Loose ends chapter 38 - Experiments
Mar. 14th, 2017 02:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coriariaSnape tests an experimental potion and makes everything worse. Illness, fairly traumatic magical medical treatment. PG.
This is a work of fan fiction. The world and all recognisable characters belong to J.K. Rowling and I make no claim or profit etc
Experiments
“Severus?”
Lupin knocked at the bedroom door. Snape had not been with the children, who were mezmerised by the television that Nick had installed in the old barn, and not in the lab. Wormwood had suggested Lupin try his room. As well as a bed and wardrobe, the room had a large desk, and Snape retreated there to do reading and research when he needed peace and quiet. He’d been spending an increasing amount of time there over the previous weeks, apparently working on something which he wouldn’t discuss with Lupin. It made Lupin worried, but Wormwood seemed convinced there was nothing wrong. Receiving no answer to his knock, he tried again.
He was almost sure Snape wasn’t in the room when he heard a faint sound. Not in the bedroom, no, but the bathroom? Lupin knocked more firmly and listened again. Suddenly there was a crash and the sound of shattering glass. Lupin tried the door and, finding it open and apparently unwarded, raced through the bedroom and into the bathroom.
Snape convulsed on the floor, a foamy mix of saliva, blood and vomit on his lips. His body was stretched out, legs kicking against the wall, head hitting the side of the bath. On the floor lay several broken bottles, the glass fragments scattered across the floor. Snape let out a series of inhuman moans. Lupin fell to his knees and held Snape’s head to stop it from hitting the bath and floor, and the glass grinding into his scalp.
“Severus, what’s the matter?”
Lupin could see he would get no answer.
As the seizure subsided, Lupin took his wand and made two quick circles in the air. A pair of glistening golden bubbles appeared. They paused above the men, and an image of Snape lying on the floor with an anxious Lupin cradling his head appeared inside them. Lupin pointed his wand at each in turn, naming first Lucretia then Wormwood. Then, as quickly as the bubbles appeared, they were gone.
“Severus, what happened?”
Lupin stroked Snape’s hair with a trembling hand, completely unaware that he was kneeling in broken glass, spilled potions and vomit.
“Severus, can you hear me?”
Snape gave a faint groan and his eyes flicked open.
“Severus?”
Snape’s mouth opened, as if he was trying to speak.
“Get…” he moaned, “get…”
He paused, breathing heavily. Lupin leaned over him anxiously, willing him to go on.
“Worm…,” Snape continued.
“Severus, I’ve summoned Wormwood already, if that’s what you are asking. And Lucretia.”
Snape gave a sigh and closed his eyes.
“Severus, Severus! Please.”
Lupin’s hand moved to Snape’s cheek and the dark eyes flicked open again.
“Severus, stay with me, please.”
Lupin could feel panic rising inside him. He couldn’t remember when he was last so terrified. What was wrong? As he cradled Snape’s head he heard running feet and Wormwood burst into the room.
“What in Merlin’s…”
Wormwood sank to his knees and leaned in close to Snape’s face.
“What have you done? Did you handle something? Did you spill something?”
Snape looked up at him, then flicked his eyes across to Lupin and back to Wormwood.
“Tested…” he said, and looked at Lupin again. “Desk…”
Wormwood abruptly leaped up and left the room. He returned seconds later clutching a sheet of parchment.
“Is this…”
Before he could finish, the relief on Snape’s face told him the answer, and he turned and fled the room. Lupin just knelt beside him, feeling terror welling up inside him. Snape’s eyes had closed and his face was grey. Tears began falling from Lupin’s eyes.
Wormwood returned within minutes, clutching several vials, at the same time as Lucretia swept into the room.
“What happened?”
“He took an experimental potion before it was ready,” snapped Wormwood. “Idiot,” he added.
“Antidote?” Lucretia asked.
“Here.” He thrust a vial at her. “This one first. It’s Emeticus. The whole thing.”
Lucretia took the vial from Wormwood and dropped to her knees beside Snape.
“Get back,” she snapped at Lupin, slipping one hand under Snape’s head and pouring the contents of the vial down his throat. Lupin pushed himself out of the way, falling back awkwardly. He steadied himself against the bath. Lucretia took her wand and held it to Snape’s lips, murmuring softly. His body seemed to convulse again, and he retched, splashing Lupin with more vomit.
