Task #3 - Dittany: The Dittany herb possesses powerful healing and restorative properties. Write about healing (physical or emotional).

2. [character] Severus Snape, 3.[object] Cauldron and 13.[dialogue] "That's disgusting."

Word Count: 1895

Warnings - I don't think there are any warnings - it mostly talks about an accident - you never learn what the accident was

~wWw~

Lily Evans never really had any friends - most people found her odd. And until she met Severus Snape, she had never had a genuine friend who actually cared for her well-being.

Severus Snape also didn't really have any friends, but not for the same reason as Lily. Unlike Lily, Severus wasn't odd. He was just an outcast because of his family. His family was considered to be 'Dark', but they didn't have money or social standing like most of the other families considered to be 'Dark'.

When Lily Evans met Severus Snape it was like everything clicked into place, things made sense and she felt like she actually belonged somewhere. But nothing good lasts forever.

~wWw~

The accident was a blur, and to Lily, it was more of a blur than to the rest of her family. She remembered a cracking sound, then darkness. The only other thing she remembered was the pain, a dull aching pain that intensified with every moment that passed.

She woke up in a room with white walls, all alone. Neither her parents nor her sister were there. She was alone. Attempting to lift her head was an impossible task as the moment she moved, if only a little bit, pain shot through her head. Her throat was dry and scratched like she had swallowed sand.

"Hello?" she whispered, her throat aching and her voice scratchy. There was no response and her throat hurt too much to try again. Her eyes slid shut and her mind fell into peaceful oblivion.

~wWw~

Severus was worried. Lily had agreed to meet him at their spot at eleven, but it was twelve and she still wasn't there. Lily was always punctual if nothing else. Something had to have happened, but no one would know to tell him.

He paced around their tree waiting, every second seemed to take a minute. Nothing mattered to him anymore, not the grumbling in his stomach from not having eaten all day, not the annoying mosquitoes buzzing around his head and causing itchy bumps. But they didn't matter, it was all inconsequential, compared to the thought that something had happened to Lily.

Lily was everything to Severus, his entire life; without her he was nothing, without her friendship he was like a boat adrift at sea. He didn't even notice the setting sun. The cold didn't bother him, nor did the rapidly approaching darkness.

~wWw~

The next time Lily opened her eyes, her mother was there, but her only thought was for Severus. He would be so worried.

"Mom?" Lily croaked. Her mother shushed her and held out a glass of water with a straw, as she directed it to her mouth. Lily sucked some of the water into her mouth, the coolness of it immediately soothed her aching throat. Using her tongue, she pushed the straw away, signalling to her mother to put the cup down.

"What happened?" Lily asked, as she swallowed.

"There was a car accident," her mom started, then paused. Lily nodded silently asking her mother to continue, "a drunk driver hit us. Your father and sister are fine."

"What day is it?" Lily asked, her mind thinking of Severus.

"The day after, it's," her mom looked at her watch, "10:03."

"When can I leave?" Lily asked, already ready to be out of the confining walls that seemed to be shrinking in.

"Not for a couple of days, you have a really bad concussion." Lily looked down, wondering how to explain to her why she wished to leave; her mother had never met Severus.

"Mom, do you know that big oak tree by the river?" Lily asked, slightly confusing her mother with her question.

"Yes, why?"

"I have a friend, and I was supposed to meet him yesterday at eleven. His name is Severus Snape, can you find him and bring him to visit?" Lily asked.

"Why have a never heard about this boy before?" Her mother asked, a frown covering her face.

"Uh, because every time I mention a friend to Petunia, she is either really mean to them or tries to steal them from me," Lily explained to her mother.

"Hey, your sis-" her mother started.

"You asked," Lily said cutting her mother off, closing her eyes in an attempt to stave off the endless pounding in her head.

"Okay, I'll try to find your... friend," her mother conceded.

"Thanks, mom," Lily whispered.

~wWw~

Lily's mother made the short walk down to the tree her daughter had described, looking for her friend. Down by the tree that Lily had described was an oddly dressed boy that looked to be about Lily's age.

"Are you Severus Snape?" She asked the boy. He shifted raising his body to a standing position.

"Yes, who wants to know?" He asked, his tone polite and kind.

"Lily's mother."

"Where is she? She was supposed to meet me yesterday," Severus frantically asked, worried about his only friend.

"She's in the hospital, there was an accident and she has a concussion," Mrs. Evans spoke kindly to the visibly upset boy, "Would you like to see her?"

"Yes, please," He said, remembering his manners.

~wWw~

Mrs. Evans gently knocked on the door to her daughter's hospital room. Upon hearing no response she pushed the door in poking her head inside the room. Lily was fast asleep. Her face relaxed and little sign of the constant pain that was plaguing her during the day.

