Chapter Ninety-Six

Next thing he knew, Severus was standing just outside the gates to Hogwarts, the wind cold on his face as he stared ahead at the spires and towers he hadn't seen in nearly a year. He felt Dumbledore gently releasing his hold on him and go to the gates to unlock them. Still holding Lily closely, Severus followed the old man, putting one step in front of the other with a determination that he didn't realize he possessed.

The ground was hard beneath his feet, still frozen from the ebbing winter. Although no snow blanketed the dark grounds of Hogwarts, the landscape was still barren and bleak. Severus couldn't appreciate any of it right now, though. His mind was on one task and one task only.

Within a few minutes, they entered the familiar castle, but not through the main doors. Realizing students would still be up and about at this hour, Severus hoped to avoid as many glances as possible. Dumbledore seemed to understand this, for he beckoned for Severus to follow him as he approached a portrait of a Healer from the sixteenth century. Dumbledore's lips moved, and the portrait swug open, much in the manner of the Fat Lady, revealing a hidden tunnel.

"This will take us directly to the infirmary," Dumbledore explained. "After you, Severus."

Severus didn't say a thing. Instead, he entered the passageway and continued up a set of stairs to the infirmary. He stepped out from behind another portrait, evidently the same one he had seen many times during his stays there. The Healers in the painting gazed curiously upon Severus and the girl he held in his arms. He approached the nearest bed, and just as Dumbledore was stepping into the room behind him, Madam Pomfrey came bustling out of her office, alarm on her face.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "I thought I heard the portrait to the secret passageway closing-"

Then her eyes settled on Severus and Lily's prone form on the bed. Fear clutching her, she immediately moved to Lily side, waving her wand over her.

"S-Severus?" she sputtered. "What happened?"

When Severus didn't respond, she turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, what's going on here? What has happened to this girl?"

Madam Pomfrey's frown deepened as she surveyed Lily with her wand. "From my initial diagnosis, I am unable to detect what she was hit with. I'm assuming she was cursed by a Death Eater? Dark Magic?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Poppy. It is an unknown curse."

"Is there any way of finding out?" Madam Pomfrey asked, glancing worriedly between Lily and the two men.

"There is indeed," Severus suddenly spoke, his voice rough and worn. "The bastard who hit her is now in custody at the Ministry of Magic. Rodolphus Lestrange. I will use Veritaserum on him. Get a straight answer."

"Severus, you cannot just stroll into the Ministry and demand such a thing," Dumbledore tried to reason.

"I don't care what the Ministry allows or not," Severus growled, standing to his full height from his previous kneeling position at Lily's bedside. "She's my wife! I love her! If Lestrange has information that can save her, I'm bloody well going to get it! You can't sit there and tell me that the Ministry would deny a request to help an innocent victim of You-Know-Who's crimes!"

Severus's hands were balled into fists. He was enraged and glowering deeply at Dumbledore.

"Do calm yourself, Severus," Dumbledore gently admonished. "I am not saying we cannot get such information, but simply that you cannot simply go into the Ministry and administer Veritaserum to Lestrange. I will make the necessary arrangements-"

"Now," Severus interrupted, booking no room for argument.

"Very well," Dumbledore replied. "I will go to the privacy of my office and notify the Minister. I will return shortly."

If it wouldn't mean leaving Lily's side, Severus would have followed the headmaster, wanting to know any details as soon as possible, but realizing he had to let some of the responsibility fall on others, and hating it immensely, Severus gave a jerky nod and sat in the chair next to Lily. He watched as Dumbledore exited, the doors closing behind him.

Feeling deflated, Severus sighed and buried his face in his hand. With the other, he took Lily's hand in his. A moment later, he felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder and looked up to see Madam Pomfrey standing over him like a concerned grandmother.

"We will find a way to cure her, Severus," she said softly.

He earlier resolve broken, all Severus could do was nod wordlessly. He felt the incessant prickle of tears at the corners of his eyes, but couldn't force them back this time.

"I had hoped-" he started to say, unable to finish as emotion gripped him.

Madam Pomfrey's hand didn't leave its spot on Severus's shoulder the whole time. She gave him another gentle squeeze there, and then the pressure was relieved. The next thing Severus knew, Madam Pomfrey had summoned a chair to his side and was seated in it.

