Chapter 15
Chapter 16 of 32
ProulxesArchaeologist Hermione Granger has survived the Great War. She has a life, a career and friends who love her. She has also spent the last eleven years trying to locate something that she does not know she has lost. Could the answer to her restlessness be even further away than she thinks?
Nominated for Best Drama/Angst in the HP Fanfic Fan Poll Awards Fall/Winter 2013.
A/N: Thank you, as always, to beaweasley2 and clairvoyant for their superb alpha and beta skills. Thank you also to those of you who take the time to review this story I love hearing what you think! Any characters you recognise are not mine (all hail to JKR), and I make no money from this work. Right. Time for some action....
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Chapter 15
"No change." Robert Granger sat down heavily next to his wife in the fourth-floor waiting area. Helen said nothing in response, and as he glanced over to look at her, he realised that she had finally fallen asleep. Her head was lolling back against the high back of the chair in which she was sitting. Robert felt a familiar rush of fondness for his lovely wife. Helen was thoughtful, pragmatic, and quietly resolute while he was emotional and less inclined to think things through. He watched her chest rise and fall gently, his eyes drawn to the little golden locket that she always wore around her neck. It had been a gift from his mother on their wedding day, and Robert knew that it contained a tiny skein of Hermione's hair, lovingly clipped from her head when she had been only a few hours old. He smiled at the memory.
Hermione had taken after him in so many ways physically, but emotionally she was her mother's daughter. Robert had not been surprised in the least that she had asked the Sorting Hat to place her in Gryffindor once his daughter had explained the essential qualities of each house. He knew that his brilliant and beautiful daughter epitomised bravery, compassion, emotional strength, and courage under duress.
He frowned, turning his head to look at the corridor to his right. His daughter was in the isolation room two doors down on the left, and he could still see the doorway to her chamber from where he was sitting. Professor Spleen was due to make his rounds in a few minutes, and Robert had been ushered out of his daughter's room by a nurse who was about to give Hermione a quick bed bath.
"I'm sure that she will come back to us soon, Robert." The dreamy voice of the strange Irish girl cut through his thoughts, and he found himself staring hard at the odd, pale features of Miss Lovegood. She stared right back at him, and he shifted uncomfortably under her regard, shrugging his shoulders and feeling utterly helpless.
"I just wish I knew what is wrong with her, why she is like this," he muttered quietly, trying to keep his voice down because of his sleeping wife beside him. There was no one else in the waiting area. Harry and Ginny had returned to their children, Ron was taking a break, and Neville had gone back to work in the Ministry.
Luna smiled calmly. "Some things are just meant to happen," she said in that weird singsong voice of hers. "It's probably just Wrackspurts again. They get inside your brain, you know, and send you a bit fuzzy."
Robert furrowed his brow in befuddled concern, but before he could ask what the hell 'Wrackspurts' were, his attention was caught by the approach of Professor Spleen and a small group of student Healers along the hallway.
Self-consciously, Robert stood up, ready to hear what the Healer had to say.
*********************
Her feet were scuffing slightly on the harsh dust of the floor, and the hessian sack was heavy in her hands, as Hermione followed Snape slowly down the narrow brick corridor. After they had gone about eighty paces along the tunnel, Severus stopped, turned to her, and placed his finger on his lips. Silently, he handed her the torch and gestured that she should go on straight ahead while he was going to take a side tunnel to his right. Nodding in understanding, Hermione held the torch aloft and continued to follow the corridor in front of her. Soon, all she could hear were her own footfalls and breathing.
In front of her, the passageway abruptly turned to the left and opened into a much wider space. It was roughly square and about twenty feet across. Individual cells radiated out from the central room on three sides.
She was at the holding pens.
The torch in her hand sent flickering shadows against the red brick walls of the central holding chamber. The room was dank and cold, and she could not see which cell held the animal.
She stood, shivering and uncertain, in the centre of the room. The rough material of the bag burned her fingers as she allowed it to slide to the floor. Her mouth was dry. She could see nothing in the cage in front of her, but she slowly became aware of a quiet snuffling noise on her right that was turning into a humming sound. Turning towards that direction, she heard the purring sound again and was drawn towards the noise.
The light from the torch flickered across her sight and distorted her vision. Peering into the cage in front of her, she could see that the space was very large, so much so that the light of the torch did not seem the reach into the corners of the enclosure. There were brick pillars about ten feet apart splitting the holding cell in two, and these further impeded her view of the interior.
Something was occupying the cage in front of her. She could hear it moving about in the shadows at the back of the cell. Screwing up her eyes with the effort of staring into the gloom, she thought that she could see a narrow doorway midway down the right side of the brick walls of the room with a dark wooden door.
A further whining and dragging noise brought her attention back to the centre of the room. She remembered her purpose she had to distract the creature to enable Severus to enter the cell in the first place!
Chiding herself for her inaction, she dragged the bag in front of her and wondered exactly what kind of distraction she could provide that would enable Severus to approach the creature and jab a thick needle into its flesh without it realising he was there.
