The Healer at Hogwarts

A/N: The characters you recognize do not belong to me.

*************************

I jumped to my feet. "Orby, get some supplies. We need to bring supplies." With a snap of his finger, Orby shrunk half the contents of my clinic into a small bag and picked it up. He immediately grabbed my hand and Apparated us with a pop.

We landed in some sort of pub. Orby dashed up the stairs with me right behind him. An old man with a long grey beard stood in front of a portrait of a young girl. He looked very somber. The girl in the portrait motioned and the old man turned.

"Who are you?" The old man barked. He looked me up and down; it seemed I was familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Elizabeth Prewett. I'm a Healer. I've been told I'll be needed here tonight."

"Prewett? Nonsense. The Prewetts were all killed in the last war. Except Molly, but she's a Weasley now." The wand at his side twitched. He clearly didn't know if I was friend or foe.

"Charles was my father. Molly is my sister. My mother and I escaped the night Father was murdered. My brothers saved us."

He seemed to consider my words. "Are you telling me you're the wee one?" I nodded. "I thought they killed you and your mother as well."

"That was the idea." I was getting irritated. "We fled the country. Only a handful knew we escaped. But, moving forward, why does this elf think there's a battle brewing? Do you have any idea why he brought me to your pub?"

"The battle is at Hogwarts. There's a passageway behind this portrait. Most members of the Order of the Phoenix are through there. Your sister, her husband, and most of their children are fighting."

"Thank you. Orby, you don't have to go." I was cut off by an indignant house-elf. He stomped his feet and glared up at me with huge eyes.

"Orby is coming with Miss Elizabeth! Orby will help just like in the clinic at home! Orby will protect Miss Elizabeth if needed."

"I believe you will Orby." I scratched his ears. "Well, shall we?" The portrait swung open, and I climbed into the dark passageway and started to make my way through it. Orby was right behind me the whole way. We walked for what seemed like miles down the dark passageway until we finally reached a flight of stairs and a door.

As I opened the door, the sight on the other side of me was amazing. We must have been inside the castle. A cluttered room full of colorful banners and hammocks was in front of us. It appeared to be empty at first sight.

"Aunt Lizzie?" A voice called out to me.

"Ginny? Ginny! What are you doing here?"

"I came to help! But Mum and Dad won't let me leave this room," she huffed. "Everyone is out there! Our whole family! How can I just stay here? Let me come with you!" She looked exasperated, and tears threatened to fall from her brown eyes.

I sighed and hugged her. "I'm here to help tend to the wounded Ginny. I'm not a fighter."

"But I can help," she pleaded. "I'll take you to the hospital wing."

"Ginny, no. If they want you here, here you stay. Orby, do you know the castle?"

"Yes, Miss Elizabeth. Orby can take you to the hospital wing."

"Ginny, stay here. Please." I squeezed her hand, trying to comfort her. Poor girl, her whole life was out there in that battle. Orby tugged at my other hand, and soon we were running through the corridors. It was nearly midnight, and I knew it was to be a long night.

We found Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing, trying to ready things as much as possible.

"Poppy, what can I do?"

"Oh, thank Merlin for another set of hands. We're going to be needed tonight. Here, these are short distance Portkeys." She handed me what looked like necklaces.

"The teachers always have these to bring students to me quickly in an emergency. We'll need these to transport the wounded. It will be safer for us and for them."

"Orby will bring your patients to you, Miss Elizabeth. Orby will go to the kitchen and get a few house-elves. We will spread out and use the necklaces to bring back the injured."

"Great idea, Orby." Poppy smiled at the little elf. He popped away. "Elizabeth, how do we handle the Death Eaters?"

"Bind their magic for safety and treat their wounds. Sedate or stun if needed."

"Elizabeth, I've never worked under conditions like this."

"I haven't either, Poppy. We've just got to do the best we can." And almost right on cue, the clamoring outside grew louder. The battle had begun. Poppy and I continued preparing bandages in silence for a few moments longer. Then, one of the cots began to shimmer, and a young girl appeared on the cot. She wasn't badly injured, but she had a gash on her arm and forehead. Poppy and I went to work as quickly as we could.

We work feverishly as the cots started to glow. The elves would appear and collect the necklaces, and then they would disappear again. There was a mix of injuries, magical and non-magical, simple to serious, and, of course, some we couldn't save. Both Poppy and I were struggling to contain our emotions. Orby had returned after he found several helpers to bring the wounded. He was tending to Poppy and I as much as he was helping the patients.

Then he grabbed my hand. "Miss Elizabeth, Mrs. Molly, she needs you. I am sorry to tell you. One of the tall silly boys, he is out there. He did not make it."

