73. Recovery

She had also recruited Ernie and Dean, along with Seamus, to help her bring Snape to the castle. His condition was much too unstable for Side-Along Apparition, so they'd conjured a stretcher to carry him back.

"The whole time," Seamus said, "all year long... he's been working for our side?"

With a sigh, Callie replied, "Yes."

"But he did kill Dumbledore?"

"Yes. But only because Dumbledore ordered him to."

"And Dumbledore was already dying?" Ernie asked.

"Right," Callie confirmed. "All of it was part of the plan. Dumbledore was working everybody like a puppet master, and Snape was his most secret weapon."

"And you knew about this," Seamus said, sounding rather irritated, "and you didn't let any of us know?"

Shooting him a derisive look, she replied, "I am never trusting you with a secret again, Finnigan."

With a smirk, Dean chimed in, "You all are going to have to tell me what the hell has been going on here the last eight months."

"Eh!" Ernie said, looking as though something had just occurred to him. "Whatever happened to the Carrows? Haven't seen 'em all night."

"With any luck, they're dead," Seamus said.

"Pity that would be," Callie remarked, "seeing as how we never got to Cruciate them."

When they got to the castle, she directed the boys to get Snape into a bed in the hospital wing. "Madam Pomfrey!" she called out. The woman was in the Great Hall, dabbing some sort of salve on Firenze the centaur.

"What is it, dear?" she asked, not taking her eyes off her work.

"We need your help, ma'am. Immediately. I've got Professor Snape in the hospital wing. He's under the Cardiostasis Charm and he's been injured badly."

The woman looked up at her in complete shock. "Professor Sn-" she began, but cut herself off. "But Potter said he was dead."

"He's not, ma'am," Callie replied. "Not yet. But he needs to be taken care of right away."

The matron looked back at the centaur and asked, "Could you excuse me for a moment, please?" He waved her away, and she followed Callie to Snape's bedside. "Good Heavens," she exclaimed. "What's happened, exactly?"

Callie explained, "He was bitten in the neck by Voldemort's snake. I don't know how long he was out, but I found him about a half an hour into the ceasefire. His pulse was almost nothing, and he was unconscious. But I gave him nearly a whole bottle of blood-replenishing potion, and put him in Cardiostasis about-" she checked her watch "-Christ, ninety minutes ago!" She looked down at Snape with a panicked expression on her face. "Is he alive?" she asked. "How do you know if he's dead or just under the spell?"

Pomfrey X-rayed him, revealing his motionless heart. With a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth, she eyed Callie and said, "You'll know if you reverse the charm... and it doesn't start beating."

Callie's shoulders sank; her own heart was pounding. Come on, Severus, don't do this to me, she begged. She held her breath, taking his hand in hers as Pomfrey performed the counter-charm - and the next second, his heart contracted.

"Oh, thank God," Callie sighed, throwing her head back and shutting her eyes. She moved her fingers over his wrist to feel for the pulse, its slow but steady beat providing an odd sense of comfort as she tried to calm herself. "I tried to stitch the wound but it wouldn't close," she told Pomfrey. "It just kept bleeding and bleeding."

The matron held her hand to her chin and gave it a moment of thought. "The snake," she said. "The one Longbottom decapitated?"

"Right. That's the one that bit him."

"His pet," Pomfrey mused, looking down at Snape's wound. "This is dark magic, certainly. The animal most likely carried a curse of some sort." She seemed to have been talking to herself more than to Callie, but then she looked up at the girl and asked, "You put him under stasis to try and quell the bleeding, correct?"

"Yes," Callie nodded.

"Good girl. How much replenisher has he had?"

"'Bout three-quarters of a bottle. I gave him the last dose when I put him under stasis. Again, that was about an hour and a half ago."

"Better get him another," Pomfrey said, and Callie immediately ran off to grab a bottle.

When she came back and poured an ounce of it down his throat, she asked, "What now? We can't do this forever."

"I've messaged St. Mungo's. A team is on its way to help out with the injured. Hopefully they've got something to heal the wound." Noting the worried look on Callie's face, she added, "Try to remain calm, dear. Though it pains me to say it, the St. Mungo's healers are much more knowledgeable than I am on these sorts of injuries." With a reassuring pat on Callie's hand, she excused herself to go and see to the other survivors. Callie remained at Snape's side, crouching down to make herself level with him.