She noticed a sconce, crudely formed in the front of the cage door, and with shaking hands, she pushed the handle of the torch into it. The cage door rattled and creaked as she pushed the flame into its holder.
A high keening noise emerged from the shadows, and a terrible feeling of sadness and profound yearning suddenly overwhelmed Hermione. Her skin prickled with the approach of magic, and she knew that the occupant of the cell was aware of her presence.
Slowly, her eyes still fighting to see into the darkness in the cell, she began to make out the moving body of a large animal. It walked hesitantly forward into the illumination of the torchlight.
The Manticore's pelt was tawny red in colour. It padded towards her on paws as large as dinner plates, scratching the dust and grit of the floor as its front paws rotated slightly inwards, as lions' do. The great stinging tail of the Manticore rose up behind it, a darker colour than its body. The tip of the tail, just like that of a scorpion, glistened in the torchlight, and it bobbed gently as the animal walked. The tail held deadly poison and was the Manticore's preferred method for killing its prey.
Instinctively, Hermione took a step back, carefully measuring the gap between the bars of the cage doors could the tail get through and reach her? She wasn't sure. Hermione's breath caught involuntarily as her attention was drawn to the creature's face. She had seen wizarding photographs of the beasts, as well as mediaeval Muggle manuscripts' descriptions, but the reality was very disturbing.
The Manticore's face was humanoid, its features that of a bearded man with tangled eyebrows and matted facial hair. Its mouth was wider than a man's, however, and she watched in frozen panic as it opened its maw and slowly rolled a fat pink tongue across the edge of cruelly serrated teeth. She was trembling with fear and adrenaline as she cowered behind the safety of the metal cage doors. Hermione stared at the creature's face and then realised, as it drew ever closer to where it stood, that there was something unusual in the way in which it looked and behaved.
As it approached her more closely, she could see that the creature was shambling and tentative in the way that it moved. It walked slowly, swinging its heavy head and thick neck from side to side as if it was scanning the room before it. It was sniffing the air, making an unpleasantly thick, glutinous noise as it did so. Hermione's attention was drawn again to the frightful, bobbing sting cresting over the Manticore's back. The tail was black, scaled, and jointed. The tip was weeping a viscous liquid onto the animal's back, which, in turn, she now saw as it crept out of the shadows and towards the sack filled with high-smelling meat, was rubbed raw in places. Hermione frowned. There were scars and cuts on its cheeks as well, and the irises reflected a pale, milky pearlescence. It was blind.
She felt herself relax fractionally. That evened the odds somewhat. She chuffed out a quiet breath of annoyance. Why hadn't Severus mentioned anything about the creature's infirmity?
The creature sniffed the air and appeared to smile before its expression twisted into pitiable sorrow and it keened again.
"Issss food...?" With a jolt, she realised that she could hear its thoughts.
The historical evidence for Manticore behaviour was slight presumably because few people survived their encounters with them, she thought grimly. Some chroniclers reported that the creatures could speak like humans, others that their voices were like harsh trumpets. Manticores were not technically classed as sentient beings because of the extreme violence of their behaviour, but Hermione could feel the creature's pain and uncertainty. If they can speak, she asked herself, can they be reasoned with?
Without thinking, she put her hand out towards the animal before feeling rather foolish and pulling it back again. Instead, she thrust her hand into the sack at her feet and withdrew a lump of meat. She tossed it into the cage, and it landed with a wet thud at the creature's feet.
Sniffing the offering delicately, the Manticore bent its neck and front legs and licked it. Its tongue made a rasping nose as it dragged across the meat. After a pause, apparently satisfied by its initial taste, the Manticore quickly lifted the joint and consumed it hungrily. Once it had swallowed, it stood very still as if waiting for her next move.
"More food...?" the creature wondered in her mind, looking at once pitiful and defenceless. It took a step towards the cage door, no doubt smelling the hessian sack in her numb fingers, but its actions were tentative and stumbling.
Hermione wondered if the wizarding world had simply misunderstood these creatures. There seemed little in this beast's behaviour to warrant the excessive warnings that were usually associated with them. After all, she reasoned in her mind, Hagrid befriended one once, so why shouldn't I be able to do so? She opened the bag at her feet again and pulled out the next lump of meat, throwing it carefully in front of the creature. She watched with satisfaction how it so delicately accepted her offering.
With a shock, she suddenly saw her professor ghosting into view out of the dancing shadows created behind the beast as it bent down to eat the next piece of meat. She had almost forgotten why they were there. Snape's face was tightly drawn with concentration. He was moving delicately and slowly, working his way with gradual stealth towards the creature's flank. She was struck by how fluid and graceful his movements were. In his right hand he held the syringe, which glittered brightly in the torchlight. He made no sound; she could not even hear him breathe.
