Chapter 6: Madame Snape

The seven fugitives crashed into the floor with the sound of shattering glass and breaking wood. Harry was a bit dizzy as he tried to clamber to his feet. From the looks of it, they'd landed in some kind of storeroom, maybe a pantry. There were floor-to-ceiling shelves of various things in mason jars. It was dark and cramped and everyone was a bit crumpled up. Then suddenly the light blared on, a single fluorescent swinging with the momentum of their unconventional landing and the door was yanked open

"What in the name of Merlin is going on here?!" a very familiar voice shrieked.

"Madame Snape!" Harry whispered in one part horror, one part relief. The woman instantly froze. She stared at the teens and old animagus as they slowly reoriented themselves with a groan. Dudley shuddered and would have sicked up all over the floor if Susan hadn't quickly conjured a bucket. Ron was the slowest to rise, looking pained. When he did manage to climb to his feet it didn't last very long. A few moments later he toppled over with a wheeze. Harry cried out in alarm. But Eileen was faster.

"You've managed to splinch yourself," she muttered in irritation before she dashed out of what was indeed a supply cupboard to the room beyond and retrieved a series of potions. "Drink those. Then close your eyes and rest." she declared. Ron tried to argue, but the moment he opened his mouth she forced them down his throat. "Now!" she exclaimed before standing up and placing her hands on her hips in a very familiar gesture. "Would someone like to explain why exactly you're in my shop?"

"I'm sorry." Susan piped up. "The place we were staying got compromised. We needed somewhere to lay low for a few days. It was the first thing that popped into my head."

"I see." Eileen responded with pursed lips, "and what stopping me from tossing you all out onto the street?" Harry held his breath and gave the woman his most pleading look. She caught his eyes before she huffed. "Very well… I suppose it's only fair. It is my son that has caused all this mess. The least I can do to mitigate some of his mess is protect you for a few nights." the group all instantly relaxed. "Now come upstairs. Black, levitate the Weasley boy gently. The potions will have settled the internal bleeding, but jostling could reopen the wounds." Sirius nodded and lifted Ron up as smoothly as he could. The group followed the austere woman up a flight of narrow winding stairs. The rooms above the shop weren't spacious, but cozy nonetheless. Eileen directed Sirius to put the injured boy on her couch before wrapping his legs with a throw.

"So… what were you doing that caused such a fervent escape?" Eileen demanded.

"Do you get papers?" Sirius asked. Eileen snorted.

"Of course, I get paper you berk," Eileen said with a roll of her eyes. Sirius snorted but shook his head.

"Then just wait. I'm sure they'll have quite the sensational article about it by tonight," he promised. Eileen's eyebrow arched in a very familiar way. It made Harry's heart hurt.

Maybe staying here was a bad idea.

"Your friend will need more potions in a bit. But it's best we leave him for now," Eileen said with a huff.

"We can compensate you." Hermione said quickly, "I know potions of this type can be very expensive."

"You can pay me by saving the world," Eileen said smoothly. "That is what you've been up to these past few weeks yes? The prophet says your running from the law for murdering Dumbledore, but I know better."

"How…" Harry asked, "how do you know?" Eileen's lips thinned.

"Because Severus told me." she said coldly, "the marby ol' berk tells me everything eventually… when he remembers I'm still alive," she added crossly. The group exchanged weary glances. "He hasn't been to visit me since that day. I hope it's because he's ashamed. But somehow I don't think so."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. Eileen scoffed.

"Why are you sorry? Did you hold my son at wand point and force him? Did you give him some compulsive urge to become an absolute dunderhead?" she snapped. The student all snickered. So that's where that word came from! "I fail to see how any of this is humorous!"

"Sorry." the teens muttered sheepishly. Eileen huffed and walked towards her kitchen. "My son's mistakes are all his own Harry Potter. Never forget that." all Harry could do was nod.

Ron woke an hour later, groggy and confused.

"Wazzit?" he murmured tiredly.

"Ron! " Harry cried as he got up from the table where he and Anthony had been playing cards.

"Wot 'appended?" he asked tiredly, "where are we?"

"Madame Snape's shop in York," Susan explained quietly.

