A Delicate Obsession

Chapter 15 – Harry Takes The High Road

It all belongs to Rowling, except what you don’t recognize.


The four Gryffindors were sitting on the grass at the Quidditch pitch. It was early evening and Harry, Ron and Ginny had just finished practice. Hermione had joined them after being at the cottage with Snape and had told them about Snape’s invitation.

“I’m in such trouble,” said Hermione with a groan.

“Oh, oh. You’ve been in trouble since you started this idiocy with that great greasy git.” Said Ron without much rancor.

Harry shot a look at Hermione and then quickly stared at the ground. Hermione spied this and asked, “What’s wrong, Harry?”

He shyly looked up. “It’s just, well, it might not be as big a deal as you think.”

“What’s that?” asked Ginny.

“Well, I don’t want Hermione to get too upset or anything, but in the last few meetings, Snape’s been rather resigned.”

Hermione didn’t like the sound of that. “All right. What kind of ‘resigned’?”

His green eyes met Hermione’s brown and held them there. “I suspect he thinks he’s going to die-- right before Voldemort starts his campaign. We’ve all known for a while that he was never able to get back into Voldemort’s good graces after Voldemort got another body. And because Snape refused to kill Dumbledore or me, he was marked as a coward. Mostly, he’s been used for ‘entertainment.’ What little intelligence he gets is from hanging around other Death Eaters and tricking them out of information.”

“Entertainment. That sounds nasty.” Hermione’s voice was sharp with fear.

“Well, yes, Death Eaters do have some twisted notions of fun. Anyway, you should stop worrying about what’s going to happen if he finds out and just make sure he doesn’t. Let him die thinking he’s found the women he loves and let it be.” Harry sighed and stared at his feet.

“No. That’s not good enough,” Hermione said in a pained voice. Gods, Severus had already told her in so many words that their time was limited. It was just really hard to hear it from her friends as well.

“It’s out of your hands, Hermione,” said Ron shredding a blade of grass. “How are you going to save him? You can’t. That Dark Mark on his arm compels him to go. You’re as helpless as the rest of us. You can’t stop him from going to He-Who-whatever, any more than Dumbledore can, right?”

Hermione swallowed hard, but wasn’t able to stop the tears from springing to her eyes. Ginny came over and hugged her. “So, does that mean I should go to the Halloween Ball? Then he can show me off or something?”

Harry frowned. “It will take some planning. I’d bet you anything that both Dumbledore and McGonagall will see straight through the glamour. Maybe if you could show up at the very end and the rest of us could create a distraction.

Hermione shook her head. “It’s too risky. I’ll just tell Severus that I can’t make it. He’ll have to understand. Especially since going out in public wasn’t part of our agreement.”

“All right, but if you change your mind…” Harry shrugged.

Hermione reached over and kissed Harry. “You’ve been such a good friend. I’m glad you finally realized that it wasn’t Snape’s fault.”

Harry blushed. He still blamed Snape, but if the bloody bastard was going to die and he couldn’t do anything about it, why not let him die happy?

&&&

“Dearest Mother,

Well, I suppose you are both surprised and relieved to hear from me again. No, there’s been no reprieve, but it looks like a stay of execution has come. Our best information has it that we have another 8 weeks at least before the end.

I have rarely felt so relaxed. My affairs are in good order and I have not been called by You-Know in several weeks. Life is good.”

Snape paused. Should he tell her about Laura? No. He’d already mentioned her before and it was all quite moot. Best to leave it at that.

“Your loving son,

Severus”

&&&

“Miss Granger. The reason I asked for this meeting is to explain certain details regarding your work assignment,” Poppy Pomfrey lowered her voice, “just in case…” Hermione had been hearing ‘just in case’ so often that she was ready to scream. Just say it out loud! Hogwarts needs to get ready for war, for a siege and maybe even to fight Death Eaters in the castle itself. No one would say it though, except Harry and Ron who had both been training for years now to do just that.

“Because of your skill with potions and with charms, it seems to Professor McGonagall, and even Professor Snape, that you would be the best candidate to help me in the Hospital Wing. It will be excellent experience and may even lead to a future career for you.”

Hermione wanted to run from the room. She didn’t know what she wanted to be ‘when she grew up’ and in fact had planned to take off a year or two after Hogwarts to just kick around and think about it. Her parents totally supported her in the idea. Of course, with a Wizard’s War brewing, it might just be a total pipe dream; however, she was sick and tired of the constant prodding from all the faculty members of Hogwarts, with the noted exception of Snape, to find a career and to secure an apprenticeship immediately after her N.E.W.T.s. Not to say that Hermione was against the idea of training to be a Mediwizard. She really felt she could be a good one, plus she’d much rather heal than hex, which was what Harry and Ron would be doing during the war.

“Here you go. Now it might seem a bit much, but your professors have all assured me that you are more than up to the task.” Pomfrey didn’t even blink, as she put over two stone’s worth of medical spells, charms and potions textbooks on her desk. “I expect you to have read all this as soon as possible and then I shall begin testing your knowledge. I’ll give you a week.”

Hermione blanched. Well, she’d finally bit off more than she could chew. She was expected to master these tomes on top of her N.E.W.T.s?

As if she’d read Hermione’s mind, Pomfrey continued, “These books are to receive top priority. If there is any conflict in your mind whatsoever, think about it, your knowledge of the information contained herein may save lives, very likely, the lives of people you know and love. Are we clear on this, child?”

“Yes, Madam Pomfrey.” Hermione was speechless. It finally, totally and irrevocably, sunk in: there was going to be a war and Hermione would be in the middle of it.

&&&

Snape removed another silvery filament from the pensieve and returned it to his mind:

Immense pain… Darkness… and then the voices of Master Bernardus and Tara:

“Gods, who did this to him?” the Master’s voice rumbled.

“I’d think it’d be that pureblood group he’s joined. He missed their last meeting. ‘Tthe the night that you gave him all those stripes. He was too ill to be goin’ to the meeting.” Tara’s voice was husky with crying. Snape could hear her intermittent sobs. He idly noted that she was a smooth liar.

“Thestersters! Imagine beating a boy like this.”

“Oh, but you had no problem switching him.” Tara’s voice was laden with bitterness.

“That was different, Tara. He got no more than he deserved. Gods, three of my best cauldrons. Whoa, girl, hold him down. Damn!”

“What’s happening to him?”

“They dared to use an Unforgivable Curse on him. That’s an aftershock. Keep him from hurting himself, while I get some remedies together.”

“Which curse?”

“Cruciatus. If it happens long enough your brain turns to mush.”

“Gods preserve us.” More sobbing. “Will he be all right?”

“D’you see that mark on his arm? He’ll never be all right. He’s damned.”

“Don’t say that!” Tara sounded angry.

“Why? Do you have feelings for him?” Bernardus said gently.

“Aye.” She said it so simply with such sadness.

“Then, you have my sympathy. He’s as lost as any soul can be. I’ll keep him on for your sake, but it will be on you to keep him from doing any more damage.”

After that Snape tasted some bitter liquid poured down his throat and there was no more awareness.

Snape came out of the memory, more shaken than by any other memory so far. He didn’t even know that all that had happened. He’d been too ill from the beating and the after shocks from his first taste of the Cruciatus Curse. It all must have been stored in his subconscious memory.

He didn’t even bother with a drink. He went directly to his cupboard and took a double portion of Dreamless Sleep.

A/N: Special thanks to my reviewers Giova, Halo, Eureka, Karena Elizabeth, Fervesco, Kitty D and Jen.