Chapter 49 : Here comes the Holiday break
Severus awoke slowly, realizing he was lying in a strange bed and by the quiet, sunlit atmosphere, he surmised he was a patient in the Hospital Wing. Thinking back, he came to the conclusion that he'd been hit by spells from the Carrows.
'Idiots!', he thought. 'Well . . . it could be worse . . . they could actually have done me some harm . . . being knocked out by those fools will be helpful when reporting late to the Dark Lord. Let them take the blame for Draco's disappearance.' He smirked, then decided to try and sit up . . . that turned out to be a bad move . . . in fact, an impossibility.
"Ah, Severus. I see you've rejoined us," Poppy cheerily greeted him, as she bustled over to his bed.
"There seems to be a problem, Poppy." Severus croaked, his mouth suddenly dry.
"Here, take a sip of water," instructed Poppy, as she held a glass of water, with a bent straw, to Severus' lips.
"Thank you," Severus said, after taking a sip or two, then he looked at the Healer. "What's wrong with me?"
"Well, from what I can surmise, the two spells those idiot Carrows used, 'Petrificus Totalus' and 'Stupefy', combined and hit you square in the spine and you are, temporarily, paralyzed. They, on the other hand, have just returned from the Ministry, where they tried to explain why they hit the Headmaster of this school in the back with the spells in the first place; they only remember seeing Harry Potter and trying to catch him."
" 'Memory modification'?" Severus inquired."Professor Flitwick's work no doubt."
"Oh, yes!" Poppy looked around then leaned over and whispered. "He said it was the most fun he's had in years. By now, of course, word will have gotten back to Voldemort that you were severely injured, so there's no rush for you to go to him to report that Draco was 'snatched' by Harry, Ron and Hermione,; he'll have already heard that news."
"I'm just glad I'm not the one who had to tell him!" Severus smiled, grimly.
"Indeed! Oh, and Slytherin House was gifted with the same memories, so they'll be reinforcing the tale when they go home for holiday." Poppy smiled and then covered her mouth, giggling at the look of astonishment on Severus' face.
"Bloody Hell!" Severus burst out, but as he regained his composure, he asked the important question of the day. "How long will this . . .condition last, Poppy?"
"At least two weeks, Severus, which will get us to the end of term . . . you've been unconscious for the better part of a week, already."
"What?"
"Don't fret; you haven't missed anything. Minerva's running the school and the D.A. is continuing their practices, but now they're learning how to defend against the worst of the Death Eaters spells, thanks to Lucius Malfoy."
"By that statement, I can conclude that Lucius and Narcissa are in residence here, and none the worse for their escape?"
"Correct."
"Ah, good . . . then I think I will just consider this a forced vacation and relax. It is bizarre to not have any feeling in my body, but as long as I can see and talk, I'll survive a couple weeks under your expert care, I'm sure."
"Oh, you're not under my care, Severus, I have help from St. Mungo's, as this is a specialized case and you need physical therapy as you recover."
"I see . . . and who, may I inquire, is my Healer?"
"I am," came a voice from the doorway.
Severus turned his head and saw a tall - well, it was hard to tell exact height, being flat on his back in bed - auburn haired Medi-Witch coming in the door, floating a tray in front of her, which she deposited on the bedside table before turning to face her patient.
"Are you hungry, Professor Snape, because I've brought lunch?!" she asked, with a smile. "I'm Healer Treiber . . . Katie Treiber."
"How do you do . . . and you may call me Severus, as you will doubtless be yelling my name, along with some rather rude phrases, sometime during my rehabilitation. I'm just warning you. . . I'm a lousy patient."
"I've heard as much," smiled Healer Treiber, sharing a glance with Poppy, who laughed and walked off to her office. "So, if you don't mind, I think I'll prop you up a bit . . . Severus . . . as I'd hate to dribble your lunch all over you on our first meeting. . . hot soup isn't pleasant running down one's chest."
