AN: HI FAM! I am SOOO sorry this is absurdly late. The last few weeks have been a serious struggle for me. I had my final projects and my final exam and it was utter agony and chaos and I really did not think I was going to survive this Chinese class. BUT I DID! And I got the grade I wanted! So now I am on vacation and so damn happy to have a moment to breathe and WRITE!
I left Penny in quite the situation last time, so this chapter is a little less intense and includes some quality twin time! Also, this week is actually the ONE year anniversary of starting this story and bringing Penny to life, so I'll be posting something special for that! :) im way too excited for it!
The summer is almost over and then I finally get to write tormenting Umbridge ahahahaha i can't wait.
Alright, again, sorry my friends, but its good to be back 3
"I think you're confused Penny, stupid, annoying and insolent are not endearing terms," Hermione said, shifting uncomfortably on the edge of Penny's bed.
"I've explained this several times, I know what he meant," Penny said for the thirtieth time since she'd returned to Grimmauld Place and been assaulted by Harry, Ron and Hermione about what happened the previous night.
"I don't' think you do, mate." Ron said with a pitying shake of his head.
"He risked his life to get me back here. Sure, he is seriously lacking in the communication department, but you didn't see him-the way. . ." Penny trailed off, thinking of Snape's soft hair between her fingers. She'd thought very little of anything else since he'd left her on the table with the yearning to run her fingers through them again, which made her almost wish she'd never done it in the first place.
"He left you to the mercy of Draco?" Harry said, his eyes blazing.
"What else was he supposed to do?" Penny retorted, a blush of irritation rushing to her cheeks.
"Did you forget the part where he left just after that Alecto guy murdered someone?"said Ron.
"Penny, I know you've been through a lot, but I think it would be good to critically examine the situation," said Hermione. "Of course you care about Professor Snape, but you could have died because of his carelessness"
"My carelessness" Penny corrected, her eyes narrowed mutinously, causing Hermione to go very pink in the face.
"I-I wasn't saying-but you know, he is the adult. And him being so close to you, well it's irresponsible, isn't it?" she stammered, apologetically.
"There has to be a reason Malfoy helped you," Harry mused out loud, completely ignoring Hermione's tangent, eliciting a disappointed frown from her.
"Are we really doing this again ?" Penny said. "I was standing four feet from Voldemort!"
At the utterance of Voldemort's name Ron flinched so violently that crookshanks hissed at him from Hermione's lap.
"Exactly my point! They had to have planned it all, they wanted you to get out," Harry exclaimed.
"To do what? Die slowly from this stupid wound? I'm pretty sure watching his victims suffer is more Voldemort's style," Penny said, matching his volume.
"I reckon Sirius had a point, it seems a bit convenient of Snape to save you right after you'd been stabbed by the cursed object. What if he isn't healing you at all and you just, well, die," Ron said, eyeing Penny as though she would implode at any moment.
"I refuse to listen to this," Penny said, trying to sit up and exit her bed, but Harry pushed her back down.
"You aren't well enough to go get up," he said in an irritatingly paternal tone.
"Fine, then you can go, all of you, " she replied, crossing her arms defiantly.
"Do you even know how to listen?" said Harry.
"I don't know, do you?" snapped Penny.
"This isn't getting us anywhere," Hermione sighed, setting a harassed looking Crookshanks on the floor. "The more important question is whether Snape is capable of healing that wound. I've read up on curses like that, they're incredibly difficult and dangerous to break."
"Did you read anything else? How long will the pain last?" Penny said, suddenly perking up at this new information.
Hermione glanced uncomfortably at Ron and Harry, telling Penny they'd all discussed this matter before arriving to her bedside
"They're all very complicated and so different. . .it's difficult to say-"
"Just spit it out, Hermione," Harry said.
Hermione glanced between Penny and Harry, biting her lip in obvious agitation. Beneath the blanket, Penny clenched her hands in a fist in an attempt to keep her anxiety at bay, knowing the worst possible news was coming.
"Well it's a curse isn't it? I mean it manifests as the wound, but the actual curse is much more sinister than that. Muggles associating curses with bad luck isn't all that far from the truth, because seriously cursed people usually lead miserable lives of misfortune and most go insane," Hermione said hurriedly, as though that would lessen the blow.
