Chapter 22: Whispered Words
Blink, blink. Some sort of grey mist dimmed her vision as Blythe's eyes opened. She could hear something mumbling in the distance, but it was too far away for her to understand what it was. She attempted to sit up, but the effort was too much and her body refused to respond to her commands. She blinked a few more times trying to clear her eyes and see where she was, that too failed her.
Suddenly a blinding white light pierced the clouds and she was forced to shield her eyes against it, despite the protests from her arm. No sound escaped her as she opened her mouth to scream. Finally the light began to dim and she could see a few blurry images. She thought for a moment that she was in a hospital, but something was odd about it.
Blythe realized she wasn't alone in the room when two forms hovered over her. She tried to focus on who they were, but she couldn't make out any distinct qualities yet. She could also hear voices, but they were fuzzy and distant. Blythe could just barely make out what they were saying.
"Do you think she'll be alright?"
"She'll be fine, don't worry. Her shoulder is almost healed and there's no more water in her lungs."
"That's good. I can't believe she went out to the lake by herself though! This just isn't like her to be so careless."
"Are you sure about that? She seems like the devil-may-care type."
"Well, it's possible that she only wanted to swim, but I warned her about going off by herself. I wish she had of listened to me."
Through dry, cracked lips Blythe finally managed to croak one barely audible word. "Remus?"
She felt someone take her hand gently and one of the figures leaned closer to her. "I'm here, Blythe. Don't worry about a thing, you're in good hands here."
Blythe tried to nod, but a searing pain shot through her arm, neck and head. She closed her eyes against the dizziness that was quickly coming on.
"Don't try to move or speak. You're almost healed, but you'll have to stay in the Hospital Wing for another day or so in order to get your strength back."
The voice was calm and soothing, though she could hear a tinge of concern within it. She was content to listen to him all day as she began drifting off to sleep. Blythe felt a hand brush over her brow and along her cheek with a feather-light touch.
"Go to sleep, Blythe. I'll be right here if you need me. Get some rest."
Darkness swallowed her within moments and blissful unawareness covered her in a warm blanket.
When she woke again, she saw the stars glistening brightly outside the window. Blythe turned her head and noticed Remus sitting in a chair next to her bed sound asleep, his hand still clasped around hers. She smiled at his sleeping form, gently removed his hand, then sat up and brushed her fingertips over his face, pushing the hair back from his eyes.
Remus stretched and yawned then opened his eyes slightly and looked at her. A warm but sleepy smile came over his lips.
"You're so cute when you wake up."
He playfully stuck his tongue out at her. "Hush you." The two of them laughed quietly, then he rested his hand on hers again. "How do you feel?"
"Still a bit groggy, but not bad overall."
Remus nodded and looked her over carefully. "I'm glad to hear you're alright. When I found out you'd been hurt, I rushed up here as soon as I could to see you. You're shoulder healed up pretty well." He lightly traced his fingers over the exposed flesh. She winced under his touch. The shoulder was still tender. "Sorry." He carefully pulled her robe back over the skin.
"It's okay. I'm sure it'll be fine in another day or two.", Blythe assured him.
He chuckled nervously then. "You're not one who takes advice very well, are you?"
"No. Advice I take quite well, it's orders I don't like.", she told him seriously.
"I'm sorry for that too, Blythe. I didn't mean to sound like I was commanding you to do anything. I was just so worried for your safety that I thought you wouldn't listen if I asked you to do something."
She looked him over with a gentle grin. "You could've at least tried, Remus. I'm not completely daft, you know. Asking will get you a lot farther with me than demands will."
"I'll keep that in mind." He smiled back and gave her a wink, then blushed faintly. "I feel like a complete idiot for not having more faith in you. I mean, I forget that you really don't understand how dangerous it is here."
"Not just here, Remus. You have far too much confidence in Muggles. You think our world lacks danger, but it doesn't. We might not have Wizards, Witches or magical beasts running amuck, but we have other things to worry about. Like war, abuse and many worse things."