I was dumbstruck. What could Orby mean? The meaning of his words struck me like an anvil. "One of the twins?" Orby's eyes told me I had guessed right. I ran from the infirmary. I had no idea what I was doing. Looking back, it was very stupid of me. My duty was to the wounded. But, if one of the boys was gone, if it was too late, well, I had to get to my sister. I just had to. Orby was on my heels as I ran; he had no idea where I was going. Neither did I.

As I approached the entrance hall, I heard a young girl shriek, "No!" She cast a Stunning Spell that threw some creature across the room; the creature had attacked someone. As I got a better look, I shuddered in horror. The victim was another young girl; she was badly injured.

I knelt before her and tended to her. She was so young. Damn it. Evil will not win here. Orby had grabbed my bag from the table as we left the infirmary; he handed me the Dittany and some Blood-Replenishing Potion. We worked together for several minutes trying to repair the damage. After several minutes, she was stable. She would live. She would be badly scarred, probably physically and mentally, but she would live.

I smiled to Orby and patted him between the ears. "Good work, Orby, you have done well. Please take her to Poppy. I must help my sister."

"Orby will be back. Miss Elizabeth will need more supplies if she is out here."

I wiped my hands on my robes, then pulled them off and discarded them; for a moment, I just stood there in my Muggle jeans and blouse. The roar of the battle continued all around me. The night felt unnaturally cold. The chill was damp and depressing, and I was suddenly cloaked in despair. Screams echoed outside the doors. It was so cold. I nearly collapsed against the wall, barely noticing as three students ran past me.

"Boys, come on!" a little blonde witch called out.

"Seamus, hurry! Harry needs us!" a boy yelled.

"Now!" the other boy screamed as they all raised their wands.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" the three yelled together.

The sight was amazing. The three young people had come to the rescue of their fellow students. Silvery light filled the air, and then three beautiful animals flew over the second group of students. The cold eased slightly, and then they all stood strong, protecting one another. The three animals became six as the three beleaguered students joined their friends in casting the charm. Witnessing such valor in those so young, I became filled with hope. The light would triumph.

I realized who I was watching. It was my youngest nephew Ron and his two friends who had been rescued by the little blonde and the other two boys. He turned to shake the hand of the wiry boy; suddenly, a giant roared and began swinging a huge club.

The students broke in different directions, and I tore after my nephew and his friends. Molly may have lost one of her boys tonight; I'd be damned if I let this one run off and get killed.

They ran into the night, dodging the giants and the bolts of light. I ran behind them, trying to keep up. They were running with a crazed urgency; I couldn't maintain the pace. As we got away from the fighting, the dark enveloped us and it became difficult to see them. I thought I was going to lose them in the night, but I had to keep going. They eventually paused in front of an old tree which seemed to be trying to strike them. I could see Ron raise his wand; then the tree stilled. The three young people dropped to the ground, and they disappeared beneath the roots of the tree.

When I approached the tree, I saw where they had disappeared. There was a small passageway beneath the roots.

"Orby," I whispered into the night. Something told me I needed to follow them, but crawling through the passageway seemed foolish.

"Yes, Miss Elizabeth," Orby answered as his appeared by my side.

"My nephew and his friends disappeared under that tree. Do you know where it goes?"

"Oh, Miss Elizabeth doesn't want to go there. That takes you to the haunted place. It is a dark place." He shook slightly with fear.

"Orby, I need to protect those kids. I have to do this."

Orby relented. "Okay, Miss Elizabeth. Orby will take you. But we will go another way. We also need to be invisible." I nodded, casting a Disillusionment Charm on myself. Orby did something similar. He took my hand, and we Apparated to the edge of some trees.

I could see the shack a short distance away. We crept towards it slowly. As we walked, I spotted a man with shoulder length black hair approaching from the other direction. Orby and I froze. The man was clutching his left arm and wearing Death Eater robes. His pace quickened, and soon he opened the door and slid inside. This was trouble. I began inching towards the door again. Orby clung to my arm, clearly trying to stop me.

"Bad men in there, Miss Elizabeth," he whispered urgently. But I would not be deterred. The man in black had left the door ajar, and I slid through it into the corner. Two men were talking. Well, one man was talking to one creature that looked like he might have been a man at one point. This must be the monster Voldemort.

I continued to look around. Were these the only two here? Where were the children? Looking around, I stifled a gasp when I saw a huge snake in some sort of magical field. Never had I seen such a thing. I wondered if this was the creature that nearly killed Arthur two years ago.

The man on his knees in front of the monster intrigued me. He appeared to be groveling, but he was guarded. He must be a servant of Voldemort, a Death Eater by his clothing; in fact, Voldemort was talking about how valuable the man had been. Oh, heavens, Voldemort was using the past tense. This man was in terrible danger. He seemed to know it, from the look on his face, but still, he remained so guarded. What was he hiding?

