The Professor

Chapter 14


Somehow, Chloe had fallen asleep with Severus still in her arms. She had leaned back against the headboard of the bed and slept. Her dreams were terrible to behold.

She saw the images of Severus’ body before her and she couldn’t reach him. She was being held back by an unseen force. She screamed, but no sound came out. Severus lay dying and there was nothing she could do about it.

She awoke with Severus’ head in her arms. He slept still. Chloe’s body was covered in dirt, blood and sweat. She needed to clean herself up. She slowly and carefully slid Severus onto the bed and adjusted the pillows beneath him. She stood and stretched her aching body. Her neck hurt worse than anything from being hunched over most of the night. She needed a hot shower and food.

She stirred Poppy who was asleep in the chair and motioned that she was leaving.

“Where are you going?” She asked her.

“Just to my rooms to clean up a little and change clothes. I will be as quick as I possibly can.” Poppy nodded her head and ran her eyes over Severus’ prone body. She waited until Chloe had left and she walked over to the bed. Her instincts told her that Severus could die. She had never had a patient die before. Of course, she had worked at Hogwarts so long, she never had to deal with life and death situations. She was impressed with Chloe’s dedication to serving Severus. She wondered what type of relationship they had had before his fateful encounter with that Death Eater woman.

She had cleaned an uncountable number of wounds inflicted by a whip. His finger could not be fixed, because they did not have the missing digit to reattach. He had had a hot poker pressed against his legs and feet at least a dozen times. Not to mention the obvious Cruciatus curse being cast on him on top of everything. He had broken a few ribs, a few fingers and his foot. Those, she healed rather quickly. At the very least, she was able to spare him that particular pain.

Poppy went back to her chair and sat. She hoped he didn’t wake before Chloe returned.


*****

Chloe stood in the shower and cried. She couldn’t catch her breath. He was her friend. No matter what else she wished he could be, he was that. Her heart ached for him. Her mind could not wrap itself around the fact that he might not survive. And if he did, he could possibly be in a vegetative state forever.

So this was his repayment for everything he had done? Tortured alone and left to rot. She should have told him her feelings before he left that night. At least he would have known. He would have slipped into his pain and torture induced oblivion knowing someone cared for him. He would not have believed he was alone in this world.

She would stay with him for as long as she had to. She would see it through to the end. She felt he would have done the same for her. Wouldn’t he?

She dressed and ran a comb through her hair. She tied it up into a tight knot and asked Frenny to bring her lunch to the dungeons. She couldn’t really eat, but she knew that she had to.

She passed few students in the halls. It was Saturday and what’s more, a Hogsmeade weekend. Many students were outside enjoying the crisp fall weather. Talking about the Halloween feast and running along carefree. Chloe’s anger rose in her again. If Severus died, she would make sure everyone knew the truth of his life. She owed him that much. He couldn’t be remembered as the mean Professor at Hogwarts, No. He was the quiet soldier, the one who moved in the shadows and fought the darkness from devouring the light.

********

She turned the corner that lead to Severus’ private chambers and saw the door open.

That’s funny.

She pushed the door open and saw a few people standing in a small cluster speaking in whispered voices. But she passed over them completely, walking towards the bed. Poppy was trying to sooth Severus’ hair. He had woken and was laying in the fetal position, crying.

He was saying something, but they couldn’t understand his words. His speech was slurring as if he was drunk. His eyes were closed tightly and he had wrapped his arms around his stomach.

“Chloe, I’m so glad you’re back. He woke up a few minutes ago. He was able to drink more medicine for pain. I’m trying to calm him down.” She spoke in a hurried whisper. Chloe came and sat next to him on the bed.

“How is he doing?” She asked.

“He seems…to be handling it better. Of course the pain is actually good right now. It means his brain is working as it should. However…” she leaned in close to Chloe. “he keeps saying your name dear. Over and over again. I think he knew you had left.” Chloe’s heart exploded in her chest. The pain of it all. She nodded and took Severus’ head in her arms again.

“Sweetheart, I’m here. I didn’t leave you…I’m here. You’re going to be alright. Shhhh.” She began rocking him and she felt him sigh. He fell asleep instantly. Chloe now let her gaze fall on the unknown people in the room. There was Poppy and Albus standing with a group of people she had never seen before, though one looked oddly familiar….

Poppy went to whisper in Albus’ ear and then left the room. The remaining wizards made their way over to Chloe, who held Severus’ sleeping form in her arms.

“Chloe, these are some of my friends. They have come to see to Severus’ condition.” Chloe nodded her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. There were five altogether. One was a young woman with brown hair and a small frown on her face. She was standing closely to a man with red hair, Chloe knew to be one of the Weasley’s. Behind him, an old man, who looked an awful lot like Albus. Same white hair and beard. He just didn’t have Albus’ blue eyes. Another older man, who was almost bald, but had small amounts of red hair around his temples. The father of the Weasley family she rightly guessed. The young man, standing away from the group was a tall, skinny young man wearing glasses and had dark green eyes. His face was contorted with anger and sadness. Could it be…yes.

Harry Potter had come back to Hogwarts.


******

Her voice filled his ears.

Her face was forever imprinted in his mind’s eye. Even when he thought she had left him forever, she came back and his heart beat again.

It hurt to breath. It hurt to swallow. But she kept telling him it would be alright.

He wanted so much to believe her.

How can you have hope in Hell?