Chapter 19 - Amanda Macnair

Sage figured that he must look dead to his uncle and to Hermione as well, because both of them were just standing at the door to his room staring gravely at him. Hermione had her hand covering her open mouth.

Do I really look that dreadful? Sage thought. He blinked his eyes to refocus them, they had gotten a little glazed from coming in and out of consciousness.

Gods, they really did think I was dead!

A look of relief had shined over his uncle's eyes as soon as he had blinked. Sage blinked again and the two of them were right next to him. Professor Snape was prodding him in the neck, no doubt to see if his vitals were as bad as they apparently looked.

I really must look awful. I think Hermione might just lose her breakfast. I really should try to talk, shouldn't I. I guess I never thought how ridiculous it is not to be able to talk. It's not until you want to talk that you realize how absolutely bizarre your thoughts just are.

Sage tried to force himself to focus on what was going on around him. The Professor was talking, he was sure of it, but he couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Sage tried to ask, "What?" Rather, it came out like a grunt.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

"Sage, can you hear me?"

Yes.

"Sage, can you hear me?"

Yes, damn it! … Bugger, I'm not saying this out loud.

His uncle looked away from him, apparently at Hermione, Sage couldn't turn his head that far.

"Miss Granger, will you go in the bathroom there and wet me a towel?"

Sage didn't hear a response so he figured she must have just nodded. For being through so many things with Harry, she certainly was pretty squeamish. Plus, Hermione always had something to say.

Suddenly, Oh, Gods! Not in my bathroom. Unnnnahhhh. Not good, not good. Please say I put it away, oh please, please. Maybe she will just have the sense to put it away for me? Gods, please don't let her narkiness come out on me. She wouldn't snitch on me, would she. Oh Gods just please don't let HIM see it!

"Here Professor," she said, coming into view, holding out a towel to his uncle.

Oh, she didn't see it, or she isn't going to say anything, or perhaps she just put it away for me. Thank Merlin, hell that was close.

The wet towel sent shivers down his body and painful prickles up his spine.

Arrrghhh that ISN'T helping any. Stop, stop…Errrmmm…ahhhh…stop, oh stop. Must talk, must say something.

"Donut!"

Hell, that just came out all wrong. Okay, try again.

The Professor looked at him quizzically. Hermione's mouth dropped open, apparently perplexed.

"They have donuts all the time in the U.S.," she said, one eyebrow up as if she knew it was a dumb thing to say.

"Thank you, Miss Granger," Snape answered sarcastically, shaking his head, sounding eerily like a game show host.

This has got to stop.

"Donut…Doodad."

"Doodad?" The two said, simultaneously. Snape cast Hermione a death glare that clearly said, 'how dare you say the same thing as me, you silly girl?'

Unfortunately, the man kept wiping Sage's forehead and neck with the offending towel.

"Isn't doodad some sort of an American slang term?"

Snape visibly rolled his eyes, "You are not impressing me, Miss Granger. I think he is trying to say something else."

Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, Sage thought, seeing a flashing light going off to signal that his uncle was right, although the man couldn't obviously see it. Errr, that just fucking hurts like firey 'ell.

"Donut doodad," Snape repeated, trying to figure it out. "Donut?"

Sage rolled his eyes and then cringed again as the man started again with the wet towel.

Gods, donut doodad, no wonder they have no clue…I've really done it this time, this has never happened before. I sound like a, what are they called? Ah forget it. I sound like I am mentally incapacitated, like victims who have sustained the Cruciatus for too long-. Cruciatus? Cruciatus!? Fuck me! That's like what happens during the visions. What if this is it? What if it finally has harmed me…Permanently. Merlin, no! I think I'd rather it killed me. I don't want to be nuts.

"Donut dothad."

Sage watched as his uncle and Hermione exchanged worried looks. No matter how hard he tried, Sage's mouth just did not want to wrap around the words he needed.

Gods, I don't want to go to Saint Mungos! Come now, come on, 'Don't do that!' That's not too hard to say. Three words…unn…sleep. NO! No sleep, speak! I can't even damn well move. Erghh. Why can't the two of them just figure it out, it isn't that off, well perhaps it is, but they're not dunderheaded people! Come on Uncle Severus, 'Don't do that!', you can get it. Ohh this is useless. They are looking at each other like a pair of dolts. Some use they are outside of the classroom. I'll just have to keep on trying until I get it. Hopefully they'll catch on.

"Donut, do that."

Ahhh, haa haa. I said it. I got part of it! Yes! Okay now, figure it out. All right then, don't figure it out, I'll just keep trying.

Professor Snape furrowed his brow. "Do what?"

Hermione just looked stumped. Sage's faith in her dropped dramatically. She should have been able to get it, or at least help. All she had done was to tell his uncle where Muggle go to get donuts!

