A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I greatly appreciate it.
Jade—Thank you for your kind words. They meant so much.(
The Morning After
Jolting upright in her chair, Narnia waited for her eyes to adjust to discover her whereabouts. Light was streaming in through the windows of the hospital wing and a swift remembrance fled to her mind. Rubbing at the stiffness in her neck with one hand, she turned to face the sleeping figure in the bed beside her. A tinge of color had returned to his face and his slumber had taken on a more peaceful manner. Out of habit, she watched to see the lift and fall of his chest and breathing a sigh of relief, began to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Standing to stretch out the soreness throughout her body, she approached the head of the bed and tenderly brushed back a strand of Severus' dark hair from his face. Lingering with indecision, she gave in and bent down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"Good morning," she whispered against his skin.
Leaning back, she noticed the lack of change her nearness caused and looked up as Madam Pomfrey entered the infirmary carrying a tray of various bottles and approached Severus' bedside.
"Finally awake I see? I won't ask how you slept. I'm sure you're feeling the strain of it right now," Poppy stated as she sat the tray down on the nearest table.
Narnia smiled weakly and then inquired after Severus' condition.
"Most of the artificial wounds are healing nicely, but he lost a fair amount of blood from the deeper ones and will probably be in bed for at least a few more days. I wager he'll be awake within the day's time, but I'll have to keep an eye on his dressings. He's never been the easiest patient to look after, so the recovery for him may be painstaking."
Concerned, Narnia asked of her meaning. "I don't follow, Poppy."
"He's stubborn and I doubt he'll see the need to stay in here, under my watch. It won't be good, at all, if he reopens those cuts," she replied impatiently.
"Well," Narnia began, glancing back at Severus, "I have no words of advice for you there."
Approaching footsteps belonged to the Headmaster himself and greeting both of the women, he was informed, at once, of Severus' condition. Narnia caught a trace of relief in his features and this allowed her to feel more confident that Severus was, indeed, on the road to recovery.
Narnia and her uncle stepped away from the bed, as Madam Pomfrey drew curtains around to begin a new cycle of administrations.
"Might I ask how you are this morning?" Dumbledore inquired.
Looking to the floor, Narnia searched her mind for the words to describe exactly how confused and weighted down all of this had made her feel. When she came up with nothing, Dumbledore stepped forward and embraced his niece, both feeling the corners of their eyes beginning to sting.
"Uncle, I want to thank you, for......trusting me, even though my busting into your office seemed so ludicrous. You put your life in danger and I cannot express my appreciation for your helping me. I don't know what I would have done without your help."
Stepping back, he replied, "It is no less than what you would have done had the roles been reversed. The same can be said of Severus."
Smiling at her uncle, her obligation to offer him an explanation overwhelmed her. "I would like the opportunity to explain, even though everything is not quite clear to me yet. You deserve that much from me."
"Well, as Severus' is resting comfortably and Poppy is busy attending to him, I believe I have some time on my hands this morning, for a chat, if you are up to it."
"Very well, I just need to stop at my rooms to pick something up. I will come to your office straight away then."
"Poppy?" Dumbledore inquired, waiting for acknowledgement from the medi- witch. When she poked her head through the curtains, he continued, "Narnia and I will be in my office if we are needed. Please keep us informed of any changes."
She nodded her head in agreement and disappeared again. Narnia was anxious to leave the hospital wing, but an encouraging nudge from Dumbledore gave her the strength to walk forward.
Every step carrying her away from Severus' bedside was a heavy one, leaving Narnia with the impression that the walk to her rooms would take twice as long as usual. Surprised to finally make it to her rooms, she stepped inside, everything seemed to be as if she was looking at it for the first time. Looking around, she breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. The temptation to allow her mind to start sorting through all that had happened was great, but she couldn't risk her mind reeling out of control, with her emotions tagging along. She hoped her uncle would be able to focus her thoughts and retrieving her journal, she left for his office.
"No, thank you," Narnia stated at her uncle's offer of tea.
Dumbledore served himself a cup and then took a seat alongside his niece. "I'll let you begin, if you like."
"Of course," Narnia said, unsure of where to begin, but deciding to dive in. "This is my first telling of this, so please forgive any confusion on my part. It has all been a mystery to me for many years up until just last night. Gran doesn't even know."
