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Stone Angels	By : StarlightSoul Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 12377 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
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Disclaimer- I
don�t own them nor do I claim to, I just like to play with them once and a
while.

Authors Note- this
is a HG/SS fic, with a side of RW/LL, a side of
GW/NL, and a little HP/DM for dessert. Warning, rated R for good reason. Possible that it will go up to NC-17 later. Lastly, please
forgive any stupid American things I do, I fear I am American and just
beginning to catch on to most Britishisms.

Thanks to Aurora
Mortalis, for allowing me to borrow your pen name.

Stone Angels

Hitting Bottom

Hermione wasn�t given the choice to
walk. As the group began to follow Minerva McGonagall to the rooms created for
the two girls Snape carried her. A little ways away Dumbledore walked with
Arianna tucked safely against his chest. Every so often, the
who group would stop and wait while he comforted her through coughing.
Hermione kept her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat. With her
head tucked under his chin she was unable to see the looks of concern he had
for young Arianna Granger.

Passing the stairs to Gryffindor
tower, Professor McGonagall lead them to a statue of a gryphon, � Aurora Angelae.�

�Fitting,� grumbled Moody softly.

Snape�s head shot up, a strange
protectiveness filling him. Remus noticed and placed a calming hand on the dark
mans shoulder. His midnight eyes moved
to find deep chocolate ones. It was a warning of sorts and yet it was filled
with the comfort of assistance if assistance was wanted. A small guarded smile
was given in acceptance.

�I, I think I can walk,� said
Hermione softly.

Snape set her gently on her feet
and offered her an arm for support. He understood her request,
she wanted to feel strong here. This was to be her home until she graduated and
she knew it. With her arm in his they lead the way up a staircase and into the
main room. As they entered, they startled a tired looking Professor Flitwick
hanging the last curtain.

�Ah, Professor Flitwick,� said
Dumbledore as he entered, �I must thank you for helping Minerva create these
rooms in the middle of the night.�

�They are very beautiful
professors,� murmured Hermione admiring the room.

�Thank you, If
that�s all I will retire,� said Flitwick softly, �Good night.�

The common room they entered was
brightly lit and carpeted with a thick deep blue carpet with burgundy swirls.
The room was trimmed in iron wood with a gold rose pattern. Several bookshelves
filled with books adorned the walls accompanied by several paintings. A couch,
a table and two comfortable chairs sat before the fire.

Severus led her to the couch and sat
down beside her, �Bring Arianna over here, I�ll begin giving her the necessary
potions.�

�I�ll help her sit up,� said
Hermione softly, �I really feel much better. A little tired but I can focus a
lot better.�

�You were near the lethal dosage of
Fairy Caps,� explained Snape before turning his full attention to Arianna, � How are you feeling?�

�A little better, tired though,
Sir,� She looked up at him with overly big honey colored eyes, �it won�t last
though. It gets better in the summer, when mum has Hermione to show off. There
are parties and stuff then too, she forgets my medicine and I start to feel
better. Sometimes I think that the medicine is making me sick. Mom says it�s better when I take it but the doctors don�t know what�s
wrong.�

Snape�s brow knotted and he looked
at Remus Lupin, � You are better at the diagnostic
spells if you would assist me.�

Lupin nodded and knelt in front of
Arianna, �Hello, Arianna, I�m Remus Lupin. I�m a friend of Hermione�s. I�m
going to use a couple of spells to see if we can find out what�s wrong with
you.�

�Are you a Professor here?� she
asked.

Remus looked at Dumbledore who
nodded, �Yes, I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts,�
He looked to Snape to see if it changed anything but Snape just shook his head,
�This might tickle a little okay.�

�Will it hurt?�

McGonagall�s head came up and
Hermione answered the unasked question, �She was put through a spinal tap a few
weeks before school got out. It�s a very painful, intrusive muggle medical
technique to test for several deadly diseases.�

�I know what it is Hermione,� said
Lupin, �It�s barbaric. Are you ready Arianna?�

�Yes,� the girl nodded with bravery
everyone admired.

