This story deals with some darker topics (depression, ect) and is not like my other stories.
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything, not me.
A warm female voice penetrated his slightly foggy mind.
"Severus, would you care to join us for drinks?" Poppy gently asked the Potions Master as he sat, apparently deep in thought after their latest staff meeting. It was the week before school and Minerva had been calling daily staff meetings.
"No, I have potions that need to be tended," he answered before standing up and briskly leaving the room.
"Wow, he used the same excuse days two days in a row. He must be distracted by something," Minerva commented.
"Maybe he actually has potions to tend to?" Rolanda offered.
"I just wish he would talk to someone – he just buries his emotions. After all he went through in the war.." the Healer's voice quietly trailed off.
"No sense in brooding over a party pooper like him," Rolanda Hooch pipped before breaking out the scotch and started pouring some for her friends.
'Lily, sweet, Lily,' he murmured as he ran his hands over the only photo of them together. She was laughing and smiling as he stood smirking in the background. 'If only I was with you in the afterlife.'
"Now, Severus, that is no way to be thinking," a fatherly voice said from beside him.
"You aren't here Headmaster, how would you know what this is like? Most of society hates me for killing you, even though the truth came out. I can't even go out to Diagon Alley without someone attempting to hex my back. The only person to publicly apologize was Potter, I still can't figure out why he did that," the younger wizard growled at his mentor. Usually he was more polite, even though his mentor was now a ghost, but he wasn't feeling well and he wanted to be left alone tonight.
The ghost form of the great wizard Albus Dumbledore quietly sighed and and moved off. So far, he had only showed his form to Severus and was intent on getting Severus back to his normal, sarcastic self. However, all of his efforts so far had failed and he was beginning to wonder if he should appear to one of the other staff members.
Severus, who had been deep in thought, took the picture of him and Lily into his bedroom. He knew Albus respected his privacy enough to not intrude on his private sanctuary.
"Severus?" Dumbledore's voice called from the other side of the door.
"Just leave me in peace, Albus," he growled back. Dumbledore felt that something was off and decided that it was time to appear to the resident Medi-Witch.
The only problem was that Poppy was in staff lounge, and it was mostly full with the various staff members. Rather than cause a stir by appearing to all of them, Dumbledore discreetly cast a charm that made Poppy urgently have to get back to the Hospital Wing.
"Oh dear! Look at the time! I need to be getting back to the Hospital Wing" she said as she excused herself from the party and made her way through the twisting corridors.
As she walked into her office, she couldn't remember why she so urgently needed to come back. But, standing in her office, was the ghost form of the ex- Headmaster.
"Headmaster!" she shrieked in surprise.
"Ah, Poppy, I was wondering if you might have a minute to chat?"
"Alright," she said, confused about why the Headmaster would appear to her first.
"I have been guarding over Severus for the past year and a half. As I am sure you have noticed, he has not recovered fully from the war. This evening, his seemed angrier and I was wondering had anything happened at the staff meeting?"
"No, we just talked about the usual boring all matters. He refused our invitation for drinks afterwards but that's nothing unusual," she answered.
"Hm. If you had the time, would you mind going to check on him? Just briefly, of course," he suggested, "Oh and could you not mention it was me? He is angry with me enough as it is."
The Headmaster's ghost disappeared, leaving Poppy to walk down the dungeons by herself. When she reached the damp hallway of his personal quarters, she shivered before knocking on the door.
"Severus?" she called.
"What?" he snapped.
"May I come in for a moment? Its rather chilly in this hallway."
"Fine." She heard him heavily walk to the door – something highly unusual for the graceful Potions Master.
Once she was inside of his personal lab, she decided to be honest up front with her reason for intruding his personal space.
"You seemed a bit off these past couple of days. Is everything alright?" she asked gently.
"It is none of your business," he growled as he rubbed his forehead to try to ease his aching head.
"Actually, it is my business since I am responsible for your physical and mental well-being."
"Did Dumbledore put you up to this?"
