"It is unlikely..." The healer at St. Mungo's begins, Danu ignores her and lies her cheek on Severus' upturned hand resting on the edge of the bed.
The nurse is attempting to tell her the same thing she has heard four times already that week, and it was only Tuesday. The very thing she had heard daily for the last three weeks.
The many ever changing healers, assistant healers, resident healers, and healers in training each told her the same thing. Severus would likely never speak again, and if he did, it would be difficult, if not impossible to understand what it is that he would be saying. The snake not only bit him, but drug it's fangs across his throat; ripping and tearing vital structures responsible for Severus' breathing, speaking, and even swallowing. The healers had done all they could to regrow the strands of tissue within his throat, but they were uncertain as of yet how much good it would truly do.
The first several days, the thought of never hearing his resonant, mellifluous voice again filled her with such despair that she sobbed until her head ached and her eyes were so swollen she herself was nearly admitted as a patient alongside him. Now, however, she did not care if he never spoke again. She only wanted him to wake up.
His eyes had opened once, but only briefly when he was first brought to St. Mungo's, and not since. Occasionally one of his fingers will flex, or his eyes will move behind the lids. Reflex, they told her each time it happened. Severus was in there though, she knew it.
Late in the night on his second day at St. Mungo's, Severus' breathing became raspy and labored; it could be heard from outside of the door. A "death rattle" she heard one of the healers murmur as they rushed into the room and pushed Danu aside. For nearly two and a half weeks something that resembled a pair of bellows hung suspended in air above him, breathing for him. Once he began showing signs of strength, the device was removed. Severus took a deep gasping breath, flexed his fingers and toes, and turned his head to the side. It was the first and only time he had shown signs of life since he had been bitten. That, the healers finally agreed, was not reflex.
"I wouldn't expect him to be much of a singer after this." The healer changing the dressings on his neck chuckled as she tosses the soiled linen in a bin in the corner.
Danu lifts her cheek from Severus' hand and glares at her until she becomes fidgety and uncomfortable, before finally turning and scurrying from the room. As her eyes scan the room, she finds the Auror of the day stationed in the corner of the room, one brow raised at her in question as the quill levitating at his side scribbles frantically on a length of parchment so long at this point it was probably three times her height, if not more.
Three times a day a new Auror comes in to take the place of the previous one on duty. After three weeks, their faces had begun to morph into one another. These Auror's never spoke to her, they were only present to record every movement and word within the room and be there in the event Severus were to wake. These Auror's were rookies, either new to the job, close to retirement, or on a well-deserved safe job after the war. The one who interrogated her, however, was the head Auror. He was relentless, borderline cruel and uncaring.
—
The interrogations began the day after they had arrived at St. Mungo's. Danu still had Severus' long dried blood covering her body, it flaked and cracked, leaving small piles of nearly black particles wherever she went. She had refused to leave his side for any reason. Harry, Hermoine, and even McGonagall begged her to go home to rest for a few hours, to clean herself up and then come back, but she had refused. The three of them stood opposite her around Severus' bed, peering down at his pale, lifeless face. She wanted to tell them to leave, that her husband was not on display. It had been hard enough to keep the reporters out of the room, she didn't need them adding to his undoubtable distress, even if he were unconscious. It was then that a plump middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and a white goatee entered the room. His overall demeanor told her that he was a no nonsense type of man that demanded unyielding respect.
"Miss Black, I am Gawain Robards, newly reelected Head of the Auror's Office. I would like to speak with you." Danu doesn't move a muscle, her eyes are glued to Severus' chest, watching it rise and fall with each labored breath he took.
When Danu does not respond, Hermoine reaches across the bed and touches the back of her hand lightly, startling her slightly. She shifts her gaze upwards to meet Gawain Robards looming over her.
"Please come with me." Gawain repeats once more, his voice louder than it had been when he previously spoke. Danu shakes her head and turns her attention back to Severus as she grips his hand gently. "I must insists. I would like to speak with you in private."
