Chapter 13

Pain. A throbbing, dull pain spread though his entire body. That was the first thing Salazar noticed when he slowly regained consciousness. He bit back a groan and fought to stay still while mentally examining his condition and his whereabouts. His entire body ached and throbbed with a burning pain. Now and then chills would run down his spine and a faint trembling would spread through his limbs. Only his shoulder felt strangely numb and it felt cold. He tried moving his right hand and after some moments he felt his fingers twitch and move an inch on warm cloth and he took notice of the softness under him. 'I'm in a bed' That combined with a fresh smell of disinfectants told him where he probably was. But the most telling thing was a happy warm feeling coiling around him, caressing him and whispering to him. A soft smile appeared on his lips. He could never mistake the feeling of the magic in the air and the presence singing joyfully in his mind. He was home.

When Salazar opened his eyes the first thing he saw was white, a blindingly white roof and equally light walls. His smile widened. 'So I really am home...' he closed his eyes again. Then he carefully tried to call on his magic. A curse formed on his lips and his stomach tightened. His magic, usually bright and lively, was dull, sluggish and reluctant. 'I must have been in a really bad condition then, for my magic to be this depleted.' A thing he found strange, since he clearly remembered reinforcements to have arrived seconds before he finally had fainted. With his injury he should have received treatment really fast. But it seemed like he hadn't. An uneasy feeling rose in his stomach and made it roll weakly. But then he growled softly under his breath. He had a feeling that someone had poked their nose into something they had no business with and interfered.

'So you are awake, at last' the soft voice speaking in his mind startled him, but what made him shiver was anger in it. 'You headed into battle and wouldn't let us protect you and now your badly injured.' Damn it. Once again he opened his eyes and then slowly moved his head to the left. The great feline was sitting on the floor beside his bed and its green eyes shone with anger. 'What do you have to say for yourself?' Salazar opened his mouth but closed it again. What could he really say? 'I'm sorry. I was a fool and I won't deny it. I guess I'm afraid of losing you and Taka.' The great feline growled and slowly rose. 'NEVER do it again. The next time will be the last.' With that the Leopard walked over to the wall before melting into the shadows and disappearing. The sight of it made Salazar's eyes widen. His familiar apparently was more dangerous than he had realised.

"You dessserve hisss anger and I'm angry at you too. You ssshould know better."

Salazar sighed and closed his eyes. Moments later he felt the mattress dip before a familiar weight slithered over his legs before settling over his chest. When he opened his eyes again he met Taka's serious golden gaze.

"My apologiesss, my friend I didn't think clearly when I acted. All I whissshed for wasss to protect you and Lucci... I didn't intend to hurt any of you..."

The snake's eyes softened slightly.

"I know. However, it will take time before Lucci forgivesss you. You need to be careful from now on. While he won't harm you or let harm come to you, if you let him down again he will leave."

Taka spoke the truth and Salazar knew it. He really had screwed up badly. With a minor struggle he managed to lift his left hand and place it on the serpent, caressing it scales.

"Taka, do you know why I'm ssso weak?"

The fact that his familiar seemed to hesitate before answering made him swallow hard. When the serpent answered it was in a low voice.

"The old goat interfered and delayed your treatment. When the Dark One finally got to you the curssse had ssspread far more and nearly depleted and corrupted all of your magic and body."

Once again he closed his eyes and for a moment his hand stilled. With a choked voice he asked his familiar the question he dreaded to ask.

"How bad isss it?"

Usually at this time of the day the staff would be discussing the new year, their new students and how their summer had been. Now they were sitting around the table in silence, faces drawn and many cheeks wetted by tears. Even the Headmaster' customary twinkle was absent from his eyes.

"How many? How many children have we lost?" the aged wizard asked softly.

"Too many Albus. Ravenclaw lost three students in the battle and four have been arrested upon the aurors finding the dark mark on their arms." The small wizard clenched his teacup in his hands, eyes shut tightly.

"Two sixth years from Gryffindor died in the battle and three was found with the dark mark"

McGonagall fought to keep her voice steady, but at the end it cracked and she bowed her head staring at the tabletop. With silent tears running down his cheeks Hagrid placed a hand on her back patting it softly.

