His thoughts were askew, that at least he knew. Trees, Potter in the trees. Potter? No potters here. Only mist, silvery mist. There no Potter. Worms. Wormtail. Grubs chewing on Wormtail? No. Door. Albus. Dog slobber. Ground. Dark. Warm, moist. Cool. Freezing. Shiver. Ice. Breeze scratching robes. No. Me hitting tree. No. Metal tree. Snakes slithering in metal tree. Why? Mind works like wind, screwed ground.

He moaned, and a tree with white leaves took his branch into its trunk. "Severus?" the tree spoke. Another tree walked into his view of slightly cracked eyes. "Poppy, should we try a spell?"

"Only mild ones Albus. The magic may confuse his system more if it's too powerful."

"Claro," the white tree whispered and the world came into focus a bit more in Severus' mind.

"Headtree?" The whisper passed the pale man's lips with a tinge of fear.

"Not exactly Severus," Albus chuckled. I'm going to have fun with that one later, the headmaster thought. "Shhh. You are safe. Here, drink this," Albus pushed a vial to the man's lips, and Severus drank pliantly.

"Wild chamomile?" the potions master's forehead screwed up in confusion, the flower's taste sticking in his mouth. His eyes went wide in a small panic. Poison? Someone, a wormtail, death. No. Headtree. Hospital. Safe.

"Yes, Severus, it is an ingredient in the anti-headache draught," Poppy's voice explained softly, her soft hand feeling his pulse. She stood up and went to her cabinet. The potion master's eyes sluggishly followed her across the room.

"Albus, this one too. It should help clear up his mind some more."

"Blechhh! What --?"

"An infusion of ginseng in powdered Herb of the Cross; it should restore your nervous system and raise your blood pressure. It's still a bit low," Poppy said, thinking to herself "And help calm you, you stubborn mule."

"I see some of Severus is still with us," Albus mused as Severus murmured incoherently, his eyes blank and confused.

"Nothing can take him down, Headmaster. He'll be vexing us from beyond the grave someday. He needs sleep for the potions to work. If he's awake, he'll try to fight the effects in his mind."

"Rest Severus," Albus' hand gently brushed Snape head as he whispered dormio.

The wizard turned to Poppy, who was checking the girl over. "Is she better?"

"Yes, Albus. Her fever is down, but only slightly. She's still exhausted. It may be awhile before I can get any potions into her."

"I think it is imperative that we talk to her. Can she be woken, Poppy?"

"Yes, Albus, as long as she gets some sleep afterward. And I could get some potions into her.

Just as the headmaster raised his wand, green eyes cracked through the long, dark eye lashes of the Infirmary's second patient. The tired eyes glanced from matron to headmaster, confusedly taking in the situation. Albus could see the girl's brain trying to work on less than all its cylinders.

"How do you feel, child?" Albus took the girl's hand in his weathered palm.

"Safe," a choked gargle hid the voice. It wasn't the answer Albus was expecting.

"How did you know about the castle?"

"Mom. She... school here." The headmaster sat back a little, trying to place the features. The girl looked exactly like the potion's master, save for the eyes who if he didn't know any better, were those of Lilly Potter's.

"And who was your mum?" Dumbledoore waved his hand at Poppy, who was hovering at the edge of the bed with a fever-reducing potion, a vial of Pepper Up potion and some dreamless sleep.

"Gemini Rose Turtleson."

Dumbledoore sat back, oxygen momentarily flushed from his lungs. Poppy had the good reflexes to keep the potions she'd just dropped from smashing on the stone floor with a quick spell.

"Lilly Potter's cousin," Albus breathed. The girl nodded, hesitantly, panic cornering on the edges of her brain.

"Mum said...I'd be... safe... to come here. Albus... knows... everything."

"Shh, shhh. There there dear," Poppy pushed her way into the space between the beds. "Some water, and you do have such a cold. Do you have any allergies?"

"Chamomile. and thistle."

"Hmmm. No fever reducing potion then. You'll have to sweat it out I'm afraid. But here, dreamless sleep," Poppy tipped the vials and smoothed the covers as the patient fell back on the covers.

"You have some explaining to do, Albus." Poppy turned to her office, leaving the old man shell shocked in his seat.

Fawkes trilled lightly as Albus absently scratched his white beard in his office tower. No one had heard from Gemini Turtleson in years. She was presumed dead. And now a girl, a teen-age wizard girl, who apparently had been living as a Muggle and looked like Severus Snape. What a fine kettle of gillyweed this was.

Albus sighed. He prided himself on knowing things. Things just didn't happen unless circumstances were out of his control, and Albus Dumbledoore had plenty under his control, or so he liked to think.

"Yes, Fawkes, even I can't control everything," Albus said to his preening bird, wondering what it was he was supposed to know.

Thank you to those who are keeping up with this story. I now have a computer that has a decent word processing program. While this chapter has been written for several months, I have not been able to upload it. This is my first fan fic and I have no beta reader. You will notice the characters are not strict cannon as I have not mastered writing them yet. It will take a while for me to learn this. Please bear with me.