The Manticore snuffled again, moving closer to her as she threw another lump of mutton on the ground in front of it. It was so close to her at the gate that she could feel the heat radiating from its skin. She was fascinated by the play of muscles under its pelt. Its tail seemed to be held so still now, curving gracefully up higher and higher over its back, its tip a glinting, obsidian black. Despite its age and infirmity, it was so beautiful and so very, very sad to see such a mighty animal trapped in such an awful place with no light, no heat, and no hope.
It finished the latest lump of meat and looked up at her. From this range, she could see the curse scars that criss-crossed its face and body, the places where its coat had been rubbed away by sleeping on the harsh grit of the floor, and the sunken cheeks and withered skin that denoted its age and poor condition.
She had always hated keeping things captive. Her pets and familiars had come and gone as they pleased. She couldn't abide Muggle zoos. Although her early adolescent campaigning zeal had been tempered by age, the sheer wrongness of holding animals captive for human amusement still upset her. Suddenly, she remembered the poor ancient dragon guarding the Lestrange's vault in Gringotts, its blindness and its vulnerability, and her heart swelled in response to the Manticore's plight. Perhaps if we were to release it, it would offer us some of its blood as proper payment? Maybe it would not mind if we were to explain why we were in such desperate need of it? Manticores could speak and reason, couldn't they?
Hermione's fingers drifted to the bars on the metal gate before her. Entranced by her emotional response to the pathetic creature, she exhaled again, pushing her hand once more outwards and towards it. It lifted its head and seemed to sense her hand hovering mere inches from its face.
And it snarled and leapt.
Hermione screamed and stumbled backwards as the seemingly quiescent tail whipped swiftly over the Manticore's head and slammed into the metal of the cage's doors. The Manticore smashed into the iron railings of the gate and set them shaking in their foundations. Savagely, it threw itself again and again against the old metal, screaming and trumpeting its frustration. The great tail flailed and stabbed through the bars, trying blindly to reach its living prey. Hermione cried out, and it answered her cry of fear with one of rage, hitting the gates once more with the full weight of its body. The torch wobbled in its sconce in the metalwork and then fell, dislodged from its position by the force of the Manticore's attack. It landed on the floor next to Hermione's feet, and she twisted her body to pick it up, scrabbling further away from the screaming creature as she did so, her breath coming fast and shallow, and terror coursing through her body.
Where's Severus? She suddenly realised that he was still inside the cage with the frantic animal, although it was so hard to see in the poor light and with the unpredictable and violent movements of the animal.
Was he able to take the blood? She didn't know, but as she peered frantically through the gloom, terrified beyond measure of the hysterical and screaming creature in front of her and the alarming way the iron gates were appearing to shift in their moorings, she saw him still beside the creature, close to its shoulder. His face was fierce in concentration still as he picked his spot in the creature's hide to jab the needlepoint.
The Manticore screamed once more and seemed to be gathering itself for another assault on the weakening metalwork of the gate. Hermione saw the bag of meat still between her and the maddened creature, and she made a grab for it, firstly pulling it towards her and then flinging it hard through the metal bars so that it hit the creature on its chest and lowered face. At the same time as she threw the bag, she saw Snape move quickly, swinging the syringe that he was holding in his right hand in a wide arc and slamming it into the side of the Manticore.
The beast was temporarily disorientated as the meat hit its chest and the needle drove home. Uttering a snarl, it snapped its head round towards Snape, who dodged out of its way and pulled the syringe's plunger back with a deft twist of his wrist. Halfway there, she thought breathlessly. Hermione could see dark liquid flooding the metal container, and she threw herself towards the animal and frantically waved the torch in front of her, hoping to distract the creature further by the whooshing sound of the torch and its heat, even though it couldn't see the light. It seemed to work for a moment as the Manticore's head swung around again. Hermione could see the ruined face of the creature and smell the foul stench of its breath as it screamed its frustration once more. It threw itself at the gates again with a mighty clanging crash, and the metal screeched and flexed under the weight and ferocity of the assault.
Snape reached forward, dodging the plunging body and, with one arm raised defensively against the stabbing tail, pulled at the syringe, seeking to dislodge it from the Manticore's tough pelt. The animal was ready for him, however, and with a flick of its front quarters, it sent the wizard sprawling in the filthy dust of the floor. Snape went down heavily with an "Oouf!", and the Manticore swung its body instantly and began to advance towards the sound he had made as his body had hit the floor.
Hermione screamed incoherently and hit the metal bars in front of her with the torch, desperately trying to attract the creature's attention back to her, but to no avail. It was stalking Snape now with single-minded determination.
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"Why is she moving like that?" Robert did his best to prevent his voice from betraying the panic that he was feeling. He was standing alongside Helen with the Healers in Hermione's room.
His daughter was twisting and writhing on the mattress of her hospital bed underneath the gauzy, translucent magical web.
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Severus shook his head, winded and trying to recover from landing flat on his back. Within moments, he had sucked enough air back into his lungs to be able to function, and he began to back-pedal in the dust of the floor, his feet scrabbling desperately for purchase as he sought to put as much distance between himself and the Manticore as fast as he could. His breathing was harsh and laboured, and he knew that the animal had fixed on him. He moved frantically, his heels digging into the harsh grit of the floor to propel himself away from the approaching creature.
