Come the Maëlstrom

Chapter 19

It had taken him ten years but he had finally placed his finger on it; he now knew why he was so uncomfortable in Albus' office. The warm welcoming clutter reminded him of a robe he had as a teenager. It was perfectly fine when you initially wore it but after awhile, it started chafing and became generally uncomfortable but you suffered it because that was all there was.

At the moment Albus was sitting in his seat, sucking on a lemon sherbet and playing with something between his fingers. This had to be the first time he saw a genuinely puzzled expression on the old man's face.

"Albus?" Severus began after he cleared his throat.

"Mm?" he looked up. "Oh yes, I did want to have a chat with you." He managed around the lemon sherbet.

"What was it..." he watched as Albus' fingers twisted. "What are you doing?"

Albus held up his finger to reveal that they were caught in a Chinese finger trap. How one of them managed to make its way into Albus' office. Severus did not want to know. But he would have liked an explanation as to what could only be described as Albus' sudden bout of forgetfulness.

"I've managed to get my fingers stuck in this; someone's charmed it, so I have to do something particular to get my fingers out."

Perhaps it wasn't the fact that Albus was forgetful, but simply managed to misplace that eccentric mind of his somewhere.

What was it you wished to discuss with me?" Severus couldn't quite stop watching Albus' struggles with the finger trap.

"How are classes going?"

He snorted. "Fine."

Classes had resumed about two weeks ago. Only an additional twenty minutes had been added on – ten at the beginning for the students to arrive and settle in and another ten at the end so they could all collect up their things and file out. He wasn't pleased with the end result which meant his day ended two and half hours later than usual. While a large percent of the student body reacted well under the pressure, they seemed to return to the normal state of idiocy, barring any Ravenclaw and Hermione Granger for some peculiar reason. And that was not counting the number of students that turned to him counselling; the battle left far more emotional scars that physical ones.

"How soon do you think they'll be ready for examinations?" Albus asked absently. "Most of the others are saying around late July."

"I agree. It's June already. They have basically taught themselves most of the stuff and very little needs to be supplied in."

"And what about the students in the infirmary?'

"The ones that can write are doing their work. Should they be able to, they'll take the examinations in July with the rest."

"And the others?"

"It all depends on when they have use of their hands once more."

"And young Mr. Malfoy?"

"Improving; the spikes are shortened and don't threaten to impale anyone should he move. But he still can't really move around too much and Poppy's strictly keeping him to bed for awhile. It will be a bit longer she allows any sort of assignments to him."

"And Harry?"

Severus didn't say anything for a long moment. "We're attempting the infusion tonight."

"Should it prove successful..."

"I daresay he'll be running around again in no time and will be out of here by September."

"September?"

"Surely you've noticed his unusually fast recovery time, regardless of what occurred."

"Hm," Albus didn't say anything for a moment. "If it is successful, then perhaps we shouldn't inform him of recent developments. It's important that he gets better soon rather than have him getting worked up. It may have a detrimental effect on his health."

"Of course," Severus mused. "That should also help him to focus solely on his work."

He decided to bite his tongue on the fact that Albus was, yet again, depriving Harry of a choice regarding his own life.

"I'm sure he would be glad to graduate as soon as possible."

"I concur; he certainly doesn't need to be here any longer than necessary."

Albus didn't say anything for a moment. "I had hoped you'd give up your vitriol towards him."

"If you can't tell..." Severus gave an amused little smirk.

Nothing was said for a moment as Albus finally swallowed his lemon sherbet. "I've been giving this some careful consideration..."

Severus didn't say anything as Albus trailed off. When he started a conversation like this, it was best to worry some more.

"There are still Death Eaters at large and they might come after Harry. Here he is protected but he cannot stay once he has completed his education; Hogwarts will have to be cleared out by everyone since some major repairs are needed that house elves alone cannot look after."

He had to agree with Albus there. There were the broken front doors, and the entire set of windows on the third floor that were smashed in. Obliterated walls, ruined staircases, an entire tower destroyed... major repairs were needed. No one could stay here for the summer. But he also had a feeling that Harry would be far from thrilled if he was told that he had to go back to the Dursleys. Come to think of it, when he had to mention them, it was never by name and with a curiously blank look on his face.

"The Dursleys?" he sneered

"I could hardly ask you or Minerva to take him in for the summer. Besides, the wards on the home will protect him."

Severus snorted; what did wards matter if there was something on the inside that made Harry act in such a manner when just talking about the Dursleys. Something was obviously wrong with that familial relationship.

