Chapter Seven

Like a wide river, pain had flooded every muscle in his body and he knew he didn't want to feel it. After everything he had gone through, he still clang to life, he didn't want to die. His mind wasn't peaceful enough to accept death, to him death meant facing hell possibly far worse that the one he was in, hell in which every sin of his would be punished. Once again he had done something dreadful, through as hard as he tried, he couldn't recover it in his mind. What had he done? Some vague memory was plaguing his mind, but he couldn't clear it to see what it had been. Everything was clouded by pain, he breathed it in and out, it was almost material in the air around him, burning him.

He moaned, desperate to get away from the fire eating his weakened body. Unable to sleep and tortured with thirst, Severus struggled to push away the darkness in his mind and to open his eyes to light. Deliciously cold fingers stroked his hair and settled gently on his forehead. They felt like heaven, a salvation from pain and fire tormenting him. Who was touching him? The hand soothed back his dark hair so tenderly that Severus almost wept, delighted by the fact that there was someone taking care of him. Despite all his failures, somebody thought him worthy of attention.

Slowly his head was lifted and a cool glass touched his lips. Severus drank greedily, savouring the liquid and trying not to laugh with delight, tears of relief falling from his closed eyes. Then another glass was offered to him and he drank thankfully again, enjoying the sweet taste of cool water. He let himself be settled back onto the pillows and for once didn't mind the touches of fingers on his face. Everything cold to ease the pain and fire of his body was most welcomed.

Voices around him were hushed, feet trading softly so as not to disturb him. Severus reached into his hair tangled from tossing in fever and groaned. Such a simple movement and how much it hurt! As if his muscles were attacked by Cruciatus Curse, that's how it felt. He managed to half open his eyes to see a blurry white face in which something red glowed. With a fearful gasp he shut his eyes tight against the red gaze. He had lost control the last time those eyes had looked at him, they had reached deep inside his eyes and he . . . he had failed. A horrid white face flashed in his mind. It was a face of power, a strange mixture of ugliness and of something handsome, a face of someone inhuman.

Severus moaned, shaking his head in an attempt to chase away that picture. The face transformed into another - that of a head of dishevelled black hair and mocking grey eyes. 'Traitorous snake!' laughed Sirius Black and Severus quickly turned his head away. But the laughter stayed, ringing in his ears like church's bells and another face was there, scowling him, the cold grey eyes devoid of any feelings but disappointment. Severus let out a quiet sob, not knowing where to turn to avoid the faces hovering above him. "No, no," he pleaded, seeing a huge man moving towards him with his fists raised, "No!" he screamed.

Voldemort pressed the wildly trashing wizards further into the soft pillows, restraining his arms. Severus cried out weakly, causing a frown to appear on the Dark Lord's white forehead. He was beginning to be worried and didn't want Snape dead, not before finishing with his plans. Why wasn't the antidote working? Puzzled, he sent a murderous glare at Arenwald and Bellatrix who were watching him from a respectful distance.

"The poison has travelled deep into his system, my Lord," spoke the vampire quietly, "This particular poison causes high fever first with hallucinations, pain in muscles followed by the collapse of inner organs which eventually leads to death."

"I won't allow him to die!" cried Voldemort angrily, making Severus flinch from the sharp tone.

"There's hope that the antidote will work, master, I strongly believe that despite the fever, his hallucinations aren't yet that strong. Sometimes he seems to be aware of his surroundings. However," the vampire fell quiet, carefully measuring his words, "if necessary, I can . . . gift him with immortality."

The look that Voldemort addressed him was murderous. "You won't touch what is mine, Arnold."

With great reluctance the vampire averted his gaze from the exposed soft, warm skin of Severus's neck, frowning at the name the Dark Lord had used. Eager to get back into Dark Lord's favour, Bellatrix took Snape's bandaged hand into hers. "Snape is strong, master, he'll survive. Is there anything I can do?"

No response came from the dark wizard who was watching Severus with concern. Why was he suddenly so still? No, he definitely didn't like him being all of a sudden so motionless and pale. Although Severus had always been pale, he was white like a sheet now. Nagini slid into the bed, sensing that something was wrong. What'sss the matter? hissed Voldemort, asking his pet snake. Alarmed, he touched the side of Severus's neck, finding only a faint pulse, which was getting weaker and weaker. No, Severus was not going to die, not unless he would wish him to go!

"He's very weak," murmured Voldemort while caressing Snape's cheek tenderly, "You must fight, dear child, you must find the strength in you."

He gathered the limp body of Severus Snape into his arms, guiding his head to rest in the crook of his neck. "I'm here with you, child," he whispered into his ear. Closing his eyes, he recalled an ancient incantation half-forgotten in his mind and murmured its words quietly. Deep inside himself he felt something powerful rise and he let it go out of him, through his hands into Severus.

Bellatrix's eyes opened widely when she saw a blue mist envelop her master and Snape, sparkling like precious diamonds and slowly disappearing into the Potions Master. Seeing the question in his yes, Voldemort smiled and answered, "There're cases when light magic is more powerful than dark. I've given him some strength from mine. Actually," he tilted Severus's face up to look at him, "I believe that I've just saved his life," he laughed and Bellatrix joined him, glad that Snape would live and hopefully her rose would be forgotten.