"Pomona?" Albus asked after a few minutes giving his deputy time to gather herself.

"Hufflepuff have lost five students, three in battle and two to the dark. There's also a second year unaccounted for, Julie Robinson. I fear... she has been taken." Her voice was thick with unshed tears and her hands shook when she gripped her teacup tighter. Albus sighed and drew a hand over his face, cursing the dark lord in every language he knew. Attacking helpless children... the man was monster.

"Severus? How about Slytherin House? What are your losses?"

'None I presume, except from those caught with the dark mark' Albus thought his eyes narrowing when he looked at the unusually pale and sombre potions-master.

"Slytherin House have lost six students in the battle and five was found with the dark mark."

His usually silky voice was rough, his black eyes burned with rage and they could feel magic crackle in the air around him.

"There's also the fact to consider that many of my snakes fought in the battle to protect the train. Many of them will face danger now, from their own homes no less."

The other heads and teachers nodded, even though some of them had disbelieving looks on their faces. Suddenly the dark haired man pulled out a vial from his robes and downed it quickly. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply until he felt it take effect.

"My apologies. I felt the need to ingest a calming draught before any unnecessary damage occurred."

The empty vial disappeared into the heavy robes again and the potions master leant back in his chair. Once again his eyes had become emotionless and his face showed nothing of the rage he felt inside. They would have to stand alone, even though the House of the Serpent had risen to stand with the other houses, they still were shunned and would have to stand alone. Then he felt a hand on his arm and looked down to meet the eyes of the charms master. 'Calm down Severus, I'm with you on this. Meet me in my office later tonight and we'll talk' Severus nodded softly, almost invisibly before looking away. Inside he was shocked, but still surprisingly pleased.

"Three days from now the sorting and a memorial will be held in the Great Hall. I also know that the ministry is planning to give every student who defended the train an Order of Merlin, but I don't know when this will happen."

"Albus are you sure we should open the school again so soon? I mean the students need time to heal and mourn..." Minerva whispered.

The words ' and so do we' went unsaid but everyone in the room heard them.

"I know Minerva, I know. But these children fought to protect themselves and their way of life and the least we can do is to protect and honour their sacrifice by letting life move on as normal as soon as possible."

When the headmaster spoke his voice was gentle but there was a finality in his words that told everyone that there was no changing his mind over the matter.

"Now there's one last thing we need to discuss tonight before we call it tonight. The matter of Mister Potter. According to my sources, he was the one who gathered the students and sent them out to battle..."

Before the headmaster had a chance to finish Severus jumped into the discussion. There was no way he would see Harry punished for this.

"And for that he should receive an Order of Merlin First Class. If he hadn't organised the defence it would have been a slaughter and more lives would have been lost and you know it."

the potion master ignored the admonishing gaze sent his way.

"That may be true Severus, but due to his actions several lives was lost and..."

"Albus I sorely hope that you're not saying what I think you are..." Minerva growled and carefully placed down her teacup.

She had lost a lot of her cubs tonight and she would be damned if she lost more.

"I will not stand for any wrongful actions taken against Mister Potter. He saved more lives tonight than we did and that isn't something he should be punished for."

"I'm with Minerva and Severus on this Albus. Mister Potter should not be punished for saving lives, he should be rewarded." Filius said and glared at the Headmaster, while sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Pomona?"

The head of Hufflepuff sat with her eyes closed and her hands in her lap. She had tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm... I'm not sure. I don't think he should be expelled, he saved a lot of lives, but he shouldn't be rewarded either. Give him detention and ban him from flying for the entire year. Suspend him if he breaks the rules again."

The other heads stared at the crying witch, some with compassion in their eyes other with anger.

"Then it is decided. Mister Potter will be banned from flying and he will have detention every day until Christmas with..."

"He will serve his detentions with his Head of House." Minerva said, steel in her voice and eyes.

Albus met her gaze for some seconds then he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Fine. Let's call it a night for now. We will convene again tomorrow at 10 am and hopefully our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers will be here by then."