"Is there something wrong?" Albus looked at him.

"Any Death Eater that really wants to kill Potter will find a way." He muttered. "And the Muggles?"

"All the more reason he should go back; it protected him for the past 17 years. I'm sure he'll understand that it's for his own safety until the last few Death Eaters are caught," Albus paused for a moment, eating another lemon sherbet. "Ernesto and Valencia will be returning to their farm once a Fidelus charm has been applied. I daresay the Order members there will be glad to leave."

"Of course..." Severus did his best to look bored. "If that is all..."

"I know you're very busy; I won't keep you from your work any longer."

Severus inclined his head and rose, walking out of the office and heading down to his own. Sometimes, he simply couldn't believe that old man. The sheer nerve he had sometimes. There was no need for Albus to continue meddling in Harry's life; he wasn't some silly little child any longer and was perfectly capable of making his own decisions. A scowl plastered itself to his face as he stomped down into the dungeons. What he wasn't expecting to see was Hermione sitting outside his classroom door, legs tucked up and her head resting on them as she dozed peacefully.

"Bloody hell," he growled as he walked over and shook her awake more gently than he intended.

"Hrm?" she looked up at him groggily. "Perfector..." she slurred.

Wonderful, simply wonderful; he wasn't paid enough for this job. He opened his classroom door and picked her up, carrying her in. A slight flush came to his face as she snuggled in closer, an arm going around his neck, murmuring softly in her sleep about... something. He went into his office and unceremoniously deposited her in his chair. She started at the impact, looking around blearily.

"Now Miss Granger," he began. "Is there a reason why you decide to wait for me?"

"I wanted to talk." She said, attempting to stifle a yawn while rubbing at her eyes.

It didn't last for long and she yawned fully and stretched. Severus found himself watching the curves that suddenly decided to press against the robe before she relaxed and it disappeared into the amorphous shape of the black cloth. When on Earth did Hermione Granger get curves like that? Hell, he could still remember the way they felt. But the question was when, not what they felt like. Wait a moment; that wasn't even the question at hand. The flush on his face darkened even more as he cleared his throat and looked at a stack of books just past her.

"How very fortunate for me; I think it's time we had a talk as well,"

"Good," Hermione began. "Then we –"

"About the ethical usage of spells Miss Granger especially obsolete ones."

Hermione didn't say anything for a moment. "Any one in particular?"

"Oblivisci anima," he hissed, slightly irritated. "Don't attempt to play that game with me. That spell is the current reason why Potter is lying in the infirmary hovering between life and death."

"You think I don't know that!" Hermione shot back as she left the seat. "I obviously missed something in my research. But did I get a chance to even tell Harry that he should only use it as a last resort? No! Hell, he packed me and Ron off right after getting out of that room! I barely see him when he teaching, let alone anywhere else!"

"That is irrelevant!" Snape spat. "Shall I assume that Oblivisci is where the Obliviate curse originated from?"

"Yes," Hermione admitted. "Its original form is much more potent. But it was clearly directed at a soul, not at Harry himself! True, it did require a lot of magic but I fail to see how it's directly responsible for his current condition! There must be other factors!"

"Oh, there are; ones you obviously didn't come across in your research since the large bulk of information was sealed away in the Ministry!" he snapped. "What possessed you to suggest an eight hundred year old spell!? Did it occur to you that there might be a reason why it became obsolete!"

"Just because it's deemed obsolete by some idiot doesn't mean that it doesn't have uses."

"Yes; just look at the spectacular result that it achieved," he crossed his arms and sneered. "Tell me, just what do you know about that spell?"

Hermione scowled at him. "It wasn't really used after the eleventh century; the books weren't too clear on why. But Oblivisci was a charm used to obliterate certainly things of a... for lack of a better word, astral nature; souls, that sort of thing."

"And that's it?"

"Yes," Hermione said with a nod of her head. "Why?"

He pressed his middle finger and thumb against his temples. "The Oblivisci anima spell also draws on a wizard's energy."

Hermione's eyes went wide. "H-Harry's life force?"

"Life force, chi, ki, essence, call it what you like. The fact remains that you indirectly tampered with Potter's life force and, if discovered, that is an offence punishable by up to nine years in Azkaban. I'm quite sure that imprints the severity of the act on you Miss Granger."

Nothing was said for a long moment of silence as Hermione frowned, pacing back and forth. Finally she paused and looked at him.

"Well, I cannot deny that it was me who did the research and Harry used it. However, had the complete information been present in the text, then this could have been avoided."