"You had hoped," she murmured, "and you will continue to hope, Severus. There is always hope. Do not give up now."

He nodded absently. "And... is she- ? Lily, is she stable? Could you tell?"

Severus brought his own wand up, about to perform a diagnostic spell on his wife, as he had been too caught up in his emotions a few minutes earlier to check for himself. Madam Pomfrey, however, stilled his hand with hers.

"Yes," she whispered, "she is stable. Help me administer a Nutritive Potion to her, though. She will be weakened as it is. We will keep a close eye on her, monitoring her hourly, until she is cured."

The mediwitch left for a minute and returned with a small vial. She offered it to Severus. "Would you like to give it to her?"

Severus gingerly took the vial and uncorked it. He magicked the liquid into Lily's stomach.

Just as Severus was about to sit again, the doors to the infirmary opened. Both Madam Pomfrey and Severus's eyes were drawn to the figure of Albus Dumbledore as he entered the room.

"Well?" Severus asked without preamble, anxious and impatient for an answer.

"Alastor has made the arrangements. While the Minister preferred to wait until the morning, I stressed the importance of a life in danger. You may come with me to the Ministry, Severus, and we shall witness Lestrange's confession."

"Good," Severus replied shortly, purposefully putting his walls back in place now that the headmaster had returned. He turned to Lily, leaned over, and brushed his lips over hers. "Keep her safe," he murmured to Madam Pomfrey without meeting her eyes.

"I will," the matron returned kindly. "Go, my boy."

Severus left the infirmary with Dumbledore. As he walked alongside the headmaster, Severus wondered what favor Dumbledore would ask of him for all this assistance. He inwardly shuddered at having to face the man one-on-one, as he was sure Dumbledore would require before everything was through.

"How is Lily?" Dumbledore inquired.

"She is the same," Severus muttered darkly. "There has been no change."

They strolled through the halls in silence, and by this time, the corridors were thankfully empty of students. Upon reaching the headmaster's office, Dumbledore spoke again, "You are doing what you can, Severus. There is no shame in that."

"Who said anything about shame?" Severus shot back harshly, then almost instantly regretted his tone. His shoulders slightly slumped, he said, "Let's just get this over with."

Together, they Flooed to the Ministry. Severus followed Dumbledore to the lift, and they took it to the correct level. When they reached the area where prisoners were held before they were carted off to Azkaban, Dumbledore was greeted by Moody, whose normally rigid face flashed the smallest amount of sympathy in Severus's direction. Thankfully, the Auror had enough tact not to say anything. Moody beckoned them to follow him, and they turned a corner and walked down a long corridor, finally stopping at one of the many doors.

"He's in there," Moody said. "He's restrained. Once we enter, I will administer the Veritaserum, and he will be questioned." Looking at Severus, Moody asked, "Would you like to do the honors?"

Grateful for Moody's understanding, Severus nodded. "Yes, I would. Th-thank you," he murmured.

With a grunt, Moody turned his attention back to the door. He unlocked and unwarded the door, and the three of them stepped into the holding cell. The room was tiny, perhaps only two meters by two meters. They barely could fit.

Lestrange was bound with ropes and metal cuffs to a chair, and his mouth was spelled shut. Moody roughed grabbed the man by his cheeks and forced his mouth open. He poured the Veritaserum down the man's throat, and Lestrange swallowed on instinct, since his mouth was once again spelled shut.

"What's your name?" Moody asked, releasing the spell on Lestrange's mouth.

"Rodolphus Lestrange," Lestrange replied in a dull, emotionless voice. His eyes stared straight ahead.

"Are you a Death Eater?" Moody questioned.

"Yes."

Satisfied that the Truth Serum was doing its job, Moody motioned toward Severus to take over.

"What curse did you use on Lily Evans Snape?" Severus asked acerbically.

"The Catatonia Curse," Lestrange bit out, struggling as if he didn't want to reply.

"And what is the cure?" Severus demanded, leaning closer to the hateful man.

"I don't know," Lestrange admitted.

Severus swore under his breath. It was a long shot, but Severus had hoped the Death Eater might know the cure and thus save him a lot of time.

"That's all I wish to ask him," Severus said, taking a step back.

"Very well," Moody said.

They exited the small room, leaving Lestrange to his fate.

"Thank you for your help, Alastor," Dumbledore told his friend.