"Do what?" the man said again, lower and more to himself than to Hermione or Sage.

Sage pursed his lips together.

"No." Sage managed.

"No, what?" Severus said. "Ahhh! No do. Ha, donut doodad! Don't do that!"

Sage rolled his eyes again. The man was genuinely pleased with himself. He sounded like a school-boy who had just figured out a difficult puzzle. Sage wasn't so impressed. He basically had to wave a flag in front of the man's face to get him to see what he was trying to say.

Snape obviously did not bother to apologize for the towel.

"Can we move you," his uncle asked, directively.

"Yee-ah."

"Yes," Severus corrected automatically, without thinking about Sage's apparent speech problem.

The man faintly caught Sage's hand move, specifically two fingers on his hand. Sage was flicking him off!

"I wouldn't if I were you," the man stated plainly.

Hermione suppressed the giggle in her throat.

Sage opened his eyes to dim candle light. He pushed himself up a bit on the bed. Surprisingly he could move, and move with no relative pain.

"Are you all right?"

Sage's head turned, a little too fast, towards the sound of the voice.

"Ack, yes, err, no, not really at all."

He caught the Professor looking down with seeming disinterest. "You have been unconscious for three days," the man told him, matter-of-factly.

"Mmm," Sage answered.

"How long have you been losing weight," the man asked, not looking up from the paper he was reading in the near dark.

"I dunno, awhile. How do you know?"

Severus glared harshly at Sage for a moment, before looking back down non-chalantly.

"Your shirt had blood and Merlin knows what all over it, so I put a fresh one on you. It's not hard to notice when any bone not covered by muscle is showing through your skin. I'd have to say the entire lower third of your ribcage."

Sage shrugged as an answer.

"Do you want to die?" He asked without any tone of concern in his voice.

"Sir?"

"You heard me."

"Of course not."

Locking eyes with Sage fast, Snape retorted, "Well it sure seems as if you want to and are trying to."

Sage simply stared at him, his face expressing the shock he undoubtedly felt.

"I'm done trying, Sage, do you understand. I am not going to try and protect you from any truths anymore. That said, if you don't get yourself well very soon, you are going to die. One of these visions is going to finish you off. I found you three days ago, under the insistence of Miss Granger, half dead already. For once the girl's annoying and prying nature did some good. Anyway, I have tried to help you and it is clear that I cannot. It is clear that giving you time is not working. You are getting even worse."

"I don't know what to say, sir."

"Say nothing. Perhaps then I will have one day where I do not have to deal with your attitude towards everything and everyone. You have scarce done anything except throw rampant disrespect around, and frankly I'm sick of it. I'm done being tolerant and soft. You have grown worse this year than last. You don't even have any respect for yourself."

Sage stared at the ceiling. The vision had to be about the first task. Sage had known for awhile about the first task being the dragons. There were distinct and definite benefits to being a Snape. This was one of those.

Now Sage was absolutely certain that whoever put Harry's name in the Goblet wanted to get Harry hurt. Apparently, Harry was pretty thick and couldn't think of a way to get around the dragon. All Harry did in the vision was stare at the dragon, hold his wand out, and yell something. That was not promising.

What Sage couldn't figure out was whether he should help Harry or not. After all, he couldn't betray his uncle's and the headmaster's trust and tell Harry what the task was. Perhaps Harry would figure it out on his own or someone else would tell him. He'd have to hope for that and then maybe he would help Harry figure out how to get around the dragon.

Suddenly, Sage's eyes opened wider and he smirked for the first time in awhile. He could just use a bit of magic and help Harry along with the task. That would work pretty well.

He frowned. Then Karkaroff and Moody were also in the vision. What did Moody have to do with the Dark Mark, perhaps he was there that night, perhaps he was one of the people that helped to break up the riot. After all, the man was an ex-Auror. Then again, Sage did have a bad feeling about the man, but he couldn't really place why he had that feeling. He could just not like the man because Moody apparently did not like him or his family. Sage shook his head, he could figure out why Moody had appeared in the vision all cloaked up, and he wasn't sure what Moody had to do with the Dark Mark.

However, Sage had a very good idea what Karkaroff was doing in his vision. The man had been showing a sick pleasure at Harry being vulnerable in front of a dragon, probably about to be eaten. Karkaroff had also been very quick to point the finger at anyone and everyone on the day that the champions got drawn from the Goblet.

That places him at the top of the list in my book. He'd surely like to see Harry get hurt. He's inept but yet fascinated with Dark Arts and he's the Headmaster of Durmstrang. And, and he has a reason for wanting to kill Harry. Ha! How did I miss it before. The Mark, it's getting darker. Surely he must notice it. From what Uncle Severus has said, there are not many Death Eaters who would give a sickle to save the man from torture and death. Karkaroff had tried to turn every one of them in, in order to save his skin. He would be one of the first Death Eaters to be killed if the Dark Lord again rose, which is going to happen very soon according to the prophecy, and every Death Eater has to know what is coming because of the Mark. If he, if he kills Harry, that might get him back into the good graces of Voldemort and keep him from an inevitable and torturous death.

