"The Tale of a Broken Man"
By: PsychoHaired
Disclaimer: Everything is mine… and also, I just saw a pig fly out of my window.
A/N- Hey you guys! I'm back with the latest chapter! I was really surprised at how many people reviewed this last chapter! And I'm sorry for being evil and leaving it in a cliffhanger, but it HAD to be done. You'll see why once you've finished reading it. I also apologize for not having this update earlier today (kind of makes me even more evil doesn't it?), but I went out on a date today and just got back a few hours ago. I had such a wonderful time… anyways, here it is! Enjoy!
Chapter 14:
"STETI TEMPORIS!" Severus aimed at Lily's falling body and froze halfway down the staircase. Severus ran to her suspended form and muttered the counter spell, returning her space-time to normality and allowing her to fall into his arms.
"Lily are you alright!" he hugged her close "Lily?" he shook her gently "Lily!" her head lolled onto his shoulder. She was bleeding from her forehead, but she was still breathing.
-o-
"Madam Promfey!" Severus knocked on her office door frantically, "Madam Promfey!"
"I'm coming!" the door opened and the nurse stepped out. She gave him a look, "You again?"
"Yes! I mean, no! I mean—Look!" he pointed at Lily whom he had placed on a nearby bed.
"Dear heavens! What happened to her boy?"
"IdontknowmeanshewasattackedandIdontknowwhodiditshefelldownthestairsandIfrozeherspacetimeandcaughtherandshewasorisstillunconsciousandthenIcarriedhereanddroppedheronthebed!" he yelled frantically, waving his arms.
"I can't understand a word you're saying!"
"She was attacked!" he panted.
"Calm down Severus!"
Severus threw himself on a nearby chair, his head in his hands. He kept blaming himself for what had happened. If he hadn't blown up that potion they wouldn't have had to retake that test and Lily would've been safe and sound. Severus looked up at Madam Promfey whom was waving a small phial of pungent salt under Lily's nose. She coughed and stirred.
"What happened to you dear?" Madame Promfey asked as she started mending her bruises. Lily stared woozily around and fainted.
"Lily!" He rushed to the edge of her bed. "What's wrong with her? Is she going to be ok?"
"What did you see when she was attacked Snape?"
"I didn't see anything… I tripped when I was on my way to the… THE DUNGEONS! I have to talk to Professor Slughorn! We were supposed to retake a test!"
"Never mind that now! Did you hear an incantation? Any distinguishable colours?"
"There was a red flash right before she fell…"
"I see…" she looked grim. She summoned a house-elf. "Bailey, please fetch Professors Slughorn, McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore"
Bailey nodded and vanished with a resounding 'crack!'
Severus started at Lily for a moment; Madam Promfey was bandaging her forehead carefully. He felt a pang of guilt, shoved his head in his hands once more and sat down.
Bailey apparated once more and informed that they were on their way and disappeared again. Severus looked at Lily with worry 'This is all my fault' he thought despondently.
The door to the infirmary burst open and Dumbledore entered, followed by McGonagall and Slughorn.
"Poppy, what happened?" the headmaster asked calmly.
"One of the students has been attacked"
Dumbledore glanced at Lily and frowned. He then glanced at Severus.
"Albus," the nurse began "I think she was hit by a draining curse"
"Ahhh…" Dumbledore sighed gravely "there is no potion for it, nor counter curse I'm afraid"
Severus felt another, more powerful surge of guilt.
"That's what I thought" Madame Promfey looked at him with tired eyes.
"I'm afraid it has begun…" the headmaster said silently.
"Albus," McGonagall spoke. "Is she going to be alright?"
"Yes, the effects should wear off soon I expect. However," he paused "the curse depletes one's energy until complete exhaustion. She will be in bed for quite a while, sleeping, as in most cases." Dumbledore turned to Professor Slughorn " Horace, I believe miss Evans and Mr. Snape had an exam to re-do?"
"Quite right" he stated "However, do to the circumstances" he looked at Lily with worry " I think it'd be best to just eliminate this grade?"
The Headmaster nodded in agreement.
"Minerva, please see to it that Miss Evans be excused from her lessons"
She nodded and followed Professor Slughorn and Dumbledore out of the door.
"Oh! One more thing" Dumbledore turned around "Please allow Mr. Snape to accompany his friend as long as he wishes."
Severus glanced at Dumbledore and had the vague impression the headmaster had just blinked at him. He shook his head briefly, passing it off as overactive imagination and pulled up a chair next to Lily's bed. He crossed his arms and rested his head on the edge of her mattress, watching her sleep, guilt gnawing at his conscience.
-o-
Severus awoke groggily, still sitting on the chair next to Lily's bed. He straightened himself and found that a clean set of robes and his toothbrush had been laid out next to him.
He stood up slowly and was greeted by Madam Promfey.
"Good Morning" she hailed, busily rearranging bedpans. "There's a bathroom to your right" she said, bending over to pick up some tissue paper.
"Thanks" he mumbled and trudged off to brush his teeth and take a quick shower before going up to breakfast.
-o-
Gossip spread like wildfire in Hogwarts, so by that afternoon, the halls were buzzing about Lily's attack. Everywhere Severus went, he heard a different version, each more extraordinarily out of proportion than the last.