Wormwood handed Lucretia the second vial. The procedure was repeated, right down to the violent vomiting. Lucretia showed no emotion, not even flinching as she was sprayed with vomit. Wormwood was tense, leaning in to watch with his shoulders hunched forward and anxiety creased into his face. Lupin watched the couple, trying to focus on the calm, practiced way they worked together, and not the face of the man they were working on.
Wormwood handed Lucretia the third vial.
“Slowly with this one.”
She held it to Snape’s lips, which were bluish-grey. Lupin’s eyes were glued to the ghostly white face. Snape looked like a corpse, and Lupin chanted a litany in his head, “don’t die, please don’t die, please don’t die, please don’t die…” As the potion slowly went down, traces of colour began to return to Snape’s skin, and Lupin noticed a slight relaxation in Wormwood’s face and shoulders. The couple exchanged a glance, and Lupin felt the tension in the room dissipate. He realised that he was gripping the side of the bath with his good hand, and that without its support he might collapse.
“Now this,” said Wormwood quietly, handing Lucretia the final vial. As the contents were poured down Snape’s throat, there was a flickering of the muscles around his eyes. The couple exchanged another glance, and Lucretia spoke out loud for the first time since they had begun the procedure.
“Severus, Severus, wake up.”
Snape’s eye muscles twitched again.
“Wake up, Severus.”
Snape’s eyes flickered open, and then closed again.
“Come on, Severus.”
The dark eyes opened fully, and found themselves staring into the healer’s icy blue eyes.
“You idiot,” she said, as comprehension dawned on his face. “You nearly died. You had us terrified.”
Snape’s mouth opened, as if he was trying to speak, but the only sound that came out was a soft moan.
“The first word you say better be sorry,” Lucretia responded.
Snape’s eyes shifted around the room, settling on the hunched figure of Lupin, clinging to the bath for support and with his robe covered in vomit.
“Sorry,” Snape murmured hesitantly.
Lupin stared back at him, chest heaving, struggling to contain his emotions.
“What in Merlin’s name were you thinking?” he replied, his voice raised well beyond its usual soft tones. “What sort of stupid idea was it to poison yourself? I thought you were going to die.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Sorry? Well that’s just bloody fine then, isn’t it?” Lupin was now nearly shouting. He was shaking and would have stormed from the room, if only he could have moved. Instead, he suddenly began to cry.
Lucretia took a deep breath.
“Wormwood, can you please take Severus to his bed. I will come through in a moment. Maybe you could make a start on cleaning him up and healing those cuts. I’ll need to clean and heal Remus.”
Wormwood nodded, levitating Snape and guiding him gently out of the bathroom and to his bed.
Lucretia crouched in front of Lupin.
“Remus? It’s okay, now. He’s okay. I’ll just clean you up, then you can go through and talk to him, alright?”
“I’m sorry, Lucretia, I…I don’t know why I responded like that.” Lupin turned his head away from her. “I need to apologise to him.”
Lucretia placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Yes, probably. But take a moment.” Her voice was gentle, lacking its usual clipped tone. “You nearly lost someone that you obviously care about deeply.”
Lucretia stood up and pointed her wand at Lupin.
“I’d better clean you up.”
He looked up her, then down at his robes, noticing for the first time that he was kneeling in vomit and that more vomit was splashed over his robe. There was blood there too, perhaps Snape’s, but glass was embedded in his knees. The fabric of his robe already appeared almost burned into the wounds.
“I’m not sure what was in those bottles, Remus.”
She looked around at the fragments of glass, searching for labels.
“I think,” Lupin said hesitantly, starting to feel sick, “maybe, his anti-Crucio potion was here.”
Lucretia had found the bottle, and come to the same conclusion.
“Okay,” she said softly, standing up straight. She vanished the vomit and spilled potions, but left the glass in a neat pile in the corner. She cast a cleaning spell on his robe, then gently levitated Lupin to his chair. She moved him through to the other room, her face uncharacteristically concerned.
Lupin sat in silence, looking at the still figure of Snape lying on the bed. Wormwood had cleaned him up, and was gently tending the wounds on his scalp and shoulders from the broken glass. He’d evidently extended his skills slightly beyond potions. Snape turned his head, looking across at Lupin, anxiety on his face. He looked as if he expected Lupin to shout at him again.
Lucretia knelt before Lupin, lifting up his robe and looking at the blood-soaked trousers underneath. She took her wand and the shrunken medical kit, bringing it to full size. She took scissors and cut the legs of the trousers away, handling the area around the wounds very carefully. As she gently removed the fabric stuck to the wounds, they were revealed to be raw and weeping, the skin around them beginning to show a faint greyish tone.
