Lendoren

Disclaimer: the characters belong to Jo, the story to kelokelo, the translation to septentrion and the betaing to vonHardenberg

Chapter 39. The Awakening

Severus couldn’t open his eyes. The light was too bright, and he grimaced. He couldn’t move. He heard voices above him; they were whispering words he didn’t understand. At last, someone had the good sense to shut that damn light off, and he could lift an eyelid. Some liquid was poured between his lips. He swallowed it with difficulty, though it seemed to be only water. He felt like he hadn’t drunk for an eternity. Little by little, it became easier to drink, and he could open his eyes completely and look at his surroundings. The first face he saw was Albane’s, but it took him a few seconds to recognise her.

She understood his worried expression at once and told him, “Lumina is in your arms, but you must give her strength. Your link is still there, Erwin. Give her some of your strength. And now, drink this.”

She gave him water again while he was looking for Hermione through their link. For now, this name came more easily to him than Lumina. When at last he sensed her, he understood what Albane meant. She’d exhausted nearly all of her magical energy, and didn’t have enough left to support life without Erwin’s help. Severus motioned to Albane to show that he’d understood her and closed his eyes to rest. He would need to share his strength with Hermione and bring her back to life.

Severus had no consciousness of the days, nor the hours. As soon as he was awake, a companion was there to give him some tonic and something to eat. He slept most of the time so that he could better transfer his energy to Hermione, whom he felt was coming, little by little, back to life, though he was the only one who could notice it. Voldemort’s death had been celebrated everywhere in the country. Everyone had been astonished to find out about the existence of the Dictator and the Lendoren. Everyone had been astonished when they had seen the damaged condition of Hogwarts castle, then how quickly it was being rebuilt—even though several weeks would be needed—thanks to the Lendoren Community.

When at last he woke up completely, Severus discovered to his utter amazement that the companions were taking turns at their bedside—which had been placed in the middle of the Silvery Circle instead of a hospital—to take care of them. Albane rushed to them when she knew that for the first time, he was well enough to speak.

“Lumina?” she asked without further ado.

“I think she will be all right,” he murmured. “She will get back on her feet step by step. She’s not as weak as before, and I can reserve a bit more energy for myself.”

“So now, you’re going to eat again. You’ll have more energy to give her.”

“How long has it been?”

“Two weeks now.”

“The Community?”

“We’ve lost … a third of the couples … we’ve been lucky in our tragedy. All the single men have escaped. Some of them are hurt, but nothing too serious.”

Severus grimaced. They were his family, and a third of it had gone.

“Who? I want to know, Albane. There’s no use in being gentle with me.”

“Arlin and Aya. Vera and Oleg…”

The litany of names comprised twenty other names, ten happy couples, now united in death.

After a long silence, Albane softly said, “You’re going to eat, and then you’ll sleep again.”

“Hogwarts?”

“Those who aren’t watching over you are rebuilding it. It’s disturbing, but nothing is beyond repair, in my opinion.”

“How many dead?”

“Too many,” she sighed. “Including some of the students, alas. Ravenclaw tower collapsed and Salazar’s dungeons were flooded.”

“Hermione’s friends? Harry? Ron? Ginny?”

“Harry left St Mungo’s yesterday, Ginny a week ago, and Ron only had scratches. They’ll be here tomorrow for the holidays. They want to be near Lumina, even though they know they won’t be able to do anything for her. Dumbledore also wants to spare them the journalists’ and the Ministry’s interference. They’ll be able to recover here, especially Harry.”

A week later, Severus decreed that it was time for Hermione and him to go back to their chalet. He was now strong enough to stay awake several hours a day while giving Hermione some of his strength. She was moving away from death a bit at a time. She would probably need several more days before she would be able to open her eyes, but he wanted some quiet and privacy with her. He was being wary of always having people hanging around them, he wanted to take care of her himself, even if he tired quickly.