"Eh, there he is!"

"It's Snape!"

"I thought he was dead?"

"Dirty bastard!"

"No, wait, Potter said he was on Dumbledore's side."

"Rubbish!"

"Harry's mum. Did you hear that? Did you hear what Harry said?"

As patients, friends, and family members began to pour in, nearly every one of them had something to say when they spotted Snape. Callie flung the curtain shut around the bed, giving him the privacy he so highly valued.

"Wake up," she ordered the unconscious headmaster in a soft voice. "You would know if that snake was cursed, you can tell us how to fix this." Giving him a little shake, she repeated, a bit louder, "Wake up!"

The curtain flew open behind her, and McGonagall was staring down at her colleague, one hand over her mouth, and her eyes wide open. "Merlin's bloody, tangled beard!" she breathed, stepping in and pulling the curtain shut. "I heard he was..." she stammered. "I heard... But I couldn't believe..."

"Ma'am," Callie said, "everything Harry told Voldemort in the Great Hall is true. Snape was on Dumbledore's side the whole time. And Dumbledore arranged his own death."

"Yes, but..." The woman looked from Callie to Snape. "Voldemort said that he'd killed him."

"He only thought he had," Callie replied. "He was nearly dead when I found him."

"What's happened to him?"

"He was bitten by the snake," Callie explained, indicating the wrappings around the man's neck. "It won't stop bleeding. Madam Pomfrey thinks there might be some kind of a curse at play. The healers from St. Mungo's are on their way."

McGonagall pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. "I don't understand," she said, shaking her head to herself. "Why didn't Albus tell me?"

"Nobody was supposed to know. If Voldemort had ever found out then he would've killed him."

McGonagall turned to Callie, studying her with a furrowed brow. "Did... did you know?" she asked.

With a sigh, the girl said, "I figured it out."

"How?"

Before she could explain, she heard Neville call out, "Callie?"

"I'm here!" she replied, rising up and throwing open the curtain.

The both of them were covered in blood and filth, but neither cared. They met each other with a passionate kiss that made McGonagall clear her throat uncomfortably. "Sorry, ma'am," Neville replied sheepishly when they broke apart. Then, to Callie, "It's over. It's finally over." He smiled down at her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "And we made it."

Returning his grin, she said, "You live, I live, right?"

"Right." They exchanged another quick kiss before he noticed Snape. "Bloody hell," he exclaimed, giving Callie a confused look. "They said he was dead."

"Yeah, well..." she shrugged "...they were wrong."

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When the healers finally arrived, they explained that they'd treated a bite from Voldemort's snake before. The victim had actually been Arthur Weasley, Ginny and Red's father. There was something in the creature's venom that kept wounds from healing, but after Mr. Weasley's attack, they had figured out the right antidote to counteract it.

Callie breathed a sigh of relief, finally leaving Snape's side when McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt - who'd been named the temporary Minister for Magic - requested that she join them in the headmaster's office to discuss what she'd known about the man.

"Let me get this straight," Shacklebolt said as they made their way up. "You knocked him out with the Stunning Spell, bound him, and gave him a truth potion?"

"Yes," Callie confirmed, looking nervously from the new Minister to McGonagall.

"And he told you his allegiance was to Dumbledore?" Shacklebolt asked.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "While under Veritaserum. He couldn't have been lying."

"We ought to get Harry up here as well," McGonagall suggested. "Somehow he knew Severus's secret, too. I'm assuming that Albus let him in on it."

"I asked Snape if Harry knew, and he said that he didn't," Callie informed them. "And I spoke to Harry last night. He didn't seem to have any idea."

"We'll get this all sorted out," Shacklebolt said. In the meantime, he'd stationed a couple of aurors at Snape's bedside, and they were to remain there until the man's innocence could be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

When they arrived at the headmaster's office, Harry, Hermione, and Red were in there. "What are you three doing here?" McGonagall asked. She wasn't at all bothered by their presence, only curious.

Nodding to Dumbledore's portrait, Harry explained, "I wanted to have a moment with him. I hope that's all right, Professor."

"Certainly," McGonagall said, giving him a kind smile. "As a matter of fact, I'm happy to see you here. I was just about to send for you."

