Two days later and Maya still hadn't returned Severus had fallen asleep with the thought that he would sent of to the order and maybe killed by them for what he had done. He had been watching the news carefully one article caught his eye
Revenge for the Animagi?
Last night three death eaters were found still in their robes their throats torn out, and their wands snapped. One of the three was found with a copy of the Animagus list and bloody paw prints were found all over the ground. The killer wasn't found but it is assumed that it took a blow as a large amount of blood led away from the scene it is thought that a struggle ensued between the death eaters and one of their targets ending in the animagus leaving to find help or a place to die away from them...
Severus hadn't read the rest of the article but a picture of the bodies and the paw prints drove home the fact that the paw prints were those of a big cat.
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Maya stumbled through the front door her arm tight across her chest a slash starting from her gut cutting up till it reached her shoulder she collapsed on the floor coughing up blood
"Ma... Matchi!" she managed to say a loud crack and the house elf was there
"Mistress!" Matchi yelled as Maya pushed her self up, blood the staining marble flag stone floors
"Get me to a room I need help binding this." she said standing on shaky legs. Matchi rushed forward to aide the woman her eyes away from the blood
"You need to get used to it Matchi this blood problem you have you need to fix." Maya muttered she was talking to keep her self conscious
"Matchi I'm going to need your help… can you do it?" she asked
"Answer me honestly." She said looking at the elf that looked at the ground
"Please forgive Matchi mistress even now she feels like fainting at the sight of mistress's blood." She squeaked Maya nodded
"It's all right Matchi I'll figure out a way to do this on my own then…" she muttered a door with a Panther engraved on it was pushed open and Matchi helped her mistress in to the bed Maya winced trying not to gasp as a spasm of pain shot through her
"Go to bed Matchi It's late… if Severus calls you, go ahead and tell him I'm back if he wishes to see me go ahead and show him to this room… I should have my self fixed up by then." Maya said with a kind smile Matchi looked concerned at her mistress
"Do you need anything? Matchi wishes to help you..." she said Maya looked at her and shook her head
"No there is nothing you can help me with, and you'll be doing no one any good if you pass out... go on I'll be fine I'll figure it out." she said kindly Matchi could see the pain and discomfort in her mistresses eyes but could do nothing and so she bowed deeply
"Please forgive Matchi's inability." she squeaked and with a crack she was gone. As soon as Maya was sure that the house elf had indeed vanished to her room she fell back on the bed grabbed a pillow and yelled into it. Pain coursed through her veins like fire and she realized she should consider closing the wound before making anymore quick movements.
She flicked her wand and a small white box with a red cross on it came zooming over. She smiled as the box settled beside her
"I thank the muggle who came up with first aide." She muttered digging it the box she found a bottle of disinfectant and a lot of cotton swabs
"This stuff stings... Damn... if I hadn't attacked... in such a haphazard way... I should have risked the moment to think of a better plan..." she muttered her hands were shaking from loss of blood. She swore again as the bottle spilled more then she wanted drenching her hand in the smelly liquid
"Things keep getting better and better..." she muttered bracing her free hand on the bed she brought the cotton and the disinfectant to her wound. The resounding yell that tore from her as the stinging substance burned her chest should have been enough to wake the dead, had she not put a silencing charm on the room. She wasn't stupid and she didn't want to wake her guest.
"I do not; however, thank the idiot who came up with disinfectant..." she hissed through clenched teeth. After cleaning her self up she unrolled several of the cotton balls and placed them along the gash, yes it no longer just a cut to her when she realized how deep she had actually been hit.
"I must learn that spell..." she muttered after placing the last one and carefully pulling out gauze to wrap around her and hold the cotton in place. As soon as she was done (a rather poor job of binding her self even if she was shaking and losing the feeling in her left arm) she flicked her wand lightly all the stuff packed it's self away and the box settled on a table against the wall.
Sinking back in to white sheets she cast off the torn shirt and her cloak and pulled the blanket up, her arms rested on it her eyes closed. She was covered in case Severus came in while she slept, the thought of her guest made her smile
'He's still safe...' she thought drifting off into a restless sleep, her dreams would not be pleasant.
