Healing 2.5/4
Rating : G
Author: sheankelor (Ree)
Word Count: 10k+
AN: This story mentions different disorders. I am friends with people who have three of the issues mentioned. One who has suffered with the specific desease and two who suffer symptoms of the others. So, please do not go into what I have left out. The lack of information was not intended to be a slight or insult to anyone. The fourth is completely a figment of my imagination. So is my description of the Muggle care system described here. It is based loosely on things I know of, but I cannot guarantee that they apply to the UK system.
Thank you for taking the time to try this. This bunny would not leave me alone...it has been patiently waiting since last October.
Thanks to SuNoYo for taking time out to beta this one. I truly appreciate it.Disclaimer:None of the characters nor the universe are mine. They are JK Rowlings instead. I found a LEGO Harry and LEGO Snape and started playing.
Summary: Two curses started it all. Severus and Minerva lost so much to them and Hogwarts lost both of them. But now something else has come along. Will that allow all of them to heal? No pairings. EWE
As they passed through the Leaky Cauldron, Severus and Minerva watched the twins’ expressions. The looks of wonderment made both of them smile lightly. They paid even closer attention to them when Severus opened up the passage to Diagon Alley and Severus’ smile gave way to a subtle grin as he noticed that they were both focused on the cauldrons stacked up outside of Potage’s.
“Books first.” Minerva started down the Alley with a brisk pace, heading for Flourish and Blott’s. She wasn’t more than twenty steps when she heard Nora calling her.
“Aunt Min! Slow down.”
Tuning about, Minerva’s admonishment to pick up the pace died on her lips. The two were being careful to walk next to Severus, who was watching the crowd warily behind the glare that he was sending them. Minerva stopped and smiled at the girl. “Thank you, Nora.”
They entered Flourish and Blott’s with a large number of other students and their families. Minerva led them over to a less crowded section of the store. “Now, your materials list, please. It will have the books that are required on it.”
Even as she looked down at Nora’s, she heard Severus’ snort. She just raised her eyebrow at the book for transfigurations.
“We shall be supplementing these books.” Severus caught Minerva’s eye. “If you take Nora into that press of people to get their required books - Tim can stay with me. I will pick up your standard one as well as the supplement that Filius swore by. They will need a different potions book as well. You did notice that they are no longer requiring the Standard Book of Spells?”
The disgruntled look that crossed Minerva’s face showed that she did. “I don’t know what the teachers were thinking, that was the primary book for Charms and the supplement for Defense and other classes.”
Severus sighed. “I’ll see if I can find them. I hope that the new books at least explain the material as well. Head on, we need to get moving.”
Giving a nod, she turned about and headed into the crowd with Nora at her side.
Severus looked at the books that he was standing next to and spotted years one through seven of The Standard Book of Spells. He picked up the last two sets while he tried to figure out why the school had stopped using them. Glancing over at Tim, he smirked at the boy who was engrossed in one of the books off the shelf. “Put that one down. I need you to go find A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch. It should be a couple shelves over. Repeat the name, Tim.”
“A Beginner’s Guide to.... Transfiguration.” Blue eyes were obviously focused on the memory. “Emery Switch.”
“Emeric not Emery. Good, go find it.” Severus watched as Tim headed off in the right direction. A quick glance at the list show that they were still requiring the Magical Theory book and One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. Moving down the shelf, he spotted the basic potion book he wanted. Adding it to his pile, he could feel his legs start to ache lightly. Growling lightly, he ignored them and moved to get the Magical Draughts and Potions that he knew they were going to need. The explanations were clearer than the one that was on the list.
Tim came walking back with five books at the same moment Minerva and Nora returned. Minerva took one look at Severus and pulled a broken quill out of her robe and transfigured it into a chair. “Sit while we make sure that we have everything we need.”
She ignored Severus’ glare as he settled in the chair. “Nora and I have all the books on the list. Severus, did you find the Standards?”
Severus gestured to the stack next to him. “They look to be the last two complete sets, so we should get the entire collection. Tim, did you find the books that I requested?”
Tim held out two of the five books he was holding. “They had two copies, Uncle Toby. I grabbed both just in case you wanted us to have our own.”
