Chapter 8 – Awakening
"Lily, I think it's time to come back now," Dumbledore said gently. "I know you'd like to stay with him, but it's been almost 24 hours."
A white, vibrant light had filled the room, streaming into every corner of the Potions master's bedroom. Arising from the bed, now fully clothed in her normal set of white robes, Lily looked down at Severus. He was lying on his side, his arms now empty, but the features of his angular face were serene and peaceful. The deep breathing signaled that he was fast asleep. The healing slumber was at work, restoring the mind and body.
"But, maybe he needs me one more day," Lily said sadly, her voice coming from far away. "I could stay with him and make sure he's okay …"
"You know that's not possible. You were only able to do it Christmas Eve because of the extreme circumstances," Dumbledore replied. "He'll be fine. You did an excellent job."
"I never knew you had such a mind for spinning stories, Lily." Remus smiled broadly. "That bit about the coffin was a little extreme. I never thought he'd fall for that."
"I couldn't think of anything else," Lily answered, her voice becoming stronger as she joined the two others. The room below them began to fade slightly, but it was clearly visible beneath them.
"And I see you managed to make love to him," Remus smirked. "I'm sure James will find that very amusing."
Lily looked away, the tears in her eyes betraying her thoughts. She didn't care what James thought. "I had to do it. If I hadn't, he never would have believed me. After all, it's just a dream to him now."
With a knowing look, Dumbledore gazed at her intensely with his pale blue eyes. "And what does it mean to you, Lily?"
"It – means … it means I successfully did my job. I am his guardian, after all." Lily avoided Albus's gaze.
"Yes," Remus spoke up. "You volunteered, and quite enthusiastically, if I recall."
"Well, I was helping out Eileen anyway. Unofficially, of course, but then she was having so much trouble with Tobias that I know she needed my help. And James and Sirius can take care of Harry. They don't need me." With a soft voice she added, "Severus needs me."
"And, as we heard you say to Severus, perhaps you need him, too," Dumbledore replied, a look of understanding reflected in his eyes.
Remus placed a hand on her shoulder. "You love him, don't you?" he asked.
"Please, don't ask me that," Lily responded.
"We don't have to, my dear," Dumbledore answered. "It is really quite obvious. It seems that life did not provide you with the time to resolve that issue. Perhaps, in this afterlife, you have allowed him to know how you feel, if even for a short time. "
Lily nodded. Her angel tears fell softly from her green eyes and down to earth as small pellets of sleet on the dungeon windows. Wiping her eyes, she realized the time had come. "I'd better go. I need to retrieve Severus's clothes from beside the lake before Hagrid finds them."
"Lily, he has a long life to live. There is much work for him to do and perhaps, with luck, he will save many lives." Her old headmaster patted her hand. "And, I see there may be the joys of love and fatherhood ahead for him too, if—"
"If, he can open his mind and not be such a stubborn, selfish git," Remus teased. "I can't imagine what's going to happen up here once Severus arrives. It should make our days rather interesting. "
"It'll make my heaven … perfect," Lily whispered to herself. "But I can wait."
xxxxxxxx
His eye hurt. Every muscle, every tendon and cell of his body seemed to ache, and now that horrible stream of sunlight was stabbing his eyes right through the membrane of his eyelids. The snow clouds from the previous evening had cleared, and the low sun penetrated the dungeon window, pouring unabated into Snape's bedroom. It was only the winter sun that ever succeeded in accomplishing this task and then only a few days on either side of winter solstice. For the rest of the year, Severus's room remained blissfully dark and sunless.
A wave of nausea flooded his senses forcing him to sit up, the desire to vomit not quite strong enough to produce results. He sat on the edge of his bed and placed his bare feet on the small worn rug that covered the stones and protected against the chill of the unheated room. Placing his hands on the mattress beside him to maintain his balance, his head began to spin like a Remembrall. It was then, that Severus realized that he was naked. There on the bedside table, he saw the offending culprit. The entire bottle of Elfin wine was empty of the red, sweet substance.
There on the stool beside his clothes cupboard, Snape eyed another strange display. The suit he had worn the previous night was now folded in a pile on the three-legged stool. All of his clothes, including his top coat and cloak, were folded in a perfect stack, the socks and shoes balanced on top. How did they get there? And why had he not hung them up?
Slowly, Snape arose and dragged himself to the cabinet in the bathroom. Thankfully, the potion he needed was right where he remembered it should be, not that he seemed to be remembering much this morning. Painfully, he tried to piece together the sequence of events. What had he been doing last night?
Taking the entire contents of the vial into his mouth, he swallowed it in one swig. Snape shuddered. He would have to replace the hangover cure soon, as that was the last of the batch he had prepared only a few weeks ago. He had been in need of it far too many times these last few months. Feeling refreshed, Severus immediately felt a chill pass through his body as the memory of last night's deadly swim swirled up into his consciousness. Thinking hard, he tried to remember what had happened after he had fallen into the icy water, but there was only blackness and then … nothing.