"Wot? He asked, "Snape? Why would you-"

"It just popped into my head," Susan said sheepishly.

"A death eater grabbed her right as we left." Hermione explained, "he was still with us when we landed at Grimmauld. He knows the secret so now he can bring others in."

"He was pretty messed up," Dudley admitted. "But he was probably still able to bring others inside."

"Well shit," Ron said tiredly, "hope Kreacher 's alright. I was actually starting to like that elf."

"Kreacher is a wryly bugger." Sirius reminded him, "he'll know what to do. Besides. Elves can be invisible if they want to be. He can't share any secrets about The Order."

"Do you think he'd still want to?" Harry asked truthfully.

"I'm not sure even he could answer that question until it was asked," Sirius remarked with a chuckle. Harry smiled.

"So what happened to you two?" Ron demanded Hermione and Anthony with a scowl. "you were supposed to distract everyone so Dudley could attack Umbridge!"

"She caught us!" Hermione wailed dramatically, "right as we were heading for the supply closet you told us about! She made us turn around and head to the marriage registration office."

"She watched us to make sure we went too. It was kinda creepy," Anthony admitted.

"Well why didn't you leave after?" he demanded.

"Well…" Anthony began before a smile bloomed. "We were kinda busy."

"Getting married." Hermione finished with a beaming grin.

"Wait… for real?!" Dudley cried in awe. Hermione nodded and showed off the ring that the bishop had been all too willing to supply them. It wasn't very fancy. Just a simple gold band with three small sapphires. Anthony showed off his own ring, brass with a small ruby. The bishop had grinned when the pair chose those rings. It was a beautiful way to express not only their loyalty to their houses but the way that loyalty was shaped by their love and loyalty to each other.

"I can't believe you actually got married!" Susan cried in shock as she inspected Hermione's ring with awe.

"We can't really believe it either!" Anthony admitted with a laugh. "Oh but my mum is gonna pitch a fit!"

"Why?" Hermione asked worriedly

"Well first off, I got married at seventeen, by an Anglican Bishop, at a civil court, in a Jewish shotgun wedding!" Anthony joked merrily. The group all laughed at that. "but also she had all of these plans for our wedding. Complete with flowers and ridiculous cake designs."

"She was planning our wedding?!" Hermione cried in awe, "but I only met her once!"

"She really liked you," Anthony said with a smile. Hermione grinned and gave him a quick kiss.

"A word of advice dear," Eileen spoke up, arms folding in a way that was so reminiscent of her son that it made everyone tense slightly. They half expected her to start deducting points, "you are young. And in love. But if that should ever change, do not allow yourself to be dragged along for the ride."

"I won't," Hermione said with thin lips. Eileen gave her a nebulous look.

"No, I suppose you won't." she finally responded. Then she took a deep breath, "supper is ready. I'm afraid all I can offer is a slightly runny pea soup."

"That's brilliant!" Ron cried happily, "I'm starving!"

"Indeed?" she asked with that quirked eyebrow. Harry couldn't help but smile sadly. Snape really did take after his mum. Not just in looks, except for the hair of course, but in mannerisms as well. Though he supposed that would be normal, seeing as she raised him on her own since he was thirteen. Suddenly he found himself inundated with questions about the man. What had he been like before Hogwarts? What had he been like as a teenager? But he remained mostly silent through their meal. Despite Eileen's insistence that was the soup was mediocre at best Harry still found it delicious. Everyone did. Especially Sirius who had two helpings. They'd all been fed Eileen set about transfiguring the pieces of furniture in her bedroom into a few sets on bunk beds. "As for the newlyweds. I've converted my storage room into a bedroom. It should suffice for now." both Anthony and Hermione squeaked in alarm and turned a crimson colour. Everyone else snickered at their expense and Dudley whispered several lude jokes at Anthony with a wink. Sirius laughed as the boy covered his face and groaned in mortification. Eileen's smirk was achingly similar to Snape's.