"So I've been led to believe," smirked Severus.
Katie Treiber stopped in mid-motion and looked at Severus. "Ah, you DO have a sense of humor . . . that's a nice improvement."
Severus' eyebrows knit together, looking closely at the Healer who was levitating him into a sitting position against a wall of pillows at the head of the bed.
"Have we met?" he inquired. "You look vaguely familiar."
"Of course we have; you were my Potions Professor here at Hogwarts, oh, about a dozen years ago, now. I was Katie Libel, then, Treiber is my married name."
Severus thought back to his first years of teaching Potions and a memory surfaced of a particularly bright Hufflepuff who was in his advanced 'N.E.W.T.s' class, as she was planning on being a Healer.
"Ah, I do remember . . . Hufflepuff?"
"Yes . . . proves you didn't suffer any brain damage with this incident, anyway," she laughed, as she pulled a chair over in order to feed Severus his lunch. She tucked a napkin into the neck of his hospital gown, making Severus blush when he realized he wasn't properly dressed, except for the disgusting cotton cover up. He'd have Tykey fetch his pajamas . . or better yet, those warm sweat pants that Sirius had sent him . . . he secretly loved wearing them in the privacy of his chambers; comfort and warmth was a perfect combination.
"Hello?"
Severus focused and realized there was a spoon hovering in front of his face.
"Sorry," he muttered, dutifully opening his mouth and taking in the warm soup. "Um, that's just made me realize how truly hungry I am . . . thank you for doing this, by the way," he added.
"Part of the service," Katie replied, eyes twinkling. "If you're a good boy, there's gingerbread pudding for dessert."
"Ah, bribery," Severus smirked. "Now that, I understand." Taking another mouthful of soup, he ventured a small smile.
"Good Lord, you smiled!" Katie gasped, then giggled at Severus' instantaneous 'look of doom' he shot at her. "You really have mellowed, haven't you?"
Severus shook his head. "If you only knew . . . Katie . . . if you only knew!"
"I know you didn't kill Professor Dumbledore . . . he told me himself!"
Severus opened his mouth to question her about that, but instead found another delicious spoonful of soup being tipped into it instead. He decided to refrain from any further attempts at conversation, until this determined Healer had filled him up sufficiently.
He was beginning to become a bit frustrated with not being able to move his arms, but comforted himself with the fact that his condition was only temporary. Severus let out a sigh and devoted himself to the gingerbread pudding being fed to him.
"There, all bowls and plates clean," Healer Treiber nodded, pleased, as she wiped Severus' chin one last time. "All tidied up and full, I hope?"
"Indeed, I'm stuffed to the gills," replied Severus. "So, you've talked to Albus, have you?"
Katie shook her head. "I knew that would be the first question out of your mouth once your dinner was finished." She moved her chair back a little and put her hands, folded, on her lap. "I'm one of the newest members of The Order, and have been sneaking extra medical supplies out to various groups of Wizarding folk who are on the run from the Snatchers."
"Why would you do something as risky as that?" Severus inquired, frowning.
The Healer dropped her head for a moment, and when she looked up, there were tears in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away, before she spoke.
"My husband . . .my late husband, was killed by the Snatchers four months ago. He fought them, rather than surrender, holding them off while the rest of his group of fugitive 'Half-bloods' got away. I was to meet them and give them a few supplies, but when I arrived, it was too late; they were destroying what was left of the campsite, my husband was lying there, dead, and I barely managed to get away myself. Artemus Pye covered for me at St. Mungo's when they came looking for me; said I had been attending an old, dying Wizard the entire night and never left his side. They gleefully told me of my husband's 'pitiful attempt at resistance' and then left . . . bastards. . . sorry."
"Understandable . . . and true . . . my condolences, also." Severus said quietly.