Glancing between the woman and Shacklebolt with a somewhat worried expression, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," McGonagall replied. "Everything's fine - all things considered, of course."

She questioned him about the claims he had made about Snape, as well as how he'd found that information out.

"Right before he died," the boy said with a note of sadness in his voice, "he gave me his memories. I took them to the Pensieve-" he pointed to a big stone basin on the headmaster's desk "-and I saw everything."

"Wait," Callie chimed in. "Harry, haven't you heard? Snape's alive."

All three of her Gryffindor classmates snapped their heads up at her. "What?!" Hemione exclaimed, bringing her hand up to her mouth.

"No," Red said, shaking his head, "we saw him die."

"You were there?" Callie asked.

"Yes, and we saw the snake get him, and then we literally watched him die."

"He didn't die, he was only passed out! And you didn't try and help him?"

"We thought he was dead!" Hermione declared.

Harry came up to the Slytherin and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're serious?" he asked. "Snape's alive?"

"Yes," Callie said. "He's in the hospital wing right now." The boy gaped at her in complete shock, but after a moment, the slightest of smiles was playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Harry," Shacklebolt called out, "these memories he shared with you, could they have been altered in some way?"

Before the boy could answer, Dumbledore spoke up from his portrait. "If you have doubts about the man's true loyalties, Kingsley," he said, "then perhaps I can put them to bed for you. How about we let Mr. Potter get some much needed rest. I believe he's earned a few hours of quiet."

Shacklebolt considered it and said, "Right then. Go on, Harry. We can discuss things at a later time. But at some point I'll need to see those memories, for evidentiary purposes." The Minister then turned to Callie and said, "I'd also like to see what exactly was said during your... interrogation of Severus Snape."

"Yes, sir," she replied with a nod.

"'Interrogation'?" Hermione echoed, furrowing her brow.

"Long story," Callie said. "I'll tell you later."

The four students made to leave the office, but Dumbledore called out, "Miss Warbeck?"

She paused and looked up at him. "Yes, sir?"

He gestured for her to come closer, and when she did, she noticed that there were tears in his eyes. When he spoke, it was in a very soft voice - and in Greek. "At the risk of sounding like a braggart, I have to say that I am a very educated man, and one of many languages. Yet I fail to come up with words powerful enough to express the gratitude I have for you, Calista."

"For me, sir?" she asked, also speaking in the foreign tongue. "Why?"

"Because it would've broken my heart to see Severus Snape's life end the way it almost did," he explained. "I only know a handful of souls who have suffered as he has, and I'd been praying he would make it out of this, and have the chance to find a bit of peace."

Callie took that in and replied, "So had I."

He smiled at her and said, "You've done well - for a wicked Slytherin, that is."

She chuckled and shook her head to herself. "Thank you, sir."

"Thank you," he whispered, and gave her a wink.

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Pomfrey assured her that Snape was going to be all right. The antidote appeared to be working, as one of the healers had finally been able to close the wound. His heart was also pumping normally, but he'd been given a sedative potion so he could simply rest and let his body recover from the shock it had just been through.

In the meantime, Callie's group of Slytherin warriors didn't stick around long. Nott was the first to go, telling Callie that he'd done what he'd stayed to do, and was ready to go home.

"But... what was all that with your dad?" she asked, trying to be delicate. "I saw you... kill him."

The boy actually smirked at the memory of bringing about his own father's death. "Yes, I figured the opportunity would present itself at some point during the night. That's why I stayed. Sorry it wasn't for some more noble reason, but..." He shrugged rather callously.

"Did he really..." Callie said hesitantly "...ya know... what you said about your mum?"

Only then did he appear to show some sense of sadness. Though he kept his expression composed, she could see it in his eyes. "As you can imagine," he said, "my family has quite a history of being excessively prideful of its pureblood status. My grandfather, Cantankerus Nott, was responsible for publishing the Pure-Blood Directory back in the '30s. Nobody ever held such a low opinion of the impure to the extent that he did, and of course, he passed those ideals onto my father."

The boy sighed to himself before going on, "He really thought he'd found the perfect pureblood woman when he married my mum. She came from a family with the same status as him, and she had her own wealth." He paused, looking off into the distance with a sorrowful expression. "But she also had a secret. Her perfectly pureblooded father wasn't really her father, biologically, and she was a half-blood."