“Wormwood.” Lucretia’s tone was back to her usual shortness.
He stood and walked over, following her eyes to Lupin’s knees. He lacked her ability to remain expressionless, and his face immediately paled. He put a hand to his face, and he avoided Lupin’s eyes.
“Do you want me to get the… the….”
She nodded silently, and he walked from the room. Lucretia looked up at Lupin and he gave a sad smile.
“I really hoped I was done with that damned treatment,” he said.
“What? What is it?” Snape asked. “What’s going on?”
“One of the broken bottles was your anti-Crucio potion, Severus” said Lucretia, her tone very calm. “Remus cut himself kneeling in the broken glass and got the potion in the wounds. He’s going to need to use the Argyria potion again.”
Snape sat up, the colour once again drained from his face.
“Oh Merlin. Lupin, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Snape began to tremble, and there was that subtle change in his breathing that signaled he was starting to panic.
“Severus, it’s alright,” Lupin responded gently, but Lucretia cut him off.
“I don’t have time for your drama, Severus. Either help me, or stay out of the way.”
Snape drew back, shocked and looking like he was about to flee the room. But then he composed himself, his face taking on the mask he had worn for so many years.
“What do you need me to do?”
Following Lucretia’s direction, Snape gently moved Lupin to his bed.
“Maybe sit behind and support him a little. He may be sick, so it’s best if he’s not lying flat. And don’t let him hold your hand. I’ve got enough to do without healing broken bones.”
Lupin released the hand he’d grasped in the effort of moving and closed his eyes.
“What if he grips my arm?”
“If you don’t mind bruises, or fingernails through your skin… “
“Severus, you don’t need to...”
Snape offered his arm and, after a brief hesitation, Lupin held it.
“Thank you, Severus.”
“Did you really break someone’s hand?”
“Andromeda’s. It was after I’d moved to live with her and Teddy. I was getting a little stronger by then, but I didn’t realise quite how strong I was.”
Wormwood stepped back into the room carrying a box of potion bottles.
“Right then, this is everything, all sorted.”
Lupin looked up at Lucretia and Wormwood, who had begun pulling out bottles and mixing various potions in small vials and flasks. He swallowed nervously.
“Talk to him, Severus, distract him,” Lucretia said without looking up from her work. “Remus, you need to try not to think about it too much. It won’t help.”
Lupin gave a weary sigh.
“I know. Severus, what have you been doing with the children lately? Anything new?”
Snape paused for a moment.
“Well, there was something interesting in one of the textbooks Hermione sent. It was history. I’ve never looked at much muggle history, but this was rather interesting, about one of their wars. There was a leader called Adolf Hitler who was a master at… well… making people hate other people I suppose. He used information, or not information as such, lies or giving just one side of a story… it made me think about how… the Dark Lord twisted everything, took all our fears of muggles, all our frustrations at Ministry restrictions, or even just our personal insecurities and just twisted it all…
“It made me think that maybe better educated witches and wizards wouldn’t be so… vulnerable to the promises and flattery. There were some things in the textbooks about the techniques used, how to analyse what you see and hear, to understand if it’s biased or manipulative. So we are studying that. Well, the older children.”
“You’ve introduced critical thinking to Defence against the Dark Arts?”
“Well, it might have been a bloody sight more useful than some of the things taught at Hogwarts over the years.”
“I can’t fault your logic, Severus,” Lupin said, and managed a smile, despite Lucretia prodding at his wounds as she slipped layers of cloth under his knees.
Snape paused, watching the process in horrified fascination. Wormwood was measuring small volumes from various bottles into a silver jug, which was beginning to smoke.
“Is Octavian still learning with you, Severus?” Lupin asked.
“When he turns up, yes. That’s only about half the time though. Sometimes he’s just too caught up with the dragons, but often I think he’s just too nervous. He is learning though. His progress isn’t fast but he’s certainly improving.”
Lucretia looked up, allowing herself the briefest of smiles.
“I appreciate you allowing him to learn with the children. He never had the chance when he was younger. My family don’t believe in educating boys.”
Lucretia continued, her face again grim. “Remus, we are nearly ready. I think I should give you something to bite on, Severus’s arm is awfully close to your face.”
Lupin’s eyes flicked to Snape but he said nothing, accepting the twisted cloth that Lucretia placed between his teeth.
“Right, Remus. I’m going to cast the binding charm over your lower body now. You’ll still be able to move your arms, although you won’t be able to get them close to me. Ready?”