Lupin cast the first spell and a
fine blue haze covered her. At first it stayed the same but then it began to
change. It turned a brilliant, almost angry red before disappearing completely.
After a second, he cast another spell. This one flowed from the tip of his wand
like a waterfall and ran down her messy hair. Once it reached the tips it began
to change colors. Down, near the tips and nearly half way up it stayed a
neutral blue before turning to a sickly yellow. The yellow extended an inch or
two before changing and becoming green. Six colors in total, the top of her
head ending in red.

� Have you
ever cut your hair Arianna?� asked Lupin, an unreadable expression graced his
face.

�No, I wasn�t allowed,� she replied
softly, �I wanted to sometimes. Especially when I was always
running a fever.�

�Is the fireplace still on the floo
network?� asked Severus softly. His face was also unreadable.

�Only to the internal network,�
replied Minerva McGonagall. Her stern face was more stern
than Hermione had ever seen before and it frightened her.

�Perform that spell on Hermione,�
ordered Snape softly, �I will need to retrieve several potions from my personal
stores, potions I had thought to never have need to use unless on myself.�

�Will
you be able to make me better?� asked Arianna.

There was a certain hope in her
eyes and in the way she asked that pulled at strings Severus Snape didn�t know
existed, �Yes, I believe I can.�

�Will it hurt?�

�No, it won�t hurt.� He knelt down
and met her frightened eyes, �It might take a couple of days and some of the
potions might make you feel really bad for a little while but they will make
you better.�

She nodded needing no response. She
was afraid but Hermione trusted these people and no one had hurt her yet.
Satisfied that she wouldn�t respond, he turned to Lupin.

�Only the Fairy Caps and quickly
fading,� growled Remus Lupin, �Go, I�ll stay with them.�

Snape nodded his thanks turned on
his heel, and left through the fireplace. A moment later Dobby came through
with a tray with two large bowls of broth.

�Professor Snape sends Dobby to
make special broth for girls. Says girls must eat, must get strong and
healthy.�

�Remus, Minerva, I have a few
things that must be taken care of immediately, I will return when I finish. It
should not take long.� Said Dumbledore approaching the
fireplace.

�We have to return to deal with the
muggle authorities,� added Moody, �They wished to know about the girls but
already had enough evidence that neither girl should be needed in the inquiry.�

Tonks moved up to Hermione and
gently hugged her, �I�ll come back and see you when I can. Eat and get well,�
With that, the two of them exited the room headed for the edge of school
grounds.

As Hermione began to gather her
sister to help her eat, Professor McGonagall placed a hand on Hermione�s
shoulder, �let us help,� when her favorite student nodded, she knelt in front
of Arianna Granger, �Arianna, I�m Professor McGonagall, may I help you?�

�Will you tell me about what you
teach?� she asked in a tiny voice as Professor McGonagall gathered her into her
arms, �I�ve been too sick to go to school.�

�What happened to your tutors?�
asked Hermione absently.

�There never were any tutors,� the
little girl whispered almost in tears.

Hermione paled considerably and it
seemed to break the girl. Tears once again began to flow down her cheeks and
she pulled her knees up. As she began to rock Remus Lupin picked her up and sat
with her on his lap.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Severus Snape stepped from the
fire, his eyes blazing in anger. He knew that most who knew of his childhood
found it distasteful but this was appalling. His mother may not have wanted
children but she never poisoned him. It angered him and he didn�t know why.
With a feral growl he flipped the couch and began throwing the rest of the
furniture. Paintings were ripped from the walls and tn acn across the room. In
his blind rage, he failed to notice Albus Dumbledore stepping from his fire.

Dumbledore waited in silence as he
watched his almost son destroy his room. For once, he wished he could do the
same. After several minutes of rage sweeping through the room like a tornado,
Severus dropped to his knees. Understanding how he felt, Dumbledore walked
forward and put a hand on the mans shoulder.

