The Heart of Hogwarts
Severus was temporarily deaf to the noise and chaos of the battle still raging on ahead of him. He had reached Professor McGonagall’s side so quickly that he almost could have flown there, and right now reviving her was the only thing that mattered. Concern and concentration were etched all over his face as he knelt next to her in the damp grass. Using two fingers to feel for a pulse in her neck by muggle means like Lily’s father had first taught him to do, Severus held his wand in his other hand and pointed it directly at her chest. “Rennervate,” he cast the countercharm, but to no effect.
“Rennervate,” he said again, a bit more desperately. “Rennervate Maxima!” Still Minerva did not stir. Her eyes did not open. She wasn’t merely unconcious either, her heart had been overcome by the four stunners directly to it and wasn’t beating.
“Cor Sentinam,” Severus cast the life supporting spell as a last resort to shock her heart a few pulses, while looking frantically up for the first time to see what had become of the attackers.
Two of them had been knocked out cold by Hagrid’s fists before he’d made his escape into the forbidden forest. “Get him, get him!” Dolores Umbridge was screaming, but her remaining helper seemed very reluctant to follow in pursuit. Neither himself nor Umbridge were paying any attention to what was going on behind them. And the strength of Severus’s healing magic was not enough to match the force inflicted by four against one.
Waving his wand back towards the castle to call for help, Severus’s focus in the meantime was to keep the blood circulating through Minerva’s veins. He was using advanced and difficult magic to pump her heart for her, but it wouldn’t work for very long. It was exhausting and Severus had to dig deep within himself to keep his energy and concentration from waning. While Umbridge didn’t pay attention to what he was doing or show any interest in McGonagall’s status at all. It was like they were invisible.
“Quite unfortunate, but she gave us no choice,” he could hear her saying to the still conscious auror. “Irrational and violent interference on a confidential Ministry matter!”
“Quite right, Madam,” the auror agreed, while behind them Severus was biting back his anger at the sheer cowardice. Using that fury to strengthen his spell. “Cor Sentinam.” The magic kept Minerva hanging on by a thin line and Severus did not compromise his concentration by calling over to Umbridge and demanding help.
He allowed them to gather up their collapsed colleagues and head back to the castle unconfronted by himself. Undoubtedly, the Ministry would back up their actions entirely anyway and they’d all be worse off if Severus decided to intervene at this crucial moment in time. Dumbledore had been reminding his staff to cooperate with Umbridge all this year.
It felt like an eternity before he finally heard the blessed sound of footsteps rushing down the hill towards them, but he knew logically that it had only been mere minutes at most. “Good heavens! Minerva….Minerva!” Utterly spent from working vigorously to keep her alive using a very draining spell, relief compounded Severus as Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey wasted no time on questions before they dropped down to the ground on either side of him.
“Rennervate on three,” he commanded, as the two witches pointed their wands at Professor McGonagall’s chest with his own. A bright yellow glowed from the three touching wands as they cast life back into her body, the three spells doing what one alone could not. Severus began to feel an uneven pulsing in Minerva’s neck, then she suddenly gasped, starving for air, the sound of which promptly succumbed Professor Sprout to tears.
“We need to get her up to the hospital wing,” Madam Pomfrey said grimly.
Severus staggered slightly from weariness as he stood up from the ground and twirled his wand in the air to conjure a levitating stretcher on which to carry her. Then he bent to take hold of McGonagall’s feet, while Madam Pomfrey grabbed her around the waist, and Professor Sprout held her under the arms. They lifted her together upon the stretcher, the truth that this could have been done much more effortlessly with magic seemed not to occur to any of them. As they began trekking up the hill towards the castle as fast as they could safely, Minerva moaned, quite clearly in considerable pain.
“Did you see what happened, Severus?” Professor Sprout asked.
“Umbridge happened,” Severus replied coolly, his tone not giving anything away about how angry he was. Both of the witches wore murderous expressions, but seemed not surprised. Ever since Dumbledore had been forced to flee from his own school, nothing seemed extraordinary anymore. Madam Pomfrey’s wand hand shook slightly as she pointed it at the stretcher to glide it along behind her.
“Umbridge has wanted to sack Hagrid for awhile and, presumably wanting to avoid the same sort of scene that happened with Trelawney, decided to ambush him in the middle of the night with a group of aurors,” he elaborated. “Minerva happened to spot them and for some reason apparently decided that it was a good idea to get right into the middle of it all.”
