Chapter 30

"Mom! Mom! Madam Pomfrey is awake!" Someone shouted as Poppy blearily opened her eyes.

"Fred don't shout," Molly reprimanded. "The poor woman is just getting her wits about,"

"Where..."

"Poppy dear, you're at the Burrow," Molly explained. "We've managed to feed you a nourishment potion while you were out though you will still need to eat to get your strength up."

"What happened?" Poppy frowned as her stomach grumbled.

"It's one convoluted story really," Molly stated. "I think it is best if the kids catch you up. They were the ones to rescue you of course."

"Wait! I had a meeting with Kingsley and Tonks!" Poppy realized as she grabbed Molly's hand. "They really need to hear the information I have,"

"The Burrow is currently on lockdown though Arthur can send a Patronus to them and meet them outside the wards," Molly thought out loud. "Let me check with him and I'll get you some porridge. Nothing too heavy on the stomach you know,"

"Arthur," Molly called out to her husband once she descended the stairs.

"Yes, Mollykins. The twins told me Poppy was awake." Arthur replied as he came into the living room.

"Could you send a patronus to Kingsley and Tonks?" She asked. "Poppy seemed adamant about it. Considering some of the things Ron and Hermoine have alluded to it might be best to have Aurors present we can trust."

Arthur nodded and drew his wand to summon his patronus. The silvery weasel scurried around the room before settling before Arthur to await orders.

"It might be best if they could bring Moody as well. To look Poppy over for any Dark magic," Molly added before her husband could record the message.

"I will ask them if they can pop by during their lunch break," Arthur responded.

Meanwhile, that same morning in the Prince household was awkward, to say the least. Tibsby had profusely apologized for accidentally interrupting her Master's 'date' and had quickly poofed herself and the shocked old man back upstairs.

Severus and Harry came down to the dining room the following morning to find a stack of flapjacks the size of a small Eifel tower in the middle of the table along with a huge bowl of fresh fruit and pitchers of milk and orange juice.

"What in the..." Severus uttered as he looked at the spread. They would never be able to finish it all in one sitting.

"Do Masters like breakfast?!" Tibsby popped in with her big eyes and her hands hopefully clasped together. "I is awfully sorry about last night. Tibsby did not mean to block the cock so to speak,"

The elf's sentence made Snape choke on air while Harry quirked a brow.

"How is my grandfather?" Snape asked as he and Harry approached the mountain of food.

"He is awake and Tibsby gave him a bath. Old Master not throw anything at Tibsby today so maybe good day?" The elf answered.

"Why doesn't he join us at the table today?" Snape suggested. "I need to evaluate how far gone he actually is since you've stopped giving him that 'medicine' and we will probably not be around for a good part of the afternoon today,"

"Tibsby is sure old Master will be delighted. I be right back!" she happily exclaimed before popping away.

"Where are we going today?" Harry frowned.

"Ah, I had forgotten to mention. We will be meeting Draco in secret."

"Draco?" Harry's frown deepened.

"Well, alright," he then added which caused Snape to stare at him in curiosity.

"I thought you and Draco did not get along?" He questioned. "To be honest I had expected a more... explosive response,"

"Well..." Harry started to say when Tibsby popped back in with Snape's grandfather. The man wasn't in his pajamas anymore like last night, but instead, he wore a simple light blue button-up shirt and brown slacks. Harry swallowed his sentence when the old man sent him a death glare. Now Harry knew where Snape got his glare from. He gulped audibly.

"You two! You were the two heathens that were fornicating in my dining room!" The old man yelled while trying to get up from his wheelchair but failed miserably.

"Well, he clearly remembers that," Snape deadpanned while Harry's face heated up. Just remembering the compromising position he was caught in made him blush.

"I am Lord Alexander Prince and you will show me respect in my own home!"

"You were Lord Prince," Snape deadpanned. "That title now is mine,"

"And who are you?"

"We've met before. Don't you remember? 1978?" Severus questioned impassively.

"Just who are you?" Alexander asked with a frown as his hands shook while holding onto the wheelchair armrests.

"I am your grandson," Snape said but got no reaction.

"Eileen's son..." He tried once more with a frown.

"Who is Eileen?" Alexander muttered as his eyes got somewhat glassy while Tibsby was distressingly wringing her ears.

"You're daughter," Snape stated as he looked at the old man. "What year is it?"

"What?"

"What year is it?" Snape repeated.

"Are you daft man? It's 1928," Alexander answered. Harry exhaled sharply.

"Mother was born in 1930 so that should explain that," Snape stated.

"You have an idea what is going on?" Harry asked as he looked between Alexander, who thought them crazy, and Snape who seemed lost in thought.

"I have a reasonably good idea." Severus said and then directed his question back at Alexander "What would you do if I told you it was 1995 right now and that you are over 80 years old?"

"I would throw you in the asylum! Who would believe such drivel?!" Alexander retorted.

"Look at your hands," Snape stated.

"Why?!"

"Just look. Either you haven't realized it or were subconsciously avoiding facing the truth." Severus continued. "Do those hands look like they belong to a young lord? The wrinkles, the liver spots. It is you that lost time,"

"No... no..." Alexander hung his head as he tentatively took a look at his wrinkled and bony hands. "No..."

"Aren't you being a bit too harsh?"

"Would you have preferred me to coddle him?" Snape shot back. "Though it's just as I suspected."

"Tibsby will put old Master back to bed," the elf declared as she popped away while looking somewhat sad.

"Now you've gone and hurt her feelings as well. Tibsby actually thought we might get along," Harry stated.

"Potter you might think me heartless right now but this is all for the best," Snape stated.

"Then explain it to me,"

"Very well. Do you remember the vial Tibsby gave me after those interlopers left?"

"Yes...."

"That green liquid. It wasn't medicine but Tormentil extract. Highly concentrated at that," Severus stated with his arms folded.

At Harry's blank look, Snape just shook his head and continued. "Tormentil is one of the main components in Doxycide. Though it hasn't been studied as extensively as Hemlock or Cowbane it is known for causing amnesia. The long-term use of it, I suspect, might even mimic Dementia. Just now we've just established that there is nothing wrong with his short-term memory. It's his long-term memory that is affected and the biggest problem overall is that he cannot tell us exactly when the symptoms started."

"Will he regain his long-term memory? He didn't even remember his own daughter!"

"Very likely not," Snape sighed. "If this has been going on for years it might be irreversible. Now that we've stopped the administration of the Tormentil his short-term memory should improve though whether he recovers any long-term memories is still up in the air."

"Now that he's coherent he should have the cold hard facts. No Potter, don't give me that look. He was, to my knowledge, a shrewd Lord in his prime. He will likely come to the same conclusion after processing everything. That the enemy is within and we are his only allies now."

"Tibsby is upset now but she will forgive," Snape stated. "It is best that that elf never knows that she helped in the poisoning. With no Potion Master or certified Healer around she blindly trusted Alexander's siblings when they gave her those vials and ripped off the family heirlooms. Tormentil extract costs but knuts at an apothecary."