Hello! I'm back!!!
Okay, I know you guys might be a little angry for that little cliffy........sorry..... Ahem....
The usual:
Disclaimer- Don't own it!!!!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed..........YOU GUYS ROCK!!!
And now, the chapter!!!
Chapter nineteen- Sickness and Pain
Pain......
Unbearable, excruciating pain....
Darkness.......
Where was he? Why was it so dark? What happened?
Damien groaned as he came to, shifting slightly under the sterile sheets of the Hospital Wing's bed.
Big mistake. The moment he made movement his whole body was attacked by another fresh wave of pain. He bit his lip to suppress the pain and in moments, it started to bleed. He whimpered softly, letting go of his now bloodied lip and no longer having a thing to focus his pain on. He felt a cool palm settle against his feverish forehead and he heard the indistinct sound of murmuring, he couldn't make out the words.
The owner of the hand seemed to be rather displeased by the heat from his forehead and he/she suddenly jerked back.
Damien could dimly make out voices, yelling loudly at one another, threateningly..... Was it because of him? Had he done something wrong? The angry voices seemed to only get louder and Damien found himself shaking in terror as they grew more vicious.
Someone clamped their hand on his shoulder roughly, causing him to cry out sharply in pain. Blissful silence met his ears and the shouting started up again.
Damien lay there, shaking in pain as he felt a more gentle person pouring a disgusting potion down his throat as they murmured soft, comforting words to him. He choked but didn't resist, all he wanted to do was fall back into a blissful, pain free sleep. He yawned widely before allowing himself to sink back into the gentle lull of unconsciousness once again.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Damien awoke feeling much better, the unbearable pain now reduced to an annoying ache as he sat up, wincing slightly as his vision swam and his head pounded.
He felt a warm hand settle on his shoulder and he looked up to see his father, sitting in a chair beside his bed. Damien eyed the man with shock, he had never, NEVER seen the man look so....so......disheveled.
His father looked as if he had been up all night, he had bags under his bloodshot eyes and his skin was paler then usual. His hair, usually limp with grease from potions, was on end, sticking out in every direction, reminding Damien strongly of his previous hairstyle.
"Lay back down, Damien," his father said with surprising gentleness.
Damien groaned slightly as he felt his vision blur again and he swayed slightly. He gladly allowed the hand on his shoulder to coax him back to the soft comfort of the pillows. Damien swallowed, suddenly feeling very nauseous.
"How do you feel?" The man asked him softly.
Damien swallowed again and opened his mouth to tell the man that he wasn't feeling that good, but all that came out was a raspy croak. He was suddenly very thirsty.
"....water..." he managed to whisper pleadingly to his father.
Severus looked at him sadly and shook his head, "I cannot give you anything yet.....not until the poison is toned down a bit..."
Damien looked at him with a tortured look as he shifted slightly, his head was spinning. He might not have been in a lot of pain, but he felt horribly sick.
"Get some rest, Damien...." his father said, pulling the blanket up over Damien.
Damien shook his head vigorously, "Hot...." he croaked hoarsely. Severus continued to pull the blanket up to Damien's chin. "You need to stay warm, Damien. You may think that you are hot, but that is only because of your fever and you-" the man broke off as Damien suddenly tore off the blankets, turned and retched over the side of the bed, which was luckily the opposite side of Severus.
Damien whimpered slightly as he felt his head began to pound even more due to the sudden movement. He turned back toward his father, shivering despite him feeling hot.
Severus made his way around the bed and with a wave of his wand, got rid of the mess. He disappeared for a moment, only to reappear with a basin of water, a washcloth, and a green, murky looking potion.
Damien groaned again as he sat up to take the potion. Severus poured the sticky goop into his son's mouth with a grimace of pity. The boy choked but swallowed, pulling a disgusted face. He lay back down and Severus wet the cloth with the cool water in the basin and gently placed it on Damien's forehead.
The boy seemed to breath a sigh of comfort and Severus smiled, "Better?" he asked quietly.
At Damien's nod, Severus murmured, "Now try to get some rest...." before the boy fell asleep, being protectively watched over by his father.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Hermione Granger was a good girl. She was a Gryffindor prefect, got top grades in all of her classes, and had gotten the highest OWL in her year. Most of the teachers adored her because of her kindness and because of her hard dedication to school work. Not only that but she was also a part of the infamous Golden-trio. She was the genius, the one who came up with all of the ideas, the one who always figured out things first, and the one who always, ALWAYS looked out for her friends and stayed completely loyal to them no matter what, even if it meant being a bad girl and breaking the rules every once and a while.
