Disclaimer: Not mine, don't own it — I wish! Unfortunately, Harry Potter belongs to JKR and not to me; I'm just playing in her sandbox.
Author's Notes:
» Hermione changes her name during the story. However, to make it easier to understand, I'll continue to refer to Hermione by the name we all know. The only times her new name will be used is when she introduces herself to new people, or when someone is speaking to her and addresses her by name.
» This story is has been written in full and new chapters will be posted approximately twice a week.
» Thank you to atokkota for her support and feedback.
.o.O.o.
CHAPTER 11
"How is Miss Gale?" Severus asked anxiously, as he entered the infirmary.
"The internal bleeding was only very mild, so I've stopped that and and strengthened the seal on the internal wound so it won't reopen. I've also given her two vials of Blood Replenishing Potion and I've administered Skele-gro for that broken leg. She had a compound fracture, which was best healed by banishing the bones and regrowing them. The cuts and bruises are minor and will have to wait. I'm more worried about the burns right now. We need to treat them as quickly as possible, before it's too late to prevent them disfiguring her. I've used a generic burn paste in the meantime but I don't think it's going to be enough; the substance that burned her seems to be highly corrosive. Fortunately, I can keep her in a sterile bubble, which should prevent any infection setting in before the wounds heal."
"I found out why the potion exploded. It seems someone sabotaged it with some Weasley products. George came and helped me create a neutraliser," said Severus grimly, as he handed a salve to Poppy, who immediately removed the generic burn paste and gently slathered the neutraliser salve on Aimée in its place. The girl was burned all the way down the left side of her body.
"What are you going to do about it, Severus?" Poppy asked, glancing up at her colleague as she worked on Aimée.
"First I'm going to talk to Minerva and work out a plan of action to find out who was responsible. This was a deliberate act. Miss Gale had safety procedures drilled into her by her mother even before she came to Hogwarts and she would not have done this herself. She takes potion making far too seriously to sabotage any potion, least of all her own. Once I've reported this to Minerva, I'll need to inform her mother of what has happened."
"Sooner rather than later, Severus. Oh, don't worry; she's no longer in any danger, but she was hurt very badly and her mother should be informed. The child will probably want her mother here when she wakes up."
Severus nodded and headed down to the Headmistress' office where he waxed eloquent about what had happened and demanded that an investigation take place. "And not an Albus Dumbledore style investigation, where a dangerous stunt nearly kills a student and it just gets dismissed as a harmless prank, with the perpetrator getting no more than a token slap on the wrist, otherwise I will call the Aurors myself!"
"Youthful high spirits, Severus," said Dumbledore's portrait patronisingly.
"No, Albus. That's what you never understood. One or two pranks with no serious consequences are youthful high spirits. Unrelenting, unremitting, humiliating and hurtful pranks is bullying. Four students ganging up on one lone student and spending seven solid years attacking said student four-to-one is bullying. Deliberately sending a student into the lair of a werewolf on the night of the full moon before the Wolfsbane potion had been invented was attempted murder. Miss Gale has been the subject, not of pranks and teasing, but of bullying ever since she first stepped foot into this school, all at the hands of a small-minded, bigoted oaf. Now she has been severely injured and if I had not been in that classroom with her when it happened, even if I had only stepped out for a few minutes, by the time I had found her, it would have been too late to save her; the internal bleeding would have killed her."
"Now, now, Severus. I'm sure it was just a prank gone wrong. You must learn to become more forgiving."
Minerva snorted. "Albus, you've known Severus since he was eleven years old and you're still spouting that nonsense? Don't you know Severus better than that after all this time? Besides, he's quite right. Regardless of whether or not it was intentional, this is not something that can be overlooked or brushed under the carpet. Actions have consequences and it's time that all our students learned that. This is no longer Hogwarts under the administration and leadership of Albus Dumbledore. This is Hogwarts under the administration and leadership of Minerva McGonagall and I will manage this school as I see fit. You no longer have a say in that. Severus, I will fill in the other Heads of House and we will start a proper investigation in the morning."
Minerva hesitated. "Are you absolutely certain Miss Gale didn't do this herself?"
