The Headmaster

Many questions are answered in the next few chapters. Many more questions will arise.


Chapter 10 The Headmaster

Adam got Harry home from the hospital. Anxious to re-examine the results of the tests, he quickly excused himself and headed back to the hospital. After studying the results over and over again, he decided that he had to talk to Severus, to be sure of his findings. It was late in the afternoon but what he needed to know wouldn’t take but a few moments of Snape’s time. If correct, Harry was suffering from a devious dark curse, one that would haunt the young man for the rest of his life.

Adam was greeted on the dock by Healer Montgomery, who firmly shook his hand. It was explained to Adam that the warden had disappeared because of some sort of scandal, leaving no one in charge.

Adam’s stomach became queasy from the stench that permeated every corner of Azkaban. His hand covered his mouth more than once during their journey through the prison, trying to hold back the vomit that kept creeping up into his throat.

“Here.” The healer handed Adam a tablet and a rough cut garnet. “The tablet will calm your stomach and if you suck on the garnet, the odors seem to evaporate, took me months to get used to the smell.”

“Thanks, I wondered how anyone could stand living with the smell.” Instantly his stomach settled down, after he took the tablet. He looked at the garnet oddly, wondering how sucking on it could dissipate the odor.

“Try it.” Healer Montague softly ordered, “If it doesn’t help you can always spit it out.”

“No loss, no gain.” With a flick of his wrist the garnet was popped into his mouth. Within moments the air seemed to be ventilated.

“What a life saver. I want to thank you for letting me speak with Snape at such short notice.”

“You assured me that it wouldn’t be but a few moments. The man has endured a lot over the last few months and has barely recovered his ability to speak. His voice is raw. Have him use it as little as possible.”

“I understand.”

When they walked into the infirmary, Adam had to take a step back after seeing the Potions Master lying there. Everyone had talked about how Snape had a certain presence. This person looked like a horse that had been ridden long and hard, in other words old and used up.

Healer Montague helped prop Severus up against a couple of pillows. “This is Therapist Adam Montoya, Severus. He is a friend of Harry Potter and would like you to answer some questions.”

Severus opened his mouth to speak but nothing came forth. Clearing his throat he tried again. “I… I don’t know what I can tell you. Besides seeing him at the leaving feast I hadn’t seen Mr. Potter for over three years.” The words were so quiet that Adam had to place his ear by Snape’s mouth to hear his words.

“As I understand you and Harry had a relationship. Can you tell me what went wrong with it?”

Severus tried to laugh but started to hack instead. Healer Montague held a handkerchief over his mouth catching the phlegm that was excreted from his lungs. With a wave of his hand the kerchief and mucus were gone.

“Is that Mr. Potter calls it… a relationship?” Tired, Severus plopped his head onto his pillow.

“Was it not a relationship?” asked Adam.

“No, it couldn’t be called one. He was a student and I his teacher, we… I couldn’t possibly step over the line and into a ‘relationship’.” He closed his eyes and remembered their short time… together. “Mr. Potter was young and wanted it all right then and didn’t want to wait until he graduated. He became irate with me and left. I didn’t see him again until we fought side by side on the battlefield.” Severus paused for a moment. “You should have seen him. He was magnificent. No matter what they threw at him, he kept going, defying death itself, until he was face to face with the Dark… Voldemort. I knew it was the end of the years of terror as Harry raised his wand and reflected the killing curse back at Voldemort. I saw him melt in a puddle of goo. I swore I heard him scream… I’m melting.”

“And afterwards? Did you try to see him?”

“St. Mungo’s had Mr. Potter securely locked up. I tried numerous times to see him… to be there for him. I never got the chance, he just disappeared.”

“Did you love him?”

Severus eyes opened wide, sparks were flying. “That sir, is none of your business. This conversation is through.” Severus closed his eyes. “I find myself to be rather tired.”

“May I come back and talk to you again?”

“There is nothing I can add. It would only be a waste of yours and my time. Good evening.”