"I am not leaving him." Danu croaks, her voice nearly gone after days of being awake.
"I am afraid this is not an option. It will not take up much of your time, so long as you cooperate. Follow me. The hospital was kind enough to provide us with an empty room, you will not be leaving the premises."
"I can't leave him." Danu repeats, looking around the room for anyone with whom to plead her case. No one meets her eye.
"Go," McGonagall finally says, her voice stern yet soothing. "We will be here."
"And you'll come and get me if he wakes up?" Danu pleads as she grips Severus' cold hand tightly in her own.
"Yes." Hermoine breathes as Danu finally stands.
"I'll be right back, Severus. I promise." Danu whispers as she leans forward and kisses his cold yet clammy forehead. She could have sworn she felt him breathe a sigh of relief at her words before she reluctantly leaves his side.
Danu follows as Gawain leads her from the room and into the hall, where at least a dozen reporters line the small space. They immediately begin snapping photos of her, yelling questions above one another. She does her best to tune them out as she rounds the corner of the hall, Gawain grips her elbow to pull her into a room. The room has been modified to suit their needs; the hospital bed is pushed against the right wall, and a small desk with two chairs sit in the middle of the room. On the floor to the left of the table sits a brown leather briefcase and a cardboard box overflowing with scrolls of parchment and miscellaneous scraps of paper. He gestures towards the chair facing away from the door as he takes his seat opposite her.
"So, Miss Black—"
"It is Missus Snape." Danu objects as she looks into his startled eyes. He undoubtedly was unused to being challenged.
"Actually," He begins with a smirk as he reaches into the cardboard box to produce two sheets of white paper that he slides across the table to her. "It is not."
Danu looks down at the papers; her face on one, Severus' on the other. At the top in bold, black letters reads "KNOWN DEATH EATERS." Danu feels bile rise in her throat at being lumped in with them, but knows deep down how it must look from an outsiders perspective. Below her and Severus' pictures read their descriptions and status within the wizarding world.
Danu Iris Black
WANTED FOR QUESTIONING
-Known Death Eater/sympathizer
-D.O.B 4 June 1977 (20 years of age)
-Single
-1.54m (Five foot one inch)
-51kg (113lbs)
-Red hair
-Blue eyes
-Unemployed
-Half-blood
-Last known location-Spinners End, Cokeworth (Aug. 1997)
-No known bodily markers or identifiers
-In near constant companionship with one Severus Snape
Severus Tobias Snape
WANTED FOR THE MURDER OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
WANTED FOR QUESTIONING
-Known Death Eater
-D.O.B 9 January 1960 (38 years of age)
-Single
-1.85m (Six foot one inch)
-78kg (172lbs)
-Black hair
-Dark brown eyes
-Former Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, current headmaster
-Half-blood
-Last known location-Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (May 1978)
-Known to possess the Dark Mark on left forearm
"So, Miss Black," Gawain begins once more, pulling her away from her own face on the paper before her. "Tell me, how did you become acquainted with Severus Snape?"
"My name is Missus Snape, as I said. Severus is my husband. We have been married for nearly two and a half years." Danu glances to her left to find a quill suspended in air, writing every word the two of them shared.
"And who married the two of you?" Gawain asks, his smirk growing larger as he notices her begin to fidget in her seat.
"I do not know." Danu murmurs, her voice smaller than she intended it to be.
"How convenient. Why were you under the impression that the two of you had been married?"
"Dumbledore told me that we were. Severus gave me his grandmother's ring." Danu holds up her left hand to reveal the thin golden band around her fourth finger.
"Because Dumbledore told you that you were." He chuckles before retrieving another stack of papers from the box and shuffling them before him. "Did you, or did you not, view a memory in the pensive in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry of one Lord Voldemort supposedly preforming a Fasting Charm on you and one Severus Snape?"
"I—I think so. I don't remember."