"Minerva, when have you known me to mentor a first-year student before? Never, that's when! Aimée Gale has a talent for potions that is probably greater even than mine, and you know that I was something of a prodigy myself. She loves potions far too much and has had lab safety protocols too well drilled into her ever to pull a stunt like this."
The elderly witch nodded and Severus pointed out the direction in which his suspicions lay. "You might want to begin with Reuben Weasley. It was a WWW product and he's been aggressive towards her since day one," he suggested.
"I'll tell Harry," she sighed.
"Good. And make sure Potter knows not to accept Weasley's word just because the boy is his nephew. He should question him properly because if he doesn't, I'll dose the little brat with Veritaserum myself!" Severus demanded, to the obvious displeasure of Dumbledore's portrait. Ignoring the old codger, Severus continued, "Do you by any chance know Madam Gale's address? I know she is not connected to the floo and I would like to apparate over and tell her about this in person. It's not news she should receive in a letter."
"Didn't she write to you? Surely the letter had her address on it?" asked Minerva in surprise.
"No, it didn't. She sent her letter back with the school owl that delivered it. Remember, post owls don't need addresses." He sighed. "I don't want to panic her by sending a Patronus but that would seem to be the best option, since Poppy has asked me to summon her."
"Ask Miss Gale's friends if they know where she lives. If you have to send a Patronus, tell Madam Gale she can either come to the gates and we'll let her in or else she can apparate to the Leaky Cauldron and floo into my office," Minerva instructed.
Severus nodded and headed for the Slytherin common room. Catching the eye of one of the female prefects, he demanded, "Please bring Higgs, Pucey and Sykes down to the common room."
The prefect looked surprised but nodded and disappeared in the direction of the first year girls' dorm. A few minutes later, the three girls appeared. "Professor? Is something wrong? Where's Aimée?" asked Zephyr in concern.
Severus sighed. "There has been an accident and Miss Gale is in the hospital wing. Hopefully, you will be able to visit her after classes tomorrow. I doubt Madam Pomfrey will allow you to see Miss Gale before then."
"What happened?" asked Hyacinth fearfully.
"Reuben Weasley," said Anthea in a tone of conviction.
"We do not know that yet," said Severus warningly.
"Yet?" asked the girl perceptively and Severus smothered a smile at how very Slytherin she was.
"Yet, Miss Pucey. There will be a full investigation tomorrow. You will not take any punitive action before we know the results of said investigation. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, sir," the girls chorused and Severus swung round to address the common room at large.
"It does indeed look like Miss Gale's accident was no accident but I do not want warfare breaking out between Slytherin and the other Houses. You will refrain yourselves from exacting revenge. At present, the perpetrator is the one in the wrong and I do not want that to change. Is that clearly understood?"
His Slytherins understood. Currently, their Head of House would be negotiating a suitable punishment from a position of strength. If they were to interfere, they would weaken his position and thus the punishment that would be enacted. Not only that, but they would also cause him to lose face and that was something none of them would dare do.
Satisfied that his message had been received, he returned his attention to the first year girls. "Miss Gale will probably be in the infirmary for a few days but she will be fine. In the meantime, I need to contact her mother urgently and we only seem to have her address in Canada on record, even though I know Madam Gale is currently living in England. Do any of you happen to know where she lives?" Even a town would be sufficient for him to find her, as he suspected Hermione was Muggle enough to have a telephone and so all he would need to do would be to look up her address in a telephone directory. Unfortunately, the girls all shook their heads.
"All right, I'm going to check her belongings. Please show me which is Miss Gale's bed."
Severus followed the worried girls up to their dorm and Hyacinth pointed out Aimée's bed and trunk. Quickly realising that he could not open Aimée's trunk, he tried summoning any letters that had been written to her. Unfortunately, none of them gave her mother's address and, checking a textbook that lay on her bed, he saw that no addresses appeared on the flyleaf either. Giving it up as a bad job, he departed the common room, sending off a Patronus to Hermione. Passing his classroom, the Potions Professor paused briefly to survey the damage. He did not want to clear it up yet, as he wanted Minerva and the other Heads of House to see just what the 'prank' had wrought. Mentally planning how to take his potions classes without brewing facilities over the next few days, Severus returned to the infirmary, as he wanted to stay with Aimée until her mother arrived. Even though Poppy was with the child, as her Head of House, he was in loco parentis and would not leave her alone in the infirmary under the circumstances.