Healer Montague took Adam by the elbow. “Let him rest. I’ll fix you a cup of tea and you can tell me what this all about.”

“A cup of tea sounds delightful but I don’t really know how much I can tell you about the… situation, Mr. Montague.”

“I prefer Alvin, if you please.”

“If you wish, Alvin.” The two men smiled pleasantly at one another.

The Healer led Adam to his study and with a tap of his wand the water was boiling.

“Since you can’t in good conscious tell me what is going on let me surmise. Something is dreadfully wrong with Mr. Potter. Obviously it has something to do with my patient.” He thought back to what Severus said. “Probably… happened… I’m guessing… at the final battle. A hex perhaps or a curse. More likely a curse, they tend to last a much longer than hexes do. I got it. Harry Potter was affected by a very Dark curse and from the questions you asked, I’m going out on a limb right now, a love reversal curse.”

“I’m not saying your right but I’m not saying your wrong either.” Adam was grateful for the hot tea, since arriving at Azkaban he was bone chilling cold. “I want to thank you for your hospitality. If it’s alright with you I would like to talk to Snape again in a day or two.”

“I don’t mind, as long as Severus doesn’t.”

“I should be going, it will be getting dark soon and I don’t want to be caught here on the island.”

Alvin walked Adam to the boat that was waiting. He waved as he watched the boat disappear on the horizon. He smiled, thinking it had been a very long time since he found someone attractive and he found Adam extremely attractive. He looked forward to their next encounter.

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Hermione, her fiancé, and Minerva had just sat down to eat dinner when Draco interrupted their meal with a fire call.

“Remus, are you there?” Draco’s voice had a hint of urgency to it.

Getting up from the table Remus went to answer the call. “Draco, you sound upset, is everything alright?”

“More than alright. May I come through?”

“Certainly.” Remus stepped back to allow Draco plenty of room to enter.

Minerva and Hermione had joined Remus in the living room to see what all the commotion was about. Draco stepped into the couple’s modest living room, spotless, not having to brush a spot of soot from his robes.

To everyone’s surprise Draco lifted the werewolf and twirled him in the air, in what appeared to be a joyous celebration. Draco placed Remus back on the ground and turned and did the same thing to Hermione. He turned his attention to Minerva once he let Hermione go, only to be stopped by a hand firmly put on his chest.

“I would think twice, young man, about lifting me into the air. You would likely find yourself turned into a ferret.” The smile on Draco’s face dimmed only slightly. Instead of twirling his old teacher around he gallantly kissed her hand.

“I’m sorry if my enthusiasm was a little overwhelming but I haven’t been this happy since the day my daughter was born.”

“Are you going to tell us what have you so excited?” Minerva crossed her arms over her chest.

“Get to bed early because I have hired a boat to take us to Azkaban and to Severus.”

“What?” Hermione squealed in delight.

“The WP (wizard press) came out with a report that the warden has fled from Azkaban because of some sort of scandal. The details aren’t known but they had to do with the treatments of the prisoners and one in particular, Severus Snape.”

Minerva threw her arms around Draco’s neck and planted a kiss on his lips. “Thank you, dear boy, thank you.” She took a step back and blushed. “So sorry.” She grinned.

“I understand,” was Draco’s simple reply.

“Is he… is he in good health?” Hermione asked.

“He’s is in the Infirmary, that’s all that was said about his health.”

“But we can see him tomorrow?” Minerva wanted to be sure she had heard correctly.

“Yes, we can see him tomorrow.”

“Are the Aurors looking for the warden?” Remus asked.

“Yes but I doubt they can find him. That is why I hired a small army of investigators to locate and apprehend him. I want answers and I plan on getting them one way or another.”

“Draco, don’t do anything illegal.”

“I appreciate your concern but I’m wealthy enough to be able to cover my ass.”

“Once we get Severus out, I don’t want to have to be visiting ‘you’ in Azkaban,” Minerva fretted.

“I guarantee I will be cautious.”

“Remus, are you home?” There was another fire call.

