Hilltop Cottage

A/N: Thanks to ARo for her speedy Beta work. And thank you for the reviews ;)

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If anyone had told Severus that he would one day be sitting in front of the desk of the Minister for Magic as a welcomed guest, he would have snorted at them and checked them for Wrackspurts. And yet, so it was. He lifted his cup of strong coffee and sipped it slowly as he regarded Kingsley Shacklebolt suspiciously. The minister seemed nervous, and was shuffling a stack of papers before him in an obvious ‘putting off getting to the point’ sort of way.



Severus put his cup onto his saucer with a clink and coughed. Kingsley caught his eye and smiled ruefully.



‘My apologies, Severus. If I am truly honest, I didn’t expect you to come today,’ he said.



Severus nodded his understanding. ‘Never the less, Minister,’ he said smoothly, ‘here I am.’



He clasped his hands in front of him and observed Kingsley as a spy might observe his enemy. Trust was hard won with Severus Snape.



‘No need for such formality, my friend. We are still friends, aren’t we?’ Kingsley asked him, a hint of hope in his voice.



Severus relaxed slightly, and a brief smile graced his face. Kingsley had indeed been a good friend during the war, offering him a safe house on occasions, particularly when he needed to recuperate from injury or just needed space to gather his thoughts. Not even Dumbledore was aware of their link beyond that of the Order. It occurred to Severus that he hadn’t maintained contact with Kingsley after the war, and he felt a twinge of guilt.



‘I would hope so,’ he acknowledged, and was rewarded by a hearty laugh.



‘Excellent!’ Kingsley grinned warmly at him for a moment. ‘Now, I’ll get to the point.’



‘Finally,’ Severus said, his mouth twitching slightly. Kingsley’s effusiveness was always loud yet brief, and it never took him long to get back to business.



Kingsley looked at Severus seriously then smiled. ‘I had to butter you up first, my friend,’ he said softly.



‘Oh?’ Severus sat forward slightly.



‘I have a problem, and I think… I hope, that you can be of assistance.’ Kingsley sat back and his eyes narrowed. ‘Minerva is ill, Severus.’



Severus maintained his blank façade, but inside, his heart was beating fast. He hadn’t heard from Minerva in over a month, but he assumed she was just cross with him for arguing with Hermione. He was sure that the younger witch would have confided in her mentor, and he knew he would be in the doghouse for a while.



‘Is it serious?’ he said quietly.



‘I am told it is, yes. Poppy had been doing her best at the school, but it had proved beyond her skills. Minerva was transferred to St. Mungo’s this morning.’ Kingsley shook his head sadly.



Severus felt his mouth go dry, and took another slurp of his coffee. His hand shook slightly, spilling the dark liquid into the saucer, and Kingsley eyed him sharply.



‘I know this is a shock, Severus. Minerva has always been there, for all of us. But I need your strength, my friend, if we are to do what is necessary.’



Kingsley stood and walked to Severus’s side of the desk, putting a hand on his shoulder. Severus didn’t even feel it. His thoughts were a jumble of memories and panic, until with a deep breath, he gathered himself.



‘What do you want me to do?’ he said firmly. There was a glint in his eye, and Kingsley nodded as he acknowledged his willingness to help.



‘Well, first of all, you could check in with the Healers at St. Mungo’s. They have their own experts, of course, but they’re struggling. They have never seen anything like it, apparently.’ Kingsley sat back in his chair with a slump.



‘Symptoms?’ asked Severus, his brow furrowed in concentration.



‘Started out with extreme tiredness, then turned into a common cold, or so we thought. Poppy thought a rest and some Pepper Up would do the job, but then Minerva fell unconscious. The Healers say her body is attacking itself. They’ve put her in stasis, for the moment.’ Kingsley rubbed at his face with his hands, and Severus realised just how taxing his job must be.



‘Second of all?’ Severus said. Kingsley swallowed a little and Severus braced himself. He had obviously saved the worst until last.



‘The school, Severus. I hate to ask it of you, I really do. But Flitwick simply cannot command the authority needed. It’s not the students, you understand, but the staff. They need a firm hand, particularly the newer professors,’ Kingsley said imploringly.



Severus gritted his teeth and fought the urge to throw something. He might have bloody known. He hadn’t set foot in Hogwarts since his spectacular exit and he had no desire to go back. In fact, he had a definite need NOT to return to the place where his nightmares lurked.