"Oh..." Callie breathed, taking a not-so-wild guess at where this was going.

"My father didn't find out until well after they were married," Nott continued. "And when he realized that she'd hoodwinked him all those years, that he was married to a dirty muggle offspring, that she'd sullied the family bloodline and given him a half-formed son..." again, he paused, anger mingling with the sadness in his eyes "...he poisoned her. Tried to make it look as though it were a suicide. Even penned a note in her hand." He bowed his head. "But I knew. She never would've left me."

He got quiet then, and Callie whispered, "I'm so sorry." He turned his face away from her, but not before she saw a tear fall from his eye. It suddenly occurred to her that he had always been one of the few Slytherins who had never given her any trouble, never even spoken ill of her. Cautiously, she put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Theo?"

Wiping away the tear, he lifted his eyes to her, and she stepped closer to give him a hug. "Thank you for staying," she said, "even if it was just for the chance to kill your dad."

He actually returned the embrace, and replied, "Pretty sure I took out a couple of his friends as well."

"Hmph," she smirked. "Well done."

Tracey was next, and she had a lot to say about how stupid she had been to go along with Pansy's clique all those years, to turn on Callie when they were kids, to stand by and watch them attack her in fifth year and not do anything to stop it.

"And I'm sorry about your bat," she said through tears. "I saw Carrow do it - Alecto. I begged her not to, but she turned her wand on me and asked if I wanted a taste of what you'd gotten. I just couldn't stop her."

"I know," Callie replied. "Nobody could have. It's not your fault."

Choking back a sob, the girl said, "And I always knew that Pansy was a cunt. But I saw the way they treated you, and I didn't want to bring that on myself. God, I was so selfish!"

She buried her face in her hands shamefully, but Callie shrugged. "Hell, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?" she said. "That was sort of the approach I took with the Carrows after they tortured me."

Shaking her head to herself, Tracey said, "I can still hear the sounds of you screaming that night. It was awful. Even Pansy had to hold a pillow over her head to try and block it out."

"Well... good to know she suffered just a bit."

The Greengrasses showed up to collect their daughters shortly after Tracey left, and their relief that the girls were all right was nearly shadowed by their anger at the both of them for joining the fight. "I didn't want to stay," Daphne told them, "but this one here refused to leave the castle."

"It was the right thing to do!" Astoria argued.

"And we nearly got ourselves killed!" Daphne shot back.

"Quiet, both of you!" Mr. Greengrass demanded. "We'll discuss this at home. You two are coming with us right this instant."

"And you'll be lucky if I don't take a belt to your bottoms," Mrs. Greengrass added.

"What about our things?" Daphne asked.

"We'll send for your things," her father replied angrily. "Come, now."

But Astoria refused to go without saying goodbye to Callie. The two exchanged a hug, and the younger girl said, "Please write to me. And soon. I wanna know what's going on with you."

"I will. And I mean this in an entirely non-lesbian way, but I love you."

The girl chuckled and replied, "I love you, too," giving Callie a kiss on the cheek before she made off with her family.

Callie made her way into the Great Hall, which had cleared out a bit since Voldemort's defeat. She spotted Slughorn and went over to him. "Ah, Miss Warbeck!" he greeted, clapping her on the shoulder and offering her a cigar. "You made it, love! Congratulations!"

"And to you, sir," she replied with a smile.

"Come, join us!" He was sitting with a fifth-year Slytherin named Derek Vaughn, to whom Callie gave a quizzical look.

"What are you doing here?" she asked the boy.

"We were in Hogsmeade waiting for the train," he explained, "and Professor Slughorn showed up and told us to get in there and fight for Hogwarts. A lot of people said, 'To hell with that,' but a few of us had gotten tired of sitting around, listening to the battle... so we came back."

Callie looked from Derek to Slughorn, her heart swelling with gratitude and admiration for the potions master - and every Slytherin student who'd returned with him, whoever they were.

Derek went on, "And I couldn't find Astoria anywhere. I thought she might've stayed behind, and I had to find out if she was all right."

"Ah," Callie said. "Are you two friends?"

He shrugged. "Not really, I guess." A blush swept across his cheeks as he explained, "But... I always fancied her."

