Knowledge is Power

Chapter 46

When Albus woke, he didn't seem to realize for a moment that any time had passed. He actually continued to shout at Severus, mid sentence, seemingly exactly where he'd left off.
"leave me to deal with this myself!"
Upon completing his sentence he at last noticed his change in surroundings. Severus watched his gaze moving about to take in the WestCraven library, and everyone who surrounded the couch on which he lay.
"Hello?"

"Hello," Raislen replied with a slight smile.
The goblin who stood at his side didn't bother to speak.
"Hi, Headmaster Dumbledore," Heather said.
Mag smiled and nodded.
"How are you feeling?"

"I...I suppose I feel well enough," Albus replied, obviously confused.
"Severus? Please explain."

"I got Raislen to help me to stop the spread of the poison through your body."
"It was a curse," Albus said, and Severus shrugged.
"What I'm saying is the spell we used to fight it is a spell that stops the spread of poison. It worked. You're welcome. With two wizards casting it it was stronger and worked faster. No thanks to you, we got to it early."

"Thank you, but that likely only slowed the process, Severus," Albus said gently.
"The curse is still in my hand."
Albus lifted his blackened hand and his eyes widened.
"My finger is gone."
The goblin shrugged.
"Couldn't be saved I'm afraid. It had direct contact with the ring so it had to go. The hand looks dreadful, but it shall heal in time providing you don't put on another cursed ring."

"But how," Albus asked.
Severus could see from his expression that he was already sorting that out for himself, but he replied anyway.
"This goblin is a curse breaker. I hope you have a lot of money because he needs to be paid, and while worth it, he isn't cheap."
Severus tried not to shudder at the memory of the goblin's head thrown back, an expression of agony stamped on his face as he screamed when he drew the curse from Albus and into himself before releasing it. He'd most definitely earned his money.

"Of course," Albus agreed quickly.
"He also gave you an emergency blood transfusion," Severus added.
"Technically I'm not licensed to do that, but a healer friend showed me how in those cases when she's unavailable. As she's on summer vacation, today was one of those times," the goblin said.
"I went to St. Mungos, where I have a connection, and fortunately found some donations of your blood type."

The goblin grinned.
"Some god up there wants you to live, if you ask me."
Albus nodded gravely, his expression fleetingly humbled. Severus very much hoped Albus was thinking about the stupid things he'd done today, from putting on the ring to actually asking Severus to bloody kill him to thinking Severus was going to just allow him to die of something this pointless.
"I thank you, Sir, as it seems you were pivotal in the saving of my life," Albus told the goblin.
"I had no idea there were any curse breakers left. From what I read as a boy, the skill is a lost art."

The goblin shrugged, expression unmoved.
"Lost to humans. We goblins don't really like you lot. We never lost the skill but as a general rule we don't waste it on you."
Though many wizards definitely would've been offended by those words, Albus remained unruffled.
"I understand. The wars wizards have had with your kind, sadly burned many bridges."
"Bloody right," the goblin agreed.

"How did you know about this particular curse breaker, Severus," Albus asked.
"We have Mag's friendship with Griphook to thank for that," Severus replied tiredly.
"Yes, I met him at the bank while looking through the newest shipment of garnets and rubies with Griphook a few weeks ago. He was interested in getting a wand from me, so we exchanged contact information," Mag explained.
"The ministry can't trace my wands as they don't have cores, so though they're not legal for goblins, neither me nor the goblins care if no one will get caught."

Albus gave a tired smile.
"That's very Slytherin of you, Miss WestCraven," he said with a chuckle.
"I need to get you paid for your service. Should I transfer the payment to your Gringotts account or how do we do this," Albus asked the goblin.
"And...May I have your name? That tends to make bank transfers easier."

The goblin shrugged.
"I am Abraad, and you may put the payment into my Gringott's account, yes. My fee for the removal of a curse of such magnitude is ten thousand galleons."
He stated the fee without blinking an eye and Albus nodded in ready agreement without blinking either. For the price of his life, it seemed fair.

"Pay me tomorrow, and rest tonight," Abraad said.
"You will remain here, and we'll keep an eye on you in case there is any relapse or spreading," Raislen told Albus firmly.
"It shouldn't spread or relapse, but as it was a nasty curse, we're going to be safe."

Abraad nodded in agreement.
"In fact, I would like for you to get blood work done next week to make sure your blood is still clean and functioning properly after the transfusion. My healer friend will be back in a few days, so she can attend to you next week. Before I leave, I shall write down her contact information. Be warned, she is expensive, but well worth it. I call her my friend rather loosely," he admitted.
"She's more of a colleague, but she is good at what she does and can be trusted."

Albus nodded and thanked Abraad again, promising to visit the goblin healer in a week.
"He certainly will," Severus said firmly.
"I'll go with him."

After the curse breaker took his leave, Mira gave Albus some soup and hot tea. That night, Severus checked up on Albus frequently, terrified he'd find the older man not doing well somehow in spite of all that had been done. Albus was fine, but Severus remained close for several days, returning to Hogwarts with him and remaining there in case of any relapse. When the week had passed they used the address provided by Abraad for the goblin healer. The building was on a side street in Hogsmeade. It was small and square and somehow both cozy and unremarkable.

The goblin who opened the door to them was female and rather young with long silky black hair pulled back tightly at the nape of her neck. She looked annoyed, giving Severus the impression that they'd done something wrong. Perhaps they'd knocked at the door in the wrong way. He disliked her at once, but struggled against the feeling because she was going to help Albus.

"We were sent by Abraad for a blood check on a transfusion he did last week after breaking a curse," Severus explained.
"Which one of you," the lady goblin bit out.
"Him," Severus said, nodding to Albus.
"Hm. Well come in. That'll be two hundred sickles."
As she spoke she was already heading back inside.

"For labs," Severus asked incredulously.
The goblin stopped walking and turned to glare at him from half way across the room.
"I am the best. If you want less, go elsewhere...Well go ahead...go."
Severus sighed.
"Fine. Whatever."
He and Albus walked inside. Albus gave the goblin an apologetic look that she seemed to ignore.

"Hey I'm the best too," a voice said from behind a screened partition.
It sounded male.
"We're twins so equally the best and if I am speaking of myself, I'm still the best," the female goblin replied to the voice without looking around.

"That's my brother, Grub," she told Albus and Severus as she gestured Albus to a chair in the corner.
"I'm Gara. We're the best."
"I thank you for your time," Albus replied politely.
"You're the one who put on the cursed ring?"
He nodded, looking uncomfortable and embarrassed. At least he had the grace to do that, Severus thought darkly. He was still angry with Albus about the entire situation, though he was trying not to show it overly much so as not to stress Albus. If stress caused a relapse Severus didn't want any part of that.

Gara took Albus's blood quickly and efficiently, and the results were back astonishingly fast. In less than three minutes, in fact.
"All looks good," she said.
"Let me have a look at that hand while you're here."
"How much do you plan to charge for that," Severus asked worriedly.
Gara smirked.
"Nothing probably, but there are fees for pissing me off."
Severus fell silent, because he wasn't rich.

Gara picked up Albus's hand in one of hers and gestured at it with her free hand. Green light flashed from her finger tips and ran up and down over Albus's entire hand.
"Abraad was correct. This will have to heal on its own, but it's getting there. You can't tell, but the skin under the blackened withered surface is already pink," Gara assured Albus.

"How long will it take to look normal again," Albus asked.
Gara considered for a moment.
"Probably at least a year," she said.
"It will begin to improve in a month or so. You shall see healthy patches of skin soon enough. Tiny at first, then larger and larger until the entire hand has healed."