Quebec, Canada.
The halfway point between Denver and London. Apparition became infinitely more dangerous the further the distance, especially with an attached flyer.
They landed in a small patch of woods that he used to pick up a specific brand of mushrooms for an anti-anxiety potion. He let go of Doc's arm, and she valiantly stood her ground, throat trembling as she swallowed down the vomit.
Such pride. It almost made him want to like her.
"You know most people vomit their first trip. There's nothing wrong with that" he told her, looking down at the ground
"I'm not most people. I'll be fine" she spoke slowly, balancing herself on a nearby pine tree
"You'll feel better if you just let it happen" he took a swig of water from his flask, eyebrow hitched as she gulped in air as if she was drowning
"God damn it..." she swore, the last convulsion doubling her over, projectile vomit at least a foot in every direction
Pulling out an anti-nausea potion, he tossed it to her, surprised that she drank it without performing her usual inquisition.
"Impressive distance" he remarked drily as she leaned her back against the tree with her eyes squeezed shut
"Shut up" she muttered grouchily, wiping her chin roughly
"We have two more rounds to go so once you get it together, we'll shove off" he informed her, drinking a pepper up potion
"I'm not even going to ask how this is possible. Let's do it" came the reply, sneaker clad feet clomping over, grabbing his elbow hastily
She had grit, he had to hand that to her. Even if she was faking it, the fact she didn't want to seem weak meant something to him. She needed to prove her strength which meant something had happened where she hadn't been the portrait of fearlessness. The spy in him wanted to find it out.
Making certain that her arm was clasped in his, he disapparated to the back corner of the Leaky Cauldron. Her breath came in a big gasp, but she held herself up this time, reorienting quickly.
"Welcome to London" he dropped her arm as people began to mill around them
"Bustling place for being hidden in a wall"she commented, looking around at the commotion
"Severus! Round on the house for the war hero!" the bartender called out to him, floating over two pints to the small table.
They needed to get to the school. Good company was often fickle. All it took was one bad attitude or errant spell from a vengeful ex-death eater and he would be gone.
An idea dawned on him as he turned to her almost accusatorially
"Wait. How can you see this. It's guarded by magic"
Digging around in her pocket, she produced a crumpled sheet of blank paper. Curiously, he held his wand to it as the writing began to appear
"According to the statutes verbally agreed upon by the world governments, we, the undersigned authorities behind the Muggle and Magical International Alliance, hereby give permission for Muggle, Eve Breathwaite, to be able to view and attend all magical communities and their locations with the exact same privileges as wizards and witches. The bonder will face inescapable consequences should Eve Breathwaite break any statutes of secrecy"
He stared at the paper, mind blown at the secrets within the magical world that passed over him so stealthily. A bit of anger flared up, triggered by the fact that he was used to having things hidden from him and now was no different. Even after the war. Handing the paper back to her, he took a long sip from the chilled glass.
"Being a war hero isn't all it's cracked up to be..." she muttered, half of her pint glass gone, surveying the scene vigilantly
"It's nothing spectacular. Not with what I have to live with" he blurted out accidentally, pretending not to see the stares and whispers of onlookers
He hadn't been back to London since the press tour and he hadn't intended to come back. Ever. And this unwanted attention only reinforced that decision.
"Let's finish these fast. I feel like that group of people is going to come over soon and ask you questions" she warned him, gesturing with her chin at the curious clan of women fussing amongst themselves behind them
Good idea. He was in no mood to answer questions or play nice to anyone who would have sold him out during the war. Slugging back the rest of the beer, they scurried to the corner and disapparated.
They landed near the edge of the grounds, where the carriages met the students. It was less showy than the front of the castle, less intimidating to someone who wasn't used to magic. At least, that's what he assumed.
"This is spooky" she commented, taking in the surroundings skeptically
"It wards off the faint of heart. Follow me" he explained, the familiar grip of stern mannerisms and steel emotions overtaking him
Nothing calm and easy about life here. Everything exact and measured. All things filled with purpose and intent. It wasn't safe to show himself here as he truly was; a man simply wanting to live a life of soft quiet peace. Here, he was harsh and sharp. The potions master who murdered a man; the fact that it was out of mercy mattered not. The professor who traumatized students. The man whose blood ran so cold, water turned to ice in his presence.
"You hate it here. You really don't want to be back" she commented a few minutes later as they came up to the doors of the castle
Obviously. He never wanted to return. Every awful memory he had in his mind took place at this damn castle. It was his purgatory. And yet, here he was. Back again.
"It seems my whole life has been chosen for me again. We all do things we don't want to for some purpose of the greater good. Right?" he threw back at her, if not a tad sharper than necessary
Her eyes clouded, inner cheek bitten. He hit a nerve and it stung. Good. Maybe she would leave him alone after this "mission" ended.
"Oh Professor Snape! Good to see you back!" Nearly Headless Nick greeted him as he slipped through the stone wall
"Hello again. Could you please tell Minerva that I'm here for our meeting" he asked the old ghost courteously
"Of course. You will be wanting to put a bubble charm over your body. There's a raging sickness running about the castle" Nick told him, slipping back through the wall
"Was that a ghost?" Doc asked, forcing her voice level
"Yes. Don't ask why he's nearly headless unless you want to see entrails...I'm going to put a charm on you so you're safe from whatever is in there, ready?" he explained brusquely, pointing his wand at her not waiting for a response
A bubble appeared, encasing her in a tight film but not prohibiting movement. It wasn't an everyday, garden variety spell but it served its purpose. He turned the wand on himself, the comforting second skin covering his body.