"Thank you," she whispered. "It's still hard to believe he's not just out there, hiding from them, and that he'll send word, any day, that he's alright. They didn't even tell me where they'd buried him, if they even bothered. That's why I'm in the Order, Severus, to bring Voldemort down and all of those who follow him or work on his orders."
"Ah, Hufflepuff determination . . . that's a good sign," Severus nodded, as Katie looked at him, surprised, then gave him a slight smile.
X X X
"It's a lucky thing the Ministry sent those fool Carrows back to Hogwarts to finish the term," Bella muttered to Rudolphus. "They'd be dead and gone by now, if we'd . . .if the Dark Lord had gotten hold of them first."
"Well, when the school holiday starts, it'll be their end, unless they can explain themselves to him. Something about the official story doesn't sound right, if you ask me," Rudolphus answered. "Either way, it's not going to be good to be them!"
Bella cackled, but then her eyes got hard and black. "But it will be nothing compared to what I'll do to my worthless sister and that sniveling Lucius when I find them!"
"Be my guest, my dear, I'll just watch and applaud," laughed her husband.
Bell smiled and curtsied and then they started walking down the stairs of Malfoy Manor, to the kitchen, to get some dinner.
"I think I'll have a lot of fun re-decorating this old heap," Bella mused, as she looked around. "It needs a LOT of work, tsk,tsk! HE!HE!HE!HE!"
X X X
"I've written Father and told him that I'm staying here for Christmas," Luna informed the group. "That way, I don't get taken off the train by the Death Eaters and Father won't have to worry about me."
"To say nothing of saving your house from being blown to kingdom come," Ron reminded her.
"I'm staying, too," Seamus said. "I've got to start rigging the bridge and it'll be easier to work if there's no rush and not a lot of people hanging over the sides asking questions," he added. "I owled me Mam and she understands."
"Excellent!" Sirius smiled. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you have planned for that." Seamus grinned at the Marauder. "Okay, Neville, what are your plans?"
"I'm taking the train. They won't bother me, but I'll be leaving home early and coming back, just in case they decide they have to question me about what happened in the Great Hall, even though they have that deposition Professor McGonagall sent them . Gran understands . . . truth is, she's just hoping some Ministry official does come looking for me . . . poor sod will get an earful!"
"I'm going home too," Ginny informed them. "But like Neville, I'll be back early. Mum and Dad are going into hiding and that leaves Fred and George out in the open, so to speak. Percy is still working at the Ministry, keeping up the pretense he's estranged from the family, but he's already made arrangements with Fred and George and he'll be here when we need him."
"Alright, then, keep your eyes and ears open. We'd rather have you 'Apparate' away suddenly, if you sense something's wrong, then be standing there with a group of Death Eaters surrounding you, wands out!" Sirius warned them, sounding surprisingly like Mad-Eye.
"We'll be busy over the holiday, once the Carrows leave again; we are to start our reinforcements of the school wards and enchantments, plus some strengthening spells on the buildings, themselves," Albus informed them, Filius Flitwick nodding his head. "Filius and I are quite looking forward to the exercise."
X X X
"Again"
"Must I?"
"Yes."
"You are a mean, heartless, vindictive taskmaster!"
"And you are a miserable, mouthy, sourpuss of a patient! Now, squeeze that ball and hold it for a count of ten, Severus Snape!"
"But . ."
"No! Now!"
Severus stared daggers at Katie Treiber, but she sat, serenely unmoved by his glowering . Resignedly, Severus sighed and obeyed. He concentrated on the small yellow ball in his right hand - he'd, thankfully, finished his exercises on his left - and attempted to close his fingers firmly around the soft globe.
He'd regained the feeling in his hands, arms and feet just a few days after regaining consciousness, but making his muscles work was another story all together. It had been a rough couple of days, alternating between relief that he was recovering fairly quickly and frustrating, with the seeming glacial slowness of his muscles to recover from their paralysis.
Finally his fingers closed over the ball and he managed to squeeze it a bit, while he counted to ten in his head.
