When All is Lost One is Found

Chapter 136: Surceasing Vengeance

When All is Lost, One is Found

Author: Rinoaebastel

Chapter 136: Surceasing Vengeance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than writing practice. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.

AN: This story may contain scenes taken from the Harry Potter movies and books, but it's not exact dialogue, just rewording of dialogue or omission. It is not marked.

The time passed slowly, but she was sleeping better than he'd expected. Her muscle spasms had decreased, but he worried about the lingering harm for her in the future. That went for mentally as well as physically. He knew that Weasley's betrayal would make it hard for her to trust future.

She shivered and he pulled her tighter against him. He made sure the blanket was snug around her. The shivers stopped. For now. She had to go through another regimen of potions and that would result in more spasms, and pain because some of her nerves had to regenerate. Fortunately, it wouldn't be as bad as the curse itself.

Her body moved against his. Her hair brushed against his neck, tickling the skin there. Then more spasms came.

He looked at the clock, and his frown deepened when he saw the time.

It'd been four hours so the effects of the potion had faded. She was still shaking, so he decided to take her to Pomfrey so she could be checked officially. She'd said she didn't want to go, but it was for her own good. Her nerves could possibly be irreparable if they waited too long to be checked.

He moved out of her embrace, and then carefully picked her up. He paused when he got her into a comfortable position and waited for her to wake. When she snuggled against his chest, he knew she was in deep sleep and he made his way to the infirmary via the castle's silent corridors.

He was grateful that the students were in their common rooms for the end of the day. The fact it was still winter also kept the students near the fireplaces rather than roaming the halls.

When he got to the infirmary, the double doors opened at his presence.

The place looked to be empty and it smelled of a light disinfectant potion that Pomfrey sometimes used when she couldn't use a cleaning spell.

Then he heard Pomfrey's voice somewhere in the room trying to calm a patient there. He took the liberty of choosing a bed for Hermione, the one he thought would be the warmest, and rested her on it. He sat on chair beside it and took her hand. He waited for the mediwitch to finish with her current patient.

"Severus, how is she?" Pomfrey asked as she approached. He let go of her hand and looked at the older woman. She was smiling at him just as she always had. Like a caring mother. "She is still suffering from aftershocks from the Cruciatus?"

He looked at her with inquisitive eyes. "How did you know that?" he asked. They hadn't told anyone in the infirmary about it.

"Mister Potter and Miss Weasley dropped off the aggressor and explained it to me. I was attending him when I felt you come in." His eyes moved to the bed where the curtains were drawn. It would be so easy to go back there and make Weasley wish he weren't in the same world with her, much less the same room.

He could crucio that boy until he went mad. Or use legilimency and make the boy fall into an endless nightmare until his brain was nothing more than sludge in his skull. He knew a wordless spell that could crack his neck before anyone knew it.