That Friday evening, I made my way down to the icy-cold dungeons, accompanied in my misery by Shay. It could be much worse, true; had Severus not intervened, Shay and I might have had detention with Cecil until the end of term.
Shay's bout of sleepwalking was, as it turned out, not a single occurrence. Twice already I had caught her leaving the dormitory in the middle of the night, and both times guided her back before she had left the Ravenclaw tower. I had not, however, caught any further coherent mutterings while she was in her sleepwalking state, nor had I asked her what she knew about Sage being cursed and Cecil. An opportune time for that would arise during or after our detention—when we were alone, without risk of being overheard by Cecil.
"Good evening, Professor," I said as Shay and I entered the Potions room.
Severus was sat at his desk with a quill in hand, leant over a scroll of parchment about three feet long, leaving bright red marks on seemingly every word. The entire room was lit by a single candle, which was placed at the corner of Severus's desk.
He set down his quill and rose from his desk, making his way toward the storeroom attached to the classroom. "Miss Kelly, Miss White. Tonight for your detention, you will be organizing and re-labelling my collection of potions and ingredients, as that obnoxious poltergeist Peeves has disarranged them." he said, procuring a skeleton key from his pocket and with it unlocking the door to the storeroom. "I trust that you will not purloin anything." With a wave of his wand, Severus lit two torches within the storeroom.
Shay and I entered the storeroom to see shelves upon shelves bearing various jars and bottles, all labelled with the same spidery scrawl.
"I must take leave now, as I have rounds; however, I expect when I return this storeroom to be catalogued." With that, he left the Potions room.
"Well, then," said Shay.
This detention was not nearly as fun as had been the one with Aura the month before; not a single strand of spaghetti was thrown. However, it did allow me the opportunity to ask Shay about what she had muttered while sleepwalking.
"I'm worried about Sage," I said, trying to identify a jar containing a sludgy dark green potion. "I think that, if she isn't healed soon, she'll be moved to a permanent ward in St. Mungo's."
I peeked at Shay out of the corner of my eye. She had frozen, but quickly regained her composure. "It's that bad?" she asked, sounding slightly nervous.
"It is. But who would do such a thing to her? I mean, it's not like she's on bad terms with anyone—sure, she's rather competitive grade-wise, but that's not reason for someone to curse her..."
"Have you... well, don't take offense to this, it's just a thought—but have you considered that maybe Snape cursed her?"
I set down the potion I was trying to identify so that I could turn to look at Shay, and also so that I wouldn't drop it in my frustration.
Before I could speak, Shay hastily said, "Just—just think about it, Am. He miraculously saves you from a werewolf one day, and a girl is cursed the next? It may just be a coincidence, but you have to admit that it does look suspicious..."
"What are you implying? That Severus made a werewolf to attack me so that he could play the role of the hero? That has nothing to do with Sage!"
"Well, what if Snape was using you as a diversion, so that he wouldn't be blamed for Sage? What if he meant for you to be injured far worse in the Forest—maybe even die—but then had second thoughts, or..."
"Or?"
"I dunno, the centaurs intervened? Look, I'm not suggesting that I believe any of these theories—I'm just trying to get you to see that there may be more than meets the eye with Snape."
"That's what I've been trying to tell you, and Ava, and Aura and Noah and Sage, all along. There is more to Severus than meets the eye—he's not some malicious Death Eater who hates children."
"But he's not exactly all sunshine and daisies, either."
"I swear, you and Aura have some kind of conspiracy against him!"
"It's not just Aura and me—it's everyone. Ava, Sage, Noah, Oliver, Gwynn, Avery—you name it. And if it's something observed by the majority of people, is it really a conspiracy?"
I winced slightly at the mention of Gwynn and Avery, my two former friends, who had stopped talking to me after they heard the story that I was attacked by a werewolf; I suppose they were a part of the crowd that believed I was now a werewolf myself.