“Mmm,” Lupin responded, any words muffled by the cloth.
Lucretia took her wand and chanted the incantation, before putting it carefully to one side.
“Ready, Severus? Ready, Remus?”
She waited for their nods, then took the smoking silver jug and poured it over one knee. As the liquid hit the wounds, Lupin began to moan, his fingers pressing in to Snape’s arm. The wound on his knee smoked and the pitch of Lupin’s moan began to rise. His upper body writhed against the spells that held his lower body immobilised.
“Other knee now, Remus.”
As another jugful of liquid hit the second knee, Lupin stopped biting on the rag and let out an agonised scream.
“Shit, can’t you use a painkiller or something?”
“What do you bloody think, Severus? Do you think I do it this way for fun?” Lucretia hissed back, still focused on Lupin’s knees, which were blistering and smoking from the potion.
Snape closed his eyes, concentrating on Lupin’s body writhing in his arms and trying to tune out the screams and the smell of burning, toxic flesh. Lupin twisted against him, surprisingly strong. Snape could feel powerful fingers bruising his arm. He knew that he was crying and didn’t care that Lucretia and Wormwood could see.
Then there was a hissing sound, and he opened his eyes to see Lucretia tipping a blue liquid over the wounds. The grip on Snape’s arm released and Lupin let out a long moan. His body relaxed and he was left lying against Snape, sweating, breathing heavily and too weak to move.
“That’s gone well, Remus. The wounds aren’t looking bad at all. Probably just one more dose, two at worst.”
Lupin looked across at Lucretia, and mouthed some words which didn’t come out. Snape could feel his chest rising and falling against his arms.
“It’s probably best if I give you the potion now, along with a sleeping draught, and you can just stay here. Or would you rather be home?”
Lupin gave a faint twitch of his shoulder which might have been a shrug and whispered “okay”.
“Severus, can you move please? I’ll leave him here in your room.”
Snape was reluctant to let go of the man who lay in his arms, but got off the bed in silence, wiping the tears from his face. Lucretia ignored him, focused on giving Lupin various potions to drink. She covered his body with a blanket, leaving his knees uncovered, then covered his feet with another blanket. Then she crouched down beside him.
“We will leave you to sleep for a few hours and then come back and check on you. I’ll set some monitoring spells so I’ll know if you wake or there is any problem, okay?”
“Thank you, Lucretia,” he said, his voice still hoarse from the screams.
“You’re welcome, Remus,” Lucretia replied, her face unusually emotional. She touched a hand to his cheek, then waited for his eyes to close before she left the room.
“Severus, a word?” she said as she walked thought the door.
Snape followed, knowing he was in for a thorough dressing down. He looked at the ground, feeling rather like he was twelve and standing in front of Minerva McGonagall after he’d hexed one of her precious Gryffindors.
She waited until Wormwood had also left Snape’s room and closed the door. She set several wards then turned to Snape.
“Never, ever, interrupt or question me when I’m treating a patient,” she hissed. “It’s a stupid, dangerous thing to do. I’ve had to give Remus that treatment dozens of times, it’s horrible and agonising and there’s nothing that can be done about it.”
Snape didn’t move, looking at the edge of Lucretia’s black skirt brushing the ground. He knew she was far from finished.
“And what in Merlin’s name were you thinking? If you’d showed any judgement Remus wouldn’t be in this situation. Of all the stupid, selfish, moronic–“
“Lucretia, that’s enough,” Wormwood interrupted. “Leave him alone. He’s gone through enough. He knows he erred. And he hasn’t even had the chance to fully recover. He’s still sick.”
“And whose fault is that?” Lucretia snapped back.
Snape felt Wormwood’s arm wrap around him. Lucretia went silent.
“You know what Severus has been working on, Lucretia?”
“Is that relevant?” Her tone was still very sharp.
“Well yes, I think it is. Severus, do you mind if I tell Lucretia? I think she should know.”
Snape shrugged, still looking at the floor. It was past the point where his opinion would make a difference. If Lucretia was curious, as she surely would be now, she’d extract it from Wormwood one way or the other.
“Lucretia, Severus has been working on a new anti-Crucio potion. One without aconite and sylvanite.”
Lucretia didn’t respond for a moment.
“Ah,” she said finally. “I see.”
“Severus must think he’s close to having it complete. Perhaps we should all look at it and see if we can help.”
“Severus?” Lucretia’s voice had softened, the anger had obviously left her. Snape looked up hesitantly.
