14. Healing Anton
They had talked about Anton's kidney problems some more when they had gotten home. When Bobbie's eyes started drooping shut they had decided to sleep on it, especially since their day had been 6 hours longer because of the different time zone. The next morning they were having breakfast and talked about how to convey their plans to Anton.
Bobbie decided it was best to just come out with it, so after breakfast they resolved to walk the dogs and go by Anton's house on the way back and talk to him. Benton, the male dog, had right away taken to Severus and Bella, the female had always been a 'mama's girl', so they ended up walking them like that. Severus was amazed how well behaved they were and following Bobbie's commands without hesitation. It didn't take Severus long to get the hang of it.
"I can't believe how calm those dogs are after their first excitement of seeing you again," he said.
Bobbie answered, "They aren't just normal pets. They are trained to be therapy dogs. You can't imagine how well a small child is opening up when a calm dog is involved. Bella got a little boy talking again after he was traumatized and had totally shut down. I also sometimes take them to the children's hospital to interact with children and have them read to the dogs."
"Read to the dogs?" Severus asked.
"Yes, even though they don't understand what is read to them, the voice is soothing to them and they are just laying there and listen. And the children are less embarrassed to read to them than to people, because dogs don't berate them. It is a win-win situation," Bobbie explained.
As soon as they were in the woods they let the dogs off the leash. They ran off right away but still came back once in a while to check on 'their humans' after doing a little bit of running here and there and sniffing around. He never thought that he would like dogs. He never had one even when he was a child. He also had never asked for one because, if for some reason his father would have allowed it, he would have been afraid for the dog's life. He had a cat once and his father had killed it in a drunken rage when he had gotten mad at Severus.
Bobbie looked at Severus when she heard him sighing. She grabbed his hand and asked, "What is going on?"
"I was just thinking that I never had a dog." When he saw Bobbie's concerned look on her face he told her the story about the cat.
She squeezed his hand and said, "I can imagine that this was very traumatic for you."
"Yes, I ran away until I found out there was really no other place where I could go," Severus admitted.
She again squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "Well, things are different now. You can do and have whatever you want. Benton already thinks he belongs to you. Do you think it would be okay to take Benton and Bella with us? Hagrid has a dog and I see some children with pets."
"I don't see why not, especially as well behaved as they are and being therapy dogs. We can always ask Minerva," Severus suggested. "May I ask you a question on something unrelated?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"How come you call your uncle Onkel Brutus but you call your aunt Aunt Felicia and don't use the German word for aunt?"
"Because I can speak German to Uncle Brutus but not to Aunt Felicia. My grandparents both came from Germany, so my uncles and my dad all spoke German but the native language of my aunts and my mom was English, so I just never called her Tante nor did I call my mother the German way of Mom. My cousins and I are all bilingual though. Our fathers were speaking German to us and our mothers English while we were growing up and Uncle Brutus's daughter Helen - Geronimo's sister - also speaks some French because she learned it in school and her husband is from France. Their children are speaking three languages because Helen is speaking German to them, her husband Roman is speaking French to them and when they are sitting on the dinner table together they are all speaking English, and of course in school the kids speak English." She smiled. "I guess that sounds complicated."
Severus said, "You should speak German to Serina when she is born."
"I intend to. It never hurts having a second language. I think Geronimo and Ina will also stay with the tradition when their little boy is born. By the way, to confuse the languages even more Aunt Felicia could have taught Helen and Geronimo Spanish. Her real name is Felicitas and she is originally from Mexico but she slowly became Felicia because it is the English version of her name. Now everybody is calling her Felicia." Bobbie said.
By that time they had walked around in a wide loop and it was time to take the dogs on the leash again and stop by Anton's place. When they were about to approach the house they saw Eleonore leaving. Eleonore waved and waited for them. "I just looked in on Anton. He didn't eat much for breakfast and is sitting on the back porch finishing his coffee. I told him that I have let you know about his ailment."
