can get help!" She needed healing salve, bandages . . . And he needed more blood. She ran down to the classroom and snatched a bottle off the shelves, thanking her lucky stars that Snape had made her spend so long at inventory. However, her frantic search failed to turn up any bandage. She sighed and looked down at her cloak.
"Oh well, it was pretty much a lost cause after I bled all over it before."
After a short session of daubing and ripping later, Snape was more or less held together, and Kerri began to breath again. She checked his pulse once more. It was still there, but just as faint. "You still need more blood." She winced, looking at the stairs, the puddle she sat in, and back at Snape. "Lucky for you, I memorized this spell at least."
Pulling out her wand, she tapped the crook of her right arm before doing the same to Snape. "Not too much, okay? I still have to get you help and I don't want to faint outside the Slytherin Common room." Why she was talking to him so rationally escaped her, but it was keeping her from being sick. Not that this next spell wasn't going to do that to her anyway. "Exsanguinus!"
Having one's blood suddenly and magically sucked out of one's body is not a pleasant experience, even when done by a trained Mediwizard. Kerri was definitely not trained. The initial jolt nearly knocked her unconscious, but she stubbornly held on as she felt her life streaming away. It was a sensation not unlike being pulled down a drain. "Almost . . . Almost . . . Enough!" She yanked her wand away, breaking the connection.
The backlash from that made the first shock feel like a gentle pat on the back. Nausea surged through her, and she doubled over, fighting to keep her lunch down. Don't . . . you . . . dare! she told herself fiercely. He'll die if you take too long at recovering, and I'd much rather have the pleasure of throttling him myself after all this!
Finally, the stomach cramps ceased and she was able to sit up and wipe her mouth with the back of her hand, leaving a streak of blood across her cheek. Breathing hard, she saw a slight touch of color return to Snape's face. At the same moment, a sharp shudder ran through him, and her sense of urgency returned in full force. What now . . .? Cruciatus curse, it causes convulsions, idiot! her mind screamed at her. Just patching him up won't save him!
She awkwardly scrambled to her feet. "Lilith, guard him! Make sure nothing happens to him! I'm going to go get help!"
Without waiting for a reply of any kind, she dumped the cat to the stained floor and ran up the stairs, carefully avoiding the blood, and trying not to think about what she looked like. Who can I go to for help? she thought desperately. Umbridge is the only professor that I know is awake, but I can't go to her. I have no idea were the teachers sleep . . . Maybe I should try the faculty lounge? She turned the next corner at top speed. I just wish I knew where that was . . . The hospital wing! That's--!
"Oooh! Little ickle K-k-Kerri! Not supposed to be out this late, girl!"
She screeched to a stop in front of the vicious little ghost. Her heart leapt into her throat. Oh, not now! "Peeves, please, I don't have time for this. You can torture me all you want later, but right now I have to find a teacher."
"Heeheehee! Not a good idea! Much more fun without one!" To prove his point, several large blunt objects began to float up into the air around them. Kerri felt her stomach clench and the room started to spin unpleasantly. "Ulp . ." she said, screwing her eyes shut. If I don't move, Professor Snape will die, I'll never learn what really happened to my parents, I'll never be out on my own, Professor Snape will die . . . he'll die . . .
Her eyes snapped open and she plunged her hand into her robes. "Dammit, Peeves! Get the hell out of my way! Exorcius!" A jet of bright red light whipped out of her wand, missing Peeves by a hairsbreadth. He yelped and vanished, leaving only Kerri, standing amidst a pile of broken pottery. She glared at the wall he'd gone through. "And if you go near me again, so help me, I'll wring your scrawny little neck, ghost or no!" And, turning her back on the room, she took off running once more.
She finally skidded to a halt outside the hospital wing. Madame Pomfery was already outside, due to the immense amount of noise that Kerri had made on the way down the stairs. She had tripped on the top step, grabbed desperately at a wall hanging, ripped it loose from its bearings, and brought it, and several portraits crashing down the stairs with her.
