43. Chapter 43

You guys are the best! I know that many of you have been speculating about the cure and its origins. This chapter will have most of the answers. I hope you'll all be pleased with the results. Thanks for all your reviews! The same to the guests I couldn't reply to. Enjoy!

Chapter 43

Both Snape and Harry had turned in rather early, both eager to get started on their collaboration but not wanting to break their promise to the other.

If Harry was entirely honest with himself, he needed this. He needed to get a full night's rest as much as he needed that large breakfast spread he woke up to the next morning.

It was barely the crack of dawn but Harry hadn't felt as well-rested in a long time. Snape was already up and sitting at the breakfast table, feeding Hedwig some bacon strips. When he saw Harry, he motioned for the boy to take a seat next to him. Harry complied easily and hungrily stacked his plate with pancakes.

"Good morning, Harry," Snape said as he helped himself to some more healthy choices like toast and fruits.

"Good morning, dad. Good morning, Hedwig," Harry replied. Hedwig hopped over and nipped Harry's finger affectionately. Harry stroked her feathers, smiling as he reconnected to his familiar.

"Have you been helping Severus in the lab, girl?" he asked her. Hedwig ruffled her feathers angrily and hooted once. Harry frowned at Snape.

"I didn't normally take her advice," Snape said easily as he sipped his tea. "Your owl seems to believe that she knows potions better than I do." Hedwig hooted again but looked away. Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

At that moment, there was a tapping sound at the window and Snape got up to allow the two awaiting owls entry. One of them carried with him the daily prophet. Snape paid the owl to receive the paper and it was off again without even waiting for some food or water. The second owl, however, flew over to Harry's chair, landed on top of it – much to Hedwig's dismay – and extended its foot.

"And who do you belong to?" Harry asked the Ural owl that simply hooted in reply. Harry had never seen one in real life before. He accepted the letter and offered the owl some of his breakfast. There was plenty to go around anyway. Hedwig fluffed her feathers as she stared menacingly at the newcomer but the Ural simply ignored her as it dunked its beak into a bowl of water.

The letter was sealed by a wax sign of a black eagle perching in an oak tree. Not knowing what this meant, Harry opened the letter and read the contents.

Esteemed potioneer Harry Potter,

We contact you in regards to the Magic Muggle Potion you have invented a few months ago. We were quite intrigued, reading about it in the practical potioneer but still have many questions regarding the concoction. Therefore, we would like to request a meeting with you at a time that suits you.

As we understand it, you are naturally quite busy at the moment but if you could kindly fit us into your schedule somewhere in the near future, that would be most agreeable.

H. Spilogaster

The German guild of theoretical and practical potioneering and alchemical solutions.

Harry practically rolled his eyes at the letter. He did not want to get into this right now.

"Who sent it?" Snape asked, his eyes not leaving the daily prophet.

"The potioneer guild in Germany," Harry replied sounding absolutely bored. "They want to meet about the Magic Muggle potion as if I have the –"

Snape looked up from the prophet as he regarded Harry. The boy was holding the parchment mid-crumple but had frozen his movements. "Harry?"

"I am an idiot," Harry mumbled.

"What makes you say that?" Snape asked, intrigued.

"The Magic Muggle potion!" Harry all but shouted. "Don't you see? That's why Alex didn't get sick yet! That could be the catalyst to curing this disease!"

Snape groaned and slapped himself on the forehead. "It's painfully obvious when you say it like that," he said. "Merlin, how could I have been so blind? The illness has no effect on wizard folk. The potion must have reacted with his innate magic enough to give him the same protection!"

"Sleep-deprivation got us both, it would seem," Harry said. "Let's go brew it right away."

"Of course," Snape agreed. Harry sent off the Ural owl without a reply and hurried down the stairs to the potions lab, following closely behind Snape. Before they could close the door, Hedwig flew in as well and casually landed on her perch, looking just a tad too pleased with herself.

"You know this potion better than I do," Snape told Harry. "Go ahead and brew it. I will prepare your ingredients."

Harry paused for a moment to stare at Snape incredulously. Did Severus Snape – one of the greatest Potions Masters of his time – just offer to be second violin to Harry's first? Just like that?

