Chapter 44
You want WHAT
It took over forty-five minutes until Poppy stepped into the living room with a tired face. She let herself fall inelegantly in one of the armchairs.
Albus was on his feet immediately, yet he held back his questions that urged to come forth.
"Sirius, would you be so nice as to get a tea for Madame Pomfrey?" he asked quietly.
The Animagus nodded and disappeared to the kitchen. Dumbledore waited and studied her intently, noticing her tired and sad eyes. Tired, but not hopeless, he concluded with a little relief. He waited until Sirius had again taken his seat on the sofa beside Harry. The former Marauder had to be informed as well, and Poppy should not have to repeat herself unnecessarily. After she had taken a reverent sip of her tea and sighed contently, enjoying the taste and the relaxing effect of the hot beverage, she looked up to him and smiled weakly.
"He will live, Albus."
Albus briefly closed his eyes, and a giant boulder seemed to lift from his heart as his unconscious fears were appeased. A whispered "Thank God," from Harry told him that the boy thought no different. Harry smiled lopsidedly, the relief clear in his eyes, and Sirius put an arm reassuringly around his shoulder.
"You see, Harry? Snape is a survivor. Nothing holds him down for long." He grinned down at his godson who nodded happily.
Albus, whose mood was suddenly more unencumbered now, could not prevent the mischief, which could surely be read in his eyes at this moment, as he thought about how fast Sirius would lose that grin in a little while.
But when he put his attention back on Poppy, he became serious again, the momentary euphoria about the good news wiped away at once.
"How does it look for him?" Severus would live, but after what he had seen, Albus knew that the way of healing would be long and painful.
The nurse sighed again and set her cup on the club table before her.
"He is very weak and like Sirius already said, strongly dehydrated and malnourished. Apparently, they have given him just a drop too much liquid to not let him die of thirst. The wounds on his body are bad, but not life threatening. What had me worried most were his kidneys. By the lack of liquid the risk of a damage there is very strong and I had to give him a weak potion to prevent that."
She looked up to Albus, a mute apology in her eyes. "I know that I should not have used any magic on him, not even potions, but I diluted it considerably and will have to be administered to him in small doses over the next few days for him to get the full dosage."
Albus looked startled at her regretting intonation.
"And?" he required.
"Whatever they have done to him, they have done it efficiently. The potion was very weak and I gave him a mere few drops but Severus' body reacted immediately. His blood pressure practically skyrocketed and it took quite a while to stabilize it again. Nevertheless, I had to give it to him. Without magic I cannot estimate the condition of his kidneys and a failure of these organs would be deadly for him."
She was silent a moment, before she continued. "I used Muggle medications for his other wounds. His feet and shins have second and third grade burns and he will probably not be able to walk on them for a while, perhaps forever if we cannot use magic on him anymore. His shoulder joints are very sensitive and seem to pain him a lot whenever they are moved, but I could not find any injury there. He will hopefully be able to give me more information about them, once he is awake. The whipping wounds at his back were partly infected and it is probable that they will leave scars.
"All this would be so simple to heal, without any traces left, with a healing spell," she sighed finally.
Dumbledore nodded, assenting. He vehemently hoped that they would find a counter curse. Severus' body would heal this way too, but if he couldn't exist in the proximity of magic or make use of it himself, then survival would hardly mean anything anymore. A man such like Severus Snape could not exist so crippled.
"What about his hands?" he asked Poppy.
"That's another story all together. His fingernails were peeled off, but they should re-grow without any problems. What concern me more are his palms. They were magically perforated and even with magic I am not certain whether I could heal it. Muscles, nerve chords and even a part of the bone have dissolved completely. The important blood vessels are intact, however, so I don't have to amputate the hands, but the holes will not close up. His only chance to use the hands ever again is if we find the counter curse and use magic."
Albus lowered his head in defeat. No matter what it took and how much dark magic he may possibly have to use himself, he would find a counter curse. A life without magic and without the use of his hands would be unthinkable for Severus and Albus would not let it come to this.