"I guess I really don't know much about your world.", he sighed.
"That's okay. I can teach you more than you could ever want to know about the darker side of Muggle life. You could kill with magic if you wanted to, but Muggles have far worse means of slaughtering people."
"Like what?" Remus swallowed hard, and Blythe could tell he wasn't looking forward to the answer she would give him.
"That's a story for another day, Remus. I don't really want to think about it right now."
"Of course, of course. Do you need more rest?" He glanced out the window and yawned again.
Blythe laughed softly as she watched him. "No, but it looks like you do. Go back to sleep, Remus. I'll just sit here for a bit. I'll probably doze off again eventually anyway."
He nodded and leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before Blythe could here his breathing become more even as he drifted off. She laid back down on her bed and watched Remus sleep for awhile, then she turned her face towards the window and watched the stars glittering outside. After an hour or so had passed, she too fell into a deep sleep.
Blythe woke to find herself in her own room. She looked around for a few moments attempting to get herself oriented again. Finally she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to check her shoulder in the mirror. Whatever they'd done in the Hospital Wing had worked miraculously. The skin was completely mended and only the faintest of scars could be seen. She smiled at the reflection, drew a bath and sat in the hot tub for a bit to relax and reflect.
Her mind wandered to the lake and the images she saw around her when she was pulled from the water. The scars on her shoulder were obviously teeth marks, and she doubted they came from Severus Snape. She remembered the large black dog and smiled. In the end, it was the dog that saved her life. Though she had a feeling it was Snape who took her to the Hospital Wing to be treated. "I'll have to thank him for that somehow. Though I can't imagine why he'd be so kind."
She rose from the water, emptied the tub and wrapped herself in fresh, warm fluffy towels. She made her way to the vanity and went about her typical routine. As she was getting dressed, she heard a light knock at the door. "Just a minute, please!", she called out. She finished quickly and answered the door to find three students standing there looking worried. She recognized two of them.
"Hello Harry, Hermione." She smiled down at them all and invited them in. "I'm afraid I haven't been introduced to your friend, but he looks like he's related to Ginny Weasley." She grinned.
"I'm Ron, Ginny's brother. Nice to meet you." He smiled back.
"We heard that you had been hurt and wanted to make sure everything was alright, Professor Farrah."
"Thank you, Hermione. I'm fine now, as you can see, but it was nice of you to come here and check on me. How'd you find out?"
"Professor Lupin told us you had an accident at the lake.", Harry answered.
Blythe nodded and smiled even more. "He was that worried about me? What a dear."
"What happened?", questioned Ron carefully.
Blythe sat down in a chair and nodded to three more for the children to sit in. She told them about wanting to go for a swim and about being dragged down by one of the occupants of the lake. Then she informed them of the dog that dragged her out. She omitted the part about Snape though.
"So who brought you back to the school?", prodded Hermione.
"One of the Professors, I guess. I was unconscious during that part however. I remember waking up in the Hospital Wing, and then today I found myself here."
Harry looked at his friends and nodded. The three of them stood and smiled at Blythe as Harry spoke. "Well, we're glad to see you're okay, Miss Farrah. We'll leave you alone now."
"Hope to see you in class again.", Hermione called back as they left the room and closed the door.
Blythe taught her classes as usual that day. They had many questions about what had happened to her at the lake, but she only briefly stayed on the subject, not wishing to worry her students. After dinner, she decided it was time to thank Snape for taking her back to the castle to be treated. She made her way down to the dungeons and stopped at his office. She could just barely hear him talking inside, apparently to himself.
"That idiot woman! She'll get herself killed if she keeps this up. I won't stand for her dying, not yet."
Blythe frowned and leaned her ear against the door to hear him better. She heard him grumbling a bit more as he shuffled around, then he started speaking again.
"I have plans for you, Miss Farrah. Many, many plans."
She quickly backed away from the door thinking he knew she was there. She decided it would be best to leave before she really was found out.