"You think so? Well, Miss Black, if I were you I would start remembering." Gawain slides the stack of papers across the table to her. Danu glances at the first page, then the second. It was a detailed analysis of the memories Severus had left her on the evening of the war. Her stomach churns and her mouth dries as she pushes the stack of papers away from herself. If Severus knew that anyone else had seen the worst moments of his life, he would be mortified.
"Those were private." Danu spits as she straightens in her seat and stares Gawain in the eye.
"Not anymore." He chuckles. "You see, Miss Black, a Fasting Charm is no longer an acceptable form of marriage according to the Ministry of Magic, and are not legally binding. Furthermore, this Fasting Charm was performed by none other than Lord Voldemort himself, and had it been legally binding, would not have held up within the Ministry after his death. I would have personally seen to it, Miss Black."
Danu doesn't reply but continues staring Gawain in the eye. Surely, Severus and Dumbledore both knew that their marriage was not legal or binding within the Ministry, yet they both continued to allow her to believe that it was. Not once did Severus ever hint towards any of this.
"I was led to believe, Miss Black, that you were a rather intelligent person. Surely, you would have thought it odd that you signed no documents? Not once did you question just how your name had been changed From Black to Snape?" Gawain reaches into the box once more and produces another stack of papers; a list of every spell her wand had produced over the course of two years, the name BLACK, DANU stands next to each instance.
"I had no memory when I woke up at our house in Cokeworth. None at all. I didn't even know what month it was, how I got there, nothing. Dumbledore told me that Severus and I were married, I believed him."
"So, you had such trust for Dumbledore that you willingly went along with calling yourself a wife to someone students and professors alike describe as, 'withdrawn, temperamental, unfair, uncaring, sarcastic, unapproachable, and down-right rotten'?" Danu's blood boils with each word Gawain spits and must clench her blood stained hands at her sides to keep from snarling at him.
"Severus and I had grown close during my final two years at Hogwarts. I trusted—trust Severus. Dumbledore told me that Severus would protect me, I never doubted that he would. Severus is kind and loving towards me."
"So, you and Severus held a romantic relationship while you were still his student?" Gawain raises his brow at her as her face grows red with fury.
"No!" Danu shouts. "No. Severus would never do that. You saw the memories, surely you saw the letter he had written for me as well. It was strictly an academic relationship when he was my professor."
"When you learned that your supposed husband was, in fact, a Death Eater, you not only accepted it, but you chose to join him when he would travel to Malfoy Manor for his little meetings. Why is that?"
"I didn't accept it. I hated it, I was scared and angry. But then I remembered what Dumbledore told me. I remembered how he said that he trusted Severus with his life, and that I must as well. I had many conversations with Dumbledore during his final year, each time he always reminded me that I needed to play along, I needed to make You-Know-Who trust me for everything to work out correctly."
"Why you? A supposed orphan, a half-blood, no one of substantial importance. Yet, it was up to you to not only marry this man who only months prior was your professor, but also convince Lord Voldemort to trust you?"
"I—I don't know. I suppose it had something to do with no one being able to access my mind using Occlumency. I never asked. I just trusted Dumbledore. I thought he knew what needed to be done."
"And why is no one able to access your mind?"
"Dumbledore had a theory that it was because I created blockages in my brain to keep from reliving…unsavory memories."
"Interesting." He murmurs as he taps his fingers on the edge of the table. "Which leads me to my next question. What information do you have regarding the murder of Albus Dumbledore?"
"I have no information. I didn't even know what happened until two days ago when I viewed Severus' memories in the pensive."
"You have no knowledge of Severus Snape preforming the Killing Curse on Albus Dumbledore on thirtieth June, nineteen-ninety-seven?" Gawain asks once more as he scrunches his brow.
"No." Danu's voice cracks recalling the memory. Surely, there was a reason for why Severus did it.