The doors flung open suddenly and Minerva glided out, regal shoulders and straight back, ushering them both inside quickly
"Oh Severus I am so glad you came. I don't trust anyone but you to brew me something capable of keeping this sickness at bay. And who did you bring? I'm Minerva McGonagall, headmistress" the elder witch introduced herself to Eve, who glanced at him as if to ask how to proceed
"This is Doctor Eve Breathwaite. My companion" he answered carefully, uncertain of what the rules were surrounding the society
"I have been sent a letter explaining who she is by the ministry; I simply wanted to ascertain her validity. Come on inside then" Minerva stepped back, allowing them to pass through.
Doc stared at the walls, eyes massive and skeptical at the subjects in the portraits moving about lazily, the ever shifting staircase, and the low chatter of hundreds of teenagers echoing off the brick and mortar.
"Follow me please to the infirmary" Minerva commanded, already halfway up the hall
As he walked, students careened out of his path, remembering him from the days pre-war. Many of them would only remember him as the traitorous headmaster while some who came back for a re-take of their last year would remember him as the dark and angry Potions master. Or the dungeon bat, as he knew they called him. The thought pained him, weighing down his soul like a brick sinking to the ocean floor.
He didn't want that to be his legacy. Pain and suffering. But he had no idea how to fix it.
"What the hell did you do to these kids? It's like they're looking at a..." Doc spouted off, but then quickly cut herself off, eyes to the ground
"Like they're looking at a murderer" he finished for her glibly, the sight of calm and thorough Poppy a reprieve to his thoughts
"Oh Severus! I'm so glad to see you again. Perhaps we can get some decent potions to re-stock my stores while you are here?" Poppy asked hopefully, looking around at the three of them
"I came to drop off some mugwort detoxifying potion, and I will certainly stay for the next day or so to check on it's potency. In that time, I can brew for you Poppy, if it is alright with Minerva and whoever has taken over the Potions post" he answered, a tug of pride pulling in his chest at the bright eyes of his old colleague
"Of course. Professor Key opted not to take the dungeon room, so that is open to you Severus for however long you choose to stay. He also gave his explicit deference to you whenever you needed the lab" Minerva told him, a wistful smile on her face
"Could I please ask what types of symptoms the students are having?" Doc spoke up gently, looking around at the nearly full infirmary
The two witches exchanged a quick glance, but motioned for them to follow to a bed in the corner. A student lay charmed asleep, limbs twitching in small and jumpy movements; skin flushed and red, breathing shallow and rattled. Doc pulled a stethoscope out of her bag, leaning over the sleeping body, eyebrows scrunched together in concern.
"How did it get to this?" she asked neutrally, listening to the next student, the second magical skin bending beneath her touch
"They come in with a fever. Vomiting. And then a purple blister forms on their chest. They start twitching and unable to speak because they lose control of their body. We charm them asleep to keep them comfortable. We haven't yet figured out anything to keep the blister from forming, because after it forms their spasms seem to get worse" Poppy told them in a rush, wringing her hands nervously
He handed her the vials filled with goldenrod yellow liquid, a cold nervousness creeping through his system at the fact that this would be administered to a student and he had no idea what would happen because he didn't know what he was supposed to be treating. He didn't want more needless blood on his hands.
"This is simple mugwort. It should remove toxins if they are present. I need a place to start" he explained, hoping that he sounded more convinced than he actually was
"Doctor, there is a spare room on the second floor for you. Anything you need we can get for you" Minerva turned her attention to Eve with a kind smile
"I think she should stay in the downstairs Minerva. I am in charge of her safety and secrecy; it would be prudent to keep her close" he spoke up grimly, trying his best to make it seem like he didn't care, only wanting to keep his professional duty.
"I'm not a puppy, I don't need looked after" Doc groused at him, arms folded tightly against her chest
"You don't know magic and you don't know anyone here besides me. You are my responsibility, like it or not. I don't want to be in front of the Wizengamot again for someone else's death. They'll send me straight off to Azkaban this time and I rather like being able to see the sky" he bit back coldly, shifting his eyes away as Minerva shuddered.
Doc pouted at him, following as they descended the stairs to the dungeons, the air cooling considerably the further they went, the moss and tang of mildew stinging his nose in vicious nostalgia.
Upon entering the master suite, he found the common room set with their belongings and the one bedroom door already split into two separate rooms. Sighing deeply, he turned to Doc, making certain to look into her eyes
"I'm not trying to box you into corners. I need you to understand that my life in this castle has been filled with nothing but loss, death, and pain. And now I am back, amidst a raging unknown pandemic, with a Muggle no less who has no way of defending herself against dangerous magic that she cannot see. You are my responsibility now as much as you think we are partners. As much as you think you are all powerful and strong, here, you are not. I need you to believe me on this"
Instead of bucking up and spewing back defensively, her eyes softened, clear half moons, eyes that he at one point daydreamed about.
"Do you still hear the screams Severus?" she asked, slight wobble to her voice
"Yes I do. All the time" he replied in an attempt to get her to trust him, hating the vulnerability
A small glimpse into his life for her belief in his abilities to keep her safe. She nodded slowly, giving his hand a quick squeeze before disappearing into her bedroom for the night.
His chest hurt already and this was only the beginning.