Chapter Thirty Two: Healing Snape
"Holly Gryffindor! Why did that idea even appear in my mind?" yelled Ron, entering the Griffindor Common room after leaving their unplanned 'training practice' with Malfoy.
"Well, it was entirely yours," remarked Hermione, shaking her head.
"Yes. But that was just gross! How can you stand this all the time?" Ron asked Harry.
"Got used to it, I guess. He always gives me lectures about being ready to fulfill my destiny, not to do it blindly, be prepared for everything…Well, he prepares me in his own way, so to say. Practice makes perfect," Harry answered with a weak smile. "I am really tired, gonna go to sleep, if you don't mind," he turned and started to go upstairs.
"I'll sit near the fireplace for awhile. Care to join me, Hermione?" Ron asked playfully.
Hermione gave him a you-are-a-naughty-boy look, but followed him. They went to the fireplace and occupied an armchair which was the closest to it. One armchair meaning Hermione sat down on Ron's lap.
People still couldn't get use to their closeness because they were the most untypical couple at Hogwarts. They didn't date like most did, they just sat together in classes, well, they always did it anyway. They did homework together, but not in the Common room, just somewhere, which was considered to be an improvement. They definitely weren't found snogging senselessly in the closets, but still the very air around them told people that they were a couple or the better word for describing them could be 'an item.'
When somebody asked what he thought of them, he could only say, "Glamour." Of course, they weren't all lovey-dovey all the time: holding hands and exchanging embarrassed smiles or anything like that, well, not in public anyway. They were just together. Respecting each others' interests and expressing their love the way they only understood themselves.
Like right now. Sitting in front of the fire. Holding each other. Ron was slightly stroking Hermione's back, and with this simple gesture all her tension and tiredness vanished. Hermione smiled sweetly at him, expressing her gratitude. Ron, instead of saying, "you are welcome", kissed the tip of her nose. She giggled and hid her face in his shoulder. Ron rolled his eyes: she still couldn't stop being embarrassed by his kisses. But he could wait.
Their peaceful moment was disturbed by a furious creak of a quill from somewhere behind them. Ron looked back and saw Ginny scribing something on a parchment in a hurry. "What's up, sis?"
"Oh, nothing important. Snape's assignment," Ginny muttered with deep concentration on her face.
"What do you mean, Snape's? How can he assign you anything if he is ill?" Ron asked with a frown.
"Well, it was before that. He just owled me today that I must finish it till today's evening or else."
"What! How could he!" Ron roared, the Weasley temper rising from down his throat.
'Ok, Ginny, that's what you wanted. Stay calm and don't let his temper lose control or the whole Common room will lie in pieces. I am really, really sorry, Herm', but it is very important to me.'
"Even when he isn't here, he makes us suffer! As if he was born to do it!"
"Ron, calm down. You're talking about a professor," Hermione reproached.
"Stay away from it 'Mione. Don't you see? It's ten in the evening and instead of enjoying the last hour of the day, she is doing her bloody Potions homework! He isn't a professor, he is a sadist, who only thinks about the way to torture children! That's who he is!"
"He isn't," came a sudden calm voice from Ginny.
"What? Maybe he cast an Imperio on you to make you his slave! To do any work he asked you to do, ah!"
"Ron, what are talking about!" Hermione asked horrified. "He is on our side. He is helping us to win," she whispered.
"If somebody touched the dark, he can never come completely on the good side," Ron said stubbornly. "Merlin, I hate him! I really hate him!"
"You'll never grasp the meaning of that man and what he did for the Good side," Ginny said with choked sobs. Snape's gray face swam in front of Ginny eyes. How she wanted to scream, "He apparated to Hogwarts only to tell the date of Voldemort's attack and then die with the feeling of fulfilled duty!" But she couldn't; damn secretiveness.
But her duty was fulfilled too, they were almost invisible, but as his sister she saw them. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she stood up and quickly, so Ron couldn't react, picked his tiny tears from the corner of his eye and put them into a vial. Then she did the same thing with hers. She grabbed both vials and rushed to the Portrait Hole and out of sight.
Ron and Hermione were both dumbstruck. Both by her opinion about Snape and her actions which were the exact replica of Malfoy's.
Ginny frantically ran to the laboratory. She had already memorized the instructions for the "Bringing from Death" potion that's why she knew they didn't have much time to gather all the ingredients and the stabilizing potion couldn't work for ages. She threw the door open and moved right to Draco who was preparing to add the unicorn horn. "I've got them," she said breathlessly, carefully taking two vials out of her bag.
