Chapter 52:

Magica Pudidus

The instant Albus entered Remus' house, a hubbub of anxious voices reached his ears.

He followed the sounds into the living room where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting on the sofa in front of a few forgotten teacups, talking heatedly with Sirius and Minerva. The two adults were still standing, both wearing serious expressions on their faces.

Albus sighed disapprovingly. Of course, Harry and his friends would want to apologise to Severus. He had anticipated that and the fact that they had not voiced their wish to him so far had already made him wonder. Usually, he tended to wholly trust Minerva's judgement. However, had he had any say in the matter, he would not have let the kids visit Severus in his current condition. At least not when he himself was not at hand to de-escalate the situation if necessary. Severus would not like being seen in such a helpless state by his students, and Albus would bet his ancient 'Fire Comet' that the encounter had been far from peaceful and relaxed. Severus was a man who would not for the life of him permit any display of weakness in front of others, and if the students had indeed been allowed to see him in his helplessness while he was awake, the grades of the trio would certainly suffer severely until the day of their graduation.

Assuming that Severus will ever be able to teach again, he added sadly as an afterthought.

Upon seeing Dumbledore enter the room, Sirius' face lit up with relief.

"Albus!" he exclaimed, making the others look up and turn towards the headmaster, too. Yet their faces failed to show a similarly relieved expression. Harry looked rather unsettled, Ron was angry, and Hermione's face mirrored a mixture of confusion and guilt.

So, then Severus had indeed been awake…

Sighing deeply, Albus approached the group and nodded at them.

"Albus, thank Merlin you are back!" he was greeted by the deputy headmistress. Although these words should have worried the headmaster greatly, Minerva's voice did not hold any trace of panic or pressing anxiety – only righteous indignation. The kind of indignation she always displayed when Severus had 'maltreated' her Gryffindors once again.

"What is it Severus has done now again?" he asked mildly, not really able to enjoy the surprised expressions all around him as it had not been that difficult to guess what they were talking about. He had more important things on his mind right now. And Severus should be given the chance to heal before confronting him with students.

Minerva quickly recovered her wits. "That impossible man! Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger wanted to apologise to him, and what does he do? Hurl some extremely vicious insults at Mr. Potter! I am well aware that it won't be easy for Severus to forgive the kids, but can't he see that it was an accident and that the children have been punished enough already? After all, HE once made a bad mistake, too. And that's rather an understatement."

Albus slowly shook his head. "Minerva, after all those years, you really should know Severus well enough as to anticipate his reaction. You should not have exposed him like this."

Nodding to the three teenagers, he continued, "I do appreciate your wish to apologise to Professor Snape; this was really brave and very Gryffindor-esque of the three of you. However, it was too early."

Again he looked at McGonagall and just managed to keep the accusation from showing on his face. "Severus is a proud man, Minerva, and he doesn't take well to being seen helpless and vulnerable, especially not in front of students. Terrible things have been done to him, and he will hold Harry responsible for part of it. Moreover, he will never take an apology from a Gryffindor, and certainly not from James Potter's son, seriously after everything that transpired between the two when they still were students."

"What do you mean, Professor?"

Albus glanced at the suddenly very interested looking dark-haired teen. "Now, Harry, you certainly already know that your father and Severus were having quite a few differences back then." He decided not to expand on the details of their notorious quarrels. Harry need not know everything.

"How are things with the Ministry?" asked Sirius, abruptly changing the subject while looking uncharacteristically calm. Albus would have expected him to be at least as outraged at Severus' behaviour as was Minerva, but, for once, the former Marauder, who seemed to be in a rather pensive mood, did not join in the tirade about his childhood enemy.

"I exerted some pressure and Fudge promised to talk with the Board of School Governors about withdrawing the Aurors, but I don't know how trustworthy this promise is."

"And the members of the Order?" inquired Minerva.

Albus could almost feel Harry and his two friends prick up their ears. Well, perhaps it was time to let the kids know.

"Everything is in place so far. It is possible, of course, that we haven't found all their hideouts yet, but the places we do know about are all wired and should suffice. Now, we just have to watch and wait."