“Would you mind? If we looked at where you’ve got with the potion? We would all like to see something to help Remus. And maybe we can find a way to finish it without poisoning you, hmm?”
This is a work of fan fiction. The world and all recognisable characters belong to J.K. Rowling and I make no claim or profit etc
Experiments
“Severus?”
Lupin knocked at the bedroom door. Snape had not been with the children, who were mezmerised by the television that Nick had installed in the old barn, and not in the lab. Wormwood had suggested Lupin try his room. As well as a bed and wardrobe, the room had a large desk, and Snape retreated there to do reading and research when he needed peace and quiet. He’d been spending an increasing amount of time there over the previous weeks, apparently working on something which he wouldn’t discuss with Lupin. It made Lupin worried, but Wormwood seemed convinced there was nothing wrong. Receiving no answer to his knock, he tried again.
He was almost sure Snape wasn’t in the room when he heard a faint sound. Not in the bedroom, no, but the bathroom? Lupin knocked more firmly and listened again. Suddenly there was a crash and the sound of shattering glass. Lupin tried the door and, finding it open and apparently unwarded, raced through the bedroom and into the bathroom.
Snape convulsed on the floor, a foamy mix of saliva, blood and vomit on his lips. His body was stretched out, legs kicking against the wall, head hitting the side of the bath. On the floor lay several broken bottles, the glass fragments scattered across the floor. Snape let out a series of inhuman moans. Lupin fell to his knees and held Snape’s head to stop it from hitting the bath and floor, and the glass grinding into his scalp.
“Severus, what’s the matter?”
Lupin could see he would get no answer.
As the seizure subsided, Lupin took his wand and made two quick circles in the air. A pair of glistening golden bubbles appeared. They paused above the men, and an image of Snape lying on the floor with an anxious Lupin cradling his head appeared inside them. Lupin pointed his wand at each in turn, naming first Lucretia then Wormwood. Then, as quickly as the bubbles appeared, they were gone.
“Severus, what happened?”
Lupin stroked Snape’s hair with a trembling hand, completely unaware that he was kneeling in broken glass, spilled potions and vomit.
“Severus, can you hear me?”
Snape gave a faint groan and his eyes flicked open.
“Severus?”
Snape’s mouth opened, as if he was trying to speak.
“Get…” he moaned, “get…”
He paused, breathing heavily. Lupin leaned over him anxiously, willing him to go on.
“Worm…,” Snape continued.
“Severus, I’ve summoned Wormwood already, if that’s what you are asking. And Lucretia.”
Snape gave a sigh and closed his eyes.
“Severus, Severus! Please.”
Lupin’s hand moved to Snape’s cheek and the dark eyes flicked open again.
“Severus, stay with me, please.”
Lupin could feel panic rising inside him. He couldn’t remember when he was last so terrified. What was wrong? As he cradled Snape’s head he heard running feet and Wormwood burst into the room.
“What in Merlin’s…”
Wormwood sank to his knees and leaned in close to Snape’s face.
“What have you done? Did you handle something? Did you spill something?”
Snape looked up at him, then flicked his eyes across to Lupin and back to Wormwood.
“Tested…” he said, and looked at Lupin again. “Desk…”
Wormwood abruptly leaped up and left the room. He returned seconds later clutching a sheet of parchment.
“Is this…”
Before he could finish, the relief on Snape’s face told him the answer, and he turned and fled the room. Lupin just knelt beside him, feeling terror welling up inside him. Snape’s eyes had closed and his face was grey. Tears began falling from Lupin’s eyes.
Wormwood returned within minutes, clutching several vials, at the same time as Lucretia swept into the room.
“What happened?”
“He took an experimental potion before it was ready,” snapped Wormwood. “Idiot,” he added.
“Antidote?” Lucretia asked.
“Here.” He thrust a vial at her. “This one first. It’s Emeticus. The whole thing.”
Lucretia took the vial from Wormwood and dropped to her knees beside Snape.
“Get back,” she snapped at Lupin, slipping one hand under Snape’s head and pouring the contents of the vial down his throat. Lupin pushed himself out of the way, falling back awkwardly. He steadied himself against the bath. Lucretia took her wand and held it to Snape’s lips, murmuring softly. His body seemed to convulse again, and he retched, splashing Lupin with more vomit.
Wormwood handed Lucretia the second vial. The procedure was repeated, right down to the violent vomiting. Lucretia showed no emotion, not even flinching as she was sprayed with vomit. Wormwood was tense, leaning in to watch with his shoulders hunched forward and anxiety creased into his face. Lupin watched the couple, trying to focus on the calm, practiced way they worked together, and not the face of the man they were working on.