That's why, at eleven in the evening the same day of the Quidditch Match, she and her two friends snuck up to the Hospital Wing to visit another friend, who had almost been killed that day.
Hermione glanced at the Marauder's Map with determination as she pulled the Invisibility Cloak around her, Ron, and Ginny tighter. She was determined to see Damien tonight and nothing, not even a teacher was going to stop her from seeing her friend.
The only others that shared the same determination were the two beside her. Ginny had been crying all evening while Ron had been cursing Snape for not letting them in the Hospital Wing to see their best friend.
Hermione knew that Snape was only looking out for the well being of his son, but she couldn't help but feel some sort of anger toward the man. It surprised her though, how much her usually cold and uncaring professor cared so much about his son, whom he used to hate with a passion.
She remembered with a slight smile what had happened after Damien had fallen after the Quidditch match.
#######FLASHBACK#########
Hermione sighed as Damien caught the snitch and couldn't help but smile in amusement. Of course Damien would catch the snitch first he was a born flyer. She briefly wondered if Professor Snape could fly well and if Damien had inherited his wonderful flying from him. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Professor Snape, his black robes billowing menacingly behind him as he soured on a broomstick, arm extended, a sneer on his face as he caught the golden ball.
She would have laughed aloud if she hadn't been around her housemates, who were all groaning because of their lose.
Hermione stood and started down the stands to wait for her boyfriend and her two friends to get back from the locker room. She briefly glanced up at the said friends, who were still on their broomsticks and rolled her brown eyes. What was so good about quidditch anyway?
Shaking her head, her brown hair blowing in her face annoyingly, she stepped down the last stand and onto the ground when she heard a collective gasp of alarm followed by several screams.
Hermione whirled around to see something that made her heart stop....
Damien was falling from what looked like about two hundred feet up. Ginny was souring after him on her broomstick.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dumbledore shoot a spell at Damien, which made him slow down slightly.
Ginny had almost reached him, but Hermione knew she wouldn't reach him in time.
Another scream reached her ears as Damien made contact with the ground, a loud 'CRACK' echoing over the Quidditch Pitch. It took her a couple moments to realize that she was the one who was screaming.
Without a second thought, she dashed to the pitch, seeing Ginny and Ron flying over to him in panic.
As she reached him a dark figure ran up to the unconscious boy. It was Professor Snape and Hermione briefly wondered how the man had gotten to the pitch so fast when the teachers' stands were one of the highest stands.
The whole Slytherin team, along with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny crowded around the boy and his father.
Hermione had never seen Professor Snape like this, he looked horror-struck, his pale hands paler then normal were shaking as he gently turned over Damien.
Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes and beside her, Ginny burst into tears.
Damien was sporting a large bruise on his left cheek his head was bleeding profusely from a rather large gash in his forehead. His arm was twisted a completely wrong way and Hermione felt her own arm ache as she saw it. The boy looked so very pale, a slight grayish tint to his skin. He was breathing so shallow.
He groaned slightly as he shifted, his eyes fluttering open. He hissed in pain as he tried to sit up and immediately collapsed back into unconsciousness.
Professor Snape gathered the boy into his arms, cradling him to his chest.
Hermione all but fell over as she saw the man's eyes glittering oddly. Were those tears?! She glanced over at Ron and Ginny. The later was crying to hard to notice and Ron was gawking openly at the man.
"Out of the way! Move!" Snape snapped to all of them, though his voice sounded weaker then usual. They all obediently moved out of the man's way as he hurried up to the Hospital Wing with his precious load.
Hermione exchanged glances with her boyfriend, Ron now looked rather pale instead of shocked.
The two helped Ginny up as they made their way to the Hospital Wing to see their wounded friend...
########END FLASHBACK#########
Hermione continued to smile slightly as the three made their way through the portrait and down the corridor.
"Where did you get Damien's Invisibility Cloak and map from, anyway?" Ron whispered to her as they started down the staircase and made their way through another dark corridor.
"He let me borrow it a while ago...." Ginny answered for Hermione as they reached the entrance to the Hospital Wing. They quietly crept into the dark room and made their way over to the only occupied bed.
Hermione glanced around briefly before taking off the cloak. The three gathered around their friend's bed and gazed at his pale face in concern and sadness.
