The Redemption of Severus Snape

Part 78

"It'll take a few moments for Remus' body to fully absorb the potion," clarified Lin, whose arm was tensely wrapped around Severus' wand arm.

Poppy, who was seated next to Remus, checked the watch pinned to her blouse. Lin and Severus appeared to be expecting something so Remus braced himself. Tonks saw him tense.

"Okay, Darling?"

Remus couldn't answer her. As soon as Tonks had uttered those two words, the most profound and violent fit of nausea Remus had ever felt stormed his body. His face turned ashen, his lips paled, and his abdominal muscles spasmed painfully. He tried to turn over, but couldn't move.

"What's happening?" shouted Tonks.

"Hush!" scolded Poppy, who pointed her wand at Remus and turned him on his side. She positioned his head so that he didn't choke on his own saliva, which oozed out of his mouth in frothy-green puddles. "Severus, is this normal?"

"Yes," was the calm yet silky reply. The quill floating in the air behind him scratched furiously on its length of parchment. "You may treat the nausea when his saliva becomes clear."

"Shh, Remus," said Poppy gently while caressing Remus' arm, "not long now. You're being very brave, my boy."

Remus was groaning and no one could tell if he was trying to speak, or if the groans were the result of the violent abdominal spasms. Tonks began to cry. Her hair had turned white, and her skin turned such an alarming shade of bluish white that Poppy asked her to leave.

"Really, Dear," said Poppy in her most soothing Medi-Witch voice, "there's so little room in here, and you'll just be on the other side of those...um...bars."

Lin rushed in and took Tonks' arm to lead her out. "I thought I could do it...I thought I could..." snuffled Tonks.

"Let's go get some fresh air," said Lin.

"I don't want to leave him."

"You're not leaving him. You're just getting some air. Poppy will take good care of him." Lin's arm was around Tonk's trembling shoulders. She felt cold to the touch so Lin used her wand to take a blanket from the heap of medical supplies; it came zooming from a dark corner and wrapped itself around Tonks' shivering body.

Remus' saliva quickly turned clear and Poppy wasted no time spelling an anti-nausea potion into his stomach. After three minutes and no change in Remus' condition, she spelled a second potion into him. Remus' body temperature was steadily rising, and his heart-rate was getting faster by the minute. After another three minutes and no change in Remus' condition, Poppy gave him a third and final potion; any more and she'd risk poisoning him. Within seconds of administering the third dose, the abdominal spasms stopped and Remus was able to move his head and limbs. He was semi-conscious.

"There," said Lin, "he's settling down now." She glanced at the medical monitors above Remus' bed and felt the knots in her stomach become tighter. She was very grateful that Tonks had no idea what any of it meant.

Poppy waited for the two women to exit the spring-house before speaking to Severus. "Can I give him something to slow his heart-rate."

"Not yet," replied Severus.

"When?"

"Not until phase two."

"What in Merlin's beard is that?"

"The effects of this potion are divided into three phases to reduce toxicity and to combat the complexity of the curse."

"Well," said Poppy with some exasperation, "how long until phase two?"