"Meta, please wake up now. I want to apologize and
I'm tired of waiting," whined a familiar voice.
I felt something peculiar poking at my shoulder. I fidgeted, trying to make it stop.
"Come on, you've been sleeping for days. Okay, well, not days exactly, but a really long time, and I want you to wake up."
I had forgotten where I was once again. Too many times had I woken up disoriented and confused. If only I could get a good night's sleep and wake up alone for once…
"Wake up, wake up!" Franco prodded at my shoulder and waved his hand in front of my eyes.
"What!" I shouted, my eyelids fluttering open and my senses coming back to me.
"Meta!" Franco shouted, overjoyed at my waking. "I've been waiting, and waiting, and I thought you would never get up."
"I'm up now." I groaned and lifted myself up against the cold, metal headboard. "You better have a good reason for waking me."
"I have two. First of all, you have been sleeping since last night, and it's after dinner now. Secondly, I need to say 'sorry' before I go nuts and jump in the lake."
"Franco," I sighed, remembering the night before. I hoped that it wouldn't be awkward now between us, now that I knew his feelings. "Please. You don't need to say anything."
"Yes, I do." He insisted. "I'm really sorry that I put you in that position. I should have just kept my big, fat mouth shut. I'm an idiot and a coward, not sticking up for you when Snape was tearing you to pieces--"
"Hmph," I snorted, not really wanting to remember that unpleasant experience.
"Anyway," he began again. "I've never been so sorry in my life, and I want us to be friends."
"Friends?" I asked, looking up from the quilt into Franco's face.
"Yes. Friends." He smiled a slightly sad smile.
"Friends." I agreed and he shook my hand.
"Ahem."
Franco and I both turned see whom the voice belonged to.
"P-Professor Snape," Franco stuttered and quickly rose from the chair next to my bed.
"Polley," Snape sneered. "Shouldn't you be in your dormitory?"
"Yes, sorry, Professor. Good night, Meta."
"Bye, Franco." I said softly and smiled as he ran out of the hospital wing. Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to the blanket covering my lap. "Do you have to be so mean to him?"
"Who, Polley?" Snape scoffed.
"His name is Franco, Professor, or Mr. Polley at least."
"I do not think you are in a position to correct me." He said this sharply, but not cruelly. Snape sat down in the chair that Franco had been in a minute before.
"I just think that you should give him a little more respect, in the classroom at least." I said calmly, keeping my eyes down.
"Why should I? Your little boyfriend isn't exactly a genius in the Potions field."
"He's not my boyfriend!" I almost lost it, but I quickly regained my composure. "Why are you here anyway?"
"Pomfrey asked me to check up on you while she ate dinner. You gave her and Polley quite a scare, running off like that."
"Yes, I know, thank you. If you're done ridiculing me--"
"I'm not trying to ridicule you, actually. For goodness sake! Look at someone when they are speaking to you!" He sounded exasperated and almost motherly. I slowly lifted my eyes and met his gaze. He seemed to be analyzing me, trying to read my mind. "I didn't come here to ridicule you. I came here to," he paused, searching for the right word. "Well, I came here to--"
"Apologize?" I interjected.
"Not apologize, exactly, as I don't really have anything to apologize about…"
"I accept." I chose to ignore his ramblings and simply take them to be words of deep regret. One can't expect to hear the words "I'm sorry" coming from Severus Snape's lips.
"I didn't… Oh, nevermind." Snape rose from the chair and swept out, but I swear I saw, as he turned to open the door, a small smile on his thin lips.
I felt something peculiar poking at my shoulder. I fidgeted, trying to make it stop.
"Come on, you've been sleeping for days. Okay, well, not days exactly, but a really long time, and I want you to wake up."
I had forgotten where I was once again. Too many times had I woken up disoriented and confused. If only I could get a good night's sleep and wake up alone for once…
"Wake up, wake up!" Franco prodded at my shoulder and waved his hand in front of my eyes.
"What!" I shouted, my eyelids fluttering open and my senses coming back to me.
"Meta!" Franco shouted, overjoyed at my waking. "I've been waiting, and waiting, and I thought you would never get up."
"I'm up now." I groaned and lifted myself up against the cold, metal headboard. "You better have a good reason for waking me."
"I have two. First of all, you have been sleeping since last night, and it's after dinner now. Secondly, I need to say 'sorry' before I go nuts and jump in the lake."
"Franco," I sighed, remembering the night before. I hoped that it wouldn't be awkward now between us, now that I knew his feelings. "Please. You don't need to say anything."
"Yes, I do." He insisted. "I'm really sorry that I put you in that position. I should have just kept my big, fat mouth shut. I'm an idiot and a coward, not sticking up for you when Snape was tearing you to pieces--"
"Hmph," I snorted, not really wanting to remember that unpleasant experience.
"Anyway," he began again. "I've never been so sorry in my life, and I want us to be friends."
"Friends?" I asked, looking up from the quilt into Franco's face.
"Yes. Friends." He smiled a slightly sad smile.
"Friends." I agreed and he shook my hand.
"Ahem."
Franco and I both turned see whom the voice belonged to.
"P-Professor Snape," Franco stuttered and quickly rose from the chair next to my bed.
"Polley," Snape sneered. "Shouldn't you be in your dormitory?"
"Yes, sorry, Professor. Good night, Meta."
"Bye, Franco." I said softly and smiled as he ran out of the hospital wing. Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to the blanket covering my lap. "Do you have to be so mean to him?"
"Who, Polley?" Snape scoffed.
"His name is Franco, Professor, or Mr. Polley at least."
"I do not think you are in a position to correct me." He said this sharply, but not cruelly. Snape sat down in the chair that Franco had been in a minute before.
"I just think that you should give him a little more respect, in the classroom at least." I said calmly, keeping my eyes down.
"Why should I? Your little boyfriend isn't exactly a genius in the Potions field."
"He's not my boyfriend!" I almost lost it, but I quickly regained my composure. "Why are you here anyway?"
"Pomfrey asked me to check up on you while she ate dinner. You gave her and Polley quite a scare, running off like that."
"Yes, I know, thank you. If you're done ridiculing me--"
"I'm not trying to ridicule you, actually. For goodness sake! Look at someone when they are speaking to you!" He sounded exasperated and almost motherly. I slowly lifted my eyes and met his gaze. He seemed to be analyzing me, trying to read my mind. "I didn't come here to ridicule you. I came here to," he paused, searching for the right word. "Well, I came here to--"
"Apologize?" I interjected.
"Not apologize, exactly, as I don't really have anything to apologize about…"
"I accept." I chose to ignore his ramblings and simply take them to be words of deep regret. One can't expect to hear the words "I'm sorry" coming from Severus Snape's lips.
"I didn't… Oh, nevermind." Snape rose from the chair and swept out, but I swear I saw, as he turned to open the door, a small smile on his thin lips.