"What about you?" Harry asked worriedly. Ron was already dozing on the couch, after all, having fallen back asleep after a few bites of the pea soup. Sirius had turned into a dog and clamoured up onto one of the armchairs and fell into a light doze, to be roused at the slightest sound Harry was sure

"I have a cot in the corner of my lab." Eileen declared. "I usually made Severus sleep on it when he visited… I suppose it might be why he didn't very often." and so they all settled down. Harry stared up at the ceiling for several hours. Despite Dudley and Susan's quiet breathing, Harry couldn't shake the weird feeling that had gnawed at him since they'd arrived at madame Snape's house. He had so many questions about Snape. But he knew it was likely the woman couldn't answer half of them. Suddenly there was a crash followed but a shout from Sirius. Harry was up like a shot, rolling off the top bunk and landing with a thump. Dudley also sat bolt upright, though a bit groggily, Susan whined and covered her eyes. Then Sirius screamed in pain. Harry pulled open the door with his wand already drawn and ran down the hall. Ron was struggling to his feet. Hermione and Anthony stuck their heads out of the guest room, looking groggy and dishevelled. The door to the shop stairs was open. Harry ran down the stairs as fast as he could, nearly slipping down them twice. The scene he found at the bottom of the stairs made him freeze. Eileen was staring down at Sirius with a curling sneer on her lips. The man was curled into a ball, clutching his stomach in utter agony. Then he heaved and a globule of blood dribbled down his chin.

"Oh god please make it stop!" the man begged pitifully. Eileen's eyes burned.

"I'd sooner eat arsenic." she spat furiously. Harry stared in horror as Sirius convulsed again and yet more blood pooled on the floor. "Tell me, Black, how it feels?"

"It's-bloody awful!" the man roared, "Can't you see I'm dying!?"

"You'll live." Eileen declared, "the poison only lasts twenty-four hours. And it was diluted by the soup of course"

"Twenty-four... poison… you fucking poisoned me?!" Sirius cried in alarm before vomiting again.

"Indeed." Eileen declared before sniffing furiously, "but I'm only giving you a taste of your own medicine."

"What?!" Sirius sobbed. Eileen's bared her teeth in a vicious snarl.

"Do you know how many times I had to nurse my son back to health! How many times he suffered like this! Dreading every year his return to Hogwarts! All because of you and your torment! There was one year he couldn't eat for a whole month! You made my son's life such a living hell that it nearly killed him!" Eileen roared even as she whirled away from the man, turning from him as if looking at him was too repulsive to bear.

"Can't you give me something for the pain?" Sirius tried with a whimper. Eileen scowled.

"No."

"Madame Snape…" Susan began from behind Harry, making him jump slightly. "Surely you didn't let Professor Snape suffer…"

"No. I did not let Severus suffer." Eileen confirmed, "but I am far less inclined to give him the same relief. For I fear he won't learn otherwise. He is, after all, a Gryffindor." she said the last line as if it were an insult. Harry flinched slightly.

"More than half the people in our group are." Dudley piped up cautiously. "And besides. You don't have to dull all his pain, just maybe enough so he's not shivering on the ground in the fetal potion." Eileen looked at the teenagers before tsking and looking down at Sirius with disgust.

"Very well." then she dug into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. She turned Sirius's face up with her foot and poured the potion over it. It fell all over the man's head and he whimpered but after a few moments relaxed a fraction. Slowly, with a still shaking hand, he wiped his face.

"Thank you," he said mutely.

"Don't thank me." she drawled coldly, "thank your godson and his cousin." then she turned back into her lab, slamming the door behind her. Harry and Dudley both walked over and carried Sirius back up the stairs. He shivered the whole way and collapsed into a chair. Ron was sitting up, looking a lot less peaky than he had at dinner but still a little pale.

"What happened?!" he asked worriedly.

"Madame Snape poisoned him." Susan supplied. Hermione gasped in horror.

"Why?" Anthony asked slowly with worry-filled eyes.

"Sounded like she was getting revenge for Sirius causing something like this to Snape," Dudley said quietly. Hermione frowned.

"What are the symptoms?" she asked

"Stomach pain, shivering, and vomiting blood." Harry listed worriedly.

"It's a hemorrhagic ulcer," Anthony said plainly. "My sister used to get them when she was younger. They're usually caused by taking lots of painkillers for headaches or muscle pain and then get worse from excessive stress. You have to be particular about what you eat or drink and it can also affect your sleep. They're pretty horrible."

