Chapter 12

When I awoke the next morning I was oddly stuff, when I opened my eyes I knew why. I had slept in my chair, in the great hall; luckily no one was up – yet. So I could perhaps see Poppy – that would please her – me going to her instead of the other way around, how odd. But I did go to the hospital wing. As I expected Pomfrey was ecstatic.

"Poppy stop will you, I just need some Camille tea; and then I'll be out of your hair." "Camille tea?" I repeated again.

"Why?" great now I had to deal with her fury of not sleeping properly.

"I slept in the great hall." My voice was barely above a whisper. Only McGonagall could have picked up on it which she did; damn cat hearing.

"YOU DID WHAT?" her roaring voice certainly woke me up. I sighed as I said again:

"I slept in the great hall,"

"Why would you do something like that?"

"Poppy may I leave?" Minerva was going to leave me with the badger that I had put in a bad mood. Where was her Gryffindor courage or was she more of a cowardly lion?

"Yes of course Minerva; just don't overdo it." But she was gone, and so was my only defence – definitely a cowardly lion. The Matron had her full attention on me; she waited for a response that didn't come. "Well?"

"I don't know."

"What was that?" I could hear Pomfrey's mother-hen voice coming out.

"I'm sorry ok, I couldn't be in the dungeons after breaking Draco's wand and then them saying he'd done that to himself. I just couldn't. Besides its too cold now," I saw her eyebrow raise in a fair expression of myself. "Since Albus doesn't come down and check on me anymore."

"It doesn't feel like home?" she summarised my argument.

"Exactly," she was surprised when my one word answer told her everything. I looked up at her to see a look of shock, nor confusion that I had seen on Potter's face.

"What?"

"I do believe your returning to us from yourself; my child."
I must say I didn't understand what she meant. Although her face was overly joyous, almost as if Albus had returned form the dead – as I thought it, I had to turn around and check: to see if he had appeared behind me to offer us a lemon drop. Since I was in such an emotional state internally, I had no other options but to cry. Only to be awarded a heart attack look form the matron; she had never seen me like this.
Not when my father and brother had beaten me senseless over the holidays; not when Black managed to get me to go to the Shack under the Womping Willow, to almost get killed by Lupin; not even when in my humiliated rage I had called Lily a mudblood. Hell, not even when Lily had not forgiven me or when she was murdered; did I ever have such an extreme reaction.

"I miss him, it's my fault Minerva was right; I want him back."

"Want whom back, my child." I could tell that she didn't need to be told but still wanted it to be spoken out loud.

"Albus," my voice was choking on itself. I literally couldn't breathe.

"Severus, calm down. Or do you need me to give you something?"

"Something would be good," I confessed as I tried to calm down but I just couldn't. I didn't want to be the last Snape – not before, not now.

"Easy, drink this," Pomfrey gave me a small clear vial so the liquid inside was honey coloured; I didn't recognise it.

"What is it?"

"Always an inquisitive mind, my child. Just drink and sleep," the matron pushed me onto one of the beds to rest. God knows I needed it.