Drops of Juniper (Discontinued, Rewrite On My Profile)

Chapter 4: Serenity and Sapphires Warning

*TW MENTION OF DEATH*

Snapes POV

I stood there staring at her; she had laid back on the chair I had placed her in, her eyes closed, and her eyelids fluttered rapidly. I breathed a sigh of relief. A mixture of a Calming Draught and a Healing Potion seemed to have worked. Her wounds slowly disappeared from her chest, and her breathing returned to normal. I stood for a while longer and stared at her, her shirt torn and stained with blood, her legs covered in dirt and her knees scraped. Her hair was matted, and remnants of twigs and fauna tangled into it. I sighed and picked her up slowly to not wake her and began my way to the hospital wing.

Junipers POV

I woke up to rays of light warming my face, and I looked around; a woman came rushing toward me

"Oh hello dear, glad you're finally awake," she said, placing a glass of water next to the bed.

"Where am I?" I asked, a bit confused; the last thing I remember was being in Snapes' office

"You're in the hospital wing; Professor Snape brought you in last night" she handed me a biscuit "eat, or I'll have to keep you here longer, and I'm quite certain that you wouldn't want to miss the last Hogsmeade trip before Christmas" she gave me a slight wink. I took the biscuit and took a small bite; it was dry and tasted like cardboard, I didn't have much of an appetite, but I did want to go to Hogsmeade.

Madam Pomfrey, I later learned, allowed me to leave the hospital wing around noon; I decided to shower since I was still in the same filthy clothing as last night. I went back to my dormitory and gathered my toiletries, and headed for the shower, which was a small room located to the left of my common room.

I made the water as hot as I could handle and stepped in; the heat instantly relaxed my muscles, the dried blood on my chest slowly fading away, turning the water pinkish. I stood there and thought about last night and the creature, how I was possibly only minutes away from death; if it hadn't been for Snape, I probably wouldn't have made it. The thought of him standing over me in his grey nightshirt and the way his eyes looked at me caused a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Get it together, Juniper; you can't possibly have feelings for every person that saves you, I thought. Although the number of times Sapphire and Serenity had saved my life entered my mind, I never got this feeling with them, even though I loved them more than life.

I stayed and thought about Snape and my friends a while longer until the water stayed to turn lukewarm; I then shut it off and stepped out, my skin red from the hot water. I pulled a towel around myself and stared into the mirror above the sinks, taking in my appearance. My wet long, brown hair stuck to my neck and shoulders, tattoos running up my left arm, scars causing white slashes in the dark ink, making them look disfigured. Three new pink scars were along my chest where the creature's claws had cut into me. 

 I sighed, looking away and began pulling on some clothes; since there were no classes, I wasn't required to be in uniform; I pulled on an oversized black crewneck and black leggings that had sherpa inside for extra warmth. I exited the shower room and put on my black low-heeled boots; I wore them daily, the heel adding an extra inch or so. Grabbing my winter cloak from one of the hooks next to my bed, I left the common room and made my way up to the courtyard where the students who had stayed at Hogwarts for break were gathering, waiting to head to Hogsmeade. As I approached the crowd, Mcgonagall stood with Snape; I felt a wave of nausea form in my stomach as I stared at him; he turned his head slowly and looked me up and down. I swallowed hard and looked away quickly, my face heating up even though it was in the negatives.

Slight Time Skip

Once in Hogsmeade, everyone started in different directions; everyone was very excited; I started toward the Three Broomsticks pulling my cloak tighter around me. I stood outside the pub and debated about going in, but before I made my decision; someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me into a small clearing behind a shop. My breath hitched, and I tried to scream, but a hand was quickly put in front of my mouth. When they had finally let go, I stared at the two girls in front of me; I gasped loudly. It was Serenity and Sapphire.

"What? How? Why are you here?" I managed

They frantically looked around, "Listen, we don't have much time," Sapphire said, a look of worry visible on her face.

"It's Chasin; he knows, he knows where you are, and he knows what you took." Serenity said; I stared at them in disbelief

"How?" I managed; before the girls could answer Kara came rushing over, her cheeks flushed and panting; her breath coming out in clouds against the cold air.

"I told you not to come!" She said to Serenity and Sapphire clearly annoyed.

"We couldn't leave the both of you to fight alone!" Serenity said back defensively "we stay together, remember?" 

Kara sighed, "I remember, but the journey was dangerous!" 

"With Sapphire's wit, it wasn't a problem" Sapphire blushed at Serenity's remark.

"I'm glad you made it here safely, but I can't allow you guys to go back, Juniper was already in the Hospital Wing this morning"  Kara looked annoyed, "Juniper went into the Forbidden Forest and got attacked, it's getting dangerous" 

Sapphire looked at Serenity, a look of deep worry on her face, 

"If we can't go home..." Her voice trailed off.

Kara looked at both girls "I think we know someone that can help" she said before taking my arm and steering me back out the alley. 

"We're going to talk to Dumbledore" she whispered as we began the walk back to the castle.