"Sage!"

Sage jumped out of his thoughts and sat straight up, "Wh-what?"

Severus stared at him in annoyance, "Didn't you hear me?"

Sage shook his head, "No, sir."

Sage gulped at his uncle placed a hand on his own forehead and proceeded to run it back through his hair in frustration.

"Miss Macnair has been kind enough to stop by to give you some notes from class and to explain your assignments."

"I, uh…er… So what are they?" Sage asked raising an eyebrow, but knowing that he was not so lucky.

Severus raised his eyebrow and rolled his eyes. "You'll have to ask her." He smirked.

"Uh…erm…she's here," he said, his voice wavering from the deep tone it had taken to the boyish tone it once had. "Now?"

"Yes. My you're a bit thick today. Must be the all the medical potions in you."

Sage faked a slight smile, "Yes, sir, must be."

Severus turned on his heel and walked out, calling behind him, "I'll show her in."

Sage's fake smile faded. The last thing he wanted, or needed, was any company. He put his head down into his hands. I feel a headache coming along. Perhaps I can pretend I am asleep.

"Are you okay?"

Looking up, Sage thought, too late to pretend that I am asleep. Erm, not to late to look sick to make this quick!

"As best I can be."

Her hazel eyes wide with amazement, she gazed around the Professor's room. She moved closer to him and sat down next to the bed, placing her bag on the floor. Her eyes fell onto him once more. They were pretty eyes. Kind eyes.

"You don't look so good. Your skin looks sallower that Professor Snape's after a full day of teaching potions. That'll do hell to anyone's skin."

Sage smiled slightly. He almost laughed and that shocked him. His icy blue eyes met with her speckled eyes. He forced his face to go blank.

"So, erm, he said that you have my assignments for me?"

She sighed and shook her head at him, "You're so blunt, you know? Yes, I have your homework."

"Wager I missed a lot in Muggle Studies," he smirked.

Mandy smiled. She opened up a notebook and handed it to him.

"All we did was cover how dams, er, make electricity. I'd skip this part though," she leaned closer to him and pointed to a spot in the notes. "But this part is interesting. The flow of the water powers, er, turbans, um, turbines? Anyway, that makes the electricity. You know, plugs and stuff that the muggles use instead of magic."

A slightly disgusted look came over Sage's face. "Erm, right, plugs…interesting. Thank you, Mandy."

"You can probably charm a quill to copy the notes for you."

"Oh, yes, good idea."

He gave a small smile for her benefit.

"Do you think you will be well in time to attend the first task of the tournament?" She asked, rubbing his shoulder.

Uncertain, he looked at her hand on his shoulder and then he looked back at her, stunned for a moment.

"Er, when is it, I mean how many days from now?"

"Five days."

A pit suddenly stuck itself is Sage's stomach.

"Five days," he repeated.

Mandy leaned forward again, "What's wrong? You, uh, look worse. If that's possible."

"I…oh nothing. It's nothing. Just a bit of a headache coming on. I should be able to go though."

I need to see how Harry's doing with the task. Hopefully someone's told him what it is by now, against the rules or not. Everyone can tell that Harry has no chance. All he's got is luck.

"Sage?"

"Huh-what?"

"You blanked out pretty good there."

"Yes, that…er… happens sometimes after the visions."

Mandy smiled again and shook her head at him once more. He wondered why she kept doing that.

"Well, perhaps I'll see you there?"

Sage's eyebrow went up, "Yes, well, you could sit over with us if you want to. But you probably can't as you're a prefect for the Slytherins. Merlin knows what they could get up to in the stands."

Phew, I was polite and everything is still okay because she probably can't come and sit with us.

"I'm not the only prefect you know. Maybe I will. Hermione is such a nice girl and the Weasleys, all of them, are rather funny."

"Er, yes well." Shit! "Let me know and thanks for bringing me the homework."

She got up and squeezed his shoulder as she did so. He watched, carefully, and she bent to pick up her bag.

Why do girls do that!

"I hope you feel better. Muggle Studies is boring without you."

"Yes, being here is quite boring too."

He watched her as she walked out of the bedroom. As she crossed under the door, he sighed loudly. His mind was much, much to full. And now, he had to figure out how to help Harry in only a few days. He could well let his cousin get scorched to death.

Thank you for your continued support and reviews! I appreciate every note and so does Sage's muse. I am still writing the 3rd installment. If you want me to finish the whole saga, let me know!