Again, Dumbledore turned to the three students. "For some time now, we have been listing places where, after our knowledge, Death Eater meetings might be conducted. Most of these locations are magically warded, that's why we resorted to Muggle technology. The Muggles have achieved the most astonishing things without using magic. Their bugs are more efficient than even the newest inventions by the Weasley twins, and, most of all, Voldemort will never expect us to use those Muggle contraptions."

"But what use could that be?" Ron asked curiously.

"And how did you get inside the houses and all the other places if they are magically warded, Professor?" added Hermione, frowning.

Albus smiled knowingly. "Still today, most wizards are so used to underestimate the house elves, and only because they are subservient. Nevertheless, house elves are powerful magical beings. I'll explain the plan to you in more detail one of these days, but now I really want to look after Severus."

"And we better return to school," Minerva urged. "Our absence must not be noticed."

"Please, wait a few minutes. I'll try not to be too long, but Harry, Hermione, and Ron should finally hear the entire truth. Already twice, keeping important information from the children led straight into disaster, Minerva. Sometimes I might be a bit naive, but I'm not totally daft. I won't repeat the same mistake thrice, especially not with matters concerning Harry."

"Already twice? And what are those matters concerning me?" Harry asked.

Albus smiled at him warmly. "Later, Harry, later. I'll be back soon."

He turned around ready to leave when Hermione's voice stopped him. "Oh, Professor. We found one curse that might be the one Voldemort put on Professor Snape, though it would have side effects he does not have. The victim almost always goes blind. We didn't have the time to read through the book more thoroughly yet, so perhaps we missed something..."

"What curse exactly is that, Ms. Granger?" Albus wanted to know immediately.

"A very old one that completely destroys the magic inherent of a wizard," Harry explained. "That's also why there is no counter-curse. It's name was Avenu ... Avene ..." Harry looked at Hermione, who was rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Aveneficium."

"Yes, exactly, that was it," Harry smiled.

Albus nodded pensively. "That would make the fourth possibility then," he murmured into his long silvery beard while turning to Sirius. "Did Severus recall the curse yet, or anything that might help us identify it?"

The Animagus glanced at the Transfigurations Professor, who shook her head and answered. "No, I asked him, but he either does not remember or does not want to remember. You know how stubborn Severus can be."

Albus frowned. He had better ask the Slytherin himself. Nodding at them once again, he finally left the room and proceeded towards Severus' chamber.

He had just reached the staircase when he heard hasty steps following him.

"Albus? Can I have a word?"

Impatiently, Dumbledore waited at the foot of the stairs, one hand on the banister and his foot already on the first step. He really wanted to look after Severus now, especially since the injured wizard was awake at the moment. He had almost been sick with worry on behalf of the Slytherin, and now he would finally be able to talk to the young man again and make sure he was recovering and would live. The boy ought to know that he was not alone and that they would do everything to help him. Moreover, he had to find out exactly which curse had been used on Severus and whether there was a way to reverse it. Though he did not hold high hopes for this to actually happen. Of the four possible curses, two were irreversible, one would lead to certain death over months, and only with one the magic would slowly return of its own accord. That Voldemort had actually used this last one did not make much sense, unfortunately. Why rob the traitor of his magic in the first place if it would come back after a while?

Pushing these gloomy thoughts away for the moment, he forced a smile. "What's the matter, Sirius?"

The Animagus walked up to him, looking at the old headmaster seriously. "Snape's the matter, of course. Something's wrong with him, Albus."

Albus felt the blood drain from his face. "Did he have a relapse? Is it his circulatory system, his...?"

"No, physically he is doing better," interrupted Sirius, and then, sending a nervous glance towards the second floor and lowering his voice to a mere whisper, he continued. "Snape is acting strangely. Not like himself. He's close to a breakdown, if you ask me."

Albus' eyes narrowed, and he, too, lowered his voice inadvertently. "What do you mean by strange, Sirius?"

The Gryffindor shrugged. "Do I look like an expert on Slytherin behaviour? He's just – different."

