Chapter 17: It is unethical to cause harm. I can inflict as much pain as I want.
The Puffskeins were bouncing up and down the stairs, giggling to themselves. Again and again they bounced until one stopped and said, "You should wake up now, he's starting to come around."
With a start, Rowena opened her eyes and just as quickly closed them. "Bright," she complained.
"It's 4:30 in the afternoon," Lupin explained, helping her up.
"Still too bright," she said, shading her eyes. "How is he?"
"He's not really awake, more just moving a bit every so often. He should be waking up soon, though." He motioned to a small bedside table. "But there is time for a quick meal."
"I'm not really--" she said, then stopped as he pulled the covers off the food. "But if there's snitch food…" she trailed off, eyeing the grapes and assorted dishes.
"How about a little of everything? Just to tied you over?" Remus suggested.
"Once around sounds good," Rowena agreed, settling down to start in. "Anything you'd recommend?"
"Well," Remus hedged, inching up a chair, "the cheeses…."
"Ah-ha!" Rowena exclaimed. "You and cheese. I always wondered who it was when the trap bait went missing."
Lupin smiled sheepishly, then changed the topic. "Speaking of traps, you might want to put a few out those rooms we checked. Those carpets have seen better days."
"Those carpets are older than you and I put together," she retorted around a mouthful of cheese. "Plus Sevi," she added, swallowing.
"Why not replace them? Or even just tear them out? You've got good solid hardwood underneath."
"Because, Remus, most of the family's wealth was in our collections, not liquid asset. Besides, the Snapes have always been packrats. Classy, well mannered, high taste, yes; but pack rats none the less."
"Waste not, want not," the other murmured.
"There is a limit, though." She laughed. "I think we reached it decades ago."
He smiled. "Judging by Severus's office, I'd have to agreed with you."
"If it was anything to do with potions, he has it. Sevi doesn't even have enough space for his collection. He's been after Albus to left him knock out a wall into an unused classroom for a while." Shaking her head, she resumed her picking at the tray in front of her.
"Why do you call him 'Sevi'?" Lupin asked curiously. "James tried it a coupled of times and nearly ended up in the hospital wing, and that was only in the first week of school."
Rowena smirked. "He got off lucky, then. I'm the only one who gets away with it now."
"But why?" Lupin persisted. "He's not exactly pleased when I've seen you use it."
"Oh, he hates it," she agreed, "but it just isn't the ….well, it just doesn't seem right otherwise. Our Great Aunt Bethilda used to always say, 'Well, aren't you spurting up, Sevi-darling.' And she said the same thing to me."
"How cute."
"Well, being the little rascal that I was, I picked up 'Sevi' and for love nor galleons wouldn't give it up. The more he ignored it, the more I used it. I tried to get him to shorten my name, fair's fair, but he wouldn't do it.
"About ten years ago I started to use his full name, but after a few shots he just glared at me whenever I did, so I flipped back to 'Sevi'. He just grumbles once in a while now."
"Got used to it, I suppose."
She smiled a bit sadly. "I suppose," she agreed, moving away from the table and settling down by the topic's side. "You awake yet, you?" she murmured.
A slight frown was all the response she received. Gently checking his pulse, Rowena frowned as well. "Remus," she asked, "would you go and get Poppy? It seems he's decided to join the living."
With Rowena's help, Madam Pomfrey started in on the various injuries. They started with the chest by first cutting away the shirt and undershirt without disturbing the puncture holes. Pomfrey took a closer look at this particular injury before deciding that the lung been punctured once, and only shallowly, allowing the lung to stay inflated. Bits of shirt and blood had entered the wound, making a crude bandage of sorts that had to be removed before any healing could begin.
While Poppy tended the most serious injures, Rowena attention was focused on a set of bruises on her brother's neck and shoulders. By the patterning, it looked as though a fist had repeatedly struck the same spot. There was a pattern in them, which looked like one of the fingers had a ring on it, with a stone or other hard object set lengthwise along the band. It looked vaguely familiar. "Poppy," she asked, voice abstract, "do you recognize this pattern in the bruises?"
Poppy leaned in close and nodded. "Yes, it was the same type as the one that broke his nose over the Christmas holidays. Same indentation."
"I thought so, too. Sevi must have really gotten on that guy's bad side."
Rowena nearly hit the ceiling when Albus said softly into her ear, "How is our professor doing?"