Silence bounced loudly off the walls as the three stared at Penny trying to read her reaction and Penny avoided all their eyes, trying to stamp down the wave of sickness that threatened to spew out of her. Penny had been avoiding this truth, having been a frequent visitor of injury, she knew being in bed was required, but some delusional part of her had fully expected to be up and back to her old self in a day or so. The amount of pain she still felt, though the wound was closed, had unnerved her, but with her mind on the exchange with Snape, she hadn't given it much thought. And she did not want to give it much thought now with her three observers trying to dissect her every furrow of the brow. So she shrugged, turning to them.
"So, basically what I'm hearing is you three need to drop the Snape vendetta because he is the only thing standing between me and a life of misery," Penny said in a measured voice.
"That's not the point at all-" Harry exclaimed, but he stopped abruptly when the door opened and Mrs. Weaksley made her way in with a very disapproving look on her face.
"I thought you three said you were so eager to help out the Order? The others have been in the lounge room all morning and we still haven't made it to the cabinet," Mrs. Weasley said in a voice that was unusually high for her, signalling danger to all of them.
"We're going, mum," Ron groaned, clearly not wanting to wait for her to gain enough steam to lecture them.
Penny tried to sit up, intending to follow them, but Mrs. Weasley stopped her, setting a plate of sandwiches on her bedside. "Not you, Penny, dear, you rest up," she said, her tone distinctly gentler.
Harry shot Penny a look and prodded her mind at the same time to let Penny know their discussion was not over. After smoothing out Penny's covers and fluffing her pillows, Mrs. Weasley followed after them, meeting Lupin at the door. At the sight of his handsome, smiling face, Penny perked up, groaning inwardly when her insides twinged.
"You look much too impatient to leave that bed for someone who was only put into it last night," Lupin smiled, smoothing Penny's hair as he sat down beside her.
"Can't you bust me out?" Penny asked, batting her eyelashes.
"Something tells me you wouldn't have much luck with movement elsewhere."
"I suppose you're right," Penny said, sulkily.
Lupin offered her a sandwich, which she rejected, feeling much too nauseous. He eyed her for a moment, looking as though he would insist she eat it, but he set it back down before clearing his throat.
"I can't stay long, but I came here because. . .I know that it is none of my business, but after yesterday's events, well, you'll have to forgive me Penny, but what sent Professor Snape out in such a hurry? He appeared rather agitated, to put things discreetly," Lupin said, fixing Penny with a look of repressed concern.
Penny turned hurriedly away from Lupin, pretending to cough as the blood rushed to her cheeks. She knew she could not hide anything from him, nor did she want to. But after Harry, Ron and Hermione's reaction, Penny felt oddly self-conscious, especially when it came to revealing, even partially, what the exchange with Snape had meant to her. She still felt dazed by it, even now, her atoms remembering exactly the way Snape's sadness felt.
"We got into a fight," Penny said, sheepishly.
"I assumed as much," Lupin said, trying to catch her gaze.
"It wasn't like our usual fights, I-I,well I demanded to know if he cares about me," Penny replied, turning back to Lupin, her mind drifting back to the exchange as she remembered how his features had changed, the barrier between them shattering into a million tiny fragments.
Lupin's eyes widened in interest, but he said nothing, Penny holding his gaze, though not truly seeing him.
"And?" Lupin finally pressed, looking as though he were trying to suppress a laugh.
"Huh? Oh right, I suppose there is more to it than that. But in my defense, I feel demanding anything of Snape is a feat in and of itself," Penny said, awkwardly running her hand through her hair.
Lupin's warm eyes crinkled in affection, the corners of his lips twitching in amusement. Penny couldn't help but lean forward to lay her head in his lap, groaning out loud as she did so. He assisted her before he began rubbing her head gently.
"As to be expected her gave me some super lame non-answer. Because you know, the man is adverse to concise expressions of feelings."
"He sounds very much like someone else I know," Lupin said, teasingly.
"Hey!" Penny grumbled, making to sit up in indignation, but Lupin's strong arms kept her firmly in his lap with little effort.
Knowing it was not worth the struggle, Penny let it go and continued. "But then. . .he broke, for a lack of a better word. He spends so much time hiding, but I saw him, I really saw him. . ." Penny said, recalling the twisting of his sallow-skinned features, the way his eyes filled with so much light and burned her with his torment.