�Do you feel better?�

�I fear Albus that I shall not feel
better until I die,� he stood and began cleaning up his mess, �What will happen
from here?�

�They�ll live here. The muggle
authorities that we called were still searching for Averill Granger. Tonks and
Moody have returned to assist them in any way possible. Depending on how they
react, we may have to consider tutoring both girls in potions. I doubt that
either one will do well in the dungeons.�

�I agree. I doubt that Arianna will
regain her strength very quickly either. She will be highly susceptible to
other illnesses too. I believe the switching of poisons was due to a tolerance
building.�

�Will you be able to cure the
child?� asked Dumbledore softly.

�I would not have told her I could
if I couldn�t,� answered Severus moving to find the potions he required, �She
will need monitoring at all times for a few days and as I told her, some of the
potions will make her ill.�

Dumbledore reached down and picked
up the book on the floor, ��Digitalis Purpurea, A Study of Slow Death� Hermione
may be interested in reading this.�

�I�m sure she will. The author,
Aurora Mortalis, had a very extensive knowledge of poisons.�

�Had?� asked Dumbledore.

�Yes, well, she was sent to Azkaban
after they used the contents of her book to prove she had poisoned her first
four husbands, She makes a reference though, to a sister with a muggle illness
called Munchausen Syndrome By proxy. From what little I had time to read, I
believe that if the mother has it she will harm and even kill her children for
attention.�

�I have heard of it before,� sighed Dumbledore, �It�s rare, even among muggles and they
have no idhat hat causes it. Now, before we get lost in a conversation, I must
go and face Molly. I just wanted you to know, Severus,
you are truly wonderful with them. And Severus, Many days I feel the same,�
There was no twinkling only an odd glistening as he stepped through the fire
before Severus could reply.

Severus was surprised, he had a
hard time dealing with students, especially emotional students, but somehow
this seemed different. Maybe her intellect called to him,
maybe it was something else entirely. He didn�t know and that frightened him
more than anything. With a sigh, he pulled himself togetherbestbest he could
and returned to Hermione�s room.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

When Severus Snape stepped through
the fire and saw Remus Lupin comforting Hermione, a strange, confusing emotion
washed through him. Part of him wished that he was the one comforting her while
Lupin administered the potions but he knew it couldn�t be. Years as a spy and
death eater forced him to have good healing skills, and years of assisting
Poppy Pomfrey only added to it.

�What happened?� asked Severus
quickly approaching. He sat the additional potions down on the table and moved
to take Hermione from Lupin. As the girl was transferred to his arms, he found
himself wondering why. Why did he care? Why did he promise to protect them? Why
did he want her in his arms rather than Lupins.

Lupin scowled unhappily, �Her world
is falling apart and it�s up to us to pick up the pieces.�

�She was under the reasonable
assumption that her sister had tutors but just learned that there were never
any tutors,� frowned McGonagall as Arianna finished
the last of her soup.

�Mom got mad when she found me
reading Hermione�s first year books,� whispered Arianna, �That was the day
before Hermione came home.�

Snape nodded before kneeling before
Hermione and Lupin, �Hermione,� he said stroking her hair away from her face,
�Hermione, I need you to drink this.�

As Remus helped her sit up, Severus
unstopped a light blue potion and brought it to her lips. As soon as she swallowed it, he reached for
another. As he brought the dark purple potion to her lip she asked him a
question, �Professor, will you teach me hand to hand combat? Please, I need to
know, I didn�t know and it could have killeiannianna. Please, I�ll do what ever
it takes, please teach me.�

Severus looked up, his eyes meeting
Lupin�s over her head. The werewolf nodded the unasked question, �Remus and I
will teach you when you are well. Arianna too if she wishes
but only after you are well and strong again.�

�Thank you,� she said softly before
drinking the second potion.

