He hadn't seen her since Hogwarts, however many years that had been.
She'd been in her 6th year when the outbreak occurred, around 18 with the time-turner, what was she now then ? 22? 23?
The last time he'd seen her she was apparating away with a group of other students as the screamers stormed the castle.
She was being so familiar with him, despite the fact they'd never been more than teacher and student, but he found he couldn't care less and welcomed the friendly contact.
Where had she been since ? Was she alone ?
His question was answered when a slight shuffle came from behind him , he reacted quickly and reached for the bat, but she put a hand on his cheek to stay him and gave him a sad smile.
"mummy" the quiet words came and Severus's heart clenched "It's OK" She spoke softly and bent down to pull a small form out from under the bed.
The boy was young, young enough to have been born after all this started.
He had shocking red hair, Hers and Weasley's then, and was breathing heavily...too heavily.
"Everything's ok honey , this man is a friend of mine, now breathe slowly like I taught you"
A friend. Severus didn't even know he had any of those.
He watched as she sat on the bed and pulled the young boy onto her lap , his back to her chest as she held him upright and led him in slow deep breaths.
At his curious look, Asthma... She mouthed to him and met his eyes almost nervously, and he didn't need to be a legillimens to see her worries.
The boy was weak, and weakness was a liability in times like these.
Was this why she was alone ? Had they abandoned her with the boy ?
Severus had come across people , on and off over the past years and there was one rule that seemed to have been silently agreed upon.
Man, woman, magic or muggle.
It was Darwinism at it's best, survival of the fittest.
If you fell behind, you were left behind.
When the boy's breathing calmed enough , she tucked his head under her chin.
The boys shivered slightly , he was pale skinned and sickly looking. Not unlike Severus himself had been at that age.
She pulled a worn hooded jumper out of her bag and wrapped him in it , pulling up the hood to cover the boys ears.
Then pulled him into a hug, rocking him gently.
Severus stood up silently and waited until the boy's breathing evened out into an exhausted sleep.
He made his way over to her and quietly sat beside her on the bed.
"Is it just the two of you ?" He asked softly.
She nodded.
"How long ?"
"Years."
"The father ?"
"Dead"
The boy shuffled and gave a small wheeze in his sleep, and the girl rubbed his back.
"Do you have medicine? Inhalers?" He asked gently.
She sniffled and wiped her eyes with one hand as she shook her head.
"One, I try to save it for the bad ones, they're getting harder to come by and they don't work like they used to."
Nodding once , he let out a deep breath and a curse.
It made sense, the safest places to raid supplies were those far away from built up areas where there'd be large amounts of immune.
Service stations on motorways and highways were the best bet, and it would be doubtful to find asthma inhalers there. Plus the shelf life on them was obviously not designed to be huge, it was disposable medicine to be used and replaced, not designed to last. So the medicine that was out there would be degrading and with no more being made...
"Can he walk ?"
The boy looked like he'd nothing physically wrong with him, but he was clearly weak.
"Yes"
"run?"
"No...I-I carry him"
He scrubbed his face with his hands and let out a deep breath.
Turning to face her , he looked into her eyes.
Her back tensed, obviously preparing for his next words like a physical blow.
He could practically see her putting up her defences.
Fierce little lioness.
"I'm larger, I'll carry him from now when we need to move. There are some balms I could make for his chest if we can find the plants, they're not brilliant, not as good as potions... but the magic from brewing would attract screamers"
The tension fell from her body at his words , and she looked like a puppet who's strings had been cut as she sagged with relief, holding tighter to the boy in her arms.
She collapsed into his side, buried her face into his chest and cried.
There was nothing he could do , but put his arm around her and tuck her head under his chin.