Severus didn't say anything for a moment. "What section did you find the book in?"

"The section is irrelevant," Hermione sputtered, her face going a slight red. "What matters is this obviously shoddy work; if this spell was deemed obsolete, it should only be found in record books, not in a book that gives the reader a description and leads them to believe that it is a perfectly safe and viable spell that can be used in certain situations."

Severus knew what that translated as. "Ah, I see; so, on top of breaking Ministry law, you also broke Hogwarts rules and got this from a book in the Restricted Section."

Hermione's face went a full red. "Well, what was I supposed to do!" she yelled in a slightly trembling voice. "Let my best friend walk out there absolutely unarmed! What kind of monster do you think I am?! Someone would have to be a monster to do that to Harry, especially after everything he'd done for us!! Voldemort could have killed him! If anything, I'd much rather have him this way than have him cold and dead with Voldemort running all of bloody England and me probably in a cage like some sort of animal!"

"The fact of the matter, Miss Granger," Severus began as he stalked closer to her. "Is that you still broke a law, a very serious one, and a school rule. If you really wanted to help Potter what you should have done was to seek the assistance of a professor and asked for their help with it. You could have even asked... Lupin," he ground out. "But you choose to believe that you would be right above all else and didn't require the aid of a professional," he snorted. "You should have –"

A knock came on the door and he glared over when he heard it creak open to find Valerian peering around the door. It was Lucius' bloody cocky lawyer.

"Ah Miss Granger I've been... are you all right?"

He snarled and looked back at Hermione. He face was pale, jaw tight and her eyes seemed a touch wounded.

"What do you want?" he spat, looking back at the man.

"I was looking for Miss Granger. I felt it best to come and see her in person concerning the matters she firecalled me about."

"That is impossible; no student has firecalling privileges."

"Oh no?" Valerian mused as he stepped into the room, looking about. "This looks like the place she called me from. If students don't have firecalling privileges, then I certainly applaud her determination and resourcefulness."

Severus turned back to find Hermione glaring at him defiantly, as if daring him to open his mouth and say something. He did open his mouth but Valerian spoke once more cutting him off.

"I know you must be busy with classes Miss Granger and I don't mean to rush you but I did free up my entire evening."

"I thought you had the Malfoy trial. Surely that must be a lot of work."

Valerian shrugged, his face going red slightly. "This seemed fairly important to you, so I shuffled some things around. I daresay I'll regret it tomorrow when I won't get to sleep until four in the morning." He laughed a bit and scratched the back of his head. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"No, you weren't. Professor Snape and I are done here," she said icily as she walked over to him.

Severus resisted the urge to hex Valerian as he offered his hand and Hermione took it. It was even harder to resist that urge when Valerian tucked it under his arm and smiled at her.

"I do believe we should find somewhere private to talk. This may take awhile to discuss."

"Well, at least I know that you'll be civil, Mr. Nihilare," she said. "I know the perfect place."

And with that, they walked from the room. Valerian paused and closed the door behind him with a slight grin and mocking wink. Severus gave a vicious snarl and drew his wand and made a slashing motion. A display of empty vials shattered, falling to the floor. It didn't seem like that was enough and he proceeded to trash most of his office. By the time he lowered his wand, he was panting angrily and surveying the chaotic mess of the once orderly room.

He gave a heavy sigh, feeling weary and drained. He would not even think about what had occurred here. He would go to his chambers and get some sleep since he had a very long night ahead of him.

The infirmary was silent as he opened the door and walked in closing it behind him. The Healers had been sent off to their rooms for the night. The air was filled with the usual night time sounds of snuffling, grunting and varying degrees of coughs. He made his way over to the curtained off section of the infirmary, slipping past the drawn curtain. Poppy was already there, checking over Harry. Minerva was standing there as was Seamus, who looked a bit pale and anxious in the dim light and faded pyjamas.

"There you are Severus," Poppy murmured as she looked up.

He snorted and made his way to the free side of the bed. "Well?" he murmured, sliding a glance at Seamus.

"We have to try it tonight. See how shallow his breathing is getting? I'm afraid if that keeps up any longer, some parts of him may start to shut down from lack of oxygen."

Severus placed a finger under Harry's nose, not feeling the rush of breath. Frowning, he summoned over a small mirror and placed it under Harry's nose. It barely misted. He nodded his head. "Have you –"

"Mr. Malfoy has been moved to another part of the infirmary. I'll get everything set up. You can handle any of Seamus' last minute questions."