Callie smiled to herself. After the atrocities of the previous night, learning of this bloke's unrequited crush on one of her best friends was like a ray of light after a storm. "She just left," she informed him. "Her parents came and made her and Daphne go home with them."

He looked a bit dejected, but replied, "Well, guess we'll have to postpone our date, then."

"You've got a date?" Callie asked, still grinning.

"Yeah. Promised myself that if I lived through the battle I'd ask her out."

Callie was delighted. Somehow the Slytherin boy reminded her a bit of Neville, and she excused herself to go and find him. He was in the hospital wing, where Pomfrey was applying a bandage to a rather large gash in the side of his head. "You all right?" she asked.

"Never better," he replied. "You?"

"Exhausted. But other than that..."

"Eh, what time is it, anyway?"

She checked her watch. "Coming up on noon."

"Bloody hell," he sighed. "We haven't slept in... what's it been, thirty hours?"

"Good grief!" Pomfrey exclaimed. "You ought to rest this banged up head of yours, Longbottom. Go on now, take it easy for a few hours. Come back if you feel dizzy or nauseous."

"Thanks, ma'am," he said, rising up and coming to stand before Callie. "You wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah," she said. "I feel like I haven't had a moment of calm in years." They made their way out, with Callie throwing one last glance back at the sleeping Snape. I'm going to get that conversation, she thought. But right now, all she wanted was a place to lay her head.

She was leaning on Neville, who'd wrapped his arm around her waist and was steering her towards the spiral staircase. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Gryffindor Tower," he said. "Where else?"

"I've already seen Gryffindor Tower," she said. "But you haven't seen Slytherin Dungeon." He looked a bit taken aback, and she explained, "My roommates are gone. Come and join me in the snake pit."

The common room was completely empty when they got there, but Callie brought him straight to her dormitory. "Did you hear?" she asked. "Slughorn went to the village during the ceasefire to bring back reinforcements, and he managed to sway some of my housemates."

"Yeah?" he said, cocking a brow.

"And Astoria and Daphne, and Tracey Davis, and Theo Nott - they all stayed last night. They fought with us."

"Theo Nott? But his father's a Death Eater."

"Was," Callie corrected. "He's nothing now. And Theo isn't like his dad. Believe me."

They lay in her bed together, Callie cuddling up close against him and resting her head on his chest. "'I'll join you when hell freezes over,'" she said, echoing the words he'd said to Voldemort. "Have I told you how sexy you are when you're assertive?"

He chuckled and replied, "I suppose there really is something to be said for crystal magic." Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiger's eye she'd given him all those years ago. "Said to inspire confidence, right?"

"Bloody hell, you still have it?" she asked in amazement.

"Of course I do. You told me to keep it on me at all times."

She took the stone from him and rolled it between her fingers. "You're adorable," she mused.

"Thanks, but... I kinda preferred 'sexy,'" he joked.

"Oh, really? Because the sight of you bloodied and roughed up..." she propped herself up on her elbow to look at him "...it is sort of a turn-on."

"Is it, now?" he asked cheekily.

"Hmm. And watching you stand up to Voldemort..." she leaned down to press her lips to his "...and slaying that snake..." Another kiss, longer this time. "Insanely sexy."

"That would do it for you," he said. "You're an oddity, Warbeck."

"That's right," she replied with a grin. "But I'm also about two seconds away from passing out." She put her head to his chest once again and shut her eyes. "Later on we'll talk about what else does it for me. But first, sleep."

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She didn't wake up until the next morning, and after a quick shower, Neville walked her up to the ground floor, saying that he had a surprise for her. "Think I've grown to hate surprises," she told him.

"You'll like this one," he said. "Believe me."

He led her into the Great Hall and pointed to a man with shaggy brown hair. She recognized him instantly - Healer Winslow.

"Liam!" she called out excitedly, running to him.

Her greeted her with a wide smile, joking, "Elizabeth Taylor!" as she threw her arms around him.

"Bloody hell!" she exclaimed. "I was sure you were dead or captured."

"Oh, it would take a lot more than a couple of Death Eaters to bring me down," he replied, smirking.