Sirius took this moment to rise to his feet. "I am sure that you'll manage somehow. But since it's clear now that Snape will survive and Harry's concerns are put to rest, I would gladly disappear. Since I am already here, I can profit from the calm and take a bit of a stroll in the clear air before I return to Hogwarts."
Was there a spark of a suspicion because Sirius wanted to get away so fast? Albus wondered, but it didn't matter. Thus, he went into battle mode.
"I am afraid that this will not be possible, my dear boy."
Sirius narrowed his eyes suspicious. "And why, pray tell, not?"
"Poppy still has to show you what you must pay attention to, when you take further care of Severus." Albus could, despite the seriousness of the momentary situation, not completely stifle a slight smile, while he waited for the explosion to come.
He didn't have to wait for long.
"YOU WANT WHAT? I SHALL...YOU BETTER FORGET ABOUT THAT RIGHT AWAY, ALBUS!
"Calm down, Sirius. You have to help him."
"NO!"
"You are the only one who can leave Hogwarts for a longer period of time," Madame Pomfrey now offered too.
"NO!"
Albus wasn't particularly impressed by Sirius ' vehement refusal; it rather amused him. He knew that the Animagus would finally consent. His sense of honour would order him to. A side glance to a very anxious and somehow oppressed-looking Harry, and Dumbledore knew that the fight might perhaps not be as difficult as he originally had thought.
"Please be reasonable, Mr. Black," Madame Pomfrey said with more vehemence. "I cannot be here for longer than some moments a day, just like the headmaster or Remus Lupin. Severus is not in a position to provide for himself. He has to be monitored around the clock. Even if we take turns and manage not to draw the Aurors' attention to us, then Severus will still be alone for hours in between."
"I don't care. I went to fetch Snape off of a heap of corpses, have ruined my robe because of him and have even bathed him. If you imagine me staying around him any longer holding his hand at his bedside, then you are sorely mistaken. I swear that I'll lose patience with him sooner or later and press a pillow over his head myself."
"How can you be so insensible?" Poppy now said indignantly. "Haven't you seen what they have done to him?"
Sirius ' rage seemed to diminish a little at this. Albus felt sorry for the Animagus. Sirius knew probably more about torture and anguish than all the other persons present. And if it weren't Snape who was the victim, then Sirius would probably also show more sympathy. The hate and the distrust, which had been built for decades by both of them, had clouded their view until the other had become not even a human being anymore, but only the summary of everything they both resented in this world.
Also because of this, Albus thought it would do Sirius some good to experience Snape as a vulnerable and above all human being in need of assistance. Exactly the same as it would make Severus admit for once his vulnerability and accept assistance. To see that Sirius was more than only someone who was out to hurt him. Naturally, that could go terribly awry, but who knew? Perhaps miracles still happened...
"You cannot force me," Sirius stated, even his voice had a tormented quality about it now.
"He is right, Poppy," Albus said at last and earned himself a disbelieving stare of the three persons present. "We will manage, somehow. We take turns and remain with Severus for as long as we can without having someone notice. If Severus' condition is stable for the moment then he can survive some hours by himself."
"Are you mad?" the nurse cried indignantly. "Stable does not necessarily mean out of danger. He is very weak. What if he wakes up and finds himself alone? And what if he tries to get out of bed? He will be confused and he doesn't know this place. And what if the infusion is empty and must be changed? He must be shifted or this will be only the beginning of the difficulties, should he get bedsores. And when he receives the next dose of his potion he must be closely supervised for some hours. His blood circulation could collapse."
Albus stroked leisurely over his beard and calmly eyed the persons in the room. Years ago, he had learned how to let people, especially young ones, drop their facades and a piercing glance, an inappropriate smile or a long pause when everybody expected you to answer, had always done the job.
"As it appears, we must take the risk. None of us can leave Hogwarts without a convincing explanation for a longer period of time and the other members of the order are busy with their other assignments. All will go well, I am sure it will."