"That is all for today." Gawain announces as he places the stacks of papers back in the box by the table and stands. "Do not go far from the hospital, we are not finished with our conversation. I will collect you at the same time tomorrow."
Danu stands and makes her way to the other side of the room.
"Miss Black," Gawain says just as her hand reaches the doorknob. "I certainly hope you receive enough quality time with Mister Snape, because as soon as he wakes, he will be going to Azkaban."
Danu pushes her way through the crowd of reports and back into Severus' room. Once there, she is greeted once more by Harry Potter, Hermoine Granger, and Professor McGonagall. Ronald Weasley had since joined them within the room. No one had noticed her enter, they all stood in a tight circle on the far side of the room whispering to one another.
"Who would want to be married to Snape?" She hears Ron mumble as she makes her way quietly towards the bed. She stops in her tracks and erupts in anger.
"Me." She sneers as all heads whip around to find her red faced and shaking next to Severus' unconscious body. "None of you know him!"
Ron's face is frozen in guilt and embarrassment as Hermoine gently pushes him from the room before disappearing with him. McGonagall gives her a sympathetic look as she makes her way from the room. Harry takes a seat opposite her at Severus' side and sighs deeply before running his hands down his face. Danu relaxes slightly but is too wound up to sit. She begins pacing the room, a thousand thoughts running through her head. She did not care whether her and Severus were truly married. She is his and he is hers.
"What did he want?" Potter asks, breaking the silence.
"To interrogate me." Danu spits.
"I was afraid that wound happen. I've been trying to get the Ministry to back off. I'll take care of it, don't worry."
"He said—he said Severus will go to Azkaban." Danu whispers, not wanting Severus to hear, despite the fact that there had, at this point, been no proof that he could hear anything said around him.
"I won't let that happen." Harry assures her as she takes her seat next to Severus once more and strokes his hand. "You really should have a shower. I can stay with him while you go home and get cleaned up. You wouldn't want him waking up and seeing you covered in blood."
—
Danu and Harry have grown rather close over the course of weeks Severus lie unconscious on the bed. While they were related by blood, Danu felt no real relation to him as he was nothing but a stranger to her prior to this nightmare she was unable to wake from. It took nearly a week and a half, but he had finally raised enough hell with Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister for Magic, that he forbade Gawain to further interrogate her. She was no longer wanted, and no longer faced a trial. Neither Harry nor Shacklebolt could, at the present time, promise her that Severus would not face a trial or see prison time, but had put a stop to the Auror's sitting in the corner of his room recording everything that went on within.
It had now been a month and a half since the war. Everyone else was starting to put the war behind them, beginning to pick up the pieces and carry on with life. Danu, on the other hand, could not. Each day was spent at Severus' side, whispering to him, combing his hair, stroking his hand, watching him breathe. He would occasionally moan, groan, and flex his fingers and toes as if trying to wake but refused to open his eyes or acknowledge anyone in any way.
"Missus Weasley sends her regards. She apologizes for her behavior and hopes that you are doing well. She wanted to tell you herself, but I told her it probably wasn't a good idea right now. She also extends an invitation to dinner." Harry says as he strides through the room and passes her a disposable cup filled with piping hot black coffee before taking his usual seat across from her at Severus' other side. Danu only grunts in response.
He came nearly every day to check on her, see to Severus' progress. Missus Weasley had stopped by once with Mister Weasley, Hermoine, and Ron, the latter of which she had finally re-admitted into the room after his excessive apologies and Hermoine's promise that he would never say another word against Severus. Missus Weasley was cold to her before snapping after several moments. Apparently Severus had cut off her son, George Weasley's ear shortly after the death of Dumbledore. Danu had no idea it had happened, had no idea how to even respond as she sat there staring at the woman with an opened mouth before Mister Weasley drug her from the room.
"I passed Malfoy in the hall. He was here again?" Harry asks, one brow raised at her in question.
"Yeah. He came by to check on us."
"You're friends with him?"
