Hermione stood back anxiously as Lupin studied Draco again.

"How is he? He seemed to think he was dying." She asked with fear in his voice.

Ron stood back looking at the beaten bloody body of the boy who had tormented him and alex, as their education at Hogwarts had begun. There had been many times she would have given Malfoy a real hit, especially after he called Hermione mugblood, alex endlessly mocked and insulted her mother, but to see him broken like this physically and emotionally made her feel sick. She hated to admit it, but he actually felt sorry for Malfoy.

"We can not wait any longer I'm afraid. He's fading fast. A fever has sprung up. I have a portkey we'll have to use it." Lupin looked more weathered and worn than usual.

Just then they heard Alex's voice. "Alohamora." And he and Professor Snape came blasting through.

Snape's dark eyes looked anxious and worried. "Remus how he is." He asked as he hurried to Draco's side. His heart knotted see how pale he was.

Lupin shook his head and replied in a calm voice. "It's bad, Severus." He hesitantly placed his hand on the dark man's shoulder. "You need to get him back and start treatment immediately, if not already too late."

A shiver had gone through Snape on his word. In a strained voice, he said. "Draco? Draco?" But there was no reaction from the unconscious boy as Snape examined his ribs, wrist and listened to his breathing.

"His lung appears to be the most serious problem." He concluded.

"Professor, you should know that I gave him a potion you taught us a few weeks ago, the one for nausea and shock, because Alex said he had thrown up. I also gave him the pain killer you taught us last year . " Hermione explained to hope she had done the right thing.

Snape nodded absently. "Well done, but I have to get him back now, I have potions I have to use to his injuries."

He reached down to retrieve him. Added alex. "Watch your back, and he can not breathe when lying flat." Snape frowned to lift the carpet to check his back. He gasped when he saw the raw damage. He saw Lucius' hose tipped staff must have caused them. He cringed visibly shaken to the core.

"Professor Snape?" Come hamatos worried tone from far away.

He shook his head, blinking rapidly, struggling down the brief moment of nausea from the bitter memories to see Draco's injuries had touched.

He looked into hamatos worried gaze. "Come here, take a vial of potions that Granger brewed and then hang on my arm. I'm going to use my gate key back to my room. Remus, you bring those two back?" Lupin nodded, quietly turned to Hermione and Ron.

alex took the two vials and placed his hand on Snape's arm. Snape gently rocked Draco's limp body wrapped in blankets against him, then reached for the port key.

Alex felt the familiar move of the port key. In a flash he was back at Hogwarts in Snape's private rooms, where Snape had taken him after Samhain.

Snape put Draco on his own bed. He threw away from heat blanket and lit a fire with his magic wand. He worked with a fast, as did Alex hesitates to interrupt him and offer his help.

"Alex, you can go to the hospital and get me a bottle of Madam Pomfrey's Skeletheal? Professor Spout should be there to help you find it." Snape barked out the order.

Alex nodded and ran out of room.

While she was gone, Lupin came in with Hermione and Ron. Snape had just conjured up a blanket-sized shiny blue plates covered in what looked like ice. "A blanket of frost, good idea Severus, which should help lower the fever."

Lupin walked over to help, but Snape's dark eyes flashed. "I can handle this, all of you leaving now." He snarled.

Severus, he is at death's door, you're too close you can not do this by yourself. "Lupin said in an even tone.

Snape turned with such a look of smoldering fury that Ron and Hermione came back. Lupin, however, stood his ground. "If you have no chance to save him, you need help."

"I have help, now leave!"

Lupin stared hard at him, Snape flinched but then turned to Draco.

Lupin sighed. "Come on kids."

Hermione cast a last glance at Draco. He was gray, his skin covered with a thin layer of sweat, his hair plastered to his head. She closed her eyes tightly to make a silent wish. "Let Draco live." She felt so sorry for Professor Snape, Draco knew she had always been his favorite student, she could see how upset he was. Reluctantly, she joined the others to leave.

Alex came back with Skeletheal grabbed onto her hand. She brought it over to Snape, who had been rubbing a strange smell thick potion on Draco's chest. "Hamato help me lift him up."

Draco was soft like a ragdoll. Snape brought pillows and piled them up behind him, the blanket of frost. He measured a glass Skeletheal out and slowly poured into Draco's neck while muttering a spell that seemed to make Draco swallow. He wound tight bandages around his ribs and wrist, holding his jaw, while the potion began to put the bones back where they should be. With Alex's help, he lifted Draco forward so he could spread a second potion heal wounds on his back. They immediately stopped the bleeding and closed up, they also looked less red and angry than before.

Snape laid him down again and listened to his breathing. Not liked what he heard, he added a second potion down his throat. Snape's heart began racing as nothing was to help relieve his labored breathing. The harsh reality hit him that Draco could never wake up from this vicious beating.

He would never know how much he loved him and that he would have given his life to save him.

Despite his greatest trial, closed his neck and an agony he had not felt in a long time welled up inside him. He grabbed Draco's hand while his other hand went to cover his face. He felt suddenly hamatos hand on his shoulder and heard the tentative whisper. "Professor Snape?"

"Hamato GET OUT!"

"But the Professor." alex tried to argue with him.

"GET OUT! If I had not had to spend so much time to teach you occlumency I would have been more aware of what the Death Eaters were up to, and it would not have happened, and Amani would still be alive! "

Alex took a horrified step backwards. "Amani?" She asked, confused.

Snape's angry glare lights up on her. "She is dead and Draco, may soon be NOW GET OUT!"

Sounding badly, her blue eyes wide with shock. Alex backed away. Snape somehow blame him for everything that had happened. Had all the time he had spent teaching her occlumency taken him away from his duties as a spy? That meant because of him, she had missed important news that could have prevented the attack on Hogsmeade today? Amani, little adoring Amani snapping away with his book, Amani, who saw her as a human alex squeezed his eyes shut. Nausea, her heart aching, she walked down the dark corridor. It was starting to happen again more deaths because of her.