"I'm aware," Sirius murmured pitifully. Then he shivered and clutched his stomach again with a moan.

"I thought she gave you the antidote," Susan muttered

"No just a pain potion." Harry corrected, "and not nearly enough to really help. Just relieve the symptoms for a few hours to get some sleep." Sirius whimpered.

"Here," Ron said before he rose to his feet shakily. "Let him have the couch. I'll be fine I'm sure once I have a good night's sleep. Can you help me get to the bunks?"

"Sure." Susan declared before helping the still unsteady teen down the hall. Sirius meanwhile flopped onto the couch and shuddered, holding his stomach.

"You'll be fine by tomorrow." Harry reminded him. "24 hours she said."

"Oh god, how did he fucking survive?" Sirius moaned "I'm going to die!"

"You're not going to die," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. honestly, he'd forgotten how dramatic Sirius could be when he was ill. He'd made Harry write down an informal will once when he got the flu in the summer. He pulled p the blanket Ron had been using and tucked it around his godfather. "Just try to get some rest," he said quietly. Then he looked into the man's pained eyes and whispered, "and maybe think about what this must have felt like at my age." then he stood and went back to his room. Sirius stared after him with abject horror, looking so terrified. Then he shivered as a particularly bad bout of pain wracked his frame.

No one was in a particularly good mood the next day. Groggy from their disturbed sleep they were quiet and downtrodden. Sirius bemoaned his inability to even smell coffee. Eileen was less than impressed by the display. Harry was slightly irritated with her. He knew that Sirius needed to learn some empathy but he hardly thought there needed to be quite such drastic action.

"Perhaps you will remember this the next time you feel the need to belittle and torment someone ceaselessly," Eileen muttered darkly when Sirius sobbed into the bucket Hermione conjured for him. Harry sent her a venomous scowl. Eileen held his gaze unflinching before going back to her tea as if she hadn't poisoned his godfather. She continued to nurse Ron back to health, who by the late afternoon was back on his feet, chipper and ready for action. Then at about 6 o'clock Sirius suddenly slumped into the couch and let out a prolonged groan of utter relief.

"Give me coffee." was the first thing he said to Harry with bloodshot eyes. The teen leapt up and did just that, pouring his godfather a mug of strong black coffee. The man guzzled it with a moan of pure ecstasy. Then he stood up. He walked over to Eileen and stared her down.

"I am truly sorry." he said plainly, "I never treated him with the respect he deserved when he deserved it."

"No, you didn't." Eileen confirmed with cold eyes, "and now he deserves none at all." Sirius flinched as she said this. He knew exactly what she was implying. And the worst part was that she wasn't entirely wrong. While not the sole reason, Sirius definitely played a pretty large part in Severus's decision to become a death eater. And now the man had killed the greatest wizard of all time and plunged the whole country into a civil war. "You're more alike than you realize I think," she muttered. Sirius looked up. "I'll remind you that before I was a Snape, I was a Prince. I know what your mother was like. It's no stretch of the imagination to think she might have tried to beat the disobedience out of you. The pair of you could have been kindred spirits. Struggling together. Instead, you chose to tear him down to make yourself feel better." Eileen snapped furiously. Sirius felt his cheeks pink with shame. "I don't blame you for your mother's cruelty. Merkin knows that woman had one too many screws loose in the head. But at some point, you must admit that the taunting breached a limit… I mean the incident with the werewolf!" Eileen cried, flabbergasted. "You should have been expelled! You would have been! If you hadn't been so at risk."

"Mother would have left me on the street," Sirius confirmed.

"I know." Eileen said, "that's why Severus allowed you to remain at Hogwarts." then she siped her tea as Sirius gaped at her.

"He… he let me stay? What are you talking about?!" he demanded. Eileen quirked an eyebrow

"Albus decided to leave the matter up to Severus, seeing as he was the injured party. He gave Severus a say in any punishment, including expulsion. Once he'd been given all of the facts of course." Eileen admitted with a smirk, "it was by my son's grace alone that you were allowed to finish your magical education and not end your days as a homeless urchin. So perhaps the next time you see him you should thank him." Eileen said flatly, "before you send him to the gallows of course." Sirius was so floored that he dropped into the chair behind him, still gaping like a fish.

