back! I took a break from writing for a little while, as my husband and I were getting ready for another parting. Four months at sea...I am fairly certain you will be hearing from me quite often, hehe. This one is short, but full of fun I promise!
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"Dear Salazar's Ghost, please tell me that I am dead."
"No such luck, I'm afraid," Hestia responded to her less than enthusiastic patient, as he awoke and spoke his first words in four hours. At the sound of her familiar voice, Severus pealed open his eyes with some difficulty, as the room he was in seemed obnoxiously bright.
"Where am I?" He shut his eyes again and asked, mentally tallying every place on his person that was still in pain, albeit dulled with what he assumed was a painkilling potion. The list was fairly long, the deep gash on the left side of his torso at the top of said list. He also deducted that he was down to his trousers, though he hardly felt as such, as his limbs and torso were almost entirely covered with wrappings.
"We're in the hospital wing, or what is left of it," Hestia eyed the missing wall to her right, but it was a sunny and warm day, summer breezes were therapeutic, and a few birds never hurt anyone. Severus opened his eyes again, squinting this time. Hestia looked to be cleaning up after some serious surgical work, setting a scouring spell on a few bloody trays and tucking away a handful of potion bottles with Poppy Pomfrey's faded handwriting on their labels. "You've lost a lot of blood…I won't lie Severus. I almost lost you there, more than once." She sighed, wiping her brow, "What the hell did they do to you? And how in Merlin's name did you get away?"
Severus shut his eyes again, wincing as various joints complained and wounds oozed afresh. "You'll want to rewrap the slashes with a belladonna and garlic infusion," He whispered, "I was opened with a series of especially ingenious hexes which, among other painful little treats, thin the blood." Hestia cursed slightly, and hastily set to unwrapping his chest. Severus made no comment, either in pain or annoyance. He turned his head and set his eyes on the nearby stone wall. He let out a sharp hiss though, when the potion he'd suggested hit his flesh and began doing its job. "Where is Miss Lovegood?"
Hestia eyed him oddly at that, but went on with her work, "I finally got her to leave an hour ago," She replied, "Refused to leave you. Only left when I reminded her that she had a baby who needed tending," Hestia smirked, as Severus winced in pain again, "Well, a literal baby." He glared, "I imagine she's down keeping the children amused right now…"
"Ah." Severus said no more. Hestia continued applying the salve, and then began redressing his chest.
"You're going to have quite a few scars…"
"What's one more disfigurement?" Severus snorted. Hestia rolled her eyes.
"Pleased to see you're still the smarmy old bat from Order Meetings," She noted briskly. Severus said nothing. "You didn't answer my questions, either." He sighed.
"What did they do? Obviously, torture. Nearly all of my former peers took their turn," Severus replied shortly, "How did I escape?" Here, he visibly cringed, and not in physical pain, "Let us just say that I am beholden to Mr. Weasley, for causing more chaos. The Dark Lord always was rubbish at multi-tasking." Severus shut his eyes, as his wrappings were pulled tight. "I was left in a forgotten, bloody heap in Aeneas Nott's parlor as they went to meet in glorious battle on the streets of London, and I took my leave as soon as I could muster the strength."
"They're fighting?" Hestia paled, as she finished up with his wounds. "Right now?"
"Indeed." Severus opened his eyes, meeting her worried gaze. "Has anyone else come your way yet?" He asked, and she shook her head no. He sighed, his voice a cranky reply, "Well then, either your side is doing exceptionally well, or they were all killed in one fell swoop." Hestia rolled her eyes, and went to leave the room.
"Optimism is the best cure-all, Severus Snape." She said as she left, and the Potion's Master was almost tempted to reply that if such were true, he'd probably be in bed for a year. But that was just far too easy. And too untrue.
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Waking again later that day, he felt a strange weight on his chest, above his wounds. Upon opening his eyes again, he was first greeted with the image of a flossy blonde head resting on his ribcage, and then, feeling him stir, she sat up, and Severus was greeted with the same vision that had been swimming before his eyes on the grounds. Her eyes were bright with worry, her hair still had flowers in it, and she was still wearing that white sundress. The Frost Princess in summer. He shut his eyes, sighing.
"Your flowers are wilting," He informed her, voice edged with pretended irritation at her faded chicory blossoms. The hands that clenched his arms tightened for a moment, as her lips parted in a slow, small, surprised smile.
"A thousand pardons, if they have offended you then," Luna murmured, sitting back slowly. Severus winced, feeling oddly cold at the loss of her closeness. He then realized how exactly she had been resting upon him, and he shifted uncomfortably.
"I am no longer at death's dark door, you realize." He said by way of chastisement, "There is hardly cause to hold vigil."
"You seem to have forgotten my abhorrent luck when it comes to the men I care for." Luna joked, without humor. Severus visibly flinched at the reminder, and at her blatant admission. He was cared for, apparently. "Allow me some irrationality?" She smirked this time, "Everyone else does."
He tried to give a short laugh, but it came out as more of a cough. Dear Salazar, he was in pain. But somehow, it had never felt like more of a relief, to still be alive. All the times he had been close, all the times he had come so near to death, it hadn't bothered him. Life had been preferable, but death wasn't a terrible option. In fact, despite his greeting to Hestia that morning, it was the first time he'd woken up from a near-death experience and only slightly been annoyed at his state of still-aliveness. "Granted," He replied to Luna, and then sighed, "Am I still the only patient?"
