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Severus went to the medical supply cabinet and got out a small vial and pricking needle. He would need to take a sample of Hermione's blood to analyze how far the poison had spread into her system. He would then need to formulate a more specific antidote to repair what could be repaired the moment she awoke from the coma-like state she was in. This was all his fault. Just when he thought he was doing some good, trying to prove to himself he was no longer a filthy Death Eater, a reminder of his past misdeeds had surfaced in this fashion and brought down the best student at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore came back into the room, carrying a few dusty books. "I see our patient is in a better state," he remarked, "I know you did the right thing."

Severus could not meet the Headmaster's eyes. "I did the only thing. I will analyze her blood to see what I can do further. I may need to take time from my classes for the research." He raised an eyebrow, "I am sure my students would not be crushed if classes were canceled."

"Take the time you need," said Dumbledore. "It important that we proceed carefully. I would assume that we will be under a great deal of scrutiny from many eyes. And Miss Granger will need your skills to help her once she awakens."

"How could this have happened?" said Severus harshly. "How could they have perfected the elixir? I never even came close, thank Merlin. Of course they would pick the most powerful and knowledgeable student I have ever taught to victimize."

"Hermione has strength in addition to her brilliance," said Dumbledore, "I am hoping she will be able to draw on that. Now Severus," he continued, reaching out to put a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "Go work on the antidote."

Hermione gradually came aware of herself again. She felt like she was swimming in mud, totally submerged under warm, heavy waves. She slowly realized there was soft light at the top of the mud water, and flickers of sounds came through to her ears. As she struggled up through the depths, she became aware of a pounding in her head. She opened her eyes slowly.

She looked around her. She thought this might be the infirmary, but she was too confused to make much sense of what she was seeing. It was dark, but a few candles were lit to illuminate the darkness. She stretched and pulled herself up onto her pillows to find herself looking right into the tired face of Severus Snape. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, but when he spoke it was with his usual taunting voice.

"So Miss Granger, you finally deign to wake up. I was beginning to wonder if you were trying to keep me up as late as possible for the fun of it."

"What... what happened?" asked Hermione, her voice scratchy and odd sounding.

"You are in the hospital wing, and you must drink this immediately," he said, pushing a red vial to her lips. She automatically drank it without thinking. It was vile, and after she swallowed, the pounding in her head swelled intensely.

"Owwww," she cried, clasping her head. An intense stabbing of pain ripped through her brain, and then was gone. All that was left was a slight aching feeling. "Oh, that's better," she sighed and relaxed back on the pillows. "What happened to me?"

A flicker of concern crossed his face. "I think perhaps you should tell me," he said, in the kind of questioning voice he used when in the classroom.

Hermione closed her eyes as she tried to remember. "The last thing I remember was I was in Hogsmeade. There was a fight and we were all watching what was happening and then my drink tasted strangely. I remember being in excruciating pain and then... well, that's really all I remember. What time is it?"

"It's twenty past two in the morning. The morning of Tuesday, November 3rd, that is," replied Severus, watching for Hermione's response closely.

"What?" cried Hermione, sitting up quickly, "Tuesday? I've been asleep for over three days?" Then she gasped in horror, "Oh no! I missed an Arithmancy exam! And all my other classes besides!"

Severus, with an amused smile Hermione had never seen on his face, replied, "Don't worry Miss Granger, I am sure Professor Vector, and in fact, all of your professors, will make allowances for you. You have been seriously ill, and we have all been worried."

"Even you?" Hermione said incredulously, then clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock at what she'd said.

Using tact that also had never been in evidence before this night, Severus ignored her outburst. "Miss Granger, I need to ask you to do something, and then I will leave you to the capable hands on Madame Pomfrey."

Hermione looked up at him, a bit frightened. She was still not really sure why he would be here so late at night, waiting for her to wake up. "W-what do you want?" she asked.

"Please summon your wand. It is here on the bedside table." He was regarding her very shrewdly. It was critical to assess what magic she still possessed.

"Accio wand," commanded Hermione. With fits and starts, the wand levitated and slowly wobbled into her hand. A small burst of pain exploded in her skull. "Ow! That hurt. Why did it hurt?" She looked at Severus, and seeing his concerned expression, began to panic. "And why didn't my wand come straight to me?"

"The Headmaster will speak with you in the morning," he replied. "He wanted you to be well rested before---"

"Am I dying?" she exclaimed, "Is that why you're being nice to me? I was obviously poisoned. Oh God, I am dying, aren't I?"

"You are not dying," he replied curtly, "And you need to get some rest." He stood up, smoothing out his crumpled robes as he did.

"Are you certain? You have never been so nice to me, well... ever."