"Better," she said, regaining her composure. "Where'd Lupin go?" Poppy had sent the werewolf out onto the grounds to get the Headmaster, who had been inspecting part of the forest with Hagrid.
"He had business for the Order to attend to." Albus looked down at the patient, who was now dressed in a set of dark gray pajamas, an unusual sight. "I don't think I've seen him out of black in nearly 10 years," Albus continued. "He used to have one dark green shirt, but Severus only wore it once. Minerva and I thought it looked good on him, and told him so."
"Probably burned it, then," Rowena observed.
A low moan interrupted them as Poppy began to heal the broken bones in his fingers. These were the most difficult to heal, as they had to retain the flexibility that they had once previously enjoyed. Severus would raise hell if his hands weren't expertly repaired, the rest of his injuries be darned.
Rowena settled herself on the bed's edge, watching the black eyes slowly open as much as the swelling permitted. "Good afternoon, Sevi-darling," she teased him when his eyes met hers.
He tried to speak, but nothing but air emerged from his dry throat. Swallowing, his eyes wandered to the side table.
"Water only," Poppy said, noticing where Snape was looking.
Raising his head, Rowena helped her brother to take a few sips before lowering him back down. "How long-" he tried to whisper, his voice still hoarse and jaw only newly mended.
"Have you been in Hogwarts? Almost a day. Have you been out? Nearly 48 hours, by my reckoning, long enough for me to want to kill you for the risk. Have you been gone? 5 days. Are you going to be staying here in the Hospital Wing? Until Madame Pomfrey gives her consent you can leave or until Muggle hell freezes over." Rowena smiled. "Any questions?"
Severus gave her a faint smile, and shook his head slightly. He knew better than to argue with her at the moment, not when Pomfrey would take her side as well.
After assuring the two professors that Severus was in capable hands, Madame Pomfrey began to shoo them out. "Out, the both of you. I need to get the rest of his wounds looked after and I can't very well do that with you hanging over my shoulder." As the two were almost out of the room, Poppy's voice drifted back to them. "Professor, watch the wand with your eyes, without moving your head…."
"The middle one, Sevi," Rowena murmured to herself as the doors closed. Albus gave her one of his patented looks over the rims of his glasses.
"I believe you have a few hours to get ready for your lecture, Professor?"
She smiled wickedly. "Oh yes, the 'Ministry approved package of information we deem you can handle'." She looked sideways at the Headmaster as they walked to the Entrance Hall. "Fudge did say I could edit it a bit, didn't he?"
Dumbledore smiled and nodded.
Rowena walked down the corridor, her elation fading from knowing that Severus would be fine. A small part of her kept whispering that this was her fault. Of course, the rest of her mind knew plain well that this was utter nonsense, but there was no silencing that small nagging voice.
She barely noticed when she entered her rooms. After a quick shower, she sat at the vanity mirror, brushing out her long wet hair, immersed in memories.
She'd known before her parents that Severus had joined the ranks of the Death Eaters. She was only 10 years old at the time, but her mind had grasped what it meant and had quickly jumped headfirst into the wrong conclusion. She had been an extra big pest to her brother that week, she remembered, and when he had stormed out of the house that night with Lucius Malfoy, she'd been perversely happy to have been the reason for his bad mood.
When he hadn't come home by her bedtime several hours later, she was a little bit disappointed. He always said goodnight to her, even though she was ten now, and much too big for that stuff.
When Severus did come home at 5am, clutching his arm and chalk white, the first thing he saw was his baby sister, stuffed toy and blanket in hand, curled up on the stairs waiting for him.
She'd seen him come home several more times before the start of her first year, beaten and battered, and her young mind had concluded that she had driven him to it.
Now, many years later, she knew that was rubbish. A child could no more have stopped her brother from joining a group who appeared to, for the first time in his own young life, appreciate his talents, than a Muggle child could keep their parents together after both had decided on a divorce.
Looking into the mirror, she knew that she would do her damnedest to keep others from feeling that swell of guilt when she had first set eyes upon her brother's broken form.
Author's Notes:
I hope this answers your concern, duj, back from the earlier chapters. This was the best place to put it in, so here it goes. Many children do feel responsible for things that are in no way their fault, especially when it concerns older siblings or more strongly, parents.
Thanks for the reviews so far. Almost done!