Ginny reached out and tucked an errant strand of raven hair behind his ear as she reached out to hold his hand almost cautiously, as if she was afraid she would break him.
"He looks so frail.......and vulnerable...." She whispered sadly as she gazed at the boy's pale face. Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.
Damien did look very different. He looked so helpless, a far cry from the brave and sometimes defiant boy they were so used to seeing. They had never seen him look like this, and it was an almost chilling sight to see the person who you looked up to as a leader so helpless and fragile.
The three sat there for who knows how long simply staring at their friend, neither one worrying about teachers seeing them, which proved to be a big mistake.
"And what, may I ask, are three insufferable Gryffindors such as yourselves doing here at almost midnight on a Saturday?" a silky voice snapped to them coldly.
The three jumped and turned around quickly to see Professor Snape sitting in a chair in the corner closest to Damien's bed, his arms crossed and a sneer on his face.
Hermione squeaked, paling as she thought of the horrible consequences that awaited them. Ron gulped audibly and moved over to Hermione as if to protect her from their professor.
Ginny, however, remained where she was as she stared back at him unflinchingly.
"We came to visit Damien, sir" the redhead told the menacing professor bluntly. "We wanted to see if he was alright ourselves, since we didn't get to see him today...."
Snape arched an eyebrow at the girl.
Ron blinked and hissed quietly, "Ginny! Shut up!"
"Afraid that I will use you and your friends for a potion's ingredient Mr. Weasley?" the professor's tone was mocking as his mouth curled into a smirk. "Gryffindor foolishness is hereditary I suppose...."
"Please sir.....we just wanted to see Damien-" Hermione began but Severus cut her off.
"Damien is unwell as you idiots can clearly see, you were told that the fourth time you asked if you could see him or did you not listen?" Snape hissed, "....wouldn't be the first time..." he mumbled and Hermione turned a lovely shade of pink.
His mouth curled back into a sneer as he continued when neither teenager spoke up, "Seeing as how you Gryffindors have a certain disregard for the rules, I will see to it that your punishment is quite harsh...." He tapped his chin in thought, "I suppose I'll just have to start with taking fifty points from Gryffindor each....."
Snape smirked as he saw the youngest male Weasley gawk.
"Now I suppose a couple weeks of detention will due.....with me and Filch, yes that will due nicely...." He drawled with certain coolness in his voice.
".....Dad....don't...please..." a weak whisper sounded from the bed.
Severus blinked and almost immediately jumped into action as he hurried to get the same murky potion, a basin of water, and a rag once again.
"Damien!" Ginny squealed, practically throwing herself on him. Hermione and Ron immediately followed in suit.
Damien choked, gagging slightly at the weight that had just been thrown on his stomach.
"What do you think you are doing! Get off of him, you want him to retch on you?!" Snape all but yelled as he hurried to his son's side. The three immediately jumped off from Damien as Severus began to start the procedure that he'd already done several times that day.
He helped Damien sit up and gently tilted his son's head up to pour the goopy mess into the boy's mouth. The boy choked, nearly gagging again. Severus then wet the cloth and put it on the boy's forehead, holding it steady.
"Can.....can I p-please have....some water.....?" Damien moaned, his emerald eyes looking pleadingly at his father.
"You may try some water tomorrow if you think you can keep it down..." Severus said softly to Damien.
Ron was again gaping open-mouthed at Snape.
"Close your mouth Mr. Weasley, its not entirely becoming!" Snape growled in annoyance to the boy, who immediately shut his mouth with a snap.
"How are you feeling Damien?" Ginny asked gently as she took his hand in hers. He smiled at the redheaded girl charmingly, "Like....like I swallowed...acid..." he managed, obviously unable to speak much.
"That must suck.." Ron said bluntly and Hermione smacked him on the back of his head ("Ow! What'd I do?!").
Damien smiled at his friends' immature antics and Ginny sighed overdramatically.
"As much as I hate to break this little reunion up..." Severus decided to speak up sarcastically. "Damien needs his rest if he is to make a full recovery....the potion you ingested was a rather strong and rare one...." His mouth curled into a sneer, "Whomever slipped the potion into your food or drink stole the ingredients for it from my personal store...."
"Who was it?" Ron asked and Ginny rolled her eyes. "We don't know you idiot!" she huffed.