"Would you cease your gawking and get started?" Snape admonished. "You just had a breakthrough teetering on the edge of an epiphany. Do something with it." Hedwig hooted her agreement. Harry just snorted and got to work.

He filled his cauldron with water and got the fire started at exactly the right intensity. By the time he had selected the appropriate stirring rod, Snape had already prepared the first ingredients Harry would need.

"If this works, we might need to contact Ms Lovegood about supplying us with more dirigible plums," Snape said as he was slicing one to ribbons.

"If this works," Harry replied, "I'm sure that she would be happy to give us every last one she has."

They brewed together in record time without Hedwig making even one comment. They worked like a well-oiled machine together and even though there was much at stake, Harry had rarely felt as content as he did at that moment. Glancing at Snape a couple of times, he was pretty sure that the man felt the same way. Harry couldn't help but reminisce about his very first Potions class and how disastrous that had gone. He snorted at the thought of that Snape knowing how things would end up.

"It looks as it should," Snape suddenly said. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed Snape's close proximity but he was able to hold himself together.

"Yes," he agreed. "This is the Magic Muggle potion. Now we have to see if it will work or not."

"Then I suggest we go, immediately," Snape said, already bottling some of the concoction and putting the rest in a stasis field to tend to later.

They hurried towards Alex's home in silence, ignoring the rays of the sun that were harsh enough to cause the sky to shimmer. Conditions that weren't good for the ill.

They didn't even need to knock. Maya must have seen them coming from afar since she opened the door before they even reached the threshold. Her expression held something akin to both hope and fear.

"You look hopeful," she said in a sort of weary excitement.

"There's no time," Snape told her as he rushed past her. "We'll explain later."

Harry followed Snape, glancing at Maya as he went but she made no attempt to stop them. Instead, she closed the door and rushed over to the sitting room where Alex probably was.

Snape barged into the bedroom as if he owned the place and crouched down at the bed that stood against the wall, facing the window. Harry stepped inside as well and gasped at the sight of Emma. The poor woman, who had been so full of life at Christmas, was now skin and bones. Her eyes were sunken in and her skin had an unhealthy grey tone to it. Her hair had lost all sheen and virility and was now limply framing her face. When she extended her hand in Snape's direction, Harry could see it tremble before Snape grabbed it. And yet, she smiled.

"Hello Severus," she greeted with a hoarse voice. "How kind of you to come and bring Harry along."

"There's no time for chit-chat," Snape said as he uncorked the vial.

"No, there never is with you," Emma chuckled weakly. "What have you brought for me today?"

"Hopefully," Snape replied as he helped Emma to sit up, "a cure."

"That would be lovely," Emma sighed. She was too weak to hold onto the potion itself but Snape lifted it to her lips and helped her drink it until she finished the last drop. He then gave her some water to wash away the taste. Harry noticed that her sheets were flecked with blood but Snape had taken notice as well and had waved his wand to get rid of the substance.

They waited a few minutes to allow the potion to work before Snape took out his wand and cast a diagnostic charm on Emma. Harry stood next to him to read the magically conjured parchment alongside Snape. The results were… not as they would have hoped.

"Don't look so depressed," Emma said kindly. "You did your best."

"This doesn't make sense," Harry insisted. "It worked for Alex. Why wouldn't it-"

"We're close to figuring this out, Emma," Snape said, interrupting Harry. "You'll see us soon. Hang in there, alright?"

"I'll try," Emma said weakly. "But don't wait too long, alright?"

Snape clasped her hand between both of his in a moment of comfort before gently putting it down and motioned for Harry to come with him. Alex and Maya were already waiting for them downstairs. The hope in their expressions broke Harry's heart. He had been sure that this was the solution. And it wasn't. It was enough to drive anyone into desperation.

"Join me in the sitting room," Snape said and he walked in without even waiting for a reply. Maya and Alex exchanged a glance and Harry couldn't help but think that if this could all end well, those two would be closer than ever. Alex might not even call Maya insane anymore.

"What do you want to tell me?" Alex asked in a quivering voice. "Do you want me to stop hoping? Will you tell me that it's too late? That you tried everything? Because I won't accept that!"

Harry noticed that Alex didn't look so good either. He too had clearly lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. There were dark bags under his eyes and he was constantly fidgeting nervously.

