Teeth snapping, more taste of blood. More crying.
His body wasn't listening to him anymore...
His eyes finally opened to his surroundings, though his vision was hazy and there was an unpleasant humming in his head, an unwelcome counterpart to the throbbing pain in his bandaged hand.
Hunger rolled in his stomach, and he tried to speak, to shout out but his tongue wouldn't form the words.
Attempting to sit up and remove the bandage he met with resistance, and growled at the strips of fabric that were tying him to the bed.
It was then he noted his shirt. He was wearing a white shirt, but it was spattered with blood.
What in Merlin's name?
It was then that movement caught his eye, and he turned to face the door where a sickly pale looking Hermione walked in, who had her own bandaged hand.
Hermione!
He lurched towards her and she screamed, but once more his tongue wouldn't form her name. The restraints pulled him back, as he tried to reach for her and when they wouldn't give he collapsed back on the bed with a growl.
Hermione was crying with her back to the wall, he wanted to go to her dammit. So he pulled against his bonds once more with a frustrated growl. Once more he was held back and he practically howled in frustration.
She'd sank to the floor crying, and he was desperate to get to her, to soothe her, to get her attention as he struggled against the bonds that held him.
Finally one restraint gave way, but it was his bandaged hand and he was struggling to undo the other with it.
Hermione flinched at every one of his frustrated growls, and stayed sobbing upon the floor.
There was a pitter patter of small feet, and Severus looked up to see Samuel looking at him with wide eyes.
Severus reached out a hand to the boy, and Sam shouted out in elation and ran the distance between them.
It was then that Hermione noticed his presence as she screamed for him to stop, but it was too late as the boy barrelled his weight against Severus's chest and Severus buried his face in the boy's neck.
...
...
Severus breathed in the scent of the boy, and held on as tightly as he could with his one hand. Hermione shot over and wrapped her hands around him and for a second he thought she was going to pull the boy out of his arms. Then she looked into his eyes, and saw the hurt there at her actions and she knew.
"S-severus?" Her voice was tremulous and full of pain.
Instead of trying to form words, he simply cupped her cheek with his hand and she sobbed. It was like her strings had been cut as collapsed on his chest alongside Samuel, a sobbing wreck as she clung to him as though he may disappear.
He held onto them both as tightly as he could with his one arm, then giving a tug on the other he felt her release it, then he scooped them both into his chest and held on tightly.
The three of them lay there in a ball of arms and legs and tears, until Hermione eventually calmed enough to look at him and see the question in his eyes.
"I thought you'd turned...it's been days since your were bitten, you were so sick but-" Here she unwrapped the bandage on his hand, and he stared at the still healing wound.
He was missing the little finger and the ring finger next to it, right down to the knuckle.
"I had to think fast, I thought if I could cut it off before it spread, you might not turn...I'm sorry"
He shook his head no and pulled her closer, then gestured to his shirt and his mouth, all the while still cradling Sam against his side.
"Oh right..um... I didn't know, I thought maybe you were infected...but it turns out you were infected. You got an infection from the wound in your hand, and at one point you were seizing and bit your tongue. I managed to get something into your mouth but you bit so hard you cracked a tooth, that's what all the blood is from, your tongue and tooth. When the fever hit, I thought for sure you'd turn. I'm sure you'll be able to talk again once the swelling goes down"
He nodded at her explanation, then gestured to her own bandaged hand.
"You were thrashing so much in convulsions you hurt yourself, you grabbed me and sprained my wrist, but it's getting better now" He made a remorseful face and pressed a kiss on her bandaged hand, and she once more fell against his chest.
His hand once more cupped her cheek, and there was no mistaking his thoughts.
"We...we haven't left in days. It's been... days? Two weeks? I lost track."
He shook his head, but still pulled them closer and dropped a kiss on both of their heads.
"Severus?" She said softly, looking into his eyes.
His warmed as he looked upon her.
"I love you...but you stink"