Enjoy the next chapter! And don't hate me! Oh, and thank you to Moon Lantern and guests unknown and Georgia Mcdonald for reviewing my last chapter and thanks to all who have followed or favorited! :D
Chapter 6: Revelations
The tall, dark-haired man was about to throw the Floo Powder into his fire when a soft knock on his door caught his attention. He glanced at the clock over the mantle. Ten to midnight. What would someone be doing, in his neighborhood of all places, at such a late hour? Sighing, he returned the Floo Powder to its jar and made his way through his dark house to the front door.
The knock sounded again, softer than before and more hesitant.
"Coming." He said tersely.
With a wave of his wand the lock clicked open and he grabbed the handle. When he first opened the door he believed he was looking out on an empty street, but a small movement in his peripheral vision caused him to look down and let out a gasp of surprise.
Laying on his doorstep, facedown, drenched in blood, was a figure with long, tangled red hair and grimy clothes. The girl was barely conscious, her back rising and falling weakly and her eyes fluttering. The girl from Malfoy Manor. He thought, an icy feeling running through his veins. Lily... He shook himself out of his reverie and gently, tenderly lifted the girl bridal-style, her head and arms flopping lifelessly. She was much too light.
Bits of stone were present in her long hair and he could see scars all over her ghostly pale arms. The presence of various open wounds was obvious by the stains of blood running through her pants and shirt.
The worst of the gashes, a deep one on her right forearm where it looked as though a chunk of flesh had been scooped away, had blood flowing in a thin stream from it and her skin grew whiter by the second. "Vulnera Sanentur." he muttered a few times, running his wand up and down the length of her body. Blood stopped flowing from all the wounds except for the one on her right arm, but the girl's chest still rose and fell in short gasps and she was paler than death.
Severus Snape shuddered, tears flickering at the corners of his eyes as he gazed down at the girl who so much resembled Lily Evans. It tore him up to see the girl, spitting image of the woman he had loved, broken and injured so terribly. It's so much worse than when she received the Dark Mark. He thought, his mind flashing back to that terrible meeting. It had been nearly a month before and no matter what he told Dumbledore neither of them could come up with a way to rescue her, not that he had thought they would end up hurting her so terribly.
He shook the thoughts from his head. He had more important things to think about, namely how to transfer the girl to the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. He knew St. Mungo's would have too many questions he could not answer and he didn't have the skills to treat her himself. He quickly checked her pulse, but it was weak. She's lost so much blood. He thought, shivering slightly. He ripped a bit of his robe and hurried to tie it around the laceration on her right arm, redoubled his grip on her, grabbed some Floo Powder and threw it into the grate yelling "Hogwarts Hospital Wing!"
A/N: Same deal as all the other times! :D Review = sooner update... Though I might not be able to resist... Don't be mad at me! :( So please review!