I watched in horror as Voldemort pointed his wand. He aimed not at the man before him, but at the snake's magical cage, which surrounded the man called Severus.

The man fought in vain to free himself, but the snake was too strong. Severus fell to the ground. A sickening pool of blood was forming on the ground near him.

Voldemort said something I couldn't understand; the shock I felt at the sight was so great. He summoned the snake, still in its cage, and stalked from the room.

I was rifling in my bag as quickly as I could for supplies when another small blast sounded. To my shock, Ron and his two friends emerged from their hiding place. They had also witnessed the horror that had just occurred.

The boy called Harry rushed to the man, and some shuffling occurred between the three young people and the dying man. Voldemort's voice called out, sickening in its offer of truce; then he taunted and manipulated the boy.

The girl headed back to the tunnel, followed by the other two. Resolved to follow them, I headed over towards the tunnel. As I moved, I cancelled the Disillusionment Charm on myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the slightest movement from the collapsed man.

"Merlin! He's still alive! Orby! Quickly!"

I placed my hand on the man's neck. He had lost so much blood. Orby thrust the Dittany into my hand, and I applied it to the wound. It knit back together painfully slowly. If he was still with us, I could heal this wound. If I had enough Blood-Replenishing potion, he stood a chance, but what of the poison?

His pulse was frightfully weak, but it was still there. Orby seemed to be reading my thoughts and began to pour the Blood-Replenishing Potion down the man's throat as I worked to close the wound. I held my wand in one hand as healing spells flew from my lips. Over and over again, I kept uttering the spells to help the skin regenerate.

"Miss Elizabeth, we need more potions! Orby will be right back!"

"Orby, he's been poisoned! I don't know what to do about the venom."

"Miss Elizabeth will figure something out. The potions will give you more time!" Orby popped away.

The snake, the snake, I needed to know more about that snake. Was it possible the victim knew something about the snake? It was a long shot, but it was the only reasonable idea I had. I had to speak to him. But clearly, he was in no position to speak. I had to enter his mind.

"Legilimens," I whispered softly, trying to enter as gently as possible.

"Who, who's there?" Oh, good, he's still in here.

"A friend, I want to help you."

The connection was weak. I needed to get a better look into his eyes. My hair brushed across his face as I leaned across him. To my shock, his fingers reached for the ends of my hair. He touched it reverently, almost like a lover's caress.

"Lily, are you here to fetch me?"

I had no idea who Lily was, but if he would 'talk' to her, it might be best not to correct him.

"Severus, I want to help you. You've been attacked by a snake. I'm sure it's poisonous, but I don't know enough about it to help you."

"Lily, I tried to protect him. I tried. But he must face the Dark Lord tonight. I don't know what will happen. Lily, I'm sorry; I did all I could. Dumbledore says he must die. He says it's for the greater good. I'm sorry my Lily."

"Shhh, Severus. I know. You did well." Who was Lily? Who was he trying to protect? Why was he trying to protect anyone from Voldemort? This man was a Death Eater.

"Harry is a strong boy. He gets that from you. You can tell James that. All he got from James was a tendency for trouble and messy hair."

Harry? He was protecting Harry? Ron's friend Harry? Was it possible this man was on the side of the Order?

"Blue? Eyes, your eyes should be green. Why are your eyes blue? Lily?"

Oh, no. The game was up. "Shhh, I'm sorry to deceive you. I'm not Lily. My name is Elizabeth. I won't hurt you. Please, stay calm. I'm a Healer. What do you know about the snake?"

"Pocket ..."

"What?"

"Pocket!" How a man yells in his mind I don't know, but I got the message. He wanted me to look in his pocket. I unbuttoned his coat. In the inside pocket, there was a vial.

"Is this antivenin?"

"Obviously." I uncorked the vial as I exited his mind. I poured the contents down his throat, massaging his still badly damaged neck. To my relief, he responded slightly, swallowing on his own.

Orby appeared next to me again with more Blood-Replenishing Potion and bandages. We administered the potion and wrapped the wound. We worked and worked for hours on end. The man was still unconscious, but his pulse was stronger. His color was also slightly better.

The Dittany had helped as had the charms and spells, but this wound was horrific. If this man survived, he would have a long road ahead of him.

"Miss Elizabeth, are you okay?"

"I'm very tired. I had to enter his mind."

"Miss Elizabeth must sleep; let Orby take you and the dark man to the hospital wing."

"No, Orby. This man is a Death Eater, and Voldemort himself tried to kill him. He must be kept out of sight."

"Miss Elizabeth should go then. Orby will watch him. He is stable."

"No, Orby. I will stay here."

"Then Orby stays with you," he said firmly. And with that, he conjured a sleeping bag and pillow. I relented and fell asleep almost instantly on the floor of the shack.