Wormwood handed Lucretia the third vial.
“Slowly with this one.”
She held it to Snape’s lips, which were bluish-grey. Lupin’s eyes were glued to the ghostly white face. Snape looked like a corpse, and Lupin chanted a litany in his head, “don’t die, please don’t die, please don’t die, please don’t die…” As the potion slowly went down, traces of colour began to return to Snape’s skin, and Lupin noticed a slight relaxation in Wormwood’s face and shoulders. The couple exchanged a glance, and Lupin felt the tension in the room dissipate. He realised that he was gripping the side of the bath with his good hand, and that without its support he might collapse.
“Now this,” said Wormwood quietly, handing Lucretia the final vial. As the contents were poured down Snape’s throat, there was a flickering of the muscles around his eyes. The couple exchanged another glance, and Lucretia spoke out loud for the first time since they had begun the procedure.
“Severus, Severus, wake up.”
Snape’s eye muscles twitched again.
“Wake up, Severus.”
Snape’s eyes flickered open, and then closed again.
“Come on, Severus.”
The dark eyes opened fully, and found themselves staring into the healer’s icy blue eyes.
“You idiot,” she said, as comprehension dawned on his face. “You nearly died. You had us terrified.”
Snape’s mouth opened, as if he was trying to speak, but the only sound that came out was a soft moan.
“The first word you say better be sorry,” Lucretia responded.
Snape’s eyes shifted around the room, settling on the hunched figure of Lupin, clinging to the bath for support and with his robe covered in vomit.
“Sorry,” Snape murmured hesitantly.
Lupin stared back at him, chest heaving, struggling to contain his emotions.
“What in Merlin’s name were you thinking?” he replied, his voice raised well beyond its usual soft tones. “What sort of stupid idea was it to poison yourself? I thought you were going to die.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Sorry? Well that’s just bloody fine then, isn’t it?” Lupin was now nearly shouting. He was shaking and would have stormed from the room, if only he could have moved. Instead, he suddenly began to cry.
Lucretia took a deep breath.
“Wormwood, can you please take Severus to his bed. I will come through in a moment. Maybe you could make a start on cleaning him up and healing those cuts. I’ll need to clean and heal Remus.”
Wormwood nodded, levitating Snape and guiding him gently out of the bathroom and to his bed.
Lucretia crouched in front of Lupin.
“Remus? It’s okay, now. He’s okay. I’ll just clean you up, then you can go through and talk to him, alright?”
“I’m sorry, Lucretia, I…I don’t know why I responded like that.” Lupin turned his head away from her. “I need to apologise to him.”
Lucretia placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Yes, probably. But take a moment.” Her voice was gentle, lacking its usual clipped tone. “You nearly lost someone that you obviously care about deeply.”
Lucretia stood up and pointed her wand at Lupin.
“I’d better clean you up.”
He looked up her, then down at his robes, noticing for the first time that he was kneeling in vomit and that more vomit was splashed over his robe. There was blood there too, perhaps Snape’s, but glass was embedded in his knees. The fabric of his robe already appeared almost burned into the wounds.
“I’m not sure what was in those bottles, Remus.”
She looked around at the fragments of glass, searching for labels.
“I think,” Lupin said hesitantly, starting to feel sick, “maybe, his anti-Crucio potion was here.”
Lucretia had found the bottle, and come to the same conclusion.
“Okay,” she said softly, standing up straight. She vanished the vomit and spilled potions, but left the glass in a neat pile in the corner. She cast a cleaning spell on his robe, then gently levitated Lupin to his chair. She moved him through to the other room, her face uncharacteristically concerned.
Lupin sat in silence, looking at the still figure of Snape lying on the bed. Wormwood had cleaned him up, and was gently tending the wounds on his scalp and shoulders from the broken glass. He’d evidently extended his skills slightly beyond potions. Snape turned his head, looking across at Lupin, anxiety on his face. He looked as if he expected Lupin to shout at him again.
Lucretia knelt before Lupin, lifting up his robe and looking at the blood-soaked trousers underneath. She took her wand and the shrunken medical kit, bringing it to full size. She took scissors and cut the legs of the trousers away, handling the area around the wounds very carefully. As she gently removed the fabric stuck to the wounds, they were revealed to be raw and weeping, the skin around them beginning to show a faint greyish tone.
“Wormwood.” Lucretia’s tone was back to her usual shortness.