"If it isn't true. What will it take for me to prove to you that Severus is no longer a Death Eater? Do we need to all have a nice, long chat over tea?
"He's working on an antidote, you know. At the moment, there is no cure for Sage's curse—but he's trying to make one."
By this information, Shay was taken aback. "He—he is? Has he made much progress?"
I bit my lip. Last I had heard, Severus's attempts at the remedy were unsuccessful. But if I told this to Shay, then she would resort back to skeptic.
"He has." I lied.
"Inventing a potion to remedy an incurable curse in—what, a month? Is that possible?"
"Well, he's not quite yet perfected it..." I said, "I haven't heard any progress updates in a few days, either."
"Ooh..." said Shay. "Well, I suppose I'll hold off on my doubts for now—but I don't think you'll have much luck swaying Aura. She's pretty...determined."
I let out a sigh of relief. "That she is. Thank you for trusting my judgment. Aura's mad—she thinks that my judgment is impaired."
"I think she's only concerned—and she has some serious trust issues, after third year and all..."
I finally turned back to the mysterious potion, decided that it was armadillo bile mixture, and labelled and categorized it accordingly. I wouldn't mention my suspicions to Shay about Cecil; she obviously didn't know—or remember—anything, since she had accused Severus of cursing Sage. Had Cecil wiped Shay's memory of whatever she had witnessed, or had I simply misinterpreted Shay's mutterings while sleepwalking?
* * *
It was a rare moment the following Saturday afternoon that found Ava, Aura, Rutherford, and me alone in the dormitory. Noah was there as well; but Shay was in the library, and Sage was still in the Hospital Wing. And so I took the opportunity to divulge my observations of Shay's sleepwalking incidents.
"Was she sleepwalking before Sage was cursed, that you noticed?" I asked.
"No," said Ava. She was sat closely beside Noah—apparently they had become a "thing" while I was in the Hospital Wing. "I think the first time I caught Shay sleepwalking was—maybe a week or so?—after Sage was cursed. We were all worried, then—we still are, for Sage. Though, I don't think anyone else is going to be cursed."
"The first I saw Shay sleepwalking was, oh, three weeks ago? Why'd you ask?" said Aura.
"I think Shay witnessed it. I don't think she remembers anything, but that could be from a memory charm." I said.
"But—why do you think that?" said Noah.
"When I followed her when she was sleepwalking out of the dormitory the other day, she went to the corridor with the Headmaster's office, and then just stood there and murmured something about Sage, a curse, Dumbledore, and Cecil. And—well, she's made it rather clear that she has no recollection of whatever happened with Sage and Cecil."
"So, what?—She witnessed Cecil curse Sage while Shay was passing by, then she went to tell Dumbledore, but Cecil caught up with her first and wiped her memory—because she couldn't curse two people in one night?" said Aura.
"Exactly!" I said. "But, does knowing that it was Cecil who cursed Sage make you more trusting of Severus?"
The three exchanged looks.
"Am—about that—" said Ava.
"We continued to spy while you were in hospital, and well, the potion is still on." said Noah.
"They're planning on having a...reunion, of sorts—with a bunch of Death Eaters, next month." said Ava.
This was news to me. I had thought that surely Severus would tell me everything concerning Cecil and the potion, since I already knew his true motives. Apparently I was mistaken.
"We have to tell Dumbledore." said Aura. "I know you've been protecting him, Am, but this is bigger than us—the entire wizarding world could be in danger."
"Just—just hear me out, all right? When I was in hospital, I was paid a visit by Dumbledore. He explained everything, and told me not to share this with anyone—but if you go to Dumbledore, he'll probably tell you an edified version of this, anyway. And if my telling you of it will make you prioritize Cecil, then it's worth it.
"Severus is a double-agent. He's brewing the potion by the order of Dumbledore himself. Dumbledore had him schedule the 'Death Eater reunion' so that the Order and the Aurors could round up the remaining Death Eaters and put them in Azkaban."
