Chapter 1: The Marks Left Behind
Professor Severus Snape was her masterpiece.
The sun began to go down, setting ablaze the dirty windows of the Shrieking Shack in burnt reds and hot oranges. The professor was still too fragile to move, so she had taken up residence there, along with her assistant William Sinclair, until that time that it would be safe to travel to St. Mungo's.
She waved her wand and floating candles appeared above her and the professor.
She had sent William on an errand to get more potion ingredients. Now it was quiet and still. Only the sound of the professor's light breathing could be heard. She pulled up a chair beside the hospital bed that she transfigured for the professor. His breathing was steady, even, and strong, nothing like the week before when she first set eyes on him.
She never doubted her abilities as a healer, but she really did not think she stood a change as she looked over this man covered in blood, his bladder and bowels had released as his body cleansed itself for death.
She treated him and cleaned him and made him live. He was going to survive because of her and she practically did it single handedly.
Today, IV poles surrounded the professor, not death. She specialized in the use of both muggle and magical medicine. That's what made her the best. She placed IVs into the professor's veins. She infused blood replenishing potion, essence of dittany, antivenoms, and a draft to prevent pain and keep the professor in a magically induced coma. She applied a paste, of her own creation, to the wounds on his neck to draw the snake poison out the way it came. She changed the bandages hourly for 3 days until the drainage from the professor's neck ran clear instead of a greenish pus. Then she dipped stitches in dittany and carefully sewed the professor's skin back together.
He looked peaceful. He was ignorant to all her sleepless nights. He did not even know the war was won. He just slept.
She had dressed him in a white hospital gown, his black robes had been torn to shreds and soiled beyond help. She washed his body gently every afternoon with a sponge and warm basin of water. She kept his long, black hair clean and neat. She fed him fluids and nurturance through one of the IVs. She placed a catheter and cleaned him up when he soiled the sheets. She checked his neck often, pealing back the dressing and applying potion to prevent scarring and infection.
Now the marks on his neck were white and thin. They would never completely fade but they would not be noticeable from a slight distance. She couldn't say the same for other marks.
The professor's left forearm remained stained by Lord Voldemort. The Dark Mark faded but left a rough gray patch of scaly skin behind. The skull and snake could still be distinguished.
Despite all she had heard about the former Hogwarts headmaster, she wondered how he would react to the defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She pressed her hand into the professor's left. She couldn't help but feel a level of comfort and ownership over him and his body. After all, she was the only thing keeping him alive for the past week. She gently ran her finger over his Dark Mark. She was so curious about this man.
His name appeared often in the Daily Prophet and could be heard regularly on the wireless. Nine out of ten times his name was accompanied by that of Harry Potter. Harry Potter was working to clear Severus Snape of all charges against him. These charges included: Fraud, association with the dark arts, and Murder.
'Good Luck, Harry,' she thought.
Yet Harry Potter persisted to protect the man working for the man that killed so many people, including Harry's parents. And Everything Harry said got the public's attention. Snape was the one who performed Avada Kedavra on none other than Albus Dumbledore. On Dumbledore's orders, Harry Potter protested.
She carefully watched the sallow faced man, with his large hooked nose, and lengthy black hair. He did not look like much, but apparently, he was a triple agent, working for Voldemort on Dumbledore's orders, making Voldemort believe that he was working for Dumbledore on his order.
Why would anyone put themselves in that type of danger, only to end up behind the fangs of a venomous, murderous snake.
The unofficial, official story is love. Severus Snape did all of this because he loved or still loves Lily Potter.
From reading the paper, she knew that Harry Potter was in possession of some of the professor's memories. Memories that supposedly prove him innocent or at the very least prove that he should not spend the rest of his life, that she created for him, in prison. A panel of witches and wizards have been evaluating these memories and would come to a conclusion about the professor's fate within the next few weeks.
She cringed to think what private thoughts were being scrutinized by strangers. She hoped that Severus Snape would have his name cleared. She would hate to see all her hard work go to waste if he was just destined to rot behind bars.