Snape's POV
I was startled awake one evening as I sat at my desk by a knock on the door. I'd slipped into a daydream about Olivia and when the knock came I nearly fell out of my chair.
"Enter," I said.
Dumbledore stuck his head into my office.
"Olivia is back. Down by the gate," he said.
I leapt up and followed him down the stairs quickly. I was practically running when we reached the grounds. Albus unlocked the gate with his wand as we approached. Olivia came through the gate and ran at me, putting her arms around me. I held her tight, until I became uncomfortably aware of the headmaster's gaze. Olivia took a step back and by the light of the moon I could see a bruise on her face.
"What happened?" I asked, gently touching the spot. She winced.
"Stupid bloody Death Eaters, that's what," she muttered.
"You were attacked by Death Eaters?" I demanded.
"Well not exactly…" she said slowly.
"Wait," Albus said. "Here is not the place to discuss this. Come, my office."
As luck would have it, we met Umbridge on the stairs. I cursed inwardly. I hadn't' wanted her attention drawn to Olivia so quickly.
"Well now who do we have here? I haven't seen you in any of my classes," Umbridge said.
"This is Olivia Cain. She's been out of the country- her uncle has been quite ill. We cleared Olivia's absence with the Ministry when her uncle first took ill," the headmaster said.
"She'll have quite a bit of catching up to do, won't she?" Umbridge said with one of her toad-like grins.
"Miss Cain is one of our brightest students. She has been Severus' apprentice since her second year. She interned at St. Mungo's over the summer and will contiue to do so this year, on the weekends and perhaps in the afternoons."
"That's a lot to take on, isn't it?" Umbridge said.
" Olivia can handle it," Dumbledore said confidently. "We are off to discuss her schedule now."
Umbridge smiled somewhat coldly at him, then looked to Olivia.
"See you in class, my dear," she said to her.
"Nice to meet you, Professor," Olivia said in her sweet, quiet schoolgirl voice.
Umbridge went on downstairs. None of us spoke until the three of us were alone in Albus' office.
"Was that the new Defense teacher?" Olivia asked in her normal voice.
"Yes. Dolores Umbridges, senior undersecretary to the Minister," said Albus with one of his small, quirky smiles.
"In other words, she's Fudge's spy? And I should suck up to her?" Olivia said.
"Yes that's probably best…but enough about her. What happened?" I asked her.
"Did you find Hagrid?" Albus asked.
"Yes. He and Maxime are hiding out. The Death Eaters are everywhere out there. Most of the giants seem to like their ideas better. …Hagrid's trying to convince some of the rogues, but it's not easy. The Death Eaters definitely know they are there. They spent the nights searching for them. Hagrid said not to worry, though."
"But the Death Eaters found you?" I asked her.
"Well sort of… tonight Malfoy came to me. Wanted to know why I was there. I came up with something brilliant, about you being stupid enough to trust me, because you trust Severus. Told him I didn't know where Hagrid was. Then he sort of threatened me a bit and told me to go home."
"But he hit you?" Albus asked.
"What do you mean he 'threatened you a bit'?" I demanded, my voice rising an octave.
"Well he…he said some things…and…" she was looking at the floor, her cheeks tinged pink. "He…he kissed me. I fought against him and I bit him. That's when he hit me."
My blood boiled and I literally saw red. I stood and went for the door.
"Severus, where are you going?" the headmaster said.
"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to find Lucius and chop him up into little bloody pieces, then I'm going to curse those pieces into oblivion," I said, seething.
"No you are not," Albus said calmly and firmly. "Sit down."
I hesitated and considered for once in my life, not doing what Albus said. Then I let out a frustrated hiss and sat back down.
"We need your continued friendship with Lucius, Severus," he said. "You will act as if you know nothing."
"but Albus, look at her face," I protested.
"Nothing that can't be fixed with a little ointment," he said cheerfully.
"That's not even he worst one," Olivia said, sounding a little proud. "Look at this."
She lifted her shirt to show us her bruised ribs.
"I'm going to kill him," I said again, touching her blackened ribs. Goosebumps broke out on her flesh at my touch.
"Now Severus. Violence never solved anything," Albus said.
"Saved my butt tonight, didn't it?" Olivia said.
He had no response for this.
"We do need to discuss your schedule, while you are here," Albus said to her. "You do wish to continue interning at St. Mungo's, don't you?"
"Of course," she replied.
It was decided that Olivia would take Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration and Defense. She would work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, as well as weekends at St. Mungo's.
"why don't you walk Olivia to her Common Room, Severus. I'm sure she is ready to get some rest," Albus said. I nodded in agreement.
We hadn't even reached the dungeons when I found myself unable to take it any longer. I pulled her into a deserted classroom and kissed her desperately. Amongst our fevered kissing, I felt silent, warm tears streaming down her face. I stopped kissing her and held her close while she buried her face in my shoulder.
"I am going to kill him. Lucius. Maybe not right away, but someday…" I said quietly.