"But rest assured Mr. Weasley..." Severus said, making Ron's eyes snap back to him, "If I ever find out who did do it then they will have detention until they graduate with Mr. Filch....not to mention that their house will not be any competition for quite a while for the House Cup..."
"It was probably a Slytherin!" Ron declared suddenly and Damien resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Do you always jump to us whenever it comes to poisoning people? Even if it is one of our own?" a voice said and Ginny, Ron, and Hermione jumped as Draco Malfoy walked into the Hospital Wing, his arms folded.
"Are you alright, Damien?" the blonde asked, his voice guarded as he eyed the pale boy in front of him.
Damien shrugged nonchalantly, "I've.....had worse injuries....its just....the sickness that-that kills me..." He took a deep breath after saying all of that and Draco snorted, "Not so high and mighty now are you?" he said in a mock-sardonic voice. Damien merely grinned sheepishly.
Severus cleared his throat, "I thought I told you three to get back to your dormitories!"
"No.....you told them....that I needed my rest....." Damien smirked cheekily and his father gave him a look as if to say, 'Don't push it'.
"You seem to be getting stronger already, Damien..." Hermione said brightly, "You're talking a lot more clearly!"
Damien snorted, "That's only because I haven't retched for a good couple hours...." He paled at the thought and groaned.
Severus huffed, "Alright, everyone out! Its midnight and he needs his rest if he is going to be coming back to classes any time soon!" he snapped.
"See you Damien...." Hermione said as she hugged. Ron nodded, "Yeah, see you soon mate....I hope..."
"By Damien..." Ginny told him, hugging him also and kissing him on the cheek. Draco nodded also and the four left.
Severus sighed and sat down in a now empty chair, "Get some rest Damien..." he told his son quietly.
Damien nodded and yawned widely before sinking back into the covers gratefully, hopeful for a decent night's sleep.....
He started when Severus suddenly sat up and peered at him curiously, with an arched eyebrow before exclaiming,
"And since when has Draco Malfoy gotten along with Granger and the two Weaselys?!"
() Okay, I'm hungry and I'm about to go buy myself a sandwich so....ya...
A lot of people seem to be on vacation and some of the stories that I'm reading on are being delayed..........
Sniff......
So please be kind and Review!!
Bye!
(
Okay, I know you guys might be a little angry for that little cliffy........sorry..... Ahem....
The usual:
Disclaimer- Don't own it!!!!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed..........YOU GUYS ROCK!!!
And now, the chapter!!!
Chapter nineteen- Sickness and Pain
Pain......
Unbearable, excruciating pain....
Darkness.......
Where was he? Why was it so dark? What happened?
Damien groaned as he came to, shifting slightly under the sterile sheets of the Hospital Wing's bed.
Big mistake. The moment he made movement his whole body was attacked by another fresh wave of pain. He bit his lip to suppress the pain and in moments, it started to bleed. He whimpered softly, letting go of his now bloodied lip and no longer having a thing to focus his pain on. He felt a cool palm settle against his feverish forehead and he heard the indistinct sound of murmuring, he couldn't make out the words.
The owner of the hand seemed to be rather displeased by the heat from his forehead and he/she suddenly jerked back.
Damien could dimly make out voices, yelling loudly at one another, threateningly..... Was it because of him? Had he done something wrong? The angry voices seemed to only get louder and Damien found himself shaking in terror as they grew more vicious.
Someone clamped their hand on his shoulder roughly, causing him to cry out sharply in pain. Blissful silence met his ears and the shouting started up again.
Damien lay there, shaking in pain as he felt a more gentle person pouring a disgusting potion down his throat as they murmured soft, comforting words to him. He choked but didn't resist, all he wanted to do was fall back into a blissful, pain free sleep. He yawned widely before allowing himself to sink back into the gentle lull of unconsciousness once again.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Damien awoke feeling much better, the unbearable pain now reduced to an annoying ache as he sat up, wincing slightly as his vision swam and his head pounded.
He felt a warm hand settle on his shoulder and he looked up to see his father, sitting in a chair beside his bed. Damien eyed the man with shock, he had never, NEVER seen the man look so....so......disheveled.
His father looked as if he had been up all night, he had bags under his bloodshot eyes and his skin was paler then usual. His hair, usually limp with grease from potions, was on end, sticking out in every direction, reminding Damien strongly of his previous hairstyle.
"Lay back down, Damien," his father said with surprising gentleness.