Almost instantly her eyelids began
to droop and closed, �Minerva, would you mind transfiguring a few cots for us?�
asked Severus softly, �We need to monitor them until the poison is completely
out of their system.�

�How many Severus?� she asked
softly.

�Four for now,� he replied hoping
that Remus would stay, �Remus and I are staying until they are ready to be
moving about on their own.�

�Very well, would you like Dobby or
Winky assigned to these rooms?� she asked looking tired.

�Winky will be able to assist them
with their personal care,� sighed Severus, �but Dobby knows the library much
better,� Severus handed her the first potion for Arianna to drink and waited
until both were gone to finish. As soon as Arianna�s eyes were closed he
finished, �Dumbledore and I have a theory about their mother but I must do some
research. Dobby will be needed to retrieve books from the library because one
of us will need to venture to a muggle library to find the information that
they have.�

�May I ask what your theory is?�
asked McGonagall placing Arianna in his arms and moving to transfigure the
tables into beds.

�A rare muggle mental disease known
as Munchausen syndrome by proxy,� answered Severus as Molly Weasley and
Dumbledore stepped from the fire, �I�ve only read a little about it but what
I�ve read seems to fit.�

�It�s even more
rare in witches,� said Molly Weasley.

�Severus, I believe that you may
appreciate Molly�s help. It seems, that she is a Mediwitch,�
smiled Dumbledore knowingly, �Molly will also be taking over charms this
year. Sadly Professor Flitwick has approached me, he
wishes to go back to his family. I fear the news of the war, and now the
Grangers, he is ready to retire.�

�Looks like we�re going to need
another cot,� sighed Remus gently placing Hermione on
a cot for Molly Weasley to examine.

�I will leave you,� said Dumbledore
seeing Molly get settled in, �I fear that I will be called upon to deal with a
large number of officials in a few hours. I will return after I know more.�

As Dumbledore retreated through the
fire Molly Weasley turned to her three co-workers, �Dumbledore gave me very
little information, who can give me more?�

�If you no longer need me,� said
McGonagall wearily, �I will take my leave. I have more work to finish before
the start of term, �Severus, alert me when they wake.�

�Get some rest Minerva,� offered
Remus, �We�ll take care of them.�

�Thank you,� sighed Minerva as she
left the room.

On her walk back to her private
chambers, she felt older than ever before. She pulled her robes tighter around
herself and let the anger she felt drain away. Hermione Anne Granger,
know-it-all of Hogwarts and favorite student of Minerva McGonagall had faced
hell alone. That hell was not the product of war, or the irrational hate of
Voldemort and his death eaters, simply the twisted mind of her own mother. And
where had they been, her supposed protectors, they prepared lesson plans and
sipped tea.

She held back the tears that
threatened until she passed through the lioness portrait. Sitting at her small
table she let the tears fall. Before her on the table lay the latest list of
victims, topping the list was one very familiar name; Mr. Arthur Weasley. To
actually see his name upon the list was a shock, though she had known for
nearly a month, and it made her wonder if Professor
Flitwick had the right idea.

Tired beyond belief, Minerva
McGonagall, Deputy Mistress of Hogwarts, Head of Gryffindor house, Animagi, and
Transfiguration Professor wept. She wept for those who had been lost, for those
who would be lost, and most of all for those who would survive.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Molly waited, watching as Severus
gently lay Arianna in the waiting bed, �All right,
Severus, I want to know everything. What�s happened, how they got here, and how
they�ve been treated.�

�It is a terrible story Molly,�
warned Remus.

�They fell from my fireplace, white
as ghosts and vomiting. Hermione was carrying Arianna though I�d guess that by
that point she herself was barely staying on her feet,� He ran a hand through
his dark hair, �Even after two and a half months Hermione had enough sense to
recognize fairy caps. Hermione will need to tell you the rest. Just know, her
father is dead, her mother locked her in a basement for two and half months
poisoning her, and has been poisoning her sister consistently for at least four
years.�

Severus Snape slammed his hand in
to the table top. He tried to shut off the emotions, to slam his mask back into
place but it was broken.

