Heartbreak

Severus's body was on fire, and the fact that he couldn't bend his arms to scratch at his bites was nothing short of agony. He had thought that by being accompanied by Hagrid, Mosag and her brood could be reasoned with regarding a relocation away from humans, even with Aragog's absence of over a decade; in a perfect world, they would be sent to a secluded island. It wasn't until the first Acromantula had leaped onto Hagrid that Severus knew that peaceful talks were never going to work.

The anti-venom, while keeping him alive, did very little to numb the pain, but he couldn't risk using a painkiller. Acromantula venom was a temperamental substance, and the anti-venom even moreso; if he tried, he was concerned that the anti-venom would be neutralized due to a numbing compound found in most wizarding sedatives and painkillers. He would have to make a note of it for his notes on the second edition of Potionmaking for Dunderheads.

Severus heard the bedroom door open, but the throbbing pain from the bites in his neck and shoulders (well, from every inch of his body, if he was paying attention) prevented him from sitting up or turning his head. Fortunately, he recognized the footsteps; unfortunately, he recognized the footsteps.

"... Marlene...?" Severus whispered, his throat sore. He managed to turn his head enough so that his eyes found the small girl standing beside him, and what he saw made him regret his actions.

Marley's eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were damp from what he had to assume was crying. "Mummy said you're hurt," the girl whimpered out.

"Only a little," Severus replied hoarsely.

"Are you going to the hospital?"

"If I go, I won't be allowed to teach for the first half of the year."

"So what?" Marley asked weakly.

"It's important to me. I can't let a few spiders get in the way."

"... spiders?!" Marley had raised her voice with panic.

"Shh, sweetheart, they weren't that big."

"But they bit you!" Marley's face twisted as she started crying again.

"I've been bitten before," Severus replied. "Between you and me, I'm very, very hard to kill."

"Very very?"

"Very very very."

Marley giggled through the stream of tears as she snuggled her head next to Severus's. Severus felt one of her arms wrap around his chest and latch onto his shoulder, which sent an entirely new wave of torment through him.

"I'll be fine, dear. I know you're all upset, but you have to be strong for me, yes?"

Marley's head nodded against Severus's.

"I'm sure Alice-Marie's upset as well, but she's been strong too."

"Alice isn't strong," Marley mumbled.

"That's a very unkind thing to say," Severus reprimanded, although the strength in his voice prevented him from anything other than whispering the words.

"It's true," Marley shot back, once more upset. "She hasn't spoken or left our room since we all found out you were hurt."

Severus felt something in his chest sink. "Is she alright?"

"She's buried under her blanket all the time. Nev's sitting with her."

Severus felt a new pain spread through him. "Sweetheart, can you ask her to come see me?"

Marley nodded and dried her eyes on her sleeve as she hurried out of the room. Severus heard a door open, the sound followed by a few voices in conversation, one of which was unsteady by every sense of the word. After a few minutes had passed, and Severus had forced himself to sit up despite the pain, Marley returned to the room, this time followed by Neville, whose eyes were equally puffy, and Alice...

Alice's entire body was shaking, her small, tear-stained face colored tomato-red as sobs forced themselves out of her mouth. She was clutching a familiar book to her chest, her knuckles white. It sounded as though she was trying to speak, but there wasn't a single word that left her tongue that wasn't completely incoherent.

Severus felt his soul leave his body at the sight. "Alice, come here," he whispered as loudly as possible, reaching out for her.

Alice shakily walked to Severus's side and rested her head on his shoulder, where she continued to sob. Severus forced his elbow to bend, ignoring the pain, so that he could rest his hand on her head and stroke her hair.

"I'm not going to die," Severus said softly. "Not yet."

Alice wailed out something completely unintelligible, the sound muffled by the gauze around the shoulder bite.

"How about we read a little, yes?"

Alice withdrew from Severus's shoulder and took a small step back, her breathing uncomfortably unsteady as she nodded.

"Neville," Severus asked, "could you read for us?"

Neville gently took the book from Alice and gave her a tight hug as Marley pulled up the chair beside the bed, the latter choosing to sit beside Severus's hip while Alice knelt by Severus's head, resting her own beside his.

Neville cleared his throat and began by reading, "'Chapter 1: Lucy Looks Into A Wardrobe'..."