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Drama, father and son head butting, suggested obscenities and a wordless professor are coming your way.

Chapter 10

The beauty of a poisonous flower

The silence fell again, replaced by muffled voices on the second floor.

But that voice, that terrified voice had been Hermione's, Harry was sure of it and a lump formed in his throat. The first shock quickly passed; he jumped to his feet, spilling water as Lupin got up too, the legs of their chairs screeching on the floor. Expecting Lupin to follow him upstairs, Harry was surprised to see, when he looked over his shoulder, that the man was rushing towards the fireplace.

Harry asked with eagerness, «Are you going to get a Healer? Do you want me to tell them?», but Lupin shook his head, his face showing discomfort and resignation. Lupin raised a hand and took a fistful of Floo Powder that bleeded between his clasped fingers. Harry saw him whisper a few words and green flames engulfed him, illuminating the entire kitchen. Harry ran up the stairs, almost falling down in his haste.

The corridor was dark but a quaking light was coming out the girls' room, drawing an imperfect triangle on the floor. In the flickering light that bathed the cheery, flowery wallpaper of Ginny's room, Harry saw the worried Weasleys trying to do something to help.

Mrs Weasley was wringing a cloth over a basin she must have conjured, the water dripping on the floor as she got to her knees to dab Hermione's sweaty forehead while whispering, «Sweetheart, come back to us, now. Please honey, wake up.» Bill was feverishly reading a small leather-covered book, turning the pages back and forth, mumbling under his breath and rolling his wand between the fingers of his right hand. Mr Weasley turned to Harry when he came in: Harry was scared by the hard look he had on his face. Ron was standing beside the bed, his mouth open in fear, clutching his hands. Ginny was on her knees, holding Hermione's hand and whispering so softly Harry could not hear what she was saying.

For a while, Harry stood there, his mind blank, not knowing what to do to help; he was submerged by the terrible feeling that the most likely person to know the right resources and explanations about what was going on, was on this bed, feeble and unconscious. For a brief moment, nobody moved and everybody watched Hermione's face.

Harry felt that time had stopped but then Hermione's hands started to jerk: soon, her entire body quivered.

«She's having spasms, Arthur. We have to do something,» panted Mrs Weasley, as she was trying to immobilize her. Ginny climbed up the bed and she almost wrestled with her, trying to take her in her arms. Hermione's eyes shot open, but Harry's quick relief transformed into sheer horror: Hermione's big brown eyes were somewhat vacant and she was clearly not seeing what was happening around her.

She's stuck in her dream

Ginny was speaking louder now, her panic rising in her voice. "Hermione, please, please, please…" Harry could see her red hair flowing on her back and his heart broke when a sob shook Ginny's voice as she tried to immobilize her, "Please, Hermione, wake up…It's me…Ginny, your friend…you're dreaming… It's only a dream…"

Ginny was trying to hold Hermione's shoulders on the mattress, but Harry was amazed by the strength Hermione still had in her: she had been looking frail in the last few days but Ginny was clearly not having the upper hand. Harry approached Ron and touched hesitantly his elbow: Ron turned to him and he looked as he was awaking from a dream. «What can we do?» urgently said Harry to his friend.

Ron, without speaking, took two steps towards Hermione's bedside. Harry looked at Ron reaching for his sister: he knew his friend was strong but to see him grab her by the waist and lifting her like she was a featherweight broomstick was definitely discovering another side to bumbling, clumsy Ron. He dropped her off with gentleness and his blue eyes crossed Harry's.

Quickly understanding where Ron was going with this, Harry jumped on the bed and uneasily sat on Hermione's ankles. Bill moved in his back while Harry firmly grabbed her quaking legs, trying to stroke them at the same time in what he thought a reassuring gesture.

Bill blurted, «I - I found it. Try to immobilize her. I have found an spell that could knock her out for a while.» Mrs Weasley cried out, «Are you sure, Bill? How about the interactions with the potions she took?» Harry saw Bill long hair going from one shoulder to another when he dropped without ceremony the book on the floor, brandishing his wand and gently pushing away his mother.

Ron moved swiftly to dodge Hermione's disorganized jerks and he managed to grip her wrists. Ron pressed them over her head, arching over her, his knee against the mattress. Harry could not see Ron's face but he could hear his voice, a low guttural plea that made his hair rise on his arms, «Hermione...»