"No," she said, her voice surprisingly strong and unfaltering. "I have the feeling that task will one day be mine."
We were silent a while and I just stood there, holding her, unwilling to let her go.
"I missed you," I murmured, my face buried in her red hair that for once didn't smell like raspberries. Her hair smelled like dirt and sweat, from her time spent in the mountain caves.
"Why didn't you write, then? When I sent Verne back?" she asked me.
"The owl did not give me a chance to respond. And it was September 1st, right before the feast."
She nodded slowly.
"We should go," she said. "Before somebody finds us here."
"I want so badly to be with you," I murmured. "To sleep beside you. Hold you in my arms…But I can't risk it. Not with Umbridge here."
"Don't worry. There will be time. It's almost the weekend. I have to work, but then… we could go home. No one would know."
"We could do that…"
I walked down to the dungeons with Olivia, without running into anybody.
"Come see me in the morning before breakfast. I will take care of your bruises."
She nodded silently, regarding me with those emerald eyes.
"Goodnight Severus."
"Goodnight."
The look that passed between us made clear that what we both wanted to say, but couldn't, was I love you.
Olivia's POV
All night long I had nightmares about Lucius. When Alexandria woke me up the next morning I was sweating and shaking.
"Are you alright, Liv? Where have you been all week? …Are you crying?"
"What? No," I said, sitting up and wiping my face.
"Snape wouldn't tell me anything. Something about you visiting your ill uncle. I thought you didn't have any other family?"
"I don't. But that's what everyone should think," I said quietly. "I've been doing something top secret. Something I can't tell anyone about."
"For Snape?"
I glanced around quickly before answering.
"For Dumbledore," I whispered.
Her eyes got big and a solemn look came over her.
"You know everyone think he is crazy, right? Everyone in Slytherin, at least, and some in other Houses. But they've been saying some pretty mean things about him, even in the paper, and this Ministry woman-"
"Umbridge," I said grimly. "I met her."
"You should have heard her speech at the beginning of the year. She interrupted Dumbledore…talking about discouraging progress for the sake of progress. She's taken everyone back to the basics in Defense, even us seventh-years-"
"What?" I demanded. "We're not learning to Defend ourselves?"
"We're not allowed to use any magic at all," she said soberly.
"But… We've got to learn to defend ourselves. The Dark Lord is out there, Alexandria."
"Well yeah, but… I mean, we're Slytherins. We're purebloods. We're safe, aren't we?"
"No one is safe," I said quietly.
We were silent a moment and Alexandria looked uneasy.
"Come on, let's go up to breakfast," she said hastily.
No one took much notice in my return. The few that did I told them I'd been with my ill uncle.
"So what classes do you have, do you know yet?" Alexandria asked me casually as she sprinkled salt over her eggs.
"I've only a few. I'll be interning still at St. Mungo's during most afternoons and on weekends for the work experience."
About five minutes later Snape came into the hall. He came up the Slytherin table and wordlessly handed me my formal schedule.
"There you are," I said to Alex. "I've got Care of Magical Creatures first thing this morning."
"You're on your own there. I didn't stick with it because I thought Hagrid was still teacher. When I found out it was that Grubbly-Plank woman I thought about switching my schedule, but I didn't dare ask Snape."
"Why not? He'd probably change your schedule for you."
"He's just seemed…really stressed the last few days. It seemed best not to bother him," she said and leaned over to read my schedule. "Looks like the only class we have together today is Defense."
"What fun," I said sarcastically, glancing up to the staff table where Umbridge sat.
"You know she gave Potter detention? For a whole week?" Alexandria asked me.
"Potter? In detention? For someone other than Severus?" I said, surprised. "What did he do?"
"Talked about You-Know-Who-" she whispered. "-being back. And about Diggory. The rest of us learned pretty quick to keep our mouths shut…which I've always been good at anyway."
"I've got to be nice to her. Severus told me to…"
"It will be difficult. For you, I mean. If you thought Moody was infuriating, just wait until her first class."
" 'Moody' was actually a deranged Death Eater in disguise who was trying to return the Dark Lord to power and kill Potter," I said. "I'd say that goes beyond infuriating."
Care of Magical Creatures class that morning was not nearly as…entertaining as a class with Hagrid usually was. Professor Grubbly-Plank taught us about Crups- creatures that greatly resembled Jack Russell terriers, but with two tails. We sat in the grass outside and read the chapter in our books on them, then listened to Grubbly-Plank talk. She ended the lesson by saying she was going to try and borrow a Crup from a friend at the Ministry for our next lesson, which left me excited.
Grubbly-Plank was the only teacher not to give me make up work and extra homework so I could catch up with my classmates. McGonagall, being a member of the Order who knew what I had been up to, didn't give me near as much work as I would have expected.
I spent my lunch period absently munching on a bit of toast while working on an essay for Flitwick. After lunch, I followed Alexandria and the others upstairs to the Defense classroom. Umbridge took no notice of me, or at least pretended not to, as she started the class. She wrote an assignment on the chalkboard- Read Chapter 7, then complete an essay on the theory of Shield Charms. The class started working without comment.