A heavy weight of anxiety was lifted from Albus heart. "It's only natural that he is different. After what has been done to him. Severus hates to appear weak, especially in front of you. Plus he has to digest a very traumatic experience, and the fact that he doesn't know whether or not his magic will come back doesn't make things easier. Considering all this, don't you think he has a right to act somewhat unsettled and aggressively?"

"I don't know. I have the feeling there is more to it, Albus. But you'll see for yourself."

Dumbledore patted Sirius on the shoulder good-naturedly. "I'll observe him closely. And thank you for telling me – and for your concern."

Sirius snorted in disgust. "Concern? For the slimy Slytherin? You must be hallucinating. I simply want to get rid of him as soon as possible. You are aware that I do this only for you, Albus? I owe you my life because it was you who gave Harry and Hermione the hint about the time-turner."

With these words, he turned on his heels and returned to the living room.

Albus sighed. It was only too obvious that Sirius meant every single word. It had been an old man's silly wish that the two young wizards would actually use the situation to make up for old hurts and grudges and bury their enmity. A foolish wish, it seemed.

Severus was lying on his back motionlessly, his upper body propped up by some supportive pillows into a slightly slanting position, staring blankly at the ceiling and not showing any sign of having heard him open the door.

Albus entered the room and carefully closed the door behind him.

"Severus?" Slowly he approached the sickbed, coming to a halt in front of it.

The Potions master's eyes widened slightly upon recognising the headmaster. Turning his head, he looked at the old wizard with a strange expression on his face.

Albus reached for a wooden chair that was standing close to a small table and sat down near the bed. "How are you doing, Severus?" he asked with concern.

Severus did not answer immediately, only nodded his head weakly. "Albus?"

Albus smiled warmly down at the sick man. "Yes, my child. I'm so sorry that you didn't get to see me sooner. I was here a couple of times, but you were asleep then."

Severus did not comment. "You got me out of there?" he asked instead in a husky voice.

For a brief second, Albus wondered why the enthusiasm, which should have been there, was missing in the question, but then he remembered whom he was talking to. Severus was rarely able to express feelings other than rage or disappointment. "Of course I have, Severus. We were really lucky to receive a hint at where to find you. Obviously, the Dark Lord underestimated your strength. But you'll get well again. We'll show him, won't we?"

Albus tried his best to sound optimistic. He was well aware of the fact that he was one of the very few people in the world, probably the only one, Severus trusted completely. Not knowing whether he would ever be able to use magic again, the young wizard would need this optimism.

However, Severus looked everything but optimistic. "I'm useless as a spy now, even as a teacher."

It was hardly more than a whisper. Now Albus understood what Sirius had tried to tell him. Severus, on the one hand, was a proud man, but on the other hand he wanted to correct at least some of the wrongs of his past, and without magic he felt useless. It almost broke Albus' heart to see the Slytherin like this.

Protectively, he laid a hand on the injured wizard's shoulder. "Don't worry, Severus. We'll find something where you can still be of use to the order. You and your knowledge are invaluable for our cause.

Severus closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again a new determination was to be seen there. Albus smiled happily at his young friend. "Everything will be all right, my boy. We are all so glad to have you back."

Albus knew that Severus was not comfortable with any open display of emotions but this had to be said. If it had not been for all the ugly injuries and his fear to cause the Slytherin even more pain, he would even have hugged him. Picturing this, the old wizard could not suppress a smile. Severus just was not the cuddly type of person.

"Now, Sirius tells me that you are a bit better today," he changed the subject into a more pleasant track. "I'm glad to see that you two haven't killed each other yet. Especially after Sirius having cut your hair."

Severus looked at him wide-eyed. "Black did that? I thought..."

Albus smiled wryly. Actually, he had expected Sirius to have already rubbed Severus' nose in that titbit of information to anger the Slytherin and cause another verbal fight. "Your hair was too filthy. Sirius said it would have been close to impossible to get rid of all the dirt and grime. In fact, it suits you well, if I may say so."

