Love Potion

Virus

Blurry visions of faces paraded through Hermione's subconscious. She moaned and blinked them away. What was real? All she knew was that Severus wasn't close to her, as her heart longed for him to be. She reached out a hand and tried to call to him, but her voice didn't carry past her lips. She fought with her parched, tight throat.

"Shh, Love. Patience is key," a soft voice warbled through the cloudy half-reality she couldn't see past. Hermione became aware of the heartbeat of another, the soft breath of the one she longed for.

"Sev..."

"Professor Snape, right now. There's people right outside, Love."

"Professor, what... where am I?"

"The infirmary. Madame Pomfrey has been caring for you in my absence."

Hermione pulled his face close to her own, and whispered in his ear, "I felt your absence, even semiconscious. I knew you weren't there... and I hated every minute of it!"

Her words melted Severus' heart.

"Stay with me, Severus! Pretend to be feeling ill. I can't stay away from you any longer. Please?"

He sighed. How could he say no to Hermione? He loved her, and it was stronger than ever now.

"Okay," he sighed, giving in. "I will."

"Good... promise?" her voice was getting softer as she sank out of consciousness.

"I promise."

Severus pretended to have a fever, as he had promised.

When Madame Pomfrey came up to him and asked why Hermione had been outside, traumatized the way she was, he told her it was a werewolf attack that he'd had to rescue her from.

Hermione smiled softly when she woke to hear him telling them about how he'd just barely escaped with their lives against the ferocious beast. He did make Hermione sound like one of those dippy blonde girls in those muggle superhero movies- the ones who do nothing but scream the whole time. But then again, thought Hermione groggily, if he was too nice to me, she'd be suspicious.

"She's been through a lot lately," Madame Pomfrey said.

"What do you mean?" Severus' voice was soft.

Oh no! Hermione's heart nearly stopped. Is she going to tell him-

"Oh, didn't you hear? She was diagnosed last month."

She did!

"No! Hermione? But- she's the most healthy kid on the face of the planet! How-"

"She was exposed to the virus as a baby, bless her. But she probably won't make it."

Severus nearly fell out of his chair.

"Oh, Severus? You seem overly worked up about this. Usually the only students you care about are your Slytherin kids. Why all of a sudden interest in a Gryffindor?"

"Um. Nothing! I- just- don't think any child should be- taken- um, by the virus. Especially so young," he murmured.

"Oh, I see! It's tragic, huh?"

"Yes."

Madame Pomfrey was suddenly swept away with a student with a fever across the hall.

Severus turned on Hermione. "Why didn't I learn about this sooner?! Hermione- why didn't you tell me?" his whisper was thick. Hermione turned over, hiding her face in her pillow so Severus didn't see her tears.

"I don't know how long I have to live. So I wanted to spend my last bit of time with you- without having to worry about it, or have you worry about me."

"Hermione! This is serious! You can die from the virus!"

"I know. I'm only supposed to have a few weeks, maybe months."

"I..."

Hermione cut him off. "No, Severus. I don't want to hear about it!"

Severus couldn't take it. He finally found love again, and she was going to die. Any day now, and it would be Lily's story- all over again.

He stood and rushed out of the infirmary as quickly as he could.

"Now, class. Onto the special lesson I promised you. How do you cure a virus?" Severus asked.

The class looked at each other, curiously.

"Um... you don't, sir?" a particular redhead piped up.

"Correct, Mister Weasly. I do not appreciate you yelling out. But, instead of taking ten, I suppose I'll only take five points from Gryffindor, since you did get it right."

Ron turned red and looked at his feet.

"But he is correct. There is no cure for the virus. Does anybody know what it is?"

His eyes immediately went to Hermione's empty seat, where he usually expected a hand to shoot into the air. When he realized she wasn't there, his heart throbbed.

Nobody dared.

Severus sighed. "I suppose you dolts wouldn't know." He turned to the chalkboard. "The virus," he said, "Is a particular disease that affects muggle-borns. The mixing of DNA from magical and non-magical inside their bodies is usually safe, but on occasion- and growing more rapidly as time goes by- this particular disease can occur. Can anyone tell me what it's symptoms are?"

Again, his eyes went to Hermione's empty seat.

He sighed again. "Nobody. Well. The virus has been known to make the sick witch or wizard have fierce hallucinations, strange marks on their body appear, such as a new freckle or skin discoloration, and..." his voice cracked as he finished. "Having strong infatuation with others that one may not have usually been infatuated with."

The class zoned out as usual. Severus didn't care enough to call them back to order. "Rarely does someone survive the virus."

Pansy Parkinson raised her hand.

"Miss Parkinson?" Severus asked.

"How does it kill if it's only a common magical virus?"

Severus' heart filled with bitterness. "It depends on the case."

"Well...?" Pansy prompted.

"Well, if, say, the first of the listed symptoms was the case. If the hallucinations become more realistic than reality to the victim, then the virus can take advantage of the victim's shaky sanity and kill them. If, say, they show the second one. There is no cure for the often ugly skin pieces, but it doesn't kill the victim in that case. For the third..." he paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "If the infatuated person is to let the third party get in the way of their fate's love, they will die."

Pansy snorted. "Hah! To think someone would be so stupid as to let a virus determine who they like."

Severus didn't argue. What could he say? He couldn't tell Pansy that the smartest girl in the school was that stupid person. No, he'd have to keep it to himself.

As painful as it was.