However foolish he might consider her act, Severus did respect how gallant it was. Even if it hadn’t done Hagrid any good, Minerva McGonagall’s heart of gold was on full display. She’d literally put it on the line for a friend, the sort of reckless courage that made her a Gryffindor through and through. If she made a full recovery then Severus would dutifully give McGonagall credit for her infinite goodness, lamenting only the misfortune of her not getting the better of Umbridge in the fight she’d been yearning to have with her all year.
“We need to get that awful woman out of Hogwarts before she hurts anyone else!” Professor Sprout said emotionally.
“I’m half-tempted to quit in protest!” Madam Pomfrey said angrily. “I’d pack my bags this very night if I wasn’t so afraid of what would happen to the students without me!”
Severus looked down suddenly when he felt light fingertips brush against his robes. He wasn’t the only one who had noticed Minerva’s sudden movement or that her glassy and confused eyes had partially opened. “Don’t worry, darling, you’re going to be fine,” Madam Pomfrey said gently, her tone lightening considerably when she realized McGonagall was listening. “Just try to rest and I’ll get you something for the pain once we get upstairs.”
“Albus….tell him,” Minerva whispered very weakly, delicately touching his hand so lightly that Severus barely felt it.
“I’ll tell him,” Severus promised, taking hold of her hand strongly in his and watching her eyes water from either pain or emotion, it was difficult to say. Minerva stared at him for a few more seconds before her eyes couldn’t stay open any longer. She fell back asleep and then Severus let go of her hand.
“I’m just going to get her prepared for the journey and then we’ll be off to St. Mungo’s at once,” Madam Pomfrey declared, as they hurried through the thankfully deserted corridors on the way up to the hospital wing.
It was close to two in the morning and, with the exception of those witnesses who’d been writing their Astronomy OWL, all the students were tucked away in bed. Umbridge was probably bustling around her office by now. Severus imagined her busily preparing some sort of report that would undoubtedly paint Professor McGonagall as some sort of out of control aggressor whom they’d had no choice but to immobilize.
“I’m going to Minerva’s quarters to pack her an away bag,” Professor Sprout said, tears still spilling down her cheeks as she rested her hand protectively on McGonagall’s arm.
“Good idea, Pomona,” Madam Pomfrey nodded. “I believe she’ll be there for awhile.”
“She’ll be okay though, Poppy?” Severus asked, once Professor Sprout had rushed off down the corridor that led to Gryffindor tower. He knew McGonagall’s heart was still beating rather weakly but her pulse was becoming more regular and she was breathing on her own at least now.
“I hope,” was all Madam Pomfrey would say. They walked the rest of the way to the hospital wing in silence and then the hospital matron rushed over to her desk to begin organizing the necessary transport.
“As if any one of them could have taken Minerva McGonagall face on by daylight,” Severus could hear her muttering to herself indignantly, while she dipped her quill in ink and hastily wrote on a tidy scroll. She then pointed her wand at it and it ignited with green flames before disintegrating in her hand. “Incendio….I’m just letting them know to expect us.”
Madam Pomfrey grabbed a stack of clean bedding and walked back over to cover Minerva in a woolen blanket. Severus helped lift Minerva’s head off the stretcher briefly so that a thin pillow could be slid underneath her. Then, still supporting her head, he pulled out the pins keeping her hair up in its tight bun. She’d sleep more comfortably with it down, he reasoned. Though the jostling movement roused her again and she opened her eyes.
Severus looked back at her, waiting for her to fall back asleep, but she reached her hand out to him instead. Moaning with pain and each shallow breath seemed a great effort, like she still wasn’t getting enough air. “Idiot woman, what were you thinking?”
He crouched down to be level with her. “Hagrid got away,” he shared, patting her hand gently. Madam Pomfrey had disappeared into the hospital stores Severus was tasked with keeping fully stocked year round. McGonagall’s teeth were grinding together in a brave effort to keep from crying out, though her kicking legs and the way she clutched tightly to the blanket with both hands revealed how panicked and agonized she was.
“Have you heard from Albus?” she asked in a helpless whisper, before an expression of alarm flashed across her face. She dropped the blankets and tried to use her hands to push herself up into a sitting position frantically. She didn’t make it far.
“No, no, no,” Madam Pomfrey scolded, hurrying back into the room and gently, but firmly, pushing her back down to lay on the stretcher. “You might have gotten away with avoiding your checkups for years, Minerva, but I’m afraid we’re going to do things my way tonight.”
