Chapter 42
Sectumsempra
The feeling of restlessness was unbearable.
The woman raised her eyes and stared into the purple afterglow of twilight. The smell of wet grass and the thunderous chirping of crickets wafted up to the infirmary windows where Laurel sat in the deepening evening shadows.
Her hands moved slowly and precisely, applying thick poultices of dittany over the terrible cuts on Malfoy's body.
That was the second day the boy had spent in the infirmary. Laurel at first did not believe that Harry Potter was capable of casting such an abhorrent curse on a person, even if it were your so called 'enemy' Draco Malfoy. But there was no doubt, Severus was a witness and Harry had admitted it: He used a dark curse against Malfoy.
He claimed that he did not know the repercussions of using that Sectumsempra curse, that he did not intend to cause that much damage. He claimed that he only did it because the blonde was about to use a Cruciatus on him. However, he flatly refused to confess where he had learned that unknown curse.
After that incident Severus seemed more irascible than ever:
"He thinks he can do whatever he wants at this school." — he was saying as he wrote a letter to the Malfoy family informing them of Draco's condition. —"He is a liar, a cheat."
"Maybe it's true, maybe he got that curse from one of the books in the restricted section" —Laurel answered.
Severus tightened his grip on the quill and stared at the parchment:
"I know he didn't".
Laurel sighed, again removing the cloths from Draco's chest and dipping them into the bowl of dittany essence she was holding in her hands.
"Potter. Damn you, Potter".
Laurel was taken aback by the brittle voice. She snapped up her eyes to his pale face, a single tear was trickling down his temple, getting lost in the messy blonde hair.
"I suppose you remember everything, Draco".
The boy lifted his head, attempting to look at his wounded chest, his eyes taken into the severe damage of the cuts. He spared a single glance to Laurel before letting himself fall back with a groan.
"Why are you here? Where is Madam Pomfrey?"
"Oh, Professor Sprout´s Tentaculas are growing fussy and attacked the students during class. Madam Pomfrey is very busy now. I hope you don't mind that I am the one tending to you".
"Snape sent you to watch me, didn't he?"
"I am here on my own initiative. If I don't treat your wounds, you may be scarred for life." —she said harshly as she applied a new layer of poultice. —"You were lucky professor Snape found you so quickly, you could have bled to death."
Draco shrank slightly as he relieved the moments after the powerful curse lacerated his body.
"Why did you fight, Draco?"
"How am I supposed to know what goes through Potter's head?! He was the one attacking me…"
"He said you were about to Crucio him.
"And they believed him?"
"The staff is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt".
"Of course…" — Draco closed his eyes and gave an exasperated snort. — "He's been following me around, as so you do. Pestering me, fuddling with my work… You know very well why we fought".
"You need to stop". — Laurel whispered, her eyes pleading. — "Nothing good will come out of it".
"So, did Snape finally tell you what my mission was about? Are you blind enough to choose his side? After your time in the manor, I thought you had learned to keep your distance from us, Death Eaters".
"I am not taking sides. I care about you, about your safety. I care about everyone in this school".
"Yeah, because you are such a saint, aren't you? What is it that you want, Soulless one?"
"The truth", — she stared at Draco, her voice low. — "What are you doing in the Room of Requirement?"
A flash crossed the boy's reddish eyes. A smug smile came to his face.
"I wonder what you would do with that information if I told you. Would you go to Snape? Or would you go to Dumbledore?"
Laurel lowered her head, focusing again on Draco's wound. She needed to be careful not to expose Severus' allegiance to Dumbledore.
"Who do you think would be more helpful, Draco? Who do you think could protect you and your family from the rage of the Dark Lord?"
Draco's smirk faded, his expression darkening. Laurel took notice of it and continued talking:
"He had no mercy with your father, he let them take him to Azkaban. Do you think Dumbledore would let that happen to you?"
"Dumbledore just cares about the Chosen One, about his golden boy. He wouldn't care about a Death Eater's son".
"You are much more than that. You are brave. You are willing to put your life in the line for your family…"
"I will stop at nothing. Not when I am this close". — Draco´s broken voice cut her off, another tear escaped from the corner of his eye. — "I am doing this because I have to, and if you dare to tell Dumbledore…"
"I can't tell Dumbledore what I don't know, Draco" — Laurel resumed with her healing work, soaking the bandages in the thick green paste. — "I can only ask you to be careful, and that if you need help you can go to Professor Snape, he will know how to help you".
Draco stared at the woman for a long time. The candles magically lit up when the night fell upon them.
"Why do you care so much about me?"
Laurel pondered his question for a moment, feeling inside her chest that uneasiness that had been with her ever since she learnt the form of Severus' Patronus. So many years had passed and yet… Always.
