Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Chapter 14 Mind Soothing

Sunday followed with the same display of red eyes and anxious whispers among the pupils. What improved things, somewhat, was that the weather cleared up, after midday, and that the sun shone on the brightest colours that autumn could mobilise. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny went for a long walk along the border of the Forbidden Forest. It cleared their heads and Harry felt revitalised. Ron was less negative, Ginny was more contented and Hermione had better colour on her cheeks when they came back to the castle. They only met Professor Burgess on their walk, ambulating on his own, in the outskirts of the northern part of the forest. The young teacher smiled at them, but did not stop to talk.

On Monday morning, Harry spotted Healer Shufflert among the teachers at the podium in the Great Hall. At the close of breakfast, she stepped forward, with Professor McGonagall and Mme Pomfrey at her sides. The mind-healer announced that her time at Hogwarts had been extended to a full time job. She stressed her ambition to talk to them all and indentify those who needed her help. She encouraged anyone who felt affected by what had happened to sign up for an investigating talk with her.

By lunchtime, however, lists were so full that Healer Shufflert stood up again and announced that it would take too long to see them all, one by one, and that she could not be sure, anyway, that those who especially needed her help would be the ones to seek her out. Therefore, she had decided to organise group sessions to have everybody examined at least briefly.

Professor McGonagall made it clear that it was compulsory for all pupils to attend the sessions and that she would have groups and timetables ready for dinner. The reaction to the announcement among the pupils was either appreciative or upset, depending on who you turned to. Harry realised that the healer’s point was not to miss another suicidal pupil, but he questioned the feasibility of group sessions when there were hundreds of pupils to manage. He did not look forward to it, for his own part. He dreaded being scrutinised by Healer Shufflert.

At dinner, Professor McGonagall’s timetables were in place. Three hundred and fifty pupils were divided into five groups. They were to gather in the Great Hall the following evenings of the week to attend Healer Shufflert’s mind-soothing sessions. Ron and Ginny were on the schedule, already the first evening. Harry and Hermione would have to wait until Friday. Harry noted that Professor Snape took no part in the planning or advertising of Healer Shufflert’s group sessions. Harry thought that Snape did in fact have trouble hiding his scepticism as he kept his lips pressed together. Evidently, he had given his permission for the sessions to take place, but reluctantly, it seemed. Maybe he had no choice, with the recent attack on the school and the suicide, Hermione pointed out.

Monday evening, the Gryffindor common room was quieter than usual, with a fifth of its inhabitants absent. They had chosen to mix pupils from all four houses and from all ages for the sessions. Maybe so that no one would imagine that anyone was prioritised at the expense of another, according to Hermione. Harry and she sat together, bent over their books, livened up by small talk, for two hours before they heard the rumble of pupils coming through into the room. Ron and Ginny joined them. Hermione looked at them expectantly.

“How was it?” she asked.

“Quite good,” answered Ron.

“Horrible!” said Ginny at the same time. They laughed.

“It was a bit chaotic,” owned Ron. “But in my group, people got talking pretty well. Everyone had experiences they were prepared to share. We all lived terrible things during the war. It was not so much about Jacob Duffle, but more about last year and Voldemort.”

“Well, those were the instructions she gave us at the start. Healer Shufflert told us to speak of the most frightening thing we had been through last year,” said Ginny, rolling her eyes.

“She didn’t say that, she told us to describe any memory, not the worst one…” objected Ron.

“Well, I think a lot of people made the same interpretation as I did. Anyhow, you were in the group who got most attention, Ron, so I guess you did just fine,” said Ginny.

They had been divided into ten groups. Ron’s session had been held by Healer Shufflert herself, whereas the teachers had helped out with the other groups.

“Except Snape, of course. He only supervised the whole thing and intervened when it went off the rails,” Ginny pointed out.

“You’re exaggerating!” said Ron.

“I’m not! You were so absorbed by your own talking that you probably didn’t notice, but two pupils in the groups next to mine, fourth years both of them, broke down as they poured out their worst memories. Lot of others started to cry, too, but most were consolable. These two had some kind of panic attacks. Mme Pomfrey tried to give them a tranquillising potion, but they were too agitated to accept it. So Healer Shufflert started to make some incantation, a relieving one, I guess, to take the panic away. She waved her wand ferociously. But she does not seem very good at it...” Ginny pulled a grim face.

“They’re not very effective, the wand-borne ones,” supplied Harry. “You need to have a Swallowscope, like the one they brought from St Mungo’s this summer. There’s where you thrust the sufferance you’ve transferred to your wand. If you just try to throw it away into the air, most of it will only rebound on the victim.”