He made a sound of displeasure as Poppy hurried off behind another section of curtain. Turning around he looked at Minerva and nodded his head curtly.

"I trust I'll get Mr. Finnegan back in one piece?" Minerva's words were a question and a command rolled in one.

"As if I would attempt something nefarious with one of your precious Gryffindors," he said easily. "You can leave now. This will take awhile."

Minerva sighed. "Do attempt to get along with Professor Snape," she murmured. "If not for your sake then for his."

Severus could have rolled his eyes at the overly dramatic gesture Minerva made at Harry's form. Seamus nodded his head. Once the curtain settled back into place, he turned his full gaze on the pyjama-clad Gryffindor.

"Do you know why you were selected, Mr. Finnegan?"

Seamus shook his head. "No."

"No?" Severus asked in a warning tone.

"No Sir." Seamus amended hastily.

"No... take a good look at Potter. What do you think is wrong with him?"

"...He looks comatose." Seamus said slowly.

"Your observational skills seemed to have improved," he mused. "For lack of a better word, he is comatose. The final battle with the Dark Lord drained him of most of his magic and life energy."

"You mean he's a Squib?!" Seamus gawked between him and Harry.

"Did I say that Mr. Finnegan?" he took a deep breath; getting angry now wasn't going to help at all. "He still has magic and that is what is keeping him alive right now. While rest generally restores your life force, Potter's is so low at the moment that is not an option. It's weak and starting to fail. You were selected as you were the latest person that Potter was... intimate with. That provides the compatibility that is needed to save his life."

"What do I need to do?" Seamus demanded.

Why did all Gryffindors seem this prone to heroics and stepping in to save the day? Or rather, why did they make a big spectacle out of absolutely nothing?

"What you need to do Mr. Finnegan," he snapped in exasperation. "Is to shut up and listen to my instructions very carefully."

Seamus' face went red.

"Poppy is bringing an extra bed and it will be placed beside Harry's. You will lightly take his hand – just one hand – and allow Poppy and I to commence the transfusion."

"Sir," Seamus' brow furrowed. "Why exactly do I have to hold his hand?"

"Because that will act as the link and allow some of your life energy to trickle down into him and get him started once more."

"Well then why don't I just hug him or something? That should get it over with much quicker."

Severus gritted his teeth, reminding himself he was dealing with a headstrong Gryffindor who was much worse than Harry at understanding subtleties.

"If you wish to die quickly then by all means, hug him."

"What?"

"In Potter's current state, you hugging him would be equivalent to a massive jolt of power. His fading life force is apt to latch onto yours and drain you dry. By all means, do just that. I daresay that I'll be glad to be rid of your hasty stupidity."

Seamus scowled. "What are you? A Healer?!"

"Had I been wise enough to choose that career in my youth, I certainly wouldn't be having this conversation with you now."

"Yeah, well," Seamus floundered for something. "Your bedside manner sucks!"

"Proving once more that Miss Granger is the only one of you lot with any shred of wit." he mused wryly. "This will take most of the night and probably creep into the morning. There's Poppy with the bed; if you will Mr. Finnegan."

Seamus turned and stomped over to the bed, practically throwing himself on it the moment it rested beside Harry's bed. Poppy gave Severus a highly disapproving look before she turned her attention to Seamus.

"You might feel a momentary sensation, as if something is being sucked away from you. But that should be all. Both Professor Snape and I will be right here, monitoring you both."

"How comforting..." Seamus muttered darkly as he pushed up his pyjama sleeves.

Severus snorted as he watched Poppy set everything up and told Seamus to grasp Harry's hand. Seamus reached over but his hand hovered around Harry's not moving down. He suddenly looked apprehensive about this, as if he wasn't sure.

"Are you positive I should do this?"

"If you –"

"Everything will be fine Mr. Finnegan." Poppy said, cutting Severus off. "If anything, you might find it a bit easier to deal with if you took a small nap."

"All right..."

Seamus took Harry's hand in his as he laid his head back against the pillow, with a nervous sort of sigh. Poppy didn't say anything as she watched Seamus very carefully. Severus' eyes were glued to Harry's before Poppy had to snap her fingers to catch his attention to perform the spell with her. After that, nothing came for a while and Seamus had obviously fallen back asleep when a dull pulsing glow started to make itself know. It was faint at first but brightened to a dull throb. One came from Seamus, a bright orange with yellow laced in between it. Then came Harry's, that infamous red-black he had heard so much about. When they both flared up, pulsing brightly, he rose from his seat and frowned. Poppy rose as well, hurrying over to his side.