Lupin waited patiently, tracing his finger delicately from her hairline, along her cheek and down to her jaw, and then back, giving Penny the space to collect her feelings and thoughts, the ones' she dared not share with the other three, the ones' Harry was privy to, but did not broach, partly out of respect for her privacy, and party out of his inability to understand her feelings due to his unfettered hatred of their potions master.
"He wasn't elegant with his words by any means, and well, it isn't exactly how I know you'd approach such a question-" Penny said, almost apologetically.
"I do not carry the same prejudices as some in this household, so if you are feeling you need to edit these things for my approval, please don't. Severus Snape is no typical man, you'd have to be to do what he does. Now, that does not mean he and I see eye-to-eye when it comes to you. But do not forget I looked into his eyes last night when he brought you here bleeding and laid you on that table; in them was a man I had not bothered to see before."
Penny turned to look up at him as though to confirm he wasn't laughing, fully expecting to find him ready to make fun of her. But she found no lie in his features, rather a warmth that beckoned Penny into his safety.
"It's really annoying sometimes, how you always know the perfect thing to say," Penny accused with an arch of her brow.
"Why would that be annoying, it sounds like a pretty good thing to me," Lupin winked.
"Because, you'll definitely be snatched up by the time I'm adult and then my dreams of marrying you will be dashed," Penny confessed in exasperation, giving Lupin a look of the utmost betrayal.
Lupin broke out into loud laughter, "I'm not sure what's funnier, that desperate look on your face, or the fact you think I'll ever be married," he finally said.
"Why wouldn't you get married," Penny demanded, sitting up in agitation.
He caught her when she swayed from the pain and studied her for a moment before responding.
"You know I love you Penny, and if possible, I love you all the more for that indignant look on my behalf," he said, tapping her nose teasingly. "Don't-" Penny began, but Lupin stopped her with a "Shh, I'm not finished, and it's important that I do." She nodded, staring intently at Lupin and trying not to go crossed eyed from the finger that still lingered on her nose. "I know what I am, and because of this cursed life, it's better that things remain this way. Others like me, they lead much different lives. The life I am afforded, I know it is more than I deserve, but all of these moments we share, I cherish them, just like the ones of my time at Hogwarts. You, like James, Sirius and yes, even Pettigrew, make me forget what I am. But that does not change the truth," he said, staring at the spot just above Penny's right ear, his finger sliding slowly from her nose.
"You aren't cursed! Nothing could be further from the truth, you are beautiful, perfect, kinder than anyone I know. I could imagine no better future than-"
The words spewed from Penny's mouth violently, full of the intensity with which she felt them. But they came to an abrupt stop when the finger on her nose pressed firmly against her lips, and Lupin's voice cut across her's in an uncharacteristically gruff tone.
"Don't-Please don't Penny. I know you mean well, but I beg you not to, for my sake. Perhaps we can revisit this conversation one day, but for today, I need you to accept what I said, and not to feel the need to argue on my behalf."
Startled into silence, Penny merely nodded, trapped in Lupin's hard stare, it was demanding-commanding even. Something about it made Penny feel as though she could not oppose him, even if she wanted to. There was something in his eyes that she had not seen before, something distinctly different, but she could not pinpoint what.
He released her with a shake of his head, rubbing his hands over his face several times, like one would do when trying to remove something that did not belong there. When he turned back to Penny, his warm smile was back in place, but it seemed somehow strained, which prompted her to note how deep the bags beneath his eyes were.
"Now, I believe you were going to tell me how Professor Snape responded," Lupin said, tugging Penny gently back into his lap.
"Right," Penny said stiffly, trying to push away the concern she felt in her chest. It was not like Lupin to refuse to discuss something with Penny, his words felt almost like a reprimand, making Penny feel terribly childish.
"He, erm, well he said even though I'm the most annoying, infuriating and arrogant human, he wasn't able to not care about me, that he couldn't let me come to any harm, and thats why he risked it all last night," Penny said, her voice getting steadily quieter.
"While that comes at no surprise to me, I imagine it was a pretty difficult truth for one such as Snape," Lupin mused.
"It's hard to explain, but from time to time, and depending on whether he is being careful with his emotions or not, I am able to sense what he's feeling, and last night, it was clear as day, he was afraid-afraid 'd reject him."
"Reject him how?" Lupin said in a tone of confusion.