Bill shouted, «Stop moving, you guys!» He pointed his wand towards Hermione and with a sharp movement of his wrist, he shouted again, «Serenitas

A golden blur surrounded Hermione for a split second and Harry felt under him Hermione's legs turning limp. A quick glance to her face churned Harry's stomach: she looked asleep but her face still showed traces of her suffering. Her eyelids were fluttering and tears slipped on her cheeks.

Harry took a deep breath in and slowly went down the bed, reluctantly breaking contact with Hermione as he did not want to leave her alone.

Ginny moved to him and she circled him with her arms, her face to his back, holding him tightly against her. Harry stroked her warm hand: Ginny was still shaking from the effort she invested. She muttered, her lips against his shoulder blade, «Do you think she's going to be okay?» Harry looked at her supplicating face over his shoulder and he frowned, shaking his head slightly.

I'm afraid of what I'm thinking

Bill went around the bed and gently pulled back Ron, who was still tightly holding Hermione's wrists with his hands. Bill said with a soft voice, « Let her go, mate. She's out of her dream now.» Ron mechanically obeyed and stood up, his eyes not leaving Hermione's face. Harry could see his shoulders rise up rapidly as he was breathing hard.

Bill shook his head; his troubled eyes crossed Harry's.

Seeing strong people being afraid is awfully disturbing

Bill looked intently at his still standing father and crossed his arms, his face frozen in a stern expression. «This is a lot of magic for a teenage witch, Dad. This a lot of magic for any wizard, period. She had potions today, plus this spell…We need to Floo in her parents and then, they have a decision to make. I'm confident she'll be calm for one or two hours, but after…We'll have to do something more.»

Arthur Weasley bit his lips and nodded. He slowly said, looking at his feet, «I talked to her parents yesterday and they told me to bring her to St.Mungo's if necessary. That's what we will do. I'll go fetch them.» From the corner of his eye, Harry saw Molly Weasley rise up to her feet and Ginny shivered against him as her mother spoke in a harsh tone, «Did you tell them Healers will have to keep their daughter sedated for days, if not weeks, before she could get access to a proper Dark Magic Healer Witch?»

Mr Weasley looked her in the eye and he clenched his jaw, «Molly, we will not go over this again. There is no way we are letting a Bearer in the house.»

Harry felt the uneasiness of this situation: he hated fights, he hated to see Hermione and Ron go at each other's throat but seeing two usually loving parents snarling and fighting for something so important made him suddenly wish he could witness again the ridiculous arguments conducted by his two friends instead of this one.

Bill opened his mouth, but Mr Weasley spoke before he did, «I know you're on your mother's side on this, Bill. Don't argue with me, this girl needs help. Medical help. This is the proper procedure.»

Red went to Bill's face and he snapped back, « I'm not Percy, Dad. Procedures won't work for me. I'm keeping my ground on this. I know way more Dark Magic than you can imagine. Yes, I agree, Hermione needs help. But we have access to someone who could do a difference really quickly.» Bill took a step towards his father as he spoke with a little more gentleness, « I know what I'm suggesting here. But she was a friend. I know her. There was a lot of rubbish written on Bearers, Dad. We have nothing to fear from her.»

Harry felt Ginny move to his side, her eyes quickly going from his brother to his father. They held hands silently, witnessing with a shared apprehension the sparks that were almost flying in the air as the two men looked at each other with intensity. Arthur slipped under his breath, «You think you know her. How many years has it been, Bill? I have two words for you, son: Minaguash Rebellion

That thing again

Harry saw Bill's usually open and handsome face turn stormy and Mrs Weasley said weakly, stroking Hermione's hair, «I gave her the three potions tonight, as Severus suggested. Why won't they work?» Bill jolted and his earring oscillated over his shoulder. He turned towards her, «All three potions! But that's way too much, Mum!»

A sharp, menacing voice came from the threshold of the room, making everybody startle, « I'm afraid my memory is betraying me. I don't recall any particular ability in brewing SoulResting potions from you, Bill. At least, your grades did not give that away.»

