The Assistant || Severus Snape x Reader ||

Chapter 24: The Road to Recovery

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"What am I supposed to do now?"

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The next morning rolled around and, as much as he hated to, Severus woke you up early. You had slept through the night, and you just looked so cozy that he almost considered leaving you be. However, he knew you had been concerned about Madam Pomfrey finding out you were gone, so he gingerly shook your shoulder to draw you from your sleep. You stirred awake and were met with the worst pain of your life. You knee was hurting so much worse than the night before, and had swelled almost triple in size.

He leaned over and left a gentle kiss to your forehead. Severus' voice was groggy from just waking up himself.

"It's time to get up," He spoke; "It's 6:30."

You nodded and gave a grumble of disapproval. You knew that Pomfrey always showed up to the hospital wing around 7:00, so you needed to get moving. You watched Severus as he got dressed into his usual robes. You couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on your face as you watched him button up his shirt. He noticed your stare and chuckled.

"Your mind is always in the gutter." He noted.

You laughed as you sat up in his bed, not looking forward to going back to the hospital bed. You slid out of bed, keeping your leg as still as possible so you didn't aggravate it more. You put the most menial amount of pressure on your leg, but resulted in you letting out a pitiful yelp. Severus was at your side in seconds.

"Don't try to stand on it." He instructed, sweeping you from the ground and holding you bridal style.

Severus was rather stronger than you expected, carrying you with such ease. You squirmed in his arms, protesting as he headed towards the door.

"Wait, Sev, what if someone sees us?" You asked, worried that you'd be caught.

"Not to worry. Students won't be out for another hour, and I assure you no other professors will be around." He said, pushing his door open with his foot.

You nodded in relief, listening to Severus' footsteps and the way they echoed off of the walls. You watched how the eyes of the people in the portraits around the castle followed the two of you as you moved. You always wondered what sort of things they had seen over the years.

"Did you sleep well?" Severus questioned looking down at your frame cradled in his arms.

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me stay last night." You said gratefully. You weren't sure how you would've handled being in the hospital wing alone all night.

Your fingertips brushed against the material of his robes, you could feel his firm chest through his clothes. You noted for a moment how Severus' robes flared out dramatically as he walked. Severus always moved like a man on a mission. You and Alicia always had an inside joke that he strutted like a runway model.

"Anytime. I'm glad you stayed," He spoke; "You need lots of rest over the next several weeks."

That reminded you once more of the long recovery journey you had ahead of you. You'd be in the hospital wing for at least two weeks, and it'd probably be a month before you could walk semi-normally again. There were a lot of unknowns for now. You didn't know how fast you'd bounce back. You didn't know how behind you'd get in all of your classes. You weren't sure if you'd have a permanent limp. However, there was one thing you knew for a fact.

Quidditch was out of the question.

You felt physically sick at that thought. Your head fell back onto his chest as he carried you through the castle and back to the hospital wing. He had been right, considering you didn't see anyone else the entire way there. He had just rounded the corner of the hallway when your voice sounded in his ears.