Chapter Twenty-Four

The Search

Severus slammed shut another thick book with growing impatience – it was "Ancestral Curses Across Our Lands", volume three. He had hoped to find at least something more about the ancestral curses that affect women, but unfortunately, there was not a word on the matter here. He had already pored over "The Bleeding Curses", "The Mystery of the Damned", and even the soapy pseudo-manual "What to Do If We're Cursed?". The library was closing and he went to return the book while already making lists in his head of which books he would read tomorrow. But the field was too wide, and his information on the matter rather scanty. Everything was further complicated by the fact that Jane herself must have delved into the same volumes earlier and found nothing even remotely close to the symptoms she had.

He had questioned the healers after one of his hospital visits, but even the curse specialists who treated her couldn't tell him anything specific. So, he thought, he was dealing with a somewhat rare phenomenon, and hardly any book could help him.

Still, Professor Snape rummaged through the library for three days and looked in the Restricted Section where the most dangerous books on the Dark Arts were kept, but to no avail. He also looked for something on the almost all-female genealogies but found only some material on the samodivae and samovilae, which were mostly found on the continent.

The good news, and also the bad news, was that in those three days, Jane's condition didn't change.

On the third day, he came back to school despondent and went to the headmaster to inform him of his failure and ask for his advice on what to do. He had searched for Professor Dumbledore for two days, but the principal was nowhere to be found. First, the members of the Order dragged him to parties on the occasion of the victory over Lord Voldemort, and then he went to testify before the commissions investigating the unauthorized application of the Unforgivable Curses. Severus had told him through clenched teeth that if he mentioned Jane's or his name in front of the committee he would resign immediately, so at least they didn't bother him. For now.

The relevant inspectors had appeared in Jane's room and taken her wand for inspection, then it turned out that many dangerous and deadly curses had been cast with it. Snape told them that the wand had previously belonged to a powerful Dark wizard, and that, along with the fact that Jane couldn't escape anywhere, caused the committee to leave her alone for the time being.

Snape stood in front of the headmaster's desk as though he was in detention, saying nothing. On the side table there was an abundance of silver trinkets, some of them with known purpose. He suppressed the impulse to wave his wand ever so slightly at it and, to avoid temptation, looked away from them.

'Professor,' he began, 'I come to report that I found nothing in the library.'

Then he fell silent and bowed his head in shame.

'Severus, please don't despair. We'll figure out how to cure her, just be patient.'

'I'm running out of patience, headmaster,' he admitted with a frown. 'I know you have a lot of work, but find some time for Jane, too.'

'And do what? Run idle like you? By the way, did you check the Legilimency aunt?'

'Yes, and I didn't learn much. Either they're hiding some great secret, or they don't know more than what they've told us. I favour the second.'

'Don't worry, we'll find a cure,' the principal tried to reassure him.

'But she's running out of time,' Severus snapped. 'It's not clear how much we have left before...'

'Don't think about it, Severus,' Dumbledore advised softly. 'What is so wondrous about her is not when she will be gone, but that she is alive at all. I will have more healers sent to her. Remember, Severus, they understand their work better than us. Now, if you have nothing to add, you have to excuse me. I have to write a letter of permission for the Ravenclaw kids who are playing at a party later today. Have a nice evening.'

Snape muttered something and started for the door. He had been informed that the little Ravenclaw kids had been visiting Jane in his absence, which he had dismissed as a fact of no importance. But now he thought about it. There was something about House Ravenclaw that he had forgotten and that was now bothering him.

Perhaps it would be helpful if he went to see the children.

'Professor.' He paused with his hand on the doorknob. 'Where is this party?'

'In Yorkshire, in the square of a little village called Black River. Are you sure you want to go to a celebration in this condition?'

'Definitely,' Snape answered and hurried to catch up with his lost thought that had flown out the door.

The party had been going on for about an hour now and Snape was getting tired of it. He had listened to a bunch of "Weird Sisters" covers, some several times, as well as their own "songs", which sounded pretty monotonous. The audience loved them though because they chanted and clapped after every song. At "The Eagle's Flight" they lit the tips of their wands and began to sway to the music's rhythm.