“And what else did you find?”
Tim held out the other three books. “How to Remember: A Guide to Memory Tricks, The Color of Magic, and Hogwarts: A History. I thought Nora might like the last one and the other ones sounded useful.”
Severus pointed to the stack. “I’ll go through the memory guide one with you.”
Standing up he looked from the chair to Minerva. “I think it is time to move on.”
With a quick swish and flick, they both floated the stacks of books over to the counter. Severus then summoned Payne to take them home.
At Potage’s Severus bought both the copper cauldron on the list and the pewter one that he thought was the better one to start with. Minerva insisted that they have an owl, so they had stopped by Eeylopes. They stopped at Madam Malkin’s for the school robes and sets of informal ones as well.
Olivander’s wand shop was the only place that someone recognized either Snape or McGonagall. Severus spotted the glint of welcome and knowledge in Olivander’s eyes as he was measuring Tim. He was surprised that they weren’t questioned.
Throughout the trip Minerva would transfigure a chair for Severus when she felt he needed it. Slugs and Jiggers was the only place she couldn’t convince him to sit.
By time they made it home, all three were tired.
(Ô.Õ)
The summer passed quietly at Spinner’s End. Nora and Tim worked hard each day so that they were a bit ahead and ready to go. Severus learned his limits and to push them only to a point. He spent hours quietly modifying a potion to help push those limits further. Minerva learned that her potions were not to be ignored or forgotten. There were only two major events that broke up the restful atmosphere. A trip to the beach and one to St. Mungo’s.
It had taken a long conversation with Minerva to decide how to broach the subject of what had happened to the twins’ parents with them. But it had to be done so that they could explain why Tim needed to be seen by a Memory Charm Specialist at St. Mungo’s. Also, it would give Minerva a chance to work with Nora on the bases if her fear and possibly finally end her cycling bouts with her OCD.
Severus motioned both of the children to sit down before doing so himself. Minerva paced back and forth in the back ground. They had decided that Severus should explain why he hadn’t told them what he had learned before now.
“Nora, Tim I have some news that will interest you.” Twin blue eyes sent him inquiring looks. “While I was filing your adoptions at the Ministry of Magic, I learned part of your past.”
“So, we are from a Wizarding family, Uncle Toby?” Nora clenched her fingers in her lap. She relaxed a bit when Minerva rested a hand on her shoulder.
Severus nodded. “I should have informed you before, but I did not wish you to be concerned about the possibility of being removed from us by a relative. The time period for contesting the adoption has now expired. As no one came forward, I do not know if you have any living relatives.”
Tim started to shake slightly. “Mum and Dad really are dead aren’t they?”
When Severus and Minerva nodded yes, the twins grasped each other’s hands and looked at each other. They nodded, and Nora spoke for both of them. “We don’t want to know anymore. Not now. Uncle Toby, you and Aunt Min are our guardians and that is all that matters.”
Minerva met Severus questioning look and nodded. It would be fine for them not to know. She would work with Nora and reveal things only as needed.
Severus looked at his two charges and sighed lightly. “There is one other thing you have to know. Tim was hit with a spell and it is what has caused his memory issues. We need to take him to see a specialist to see if there is anything that they can do for him.”
“Do you think that I can be better like Aunt Min? Or kind of better, like you?” Tim’s voice shook slightly.
“I don’t know,” was the only answer that came.
Severus and Tim were sitting in St. Mungo’s three days later. Severus kept waiting for one of the healers to recognize him and make a scene. But not one did. The specialist didn’t even confirm anything more than that he was Tim’s guardian, and Tim answered her. “Uncle Toby adopted me. So he can be in here, right?”
The blonde healer blinked and shrugged. “If you feel the need for him to be present, then of course your uncle can stay.”
Severus stared at the healer, trying not to go off into a scathing rant about minors and the need to be positive that they are there with a legal guardian. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was on the memory charm specialist ward, he would have taken Tim out of there. Instead he made sure to settle in a chair that let him see everything that she was doing.
Several diagnostic spells later, the healer had turned a sad gaze at the waiting uncle. “He won’t remember this shortly. I’m amazed that he knows who you are.”