"What he is, I think. He was saying, this is what he is, the Death Eater isn't going anywhere."
"I see," Lupin said in a measured tone. Silence followed him and when Penny did not offer any more information, he pressed on in that same measured tone, "And how did that make you feel?"
"I mean I thought it was absurd. I know who he is, and I don't need him to be anything else, so I just told him as much," Penny said, as though the answer were as obvious as the light of day.
"Didn't you preface this story with the fact you two fought?" Lupin clarified, looking thoroughly lost.
"What?" Penny said, turning on him, equally confused. "Yes, this is the fight. He ran off after I said that, more or less."
"Oh course he did," Lupin muttered, in a tone of irritation. "I should have known only an admission of true love could send him running."
"True love? I said not such thing!"
"It's an expression," Lupin said, waving off her indignation, but he looked too amused for Penny's liking when he glanced down at her.
"Right. . ." Penny said, mutinously.
"Don't sulk."
"Why?"
"Because you are irresistibly adorable when you do, and I have already lingered longer than I should," he said, in a tone of mock scorn as he gently laid Penny back on her pillow and tucked her in like a burrito.
"That does not sound to be in my interest in the least. Don't go, I'll miss you too terribly much."
"As difficult as it is to make you look so disappointed, there are things Dumbledore needs me to do," Lupin sighed.
"For the Order?" Penny said, perking up.
"You are exactly like Harry," he chuckled, kissing her softly on her cheek. "Put it out of your mind, and I promise to be back before the week ends."
"Fine," Penny grumbled, watching Lupin get to his feet. "Just one more thing!" she called before he reached for the doorknob.
"Hmm?" he said, turning on her.
"Am I-will I-can this curse be broken?" she said, her voice wavering annoyingly, betraying her unease.
The amusement on Lupin's features immediately darkened, being replaced with a deep melancholy.
"If anyone can break it, it's Severus Snape," he finally said, but Penny was not convinced.
"How do you know," she said quickly, before he could exit.
"Because," he said, a small, side smile forming along his handsome mouth, "He has more incentive than anyone else."
And with those last, utterly perplexing words, Lupin left Penny to her thoughts, closing the door softly behind him.
When Penny could handle her exile no longer and had replayed Lupin's words through her head so many times she felt exhausted, she pulled herself to her feet, making past a quiet Hermione and Ginny who were laying in their bed's clearly ready for sleep.
"You shouldn't be up!" Hermione said in a hushed, worried whisper.
"I'm not going far, I just need to stretch my legs," Penny said, dismissively, wanting very much to escape the room before Hermione threw a tirade of reasons walking would be bad for her, at her.
The landing was dim, the only light coming from the hallway light down the stairs. The sound of several voices carried their way towards Penny, evidently originating from the kitchen downstairs. Penny figured it must be a meeting for the Order of the Phoenix, the secret organization that was working with Dumbledore to fight Voldemort, which Harry filled her in on. Albeit, Penny did not feel the information Harry received seemed very exciting, she'd, for some reason imagined dueling to the death as the only way to combat Voldemort, but upon endeavoring on more critical consideration, realized how stupid she'd been.
Of course, Voldemort was working in the utmost secrecy, the entire Ministry was so nicely ignoring his return. The Auror office wasted their efforts trying to find Sirius, while Voldemort was able to locate his former followers in complete secrecy. It made Penny wonder how they had any hope of defeating him for the second time, but Penny did not want to linger on those thoughts, they got too dangerously close to the reality that her brother was considered the only person who might be capable of doing just that, and that put a target on his back.
As for now, the voices downstairs distracted Penny from that horrible reality, allowing her mind to drift towards Snape, wondering if he was numbered among those downstairs.
"He is," an annoyed voice said, answering Penny's thoughts.
She turned, surprised to find Harry sitting just behind her.
"How'd you sneak up on me!" Penny demanded.
"You're always extra oblivious when you aren't feeling well," Harry said, pointedly, getting to his feet.
Penny rolled her eyes. Wanting very much to avoid another lecture, asked, "What're you doing out here anyway?"
"I'm not sitting in bed while the adults take care of everything. We need to do something, I just can't sit here waiting-"
"For him to kill you," Penny offered, forcing the words out of her mouth, demanding her brain register the reality of them.