“Yeah... I heard Healer Shufflert mutter something about a Swallowscope to Mme Pomfrey and that she had not been allowed to bring one, because they’re so expensive and they don’t have enough for the demands at St Mungo’s, as it is,” Ginny filled in. “Anyway, they were about to move the hysteric pupils away, when Snape stepped forward and did that incantation he did to mother - this summer if you remember - which is much more effective, I must say. They stopped whimpering and wriggling at once and just looked at him in surprise.”

“Yeah, that’s a special form of Relieving Incantations - that’s what they call it in the books, when you read about it. It’s quite advanced magic,” said Harry. “You transfer the pain, the anxiety or the grief, or whatever overwhelming feeling is plaguing the patient, to the healer. I don’t know why they call it ‘special form’ though, for it seems to me to be the only really effective Relieving Incantation there is - if you’re in want of a Swallowscope that is - so it should be the Relieving Incantation, shouldn’t it?”

“Perhaps not everyone knows how to do it. Healer Shufflert didn’t, apparently,” said Ron.

“Right, she went all wide-eyed when Snape did his thing, then she looked sour and said that, okay, she didn’t have to worry about the Swallowscope, when they had a living ‘Grief-swallower’ at hand. And she made him come over to the next pupil and repeat his trick,” Ginny said disapprovingly.

“A ‘Grief-Swallower’? That sounds as insulting as a Death-Eater. Is she referring to his past?” muttered Harry. “Did Snape accept that?”

Ginny shrugged. Apparently he had.

“What about you, Ron? What happened in your group?” Hermione asked. Ron bent his head down.

“I told them about Fred,” he said simply, “...not very much, just that he died and that Mum’s crushed with grief. Then I told them about the time I left you, last year, without being able to return for several weeks. That’s what’s eating me the most.” Ron stopped and swallowed. He let Hermione hug him. “It felt good to tell someone about it. I’m so ashamed of what I did, but I need to face it, don’t I? Accept that I’m a coward and a prick.”

A storm of protests gushed out of his friends. “You’re not!”, “You did other things, later!”, “It was the fault of the locket,” they said.

“I didn’t mention the locket. Thought it would be too complicated to explain. And we’ve agreed to keep quiet about the horcruxes. Healer Shufflert asked me what happened after I left you and I told her that I came back eventually and continued the fight. She, too, said that returning made amends for my prior mistake and that to be able to recharge and to make apologies was a sign of maturity.” Ron blushed. “I’m to see her in individual sessions. Professor McGonagall told me so when we came out of the Great Hall. I suppose Healer Shufflert’s assessment was that I needed some of her mind-soothing treatment.”

“Yeah, you qualified, no doubt. That was their tactics. They got us all talking, and then Healer Schufflert sneaked about to listen in and teachers waved her over when they wanted to point out a pupil they were worried about. And they made a list as the session carried on. I think it’s a nasty way of going about it. No respect what-so-ever for people’s integrity,” said Ginny.

“What are they to do, there are so many of us?” said Hermione.

“Well, I think everyone needs to take responsibility for how he or she feels and choose for themselves if they need that treatment or not. Friends can help out, too. Not everyone needs to go into treatment just because you’ve been through hard things,” answered Ginny. ”I’m glad it worked for you, though, Ron,” she added.

“Did she listen in on your group, then?” asked Hermione.

“Yes, she came by as it was my turn to speak. I told her that the worst thing that happened last term was that my brother died – of course!” Ginny scowled at Ron. “And the second worst thing was that my boyfriend broke up with me and that I didn’t see him for a whole year. Healer Schufflert seemed to find that a peculiar thing to say, but tried not to give herself away, although I could see that she thought I was some kind of shallow, stupid girl. So she played candid and asked me whether we got back together again and I answered her that, yes, as soon as Voldemort was gone, you came back to me. All is well that ends well then, she said sarcastically. And I said: it still was a horrible year, at which she almost sneered and made to go, while she retorted that maybe there were worse things that happened than crushed love, last term, and why did my boyfriend break up with me, anyhow, did I suggest it was because of Voldemort?”

Ginny imitated Healer Schufflert by arching her eyebrows at the same time as she lifted her chin haughtily.