All in all, the fans were pretty annoying, walking up and down with glasses of punch in hand, talking and laughing loudly, and some pushing into the crowd while dancing. A woman stared at him for a long time in an attempt to get him to notice her and dance, but he finally got tired of pretending not to see her and frowned at her.

Just when the commotion finally ended, he tried to push his way through the crowd and almost made it backstage where a tent was set up, but the magiguards wouldn't let him go any further. Even when he introduced himself and said he was the band's teacher, they didn't believe him. He was already thinking of dealing with the guards through spells when he saw Anthony coming out of the tent.

'Mr. Stone!' he shouted. No reaction. 'Anthony!'

'Professor Snape!' The boy turned around in surprise. 'What are you doing here?'

'I need to talk to the band. Urgently.'

'Yes, of course, I'll take you right away.'

The guards glared at them, but Anthony told them the professor was with him and the men had no choice but to let them in.

How things had changed, Snape thought. Until yesterday, he was the Head of their House, and now the little one, as a friend of the band, was bringing him backstage.

'Professor Snape!' Lily exclaimed as soon as she noticed him. 'I'm surprised to see you here.'

Her face showed that she simply thought it impossible.

'You're not bringing us bad news from Associated Professor Undead, are you?" asked one of the other boys, it must have been August.

'No,' Snape answered shortly. 'Her condition is still the same. I came to ask for your, uhm, help with something.'

'What is it?' Lily jumped to her feet. She had been resting on a sofa until that moment.

'I promised Associated Professor Undead I'd turn the castle upside down.'

'Professor, why do you need us to search together?' Lily asked, being the bravest of them all.

It was midday and there wasn't a soul in the castle corridors except for the band of juvenile musicians, Severus, and Anthony. The students had not yet been returned for the rest of the school year, and the teachers had gone to demand the resignation of the Minister of Magic. Even the canteen was not working.

'Because, Miss Smith, I am long out of your school mind, and I have no idea what the schoolgirl of forty years ago that I am interested in would have done.'

'Who is this schoolgirl?' asked the long-haired blond boy who didn't seem to have any, let alone a schoolboy's, mind.

'Susan Undead. Your mentor's mother,' Snape answered as politely as possible. In general, today's youth were not used to addressing others with "mister" and "sir", and he couldn't reproach them, because he counted on their help.

'What did she do?' August asked.

'She has hidden a small object somewhere, probably a secret diary or notebook. It's probably in one of the dorm rooms at your House.'

'And you think there's something important written there, don't you… Professor?' The little girl seemed to have caught his desire for a polite address. Did she not have some gift for Legilimency?

'Associated Professor Undead thinks so, Miss Smith.'

'Then we should also look in the Room of Requirement,' the other long-haired youth, Jerry, interrupted.

'Look where you think is necessary. I plan to come with you to Ravenclaw Tower to search the girls' bedrooms and the common room.'

'But, Professor,' Lily hesitated, 'you do know that men are not allowed in the women's bedrooms?'

'That isn't true at all, Miss Smith. There is a very simple spell that can be used for this purpose. It's just that most morons never get the hang of it. So, if there are no other questions or additions, let's go.'

When they went up to the common room, Severus looked critically at the pigsty that had been left there. It was true that the evacuation had been carried out quite hastily, but no one had bothered to wave a wand to fix it. Dark blue armchairs were strewn everywhere, packets of Lemonade Bees littered the floor, the blue carpet was creased in places, and piles of torn robes and shoes were left in one corner.

Severus just raised his eyebrows, but Lily blushed all over. She reached for her wand, but the teacher stopped her, 'Let's not complicate our lives. We'll sort it out later.'

He raised his wand and said, 'Accio Susan Undead's diary!"

Nothing happened.

'Accio Susan Undead's book! Accio Susan Undead's notebook!'

Not a speck of dust stirred in the common room.

'Well, we'll have to do it the hard way, then.'

They began to rummage in all corners and examined the books and the cupboards. After an hour, the room was ten times messier and no progress had been made.

'Time to check the bedrooms then,' Snape declared, swinging lazily at the pigsty which instantly tidied up.

They walked towards the stairs to the right of Rowena Ravenclaw's statue but stopped in front of them.

