Chapter 21 - The Best Student
A glorious sunrise welcomed the new day, a day in which the world was finally free from the menace of the Dark Lord and his faithful followers. Hogwarts now looked like a huge Hospital Wing because of all the wounded fighters lying in the many beds scattered all around the place. The most serious cases had been immediately sent to Saint Mungus Hospital, but not all of them. In fact, Severus and Alexandra's conditions were so precarious that moving them could have been fatal. Down in the dungeons, the house-elves were taking care of the deads, washing, dressing, and putting them in their coffins, preparing them to be sent back to their families for an honourable funeral as heroes of The Second War.
Harry was lying in a bed with bandages around his head, he had beaten it on a stone when Malfoy struck him with his curse, but his general conditions were good. Ron was in the bed next to his with a broken arm but feeling all right. Hermione sat in a chair between the two beds with some burns on her left arm but immensely happy they were still alive. On the other side of the room stood two more beds. One was empty, but it had been previously occupied by Lupin who had now left the castle feeling the full moon approaching. In the other bed stood Snape's still unconscious form.
'Do you think he's still alive?' asked Ron throwing a curious look at him.
'Dunno, he hasn't woken up yet?' said Harry perplexed.
'No wonder he hasn't. Did you hear what he did tonight?' said Hermione with a knowing expression.
'No, what?' said Ron excited.
'Professor McGonagall just told me, that he has thrown himself to shield Professor Falconbridge from the killing curse and they both have miraculously survived to it.' she said with the same tone she used in class to answer to her teachers' questions.
'How is it possible? My mother did the same but she died!' whispered Harry astonished.
'I told you, nobody knows why.' Hermione said.
Late in the afternoon, Snape began to come back to his senses. His eyes shot open and he brusquely sat up shouting 'Voldemort!' and looking around the room alarmed, startling the three boys who gasped in shock. He then slowly lay back, too weak to support himself up. Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey heard his scream and rushed in the room.
'Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times.' said Dumbledore.
'Albus, where is Voldemort?.' Snape asked gripping at the old man's robes.
'I see you can finally say his name, good. Voldemort is dead, my son.' he softly told him.
'Dead! He's dead!' repeated Snape disbelieving his own ears. Then he bursted in an hearty laugh while tears of joy came streaming down his cheeks. It was all finally over! Harry looked at him grinning, he perfectly knew how happy Snape was feeling in that moment because that was exactly the way he was feeling himself. He abruptly stopped laughing when he suddenly realised there was someone missing.
'Where is Alexandra?' he anxiously asked.
'Severus, relax.' Pomfrey sternly ordered.
'Alexandra is alive, but she hasn't woken up yet.' said Dumbledore softly.
'Where is she? Is she all right? I want to see her!' he said and tried to get off his bed but Dumbledore forced him to lie down again.
'You cannot see her now. You're still too weak to stand.' said Pomfrey reproachfully. 'Now stay still and let me examine you.' she said before pulling the curtains around his bed.
'Albus, how do you think is it possible that Alexandra and I survived the killing curse?' Snape asked astonished.
'There's only one possible explanation, my boy. Love saved you both.' Dumbledore said with a kind smile.
'What do you mean?'' Snape asked arching a questioning brow.
'Love is a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature.' Dumbledore explained.
'Tell me, Severus. When the curse struck you, were you wearing your mother's amulet?'.
'No, it was around Alexandra's neck.' Snape said still uncertain where the old man's speech would lead.
'But you performed the Amatus to share its protective power with her!' Dumbledore stated.
'Yes, but it couldn't be that powerful to shield us from an unforgivable!' Snape pointed out.
'Not in normal conditions. I have good reason to think that a very powerful combination of elements took place a second before the curse actually struck you.' He said with a strange twinkle in his blue eyes.
'I still don't follow you, Albus.' Snape said confused.
'I'll try to be as clear as possible. The amulet was charmed to protect Alexandra and yourself. The Amatus incantation is activated by the protector's blood and you were also bleeding when you threw yourself to shield her with your body. But the real thing that brought the amulet to its highest power was the love you two share and the fact that you were ready to sacrifice your life to save hers.' Dumbledore concluded with a knowing look to the younger wizard. Snape's eyes opened wide as comprehension finally fell on him. The killing curse seemed amazingly to have left no great damages to Snape's body. But during the examination Madam Pomfrey noticed something weird.
'Albus, could you please come have a look at something?' she called the Headmaster who had approached Harry's bed for a little chat. She showed him the mark on Snape's forearm ... and it was black!
'Black? Why it's still black? He's dead, isn't it?' asked Snape panic-stricken, staring at his arm with wide-open eyes.
'He's certainly dead, that's out of question.' said Dumbledore to reassure him.
'Do you remember what Voldemort used to do it? A Protean Charm, perhaps?' he tentatively asked.
'I don't know, the only thing I remember is that it burned like hell and that I bled.' Snape bitterly said.
