Authors Note: I don't own them I just play with them.
Chapter 3 Bitter Sweet Success
It was late afternoon when the light started filtering thru Hermione's heavy eyelids. The burning of light across her iris sparked movement in her brain and her eyes opened and the world swam in focus. The world tilted and spun. She squeezed her eyes closed. For a precious moment there were no thoughts. Only disoriented silence. Then her senses returned and she sat slightly forward in the bed and gasped in shock. Questions reeled across her mind as she pressed her palms to her temples in attempt to stop the swirling sensation that dominating her senses.
Where am I? How did I get here? Last I recall I was in the Great Hall. No, wait I was with Professor Snape. Snape! Her eyes shot open and the hospital wing at Hogwarts came into focus. She tried to look for Snape in one of the other beds. As she moved her head the room began to sway and she felt as if her body swayed with it. She heard footsteps coming closer as her vision darkened and her head hit the pillow.
Madam Pomfrey walked back into the hospital wing just in time to see Hermione pressing both of her hands to her temples as if to keep her head from extricating itself from her body. She hurried forward but Hermione had passed out before she could make it to her bed side. With a quick wave of her wand over the now prone girl the patients' vitals appeared in the air. All seemed well. Her heart rate was a little high but quickly coming down. Madam Pomfrey then whispered another incantation and Hermione's body pulsed with a lavender aura. The lavender was solid in substance, not transparent or churning, her soul seemed fine. Her aura did have grey edges but Madam Pomfrey come to recognize this as normal for Hermione now. War darkens all of our souls a bit she thought to herself as she watched Hermione's aura dissipate from view. Poor dear must have been overwhelmed upon awakening. Madam Pomfrey thought and she cast a rejuvenation spell to help Hermione come around.
Hermione took a deep breath and felt life and energy move thru her body. Rejuvenation spells make you feel fresh and new as if you woke from a peaceful nap to find yourself bathing in a refreshing spring. As Hermione opened her eyes Madam Pomfrey smiled down at her.
"Alright now, how do you feel Ms. Granger?" Madam Pomfrey bustled around her bedside, levitating a glass of water to Hermione as she came to her senses. Hermione sipped the cool liquid and sat the glass on the side table.
Hermione sat herself up gently and flinched at the wave of pain that shot thru her. Her head began to throb. As she pressed a palm to her pounding temple Madam Pomfrey slid a vial into her free hand.
"Yes, magic depletion leaves you with a nasty headache, a bit like a hangover feeling actually. Drink that and then follow with these other two vials here." Madam Pomfrey gestured towards to side table and two vials appeared.
Hermione drank them as instructed and closed her eyes, resting her head back on the pillows. Trying to organize the compounding questions in order by relevance. Hermione asked "Madam Pomfrey, is Professor Snape… here?" She wasn't sure if she was ready to articulate her worst fears just yet.
"Oh yes, Professor Snape is just fine I would say. Actually, better than fine I would wager. I think you patched him up quite well." Poppy gave her a knowing look and a slightly raised brow. Poppy's smile reflected a curious excitement in its corners.
Hermione blushed. "So then, it worked? He, he survived?" She started looking around nervously. "Are we alone in here?"
Madam Pomfrey cast a Muffliato Charm and turned back to Hermione.
"There my dear, now we may speak freely. There is no one else in the wing but one can never be too careful." Madam Pomfrey sat down on the corner of Hermione's bed.
"Oh Madam Pomfrey! I can't believe I succeeded! I saved all three of them!" Tears began to swell in Hermione's eyes and she sank back into her pillow a bit. "I was afraid I had been too late to save Professor Snape." Hermione trembled with the emotion overload of what she had felt when she opened the door to the Shrieking Shack. "He was barely alive when I finally made my way back to him." Hermione looked at Poppy now, searching for a sign of the woman's opinion of what she had done. She knew that if she woke up in the hospital wing then Snape must have too. Which means Poppy may be aware of what she had done. Poppy had been a supportive confidante after Dumbledore died and had kept Hermione's secret for the last few years.
"My dear Hermione. I am in awe at the sheer audacity of your method of saving Professor Snape but if there is anyone who deserves your sacrifice, it is him I think. How did you even come up with such an idea? Really, what arcane piece of literature did you find that told you of the Vora-Eros incantation?" Poppy smiled widely as she leaned against the rail of the bed, making herself a bit more comfortable. She had weeks to think over what Hermione had actually done that day. Poppy had a few intuitive thoughts and opinions. All in good time she thought. Let the girl figure it out on her own. Best not to meddle in these matters.
"You never cease to amaze me Ms. Granger. You truly are an amazing witch you know." Poppy had been well aware of Hermione's efforts and what drove them but she never questioned the girl on her methods along the way. The attempt, let alone use of a Vora-Eros incantation though, well that was just so unexpected! Yet so fantastical one cannot help but to be curious about it?