"But what happened?" Callie asked. "The Prophet said you attacked somebody at the hospital. Of course, I knew that was rubbish, but..." She trailed off, waiting for him to explain.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I did attack someone," he said. "You see, I never turned myself in to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, so they came looking for me. First I was accused of trying to use my position in the hospital to siphon out magic from vulnerable patients, then of trying to harm them. They were going to try and drag me off to Azkaban, so I hexed them and got the hell out of there. I've been on the run ever since, but when I heard of You Know Who's defeat, I came back to London as quickly as I could. My colleagues told me about the battle, and I figured they could use another set of hands here at the castle."

Smiling up at him, Callie said, "Christ, I'm so happy to see you here. You've no idea."

"Good to see you, too, Warbeck. Glad you made it out all right."

"Liam!" somebody shouted out, and they both turned in the direction of the voice. It was Katie; she ran across the Hall and threw herself at Winslow, and Callie did a double take as the girl smashed her lips against the healer's.

Well, I guess that figures, Callie thought. Her comrade had been particularly disturbed when the man had been reported missing. She turned away to give them their privacy, and Neville remarked, "Isn't he a bit... old for her?"

"Hmph. Some girls appreciate a more mature gentleman," she replied. They wandered back into the entrance hall, heading towards the hospital wing. "Is he awake yet?" Callie asked.

"I don't know," Neville shrugged. "I haven't seen him."

They went inside and she asked Pomfrey the same thing. "He was in and out of consciousness all afternoon," the matron informed her. "But he didn't fully recover until last night."

"So he's... himself now?" Callie asked.

Hesitantly, Pomfrey replied, "Oh... very much so." A pause. "In fact, a little too much himself." Callie furrowed her brow at the woman, who went on, "I reckon it might be wise to let him alone for a while. Rather agitated, he is." She went off to tend to other patients, leaving Callie a bit confused.

"'Agitated,'" Neville echoed. "That's... par for the course for him, I guess."

"Could you give us a minute?" Callie asked. "I wanna talk to him in private."

"Pomfrey said you oughta leave him alone," he reminded.

"Right. But when have you ever known me to do what anyone says?"

With a smirk he left the wing, and Callie stood before the curtain surrounding Snape's bed, not entirely sure of what to expect when she saw him. Taking a breath, she called out, "Professor Snape?"

From the other side of the curtain came a low, growling voice - "Go. Away."

Agitated - par for the course for him. Rolling her eyes, she said, "It's Callie Warbeck, sir." There was a moment of silence, and then the curtain swept open.

He was lying in the bed, inexplicably staring daggers at her, and she wondered if anyone had bothered to tell him that she was the one who'd saved his life. Gesturing for her to come forward, he raised his wand and shut the curtain, blocking them from view of anyone else. She stood at the end of the bed, unsure of what to say, but finally remarked, "You look better."

He wasn't exactly cheered up by that comment. "What do you want?" he asked in a cold voice, still scowling at her.

"I..." she stammered, taken aback by his demeanor. He was clearly not happy to see her. "I wanted to talk with you, sir."

When she didn't go on, he said, "Then I suggest you open your mouth and get on with it. Or has that thick head finally caught up with that sharp tongue of yours?" He wasn't teasing - he was spiteful.

With a sigh, she sat at the edge of the bed and asked, "What's all this? Are you upset about me stunning you the night I left? Because all else considered-"

"You know exactly what this is," he cut in, "don't try and play stupid. Congratulations, darling, you managed to figure it out. McGonagall informed me of your 'interrogation.'"

Oh. Of course. With a sheepish look, she began, "Professor, I can explain-"

But again, he cut her off. "I suppose I ought to take pride in having brought up the quintessential Slytherin - deceitful, conniving, manipulative..." Then, very pointedly, "Sly as a fox, you are."

"Professor-"

"Quiet," he growled, glaring at her. "Do you have the slightest comprehension of what you did? That by sticking your nose where it didn't belong, you left me open to discovery?"

"No one else knew," she said. "I told no one. I kept your secret even better than you did."

"And I'll bet you were quite pleased with yourself," he remarked. "The only living soul who knew the truth. Must've made you feel rather important, I imagine." He scoffed, before continuing, "For years you've tried to pass yourself off as something special, inserting yourself into matters that don't concern you. Well let me tell you something, girl - you're nothing outside of your own arrogant mind. And if it were up to me, you'd be locked up in Azkaban as we speak."

Completely baffled, she furrowed her brow and asked, "For what?"