“Yes, indeed it was, I told her,” Ginny went on. “My boyfriend was convinced that Voldemort would go after me if he thought I meant something special to him and use me to kill him. She stared at me for several seconds before it dawned on her. So you are...? The girlfriend of Harry Potter, yes, I said. And the worst thing about last year was that I didn’t know whether I would ever see you again... But I didn’t start crying in front of Healer Schufflert, as I’m doing now... I’m sorry…” Ginny wiped her eyes impatiently. ”I just looked her defiantly in the eyes and she said meekly that, why yes, there might, in fact, have been realistic grounds for my fears, and your behaviour towards me might indeed have been justified. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise, she said. All is well that ends well, I said to her without moving a muscle in my face. And I think that Snape actually smiled, in his corner, for he had been watching us and revelled in the confusion I caused her. I think he kind of likes me... or he might be afraid of me, although I wouldn’t know why - it’s just a feeling. He never reprimands me very seriously...”

“You’re one of few then,” Harry said dryly and added: “Are you okay, Ginny?”

“I think so...” she said. “I wasn’t offered private sessions, which I’m glad of. I wouldn’t mind some cuddling up and comforting kisses, though,” she added and bumped down on Harry’s lap. They all laughed at her.

The week went by and they heard other absurd and hair-raising stories from Healer Shufflert’s evening sessions. They seemed to follow the same pattern. Pupils were made to talk, were emotionally affected, but the teachers were too occupied to attend to them all and some pupils panicked. The teachers looked more and more exhausted for every day that passed.

Friday at 7.30 pm, Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall, side by side, with some apprehension. The heavy tables that were used for meals had been pushed aside along the walls and chairs had been placed in two rows of small half-circles. Professor McGonagall came up to them with a list in her hand. She looked tired and spoke in a slightly strung tone.

“Mr Potter and Miss Granger, you’re most welcome. Come with me, please, your places are over here.” They were ushered to a group in the middle of the room, where they spotted Malfoy already on his seat with his Auror, a middle-aged wizard with blond beard and bald head, standing behind him. Malfoy pulled a face showing distaste, as Harry and Hermione sat down. Harry wondered why on earth they had been grouped together. Did not the teachers know how abysmally they got along since their very first year at Hogwarts?

Harry soon realised that he and Hermione, together with Malfoy, Diane Harding, a girl from Slytherin who had lost both her parents last year and David Burbage, who turned up at the last moment, had been amassed as a high-risk group of older students. There was another group with younger pupils beside them, among whom the younger sister of Diane Harding. It was obvious that Healer Shufflert would keep her eye especially on those two groups. The cunning arrangements made Harry’s flesh creep. He looked around the hall and met Snape’s gaze. The headmaster was standing with his back against the wall, near the front podium, arms crossed over his chest. Harry’s face darkened and he turned his head away. He put his hands on his knees and pulled his shoulders up to his ears. He tried to make a comforting nod at David, but apparently he didn’t succeed all too well, because David looked terrified.

Considering that there were over sixty people in the Hall, the atmosphere was surprisingly quiet and subdued. Healer Shufflert climbed the podium to initiate the session. Malfoy had to turn around in his chair to watch her.

“Welcome to this group session which purpose is to assess the need for mind-soothing treatments among the pupils at Hogwarts,” she said. “You constitute the last group that will complete these assessments. You’ll probably have heard from your peers how these sessions work. The aim tonight is to talk about things that you’ve been through the past year. Try to be as open and as honest about what you say as possible. By doing so, you’ll not only do yourself a favour, but you’ll also help your fellow pupils. We’re here to help each other. Many of you have suffered under the regime of You-know-who. To realise that you are not alone might, in some cases, be enough to find comfort, whereas some of you will receive the offer to come to individual sessions with me later this term. So let’s get started.”

Healer Shufflert descended from the podium and, just like Harry had suspected, came right up to the middle two groups where she first said a few words to the youngest, then let Miss Cork take over. Healer Shufflert sat down on the empty chair between Diane and David so that she was positioned obliquely opposite Harry.

“Let’s have a quick round of presentations, first,” she said. “I want you to say your name and year and whether you attended school or not last year. And I want you to describe briefly something that happened to you last year. Mr Malfoy, will you start, please?” She turned her head towards Malfoy and gave him an encouraging smile.

“Draco Malfoy, seventh year. I attended school last term. Worst thing was to go home during the holidays and not to know whether the Dark Lord would turn up at our house or not,” he said shortly. Healer Shufflert gestured for Hermione to continue.

“Hermione Granger, seventh year. I didn’t attend school last year. The worst thing that happened to me is when I was imprisoned and tortured at the Malfoy Manor by Draco’s aunt and they called for Voldemort to come and kill me and my friends.” Hermione sounded a bit aggressive, Harry thought. She could have chosen between several things, he guessed, whereof the Obliviating of her parents was for the time being what she suffered most from. He guessed Malfoy’s presentation had provoked her. Malfoy looked down on the floor.  It was Harry’s turn. He cleared his throat.