Gently, he reached out to brush away a short black lock from Severus' brow, but the Slytherin turned his head away abruptly and stared at the wall again.

Albus sighed softly. Severus did not like to be touched. He lowered his hand again and decided to leave it with this. "Let's not talk about your hair. It's not important, and it will grow back soon enough."

Instead of the expected sarcastic remark, the Slytherin only pressed his lips into a thin, hard line and continued sulking over the unwelcome news. "Don't worry, my boy," Albus sighed. "I'll do everything in my might to get the Aurors removed from the school soon, but it really would be best for the both of you if you could finally leave the past behind."

As anticipated, Severus did not reply, but his mouth twisted into a sneer.

Most fortunately, Dumbledore was a very patient man but Severus always managed to test his limits again and again. The boy was so bitter and surly; he usually made things much worse for himself than necessary. Unfortunately, he had good reason to be bitter this time, after what had been done to his body and his magic. His magic. That was another problem they had to discuss.

"Please look at me, Severus."

Reluctantly, the Potions master turned his head and met his employer's eyes.

"Minerva says that you cannot remember the curse the Dark Lord used on you to rob you of your magic. Is that right?"

For the briefest moment, something like resistance flickered in Severus eyes before he answered with a simple "Yes." This seemed to close the subject for him, something that surprised Albus to no end. He would have expected a lot more enthusiasm when discussing the chances for a reversal of the curse. However, Severus was a man who did not like to give away control over things he, in his opinion, should do by himself, but this time, Albus would not give in.

"Why can't you remember? Were you unconscious?" he kept on.

Severus closed his eyes briefly as if trying to chase away a particularly painful memory, and then Albus began to understand. "You don't want to remember, do you?"

Trying not to sound accusing, he laid a hand on Severus' shoulder in a soothing gesture, and for once, the sick wizard did not flinch or shrug it off. "Voldemort did terrible things to you, and I understand that remembering the curse must be terribly painful, but if we want to find a counter-curse, it is necessary."

The Potions master looked as if fighting hard against the tears threatening to his eyes. Not even in front of him would he admit any weakness, Albus thought sadly. However, the fact that Severus did not seem to trust his own voice anymore to give a scathing reply was more than evidence enough for his current frame of mind.

"I did some research and found four possible curses mentioned in some ancient tomes. I'm going to name them to you now, so you won't have to think too much about it." Albus decided to not mention Harry, Hermione, and Ron having helped with the research. It would only pour salt into an open wound.

Severus nodded curtly and continued staring at the ceiling. Albus sighed once again. As always, the boy did everything to hide his true emotions, even though he was failing pathetically.

The headmaster breathed deeply and stared at his hands lying in his lap for a moment. One of the curses would kill Severus in the course of the next few months and there was nothing that could be done to prevent it. What if it was this curse Voldemort had used on the young wizard in his sick sadism?

Albus rubbed the bridge of his nose with thumb and index finger. He wanted clarity, but he also dreaded Severus' answer to the question to come, and something inside him urged him to name this lethal curse last, hoping it would not be necessary after all.

Even though especially this curse would make terrible sense.

Again, he took a deep breath, and then looked at Severus. He had to know. "Enervare Mortvenenum?" he asked quickly.

Severus shook his head. "No."

Releasing the breath he was not even aware he had been holding, Albus felt a faint rush of relief wash over him, though some anxious doubt remained. "Are you absolutely sure it wasn't this curse, Severus?"

"Yes."

Still full of doubt, Albus surveyed the Potions master. His answers came a bit too quick and abrupt for his liking. It was obvious that Severus did not want to even cursorily think about what he had had to endure. Not that Albus could not understand this. According to what he had read, being robbed of his magic was a terrible shock to both body and soul of a wizard, and extremely painful, too. Comparable to having one's leg ripped off while fully conscious. He only hoped Severus was correct. If it was not any of the other three curses ...

Well, there was only one way to find out. Albus decided to rule out the most improbable one first. Voldemort would not have used a curse that would wear off by itself, would he? It would make little sense, if sense at all. Nevertheless, he had to ask, even if it was painful for Severus. "Was it Magica Pudidus?"