“Adam, I’m here… find out anything?”

“Yes, can I come through?”

“Why not, everyone else is here.” Remus’ stomach growled.

“Remus, eat before you keel over. We can talk while you have a few bites of your dinner,” Minerva ordered. Hermione chuckled softly, she knew no one with the exception of Minerva that could tell Remus what to do and get away with it. She surmised that her ex-head of house would have been the female Alpha of a werewolf pack and everyone knows that the female was the real leader, she just let the male think he was.

After Adam stepped through Hermione saw the look of hunger as he watched Remus eat.

“Good God man, sit and eat,” Hermione ordered. He didn’t need to be asked a second time. Soon Draco joined them for dinner too. It was a good thing that Hermione made extra. It was many a night that they would come home late from work and barely had the strength to heat up the leftovers.

Minerva waited impatiently as Adam ate. Her arms were crossed and her fingers drummed irritably on her upper-arm. “Mr. Montoya I understand that your mother taught you good manners but for at least for this meal could we please dismiss what your mother taught you and talk, mouth full or not.”

“Sorry.” Adam wiped the corner of his mouth and took a swallow. “Harry is cursed.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Remus placed his fork down after finishing his meal.

“Would it surprise you if I told you he was totally and utterly in love with Snape?”

Draco spit a mouthful of food across the table. Minerva patted him on the back until he stopped choking.

Wiping his face clean, Adam continued. “I must learn to give you information when your mouths aren’t full.”

“Please, Mr. Montoya, please continue,” Hermione pleaded.

“From what Snape said…”

“You saw Severus… how is he.”

“He’s alive… he was lucky that Alvin found him before Smyth got rid of him.” Minerva gasped. “He’s better,” he continued, “but a long way off before he will be well.”

“What did Severus say about Harry?”

“He talked briefly about the final battle and how Harry kept going even though he was pummelled with spells. Many of those spells are still affecting him. One specific is slowly destroying him. Have you heard of the spell ‘muerte di amor’?”

“Death of Love, it takes the thing you love the most away from you and destroys all memories of it,” Hermione answered.

“Very good, Ms Granger, ten points for Gryffindor but there’s more, isn’t there Mr. Montoya?” Minerva smiled at her prize student.

“Not only does it take the memory of that love away, in its place is left a pathological hate for the person.”

“So, Harry really doesn’t hate Severus,” Remus added.

“On the contrary, Harry really abhors Severus.”

“Can we remove the curse?” questioned Hermione.

“There is no anti-curse for muerte di amor.” Minerva let the tears flowed freely. Harry was to remain a pompous ass and never be with the one person that would fulfil him.

“There is no anti-curse, that’s true but it can be treated.”

“I have never heard of a case where it was successfully.”

“There is only one on record. Years ago, on a cruise, a young couple were on their honeymoon. An irate ex-lover cursed them on their wedding night. The wife nearly castrated her husband the first night they were together. Things went downhill after that. They were separated and placed as far apart as possible, annulment of there union was the only possible outcome that is, until fate stepped in. Details aren’t known but the ship sunk and the passengers and crew had to abandon the ship. The newlyweds found themselves in a life boat, alone, floating in the Atlanta. Twenty two days later they were found, alive, I must add. Her hate for her husband had, slowly, over time, shifted to a friendship of sorts. Within a year the two renewed their vows. They had to fall in love all over again.”

“So we must find away to connect the two, to give them a second chance at happiness.” Hermione smiled.

“There isn’t a cure. The two have to both be in love with one another. We know that Harry was in love with Snape but we don’t know what his feeling for Harry is and considering what he has been put through the last few months I don’t see the out come as favorable.”

“I think, short of blackmail, we’ll never get the two together,” Draco added.

“Then blackmail it is!” Minerva smiled maliciously.

A chill went down Draco’s spine. “Minerva, you never have said what house you were sorted into.”

“With a look like that I would have to say, Slytherin.” Remus snickered, along with everyone else in the room.

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