Hermione smiled. "I actually learned of the incantation from an old tome I stole from the Lestrange vault. I wasn't sure it would actually work? We are not family. The author's notes expounded on the ideas behind the necessity of being family but it was all based on intent..." Chattering on, Hermione did not notice Poppy's small curling smile rounding her cheek for a few moments.
Poppy thought back on where it all began. It had been during Hermione's sixth year when the girl woke dazed but determined in the hospital wing after Harry had found her in the library unconscious. Hermione was hysterical when she woke up. Speaking of possibilities and defeating the Dark Lord. She rambled on about Possibility Theory, possibility and necessity showing her possible truths of the future and how she had to speak with Dumbledore. It had taken Poppy a good hour to calm the girl to a point of being able to make sense of what she was saying. That is when Poppy really started listening to Hermione's tale.
Hermione had crept into the restricted section of the library to find a book to help her better understand the use of Possibility Theory vs Probability Theory in relation to field of Divinations. As she browsed a section with related material she found a book called "Divinations, just blithering nonsense or a manifestation of Possibility Theory".
"I despise Divinations Madam Pomfrey. I think it is all a bunch of malarkey. So when I saw the title I just knew I had to read it! " A flustered sixth year Hermione worried her lip and rambled on with her story. "When I opened the book I became entranced and was unable to put the book down or look away. At first I was scared that I was dealing with another Horcrux in a book situation! Then images began to reel across the page like a movie. I saw different scenarios of events."
"The book splayed the word "If" and depicted series of events. First I saw Draco standing on the astronomy tower disarming Professor Dumbledore. Then a woman's voice tells him to cast the killing curse. The image fades to Professor Dumbledore falling from the Astronomy tower! The pages began to turn and the word "Then" appears and fades away as more images stream across the page. Voldemort is in the shrieking shack and he is circling Draco. Voldemort is saying something about a wand not obeying him and then he murders Draco! The picture changes and Draco's mum is shown on a ship, grieving as she retreats to France. The pages turn again to show Harry, Hagrid, Voldemort, and several Death Eaters in a forest. Harry was lying on the ground. Bellatrix Lestrange was standing over him, cursing him!"
The book presented two more possible chains of events. Hermione explained how it was like viewing a memory in a pensieve and how the scenarios were clearly different possibilities of the same situation being manipulated to reach different conclusions.
Hermione coughed and brought Madam Pomfrey back to the present. "Madam Pomfrey, I know you don't understand, it surely makes no sense but I felt I owed him so much after… everything he has been thru and I have always respected Professor Snape. He didn't want to do the horrible things he had to do Madam Pomfrey." She straightened a bit and gasped "I need to speak to the Ministry! Professor Snape did not murder Professor Dumbledore! Professor Dumbledore was dying. He asked Professor Snape to have mercy upon him and to spare Draco Malfoy by killing him himself!" She breathlessly tumbled on as her scrambled thoughts came spilling out. "Has Professor Dumbledore's portrait come to life yet? What day is it? Where are Harry and Ron?"
Madam Pomfrey's expression softened and she smiled gently with an air of lightness. "Take a breath Hermione. First, call me Poppy. You are no longer a student and the title seems silly at this point."
Hermione smiled up at her. "Thank you, Poppy." It sounded so foreign in her mouth. It would take some time getting used to. Poppy inclined her head in acknowledgment and continued speaking.
"The Ministry is aware of the details surrounding Professor Snape's actions. We all now know just what a truly gallant man he is. I dare say he will not be pleased about that." Madam Pomfrey smiled a humorous smile and shifted at the foot of Hermione's bed. "It is May 26th. " Hermione sucked in a breath in surprise. "Harry and Ron are at the Burrow. When you are feeling up to visitors, you may owl them."
Hermione visibly relaxed. Oh, thank Merlin. She thought and smiled. "I will send for them tomorrow I think." She was still tired and more than a little nervous about Professor Snape's pending reaction of the situation.
Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Hermione, you do not have to explain anything to me but I am curious about the spell you used. Minerva explained a little to me. She said it was soul magic and that you sacrificed part of your own soul to save Severus's life. I have cared for Severus his whole life. He is like a son to me really." Madam Pomfrey leaned forward slightly and look into Hermione's eyes. "He was different somehow earlier today. I couldn't put my finger on what has changed, but something is definitely different. Do you know if there were any adverse effects of the spell?"
Hermione bowed her head and her cheeks flushed a light pink. She knew this line of questioning would come and she was practically trembling on the inside as she spoke. "He is going to kill me Madam Pomfrey, errr Poppy. I am truly a dead women walking, I have no doubt." She spoke so softly Poppy had lent in as she spoke to hear her better.
Poppy chuckled softly. "Hermione, I know Severus is a prickly man but you did save his life. That will count for something. Knowing him as I do, his initial reaction will likely be of fire and venom but he will come around. His bark is generally worse than his bite." She smiled at the young women at the other end of the bed. She has grown so much in the last year Poppy thought to herself. Quite lovely too. "Tell me what you can dear." Poppy urged her on.