Unlike most people, these words did not seem to upset or scare Harry, but rather frustrated him, frightening Penny more. Having the boy-who-lived as a brother was peculiar and all too often Penny giggled at how people reacted to him and gaped. Sometimes it was easy for her to forget or comprehend exactly how famous he was, or how miraculous that night was, having grown up in the muggle world. But having her brother, Harry, as the boy-who lived, that frightened Penny, knowing Harry's personality better than her own sometimes.
He was a Gryffindor for very obvious reasons, which made it no wonder in Penny's mind why he was able to pull the sword of Gryffindor from the sorting hat in their second year when he faced the memory of Tom Riddle. He was courageous and loyal to a fault. If there was a way for him to help someone else, even if it were to his detriment, Harry was there, and impossible to talk out of being there. This clashed with Penny's personality, who rather felt she should have been placed in Slytherin because of the way she heeded most of her selfish desires, and wanted Harry to herself. She could not, no matter how she tried, accept the idea of losing Harry, even if it meant they got rid of Voldemort.
"I don't know why he chose to kill me that night but I've run out of luck. Next time, I might not-"
"Shut up you idiot," Penny said, tears burning at the corners of her eyes.
"No one could stop him, and they think I'm something special, like I know something Ced-they don't," Harry continued, his voice rising the way it always did when he felt Penny wasn't listening, when he thought no one could possibly understand how hard it was to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. The moral purity in the tone made Penny want to take that globe and toss it into a vast ocean and watch it fade away into the distance, leaving their life carefree. But Harry was never one to give up without a fight.
The mention of Cedric sent a pang of pain and guilt swirling through Penny's insides as they twisted them into knots, Cedric's smiling face flashing across Penny's mind.
"I said shut up!" said Penny, shoving Harry.
The movement was a mistake that hurt Penny more than Harry. Her knees buckled from the pain, and she found herself bent over, clutching at the pain in her abdomen.
"You need to be in bed," Harry said, now at her side.
"Listen to me, you suicidal, noble idiot. You weren't alone," she panted, turning desperately to stare into the eyes that were identical to her own.
"Am I supposed to know what that means?"
"It amazes me how you really got none of the brains in this family," Penny quipped, causing Harry to frown at her. "I know you can count, so tell me, how many were in that room the night you-did whatever you did to Voldemort."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"How many!" Penny demanded.
With an exasperated sigh he said, "Three! But in case you forgot I don't have another mother to. . ."
But neither of them could finish the sentence, even in their heads, the thought sent a wave of sadness sweeping through Penny, but still she pressed on.
"You weren't alone and you don't have to do this alone. I'm still here, you dunce. You should know by now, wherever you go, I'm going too. We were given 14 extra years that night, and if our time comes, so be it. But if you think, for a moment, I'm letting you go down like some lone hero, you've got another thing coming," Penny said, moving herself slowly to lean against the wall Harry had previously occupied.
Harry merely looked down at her, watching her pathetic attempt to relax against the wall without sending another wave of pain through her.
"You know you're impossible to reason with when you get like this," Harry said, taking the seat next to her.
"Then just accept it," Penny grinned.
"Don't be stupid, you have too much left to do, so much talent," Harry said, stubbornly.
"Yeah well, if you kick it and Voldemort rules, you better believe that's all worthless, so you may as well grant me my dying wish," Penny yawned, leaning her head against the wall and closing her eyes.
"And what's this dying wish?" Harry said, evidently feeling Penny was being melodramatic.
"I don't want to be left alone. Please, Harry, don't go without me," Penny whispered.
Harry's skinny hand, so unlike the strong one of Lupin's, grasped hers. He made no response, instead stepping through the door that linked their minds. Together, they sat in silence, the distinction between their thoughts fading away, causing them to blur into one.
Penny wanted to remain like this, forgetting her pain in the blessed relief of Harry's mind, but footsteps startled her from her stupor. While it took Penny's brain several moment to process who had come up the stairs, Harry recognized their unwelcome visitor almost instantaneously, judging by the way his entire body tensed.
"What do you want," Harry practically snarled.
"Manner's Potter, we may not be at school, but I am still your Professor. I know you will be surprised to discover the world does not in fact revolve around you, but why I'm here is none of your business, so feel free to get ," Snape's delicate voice said, the venom dripping from each syllable.