Severus stood frozen at the doorway, unable to move closer to the battered form of his best friend. Her mother gestured for him to join her beside the bed. He took a couple of steps closer and into the room, but couldn't seem to make himself move any closer.

"She asked for you to be here," Mrs. Evans said, still looking at her daughter.

"She did?" Severus asked, stepping closer to his friend. Mrs. Evans nodded, taking a step back and allowing Severus to take her place at Lily's bedside. He took her warm hand within his cold ones, holding it softly as he stared at her.

Her red hair like a halo around her head, her skin overly pale, even for her. She whimpered softly in her sleep, the pain-free expression tightening as she attempted to shift her body. Gently he squeezed her hand, attempting to alert her to his presence. Her body shifted again and this time her whimper of pain was louder.

Gently he put his hand on her shoulder attempting to stop her from moving and further hurting herself. He rubbed small circles with his thumb against her skin, soothing her. Her eyes blinked once, then twice, then he was staring into her green eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, smiling at her.

She smiled back before responding, "Hey."

"I'm going to get some coffee. I'll be back in a few," Mrs. Evans said, interrupting the two kids.

They both looked over at her and nodded, then back to each other. She smiled at the pair, glad that Lily had a good friend that cared for her. She left the room, leaving the pair alone, closing the door behind her.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked, nervously shifting from foot to foot.

"Not too good," Lily responded, being honest with her friend.

"Were you having a nightmare?" Severus asked, his mind going back moments before when Lily was shifting around on the bed.

"Yeah, I've been having them every night. I see flashes of what happened in my dreams," Lily whispered, looking at her friend, with tears in her eyes.

"Do you want to tell me about them?" Severus asked. Lily shook her head no.

"Okay, do you want to just sit here for a while then?" Severus asked, wanting to help his friend, his mind already racing with ways to get her a better sleep.

~wWw~

The sky outside was pitch black and the only source of light was the flame from underneath a cauldron and the little light from the stars and the moon overhead.

He carefully crushed the wormwood with semi-practiced movements and added it to the cauldron, stirring slowly as it dissolved in the water. He stirred it until the colour changed to a dark mossy green.

Carefully as so not to cut his fingers he chopped the valerian being certain to keep the sizes of the pieces consistent. He added a bit more wood to the fire in an attempt to raise the heat as he added the freshly chopped valerian to the cauldron.

He put his hand over the cauldron trying to test the heat of the potion. He felt no heat, and it was supposed to be almost boiling. With a growl of frustration, he dumped the unfinished potion in the potion disposal bin.

"Hey, what's wrong?" His mother asked as she descended the stairs to her lab, where her son was sitting with his head in his hands.

"My friend Lily, she got in an accident and she has been having nightmares, so I was trying to make her a dreamless sleep potion so she wouldn't have nightmares," Severus explained to his mother.

"Severus, you know how dangerous dreamless sleep is without proper use," his mother scolded. His head dropped ashamed at his lack of thought.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," he apologized, still looking down. His mother rummaged around in her cupboards of potions. She pressed something into his hand.

"Give her a tablespoon of this, then she won't have any nightmares." Severus looked up at his mother.

"Thanks!" he exclaimed, almost tripping up the stairs in his haste to get to Lily.

"Be careful!" his mother yelled jokingly after him.

"Sure thing, mom!" he yelled back as he pushed open the door to go outside and to Lily.

~wWw~

Lily was awake and nodding off by the time Severus arrived at her hospital room. He knocked on the open door, warning her of his arrival.

"Hey," he whispered, smiling, "I have something that might help you sleep."

"Hey. What is it?" Lily asked.

"It's a dreamless sleep potion, my mom made it. It will allow you to sleep without nightmares," Severus said, holding out the bottle in front of him, allowing Lily to see it and the dark purple contents.

"That was in one of the books you lent me," Lily recalled, staring at the dark colour of the potion.

"Yeah, my mom said to give you a tablespoon, then you'll sleep through the night with no nightmares." Lily smiled at Severus's thoughtfulness.

"Thanks," Lily said attempting to sit up slightly. Severus moved over to her and supported her as she sat up. Very carefully he measured out the dose his mother had told him before giving it to Lily to drink. She gagged a bit as the taste hit her taste buds, but managed to swallow it.

"That's disgusting," she exclaimed to Severus.

"Most likely, it does have flobber worm mucus in it, and flobber worm mucus is not known for its good taste," Severus said.

"I didn't need to know that, I would have been completely fine in my blissful state of not knowing what I just drank," Lily retorted, yawning.

Severus sat beside her taking her hand within his own and waited for the potion to take effect. Lily's eyes slid shut and her all the muscles in her body relaxed as she fell into a dreamless sleep.