Everyone was silent throughout the class period. No raised hands, no questions, not even a whisper. I'd never seen a class be quiet for so long, not even for Snape. Nobody even whispered. At the end of the lesson, everyone turned in their work and sat back down. When the bell rang, nobody moved a muscle until Umbridge smiled in a sickly sweet manner and said "class dismissed."
As I stood to leave, Umbridge approached my desk, a bit of parchment in hand.
"Here is your make up work, Miss Cain," she said, still smiling.
"Thank you, Professor," I said, taking the paper form her. My heart sank when I saw the amount of work she'd given me.
"I expect them within the week. Think you can handle that?"
"I will certainly try my best, Professor."
"Good…off you go then," she said. I nodded and left quickly, even though I had a free class period next.
I spent my free period doing homework and even skipped dinner that evening, thinking that if I got hungry later I could always go up to the kitchens. After dinner, when everyone started trickling noisily back into the Common Room, I found it impossible to concentrate. So I shoved all my books and lists back into my schoolbag, slung it over my shoulder, and headed down the hall to Snape's office.
"I wondered where you were," he said when I opened the door to his office. "You missed dinner."
"I know… I was taking advantage of the peace and quiet and trying to get some of this work done. Which is why I'm here- can I sit here and do some of my makeup work? The Common Room is too noisy."
"Of course you can sit here," he responded. "I've got papers to grade myself, so you won't bother me any…not that you ever bother me."
"Thanks," I said with a small smile.
Snape's POV
One evening, the weekend after Umbridge had been appointed High Inquisitor, I headed up to Dumbledore's office. A thought had been brewing in my mind since June and it had been intensifying since Umbridge wasn't letting the students use magic.
Albus was in his office when I got there, sitting at his desk.
"I need to talk to you," I said, making sure we were alone. I shut the door and sat down.
"What's on your mind, Severus?" he inquired. I hesitated a moment before responding.
"I want to teach Olivia Defense Against the Dark Arts," I said.
"Ah. I knew this would come eventually."
"…You did?"
"Yes. I think it's an excellent idea. And necessary. In fact, I would have suggested it myself before long."
"Really?"
He nodded.
"She will not have a chance to learn after this year, since it's her last year, and with the Dark Lord out there…and with your being so close to Him… He is close to her," Albus said. "I would not put her in that position without the proper means of defending herself."
I nodded slowly and silently.
"So what do we do?" I said finally. "If Umbridge finds out…"
"I know. I've been pondering that and I think I've come up with a solution."
"What?" I asked eagerly.
"The Room of Requirement."
"The Room of…that old legend?"
"It isn't a legend," he said with a chuckle. "I found it myself. On the seventh floor, across from the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls ballet. Just walk past the stretch of wall three times, thinking about what you need and it will appear. And no one else can get in."
"That's perfect!" I exclaimed.
"Yes…you must only train her at night- late at night, when everyone else is sure ot be asleep. You can get past Filch and even Umbrdige, but Olivia cannot."
As soon as I left the headmaster's office, I headed upstairs to the seventh floor to check it out. I found the tapestry and paced back and forth in front of the adjacent wall. As I paced I thought to myself, I need a place to train Olivia.
Even though I trusted Albus and didn't doubt him, it still surprised me when, the third time I walked by the wall, a polished door appeared. I looked around quickly to make sure there was no one else in the corridor, then quickly slipped inside.
The dungeon-like room was lit with torches. The walls were lined with bookcases filled with books on defensive spells. Large, purple cushions sat on the floor, in place of chairs. A table in the corner held several Dark Detectors, including a Foe Glass.
Perfect, I thought to myself.
Olivia's POV
The next day during Potions, I couldn't help but notice Snape seemed to be in a slightly more cheerful mood than usual- something probably only I could detect. He didn't even deduct Slytherin house points when Jess Chalker accidentally poisoned himself with fumes from his cauldron. He'd confused dragon's blood with salamander blood, despite their different appearances. Snape merely vanished the potion and sent the idiotic boy to the hospital wing. He caught my eye and smiled slightly.
Towards the end of the lesson when everyone was putting their things away, Snape made his way to my desk.
"Stay after the bell rings," he said quietly. I nodded silently and he moved away.
The five minutes before the bell rang felt like five hours. When my classmates finally left they certainly didn't drag their feet- there are few who would after a lesson with Snape- but it felt like they did. Finally, the last student left and Snape shut the door. He turned to face me.
"What's up?" I asked curiously and somewhat excited at whatever had put Snape in a good mood.
"How would you like to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts in a more…practical way."
"From who? You?"
"Yes."
"…How's that going to work out?"
"Albus has already agreed to it."
"But what about Umbrdige?" I asked, not wanting to get my hopes up. "She'll go nuts. You'll be sacked. Dumbledore will be sacked."