"Oh good, I had no idea how to approach the subject without him being angry at you for spilling the beans," Bobbie said relieved.
"Don't worry about it. I told him the same thing I told you, that you have a right to know, especially since you had already figured out that something was amiss."
"I really appreciate it Eleonore." The two women hugged and then Eleonore went to her house and Bobbie and Severus walked around Anton's house to the back porch.
When Anton saw them coming he waved and asked, "You guys want some coffee?"
"You bet!" Bobbie said, and then continued, "But we also want to talk to you about something."
"I probably already know what that is all about. Eleonore confessed." Anton didn't seem happy about it.
"Well, I am glad she did because Severus may be able to help you," Bobbie said.
"How so...?" Anton started and then said to Severus, "Right, you were helping Albus with the curse on his hand. He told me that you did everything humanly possible to save him. He said you are one of the best Potion Masters in the world."
Severus waved the last sentence away by saying, "This potion, if it works, is not one of mine. Kidney diseases are all but non-existent in the Wizarding World. However it would be prudent if I examine you and ascertain if this is all there is."
Anton looked at Severus and asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"If you would lie down on your sofa I will scan you with my wand," Severus answered.
"Alright, I can do that. It will be worth a shot," Anton agreed and slowly got up, walked inside the house and to the sofa.
Severus asked him to lay face-down with his arms up by his head. He then concentrated and scanned Anton's mid to lower back with his wand. It took him quite awhile but he finally came up with the realization that it indeed was only the kidneys.
"Bobbie asked, "Sev, how come you can detect and scan a sickness in us but curses and spells don't work?"
Severus thought about it and finally said, "I admit, I have no idea. Maybe it is a natural defense mechanism that if someone is trying to hurt you it doesn't work but if something is harmless or even helps, it does. I have no other explanation. You know that potions work well on you also."
"So you think this potion would help?" Bobbie asked.
"I don't see why it would not," Severus said. "Unfortunately, aside from the fact that I have no means to brew anything here, I don't have the authority to brew it because that French Potion Master has a monopoly on it but I will owl Poppy at once. Maybe she can find out if it is available in a Wizarding community in Canada or if not, how to send it to us."
"I have a better idea...," she said and pulled her mobile phone out of her pant pocket."I have Hermione's phone number."
Severus looked at his pocket watch and smiled. "You could still call today. It is late afternoon over there."
"I will. I'm going out on the porch so you guys can continue your conversation from yesterday with Albus. I believe he is awake." Bobbie pointed at the portrait.
"I certainly am. It is a little hard to find the right time to be awake here," Albus's portrait chuckled.
"Well, you have almost three weeks left to figure it out before we have to go back," she said with a smile and then left for the porch where the dogs were still laying in the sun.
She petted them and then dialed her phone. When Hermione picked up she said, "Bobbie, is everything okay? I didn't really expect to hear from you, at least not so soon. You're supposed to be having fun."
"Yeah well, not everything is fun, that's why I'm calling. My grandfather has kidney problems and Severus thinks that the potion that is known to cure Wizards who have this disease is working on him. I was wondering if you could find out from Poppy how we could get it here in a hurry, either by sending it or even better, if there is an Apothecary over here that carries it."
"I'll figure something out," Hermione said. "I think I will swing by the apothecary in Diagon Alley. Those apothecaries are all connected maybe they even have international contacts."
"Great idea! In our hurry, to help my grandfather, we haven't even thought about that. Thank you so much. I owe you one," Bobbie said.
"I better get going before they are closing up. I'll call you later and you try and have a little bit of a good time anyway," Hermione said.
Bobbie thanked her again and then they hung up.
When she walked back into the living room she heard some laughing. Apparently Albus and Anton were reminiscing about some funny incidents in the war. When Severus saw her coming in he walked up to her and asked, "Is she trying to get a hold of Poppy?"
"No, even better," Bobbie said and told him what Hermione was going to do.