He stood and walked over, following her eyes to Lupin’s knees. He lacked her ability to remain expressionless, and his face immediately paled. He put a hand to his face, and he avoided Lupin’s eyes.
“Do you want me to get the… the….”
She nodded silently, and he walked from the room. Lucretia looked up at Lupin and he gave a sad smile.
“I really hoped I was done with that damned treatment,” he said.
“What? What is it?” Snape asked. “What’s going on?”
“One of the broken bottles was your anti-Crucio potion, Severus” said Lucretia, her tone very calm. “Remus cut himself kneeling in the broken glass and got the potion in the wounds. He’s going to need to use the Argyria potion again.”
Snape sat up, the colour once again drained from his face.
“Oh Merlin. Lupin, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Snape began to tremble, and there was that subtle change in his breathing that signaled he was starting to panic.
“Severus, it’s alright,” Lupin responded gently, but Lucretia cut him off.
“I don’t have time for your drama, Severus. Either help me, or stay out of the way.”
Snape drew back, shocked and looking like he was about to flee the room. But then he composed himself, his face taking on the mask he had worn for so many years.
“What do you need me to do?”
Following Lucretia’s direction, Snape gently moved Lupin to his bed.
“Maybe sit behind and support him a little. He may be sick, so it’s best if he’s not lying flat. And don’t let him hold your hand. I’ve got enough to do without healing broken bones.”
Lupin released the hand he’d grasped in the effort of moving and closed his eyes.
“What if he grips my arm?”
“If you don’t mind bruises, or fingernails through your skin… “
“Severus, you don’t need to...”
Snape offered his arm and, after a brief hesitation, Lupin held it.
“Thank you, Severus.”
“Did you really break someone’s hand?”
“Andromeda’s. It was after I’d moved to live with her and Teddy. I was getting a little stronger by then, but I didn’t realise quite how strong I was.”
Wormwood stepped back into the room carrying a box of potion bottles.
“Right then, this is everything, all sorted.”
Lupin looked up at Lucretia and Wormwood, who had begun pulling out bottles and mixing various potions in small vials and flasks. He swallowed nervously.
“Talk to him, Severus, distract him,” Lucretia said without looking up from her work. “Remus, you need to try not to think about it too much. It won’t help.”
Lupin gave a weary sigh.
“I know. Severus, what have you been doing with the children lately? Anything new?”
Snape paused for a moment.
“Well, there was something interesting in one of the textbooks Hermione sent. It was history. I’ve never looked at much muggle history, but this was rather interesting, about one of their wars. There was a leader called Adolf Hitler who was a master at… well… making people hate other people I suppose. He used information, or not information as such, lies or giving just one side of a story… it made me think about how… the Dark Lord twisted everything, took all our fears of muggles, all our frustrations at Ministry restrictions, or even just our personal insecurities and just twisted it all…
“It made me think that maybe better educated witches and wizards wouldn’t be so… vulnerable to the promises and flattery. There were some things in the textbooks about the techniques used, how to analyse what you see and hear, to understand if it’s biased or manipulative. So we are studying that. Well, the older children.”
“You’ve introduced critical thinking to Defence against the Dark Arts?”
“Well, it might have been a bloody sight more useful than some of the things taught at Hogwarts over the years.”
“I can’t fault your logic, Severus,” Lupin said, and managed a smile, despite Lucretia prodding at his wounds as she slipped layers of cloth under his knees.
Snape paused, watching the process in horrified fascination. Wormwood was measuring small volumes from various bottles into a silver jug, which was beginning to smoke.
“Is Octavian still learning with you, Severus?” Lupin asked.
“When he turns up, yes. That’s only about half the time though. Sometimes he’s just too caught up with the dragons, but often I think he’s just too nervous. He is learning though. His progress isn’t fast but he’s certainly improving.”
Lucretia looked up, allowing herself the briefest of smiles.
“I appreciate you allowing him to learn with the children. He never had the chance when he was younger. My family don’t believe in educating boys.”
Lucretia continued, her face again grim. “Remus, we are nearly ready. I think I should give you something to bite on, Severus’s arm is awfully close to your face.”
Lupin’s eyes flicked to Snape but he said nothing, accepting the twisted cloth that Lucretia placed between his teeth.
“Right, Remus. I’m going to cast the binding charm over your lower body now. You’ll still be able to move your arms, although you won’t be able to get them close to me. Ready?”
“Mmm,” Lupin responded, any words muffled by the cloth.
Lucretia took her wand and chanted the incantation, before putting it carefully to one side.
