St Mungo's Hospital

When Severus woke up, everything felt wrong.

His body felt numb, his head was pounding and he heard crying. Blinking, he tried to adjust his eyes to the light, his head ringing and the crying getting louder, he tried to sit up but he felt something slam against his chest, causing him to fall back against the cushion of a hospital bed.

He lifted his head slightly and looked at the blond hair over his chest as the person cried, their words muffled by tears and hair. "Please...wake up...I'm sorry..." Severus squinted, trying to focus through the haze of pain and confusion. The voice sounded familiar, achingly so. "Lucius?" he croaked, his throat raw and dry.

The blond head snapped up, revealing Lucius Malfoy's tear-streaked face. "Severus! You're awake!" he exclaimed, relief flooding his features. "I thought... I thought I'd lost you." Lucius lunged forward, wrapping his arms around him.

Severus frowned, trying to piece together what had happened. "What... where am I?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"We're at St. Mungo's," Lucius said, his voice trembling. "You...you were hurt during the ambush."

The memories began to filter back into Severus's mind, the ambush, the fight, the pain. "Draco... the Dark Lord... what happened?" he asked, his heart pounding with dread. Lucius opened his mouth and was about to reply when the two blue hospital doors swung open as Narcissa Malfoy ran into the room, a blonde bundle in her arms.

"Narcissa?" Severus rasped, his voice still weak. His eyes widened as he saw her, her face flushed with worry."Severus!" Narcissa exclaimed, relief evident in her voice. She hurried to his bedside, the small bundle in her arms squirming. "Thank Merlin, you're awake."

Severus's eyes drifted to the bundle, realizing it was a young child—Draco. The child looked at Severus with wide, curious eyes, his tiny fingers clutching at Narcissa's robes.

"Narcissa, what's happened?" Severus asked, his gaze shifting between her and Lucius. "I need to know everything."

Lucius sighed heavily, exchanging a glance with his wife. "The ambush... it didn't go as planned. The Dark Lord was defeated by Dumbledore but...blood was ahead...blood of death eaters and Aurors."

Severus froze, staring at the wall. The Dark Lord was dead... but so were half of the people he considered family. He heard the hospital doors open again but didn't pay it any mind until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Narcissa, but she wasn't looking at him; she was looking at what was in front of him. Turning his head, black eyes met green.

"Lily?" Severus whispered, his voice barely audible.

Lily Potter stood in the doorway, her face pale and etched with sorrow. Her red hair was disheveled, and she held a small bundle in her arms. "You," she said softly, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and grief.

"What are you doing here?" Severus was momentarily taken aback by her tone, but before he could respond, Lucius did it for him.

"What does it look like, Evans?" Lucius said, his voice edged with defensiveness.

Severus saw the way her eyes hardened at the sight of the Malfoys on either side of his hospital bed. The tension in the room was palpable, a reminder of the deep divisions and betrayals that had defined their recent past.

"I'm here for my husband," Lily said coldly, her eyes flicking back to Severus. "But now I want to know why this hospital is housing Death Eaters like him." She tilted her nose up at him before bouncing the baby in her arms slightly.

Severus flinched at her words, the accusation stinging more than he cared to admit. "Lily, it's not that simple," he began, but she cut him off with a glare.

"Not that simple? After everything that's happened? After everything you lot have done?" Her voice was sharp, filled with anger and betrayal.

Narcissa took a step forward, handing Draco over to Lucius as she spoke. "I suggest you go find your husband and leave before something happens to you."

Severus immediately interjected, his voice firm despite his weakened state. "Narcissa," he said, casting a warning glance at her. "Now is not the time."

Lily's eyes narrowed, and she took a step back, her grip tightening on Harry. "Typical," she spat. "Threats and intimidation. It's all you know."She shot severus a look before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

Severus sat there for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "I need some fresh air." He tried to move his legs, but it hit him like a sledgehammer – he couldn't move them, nor could he feel them at all. Tossing off the covers, he stared at his legs in frustration and disbelief. Panic began to rise within him as he realized the extent of his injuries. "Lucius, Cissa," he called out, his voice tinged with urgency.

Severus swallowed hard, trying to push down the rising panic. "I... I can't move my legs," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes shot up, going from Lucius to Narcissa as one thing stood out – they didn't seem shocked. They looked... sad.

"Sev..." Narcissa's voice trailed off, her eyes brimming with unspoken sorrow.

Severus couldn't bring himself to believe it. This couldn't be happening, Not to him. Not after everything he had endured, everything he had fought for.

"Severus," Lucius began, his voice gentle but firm. "You need to listen to us, we'll ge...

His voice started to fade as Severus felt everything around him closing in. The walls of the room seemed to press in on him, suffocating him with the weight of his despair. He wanted to scream, to lash out at the injustice of it all.

"No," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "This can't be happening." He tried to move his legs, screaming in frustration when they didn't respond. He hit them, hoping against hope that they would suddenly spring to life, but he felt nothing.

Tears welled up in his eyes as the reality of his situation sank in. He was paralyzed from the waist down, his once strong and agile body now rendered immobile. The sense of helplessness was suffocating, crushing him under its weight.

Narcissa felt a profound sadness, her heart breaking for him. She leaned in and hugged him, offering what comfort she could, but Severus could barely register her presence. His mind was consumed by despair, by the cruel twist of fate that had robbed him of his mobility.

"You'll find a way through this, Severus," Lucius said, his voice filled with determination. "We're here for you."

But Severus could only shake his head, his spirit broken by the enormity of his loss. "I can't..." he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I can't do this..." He closed his eyes, unable to face the harsh reality of his new existence. He felt as though he were drowning in despair, the darkness closing in around him with every passing moment.

A Couple of Hours Later

Lucius and Narcissa had left a while ago, but Severus hadn't noticed until now. Everything felt wrong, like his life was falling apart at the seams. He was useless now, everything he was had been defined by his body, his abilities, his legs. And now he was nothing, stripped of the only thing that made him feel worthwhile.

He stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind consumed by a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Anger, frustration, self-pity – they all swirled together in a toxic mix, threatening to drown him in their depths.

"What am I supposed to do now?" he whispered to the empty room, his voice hollow and devoid of hope. "How am I supposed to go on like this?"

But there were no answers, only the oppressive silence of the hospital room, mocking him with its emptiness. He felt as though he were adrift in a vast, uncaring sea, lost and alone with no hope of rescue.

Minutes stretched into hours as Severus lay there, trapped in his own private hell. He wanted to scream, to lash out at the unfairness of it all, but he had no strength left. He was hollowed out, a mere shell of the man he had once been.

As the darkness closed in around him, Severus felt a sense of resignation settle over him. Maybe this was his fate – to fade away into obscurity, forgotten and alone.