Chapter Twenty-Two

Severus was released from the infirmary the following morning. He hadn't slept well that night; whether due to the physical pain from his injuries or from the thoughts that plagued his mind or both, he wasn't sure. Regardless, he wouldn't be seeing Mulciber's ugly mug in the halls of Hogwarts anymore. Dumbledore had come to retrieve him, much to his dismay.

The headmaster had politely asked how he was faring, to which Severus had mumbled a reply, but other than that, no words had passed between the two, besides Dumbledore explaining he would be showing Severus to his new room. Curious, Severus quietly followed the old wizard through the halls. He hoped he wouldn't be sharing a room with any Gryffindors. He wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to do something cruel and unusual.

However, Dumbledore led Severus to what was typically the guest wing and stopped in front of a door.

"This will be your room, Severus, at least for a while. Should things improve between you and your housemates, you may return to your dormitory."

Severus barely looked at Dumbledore as he spoke. Too much resentment, perhaps some of it unfounded, still tainted Severus's heart. He gave a curt nod and entered the room. Dumbledore thankfully left him without another word. Severus closed the door and leaned against the inside of it, exhaling and closing his eyes. Finally, he had some privacy. It was sad that it took getting tortured by his own housemates to make Dumbledore see that Severus was picked on by other students. Unfortunately, Severus knew better than to think Dumbledore would ever equally punish the precious Gryffindors.

Taking in the room, Severus noticed that it was smaller than his old room in the dungeons from when he had been a teacher. He didn't expect anything extraordinary, but this was far better than he had expected. Had Dumbledore taken a small amount of pity on him, then? Examining the room, Severus was pleased. Its decor was simple and muted, and there was a bathroom off it as well. There wasn't a desk to write at, but he didn't suppose a student would have that privilege. He would still be going to the library to do his homework.

Thankful it was still the weekend, Severus went to the bed and flopped graciously onto it, immediately falling asleep. Today might be Halloween, but he didn't feel the need to attend the festivities. Lily would probably wonder where he was, but too exhausted from the previous day's activities, Severus spent the rest of the day in his room.

The next day, it was back to classes. Severus reluctantly made his presence at breakfast, choosing to sit with the first years, if only to stay away from Avery, Wilkes, and Rosier, who were all taking turns glaring at him. None of them uttered a single word to Severus, and he wondered if their punishment had made any lasting impression.

Probably not, Severus thought sourly to himself as he left the Great Hall for his first class.

Somehow, he made it through the day, only to be greeted by a concerned Lily. Her face held a mixture of anger and worry as she stood in the library where they normally sat together.

"Where were you last night?" she demanded.

"In my new room," Severus replied, feeling guilty for not telling her yesterday and awkward for how they had parted last.

"Your new room?" Lily asked, confused.

"Yes, Dumbledore gave me a room to myself in the guest wing... at least for now. I guess I just wanted to be alone after what happened."

Lily nodded. "I guess I can understand that. I just missed you, Sev. The Halloween feast was excellent. I wish you could have been there."

"I'm sorry," Severus mumbled. "Er... so, do you want to study, then?"

"All right," Lily agreed.

Severus and Lily opened their books, the complacancy of school back in place.

For the next several weeks, Severus's life was fairly uneventful. The more time that passed, the more he wondered when the next bad event would happen. Just because Avery and the others had to serve detention every night of the week for the following month and were doing nothing more than glaring at Severus didn't mean they weren't plotting what to do next to him. The Marauders, on the other hand, continued to be a nuisance, especially Potter, but Severus could easily tune out their name calling. He reminded himself of his true age, saying repeatedly that he would not resort to acting like an adolescent boy. Classes were fine for the most part, and Severus continued to excel in Potions and Defense. Slughorn tried inviting Severus to another Slug Club gathering, but Severus declined, having no desire to endure the man's boisterous attitude outside of the clasroom.

The days grew very cold, and before Severus knew it, winter had arrived. Christmas was mere days away, and he was looking forward to seeing his mother again. Lily and he would be returning home for the holidays, and Severus imagined having the house to himself and inviting Lily over whenever he wanted.

Keeping those thoughts in the forefront of his mind, he counted down the days to that freedom. Finally, the last day of classes came and went, and Severus and Lily boarded the Hogwarts Express, heading home for two weeks of enjoyment.

Author's Note: My apologies for the delay and shortness of this chapter. I've been extremely busy, and I do work a full time job, which has been absolutely crazy lately. I know I can't keep up the pace I previously had been with this story. Real life is simply too demanding. Also, I know this chapter is really short and horribly boring, especially after the last couple of chapters, but I wanted to get something out, and a short transitory chapter was needed to lead to the next part. I'll need a few days to work on the next (much longer) chapter. It will be about Christmas, of course.