Authors Note: Sorry this has taken me so long to update, and I hope the way I am writing Snape is still okay
Chapter eight
He checked her pulse again, it was past the seventy two hours and she still wasn't awake.
"Be patient Severus" Minerva said, she had been in to see Poppy and had seen her fellow staff member asleep on the chair.
"The seventy two hours are over Minerva patience has gone out of the window" she patted him on the shoulder before leaving. There was no use trying to talk to him when he was like that. Severus yawned again. He couldn't fall asleep so he decided to pace up and down, thoughts whirling round in his head. Twenty minutes later he had resumed his sitting position after Poppy had threatened him that if he did not keep still she would make him sleep or at least lie in a bed.
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Katarina felt the mist rising as she slowly opened her eyes, the brightness of the white walls made her want to crawl back into the darkness even more. As she slowly became aware of her surroundings she realised she was in the hospital wing and the person holding on to her wrist was no other than her defence against the dark arts teacher. Before she could say anything Severus started.
"You stupid girl, what were you thinking, a whole vial, only an imbecile takes a whole vial of potion. You could have slipped into a coma or become addicted. Has your brain wasted away as well…" he started.
"Professor Snape if you do not lower your tone immediately I shall ban you from the hospital wing, now sit down and be quiet" Poppy barked from the door of her office before coming over and bustling over Katarina. Severus sat silent his mask in place; all he wanted to do right now was remove Poppy from the scene and hold his student who was looking at him with pleading eyes.
"How do you feel dear?" she was asking her.
"Fine thank you" and she wasn't lying the sleep had down her the world of good. She felt refreshed almost alive again.
"Your not supposed to be feeling alive, plus god knows what they gave you whilst you were asleep" the little voice piped up.
"When can I leave Madame Pomfrey I must have missed so much work" she said trying to sit up in bed but Severus pushed her right back down again.
"You are not moving from this bed" he growled.
"But professor my N.E.W.T.S"
"I have no idea if you will still function like a normal human being by the time N.E.W.T.S come around Miss Travain, so right now they are the least of your problems"
"I want to leave right now, you can't keep me here" she struggled against his grip.
"Please let me go" she whimpered.
"Severus let go of her" Poppy hissed, but he ignored her only loosening his grip slightly.
"Just tonight dear and then you can leave" she reassured her.
"What! Are you mad, in her condition she is not going anywhere, look at her Poppy she is like a walking corpse and soon she will be a corpse"
"Professor this is not the conversation to be having in front of her"
"Why not its not like she cares, I mean she has gone this long without caring what she is doing, so why not just tell her the truth instead of tip toeing round the whole situation pretending it will go away" he had let go of her now and was nose to nose with the mediwitch.
"Severus Snape you will leave my hospital wing immediately and calm down before entering again, I would like you to remember that I am in charge of the students who reside here and I shall discharge them when I think is necessary. And if you want my opinion although I am sure you do not I would suggest that you go back to your quarters immediately and sleep before you let your tiredness get the better of you and you hex a student. GO" Katarina had never seen the mediwitch so angry. Severus didn't try and argue he just glared at her and left. Poppy snapped her attention to Katarina.
"Now Miss Travain, how are you feeling"? Katarina smiled an incredibly sickly sweet smile.
"I am feeling so much better, I know I've been ever so silly the last couple of weeks but I think it was just the grief that was getting to me, the sleep really helped me sort everything and I promise that I will be healthy again" She didn't think her voice could get any sweeter.
"I know life has been hard on you Katarina but its good that you have managed to sort yourself out, that's the first step, now you just rest here until tomorrow and then you can leave"
"Thank you so much" she smiled again before lying back down and returning to the dark.
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December
Everyone else had left for the Christmas holidays leaving Katarina alone with the teachers and the other few students who remained. She made herself go to the great hall for meals smiling sweetly as always to the mediwitch before heaping her plate with things. Each time she carefully put her wand beneath the table and vanished the food, before eating tiny amounts so to the unobservant it would look like she was steadily making her way through the meal. Severus had already spotted her doing it but he said nothing, he had almost given up trying to help her, he felt helpless they were losing her and fast and he had no idea what to do.
"Severus are you alright you look quite distressed" Minerva said as she looked over and saw not the usual cold mask of the Defence Professor but a rather concerned look.
"Yes I am fine thank you Minerva" he said as he took his leave. Soon after Katarina also left her table to go and lie down in her bedroom, where finally she was alone and could just go into her dream world without anyone disturbing her. As soon as she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes she drifted off.
"You're so close now to being free" the girl who sat next to her in the field said.
"You think so?" Katarina whispered as she looked up into the sky.
"Yes" Kate smiled. Into her dream walked her potion master. He looked sad. She went to get up and go towards him but the girl pulled her back down.
"He is not your friend Katarina, he will bring you down"
"I know but I can't help it"
"Well you had better start" her voice was low and menacing and Katarina shrank back from her and then the dream ended, it was the same every night.
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Katarina woke up to her empty dorm room. It was seven AM. It was Christmas day. A small smile crept over her face as she thought back to Christmases past, the smile slowly faded as she realised she would never have Christmases like that again. She pulled a jumper over her pyjamas and shuffled down to the common room and looked at the Slytherin Christmas tree all decorated in silver. Underneath where a small number of presents. Katarina looked around; as far as she was knew she was the only Slytherin staying that Christmas. She sorted through each of the ten gifts, every single one was addressed to her. She carefully took a large lumpy one and unwrapped it. Inside was a new black jumper. She looked at the label it read. "For when you get cold and are missing me. Love Draco" She smiled at the though of her friend. She took off her hoodie and put on the new jumper she hugged herself. She carefully took another parcel and unwrapped it. A box of chocolates from her stalker in Hufflepuff. She put those to one side deciding she would give them to Lindsey. The next present was in fact from Lindsey and was in one of those high street store bags. She looked inside it and saw a perfume bottle. It was called "Hidden Desire" she gave it a squirt. It suited her perfectly. She went through the small stack pulling out photo frames, jewellery and more chocolates until all that was left was a silver box. She looked for the label but found none. Shrugging she opened the box to reveal a silver bracelet, it had a heart charm which was green with the symbol of a crown, a silver snake slithered in and out of it. Inside the box there was a note saying. "For the Princess of Slytherin" she carefully undid the clasp and put it on, it tingled as it touched her wrist.
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Severus looked up from his book as the beeper started. He went towards the little device that sat on his kitchen table and looked at the sheet of paper that was being printed. He checked through her vitals and sighed.
"If I don't do something soon we'll lose her" he said aloud to know one in particular
"Don't you mean you'll lose her" a portrait retorted. Severus didn't reply but just stared at the figures in front of him. He didn't understand how she was still functioning let alone how her magic was still working. If she tried too hard during a charms class she would probably drain all her magic out of her. He sat down in front of the piece of paper head in his hands trying to think of a plan. He knew he should have done something sooner but she was too clever. She had the whole of the rest of the teaching staff fooled. They were too caught up in what the golden trio where up to. He hadn't even thought about the task ahead of himself, his whole being was consumed with looking out for his student. He wanted term to start again so he could take his bitterness out on the Gryffindor.
