Chapter 8: Fighting for Survival
Severus was hard at work, looking for Shiloh. He thought he'd saw her running outside, he couldn't find her anywhere, and then, he'd saw something underneath the tree on the other side of the pond. He didn't know who it was before he had gotten closer. Then, once he did, his eyes were about to pop out of his head, and he ran to her in pure fear. He'd knelt down, trying to wake her up and checking her pulse.
"Hermione! Please! Wake up!" Severus pancaked as he tried to do some healing charms, her pulse was hardly there. But he'd managed to fasten her pace. Her eyes started to flicker as her vision was fuzzy, but she knew who it was. She was only conscious for less than a minute.
"Se…Sever—rus." Hermione stuttered, weakly.
"Hermione, it's going to be okay! Just stay with me! Please! I can't lose you too!" Severus cried, picking Hermione up, cradling her, her head resting on his shoulder, and he rushed her to the hospital wing.
"Severus…." Hermione whispered….she knew there was probably nothing anybody could do. She was poisoned, she's surprised he'd managed to wake her up. But she wanted to save him from that rat, Rita.
"Shhh….it's going to be alright, you're safe now, I won't let anyone hurt you again." Severus said he couldn't help it, but a tear fell from his eyes, he doesn't know how much time she had left. But he needs to try and give her to Poppy before it's too late.
"Severus….I….love…..you…..too…late….poisoned…" Hermione managed to get out before she passed out again. Severus was shocked by her confession. She loves him? She was poisoned! Different emotions spread widely through his body. He was happy that she felt the same way, terrified, scared that she won't make it, and anger flowed through his veins.
"POISONED!" He'd fined this bastard and kill him…or her.
"I love you too…stay with me, don't you dare die on me." Severus confessed to her, but he looked over and her eyes were closed.
What felt like forever, he finally reached the hospital wing, and he screamed her name until she came.
"POPPY!" He yelled and she came running, only to find Hermione Granger's limp body in his arms.
"Lay her down Severus, where'd you find her?" Poppy asked, as she was doing some tests on her.
"By the lake, underneath a tree, she's been poisoned, help her please!" Severus begged her. He could not lose another person he loved.
"I'll do everything I can, please step out and give me space." Poppy said. Reluctantly, Severus stepped out of the way, he went outside, waiting.
After about an hour or two, Poppy came out, and noticed Severus pacing back and forth, when he turned around, she noticed tears running down his cheeks.
"Severus!" Poppy yelled getting his attention; he stopped in his tracks, his black eyes staring at hers.
"So?" Severus asked desperately.
"You better sit down…"Severus almost fainted once he'd heard that, on the bench, he placed his head into his hands and sobbed uncontrollably. His entire body shaking, trembling with grief.
"NOT AGAIN! No! Oh Merlin, WHY ME! WHY HER! She didn't deserve to die! She's so young! She had her whole life ahead of her!" Severus ranted
Poppy walked up to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, gently stroking him.
"Severus…please…"Before Poppy could say anything else, he'd interrupted her.
"It's not your fault, you did all you could…she was poisoned." Severus' tears still falling upon his face.
"Severus…you don't understand…she's not dead…she's alive!" Poppy said. Severus thought he was going to faint again.
"Alive? Is…is…she awake?" Severus asked. Slowly getting up.
"Yes, you can see her, but keep your voice down please, don't stress her out." Severus rushed by Poppy and literally ran to Hermione's bedside.
"Hermione! Thank Merlin you're okay!" Severus said, grabbing her hand, Practically forgetting he's her Professor.
"Severus. I need to tell you something before something happens, you deserve to know the truth." Hermione said sternly. She didn't want to hide anything from Severus.
"What is it my love?" Severus said, caressing her hand.
"I'm Shiloh, I was helping Ron with a potions homework, and it exploded. I've been trying to tell you who I was, Severus please…I'm sorry for any wrong I did you." Hermione felt as if she wanted to cry, she could feel it in her eyes. All of a sudden, Severus felt anger within him.
"Did he make you do his homework?" Severus asked.
"You can look for yourself Severus…you have my permission." Hermione said. Severus did look into her mind.
"Hermione?" Ron asked as he, Harry and Hermione were sitting in the Gryffindor common room sitting by the fire place.
"Yes Ron?" Hermione replied back as she held a book in her hands.
"I was wondering if you could help me out on a potion." Ron asked.
"And what kind of potion would that be Ronald?" Hermione asked.
"Well…you remember that super powerful sleep potion we had to do for Snape on Friday? That's do tomorrow?" Ronald said. Hermione cocked her eye brow at him. '
"Don't tell me you didn't do it Ronald Weasley! You should know better by now then to wait till the last minute!" Hermione scowled him. It was a potion that could knock someone out cold for months, making them appear dead or a coma like state.
"Would you mind doing it please? I'll owe you big time if you do? Pretty please with sugar on top?" Ron begged as he got down on two knees with his hands clasps together and putting on a doggy face. Hermione sighed with lost hope.
"Fine Ronald….but you owe me big. That potion would literally take me all night. If I fall asleep during class, I WILL be blaming you!" Hermione said as she closed her book and stomped out of the common room and down to the potions class room.
Severus pulled out. He was more than pissed, how dare he! He knew he had intentions towards Hermione, he was also a lazy good for nothing waste of space. Hermione was too kind, and he'd took advantage of her. Evil bastard.
"Severus…please…say something." Hermione was worried.
"He took advantage of you Hermione. He knew, by the look in his eyes, he didn't have the gull to do it on his own, he knew he was going to mess up, it was a difficult potion, so he asked you to do it. It's not your fault, you're too kind, you always wanted to help your friends, and sometimes, like now….it has its consequences." Severus said. Oh, he was pissed.
"You're not mad at me?" Hermione asked shocked. This was not like him, the Snape she knew would've been furious at her for doing a classmates homework.
"I am a little mad at you for doing your friends homework, but I'm more pissed at Weasley, knowing how dangerous the potion is, especially doing the potion at night. That's why I said the assignment is supposed to be done during the day." Severus said. Hermione flung her arms around him, shocked, but he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
"Thank you Severus." Hermione said, tears rolling down her eyes.
"Hermione…I want a restraining order against Weasley…I don't want him anywhere near you." Severus demanded. Before Hermione could say anything, they heard a voice down at the entrance of the hospital wing.
"That can be arranged Severus." They both turned around and saw Albus Dumbledore heading towards their direction.
"How long have you been standing there?" Hermione asked.
"Long enough to know that you two love each other Mr. Weasley is in very deep trouble for what he has done. Regardless, his punishment is going to be severe. He will be expelled from Hogwarts for attempted murder, and he will be placed on house arrest until he turns of age to have a jury and they will decide his fate. I will not tolerate his kind of behavior." Albus said. Hermione surprisingly did not mind that. She never really liked Ron to begin with.
"I have no problem with that Headmaster." Hermione said. Severus nodded with agreement.
"Alright, I'll go find him and notify his parents. Arthur and Molly will not be please…but we have to do this…Take care Ms. Granger, and for the record…your relationship is fine with me, you are of age, and as long as you consent that's all that matters…Severus…take care of her." Albus said.
"Always." Severus said, holding her hand and Albus walked out of the hospital wing.
A/N: Sorry for the wait, I've been really busy with real life crap. I hope you like it and review!