Severus Snape was standing in the quivering light, enfolded in a long dusty black cloak, a displeased expression creasing his features. He was holding a leather travel bag. Over his shoulder, Harry could see Lupin trying to catch his breath while dusting his shoulders. A heavy silence welcomed them.

Harry could not believe it. He bit his tongue while he refrained a long list of obscenities that would have made Ron proud.

How could Lupin do this?

From all the people he could have brought back, he had to bring in Snape.

Anger exploded in him and Harry decided he would not even waste his energy containing it. He gripped Ginny's hand tighter and tensed up, trying to convey in his expression his disgust and frustration.

Molly Weasley walked towards Snape, her hands raised to him in a welcoming gesture. Harry felt more than he saw Snape's slight cringe. « Severus, am I glad to see you…I did everything you wrote me to do. I tripled the dose as you suggested. She's not well at all.» Snape raised his eyebrows and his condescending voice was so unctuous that it made Harry shake in frustration.

Don't talk to her like that, she's doing her best

«Molly, I am certain that you did all whatever is in your power to help Miss Granger. Lupin told me she was screaming again in her sleep. Maybe I could add something, for the moment, before you floo her to St.Mungo's. Let me get a look at her.» Snape walked to the bed and his eyes were hostile as he crossed Harry's.

Arthur Weasley was staring at Lupin, clearly unhappy. Lupin shook his head in denial and said in whisper, loud enough for Harry to hear it, « I'm sorry. Say what you want, Arthur, this girl is sick. Face it, St. Mungo's is not the only option. Sometimes you just have to confront darkness with darkness. Severus may be able to reduce her suffering while we wait for the-» But Mr Weasley was already asking Snape, «Severus, what can you do about this?»

Snape dropped off the bag on the night table with what seemed to Harry an infuriating slowness.

The rotten bastard

He's enjoying the power it's giving him

Snape looked at Mr Weasley and a wry smile tensed his lips as he said, « May I have more light, Molly? I'll do what I can, Arthur. I'm not a Healer. But it's not going quite well, I have to say. Have you considered asking Professor Dumbledore for the Bearer? » Harry's palms became sweaty when he saw Mr Weasley turn pale.

The Potion Master kneeled to Hermione's bedside and he drew his hand to her forehead. A strong hand spotted with freckles grabbed his bony wrist while Mrs Weasley hollered, «RON! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!»

Harry could not believe his eyes when Ron let go off Snape quickly as the man massaged furiously his wrist. Ron muttered, in a low growl, «Don't hurt her.»

Snape was about to snarl something at him but Harry felt a whiff of triumph expanding in his chest when his professor seemed to remember that parents were there. The man snapped back, his dark eyes burning Ron's face, «This is perfectly unacceptable. I came out of my way, almost exposing myself to help your… friend. Let me work.»

Mrs Weasley insisted, «RON! Apologise to Professor Snape right NOW!» Harry tried to send telepathically his sympathy to Ron while the sullen teen said in a unconvincing manner, «I'm sorry, Professor.»

Snape laid his hand again on Hermione's forehead and he looked at Mrs Weasley with disapproval. His fingers gingerly palpated her neck. Harry tried to restrain himself from gagging and was relieved Hermione would hopefully not remember anything from this.

Joining his hands while looking down on the tear-streaked cheeks, Snape scornfully asked Mrs Weasley, «Where did she received the hex?»

Harry felt Ginny move while she answered Snape with a decided voice before her mother could speak, «She told me it was here.» Ginny showed her own stomach, a few inches to the north of her bellybutton.

Snape lifted his head; his eyes grazed Ron's face and he bitterly asked Mrs Weasley, «Could you expose it, so I can examine it?»

Ginny held Ron's wrist as he looked like he would chew Snape's head off if he dared to touch Hermione again. Mrs Weasley obliged; pushing away the sweat-soaked bed sheet, she uncovered Hermione's stomach, folding a bit of the top of her pyjamas. Her hands trembled when she gasped, «Oh, dear…»

Harry, Ron and Ginny looked down and they could not contain a cry at what they saw. Lupin, Bill and Mr Weasley looked downright petrified and Harry noted without surprise that Snape's face was expressionless.

A Snitch-sized purple mark veined with black adorned Hermione's stomach.

