Chapter 2: The Best Healer

She watched the professor sleep. She sometimes liked to amuse herself and wonder what it would look like if he smiled.

She stood and removed the IV drip of potion keeping the professor sleep. She thought that perhaps she should wait for William to return before waking Professor Snape, but he was her masterpiece and she wanted to be the one to meet him first. So, he knew that she saved his life.

It took about an hour before the professor began to stir. She sat at his side impatiently. She gently stroked her thumb over his knuckles as she held tight to his hand. She hummed lightly to the professor. She hoped he had enough potion in his bloodstream to keep his pain at bay. The professor's eyes flit open. She had never seen his eyes open before, except to pull his eyelids back to examine his pupil contraction.

Severus Snape's eyes were black and glossy. Fog was casted over his sight. He looked through the haze and a drunken smile touched his lips. She was so pleased to see that look on his face.

Severus felt that familiar hand in his. He felt safe in its touch. He was gazing directly at her. "Lily," he muttered through a broken voice.

A shadow was cast over her face as she was filled with disappointment. "No, Professor," she replied firmly. "No, I'm your healer, Rose."

Suddenly, a wave of understanding swept over Severus's pale face and he began to panic. He tried to move but he couldn't sit up. It was like someone put a body binding jinx on him but did a poor job. He still had limited mobility in his limbs and neck. When he tried to move his head from side to side to view his surroundings, his neck stung terribly, and he cried out in pain. Except the sound that came out was unrecognizable as his voice.

"Oh please," cried a woman's voice. "Please, you're safe. Please hold still."

The woman materialized in front of Severus, in his world of paralyzing pain. She stood with the Shrieking Shack as her backdrop. She was fair skinned, with dark brown hair that she had pulled away from her face in a messy knot on the top of her head. Her large brown eyes looked at him with concern. "Professor Snape," she pleaded with him. "You're safe."

"My wand," Severus tried to say.

"Your vocal chords are still a mess," Rose said to herself.

"My wand," Severus mouthed again.

"Yes, of course," Rose said, after reading his lips. She hurried to fetch his wand off a side table. "Here," she said, hold it out to him. She wanted to assess if he could extend his arm enough to reach it. He couldn't. Rose came in closer and the professor eyed her with mistrust. She gently slipped his wand into his hand. "Look," she said, holding up her empty hands for the professor to see. "I'm unarmed." As she said this, she wondered if this was a foolish move.

The door behind her opened and Severus's eyes darted towards it. William appeared with bags of potion ingredients. William was lengthy and thin. He had sandy blond hair, freckles on his slightly upturned nose, and he wore rectangular glasses.

"Look who's awake," Rose grinned at her assistant.

Severus vaguely recognized that this woman had an American accent.

"William, leave your wand by the door," Rose said. "The professor does not trust us yet," she continued in response to William's skeptical look. William eyed the wand that laid in Snape's hand and then looked back at Rose. She nodded at him encouragingly. William reluctantly abandoned his wand.

"Professor," the woman addressed Severus. "Like I mentioned before, my name is Rose, Rose Rosamond and I'm a healer. This is William," she gestured towards the man, "my assistant."

Severus still watched the pair with mistrust and thought that this woman did not look old enough to have an assistant.

"Do you remember anything that happened to you," Rose Rosamond asked.

Severus saw flashes of fangs in his minds eye and paired with the pain in his neck, he winced at the thought.

"He remembers," William said, reading his expression.

"Of course," Rose remarked with sadness in her tone. "How could you not."

More memories rushed to Severus. He saw a pair of emerald eyes flash before him.

"You probably want to know what happened," Rose said as if reading his mind. "You-Know-Who is dead. Harry Potter killed him." She watched for a reaction, but the professor's face was emotionless or maybe he was still processing what she was telling him. "Harry is fine," she added. "That's why we are here, in part. Harry Potter told us where you were, and you were still alive. Now, in time, you will make a full recovery."

Severus tried to speak again and winced at the burning pain in his throat. "Let's sit you up. I need to fix your vocal cords. I have been giving you dittany and antivenoms though IVs," she gestured to the tubing coming out of Severus's arms. "But if you could drink potion then we could get to the superficial layers of tissue much faster." She turned a crank on the side of the bed and Severus was raised into a sitting position. Rose didn't know the Professor had any color in his face until it drained away. Severus looked as though he might pass out or throw up. Rose put her hand on his cheek. "Hey, stay with me, okay?" she told him. Severus blinked several times to keep himself conscious before sending Rose an angry look, telling her that she should remove her hand immediately. She did.