"Only if she finds out…which she won't."
He told me quickly about the Room of Requirement, which I had read about but never believed to be true.
"This is…almost too good to be true," I siad. "When do we start?"
"I thought tonight would be good. Around eleven?"
"Works for me."
"Good. Now I have to prepare for my next class. I will see you tonight. Bring your wand and your skills."
"Of course," I replied, flashing him a smile.
I left Snape's office and headed upstairs, wanting to check out this Room of Requirement. I had a free class period so I wasn't in any particular hurry. I passed a group of sullen-looking Gryffindor third years, probably making their way to Snape's class.
When I reached the seventh floor, I realized I recognized the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. There was a secret passageway behind it that led to the portrait room, which was probably a safer route from the dungeons, especially if I were to be coming at night. Also, it put me right in front of where Snape said the Room of Requirement was located.
To gain entrance, Snape said I would have to walk in front of the wall three times, thinking to myself that we needed a place to train. I did as instructed and a polished door appeared.
The room was chock full of books on Defense, which excited me more than anything else. I immediately began browsing the books. I pulled several from the shelves and sat on one of the cushions in the middle of the floor.
I read until it was time for dinner. I put the books in my bag and headed downstairs. I took the secret passageway this time and dropped my bag off in the dormitory before heading up to the Great Hall.
In the Great Hall, I was careful to avoid eye contact with Snape, so as not to risk drawing Umbidge's attention. After dinner, I returned to the Common Room and read for a while in my favorite chair by the fireplace. When it started to get late I went into the dormitory and pretended to go to sleep. Once it died down a bit, I slipped out of bed, applied my Disillusionment charm, and left.
The Common Room was empty and not difficult to sneak out of…not that anyone would have cared anyway.
Snape's POV
After dinner that evening, Albus told me discreetly that he wanted to see me in his office after I was finished eating. Albus left and I waited until Umbridge had finished and left the Great Hall to make my way up to his office.
Once there, I shut the door behind me and for good measure, put a charm on the door to ensure our conversation remained private.
"When do you plan to have your first lesson with Olivia?" Albus asked as I sat down.
"Tonight," I answered.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Sort of. The basics of defense- Shield Charms and disarming, though I'm sure she's already quite skilled. Her Occlumency and Legilimency are already good, too. I will teach her about Unforgivable Curses eventually, Inferi…"
"Sounds good. However, instead of just teaching her how to defend herself…I think it ma be prudent for her to actually lean to perform these spells."
"…What?"
"Eventually, the Dark Lord will come to take notice of her. He may even call on her to join his ranks. You know this. Therefore, I think it's a good idea for it to look like you have been training her in the Dark Arts. Teach her some curses- use practice dummies. Teach her about poisons…"
"Albus," I groaned. "…You know I really don't want to do this."
"You are the only one who can do it, Severus. Would you rather Lord Voldemort have someone like Bellatrix Lestrange teach her?"
"…Bellatrix is in Azkaban," I pointed out.
"I don't think she will be for much longer. I am sure He will construct a mass breakout of his followers before the end of the year."
I sat there, silent.
"Severus, Olivia needs you," Albus continued on a softer note. "You know better than anyone how taxing it can be on ones soul to play the role that she might come to play. She will need you to guide her and keep her together."
"As if my soul is intact," I muttered. "…Alright fine. I will do it. But I shall resent it the entire time."
"Naturally."
"Poisons too?"
"Of course. Lord Voldemort knows she has a passion for potions. He would expect her to have a natural curiosity about poisons."
"Well she is naturally curious about poisons, but I haven't let her meddle in them."
"Well now I am giving her permission to," he said.
"I feel uneasy about this," I said.
"Of course you do, Severus," he said. "But it is all for the greater good."
Olivia was already in the Room of Requirement when I arrived. She was sitting on one of the cushions, reading a book.
"What took you so long?" she asked, marking her page.
"Making sure all the halls were clear and you hadn't been caught."
"I used a secret passageway from the portrait room," she replied.
"I was also talking to Albus. He wants…He thinks it would be a good idea for you to lean more than just defense. He feels it would be prudent for you to learn to perform some of these curses…and brew poisons."
"…Why?"
"Because…eventually the time will come when the Dark Lord will call on you to join His ranks," I said reluctantly.
Her face paled slightly and she didn't speak for a while.
"…We'll focus on the defensive aspect for now," I said, brushing her hair over her left shoulder. "And worry about the rest later."
She nodded slowly.
"Alright. Where do we start?" she asked.
"I figure we'll start with a review of the basics," I said and when she looked like she might scoff, I interrupted. "Now I don't doubt your ability. You know I don't. But it's been a while since you've had a decent chance to test them. We won't spend much time on it, at least tonight's lesson."
"Okay," she said with a nod.
"I figured we'd start with Stupefy and Expelliarmus, maybe move on to Flipendo…"
"Alright then- let's get started," she said enthusiastically.