Narnia absentmindedly ran her hand over the cover of her journal. "For years now, I've been having reoccurring dreams. What happens in them is not always the same, but one thing has remained constant. A man.....faceless....is always reaching out to me. He's always in some kind of danger and needs my help. After a while of this happening repeatedly, I started to record my visions down, in this journal, hoping I'd be able to come to an answer some day. I never once questioned whether this person existed or not, something just told me he did."
Standing, Narnia crossed the journal across her chest and made her way to the window. Looking out across the grounds, she went on. "After receiving your letter of invitation to come to Hogwarts, I dreamt of this man again, only this time, he was in great danger. His life was at stake. I felt if I came here, I'd be placing myself further from actually being able to help him, but in the end, knew that nothing I had tried in the past had worked and wasn't likely to. So, I decided to come here to teach and assumed that the dreams would subside. They didn't. They came more often and became more detailed as time went on. Until last night, I was unable to determine any specifics, but when I dreamt of that clearing again, everything became clear at once. I first recognized Lucius Malfoy and then," Narnia paused, "and then, I looked to the man kneeling and saw Severus."
Narnia stopped speaking and allowed her last two thoughts to resound in her mind. A silent moment passed before Dumbledore spoke.
"And that is when you came to me?" he asked.
"Yes. For the first time I might've been able to help him and I knew I couldn't do it alone. "
Another long silence passed before the Headmaster spoke again. "You believe that Severus is the person that you have encountered in your dreams all these years?"
Taking her seat once again, Narnia answered. "I'm inclined to think that, but I suppose only he can give me the true answer."
Dumbledore thought for a moment. "When he wakes, he will, most assuredly, want the full account of what happened last night. I daresay his reaction will not be pleasant. He will guess Harry's involvement in all of this, which will not set too well with him, but I am guessing your part will come as a shock to him. I'm afraid you will need to rally all of your patience to work through this.
"I wish I could enlighten you more, but the answers you both will need can only be found within the other. You will be more apt to provide those answers than will Severus, but again, be patient."
A knock at the door was followed by Dumbledore's, "Come in."
Professor McGonogall stepped in to the office with a smile on her face. "Albus, Severus is awake."
The Morning After
Jolting upright in her chair, Narnia waited for her eyes to adjust to discover her whereabouts. Light was streaming in through the windows of the hospital wing and a swift remembrance fled to her mind. Rubbing at the stiffness in her neck with one hand, she turned to face the sleeping figure in the bed beside her. A tinge of color had returned to his face and his slumber had taken on a more peaceful manner. Out of habit, she watched to see the lift and fall of his chest and breathing a sigh of relief, began to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Standing to stretch out the soreness throughout her body, she approached the head of the bed and tenderly brushed back a strand of Severus' dark hair from his face. Lingering with indecision, she gave in and bent down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"Good morning," she whispered against his skin.
Leaning back, she noticed the lack of change her nearness caused and looked up as Madam Pomfrey entered the infirmary carrying a tray of various bottles and approached Severus' bedside.
"Finally awake I see? I won't ask how you slept. I'm sure you're feeling the strain of it right now," Poppy stated as she sat the tray down on the nearest table.
Narnia smiled weakly and then inquired after Severus' condition.
"Most of the artificial wounds are healing nicely, but he lost a fair amount of blood from the deeper ones and will probably be in bed for at least a few more days. I wager he'll be awake within the day's time, but I'll have to keep an eye on his dressings. He's never been the easiest patient to look after, so the recovery for him may be painstaking."
Concerned, Narnia asked of her meaning. "I don't follow, Poppy."
"He's stubborn and I doubt he'll see the need to stay in here, under my watch. It won't be good, at all, if he reopens those cuts," she replied impatiently.
"Well," Narnia began, glancing back at Severus, "I have no words of advice for you there."
Approaching footsteps belonged to the Headmaster himself and greeting both of the women, he was informed, at once, of Severus' condition. Narnia caught a trace of relief in his features and this allowed her to feel more confident that Severus was, indeed, on the road to recovery.
Narnia and her uncle stepped away from the bed, as Madam Pomfrey drew curtains around to begin a new cycle of administrations.
"Might I ask how you are this morning?" Dumbledore inquired.
