Stewart "Art" Ackerley was having a good day, he finally had figured out how to get an ordinary electric torch used in the muggle world to work in the magical. He was what was called a Technomage in training, one who was able to blend magical and electrical technologies together into a cohesive whole. This was OWL level work and the fact that he had completed the transformation a year early proved he would be powerful indeed. He was not a large boy, in fact he was small and would remain so throughout his life. He had had a hard life physically so far, he was born to a magical family but that did not spare him physical disabilities. He was after all human and humans were far from perfect.
He had been born with no legs and fate had caused him to lose his left arm to bone cancer. However magic and technology had given him permanent prosthetics as of this year, no more did he have to remove them and they were part of him and made him whole. He was at his full adult height of five and a half feet tall and he a slight but strong youth. This with boyish looks he would have through life made him swear to grow a beard as soon as he was able. He brushed a lock of his dark chestnut hair from his face and scanned his texts with his blue-green eyes. He was seated cross-legged on his bed and was clad, like many a wizard in the summer in breeches and loose tunic, his tunic was a light yellow and his breeches were brown. He stood up to get some paper and felt a tug at his navel and the echo of pain from one of the heirs and he was gone in a flash.
Cedric was busy working on advanced warding techniques with a large book before him. He ran a hand through his tawny hair and sighed, he was smart but this was almost beyond him! He was finished with school but he had not left, he was now apprenticed to Sprout as ether he or one of his heirs would take over from her when she retired. He was heir of Hufflepuff and as such, like his fellow heirs now that all were at the school it was his duty. He was clad in a tunic of red and blue breeches and like so many on a hot summer day barefoot. He stood up and walked to get another book when he felt a tug at his navel and the echo of pain from one of the heirs and was gone in a flash.
Neville smiled and stood up brushing off the dirt from the black fabric of his breeches and smoothed out his red tunic surveying the newly planted hedge between the boundaries of Hogwarts and the forbidden forest. Long ago a hedge had been here between the forest and the castle but it had been burned or cursed and the Centaurs had blamed the humans for that. Now many bridges could be healed with the re-planting of a hedge that would be strengthened with runes and spells with a few gates to allow the Centaurs their full rights as the rulers of the forest once more. Neville sprinkled the last of the dust he had been given over the plant he had just put in and put his pouch away. He felt a tug at his navel and the echo of pain from one of the heirs and was gone in a flash.
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Severus came awake with a gasp of pain and tried to move only to find he was in too much pain to do so, his very bones ached in pain and nothing he did could stop the pain. He felt he was lying on his back and that someone had to have healed it. He was still naked and he wished for some covering and he wondered if this was some new torture by Voldemort. He had been tortured, beaten, hexed and driven nearly mad but at least the baser of the death eaters had not been able to use him, but oh they had tried! He remembered the taunts and insults and the last hex, then nothing at all. Now he was here but he had no idea where here was, he felt sick and in fact he did get sick and gentle hands helped him to his side, a spell cleaned the mess up along with his mouth and airway.
Voldemort had been angry to find he was telling the truth about being the heir to Slytherin and he had threatened to go kill the goblins. Severus was sure that would not go well at all and he hoped the goblins would make short work of Voldemort. The hexes and curses had gotten worse and he had not been left alone day or night. It seemed that Voldemort was going to do all he could to drive him insane. He had thought he was dead when the green hex came to him, but he had heard no words to it, now it seemed he had been rescued, he would have to figure out who rescued him, he hoped he whoever it was, was still alive.
"It's alright sir, that monster no longer has you." Cedric said his strong hands helping him lay back down.
"Drink this sir, it will help with the curses." Ah that was Art, smart boy that one. "I need to put in a drip, for the other potions."
"Poppy, where is she?" Severus asked opening his eyes to see three worried boys around him all working to help keep him alive.
"I am here Severus, just rest." Poppy said taking one of his badly broken hands and carefully spelling the bones straight before she splinted and bandaged them, "he used a rotting hex on you, it should have killed you."
"He is an heir, it will not kill him, Hogwarts will not allow it., nor shall we," Neville said, "he is our brother."
"It's alright sir, we are here to help you through this." Cedric said.
"Here is a pain potion sir, that will stop the pain." Art said as he sent the potion through the IV into Severus, "there are you are sir."
Severus let them work on him and get the curse and poisons out of his body, all his broken bones had to wait to be healed as the rotting hex would take time to get out of him. The fact he could be healed from that proved greater magic was at work here and he was grateful for it. As soon as he was stable he was levitated to a bed and tucked under warm blankets to rest and heal up the best he could. He knew he was safe here, and he knew that Voldemort could not get to him here. He tried to stay awake, to think over things but he soon was fast asleep and did not wake for a long time.
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When Severus finally woke he realized he had not been dreaming, he was out of pain, warm and comfortable as well. Even before he opened his eyes he could tell he was in the Hogwarts infirmary by the smells and he opened his eyes to see Harry seated by him looking at him with concern. Of all the people to be here at this time he had to have Harry Potter here fussing over him! He was supposed to take care of the boy not the other way around! He sat up and was relieved he was in one of his nightshirts and not naked under the covers.