Draco noticed her red eyes and cheeks. "You cried," he stated with concern and perplexity of how important it was to him to keep her happy.
"It was worth it, Draco. Here they are: hate and respect. We only need yours."
"And the lover's."
"Oh, yes. I've completely forgotten about it," Ginny said sadly. "Have you found any substitute?" Draco shook his head. "Maybe we should look for his relatives?" she asked with a weak hope.
"It'll take too much time!" Draco said, slamming the work desk with his fist. "It's the only thing that can save him and we still can't do everything right! We were, and are, his last hope. He entrusted us with his life! He named me his best student and what? I can't do one thing that's really important! Not numerous potions of the middle level, something significant. Not to remember me by, but what can bring benefit not destruction," Draco sighed and returned to the potion. He had already started and desperately wanted to finish.
"A very good speech, Draco. I would like to think you meant every word of it."
"Huh?"
"I want to ask you a question, the answer to which is very important to me," Ginny said, suddenly all business-like.
"You'll receive the answer, whatever question it is."
"What did you mean when you said it was time for Draco Malfoy to return?"
"You understand that the point isn't just in changing the name," Draco began, but was interrupted.
"Of course, I understand. That's why I am asking. It doesn't make any difference to me to call you Marko or Draco. For me, it's important what stands behind the name. If the return of Draco Malfoy means the reappearance of a guy who despises my family, always ridicules me and tells me how dumb I am, then I don't want him back, especially as my partner. As for Marko, it is another story. I really liked him, he was my friend and that says a lot. I don't have many friends."
Draco looked hurt when she finished. "Was I that bad?"
"Well, not all the time, but, you know, it was still pretty disturbing," she said with a small smile.
"I can assure you, it won't ever happen again. Maybe I can even accept Ronald's proposal."
"Ronald's proposal? Where did that come from?"
"Today they visited my lesson with Potter. You should've seen his face when I called him Ronald," Draco snickered. "It was your idea, by the way. He asked why I made exclusion for Potter and Granger."
"And what did you answered him?"
"I changed the topic. But returning to your question. I want to get rid of the misunderstanding about my current name. The Dream Team can think whatever they want of me, but you are another case." Ginny cocked an eyebrow in an unspoken question. "You are my friend and I will always be yours. No matter what name or status I'll have."
"I'm glad; I don't want to lose you. You're a friend to be jealous of," Ginny said, covering his hand with hers.
"Well, thank you," he responded with the pride of accomplishing something he really wanted. "Still, this isn't everything connected to my name's change," Draco continued seriously. "You know, till that unfortunate day, I was kept in hiding. Now my whereabouts are certainly known to the crowd much unwelcome here. And they surely want me six feet under." Ginny squeezed his hand tightly. "Then I have my responsibilities towards the Malfoy family. I am still the only heir to the Malfoys estate and clan's heritage, which is far from pleasant, but I can't escape it."
"What is it?" Ginny asked breathlessly.
"The darkness," was the only answer.
"You changed the topic again," Ginny said with higher spirits to move from such uncomfortable waters.
"What?"
"When you told me about Ron's proposal, you said you'd changed the topic and did the same thing, returning to my question. What is your end of the deal?"
"You mean, will I or will I not call Potter and Granger by their first names? Unlikely."
"But you made an exception for Ron, why not?"
"I did it because you asked me, that's all."
"So I have such a big influence on you," Ginny asked mockingly.
"Yes, you do." Ginny was taken aback by this statement. She didn't think they'd become that close, especially in Malfoy's case.
"You want to say that if I tell you to do it, you won't object?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of course, I will. When did I miss a point to object you?" he asked in turn with dancing eyes.
"Yeh, yeh, same old story," she said, rolling her eyes. "Avoiding the answer as usual. Well, so be it. How are your classes going?"
"Pretty good. I am still sane, as you see."
"Well, that's questionable." Draco gave her a look-at-yourself look. "Why, Draco, my classes are perfectly fine. Only one blow up in the first year," she said with innocent eyes.
"If only I could be that lucky. Professor Snape is absolutely right, they are complete idiots. Especially the fifth-year hufflepuffs. The contents of the three cauldrons were on the ceiling by the end of the lesson." Ginny gave him a stern look. "And it wasn't my fault."