Hermione started as a raven Patronus came flying into her living room, while she lounged on the sofa with a book. "Madam Gale, please do not be alarmed but we had no other way of contacting you urgently. Your daughter has had an accident. She is being taken care of by Madam Pomfrey and will be fine but we thought you would like to be with her. You can either floo to the Headmistress' office from the Leaky Cauldron or you can apparate to the gates. Please just let us know if you choose the latter, so that we can send someone to open the gates for you," it said in Severus Snape's voice. Severus hoped that Minerva would send anyone other than Harry Potter to the gate if Hermione came that way.
In a panic, Hermione summoned her coat and transfigured it into a cloak with a hood. Pulling the hood up over her head, she apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and quickly made her way over to the fireplace. Stepping out of the floo in Minerva's office, she lowered her hood. Minerva, who was addressing Filius, Pomona and Harry looked up.
"Herm… Madam Gale," she said, coming over to hug the distraught woman. "It's good to see you again, even under the circumstances."
"Hermione!" Harry cried, rushing over to her. A hurt look crossed his face as she stepped back from him.
"Headmistress, what happened to my daughter?" she demanded, ignoring her former best friend.
"I don't know all the details but I'm sure she'll be fine. If she was critical, Madam Pomfrey would have transferred her to St Mungo's by now," she said reassuringly. "Pomona, would you mind escorting Madam Gale to the infirmary, please?" Minerva knew that Hermione would not be able to cope with Harry at the moment and that the motherly Head of Hufflepuff would be a far more tolerable presence.
"But…" Harry protested, subsiding when Minerva gave him a warning glare.
"Don't worry, my dear," said Pomona reassuringly as they hurried along the corridors. "Poppy is very good at her job, as you well know. Think how often she had to patch up Mr Potter after his escapades."
Hermione nodded absently, not really paying attention to what the kindly woman was saying. "Aimée!" she cried as she entered the infirmary, her face ashen as she saw her daughter lying still and pale, with raw looking wounds down one side of her body.
"Hermione! I mean, Madam Gale," said Poppy in greeting. "There was a potions accident — Severus can tell you more about that. As for her injuries…" the Mediwitch quickly ran down the list of injuries and Aimée's current status. Remembering that Hermione had begun Healer training before her departure from Britain, Poppy ran a diagnostic charm, displaying the results for Hermione to see.
With the assurance that Aimée was not in critical danger, Hermione began to breathe again, not even noticing when Pomona left. Hermione could see the sterile bubble surrounding Aimée and knew that she could not even hold her daughter's hand but she sat down next to her bed nonetheless, prepared to stay there until Aimée should awaken. Severus raised an eyebrow at Poppy and she sighed and nodded. Summoning a vial of Calming Draught, the Mediwitch handed it to Severus with a meaningful look. He conjured another chair and sat beside Hermione, wordlessly handing the little bottle to her. She ignored it, rocking back and forth in distress.
"Drink it, Madam Gale. All of it. If you don't take it willingly, you know I'll pour it down your throat anyway," he said, every inch the imposing Professor Snape from her childhood.
Hermione blindly took the vial and drank it. "What happened?" she asked tonelessly, not taking her eyes off her daughter.
"Aimée has been doing some extra-curricular brewing under my supervision a couple of nights a week," Severus explained. Hermione nodded impatiently, already being aware of this from Aimée's letters, and Severus continued. "The latest potion she was working on could not be brewed in one, single session. It was under stasis but when she continued it tonight, it exploded. Something it should not have done. I don't think that even Neville Longbottom in his youth could have caused this particular potion to explode, and he was one of the worst Potions students I ever taught. I discovered that someone had placed some Weasley products into Miss Gale's cauldron, which I am absolutely certain Miss Gale did not do herself. We are investigating and I assure you that there will be accountability," he declared ominously.
Hermione raised her eyes to Severus' and, seeing the sincerity and resolve in the black depths, she nodded once and turned her attention back to her daughter. Seeing that this was not the time to talk to Hermione, Severus sighed and sat back in his chair, silently keeping her company and waiting until she would be ready for conversation.