"Good thinking! Miss Granger was always my brightest student. Sometimes a little annoying and longwinded in her essays, but bright nonetheless." Severus said. Then he cradled her face and added, "Let us go home for a while. I would like to sit out on the porch in the swing with you in my arms while we are awaiting Miss Grangers call. Those two," he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at Anton and the portrait, "will be busy for a while."
Bobbie snorted when she saw her grandfather interacting with the portrait and she walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek and said, "We are going home for a while and will be back before dinner to pick you up. I thought you and I should show Severus how to eat some nice messy Barbeque ribs over at 'The Turnbull'."
Anton said, "I agree! That boy can't come over here and not try some Barbeque. My treat!" and when Bobbie tried to protest he said, "It is the least I can do with you guys trying to help me. I don't want to hear another word...," he said in mock annoyance.
"Well, I guess he really wants to pay for dinner tonight...," Bobbie said to Severus quietly with a shrug. "If it makes him happy..."
They collected the dogs from the porch and made their way home. They had just gotten comfortable when the phone rang. Bobbie looked at it to see who it was and picked up and put the phone on speaker so Severus could listen in. "Hermione, any luck?"
"I think so. I found out that there are several apothecaries in Canada who have the potion, including one in the outskirts of Regina, which was your destination by Portkey if I remember correctly. There is a small Wizarding community, kind of like Diagon Alley, and guess what, they even have a phone number. We just have to start that here too. Owls are very outdated... Anyway, the potion is very expensive though and only somebody who knows what he or she is doing, like a Mediwizard or a Potion Master can buy it. That part shouldn't be a problem because Professor Snape is with you."
Bobbie wrote down the name of the Wizarding community, the name, phone number and address of the apothecary and the price of the potion. Then she thanked Hermione for her help. To which Hermione said, "Don't mention it."
After they had hung up Severus said, "Miss Granger is as enthusiastic as ever about things she believes in. Mark my words, if she has anything to do with it, all Wizard businesses will have phones by next year." Then he pointed at the price which was written down in Dollars and asked, "How many Galleons would that be?"
"I don't know..., a lot! I think you have to divide it by roughly 8. There are about $8. - to the Galleon," Bobbie said.
"Good heavens, that is a lot of money," Severus said with astonishment.
"Yep, now you have an idea what you can charge for your lycanthropy cure. You're going to be a rich man," Bobbie grinned at him.
"We will cross that bridge when we get there, but how are we going to get that much money right now?" he asked.
"Since we are in a hurry I will get it from my account today but I will call Onkel Brutus and maybe he can ask Uncle Albus, whose phone number I don't have. Maybe we all can pitch in. I don't want Opa to have to pay for that... what? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Uncle Albus?" Severus asked.
Bobbie chuckled. Severus had heard her call Albus 'Uncle Albus' in jest before, "Yes, I really do have an uncle with that name. Opa named his first son after his good friend Albus Dumbledore and Albus was also my uncle's godfather."
"Interesting, I didn't know that," Severus mused. "For a moment I was trying to speculate how the headmaster was going to pay posthumously." He smiled.
"Knowing him, he probably would if he could..., but I better call Onkel Brutus," Bobbie said.
When she called her uncle and told him what was going on he said that he had had no idea how sick his father really was because he never talked about it. He did say that he was happy to pitch in and that he would call his brother Albus. He also offered to fly to Regina and get the potion but she told him that only Severus was able to have access to it anyway.
After Bobbie hung up with her uncle, Severus used her phone to call the apothecary. He hadn't brought his own phone since it had no international access. He found out that they had two of the cures left in stock and they told him they would hold one for him. The Wizard on the other line told him he needed to show his magical signature of his Potion Masters license. Severus also found out that it was perfectly fine to pay with Muggle currency since Wizard currency was hardly ever used anymore in Canada. After he had all the information he told the Wizard he would come by in about an hour.
