Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, nor settings. Only the plot is mine. Trust me, I wish I was JK. But I'm not.
Severus growled as Poppy approached his bed in the infirmary. The Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch was the following day, and he was due to miss it. Summer and fall were quickly disappearing, and the snow was quickly increasing. Combined with the stress of end-of-term exam, Severus had gotten sick. He had planned on avoiding Poppy and riding the damn Wizarding Flu out with his own potions, but after not eating any breakfast in front of Poppy, and nearly collapsing in front of his fourth year Hufflepuffs, she had cast a Full-Body-Bind curse on him and levitated him to the Infirmary. He had threatened her incessantly, but the woman had ignored him. After arguing with Poppy most of the day, Severus gave in and laid back against the bed, not being able to do a thing without succumbing to a coughing fit. As his eyes slowly drifted closed, a loud commotion stirred half the castle. He was torn between feigning sleep, or watching. His curiosity won and he opened his eyes as the Infirmary doors opened and several people entered, all talking loudly at once despite Poppy's exclamations for silence. Severus struggled to sit up as he tried to pick out specific words. He clearly heard Albus, Filius, and Pomona.
"Albus, what happened?" Severus heard unhidden concern in Poppy's always calm voice and he worried about who it was.
"I had a few papers from the Ministry to give her, and I found her on the floor in her rooms like this," the headmaster's voice seemed on the verge of breaking, and Severus knew who it was, and his heart sank to the floor.
Severus forced himself out of bed and managed to make it to the other side of the room. Poppy looked up and only helped him closer to the bed. Had he not known who it was before, there was little chance he would recognize her then. What showed of Minerva McGonagall above the blankets was bruised, scraped, scratched, and her robes barely hung on. Her face was deathly white, and Severus couldn't tell if her chest moved or not.
"Is she…. Alive?"He managed to croak words out and directed them at both Poppy and Albus.
"For now." Albus' voice was grim.
"Alright, everyone out. I'll do what I can to help her, but St. Mungo's may be best. Severus, you need to get back in bed otherwise I'll send you there as well," the witch's voice was calm and controlling but her face betrayed how concerned she was.
Albus ushered the other staff members out of the room as Severus returned to his bed. Instead of falling asleep, his gaze remained on the all-too-still form of his friend and colleague. Eventually, complete exhaustion overwhelmed Severus and he hoped the next day would bring answers.