"Do it Sev," Lily insisted, "just do it!"
"Do what?" I asked as she bounced in front of him. He looked down at her an adoring look on his face.
"Fine, fine." He lifted her on his back and cupped her thigh. With a deep breath he ran her around the tree going faster and faster as her whoops of joy grew louder. He stumbled as he came to a stop, his dark hair was wind blown and his pale cheeks flushed. She always had a way about her, she always seemed to bring him to life. His dark eyes landed on me.
"Would you like a go?" He asked tentatively. I grinned and climbed on his back. His hair tickled my neck as he ran. The colors around us blended and bent like abstract paintings. I whooped as well until he came to a stop. I dropped from his back. My smile faded when I saw a red faced Malfoy sitting along the castle, glaring daggers at the three of us. Lily took his arm and I took the other, after one last challenging look in Malfoys direction I let Severus lead us. It was about lunch time now and all three of us were running in E.
"Has James been kind to you lately," Lily asked as she served herself some spinach.
"Of course," he kept his dark eyes averted as he tore the crusts off of his sandwich.
"Don't lie to me, Severus." She said sternly.
"He's about as nice to me as he usually is. No big deal."
"When you lie you don't look people in the eye," I commented. He still didn't look up.
"I hadn't noticed."
"Why do you even let them pick on you?" I asked angrily.
"I don't ask for it, that's for sure. Everyone hates me and I haven't a clue why." He was ripping his sandwich now, "I got here in first year and I was hated. Not even the sorting hat wanted much to do with me!" A few people chuckled at that.
"There's also the fact that I'd rather be hated than feared. I could get revenge on those dolts, but then what? They'll accuse me of dark magic and other preposterous things and the heads will believe them."
"No they won't," I insisted, "I'll stick by you on this."
"Yes they will, they'll believe them because I'm bloody Slytherin." He stood up abruptly, anger made his eyes look like boiling tar. He swept away from us in a flurry of robes and disappeared before Lily or I could stand.
"That went well," Malfoy said mockingly. I glared up at him.
"Is there something you want?" I asked through clenched teeth.
"Yes actually," he said with a predatory smirk, "your Slytherin pall just ran away to cry, meaning you have no reason to be corrupting my table. In short? Beat it." I took the slice of pie I'd been eyeing and smooshed it on his vest.
"Sure thing." He lifted me off my feet by the fronts of my vest.
"You're pushing your luck, Granger." I smirked at him, letting my finger covertly tickle his neck.
"No I'm not." He dropped me, trying to hide the blush that spread like wildfire along his cheeks, "see ya Drakie." I called back at him.
We split up to find Severus. I took the stairs going up and she headed to the dungeons. I was the one to find him and sent a patronus to Lily. He was curled in a ball between some armor. I'd never imagined he could look so small.
"Sev..." He looked up at me through his hair.
"What is it Hermione?" He sounded tired, "I'm in a corner making no noise at all and pretending that I don't exist. If this doesn't scream leave me be nothing does." I ignored the bite in his voice and extended my hand to him.
"Come out of there," I told him sternly.
"Why should I?"
"Because if Malfoy comes through here nothing will stop him from kicking you." I shrugged, "you're being dramatic. You don't have to be loved widely, because you're loved deeply. Stop sulking about what you can't change." He took the hand, using it to push himself up before wrapping me in a hug. Luck was not on our side today it seems. Malfoy hit the corner like a bull. I didn't have time to push either of them back before Malfoy's fist connected with Severus' nose. I flinched when I heard the crack. Malfoy held him against the wall, his fist poised to strike again, but I stopped him.
"Back off Malfoy!" I screamed. He ground his teeth before dropping him.
"You were supposed to be thinking about it, not snogging this no body!" He shouted.
"A. I wasn't snogging him. B. I said if you stopped being a prat. IF. C. Even if A were true you do not break his nose because of it! D. He is not a nobody! Stop trying to put him down! Now help me get him to the nurse."
Malfoy's eyes smoldered with hate.
"No."
"I'm not asking."
"I'm not doing it." He countered.
"Draco!" He froze, "help me." He grabbed Severus by his arm and half dragged him down the stairs. I struggled to keep up and help apply pressure. There was so much blood, it made his arm sticky and flowed like a little river. His wrist was slick with it. Malfoy was being difficult, but at least he was helping me. We found the nurses office abandoned, Madam Pomfrey was no where to be found.
"Let me see it," I commanded. He eased his hand away from it, letting me see the purpling, crooked mess.
"Damn," Malfoy muttered, "talk about a beak." I glared at him and like a good ferret, he shut his face.