"C'mon, let's go, Penny," Harry said, getting to his feet and reaching down to help her to her feet.
"Uh uh, Potter, she stays," Snape said, softly.
"Why? Don't feel like you've caused her enough suffering yet?" Harry blurted out. Judging by the look on his face, he had not meant to say it, but could not help himself. Penny grimaced, knowing exactly what would be coming and wishing very much that she would not have to be privy to it because her head was already throbbing annoyingly.
"How curiously similar to Black you sound. An original thought too difficult for your small brain to manage, Potter?" said Snape, advancing on Harry.
"So you won't be denying you made her suffer, then?" said Harry.
"Harry, stop," Penny muttered, trying to muster the strength to pull herself into a standing position so they could not ignore her.
"Keep going Potter, nothing would make me happier than giving you detention for the next three months," Snape breathed, towering over Harry, his eyes narrowed, and his thin lips upturned in cruel delight.
Finally reaching her feet, Penny stepped between the two of them, clasping both hands on Harry's shoulders.
"Harry, think of the Gryffindor quidditch team," Penny said quietly, wishing very much that Snape were not standing so close.
Reluctantly, Harry finally looked away from Snape and down at Penny, a look of pity on his adorable face.
"If you need me. . ." he said, leaving the sentence purposefully unfinished and allowing his thoughts to complete the sentence.
Penny nodded, kissing his cheeks affectionately before turning on Snape, who, if possible, looked even more irritated as he watched Harry make his way up the stairs toward the room he shared with Ron.
"And here I thought you were going to do what you always do, and avoid me. Call me impressed," Penny smirked as she reached for the wall to steady herself as she teetered on her feet.
Snape's eyes drifted lazily to Penny, analyzing her severely.
"I do wonder how it is that you fail to follow even the most basic of instructions."
"Perhaps it's that you have no talent for giving them. I have often wondered if you couldn't improve your method in potions, your approach really is quite blase."
"Then I assume that means you'd prefer not to receive this blase pain relief I brewed. In which case, I'll be on my way then," Snape said, pulling a large vial from his cloak, his lips twisting into a cruel grin.
"Severus Snape doing something nice for me? Maybe you liking me won't be so bad after all," Penny said, meeting Snape's grin with a smug one of her own.
"I see nearly dying for the upteenth time has done nothing for your arrogance."
"You should know by now I'm more resilient than that, but if we're on the topic, it seems to have made standing a bit of a miserable venture, there isn't a chance that will help, is there?" Penny said, clutching her abdomen, and eyeing the vial greedily.
He surveyed her for a moment, clearly contemplating whether he should let her suffer or not. For a long moment Penny worried she'd irritated him enough to send him back down the stairs, but to her relief he rolled his eyes and bridged the distance between them, his cold hand taking a hold of her upper arm in order to guide her to the lounge room across the hall. With a flick of his wand he sent light flickering into the cold, quiet fireplace, which sent shadows of flames dancing around the room.
Penny stumbled, a wave of particularly awkward cramping stopping her in her tracks. Her gasp caught Snape's attention who turned just as Penny's knee's wobbled. She caught herself on his shoulder, clinging desperately to him while she buried her head into his chest, taking in several shallow breaths to get through the pain.
"I just need a moment," Penny panted into the rough fabric on her face. The smell of bergamot washed over her, blissfully distracting her for a moment. She wondered briefly what it was about the smell that gave her so much comfort, but she did not want to linger on it, afraid that in her current state she'd be prone to spilling her thoughts out for anyone to listen to, so she forced herself away from him and made for the sofa, Snape's hand steadying her at her elbow the entire way.
After some effort, Penny finally found herself reclining on the sofa, Snape removing several things from the bag he brought with him.
"You'll need you to pull your shirt up," he said, kneeling beside her.
"Can't you do it, I'd really prefer not to move," Penny asked, trying her best to sound polite and not demanding.
His eyes narrowed, Snape did not respond but slid her large jumper up just far enough to reveal the ugly, raw scar beneath. Penny braced herself for the cold touch, but still couldn't stop herself from yelping when it made contact.
"Honestly, you could try rubbing your hands together before you do that," Penny grumbled.
"I prefer to let this be a reminder for the next time you think it's a good idea to do something completely idiotic," he said lazily, his finger sliding lightly along the length of her scar.