'Am I supposed to enlighten you?' Severus asked grimly. 'Eh, well, if that's the case.'

He bent over the stairs' ceiling and began to inspect it.

'The important thing is to see where the magic was applied,' he said edifyingly. 'See, there's a little round indentation here. Also, the spell must be speechless.'

He waved his wand, but nothing happened.

'Come on, go ahead,' he urged them.

Lily, being the bravest, took a step up, and as expected, the stairs didn't change much. August followed her, ready to be thrown out at any moment. However, this did not happen. The spell worked perfectly.

After him, Jerry, Seth and Euphem went up the stairs.

'That is truly remarkable, Professor!' August marvelled. 'Does everyone in Slytherin know this spell?'

'Not all of them, of course. The spell is quite complicated, especially since it is not spoken. And as good as my House is, it is still, like the others, composed mostly of imbeciles.

'And how do you stop the boys from moving into the girls' bedrooms?' Lily asked. 'A lot of students in our house want to install themselves with the girls and flush their make-up down the toilet, for example. Also, it's cleaner there, as far as I remember.'

'Anthony,' Snape turned to the boy who was still standing in the common room. 'Come to us, don't be shy. Explain to us why you wouldn't go into the girls' bedrooms.'

'I wouldn't dare, sir,' he said as he stepped timidly onto the first step. 'If the girls catch us, they start casting curses on us, sir.'

'And you don't do anything about it?' The worried Euphem turned toward the teacher.

'No, Mr. Forrest, I don't. My girls are five-time champions of the Maiden Curse competition. They have to train somehow.'

'Miss Smith, will you explain how the spell works?' he asked suddenly.

'But, sir, I don't know how it works,' Lily worried.

'Of course you do. Come on, explain it to us. Then I will ask you to speak privately.'

'Okay, Professor,' she said with growing trepidation. 'The spell is Puella Introare, and while casting it one must think of himself as female.'

'That's right, Miss Smith. Now let's go.'

They rummaged through all the girls' rooms one by one, including Lily's former room she had shared with Loony Lovegood, where they found a solid supply of corks hidden in the hollow headboard, but no sign of the diary. As they made their way to the boys' bedrooms, Jerry and Seth decided to pop into the Room of Requirement.

After the boys' rooms were also ransacked and the collection increased by three magazines with naked muggle women and a few miniature cars, everyone gathered back in the common room to rest.

'There's nothing in the Room of Requirement,' Jerry explained. 'The door didn't appear when I was thinking about the secret diary. Just in case, we went inside and tried to summon it, but to no avail.'

'If we're checking room by room, it's going to take us a long time to search the castle.' Snape sighed. 'And Susan would hardly hide it in some random gap behind the armour either. At the very least, she risks forgetting exactly where it was and not being able to find it afterwards. Therefore, we must look in a place that was important to her as well as frequented.'

'I can think of such a place,' Lily called.

'Is that so? And what is it?' Euphem asked her.

'The library, of course.'

The team, already quite tired, dragged itself to the library. Even though it was locked, it wasn't difficult for them to get in – Professor Snape knew what spells they used to lock it and where they kept the key.

The seven entered one by one and looked around. The books were neatly arranged, with no sign of chaos, unlike Ravenclaw Tower. As if someone had carefully arranged them before locking up. It was surely Madam Pince, who knew the place of every book here.

'Shall we wait for the librarian to come back?' Augustus asked. He seemed quite intimidated by the stern Madam Pince.

'Better not, or she could prevent us from inspecting the Restricted Section,' Lily decided. 'And make a pigsty in her library.'

'Alright, let's try,' Severus said. 'Accio Susan's diary!'

A rattling sounded from somewhere. Everyone listened and then rushed to the noise's source. It was coming from the floor in front of one of the bookcases and it sounded like something was trying to escape. Lily waved her wand at the floor and a small book-like thing flew out from it, heading towards Severus. On the front in bronze letters was written, "Susan Undead's Diary". He placed the book on a nearby table and, as the others crowded around it, began to turn it over.

'We'll just flip through it first. Then we will read it in more detail,' Professor Snape ordered. They turned the pages one after the other, but soon the boys got fed up.