"We're going to find the nurse. Keep applying pressure okay?" I gave him my tie. He did as told, nodding somewhat breathlessly. Malfoy and I sprinted out of the infirmary in search of a missing Madam Pomfrey. I wasn't as fast as Draco so he went ahead, calling me out to the missing medi witch.
"Where's Severus," Lily asked. She ran into me, nearly taking me with her. Her wide doe eyes were frenzied, her fiery curls were wild. "Where is he Hermione?" She insisted. I dragged her alongside me.
"He in the infirmary." She nearly went into hysterics at the news.
"And why are we here? Running through the halls like children?"
"We can't find madam Pomfrey!" I told her breathlessly. She pushed her legs faster, pulling me along with her. We both pushed harder until we were trailing Draco. He turned neatly into the classroom to find her sitting there playing cards.
"What is it, boy?"
***Draco
I let Lily speak while I gasped again.
"It's Severus ma'am, he's hurt! He's been under a lot of pressure lately and he's done it again." The room went quiet.
"Done what again? He hasn't done anything, but get on my nerves. That's why he's in the infirmary, because I..." Realization hit me, his nose wasn't bleeding badly enough to make it drench his robes. I turned on my heels and took a deep breath before I took off toward the infirmary. The sound of my blood roaring was enough to deafen me to the sounds of my shoes slamming against the stone floors. I took a reckless turn around a pillar, I nearly lost my footing, but I scrambled to an upright position and propelled myself forward. Lily was behind me, trying to catch up, yelling and demanding me to stop. She demanded for me to go no where near him. A curse hit me in the shoulder causing me to go flying. I crashed into the wall by the nurses office, black danced in my vision as I struggled to stand. I shook the dizziness off and bolted into the nurses room. There he was, wand to pointed at his chest, eyes squeezed shut. I tackled him. With surprising strength he launched me off of him, scrambling for his wand. I pulled my own out of my pocket, the poor thing was snapped in two. With a grimace I discarded and opened my hand.
"Experillamus!" The wand shot from his hand and into mine. When his eyes widened with fear I discarded it. My breaths came in a wheezing rattle. That bitch really hit me with all she had. I forced myself to remain conscious, locking the door just as Lily ran into it. She banged on the charmed door, her voice coming in choked sobs. Serves her right. Bitch. I let my gaze settle on him.
"Tell me why," I ordered. He glared at me, defiance in his eyes.
"Or else? You've broken your wand and I'm pretty sure your rib is broken. I could blow on you and you'd fall over."
"And that would solve what? You'll knock me out and the door still won't open."
"Then I'll kill you,"
"You can't even kill your self," I snapped harshly. When pain flickered in his obsidian eyes I almost felt bad.
"So tell me why. Or else Lily will stand out there all day, beating her pretty little hands raw."
He crumbled at the thought of causing her pain, "there are millions of reasons." He muttered, "you, James, Hermione...Lily."
"Elaborate." God I couldn't breathe.
"You've turned my own house against me, Potter did the same for Gryffindor. The only two friends I have fancy my biggest enemies and the one I love the most will never love me back."
"And why would she?" He continued, "look at me! She's beautiful and I'm...not."
"So you want to kill yourself because someone doesn't like you...better yet...you want to kill yourself because you're ugly? That's rubbish!" I roared. "My sister killed herself." But I didn't stop there, "I found my bloody sister hanging from her tie in her chambers. Do you know why? Because she thought that no one could love her. Do you know how MAD you sound? You do not base your value of yourself off of what some kids at a boarding school see. You'll never see me again after you graduate. You'll never see James. You're going to kill yourself instead of biting the bullet for six more months?" I let my words hang in the air an I stepped closer. "I was ten when I found her. She'd shit herself and she'd probably been there for days. I was with grandmum so I wouldn't know. Her eyes were open and her blue fingers held onto the noose. She'd tried to save herself after she kicked the chair." Tears glittered in my eyes, but I shook them away. "Do you want Lily to find you that way? Covered in shit, clinging to your waist, so distraught she can't eat or sleep or function? Do you want her to lose the ability to love or laugh?"
"No," he muttered pathetically.
"Do you want her to feel like you?" I shouted.
"No!" He said louder. A tear fell.
"Do you want her to be like me." Those words were followed by silence.
"No..." He whispered, he hit his knees and covered his eyes as he sobbed, "no, no, no!"
"Then get your shit together!" I snapped. I released the charm on the door and sat heavily on a cot. My vision swam, but before I passed out completely I saw Hermione, Lily, and Severus together all embracing in a pathetic puddle of tears.
A.N::/ I forgive you all for not reviewing. Maybe you all will review this time. #hopeful