"I am certain. And I suspect you have never been poisoned before this?" Severus smirked as he spoke. Hermione nodded. "Well then, Miss Granger, it is a night for firsts for the both of us."

He swept past the privacy curtains and said, "Madame Pomfrey, I have seen what I needed to see. I will leave you and your ward in peace now."

"Humph!" replied Madame Pomfrey under her breath, "About time." She rustled in to stand by Hermione's bed. "Oh, are you awake then? How are you feeling, my dear?" She beamed down at Hermione.

"Confused," blinked Hermione, "And very tired. Madame Pomfrey, what is wrong with me?"

Her smile faltered a bit, but Madame Pomfrey's voice remained cheery. "Well now, my dear, not to worry. The Headmaster will be speaking with you in the morning. Just know you have the best people working on making you better."

"Like Professor Snape?" Hermione said, raising an eyebrow, "If he's working on my case, then I shall continue to be concerned. OH!" she exclaimed, "Harry and Ron - are they all right? Were they poisoned as well"

"Oh no, Miss Granger, they are fine. They've been coming to check on you every hour on the hour. Now here, eat this chocolate, and then you really must get some more sleep. The morning will be here soon enough."

"Yes, ma'am." Hermione ate the square of chocolate and almost immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Severus had gone to Dumbledore's office immediately after leaving Hermione's bedside. He had some very good news to report.

"Ah, Severus, come in. Please sit. Would you like some hot chocolate?" said Dumbledore, looking up from behind what looked like a large stack of paperwork at his desk.

"No thank you, sir," he replied, sitting down on the edge of the hearth. The heat of the fire felt intensely good on his stiff back.

"So our patient has awakened, and from the look on your face, things are not as grim as we feared?"

"She was able to weakly summon her wand," said Severus, "Thank Merlin, she still has some magic intact. Her mind is also as sharp as can be expected - no significant memory loss. In fact, she was very concerned that she had missed an Arithmancy exam today."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Oh yes, that sounds like Miss Granger." His expression changed then to one of weary defeat. "Severus, you know full well what implications this has. If this Leeching Elixir is successful, the wizarding world faces a danger unlike any we have faced before. I cannot even imagine the panic news of this would cause. Do you think Miss Granger can be rehabilitated?"

Severus rubbed his temples tiredly. "I don't know. I think so. It depends on the amount of damage to the magical energy in her brain. If the damage is isolated, I think I can configure some magnifying potions to help boost her powers. I am worried more because when she summoned her wand, she experienced pain. Recovery may be difficult if this pain continues."

"I have no doubt it will be," said Dumbledore, "but it is vital we try. Not only for Hermione, but for all of us."

Severus nodded in agreement, but he was not prepared for what Dumbledore said next.

"But Headmaster, I am not a Healer ---" Severus managed to sputter out in surprise.

"I know you aren't, Severus, but she will need someone who is well versed in the possible effects of the poison she was given, and what can counteract it. She will also need someone who is firm in regards to pushing her healing progress. People in pain often need more than friendly encouragement to improve. If you have specific concerns about how to approach this, you can contact a good friend of mine at St. Mungo's who can be trusted."

"I appreciate the confidence you place in me sir, but wouldn't Minerva be a better choice? Or if there is someone who could do better at St. Mungo's?" Severus said desperately.

Dumbledore regarded Severus for a moment. He knew the Potions master better than the man thought. He was clearly the only person at Hogwarts, or the entire wizarding world for that matter, skilled enough to deal with the complexities of a poisoning such as this. It was also very important that they keep news of this as quiet as possible, so sending Hermione to St. Mungo's would be an unwise choice. He also knew that Severus was also the only person at Hogwarts who had difficulty dealing with others on a personal level. He avoided his colleagues as well as he could, and Dumbledore was well aware of the conflicting emotions Severus felt towards... certain students. Assigning him to this task would be difficult for both Hermione and Severus, but as was the way with Albus Dumbledore, he could also see the possible positive ramifications of this path far outweighing the present hardships.

Then he said in a voice which was gentle, yet would brook no opposition, "Severus, you will be in charge of Miss Granger's recovery."

Severus knew there would be no further debate. "All right," he said defeatedly. "When do you want me to begin?"

"I will consult with Madame Pomfrey in the morning. I expect Hermione will need to rest a few more days at least. But then I think it will be in all of our best interests if we try to make things as normal seeming as possible. I will convene an emergency staff meeting with all of her teachers tomorrow afternoon so we can discuss this matter further. Now Severus," he said kindly," Go get some sleep. You have more than earned it"

As Severus descended the stairs to his dungeon rooms, the quiet of the castle was like a balm to his nerves. 'If only it could always be as quiet and as empty', he thought. 'Of course that horrid brat Potter could be waltzing by in his Invisibility Cloak at this very moment. So much for quiet and empty.' He was certain some attempt to search his office for clues to Hermione's condition had either been made or was being planned by Potter and Weasley. Ironically, they were right to look at him as prime suspect for a change.