Severus scowled at her. She obviously couldn’t tell the work that they had been doing, or the memory tricks didn’t show up on the diagnostic. “I am aware of that. Now, is there anything that can be done.”
She shook her head. “We can put him in the ward where we can monitor him. Maybe a wit-sharpening potion, but it's his long-term memory that's affected. However the damage is so extensive... I just cannot see him gaining much function back at all. How long has he been like this?”
“Almost five years. I do not know if he was previously treated for this condition. Tim only came into my care during the last month.” That much information was in the public record for all to read. He was not going to expound on it since she was obviously not professional enough to verify who he was. He didn’t trust her with anymore information, it was private and he intended it to remain that way. He would quietly contact the lead healer for the ward and discuss Tim’s case with them. Folding his arms he glared at her, he didn’t need the sympathy he could see filling her face as he waited to see what else she would say.
“I can understand your desire to leave him here with us -”
Tim stared at Uncle Toby, fearful eyes searching the pale face. Was he really going to be returned again? But Uncle Toby adopted him. ‘But that was before he knew that there was no help for me.’ His eyes widened as Uncle Toby moved.
Severus shot to his feet and glared down at the healer. “I did not say that I was leaving Tim here. He will be coming home with me.” He caught the fear fading off the boy’s face. “Is there anything else you can tell me about his condition?”
“Nothing right now.” Her voice came out as a soft squeak.
“Fine.” Severus turned to the pale face boy sitting on the bed. Narrowing his eyes, he made sure that Tim was focused on him. “It’s time to go home, Tim. Nora and Min will wish to know the outcome of this misadventure.”
‘Home, I’m going home. He’s keeping me!’ Tim slipped off the bed and moved right next to his adopted uncle. “I’m ready, Uncle Toby.”
Severus slipped his hand around Tim’s and squeezed it reassuringly.
As they left, the healer was certain she would be seeing that little boy in the wards soon enough.
When Tim and Severus made it home, Severus asked for permission to use Legilimency on Tim, one quick peek told him everything he needed to know at that moment. The boy’s mind was covered in a gray fog, much like the thick pea soupers that used to cover London. The colors and tricks acted like beacons in the fog, allowing Tim to find the information. The reason he was able to function and remember the basics of the day, Severus attributed to Tim storing that information below the fog level, where he didn’t actively access it, but just reacted to it.
(Ô.Õ)
Percy rested his head in his hands. Summer was almost done. Today was the day that the rest of the professors learned that he was Deputy Headmaster, and it had gone about as well as his meeting with the Headmaster.
He glanced at the stacks of parchment on his desk, there was still a good bit he had to complete. Pulling out his summer to-do checklist, he wondered how much of this was honestly the Deputy’s responsibility. He suspected that part of the list was actually the Headmaster’s duties, the old Headmasters knew they weren’t being done by Moreau.
Sighing, he reorganized his desk in order of priority. He smiled when he spotted the letter from his family and his smile widened as he remembered the scolding that Mum and the others had given him when he had told them that he wouldn’t be taking a holiday. George and Ron had popped in and kidnapped him. It was the funnest week he had had in a long time.
Setting the letter into the top drawer of his desk, he headed out to complete the next item on the checklist.
(Ô.Õ)
The goodbyes at King’s Cross Station were heartfelt and filled with a lot of reassurance, if you knew how to see it.
“Stop clinging.” Severus glared down at Tim as the boy was attempting to burrow into his robe.
Stepping back, Tim wiped his eyes and put on a brave face. Part of him knew that Uncle Toby and Aunt Min were not getting rid of them, but the part that had been rejected time and time again was afraid. “We can come home?” His voice was soft and shaky.
It was Minerva that answered him. “At Christmas time and the end of the school year.”
Severus raised an eyebrow. “You also have your owl.”
Nora watched the two adults with wide fearful eyes. “You won’t forget us, will you?”
Both Nora and Tim waited, fearful of what the answer was. When Uncle Toby crossed his arms and glared at them and Aunt Min’s lips pressed thin, they relaxed. The only time they got those looks was when they were being excessively stupid.
Nora smiled. “We’ll owl you to let you know our house.” At Uncle Toby’s raised eyebrow, she amended her statement. “Or houses.”
