Never Give Up, Chapter 10
Jan. 17th, 2011 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swissmargChapter 10
Akon - "Come Back to Me"
"Any change?" Harry laid a hand gently on Hermione's shoulder.
She looked down at the pale face of their former professor, lying in the bed at St. Mungo's, and shook her head.
"Maybe I should have left him at the Lovegoods'," she whispered, trying not to cry. She'd done enough of that over the last twelve hours, ever since she'd arrived that morning.
"You did the right thing, Hermione," Harry assured her, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Come on, you haven't eaten anything all day. My treat."
"I can't leave him, Harry! We left him once--"
"Ginny will stay with him."
Hermione turned around and saw Ginny hovering near the door.
She came over to stand next to Harry, putting her arm around his waist. "It's fine, Hermione. I'll let you know the second he wakes up."
Hermione shook her head again, turning back to Snape. "I promised him. Bring me a sandwich or something, I'll be fine."
Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. They knew how stubborn Hermione could be once she got her mind set on a cause.
"All right," Harry agreed, "but we'll be right back. And then we're going to stay here and make sure you eat, and leave with us at ten. You have to sleep sometime."
"Okay, go on," Hermione said hastily, having no intention of leaving, but wanting to appease her friends.
As soon as they left, Hermione pulled her chair closer to the bed and inspected Snape's face closely, looking for some hint of life in it. His eyes had moved back and forth under the lids at various times during the day, which Hermione hoped meant that he was asleep and dreaming... because that would also mean he had found his way back to his body.
The Healers had been running tests on him all day, checking for traces of Dark magic or poisons. They hadn't told her what they'd found, and Hermione was frustrated to no end at being so helpless.
She reached under the blanket and pulled out his hand. It was curled shut, so she gently pulled his fingers apart to check that her hair pin was still there, then pressed both of her hands around his to hold it fast.
Once she'd got herself established at his bedside, she'd notified Harry and Minerva of what was going on. She'd also asked Minerva to check in the dungeon quarters, to make sure that Snape wasn't still stuck there, but she'd reported back that the rooms were empty. Harry had made certain that a MLE officer was stationed outside of the hospital room, to turn away any curious members of the public or the press who might have heard about the situation. It would have to come out sometime, but for now they were trying to keep everything quiet.
Beyond that, Hermione knew, there was nothing more for them to do but wait. Time was ticking away, though. In just a short while, it would be twenty-four hours since his body had been moved, and since his spirit had -- possibly -- been unable to find its way back.
"Come on, Professor. Where are you?" she whispered. She realized that she had begun to massage his hand as she held it. His skin was warm, especially in comparison to her rather cold fingers. His own fingers were rounded and firm; solid. It was still hard for her to unify this body with the Snape she'd become acquainted with down in the dungeons. He had been not quite real, somehow; perhaps it was because she'd thought of him as a painting a good deal of the time. That was also probably one of the reasons she'd found it relatively easy to approach him, converse with him, even order him around a bit. And why she hadn't thought more than twice about prancing about half-naked in front of him.
Maybe he'd forget about that part.
As she absent-mindedly rubbed the back of his hand, she almost didn't notice his head roll slightly to one side. Then, though, her attention was drawn to his face as the skin around his eyes crinkled up, as if he were building up toward trying to open them.
Hermione's heart started hammering wildly. "Professor? Professor Snape?"
Finally, slowly, his eyelids lifted, and his gaze wandered around, hazy and unfocused.
"Are you all right? Can you hear me?" Hermione was torn between running for a Healer and jumping up and screaming at the top of her lungs for joy.
Snape's lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but was too weak.
"It's all right, I'm here," Hermione said breathlessly, then, realizing that he might not remember anything, added, "Hermione: Hermione Granger. We've been so worried about you."
Snape slowly brought his eyes around to focus on Hermione. "Water," he whispered hoarsely.
Hermione jumped up to fill the cup standing on the bedside table, then held it to Snape's lips and let a bit dribble in.
He closed his eyes again, and Hermione leaned over him, so close that her hair brushed his face, anxious lest he should drift off again.
"Professor," Snape said slowly and carefully, "don't go getting any ideas. This is my bed, and you're not going to usurp it so easily as you did the last one."
Hermione grinned, her throat constricting with emotion. "Welcome back, sir," she whispered, and brushed a hasty kiss against his cheek.
"Severus. Call me Severus."
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Akon - "Come Back to Me"
"Any change?" Harry laid a hand gently on Hermione's shoulder.
She looked down at the pale face of their former professor, lying in the bed at St. Mungo's, and shook her head.
