Previously…
i "Yes, Poppy," McGonagall chuckled, then sobered. "See what you can do with her. Albus and Severus can take over Defense for the next few days, but it would be easier all around if you can get her back on her feet and functional as soon as possible. Dragonpox is not catching to children, thank Merlin, so we are likely not in danger of an epidemic. She will be receiving quite a few visitors, I'm certain." Both women looked down at the teacher on the bed. "She has done well," Minerva spoke quietly, "Better than any of us, except perhaps for Albus, ever expected. She will be irreplaceable when she leaves."
"She is the only Defense teacher that Severus ever expressed approval of," the school nurse nodded, awe plain on her face. "Don't worry, Minerva. She'll be on her feet in no time."
"Good. I hate to think what her class will do without her there to mediate. We will have our hands full." /i
And Now…
Pain was the first thing Brethany felt as she approached consciousness. Soft moans escaped her as she shifted in the bed, struggling to find a comfortable position. A cool hand on her brow startled her into stillness, even as a cheery voice began to speak.
"There you are, dear! I was wondering when you would decide to wake up. Open those eyes, Brethany, and let me see how you look." Brethany groaned and turned her face away. "Now, none of that! Open those eyes this second, young lady, or I'll do it for you!" Grudgingly, the young woman squinted up at the nurse. "Good," Poppy declared sharply, "But you'll have to do better than that. Open them, dear. All the way, please." Brethany groaned as she opened her eyes.
"Poppy, I hate you," she growled out dully. "Hate you, hate you, hate you forever."
"Yes, dear, I'm sure you do," the nurse returned blithely. "Can you focus on me, or is everything blurred?"
"Blurred," Brethany croaked out. "You have three eyes, and your mouth is riding up the side of your chin." Poppy chuckled. "'S not funny," the unfortunate on the bed slurred slightly. "The room is moving, too. Poppy, what's wrong with me?"
The matronly nurse clucked worriedly. "You have Dragonpox, dear, and a rather bad case of it at that. You won't be teaching for a several more days, but I should have you right as rain before long. Come on, now, Brethany, I have a few potions for you to drink." Brethany groaned as Poppy helped her to sit up.
"Dragonpox? But I'm not old enough to have Dragonpox! My parents didn't get it until they were almost thirty!"
Poppy glowered down at her patient. "Constant stress and lack of sleep will bring it on earlier in life, Brethany, and according to what I understand, you haven't slowed down in life since you were thirteen years old! You just finished your double Masteries, and then you came straight here to teach. You are worn out and worn down, and so the Dragonpox caught you off-guard. It did the exact same thing with Severus when he was twenty. Drink this," she all but shoved several potions down the younger woman's throat. "Don't go to sleep, now," the nurse ordered sternly. "I need you awake so I can run a diagnostic spell over you."
Brethany struggled to hold her eyes open as the older witch ran her wand over the length of her body. Poppy muttered softly to herself throughout the scan, nodding and making approving or worried sounds for her different discoveries. Brethany, having no idea exactly what any of it meant, simply concentrated on remaining awake and mostly conscious. It wasn't easy. Her entire body ached in a manner reminiscent of the state she was usually in after several days of intense workout sessions, and nothing would remain still. The world swayed and tilted around her in dizzying motion. and she groaned as her stomach moved with it.
"Nauseous," Poppy asked sympathetically. "Here, dear, drink this." She poured yet another potion down her patient's throat. Brethany groaned.
"Why can't anyone come up with flavoring that won't effect potions? Severus could, I'm certain. He's a brilliant Potions Master, did you know that, Poppy?" The nurse raised an amused eyebrow as the younger woman rambled on. "He really is a wonderful man," Brethany continued, a rather drunken smile on her face. "Very clever; do you know he can argue with me for hours, and I have more fun than with my brothers? Not many people can argue with me and win, Poppy, but Severus can. Oops, I forgot I was supposed to call him 'Professor Snape'. I call him 'Severus' inside my head, though, why can't I call him that out loud? He told me to, that's why, in that lovely, sexy voice of his. Don't you think he has a sexy voice, Poppy?"
"I think that the fennel and the dragon scales in the potions I just gave you are making you intoxicated," Poppy told her in amusement. "I always look forward to giving that combination to the teachers here, dear. I've found that it's best to have a great deal of blackmail material, just in case I have to convince you to cooperate with me."
"I'm not drunk," the young DADA teacher whispered in affront. "I didn't even get to drink anything. No fair making me drunk without getting to drink, Poppy. That's just mean…" her voice faded away as her eyes drifted shut in sleep. Poppy smirked as she watched her reluctant patient swiftly drift off.
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"She does look dreadful, doesn't she?"
"What is she sick with, Remus?"
"The Dragonpox. It's a magical disease that hits only adults, usually in their early thirties or forties, after their magical core has completed the maturing process."
Brethany frowned slightly as she began to awaken. Who was talking so loud? Her head hurt…
"But Brethany's only twenty! Why does she have it?"