"Dumbledore told you this?" said Aura.
It had actually been Severus who had explained everything to me, once I had first awoken in the Hospital Wing; but Dumbledore had confirmed it. However, I knew that revealing this would make my friends remain skeptical, so I had to stretch the truth a bit to convince them of my cause.
"He did." I said.
"So, Snape is actually working against the Death Eaters, and You-Know-Who?" said Ava.
"He is." I said.
"Then why is he actually brewing the bloody potion?" said Aura.
I froze. How did she know that?
Ava and Noah looked at me in surprise, awaiting an explanation.
"I had a detention with him while you were in the Hospital Wing, and he had to leave to do rounds, so I took the opportunity to once again look through his things. I found the book with the procedure for brewing the potion, alongside a half-finished potion." Aura explained. "If he's not actually planning on reviving You-Know-Who, then couldn't he just show up with pumpkin juice?—or better yet, poison?"
Once again, I found myself having to lie. I couldn't very well say that he was planning on reviving Lily; they seemed to be against the entire concept of revival, no matter at whom it was targeted. And I desperately needed my friends to be my allies, to see that Cecil, not Severus, was who should be condemned.
"Because Cecil's intelligent. She would know the difference between the potion and a poison. And if Severus showed up with anything but the revival potion, Cecil wouldn't summon any of the other Death Eaters, thus defeating the purpose." I said.
"I'm sorry, Am... I told you he was a cactus... but I was looking at it from the wrong perspective. He looks spiky on the exterior, but beneath the spikes he's just a resilient plant, bearing dragon fruit." said Ava.
"What does the dragon fruit represent?" said Noah, looking at Ava in amusement.
"Hm... secrets?" said Ava.
"There's still something that doesn't add up..." said Aura. "Ava, Noah, would you mind if I had a quick word with Am—alone?"
Ava and Noah exchanged glances. "Is there something you two are hiding? Because you did the same thing when Am returned from hospital. I don't mean to invade your privacy, but you're acting a bit strange about it..." said Ava.
"It's nothing," I said. "Aura's just a bit untrusting, since... you know. We'll sort it out." With that, Ava and Noah left.
"If you're going to say that my judgment is clouded again, or declare I have Stockholm syndrome, I—" I said.
"Just tell me what happened in the forest. Whether—whether it was a beast or Snape that attacked you. We both know it wasn't a werewolf." said Aura.
"Okay—fine. Just—reserve your judgment until the end." I said. "I followed Severus into the Forest. When I found him, he thought I was—something else—so, yes, he cursed me. But when he realized that it was me, he healed me."
"That's it?—the full story?" she asked.
"That's it." I said.
"How do you know that he didn't know it was you?"
"Why—why would he curse me?"
"Because you know too much? Because he's two-timing Dumbledore, and actually is going to revive You-Know-Who, and take out all the Aurors and the Order? If I remember correctly, you weren't on the best of terms with Snape at the time."
I felt a spark of anger due to my loyalty to Severus, but also a chill of doubt from the realization that Aura may very well be right. Severus could be, in actuality, planning on reviving You-Know-Who. The only thing I really had was his word, and my judgment.
I would continue to trust him, I decided, but I would extend a bit of caution. Severus had proved himself to me by now, surely—and if it was all an act, then he was quite the superb actor, indeed. But it was most logical to believe—after everything that had happened—that Severus was on Dumbledore's side, the Order's side.
"Don't you think Dumbledore would see right through him, though? Just forget your own judgment for a moment, and think—do you trust Dumbledore's judgment?" I said.
"Even Dumbledore makes errors in judgment, Am. Don't you remember Fennel?"
"Yes, I remember Fennel. Consider this, then: why would Severus heal me, if he cursed me on purpose?"
"He realized he would lose Dumbledore's trust? He wanted to intimidate you? He wanted you to revere him for saving your life, so that you were no longer a threat? Snape may have you, Ava, Noah, and even Dumbledore convinced, but I still don't trust him."