"Hello sir, how do you feel?" Harry asked him.
"Fine, how long was I out?" Severus asked.
"A week, and what the bloody hell were you thinking doing that?" Lily snapped from the portrait while James did his best to calm her down, "you are needed here, do you want to die is that it?"
"No, but I had to protect Ron, he would have died if I did not do what I did." Severus said.
"You are lucky to be alive you know that right?" James said, "if Lily was alive now you know you would be hexed six feet under."
"Harry hex Severus for me." Lily said sweetly.
"Um no mum I cannot do that." Harry said.
"How did I end up back at Hogwarts?" Severus asked," the dark lord took everything from me when I was captured."
"You still had the ring of Slytherin." Harry said, "he could not see or get that."
"So Hogwarts called me back?" Severus said, "the others saved my life, the dark one used the rotting hex on me, I survived that."
"Because you are an heir of a founder of Hogwarts." Lily said, "this is uncharted territory for me, I know a lot about the school but this is new, you and the others are creating history with everything you do."
"Once I get rid of Voldemort you guys will be safe to do whatever you are to do in the new age." Harry said. "You do need to rest sir, you are still healing as madam Pomfrey says, the headmaster wanted to come see you, he really is worried but well Poppy barely allowed me here."
"Thought I was just a pawn for him." Severus said softly.
"He cried when he read the letter you left him." Lily said softly, "he thought he had lost you, I know he cares about you, I was surprised how much, I think he has tried to camp outside and will end up in a bed here if he does not get rest."
"I am glad he cares." Severus said a smile on his lips.
Severus felt tired and lay back down and wanted to snap at Harry as the boy had the nerve to tuck him in! He did not need a student doing this for him he could do so for himself. Then again Harry was family and family took care of each other. Besides it was nice to be cared for though he would never admit that out loud. Severus fell asleep safe and secure at Hogwarts, later he had a letter to write but for now he needed to rest and gain back his strength.
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Voldemort was furious, the traitor Snape had escaped and before he could watch him die painfully and slowly. His followers stood before him trembling in fear, waiting for him to kill them. Lucius knew that the dark lord could kill him, after all he was in charge of the imprisonment of Severus Snape. He was secretly glad that Severus had escaped, and he hoped he had survived, the last curse from Voldemort was meant to kill him slowly and extremely painfully. There was no way even if he got away that he could have or should have survived.
"I want him brought back here!" Voldemort shouted, "even if he is dead I want him back!"
"Master I have a message for you." Wormtail, (who had managed to escape from Azkaban and just added fuel to the fire of executing prisoners like him) "it's from Severus master."
"Give it here Wormtail." Voldemort said summoning the letter, he read it and aimed his wand at Wormtail "Avada Kedavra!"
It was a testament to how much (or little if you wanted to look at things that way) everyone thought of him, they just watched him fall dead and did not react. Bellatrix looked bored at the death, she was more interested in the letter but knew that she was not going to get answers today, not with how angry Voldemort was. She watched with amusement as he tortured several death eaters and then once done he stormed from the room with the letter. He went to his private rooms and read the letter again scanning it for any falsehoods and he could not find any at all it was all true and he felt a bit of fear.
To Tom Marvolo Riddle, Known as Lord Voldemort, Pretend Heir of Slytherin, Murderer Extraordinaire, Most Base Violator of the Laws of Nature, Greetings and Salutation,
I, meaning one Severus Tobias Snape, Potions Master, Head of House Slytherin, True Heir of Slytherin, do write this letter to condemn you for your most brutal attack on said head of Slytherin. Let it be known that from this day forward you Tom Marvolo Riddle do face charges for your crimes. The date and time of your hearing is set forth and you must answer it. Failure to do so will result in a guilty charge and all honest and goodly witches and wizards will have equal right to your head.
I am most displeased that you would choose to attack and try to kill I, the head of Slytherin with most base torture and evil intent to kill. I will not let the assaults on my person go unanswered, you stated that I betrayed you by leaving your service, that I was bound to you until death. I honored my agreement, there was no proof that you were alive, per the goblins your body was dead, I had the right to have the mark removed as it was believed you were dead. Your attack was baseless and for such I have taken the Riddle vault as my own, attack my person again and you will face the wrath of not just me but of Harry James Potter and all those that fight for freedom and light.
Sincerely,
Severus Tobias Snape, Potions Master, Head of House Slytherin and Heir to Slytherin.
Voldemort was furious and he would make Severus pay, oh he promised himself that. For him to dare say he was free from his service! How dare he, he had not died, he was still alive and here. Yet Voldemort did not fully understand the laws of nature, just because he had anchored his soul to the mortal plain did not make him alive now. He was in fact part of the undead and as such had no rights in the world of the living, he was just starting to figure that part out now.