"I… I just might." Sirius declared with awe. "I just might."

That night, as the sun was setting and they were finishing up yet another delicious stew Hermione cleared her throat.

"Madame Snape," she began, "you've been very kind to house us like this. It's incredibly dangerous."

"As I said before, it's the least I could do. You are saving the world after all," she muttered.

"What I meant to say," Hermione continued, "is that you've been very gracious, but it's probably about time that we move on."

"I see." Eileen said, "well I suppose it was inevitable. Though I hardly think now would be the best time to leave. It's almost dark. I say you spend one more night and tomorrow you can leave at first light."

"Thank you," Sirius said for what seemed like the hundredth time. He'd been extremely gracious since the poison had worn off. Probably so the woman wouldn't poison him again, though she didn't seem inclined to. It seemed She felt that Sirius had learnt his lesson. And perhaps he had. He'd been rather quiet and contemplative all evening. "For everything."

"Everything?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow. Sirius faltered.

"Well not everything." he admitted, "I certainly never want to experience another ulcer ever again. And I'd never wish one on my greatest enemy."

"Good." Eileen said, "that was the point." suddenly there was a banging from downstairs. Eileen rose with a stern expression and held a finger to her lips that made Harry shiver in recognition. Suddenly the building shook as the sound of the door to the shop being blown off its hinges mingled with the sound of the destruction of Eileen's products

"OI SNAAAAPE!" came a long drawn out bellow from below.

"Crouch!" Sirius gasped in horror.

"Go!" Eileen insisted as she pulled open the door to the fire escape.

"What about you?!" Harry demanded in horror as another explosion shook the house followed by the sound of roaring flames.

"I assure you, Mr. Potter. I am far too difficult to kill for the likes of them!" she declared with a sniff as she drew her wand. Harry nodded and followed his friends out of the fire escape. They ran through the garden and into the back alleys. The surrounding area was teeming with death eaters, all gorging themselves on violence. The whole city was being attacked! The next twenty minutes were terrifying. On more than one occasion they were almost discovered, had it not been for Sirius flattening them against a wall or stopping their advance in an instant. But finally, they reached the edge of the city and tore across the open field of a farm. As they crested the hill they looked back and Harry choked. Even from here, he could see a few buildings were ablaze. But the largest, and most towering was on a small little side street. A street he had glanced at through curtained windows.

"Oh no." Susan sobbed in horror. "Oh, poor Eileen! I didn't mean for-" then she sobbed again and buried her face in Harry's shoulder. Harry rubbed her back comfortingly.

"We have to get out of here." Ron insisted, "it's way too exposed."

"He's right." Dudley insisted. Hermione reached out a hand. And so everyone joined hands and then with a turn of her heel Hermione drew them away from The Burning of York.

A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry I'm an hour late. It's almost Books' birthday and I'm doing a custom painting for her which is taking up some time.

I hope you enjoyed the return of Eileen. She was truly a joy to write once more.

All the best parts of Severus Snape, Molly Weasley and Minerva McGonagall wrapped up into one extremely irritated Ol' Yorkie.

With little to no compunction to using poison to make a point (;´・`)

Rori Potter & ILoveGeorgeEads: Thanks!

Aslan's Princess: It was even more fun to write them all getting into their roles. Part of this plan was inspired by the idea of Dudley watching a ridiculous amount of James Bond as a kid. So he got to play a suave American 'spy'. And he definitely enjoyed himself.

Anthony and Hermione's marriage was something I'd had planned since day one. It was a quirky thing I really wanted to have happen.

For reasons

foreshadowing |w・）

The Hall of prophecies is also important for the future. It provides a nice set up is all I can say about that.

And yes, they had everything packed away before they left. It would be pretty stupid to leave stuff lying around, especially since Snape can get in.

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed it and I can't wait to hear from you all again!

That's all for now! See you next week!

Don't forget to keep on reading!

-TTC