FIC: Desperate Refuge (PG)
Title: Desperate Refuge
Type: Fic
Age-Range Category: Four
Characters: Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Kreacher
Author: goddess47
Rating: PG
Click to View [Warning(s)]Reference to off-screen canonical abuse by Voldemort on his followers.
Summary: Severus desperately needed a place to recuperate.
All Severus knew was that he needed to get somewhere safe. He was in pain and exhausted. Hogwarts would be safe but Poppy was away and he needed someplace quiet. He went to the next safest place he could think of.
He crept into the house but exhaustion caused him to stumble over the fucking umbrella stand.
"THIEF! HALF-BLOOD! GET OUT OF MY-" the tirade ended abruptly.
"Have to fix that soon…" Sirius Black stopped when he caught sight of Severus, who was now leaning heavily against the wall. And likely panting. "Are you all right?"
"No." It pained Severus to admit that, but he was in so much pain that the admission escaped before he could stop it.
"Bugger. Let me help you…" Black held out a hand. Then realized Severus was essentially frozen in place. "Needs must…" he muttered and came closer.
A warm arm went around Severus' shoulder and guided him to the stairs.
"Kreacher!" Black called. Severus felt himself wince from the raised voice.
"Bad Master called," the house-elf muttered when he popped into the room. Severus felt a flow of magic that was not from Black. "Potion Master hurt bad."
Black was all but carrying Severus. "Fix a room up, please."
"Finally Bad Master polite," Kreacher muttered, then popped away.
"Okay, up the stairs and we can get you into a bed," Black said. "Do you need anything?"
"Have potions in my cloak," Severus ground out. Intellectually, he knew Black was trying to be careful but spots danced in front of his eyes from the jostling. Getting to the top of the stairs took an eternity and Black guided him into an open bedroom.
"Let me help…" Black said, taking Severus' cloak from his shoulders. Black quickly had him down to his underwear and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Where are the potions?"
Severus held out a hand and grunted, "Cloak. Hidden."
Black reluctantly handed him the cloak but Severus didn't have the energy to explain that the pockets would only open to his magic. Severus took out what he needed and tried to hold the cloak out toward Black. He was too focused on the vials in his hand to notice if Black caught the cloak or not.
Severus took a pain potion, a calming potion, half a dose of Skele-Grow, and a sleeping potion. The vials tumbled onto a bed-side table. "Give me twelve hours," Severus forced out as the potions started to work. He grabbed at the covers and fell asleep.
Severus woke warm and comfortable in a way he had not in a long time. He opened his eyes and blearily looked around at the unfamiliar room. Oh. He was in Grimmauld Place. Damn. And Black had helped him get to bed.
The light around the window indicated it was daytime of some sort but that was all he knew. He didn't know where his wand was, hopefully still in his cloak, and he didn't have the energy to cast a wandless Tempus.
At this point, his bladder reminded him that he should get up and at least find a bathroom. Severus moved the blankets aside and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment to make sure he was stable. Someone had put a bathrobe on the bedpost and Severus gratefully pulled it on. He tottered out of the room to the bathroom that was luckily just across the hall. He relieved himself and then splashed water on his face.
He jumped slightly when Kreacher popped into the room.
"Potion Master have time for shower," Kreacher said. "Clean clothes will be in bedroom."
"Thank you." Severus had to clear his throat more than once to get that out.
"Bad Master says food will be in library so you do not have to climb stairs," Kreacher sighed.
Severus nodded. "I know where that is. Thank you."
Kreacher popped out.
The hot water was plentiful and the towels were warm and fluffy. Even better than the towels in his room in Hogwarts. Not that he would tell anyone that.
His discarded underwear had disappeared, but the bathrobe remained on the hook on the back of the door. Severus wrapped the bathrobe around himself and went across the hall to the bedroom.
As promised, his clothes had been cleaned, repaired even, and were waiting for him on the bed. He took half a dose of pain potion, he'd take more later if he still needed it. But the sleep and the hot shower had helped immensely.
He dressed and looked longingly at his cloak for a moment. He took his wand out and put it in a pocket but then lay the cloak back on the bed. Sod it. This was not a time to be proud.
"Kreacher?" Severus called.
"Potion Master called?" the house-elf popped into the room.
"Is there a… cardigan? I don't want to wear the cloak just yet but the house is cool," Severus admitted.
"Bad Master keeps house cool," Kreacher admitted. He popped out and then back in. "Try this." He left four folded cardigans on the bed.
"One should be sufficient," Severus said. "And thank you for taking good care of my clothes."
"Kreacher is a good elf," he grumbled before popping away.
One of the cardigans likely belonged to Walburga, it was definitely feminine in style and cut, but one was definitely a man's cardigan, a deep navy color and it fit reasonably well. Severus buttoned up the cardigan and went out into the hall to find his way to the library.
Black was not yet in the library, so Severus took advantage of that to browse the shelves. He knew the Black family library had tomes that were not available elsewhere. He suspected they had a copy of Farmakopoiós, an ancient Greek potions recipe book. Lore about the book said it contained directions to create a Philospher's Stone and how to shield from the Killing Curse, all of which have been lost over time.
"You look better," Black said, startling Severus.
"I… I did not hear you come in," Severus admitted.
"Find anything interesting?" Black asked. "Sometimes the library will give you what you are looking for."
"Not today, unfortunately," Severus admitted.
"Come," Black invited. "Kreacher has brought lunch. Well, actually, he brought you lunch, which he is allowing me to share with you."
Severus snorted. "I did not check the time. It is only lunchtime?"
"Late lunch," Black replied with a casual shrug. He cast a Tempus. It was half two in the afternoon. Good. He was not expected back to Hogwarts until just after dinner time.
"Then let us see what there is," Severus said.
Severus ate heartily of soup and sandwiches, knowing he needed the sustenance.
"You were in pretty bad shape last night," Black commented.
Severus nodded. "The Dark Lord is… unhappy with something. He was already in a rage when I arrived and he was mostly inarticulate. It was a small group and everyone suffered due to his bad mood."
"You looked like it was a pretty awful bad mood," Black commented.
"He is unpredictable," Severus admitted. "Not being able, or perhaps unwilling, to talk makes it even more difficult." He drank some tea that he had laced heavily with sugar for the energy it would give him.
"Do you need anything else?" Black asked. "I guess you have potions but, well, anything else?"
I want to be free! Severus thought to himself. Not for the first time.
Although he realized that Dumbledore had Black tied to this mausoleum. Dumbledore refused to fight for Black's freedom and would not explain. They could use someone like Black in so many better ways.
Severus shook his head. "No, thank you. I need to go back to Hogwarts soon." He gave a wry grin. "There are papers to correct before class in the morning."
"I don't envy you that," Black laughed. "You're welcome to stay for a bit. If you need…" That last part was hesitant.
"I may do that," Severus replied. "I rarely have a chance to do nothing."
"I've become an expert at that," Black sighed. "But I do understand." He stood and said, "Stay as long as you like. I usually spend the afternoons with Buckbeak. It helps keep him settled."
"Thank you," Severus replied. "I need to be back to Hogwarts just after dinner."
Kreacher brought another meal before Severus left but Black did not return. Severus did not remember to take off the cardigan before he left. He hung it in his closet at Hogwarts and made a mental note to return it the next time he went to Grimmauld.
The next morning at breakfast, he had been up too late correcting papers, an unknown owl brought Severus a note.
That cardigan belonged to Regulus. Keep it in his memory but take good care of it.