Sub Rosa

Chapter 61 – Vigil

Severus sat beside the hospital bed rigid and still. His face was a perfect blankness revealing nothing. His hands lay on either arm of the chair, unmoving and relaxed. He watched the very faint rise and fall of Kathryn’s chest and wondered idly if her death would break his mind.

He felt halfway to madness right then. When Albus had floated her into the school, his face grave and his back bent with pain, Severus had thought the worst. Minerva, wringing her hands and looking so terribly lost, had come and stood beside Severus, not touching him, just giving him silent support, but he had barely acknowledged her.

Potter had stood frozen in the hall, staring with a look of devastation and guilt that only made Severus want to kill him with his bare hands. Too late, Potter; you started thinking of the consequences too late again. He wanted to strangle the boy, he wanted to pound his head into the floout hut his eyes wouldn’t leave the still figure that drifted behind Albus as he made for the Hospital Wing.

In the end he ignored Potter and followed after the Headmaster. Poppy’s breathless pronouncement that Kathryn still lived made his knees go weak with relief. Her next comment, that she was unsure how long that would remain the case, froze him to the marrow. He He had sat himself down and simply watched as Poppy worked. There was nothing for him to do, no potion to brew, no spell to cast;, Popps a s a superb Medi-witch and she moved with deft skill, coaxing the
overburdened body to keep functioning. He sat just watching her, willing his beloved to live.

Poppy poured a heart-strengthening potion into Kathryn’s slack mouth, rubbing her throat to make her drink it. Severus wanted to help, wanted to rise and do something, but he was frozen stiff, paralyzed by his fear of losing her.

Albus was there beside him, he realized, and he found that he could turn to look at the Headmaster. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but the calm steadiness of the other man centered Severus suddenly. It was as if an immobilizing hex had been countered and he was free to move again.

“The Ministry Aurors took the downed Death Eaters away. They had never seen a curse like that before and they had to ‘stupefy’ the lot of them to get the screams to stop.” Albus commented idly. The older man placed a hand on Severus’ shoulder gently as he spoke.

“I hope they are suffering.” Severus ground out, his eyes returning to Kathryn’s still form and the quick, efficient movementsPoppPoppy Pomfrey.

“She is a very strong young woman, Severus.” Albus replied to the unspoken anguish in the younger man’s eyes. Albus always knew what he was thinking and for once it was a comfort rather than an intrusion.

Poppy cast another charm and Kathryn’s body arced up and her mouth opened into a silent scream. She collapbackback against the bed, her breath coming deeper and more strongly than it had before. Severus stood, horrified, and waited in terror.

Waving her wand over Kathryn produced a soft green glow around the unconscious woman and Poppy wilted in relief. She turned a smiling face to Severus and Albus.

“She’ll live.” The elderly Medi-witch said in exhausted tones.

“Thank you, Poppy.” Madame Pomfrey patted Severus lightly, her own relief palpable.

“Don’t thank me. I’ve grown rather fond of the young woman.” Poppy admitted with a conspiratorial wink at the two men.

“I should go inform Minerva that she will live.” Albus clapped Severus on the back as he left, obviously as pleased as Poppy.

Severus sat down to watch Kathryn’s steady breathing and pondered the affection the rest of the staff had for her. He had known that he loved her; he had known how much losing her would hurt him, but he had never before considered how much she had become a part of the daily life of the castle.

He knew that she was a friend to Albus and Minerva. He knew Hooch enjoyed teasing her about Quidditch, but he had never really thought about how her loss might affect them. He wondered if he had been selfish or merely unobservant. Even Potter and the rest of the Terrible Trio adored her. Draco and Minuet would be devastated to lose her.

He rose from his chair and stood over her still form, memorizing the curve of her hips, the swell of her breasts and scaring himself with how close he had come to losing her. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran a finger along her jaw line where the bruises were already fading.

He was struck by a sudden need to be close to her. He stretched his long, slender form out onto the bed beside her and lay looking into her still, sleeping face, noting the paleness, the fine lines of veins beneath her skin, the tiny crinkles around her eyes from laughter, the one between her brows ffrowfrowns. He studied her as though she were a stranger, mapping out every feature.

There was a soft fluttering of lashes and then her eyes were looking into his with a touch of bewilderment.

“Are you dead, too?” She croaked weakly.

“No, beloved, you are alive.” He whispered, caressing her cheek and then running his thumb across her frown line, smoothing it away.

“That’s good; I was worried that you would be upset if I died.” She spoke with a childlike vulnerability and he was ted ted that her thoughts had been of him. She was groggy and her sleepy words were uncensored. He took Slytherin advantage of the fact.