Time passed and Aimée began stirring restlessly. Severus quietly went to get Poppy, who came to check on her patient. Cancelling the sterile bubble, the Mediwitch reapplied the salve that Severus had prepared to treat the burns. Aimée, closer to consciousness this time than last, began to groan from the pain.
"Ssh, ssh, beloved Aimée. It's all right, I'm here," Hermione whispered in the girl's ear and she calmed down. Aimée was still obviously in pain but stopped thrashing around at the sound of her mother's voice. Hermione stroked Aimée's hair, keeping her calm as Poppy reapplied the salve and spelled another pain relief potion into Aimée's stomach.
"The burns are already much improved," Poppy commented. "I'm going to erect the sterile bubble again and make Aimée sleep until the salve needs to be reapplied. Hopefully by then I'll be able to take the bubble down."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione whispered.
"Miss Gale should be much improved by morning," Severus assured Hermione, who gave him a wan smile before turning her attention back to her daughter. Despite the Calming Draught, Hermione was still greatly distressed and was clearly ready to attack anyone who entered the infirmary, so when Poppy came back a few hours later to reapply the salve, which had to be renewed every three to four hours, he had a quiet word with the Mediwitch and she gently spelled Hermione to sleep, levitating her onto the next bed to her daughter. Severus had a house elf bring him his marking from his office and settled down to a long night of keeping watch. Poppy could not erect wards preventing people entering the infirmary in case there was a need for medical attention and Severus wanted to be sure that no one would approach either of the Gale women during the night. He did not expect that Reuben Weasley would risk trying to harm Aimée further while she was under Madam Pomfrey's care, but he had no such confidence that Harry Potter would refrain from approaching Hermione.
Sure enough, late that night, Harry came tiptoeing into the infirmary under his invisibility cloak. Always aware of his surroundings, the former spy felt the subtle shift in the air and the faint tingle of the infirmary's wards as Harry passed through them. "What are you doing here, Potter?" he asked, without looking up from his marking.
Harry took the cloak off. "How do you always know when I'm under the cloak?" he asked ruefully and Severus smirked in response. In truth, it was simply because as a former Headmaster of Hogwarts he was attuned to the wards. Severus could not only feel the shift when someone passed through them but he could also feel the tingle of a person's magical core. Of course, this applied only within Hogwarts, where the castle itself cooperated with the Headmaster. Hogwarts castle was semi-sentient and it had to approve of a Headmaster or Headmistress for them to be able to take over the post. When Harry and Hermione had been in school, the Headmaster's office had sealed itself against a Ministry appointed stooge, Dolores Umbridge, making it clear that Hogwarts did not accept her as Headmistress.
After the unavoidable nightmare that had been Severus' Headship under the rule of Voldemort, he had been happy to step down in favour of Minerva McGonagall but, with Hogwarts itself still acknowledging him as Headmaster to some extent, he had been appointed Deputy Head, thus satisfying the castle. However, only Severus and Minerva knew that Hogwarts still afforded Severus some of the privileges of Headmaster. Severus had insisted that it be kept quiet because he did not wish to detract from her position as Headmistress and in so doing, diminish the respect and authority she held.
"How is she?" Harry asked quietly, nodding towards Hermione and Aimée, asleep on neighbouring beds.
"Which one?" Severus asked dryly and Harry blushed. "Miss Gale's internal injuries have been healed. The Skele-gro should have mended her broken leg by morning. Hopefully, her burns will also be healed by morning, with no scarring. If she does become disfigured from this so-called prank, you may be very certain that her mother will raise Hell. Understandably and rightly so. As for Madam Gale, she has been administered a Calming Draught and is under a Healer's sleeping spell. I have no doubt she will be furious with us for that but it was necessary.
Harry's face fell in disappointment and Severus sighed. "Potter… Harry, I know you want to talk to her and apologise for what happened when she left but this isn't the time. Right now, Madam Gale far more concerned about her daughter than she will be about helping you feel better about yourself. If you want her to forgive you, then you will have to earn that forgiveness, and you can start by finding the miscreant who was responsible for this."
Harry nodded mutely and conjured himself a chair next to Severus. "Minerva says you suspect Reuben," he commented as he sat down.