"Alex," Snape said and Harry couldn't help but wonder when exactly Snape had stopped saying 'Alexander'. "We did try everything we could. We thought that we finally had it but it didn't work."

"I can't figure out why though," Harry said, biting his thumb. "If it worked for Alex –"

"What?" Alex asked. "What worked for me?"

Snape sighed as he put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "The potion you drank in order to fly a broom," Snape told him. "It was probably what made you resistant to the disease in the first place."

Alex jumped up at that. "Then why won't it work on her?"

"It would appear that it works as a preventive measure," Snape explained calmly. "But it doesn't have any healing properties."

"Can't you just add some healing herbs to it?" Alex asked unwittingly.

"It doesn't work like that," Snape explained with a patience he would never show in class. "All potions rely on the perfection of their composition quite heavily. Adding one more ingredient could render the whole thing useless. This is true even more so in this particular potion since it relies heavily on the use of innate magic."

Maya sighed. "It's a shame that we don't know the whereabouts of the staff of Caduceus," she said hopelessly. "The book described it as being able to integrate healing properties into any potion."

"The staff of Hermes?" Harry asked. "Wasn't that just a myth?"

Maya smiled weakly. "If you'll remember the first lesson we had together," she said, "you'll remember that some of those myths were based on truth. Even Pythagoras wielded the staff at some point."

Snape got out of his chair so quickly that it toppled over.

"Severus?" Harry asked. "What's wrong?"

"Maya, you might have just saved your sister's life," Snape said excitedly. "Harry, come along right now."

"But where –"

Snape didn't give Harry any time to finish his sentence. He just grabbed him by the wrist and all but dragged him behind him. Without so much as a farewell or warning, Snape spun on his heel and with a loud crack, the pair of them disapparated.

The surprise apparition was enough to force Harry onto his knees as soon as they landed. Snape didn't give him the time to recover, though. Instead, he dragged Harry to his feet and led the boy behind him.

"There's no time for that now," Snape said as he took some hasty strides.

Harry leaned on Snape's arm until the world stopped spinning and looked up to see where they were. They had landed right in front of the pyramid that was the base of the potions guild.

"Why are we here?" Harry asked.

"You still didn't figure it out?" Snape asked as he started climbing the steps. "The staff Maya was talking about. The one that's described in the book the Weasley twins procured for me. It's hanging in these very halls!"

"It's what?" Harry asked incredulously.

"You were probably too nervous to notice last time, but it's right here. The staff of Caduceus otherwise know as the staff of Hermes. It has been an heirloom to the guild for a very long time, gifted to us by Pythagoras himself."

"And you didn't think to use it before?" Harry asked, already panting as he was climbing the stairs. He wondered why they couldn't just apparate directly to the top. How did all of those old men do this?

"It can't heal diseases by itself," Snape explained, not out of breath in the least. "As Maya said, it can provide healing properties to any potion without disrupting its harmony. Don't you see? This is perfect!"

They reached the top. The door was closed but Snape was able to open it with a mere touch of his palm and a hissed password. The door swung inward with a soft keening and Snape swept inside. Harry followed to see the staff hanging on the wall in plain sight. Right next to a shield that looked like a Gryphon, bracing itself with its wings. Perhaps he had seen it before.

Snape lifted the staff from the wall and Harry half-expected the ceiling to cave in or for boobytraps to spring into action but none of that happened.

"Anyone can just take it?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Anyone that's been anointed in the guild," Snape replied impatiently. "Now come on, there's no time to lose."

Together, they swept out of the guildhall again, climbed down the stony steps and apparated as soon as they could. This time, Harry was prepared and did not falter.

"Won't Lovegood notice it's gone?" Harry asked as they hurried into their house.

"He will have received a notification that I took it right about now," Snape told Harry. "But I'm quite certain that he will be most pleased if this works. Using the staff should not put a dent in that victory. After all, it's what Hermes intended when he created this artefact in the first place."

When they stumbled back into the lab, they inadvertently woke up Hedwig who looked at them with a reprimanding look on her face. She fluffed her feathers but made no sound as she was suddenly distracted by the golden gleam of the staff.

