His Light

Chapter 3

My skull pounded. I cringed when I noticed the glaring white light through my eyelids. I wanted to shift a hand to cover my eyes, but that might signal whoever was in the room that I was awake. And I wasn't sure I wanted to be awake just yet.

I didn't know where I was. For all I knew, Potter and Black could've taken me somewhere to torment me more.

I kept my breathing slow, but nearly flinched when I heard a woman's screech in the room.

"How dare you! Severus is in the hospital wing several times a week, and while I don't ask questions, it's quite clear who is doing this to him. Don't act like you haven't noticed."

A lower voice spoke next, but it was too quiet to decipher who it was. "I acknowledge your concern, Poppy, but Mr. Snape can handle himself. Teenagers will be teenagers—"

"That doesn't make it right! This has gone on for years, Albus, and continuous bullying and harassment is not good for anyone's mental health. And I can see the marks on his back, the poor boy is being tortured at home!"

I grimaced, not caring if anyone saw. I now knew where I was, and it wasn't with Potter. I was in the hospital wing. Again.

I was hoping Madam Pomfrey wouldn't notice the ravaged skin of my back. But I suppose that was too much to hope for.

At least she had never asked me about it. Hell, she barely said a word to me. She just healed my injuries and let me be. I quite liked the arrangement we had. However, I could do without the injuries that led me here.

I didn't think she cared that much. But here I was, listening to the woman defend me in front of Dumbledore. I didn't know how to react.

"Your job is to heal students, Poppy. This is none of your concern—"

"But I am concerned! The injuries he is receiving are getting worse every year, and what if one day he gets injured so bad that I can't heal him..."

"You're exaggerating. Nothing like that will happen," Dumbledore assured. I rolled my eyes behind my closed lids. Like he could predict the future.

"Just leave it, Poppy. It's his last year here, then you won't have to worry anymore," he finished. I heard his footsteps echo further away, until they were gone, with the door shutting behind him.

I opened my eyes, no longer seeing the point in feigning sleep. I wanted to be healed and out of here.

Madam Pomfrey bustled over, and I noticed her eyes rimmed with red. Was she crying over me?

"How does your head feel?" she asked gently.

"Throbbing, but tolerable," I responded.

"I suppose you've experienced worse, haven't you?"

I shifted my eyes away from her. "I don't want to talk about it."

She didn't push further. "I'm afraid I've done as much as I can for the pain, what you're experiencing now is the dulled down version. You're lucky you didn't get brain damage, as bad as it was."

I winced. "It was that bad?"

She nodded. "The student who found you was terrified. Wouldn't leave me alone while I was treating you, either. Eventually I had to kick her out, once classes started."

"Who was it that found me?" I asked, puzzled. I couldn't imagine any student there at that time, certainly not one that would care if I was injured.

"Oh, I'm not sure. Hufflepuff, she looked around your age. I'm sure she'll be back later."

I stayed silent. I wasn't sure I wanted to know who the mystery girl was.

Madam Pomfrey took a deep breath beside me, and my eyes flicked to her. She bit her lip.

"I know you don't want help. But please, just let me teach you some more advanced healing spells, so you can heal yourself if you ever need to. Once a week, half an hour."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Why?" I questioned.

"Because no one else helps you. And life won't get any easier once you graduate.

I worry about you. I don't know what your future will be like. But if you get hurt as much as you do now, I likely won't be there to heal you. It would just ease my mind a little to know that you could heal some things yourself."

I thought for a moment. I supposed there was no harm in letting her teach me some stuff. It could come in handy later.

"Alright, let's do it. But it stays between us."