Hiding at Hogwarts
~ by Healer Pomfrey ~
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
7 – Awakening
~ Chamber of Secrets ~
Severus Snape carefully took enough of the venom that remained in the fangs of the basilisk's cadaver to brew the antidote for Harry.
"Use my personal lab for the potion. You find all the ingredients you need there, and they're under an everlasting refreshment charm, so that they still should be all right," Salazar offered, causing the younger Potions Master to give him a surprised look.
"I accept the offer. Where will I find your personal lab?" he queried, his voice laced with unusual excitement. Five minutes later, Severus was standing in a fully equipped Potions laboratory that was obviously under a self modernising charm and held about twice the size of his own private lab. 'This room is absolutely gorgeous,' he thought, stopping dead in his tracks for an instant, before he reminded himself that the life of a small boy depended on how fast he was able to administer the antidote.
Half-way through the brewing process, a Patronus from the Headmaster arrived, but Severus didn't even bother to send a message back. 'I can't pity you for worrying over the boy,' he thought in annoyance. 'Apparently, his home is as abusive as mine was, and you still sent him back every year.'
~ Helga's living room ~
While the Potions Master was hurrying to finish the antidote as quickly as possible, Madam Pomfrey was fighting for Harry's life. The boy's fever had risen to dangerous heights, and he was in so much pain that she had already given him twice the amount of pain relieving potion that she would normally administer to a child of his size and age.
'Thank God Helga and Salazar are here, even if they're only portraits,' she thought, glad to be able to share her concern and her thoughts about what to do to save the child's life. 'I just hope Severus will return on time,' she mused, sighing in relief when the Potions Master swiftly strode into the room in a speed that was even rapid for the tall man.
"Poppy, I need your help. We can't spell the antidote into his system using magic. He has to swallow it," Severus said urgently.
Pomfrey gently lifted the unconscious boy's head just enough for the Potions Master to pour the liquid from the phial into Harry's half-open mouth. Severus gently massaged the boy's throat, making him swallow the poisonous yet life-saving potion.
"Thank you Severus," Poppy whispered, gently lowering the boy's head back onto the pillow. She grabbed her wand and cast a series of spells, sighing in relief upon confirming that he was not in danger anymore. "You saved his life, Severus. Go to bed now; I will stay with him until he is completely well. Please don't tell Albus that Harry is here."
"I received a Patronus from him," Severus only now remembered.
"I don't care," the Healer replied in an uncharacteristically angry tone. "Harry has clearly been abused; you should know all about that."
"I know, and I won't give him out to Albus," Severus promised grimly. "I'll be back in a few hours." With that he replaced Salazar's mini portrait into the bookshelf and strode back to the dungeons.
~ The Dursleys' residence ~
If anyone at Privet drive was awake at five o'clock on this summer morning, they might have been surprised to see a goat, accompanied by a tabby cat, run along the street and turn left into the Dursleys' garden.
Behind the garage, the goat changed into an old man with a long, white beard and opened the back door with a flick of his wand, allowing the cat to enter the house.
Remaining in her cat form, Professor McGonagall searched the whole house for Harry, just like her younger colleague had already done a few hours earlier. Twenty minutes later, she returned into the garden, sadly shaking her head at the goat. Together, the two animals walked back to the nearby house of Mrs. Figg, who didn't even wake up when the two teachers stepped into the fireplace to return to Hogwarts.
"I wonder what happened to Harry and why Severus didn't reply to my Patronus," the Headmaster said grimly, noticing in surprise that the alarm had stopped in the meantime.
"Can it be that Severus took Harry somewhere upon realising that his life was in danger?" McGonagall asked thoughtfully, causing the Headmaster to snort.
"Do you really believe that Severus would do anything for a Potter?" he replied in disbelief.
"Well, since Harry seems to be all right now, I suggest that we go back to bed and hope that everything will clear up in the morning," McGonagall said softly. "I'll see you in a few hours at breakfast."
"Good night, Minerva," the Headmaster replied, sighing in defeat as he stepped around the desk to pet his phoenix. "I don't like being completely clueless; what do you think, Fawkes?" he said softly, but Fawkes only gave back a few sleepy trills.
Helga's living room ~
Harry's mind slowly turned back to awareness. He felt extremely tired but not sick anymore. When he lazily opened his eyes, he noticed that sunshine was flooding the room and that Madam Pomfrey was asleep in the seat next to his bed. 'She must have transfigured the sofa to a bed,' he realised, recalling that the Healer had been with him during the night and had tried to help him feel better. 'Why is she still here?' he wondered and sat up to look at the portrait that was strangely quiet.
"Harry," Madam Pomfrey said, jerking awake as he moved. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," Harry replied in confusion. "What happened? I remember that I felt awful during the night, but I'm completely fine now."
Pomfrey quickly pointed her wand at his forehead, nodding contentedly. "Harry, do you remember that Professor Snape was here?"
"Snape?" Harry asked in shock. "Oh no, he will have told the Headmaster that I'm here," he said, lying back in resignation.
"No, Mr. Potter," the Potions Master threw in, sweeping into the room. "On the contrary. Because I did not inform the Headmaster, he and Professor McGonagall travelled to your home to check on you early this morning."
"They WHAT?" Madam Pomfrey gasped, chuckling.
"Exactly," Severus smirked. "Mr. Potter, you were suffering from basilisk poison. You can be very glad that you were here at Hogwarts, where we were able to help you on time."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry replied in disbelief. "But I don't understand... Fawkes healed me after I was bitten by the basilisk."
The Potions Master let out a long sigh. "Apparently, there was still venom left that slowly spread in your blood stream and made you so ill. You couldn't have chosen a better place to stay during this summer than here, where I had access to more basilisk venom in order to brew the antidote."
"Thank you for saving my life, sir," Harry replied, feeling very uncomfortable at the thought.
"You're welcome, Mr. Potter," Severus replied thoughtfully. "Now we have to decide on what we're going to tell the Headmaster."
"Dumbledore?" Harry asked, terrified. "Professor, please don't tell the Headmaster. I promise that I'll stay here within these rooms and won't bother anyone, but please don't tell him. Otherwise, he'll send me back to that place."
"Mr. Potter, don't make yourself so upset," Pomfrey spoke up in a stern voice.
"We have to give the Headmaster an explanation. He went to look for you and didn't find you. Do you believe he will calmly sit in his office, eat lemon drops, pet his bird and wait for you to come back on the first of September, after an alarm in his office alerted him to the fact that you were about to die early this morning?" Severus sneered, causing Harry to throw him a horrified look.
"He would," Madam Pomfrey mumbled in a barely audible voice, "but Minerva wouldn't. I know how much she hates leaving Harry at his relatives' house. I'm sure it was her to convince Albus to go and check on Harry when you didn't come back during the night."
"You better stop the hide and seek play at this stage," Salazar threw in from the painting. "Tell Dumbledore the truth."
tbc...
Thank you so much for your kind comments that made my muse continue so fast!