As soon as the words had left the headmaster's mouth Minerva, Filius and Severus rose and left the room, without looking at the head of Hufflepuff.

Severus stalked down the corridors with a look on his face that would send any students that came across him running. Inside he was boiling with rage. How dare she? He could understand that she was upset and torn about the loss of her badgers, but Harry didn't deserve the punishment. He had a feeling the boy would punish himself for the fallen ones. With a sigh Severus stopped and leant against the wall, the chill of the stone soothing him. Once again he saw Harry lying there motionless on the ground, ice almost covering all of his body. 'I was almost too late. If the Goat had kept me away for a few more seconds...' He clenched his hands tightly and closed his eyes as his darkness began to stir.

"Severus? Severus are you alright?"

A hand on his arm made his eyes snap open and a fierce snarl rolled over his lips. He moved, his body twisting away and hands reaching out, fingers curled as claws. A jet of water to the face sent him staggering backwards helplessly spluttering.

"Severus Snape, get a hold of yourself immediately!"

"For the love of Merlin woman, which part of your infinitesimal mind came up with the notion that attempting to drench me was a acceptable solution?"

McGonagall's lips thinned and her nostrils flared. Scenting danger Severus held his tongue and covered in front of the irate witch.

"Severus Tobias Snape! Mind your language when talking to me or you'll find yourself in detention, professor or not!"

The dark-haired man swallowed hard, before attempting to gather himself while calmly waving his wand around drying his clothes and hair, he spoke.

"My apologies Minerva. Let me treat you to a drink as an apology. I recently acquired some first-rate whisky, muggle made, but still an excellent brew. Would you care to join us Filius?"

with a nod the small charms professor stepped out from the shadows and joined his colleagues. Silently they walked down the chilly dungeons until they came to a portrait of a man in his late thirties brewing. The man looked up briefly and nodded when he saw them before arching an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Allium sativum"

With a low bow the portrait swung open and revealed a cosy room with a lit fireplace.

"Garlic, Severus?" Flitwick asked in an amused voice.

Severus only grumbled something before he stepped through the portrait-hole.

Salazar sighed and tried not to scratch at his tightly bandaged shoulder. By Merlin it itched.

"Try to ssscratch it again and I will bite you. You're not a hatchling Sssalazar even if you look like one at the moment."

"I know Taka. Sssorry."

He was moving slowly through the silent corridors of the school, heading for the Gryffindor dormitories. Both his familiars had insisted on accompanying him. Taka rested lightly on his shoulders and Lucci padded by his side. Madam Pomfrey had given him a potion for the pain when he woke up and then informed him how he was to treat his injury. She also informed him that he was to come back if it seemed to get worse. During the entire exchange she had been somewhat frosty and it had told him all he needed to know about her feelings for him. Salazar sighed. While the injury was closed, the skin of his shoulder remained bluish and chilled to his and others touch. There even was some spots of ice still clinging to it. His magic was severely depleted and it would take weeks, maybe even months for him to reach his former strength and his wand... He sighed and fished out the holly and phoenixfeather wand. Long cracks ran along its length and the wood was badly charred in places. It wouldn't last long. He would need to get a new one as soon as possible. He pocketed it again and continued his slow walk through the eerily silent castle. So usually full of life and laughter the silence felt oppressing and made his skin crawl. Hogwarts wasn't supposed to be quiet. Salazar shivered and lengthened his steps. Soon he stood outside the portrait of the Fat Lady and he suddenly realised he didn't know the password.

"I'm sorry madam I was just released from the hospital wing and I haven't been told the password yet. May I still enter?"

The portrait watched him silently for a few seconds but then nodded.

"Just this once child I'll make an exception." She said and then the portrait swung open.

When he entered the common room first there was an uncanny silence in the air then...

"Harry!"

"Thank Merlin"

In the next moment he was pulled into a strong hug by Ron and Neville, which was joined by Fred and George. Before he knew it he was led over to a sofa and pushed down gently onto it, Taka still resting on his shoulders.

"How are you mate? You were in the hospital wing for two days." Ron asked while sitting down beside him.

