Lavender Brown
Once again I awoke to find Severus sitting in the chair next to the bed where I slept. He picked at the food on the plate sitting in his lap. When his eyes met mine, he held the plate out towards me. "Eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"That's not relevant. Eat."
I sighed, grabbing a chunk of bread and stuffed it in my mouth. "Happy?"
"That too is irrelevant."
I rolled my eyes as I stood up. "Your turn for the bed, I think. Not that it is any more comfortable than sleeping on the floor."
I paced the small room, pausing the glance out the frosted glass window to the empty street below. I someone managed to find myself just as trapped as I had been at the time of my escape, only now I did not have the energy to care. Even though I replayed the vision of Ginny and Harry's demise in my head over and over, nothing within me seemed to respond. I sighed again. It seemed the numbness had started, a mixed blessing, as this was usually the time I seemed most likely to do something stupid. While a relief which I yearned for each time the cycle started, the lack of any feeling itself always had the potential to become overwhelming.
I poked at my most recent wound, bringing a quick shock of pain.
"You shouldn't touch it. You will only increase the chance of infection," Snape hissed behind me.
"Yeah, but it reminds me…" I turned from the window to look at him.
"I know why you are the way you are."
"What do you mean?" I sat back down on the edge of the mattress.
"I mean, I understand why you've become this way. I've been mulling it ever since our first conversation, but the pieces finally make sense."
"Go on...?" I leaned in.
"Do you know how lycanthropathy occurs, Ms. Brown?"
"It is a virus."
"Correct, but do you understand how it reacts once within the human body?"
"Well, not in a scientific sense no... just that it infects you and makes you contagious to others."
"Once the virus enters your body from saliva through an open wound, it immediately begins infecting the cells at the location of the bite and also quickly enters the bloodstream. Any cell the virus enters is immediately transformed. The DNA of the cell is altered to that of the werewolf; it is these new genetics cause the cell to create the lycanthropy virus which spreads to infect other cells. Infected cells then begin producing the lycanthropathy toxin - and this is the important part - it is the toxin that creates the change from human to werewolf, not the virus, but the change can only occur when the toxin is at very high levels. The amount of toxin produced by infected cells correlates with the moon phase, and that is what produces the cyclic nature of the disease. "
"Okay, wonderful... so what does that mean for me." I sat back and ran my fingers through my hair, feeling the tug at my scalp.
"You stated that you were gravely injured during your attack, correct."
"Yes. Pretty much killed." My hand reached to the scars of my collarbone reflexively, but before I felt the disfigured flesh beneath my fingertips I instead moved my hands to my lap, fists clenched.
"Due to your state of shock and amount of blood loss, I theorize that most of the virus was sent directly to your brain with the rest of your blood in order to maintain survival. A large amount of your brain tissue was infected but the virus was never able to spread much further due to your long period of convalescence and the natural barrier between the brain and the rest of the body. So while your brain goes through some of the typical changes each month, the rest of your body does not as the toxin level in your body never raises high enough to cause the physical change. And I believe I have some evidence to prove my theory."
"Such as?"
"The wolfsbane potion was ineffective for you."
"So what?"
"Wolfsbane works by blocking the toxin from getting into the brain thereby allowing the body to physically transform, but allowing the victim to maintain some mental clarity during the full moon."
"So because my virus is only located in my brain then there is nothing to block…"
"Exactly, and I also believe your infection is minimal which is why you are able to keep some control during the rising toxin levels."
"Second piece of evidence, is your heightened senses."
"Isn't that normal for werewolves?"
"Yes, but typically it is ALL senses. But I have observed you lack a heightened sense of touch."
"Why is that important."
"You other senses are mediated directly by the brain. The sense of touch is mostly mediated outside the brain."
"Oh...ohhhhh. I understand now..So the virus has affected the nerves within the brain, but not those beyond it."
"You are correct."
"Then how do you explain the visions...?"
"An enhanced sense."
"So you think I had this ability all along?" A small smile crossed my face.
"It would seem to fit the logic. Unfortunately that means I must admit Sybil was correct all along." He grimaced.
"Well, this has all been amazingly enlightening, but can you do anything about it."
"No. At least nothing I can think of…"
"Brilliant."
"Yet…"
For some reason that word comforted me. In one short breath he told me he had given me a promise assist me in any way possible. And if his skills were even a fraction of what they once were, I had more faith in that promise than those of all the healers, hex-breakers, and potion-makers in St Mungo's and elsewhere combined.