Looking to the floor, Narnia searched her mind for the words to describe exactly how confused and weighted down all of this had made her feel. When she came up with nothing, Dumbledore stepped forward and embraced his niece, both feeling the corners of their eyes beginning to sting.
"Uncle, I want to thank you, for......trusting me, even though my busting into your office seemed so ludicrous. You put your life in danger and I cannot express my appreciation for your helping me. I don't know what I would have done without your help."
Stepping back, he replied, "It is no less than what you would have done had the roles been reversed. The same can be said of Severus."
Smiling at her uncle, her obligation to offer him an explanation overwhelmed her. "I would like the opportunity to explain, even though everything is not quite clear to me yet. You deserve that much from me."
"Well, as Severus' is resting comfortably and Poppy is busy attending to him, I believe I have some time on my hands this morning, for a chat, if you are up to it."
"Very well, I just need to stop at my rooms to pick something up. I will come to your office straight away then."
"Poppy?" Dumbledore inquired, waiting for acknowledgement from the medi- witch. When she poked her head through the curtains, he continued, "Narnia and I will be in my office if we are needed. Please keep us informed of any changes."
She nodded her head in agreement and disappeared again. Narnia was anxious to leave the hospital wing, but an encouraging nudge from Dumbledore gave her the strength to walk forward.
Every step carrying her away from Severus' bedside was a heavy one, leaving Narnia with the impression that the walk to her rooms would take twice as long as usual. Surprised to finally make it to her rooms, she stepped inside, everything seemed to be as if she was looking at it for the first time. Looking around, she breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. The temptation to allow her mind to start sorting through all that had happened was great, but she couldn't risk her mind reeling out of control, with her emotions tagging along. She hoped her uncle would be able to focus her thoughts and retrieving her journal, she left for his office.
"No, thank you," Narnia stated at her uncle's offer of tea.
Dumbledore served himself a cup and then took a seat alongside his niece. "I'll let you begin, if you like."
"Of course," Narnia said, unsure of where to begin, but deciding to dive in. "This is my first telling of this, so please forgive any confusion on my part. It has all been a mystery to me for many years up until just last night. Gran doesn't even know."
Narnia absentmindedly ran her hand over the cover of her journal. "For years now, I've been having reoccurring dreams. What happens in them is not always the same, but one thing has remained constant. A man.....faceless....is always reaching out to me. He's always in some kind of danger and needs my help. After a while of this happening repeatedly, I started to record my visions down, in this journal, hoping I'd be able to come to an answer some day. I never once questioned whether this person existed or not, something just told me he did."
Standing, Narnia crossed the journal across her chest and made her way to the window. Looking out across the grounds, she went on. "After receiving your letter of invitation to come to Hogwarts, I dreamt of this man again, only this time, he was in great danger. His life was at stake. I felt if I came here, I'd be placing myself further from actually being able to help him, but in the end, knew that nothing I had tried in the past had worked and wasn't likely to. So, I decided to come here to teach and assumed that the dreams would subside. They didn't. They came more often and became more detailed as time went on. Until last night, I was unable to determine any specifics, but when I dreamt of that clearing again, everything became clear at once. I first recognized Lucius Malfoy and then," Narnia paused, "and then, I looked to the man kneeling and saw Severus."
Narnia stopped speaking and allowed her last two thoughts to resound in her mind. A silent moment passed before Dumbledore spoke.
"And that is when you came to me?" he asked.
"Yes. For the first time I might've been able to help him and I knew I couldn't do it alone. "
Another long silence passed before the Headmaster spoke again. "You believe that Severus is the person that you have encountered in your dreams all these years?"
Taking her seat once again, Narnia answered. "I'm inclined to think that, but I suppose only he can give me the true answer."
Dumbledore thought for a moment. "When he wakes, he will, most assuredly, want the full account of what happened last night. I daresay his reaction will not be pleasant. He will guess Harry's involvement in all of this, which will not set too well with him, but I am guessing your part will come as a shock to him. I'm afraid you will need to rally all of your patience to work through this.
"I wish I could enlighten you more, but the answers you both will need can only be found within the other. You will be more apt to provide those answers than will Severus, but again, be patient."
A knock at the door was followed by Dumbledore's, "Come in."
Professor McGonogall stepped in to the office with a smile on her face. "Albus, Severus is awake."