"Miss Harper! What in the world . . . you're as pale as a ghost! What happened?" The elderly witch carefully extricated the girl from her wrappings. Raising her voice above the indignant yammerings of the portraits, she began to pummel the girl with questions. "Did you have a relapse from the attack? Did Peeves scare you? You didn't break anything on that trip down the stairs, did you?" After Kerri mutely shook her head 'no' to each question, Madame Pomfrey leaned back and began to regard her with a far less sympathetic look. "Well, it had better be something. You've woken up every patient in my ward, and at least a few of the houses, I'd wager. What is it? Spit it out!"
Kerri caught her breath and blurted out, "I'm sorry about the noise, I really am, but I was in a hurry, and I didn't have time to take things slowly, it's a real emergency, I did all that I could, but it's just not enough, Professor Snape's bleeding to death in the dungeons!" Taking another breath, she continued in a slightly less panicked tone of voice, "I'm afraid I'm going to faint now."
And she did, right into Madame Pomfrey's shocked arms.
Kerri never did learn how Madame Pomfery managed to get her bundled into a hospital bed, fetch Dumbledore, and get Snape up to another bed without alerting Umbridge. When she finally came to, she was staring at the all-too-familiar ceiling of the Hospital wing, with Lilith on her chest, Snape in the next bed over, and Dumbledore hovering over her. "I'm really starting to hate this bed," she informed him drowsily.
A gentle smile lit Dumbledore's face, just before McGonagall leant over his shoulder. "You should be thankful that it's not a coffin, young lady. What on earth possessed you to try the Exsanguinus spell on your own? You should know that only trained Mediwizards should use that charm."
The headmaster patted the woman on the shoulder. "I'm sure that Miss Harper simply did what she felt was best, Minerva. Now why don't you keep an eye on Severus?" Despite her protests, McGonagall found herself steered towards the other bed. Dumbledore turned back to Kerri. "Now, Miss Harper, why don't you tell me how you found Professor Snape?"
Kerri tried her best, but she was more than a little woozy, and the story came out rather muddled. Despite that, Dumbledore listened attentively, nodding. Lilith helped her fill in the details when her memory completely failed her. When she finished, the headmaster was looking thoughtful, and McGonagall was looking a little ill. "What did that bloody evil snake do to him, Albus?" she muttered.
"Only Severus can tell us, Minerva," he answered, solemnly. "We'd better go clean up that corridor before tomorrow. At least now we know why Peeves has locked himself in the cupboard." He glanced at Kerri with a hint of a twinkle in his eyes. "Now, you need to rest, my dear. Madame Pomfery will give you a potion to restore the blood you lost, you should be up and about by tomorrow-"
"But only if you're careful." interjected the Mediwitch from Snape's bed. "I don't want you fainting again. My job is to get you out of that bed and keep you out, despite your best efforts." Kerri had the grace to blush. "Really, girl, only Halloween and you've been here twice. And both times for loss of blood. At this rate you may even break the Weasley twins' record."
"What about Severus' classes, Albus?" McGonagall asked, "Do we have anyone who can handle them?"
"Miss Harper, do you think you could-?"
"NO."
Dumbledore sighed. "Miss Harper, I'm afraid that you don't really have much of a choice. We need to keep Professor Snape's injuries as secret as possible. Calling in a substitute will cause too much of a stir, whereas if you handle the classes, we can claim that it is part of your curriculum. Not to mention that you are probably one of the few at this school who is qualified to teach a potions class. It will only be for a few days, and I'm sure that Professor Snape will already have written out a lesson plan."
"But headmaster, I don't think I can handle the students. I don't know how. And some of them, to be honest, scare me. Please don't make me do this. I can't."
"I can sit in if it turns out to be too much of a problem." McGonagall offered. "I'm sure I could manage it."
"That would work," mused Dumbledore, "Another teacher looking on, to keep the peace, because you're being tested on the potions, not crowd control. If necessary, we could even use a Polyjuice Potion. Though, I think you may be able to handle it, Miss Harper. After all, what are a few fifth-years after Peeves?"
"I think I'd rather deal with the ghost," muttered Kerri, collapsing back onto the pillows.