Olivia's POV
After a few hours of practicing spells with Snape- Stunning and Disarming him repeatedly- I was exhausted. At first he had been reluctant to defend himself, just dodging my spells. But I was quick and he couldn't always dodge my spells. I felt bad whoever I hit him, running across the room to check on him. Finally I suggested that he could use a Shield Charm, which would rebound my curses back at me and give me a chance to dodge them.
"Are you sure you can move fast enough to dodge the rebound?" he asked, sounding a little concerned. "I wouldn't want to hurt you…"
"Hmph. Are you sure you can react fast enough to rebound my spells back at me?" I said tauntingly.
"Heh. You're on," he said, accepting my challenge.
It was around three o'clock when we finally called it quits.
"That was…really good," Snape said breathlessly, massaging his side where he had landed wrong.
"Are you okay?" I asked for what must have been the hundreth time.
"I'm fine," he insisted. "If I couldn't take a few hard hits…and I have certainly been hit a lot harder."
I smiled slightly.
"You know, I thought of something while we were dueling…"
"What's that?" he asked.
"Well… I could think of a better use for the Room of Requirement than Defense."
"Oh?" he said, a small smile playing on his lips. I motioned for him to follow me out of the Room. When the door disappeared behind us, I turned and walked before the slab of wall, thinking to myself We need a place to be alone.
A moment later a door appeared, not unlike the one that had just vanished. We stepped inside quickly and shut the door. The Room had changed. It was still dungeon-like with stone floors and walls and a low, swooping ceiling. All the defense equipment was gone however. A large feather bed dominated most of the room. It was hung in green and black satin, even the bedspread. All around the room the walls were hung with small lanterns that gave the room a green light.
The bookshelves were still there, though instead of books on defense there were books on sex. Books on Karma Sutra with detailed graphics that even made Snape blush.
I walked over to the bed. There was an oak bedside table with three drawers. I opened the first to find a variety of contraceptives, from potions to Muggle condoms. I was rather intrigued by the condoms, which ranged from flavored, to glow-in-the-dark, to textured. The second drawer contained a number of sex toys. I shut the drawer quickly, blushing. Curious, Snape came over from the bookshelf as I opened the last drawer. It contained several vials of potions that were unfamiliar to me.
"What are these?" I asked, looking up at him.
"Sex potions," he said with a smirk. He reached around me to pick up one of the vials.
"Like this," he continued. "Tingling Potion."
He uncorked the bottle and put a drop on his fingers. He rubbed the Tingling Potion on the exposed part of my neck.
"Nothing's happening," I commented.
"Activated by moisture," he siad and kissed the spot on my neck. The tingling sent a pleasant, warm feeling through my body. I turned to face him and took the vial of potion from him.
"I can have fun with this," I said and kissed him. Then I pushed him back onto the bed.
Snape's POV
Two mind-blowing orgasms later, I had to tell Olivia to stop. I was exhausted… I couldn't possibly continue.
"It's late and I'm exhausted. …There will be other nights," I murmured. She smiled and kissed me before getting up to find her clothes. I rolled out of the bed, sore. I bit back a groan and grit my teeth to keep from showing how tired I was.
We dressed in silence and left the Room of Requirement. This time we both used the passageway behind the tapestry, Olivia invisible and me walking a few yards ahead to keep an eye out for other teachers. I relaxed a little once I had delivered her safely to her Common Room, then made my way down to my office. I crawled into bed, stiff and sore from the evenings events.
I'm getting too old for this, I thought to myself as I drifted off to sleep.
After a few weeks of our using the Room of Requirement for our lessons- among other things- it became obvious that Olivia and I were not the only ones using the room. Potter and a large group of students had begun to meet there a few times a week. A quick scan of their minds told me they too were using it to learn Defense. When I told Albus, he merely beamed, looking quite pleased.
It appeared the Room could be occupied in more than one way at once, which was a good thing. And although Potter's group came in the early evening and only came a few days a week (their schedule was sporadic) Olivia and I used the Room less for the other thing…just to be safe.
Soon it was time for the first Quidditch match of the season- Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Umbridge almost hadn't let the Gryffindor team reform after an educational decree saying she had the power to disband student organizations. Of course, Minerva had taken the issue to Albus and the team had been allowed to play. Still, I felt confident Slytheriin would win. The Gryffindor Keeper, Oliver Wood, had graduated last year and they had replaced him as keeper by Ron Weasley. I'd seen them practice- Weasley was nervous and slipped up a lot. There was no way we could lose.
The morning of the match, I walked down to the field with Olivia. We talked about the changes in the line-up for both teams. She seemed doubtful of Crabbe and Goyle's abilities as Beaters.
"I doubt they'll even know which balls to hit," she muttered darkly.
"You know, you could've tried out for the team this year. Montague's the new captain- I know his father. I could've made them let you try out."
"It doesn't matter. I won't be here next year anyway," she scoffed.
"Oh yeah… I almost forgot," I said. "…What are you going to do."
