A/N: 200 reviews, oh my god! Thank you to everyone following this story- your thoughts bring me a lot of joy. I know a lot of you are asking for an AU ending to this story, I don't like to go outside of canon, but by Deathly Hallows I may not be able to let Severus die, who knows?

"God damn it, Minerva!" the Mediwitch heard an all too familiar voice shout from one of the classrooms as she made her way to the library. Knowing that it couldn't be good, Poppy hurried towards the sound of the voice, hearing a large bang against one of the walls.

In the matter of moments, she was able to find the classroom where the commotion was coming from, and she leaned against the doorway, seeing the Potions Master practically glued to the window. "Severus?" she called, making her presence known as not to disrupt him when he was in an angry state.

Severus turned to face her, a look of worry written across his face. Poppy hurried to the window, looking out to see their Deputy Headmistress in the middle of the courtyard, hugging the professor she hated the most, facing off a woman who was out to get her. Her friend's stomach lurched at the scene. Minerva had done nothing but push at Umbridge and the entire staff was worried about when it was going to fire back. Umbridge, as the high inquisitor, or whatever the hell she had titled herself, had far too much power which she was not afraid to use against anyone. Ever since the start of term, Minerva had been the main source of push back against Umbridge's rules. They all hated her, but Minerva had taken it upon herself to give the woman as much hell as she could. Anyone who threatened the safety of students or questioned her teaching faced the worst of Minerva's wrath.

The usually stern man had wide eyes which he had barely taken from the window. Since Umbridge's arrival and Minerva's run-ins with her, he had aged significantly. Dark circles surrounded both of his eyes and even when he threw his students his usual scowl, Poppy had noticed that there was anxiety beneath it. She placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him slightly away from the window. "How about I keep watch for a while?"

Severus turned to look at her. "Would you?" he asked in a small voice, so unlike the usual monotone he spoke in.

Poppy nodded and turned back to the scene unfolding below them as Severus settled into a chair. He held his head in his hands, his black hair obscuring his face. Smiling to herself, Poppy couldn't believe how much their relationship had changed.

From what Poppy could tell, Minerva and Umbridge were just arguing. "What would that woman do without us to keep watch?"

"I'd rather not think about that," Severus muttered in response.

"It's funny." Poppy found herself thinking out loud.

"Hm?" Severus asked, looking up.

"You and I…we somehow have become…friends." She chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the mood. Severus did not laugh or offer a chuckle, but she thought she saw the side of his mouth twitch into what was the closest he could get to a smile. The stress he was under was clearly eating at him. The healer in her wanted to minimize the damage it was inflicting on his health. "Here we are," she said, motioning to them both.

"Here we are," he repeated. "You never ask questions, that much I've learned to appreciate."

Another bout of silence fell between them until Severus broke it. "I…I care about that bloody woman so much, I..." His voice trailed off.

Poppy smiled. "I know. I know you do."

"Ever since Umbridge arrived, she's been out of her mind…getting herself into fights, encouraging students to do the same. For Merlin's sake, she won't let on, but I think she's teamed up with the Weasley twins. She's trying to get herself killed, acting like a blithering idiot."

"She's acting like a Gryffindor."

"I never could tell the difference between the two."

Neither spoke for a few minutes, Poppy turning her attention back to the window. Suddenly, the large figure of their Headmaster came from the side of the courtyard, pushing his way through the crowds. "Severus!"

He must have sensed the urgency in her voice, for her immediately stood and came to her side at the window. They watched the scene unfold, Albus clearly speaking to Umbridge. Soon, Minerva had disappeared back into the castle with an arm around Sybil. She heard Severus let out a deep sigh as he leaned against the wall. "Well, he certainly had good timing," Poppy commented.

"Of course. The Headmaster graces us with his presence once, and he's going to be regarded as a hero." Severus shook his head. "At least she's inside."

He began to move out the door, but Poppy reached out and caught his arm. "It's not worth an argument, Severus." The man simply stared at her. "You know it's not going to change her. Umbridge coming in and threatening her teaching…that's what Minerva prides herself on the most. In all the years I've known her, Minerva has shown great restraint, except when it came to her students. No matter how angry you get, you won't be able to convince her that there is another course aside from giving Umbridge hell."

"I know." Severus pulled his robes tighter around himself.

"Can I ask you something else?" Poppy said hesitantly. What she'd heard Minerva say months before was still bothering her. "Well, two things, I suppose."

"It depends on the question," Severu smirked.

"The first…was…did something happen to Minerva last year?"

"You'll have to be more specific, Poppy."

Poppy wrung her hands. She'd never been one to talk about heavy topics; her parents had always taught her to keep to herself. "With Karkaroff."

Severus's face hardened. "How do you know?"

"I overheard her say it sometime, I can't remember when," Poppy lied.

"Yes."

"Is she okay?"
"She is…I got there, Filch got me to intervene, before it was too late."

"Filch?" Poppy asked, surprised. Admittedly, she'd never given the Caretaker much thought, especially not in the area of valiance.

"He came and got me." Severus had a slight hitch in his voice as he talked about it. "She held her own, as one would expect."

"As one would," Poppy muttered. "Did he…Karkaroff?"

"No. He ripped her blouse open."

Poppy let out an audible sigh, feeling guilty it was out of relief. What had happened to her friend was still horrible, but she'd feared the worst. "I wish she'd tell me these things."

"Minerva would never admit that. And to your second question, Poppy?"

Trying to digest the information she'd just received, Poppy tried to recall her second question. "Are you alright? With all this…with Minerva…with whatever it is you do for Albus, I don't truly know."

The dark man looked confused. "You should know I'm quite like Minerva. Would I reveal to you even I wasn't alright?" He smirked, and Poppy couldn't help but smile at his response.

"I hope you think of me as a friend too."

"I've never had much as friends go, but you lot are what I'd imagine that feels like. Especially you and Filius. Though, I'll admit Filius seemed to jump at the opportunity far before you."

Poppy blushed, remembering how much she'd openly hated Severus. "I heard you're teaching Occlumency to Potter. I'd imagine that's infuriating."

"It's mostly looking at his pathetic thoughts," Severus replied. "You could imagine some people I'd rather not see are in those."

"I'd imagine so." Poppy agreed, knowing who he was referring to. Silence fell over them, and without another word, Severus had left the room. Poppy sat down in one of the chairs, holding her head in her hand. She knew Severus would never hurt Minerva. If his Death Eater past hadn't come out in all the years that they'd been together, she was confident it wouldn't now. He'd never shown to be a violent man, even when he was angry. He'd throw things, but she had never seen him put his hands on anyone, especially not Minerva. All his power was in his sharp tongue. Just like Minerva, she mused.

He was worried about Minerva. They all were. Poppy knew, however, that Severus had lost a lot of things in his life. He was an unhappy man. Minerva was the one source of light in his dark world. Poppy could see it when they were together. There were few rare moments where she had truly gotten to see the depths of their relationship. Even among the staff, who all knew they were together, the two rarely showed much affection towards one another. They were intensely private people. But, the few times the walls had come down, Poppy had seen just how much the odd couple cared for one another. They worked. They provided stability in one another's lives. Poppy just hoped they could make it through the year with both Minerva alive and Severus with some ounce of sanity left.