“I would have been far more than upset. I love you so much.” He murmured and she smiled at him with heart-breaking sweetness.

“’Love you too, Sev.” She mumbled back, starting to fall asleep once more.

“What curse did you use, angel?” He asked before she drifted off, for the Ministry Aurors were bound to ask.

“Insomnium aeternus. I wanted them to suffer as you have suffered.” He had to strain to hear the last words as her voice dwindled into sleep. He looked at her in awe. It was a Last Curse; it could only be cast with a dying breath and it was usually unbreakable, because the caster was the only one who could lift it.

An eternal nightmare with no waking was a horrible fate. Severus kissed her slightly parted lips with tenderness and love. It was strangely fitting, for after all, they had made other people’s lives a living nightmare. His cruel angel, he thought smugly as he studied her face. She would have made a great Slytherin.


Albus managed to keep Kathryn’s involvement in the fight a secret. Harry Potter got the credit for the four Death Eaters in St. Mungo’s. Kathryn’s injuries were put down to a stray shot from a Death Eater’s wand -- an accident, but still nearly fatal.

Kathryn didn’t care, but it galled Severus to see Potter get hailed as a hero, when Kathryn had almost died to save him.

Minuet was in the Hospital Wing the first thing the next morning before breakfast. She had peered around the curtains to find her Head of House curled against her Defense teacher sound asleep. Her tiny gasp had brought him instantly awake and he had glared at her with so much venom that she had started shaking in fear.

Severus grabbed the girl and dragged her to a more private spot to ream her out in peace.

“When next you get the urge to kill yourself and Potter please think again. Your lives are not the only ones at stake.” His fury broke over the child and he watched as huge glassy tears slid down her face.

“Miss Ravagienne?” Kathryn’s weak voice pulled him back from his anger and he moved quickly to her side, tugging the shaking Minuet along.

“P-professor?” Minuet made a hiccupping noise, her tears now flowing freely.

“Come here.” Kathryn waved her over and the girl leaned close so that Kathryn wouldn’t have to strain her voice.

“That was an unutterably stupid thing to do, but I will live and Professor Snape will not eat you.” Kathryn’s lips twisted into a wry smile and her words brought a stop to the tears. Minuet flung her arms around Kathryn and hugged her, making Kathryn wince with pain.

“Get off her, you foolish girl!” Severus lifted the child bodily from the clumsy embrace and swung Minuet into his own arms, where she proceeded to cling to him like a limpet.

“I’m so sorry! When I got the letter from Mama I was so happy. I haven’t even seen her since Papa died and her letters don’t say anything important.” Severus held the little girl against him and thought of Pansy Parkinson, too far gone to save.

The thought that Minuet, a fourteen-year-old, could have been the next pureblood to end up in Voldemort’s breedirogrrogram scared him. What if he had been forced to…he wrenched his mind away from the thought, smothering it.

He sat down in the chair with his little Snake on his lap and comforted the child. She was alone in the entire world except for a weak and foolish mother, a helpless baby sister and him. She was grieving for her father and her home, and her mother was far away and useless.

“Never go out without a Professor ever again.” He had let his voice reveal his for for her and she snuggled against him, hand clutching his robes, eyes still misty and over-bright.

“Yes sir.” She responded and he was simply grateful that she was safe, despite the pain Kathryn had suffered.

Kathryn’s eyes watching him from the bed were warm and soft. He knew she would have sacrificed her life for any one of the children and not counted the cost too high. He was glad that Minuet was alive but he wasn’t willing to trade Kathryn’s life for anyone’s.

“Miss Ravagienne, you will be late for breakfast.” He set the girl on her feet and with quick sure hands, set her robes to right. He straightened her tie and sent her on her way.

“Told you that you would be a great dad.” Kathryn’s thready voice drifted up from the bed and he shrugged.

“Raising nakenakes is not the same thing as having a child of my own.” He responded, but her soft laugh drew him to her side.

“So you say.” She retorted with a snort. “Except for skipping three a.m. feedings and the terrible twos, you have to do all the hard work. Teenagers are the worst to deal with.” She spoke with the authority of having come from an extraordinarily large family.

“Why haven’t more of your family members been kidnapped? You all are so very…fertile.” The thought occurred to him with some force.

“Because even Voldemort isn’t crazy enough to try to breach Lieu D’Asile and have to face the family.” She said with asperity.

“Marie has brought all the daughters to the house.” He nodded in sudden enlightenment. It made perfect sense, for Lieu D’Asile was heavily warded; as safe as Hogwarts in its own way. If Marie called in the family and set them to defending it, the house would be impregnable.

He had expected an answer from Kathryn but he looked over and found she had drifted back to sleep. With a tiny smile he set off for breakfast.