Bobbie looked at him and said, "Aren't you cutting it a little close? Apparating to Regina doesn't take long, but you don't know where to go from there. You have no picture to Apparate by, and I still have to go to the bank."
"No problem, my Love. If there is one good thing I learned from Voldemort it is how to fly unsupported without broom, thestral or anything else." Severus wrapped his arms around her and smirked.
"Are you serious? I have never heard of anything like that. You are full of surprises Baby." She kissed him gently.
"Look who is talking. So far anything you do here is a surprise for me." Then he looked at his watch and said, "Let's get this over with so your 'Opa' can feel better."
Bobbie took her car out of the garage and drove to the bank where she withdrew the amount they needed. The woman behind the counter knew her and wanted to start a conversation but Bobbie told her she was in a hurry because her husband was waiting for her.
When Bobbie came back to the house Severus was wearing Wizard robes and was ready to leave. She said, "Wow, I didn't know you brought robes."
"I didn't! I transfigured my jacket," he said. He took the money from her and put it inside his pocket.
She said, "Be careful Baby and hurry back."
He folded his arms around her and kissed her and said, "I will see you soon." Then he let her go and Disapparated.
888
Severus stood outside the Portkey station in Regina and looked around for the booth with the guard who was checking the tickets for Portkey fees. He figured that the person would know his or her way around and would know about the small Wizarding community. When he spotted him he asked for directions to the community and the man even knew the road he was looking for. After thanking the guard he found a hidden place behind some bushes and took flight. He found what he was looking for in birds eye view in no time and then found a place he would be able to land without being noticed. He figured it wouldn't be a good idea if he would be spotted. After all the only Wizards who knew how to fly unsupported would be Death Eaters, since Voldemort was the one who invented it and then taught them.
He walked the few steps to the apothecary. When he entered he noticed that the store was packed and everyone looked at him. What was going on? The crowd of people split apart in front of him and let him walk right up to the counter. The owner behind the counter greeted him with enthusiasm, "Professor Snape, welcome to our apothecary. I hope you don't mind that I told a few loyal patrons that you are coming to buy a potion. It isn't every day that you can meet a real hero and one of the best Potion Masters in the world in one person."
Severus now remembered that he had told the man on the phone his name. He sighed and decided it was probably not a good thing to tick anyone off. These people may even know some people in the Nevari community. If they knew who he was they probably had also heard who he was married to and where she was from. He needed to be careful not to draw attention to the community lest they find out what Bobbie and her people were, so he decided as annoying as the situation was he better behave and play along. It could be disastrous if anyone found out.
Severus looked around and said, "Unfortunately I won't have a lot of time to chat because time is of the essence. My friend is in a bad way and is awaiting a cure."
After the initial looks of awe from the people in the store he was bombarded with questions from different directions; "Is it true that you have been a Death Eater?", "Is 'You-Know-Who' really gone?", "How was it to be a spy?", "Do you know Harry Potter personally?", "Is it true that it was you who developed the Wolfsbane Potion?"...
Severus held up his hands and said, "I will answer your questions as soon as I have bought the potion I came for." He looked at the owner behind the counter and the man went into a frenzy to accommodate Severus's wishes. He pulled out the potion from under the counter and gave it to Severus who took it, opened it and smelled it.
He could hear people murmuring behind his back in approval. When he was satisfied that it was the real thing he closed it back up, put it into his pocket and pulled out the money. He handed it over and then held the tip of his wand to a devise on the counter which registered his magical license.
After he was done with the purchase he turned around and said, "Yes I became a Death Eater for a very short time. I was enticed into it by people whom I thought were my friends. I turned spy for the light side as soon as I learned the truth. Question number 2; Yes, Voldemort is gone for good."
He watched everybody wince at the mentioning of the name and continued, "Question number 3; It was hell being a spy and surely hope I never have to do anything like that again. Number 4; I do know Mr Potter personally. Last one; No, I didn't develop the Wolfsbane Potion, I did however improve it somewhat."