"Very good, Severus," said Katie, clapping. "You've done very well today. I think that will be enough. Just remember to continue with your finger touches and toe wiggles."
"That sounds so absurd . . . an exercise called 'toe wiggles'," remarked Severus, which earned him a smile from his Healer.
"Sounds silly, but describes it perfectly, so . . " Katie shrugged.
Severus nodded, as he felt the texture of the ball in his hand. "What kind of material is this made of, if I may inquire?"
"That's a Nerf ball . . . a Muggle toy; soft, light but fairly durable. Was invented so children could play games, involving balls, indoors, without worrying too much about breaking things," she explained, taking the ball from his hand and showing him how soft it really was by squeezing it almost flat. "Muggles don't have 'Reparo', so they are much more cautious with their possessions." She then bounced it off of his nose, shocking him totally.
As Healer Treiber dissolved in a fit of giggles, Severus couldn't help but smile, himself. He knew how much this fine young woman was suffering from the loss of her husband and it was good to see her smile . . and forget her grief for a few moments.
"Okay, back to you and your recovery, Severus," said the auburn haired Healer, as she checked her notebook with Severus' progress notes enclosed. "I expect you to notice that you're regaining significant movement in you lower arms in a day or so; bending your wrist and then your elbow . . . lifting your whole arm will take a bit longer, but should follow right along after you've mastered arm curls . . . I'll be adding weights to the exercises, too . . . just a heads up on that; be prepared for a real workout!"
"I can't decide if your enthusiasm is because of your love of your work, or your enjoyment of my discomfort and frustration."
"Severus Snape! That's a rude thing to say! I certainly don't 'enjoy' your, I might say, typical reaction to the hard work you are forced to do to recover, but it IS totally necessary for your recovery! Stop being a brat! I'm doing my best to help you get back to normal as quickly as possible, it's up to you how quickly you recover . . . if you want to slow down and prolong the process . . .well, that's your decision, but then you'll just be a miserable sod that much longer. Either way, your grumping about it doesn't change a thing . . . you will do these exercises and you will recover!" Katie crossed her arms and stared daggers at Severus.
"Guess she told you, mate," laughed Sirius Black, as he walked up to the end of Severus' bed and grinned down at the Potions professor. 'How's he doing, Healer Treiber?"
"Better than most, not enough for his own satisfaction," smiled the Healer. "And do call me Katie."
"Very well, if you call me Sirius," he bowed, eyes twinkling.
"What do you want, Black?" growled Severus.
"Just checking on your progress, to report back to the kids . . . they're loathe to bother you when you are invalided such as you are." Sirius explained, airily waving a hand. "Actually, that's a lie . . . they're hard at work studying for the end of terms exams and can't spare you the time."
"That was supposed to make me feel better?" Severus inquired, eye brow raised.
"They'll get here when they can; send their greetings and all that, and until the holiday starts, Harry, Ron and Hermione are staying out of sight, so you'll have to put up with the lovely Katie for company . . . unless you wish me to sit and read to you?"
"Putz!" snapped Severus.
Suddenly, both men became aware that Katie Treiber was clutching her sides, rocking with silent laughter. When she realized they were both staring at her, she threw her head back and let loose with the pent up merriment; laughing and pointing at the two of them. When she finally got control of herself, she wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You two are SO funny . . . it's a good thing you're friends; I can't image the hexes that would fly if you two didn't get along!"
Severus and Sirius looked at each other, shared memories and not a bit of embarrassment coloring their cheeks.
"Indeed . . . that wouldn't be pleasant at all, would it Sirius?" Snape sneered.
"No . . . downright . . . .messy!" Sirius replied, grinning widely.
About then, Tykey arrived with some tea and biscuits. Katie invited Sirius to join Severus and herself and the next half hour was spent discussing the re-enforcements that were being planned for the castle, and what the D.A. was doing in their practice sessions.