Shiver

A/N: I am soooo sorry that it has taken me this long to update! I know that excuses are just that, but I have been really busy. We have tests coming up next month and I've been having to study about six different books and memorize some of the quotes from the works... and not to mention all of the babysitting that I've been doing!

But anyway, here is the next chapter, and I'm so sorry for the long update... please don't kill me?


Shiver


When Severus, Harry, Remus and Layla had reached Severus' rooms, he had led the four of them into the living room, placing a ward around the floo to stave off any unwanted interruptions. Severus sat down in 'his' arm chair, pulling Layla into his lap as he did so. Harry smiled shyly at Remus as he pulled him to sit in his lap. Remus smiled back and nuzzled his neck gently.

Harry relaxed into Remus' grasp, shifting slightly as Remus' hands managed to find their way underneath his shirt, coming to rest on his stomach. Remus smiled across the small space at Severus as Harry flushed slightly from embarrassment.

“Well, Remus... it seems that neither of these two have any objections to your joining...” Remus smiled, lightly licking Harry's neck, smirking when he felt Harry shiver in his grasp.

“I believe I can see that, Severus.” Layla stifled a small giggle in Severus' neck quickly. Severus retaliated from being laughed at by swiftly maneuvering his hands into the pajama pants Layla was wearing, dislodging them enough to send them to the floor, leaving her in her short shorts, shiver from the unexpected cold.

“Sevy!” he merely raised an eyebrow at her indignant cry. “Big meanie.” Remus snorted, pulling Harry against him tighter.

“Um...” three sets of eyes trained onto Harry as he flushed a brighter shade of red.

“Yes, Harry?” Remus purred in his ear. If possible, Harry flushed brighter.

“Aren't we supposed to be... um, getting to know each other a little bit better?” his eyes pleaded with Layla, hoping that she knew what he was talking about, being too embarrassed to say it aloud. She smiled slowly, her eyes gleaming.

“I think... what my darling Harry means, is that... Well, Harry and I know each other pretty well, and Harry and you, Sev, should know Remus pretty well... and well, since the majority knows each other really well... Can we move on to our physically learning segment of his evening?”

~*~

“Come here, my darling.” he held out his hand weakly, the potions did their best to help him, but he just couldn't get the strength he needed. His daughter was doing the best she could, brewing all of his potions, but she wasn't a Potions Master. He sighed softly as she came to his side, kneeling next to the bed, taking his hand in hers.

“Yes, father?”

“I want you to know... that I've always loved you, Rita. Even though I never told you as often as I would have liked to-”

“Father, don't.”

“No, I have to, darling.” she closed her eyes painfully, not wanting to hear the words her father believed to be some of his last.

“You know as well as I do, that I won't be lasting much longer. I have been tortured more than any wizard should be able to live through. It's a miracle that I've even lasted this long.” he softly took his hand from hers, gently stroking her cheek, causing her to open her eyes at last. There was a misting of tears and guilt filled his eyes, knowing he was the cause of his daughters suffering.

“Father, you don't have to-”

“I want to. I know that you have always tried to gain my approval, you wrote for the Daily Prophet and writing stories that landed on the front page, thinking that I'd tell you that I was proud of you. Well, darling, I have to tell you this now. I've always been proud of you. In anything and everything that you've done, I've been proud of you. I just hope... that you can forgive an old man for being too stubborn to tell his daughter how much she meant to him.”

Rita's eyes welled with tears as her bottom lip trembled dangerously. She nodded vigorously, wanting nothing more than to hug her father tightly, but she feared she would hurt him if she did.

“I forgive you, father.” he smiled sadly, his eyes softening.

“I can only hope, my darling, that it's not too late for you to save yourself from what I've dragged you into. I'm so sorry.” she shook her head forcefully.

“It's not your fault, father, you only did what you thought was best...” he smiled bitterly.

“If only I hadn't promised It you... I'm sorry, my darling... but at the time... everything It was doing was going so well... I just thought that It would succeed...” a tear slipped down her cheek.

“I know, father, I know. I would have done the same thing.” He smiled for a moment before his face turned into a grimace of pain.

“Are you ok, father?” he stated to nod his head yes, but stopped and nodded 'no.' “What do you need me to do for you?” his eyes met hers, and she nearly broke from the sheer pain in his eyes.

“Give me the Draught of Living Death, my darling. Please.”