Damien groaned slightly as he felt his vision blur again and he swayed slightly. He gladly allowed the hand on his shoulder to coax him back to the soft comfort of the pillows. Damien swallowed, suddenly feeling very nauseous.
"How do you feel?" The man asked him softly.
Damien swallowed again and opened his mouth to tell the man that he wasn't feeling that good, but all that came out was a raspy croak. He was suddenly very thirsty.
"....water..." he managed to whisper pleadingly to his father.
Severus looked at him sadly and shook his head, "I cannot give you anything yet.....not until the poison is toned down a bit..."
Damien looked at him with a tortured look as he shifted slightly, his head was spinning. He might not have been in a lot of pain, but he felt horribly sick.
"Get some rest, Damien...." his father said, pulling the blanket up over Damien.
Damien shook his head vigorously, "Hot...." he croaked hoarsely. Severus continued to pull the blanket up to Damien's chin. "You need to stay warm, Damien. You may think that you are hot, but that is only because of your fever and you-" the man broke off as Damien suddenly tore off the blankets, turned and retched over the side of the bed, which was luckily the opposite side of Severus.
Damien whimpered slightly as he felt his head began to pound even more due to the sudden movement. He turned back toward his father, shivering despite him feeling hot.
Severus made his way around the bed and with a wave of his wand, got rid of the mess. He disappeared for a moment, only to reappear with a basin of water, a washcloth, and a green, murky looking potion.
Damien groaned again as he sat up to take the potion. Severus poured the sticky goop into his son's mouth with a grimace of pity. The boy choked but swallowed, pulling a disgusted face. He lay back down and Severus wet the cloth with the cool water in the basin and gently placed it on Damien's forehead.
The boy seemed to breath a sigh of comfort and Severus smiled, "Better?" he asked quietly.
At Damien's nod, Severus murmured, "Now try to get some rest...." before the boy fell asleep, being protectively watched over by his father.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Hermione Granger was a good girl. She was a Gryffindor prefect, got top grades in all of her classes, and had gotten the highest OWL in her year. Most of the teachers adored her because of her kindness and because of her hard dedication to school work. Not only that but she was also a part of the infamous Golden-trio. She was the genius, the one who came up with all of the ideas, the one who always figured out things first, and the one who always, ALWAYS looked out for her friends and stayed completely loyal to them no matter what, even if it meant being a bad girl and breaking the rules every once and a while.
That's why, at eleven in the evening the same day of the Quidditch Match, she and her two friends snuck up to the Hospital Wing to visit another friend, who had almost been killed that day.
Hermione glanced at the Marauder's Map with determination as she pulled the Invisibility Cloak around her, Ron, and Ginny tighter. She was determined to see Damien tonight and nothing, not even a teacher was going to stop her from seeing her friend.
The only others that shared the same determination were the two beside her. Ginny had been crying all evening while Ron had been cursing Snape for not letting them in the Hospital Wing to see their best friend.
Hermione knew that Snape was only looking out for the well being of his son, but she couldn't help but feel some sort of anger toward the man. It surprised her though, how much her usually cold and uncaring professor cared so much about his son, whom he used to hate with a passion.
She remembered with a slight smile what had happened after Damien had fallen after the Quidditch match.
#######FLASHBACK#########
Hermione sighed as Damien caught the snitch and couldn't help but smile in amusement. Of course Damien would catch the snitch first he was a born flyer. She briefly wondered if Professor Snape could fly well and if Damien had inherited his wonderful flying from him. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Professor Snape, his black robes billowing menacingly behind him as he soured on a broomstick, arm extended, a sneer on his face as he caught the golden ball.
She would have laughed aloud if she hadn't been around her housemates, who were all groaning because of their lose.
Hermione stood and started down the stands to wait for her boyfriend and her two friends to get back from the locker room. She briefly glanced up at the said friends, who were still on their broomsticks and rolled her brown eyes. What was so good about quidditch anyway?
Shaking her head, her brown hair blowing in her face annoyingly, she stepped down the last stand and onto the ground when she heard a collective gasp of alarm followed by several screams.
Hermione whirled around to see something that made her heart stop....
Damien was falling from what looked like about two hundred feet up. Ginny was souring after him on her broomstick.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dumbledore shoot a spell at Damien, which made him slow down slightly.
Ginny had almost reached him, but Hermione knew she wouldn't reach him in time.