'I'm tired and hungry,' August complained. 'I'd like to eat something.'

'I have nothing.' Snape frowned. 'Besides, I'm hungry too.'

It took him a while to adjust to thinking about such a banal thing as food, and so Lily beat him to it, 'Let's go order something from the Leaky Cauldron. If the Floo Network still works.'

'It works,' Snape replied after a moment's thought.

'Alright, then come with me,' Lily suggested.

'Oh, no,' Snape objected. 'As the only girl, representing the female point of view, you must stay with me to read. You go, chaps.'

He handed Anthony some shiny coins – a Galleon and some smaller Sickles. Then he closed the diary and everyone left the library. After he duly locked and enchanted it, they set off for Ravenclaw Tower.

'You will use the fireplace in the Common Room, and Miss Smith and I will sit down to read. If anyone else wants to stay, he's most welcome.'

None of the Ravenclaw boys wanted to be left behind, and Anthony was in charge of the money, so he reluctantly went with the others. Severus and Lily settled into two armchairs and began to read from the beginning.

'Can you tell me what exactly we're looking for?' Lily asked.

'Something related to Associate Professor Undead's lineage,' he answered shortly. 'Or with her descent, which is pretty much the same.'

Lily nodded and they both continued reading. The book contained all sorts of girly things, such as love potion recipes, transcribed chain letters, and the lyrics to Peeves' Christmas carols. They had reached about halfway through the journal when the boys returned with several steaming containers of food. Lily conjured plates and utensils and temporarily put the book aside to attack the meal.

After devouring everything, this time Severus, Lily and Anthony started reading the other half, while the others sat on the armchairs to warm themselves in front of the fireplace.

Snape came across some old note that made him chuckle,

My mother tells me that when I get married, I have to make my husband take our surname. Where will I find a man so crazy? What does Mom know?

I don't even remember my father, whatever his name was, so I plan to do as I decide…

'Look, Professor Snape!' Lily interrupted, pointing to another entry on the next page.

He glanced that away and quickly read it. It was about some story that Susan had heard from her grandmother about her grandmother. The old woman in question, at the advanced age of ninety, had confided that her grandmother had contracted a very bad Manticore Fever as a small child. No one thought the child would survive, but the head of the clan and her grandmother, Amanda Undead, made her a potion in which she put a small ladleful of her blood. After a few hours, the child recovered.

Severus jumped out of his armchair and slammed the journal shut.

'I understood what I should be looking for. You, Smith, read the diary and see if you can find anything like that. I'm going to the library again.'

This was what he had missed, he told himself. It wasn't a human curse. People did not drink each other's blood. It was the curse following a magical creature. And he would find out what it was.

He looked through the library's section devoted to magical creatures, but it was more oriented towards taking care of them. Snape cursed, left the book on the table and left for London.

The Great Library was about to close, but he managed to persuade the attendants to leave him for an hour, telling them that it was a matter of life and death. He asked for a book on female magical beings and was given a medium-sized tome. He sat down and began to flip through it. Work went quickly because half of the creatures weren't involved with curses, and quite a few weren't human. He flipped through the whole book and went back to studying the candidates he had chosen. As soon as he read the first one, he felt that he was on the right track. At that time there was a knock on the window pane. He waved his wand to open it to a dark grey owl, which left him a note and flew away. With a sinking heart, Severus read,

Jane is getting worse. We don't have much time.

Professor Dumbledore

Although he felt a sharp pain in his chest, he sat down and read the whole article. He returned the book, bid the attendants goodbye and ran out of the building. Then he apparated.

The headmaster was standing at his desk looking tired flipping through some parchments when Severus burst into the room.

'Good of you to come.' Professor Dumbledore slowly looked up from his desk. 'They told me Jane's pulse suddenly became irregular and she was having trouble breathing. They give her no more than twenty-four hours.'

'And I found out how I can cure her.'

'How?' The principal looked at him.

'I need Banshee blood.'

Dumbledore blinked several times.

'Excuse me, did you say "banshee"? You know we don't have any. Nowhere in the magical world exists a supply of it.'

'I know. So I'll go get it myself.'