Harmony raised the spoon for the 20th time, forcing herself not to sigh out loud in the emptiness of the room in front of Severus. If the last times she had done so were to be taken as a clue, he would just lash out at her to leave him alone and go away.
"Come on, Love. You need some nourishment, Severus. I've already talked to you about this. At least a little bit. I know you are hungry."
No answer whatsoever came from the man on the bed. His eyes were almost void, unfeeling. He was Occluding again. He did so most of the time nowadays. It made Harmony's blood boil in her veins in a way but she had decided that ignoring him would probably be her best option if she was to keep her sanity. Not that it was the easy way.
The past weeks had been Hell on earth. Pure Hell.
Since his set back, Severus seemed dead to the world around him for all intents and purposes. Maybe he wanted to be. He would not drink or eat unless forced, he wouldn't exercise, he wouldn't let Harmony take care of his appearance, he would barely sleep... Harmony wasn't allowed anymore to sleep with him either. He had forbidden her of doing so. The only time he would not argue with her about being cared was when he had nightmares or seizures. For all that mattered, he was in deep depression.
He barely communicated at all unless it was to argue or send her on her way. Most of the time, both. When not Occluding, he was either angry, sad, sad and angry, snarky or straight up cruel in her regards.
Harmony had a very strong suspicion, almost certainty, that he was doing it on purpose in a way. Why? That she wasn't so sure. Most probably he wished her to quit. Maybe he wanted her to regret loving him, to stop loving him at all. Whatever the reason, Harmony would be the first one to confirm that he was doing it perfectly. There was perhaps only one thing that he had forgotten to take into consideration: Her stubbornness.
She would sob every night in her room but she kept her head up at all times when caring for him. And she would never stop trying to win him back everyday.
Harmony knew that it was draining her to keep up with his idiocy but for their sakes, she had to keep going.
Five weeks had gone by into that miserable everyday existence before Harmony decided to call Headmistress McGonagall back to the cottage for some much needed support. She needed to talk with someone else desperately and the Headmistress may have some new ideas or suggestions about what to do next. Harmony had already tried all of hers and she wasn't ashamed of recognizing it.
It was for that matter that a sharp knock on the door sounded through the walls of the cottage and reached Harmony by Severus bed, trying to feed him. Deciding that staying or not wouldn't do any difference, she got up and exited the room closing the door behind her. Rufus had left that morning and hadn't returned since. In any other time she would have been worried but now she was so spent that she couldn't bring herself to do it. If anything ever were to happen with the dog she knew that she would feel it anyway.
After leaving the plate on the table she walked to the door and opened it. Two sets of eyes were automatically on her: A tabby cat and a german shepard.
"Please, do come in Headmistress. And you too, Mr. Rufus. I was starting to wonder wherever had you gone."
Walking straight to the sofa, she let her body fall on to it ungracefully.
"My dear child… You look positively ghastly and Rufus shared some terrible concerns with me. What is going on?"
"Severus Snape famous stubbornness is going on." Harmony sighed, closing her eyes. " I need help Headmistress. I can't go on like this anymore." She admitted.
Minerva joined the girl on the sofa with concern all over her wrinkled face.
"What has he done to you?"
"Nothing. And that is the problem really. He just breaths, Professor. He exists. Nothing more. I'm afraid we'll lose him eventually if we can't find a way pull him back from whatever hole he is in now."
"That bad?"
"Headmistress… He refuses to eat, to drink, barely sleeps, almost never talks to me anymore. I'm losing him. It pains me to admit it, but it's the truth. He is depressed, bitter… Never before had he let his temper rule free with me before. He always had his temper, yes. But never had he been outwardly cruel with me. He snaps at me constantly, he doesn't want me to care for him. It's maddening. Most of the days he just keeps to himself, Occluding every feeling and thought from me. The only moments in which he welcomes my touch and closeness is when he has nightmares or seizures. If it wasn't from that, I would be forced to believe that the last months were nothing more than a figment of my imagination."
"For Merlin's sake. Whatever is he thinking he is doing?"
"I don't know. I believe he just wants me to quit, you know?"
"But ... You told me this was nothing but a set back. That he could still make it."
"I still believe it. He is the one that stop believing it, Professor. I… I don't know what more to do."
Minerva had gotten more and more worked out through their conversation and right now was fuming.
"That will not do. That will not do it at all. Where has he put his head? Up his ass? Oh, don't look at me with that surprise my dear. The good thing about getting older is that you can say and do whatever you feel like. I may be a bit old but I'm still very far from being a mummy, you know? Severus Snape is making a fool of himself and is hurting you in the process, Harmony. That cannot go on anymore. You gave him this weeks to readjust. Now he has to pull himself together and got back to work." The older woman got up from the sofa and started the path to the hall that leaded to Severus's room. On the threshold she turned around one last time to glance at Harmony with a serious expression, professor mode. "If he insists on behaving like a child, we will treat him as such. Let me have a word with him, my dear. After that, I have an idea that may just work."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I know this wasn't my most inspired chapter in the way of writing. My attention this week was directed elsewhere but this chapter was weighing on me like an elephant. I had to get it out of the way. I may return to it later for some deserved polishing.
A new character will come in scene soon. Any bets on who it will be?
Review if you think I deserve it.
Also, I will be posting something else about other fandom very soon. It will be a short story but if you like this story you will very much like that one too. No magic. Real, very dark disease. You're warned.