His head was still ringing from his fall, and it was only after his senses cleared a little, thanks to the adrenaline that was coursing through his body, that he realised the gods-awful noise in the holding pen was not from inside his skull, but external to it. Hermione was shouting and bashing the iron gates to the cell with the torch to try to divert the creature's attention.
It was not working.
The Manticore was advancing towards him, saliva now dribbling from its jaws in long, glutinous streams. It could hear his movements, he realised, and so he forced himself to be still.
Lying motionless, his head throbbing, and grit from the floor working its way into the various grazes and cuts on his upper back and shoulders, he could see that the creature had temporarily lost its bearings and was, therefore, moving with greater caution in its search for him. Pushing his hair out from his eyes, Snape searched about the creature's flank for the syringe and saw that it was still hanging from the animal's side. Carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible while Hermione kept up her battering of the iron gates of the cell, Severus sat up and pulled his legs under himself so he could position himself into a low crouch. At that moment, the Manticore stopped moving towards him altogether and swung away from him and back towards the clamour Hermione was making.
He made ready to launch himself at the creature's flank to snatch the syringe and then roll out of the way. Just as he was about to leap, however, Hermione paused in her battering of the bars for no more than a second, and the sound of his feet scuffing the floor could be heard.
Immediately, the Manticore reared back on its haunches and blindly flailed a great clawed paw through the air, screaming triumphantly. Snape tried to duck out of the way, but the slashing paw connected with the left side of his head, and the wizard was picked up off his feet and thrown sideways again into one of the brick pillars in the centre of the holding pen. Pain exploded through his head and body, and everything stopped.
***
Hermione saw Severus hit the brick pillar hard, fall to the floor, and lie still. Her heart froze it looked as if he had been knocked out. Shit! Without thinking, she yanked hard on the heavy bolt across the centre of the iron gates, and with a screeching, rending noise, she was able to pull one of the gates open. She dived into the room, heading straight for the Manticore and launching herself at the syringe that was hanging from the side of the animal. Grabbing it firmly in her hands, she yanked hard, and it came away from the Manticore's side.
It screamed in outraged fury and swung its body about to stab at her with its deadly tail.
She dodged sideways and backwards, retreating towards the iron gates and out of range. With shaking hands, she grasped the syringe and twisted it sharply, feeling the reassuring click-clunk as the brass sheath clicked into place. She sagged in relief.
Done it!
The precious blood was in her hands. Now all they had to do was get away.
The Manticore bellowed again and swung its head viciously towards her, slashing at her with its front paw. It missed, but the heavy front leg connected with the open gate that Hermione had dived through a minute before. The gate shifted under the weight of the animal and slammed shut, trapping her inside the room with Snape and the enraged beast. The stinger of its tail stabbed blindly at her again, but she avoided it, flinging herself to the side away from the gates and landing on her shoulder and hip, protecting the syringe close to her chest. Her skin grazed painfully on the harsh grit of the floor, and the sting of the injury spurred her further into action.
She grabbed her wand out of the sheath in her dress, fumbling a little as the handle slipped in her sweaty fingers. "STUPEFY!" she bellowed, casting at the advancing animal. The spell struck the creature in the face and caused it to stop in its tracks. She waited for it to collapse, but instead, it simply shook its head and sneezed, seemingly only slightly disorientated. She looked on, frozen in horror, as the page from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them burned in front of her. "The Manticore is resistant to all known Charms," she remembered reading and fought down a rising surge of panic.
Pushing herself to her feet, she saw in horror that the creature was breathing heavily from its exertions and turning away from her and towards the motionless Snape. It could smell the blood that was coating the unconscious man's face. Its tail seemed to twitch in anticipation as it rounded slowly upon him.
Hermione forced herself to think.
Pointing her wand directly at Snape this time, she shouted, "Levicorpus!" and then, "Accio, Snape!"
Snape's body quickly lifted off the ground upside down and hurtled towards her, past the frustrated animal. She grabbed a handful of his tunica with her wand hand the syringe was too big for her to be able to use her other hand and thereby leave her wand hand free and pulled him with her as she raced for the narrow, open door in the side wall of the holding pen.
The Manticore, sensing the loss of its prey, bellowed its frustration and lumbered swiftly after them. Hermione reached the door and dived through it, dragging the levitated body of the unconscious man after her. No time to shut the door; the creature was almost upon them! She turned and saw with horror that the Manticore was only a few feet behind. It was forcing itself through the narrow doorframe, its face contorted with the effort of trying to squeeze through the aperture.
Letting go of Snape for a moment, she pointed her wand at the ceiling of the corridor behind him and shouted, "Defodio! Lumos!"