"You know the spell, you could've stopped it."
"I could have…but you know me."
They talked for a while about their teaching experiences and the more they chatted, the more time the name of professor Snape was mentioned, which led to the topic about his current condition. "How is he?" Ginny asked, looking through the aisle.
"The Stabilizing potion is still working. I changed the bandages in the morning, but… I don't know," he shook his head. "I am not sure about anything now."
"This potion will heal him for sure. You know, I thought about adding some green tea leaves also."
"For what?" Draco asked dumbfounded.
Ginny shrugged. "For smoothing things out?"
To Ginny's surprise, Draco nodded. He surely would forbid adding any components to the potions and especially would reject her suggestion to put it at this deciding moment. "The whole thing is experimental, so some tea leaves won't spoil the ingredients' reaction," Draco said in a tone of a professional, but Ginny heard the notes of hopelessness in his voice.
"Have you ever thought about the reason of putting tears into the potion? Especially these?"
"Well, there is a theory that both negative and positive features must be present in a person for him to strive for harmony between them during his life. That's why we are adding love and hate, fear and respect. As for loss…I don't know how to put it in words," Draco finished thoughtfully.
"It isn't as complicated as it seems, Draco. But you're wrong about one thing: it isn't a theory; it is the rule for everybody to live for, only there must be more of Good in a person. That's why loss comes. The loss we feel towards somebody. If we miss him, it means he is welcomed in this world."
"It is easy to say," Draco said with a sigh.
"Of course, life isn't easy. Nobody can live without problems or complications, it wouldn't be real then."
Draco and Ginny talked till midnight about life in general and their own lives. Unnoticeably, they fell asleep on the couches, unsuspecting about the night visit that would bring a bright light to their tunnel.
She cautiously opened the door and silently closed it. The room was almost in complete darkness. Only a candle stood on the nightstand. But its light was enough to give capability to see a gray mask, which was the face of professor Snape.
She moved towards the bed and watched him for a while. 'Why am I here? I wanted to see you. I haven't seen you for three days already. Merlin, I missed you. Three long days without your face.' She traced his jawline with her fingers. 'I've almost never talked to you. I saw you only at meals or on 'my problem' meetings and still I managed to fall in love with you. How?'
How? She asked herself again and again. At first she thought it was some 'knight' complex, meaning that after her recovering she fell in love with her savor. She scowled at herself countless times that she must not jump on the first man in sight after being given a possibility of having a relationship.
But she couldn't stop herself from watching him at meals, especially if her place was beside him. She couldn't but admire his grace of walking around or the softness but exactness of his hands at meals or working with potions.
To everybody else, all that was unnoticeable, but strangely it was outstanding to her. His infamous crooked nose and greasy hair he was unmercilessly teased about. These features didn't bother her. From the very beginning of the school year she wanted to check his hair out. Now was her chance. She stretched out her hand and went through Snape's hair.
'Strange. It doesn't seem to be so greasy at the touch. It is not silky either, but still smooth.' She went through his hair several times, unable to resist the urge for physical contact.
She found a stool near the bedside and sat down on it. She couldn't help but stare. His face was set in a grimace of pain with a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows. "You've suffered so much in your life and nobody helped you through it. I know how it is, to be a Death Eater. To feel nothing but pain and hopelessness. I understand you, nobody can better than I. Why am I so attracted to you? Love is said to be blind, but I am not. I can see it with my own eyes and feel it with my heart that you're so much more than you are said to be." Tears started to stream down her cheeks. "You can't leave me now! I've looked for you for so long! I must tell you, I love you! If you die, all trying to give me another life will go to Hell. And I too, because I want to spend my life with you and nobody else is needed. You won't be alone anymore. Please, return to me."
Draco was awakened by loud sobs. His first thought was to check on Virginia, but she was peacefully sleeping. He followed the sound to Snape's bedroom and was rooted to the spot by what he saw. The picture was quite unclear in the dark, taking into consideration her black robes and hair, which was sprawled all over her face.
Draco was utterly flabbergasted, but regained control pretty fast. It took him five seconds and two blinks to understand the situation. Then he turned on his heels and hurried to Virginia's sleeping form. "Virginia, get up," Draco whispered, shaking her a bit.
She lazily rolled over, slowly opened her eyes and almost shrieked, meeting a white face standing out in the darkness. "Common, get a vial, we've found the donor," Draco told her urgently.