"Do you at least believe that it was Cecil who cursed Sage?"
"Yes, I think Cecil cursed Sage—but Snape cursed you."
"He's trying to invent a potion to cure Sage."
"That's only what Dumbledore would expect of him. Besides, has he made any progress on it yet?"
"A little..."
"Exactly. He'll most likely never finish it. I know you like Snape, and you want to believe him, but you have to admit that everything surrounding him is a bit questionable. I still don't know what exactly is going on between you two, but I've stuck to my word; I haven't told anyone."
"We're just friends, Aura, I've told you that. I've decided to trust him, and I respect that you have your own opinions and judgments of people, I just really hope you'll reconsider your judgment of Severus."
"You may be 'just friends', but I know you care for each other. In any case, I gave him a second chance. Then I found the revival potion." said Aura.
I was admittedly slightly frustrated with Aura; I had already explained everything to her, and yet still she wouldn't be swayed. It was a matter of judgment, true, but the way I perceived him, Severus was due so much more credit than he was given.
"Glad we had this talk," I muttered as Aura got up to leave.
"Even though I don't like Snape, I do hope—for your sake—that you're right about him, Am." Aura said, halfway through the door. She then looked like she was going to say something else, but changed her mind at the last minute, and left.
* * *
Later that night, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a late night stroll. I put a cloak on over my dressing gown, as well as a pair of boots, and took off. When I entered the common room, I was stopped in my tracks by a soft sobbing noise.
There was a figure—difficult to make out, due to the lack of light—sat upon the sofa before the fireplace, most likely the source of the sobs. I changed course, and cautiously made my way toward the sofa.
I'm not sure whom I had expected to find on the sofa—perhaps a first-year who had been bullied, or a fifth-year thinking about O.W.L.s—but it was most definitely not Noah.
"Noah?" I said, standing directly in front of Noah.
His head shot up, and he looked at me in surprise with reddened eyes, and a tear-stained face. "Am-Amarina? Wh-what are you doing here?"
"I...I was going for a midnight stroll, but I then saw you... what's wrong?"
Noah gave me a small smile. "You know me... al-always the crier..."
I wasn't amused. Instead, I took a seat beside Noah on the sofa. "Does it have to do with Ava? Did you two break up?"
"No, it's nothing like that— it-it's Sage." he said with a sniffle.
"What happened to her was horrible, I know, but there isn't anything we can do—"
"It's not that, either. It's just—it's all my fault. I'm the reason Sage was cursed."
"I'm sure that can't be true—"
"It is! Sage was doing research, and said she'd found something pressing. She—she said she had to speak to Shay immediately, so I told her that Shay had detention with Cecil that night. I guess Sage told Shay whatever she found out, but Cecil overheard, and Cecil— Cecil cursed Sage. It didn't click with me until you told me about Shay's sleepwalking... I thought, maybe, someone had cursed Sage along the way... but now..."
"Noah, it isn't your fault. How were you supposed to know that Cecil would curse Sage? You were only trying to help her, by providing her with the information she asked for."
"But if I hadn't told her, she wouldn't have been cursed! It's all my fault— you being attacked, as well— I should have stopped you from going into the Forest— I—"
"The fault is Cecil's, and of the werewolf that attacked me." I said. "You've nothing to do with me being attacked, or Sage being cursed."
"Right."
A faint popping noise announced the entrance of one house-elf into the common room. When the house-elf saw Noah and me, his large eyes further widened, and he promptly Disapparated.
"Noah, even if it were your fault that I was attacked, I would forgive you. Sage would, too." I said.