'Wait a minute, I want to check on something.' he pulling the curtain back.
'Harry, does your scar hurts anymore?' Dumbledore gently asked to Harry.
'No, not that I remember.' said Harry looking at the old man a little perplexed.
'Poppy, could you please take away Harry's bandages?' he gently asked and the nurse readily obeyed. To anyone's astonishment, Harry's scar had disappeared.
'How is it possible? You once told me that scars left by a curse never fade?' asked Harry who had always taken for granted everything Dumbledore have told him.
'Not always, Harry, but sometimes they do. On very rare occasions this kind of scars may disappear once the wizards who conjured it dies.' Dumbledore wisely said.
'Then why the hell my Dark Mark is still there and it's black again?' angrily protested Snape.
'The nature of your two scars is different, Severus. If Voldemort have really used a Protean Charm, the mark produced has taken the look it had last time it has been activated. Therefore, It's still black because he had not the time to do the counter-charm before dying. It's only a theory but we'll know better when we check someone else's mark.' he calmly explained.
'Great! To think that all I wanted was to forget about that bloody bastard!' spat Snape and rolled on his side giving his back to them.
'Moody was right ... there are spots that never come off !' Snape sadly said staring stonily ahead to the wall to avoid seeing their compassionate stare. If there was something that Snape really couldn't stand it was pity, especially when it was directed on him.
That night, Snape was finding it hard to fall asleep. Madam Pomfrey denied him his usual sleeping potion because she thought it wasn't a good idea after he'd been unconscious for so long. He gave a look around the room, Harry and Ron were peacefully asleep in their beds while Hermione was having a nap on her chair which she had wisely transfigured into a comfortable arm-chair. Madam Pomfrey had given her permission to stay although she disapproved the idea of a girl sleeping in the same room with two boys and a man. Snape didn't mind much to share his room with them, he thought their cheerfulness should have been almost contagious if he hadn't been still a little upset about his dark mark. "At least these kids aren't as noisy as the Slytherins" he thought with a smirk, but that thought made him sad. He missed his students and wandered what was of them, he hopped they were all safe and sound.
He was now lying on his back staring at the ceiling, thinking about the many things happened during that school year, when he suddenly heard the noise of someone's steps approaching in the corridor just outside his room. It was Dumbledore with Pomfrey. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, trying to catch some bit of conversation. "What do they say?" asked Albus hopefully. "Saint Mungus says they've run out of that powerful Reviving potion we needed" Poppy said gravely. "But that was the only chance we had to save Alexandra's life!" said Albus panic-stricken. "I know Albus, I know. If only Severus wasn't so weak, he could have prepared some" she said tearfully. "We can't pretend a thing like this in his present conditions. He's not even able to stand" he said resigned.
Snape's eyes opened wide to that awful news. Her life was still in danger and he was the only one who could brew that highly complicated potion. In fact, few people knew it, but it was him to prepare many of the most efficacious potions used by Saint Mungus's mediwizards. He had risked his own life to save hers, how could he now leave her die without doing something to save her? It was all so frustrating. He had all the ingredients he needed in his office but how was he going to reach it if he was so weak? He also doubted he still had enough magical power left in him to perform the incantation.
"What can I do?" he was asking himself, when he suddenly found the answer. It had always bee there under his eyes ... Hermione Granger. He gathered his strengths and sat up in the middle of his bed, pushed aside his covers and reached out for his dressing-gown and put it on his pyjamas. He put on a pair of slippers and, very slowly, stood up. His head was giddy but he mastered to walk up to where Hermione was sleeping in her arm-chair. "Granger" he whispered softly shaking her awake. She opened up her eyes and stared astonished at him. "Professor Snape! What ..." she whispered but he cut her off. "Listen to me, Granger. I need your help" he sternly whispered. He quickly explained his plan to her, then stared at her hopefully.
"But Professor, I have not the knowledge to ..." she began to complain, but again he cut her off in mid sentence. "Listen to me well because I'm not going to repeat it again" he said sternly. "You are the best student I've ever had. How many second years do you think are able to brew a flawless Polijuice potion? Very few, apart from you and myself." She blushed a little at that unexpected praise from him. "You are the only one who can help me. Professor Falconbridge's life depends on this very potion. If she doesn't drink some soon ... she'll die" he said in a softer imploring voice. She could clearly read his despair in those usually cold, detached eyes. "All right, sir. I'm ready. Let's go!" she said turning very serious. He nodded back to her and they slowly made their way out of the room.
Snape walked very slowly and he soon had to lean on Hermione for support. They made all the way down to his office unseen. He was so weak that he had to sit in an armchair as soon as they went in. She gathered all the ingredients he told her, she levitated his big black cauldron in the middle of the room and lighted a fire beneath it. It was a really elaborated potion but his instructions were so precise that she had no problem whatsoever to carefully follow them. She did all the manual work, leaving him rest on his arm-chair enough to gather his strengths for the moment when he had to perform the incantation.
