Severus had a very bad night, full of nightmares onetime, the damned snitch turned out to be a giant walnut and attacked Charity.
He woke up early, and upon that he thought he would better go get some flowers for his friend who was currently laying on the hospital bed due to him.
When he left the dorm, not many were awake, the chilly air made him shudder, he would have to ask his head(as he still did not have enough stamina to maintain a spell) to spell his robes to be warm and waterproof.
He did not understand when he was being pushed back to the wall.
: why the hell you back up and protect that slimy snake, smart pants?
Severus mentally sighed, start of a wonderful day.. With Black holding his wand to his throat.
"first thing Black, get off me, you smell of unwashed dog and you are making me suffocate.
(he did not smell like that, but in Severus book, he was always an unwashed dog)
Black huffed and backed away.
"you should go get yourself looked at by Pomfery, I smell perfect.
Severus did not mind him at all.
" and about my actions, it is not up to you, but my head, and if you are telling that I put a hoodwink on Great Dombledore's eyes and made him protect a Slytherin against his will, I might be Merlin himself to be this almighty at 11."
When he saw he was still standing and thinking about how stupid that idea was, he put a sticking charm on his boots, so the asshole had to go back to his dorm barefoot and he went on his way, leaving him to rot for all he cared.
(Severus in fact, had really misled Albus, but after 20 years of dealing with lord of lemons and lord of crucio it was no problem)
Like a demeanor that came out of the blue, Pettigrew appeared before him.
(what is wrong with this shitty day? Was everybody going to go and sneak on him? Was he going to end up senile?)
Without a word, his eyes were wet, Pettigrew burst into crying.
"Snape please, you have to believe, I never wanted to, but Michael is too big and when he punches it hurts, please! I just wanted to be safe in my own dorm, and I...
(as much as Severus was tempted to punch him for his stupidity and not coming to him with his matter, he knew that his, and his friends hands were tight with Slytherin, most were powerful pure blood, and harassing any of them would be to call a family feud, and yes, Charity was hurt, but it was his fault mostly, passing the stupid cake like that, and being unaware of her allergy)
: relax Pettigrew, I understand. And our deal stands.
Pettigrew who was expecting more groveling at Severus feet, or some begging and flattery was dumb founded.
Severus patted his shoulder and went(finally!) to the edge of the forest to find the flowers he needed to make Charity happy.
The forest was silent, calm, a little too much for his liking and made the hair on his neck spike. He felt he was not alone. He inhaled, there was some squeaking noise, too low for normal ears, but he was always cursed, or blessed with a sharp hearing.
He drew his wand, and went toward the sound, his heart pounding, blood pumping.
(what if it was a creature for blood? God, was he that sense to go about at the crack of dawn to the edge of the forest for some bloody flowers, to have his arse handed to him by a bloodthirsty vampire or something?)
There was nothing.
He looked again
There, at the bottom of a puddle full of swamp, was the ugliest chick he had ever had the misfortune to meet.
It was bald, with a hairless body and had an awful peeping sound, high pitch fuck like sound. If it was possible by any means, Severus would have said it is the result of an affair between a bald vulture and a naked blind mouse.
He went to pick it anyway, ugly as sin or not, it did not deserve to be left on cold ground, shrieking like a harpy.
he looked at the creature again, It had the greenest eyes he ever had seen, his stomach churned painfully, it was like Harry bloody Potter eyes.
The creature glared at him, and bit his thumb.
"ouch!"
He would have dropped it if he was not holding onto it with both hands.
(fuck it's eyes and that defying glare, was he cursed to be chased by some sodding Harry Potter like creature all his life? The brainless thing even behaved like that brat! Biting him when all he wanted to do was help the ungrateful ugly duckling)
Severus knew it was the dumbest idea for him to adopt the ugly duckling as his familer, but it was too much like Potter brat for him to leave it, old habits(saving Potter ass for seven years) died hard, and he was a creature of habit.
"I am ganna call you Emerald, you nasty little bugger"
Suffice to say, when he went to hospital wing, hands free of flowers and instead cradling the ugliest bridy in his soft Hufflepuff scarf, Charity had embraced it, and named it "ugly duckling hug day,"
(because Severus was considered cute, she made up a hug, named ugly duckling shepherd hug day and hugged him too)
Minerva was cold, and angry and wanted to go into a warm bear hole and die.
She perhaps had cold, and had to observe the match with that boy wonder, making sure he did not strangle himself with his scarf.
The puffs were all coming to see this, excited and smiling like simpletons. For whatever reason, Longbottom and Bones were all chummy, sitted at the front rows to shout for their mutual friend, maybe because their other member was at hospital
(she was really upset, the girl was a hugger softie and did not deserve that walnut accident. She was itching yesterday to take points from Snape for swearing, shouting obscenities at the top of his lungs in the middle of great hall, but with his friend choking like that.. But did the boy knew his curse words! Fuck, screw, bugger, shit, arse, dimwit... she was seriously tempted to wash his mouth with soap)
The game started.
Slytherins were fighting dirty, dirtier she meant, shoving and pushing and all, somewhat rough. Snape was circling the ground, looking for snitch.
The game was on, and it was played with more eagerness than she had seen from any first match.
The stands were a ball of energy, shouting and clapping and constantly on the edge of their seat.
Suddenly the Carrow twins, beaters, and the Flint boy, beater of snakes, got to the blodger at the same time and hit it.
It was no problem, if one was not aiming for Snape, and another to make the offending ball to go away from him
The result was a disaster.
Minerva thought she would only need to watch for one, but how wrong she was.
She stood, and watched helplessly, as the rouge blodger went for the stands.
She panicked and wanted to run, but was too old for it.
She was worried and wanted to apparat to shout a protecting spell, but apparating was only for damn head masters. And she needed to be near them for spell range the cover them.
So she watched, as the ball went, with surprising speed, right where Bones and Long bottom were sitting.
(why the fuck they were sitting there at first place! Puffs were always cautious and went and sit far from the range of fire)
She prayed that the seventh year would be able to activate a shield in time, but she was like a deer caught, surprised and too shocked to react.
It was the long bottom, or the girl, that would have lost their life, another may have a serious damage.
(as horrible as it was, She prayed for long bottom, the boy was like sunshine, too innocent, too young
The girl was not?
If Minerva could, she would die twice instead of them)
Then she heard it.
"protego Maxima!"
There was an instant blue shield, a powerful one she could say, as the blodger shattered upon hitting it.
She looked up, who in hell had done it? No one was close enough for the spell to cover those two. Except...
No...
Fuck no
Snape?
He was a sodding firsty, a tiny cute button you wanted to hold and keep it safe and warm and fed and ruffle his hairs...
He did not have enough magic in his core, the strain would at best drain his core and give him a shock and send him into coma, and at worst kill him
The shield was so powerful...
She was not ready to let him go.
She was not ready for him to not be there at the back of her class, doodling things and not giving a shit to her lesson.
She was not ready for their group, quartet of catastrophe, the chaos quartet, to reduce to a trio, to not have stupid pranks pulled out of the blue and prank the bullies.
She was afraid.
(she did not mind her hairs go all Grey, or white for that matter, if the boy was still alive to see tommorow light)
And the boy, feinted from the exhaustion(she hoped he had fringed, she hoped upon hope) was falling to ground with the speed of dying star.
Minerva was so afraid.