The light within -Snupin-

Chapter 31

His head was throbbing. It felt as if he was in a coma because he couldn't see and also couldn't move. His muscles hurt and he actually managed to choke out a groan from the uncomfortable position on his back. His throat was too dry so he tried to swallow but it merely hurt even more.

When he heard a muffled voice, he suddenly snapped in reality and realized what happened. He gasped for air and a faint sound went off, a sort of alarm. Footsteps rushed to his side and cold glass was pushed against his lips until he obediently opened.

"Take it easy, Mr Lupin. No need to hurry," A soothing voice whispered, one he knew all too well from spending a morning each month here. The potion slipped down and he swallowed, trying to hide his distaste of the awful taste it left behind. 

He needed to ask Madam Pomfrey where he was and made an effort to open his eyes. It was exhausting to do so but he managed to squint them open, being greeted with the bright light of a lamp that caused him an immediate headache.

"Sev-" He croaked out, not being able to finish his sentence without sending himself in a coughing fit. His nose was stuffy and his throat was burning. He must've caught a cold from sitting up there so long. It wasn't important at the moment, he needed to see Severus.

"He's okay, dearest," She responded with fondness evident in her voice. Who would've thought this relationship would blossom into this. She was met with an unfamiliar Patronus merely a day before. She had learned to never ignore it, even when there wasn't a proper message, and followed it. The stag kept running faster and she knew something happened. It led her to the Astronomy Tower before it disappeared into thin air. 

She had trouble holding in her desperate, pained gasp at the sight. Two boys were both slumped against each other. Remus' arms loosely around Severus' fragile body. There were tears marking his cheeks, eyes puffed. When she averted her gaze to look at Severus, it was even worse. More tears, more puffy eyes and to her astonishment, blood splatters over his ripped clothes. She rushed over to them, falling to her knees and casting quick spells on the Slytherin to stop the bleeding from his wrist.

When she unwrapped the fabric that served as a bandage, she was horrified. How could she have never noticed the unhealthy habit of one of her students? She could've been too late. She treated the cut with care and gave him a mild dreamless sleep. His heartbeat was on the low side but he'd make it with special care, although he lost quite a lot of blood. Remus seemed to not have any physical injuries. He was merely exhausted, overworked and had a severe cold.

Now, Remus felt less tired and finally opened his eyes fully. Madam Pomfrey was hovering above him and immediately fed him another potion.

"Against the headache and the cold. You should feel better in half an hour," She announced professionally. He nodded and pushed himself on his elbows, ignoring the woman's protests that he needed to rest and lay down. He apparently fell asleep after finding out Severus was safe and he felt a bit better than before as well.

"Thank you," He said gratefully. Pomfrey offered him a warm smile. Remus was almost too afraid to ask her what he wanted to ask the moment he woke up.

"Do you want to see him? I am going to warn you that I'm not letting you stay out of bed the entire time." She truly wanted to grant him permission to stay with Severus but it was too risky. A quick visit could manage, though. 

Remus stayed patient as Pomfrey rolled up a wheelchair. He wanted to insist he had no need for it, that he could walk just fine and that it was nothing more than a mere cold. But he couldn't deny that his bones felt like jelly and that his muscles were burning with every movement. These things increased when nearing the full moon or just after the full moon, so he had learned how to deal with it but the fact that he also caught a cold and some other things, he obediently accepted the help he received. He sat down with a painful squirm. Magic helped him wheel to the other part of the closed curtain and Pomfrey shut it behind him for privacy.

He saw the figure lying in bed out of the corner of his eyes and averted his eyes quickly to the curtain. For some reason, he didn't dare to look at how bad it was. Severus survived, obviously, but even from the blurry figure he saw for a second or two, he noticed the sickly pale skin. He muttered stupidly to himself to just look at Severus. Sighing, he slowly turned his head to look at Severus.

Severus; pale skin, dark shadows under his eyes, high cheekbones as always and chapped lips. Merlin, he lost even more weight. Remus rolled the wheelchair closer until it was located right next to Severus' head next to the bed. He was breathing softly, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Remus adored the little snuff he let out with each exhale. The healthy blush on his cheeks was gone and when Remus shifted his gaze to look at the arms lying above the blanket, he noticed how bony they appeared to be.

With a shaking hand, he reached out, almost as if afraid Severus would suddenly wake up and seize his wrist. His thumb touched the cold skin of the place where the wrist connected with the palm, the only piece of skin that he was able to see. It felt lifeless, Severus looked lifeless. As a corpse, or someone in a coma. Perhaps he was, Remus hadn't asked Pomfrey about his conditions. 

The bandage was neatly wrapped around his forearm, the spot where Remus was foolish enough to believe the dark mark was. He felt horrible for his behaviour toward Severus.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, only now being aware of his entire body shaking and a tear leaking out of his eye. He fought the desperate urge to rip off the bandage, to caress his wounds with his love and care. He looked at the arm on the other side of Severus' torso, a bit further away from Remus. He strained his neck to see it better and swallowed thickly. More scars.

He didn't know how much time passed. It must've been about two hours before Pomfrey pulled back the curtain to inform him he needed to get back in bed. He protested weakly and to his surprise, she said nothing back and merely made sure that another hospital bed was set beside Severus's. He thanked her nonverbally as he was already dozing off in an uncomfortable position in the wheelchair. The bed wasn't entirely pushed against the other one with Severus on it, but a few inches in between.

He managed to crawl under the blankets without any help and squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a sob as that day kept replaying in his mind.

A/N: Ugh! So I keep adding more and more to the story....so that means more chapters!