Penny closed her eyes to better attune herself to the soft vibrations emanating from Snape's finger. The sensation almost made Penny imagine a thousand tiny cats kneading at her skin. However, this pleasant sensation quickly became pure agony when Snape pressed downwards, searching for her organs. With great effort, Penny stopped herself from screaming, but she mutilated the palm of her hand with her fingers in doing so.
Snape clicked his tongue in annoyance as he muttered to himself, completely ignoring Penny's agony. Mercifully, he finally handed over the blessed vial of pain relief, which she downed in a gulp, while Snape applied a salve to her abdomen before retrieving some terrifying looking instruments. Feeling it was in her best interest just not to know, Penny closed her eyes and let Snape work his literal magic, her mind wandering.
The man was his usual self, albeit somewhat distracted. He was clearly intent on getting down to business and avoiding small talk. Meanwhile, Penny was conflicted on how she was to navigate the situation. She did not know if she should bring up the topic of their discussion again. While she'd felt wonderfully content by the knowledge he'd shared with her, she was afraid she had not done a good job conveying her own feelings, or helped Snape at all. It was impossible to tell, and a terrifying prospect to ask, Penny being certain such a question would either be met with snark or anger.
Alternatively, the two of them could continue like this, but Penny did not like the idea of backtracking. Their relationship had changed so much during the time she spent at his house. She did not want it to go back to the strained teacher-pupil relationship after experiencing how nice it was to sit together and eat ice cream in silence, or wake up next to that groggy morning face of his.
In the end, Penny knew she was not brave enough to risk making anything worse and had no idea how she would even broach the subject without sounding like an utter moron, so she opted for just basking in the relief his nearness brought her.
Penny's eyes snapped open when the sound of Snape getting to his feet met her ears. Her heart racing yanking her from her shallow sleep. Instinctively she reached for his hand, catching it before he'd turned.
"Where're you going," she said groggily, one eye still stuck closed.
"Home. I've done all I can for today," Snape said, his fingers hanging loosely in Penny's hand, though he did not pull away.
"Stay, just a while longer," Penny asked, holding tighter to his hand and sitting up to catch his gaze.
He did not answer, Penny's blurry vision finally clearing enough to make out his face. It glowed from the warmth emanating from the fireplace, the features still. He seemed so large from Penny's vantage, but he did not feel foreboding like he did when he towered over students. His eyes were fixed on Penny's hand, a strange expression on his face, one Penny could not pinpoint. Perhaps it was indecision? But about what? Eventually he broke away and met her green eyes and gave a small grunt. Penny blinked, uncertain what she was supposed to take that to mean, but before she could ask, he was pushing her aside to make room for himself on the sofa.
Feeling unusually bold, Penny snatched up her pillow and laid it down along with her head on his lap before he could protest. He eyed her with an arched brow for a moment, but Penny pretended not to notice, yawned and buried herself snuggly into the pillow, one had tucked beneath her and the other clinging to a portion of his cloak. She peaked an eye open just to be sure the man wasn't going to toss her onto the floor at any moment. What she found made her smile. Snape was reclined in his usual stiff sleeping position that Penny had laughed at so many times during the summer. His arms crossed and his relaxed facial features somehow made him look grumpier than he did while awake. The sight made Penny think, maybe, just maybe, they weren't backtracking, and even though he'd left the previous night, he was not running away from her. They'd both silently agreed to go forward into whatever it was life had decided to entangle them in, but they were doing it on their terms.
Closing her eyes, Penny said, "If this is what a cursed life looks like, I don't think I mind it too much."
"Sentimentality usually comes at the expense of intelligent thought. I have zero interest in tediously managing this curse for you. And you seem to be operating under the impression we can't do this without the curse, so do try to refrain from complaining when I do break it," Snape replied in that gruff voice of his that Penny only ever heard when he was on the verge of sleep.
"Sometimes I really don't know how I'm supposed to respond to the absurd and contradictory things you say," said Penny.
"That's the point, Potter. Now shut up and go to sleep," replied Snape.
With a last yawn, Penny did as she was told, not wanting to ruin such a perfect moment by annoying him enough to make him leave. Before drifting off to sleep, Penny wondered vaguely how much anger she would cop from Sirius and Harry come morning, but she found she really didn't care. At some point they all needed to accept Snape was not the man they accused him of being.