"I haven't really thought about it. I guess it depends on what happens…with the Dark Lord. I guess I'll stay at St. Mungo's…continue with the Order…"
Neither of us spoke the rest of the way to the field.
"I'm going to sit the teachers," I said once we reached the stands. "I must."
She nodded in agreement.
"See you after the match," she said.
Olivia's POV
We all watched the match, spellbound. I couldn't help but be a little annoyed with my classmates continued harassment of Ron Weasley. Not because it was immoral or anything like that, but because their incessant singing kept me from being able to hear the commentary.
The match ended when Potter caught the Snitch, making Gryffindor the winners. As Potter descended onto the field, Crabbe swung his Beater's bat at a Bludger and hit Potter, knocking him off his broom. I leapt to my feet, peering down at the field, anxious to see if Potter was okay.
His team members landed around him and his captain pulled him to his feet Madam Hooch zoomed towards Crabbe, blowing her whistle. As she began to chew him out, Draco landed near Potter and his teammates. I couldn't hear their conversation from the stands, but it was obvious Draco was goading them. Potter was holding back George Weasley and Angelina Johnson held back Fred. Suddenly, Potter released George and they both attacked Draco, punching and scratching him. Madam Hooch used the Impedimenta Curse on them both and sent them off the field.
"Ooh they are so dead!" said one of my fellow Slytherins. They were all jeering and whooping. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I stood and left the stands, heading back up to the castle.
I waited until I saw a very morose-looking Crabbe and Goyle return to the Common Room before going to see Snape. I passed Umbridge in the hallway, though luckily she did not speak to me. She was grinning a wide, toad-like smile.
I hurried on to Snape's office where he sat, looking mildly annoyed.
"You okay?" I asked him.
"I guess…" he said. "There has been another Educational Decree-"
"Ugh, another one? What now?"
"she has the power to dole out- and change- any student's punishment."
"So what did she do to Crabbe and Goyle?"
"Lines. But guess what she did to Potter and the Weasleys?" he said, smirking.
"What?"
"They are banned from playing Quidditch- forever."
"What? That's terrible. She can't do that."
"She can do whatever she wants, as long as she has the Minister's permission."
"Well at least there is an upside to all of this," I said. "…Slytherin's got a better chance of winning the Quidditch Cup."
The next day after the Quidditch match, Hagrid was back in class, with no explanation for his absence. To those who asked, he merely said he had been away… though of course, I knew the truth. He was also pretty badly beat up, but he wouldn't say why, even to me. I suspetde he and Maxime had gotten into a fight. Still, it was nice to have the excitement back in Care of Magical Creatures class.
Winter came to Hogwarts and with it came snow and Christmas decorations. The promise of Christmas also held the promise of a few weeks of holiday alone with Snape. This helped me make it through the last few weeks of Umbridge's class.
The cold weather had also brought on an increase in illnesses at St. Mungo's. Some of the Healers had fallen ill as well, including Mycroft, which is why on one of the last nights before the holidays, I found myself working late.
I was working on a fresh batch of Pepperup Potion when one of the new Interns came to the door.
"Miss Cain?" he asked anxiously.
"Yes?" I said curtly, tired and annoyed at the interruption.
"Sorry for the intrusion, but…the portrait downstairs…Dilys Derwent…she is asking for you."
Frowning slightly, I stepped away from the simmering cauldron and rubbed my tired eyes.
"Are you capable of finishing this for me?" I asked the intern and he nodded. "When you are done, take it to Healer Milburn."
I hurried downstairs to the empty wait9ing room, thinking that Dilys' wanting me could only mean a message from Dumbledore. The former headmistress was waiting for me in her frame.
"What is it, what's happened?" I asked anxiously, fearing, of course, that something had happened to Snape.
"Arthur Weasley has been attacked," she whispered urgently. "Bitten, by a large snake. They'll be bringing him in shortly."
Within ten minutes, several official-looking wizards carried Arthur Weasley in, levitating him with their wands. He was pale and unconscious, his glasses askew on his face. He sported several massive bites that were dripping blood at an alarming rate.
"Get him up to the emergency ward on the first floor- follow me," I commanded. We met several Interns and nurses on the way up who took over for the Ministry wizards and helped me get Arthur upstairs.
"someone clean him up. And wake Healer Smethwyck, this will be right up his alley. He'll need a Blood-Replenishing Potion immediately- I'll handle that."
No one questioned my instructions- there was no time for that- even though Iw as the youngest in the room. I hurried upstairs and fetched as much Blood-Replenishing Potion as I could carry. When I returned downstairs, a very tired-looking Smethwyck was examining Arthur's wounds. I handed over the Blood-Replenishing Potion. Even though it wasn't exactly my area of expertise, Smethwyck asked me to stay with him- we had worked together a few times before and he knew my talents.
We worked on Arthur for the next few hours and around five in the morning we got him stabilized, his wounds wrapped tight. Arthur was awake, but weak. He told Smethwyck he didn't remember what happened.