"The information on the procedure said nothing about this!" she murmured. "This is their magic!"

"They're not exactly compatible," Severus murmured, taking in the manner in which the light was playing out. "Not as much as they should be but it is there."

Poppy frowned. "True, it looks like it's settling down... Harry's magic seems to be fighting Seamus' as much as it can."

"But it's losing. If anything, Seamus' is beating his into submission..." Severus frowned as the light settled back down to a dull glow. "This is odd but I don't think there's anything to be worried about."

"Are you positive?" Poppy looked a bit anxious.

"I'm quite positive," Severus said as he sat back down in his seat. "We'll just have to keep a much closer eye on the infusion."

Poppy nodded her head slowly and made her way back to her seat. Severus settled back in his chair carefully, watching. He couldn't help but snort. Even though he was hovering between life and death Harry still made things difficult; so very like him.

Silence filled the room now and the dull glow pulsated through the long hours. Sometimes, Poppy went to get them cups of coffee. Other times he went to get them a snack from the kitchen. But after that one incident, nothing else happened. It wasn't until dawn started to creep into the window that Severus looked at his watch.

"Seven," he murmured as he rose, joints protesting after having been seated for so long.

He walked over to Harry, noting the deep breaths that were coming and the thin line of drool making its way down his cheek. Wrinkling his nose, he placed a finger under Harry's nose. The breath was strong. On impulse, he flicked the tip of it hard. Harry's nose wrinkled and his eyes fluttered.

"I'd say that's successful," Severus mused as he glanced towards the large window. "And with just enough time to spare."

"Spare for what?" Poppy demanded wearily. "Shuffle off to bed as everyone gets up?"

"Precisely."

"You always were an odd one Severus," she chuckled. "Shall we– oh!"

Severus looked down at the beds, to find both Harry curled up on his bed, still fast asleep. Seamus was curled up right behind Harry, an arm flung over the other's waist in a futile gesture of protection. They both were still fast asleep and the pulsing light scattering between the both of them. Well, that solved their problem.

"I'll move Mr. Finnegan and get Mr. Malfoy back in here quickly." Poppy said.

Severus watched as she attempted to levitate Seamus' slumbering body away. But the Irish boy fussed up, his arm tightening around Harry's waist. Poppy gave Severus a puzzled look before she sighed and pulled the blanket up over them and drew their curtains shut, hiding them away from view and then vanished away. He sat back down in his seat watching Harry's face until Poppy came back in with a groggy looking Draco. Severus could hear the sounds of Poppy settling the younger Malfoy to sleep before she appeared through the curtain again.

"Severus, I don't know about you but once those Healers get here, I am going to go and rest." Poppy said with a yawn. "Are you going to be here a bit longer?"

"Go," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'll wait here until you come back."

Poppy gave him a smile of gratitude and hurried from the room. When looked over, he found himself greeted by Harry's startling clear gaze. He arched an eyebrow in silent question.

"What time is it?" he croaked out in a hoarse voice. Harry frowned and pawed at his throat in puzzlement. "Was I out for long?"

"As of today it's is just after seven in the morning of June," Severus paused doing some thinking. "9th."

"June?!" Harry croaked hoarsely. "A month?!"

Severus nodded his head. "Just rest today, if you can even manage that."

Harry nodded his head slowly as he fell back against the pillow and raised a hand. His brow furrowed when a beaded chain fell out of it, the cross swinging like a pendulum. His gaze lingered on it in puzzlement.

"Where did –"

"You were paid a visit," Severus replied. "Now shut up –"

"Sir?" Harry croaked, cutting Severus off.

"What?" Severus demanded in a testy voice.

Harry's gaze had now shifted to the sleeping boy beside him. "Why is Seamus in my bed?"

"Just shut up and rest before you ruin your vocal chords as well," Severus muttered grumpily. "Everything will be explained later on."

Harry nodded his head and he let his hand fall back against the bed. But the furrow in his brow remained as he stared up at the ceiling. Severus sighed and picked up the spare copy of the Daily Prophet and gently hit him on the head with it.

"Rest." He ordered curtly.

Harry gave a ghost of a grin. "Wonderful bedside manner."

"Yes, Mr. Finnegan commented on the same thing earlier on. Now sleep or I will make you."

Harry closed his eyes with a chuckle and drifted back off in a few minutes. Severus spent a bit longer watching Harry before he rose when the infirmary door opened and brought the sound of voices. Harry certainly wasn't going to like any of the things he was going to learn about later on.