"Remorse is a terrible thing," — she finally said. — "I wouldn't want you to have to live with something so hard behind your back. Regret won't leave you alone, Draco...
"Step away from my son."
Narcissa Malfoy's cold voice made Laurel jump up from her chair, her hands shaking slightly as she found herself facing the tall, slender woman. She looked quite beautiful despite the overwhelming hopelessness marked on her face.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Malfoy" — Laurel murmured.
"Mother".
Her bright gray eyes moistened at the sight of her son's gaunt body covered in bandages and his usual haughty expression being replaced by one of pain.
"Oh, Draco," — she said, getting closer. — "I had a word with Severus. He assured me that that despicable thug will have the harshest of punishment. Where is that matron Pomfrey? Why is she not taking care of you? It is unacceptable to let someone so inept be in charge of my boy. I will complain to Dumbledore directly…
"Mother, please! She is fine".
Narcissa silenced her incessant spiel and turned to face Laurel.
"He is in no danger, Mrs. Malfoy. Professor Snape took care of him personally. I'm just treating his scars. It's a purely aesthetic problem." — The Akardos approached the bowl with the dittany essence and placed it in Narcissa's hands. — "Don't let the poultices dry out, keep the bandages moist. I'll leave you alone. Madam Pomfrey should be around any minute".
Laurel picked up her bag to leave when she heard Narcissa whisper:
"Thank you".
She bowed her head to them and left.
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
The library was empty. An hour before closing time, the rustle of quills against parchment and the rustle of turning pages was almost imperceptible under the hubbub of students making their way to the Great Hall.
Laurel skimmed through books, the quill between her fingers ready to take a note of anything relevant, but to no avail.
The woman sighed and leaned back in her chair, letting her head fall back. They had gotten stuck. The potion didn't seem to be effective enough. They had tried changing the percentages, changing the preparation methods, altering ingredients… Nothing seemed to work.
Laurel took out the vial with the Lupinaria and shook it slightly, leaving her mind blank for a moment. She didn't notice the librarian sneaking behind her back.
"Miss Noel, do I need to remind you that liquids should be kept away from books?" — The bitter, bony witch croaked, causing Laurel to nearly drop the vial.
"Madam Pince! Yes... yes, you have already told me, although there is no danger..."
"The rules are the rules! And I am also letting you know that it's almost time for closing."
Laurel nodded, watching as the witch walked off toward the periodicals archive area where a student with bushy brown hair was hunched over a pile of old newspapers. She recognized her immediately as Hermione Granger. Laurel had gotten used to seeing her almost daily in the library. She watched for a while as Madam Pince applied the same stalking method against the girl, slowly approaching, hoping to surprise poor Hermione and scold her for doing something illicit.
Laurel turned her eyes to the book again, starting to feel a bit anxious. Would they ever find a way? Her mind flew to the day she discovered the reaction. She remembered how she accidentally ruptured her vein with the needle. She remembered how the hot fluid went down her arm, staining her clothes, the carpet…
Blood
Lycanthropy was in the blood; the cure was in the blood...
The Akardos's thoughts were lost in the silver whirlwinds of the potion. The brilliant shades flowed rapidly, wavy, watery... Without thinking, she withdrew the small cork and let the Lupinaria fall freely down her arm, feeling the light viscosity caressing her skin...
"HOW DARE YOU GIRL!"
The shrieking voice of Madam Pince resounded in the library, but Laurel didn't take notice.
"You have desecrated an important part of history! What have you done with this paper's page?!"
"I didn't do anything! It was like that already!"— Hermione replied.
Flowing blood
It was clear… the answer was there, flowing down her arm, falling into silver drops, smudging the book… If she could only grasp it…
"You cannot fool me, young lady! The page is ripped, and I know you did it!"
"I am a prefect, Madam Pince and I would never!"
"Out!"
The sharp pain of the needle…
Blood, needle, pain.
Laurel's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Of course!" — The Akardos exclaimed with joy, while she searched her bag for the phlebotomy kit.
"You should be grateful that I only deducted points from you, Miss Granger, such an action would deserve you to be banned from the library... But what?!"
Laurel felt like an earthquake hit her as Madam Pince passed her, dragging Hermione away.
"What have you done with that book, you depraved woman?! Despicable! You have vandalized it!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Madam Pince, I didn't mean to…" — Laurel tried to wipe the drips of potion with her robes, but she just managed to smear the pages of the book even more.
"Get out!" I'll send my complaints to your superior! You can tell Professor Snape that I don't want you to set foot in the library ever again. OUT!".
Before Laurel knew it, Madam Pince had already thrown her out, slamming the library doors in her face.