§§

"Moody, Severus is in a very bad situation, it can hardly be his fault," said Remus quietly. Mad-Eye Moody took a sip from his bottle, leaned back into the chair and eyes Lupin incredulously.

"You're thinking about Tarquin, aren't you?" he asked. "He's gone missing on the same day that Snape was summoned. If it's as you think, then I'm afraid that Snape would do anything to protect his father."

"So . . . so you believe that Tarquinius is in Voldemort's hands too?"

Moody nodded. "Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that Snape is a traitor."

Remus jumped from his seat. "He has no other choice!" he called passionately, surprising even himself. Since when did he care for that nasty git? Snape had never shown any sign of respect for him, he had always done everything to get him expelled from school as well as to get him leave the school when he had been teaching.

"The choice is always here, Remus!" rose Moody's tone too.

"What choice?" cried the werewolf, "To sacrifice his father? How can you that call a choice?"

"What about sacrificing himself?" stood up Moody, knocking backwards his chair. "He could have killed himself! But no, Slytherins are survivors; they would do anything to save their necks! No, no, Snape will spill all the information just to save his skin!" yelled the former Auror furiously; "He's never really been on any side but his own!"

Pacing the floor, Remus was slowly getting angry. He stopped in front of Moody, jabbing the Auror's chest with his finger. "And why," he asked in a quiet, dangerous tone, "should he give his life for people like you? For people who have never treated him with respect, never trusted him, never appreciated what he was doing for us?"

"It's not about us, Lupin! He should have done it for the light and for himself. He didn't betray only us, he betrayed himself too!" shouted Moody, furious now more at Lupin than Snape. Remus shouted back,

"What an idiot you are!"

"Stop it, the both of you!" thundered another voice and both men spun around to see Kingsley Shacklebolt standing in the doorframe. The usually calm and patient wizard appeared fuming in anger.

"What do you think you're doing? We can't afford to be split; we have to hold together! Voldemort would be overjoyed to see you like this!"

A snort came from Moody. "We should never have trusted Snape!"

"Snape did a lot for the Order," objected Shacklebolt, "Both of you are right in some things, but try to work together. We can't afford any quarrels here!"

"What do you have there?" asked Remus and pointed at something which looked like a shrunk trunk.

Kingsley put the little trunk on the table and enlarged it to its normal size. "The Aurors have been ordered to search the Snape Manor. I've managed to save some things Snape wouldn't like to see in the Ministry's hands. Personal items mostly, it's none of their business to dig into someone's private life."

Having heard the loud voices, Harry had crept into the kitchen and was now looking at the trunk, curious to see what was in it. Kingsley smiled at him warmly,

"Nothing that would interest you, Harry, is here. When we were searching the manor and breaking the wards, I was lucky to break one ward guarding these things, so I've collected them quickly. It's nothing much – mostly photos and albums, something that looks like a diary, but it won't open and similar things. I was afraid that in search for dark arts items, the Aurors wouldn't be gentle with anything, they would destroy everything that gets into their hands. You know, nobody cares for something that belongs to a Death Eater or a supposed Death Eater."

"That's really nice of you," said Remus, taking a photo album into his hands, being as curious as Harry who had come to stand next to him. He opened it, carefully because one could never be sure about Snape's things. A photo of Tarquinius riding a broomstick greeted them, he was holding a little boy before him who didn't seem overly enthusiastic about flying high above the ground and who clang fearfully to his father. Both Remus and Harry laughed, seeing a 1 year old Snape who looked anything but intimidating at such a young age. He was hiding his face in Tarquinius's robes, but when he, now and then, looked at them, they smiled at his cute baby face and big dark eyes.

"But I've come here because of something else," continued Kingsley with a heavy sigh, "I've heard in the Ministry that the Weasleys' home was attacked at night. Do you think it was truly Snape's doing?"

"Yes, of course, though Remus here," Moody pointed a finger at Lupin, frowning, "is of a different opinion. But you know him, he would defend Voldemort himself."

Lupin rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but Shacklebolt stopped him. "Several Aurors were sent there, nothing is left of the house. And we don't know where Bill Weasley is. We've been searching for him, but there's no trace, no idea where he could be. I only hope he wasn't in the house."

"We should wait here for Albus," said Moody, "and for the others. Something needs to be done; we have to find Bill."

Both Kingsley and Lupin nodded, sitting down at the table. Harry, his mind full of worries and question, was gazing at the little Snape. The boy looked at him and hid his face in Tarquinius's robes. Bill couldn't be dead; Harry knew or wanted to know, that he was alive and well. A memory of Molly Weasley and her boggart was flashing in his mind, squeezing his mind. No, Bill would be okay; Bill couldn't have died there. No Snape or Death Eaters could have matched a Weasley.

§§

Author's notes: Ten points to the one who tells me why Weasleys couldn't have died in the house. :-D No worries, the Weasleys are okay, you'll hear of them soon. Thank you very much for all the wonderful reviews! The weather here is truly beautiful these days, hot and sunny, the best thing to do is to spend the days at water and that's what I've been doing. But for today I've decided to give my skin a bit of break, it's not wise being every day in the sun, and type the new chapter. I hope you'll like it.