Immediately, there was a rumbling noise, and grabbing Snape again, she started to run. As she did so, behind them, the bricks of the barrel-vaulted ceiling began to tumble down, blocking the tunnel behind her, sealing the Manticore within its cell and plunging her into utter darkness. Behind the tonnes of brick, cement, earth, and rubble, she could hear its muffled screams as it realised that its meal had got away.
Breathing harshly as the billowing cloud of dust and debris washed over them, Hermione emerged into the wider corridor that led uphill to the exit into the amphitheatre square. Light from the antechamber that they had first come to when they had entered the vivarium illuminated the corridor, and she could see the way out. Awash with relief and shaking from adrenaline, Hermione sagged back against the wall of the narrow, dimly lit corridor, clutching her wand and the syringe to her chest.
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"Slumbremary... what?" Robert Granger's voice was strained with the effort he was expending to keep control over his temper. Beside him, his wife placed a gentle restraining hand on his arm.
"Slumbremary Stingers, Doctor Granger," Professor Spleen repeated, and the other Healers standing beside him in front of Hermione's parents all nodded earnestly in agreement.
"Slumbremary Stingers...," Robert echoed dangerously.
"Quite so, quite so," agreed the diminutive Healer solemnly. "Slumbremary Stingers are found in wild rosemary blooms. Much like a Billywig sting, the poison from these Stingers cause decreased metabolic activity, slowed breathing and heart rate, and the absence of dreaming. We believe that wild rosemary may be found in southern Italy in the Naples area, and so your daughter probably disturbed a wild rosemary plant and caused the Stingers to attack."
"Like Wrackspurts?" Robert asked, hoping to sound more confident than he felt. Three of Professor Spleen's accompanying Healers sniggered or coughed. Spleen's eyebrows were raised and he looked confused.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Wrackspurts... They get into your head and make you feel fuzzy." Robert was beginning to feel foolish, but that was what the strange Irish girl had told him, wasn't it?
"Oh, goodness me, no!" The Healer chuckled indulgently. "Wrackspurts are mythical insects goodness me, whoever would have thought such a thing?"
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Severus woke up slowly as he felt a cloth soaked in water pressed against his brow.
He tried to open his eyes and managed a squint out of his right eye. The room was darkened, but he could see Hermione's concerned face briefly swim into focus in front of him. He could hear her speaking, but it was as if he was trying to listen underwater.
He felt her cool hand on his bare chest, stroking him, then the press of cool lips on his forehead and cheek. He tried to move, to acknowledge the kiss, but found that his muscles would not react to instruction.
He passed out.
When he woke up again, he could hear the gentle clanking of metal on metal and the sound of someone moving around in the room. A tentative sniff confirmed that he was lying in his Potions laboratory. He seemed to be on some sort of trestle bed; his left arm was free, but the linen and woollen blankets were tightly bound around the rest of his body, keeping him in place on the bed. He felt a momentary surge of panic, tensing against the material, and felt his right shoulder and arm searing with agony.
Broken, then, he thought, catching his breath.
Experimentally he tried to open his eyes and found that, while the right one opened and focused without too much trouble, the left was sealed shut. In fact, as his awareness grew, he began to realise that the left side of his face felt peculiarly numb, almost as if it had been disconnected from his nervous system.
Another quiet noise from beside him drew his attention. Slowly and carefully, he rotated his head and looked towards the main bench in the centre of the room. Hermione was standing over a silver cauldron, carefully adjusting the level of flame underneath it, referring to a bundle of papyrus scrolls in her hand as she did so. Apparently satisfied, she stepped back, replacing the scrolls on the bench beside the cauldron, and checked the metronome timer beside the boiling cauldron. She took a quick bite of her sandwich.
"Three minutes," he heard her mutter to herself. What the hell is she doing? He tried to twist into a better position to see more clearly, but the movement caused another sharp jab of pain from his injured shoulder, and he grunted inadvertently.
Immediately, she spun around, her face lighting up with pleasure and then contracting into concern. With one more glance at the timing metronome, she scurried to his side.
"Hullo," she said softly, reaching up to stroke his hair out of his eyes gently. Her hand remained on his face, cupping his right cheek. "Feeling better?"
"Than what?" he replied with a customary touch of acerbity.
She chuckled quietly and withdrew her hand. "If you can be rude, you are feeling better," she commented, and unwillingly, he felt his own face soften in response to her concern.
"How is the pain? Do you need more Butterfly Weed Balm? I found some in a broken pot on your shelves. Or more of this bruise paste there is not a lot of that left, but it does seem to have made a difference to your facial injuries." She paused and gave him a sympathetic look. Snape automatically brought his left hand up to feel his face but she stopped him gently, "Don't...." she warned quietly, "You'll disturb the paste I've already put on it."
He frowned at her, ready to speak, but she placed a gentle finger to his lips and shook her head.
"I have not had time to set your arm properly, I'm afraid, and I'm not sure of the spell to heal your shoulder. I was hoping that you would wake up and help me so I could do that properly for you. I remembered Lockhart nearly killing Harry after that Quidditch match when he vanished the bones in his arm, and I was frightened that I'd do more harm than good if I tried anything invasive on your injuries." She was babbling with nerves and still looking at him with those beautiful amber-flecked eyes. He found himself wanting to reassure her for some reason. He clearly should thank her they had both made it out alive from the Manticore's cell, although Merlin knew how she had done it, and...