But how had the Elixir been perfected? Severus could not think of any one in the ranks of the Death Eaters who had the ability to develop it. He had isolated most of the ingredients of the potion from the samples from Hermione's drink and blood, but what elements he had found did not have the power to cause this much damage. It was an infuriating puzzle. By the time he reached his office, he knew he would probably not sleep this night - his mind was whirring about in circles trying to figure out how the hell this could be happening and what he could do about it. He walked through his dark office to the back wall, where he tapped out a sequence on the brick wall. The doorway to his private living quarters appeared.

His rooms were small, cold, and spare. Severus did not need much in the way of personal comforts. The living area had a rarely used hearth, one armchair which was used only slightly more than the hearth, and a large table and hardback chair. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and the bookshelves were filled with orderly rows of books and neat stacks of parchment scrolls. He muttered "Lumos" to light the lantern on the ceiling and went straight to one of the shelves. He pulled out a large, very dusty book and sat down at the table. In contrast to the bookshelves, the table was cluttered with stacks of opened books, unrolled scrolls, and notes written on sheaves of parchment. Severus sighed before he opened the new book. If he began researching, he would definitely not be able to sleep. However, it was too late to take a sleeping potion, and they rarely worked well anymore. Attempting to lie down and sleep would be disastrous. He opened the book. Maybe he would find something to solve this riddle tonight. At the very least, he wouldn't have more nightmares.

Hermione had drifted in and out of sleep for most of Tuesday. When she fully woke up the second time, she could see the bright afternoon sun filtering in through the hospital ward's windows. She recalled Dumbledore speaking with her, but she was not really comprehending everything fully. She knew she had been poisoned, and that she had been especially targeted due to her Muggle birth - and probably due to her association with Harry as well. Dumbledore had said that the two wizards who had caused the disturbance at the Three Broomsticks had disappeared as soon as they had been ushered out. They had not been traced as yet, but Dumbledore had assured her that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was working on the case.

These things she could understand. But a poison leeching the magic out of her? That was incomprehensible. There had to be a way to research this and make things better. She was still so very tired, even after sleeping almost four days in a row. She didn't think she could research much more than the insides of her eyelids at this point. Her thoughts were interrupted by two familiar voices.

"Hey, your eyes are finally open," Ron said, plopping a bouquet of fresh flowers into the vase on her bedside table.

"Do you mind a visit?" asked Harry.

"Not at all. It's good to see you both," she replied. Her voice sounded strange and almost hollow.

"We won't keep her long," said Harry, turning on his natural charm. "We just wanted to say hello."

Madame Pomfrey smiled. "Of course, dear." She walked back over to her desk, leaving the trio of friends to themselves.

"How are you, Hermione?" Ron asked softly. "We've been so worried about you."

"Yeah, Hermione, you had us pretty scared."

"I haven't been exactly full of ease myself," she said, sitting up a bit more. "Would you pour me a glass of water, Harry?"

Harry, who was closest to the water pitcher, did as she asked. Ron sat down on the bed beside Hermione, and Harry pulled up the chair Snape had been sitting in earlier that morning. Hermione had a flash of the strange moment when she had woken up to see him there. Had that really happened? This whole experience was becoming too surreal.

"So do you know what's going on?" asked Harry in a hushed tone. "No one is telling us anything other than you were poisoned, and that you'll be all right."

"We tried to get in to see Dumbledore, but had no luck," said Ron.

"He talked with me earlier," she said, after taking a big drink of water. She was about to tell her friends about the conversation, but she was still trying to sort through what she wanted to repeat. It would be better to change the subject until she could think a bit more clearly. "Tell me what happened. I don't really remember anything after the duel."

Ron and Harry told her what they could, which was not much. Ron vowed to find the people who had done this to her and make them pay. Harry simply sat and looked at her quietly. He had never seen Hermione look so ill, not even when she had been Petrified.

"So I was screaming the entire time?" said Hermione. "No wonder my throat still feels so scratchy." She lay back onto the pillows and closed her eyes.

Harry nudged Ron, and they both stood up. "We'll go for now, Hermione," Harry said. "We know you're tired."

She smiled at them and said, "Thanks for coming. I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow." She was already asleep by the time they had walked out the door.

As they were walking down the hallway, Ron said worriedly, "She didn't even ask about homework."

Harry nodded, equally grim. They walked in silence back to Gryffindor tower, each wishing Hermione was walking along with them.

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