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Severus woke with a start something heavy sitting on his chest
"Ma... Matchi what is it?" he asked
"The mistress has returned, but she has been badly injured... she would surly yell at Matchi if she knew that I woke you but please you must help the mistress." Snape sat up the house elf tumbling from his chest
"She was the one in that paper... I thought so, what happened?" he asked Matchi shook her head
"She came home and collapsed in the front hall with a big cut across her front... she was bleeding all over... Matchi was lucky she didn't pass out sir, Matchi faints at the site of blood sir..." she said sheepishly Severus shook his head
"Is she here?" he asked Matchi nodded
"In one of the guest rooms... She said she could do it herself but by the time Matchi left her left arm was shaking so bad..." Matchi said shaking her head
"Can you take me to her? I'll tell her I got up on my own if she asks." He said pulling of the crimson covers and standing. He had donned a new pair of black slacks and a dark green button up top. The top buttons were undone so he didn't overheat as he slept; he followed Matchi his steps were fast his leg was healing well and he no longer needed help walking.
"This way sir." Matchi said looking aback at him, the second day he had asked Matchi to stop calling him 'Mistress's guest." And call him something else, she had settled with sir. It wasn't long before the little elf stopped before a door with a large cat engraved on it
"A panther?" he muttered with a slight smirk Matchi waved her hand over the door handle and it unlocked, The room was all white and seemed to glow softly though it was dimmed because the occupant was sleeping. The floors where covered in white carpet the bed hung from the ceiling by four think white chains a white painted vanity sat next to the wall facing the bed a first aide kit rested on it the mirror was the only thing in the room that didn't fit. It was completely smashed, like some one had taken their fist to it.
The slow rising and falling of Mayas chest told him she was asleep as he approached, the only thing of was a disturbed look on her face, was she dreaming? He could see the bandages from were he was already red a soaked with blood, had she not cleaned her self up properly?
"Maya?" he asked a little softly He didn't know what to do He had never been in a situation like this, he didn't have his wand with him... he hadn't seen it since the abbey
"Broth... no... Leave him alone... please..." Maya moaned out one hand reaching out weakly as if trying to grab something Severus grabbed it with out thinking she gripped it
"nooo..." her protest to what ever it was in her dream didn't cease and he frowned
"Maya get up it's just a dream." he said her grip on his hand tightened and he leaned forward patting her face
"Get up woman!" he said sternly her eyes flew open unfocused in a quick movement she grabbed his shoulder with her free hand her grip tight, nails digging into fabric and flesh her eyes slid into focus and she gasped
"I'm so sorry..." she said pulling her hands away he shook his head
"Must have been on awful dream..." he said she paled a little if possible.
"I didn't say anything did I?" she asked Severus shook his head She didn't seem like the type to be thankful even if it was a nightmare he had rescued her from.
"No you didn't say anything." He said She smiled
"Ok that's good I herd from Matchi that I talk in my sleep considering my dreams For you to hear me talking in my sleep would have been Embarrassing to say the least…" She said looking at him with a smile He looked away surely it wasn't true… this woman had been expecting him to say yes?
"Well I'm glad… I was probably moving around though… look at this…" she muttered sitting up tugging at her bandages
"Damn… I never was good at caring for my self…." She muttered patting the bed spread Severus watched her for a moment
"Were did it go?" she muttered a thin strip of stained wood and Severus realized what she was looking for, he held up her wand and she smiled
"That's it! Thank you." She said holding out a hand He looked at her and stood
"Hey that's my wand give it back you! OUCH!" reaching out to grab the wand she had reopened the wound and was bleeding again
"Stupid woman… I'll patch you up now stop moving." He said with frown walking over to the vanity he grabbed the white box
"I don't want to risk harming you by using a wand that isn't mine." He said turning to her and seeing a confused expression on her face
"You said you didn't know any medical spells, you liar!" She said with a frown
"I could have patched you up and thrown you in one of guest rooms instead of giving you my room!" she said Severus smirked
"Why did you give me your room in the first place?" he asked she frowned and looked away
"Well My beds warm and comfortable… and I didn't want you out of my site for to long in case you hurt your self… or your fever spiked…." She said looking away a light blush creeping into her features. Severus raised an eyebrow
"Strange woman…" He muttered shaking his head he sat and flipped open the top of the box only to realized he didn't have the first clue as to were to start. Maya reached forward and started pointing to thing
"The brown bottle is disinfectant we don't have to worry about that as I practically drowned my self in it on accident, the cotton balls are for cleaning up blood and applying the disinfectant the small thin envelopes are bandages for small cut the long white cloth strips are for bindings wounds and-" Severus put a hand up
"I just need to know how to clean it and wrap it up not how the whole blasted thing works." He said reaching forward he started pulled the red bandages away and she yelped turning away she crossed her arms
"I just realized I don't need your help at all…" she said Severus frowned
"Sure you don't just look at the mess you have made of your self." He said grabbing her shoulder then it hit him
"Are you embarrassed to be exposed in front of me? You fight death eaters, you take in a murderer and heal him and you embarrassed to show your breasts?" he said with a smirk
"There's a difference to saving a persons life and being shy about your body… I mean not shy! I mean… ARG FINE THEN!" She yelled slamming her fists down on the bed she turned to him but didn't face him a blush on her face. He set to work after pulling away the bandages he began cleaning up the fresh blood careful not to touch more then necessary
It wasn't that he was embarrassed, lord knows he had seen a woman before, but under the circumstances he figured it would be better if he patched her up quickly and let her hide her self under the covers, or what ever it was a woman did after such an event.