“Harry Potter, seventh year. Me neither, I wasn’t at school last year. But I was here at Hogwarts at the battle at the end of term, when Voldemort held the whole school hostage and threatened to kill as many as possible if I didn’t give myself up.”  He thought he saw Healer Shufflert shudder. A silence ensued.

“Mr Burbage.” Healer Shufflert had to remind David to go on. He spoke in such a low, hurried voice that they could barely hear him.

“David Burbage, sixth year. No school last year. My father’s a Muggle. We were hiding. My mother died.” He stopped abruptly.

“Very good,” Healer Shufflert said encouragingly. “We’ll speak more later on. Miss Harding, please.”

“Diane Harding, sixth year. Attended school last year. My parents came to fetch my sister and me last May when they heard there would be a battle. They got caught in the cross-fire and both died.” She had spoken in one breath, more forcefully than David and not betraying much emotion. David looked aghast at her.

“You’ve all been through horrible things,” said Healer Shufflert. “Please think about what you would like to speak about later. I’ll just have a quick round.”

She went over to Miss Cork, exchanged a few words with her and interviewed a boy in her group briefly. She looked around the hall but no other teacher was waving at her, so she resumed her place beside David. She turned abruptly to Harry.

“Will you start, please, Mr Potter? How did it affect you to be chased by You-know-who?”

Harry sighed. Why did she not call Voldemort by his name? More and more people did after his death. What was he to say? He had not only been pursued by Voldemort, he had been connected to him and involuntarily been invaded by the dark wizard’s perverse feelings in his own body. He had no intention whatsoever to explain that to Healer Schufflert.

“I suffered mostly from the knowledge that I put my friends in terrible danger. Of course I knew that even if I gave myself up to Voldemort and he killed me, he wouldn’t stop slaughtering people. But right here, at the battle, where so many people were killed - people I knew - it was hard not to be short-sighted and only want it to end,” he said.

“And you did give yourself up, as I understand it? And he tried to kill you?” Healer Shufflert spoke with awe in her voice, as if this was something beyond her comprehension. She seemed at the same time curious about the phenomenon and afraid she would not be able to grasp it. Harry hesitated.

“Look, Mrs Shufflert, I’ve already had some help with this from another healer and I feel that maybe your time will be better used if dedicated to others. I’m fine now. I wasn’t this summer, but now I’m okay, so...” he said.

“You’ve spoken to a healer - not from St Mungo’s, surely?” Healer Shufflert said sharply.

“It was a... a friend... of the family where I lived this summer,” Harry said cautiously. It was not precisely a lie, he thought. Snape had been in the Order of Phoenix together with Mr and Mrs Weasley.

“And you told him or her about what you’ve been through? Would that be a specialist in mind-soothing?” asked Healer Schufflert.

“I don’t know. To me a healer is just a healer,” lied Harry. “But yes, I told him everything that happened last year – in great detail,” emphasised Harry and held her gaze. When he looked past her shoulder, he flinched because Snape was standing a few feet behind her within hearing distance. There was an ironic glitter in his eyes and, Harry noticed, a hint of appreciation, as if he approved of Harry’s attempt to slip away from Healer Shufflert’s mind-soothing treatment.

At that moment, they were disturbed by a howling sound from the end of the room and both Healer Shufflert and Professor Snape hurried down to where it came from. A girl had crumpled up on the floor and was convulsed with sobs as Professor Burgess was trying to lift her up. The howls only increased as Healer Shufflert bent down and tried to speak to the pupil. Finally, she stepped away and gestured with ill will at Snape that it was his turn. Snape performed the Relieving Incantation, froze for a short moment, as the girl stopped her cramped crying and raised her head. She was immediately attended to by Mme Pomfrey.

Healer Shufflert came back and without looking at Harry, she turned to Diane Harding.

“Both your parents died at the same time. That’s a terrible loss, dear. How do you cope with it?” she said.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Diane said coldly. “My little sister is worse off, but my grandparents are taking care of her. I’m of age and will leave home to live on my own soon, so I just endure the last year here. I don’t enjoy it very much, but I need my grades, of course.” No one knew what to say, until Hermione asked hesitantly:

“Did your parents fight against the Death Eaters?”

“Oh, no, they just wanted to get us out of there. They had not taken a stand in the issue. It was just bad luck they didn’t make it. Meaningless, really. My sister and I were at Hogsmeade, waiting to be evacuated. My parents Apparated at the exact moment when the trolls ravaged the village and they were trampled to death.” David, Harry and Hermione made horrified grimaces but Diane kept her unconcerned air.