"At the moment," She nodded, leaning back in her chair and glancing around the half-destroyed room. Now that the day was getting later and the shadows cooler, an impervious charm had been cast upon the crumbled, spell-scorched wall. Still, it was an odd sensation, the late afternoon clearly visible from one's sick bed. "We received word from Alicia, though. The battle goes on."
"Likely will for some time," Severus nodded, eyes upon the ceiling above. "London offers both sides sufficient amounts of cover." He sighed, "I take it the majority of this castle's inhabitants are off at the fray?" Luna nodded, still twisting her hands in her lap. Turning his head back to look at her, Severus could not help but notice the gestures, though her face seemed as blank as ever. He frowned, "Luna, I tell you again, Ms. Jones," he paused, then corrected himself, "Mrs. Podmore has assured me quite thoroughly that I will, in time, make a full recovery," He said this in a rather more stern tone than he meant to, but it did cause Luna to look at him afresh, with new bewilderment. Severus went on, in his best low thrum, "You are all nerves, girl. I can understand why, given the present world happenings, but why they are being vented upon ME is entirely beyond me, even allowing for your singular irrationality." Well, almost entirely.
"I am sorry," Luna said quietly, shutting her eyes and laughing slightly, nervously, "I did not even notice…" She trailed off, taking a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she was staring, unseeing, at the great hole in the wall, her pale eyes far away. "I never saw him, you know, after it happened." Luna whispered, "One day he was kissing me farewell before going to London, the next I receive word that he was dead. I never saw his body, I do not think there was much of it left, after the werewolves had torn him apart." She swallowed, "I do believe that part of me is afraid that you will not be here the next time I open my eyes. Is that not silly of me? I think it is…"
An odd mix of confusion, consternation, worry and some other strange, warm emotion twisted across Severus' face then, "Entirely silly, though altogether understandable," He muttered, "Excepting, still, why I should be your subject."
Luna said nothing at first. But the soft, sad smile that drifted across her dreamy face struck him, practically pierced him through the heart. She stood then at his side, reaching down to touch his brow, slowly brushing back the long black hair from his face in such a tender, motherly motion. Severus had to shut his eyes, press his lips together…it had been a very, very long time since he'd felt such a kind, intimate touch. "Whatever would I do?" She whispered, "If I lost such a faithful protector? One who came back to me when he was broken, though Merlin knows there are many places to hide in Europe, far easier to get to than this castle…"
"Barmy girl," He tried to scold her, but it came out in a low, strained whisper. He lifted a hand to her face, with some effort, as his arm was bandaged where his dark mark had been most painfully scorched away. Resting a hand on her cheek, he sighed, looking up as her pale eyes slid shut. "You waste your bright light on such a hopelessly dark old man…" When did he become poetic? True, he'd always been eloquent enough, but poetic images? Hardly something to indulge in. How this bright thing transformed her surroundings…
"So say you, O Rescuer From Snow," Luna smiled again, opening her eyes, hovering over him. He was surrounded by her hair, a pale golden curtain around their faces, filling his nose with the scent of magnolia, "…Why did you rescue Rabastan?"
Severus was taken by surprise at that, but still, her gaze was holding him captive. He cleared his throat, "There was no need for him to suffer as a traitor…"
"You have watched others of your fellows suffer the Dark Lord's wrath these years," She reminded him in a whisper, "And did not reveal your loyalty. Why now?" Her grey eyes somehow managed to bore through him, gently, and he wondered what power it was that dwelt within her, making him tell her the truth.
"He is married to your friend." He replied, just as softly, his dark eyes fixing her with a gaze that might have made others quiver, that said he was annoyed at her ability to make him confess to having such sentiments. Luna was, of course, unaffected. "I saw no reason for there to be another, even younger widow made, when I had the power to prevent it."
Luna swallowed, her eyes suddenly swimming. Severus was vaguely aware of the fact that he was usually highly allergic to such emotional shows, and that he was not now. He was too wrapped up in her otherworldly face, in the fact that her tears were for him. Once again he had to shut his eyes, trying to turn his face away from her. He was, of course, simply greeted by the curtain of her hair. She laughed softly, turning his face back toward hers with barely a touch of her hand, and leaning down even further. Severus' breath caught in his throat, just before she pressed her lips to his forehead. He let out a sigh of relief, allowing himself to enjoy the tender action, wickedly ignoring the fact that he hardly deserved such attention, as Luna pulled back…
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…And took him entirely by surprise, by leaning down again swiftly, finding his lips with hers. Severus was far too shocked to remember the rules of the universe at that moment, allowing every nerve ending, every pore, every blood vessel to savor the sweet, sudden moment of being kissed by the lovely, kind, anciently young girl who had drifted into his view, becoming the focus of his world. Her scent was all around him, her taste just barely on his lips, dimming his better judgment…
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A door opened, and she was floating upwards and away. Severus' eyes snapped open, his eyes flying to the door of the hospital wing. Hestia Podmore was hurrying inside, seemingly unaware of their activities. Her wand out, she was rushing around in a controlled panic, gathering tools and potions and bandages. "We've got more patients coming," She informed them, her voice both grim and determined.
The battle in London would be nearing it's end soon.
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Author's Notes: Do so hope you enjoy! As always, thank you all for the kind reviews, they make me all happy and stuff.