He was barely comfortably, settled in with Hermione in their favourite armchair, when someone knocked at the door. He rolled his eyes with exasperation. Weren’t they allowed some peace?

“Come in,” he grumbled.

Albane came in, followed by a couple Severus recognised immediately, though he’d never met them. He now knew what Hermione’s normal appearance would look like in twenty years; her likeness to her mother was uncanny. The couple wore worried faces and their eyes at once settled on Hermione, who was in his arms.

“She’s … sleeping, if I may say so,” Severus told them quietly. “I think she’ll be able to open her eyes within a few days.”

“And you…”

“I give her as much strength as I can to bring her back through our link.”

“What happened exactly?”

“She gave everything she had, all her strength, energy and magic; she took my own energy to send the Dictator enough light and love to consume and destroy him. We succeeded by a hair’s breadth. I remember seeing the Dictator dying, and then, nothing.”

“And after?”

Albane spoke, “We kept them in the position in which they were and brought them to our Circle where our magic is at its strongest. Lumina, that is to say Hermione, was alive only through her link with Erwin, who himself was still alive thanks to his sturdier constitution. This has saved them. Erwin has more strength every day, and we think that Hermione will regain consciousness soon.”

Hermione’s parents left rather quickly; Albane had explained to them that Severus needed a lot of rest. Their mind had been put at ease, and in the three weeks they’d been there, they understood that neither she, nor he had chosen their destiny, and that they had to accept it. They would have wished a younger man for her, but all the people they knew, including Harry, Ron and Ginny, had told them that, in spite of his flaws, Severus seemed to be very deeply in love with Hermione and that, against all expectations, he was making her happy.

Severus savoured this first night together in their chalet. At last he could snuggle up against Hermione, both naked as was their custom. He knew it had been good for her too. Even though she didn’t always answer him through their link, he’d perceived her deepest emotions, and in their bed, she’d felt good for the first time since they’d faced the Dictator. She needed his physical presence less and less, and he could leave her alone in their bed or comfortably installed in an armchair for a few minutes.

Hermione felt as if she were in a long tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, a light was waiting for her. However, a soft, tempting voice was pulling her back toward life by speaking to her of love and happiness for them both. She’d have liked to fight this voice and to join the peaceful light, but the voice was stubborn and didn’t yield to the light. It was affectionate and angry by turns, and wasn’t letting her go. The voice was stronger and stronger. She ended up feeling arms around her body, preventing her from going away, and the voice’s words became distinct.

“My dear, come back to me. I won’t let you go anyway. Hermione, you have to live with me for many years. Come Lumina. I love you with all my heart. Wake up so that you’ll regain your strength more quickly.”

The words were repeated tirelessly, and Hermione started to realise that Erwin was speaking them through their link. She remembered that she hadn’t felt him anymore just before she’d dealt the fatal blow to the Dictator. She’d been persuaded she’d killed him by demanding too much of him, and she couldn’t bear the idea of living without him.

“My dear, I’m tougher than you believe, and the good Slytherin that I am, I had hidden a part of my strength from you. Oh, not much, but just enough to carry on living and keeping you alive. Now,” he resumed after a silence, “will you open your eyes and look at me?”

“Erwin,” she tried to whisper for the first time in nearly four weeks, but her throat was too dry, and the word remained stuck into it.

She forced herself to open her eyes, but she had to close them immediately, for the light was too bright. She felt soft lips brushing hers and a voice whispered to her, “Sleep again, my dear. Next time, you’ll do better.”


Answer to reviews:

Zigflorian: now, you have your answer. Thanks for reviewing.

loveeyourhatee: I had a happy Easter (I'm a Catholic BTW), thanks for your wished. I hope you like this update.

catysmom: thank you.

Citten: thank you for your constant support. I hope you like this chapter.

Kimi: I'm sure the original author will be very pleased with your review. After all, I'm but the translator. Thank you for your review.