�Severus, it�s okay to be angry,�
said Lupin, �I know how you feel, I wish to hunt the woman down and tear her
apart.�

�Emotionally, how are they?� asked
Molly worried.

�Severus, you�ve spent the most
time with them,� said Lupin softly.

�I�m not sure about Arianna, I
don�t know her, but she calmly told Dumbledore that she would never feel
better,� He sank tiredly into the closest chair, �Hermione, she�s strong but
it�s as though something is missing. Something in her eyes has died or broken
and�� He stopped there, not knowing what he was going to say but sure that he
wasn�t ready to share it, �I�ve been treating the poisoning. I can�t use
healing potions until the fairy caps is out of their
system.�

�I know and knew you would,�
comforted Molly, �The interaction is deadly. What do we know of Arianna?�

�Arianna has the same thirst for
knowledge that Hermione�s always shown,� grinned Lupin.

�The two of them can�t handle the
dungeons right now, Hermione had a panic attack earlier,� Snape was having trouble
keeping his broken mask in place.

�Severus, how long has it been
since you last slept?� asked Remus, �I know you were called yesterday evening.�

�Since the night
before that,� snapped Snape, �why?�

�Get some rest, one of us can
handle this,� sighed Lupin, �you look ready to drop.�

�Take your own advice Remus,�
interjected Molly Weasley in her no nonsense voice, �I want both of you laying
down and attempting to sleep, �She transfigured a piece of parchment into a
beautiful iron wood and rice paper shoju screen, �by the time I get these girls
into proper night dresses or else.�

Severus Snape chuckled slightly
while moving to get comfortable. He once made the mistake of ignoring a threat
from Molly Weasley and would never willingly do so again.

�What�s so funny, your students
would have heart attacks if you did that near them,� grumbled the wolf.

�I once ignored a similar threat
from Molly. I was injured and just returning from a revel. Before I know what
hit me, she had me in a full body bind and was healing my wounds. She�s a lot
faster than I expected.�

�You raise Fred and George in a
small house and see how fast you get,� laughed Molly Weasley.

�I think I got my fill with only
one year of them in my classes,� replied Remus Lupin with a grin. As he lay on his
own cot, he sobered, �Molly, you should consider bringing the kids soon. This
summer has been filled with too much tragedy to keep them apart. As clich� as
it sounds, they are strongest when they�re together. They seem to balance each
other out.�

�I know,� sighed Molly, �I have to
talk to Hermione first, she doesn�t know yet. Fred and George are bringing them
tomorrow. Bill and Charlie have made arrangements to retrieve Harry as well.�

�Are Neville and Luna still with
Ginny and Ron?�

�Yes, I�ve spoken with their
parents and we�ve thought about arranging things but we won�t even consider it
until they�re through with school,� Molly sighed, �Dumbledore and I decided
that I could expand these rooms. Rather than separate them we�ll move them all
here, better to keep an eye on them. Now, you have distracted me enough, off to
bed with you before I body bind you and help you with that sleeping potion.�

�What will you be
doing?� asked Remus softly.

�Staying busy, I�ve got two
bedrooms and two bathrooms to expand,� she smiled softly, though it was
strained almost forced, �Safest to stay busy you know, less time to dwell on
things we can�t change.�

Authors Note- Well, this began as a strictly Hermione/Snape
story but my muses seem to have other idea�s. The
HG/SS relationship will still be the main focus of the story but I realized
that life (and war) will still go on around them and effect
them just as they effect everyone around them. I also realized that this
chapter had very little movement towards the future but it is necessary that
some of this information be brought to light. I hope that the people reading
realize what Stone Angels (at least to me) are. I�d love to hear your opinions.
Until the next chapter, Ja
Matte.
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Stone Angels