With a quick wave, the two Boarded the train. Severus and Minerva faded into the background as they watched the unfamiliar and familiar faces wishing students goodbye.
The next morning, Minerva opened the letter that came in at lunch time.
Severus’ quill stopped moving over the journal that he was marking up. “Well?”
“Nora made it into Gryffindor. I thought she would be a Hufflepuff, but I am more worried about Tim. He was put in Ravenclaw. How is he going to survive in there with his memory disorder?” Minerva shot a concern look over at Severus.
“He can do it. He might not be the best and brightest in the group, but he will be fine. And Nora will be just as fine in Gryffindor. She might get them to think before they act.” Severus smirked as he returned to his journal.
Minerva shook her head before setting the letter over next to Severus’ elbow. “Are you going to meet up with that potions master that you were talking about?”
Severus jotted a few more words down. “I’m going to meet with him tomorrow.”
(Ô.Õ)
It was a week later, and Severus was wondering why he had agreed to do this again.
He had met up with Matthew Reynolds at the Leaky Cauldron as they had arranged. Matthew told him at the end of their meeting that he had been expecting it to be a representative for him and that he had been shocked speechless when Severus had crossed the room to join him.
That meeting was the reason he was here. The potions team that he was a member of was having difficulty understanding the preparation technique he had described in his last missive. So, now he was standing, hand clutching his cane, outside of a magical hotel for a potions conference.
Moving carefully into the foyer of the hotel, Severus looked about for Matthew. He finally spotted the man near the main stairs. Scanning the area, Severus hoped to see a lift, but there wasn’t one in sight. Tightening his fingers on the head of his cane, he plotted his route through the sea of people carefully. It took him a couple of moments to cross the hall, and halfway there he noticed that Matthew was watching him, patiently waiting.
“Matthew.” He nodded a greeting as the man smiled at him.
“Severus.” Matthew turned towards the stairs. “The convention is on the second floor. I moved our rooms down so that they are on convention level.”
Severus looked up the stairs, this was going to take him forever. No matter how much better he was, stairs were hard. Grasping the hand rail securely he started up them slowly, making sure that he feet were solidly placed.
Matthew noticed how much effort it was taking his friend to climb the stairs and slowed down his pace. When they reached the top, he nodded towards a bench. “Can we take a moment? I want to show you the time line and layout of the convention.”
He barely caught the brief flash of gratitude that moved over Severus’ face. Settling on the bench next him, he unrolled a parchment. “Since you are here as my guest, your name is not on the list of attendees. That should stop us being swamped by people wanting to see you. I want you to be up there when we present our latest potion, though.”
Severus read over the list of attending Masters and their talks before scanning the map for areas that were going to give him difficulties. “You said that you moved our rooms to convention level?”
Matthew nodded. “It wasn’t that hard to do. They haven’t changed the rule for invited guests,” He grinned at the knowing look tossed his way. Both the guest and their invitee’s rooms had to be adjacent or as near as possible. “ and the two closest to each other just happened to be on this level.” He did a quick time check and looked at Severus to gauge if he was ready. “Let’s head into the dinning area and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team.”
Using the bench arm and his cane, Severus pushed himself up to his feet. “Lead the way.”
The room was filled with large round tables with white table cloths draped over them, almost touching the floor. As they walked through, Severus noted that the room was only filled to half capacity, and he was able to pick out a couple of faces that he knew. They stopped near a table that was in the far left hand side at the edge of the crowd of tables.
“So, this is the guest you decided to bring at the last moment.” Thomas looked over the tall man who was next to Matthew and stood up. “I’m Thomas Paul, it is a pleasure to met you.”
Severus took in the long blond hair that was pulled back and bright green eyes before he shook the man’s hand. He smirked lightly. “So, you are the newest member of the team?”
Thomas shot a look over at Matthew before focusing back on the guest. To be called new was almost an insult, as if he knew nothing and was not yet contributing to the group. “Yes, though I’ve been with this group for nigh on thirty years.”
Matthew stepped in to complete the introductions. “The gentleman to Thomas’ right is Christopher Gilbert. Continuing around is Phillip Merrybrook, Alexander Cook, and Terry Michaels.”