Severus Snape
A sudden commotion coming from the room below interrupted my attempt at sleep.
"I demand to see him. I know he is here, Blaise. Goyle told me. Where is he?" A man demanded in a vaguely familiar voice.
"Not so fast. This all is none of your business, Draco." Blaise replied.
I moved closer to the doorway with Lavender following close behind.
"Don't be ridiculous. I don't care about whatever scheme you and the others have going, and I won't stand in the way even though I don't agree with it. But if Professor Snape really is here, you must let me see him."
We moved to the top of the stairs.
"Or what?"
I cleared my throat as I stepped onto the top stair. "Mr Malfoy. You needn't get permission from Mr Zambini. The rumors are true."
"Professor!" Draco ascended the stairs and paused on the stair below mine to look down at his feet. "Is it really you?"
"Yes, Draco. In some form, it is really me." I sighed as looked at the man that I remembered only as a scared teenager trying to simultaneously honor and obey his father, live up to his friends' expectations and demands, and follow his own conscience which often conflicted with that of his family and friends. He had confided in me many times that he wanted to make his family proud and live up to the Slytherin name, but that he was afraid of where that might lead him. He believed in the cause of the most part, but distrusted the methods. Why he felt he could confide in me of all people during that time, I will never understand. Perhaps he saw what the others failed to see, like Albus.
"Forgive me, Professor. It's all my fault. My cowardice and lack of convictions put you in a place I should have been."
"No, Draco. I sealed my fate long before you ever came along. Do not take my sins as your own. You were right all along."
"No. I was scared. If I had not been, perhaps things would have been different."
I looked down the stairs to see Blaise eying us, hand on his wand.
"Let's not do this here. Come." I moved back into the bedroom and Draco followed.
As we entered, Lavender drew back, a low growl-like sound emanating from her chest. "Malfoy," she hissed and sneered.
Draco swallowed as he looked from her to me. "Lavender. I was not aware that you had joined this gathering of fools."
"Don't be ridiculous. I am not here willingly."
As the two stared each other down, I moved to the doorway. "Muffliato."
"Urgh!" Blaise muttered from the other side.
I pulled the door closed and locked it.
"Mr Malfoy, I see you remember Lavender Brown."
"She is with you?" His mouth gaped as his eyebrows knitted together.
"Why she is here is not your concern. Now as I was saying before, Draco, I am proud of you. You have made the right decision to disengage from this group of revenge seekers.
"Pathetic," he hissed.
"Yes."
"But then why are you here?"
"As Ms Brown stated, I am not here willingly. We learned of their plot to kill the Potters and somehow Lucius learned of my escape and caught up with me. Now your father believes me to be on his side. I trust you won't reveal my true motives." I met his gaze with a narrowed eyes. Even a superficial look into his thoughts, found an intensity of anger and distrust directed towards images of his father, but he quickly pushed me out as I tried to probe deeper.
"So all those things Potter has been saying since the Final Battle, are true then?" His eyes narrowed.
"I am unsure what he has said exactly, but he knew more than most."
"You were working against the Dark Lord all along?"
"Yes, after a point." I looked away towards the window, seeing Lavender silhouetted against the glare.
"Well, I'm glad for that. This world is better off without him. It took me many years to realize that, but now I truly believe that the Death Eaters, including my father, were wanting something they could never have. They would never be anything more than pawns in the Dark Lord's game and the thought of ever achieving blood purity would ultimately lead to our own demise. I thought my father realized that too. But it seems I was wrong." He sighed.
"Are you willing to stand against him now?" Our eyes met again.
He sighed. "No. I've got a family to think about now. I refuse to get involved."
"Even if it results in Potter's death?"
"It won't. They won't succeed." He snorted. "Fools. All of them."
"Then give us your wand, Draco. We have no way to fight and no way to escape." Lavender spoke up, turning to glare at him from her spot at the window.
She stepped closer and held out her hand. "We can stop them if you won't."
Draco looked from myself to Lavender and back towards me again. "Fine. But you better not fail, and my father must never know." He pulled his wand from his sleeve and held it out towards me.
I hesitated for a moment. If I accepted his offering, the wand would likely change allegiance to myself, but then Ms Brown would remain wandless. I knew her magic ached for that wand, I could sense it even now. However, I worried that in her current state of mind, I should not trust her strength and judgement.
As I took the wand, she turned back towards the window. "Thank you, Draco."
He left the room without another word, slamming the door behind him.