"…So then, the mysterious attacker launched her flaming body upwards and vanished in a wisp of smoke. Luckily though, that shady friend of hers rode in at that moment on a stolen Hippogriff and caught her in mid air! Then he…"
Severus rolled his eyes and this latest version and strolled outside into the courtyard.
"Hey Snivellus!" Potter called him
"What do you want Potter?" he said irritably.
"Look… I heard what you did for Evans, and I hate to admit it… but it was pretty decent of you" he said this fast and crossed his arms "Mind you, I still don't like, nor trust you… I'm keeping an eye on you Snape" he turned around and joined his group of friends, leaving Severus slightly annoyed and highly confused.
'What the hell was THAT all about?' he thought.
-o-
Severus returned to the Hospital Wing on breaks and sat next to her while she slept. Quite often he'd catch her muttering in his sleep and once in a while, Severus wondered if she was dreaming of him, and every time he hid, he would think how stupid he was being; they were just friends…if he was lucky, and once this thought surfaced, he'd feel ashamed of his numerous sleepless nights, thinking of her and her sparkling green eyes.
It was on an occasion such as this, that Lily began to mutter in her sleep again and Severus was shaken out of his reverie. He sighed and got up as the evening bell tolled, signalling the beginning of afternoon lessons. He picked up his school bag, slung it over his shoulder and watched her muttering again. He smiled slightly, it was a sign that she was recovering well, and soon she'd bee awake and full of energy just like she had been a couple of weeks earlier. But for now, she'd be laying there for hours on end, recuperating her strength. He turned around and left towards his next lesson.
A week later, most students had forgotten about the incident, but blood bigotry had been scaling ever since. It was commonplace now to see discrimination against muggleborns and half-bloods. It made Severus sick, especially since he put up the façade of being pureblooded himself. But he wasn't stupid, if his roommates ever found out about his true heritage he'd be treated just like the others, being humiliated and jeered at on a daily basis without reason. Severus sighed sadly at this thought, as if his life wasn't already like that; he scowled.
He walked out of the Potions Dungeons after the final bell rang, heading towards the great Hall; on his way ignoring a few of his housemates harassing a Hufflepuff muggleborn.
He sat down at the Slytherin table and loaded his plate with mashed potatoes and butter, eating slowly and listening with detachment at a gang of Slytherins telling jokes.
"Oh! I've got one!" Regulus piped up. He was becoming quite popular, much like his older brother was. "What do you call a mud-blood with half a brain?"
"I don't know…" a blue-eyed boy looked at him.
"What?" DuBois asked eagerly.
"Gifted!" Regulus smirked as the boys laughed with mirth.
Severus rolled his eyes and gave a fake chuckle. He ate the rest of his mashed potatoes and rapidly headed towards the Hospital Wing again.
-o-
Severus pushed the door open and sat down next to Lily. He took out his books and began writing an essay that had been assigned earlier that day. After a while he stood up and went to the bathroom to wash out the ink from his hands. After drying them off he entered the room to find Madam Promfey fussing over Lily, whom had just awoken and was blinking around, looking disoriented.
"Where am I?" she asked groggily.
"In the infirmary" Madam Promfey stood next to her "What happened? Do you remember?"
Lily concentrated for a second and said slowly "…I was going to retake a test…and I was attacked" she paused and her lip quivered.
"Because you were a muggleborn?" the nurse asked calmly.
Lily nodded slowly, wiping her eyes. She tried to sit up and winced in pain. "Ow!"
"Oh dear… fractured ribs. I can't heal broken bones unless the patient is conscious," she explained. "The spell doesn't work otherwise. Now, I need you to lift up your shirt…"
Severus choked a bit and turned around, apparently Madam Promfey had forgotten he was currently in the room.
"Er… are you done with the shirt thing?" he asked, his voice an octave higher than usual and a furious blush rising up his cheeks.
The nurse turned around in surprise, Lily looked at his direction for the first time and blushed a brilliant shade of crimson.
"I looked away! I'm not some kind of lecherous pervert!" he said defensively, his voice still higher than usual.
"Oh! Alright then…" Madam Promfey looked abashed. She turned back to Lily and removed her bandages. "I'll be right back with an energy elixir" Madam Promfey walked briskly away to the medicine closet and closed the door.
"Are you okay?" Severus asked shyly.
She nodded.
"Look— they both started.
"You go first" they said together again.
"Go ahead" Lily gave him a small smile.
"Lilly… I, um… I'm sorry for uh… I mean to say is, er…" he shifted from foot to foot and sat next to her. "I shouldn't have… you know and er, I'm sorry for umm" he looked at her and blushed. "I'm sorry… for everything" he blushed again "I was stupid, I—
She shushed him "It's okay Sev… and er, thanks for, you know, rescuing me…" she gave him a quick peck on his cheek.
Severus blushed more furiously still, stammered, and grinned.
"Friends?"
He nodded.
Madam Promfey returned with a bottle of energy elixir.
"Drink Up Evans" she handed her a glass full of bright pink liquid which Lily swallowed in one gulp. She shuddered at the taste.
"Did you recognize who attacked you?" Madam Promfey asked urgently.
She shook her head. "No… it was dark. I couldn't tell who it was" she looked down sadly.
To Be Continued…A/N- Well, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! I apologize for being evil and making you wait so long with a very, very cruel cliffhanger… Anyways, I hope this made up for my sudden bout of cruelty and I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me :cough: by reviewing :cough: Next chapter will be up by next weekend hopefully.