"It is quite fortunate that we decided to leave the rest of the potion for later," Snape said. "Or we would have to brew the whole thing over again."

Harry stood there somewhat forlornly when Snape swivelled to look at him. "Well?" he asked. "What are you waiting for? Draw your alchemical circle."

Harry sprung into action at once, grabbed some of the chalk that was stowed away in the desk and started drawing. Snape was watching him intently but didn't seem to take any action of his own. As if he knew what Harry was thinking, he spoke up.

"You're the one who created the potion," he said. "That's why it has to be you who alters it. If we don't do it like this, the artefact might not respond as we wish it to. And I'd rather not try again simply because we were too hasty."

"Understood," Harry said. When he finished the last intricate rune that was a part of the circle, he got up, removed the stasis that was on the cauldron and accepted the staff from Snape. It was quite heavy and unwieldy. It felt warm to the touch and while they were standing in the containment field, it seemed to want to reach out to the potion.

Harry could see white and golden threads of innate magic coming from the staff and licking the blue threads that exuded from the Magic Muggle potion as if they were nothing but a mist. He could hear the sound of bells and got the vague impression that something was talking to him. Guiding him.

'Reach out,' something inside of him said. 'Reach out with your own source and I shall comply.'

Harry looked at Snape to see if the man had heard the same thing he had but he was simply regarding Harry with great interest.

Harry let go of the staff with one hand and tried to focus his innate magic into it, as he had done many times before. Long strips of what seemed to be white ribbons materialised into thin air and Harry used them, nay, guided them to grab hold of the golden tendrils and directed them to come into contact with the blue mist.

He weaved the different magics together as if they were a tapestry that needed completing. He tried to find the natural balance between them and listened as the staff seemed to direct him. It was a draining experience, but one that felt absolutely wholesome. He knew that this was right. And when the potion began to shine with a golden sheen, Harry realized that it was complete. He cut the golden tendrils carefully and allowed them to settle where they were ingrained.

"I think it has been done," Harry told Snape. The man was staring at him with something that resembled awe. It looked entirely foreign on the Potions Master's face.

"There's no time for praise or questions," Harry told Snape evenly, though he felt the quiver of excitement still present in his voice. "We have to get this potion to Emma."

"As you say," Snape said, his gravelly voice grounding Harry once more. "Fill a vial and put a stasis on the rest of it."

"Yes sir," Harry complied. He carefully measured one portion, not spilling a drop in the process, and charmed the vial to keep it from breaking for good measure. He pocketed the potion and raced up the stairs.

"Let's go!" he called unnecessarily because Snape was right behind him. The staff lay forgotten in the lab.

For the second time that day, they raced to Alex's home, the new and improved potion in Harry's pocket. Once more, Maya opened the door before they could even reach the threshold and as before, they raced up the stairs without even acknowledging Maya's presence. This time though, Alex was standing next to her, a hopeful expression on his face as he watched the two potioneers climb the stairs towards his wife.

When they barged in the door, they found Emma still awake, looking at them with eyes that were much too bright, a small trickle of blood coming from the corner of her mouth.

"Twice in one day?" she asked weakly. "You pamper me too much."

Snape took a handkerchief out of his pocket and used it to gently dab away the blood on Emma's face. He then grabbed the potion Harry handed to him and showed it to Emma1; "Drink this, if you will," he said importantly.

"This better not be poison," Emma chuckled softly.

"Don't play coy right now," Snape growled. "There'll be plenty of time for that later."

"Oh Severus, you always know what to say," Emma said, smiling weakly. But Snape's glare caused her to acquiesce. She allowed Snape to help her sit up and bring the vial to her mouth. The potion was surrounded by a golden sheen that Harry would bet would glow in the dark. As Emma drank, that same golden sheen seemed to envelop her body. Snape had to help her steady the vial as she almost gave up drinking halfway but the Potions Master wouldn't let her.

When the vial was empty to the very last drop, Snape and Harry watched Emma carefully, waiting for that golden glow to disappear. When it finally did, Snape took out his wand and cast the diagnostic spell once more, Harry hovering next to him, as he read the results.

And there you have it. I won't say much more at this point. Do let me know what you thought, if you can.
Four chapters to go.