Chapter 56
Monday July 14th
It was two thirty in the morning when the alarm went off in Petunia's room. Severus bolted awake as he sat up in bed trying to find out what woke him when he heard it again. The alarm was only connected to his room as well his Grandfather's and Mother's. He threw back his covers as he left the bed with only his silk pajama bottoms on and his wand as he raced towards Petunia's room. This was why he had wanted to weight on telling her anything. This one potion could reek havoc because it was trying to clean up the problems of not only her heart but her veins and arteries as well. And this one potion tonight was the pivotal one. As soon as he opened his door he placed silencing charms around the boy's bedroom doors. The last thing they needed at the moment was four scared little boys as well.
His heart was racing with the adrenaline that was pumping through his veins as he opened her door. Gisly was already there with her and casting magic upon her. She was hemorrhaging into her lungs, this was why the lungs had to be healed first. Petunia was sitting up in the bed coughing up blood. Severus was beside her quickly as he started casting the only spell he knew that would help her. It would clear up her lungs and replace the blood back into her system but it would not stop the hemorrhage. Gisly was helping with her to sit up. He cast a diagnostic spell as it started writing upon a parchment that appeared beside him.
Her door was thrown open once more as Healer Smethwyck raced in along with his Mother and Grandfather. Severus moved out the Healer's way. This was what he had been worried about the most and dreading if it happened. He could very well lose her tonight. He spun back around and gripped the dresser he had leaned upon as he watched the Healer work. She looked more frail and vulnerable right then than he had ever seen her. The fear that was in her eyes as she looked at him, for all his life, he had only seen that type fear in a persons eyes right before death. He had never could quite rationalize why the Dark Lord took such pleasure at seeing that fear in his victim's eyes. To him it was a most expressive desperate plea for life he had ever seen and to see if upon her had his own worries and fears coming to the forefront of his mind. His chest was heaving as he took in air trying to calm down she did not need anymore fear heaped upon her especially his own.
Severus felt a hand upon his cheek as it made a wiping motion and those gray expressive eyes were replaced by the deep dark coal black of his Grandfather. He hadn't been aware of the tears that had started rolling down his cheeks as he had been watching her as the Healer worked on her. His awareness of time was all rendered a loss at the moment. He had been so lost in depth of her eyes, so intent was his focus upon her even the sounds in the room had been shoved to the background. That connection they had right then had been broken by his Grandfather.
"Can you hear us now Severus?" His Grandfather asked.
Severus gave a nod, not trusting his own voice at the moment.
"Good, Healer Smethwyck said your spell you did saved her." Lord Wilkvine Prince said as he moved as Severus peered around him back at the bed. Petunia was sleeping, the blood had been removed from the bed and a diagnostic parchment was going as well as the Healer glanced back at him.
"I was beginning to wonder about you. You haven't been responding to us." Healer Smethwyck said. "Bed rest all day today, I do not want her leaving it."
Severus gave him a nod.
"There should be no more hemorrhaging from here on out. We are now past the critical point in her recovery. Within the next four days she'll be feeling better than she has in probably a couple of years." Healer Smethwyck said as he took the parchment and walked over to him, he stuck out his hand. "Congratulations on your engagement. I saw the ring and the band around her finger. Your soon to be wife swore me to a vow not to tell anyone."
Severus shook his hand. "Thank you Healer Smethwyck."
Once everyone left the room he went over to the bed and sat down next to her. He placed his right hand on the bed on the other side of her and with his left he brushed stay blonde hairs that were damp off her forehead.
He whispered, "What are you doing to me Petunia?"
Severus knew she wouldn't answer, she was to far deep in sleep right now. The only reason why he had said her name out loud for right now. What bothered him was he had never gotten lost in someone's eyes like that before without a spell having been said. It was like he could feel her fear while she had been going through it. Not even with Lily had he fallen that deep into someone's eyes. Lily's eyes had never been as expressive as Petunia's had been only awhile ago. He had never gotten to a point with Lily that he could feel her emotions while looking at her.
Severus caressed her cheek and watched as she moved her head so it was towards his hand. He smiled softly at her. The fear he had felt was gone and replaced by relief that she was going to be pulling through this and she would be his wife in seven days. It was hard to imagine that they had been there for only a week.
Harry knew something was wrong when Severus woke him up instead of his Mum. He groggily sat up as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. His eyes kept wanting to stay closed and not open at all. He just wanted to go back to sleep. "Where's Mum?" He asked barely coherently.
"Mum is sleeping at the moment." Severus told him. "You are going to have me do this for you today."
Harry reached for his glasses and put them on and looked at Severus. "But Mum was feeling better. She ate every meal with us yesterday."
He watched as Severus frowned at him. "I know. But today, Mum needs total quiet and to stay in bed. Let's get your shirt off."
Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you even know which one goes next?" Harry couldn't help it, his Mum had done this so many times he expected her and only her.
"The lavender message oil." Severus said.
"No," Harry whined as he flopped back on the bed. "Your doing it wrong."