Severus matched the faces to the names and handwritings of each man. Christopher was thin, light brunette and had a copperplate script. Phillip was a bit heavy set with a florid complexion which matched his bold handwriting. Alexander was well built dark skin man with handwriting of a first year. Terry had pale blue eyes and insipid looks that were at odds with the rich stylization of the man’s handwriting.
Matthew noticed that Severus was leaning a bit heavily on his cane. It was time to finish his introductions and get them seated. “Gentleman, this is the last member of our team, Severus Snape.”
Terry broke the silence that had fallen over the table as they stared at Severus. “You’re standing. And walking... how?”
Matthew gestured for everyone to sit down before he turned to Severus. “I would like the answer to that as well. I noticed that you patented two potions in your own name this summer and submitted one as an inventor’s notice, was it one of those?”
Severus looked about the room before drawing his wand and casting a quick Muffliato. “Do you remember the potion that I wished to brew when I was first hexed?”
Matthew’s eyes widened. “You did it. You brewed it yourself and then used it.”
Alexander cut in. “We tried and tried to get it to work, but nothing seemed right.”
“You couldn’t have patented it with just one successful test, it must be the one you put on inventor’s notice.” Phillip smiled. “So, how about we take that inventor’s notice and patent.”
Severus looked over the others at the table. “Each of you tried to brew it?”
Christopher aggrieved face said it all as he answered. “We did. All but Thomas, he wasn’t with us yet. You were a friend of Matthew, and he needed help, so, we tried.” He left unsaid that Severus was part of their Team.
Severus held each of their gazes for a moment. “Thank you for attempting. Yes, that is the potion that is on inventor’s notice. If you wish to take it up, we can fit onto our list of potions.”
As the group nodded, he let his lips curl just a bit into a smile. “Matthew asked me to met with you to show you the preparation techniques that I was attempting to describe in my last letter.”
Thomas laughed and then stopped, his eyes widening. “You are in a lab somewhere, that’s why your letter was more to the point.”
Five sets of eyes pinned Severus to his seat. “Yes, I have a lab in my home, and now that I can access it, I can test my possibilities before sending them to you.
Phillip grinned. “You have to come by the labs and work with us sometime. We are a Team.”
Tilting his head slightly to the side, Severus considered the group. They were smart, cautious and discreet, he knew that from their years of correspondence. “As long as there is no media hype, and no crowds of people begging for my attention, I shall stop by.”
Alexander leaned in towards Severus. “Maybe you could help me to convince the rest of the group to take on an impossible potion. I want to make a skele-gro potion that you can take a painkiller potion with, but they keep stopping the idea.” He shot the rest of the group a friendly glare.
A movement at the main table caught Severus’ attention. “I’ll think about it.” A quick gesture canceled the Muffliato.
(Ô.Õ)
After the welcoming speech, dinner was served. The conversation while they were eating brought the friendships that were developed through years of correspondence to another level. It wasn’t until after dinner that the other people started moving to different tables.
Phillip watched as a group of masters made their way towards their table. A quick glance at Severus showed that the elusive Potions Master was jotting notes, just as he had been on and off since dinner had been served. Phillip was sure that Severus didn’t want to deal with the public knowing about him right now. They were going to have to work to keep their partner’s identity hidden. “Quagmire’s team is heading over here. They have their own guest with them. Does anyone know who she is?”
Everyone looked over at the approaching group and Severus frowned.
“Quagmire’s pet project.” Matthew glared at the woman. “He keeps trying to find a team for her to join intom but no one is having her. I don’t know her name, so he is going use that to make us introduce Severus.”
Severus shook his head. “No. I do not want my name bandied about right now. I would prefer this not to become a spectacle. There are a few here I would like to speak with, but I will approach them later.”
Alexander raised an eyebrow. “How are we going to keep from doing that? None of us knows her name, and it is only polite to introduce the unknown. Now, we know that you aren’t... worried about polite...”
The small smirk that slipped on Severus’ face made him slightly worried, but he couldn't say anything more since Quagmire’s group was in hearing distance.
“Reynolds, I am surprised to see that there are six of you here. Who is your guest?” The pudgy brown haired man rested a questioning look on the bent head of the unknown man.