"How? How can you forgive me? I—I'm the reason you're covered in scars, and why Avery and Gwynn don't talk to you anymore, and why you were rotting away in hospital for a month! I—"
"You know that's not true. You're the most compassionate, loyal person I know. And in any case, everything happens for a reason. The forest incident helped me see many things—my face automatically lets me know, by judging people's reactions, whom I might deem worthy of conversation; Avery and Gwynn are people I don't want to associate myself with anyway, if they have a prejudice against werewolves; Severus is on Dumbledore's side; I had before taken so many things for granted, like going outside, or to the library—even looking out a bloody window. But now I can fully appreciate every moment I spend doing those things. Besides, I didn't spend an entire month without leaving the Hospital Wing; I sneaked out a few times. And I'm sure that when Sage is healed, she'll have learned some things, too."
"I heard— I heard Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey talking the other day, and they said— they said Sage might never be healed. She might stay like that for— forever."
"Sage is strong. If anyone can reunite their mind and body, it's Sage."
"But—how? I've tried to do research on the Desistus Curse, but there's nothing on it!"
"Maybe all the books on it are checked out?" I suggested, thinking immediately of Severus. He, too, had researched the curse, but had been more successful in his findings than Noah had.
"All I know about it is that it separates someone's mind from their body... and the only cure is for Sage herself to reconcile the two— but I've no idea how. I've even tried to research dementors, because I thought that the separation of the soul from the body is similar— but still, nothing. Has Professor Snape, perhaps, told you anything about it...?"
"Nothing more than what you've just said."
"What's going on with you and Professor Snape, anyway? Before the forest incident, you practically hated him. But then when you were in hospital, I swear he was in there every time I visited you."
"Well, the reason I cut ties with him before was because I thought he was reviving You-Know-Who. But then he told me everything while I was in hospital, so we became friends again. And he felt guilty."
"Why'd he feel guilty?"
"Oh... I suppose he's like you, in that way. Blaming himself for things he didn't do..." I lied.
"If you—if you don't mind my asking, do you know what it was Sage had found out? Or what she was doing research on?—about what she wanted to tell Shay that night, before she was cursed?" I said.
"I'm not sure. She mentioned something about a book, and potions... but that was it." said Noah.
"Maybe the book Cecil told Severus to get for the revival potion? No, we told her when Severus told Cecil he had the book...what would be so urgent about that?"
"Maybe it was unrelated? It could be anything, really... if only we could read her mind..."
"Noah, you're a genius! Legilimency! That'll prove that Cecil's behind it!"
"But what'll that do? Dumbledore needs Cecil to summon the Death Eaters for the 'reunion'-thing; I'll bet he already knows that it was Cecil. Besides, how can you use Legilimemcy on someone whose mind is separated from their body? Isn't it invasion of the mind...?"
"You think that Dumbledore would allow a Death Eater who cursed a student to teach at his school, just to catch a few Death Eaters? That's horrible!"
"All I'm saying is that Dumbledore tends to do things for the— the greater good."
I cringed; that had been Grindelwald's motto. It was rather disturbing to compare the Headmaster of a school to one of the Darkest wizards of all time.
"Okay, so scratch the Legilimency idea, then. Did you ask Shay about it? She might not remember, like I said, because I think Cecil wiped her memory." I said.
"I didn't ask her, no— I only just found out that Cecil cursed Sage." said Noah.
"Well, there's no harm in trying, I suppose."
"I'll ask her tomorrow, then. Or rather, later today... I've no night vision, but I think my watch reads two o'clock in the morning." said Noah, squinting his eyes to see the watch on his wrist, which was then held up about five centimeters from his eyes.
"I suppose we should be heading back to our dormitories, then. I think we've already scared at least two separate house-elves away."
"Probably. Good-night, Noah."
"Good-night, Amarina."
***
A/N: Whole lot of talk, not so much action. Everyone seems to be hiding something... and nothing is certain.
I planned the basic (very, very basic) plot outline of this whole story when I first began writing it— that is, before I myself was in a coma. So, no, the inspiration for Sage's curse is not resulting from my own experience in a coma.
This chapter puts the overall word count of Complications at ~45000; it's officially a novel!
Ta,
Cherry