Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter One-Hundred-and-Six

Since you folks love Hope Lupin so much... :)

All Silvanna could feel was the burn and sting of her wounds, the way her head felt like it would split open, the twists of her stomach as she tumbled through the floo.

She hit a hard wooden floor, not having the energy to groan from the pain of it. Her stomach heaved but nothing happened. She was still bleeding, more now because of the strain of her journey. Something dropped to the floor across the room.

"Oh, my-!" said the voice, familiar and gentle even in its shock. "Remus! Remus, come quickly!" Silvanna groaned as she was turned over, and cried out as one of her ribs shifted. Everything twinged and everything hurt. Her head fogged with the pain, and she didn't dare open her eyes from the sheer exhaustion.

"What is it, Mum?" came Remus's voice, sounding hurried and panicked. "Who is that?"

"I don't-" Mrs Lupin's voice began. "Is it Silvanna?" Her voice sounded quiet and horrified.

Silvanna croaked something in response. "It is," Remus said, and she heard him step across to her. "Mum, she needs a healer!"

"We can't - we can't take her to a healer," Mrs Lupin whispered. "Remember what your dad said - about it being suspicious if one of us is in the hospital-"

"This is more important, Mum-!" Remus protested.

"No it isn't," said Mrs Lupin firmly. "I can do this - I've got all those things Poppy gave me. Help me get her on the table." Silvanna felt herself being lifted, feeling weightless, before she thudded onto the hardwood. The wounds in her back seared once again, and she felt them throbbing more. She cried out.

"Oh, I'm sorry-!" Remus's splutters began. "My wand was shaking-"

"Don't worry," said Mrs Lupin gently. Silvanna felt some fabric being stuffed under her back and groaned. A hand touched her hair, brushing it back. "Go and write to your Dad and tell him she's here."

"I'm not leaving-"

"Remus John Lupin you will do as you're told." The door shut once again. Silvanna heard the thudding of tins in the silent room, lids being unscrewed, the splatter of the tap against the basin. Her head was swimming, and she thought she might have drifted out of consciousness once or twice.

The very next thing she knew, she was extremely cold - shivering even - and somebody was holding her hand. Her face was damp, but whether it was from tears or ointment or something else she didn't know.

"She's awake," announced Remus, and the hand holding hers shifted.

"Good," said another voice, that sounded startlingly like Remus's, but more sharp. Mr Lupin had come home. "Let's see if this is really her."

"You get that thing out her face," warned Mrs Lupin. "Lyall."

"It's Ministry procedure, darling," said Mr Lupin, sounding slightly more gentle.

Silvanna sniffed. Her head felt woozy, like it was spinning round and round on her neck, completely free of her shoulders. Something tugged at her, pulling her away. She fought it off, wanting to open her eyes but she couldn't. "Remus," she said as loudly as she could, though she doubted it was more than a whisper. The hand gripped tighter. "I don't want to die."

"You're not going to die," came Remus's voice, firm like his mum when she told someone off. "Silvanna, do you hear me-?"

The tugging thing won. She couldn't hear anything more.

*****

Silvanna couldn't move. Everything ached and she couldn't move. It didn't sting anymore though. Or twinge, or throb. It just ached. There were crisp sheets around her, that smelled like washing powder. And someone was there, bustling around.

"Mrs Lupin?" Silvanna croaked, her voice hoarse.

"Oh good you're awake," said a voice. It wasn't Mrs Lupin.

"Madame Pomfrey?" Silvanna asked, confused. She peeled an eye open to see the matron at her bedside, wringing a cloth over a small bucket of water.

"Hello, Miss Snape," she said, the only tone to her voice being her prim accent. "How are you feeling?"

Shit. "Fine," she murmured.

Pomfrey sighed heavily. "A likely story," she said, now sounding unimpressed. "You might struggle with your right eye - I'll test it properly when the swelling goes down. The lacerations on your back are being treated with an ointment, and your ribs and other fractures are fully healed. There was a fair amount of internal bleeding, and damage to your left kidney and liver, but that's all cleared up. You also had a large concussion, along with a slight bleed in your brain but I've fixed that. And I want you to drink this." Silvanna was helped to sit upright, and handed a large goblet full of smooth crimson potion. It seemed like more of a bucket. She began to take it, one gulp at a time, a metallic taste in her mouth.

"Ought I be concerned about Mr Snape?" asked Madame Pomfrey, taking a seat. She looked very tired, and Silvanna instantly felt bad.

"Mr brother seemed fine when I last saw him," said Silvanna. "Walking around and all that. And he isn't at home anyway."

"Well that's good," said Madame Pomfrey. She looked to the ground, stifling a yawn.

"How long have you been here?" Silvanna asked, still sipping her potion.

"Oh, a few days," said Madame Pomfrey. "You woke up once or twice but I've given you dreamless sleep until you were stable." Silvanna nodded and drained the last of her potion as a knock sounded on the door.

It opened to reveal Mrs Lupin and Professor McGonagall, both of them looking surprised to see her awake. "I'll wait for you downstairs, Minerva," said Madame Pomfrey, climbing to her feet and gathering her things. "Remember to change her dressings tomorrow morning, Hope. And drop me an owl if any other problems arise."

"I can't thank you enough," said Mrs Lupin.

"Yes," said Silvanna quickly. "Thank you."

And for once, Madame Pomfrey smiled. "As long as I don't have to do it again," she said, before closing the door with a little click.

"How are you feeling, Silvanna?" asked Professor McGonagall, taking a seat in Pomfrey's empty chair. Mrs Lupin swept forward and embraced Silvanna in the lightest hug she'd ever had.

"Better," Silvanna said truthfully. "Much better."

"That's good," said Professor McGonagall primly. "You'll be pleased to know Professor Slughorn made contact with your brother, and he is 'staying with a friend for the summer'."

"Great," muttered Silvanna. "So probably You-Know-Who himself."

McGonagall didn't comment. "We would like to hear your account of the events. Severus did mention your father was involved-?"

Silvanna looked into her lap, though it hurt her head a little bit to do it. "Silvanna?" asked Mrs Lupin, who had sat in the edge of the bed and had placed a hand on Silvanna's knee. "Did your dad do this?"

"Yes," she croaked. "And then I took the floo here. It must've heard when I said Lupin or something."

She looked at McGonagall, who nodded. "The Auror office suspected as much. Your father has been arrested - by the police, not aurors - and they will no doubt want a statement from you. We've informed them that a neighbour did primary first aid and brought you here at your hazy request. Along with a few confundus charms they've accepted the story."

"Right," Silvanna said slowly. "Right, yeah - OK." And just like that her dad was gone. He couldn't hurt her.