Lunch

Severus ran, his lungs were tight, his breath was coming in exacting pants. By the gods why can't we apperate on these bloody grounds?! he thought as his eyes scanned the terrain. He was reaching the outskirts of the forest now. He looked down at the map and saw he should be close, only fifty or so meters away from her. He could see a dark shape on the ground in the distance with many smaller shapes bouncing around it, swooping and bending...tearing at it. A sudden breeze kicked up and he saw a flash of red hair peeking out from the dark figure on the ground. Severus, despite the acidic ache in his limbs, ran all the faster.

"What's that James?" Remus asked casually as picked up the copy of The Daily Prophet lying at the foot of his bed.

"The map Rem, I can't find it. Last I saw it, it was right here on the bed." James was rifling through the collection of items in which he was currently mired. Quidditch books, Honeydukes candy, Zonko's products, and various school supplies were all being thrown about in a rather frantic manner. "I know it was here! I know it…" he said to no one in particular.

"James, if you didn't keep your things such a right state, you wouldn't be losing important items all the time." Remus smiled a bit at his own deception, but he also felt a twinge of guilt at tricking his friend…still, this was all for James' good. "Perhaps Padfoot or Wormtail borrowed it…more likely Padfoot. Wormtail's not much for solitary adventures," he added coolly.

"Padfoot, right. He'd mentioned something to me about finding Prewett without having Longbottom in the way. Honestly though, I don't recall ever seeing them apart. He's got a right good battle if he's after that one."

"Sirius likes a girl that presents a challenge mate. Of course…Sirius likes an easy…oh, never mind, never mind. I don't care to think about the sordid escapades of Padfoot's various romances." Remus flipped through his copy of the Prophet scanning the headlines for anything interesting, but apparently, it was a slow day for news.

"All right then, why don't we head on down to the great hall? Lunch should be up soon and I'm famished," said James while rubbing his hands together in anticipation." Remus agreed and tossed his paper back on the bed as both boys headed off to join their classmates.

Severus pulled his wand out of his cloak. He closed the distance between himself and the body in the grass. "STUPIFY!" he yelled, his voice frenzied. A powerful stream of magic burst forth from his wand and caught one of the ghastly creatures squarely in the face. It shrieked and fled.

The other creatures turned, their horrible mouths stained with blood…Lily's blood. They hissed and snarled at Severus, unhappy that he'd interrupted their gruesome repast. They abandoned her, charging at him with their terrible little faces full of anger and hate. He brought his wand up again, shouting spells and kicking at the creatures when one would work past his magical defenses. He managed to fight them off and they retreated back into the forest. One of the things turned and glowered at him, a harsh, sharp bark escaping its maw before it disappeared. A faint, expiring moan suddenly drew his attention back to Lily.

"Gods no, no, no…NO!" His mind raced with terrible thoughts. His hands reached for her, finding them instantly stained with her vibrant red blood as he pulled her from the ground into his arms. He saw she was covered in wounds from the piercing sickle-like teeth of the diminutive monsters. Her blood flowed freely and her head lulled about in his arms as if she was no more than a rag doll.

"Lily, no, oh Merlin, oh gods, Lily, wake up!" he stammered, hot tears falling from his face, his arms shaking. He scooped her up and began to run again, his body filled with the adrenalin spike that only fear and terror can bring.

What were those…things…what were they?He raced along, hugging Lily to his chest. He flipped through the Care of Magical Creatures textbook in his mind; suddenly he remembered. Pogrebin! I thought they were solitary. They're not even native! What's a veritable herd of them doing here on the grounds? he thought. "Hagrid," it must have been him. You'd think the head gamekeeper would keep a closer watch on what his assistant's been importing!

Merlin! Are they poisonous? Damn that Potter, I missed that class due to some hex he'd managed to land on me. I will kill him. I swear to the gods, I'll kill him. Severus realized he was still clutching his wand; he managed to angle it at Lily and breathed out a shaky "Episkey!" her wounds continued to seep, the spell had no effect.

After what seemed like hours, Severus reached the castle; he hurried through the corridors, which were virtually empty due to the fact that most of the students and staff were attending lunch. He made his way to the hospital wing and burst through the door screaming. "MADAM POMPFREY! MADAM POMFREY! ANYONE, SOMEONE, HELP!"

"What is all this nonsen…good Lord, what's happened? Mr. Snape, lay her on the bed there." Madam Pomfrey hurried over to Lily, she took in her wounds, her hands flurried about to and fro, examining the girl. Her blood was still flowing freely, her face ashen. "Mr. Snape, what's happened, I need to know."

"Pogrebin…a flock…of them…down by the forest. They were…all over her…by the time…I got there…they were…" he gulped, "feeding on her." His face twisted in agony, his breath stuttered along in ragged gasps, and more of the searing tears slid down his colorless face.

"Merlin..." she said as her wand swept over Lily's body. "She's lost a great deal of blood, their saliva has an anticoagulant, keeps the blood flowing while they eat."

"Are…they…poisonous?" Snape's body was beginning to deal with the shock, horror, and exertion it had just been through. He felt lightheaded and weak. He slumped in the chair beside the bed, feeling as if he might vomit.

"Hygellia!" said Pomfrey, yelling for her assistant. she appeared almost instantly. "Hygellia dear, quickly now, bring me a calming draught, two drafts of blood-replenishment potion and jar of Murtlap essence." Hygellia scurried off to the wing's medicinal stores.

"Madam Pomfrey," Snape managed, his head spinning, awash with blurry images, the jittery fingers of a blackout were pinching at his eyes. "Are they...poisonous? Will she...will she be all right? She's not…she's not going to die is she?"

"Quiet now Mr. Snape, don't speak and breathe boy, breathe. No, they're not poisonous…not really, but along with the anti-coagulative effects of their saliva, they are also able to induce a drowsy state. Granted, with one, it's not such an issue, but given the number of bites Miss Evans has received…the amount of blood she's lost…I will do my best for her Mr. Snape…Severus. I will do my best." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave him a slight squeeze.

Hygellia swiftly shuffled back to the bed, a silver tray in her hands, various potions, salves, and compresses lay upon it. Madam Pomfrey set to work, administering the potions, rubbing the Murtlap essence over the wounds, and winding long strips of gauze around the punctures. She turned to Severus, handing him the calming draught. "Drink it son, it will help."

Severus un-stoppered the bottle and set it to his lips, he took in the draught but never let his eyes leave Lily. As the potion flowed through him, the inky blackness threatening his consciousness subsided and his restless muscles stilled. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"We wait, dear. It's all we can do…we wait."

AN: I've gone back through and restructured all the pages so that they're dialog based. I think it'll help break up those long chunks. Thanks to Schurmann for the suggestion. I hope you've liked this chapter!