"He has certainly targeted for Miss Gale for no justifiable reason ever since they met," Severus observed neutrally.
"Yes, but while I do believe that Reuben would be capable of deliberately sabotaging someone's potion, based on his performance in Defence and on the reports from Robert and Filius of his performance in Transfiguration and Charms, I'm not sure I believe him to be magically capable of cancelling and reapplying a stasis charm," Harry said derisively and Severus' lips twitched in acknowledgement. Like his father before him, Reuben Weasley was not the most proficient student of magic in the school.
"I suppose we should be grateful Ginevra is female. If she had been another boy, she would probably be an even bigger imbecile than Ronald, since all the intelligence and magical capability intended for boys in that family had obviously been used up by Ronald's older brothers," Severus quipped, sharing an amused glance with Harry.
The two men sat in silence for some time before Harry finally took his leave, remarking that Ginny would be furious if he spent the entire night in the hospital wing. "And I really don't need both her and Hermione to be angry with me at the same time; they're two scary witches," he said wryly as he left.
Severus spent the rest of the night guarding the two women. It was not that he felt it was truly necessary but he could not bring himself to leave his self-appointed post. For some reason, he felt compelled to protect the two witches. 'Besides, Madam Gale may be slightly more forgiving over having been put under a sleeping spell if she knows I did not leave her or her daughter unprotected in the hospital wing,' he thought drolly. Harry was right: Hermione Granger was indeed a scary witch.
Poppy had set the sleeping spell to wear off at seven o'clock in the morning. She came to check on Aimée just as Hermione began to stir. "Good morning, Miss Gra… Madam Gale," she said, smiling at her former student as she opened sleepy eyes.
"What… Aimée!" she cried, jolting fully awake as she remembered where she was and why.
"It's all right, Madam Gale. She's fine. Her leg has mended and her burns have been fully cured, thanks to Severus and George Weasley. I'm just healing the minor injuries — a few assorted scrapes, bumps and bruises."
"You put me to sleep," said Hermione accusingly.
"I'm sorry, Madam Gale, but it was necessary," replied Poppy firmly. "You were in a state of high alert, combined with distress, and I could not risk you hexing anyone who came seeking medical assistance. Now, please calm down or I will ban you from the hospital wing."
Hermione blushed with embarrassment. She was behaving like Molly Weasley. She had always thought that she was more rational than the over-bearing, over-protective matriarch of the Weasley clan. "I'm sorry, Madam Pomfrey," she said abashedly and the older woman laughed.
"Oh my dear, it's quite like old times. I'm half expecting to see those two miscreants, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, come rushing in to check that you're all right," she said with a smile and Hermione gave a sad, half-hearted smile in response.
"One of them has already been in," Severus drawled. "You were asleep at the time," he explained to Hermione.
"Were you here all night, Professor?" she asked in surprise.
"Well, as I'm the one who suggested that Poppy cast the sleeping spell on you, I thought it prudent to remain here. I knew you wouldn't be happy about your daughter being unprotected, and since anyone can enter the hospital wing…"
"Thank you," said Hermione, wide-eyed. "You must be exhausted, though."
Severus laughed, a rich, deep sound that made Hermione shiver with pleasure. "It's not the first time I've had to stay up all night and it won't be the last, although, thankfully, these days it's due to brewing potions rather than pandering to two lords and masters."
Poppy finished checking on Aimée and turned to Hermione. "Why don't you go and freshen up in the bathroom and by the time you come back, your daughter should be awake."
Hermione screwed up her face in distaste. "I didn't bring a change of clothes with me."
"Are you a witch or what? That's what Scourgify is for!" Severus exclaimed, an amused glint in his eyes.
"I guess it's the Muggle in me. It's just not the same as putting on fresh clothes. Or perhaps it's from spending the better part of a year in a tent. Scourgify loses its effectiveness after a while. I felt grubby the entire time," Hermione explained.
"Well, you could always go home and change," suggested Severus.
"No, it's all right. Just ignore my moaning," she laughed. "I'll survive."
When Hermione returned from the bathroom, Aimée was sitting up talking to her Head of House. As Hermione approached, she could hear that their conversation was about the special burn salve Severus had created to treat Aimée's wounds. Severus looked up as she approached. "Merlin, but she's like you," he said to Hermione.