Blink, blink. Some sort of grey mist dimmed her vision as Blythe's eyes opened. She could hear something mumbling in the distance, but it was too far away for her to understand what it was. She attempted to sit up, but the effort was too much and her body refused to respond to her commands. She blinked a few more times trying to clear her eyes and see where she was, that too failed her.
Suddenly a blinding white light pierced the clouds and she was forced to shield her eyes against it, despite the protests from her arm. No sound escaped her as she opened her mouth to scream. Finally the light began to dim and she could see a few blurry images. She thought for a moment that she was in a hospital, but something was odd about it.
Blythe realized she wasn't alone in the room when two forms hovered over her. She tried to focus on who they were, but she couldn't make out any distinct qualities yet. She could also hear voices, but they were fuzzy and distant. Blythe could just barely make out what they were saying.
"Do you think she'll be alright?"
"She'll be fine, don't worry. Her shoulder is almost healed and there's no more water in her lungs."
"That's good. I can't believe she went out to the lake by herself though! This just isn't like her to be so careless."
"Are you sure about that? She seems like the devil-may-care type."
"Well, it's possible that she only wanted to swim, but I warned her about going off by herself. I wish she had of listened to me."
Through dry, cracked lips Blythe finally managed to croak one barely audible word. "Remus?"
She felt someone take her hand gently and one of the figures leaned closer to her. "I'm here, Blythe. Don't worry about a thing, you're in good hands here."
Blythe tried to nod, but a searing pain shot through her arm, neck and head. She closed her eyes against the dizziness that was quickly coming on.
"Don't try to move or speak. You're almost healed, but you'll have to stay in the Hospital Wing for another day or so in order to get your strength back."
The voice was calm and soothing, though she could hear a tinge of concern within it. She was content to listen to him all day as she began drifting off to sleep. Blythe felt a hand brush over her brow and along her cheek with a feather-light touch.
"Go to sleep, Blythe. I'll be right here if you need me. Get some rest."
Darkness swallowed her within moments and blissful unawareness covered her in a warm blanket.
When she woke again, she saw the stars glistening brightly outside the window. Blythe turned her head and noticed Remus sitting in a chair next to her bed sound asleep, his hand still clasped around hers. She smiled at his sleeping form, gently removed his hand, then sat up and brushed her fingertips over his face, pushing the hair back from his eyes.
Remus stretched and yawned then opened his eyes slightly and looked at her. A warm but sleepy smile came over his lips.
"You're so cute when you wake up."
He playfully stuck his tongue out at her. "Hush you." The two of them laughed quietly, then he rested his hand on hers again. "How do you feel?"
"Still a bit groggy, but not bad overall."
Remus nodded and looked her over carefully. "I'm glad to hear you're alright. When I found out you'd been hurt, I rushed up here as soon as I could to see you. You're shoulder healed up pretty well." He lightly traced his fingers over the exposed flesh. She winced under his touch. The shoulder was still tender. "Sorry." He carefully pulled her robe back over the skin.
"It's okay. I'm sure it'll be fine in another day or two.", Blythe assured him.
He chuckled nervously then. "You're not one who takes advice very well, are you?"
"No. Advice I take quite well, it's orders I don't like.", she told him seriously.
"I'm sorry for that too, Blythe. I didn't mean to sound like I was commanding you to do anything. I was just so worried for your safety that I thought you wouldn't listen if I asked you to do something."
She looked him over with a gentle grin. "You could've at least tried, Remus. I'm not completely daft, you know. Asking will get you a lot farther with me than demands will."
"I'll keep that in mind." He smiled back and gave her a wink, then blushed faintly. "I feel like a complete idiot for not having more faith in you. I mean, I forget that you really don't understand how dangerous it is here."
"Not just here, Remus. You have far too much confidence in Muggles. You think our world lacks danger, but it doesn't. We might not have Wizards, Witches or magical beasts running amuck, but we have other things to worry about. Like war, abuse and many worse things."