Another scream reached her ears as Damien made contact with the ground, a loud 'CRACK' echoing over the Quidditch Pitch. It took her a couple moments to realize that she was the one who was screaming.
Without a second thought, she dashed to the pitch, seeing Ginny and Ron flying over to him in panic.
As she reached him a dark figure ran up to the unconscious boy. It was Professor Snape and Hermione briefly wondered how the man had gotten to the pitch so fast when the teachers' stands were one of the highest stands.
The whole Slytherin team, along with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny crowded around the boy and his father.
Hermione had never seen Professor Snape like this, he looked horror-struck, his pale hands paler then normal were shaking as he gently turned over Damien.
Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes and beside her, Ginny burst into tears.
Damien was sporting a large bruise on his left cheek his head was bleeding profusely from a rather large gash in his forehead. His arm was twisted a completely wrong way and Hermione felt her own arm ache as she saw it. The boy looked so very pale, a slight grayish tint to his skin. He was breathing so shallow.
He groaned slightly as he shifted, his eyes fluttering open. He hissed in pain as he tried to sit up and immediately collapsed back into unconsciousness.
Professor Snape gathered the boy into his arms, cradling him to his chest.
Hermione all but fell over as she saw the man's eyes glittering oddly. Were those tears?! She glanced over at Ron and Ginny. The later was crying to hard to notice and Ron was gawking openly at the man.
"Out of the way! Move!" Snape snapped to all of them, though his voice sounded weaker then usual. They all obediently moved out of the man's way as he hurried up to the Hospital Wing with his precious load.
Hermione exchanged glances with her boyfriend, Ron now looked rather pale instead of shocked.
The two helped Ginny up as they made their way to the Hospital Wing to see their wounded friend...
########END FLASHBACK#########
Hermione continued to smile slightly as the three made their way through the portrait and down the corridor.
"Where did you get Damien's Invisibility Cloak and map from, anyway?" Ron whispered to her as they started down the staircase and made their way through another dark corridor.
"He let me borrow it a while ago...." Ginny answered for Hermione as they reached the entrance to the Hospital Wing. They quietly crept into the dark room and made their way over to the only occupied bed.
Hermione glanced around briefly before taking off the cloak. The three gathered around their friend's bed and gazed at his pale face in concern and sadness.
Ginny reached out and tucked an errant strand of raven hair behind his ear as she reached out to hold his hand almost cautiously, as if she was afraid she would break him.
"He looks so frail.......and vulnerable...." She whispered sadly as she gazed at the boy's pale face. Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.
Damien did look very different. He looked so helpless, a far cry from the brave and sometimes defiant boy they were so used to seeing. They had never seen him look like this, and it was an almost chilling sight to see the person who you looked up to as a leader so helpless and fragile.
The three sat there for who knows how long simply staring at their friend, neither one worrying about teachers seeing them, which proved to be a big mistake.
"And what, may I ask, are three insufferable Gryffindors such as yourselves doing here at almost midnight on a Saturday?" a silky voice snapped to them coldly.
The three jumped and turned around quickly to see Professor Snape sitting in a chair in the corner closest to Damien's bed, his arms crossed and a sneer on his face.
Hermione squeaked, paling as she thought of the horrible consequences that awaited them. Ron gulped audibly and moved over to Hermione as if to protect her from their professor.
Ginny, however, remained where she was as she stared back at him unflinchingly.
"We came to visit Damien, sir" the redhead told the menacing professor bluntly. "We wanted to see if he was alright ourselves, since we didn't get to see him today...."
Snape arched an eyebrow at the girl.
Ron blinked and hissed quietly, "Ginny! Shut up!"
"Afraid that I will use you and your friends for a potion's ingredient Mr. Weasley?" the professor's tone was mocking as his mouth curled into a smirk. "Gryffindor foolishness is hereditary I suppose...."
"Please sir.....we just wanted to see Damien-" Hermione began but Severus cut her off.
"Damien is unwell as you idiots can clearly see, you were told that the fourth time you asked if you could see him or did you not listen?" Snape hissed, "....wouldn't be the first time..." he mumbled and Hermione turned a lovely shade of pink.
His mouth curled back into a sneer as he continued when neither teenager spoke up, "Seeing as how you Gryffindors have a certain disregard for the rules, I will see to it that your punishment is quite harsh...." He tapped his chin in thought, "I suppose I'll just have to start with taking fifty points from Gryffindor each....."