‘Ask someone else,’ he spat out slowly.



Kingsley didn’t need to look at Severus to feel his anger, so he kept his gaze averted and hummed for a moment as he scanned a list of names on the parchment in front of him. When moments of silence had passed and he felt it was safe to speak again, he murmured. ‘The only other person I could approach is Neville Longbottom.’



Severus gaped at Kingsley in disbelief. ‘What about Hooch? Or Pomona Sprout?’ he said, his voice wavering at the thought of Hogwarts under the charge of Longbottom.



‘You didn’t hear? Hooch is in Bulgaria, Coach to the national Quidditch team. Seems she made quite an impression on young Krum, the year of the Triwizard Cup. And Pomona refused point blank. She likes Longbottom, but she doesn’t trust him to look after the greenhouses on his own just yet. We need her expertise, anyway. She’s providing the ingredients for Minerva’s potions.’



Kingsley sighed deeply. It really was a sorry state of affairs. Hogwarts reputation had definitely suffered during the war, and no one seemed to want to work in the place where Voldemort met his demise.



Severus glowered at the Minister and slumped in his chair like a sulking teenager. He was backed into a corner. Much as he hated the thought of returning to the school, he shuddered to think what might face Minerva if and when she returned to her post. The result could cause a permanent relapse if some dunderhead was left in charge. Resigned to his fate, he resolved that his return to Hogwarts would be brief, because he would do all he could to expedite Minerva’s recovery.



‘Very well. On one condition’ Severus muttered.



Kingsley caught Severus’s cold gaze and shrank back in his chair.



‘Anything,’ he said.



‘We count this as our debt paid in full, old friend.’ Severus said lowly.



Kingsley smiled at him warmly. ‘There was never any debt to pay, Severus, none at all.’





***



Severus arrived at St Mungo’s armed with official passes signed by Kingsley and his wand hidden up his sleeve. By taking on the task set him, he was no longer allowed to remain anonymous in New Mills, and his presence caused a stir as he walked purposefully up the ward. He reached the nurses’ station and glared imperiously down at the small, blonde-haired witch who hadn’t looked up at him, despite obviously being aware of his presence. Severus coughed, and she ignored him for a moment longer as she continued to write a patient’s notes, then she raised her eyes to his.



‘Professor Snape,’ she said quietly. ‘You’re here to see Professor McGonagall.’



‘Miss Lovegood?’ Severus stared down at her, and had a half-thought that this was some awful joke set up at his expense.



‘It’s Staff Nurse Weasley, actually,’ she said. She tipped her head to one side and gave him a lopsided smile. ‘It’s very good to see you,’ she said.



Severus stilled under Luna’s stare, even though there was a tinge of warmth there.



‘Thank you,’ he replied stiffly.



‘Follow me. Professor McGonagall is in our isolation ward until we identify exactly what is happening. If you ask me, her immune system has broken down in some way. But the Healer’s don’t ask me, because I’m only a nurse,’ Luna said softly.



Severus walked beside the witch, eyeing her sideways. He said nothing, but noted her theory. She was strange, but she had performed well in her NEWT’s and he would never presume to underestimate her.



They arrived at a side room, and Luna eyed Severus speculatively. ‘I need to use some disinfection charms on you, Professor. Is that acceptable?’ she smiled at him.



‘Perfectly, Staff Nurse Weasley,’ Severus said, nodding. He stood with his arms stretched in front of himself and his legs apart, and Luna cast a series of charms, some of which made his scalp and skin tingle and left him feeling as if he had been scrubbed with a wire brush.



‘You can go in. She won’t be able to hear you because of the Stasis Charm, but you can read her chart if you want to.’ Luna opened the door, and Severus looked in from where he stood at his friend lying still on the hospital bed. He paused; feeling conflicted, he jumped when he felt a hand on his forearm.



‘She’s just asleep, really. She’s not dead yet, sir,’ Luna whispered, squeezing his arm reassuringly.



Severus said nothing but nodded. He felt strangely calmer. Luna turned to walk away but stopped as Severus spoke.



‘Which Weasley?’ he said, not looking at her.



Luna laughed lightly. ‘George,’ she said, a smile evident in her voice even though he couldn’t see her.



‘Thank you,’ he murmured, closing the door behind him.