Severus turned his head just enough to make eye contact with Matthew.
Matthew read the silent demand in them. He knew that the potions community would fall on Severus like a pack of rabid animals. He was their hero - the only living Potions Master who was also a decorated War Hero. Add to that the fact that he had made a potion that had countered the curse he was hit with, the curiosity would draw everyone to their table.
“Who my guest is is of no account.” He ignored the multiple coughs and sneezes that were masking laughs and snorts from his own Team members. “Who did you bring with you this year?” Matthew shot Severus a look that told his friend that he owed him one.
Quagmire’s grin broadened, this group needed to round out their team. “Finally decided to cut off the dead wood. If your Sixth can’t come to help present their potion, you don’t need them anymore?”
Severus wasn’t sure how his team counted its members, they never referred to each other by their numbers. There were two choices, either by importance or by joining date. Most teams counted by joining date, but there was an off chance that his team counted him as their Sixth since he was never in the lab with them. He tightened his fingers on his quill as he cast an unseen look at the others, but his grip relaxed when he noticed just how much his team was discounting the man’s suggestion.
Thomas leaned back. “I’m here, and I’ve been coming to the conventions for years. Surely you remember?”
The man at Quagmire’s right shoulder gasped. “You’re the Sixth? But you’ve been with this team for decades.”
Christopher caught Thomas’ resigned but proud look. “Our team hasn’t changed members in thirty years. We finally got the combination right when we added Master Paul.”
Severus caught Thomas’ gaze. “I’m sure he brought some much needed insight and skills to the group. I believe you were saying that he studied in Asia for a while before he came to the UK?” Severus felt his team still and try not to stare at him as he returned his attention to his notes he had been making throughout dinner.
Thomas fought the grin that was trying to erupt on his face. When Severus had been introduced, he had felt the sting of the man’s greeting comment all the more. Now though, Severus was validating his place in the team -the same man that wrote scathing comments about everyone’s intelligences all over their ideas!
“Then who is your unseen member?” Asked Quagmire’s guest. “If they can’t even make it to the presentation convention, what use are they to the group?”
Severus waited to hear the answer to that. Just how did the group view his usefulness? It was a question that had plagued him for years, but had never asked.
The rest of the team leveled the girl and then the other Team with a flat, almost condescending stare before Matthew spoke up. “Our Second cannot be replaced. He is innovative, driven, has the ability to look at a problem from multiple perspectives, and has a way of making you do what needs to be done, to think harder and in ways that you’ve never done before. That he has been unable to join us at these meetings is not a problem to our group.”
The cold, no nonsense tone surprised Severus. Matthew never spoke like that. Looking at his team through his hair, he was amazed at the complete agreement on each of their faces. He felt for the first time in decades as if he was truly a needed member.
Quagmire felt the weight of Reynolds Team’s stare, he shifted just a bit under it before he forced his discomfort away. The scratch of a quill caught his attention. “This is the only time you have ever brought a guest, that leads me to believe that you are looking to replace someone. You should consider my guest as well. This is Evangeline Thorne, she is a skilled Potions Mistress and would be a bonus to any group.”
Quagmire’s entire group looked over at the only man who seemed not to be in the conversation. The man at Quagmire’s shoulder spoke up. “Mr. Guest, what skills do you offer this group that they are considering you?”
Severus finished his thought before he looked up and pinned the man with glare. Shifting the glare over the others, he let scorn drip off his tongue. “Of course you jump to erroneous conclusions when you believe that others are the same as yourself. In this case, since your guest is hunting for a team to join, you believe that Master Reynolds’ team brought a guest for the same reason. As I am already an active member of a team that I have no intention of leaving, I am not here to pander my skills to others.”
Thorne folded her arms and tried to return the glare. “Then why are you here?”
“To gather information and banter ideas. Isn’t that the reason for these conventions?” With that, Severus returned to writing out every ingredient that could possibly replace the ones that were in skele-gro.
“You don’t seem to be talking to anyone. And if you wanted to share information, then you should at least give your name.” Quagmire tried to see what the man was writing.