"Brethany has been using her magic much, much more than most other witches or wizards, Harry. The more a person uses his magic, the faster their magical core matures. It's common for Aurors and Healers to contract Dragonpox earlier than normal, partially because their magical core matures from the constant use, and partially because of the large amounts of stress involved in what they do." Both people- men- were silent after that.
"Will she be sick for much longer? We all miss her in class," the younger voice sounded slightly put out, as though Brethany had chosen to have the sickness hit. The elder man chuckled.
"Dragonpox takes a few days to recover from, Harry." i Ah /i , Brethany thought, i Harry. Of course /i . "And it won't be fun for her, believe me. I vividly remember when I contracted it twelve years ago, when I was twenty-three. I was in France at the time, and thankfully had a roof over my head." He paused, his voice slightly strained. "The Dragonpox hit during the full moon." Brethany winced mentally in sympathy.
"I'm sorry, Remus," Harry's voice was disturbingly adult, as though he fully realized and understood the pain the older man had suffered and survived.
"Thank you, Harry," Remus spoke quietly, accepting the comfort the younger man offered. Neither spoke for a long moment, and Brethany decided to let them know that she was awake.
"Wngyuhshplzzz?" The two males jumped at the sound, and Brethany groaned. That was supposed to come out slightly less…garbled.
"Brethany!" The DADA teacher groaned again as she opened her eyes slowly. All she could see was a light blur, punctuated here and there with darker blurs, two of which quickly became bigger as Harry and Remus moved toward the bed. "How are you feeling?" Hands moved to help her sit up. Gradually, Brethany's vision cleared, and two concerned faces became clear.
"Rmsss…" Brethany grimaced at the garbled word, and the two males grinned. "Htyubs," she growled at them half-heartedly, and Remus laughed, having caught the gist of what she was saying.
"Here," the werewolf brought a goblet of water over to the bed, a straw hanging over the rim. "Drink slowly." Brethany glared, but obeyed, sucking the cool liquid gradually down her throat. "Better?"
"Yeah," she replied hoarsely, swallowing several times. "Better. What are you two doing here?"
Harry grinned at her. "Watching you sleep," he answered cheekily. "It can be recommended for those who have entirely too much excitement in their lives."
"I'm so happy that I could provide you with some much-needed boredom, then," the woman teacher said dryly. "Perhaps some extra homework, as well, just to ensure you get your 'daily dose'." Student and teacher stared expressionlessly at each other, then cracked up, laughing. For several seconds, the two looked at each other, giggling hysterically, until Brethany began coughing. Once her breathing went back to normal, the three sat in silence, simply looking at each other.
"Well, this is slightly awkward," Brethany quipped, her fingers tugging at the covers. "You both seem rather speechless. Is it my fantastic beauty that is stunning you, or is my bed-head really that horrific?"
Remus smiled, a hint of wistfulness in the expression. "I cannot speak for Harry, of course, but I was just thinking that you remind me a great deal of Harry's mother." Both young people looked at him in surprise, and the werewolf smiled.
"I do?" Brethany frowned in bemusement. "Well…I'm assuming you mean in temperament, then, because I know I don't look anything like Lily Potter." Harry nodded in agreement.
"Well, true, you don't have green eyes or red hair, and your nose is much nicer," Remus' eyes twinkled as Brethany choked on a laugh, "But you have the same stubborn tilt of your head when you've been challenged in some way, the same way of crossing your arms when you're aggravated, and the same exact gleam in your eye when you are arguing with Severus Snape."
"Mum didn't like Snape?" Harry asked in surprise. "I thought that she…" he trailed off slightly under his teachers' looks of surprise. "Er…"
"Oh, your mother was good friends with i Professor /i Snape, Harry, but she still argued with him. It was a…pastime, of sorts."
"You mean to say that you haven't seen or heard of my arguments with Severus, Harry?" Brethany laughed. "I would have thought the entire school would know about them by now, we've done it enough times."
"I have contrived to be discreet when responding to your carrying-on," a smooth voice spoke from the door, and all three jumped guiltily. Severus Snape entered the hospital wing with an expression of distaste, several small packages in his hand.
"Oh, presents!" Brethany grinned widely, trying to push herself up into a higher sitting position.
"Let me help you," Remus spoke up, moving quickly to her side. With the man's hands helping to lift her, she managed to sit almost straight up, with several thick pillows supporting her.
"Must you put your paws all over her in such a manner, Lupin?" Snape's tone was sharp. "Such repulsive displays should be saved for privacy, I should think," he added in disgust. Harry opened his mouth to begin shouting, but was deterred by the identical smiles of mischief on the other two adults' faces.
"Why, Severus," Remus began, moving to place a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Are you jealous?" Brethany finished, a bright smile on her face.
The Potions Master shrugged off the werewolf's hand, scowling at the two. "Your parents portkeyed these into the Headmaster's office," he said brusquely, ignoring the question. He tossed the packages onto Brethany's bed, then stalked off, his robes swirling ominously behind him. Remus and Brethany exchanged small grins before breaking out into chuckles.
Word Count: 1821