"Assault, false imprisonment, unauthorized use of a truth potion, tampering with my memory," he replied. "Unfortunately, Shacklebolt refused to bring charges against you, despite my requests."

She gaped at him in disbelief. "You cannot be serious," she said.

"Have you ever known me to be a joker, Warbeck?"

"Yes, actually, you're playing the part extremely well right now."

Suddenly he reached over towards his night table, picked up a cup of water, and splashed it in her face. She jumped up from the bed and yelled, "Damn you, Snape!"

Somebody on the other side of the curtain called out, "What's going on in there?" but the two Slytherins ignored them.

As Callie conjured a rag to wipe off her face, Snape shouted, "Always have some clever little witticism to strike back with! What a lovely stretch of time it had been when the Carrows finally silenced you!"

Now that was a low blow. "God, you repugnant bastard! Every time I think there may be some small sense of decency in you..." She trailed off, chucking the rag at him as Madam Pomfrey pulled open the curtain.

"Miss Warbeck!" the matron exclaimed. "What on earth is all this?" Again, she was ignored by the rowing pair.

"And don't you ever tell me that I'm nothing!" Callie went on. "I was the only person in the world who gave a damn about you the last five months. If it weren't for me, you'd be a corpse in that chamber out there with Voldemort and all the others!"

"In which case I'd have never had to look at your detestable face again! You should've left me to die in that shack if it meant I'd be rid of you!"

Those particular words hit like a slap in the face. He really hated her that much now, just because of the interrogation?

"Severus, enough," Madam Pomfrey said, going over to his side. "You've just been through a trauma, you're not yourself."

"No, ma'am," Callie spoke, glaring at the man, "he's exactly himself, like you said."

The matron tried to get him to calm down and lie back, but he jerked away from her and barked, "Let me alone, Poppy!"

"Don't speak to her that way," Callie said. "She hasn't done anything to you."

"I'll speak however I please," he shot back, while the matron threw up her hands in defeat and walked away. "And don't you dare try and tell me how to behave, you're not my God damn mother."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Right. Suddenly I'm 'nothing' now, as far as you're concerned."

"You never were anything, as far as I was concerned. Just another insufferable brat that I've had to put up with while stuck at this castle playing spy. Sorry to disappoint, love, but as I said, you're nothing special."

She simply stared at him, thinking that he couldn't possibly have meant what he was saying. But he's intentionally trying to hurt me. I saved his God damn life, and this is what he gives in return. "No need to be sorry," she replied stoically. "You wouldn't be the man we all know if you weren't disappointing someone."

"Hmph. And I suppose you came here expecting a 'thank you,' is that right?" he said sardonically.

Looking away from him, she realized the curtain was still open, and the entire hospital wing had gone quiet as everyone either averted their eyes, pretending not to listen, or else stared unabashedly at the headmaster and student. She turned back to meet his hateful glare and said, "No, sir. I don't expect anything from you."

"Then do us both a favor and get out," he demanded.

"Gladly." With that, she stomped out of the hospital wing, blowing past a group who had been standing outside eavesdropping.

Neville ran up to her and asked, "What was all that?"

"Nothing," she replied tersely, never halting as she made her way through the entrance hall.

"Well... what did he say? We heard you shouting at each other and-"

She whipped around and held up a hand to silence him. "Just-" she began, but paused, feeling as though she were about to explode. "I need to be away from everybody right now," she said, struggling to contain herself.

He nodded in understanding and gestured for her to go on. She ran out onto the grounds, which were covered in debris and lots of burned grass, but by now at least the bodies had been removed.

"Bloody hell," she breathed, holding her hands against her throbbing head. That was not supposed to go down the way it had.

"You should've left me to die in that shack if it meant I'd be rid of you... I'd have never had to look at your detestable face again... You never were anything, as far as I was concerned... nothing special..."

She picked up a rock and shouted, "Well, fuck you, too!" hurling it at one of the windows to the hospital wing. What could it hurt at this point, when there was already a giant, gaping hole in the side of the castle.

She dropped to the ground and thought once again, I literally saved the miserable son of a bitch. But I'm detestable, conniving, and... nothing.

"Snape's Patronus was a doe," Harry's voice echoed in her head. "The same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life."

Callie scoffed, unable to imagine somebody that hateful loving anyone.