Except for the dream. In vivid clarity, he recalled the strange experience of waking up with Lily beside him in his bed. Never before in his life had he recollected a dream quite like this one, almost as real as if it had actually happened, especially the last segment. With his head dangling down, he supported his weight with his arms and leaned over the sink with his eyes closed. He could taste her kiss, feel her sweet body in his arms, and replay their lovemaking – he would never forget it, as long as he lived.
With a sigh, he realized he needed to be in the Great Hall for the mid-day Christmas celebration, and it was already 9 o'clock. After a bath, Severus went back into his bedroom to get dressed.
Blaming the Elfin wine for his rather disgusting behavior, the thoughts of the last evening's attempt to end his life replayed uncomfortably in his mind. The decision had been weak and cowardly, certainly an unacceptable choice. With a strong conviction, he promised himself never to do anything so foolish again.
Just before he was to leave for the lunch, Snape noticed two letters on his desk that remained unopened from the previous day's mail. How had he missed them? Puzzled, he opened the first. It was from one of his ex-pupils, a Miss Hermione Granger. Frowning, he unrolled the long parchment and began to read the exceeding long letter. In it, the woman described how she was about to finish her internship as a healer and would soon to be moving into a new position at St. Mungo's Hospital. Severus sighed, wondering why the silly girl had bothered him with such irrelevant news, but as his eyes quickly scanned the page, he understood the reason she had written.
A unique position had opened up at the hospital. The administrator was organizing a new research facility that would work in conjunction with the hospital to improve magical healing techniques and potion enhancements. This administrator, a man named Marius Pepper had some extremely radical viewpoints that encouraged change and offered a hope for the discovery of miracle cures for the most lethal diseases of the wizarding world.
Severus lowered the letter onto his desk and sat back in his chair deep in thought. The last paragraph of Miss Grainger's letter had indicated that the position to head the potions lab was still open. It seemed that the administrator could not find a qualified witch or wizard to meet his high expectations or embrace his radical views. Hermione had recommended that Snape apply.
Scoffing at the letter, Severus couldn't believe that there would be anyone, especially in such a high position that would embrace change. The little know-it-all must have gotten this completely wrong.
As Snape tossed the parchment aside, his eyes became glued to the second letter. Puzzled, he realized that this one had come directly from the new administrator, Marius Pepper. Quickly, Severus opened the scroll to read that the wizard had learned of Professor Snape from scores of sources both in the academic and private community. These referrals had indicated the professor's skills and unique interest for experimentation, especially in the use of novel techniques and the potential for Dark Arts cures. With great enthusiasm, Healer Pepper was offering the position to Snape to head the entire lab, asking for Severus to come to London as soon as possible to meet with their staff.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Severus read the final paragraph:
Professor Snape, we believe you should have the final authority to hire your staff if you choose to accept our offer; however, we are recommending that you consider the following two individuals. These rather young witches will need guidance, but we feel they are extremely talented in their fields. Their names are Hermione Granger, who we recommend for your assistant, and Luna Lovegood for the position of research analyst. Both of these young ladies are graduates of Hogwarts and were at the top of their class at Newt level Potions and Transfiguration. Perhaps you remember them?
Please respond as soon as you are able as we are anxious to begin.
Sincerely,
Head Healer, Marius Pepper
Overwhelmed with the timing of the letters, Severus placed his fingers on his temples, rubbing the skin and hoping the action would help him think.
Just then, his elbow slipped off the edge of his desk, knocking over his brand new bottle of red ink. The red liquid spilled all over the page and obscured almost every word in the last paragraph of the letter. Severus could have sworn he felt someone push his elbow off the edge, but that seemed impossible. As he lifted his wand to clean up the mess, he stopped in mid air. Only two words on the page were not covered with the blood red ink. The short phrase 'Please respond' was left untouched.
Flicking his wand to remove the ink Severus felt a small flash of frustration and puzzlement, but it was quickly followed by a budding curiosity. Yes, he would have to accept the position. If for the only reason to make sure Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood didn't completely waste the opportunity set before them. It would take a strong hand to keep these two in line, and he knew he could handle them.
The challenge was laid out; now all he had to do was accept. Pulling a fresh piece of paper out of his desk drawer, Severus never noticed an invisible hand slip a small envelope back into the drawer. The envelope contained an old photo of a very special friend.
After sealing the parchment and laying it aside for posting the next day, Severus strode out the door and up the steps, hurrying to the noon Christmas celebration. In the now empty office, an angel appeared. Lily moved to the waste bin and retrieved the discarded dark green wrapping paper. Turning it over in her hand, she tried to reread the message she had written, but it had faded away. The invisible ink had done its work, but with a wave of her hand the message reappeared.
Love Always, Lily
Author's note: We have come to the end of this story, but hopefully, the beginning of a new life for Severus. Thank you for reading. Comments appreciated.