“Would you like to talk more about what happened, dear?” said Healer Shufflert.

“No, thank you, I don’t really see the point. There’s only one thing to do and that’s to adapt to the situation. Positive side of things is that I have my own money now and can decide what I want to do with my life without interference,” said the unperturbed girl.

Harry looked away. He was shocked and embarrassed by her callousness. Healer Shufflert was called away again. Mr Burgess seemed to have trouble taking care of his pupils. Professor Snape had to intervene yet another time. One student wanted to walk out of the session and had an argument with Professor McGonagall. Snape ended up doing a Relieving Incantation on the agitated pupil as well. When at last Healer Shufflert came back to Harry’s and Hermione’s group, she said:

“I think we were done, Miss Harding. I wish you good luck and don’t hesitate to contact me later if you change your mind. We’ll proceed to Mr Malfoy, I think.”

Malfoy started off taciturn and haughty, but Healer Shufflert now proved some of her skills. She spoke softly to Malfoy, giving him her undivided attention and guiding him by her questions to describe the situation at Malfoy manor last year. She made him describe to which degree the Malfoy family had been disgraced by Voldemort, although they let up their property to be used as Voldemort’s headquarters.

“We were despised because I failed to kill Professor Dumbledore,” said Malfoy. “And my father failed his mission. We were treated more like servants than hosts. And the Dark Lord used me to do stuff,” added Malfoy and started to shake.

“Tell us what he made you do,” said Healer Shufflert. “Remember that you are yourself a victim in this. I can tell that you were afraid of him.” Malfoy shook even worse.

“The Dark Lord was so unpredictable,” he stuttered. “You could never make out what to do to please him. What he enjoyed one day, would make him angry the next. Or he would misread your intentions out of spite and make out you were disloyal. You had to prove yourself constantly.”

“And how did you prove yourself to the Dark Lord, Mr Malfoy?” asked Healer Shufflert softly. It all poured out of Malfoy, how he had Crucioed people, how he had guarded prisoners that were to be executed. He related one situation after the other and did not seem able to stop himself.

“He had caught one of our teachers at Hogwarts, the Professor of Muggle Relations. There was to be a meeting with some of the Death Eaters in our Parlour and he had suspended her in the air over the table where we were seated,” said Malfoy. Harry saw in the corner of his eye how David started violently. Something was wrong. It took Harry a few seconds to realise what was going on.

 “Stop it!” he burst out sharply to Malfoy, but the Slytherin was too engrossed by his memories to register Harry’s outcry.

“Voldemort had made me cast the Cruciatus curse on her earlier that day. She recognised me. I felt so bad. I loathed her at school. I mean, what a stupid subject to teach at Hogwarts... but still, to have her in front of me and to torture her...”  he said.

“Shut up, now, Malfoy!” Harry jumped up and spoke loudly enough for the pupils in the nearby groups to turn their heads.

“Mr Potter!” Healer Shufflert said warningly. Malfoy raised his head and looked with hatred at Harry.

“You cannot dictate what I say or don’t say. The saintly Mr Potter, huh? The hero? Well, let me tell you this: it’s not so easy. Sometimes you don’t have a choice,” he spat.

“You always have a choice,” retorted Harry.

“Yeah... what should I have done then?” Malfoy said with heavy sarcasm. ”Should I have rushed up among twenty Death Eaters, in front of Voldemort himself, and liberated her? She was sentenced to death the moment she was captured...”

Malfoy could say no more because Harry had pulled out his wand and Langlocked him. Furiously, Malfoy drew his own wand, but Harry had no problem disarming him. It all happened within a couple of seconds. The protecting Auror behind Malfoy stepped forward to attack Harry, but Harry conjured up a shield between Malfoy, his Auror and himself. It deflected the spells and pushed Malfoy, who was propelling himself physically towards Harry, back. At the same time, Harry heard the roaring voice of Snape behind him.

“Potter! Are you out of your mind? Lower your wand. I warned Healer Shufflert not to put you two together, but I didn’t expect this. By Merlin’s beard, you’re not eleven years old, anymore!” Snape strode up fast between the rows of chairs, his cloak billowing behind him. Harry had to back off a few steps to face him. He held his shield against Malfoy and the Auror with his left hand and with the wand in his right hand he fended off Snape’s attempts to disarm him. His face was white with rage.

“Hear me out, for once, before you judge me, will you?” Harry hissed at Snape.

 


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