"Shit,"— she whispered as she picked up her things scattered in the hallway.
"She will get over it".
Laurel looked back at Hermione who was standing next to her, giving an encouraging smile.
"She is so overprotective of those books, my God." —Laurel answered, smiling back at her. —"She even dared to accuse you of ripping off that newspaper. Absolutely ridi…"
Laurel didn't finish her sentence as she saw in awe how Hermione took out a ripped newspaper from the internal pocket of her robes.
"Oh… well, she was right".
"It's a little research I'm doing," — Hermione replied as she perused the article. — "I think I am getting closer".
"Good luck then, Hermione. I wish I could be of any help, but I would probably not know…"
"Miss Noel. That necklace". — She cut her off, staring intensely at her. — "Given the fact you are an Akardos I must assume none of your family members have attended Hogwarts, is that right? You did not inherit that medallion, did you?"
Laurel froze for a moment, her eyes flying to the newspaper article Hermione held in her hand. Eileen Prince stared back at her from the black and white photo. It was the same article Slughorn had shown her in his office before.
"I… No, I bought it... in an antique shop". — Laurel cleared her throat. — "How do you know I am…?"
"Harry". — Hermione blurted out, flushing red. — "But I swear to you, Miss Noel, no one else knows about your condition. Well, Ron too but just the three of us."
"That's… reassuring, Hermione". — Laurel hugged her bag, trying to appear composed. — "And what research are you doing? Something to do with magical heraldry?"
"No". —The young woman responded quickly. —"Have you heard of the Half-Blood Prince? Maybe in the place where you acquired that medallion?"
"The Half-Blood Prince? I believe I've heard something like that".
"Really?" — Hermione's face lit with hope. — "Would you help me? I have come across a book full of annotations, a sixth-year Advanced Potion-Making book property of someone who call themselves The Half-Blood Prince. I suspect it might be her, Eileen Prince".
Laurel stepped back as her hand went to her mouth, dumbfounded. She remembered the small and cramped handwriting plastered every page of all the books Severus had given her.
This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince.
"I am afraid, I cannot be sure Miss Granger". — Laurel breathed deeply, hoping to sound sincere. — "Why is it some random book important to you?"
"Oh, Harry…" — Hermione stopped on her tracks, suddenly realizing she was going to tell on her friend. — "Never mind, I was just curious. It is a beautiful pendant, Miss Noel. You have good taste".
"Thank you." — Laurel started to withdraw as quickly as possible from that strange situation, but Hermione stopped her:
"Miss Noel, wouldn't you be interested in knowing who the previous owner of your pendant was?"— Hermione waved the piece of newspaper and Laurel could see the suspicious glint in her eyes.
"Oh! — The woman laughed nervously as she flipped through the article. — "Eileen Prince… yes. I'll keep her in mind.
Laurel gave back the paper and smiled at Hermione.
"It was good talking to you; I am sorry I cannot be of much help. Good night, Miss Granger"
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
"That's enough for today, Harry. Go to dinner".
Harry looked up from the mountain of old archives he was to fix and organise as punishment. He had spent at least four hours in that hateful task being closely watched by Snape's penetrating gaze. That was the second day of what would be the longest detention in recent Hogwarts history and as tedious and boring as it was, Harry felt that he had it well served.
"Excuse me? Detention is not over until I say so." — Snape looked at his assistant with a frown.
"It's over because there's something important to work on," — she replied, showing him the phlebotomy kit. — We made a mistake in the way of administering Lupinaria. Blood, Severus. We must do it the Muggle way, we must administer the potion via an IV, directly into Lupin's bloodstream".
Severus stared at Laurel in amazement.
"Can I leave?" —Harry muttered, breaking the silence in the office.
"Same time tomorrow, Potter."
Laurel watched as the boy collected his things and quietly left the room. Turning to Severus she said calmly:
"Sectumsempra. It was you. Harry learned it from your book. You are the Half-Blood Prince."
Severus leaned back in his chair and played with the wand between his fingers.
"How did you find out?"
"I have my means."
"It's a dangerous book, I was afraid it might fall into the wrong hands. Do you know where it is?"
Laurel shook her head.
"It's twisted, you know? Creating a curse like that in sixth year…"
"Third". — Severus cut her off, his eyes riveted on his wand. — "I created it in third year".
"You were only thirteen years old..." — Laurel sat down on top of his desk, bringing her face closer to his, forcing him to look at her. — "If I didn't love you so much I would be afraid of you, Sev".
The wizard smiled weakly and took the woman's hands in his.
"There is something I must tell you, Narcissa informed me when she arrived."
"Ah yes, I found her in the infirmary, she looked terrible…"
"Laurel, Greyback has awakened."
The Akardos's heart stopped.