When the moment came, he slowly stood up and approached the streaming cauldron. She stepped aside to leave him room in front of it. He took out his wand, stretched out his arms over the mouth of the cauldron, he closed his eyes and concentrated hard. He then said the incantation in a language Hermione didn't recognised which he later told her was Gaelic. The effort of that performance was probably too much for him. He took a few faltering steps backwards. Hermione readily came to his help. "Are you all right, sir?" she asked a little worried. "Yes, thank you. I'm just ... tired" he said panting slightly. She led him back to the arm-chair and helped him to sit down. "Stir it seven times counter-clockwise, in wide circles" he weakly said. She nodded and moved back to the cauldron.
"Done! What's next?" she dutifully asked. "Nothing, we just wait till it cools. Take some rest, you deserve it" he kindly whispered. She took seat in an arm-chair opposite his own. Her eyes wondered around the room with interest, she didn't notice he was staring at her with a small smile on his lips. "Tell me, Hermione. What would you like to do after graduating?" he asked with gleaming eyes. She was startled to hear him call her by her first name. Usually Dumbledore and Hagrid were the only teachers doing so. "I don't know sir. There are many things that sounds really good to me" she said. "Have you ever considered the possibility of taking a Mastership in Potions?" he said smiling. "Well, yes. I know you need to receive an "O" in all your N.E.W.T.s and that they also want a letter of introduction to accept you" she said a little dispirited.
"Well, I have no doubt about you receiving outstanding in all your N.E.W.T.s, I don't know about my colleagues but you can count on mine. As for the Mastership, I've already written your letter of introduction in case you decide to follow my steps. You've a natural talent with potions" he said staring at the cooling cauldron with a satisfied expression. "Thank you, sir. I'll take it into consideration." she politely answered blushing furiously. "Forgive me if sometimes I've called you an insufferable know-it-all. I was one myself and I was afraid to see you spoil your youth on books. By the way, you're luckier than me because you have two faithful friends by your side. I was alone." he concluded with a sad note. "But you have friends now, you have Professor Falconbridge and Remus Lupin. Don't you?" she awkwardly said. "Yes, I do" he said with a kind smile.
"It should be cool by now. Let's check it" he said and slowly stood up and headed to the cauldron. He took a bottle and filled it with the newly brewed potion. "Take this up to Madam Pomfrey. I'll fill another one and send the rest straight to Saint Mungus. Please be quick and let's hope it works. Thank you Hermione, you don't know how much this means to me" he warmly told her. She gave him a broad smile and run upstairs. When he was finished with the rest of the potion he headed to his fireplace to floo himself back to the Hospital Wing. He came out in Madam Pomfrey's office. "Severus, where the hell have you been? And in your conditions!" Pomfrey told him off. "Granger is coming here with a bottle of the Reviving potion you wanted" he calmly said.
In that moment Hermione rushed into the nurse's office. "We've got the potion. We can now heal Professor Falconbridge" she said panting. "Where did you find it?" Pomfrey asked amazed. "We brew it together. Now, let's stop wasting precious time and give it to Alexandra!" Snape hissed. The matron hurried out of her office and headed straight to Alexandra's room where she found Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall sat on each sides of her bed. They stared at the newcomers surprised but a broad smile formed on their happy faces at the sight of the bottle in Poppy's hands. Harry and Ron woke up and came running in the room to join them.
Dumbledore supported the unconscious Alexandra up while Pomfrey forced the potion between her lips. They all looked at her with great apprehension and curiosity. Severus and Hermione stood side by side sharing a common worry, being both responsible of its outcome. Fortunately, the potion seemed to work his healing at once and Alexandra began to slowly wake up. When she opened her eyes she was surrounded by a group of the happiest faces she had ever seen. Dumbledore was hugging Minerva, Pomfrey had tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, Harry and Ron were both jumping up and down excited, but the strangest sight was Severus hugging Hermione and repeating "We did it!" on and on, he even gave her a grateful kiss on her forehead. Then Madam Pomfrey restored peace "Everybody out, she need to rest" she said pushing them out of the door. "No, Severus. You can stay, dear" she warmly told him.
He was beside himself with joy. He took seat in a chair close to her bed. She looked at him confused. "What happens? Why are you all so happy?" she asked him astonished. He told her everything that happened right after she had struck the killing curse at Voldemort. "And you risked your life to save me? But how did you know it would have worked? Only Harry Potter has ever survived to it!" she said astonished. "In fact, I didn't know! But I had to try" he softly told her. "There was a chance on a million and you still wanted to sacrifice yourself ... for me" she softly whispered staring at him with bright eyes. "I couldn't stand the idea to loose you" he warmly said, taking her hand to his lips to kiss it. She then opened her arms and he took her in his own for a long, tight, warm embrace.