Banished: Chapter 27
Apr. 30th, 2007 08:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zephyr_macabeeSeverus awoke to find Granny Jones seated at his bedside.
“Good morning, child. How do you feel?” She offered him a glass of water, which he gratefully took. “Do you remember what happened last night?
Severus thought back.
“I was in my apartment, working on lesson plans, when the Dark Mark suddenly flared and I felt compelled to apparate…somewhere. I ran outside, but there were people there, asking me what was wrong and holding me back. The compulsion faded quickly, but the pain did not. I knelt down on the ground; things are fuzzy after that.”
Minerva and Margaret came into the room and the three witches filled him in on the rest of his evening. He cringed inside at the thought of causing such a fuss and apologized for disturbing them.
Granny immediately sat beside him on the bed and wrapped him in a hug. “Stop that, Severus, you are our friend as well as our co-worker and you are entitled to our protection, the same as everyone else on this campus.”
He looked at her, rather doubtfully, and she gave him a little shake. “Yes, you are.” Minerva and Margaret seconded her. Severus, being outnumbered, was forced to agree. He wondered at the feeling of warmth inside himself.
“How does your arm feel, Severus?” Minerva asked.
He pulled his arm from under the covers and held it out for them to examine. The Dark Mark had faded substantially but was still visible. There was a vague, nagging pain, but it was tolerable.
The three witches withdrew to allow Severus to rise and dress, and then the four of them walked to the dining hall for breakfast. Several of his neighbors stopped to check on him; he assured them he was fine and thanked them for their help the previous night.
“See Severus, it is not just us. You are a valuable and well-liked member of this community and you are just going to have to accept that,” Margaret gently teased him. He gave her a small smile and nodded; the warmth inside spreading.
After breakfast, Granny demanded to be driven back to her cabin, saying she only apparated in emergencies. Upon learning that Severus had earned his driver’s license, Minerva requested a demonstration, so after dropping Granny off, Severus took her on a tour of the reservation and of Sedona. While in town, they visited the marketplace and Minerva insisted on buying several jars of Severus’ products to take back with her. She would not hear of him gifting her; she wanted to support his redemption fund.
The remainder of Minerva’s visit was thankfully quiet. The Dark Mark faded back almost to its previous state and the pain went away. Severus went back to work. On Minerva’s last day, the drawing poultice was ready for its first application, so Minerva and Margaret joined Severus in Granny’s workshop. The potion was steaming in a large, iron cauldron. Granny placed some cotton batting in a small bowl and poured in a ladleful of potion. Letting it cool just enough so that it wouldn’t scald, she squeezed out the excess fluid and laid the soaked cotton over the Dark Mark. Covering the cotton with a waterproof pad, she then wrapped his forearm in an elastic bandage to hold the poultice in place.
“There, you will need to apply a fresh poultice three times a day. Only take it off to wash. The potion will keep in the cauldron with a stasis charm; you only need to heat up enough to soak the cotton.”
Severus examined his arm. The poultice was quite unobtrusive; it could easily be passed off as a bandage for an injury. It had a pleasant scent, like sage. Slowly he became aware of a strange sensation under the bandage. It was like a hundred tiny mouths were sucking at his skin. It wasn’t painful; in fact it was quite….stimulating. As his body reacted, he was suddenly glad he was wearing jeans and not more revealing attire. He flushed, embarrassed.
“Are you all right Severus? Does it pain you?” Granny asked, concerned.
“No” he squeaked. Clearing his throat he tried again. “No, it doesn’t hurt. Quite the opposite.”
Granny laughed. “Oh yes, the book suggested that the poultice caused an ‘interesting sensation’. Don’t worry, that effect does not persist. Now, as I warned you, this is going to be a prolonged process. I predict that it will take at least 10 months to complete, but in the end the taint of the Dark Mark will be cleared from your body and the Mark itself will disappear completely. Voldemort, should he rise again, will not be able to summon you or punish you via the Mark.”
“I believed that only death would free me of the Mark, and perhaps not even that, so if this works I will be eternally grateful and eternally in your debt, my Lady.”
“I am certain that it will work Severus, and any debt you might owe me can be paid by your living a happy life, and by keeping my garden weeded of course.”
Laughing, she led them all to her kitchen for tea and berry tarts.
That evening, Margaret apparated with Minerva to the Portkey terminal, to see her on her way.
“I am not going to tell Albus about this experiment with the drawing poultice," Minerva told her. I am afraid he would interfere, try to stop it.”
“Why?” Margaret asked, shocked.
“The events of this year have made it clear to me that Albus regards Severus as a tool, a sometimes useful, but often temperamental tool. Severus took the Dark Mark of his own free will, but he recognized his error very quickly and came back to the Light. He fully expected to be sent to Azkaban, but Albus offered him his ‘freedom’ for a price, that he become a spy in Voldemort’s camp. He suffered abuse from both sides until Voldemort fell and he has lived under suspicion and disdain since. If Voldemort rises again, Albus will expect Severus to return to spying even if it means his death. And guilt will drive Severus to agree to this. Without the Dark Mark, Severus cannot go back, so the tool would no longer be useful. That would not suit Albus, so we must keep this experiment a secret from him.”
“I understand and I agree. We will concoct a cover story and keep this undercover.”
Minerva’s portkey was nearly ready to activate, so she bid her friend a fond farewell and was spirited away. Margaret returned to campus with much to think about.
http://zephyr-macabee.livejournal.com/13024.html
“Good morning, child. How do you feel?” She offered him a glass of water, which he gratefully took. “Do you remember what happened last night?