By that time he had pulled out his pocket watch and said, "As much as I enjoyed meeting everybody, I have to cut this gathering short. As I mentioned earlier, time is of the essence. I wish you all a great day." With these last words Severus Disapparated.
888
Severus Apparated straight into the living room where Bobbie was waiting. He had used the concealment he had used during the war when he had Apparated into the cottage. No one would be able to follow him.
"That was fast!" Bobbie exclaimed.
Severus sighed, "Not as fast as I wanted it to be..." While taking the potion out of his robes and setting it on the table and then getting out his wand to transfigure the robes back into his jacket he told her the story of all those people waiting for him in the apothecary.
Bobbie chuckled. "Oops! Sorry about that, Baby."
"You should be! If you and Minerva, oh and let's not forget Potter, hadn't gotten the newspaper involved, I probably would not have been in this situation," Severus said in aggravation.
Bobbie looked at him in astonishment and then said with conviction, "Well, I am sorry for being selfish and wanting my new husband to be free and our little girl not having to grow up for the first few years of her life without a father, and having to visit him in Azkaban. Then again I probably wouldn't even have her because I wouldn't want to be a single mother.
"Do you think it would be any different if you would have had to go through a trial? All the newspapers would have had a field day with that story. Everyone would know you just as well as they know you now. The only difference would be that a lot of them would look at you with loathing and hatred instead of admiration." By now she had broken out in tears and sank down to the sofa with her hands in front of her face where she said quietly, "I am not sorry about that. I only did it because I love you."
It took Severus a few moments to let everything she had just said sink in and then he sat down right beside her and took her into his arms. "Merlin, I am an idiot. Please forgive me, my Love. That was uncalled for. I love you. Please don't cry."
She continued to cry into his shoulder for a little while longer unable to stop. Finally she sniffled and hiccoughed a few times. Severus again said that he was sorry and Bobbie said, "I know Baby. It's the hormones that got the better of me."
She finally blinked the rest of the tears away and said, "Thank you for getting the cure for Opa and I'm sorry you had to deal with those people."
"Let us not talk about it anymore." He pulled her up from the sofa and said, "Let us go now and heal your grandfather."
She smiled and said, "Yes, let's do that. I hope you are up for Barbeque tonight. There will be a lot of people stopping by to say Hi to him and also to me. It is a small community where everyone knows everybody and people are very friendly to each other."
He snorted. "I don't care as long as he is back to normal and you are happy."
Before they walked out of the door she got up on her tippy toes and whispered, "I love you Baby."
888
They made it to Anton's house in the early afternoon. They caught him taking a nap on the sofa but he woke up because they had taken the dogs with them and Benton walked up to Anton and liked his face. Anton spluttered and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt and said to the dog, "What are you doing here?" Then he heard Severus and Bobbie laugh.
"Oh, you are here too. For a moment I thought Benton missed me... Is it time to go to dinner yet?" Anton asked and sat up and looked at the clock over his door. "Ah, I didn't think so..."
Severus said, "Don't get up, we just brought the potion for your aliment." He opened the vial and gave it to Anton. "The taste leaves something to be desired but go and drink it. After that I want you to lie back down for another hour at least. Resting will help your kidneys to heal faster. We will be back to pick you up for dinner. Unfortunately you won't be able to drink alcohol for three days."
Anton said, "What, no beer with the Barbeque tonight?" He then looked at the vial and smelled it. He wrinkled his brow and said, "Cheers!" and then downed the whole thing.
After he did so he looked like he had swallowed a lemon and said, "Brrr, I think I could find tastier stuff on the floor of Brutus's chicken coup."
"Oh, gross!" Bobbie said with a disgusted look on her face.
Severus just chuckled and said, "You will appreciate it later my friend." He then insisted that Anton lay back down and Bobbie covered him with a blanket. They left to go back home after that.