"William, let's try some of that thickened water," She said without missing a beat. "If he can tolerate that then we can introduce potion directly on his throat." William hurried to fetch what the healer asked. Again, Severus wondered how this woman got the power to order others around and if he could trust her. She offered him some water, except it was thick and slimy looking. She was wandless yes, but she was still trying to tip potential poison down his throat. "I just spent a week saving your life," Rose pointed out. "I wouldn't do you in now with this drink. I invested too much time in you." She signed. "The water has thickening agent in it because it makes it easier to swallow. You know, for those of us who just had our necks ripped open by a giant snake."

Severus glared at her before easing his lips apart and allowing the healer to tip the water into his mouth. Most of it came dribbling down his chin. But the little that did make it down, felt soothing on his dry and cracked throat.

Severus tried to raise his hand to his mouth to wipe away the water that spilled, but he could not make his arms move more than an inch above the bed.

"That's the venom," Rose said, producing a handkerchief and drying Severus's face for him. "That will get better with more of the antivenom potion that I created based on this particular snake." She kept trying to remind him what wonderful work she did. She wanted him to know without a doubt that she was the one who saved him. "I'm sure the water felt good," she commented. "Will you have more?"

Severus still felt horrible but no more horrible than before the drink. He parted his lips again. The healer tipped more water down him. "Let's add some dittany this time," she said, satisfied that he could swallow. Again, her assistant immediately handed her the vial of potion she needed. She added it to the cup of thickened water. Severus allowed her to give it to him. At once he recognized the wonderous effects of dittany. The potion slid down Severus's throat. He could feel the sensation of cold from the water mixed with the warmth from the potion. He felt his throat healing internally.

The healer smiled at him. She was awfully close to his face. "Say something," she demanded. "I want to see if it worked on your vocal cords."

Severus did not like to be told what to do nor did he appreciate being this woman's science experiment. She pressed her lips together, seemingly realizing what was going on.

"Professor Snape," she said softly, "would you please say your name for me?"

Severus eyed her for a moment. "Severus Snape," he managed to say in a hoarse but audible voice.

The healer smiled brightly at him. Severus was not used to people getting that excited to hear his name.

"You are a healer?" Severus asked the woman. "You hardly look old enough to be qualified." His voice was very weak.

Rose laughed full-heartedly. "I have never been so happy to have my credentials questioned," she said.

William looked shocked at Professor Snape. "She is the most accomplished healer around. Rose has saved the lives of countless witches and wizards, as well as muggles." William watched for Severus's reaction when he mentioned the healing of muggles. Severus's eyes darted towards the healer. She was looking at the ground, blushing.

Rose pressed her lips together and looked upon her assistant. "Thank you," she said with embarrassment. She turned to Severus again. "I'm 25," she told Severus. "I did my 7 years of magical education and 4 years to become a healer. My parents are No Mag doctors and I incorporate nonmagical healing as well into my practice. I find it quite affective. In any case, it has been with you," Again, pointing out that she saved him.

"It was Harry Potter, himself who asked for the best healer to be brought in to treat you," William exclaimed, "and Rose is the best."

Severus wrapped his fingers around his wand as tight as he could manage. 'Legilimens,' he said silently. First, the boy's thoughts flashed before Severus's mind's eye. An album of images of the healer came forth, her tying back her long hair, her smiling over her shoulder, her working seriously over a cauldron. Then an image that was clearly made up based on the foggy quality and blurred lines. It was again of the young woman, her hair loose around her as she slowly unfastened her robes with a sly smile on her pink lips.

The boy did not seem to feel Severus's presence in his tiny mind.

The healer's thoughts flooded their way to Severus next. Severus saw his own face torn up and covered in blood. More images came of him. He saw her hands on his neck, mending his wounds, her hands skimming over medical books while clutching onto Severus as if clinging him to life. He heard her cry over him when something was not going as planned. He saw her run a finger over the Dark Mark on his left arm.

Then there was a sudden flash of a young man's face, he had white blond hair, with pointed features, and steely gray eyes. He looked familiar to Severus somehow.

The images suddenly went black as if someone switched off the lights. Severus looked over at the healer. She had an expression of extreme concentration. She was using occlumency against him. She was not doing it very well, he could have easily broken through if he was trying harder and she was also being extremely obvious about it. However, she had sensed him in her thoughts and stopped him. Her eyes slid over to Severus. Her look was half angry, but also a little hurt.

Severus felt a twinge of guilt run through him.

"William," Rose said dryly. "It's been a really long day, you should get some rest."

"You have been awake all day," William protested.

At that moment, Severus spied a cot on the other side of the room.

"I will drink some coffee," Rose said simply. "Really, go home with your family." She was being polite, but it was very clear that she was ready to have him out. Maybe it was to protect his privacy from Severus. However, if this healer knew the unsavory thoughts going through this boy's head, she would probably not be so quick to look after him.