"Your being rather calm about all of this… isn't it weird at all?" she asked glancing at him He shook his head
"I am merely patching up a wound. You caused quite an uproar you know, I don't think anyone has ever slaughtered death eaters before and never so cruelly, tearing out their throats?" he said looking up to meet her eyes she looked away quickly
"They killed Animagi… stole people from their family and friends… and they killed an old friend of mine." Severus nodded
"Revenge for you friend?" He asked she shook her head
"No for all of them, it was to cruel to kill so many people for my mistake.. they have to learn, such actions will not betaken lightly, if they kill they better expect to be killed." She said harshly he shook his head
"Why didn't you let me die? You would have gotten your revenge for him and done the dark lord a favor." Maya smiled
"Good thing I did save you then, Pissing off powerful people is what I do best." She said Severus chuckled
"Yes but isn't it a little unsafe to 'piss of' the dark lord?" he asked, she shook her head again
"He is no lord, merely a spoiled child… though… I'm not stupid enough to say that to his face." She said laughing
"Yes… to say such a thing to his face… Would be unadvisable." Severus said with a slight smile. The woman may be mentally ill, but she was funny he would admit that much, though never to her face.
"All done." Severus said finally closing up the white box Maya pulled lightly at the clean bandages.
"Much better then what I did I must say." She said reaching out she grabbed his sleeve as he stood He glanced over his shoulder at her
"Is there something wrong? Are they to tight?" he asked she shook her head
"Um… no it's not that…" Looking up she smiled
"Thank you." She said He nodded and pulled away from her grasp. Setting the box on the vanity he looked back at her as she settled in to the bed looking exhausted He watched as the rooms white glow dulled to a soft gray he walked out and shut the door carefully behind him obsidian eyes looking at his hands
"Stupid woman…" He muttered pushing from the door and walking back to 'his' room waving his hand over the door he herd a soft click and walked in collapsing on the bed.
"Really stupid woman… Why should I care if she thanks me?... why should I care?" he muttered letting sleep over take him.
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"BREAKFAST!" A loud shout filled the air and Severus jumped
"What's going on!" He said scratching his head something with large green eyes was jumping up and down on the bed
"MEGUMI! Matchi said if he was sleeping do not wake him!" Matchi's voice came from the left as she snapped her fingers the female house elf was tied up in her own glitter y red toga and toppled from the bed
"Please forgive Megumi She is new sir." Matchi squeaked
"I see… She spoke of food, I might as well eat now that I am up." He said annoyed, He didn't like things jumping on him and yelling first thing in the morning… he wasn't sure anybody liked that.
"What do you mean new?" he asked glancing down at Matchi and Megumi with confusion
"Mistress took her in after her master was killed by a death eater Megumi is the only one other then us who knows it was mistress who killed the bad men."
"You joking Maya took this in?" he brought a hand to his forehead
"This woman… why must she… It's none of my business what she does, but to take in a house elf who seems… hardly able minded, the idea is just foolish!" he said shaking his head. Megumi finally untangled her self and stood
"Megumi at your service! Pleased to meet you new mistress's friend! Megumi must do her best to repay the new mistress and her friend for taking Megumi in!" She said saluting him
"Wait I had nothing to do with this! I didn't take you in can't you tell how annoyed I am about the whole situation?" The house elf pulled away her eyes glazing over with tears and she whimpered as if he had just kicked her
"M-m-mistress's new friend does not agree that Megumi should live? You think like the bad men? Megumi should die?" she asked her voice shaking with tears. Severus looked down at the elf and sighed
"No I do not think like the… bad men…. You won't die… I'm just not a morning person." He muttered and the elf brightened.
"I swear each minuet I'm here I lose a section of my sanity…."