"No, not really. He's Severus' godson. He asked him to look after me if anything happened to him. I suppose he feels he's obligated to do so." Danu admits as she removes the lid from the cup and inhales the bitter aroma of the coffee before taking a sip.
She had never been one for black coffee, but it was the only thing keeping her going at this point. She had been so weak, tired, achy, and nauseous due to stress and spending every moment of her life in a chair silently pleading for Severus to wake up. Despite not actually being his wife, she had not taken either of their rings off. She wore hers proudly, just as Severus had since he purchased his own.
"He's lucky to have you." Harry nods towards Severus.
"I'm lucky to have him." Danu admits as she sighs and runs her hands down her face.
"You know," Harry begins as he stretches in his chair. "When I first say you in the tunnel, I thought you were my mum's spirit or something. I just sat there staring at you for a moment, afraid to look away in case she—you disappeared."
"I saw her in Severus' memories. I never knew we looked alike before then. Lupin told me, when I first met Sirius, but I didn't know what she actually looked like to compare." She couldn't help but notice Harry tense slightly at the mention of Sirius. "I—I'm sorry. I know the two of you were close."
"It's okay. He was your dad; you can talk about him."
"I didn't know him. I only met him the once. Well, twice actually, but I was too young to remember the first time."
"I'm sorry you didn't get to know him. He was a good man." Harry says, his face scrunched in agony at the end of the sentence, as if remembering who he was sitting next to.
"He was cruel to Severus. I'm sure he was none too happy that the two of us are together." Danu admits as she rubs Severus' forearm with the pad of her thumb. She watches as tiny goosebumps prickle as the hair rises slightly with her touch.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I—I forgot for a moment what he was like as a kid. There's not much left in the house, anything worth any gold was stolen and sold off, but if there's anything of his you'd want…." Harry breaks off and watches as Severus' eyes move behind his lids.
They both stand from their seats and hold their breaths, hopeful that he was finally waking, but he does not. As suddenly as his eyes began to move, they stop. The two of them release their held breath and sit back down in their seats.
"I appreciate you coming so often, really, I do, but I'm sure you're busy out there. I can let you know when he wakes up. I don't want you to feel like you're obligated to come so often." Danu says as she continues rubbing Severus' skin.
"No, I like coming. Plus, it gives me a few moments of quiet. It's still mad out there." Harry points with his thumb over his shoulder towards the door. The reporters, while having dwindled slightly, were still camping outside of the door, desperate for a photo of Severus.
"Yeah. They won't rest until they get what they want. I can't have him in the papers in this state though. I won't give them the satisfaction."
"Yeah." Harry murmurs. "What's he like? You know, when he's comfortable."
"Passionate, caring. Though, he's still his usual self often, which I don't mind. I grew used to his sarcasm and banter long ago." Danu smiles slightly, remembering suddenly how cranky he can be before his morning coffee, how sullen he was when he left his favorite quill at Hogwarts during the summer, and how irritable he became whenever he tripped over her shoes by the door.
"I can't believe you lived in Hogwarts with a professor for so long and no one ever knew." Harry says with a chuckle.
"Yeah. Me too. Severus would have been mortified if any of the students found out about me." Danu says with a slight chuckle of her own.
Just then, Severus clears his throat slightly. Danu looks up to see his mouth open a sliver and jumps to her feet. She strokes his hair, kisses his forehead, willing him to open his eyes.
"I'm here, I'm right here. Open your eyes, please. Look at me, Severus, please look at me." Danu whispers to him as she strokes his cheek with her thumb and smooths the hair from his face.
A tear falls from her chin as she presses her forehead to his, his face cupped gently in her hands. Severus does not open his eyes, does not move to acknowledge her. Harry grabs her shoulder gently and pushed her back down in her chair before turning and closing Severus' mouth with his pointer finger to keep his mouth from drying too much.
"He'll wake up, just give him more time." Harry assures her before patting her shoulder and leaving her alone with Severus.