The Brightest Black - A Dramione Fanfic

Hermione's Cure

That meant he had twenty minutes to get those bandages safely off and wash away the orange potion.

He took a deep breath and got to work.

He pulled out a pair of scissors and began cutting through the bandages. It was slow going. He had to pause every time he felt her tense, since she always moved afterwards.

During one of those times he looked up at her face and was struck with the sudden realization that Black was rather delicate and petite. Her presence, her modest robes, and long black hair always made her seem bigger.

It didn't help that he remembered her being taller than him when they were younger. But he was now taller than Potter, and he knew Potter was taller than his sister.

How could such a powerfully dangerous person be so fragile looking? How could she be made so helpless?

He shook his head and got back to work.

It took about five minutes to get the bandage pulled back to reveal a thick layer of orange goop.

He grabbed the bowl he'd brought and filled it with water from his wand, then he began carefully washing away the goop, soaking the bed in the process.

He gagged and almost vomited when he got a good look at her skin.

From right under her navel to about three inches above it her skin was covered in angry-looking red bumps, interspaced with long, half-scabbed over cuts. So many cuts that he could swear he saw her innards. He wasn't a mediwizard, but even he could tell the cuts were self-inflicted.

Had Snape invented this curse? Or had he just found it in his family tome and shared it? Was it in more family tomes?

No, it couldn't be. Sirius Black had control of the Black tome. If he had the spell and cure he'd have healed her already.

Once the last of the goop was washed off she began moving more violently.

He began to grow worried that someone would hear and come in.

He rushed to grab the potion he'd made; almost dropping it as he pulled out the cork. His breath quickened as she made the bed shake.

"Silencio," he hissed.

He aimed the spell at the bed, and thankfully it worked.

He hurriedly began applying the potion all over the affected area, and quite a bit of the clear skin around it.

He wasn't taking any chances.

The more potion he put on her, the more frustrated she grew. Her face was contorted in pain and her hands were clawing at the air in an attempt to reach her stomach.

Abruptly her eyes opened. A silent scream emerged from her and he took a step backwards in fear.

He glanced at a clock on the wall and saw he had twelve minutes.

His eyes raced over Black's stomach, avoiding her silently screaming face as he tried to spot any place that wasn't covered in blue liquid.

Once certain he hadn't missed a spot he began stuffing everything back in his satchel.

He stood there, satchel over his shoulder and invisibility cloak in his hands, unable to move from the fear that he had done the exact opposite of what he had intended.

There was no way this potion was helping her. She was in such pain...

His heart gave a lurch.

A fool!