Severus thought back.
“I was in my apartment, working on lesson plans, when the Dark Mark suddenly flared and I felt compelled to apparate…somewhere. I ran outside, but there were people there, asking me what was wrong and holding me back. The compulsion faded quickly, but the pain did not. I knelt down on the ground; things are fuzzy after that.”
Minerva and Margaret came into the room and the three witches filled him in on the rest of his evening. He cringed inside at the thought of causing such a fuss and apologized for disturbing them.
Granny immediately sat beside him on the bed and wrapped him in a hug. “Stop that, Severus, you are our friend as well as our co-worker and you are entitled to our protection, the same as everyone else on this campus.”
He looked at her, rather doubtfully, and she gave him a little shake. “Yes, you are.” Minerva and Margaret seconded her. Severus, being outnumbered, was forced to agree. He wondered at the feeling of warmth inside himself.
“How does your arm feel, Severus?” Minerva asked.
He pulled his arm from under the covers and held it out for them to examine. The Dark Mark had faded substantially but was still visible. There was a vague, nagging pain, but it was tolerable.
The three witches withdrew to allow Severus to rise and dress, and then the four of them walked to the dining hall for breakfast. Several of his neighbors stopped to check on him; he assured them he was fine and thanked them for their help the previous night.
“See Severus, it is not just us. You are a valuable and well-liked member of this community and you are just going to have to accept that,” Margaret gently teased him. He gave her a small smile and nodded; the warmth inside spreading.
After breakfast, Granny demanded to be driven back to her cabin, saying she only apparated in emergencies. Upon learning that Severus had earned his driver’s license, Minerva requested a demonstration, so after dropping Granny off, Severus took her on a tour of the reservation and of Sedona. While in town, they visited the marketplace and Minerva insisted on buying several jars of Severus’ products to take back with her. She would not hear of him gifting her; she wanted to support his redemption fund.
The remainder of Minerva’s visit was thankfully quiet. The Dark Mark faded back almost to its previous state and the pain went away. Severus went back to work. On Minerva’s last day, the drawing poultice was ready for its first application, so Minerva and Margaret joined Severus in Granny’s workshop. The potion was steaming in a large, iron cauldron. Granny placed some cotton batting in a small bowl and poured in a ladleful of potion. Letting it cool just enough so that it wouldn’t scald, she squeezed out the excess fluid and laid the soaked cotton over the Dark Mark. Covering the cotton with a waterproof pad, she then wrapped his forearm in an elastic bandage to hold the poultice in place.
“There, you will need to apply a fresh poultice three times a day. Only take it off to wash. The potion will keep in the cauldron with a stasis charm; you only need to heat up enough to soak the cotton.”
Severus examined his arm. The poultice was quite unobtrusive; it could easily be passed off as a bandage for an injury. It had a pleasant scent, like sage. Slowly he became aware of a strange sensation under the bandage. It was like a hundred tiny mouths were sucking at his skin. It wasn’t painful; in fact it was quite….stimulating. As his body reacted, he was suddenly glad he was wearing jeans and not more revealing attire. He flushed, embarrassed.
“Are you all right Severus? Does it pain you?” Granny asked, concerned.
“No” he squeaked. Clearing his throat he tried again. “No, it doesn’t hurt. Quite the opposite.”
Granny laughed. “Oh yes, the book suggested that the poultice caused an ‘interesting sensation’. Don’t worry, that effect does not persist. Now, as I warned you, this is going to be a prolonged process. I predict that it will take at least 10 months to complete, but in the end the taint of the Dark Mark will be cleared from your body and the Mark itself will disappear completely. Voldemort, should he rise again, will not be able to summon you or punish you via the Mark.”
“I believed that only death would free me of the Mark, and perhaps not even that, so if this works I will be eternally grateful and eternally in your debt, my Lady.”
“I am certain that it will work Severus, and any debt you might owe me can be paid by your living a happy life, and by keeping my garden weeded of course.”
Laughing, she led them all to her kitchen for tea and berry tarts.
That evening, Margaret apparated with Minerva to the Portkey terminal, to see her on her way.
“I am not going to tell Albus about this experiment with the drawing poultice," Minerva told her. I am afraid he would interfere, try to stop it.”
“Why?” Margaret asked, shocked.
“The events of this year have made it clear to me that Albus regards Severus as a tool, a sometimes useful, but often temperamental tool. Severus took the Dark Mark of his own free will, but he recognized his error very quickly and came back to the Light. He fully expected to be sent to Azkaban, but Albus offered him his ‘freedom’ for a price, that he become a spy in Voldemort’s camp. He suffered abuse from both sides until Voldemort fell and he has lived under suspicion and disdain since. If Voldemort rises again, Albus will expect Severus to return to spying even if it means his death. And guilt will drive Severus to agree to this. Without the Dark Mark, Severus cannot go back, so the tool would no longer be useful. That would not suit Albus, so we must keep this experiment a secret from him.”
“I understand and I agree. We will concoct a cover story and keep this undercover.”
Minerva’s portkey was nearly ready to activate, so she bid her friend a fond farewell and was spirited away. Margaret returned to campus with much to think about.
http://zephyr-macabee.livejournal.com/13024.html
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-01 02:31 pm (UTC)Snicker.
Yes, indeed, keep that particular information away from AD. The old boy won't be happy, but too bad. :-)
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 03:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 03:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 03:55 am (UTC)