"Exactly," Sirius nodded enthusiastically, while Poppy gifted her superior with an indignant glare and Harry looked in such a way, as if he was on the brick of despair. Albus was ready for the crucial point of his plan.
"Severus will survive, I believe. After all, he has suffered under so much bad luck lately that it can't get any worse any more and he'll be lucky this time." He had intentionally taken on a careless and joyful tone of voice and now he reached into his purple robe's pocket and withdraw a small pouch. "Lemon drop, anyone?"
Nobody answered and Poppy's eyes were open so wide in indignation that they looked threatening close of almost falling from their eye sockets.
"But Sir..." Harry said now with trembling voice, "You cannot count on luck. What if he dies? It is my fault that he is in this condition at all and if it must be, then I will stay with him. Please, headmaster. I can care for him."
"Now. Harry," Albus said with fake concern. "If you stay away from classes without explanation, the Aurors will notice and inform the Ministry. And without good reason why you ran away, they will force me to expel you from school."
Harry hesitated only for one second, before his face hardened in resolve. "I don't give a damn! I will do everything to repay my dept. If I get expelled from school by it, then so be it, but at least I can still look at myself into the mirror." One moment after his outburst, he added a somewhat excusing "Sir," to the sentence.
"You cannot do that!" Sirius now shouted, drawing himself up to his full height and standing before his godson with blazing eyes. Albus smiled slightly. Everything went exactly according to plan.
"I cannot let Snape die, Sirius, after I brought him into this mess," apologized Harry and looked his godfather immovably into the eyes.
After one minute of mute staring, in which both tried to bring their intentions across, Sirius finally threw up his hands.
"Very well. I will bloody damn stay here and look after the greasy git, but don't expect me to become all nice and tender with him."
"That's perfectly acceptable, as long as you tend to his wounds and his physical care," smiled Albus. Sirius turned to face him. When he saw the amused smile, however, his eyes widened and Albus could almost see the wheels turning in Sirius ' head as he came to the realization that Albus had manipulated him exactly where he wanted to him to be. The Animagus was not stupid and had it figured out faster than Poppy or Harry and his face morphed into an insulted, angry mask, but Albus knew that now he would not withdraw from his word any more.
"Merlin be thanked," sighed Poppy now. "How could you only consider leaving Severus alone, Albus? In his condition," she scolded, not realizing that Albus would never in life have left the young Slytherin alone. The boy had gone through too much already and had been left alone much too often in his life.
"Well then, come along, Mr. Black. I will show you everything. I want to see to Severus again anyway. His blood pressure must be strictly supervised for the moment." With these words she turned around and left the room. Sirius followed her with a last angry look at Albus and the headmaster thought he had heard a murmured, "Manipulating old bastard," from his direction.
Chuckling, he went to Harry and laid his arm around the boy's shoulders, following the others with the three students in tow.
When they reached the room a little after Poppy and Sirius, the Mediwitch was standing at the small desk and was just explaining to the Animagus how he had to handle the stethoscope and the blood pressure tool. Sirius looked, as if he was having his own execution explained to him, and while Poppy wrote down some instructions on a piece of parchment, Albus sat down at the edge of Severus' bed.
He carefully evaded the tube that ran from a transparent bag with a clear liquid, fastened to one of the high bed posts, to Severus ' inner elbow, disappearing there under some bandages. The injured man lay in a gentle inclination on his side, supported by some cushions beneath his back.
Albus studied with a heavy heart the wizard's sallow face. With paternal gentleness, he cupped the unmoving man's cheek with his hand. "You will pull through this, my friend. We will help you."
He lowered his eyes once more to the hands, now professionally bound in pristine white bandages and took them gently into his own. 'And you will not have to terminate your life as a physical and magical cripple either, if I can somehow prevent it,' he added in thoughts.
T.B.C.
Betaed by Slytherin's silver Snake and Sadistra.