McGonagall looked for a moment like she would have liked to argue, but she didn’t have the stamina and was in too much pain to even try. Before Minerva could open her mouth to say anything more, Madam Pomfrey had Severus help her pour a pain reliever down McGonagall’s unwilling throat. Minerva gagged on the potion but her eyes were already closing again, exhausted from the effort of suffering.
“Severus….” she said croakily, blindly reaching from him again. “The Ministry….did he….is he?”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything, but I believe he’s still there,” Severus replied quietly, believing Madam Pomfrey was trustworthy, but still not thinking it appropriate to be discussing information pertaining to the Order in front of any person not directly involved. “I’m not worried, Dumbledore can definitely handle himself and if all goes to plan, we’ll be expelling Umbridge from this school very soon. I don’t suppose you’d like to do the honours….”
Minerva nodded her head against her pillow, the potion clearly already doing its job by the way her expression had relaxed and her body had stilled. Madam Pomfrey returned to the bedside, wearing a travelling cloak over her nightdress now. She pointed her wand at Minerva and pastel colours of blue, yellow, and pink all circled around her checking vitals and performing various diagnostics.
“I’m worried about her heart,” she confessed to Severus, sniffling as she slid her wand up her sleeve. “It’s weak.”
Severus nodded his understanding as he rose back to his feet. Professor McGonagall was always so sprightly that it was easy to forget her advanced age. Four stunners directly to the chest was life threatening to anyone, but for someone of her years would be especially hard to bounce back from. Though Severus had no doubt that she could do it.
“Are you taking the portkey?” he asked, just as Professor Sprout ran breathlessly back into the room carrying a carpet bag in one hand and Minerva’s green cloak in her other.
Madam Pomfrey pointed to the plastic pitcher on her desk. Dumbledore kept a portkey for easy transport to St. Mungo’s in the hospital wing at the ready at all times. Severus walked over and activated it with a tap of his wand, while Professor Sprout set the carpet bag and cloak on the stretcher beside Minerva’s feet.
“I should be back before morning,” Madam Pomfrey said, as Severus passed her the portkey. She held it up in one hand and used her other to grip tightly to the bar of the stretcher. Then Professor Sprout used her wand to tighten a belt across Minerva’s waist to keep her secure for the journey, before kissing her cheek in farewell.
“I’m going to direct the fifth years all back to their dormitories,” she explained, heading for the doors again. “They saw the whole thing and they’re quite upset.”
Severus remained where he was to watch as the portkey spun them away. Then his concerns about what might be occurring at the Hall of Prophecy resumed with full throttle. He wasn’t really worried about Albus Dumbledore; the only one the Dark Lord was afraid of, who could easily match and even surpass his prodigious skill. But Severus was anxious to learn what was happening, knowing it could bring about so many different outcomes. He wouldn’t be human if he wasn’t afraid about the sort of welcome he might expect to get the next time his mark burned.
Severus had just left the now empty hospital wing when he nearly collided with three people running the opposite way. “Are you looking for me?” he asked coolly, staring at Harry, Ron, and Hermione each in turn. “Did I not tell you to meet me downstairs?”
“Please, sir,” Hermione said anxiously. “Is Professor McGonagall going to be okay?”
“And Hagrid?” Harry added, not looking the least perturbed about being caught out of bounds after hours. “Do you know where he went?”
“I told them we should just wait downstairs,” Ron added sheepishly, his large feet shuffling on the floor.
“Should have listened to Weasley,” Severus told the other two. “Would make a lot more sense than running around the castle at night when Umbridge is in a particularly vindictive mood. I’m not discussing anything here. Put the cloak on - all three of you - and follow me.”
He didn’t wait for them to follow his directions. Severus moved along, leaving the three of them behind to rummage for the cloak in Harry’s overstuffed backpack. A few seconds later he heard the thundering of footsteps from invisible people catching up to him, and rolled his eyes at the lack of discretion. Not that it was likely to matter at this time of night, he reasoned, pushing open the large oak door of the entrance hall.
“Sir, aren’t we going to our quarters?” Harry’s voice whispered in his ear as the silky material of the invisibility cloak fluttered against Severus in the summer breeze.
“Let’s go see, Sirius,” Severus replied softly. “After tonight, I really need a break from this place - Miss Granger, don’t worry. You’ll still have plenty of time left to revise for your History of Magic OWL when we return.”