The metronome gave a subtle 'ping!' and she spun away from him, heading back to the boiling cauldron. She picked up the scroll again and began fussing with the flame. He watched, straining in the dull light to see properly, as she carefully picked up the brass syringe and positioned herself over the silver cauldron. Hermione picked up her wand and tapped the metronome in a slightly faster rhythm. The little machine obligingly altered its timing to match the new speed. She replaced her wand on the workbench and took a deep breath.
Severus realised with shock that she was attempting to brew the Metamorphmagus Potion.
"What are you doing?" he asked, still straining to see what she was up to.
She shot him a worried look over her shoulder. "Please," she said distractedly, "I've got to concentrate...."
Snape opened his mouth to respond but then thought better of it and shut his mouth. He could see that she had found his notes (thanks to a lifetime of keeping meticulous records) and must have understood that the blood had to be used within two hours from leaving the animal, or it became ineffective. How long have I been unconscious? he asked himself, frowning, as he watched her square her shoulders and prepare to continue.
The addition of the magical blood to the potion was the crucial phase in the creation of the potion. If she added it too quickly, the solution would curdle and break into its constituent parts. If she added it too slowly, the ingredients would not mix correctly. Either way, the precious blood would be wasted, and the potion would be ruined. Snape found himself holding his breath as he saw her squeeze the contents from the syringe into the cauldron and then stir the potion carefully in time to the rhythm of the metronome. Her shoulders were practically vibrating with tension.
Time passed achingly slowly as she watched the contents of the cauldron. Gradually, however, her shoulders began to drop, and her anxiety seemed to ebb. He watched her snap out the flames underneath the cauldron, step back, and sigh in relief. Snape let out his breath in response. She must have done it. Good girl! When she turned to face him in triumph, he felt a fierce sense of pride suffuse his chest and knew that he was smirking like an idiot.
"Well, that's done, then," she said with a false casualness, the relief clearly evident on her features. "Now all I have to do is decant it in a few minutes and take it to Sabazios."
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Latest 25 Reviews for Anima Mea
433 Reviews | 6.39/10 Average
I am just busy re-reading your compelling story, which still keeps me awake till late in the night.
What a great plot, thorough historical research, nerve-racking suspense... all in all, great read!
Keep on writing, please!
Best wishes
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Hi
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
- thank you for taking the time to write to me! I am delighted that this story continues to entertain. I a mtrying to get back to writing, having had the YEAR FROM HELL (TM)... Best wishes, Pxxx
Response from Ailura (Reviewer)
Well, then I hope your awful year is over by now...I was in Pompeij as a youth (not having seen the naughtier mosaics, of course), and now, I remember that very interesting visit vividly. Thanks again. Keep well A.
My compliments for this impressive story.
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me - I am so sorry that I missed your reveiw (my alerts settings are clearly not working properly!!) Best wishes, Pxx
Just discovered this wonderful fic yesterday when I went looking for something new. WOW! What a great story, amazing research, wonderful plot twists, crazy suspense, and an all around FABULOUS read!
Thanks for posting this, and congrats for such a unique story idea!
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Oooh! My email alert system isn't working! I'm sorry I have only just picked up your review,
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
. I'm delighted to have entertained you with this story. Best wishes, Pxx
Such a brilliant, unique story! You had me on the edge of my seat several times, well done!
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Thank you very much! I am thrilled that you enjoyed it so much. You are very welcome! Pxx
Really enjoyed this story :)
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
HI
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
! I am so pleased you liked the story!! Thank you!! Pxx
Dear Proulxes,
I am writing to inform you that you've been nominated for the following category for the Fall-Winter 2013 Round of The HP Fanfic Fan Poll Awards (hpfanficfanpoll . livejournal . com):
SHIP: SNAPE X HERMIONE
CATEGORY: BEST DRAMA-ANGST for "Anima Mea"
You need not take any other action at this time, unless you would like to reject the nomination. In that case, please contact us and we'll remove the nomination and contact the person who nominated you to let them know your decision.
We have an "I've been nominated" banner on our website for you to post on your blogs/Tumblr/Twitter/Facebook pages right now, if you wish. The banner can be found here:
hpfanficfanpoll . livejournal . com / 20115 . html.
The nominations period ends on October 28, 2013.
The voting period will commence on November 1, 2013 and close on December 31, 2013 (that gives two full months to read and consider the nominated fics).
Our awards ceremony is open to the public to vote, and we encourage you to ask your friends/family to participate. We will tally up all votes and announce winners on or before January 10, 2014. Please check back then to see if your stories placed, or add us as a FRIEND on Livejournal so you can get emails when that list is broadcast on our blog. Banners for your nominations/placements will be available at that time, too.
Congratulations on your nomination!