"I guess I really don't know much about your world.", he sighed.
"That's okay. I can teach you more than you could ever want to know about the darker side of Muggle life. You could kill with magic if you wanted to, but Muggles have far worse means of slaughtering people."
"Like what?" Remus swallowed hard, and Blythe could tell he wasn't looking forward to the answer she would give him.
"That's a story for another day, Remus. I don't really want to think about it right now."
"Of course, of course. Do you need more rest?" He glanced out the window and yawned again.
Blythe laughed softly as she watched him. "No, but it looks like you do. Go back to sleep, Remus. I'll just sit here for a bit. I'll probably doze off again eventually anyway."
He nodded and leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before Blythe could here his breathing become more even as he drifted off. She laid back down on her bed and watched Remus sleep for awhile, then she turned her face towards the window and watched the stars glittering outside. After an hour or so had passed, she too fell into a deep sleep.
Blythe woke to find herself in her own room. She looked around for a few moments attempting to get herself oriented again. Finally she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to check her shoulder in the mirror. Whatever they'd done in the Hospital Wing had worked miraculously. The skin was completely mended and only the faintest of scars could be seen. She smiled at the reflection, drew a bath and sat in the hot tub for a bit to relax and reflect.
Her mind wandered to the lake and the images she saw around her when she was pulled from the water. The scars on her shoulder were obviously teeth marks, and she doubted they came from Severus Snape. She remembered the large black dog and smiled. In the end, it was the dog that saved her life. Though she had a feeling it was Snape who took her to the Hospital Wing to be treated. "I'll have to thank him for that somehow. Though I can't imagine why he'd be so kind."
She rose from the water, emptied the tub and wrapped herself in fresh, warm fluffy towels. She made her way to the vanity and went about her typical routine. As she was getting dressed, she heard a light knock at the door. "Just a minute, please!", she called out. She finished quickly and answered the door to find three students standing there looking worried. She recognized two of them.
"Hello Harry, Hermione." She smiled down at them all and invited them in. "I'm afraid I haven't been introduced to your friend, but he looks like he's related to Ginny Weasley." She grinned.
"I'm Ron, Ginny's brother. Nice to meet you." He smiled back.
"We heard that you had been hurt and wanted to make sure everything was alright, Professor Farrah."
"Thank you, Hermione. I'm fine now, as you can see, but it was nice of you to come here and check on me. How'd you find out?"
"Professor Lupin told us you had an accident at the lake.", Harry answered.
Blythe nodded and smiled even more. "He was that worried about me? What a dear."
"What happened?", questioned Ron carefully.
Blythe sat down in a chair and nodded to three more for the children to sit in. She told them about wanting to go for a swim and about being dragged down by one of the occupants of the lake. Then she informed them of the dog that dragged her out. She omitted the part about Snape though.
"So who brought you back to the school?", prodded Hermione.
"One of the Professors, I guess. I was unconscious during that part however. I remember waking up in the Hospital Wing, and then today I found myself here."
Harry looked at his friends and nodded. The three of them stood and smiled at Blythe as Harry spoke. "Well, we're glad to see you're okay, Miss Farrah. We'll leave you alone now."
"Hope to see you in class again.", Hermione called back as they left the room and closed the door.
Blythe taught her classes as usual that day. They had many questions about what had happened to her at the lake, but she only briefly stayed on the subject, not wishing to worry her students. After dinner, she decided it was time to thank Snape for taking her back to the castle to be treated. She made her way down to the dungeons and stopped at his office. She could just barely hear him talking inside, apparently to himself.
"That idiot woman! She'll get herself killed if she keeps this up. I won't stand for her dying, not yet."
Blythe frowned and leaned her ear against the door to hear him better. She heard him grumbling a bit more as he shuffled around, then he started speaking again.
"I have plans for you, Miss Farrah. Many, many plans."
She quickly backed away from the door thinking he knew she was there. She decided it would be best to leave before she really was found out.