A Harry Potter FanFiction
By Ariane Douleur
Notice: The only characters I own in this fanfiction are Tara Landers and Danielle Bousquet. I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, as they belong strictly to J.K. Rowling. Also, I am well aware that at points, at least in the later chapters, Severus Snape does not always act as, well, Severus Snape would.
Chapter 4- The first MorningTara woke the next morning feeling tired, disoriented, and sick. She passed off the sick feeling as hunger. The last time she had eaten was yesterday morning, she had missed lunch to do some research and dinner because of the news of her new situation. With that thought came the memory that she was sleeping in the bed that Snape usually slept in, and she gasped, trying to remember what he had asked her before she drifted off. She couldn't remember. Nor could she remember what exactly she had dreamed of, but she was sure it was the same as always. She rolled over to face the small nightstand and was surprised to see a small scrap of parchment sitting amid her pictures. Tara struggled to sit up and ran a hand through her hair before she picked up the note. "Miss Landers. I must attend to a number of things, you have the run of my chambers until I return, try to do something productive if you must stay inside. Professor S. Snape." Tara read the note and then set it back down on the night table. Tara glanced at the clock on one of the walls, and realized that it was well after noon.
Still feeling a bit off she stood and started towards the dresser, intending to dress and go to lunch. Immediately a wave of nausea rolled over her, sending her to her knees. Tara struggled back to her feet, fighting the need to be sick, and made her way to the bathroom as quickly as she could. Once more, the girl dropped to her knees, this time next to the toilet. Clumsily she pushed the lid up, and retched time and again into the bowl, until the waves of vomit turned into dry heaves. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the need to be sick subsided. Slowly, Tara pulled herself to her feet using the sink as an anchor. Once standing she ran the water until it was cool, then splashed handfuls over her face and swished it around her mouth to rid it of the taste of vomit. Still wave after wave of dizziness washed over her, and she had to fight to make the room stay still. Tara turned, and moved towards the main room, yet before she got even halfway into the room she collapsed on the floor. Still she struggled, trying to reach the bedroom, but it was not meant to be. Blackness overcame her, dragging her into the sweet grasp of oblivion.
A few hours later
Snape was upset, more than usual. And he had very good reason to be. How many other teachers could say that they were sharing their chambers with a student, who, if her dreams were any indication at all, was quite in love with him? He certainly didn't know why. He wasn't the least bit attractive, and he had very few redeeming qualities, unlike that blasted sire of hers, who was the picture of beauty and perfection, despite that the creature also seemed to be even more cold-hearted than he was. Snape scowled, and dropped himself down in his chair at the head table in the great hall. He had gotten very little sleep the night before, and had spent hours in Hogsmeade looking for the supplies he had needed to replace. When he had arrived back at the school he had quickly brought them to his private office, resisting the urge to duck into his chambers and see if the Landers girl was still there.
Now, as he sat waiting for lunch to start, he scanned the Slytherin table for the cursed girl, but couldn't find her among the other students, though he did manage to find her friend, Danielle something or other. The potions master shook himself and turned to find that the headmaster had taken the seat to his right. Dumbledore seemed to be smirking at something. "And what, Headmaster, is so funny?" Snape bit out. "Ah, Severus. It would seem that your young charge is not at lunch. I trust the two of you are getting along alright?" the headmaster questioned. "Fabulously." Snape said, thankful that the house elves had chosen that moment to fill the tables with plate after mountainous plate of food, giving him and excuse not to go into detail about the previous night.
Throughout the meal, Snape could not help but watch the doors, expecting to see his charge come traipsing through them laughing and smiling as she sat with her friends. But she did not. Worry began to eat at his insides, but he pushed it down and continued to eat, until, finally he could take no more. As his chair slid across the floor it scrapped in protest, causing the headmaster and a few student to give him curious glances, which he ignored. He left quietly, trying to attract as little attention as possible, making his way out of the hall and down towards the dungeons. Merlin help the little twit if she was doing something stupid, he found himself thinking, much to his dismay. Still, he could not shake the feeling that there was more to it than the laziness of a silly girl.