Sincerely,
Melissa, The HP Fanfic Fan Poll Awards Moderator
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Good Lord! Thank you! I have no idea who nominated me but thank you, whoever you are!! If anyone reads this - please head over to LJ to read the other stories in these awards and cast your vote. Much love, Pxx
I don't have the time (or patience while on my phone) to give this the review it deserves. However, I will say that this was one of the most engaging, well paced, well plotted stories I have read in a long time. I loved every minute of it. You attention to detail and research were fantastic. And most importantly, with all of the ups and downs of this tale, you gave them their happy ending. Thanks for sharing such a fabulous story!
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Thank you for your marathon review a thon!!! It has been a pleasure to read your comments over the past few days. Best wishes, Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Thank you for your marathon review a thon!!! It has been a pleasure to read your comments over the past few days. Best wishes, Pxx
Ron took that well, didn't he, lol? We all knew Severus would try to push Hermione away, so I am glad she didn't let him. If you are going into a battle of wills with the man, I guess it's good to have him well exhausted. It would be very difficult to know what was all in your head, what was real, and what was horcrux induced. Good thing Hermione has her head on straight and her priorities in order.
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Yes. I didn't want to Ron bash but it was inevitable that he wouldn't take it well! Glad you liked it! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Yes. I didn't want to Ron bash but it was inevitable that he wouldn't take it well! Glad you liked it! Pxx
Well, that was intense, but all is right with the world now, right? Lets get them safely to their happy ending, shall we?
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Eeeeeerrrrrrrmmmmm.... Ahhhhh.... Okayyyy... Although, it can't be that simple, can it? Pxx Thank you for another mega review a thon!
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Eeeeeerrrrrrrmmmmm.... Ahhhhh.... Okayyyy... Although, it can't be that simple, can it? Pxx Thank you for another mega review a thon!
I loved the part where Harry wonders if the buzzing in his head is how Hermione feels all of the time. This is so hopeful, but somehow they have to get Hermione back. And who do those boots belong to?
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Who else would wear boots like that??! Bless 'im! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Who else would wear boots like that??! Bless 'im! Pxx
I hate to even speculate. There are two Snape bodies, two Hermione bodies, one Snape mind, one Hermione mind, two Snape souls, and one Hermione soul. And a partridge in a pear tree. So I don't think the actual bodies can come back to real time because that would be weird. So I think she has to wake up and either he wakes up or she uses the Horcrux and his body. Either way, hasn't he been dead for awhile? Seems like he might be a little crusty. No more time to speculate ...
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Mmmmmmmm. Not quite... but nearly...! Keep gong and you'll find out... Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Mmmmmmmm. Not quite... but nearly...! Keep gong and you'll find out... Pxx
I have never ever ever ever been so glad that I waited to read a story until it was done. This would have killed me in real time. Every time I think things can't get worse, they do. Moving on ...
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
So pleased you are still enjoying it. This must take the record for the fastest read and review a thon of Anima Mea! Delighted!! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
So pleased you are still enjoying it. This must take the record for the fastest read and review a thon of Anima Mea! Delighted!! Pxx
This chapter explained a lot ... sort of. I'm glad she thought of the Manticore. I actually thought maybe she went back to try and get his wand. The good thing is Sabazio is gone. He is gone, right?And what of their friends? Can they now escape the city wards, or do they have to take them to present day through the portrait? What will happen to the portrait at Hogwarts? Will Hermione be able to bring Severus back? Will we get any more steamy kisses? I gotta know!
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Yes... The Manticore's return... poor thing.... But a perfect weapon to use. They are all still in grave trouble as Vesuvius has taken over as the threat. Keep going! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Yes... The Manticore's return... poor thing.... But a perfect weapon to use. They are all still in grave trouble as Vesuvius has taken over as the threat. Keep going! Pxx
I don't know how Severus made it this long without passing out. It would have been nice for Hermione to arrive while he was still awake, but no matter. Perhaps she will be even more pissed off, and will fight that much harder. I hope there isn't too much trouble at Hogwarts. I love the embrace showing in the portrait.
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Thanks! I think it's possible for humans to keep going even under the hugest stress... But please take note that he is running on empty and his body is starting to crumble... That will be important for later...! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Thanks! I think it's possible for humans to keep going even under the hugest stress... But please take note that he is running on empty and his body is starting to crumble... That will be important for later...! Pxx
Whew! Another exhausting read. I can honestly say that I have never felt so taxed after reading a story as I have with this one. I think I like it, lol! I am so nervous about what is to come, but alas, time for bed. *is determined to finish this thing tomorrow*
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
SO glad you're enjoying it!! *Does happy dance* Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
SO glad you're enjoying it!! *Does happy dance* Pxx
I love the plan to get Hermione out of St. Mungos, but all I could think is that someone will come in and try to treat Hermione somehow, and it will harm Luna. But since Mr. Granger is there, and they didn't actually change Luna to look just like her, I can ease up on that line of thought.Because I should really be worried about Severus and Hermione. What happened in the end there? The fact that they are running out of time is so palpable here that it is giving me anxiety just reading it. It's exhausting to read, truth be told, but in the most wonderful way. Okay, one more chapter then I have to go to bed. It is already tomorrow, and I am going to be so sorry in the morning ...