"At any rate, you need some rest. Your wife is waiting outside. You can talk to her ofr a moment. Miss Cain, fetch a Sleeping Potion for Arthur, then get some rest yourself. I want you back as early as possible to continue working on an antidote," Smethwyck said.
"Yes sir."
When I returned to Arthur's room with the Sleeping Potion, only he and Molly Weasley were there.
"Thank you, Olivia," Mrs. Weasley said, taking the potion from me and giving me a hug, to which I stiffened.
"Is there anything you can tell me that might help me find an antidote to the venom in your wounds?" I asked Arthur once Mrs. Weasley had released me.
"Only that it was an enormous black snake. His snake," Arthur said.
"Professor Dumbledore told me if I got the chance to tell you to come see him, Olivia," Mrs. Weasley told me.
"A bit late, isn't it?" I asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"Oh I doubt he will be sleeping," she said. "With everything that has happened…"
I left St. Mungo's a short while later and Disapparated to outside the Hogwarts gate. Exhausted, I applied my Disillusionment Charm and began the long trek to the castle and up the stairs to the headmaster's office.
When I reached the door to Dumbledore's office, I gave the password- Fizzing Whisbees- and went up the stairs. When I knocked, I was told to enter. I removed my Disillusionment Charm before entering. I was somewhat surprised that he was still awake, as exhausted as I was. When I opened the door I found Dumbledore at his desk- with Snape in front of him. As soon as I entered the room, Snape stood and hugged me. I closed my eyes, feeling like a child in his embrace.
"Are you okay?" he murmured and I nodded.
After a moment, Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"How is Arthur Weasley?" Dumbledore asked, clearing his throat.
"He's stable, for now," I said, squirming out of Snape's embrace and sitting in the chair he had evacuated. "He has to take a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour…we haven't been able to get the bleeding to stop yet, we keep having to change his bandages. We have to find an antidote to the venom. …Do you know anything about the Dark Lord's snake?" I asked, looking up at Snape who had come to stand behind me.
"Nagini? …She is a viper. I believe the Dark Lord found her in Albania. She is his magical familiar. …I've never seen anyone get bitten by her and live to tell about it."
"I will find an antidote," I said determinedly.
"I'm not saying you won't," he said soothingly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "There is a first time for everything."
I glanced back at Dumbledore who was sitting with his hands steepled in front of him, not looking at us.
"…You two can go," he said after a moment. "Get some sleep."
"Yes sir," Snape said and I got to my feet.
"Sir? Healer Smethwyck wants me back as early as possible tomorrow."
"Of course... You don't have a Defense class scheduled tomorrow, do you? No? Then you can leave whenever you like," he said. "But be back for lunch and dinner until term officially ends…so you don't rouse anyone's suspicions."
"Yes sir," I said with a nod.
"I need books," I thought aloud as Snape and I walked down to the dungeons. "Books on antidotes…snake bites…venoms…"
"It can wait until after you rest," he said. "You can go to the library after you get some sleep. I'll even write you a pass, giving you permission to check out books from the Restricted Section."
I nodded and yawned loudly, thinking to myself that I'd been awake nearly 24 hours.
When Snape left me at the hidden entrance to the Common Room, I slipped inside and quickly made my way to my dormitory. I pulled the curtains around my bed and stripped out of my Healer Intern robes, which I noticed were still covered in Arthur's blood. I put on some shorts and a t-shirt and gladly crawled into my warm bed.
Snape's POV
I found it pointless to try and sleep, as tired as I was. I knew I'd just have to get back up and teach in a few hours. So I just took a dose of Invigoration Draught and found some work to do until breakfast.
When I went up to the Great Hall to eat, everything seemed relatively normal, save for the fact that Umbridge kept shooting murderous looks at Albus, who also appeared exhausted. Olivia didn't show up for breakfast, though I hadn't really expected her to. It was the last day of classes and all the students were especially rowdy. I was able to keep my classes under control, however, by taking house points for the slightest thing. I was tired and irritable and wasn't going to put up with any crap.
I had just finished with my second year class when Olivia slipped inside the classroom. She still looked exhausted, her face was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes from a lack of sleep. She was dressed in her school robes with her long red hair pulled into an askew ponytail.
"You okay?" I asked, shutting the door behind her.
"Yeah…I need to go to the library and get some books on antidotes to take with me to St. Mungo's. Are you going to write me a pass?"
"Of course," I said, finding a scrap of parchment and scribbling her a pass. "You'll be back for dinner, right?"
"Yes. Although I will probably leave right after. …We can go home tonight, right? Since it is the end of term?"
"I believe so. I will check with Dumbledore later."
"Okay. I've got to go. I'm in a hurry."
"Right. Good luck," I said and hugged her quickly.
The rest of the day passed quickly for me. After dinner, I went upstairs to the headmaster's office to let him know Olivia and I were going home for the holidays.
"Spinner's End is closer to St. Mungo's, so Olivia can travel back and forth more quickly. And we won't have to explain any absences to Umbridge," I told him.