Severus waved the ink dry and let the parchment roll up before he capped his ink and wiped off his quill. Returning them and the parchment to his pocket, he shot a scathing look at the pudgy man. “I know to whom I wish to talk, and they know who I am, so introductions will not be necessary.”
He turned to Matthew. “I wish to retire to my room.”
Matthew glared at Quagmire for running Severus away before nodding to his friend. “I’ll show you where it is.”
Severus looked at the rest of his team and nodded. “Until later, gentlemen.”
A chorus of See you in the morning followed them.
(Ô.Õ)
The following morning, Severus reached over to his nightstand only to have his hand land back on the bed. Opening his eyes, he saw the potion bottle he needed just a few inches from his outstretched hand. Moving over with a groan, he took two swallows of the final potion he had adapted that summer. It helped with the soreness of his muscles and gave a mild stamina boost. He didn’t need it every day, but after the strain he put himself through yesterday, and the amount that he anticipated for today, it was needed. He was going to have to make sure that he carried it with him as well.
He made sure to take his bag of books and materials with him to the meeting room. He had charmed the bag to be similar to the one that Miss Granger had carried about during the final year of the war. It had been a very ingenious application of spells. More importantly, it allowed him to carry things without fear if they fell.
When the rest of the Team made it to the room, they found Severus with several books surrounding him and making notes on multiple scrolls of parchment.
Christopher dropped into the seat next to him. “How long have you been at this?”
Severus looked over at the brunette. “Since about six thirty this morning.”
The rest settled into their seats. Matthew looked at what was scratched onto the parchment nearest him. It was a list of potion ingredients with abstract signs next to them connected by multiple lines. “What is this?”
Severus glanced over to see which parchment he was looking at. “That is Alexander’s potion starting point.”
Alexander lifted his head off his hand and gave a weary look at the wide awake man. “You started on my idea?”
Severus studied the parchment before setting back in his seat. “Yes. I am working on the possibilities. I am also working on the latest question that Phillip sent me.”
Terry scanned the titles of the books on the table. “One Thousand Magical Plants and Fungi, The Most Potent Potions Ingredients, Asian Medicinal Plants, From Garden to Kitchen: Herbs for the Best Cooks... What are you looking for in that last one?”
Phillip shook his head. “I’m surprised that you are using them at all. Surely you know all those ingredients. Well, except the cooking ones.”
Severus smirked at the waiting group. “When you uses an ingredient often sometimes you forget other ways it can be used. And sometimes you just need to look at it from an entirely different perspective, such as cooking.”
Five pairs of eyes met and their owners smiled. This was why Severus was an indispensable member of their team.
Matthew tapped the parchment closest to him. “Why don’t you explain what you’ve come up with so far?” A quick muffling spell, and the conversation flowed until breakfast was served.
The day flew by as different teams presented and explained their potions. It was during the break after lunch that Severus finally had a chance to teach his Team the cutting technique that Matthew had asked him to demonstrate. Later that evening, after dinner had been cleared, a small group of older Potions Masters made their way to the Reynolds Team’s table.
“Master Severus Snape, it is a surprise to see you here.” The white haired master watched the younger man. “Last I heard you were buried in St. Mungo’s sending letters to a team.”
Severus let a small smile curl the corner of his lip. “Master Maelstrom, it is a pleasure to see you.” He then gestured to the group of masters sitting with him. “This is the Team that I have been working with. As you can see, I was able find my way into a lab and make the potion that I wished to make before.”
Maelstrom’s eyes widened. “And you are completely cured?”
The other masters behind him sucked their breaths in.
Severus shook his head. “There was irreversible damage, but it is not enough to keep out me of a lab.”
An elderly Potions Mistress smiled as she stepped forward. “So, we can expect to see a potion or two brewed by your own hand soon?”
“Of course, Mistress Lacy.” Severus watched as chairs were summoned and the elders settled down for a long conversation. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the amazement on his team’s face; it wasn’t often that the Elders of the Potions Guild bothered to converse with the younger masters.
The last day of the convention, when they were presenting their potion, Severus noticed that the Elders sat in a protective semi-circle about the small stage. He focused his attention on Quagmire’s team when Reynolds introduced the members of the team. Quagmire’s expression made standing up there worth it.