"Perhaps. But I haven't seen you eat anything solid in days and you are paler than normal. Please, let me run a quick check on you."
"I thank you for making the trip all the way down here to check on my well-being but I can assure you, I am perfectly fine," he tried taking the polite route.
"Severus..." she said in a warning tone.
Dumbledore chose then to reappear and he laid his hand on Severus' shoulder. The Potions Master flinched back badly in surprise, before staggering over to a stool and sitting. Poppy was startled by the fact that Severus showed his surprise and his mask of control temporarily slipped.
"Severus, my boy, I will not be a ghost much longer. You need to open up to someone else eventually."
"I have a headache and you think I am suicidal or something?" the younger man snapped back.
"How long have you had a headache?" the Medi-Witch instantly had her wand out.
".," he growled dangerously at her before continuing in a more normal voice, "Are you two ganging up on me?"
"Poppy, please excuse Severus and I for a moment," the Headmaster said as he dragged a protesting Severus to the other corner of the lab.
"Severus, let her help. I have known her for many years and I feel that you two could be good friends if you would let her in. She only wants to make sure that you are okay – not because you are a war hero, or because it is her job but because she honestly cares about you. I must pass on to the afterlife soon and I do not want to see you alone in this world after I leave," the Headmaster lectured the Potions Master. Severus returned the lecture with a glare that would have sent most first years out of the room crying instantly.
"I can take care of myself."
"Yes, you can but you don't have to. Besides, I can see that headache of yours and the lack of real nourishment has made you ready to collapse. If you end up collapsing tonight or at breakfast tomorrow, she will confine you to the Hospital Wing. However, if you admitted it now she might be more willing to negotiate the terms of your treatment."
Severus just continued to glare at the former Headmaster.
"I promise to use my powers of persuasion to let her treat you in your own quarters," Dumbledore offered.
"I will not have her in and out of here."
"So you would prefer the Hospital Wing? Where everyone else can come visit you as well as know your condition?"
"How is that you are always right, Albus?"
"Practice, my boy, practice. Come along."
"How much are you planning on telling her?" Severus asked, having not moved from the corner.
"Nothing, my boy, you are going to be the one telling her." The Potions Master silently groaned to himself.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting, why don't we go sit down the by fire for a few minutes?" the Headmaster said as he opened the door to Severus' private quarters.
Poppy shot an amused glance towards the Headmaster when Severus was unable to silence his groan this time.
A few minutes later, Poppy was sitting in the old armchair by the fire and the Headmaster was sitting on the floor, as if he was a young boy once more. They exchanged worried glances when Severus plopped down on the couch and fiercely began to rub his forehead.
The Potions Master let out a quiet sigh before saying, "I have had a rather severe headache for the past week and I have been unable to be rid of it, despite taking the strongest Headache Remedy I can."
"I see. Did it come on gradually or all at once?" Poppy kept her wand safely away – for now.
"Gradually."
"And your appetite?"
"The smell of food makes me nauseous. The only thing I can keep down has been mint tea."
"Sounds like it might be more than just a a headache. Any fever or other symptoms?"
"Slightly elevated temperature and some dizziness but nothing besides that."
"Has it made you more tired or unable to sleep?"
"I haven't been quizzed this much since I went before my Mastery board," he muttered to himself but stopped when Dumbledore sent him a warning glance, "My eyes are significantly more sensitive to light so I am most comfortable lying down with my eyes closed but I have not been able to sleep."
"What Potions did you try?"
"I can retrieve the vials if you would like." he offered as he prepared to sit up.
"Stay. You can just as easily summon them," she suggested.
"My magic weakened and then completely stopped working two days ago," he whispered.
"Stopped working? You can't brew even?" He merely nodded affirmative.
"I am going to need to run a scan of you, in the hopes that it will tell me something more."
"I understand," he answered in a resigned voice.
Once she had cast the reveleo, a small piece of parchment appeared, which she read eagerly. The Headmaster's ghost read over her shoulder.
"You are a bit old, my boy, to be casting accidental magic," the ghost commented as he made his way back to the floor.
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