He heard a sigh from Severus. "It is the only notebook I found. It said lavender next, Harry."
Harry shook his head. "Not the flowers. Mum stopped the flowers a year ago. I only breath the flowers in." He couldn't help as the tears started to spring into his eyes. This was the first time he really wanted his Mum and he had never really done anything like this before. He knew not to whine or act like his age because Uncle Vernon would always yell at him. But upon waking up in the mornings sometimes it was hard and Mum always woke him the same way. Severus didn't do that this morning.
He felt a hand start rubbing his chest and Harry couldn't help as he startled from it. He wasn't expecting that. "Harry, calm down. Please, it's going to be okay. Not the flowers. I got that message loud and clear. Which one comes next do you know?"
Harry wiped his eyes under his glasses, "Cinnamon."
Severus hand kept rubbing his chest. "Cinnamon Leaf oil by itself or is there something else in it? I didn't see a message oil for that one."
Harry groaned. "I want Mum."
He felt two hands reach under his armpits and pick him up and he was pulled into Severus's chest. "Shhh. I know you want your Mum. I'm not her and your whole routine is off at the moment." His hand ran up and down his back and rocked him.
Severus was not expecting Harry to wake up like this. This was the first time he had seen Harry actually act his age and on top of it he had apparently found the wrong notebook. Harry had been so calm yesterday and this morning he was like a different little boy. Severus knew one thing though, Harry had to at least feel safe around him in order to whine and act his age. He did feel him startle when he placed his hand on his chest. And then he asked for Petunia and he couldn't give him what he wanted, at least not today, he couldn't do anything but just to reach over and pick him up and try to console him as best as he could.
"Gisly," Severus called.
Gisly popped into the room. "Master Severus called Gisly?"
Severus looked at her. "Bring me the blue case with the oils inside it and do you know if Miss Evans has another notebook on the oils?"
"Mistress Petunia pulled both out yesterday. Mrs. Snape borrowed the one for the recipes inside." Gisly said.
His mother had it, no wonder he couldn't find it. He wondered why she had it. "Go get my mother first and get her to bring the notebook and bring me the blue case in that order Gisly please."
Gisly popped away as Severus kept rocking Harry. Severus had messed up this routine they had going on his first attempt. But it clarified one thing that stood out to him, Harry was dependent upon Petunia for this routine with him. He knew there was no way Petunia would be able to come to the school to do this with Harry. He didn't want Petunia anywhere around the Headmaster. Petunia was going to have to get him worked into this routine with them. He was going to have to learn how to do this because right now all he knew was he had a very damaged emotional little boy in his arms.
He had Harry about half way calmed down when his mother walked into the room with the notebook. She took one look at him and Severus couldn't help but plead with his eyes to help him.
"What does he need?" His mother asked.
"Cinnamon is what he said comes next. I am unclear if he knows what goes with it." Severus told her.
His mother started flipping through the notebook as Gisly popped back in with the blue case of oils. He watched as his mother took the case and sat it on the desk along with the notebook and Gisly popped back away. Severus knew at the moment she was sitting with Petunia until he could return to her. He hated using Gisly at the moment but he needed this done quickly. Petunia would be very weak today because of the hemorrhaging early this morning.
"Got it." His mother said as she started blending the oils. "It is Cinnamon leaf, orange oil, and coconut oil. Her notes include what it does as well, it says Harry is normally very drowsy after the day before this one. This oil is for an instant energy boots both physically and mentally. How drowsy was he when you woke him up?"
"Very. He wasn't able to keep his eyes open when I woke him up at all, he was only half awake. Not like he had been yesterday at all. And he's cranky, I messed up his routine." Severus told her.
"I got it made, let's see if we can get his shirt off and get it on." His Mother said.
Severus readjusted himself as well as Harry and got his shirt off of him as Harry was starting to just sniffle now. His eyes were still drooping and he knew the boys had slept all night through. His mother started rubbing the oil onto him and Severus could smell the scents as it was applied and filled the room. He watched as those brown eyes started to come to life now behind those glasses. They had been so dull just moments before, but the more Harry breathed in the scents the better he started to come to himself. Severus watched as he lowered his eyes and very red flush come upon his cheeks.
"M'sorry." Harry said.
"None of that, Harry. I do believe part of this is your Grandmother's fault as it is mine. I was reading the wrong notebook that was left in the room." Severus told him. "None of this was your fault."
He looked at his mother pointedly, letting her know who he gave part of the blame to.
"I borrowed the notebook yesterday. Your mother has all the properties written down on each oil. It also let me in on your emotional state as well. A few of these oils will probably help Dudley as well. I was going to bring it back after breakfast." His mother said. "Don't worry about any of this. You just be you and we'll work around it for now."
Harry finally looked back up at him and Severus ran his hands through Harry's hair.
"Feeling better now?" He asked.
Severus could still see a slight blush on his face but not like it had been.
"Yes, Dad." Harry said softly.
Severus smiled at him. "That's my little boy." And he gave him a kiss on his forehead.