"Maybe I should have left him at the Lovegoods'," she whispered, trying not to cry. She'd done enough of that over the last twelve hours, ever since she'd arrived that morning.
"You did the right thing, Hermione," Harry assured her, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Come on, you haven't eaten anything all day. My treat."
"I can't leave him, Harry! We left him once--"
"Ginny will stay with him."
Hermione turned around and saw Ginny hovering near the door.
She came over to stand next to Harry, putting her arm around his waist. "It's fine, Hermione. I'll let you know the second he wakes up."
Hermione shook her head again, turning back to Snape. "I promised him. Bring me a sandwich or something, I'll be fine."
Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. They knew how stubborn Hermione could be once she got her mind set on a cause.
"All right," Harry agreed, "but we'll be right back. And then we're going to stay here and make sure you eat, and leave with us at ten. You have to sleep sometime."
"Okay, go on," Hermione said hastily, having no intention of leaving, but wanting to appease her friends.
As soon as they left, Hermione pulled her chair closer to the bed and inspected Snape's face closely, looking for some hint of life in it. His eyes had moved back and forth under the lids at various times during the day, which Hermione hoped meant that he was asleep and dreaming... because that would also mean he had found his way back to his body.
The Healers had been running tests on him all day, checking for traces of Dark magic or poisons. They hadn't told her what they'd found, and Hermione was frustrated to no end at being so helpless.
She reached under the blanket and pulled out his hand. It was curled shut, so she gently pulled his fingers apart to check that her hair pin was still there, then pressed both of her hands around his to hold it fast.
Once she'd got herself established at his bedside, she'd notified Harry and Minerva of what was going on. She'd also asked Minerva to check in the dungeon quarters, to make sure that Snape wasn't still stuck there, but she'd reported back that the rooms were empty. Harry had made certain that a MLE officer was stationed outside of the hospital room, to turn away any curious members of the public or the press who might have heard about the situation. It would have to come out sometime, but for now they were trying to keep everything quiet.
Beyond that, Hermione knew, there was nothing more for them to do but wait. Time was ticking away, though. In just a short while, it would be twenty-four hours since his body had been moved, and since his spirit had -- possibly -- been unable to find its way back.
"Come on, Professor. Where are you?" she whispered. She realized that she had begun to massage his hand as she held it. His skin was warm, especially in comparison to her rather cold fingers. His own fingers were rounded and firm; solid. It was still hard for her to unify this body with the Snape she'd become acquainted with down in the dungeons. He had been not quite real, somehow; perhaps it was because she'd thought of him as a painting a good deal of the time. That was also probably one of the reasons she'd found it relatively easy to approach him, converse with him, even order him around a bit. And why she hadn't thought more than twice about prancing about half-naked in front of him.
Maybe he'd forget about that part.
As she absent-mindedly rubbed the back of his hand, she almost didn't notice his head roll slightly to one side. Then, though, her attention was drawn to his face as the skin around his eyes crinkled up, as if he were building up toward trying to open them.
Hermione's heart started hammering wildly. "Professor? Professor Snape?"
Finally, slowly, his eyelids lifted, and his gaze wandered around, hazy and unfocused.
"Are you all right? Can you hear me?" Hermione was torn between running for a Healer and jumping up and screaming at the top of her lungs for joy.
Snape's lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but was too weak.
"It's all right, I'm here," Hermione said breathlessly, then, realizing that he might not remember anything, added, "Hermione: Hermione Granger. We've been so worried about you."
Snape slowly brought his eyes around to focus on Hermione. "Water," he whispered hoarsely.
Hermione jumped up to fill the cup standing on the bedside table, then held it to Snape's lips and let a bit dribble in.
He closed his eyes again, and Hermione leaned over him, so close that her hair brushed his face, anxious lest he should drift off again.
"Professor," Snape said slowly and carefully, "don't go getting any ideas. This is my bed, and you're not going to usurp it so easily as you did the last one."
Hermione grinned, her throat constricting with emotion. "Welcome back, sir," she whispered, and brushed a hasty kiss against his cheek.
"Severus. Call me Severus."
Back to Chapter List
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 11:45 am (UTC)"I can't leave him, Harry! We left him once--""
In this chapter you have perfectly captured the feelings that one lives when experiencing such situation... They are perfect if we remember what happened to Snape, but it's also the feelings that many of us have lived, with regret, towards loved people, and not always there was a new chance.
I've cried, reading Hermione's worry, and smiled thankfully at the beautiful words that he tells her in the end.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 11:55 am (UTC)