"I'm doing better, but it will take some time to heal fully."Salazar answered truthfully.

"What happened Harry? There are rumours going around and no one knows what to believe really"

Running a hand through his hair Salazar pondered over what to tell them. The full truth was probably not going to work in his favour, but at the same time he didn't want to lie even more to them then he already had.

"There isn't much I can really say..."

"Oh because you don't want everyone to know you used dark magic Potter?"

He should have known she would be here and wouldn't miss this chance.

"Miss Granger, I would have thought that after all these years you would know not to speak about things you don't know a thing about. The spells I used are among the ones counted as family magic. Neither light nor dark."

"So? What does that has to do with anything?"

Before Salazar had a chance to answer her Neville did.

"It's easy Granger. Family magic is something all families are very secretive about. Unless you are a part of the family by blood or by marriage you don't have a right to know about it and Harry is not allowed to tell you either."

A dark blush rose upon the witch's cheeks. With a huff she turned around and stalked up to the girl's dormitory, knowing when she was beaten. When Ginny followed her, Salazar sighed and closed his eyes tiredly when he noticed Ron clenching his hands.

"I'm sorry Ron."

"Not your fault mate. You don't have anything to be sorry for."

But he did. By Merlin, didn't he?

The setting sun bathed the grounds of Hogwarts in a soft golden glow and made the lake shimmer. The entire school, both teachers and students, old and new was gathered in front of a huge piece of marble. On a bronze plate in the middle of the rock, was a list of names inscribed.

"We are gathered here today to honour and remember those fallen in the battle of the Express. We are gathered here this eve to show these heroes our gratitude and our respect for their courage to face death, their wisdom that made it possible for them to protect, the loyalty shown towards their friends and their ambition to succeed. Tonight we remember and honour Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil of Gryffindor, Markus Belby, Serena Fawcett and Terry Boot of Ravenclaw..."

Salazar swallowed hard and looked down at the ground. A day had passed since he woke up in the hospital wing, but somehow he wished he hadn't, but at the same time he was grateful he had woken up when he did. While he listened to Dumbledore's speech he pondered over the fact that the headmaster was dressed in somber black robes, fitting for the ceremony and not some colourful travesty. As much as he disliked the man he had to at least respect him a little for not turning the ceremony into a sham or some popularity-hunting event.

"and Marcus Flint of Slytherin."

Looking up Salazar moved his attention back to the headmaster, as he wrapped up the speech. Silently he watched the old wizard conjure a small lantern, light the candle inside it before gently placing it on the lake's still water. Then he conjured up another, which he lit and handed to a second year Hufflepuff. The trembling girl bent down and gently placed it on the water before rising and moving back to her housemates. Again and again the gesture was repeated and lantern after lantern joined the ones already on the lake. When it was Salazar's turn he went over to the headmaster and received his lantern. For a moment he met the old man's eyes before nodding in respect. Then he turned towards the lake and set down his lantern, but not before adding some of his own magic to it and the others making sure they would stay lit for far longer than intended. One by one the sorted students placed the lanterns, then the new first years received and placed theirs and lastly went the teachers. When everyone, even Madam Pomfrey, Madam Pince and Mr Filch had placed lanterns, Dumbledore waved his wand gently and slowly the gathered lanterns started to float away from the shore.

"Rest well and in peace. You shall never be forgotten, heroes of Hogwarts and neither shall your courage or sacrifice."

Turning towards the gathered school the old wizard cleared his throat before addressing them.

"Let us stand here in silence for a minute to honour and remember, then we shall move to the school and commence the Sorting."

First, let me start with apologising for the incredibly long wait for this chapter. This has to be some sort of record. I thought this story dead, since I had a writer's block the size of mount everest, but this week it just kinda disappeared and the story started coming back to me from wherever it had hidden.

Secondly, let me update you to my situation today. I currently study at University and therefor doesn't have as much time as I had before, so updates might take time, unless writer's block strike again. I can say though that out of the two stories, Resurrection is the one that has most promise of being worked on and finished.

Finally I hope you like the new chapter. here we see some of the aftermath of the battle. Until next time.

/Witton