Again, he expected a short "No", yet Severus did not answer but clenched his eyes shut and seemed to concentrate so hard his whole body tensed.

"Severus?"

Not looking at him, the Slytherin nodded curtly.

Was it possible? As much as he wished it were, Albus could hardly believe it. It just could not be that easy. "This was the curse? Are you sure?"

The young wizard nodded again while inhaling slowly and deeply in an effort to control himself.

Upon mentioning the name of the curse, and although Albus had wanted to avoid it, Severus must still have recalled, and probably partly relived, the pain and the shock he had gone through back then. Albus was terribly sorry that he had had to do this to his friend, but his regrets were overpowered by a wave of enormous relief and joy, and he could not contain the broad grin that stole on his face.

"But this is wonderful, Severus! It means that your magic will return all by itself. You'll be able to do magic again. And, most probably, we will be able to heal your hands, too."

Enthusiastically, he grabbed both Severus' upper arms and only then noticed that the Potions master was still lying tense and with eyes closed and probably had not got his joy or the cause of it at all. Immediately, he felt a little guilty about having let himself be carried away by his enthusiasm while Severus was still caught in his terrible memories.

Gently, he began to massage the tense muscles beneath his hands. "Shush, my child. Try to relax. Everything will be all right. Steady now, steady."

For a long while, Albus kept on talking to the Slytherin in a soothing voice, and slowly, the man's body relaxed as he seemed to concentrate on the reassuring words. "That's a good boy. You only need time. The memories will fade, especially when your magic comes back again."

With a deep, rattling breath, Severus opened his eyes and looked up at the headmaster, the pain still visible in his eyes.

Albus laid a soothing hand on Severus' sunken and stubbly right cheek. "You'll see, everything will be just fine, my child. Your magic will return, and the memories will fade. We'll have you back in Hogwarts teaching Potions again within no time at all."

At those last words, Severus grimaced, and Albus smiled at him benevolently. "I know you don't appreciate the prospect of resuming to teach a bunch of noisy, hopeless dunderheads that much, but we'll take it slowly, and whenever you need help..." He straightened up in his chair and looked at Severus intently from over the top of his spectacles. "I will help you wherever I can. My door is always open for you, Severus. I hope you know this?"

Severus sighed in an absolutely un-Snapeish way. "I'm aware of it, headmaster."

Snape's businesslike tone, on the one hand, made Albus glad, but, at the same time, it saddened him to no end. It was the typical Snape-tone-of-voice the Slytherin used whenever Albus was trying to talk to him on a more personal level, but, on the other hand, it showed that he had overcome the previous episode. The Snape he knew never let anybody come close. Nevertheless, he would keep an eye on him.

And probably, it was time to give Severus something to distract his thoughts and direct them into a different direction. The prospect of retaliation would surely help his friend deal with his traumatic experiences and the painful loss of his magic.

"Do you remember our idea in case the plan with the poison wouldn't work, Severus?"

The young wizard looked at him suspiciously. "You mean Lupin's inane idea about using Muggle technology to spy on the Death Eaters?"

Albus smiled again. This sounded much more like the old Snape already. "Yes, that's what I mean. And contrary to what you might think, my boy, it seems to work pretty well. At heavily warded locations such as Malfoy Manor, we had to combine it with magic since there are powerful protective spells against everything Muggle in place, similar to those at Hogwarts, but Dobby managed to install them all."

Albus began informing Severus about what had happened during those months he had been away on his perilous mission, and slowly he had the reassuring feeling that the old Snape was back. At least in part. Trying his best to sound optimistic, he related the plan in as much detail as possible. The Slytherin had been treated in the worst possible way, and Albus knew from experience how unforgiving and vindictive the man could be. Presenting him with the prospect of being able to take revenge for what had been done to him, would, no doubt, help him recover much better than any medicine, be it Muggle or wizarding.

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TBC

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Translated by the wonderful Persephone Lupin

Betaed by Sadistra and Slytherin's silver snake.