"Anytime, Albus," Moody replied, nodding at him and then at Severus in turn. "I'll see you out."

Five minutes later, Severus was standing back in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk, looking weary.

"The hour grows late, Severus. You ought to go to sleep. I have already arranged a room for you in the guest wing, complete with Floo access to the private Potions laboratory. Horace already knows you will be utilizing it, and he will leave you in peace. You may use whatever you wish and take as long as you need. The library is, of course, open to you as well. For now, however, my boy, I strongly suggest you get some sleep."

"I'm not tired," Severus tried to argue, but then his body betrayed him with a yawn.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Dumbledore smiled, gazing at Severus over his half-moon spectacles. "Ah, but something tells me you are indeed quite tired, Severus. Go to bed. Your mind will not be any good to you in this condition."

Severus was about to argue further, but decided against it. Thinking of Lily back in the infirmary, he muttered, "Good night, sir," and left the headmaster's office. Instead of heading for the guest quarters, Severus returned to the infirmary. Maybe he wasn't in any condition to be brewing a potion right now, but that didn't mean he couldn't sit with Lily.

When he entered the infirmary, he found it darkened. Madam Pomfrey's door to her office was slightly ajar, but Severus figured the mediwitch was probably getting an hour of sleep in before she checked on her patient. Severus resumed his position at Lily's side. Taking her hand in his again, he whispered, "Trust me, Lily. You're going to be okay."

x x x x x

Severus opened his eyes and groaned, feeling a stiff and sore neck, and wincing at the bright sunlight pouring in through the window. For a brief moment, he thought he must have foolishly fallen asleep downstairs in the sitting room of Spinner's End, but when he came to his senses, he gazed down at Lily, everything rushing back to him in one painful burst.

"Ah, you're awake," he heard Madam Pomfrey saying. She was at his side then, adding, "Not a change in her, although that's a mixed bag. She hasn't gotten any worse. Did you find out what she was hit with?"

"The Catatonia Curse," Severus rasped, his throat dry.

Madam Pomfrey conjured a glass and then muttered, "Augamenti," filling it with water and passing it off to Severus, who drank it greedily.

"Thank you," he said.

"You ought to eat breakfast and at least take a shower," Madam Pomfrey clucked. "Look at yourself, Severus! I can understand your desire to stay by Lily's side over the night, but you're in no condition to be doing much of anything like that."

Severus frowned, but knew the woman meant well. Although his sleep had been disrupted and shallow, Severus felt some sense coming to him that hadn't existed the night before.

"You'll keep an eye on her?" Severus asked.

"Of course, Severus. Go, take care of yourself. Lily isn't going anywhere."

Reluctantly, Severus stood, stretching in the process. He gently brushed a lock of Lily's hair off her forehead and kissed the spot.

"I'll be back soon, Lily."

Severus found the guest room Dumbledore had given him and shrugged out of his day old clothes. He was soon under the welcoming spray of the shower. A quick shaving charm and a drying charm, and he was done cleaning himself. He found the wardrobe already stocked with black robes, for which Severus was grateful. Satisfied and refreshed, he Flooed to the private Potions laboratory and was ready to get to work on an antidote to Lily's condition.

His stomach growled, and Severus scowled, calling for a house-elf. The creature returned five minutes later with a cup of black coffee and too much food for Severus's liking. He managed to down the coffee and eat two pieces of toast, leaving the other sugary and greasy bits of food untouched.

Severus placed a cauldron on the bench over where the fire would be lit. He surveyed the shelves and began pulling down what would seem like random ingredients to an onlooker. He had the basics for a typical antidote to a Dark Magic curse and would begin there. The morning passed, and Severus kept himself holed up in the room, never once disturbed. He picked at the remaining breakfast food and refilled his cup with coffee for lunch and then resumed work on the potion. By four o'clock, he had a basic healing potion prepared.

From here, things would be more challenging. He would need to visit the library and begin searching for more information. Antidotes to Dark Magic was a highly unknown and little studied realm. Sighing, Severus left the Potions lab and returned to his temporary room. He then made a quick visit to the infirmary to check in on Lily. Relieved that she hadn't gotten any worse, he made his way to the library, wishing the students weren't gaping at him as he walked the halls.