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Glad you liked the escape 'plan'. I always thought of Ron as a strategist -- particularly when he had something important to fight for! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Glad you liked the escape 'plan'. I always thought of Ron as a strategist -- particularly when he had something important to fight for! Pxx
You've got me wanting to scream at Severus that Hermione (who I know is safe) is not worth giving up his secret for. Although, if they really do get wiped out by the volcano it wouldn't matter. Still, when the person you love (even if you don't know it yet) is in danger, all sensibility goes out the window. I hope neither of them makes a bad choice. Is it too much to hope that Hermione can come back to present time, and then return with reinforcements?
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Mmmmm. Wait and see! She's stuck for now... But will she get to him in time....???!!! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Mmmmm. Wait and see! She's stuck for now... But will she get to him in time....???!!! Pxx
I'm getting so sucked into this story that I am feeling desperate and worried and nervous and everything else right along with them. And I can't even leave you better reviews because I am so desperate to move on. Sorry about that.
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
I'm sorry I can't respond better! Am on holiday and only have intermittent Internet so I'm answering you in a horrible rush!! Thank you for your enthusiasm for this story!!! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
I'm sorry I can't respond better! Am on holiday and only have intermittent Internet so I'm answering you in a horrible rush!! Thank you for your enthusiasm for this story!!! Pxx
This just gets crazier and crazier. I hope he gets the chance to wring Hermione's neck. *moving on with fingers crossed*
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
She's got to get out of the mess she's in first! He will get his opportunity.... Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
She's got to get out of the mess she's in first! He will get his opportunity.... Pxx
Well, this is an oh shit moment if ever there was one. If this is a certain wizard, how is he in this time? Does this have something to do with how Severus ended up here? Why does he need this potion, anyway? Now I am rooting on Hermione being awoken and brought back to her own time, saving Severus some other way, lol. This is too good for me to even stay and speculate further!
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Ahhhh yesssss.. The "oh, shit" moment. *Grins happily* I'm hoping for a few of them...! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Ahhhh yesssss.. The "oh, shit" moment. *Grins happily* I'm hoping for a few of them...! Pxx
I just can't even guess how this is going to go. I still think things at St. Mungo's are going to sour things in Pompeii. I'm not sure how Vector plays into all of this. This is so deliciously frustrating!
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
*Hides from frustrated reader*. It will get worse I'm afraid! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
*Hides from frustrated reader*. It will get worse I'm afraid! Pxx
I gotta tell you, the bone setting scene freaked me out a bit. I'm good with blood and guts, but bones, especially when they are in the wrong places, kind of freak me out. Poor Hermione and poor Severus.I loved the scene where she is in his mind; it was so well done. Except how is he going to react to it all? And, why do I end each chapter nervous?
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Sorry to have freaked you a bit with bone setting. My pal Maria is an ortho tech-- and I made full use of her expertise. Poor Severus! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Sorry to have freaked you a bit with bone setting. My pal Maria is an ortho tech-- and I made full use of her expertise. Poor Severus! Pxx
I can't decide if this would go better if they were on better terms because they would take strength in one another before going in, or if it is better that there is that unspoken rift because they will be more focused at the task at hand. I'm hoping for the best at any rate.
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Mmmm. Not sure myself, although Severus has never been one to share... And Hermione is a bossy boots. Unspoken rifts have a habit of occurring around them... Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Mmmm. Not sure myself, although Severus has never been one to share... And Hermione is a bossy boots. Unspoken rifts have a habit of occurring around them... Pxx
Oh, their lovemaking was wonderful, especially since they really don't know one another. Yes, Mrs. Granger, I think those two would say what is going on is magic. ;). Well, until the next day where Severus gives in to insecurities and assumptions. They will get over it, somehow. I can't help but worry, though, that something done at St. Mungos is going to cause a problem. That's if they even survive the upcoming mission. *bites nails*
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Thank you *bows low* I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Shame he had to cock it up though... Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Thank you *bows low* I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Shame he had to cock it up though... Pxx
Oh no! I hope "the world went black," is some sort of metaphor for "he had the best sex of his life," lol.*chews fingernails*. I love the care Severus took with Pertus's body. Especially since the rites weren't important to him, but he knew they were to his slave. I can see the reference to Harry's care of Dobby. I loved the bath scene! Very sensual. There is more than one type of healing at hand. Well, there would have been. *grumbles at you*. Eh, they didn't have the energy to do it properly anyway. :)
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Hey! Take care of those nails (errrr you might need them later!!). This cliffie drove my alpha reader mad! Pxx
Response from Proulxes (Author of Anima Mea)
Hey! Take care of those nails (errrr you might need them later!!). This cliffie drove my alpha reader mad! Pxx