Harry remembered a picture Neville Longbottom had showed him one day in Herbology, a picture of a poisonous flower, deadly and beautiful at the same time. Harry blinked: was it moving? He forced himself to keep his eyes open and he saw the delicate petals of the mark bloom and undulate, imperceptibly swishing on Hermione's pale skin.

Lupin voice was almost blank when he asked, «What is this? Severus, have you ever seen anything like it? It's a Contamino, isn't it?» Snape's lips were tightly shut and his dark eyes were downcast on the magical wound.

Harry believed he hated Severus Snape with his entire heart, body and soul but seeing him without words was way scarier than when he snarled insults or sarcasms.

Snape licked his cracked lips and Harry nervously scratched his chin: the Potion Master's voice was so dull it did not even seem like his own. «This mark…Does somebody know since when shedeveloped it?» Nobody had the chance to answer him: a thunderous noise announced that somebody was Apparating in the house.

Arthur, Bill, Snape and Lupin quickly drew their wand but soon everybody could hear a stumble and a feminine voice whispering: «Ouch! Arthur, Molly, I swear, my eyes are closed. I hope I'm not disturbing anything…Anyway, I know this is really rude. I'm so sorry to Apparate in your bedroom at this hour but I've got to talk to -»

Lupin called out, holding his head out of the room, «Tonks, we're here.» Harry heard Tonks light footsteps running towards the room and she entered, her hood hiding a short bob of violet hair. She looked surprised to see them all up at this hour and Harry thought that for a second, her face showed discomfort when she saw Snape. She quickly regained her composure, «What's going on?»

She looked over Harry's shoulder and he smelled a faint odour of liquorice emanating from her as her hand touched her mouth when she saw the mark on Hermione's limp body. Arthur Weasley asked aggressively, «What are you doing here, at this hour?»

«Arthur-» slowly started to say Lupin, looking devastated.

Tonks gulped and rummaged in the inner pocket of her robes. Harry felt sad for her: she looked immensely tired and her eyes were brimmed with red. Tonks held out a neatly creased parchment towards Mr Weasley, «It's from Professor Dumbledore.»

Mr Weasley grabbed the missive and opened it with precise and sharp moves. Harry grew impatient as he saw him read it in silence, his face closing as his eyes were running on the parchment.

Tonks's purple hair was turning red at the ends: impatience was tensing her delicate features. She crossed her arms with defiance as she looked up to Mr Weasley, «Arthur, I know you are not pleased with this, but we have to do something. Dumbledore has arranged everything. Let me go get her.»

Harry saw Arthur Weasley exchanging glances with his wife, who was silently approving. He then looked at Harry for what seemed to him a long time, forcing him to shift his weight from one foot to the other.

Why, Mr Weasley? Why are you so hesitant? What could be more important than Hermione's health right now?

Harry was taken aback when he saw Mr Weasley's overwhelming emotion when he looked at Ginny, who was still holding Harry's hand in hers, her face tired from the lack of sleep but her expectant and confident eyes firmly fixed at her father. Almost making his glasses fall off his long nose, Mr Weasley rubbed his eyes with his fingers and he soundly coughed when he could not look his eldest son in the eye.

Finally, Mr Weasley looked at Ron with pained eyes. The red-hair teen had turned his back to them and had crouched to Hermione's bedside. Harry did not see anything in Ron's expression or attitude that could make him think his friend might have listened to what had been debated in the last minutes.

Harry pressed Ginny's hand harder when he saw that Ron was stroking with the pulp of his right index a tiny wisp of Hermione's hair that was crowning her head on the pillow, in an almost invisible caress.

Harry felt a powerful wave of relief when Mr Weasley spoke in choked voice, his face contorted with a sullen resolution, still looking at Ron, «I'll follow Dumbledore's orders. Bring the Bearer here. » Tonks breathed hard and whispered, furiously shaking her head, «Good Merlin…at last. You won't regret it, Arthur, I promise.» She closed her eyes and in a blasting sound, she Disapparated.

Harry would not have bet on it, but during Tonks' tumultuous departure he thought he heard Snape repeat in a serious, urgent voice, «At last.»

Hmmmm. To be consistent with my reputation of being a sadistic fanfictioner, I'll just say this, « To be continued.»