His words woke her up in an instant. "Who?"
"Halflife."
"Well, who else", she said with a shrug.
"Huh?"
"Who else could it be? McGonagall, Spout?" Draco made a disgusted grimace. "Are you certain, it's him? I mean, the light can be for someone else," Ginny said, wanting to be completely sure.
"There can't be a mistake. I saw…" he suddenly sounded nervous and unsure.
"What did you see?"
"Their souls. They are drawing to each other. Like…like…" he couldn't find words to finish.
"Like wanting to be one," Ginny finished dreamily. Then with a sigh she stood up to fetch a vial and complete their quest for the ingredients.
"Professor, professor," Ginny addressed the sobbing woman quietly.
Halflife stiffened for a second. She didn't want anyone to see her here, especially in such a condition. Maybe only him, but he was far from her, between life and death. With all the dignity she could master, she left the cold, but comfortable Snape's chest, put her hair in some order and started to brush off the tears, when she was stopped by Ginny's tight grip on her hand.
"For his sake, don't. They are too precious," pleaded Ginny, and Halflife heard tiredness in her voice. Ginny took out her wand and carefully collected one tear and put it into a crystal vial. "Draco, we are ready, you can begin."
Immediately the laboratory and Snape's bedroom was lit up with torches. A blue fire started to shimmer under a big black cauldron. "May I stay?" Halflife asked cautiously.
"Of course, professor," said Draco from his work table. "Your help is needed."
"I'll do whatever I can," she said with desperation.
Ginny smiled warmly at her. She knew that glance very well. The glance full of love and fairness. "Come, professor. You've never seen Draco at work. I can assure you, it's truly amazing," Ginny whispered with admiration.
Professor Halflife and Ginny stepped into the laboratory. Draco was going back and forth with a troubled expression. "You can do it, Draco. He'll live. We'll all live," Ginny reassured him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Yeh, live happily ever after," Draco muttered. "Stay by me, ok?"
"Ok," Ginny said with a small smile.
Halflife found a place on one of the couches. She watched in fascination the work of Snape's assistants. Now she began to understand the specification of potions' partnership. Ginny did almost nothing, only stood by his side. Draco methodically stirred a potion in the black cauldron. It was visible for Halflife how tension started to leave Draco's body. His glance became collected and confident.
"It's time to add the last ingredients," Draco said seriously.
Virginia brought four vials with something glistening inside. Ginny took one of the vials and gave one to Draco. "Respect," Draco proclaimed.
"And fear," Ginny said in the same tone.
Two tears simultaneously dropped into the cauldron. Blue-grey smoke rose from it. The same procedure was repeated with tears of love and hate, but that time, the smoke had a dirty pink color. Ginny looked at Draco expectantly. He dreaded this moment. Tears of loss. It was the feeling that accompanied him every second. To Draco, it seemed that Earth stopped its turning and life became motionless. Only the pain was left.
Draco recollected the most precious memories of professor Snape. His Godfather. His Potions lessons, the hours he spent under his personal guidance, the times when he talked to Draco as the Head of his House, trying to talk some sense into him. Draco now regretted that he hadn't listened to him. Draco recalled that night, the night of Christmas Eve. He was the only man on Earth who didn't push Draco away, didn't reject him, but understood and helped to find the new course of life.
A shiny tear fell down from his closed eye and went straight into the potion. But then another came, and another, and another. Draco hid his face with his hands. Nobody could see him cry. It's an unbearable disgrace. 'Draco Malfoy can cry, he can care,' thought Halflife stunned.
Ginny let him be. She knew it was dangerous to disturb him at that state. The dogmas of his childhood about crying restriction were still in his mind and, probably, nothing would be able to change that. The potion boiled while Draco calmed himself down, which he did with a few deep breaths and Ginny stroking his back. Then he checked on the potion and smiled from ear to ear. "We did it," he whispered almost ecstatic.
Professor Halflife and Ginny came nearer and looked at the liquid which could put an end to their worries, but saw nothing. Even Ginny was confused by such a discovery. But Draco's reaction was far from worried.
"After finishing every other potion, I come again and again to the conclusion that Potions is the greatest science of all those possible in the wizarding world," Draco began his explanation with notes of fascination. "This potion is almost transparent, it must be though, but due to the tea leaves, it has a slight green color. You'll never believe what is there. It is the source of the life of humanity."