“Ready, Severus? Ready, Remus?”
She waited for their nods, then took the smoking silver jug and poured it over one knee. As the liquid hit the wounds, Lupin began to moan, his fingers pressing in to Snape’s arm. The wound on his knee smoked and the pitch of Lupin’s moan began to rise. His upper body writhed against the spells that held his lower body immobilised.
“Other knee now, Remus.”
As another jugful of liquid hit the second knee, Lupin stopped biting on the rag and let out an agonised scream.
“Shit, can’t you use a painkiller or something?”
“What do you bloody think, Severus? Do you think I do it this way for fun?” Lucretia hissed back, still focused on Lupin’s knees, which were blistering and smoking from the potion.
Snape closed his eyes, concentrating on Lupin’s body writhing in his arms and trying to tune out the screams and the smell of burning, toxic flesh. Lupin twisted against him, surprisingly strong. Snape could feel powerful fingers bruising his arm. He knew that he was crying and didn’t care that Lucretia and Wormwood could see.
Then there was a hissing sound, and he opened his eyes to see Lucretia tipping a blue liquid over the wounds. The grip on Snape’s arm released and Lupin let out a long moan. His body relaxed and he was left lying against Snape, sweating, breathing heavily and too weak to move.
“That’s gone well, Remus. The wounds aren’t looking bad at all. Probably just one more dose, two at worst.”
Lupin looked across at Lucretia, and mouthed some words which didn’t come out. Snape could feel his chest rising and falling against his arms.
“It’s probably best if I give you the potion now, along with a sleeping draught, and you can just stay here. Or would you rather be home?”
Lupin gave a faint twitch of his shoulder which might have been a shrug and whispered “okay”.
“Severus, can you move please? I’ll leave him here in your room.”
Snape was reluctant to let go of the man who lay in his arms, but got off the bed in silence, wiping the tears from his face. Lucretia ignored him, focused on giving Lupin various potions to drink. She covered his body with a blanket, leaving his knees uncovered, then covered his feet with another blanket. Then she crouched down beside him.
“We will leave you to sleep for a few hours and then come back and check on you. I’ll set some monitoring spells so I’ll know if you wake or there is any problem, okay?”
“Thank you, Lucretia,” he said, his voice still hoarse from the screams.
“You’re welcome, Remus,” Lucretia replied, her face unusually emotional. She touched a hand to his cheek, then waited for his eyes to close before she left the room.
“Severus, a word?” she said as she walked thought the door.
Snape followed, knowing he was in for a thorough dressing down. He looked at the ground, feeling rather like he was twelve and standing in front of Minerva McGonagall after he’d hexed one of her precious Gryffindors.
She waited until Wormwood had also left Snape’s room and closed the door. She set several wards then turned to Snape.
“Never, ever, interrupt or question me when I’m treating a patient,” she hissed. “It’s a stupid, dangerous thing to do. I’ve had to give Remus that treatment dozens of times, it’s horrible and agonising and there’s nothing that can be done about it.”
Snape didn’t move, looking at the edge of Lucretia’s black skirt brushing the ground. He knew she was far from finished.
“And what in Merlin’s name were you thinking? If you’d showed any judgement Remus wouldn’t be in this situation. Of all the stupid, selfish, moronic–“
“Lucretia, that’s enough,” Wormwood interrupted. “Leave him alone. He’s gone through enough. He knows he erred. And he hasn’t even had the chance to fully recover. He’s still sick.”
“And whose fault is that?” Lucretia snapped back.
Snape felt Wormwood’s arm wrap around him. Lucretia went silent.
“You know what Severus has been working on, Lucretia?”
“Is that relevant?” Her tone was still very sharp.
“Well yes, I think it is. Severus, do you mind if I tell Lucretia? I think she should know.”
Snape shrugged, still looking at the floor. It was past the point where his opinion would make a difference. If Lucretia was curious, as she surely would be now, she’d extract it from Wormwood one way or the other.
“Lucretia, Severus has been working on a new anti-Crucio potion. One without aconite and sylvanite.”
Lucretia didn’t respond for a moment.
“Ah,” she said finally. “I see.”
“Severus must think he’s close to having it complete. Perhaps we should all look at it and see if we can help.”
“Severus?” Lucretia’s voice had softened, the anger had obviously left her. Snape looked up hesitantly.
“Would you mind? If we looked at where you’ve got with the potion? We would all like to see something to help Remus. And maybe we can find a way to finish it without poisoning you, hmm?”