"Yes, I suppose that makes sense," he murmured, seeming distracted. "As much as I would rather have you here, Severus, I will note force you to stay. …Once you leave for the holiday, you cannot return to the castle, in case she sees you. Do not send messages by owl or attempt to use Floo Powder- our methods of communication are being intercepted. If you wish to see me, send your Patronus. I can meet you in the village or come to Spinner's End."
I nodded my head in understanding.
"I will leave shortly. Olivia has gone back to St. Mungo's, I believe-"
"Yes, they've had no luck with Arthur's wounds."
"-So I doubt I'll see her tonight. Do not hesitate to send for me if you need me."
"I shall."
Olivia's POV
I spent the whole day pouring over books on antidotes and venoms, books on snakes. Arthur was drinking a blood-replenishing potion every hour and having his bandages changed frequently. I worked closely with Augustus Pye, Smethwyck's Healer-in-Training.
I stopped working long enough to return to Hogwarts for dinner, grabbed a few more books from the library, and went back to work.
It was after midnight when we finally called it quits. I changed out of my Healer Intern robes, then Disapparated to Spinner's End. The house was dark when I arrived so I made my way upstairs by wand light. I opened the door to Snape's room. He was lying in bed- I thought at first he was asleep, but he raised his head when I entered.
"I'm exhausted," he said sleepily. "But I couldn't sleep until I knew you were home."
I kicked off my shoes and crawled into bed. He put his arms around me and kissed me.
"How is Arthur?" he asked.
"The same," I replied heavily. "Nothing we try works. …I'm going to figure this out. I have to."
"I'm sure you will," he murmured, his voice heavy with sleep.
"So uh, how tired are you?" I asked, slipping my leg between his.
"Umf…too tired… I didn't sleep at all last night. I just stayed up- I had classes tto teach this morning. Took…" he yawned loudly. "…took an Invigoration Draught."
"Severus," I said disapprovingly. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard. Go to sleep."
"Mmhm…" he said and within seconds he was asleep. I chuckled softly, snuggled up against him, and was soon asleep myself.
The next morning I awoke still snuggled against Snape's chest. I could hear his heart beating in his chest against my ear. My leg was still lodged between his. I reached down and gave him a little stroke. His eyes opened and I kissed him before he could speak. Slowly, I rolled him onto his back and straddled him.
"Someone's feeling frisky," he said with a smile.
"Happy holidays, Severus…"
A while later we made our way downstairs to eat a bit of breakfast before I went back to work.
"We need to work on Defense as much as we can while we are hoe. No sneaking around," Snape said as we ate. "…And I think, perhaps, we should start working on offensive spells as well."
"But I have to work," I protested. "I must find an antidote for Nagini's venom."
"Why you?" he asked. "Why does it have to be you?"
"Because Smethwyck chose me specifically. Because Dumbledore is counting on me…and the Weasleys…and I just know I can figure it out. I'm just missing something, looking in the wrong place…"
"…Well you don't have to stay there all day. You can read through books here…in fact, there are some books here you haven't looked in, I'm sure," he said.
I glanced in the direction of the sitting room. He did have a point.
"…I'll try and be back early this evening. I have to discuss it with Healer Smethwyck."
I left after breakfast and went back to St. Mungo's. I checked on Arthur Weasley- he was awake and eating breakfast. Pye had already changed his bandages. I made sure he had taken his Blood-Replenishing Potion, then got back to researching antidotes.
"Olivia?" Pye said to me as we flipped through pages and pages of books.
"Hm?"
"Have you ever heard of stitches? They're a sort of Muggle-"
"I know what stitches are. Veterinarians use them, too."
"Right, well…do you think…maybe they could work in this case?"
I looked up from my book and stared at him. He was serious.
"I really doubt it, Augustus," I said. "But you could ask Smethwyck. There's no harm in trying."
After lunch I asked Healer Smethwyck if I could go home.
"We have shelves and shelves of books on poisons and antidotes that I haven't looked through yet," I said before he could protest. "And my guardian will help me look."
"By all means," he said, nodding. "Let us know if you find anything."
When I got home Snape wasn't there, but he'd left me a note saying he had gone to see Lucius about something important. I rolled my eyes and went into the sitting room and began pulling books off the shelves.
It was around eight o'clock that night when Snape got hom. I was still in the living room, buried in books.
"How long have you been home?" he inquired, moving aside a stack of books to sit beside me on the couch.
"Few hours," I replied despondently.
"Hm. Come on, you need to take a break. Let's practice Defense."
"What- don't you want to eat or something first?" I said, still skimming the book.
"No, I ate at the Malfoys. Come on, up," he said, pulling me o my feet. He took the book from me and put it facedown on the couch. Then he kissed me which, admittedly, did take my mind off of potions and antidotes.
"Now that I've got your attention… we've got some work to do," he said.
"No fair," I said, pouting, and I followed him into the kitchen.