Hermione grinned in acknowledgement. "I know. She's a complete mini-me."
"Little Know-It-All," he agreed, glancing at Aimée out of the corner of his eyes.
Aimée looked flabbergasted. "I thought you didn't remember my Mum," she said accusingly.
Hermione sighed. "Aimée, when I left Britain after the war… I'd been through so much, had such a hard time… well, we all did but I was in a lot of emotional pain when I left. I was depressed, angry, hurt and so much more. I couldn't handle it. I needed a completely new start. I never told you this because it was too difficult to look back on and explain the reasons why, but I changed my name magically. Professor Snape certainly knows me — most of the professors do, I imagine — but they know me under a different name."
Aimée was very quiet as she processed what her mother had said. "Why didn't you tell me when I came to Hogwarts?" she asked in a small voice.
Hermione sat on Aimée's bed with her and took her into her arms. "I was quite well-known. There would have been a lot of expectations laid upon you. You would have received quite a bit of unpleasant attention and you would have been asked many questions that you couldn't answer. I thought that even if everyone suspected you were my daughter, it would be easier for you to be your own person if they didn't know for sure. I know you must be upset with me, beloved Aimée, but know that I love you very much — even if I did mess up. I guess I just didn't know how to handle it properly. I'm sorry."
Aimée cuddled into Hermione. They sat there quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the contact, before Aimée broke the silence. "Mum? What was your name before?" she asked curiously.
"Hermione Granger," she replied. Aimée was stunned. Even she had heard of the famous Muggleborn witch. She was having a hard time believing that Hermione Granger was her mother.
Hermione carded her hand through Aimée's curly locks. "Are we okay, baby?"
Aimée looked up at her mother. "I'm not sure. I'm a bit confused but I think so."
Hermione nodded. "Perhaps before I leave, we can sit down and talk somewhere private. I'll answer whatever questions I can. All right?"
Aimée smiled at Hermione. "All right," she agreed happily.
Severus cleared his throat. "Talking of leaving," he said. "Before you go, Madam Gale, we should stop by the Headmistress' office for an update regarding the investigation into who sabotaged your daughter's potion."
"Isn't it a bit early yet?" asked Hermione, looking at her watch.
"Indeed it is but since it's Saturday today, I assumed you would want to stay and spend the day with Miss Gale, once she has been released from the infirmary. You would be welcome to use my chambers, to have your talk with your daughter. Later on, before you leave, I'll escort you to the Headmistress' office."
Hermione looked horrified. "Oh no, Professor. That's very generous of you but I couldn't take advantage of you like that, especially as you must want to get some sleep. I truly appreciate the offer but I would hate to disturb you. Perhaps we could use the Room of Requirement for now and join you for tea later in the day, after you've rested? I'd like to catch up with you and hear about how Aimée is doing at school."
"Madam Gale, I thought you knew me well enough to know that I wouldn't offer if it were an imposition or merely to be polite." This last was said with some disdain and Hermione giggled in appreciation. This was much more like the snarky professor she knew!
"Besides," he continued. "Potter will probably be roaming the halls looking for you. You would be much safer in my chambers. Even that infamous map of his won't find you there."
"Just what is Harry doing here at Hogwarts?" she asked curiously. Harry was an Auror, so why was he wandering the halls of Hogwarts instead of doing his job?
"He's the Defence Professor, Mum," Aimée explained, to Hermione's great surprise.
Seeing Hermione's shock, Severus explained. "He dropped out of the Auror training programme after you left. He didn't trust his judgement after he misread the situation with… his two best friends, so badly," said Severus awkwardly, knowing better than to mention Ronald Weasley in front of Aimée. Hermione, who had been looking at him in alarm, breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes narrowed in realisation. She raised her eyebrows, silently asking if he had worked out who Aimée's father was and he gave her a brief nod in reply.
"In that case, Professor, I'll gladly take you up on your kind offer," she said.
Poppy came bustling up. "Right, Miss Gale. I had a house elf bring you some clean clothes, so you can shower and get dressed. I want you to take it easy and rest today, so I'll allow you to leave to go to Professor Snape's chambers with your mother but I want to see you again before you return to your common room.