When he reached the door to his chambers he fairly shouted his password, making the portrait that stood guard cringe and scold him that there was no need for shouting in the halls. The portrait swung open, and Snape stepped into his chambers, heading for the bedroom. He got only five paces when he found himself lying on the floor, on top of his charge. Shocked to find her lying in the middle of the floor, the potions master hadn't even seen her there until he had tripped over her. Now though, he moved to sit next to the girl and got a better look at her. Her skin was pale and cold, but flushed with fever. A quick look around the room determined that she had come from the bathroom, where she had most likely been sick in the toilet. Snape put a hand to her forehead, trying to discover just how high the fever she had was and found that not only was the girl sweating profusely, but shaking as well. Unsure of why the girl was sick or what exactly he should do, he decided that the best course of action would be to get the child to the bed, and try to bring down her fever.
Withdrawing his wand from inside his robes, Snape cast a hover charm over Tara, making it easy for him to guide her into the bedroom and onto the bed. Once she was floating above the bed, he let the charm go and she fell a few inches onto the mattress. Much to his discomfort, the girl wasn't moving at all, and she didn't appear to be breathing. "Damn it, Miss Landers, this is not at all funny." Snape took her by her shoulders and shook her, at which the girl gasped and seemed to come awake. Tara's eyes opened, but she could make out nothing, other than that someone was holding her shoulders, shaking her. She wondered who it could be, and decided that it would have to be Danielle, though it didn't smell like Danielle. Still, she pushed the idea that it was someone else off, deciding that there was no other person it could be. Without a thought she launched herself into the arms of the person shaking her, wrapping her own arms around their midsection, and burying her face in their shoulder.
For his part, Snape tried to remain as still as possible, especially when she had thrown her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. After a few moments he tied to pry her off, but she clung all the more tightly. Never having been in a situation like this before, Snape had no idea what he should do to make the girl release him. Eventually he settled on rubbing his hand in circles on her back, and after a time, her grip on him began to ease. Now he could still feel her breath through his robes, hot on his shoulder, but she was no longer awake. Gently he pushed her back down on the bed, lying her on the pillow, and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. For a moment he sat there, watching her sleep, then he stood and walked quickly to the bathroom, conjuring a bowl as he went. The bowl he filled with cool water, and brought back to the bedroom. Then he conjured a towel and dipped it into the water, ringing it out before he placed the cool cloth on her forehead.
For hours Snape sat next to the bed, dipping the towel in the water every so often, watching Tara and wondering what it was about the girl that, as much as he hated to admit it, attracted him so. From the moment she had arrived at the school, he had been attracted to her quick wit and pretty face. He wasn't entirely sure when she had begun to melt his ice front, but as the years went on he had found more and more reasons to like the girl, biggest among them was her skill at making potions. He had, of course, fought his attraction as hard as he could, giving her extra work and detentions that she took without a single complaint, but now it seemed to no avail. No matter what he did, he could not get her off his mind. And now it was worse than ever, knowing that she would spend every night for Merlin knew how long in his bed, while he slept on the couch a room away. And now she couldn't even manage to let him have a small measure of peace, she had to be ill, leaving him to take care of her.
On the bed, Tara began to shiver, curling up in a small ball atop the bedspread. The potions master reached out a hand, placing it on her forehead, which burned with a fever still. With a muffled curse, Snape moved to the dresser and took from a drawer a large, soft green blanket, which he lay on top of the girl. Still, her shaking did not subside. Looking around, Snape realized that he had nothing else to cover her with, unless he wanted to try to maneuver her under the blankets she was lying on. Unwilling to do so, Snape wracked his brain for another option, coming up with the option of either conjuring up another blanket or using his own body heat to keep her warm. Without a thought, he chose the later of the two, and moved around to the other side of the bed, lying down next to the shaking girl. Wrapping her in the blankets, he pulled her close, cradling her in his arms, willing her shivers to subside. When she shifted in his arms, turning to bury her head in his chest once more, he did not move, merely stayed as still as possible, holding her tight. Gradually her shivers subsided, and he continued to hold her though he had drifted off to join his charge in sleep at some point.