Ginny found challenge in his words. She examined the potion more closely and then looked at Draco with widened eyes and whispered, "Water?"
"Water?" Halflife's voice echoed.
Draco smirked wryly. "Magical water that contains the equality of good and evil and can bring from dead, giving life instead. Great, isn't it?" It was absolutely clear that Draco was having the time of his life. Well, probably, it was his star hour after all.
While Ginny and professor Halflife recovered from shock, Draco took a goblet from somewhere and poured the potion, or water in our case, into it. "Will you give us the honor?" he asked stretching out the hand with the goblet towards Halflife.
"It will be more than just an honor to do it." She took the goblet and headed to the motionless figure of Snape. Suddenly the potion began to boil again, as if her touch made it act like this.
"As if you love him too much," Draco commented with a sneer. "Ouch!" Ginny elbowed him in the stomach.
"Well, maybe I do," Halflife responded with a shrug.
Draco was struck by such frankness and also the simplicity of the answer, as it was a common thing to make such confessions aloud, especially for a professor. Ginny only shook her head. 'It will take a lot of time for Draco to understand that love is as normal in life as breathing air.'
With a bit of a trouble and Draco's dagger, they opened Snape's mouth and Halflife carefully poured the potion into him so all the drops found their way down to his stomach. When the goblet was empty Draco, Ginny and professor Halflife were taken aback by an immediate reaction, which was expressed by sparks of electricity going through Snape's body. (AN: Of course, there is no electricity in the magical world, but visually it had the same effect.)
They watched, rooted to the spot, how little by little the color returned to his face. It wasn't his usual pale almost white color, but more colorful or simply normal healthy color with a bit of a blush on his cheekbones. Their stance was interrupted by a loud moan from the bed. Snape's body was convulsing and the reason was quite understandable – it was pain.
Draco was first to comprehend. "The bones," he whispered. "They are moving to their right places." Both women gasped. "Virginia! Second cupboard, third shelf, fifth from the right, the blue one," Draco ordered and Ginny hurried to the named place.
Halflife raised her wand, but was stopped by Draco's hand on it. "You can't stun him."
"But while moving, he makes the pain even worse," she answered with desperation.
"If you stun him, the bones won't move at all."
She sighed in defeat. "What can we do then? I can't watch him suffer."
"Yes, he has suffered enough," Draco said with pity. "We'll do it the old fashioned way."
Ropes appeared from Draco's fingers and bound Snape. Ginny returned with a small bottle with blue liquid in it. She gave it to Draco and he poured it into Snape's mouth. After a few moments, Snape stopped moving and the expression on his face became almost peaceful.
"What was it?" Halflife asked.
"A very strong painkiller," Draco began in his lecture tone. "Its main ingredient is the Wolfbane potion. It brings a weak coma state, so a person doesn't feel his body and the pain, of course."
"Fascinating."
"Indeed," Draco said with a knowing smile. "It took me making ten antidotes to mushroom's poisons to receive the recipe from professor Snape. He discovered it himself."
Halflife didn't even want to think for what this potion was meant for and where the need came from. "When will he wake up?"
"From his beauty sleep? Tomorrow. About noon, perhaps."
"Oh, damn, I have classes. I won't be here," she said with frustration.
Draco didn't react to Halflife's unprofessional expression. His thoughts were on the other matter. "Professor, could you please walk Virginia to the Gryffindor Tower?"
"She is a professor herself, she won't run into trouble with Filch for walking in the halls after curfew."
"Yes, but can you simply do it?" Draco said, not looking into her eyes.
'He is just worried about Virginia's safety. Why not say so?' "Yes, of course. No problem. Virginia!" she called.
I am sure you are all wondering where Ginny was during the whole conversation. Well, she was the daughter of her mother: she was cleaning everything around; washing the cauldron, cleaning the mess on the table, organizing the pillows on the couches and everything else that needed a woman's hand, especially Snape's bedroom.
They said their good byes and Ginny, with professor Halflife, left. While walking down the hallway Halflife mentioned, "You two look so cute together."
To Halflife's surprise Ginny didn't start to defend her honor, but said with a sigh, "We are not."
"You mean, you don't look cute?" Halflife asked as if it was the biggest lie on Earth.
"We are not together," Ginny replied, dragging herself to the Gryffindor Tower, which she felt she didn't belong to, or her heart, to be precise.