Snape smirked as he saw the youngest male Weasley gawk.
"Now I suppose a couple weeks of detention will due.....with me and Filch, yes that will due nicely...." He drawled with certain coolness in his voice.
".....Dad....don't...please..." a weak whisper sounded from the bed.
Severus blinked and almost immediately jumped into action as he hurried to get the same murky potion, a basin of water, and a rag once again.
"Damien!" Ginny squealed, practically throwing herself on him. Hermione and Ron immediately followed in suit.
Damien choked, gagging slightly at the weight that had just been thrown on his stomach.
"What do you think you are doing! Get off of him, you want him to retch on you?!" Snape all but yelled as he hurried to his son's side. The three immediately jumped off from Damien as Severus began to start the procedure that he'd already done several times that day.
He helped Damien sit up and gently tilted his son's head up to pour the goopy mess into the boy's mouth. The boy choked, nearly gagging again. Severus then wet the cloth and put it on the boy's forehead, holding it steady.
"Can.....can I p-please have....some water.....?" Damien moaned, his emerald eyes looking pleadingly at his father.
"You may try some water tomorrow if you think you can keep it down..." Severus said softly to Damien.
Ron was again gaping open-mouthed at Snape.
"Close your mouth Mr. Weasley, its not entirely becoming!" Snape growled in annoyance to the boy, who immediately shut his mouth with a snap.
"How are you feeling Damien?" Ginny asked gently as she took his hand in hers. He smiled at the redheaded girl charmingly, "Like....like I swallowed...acid..." he managed, obviously unable to speak much.
"That must suck.." Ron said bluntly and Hermione smacked him on the back of his head ("Ow! What'd I do?!").
Damien smiled at his friends' immature antics and Ginny sighed overdramatically.
"As much as I hate to break this little reunion up..." Severus decided to speak up sarcastically. "Damien needs his rest if he is to make a full recovery....the potion you ingested was a rather strong and rare one...." His mouth curled into a sneer, "Whomever slipped the potion into your food or drink stole the ingredients for it from my personal store...."
"Who was it?" Ron asked and Ginny rolled her eyes. "We don't know you idiot!" she huffed.
"But rest assured Mr. Weasley..." Severus said, making Ron's eyes snap back to him, "If I ever find out who did do it then they will have detention until they graduate with Mr. Filch....not to mention that their house will not be any competition for quite a while for the House Cup..."
"It was probably a Slytherin!" Ron declared suddenly and Damien resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Do you always jump to us whenever it comes to poisoning people? Even if it is one of our own?" a voice said and Ginny, Ron, and Hermione jumped as Draco Malfoy walked into the Hospital Wing, his arms folded.
"Are you alright, Damien?" the blonde asked, his voice guarded as he eyed the pale boy in front of him.
Damien shrugged nonchalantly, "I've.....had worse injuries....its just....the sickness that-that kills me..." He took a deep breath after saying all of that and Draco snorted, "Not so high and mighty now are you?" he said in a mock-sardonic voice. Damien merely grinned sheepishly.
Severus cleared his throat, "I thought I told you three to get back to your dormitories!"
"No.....you told them....that I needed my rest....." Damien smirked cheekily and his father gave him a look as if to say, 'Don't push it'.
"You seem to be getting stronger already, Damien..." Hermione said brightly, "You're talking a lot more clearly!"
Damien snorted, "That's only because I haven't retched for a good couple hours...." He paled at the thought and groaned.
Severus huffed, "Alright, everyone out! Its midnight and he needs his rest if he is going to be coming back to classes any time soon!" he snapped.
"See you Damien...." Hermione said as she hugged. Ron nodded, "Yeah, see you soon mate....I hope..."
"By Damien..." Ginny told him, hugging him also and kissing him on the cheek. Draco nodded also and the four left.
Severus sighed and sat down in a now empty chair, "Get some rest Damien..." he told his son quietly.
Damien nodded and yawned widely before sinking back into the covers gratefully, hopeful for a decent night's sleep.....
He started when Severus suddenly sat up and peered at him curiously, with an arched eyebrow before exclaiming,
"And since when has Draco Malfoy gotten along with Granger and the two Weaselys?!"
() Okay, I'm hungry and I'm about to go buy myself a sandwich so....ya...
A lot of people seem to be on vacation and some of the stories that I'm reading on are being delayed..........
Sniff......
So please be kind and Review!!
Bye!
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