a/n: There are several dark things in play for sure, poka. Some twists and turns to come. Thanks for the reviews!
Prompt: A bloody ritual
Chapter 18: Purge
Lilith placed a cool cloth on Hermione's forehead. The fever wasn't breaking. It wasn't something that could be rushed. How long the ritual took would depend on Hermione. Lilith picked up a half shell with an iridescent center. Lighting a sage stick, she started to smudge the small room, working methodically around the space ensuring she got the corners. The room would be ready when Hermione was. They couldn't chance some other spirit interfering. The process of ridding the young witch of the residue would be hard enough.
A small groan had Lilith turning toward her patient. Completing her smudging, she returned to her chair next to the bedside. "Hermione? It's not safe there. Come to me," she said, taking her hand.
Hermione jerked like she was startled.
"Shh, you're okay. Come to me. I can help you," she continued to comfort Hermione until finally her eyelids fluttered open.
Hermione winced at the light, she tried to move away from the form hovering over her, but gasped at the pain.
"Easy. Try not to move. Here, have some water," Lilith soothed, put some ice chips on Hermione's chapped lips. "That's it."
Letting the ice melt and run down her sore throat, Hermione tried to look around. Tried to figure out what was happening. "The wolf. It saved me."
Interesting. Lilith replaced the cooling cloth with a fresh one. "You saw a wolf?"
"And a panther. I don't think that's what it was."
"Not likely. What did the panther want?"
Hermione closed her eyes, thought about her visions. "It wants to be free. That's not what it said it wanted though."
"Yes. And did you agree to free it?" Lilith asked, the answer would decide their next steps.
Shaking her head, Hermione sized up the older witch who was accepting the fantastical story she was telling like it was completely normal. "I'm not in the habit of freeing things that I don't understand."
"Good. That's good," Lilith said, stood and collected some instruments to lay out on a small table next to the bed.
"What's happening to me? Where am I?"
"There's a parasite. Residue from dark magic. It's attached itself to you through your curse wounds. It wants to claim you," Lilith explained, saw the fear growing in Hermione's with each word. "But you did exactly what you needed to do. It can't do anything unless you give it power." Cradling Hermione's injured forearm in her hand, Lilith gently removed the bandage revealing a red and swollen mess.
It wasn't infected with maggots, and it was too damaged for any letters to be discerned. Hermione stared at it. Waiting for it to change. "How do we get rid of it?"
The question was full of resolve. It was a good sign. Hermione would need strength to withstand the ritual. Unfortunately time wasn't on their side. She would only grow weaker the longer the residue was left to feed on her. Lilith picked up her wand, the tip glowed with a soft yellow light. "I've been training it to respond to my charm. It gets rewarded when it shows itself," she explained. The edges of the wound changed from red to a grotesque gray. The edges blurred and a substance that looked to be a mix of oil and smoke hovered. The light from the wand tip pulsed.
Hermione jumped at the sensation. She felt the pleasure from the residue at the reward.
Lilith patted the girl's hand and picked up a sharp dagger. "We're going to lure it to this curse scar. I'll have to cut your hand to give it a path to save itself when I cut off the blood flow to your arm."
"When you do what?" Hermione asked, horrified, trying to pull her hand away.
"It will be temporary. Just long enough to force the parasite to follow the blood flow. If it refuses, we'll stop." Lilith understood the situation would be unsettling in any condition, but Hermione was recovering from torture and imprisonment. Her entire world was falling apart and she didn't even know the worst of it. "I've done this ritual before. It's not a common affliction, but still a known complication from practicing the dark arts."
Tears swelled in Hermione's eyes. The stress, exhaustion, and fear hitting her all at once. She wiped at her eyes with her free hand. "Why is this happening? Who are you? Where am I?"
"I'll answer all your questions once this is over. The only thing you need to know is that the person who saved you from your war wants you to live. Wants your baby to live. They trust me to make that happen."
Her hand moved from her face to rest on the small baby bump. She was very thin. Lilith wouldn't have guessed the witch was pregnant if she hadn't sensed the life forming when she had touched Hermione for the first time.
"The residue can't touch him in its current state. But he is in danger if we can't improve your health," Lilith warned. She didn't want to scare Hermione, but the girl needed to know the risks.
At that revelation, Hermione's demeanor changed. She nodded her head. "Do it. Please."
Lilith got to work, immobilizing her left arm onto a board that hung over the bed. She prepared a large glass jar with a modified shield charm, leaving an opening on the top and lined it up directly under the board. "There shouldn't be too much pain from my spells, but the residue will fight. Try not to move."
Stoically Hermione watched Lilith bring the tip of the dagger down on the palm of her hand. Blood pooled until it built up and overflowed. A small stream fell down into the jar. Lilith waited until there was enough blood to attract the desperate parasite. "Okay. Here we go," she warned Hermione and lured the residue back to the edges of the wound. Once she was sure it was entirely isolated to the curse injury, she started chanting. Drawing upon the ancestors and the messenger totems that could come to aid them. As she kept the oily residue distracted with her wand, she used wandless magic to pinch off all blood vessels in Hermione's arm. The younger witch groaned in discomfort.
It took several more seconds before the residue realized it was cut off from Hermione's blood supply. It screeched as it tried to retreat. This elicited a cry of pain from Hermione. "I've got it, it won't be long," she encouraged Hermione and continued her chanting, luring the residue up toward the pooled blood. Like a fish out of water flopping around, desperate to breathe, the oily creature attempted to bury itself in the palm of Hermione's hand before finally following the flowing stream leading to the jar below. Lilith watched it fall into the enchanted glass, jerking around in the cage.
Noting that Hermione's fingers were turning blue, Lilith knew there wasn't much time left before she did damage, she scanned the wound, looking for any sign of the infection. There was no guarantee they got it all. Only time would tell them that. Sealing the jar, the residue was contained for now.
"There. I think we got it. This might be uncomfortable when I restore your blood flow. Like tiny pin pricks," she explained and released her spell slowly. The puncture on the palm of Hermione's hand spurted at the sudden restoration. Pressing a clean bandage down, Lilith put pressure on it. "Are you okay?"
"I think so," Hermione answered quietly.
Lilith used her wand to heal the gash she made and gathered up a potion. "Take this. It will help you sleep and we'll get you on the mend."
Without protest, Hermione took the bottle. "Harry. Bring me to Harry," she pleaded
It wasn't the time to tell Hermione about her new world. It could wait a little later. As the potion took over, Lilith got to work containing the residue and cleaning up the mess she made.