Every so often, one of the former students whom he had taught in the duelling lessons would see him and smile, offering a hello. He was met with curious gazes as well, but Severus didn't elaborate. Upon reaching the library, he went for the Restricted Section, glad he was no longer a student who needed permission.

Severus spent the remainder of the day pouring through numerous volumes on Dark Magic and cures and antidotes. He made notes along the way and finally decided to take some of the books back to his room with him.

Most of the books sat on the desk in his room, but he took one with him when he went to visit Lily again. Severus tried to make conversation with her, even though he knew it was foolish.

"All these books on the Dark Arts, Lily, and would you believe..." he trailed off, then finished his train of thought in his head ...still nothing on what You-Know-Who could be using to make himself invincible.

Severus could feel his eyelids growing heavy. He had been seeking information for Lily's cure, first and foremost, but Severus also tried to keep his eyes peeled for anything that Voldemort could be using to protect his miserable life.

Then his black eyes roamed across a passage that made him stop reading. He reread it. One word stuck out.

Horcrux.

Severus nearly dropped the book.

"Holy shit," he muttered, turning the book over to see its title.

Secrets of the Darkest Art.

In spite of the situation, Severus smiled. "Lily, I think we may have the answer... well, one answer."

This smile faded as he realized he still needed an answer to her condition's cure.

x x x x x

Because his body couldn't take another night sitting in a chair sleeping, Severus returned to his room to catch what few hours of restless slumber he was afforded. He left the bed a couple of hours before dawn, quickly showering and changing. He repeated his previous day's routine of going to the lab and working, drinking his coffee black and eating next to nothing.

Severus whiled away an entire day working on the antidote, hoping against hope that he was on to something. He couldn't spare a thought about the meddling headmaster, but knew in the back of his mind that Dumbledore was patiently waiting up in his office for Severus to come to him.

In between spending time with Lily and working on the potion, Severus was unable to give much more attention to Horcruxes and what to do next regarding Voldemort. All that mattered now was Lily's cure.

After the second day drew to a close, Severus felt he was several steps closer. The third day proved to be the day of reckoning. Once evening came, Severus poured the contents of the cauldron into a flask and carried it carefully, like a sacred relic, to the infirmary.

"Is that it?" Madam Pomfrey inquired, her voice full of anticipation.

"I hope so," Severus said, bracing himself.

"Shall I call the headmaster?"

"What ever for?" Severus asked curtly. Sighing, he amended, "My apologies, Poppy. It's been a rough couple of days, but no, do not call for Dumbledore."

"Very well. I'll let you be at it, then." She stepped back, giving Severus his space.

Severus briefly closed his eyes and inhaled. Opening them, he uncorked the flask and magicked the antidote into Lily's stomach. He watched, tense and unmoving. Then, after a few minutes, some color returned to her cheeks, and he opened her eye, checking for signs of life. Lily's eye jittered back and forth as if she were in REM sleep. He noticed her muscles seemed to relax.

Slumping into the chair, Severus heaved a great sigh of relief.

Smiling, Madam Pomfrey observed, "It's working. Severus, you're brilliant."

"Yes, it's working," Severus echoed, almost in a state of disbelief.

He stayed by Lily's side until she opened her eyes. Her green orbs found Severus's black ones, and they held each other's gazes for a long time. Finally, Lily smiled weakly, and Severus grasped her hand all the more.

"What happened?" she rasped.

Severus's face broke into a smile. "It doesn't matter right now, Lily. What matters..." he choked, a rebel tear leaking out, "...what matters is that you're going to be okay."

"Sev... you're crying."

Kissing her softly on the lips, Severus whispered into her ear, "These are happy tears, love."

uAuthor's Note/u Well, I hope you're happy! She's okay! I couldn't leave you with another cliffie, not after being so evil for the past several chapters. I needed to get this one done today because I'm going out of town tomorrow through Sunday, so don't expect any updates for about a week.

Next chapter: Dumbledore and Severus finally talk. You finally find out what memory Dumbledore saw in Lily's mind.

See? Aren't I nice? I gave you a little preview!

Finally, a big thank you to all of my readers/reviewers! This is a really long, complicated story, but it's been a labor of love for me. I've still got a long way to go, so I hope I don't bore you. I hope to keep things interesting to the very end. Did I tell you this story has a happy ending? Because, well, yes, it does.