Dreadfully Gone

Chapter 32

3rd Person Point of View

Severus whisked around the classroom adding ingredients to this potion, running to turn the burner down on that one, and reaching over everything to stir another. He had really put to much on his plate at the time, but the quicker he got these potions down, the quicker he could get back to Jasmine.

"The other kids will survive with minor injuries.", Severus muttered to himself as he wiped some liquid off of the back of his hand, "Jasmine is more important than they are."

As he ran around the room, multitasking better than most, he didn't notice that Dumbledore was leaning against the door well. Dumbledore watched Severus, like he had done many of Times, but he knew this was different. He was rushing, and he was bound to make a mistake.

Severus about spilled a potion he was putting into vials when Dumbledore finally spoke up, "You look like you could use help."

Snape clenched his jaw for a second before replying a bit harshly, "I am fine."

"Severus, you are rushing and are bound to make a mistake, and that will take more time that you have to be in here, that we both know you don't want to spend in here.", the head master said as he walked over to stir a potion.

"I have done this for many years Albus, I think I got this under control.", Severus replied as he turned a burner on low to let one of the potions simmer for a couple of minutes.

"Severus, have you seen the tables? They are full of stuff and messy. And I know a messy work station is not what you work with. Slow down a bit.

I understand that you want to get back to Jasmine, but I promise that she is okay and not going anywhere. Poppy is taking good care of her, but other students need your help just as much as she does. And rushing and accidentally making a mistake will not help anyone in this situation.", Dumbledore said as he helped Severus get vial set up to pour another completed potion into.

Snape ran a hand over his face, "You don't understand.."

Dumbledore raised his hand to silence him, "I understand completely. But rushing is not going to help at all. Slow down and take your time, not because you want to, but because Jasmine is going to need you and doing things improperly will only take that time away."

Severus took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was no use in trying to argue with Albus, but he did have a point.

"I'm almost done now.", Snape finally said.

"You have four potions going at the same time and you have to pour one into vials Severus. It doesn't seem like you are almost done to me. I won't say anything more but I will stay to help, because I need to talk to you about something.", Dumbledore said and started to pour a potion into some vials while Severus put a few more ingredients into one and then stirring the other two.

"What do you need to talk to me about?", Snape asked a bit grumpily since he would rather not be bothered.

"As you might already know, the attack was made by Voldemort. He is trying to get Jasmine back and he is past the point of letting her come back on her own. He is going to try and do anything so that he can to get her back.

He is hoping that by attacking the school he will tear you apart. That stone was suppose to hit you, and kill you. But by some miracle Jasmine saved you. I have never felt anything so uncertainty defined in my life, it almost seems as if Jasmine was suppose to take your place.

I don't know for sure, but I think that you and Jasmine need to go someplace protected over the summer, you need to get away, to make your bond stronger. The stronger the bond, the more united you are with each other, and it will make you harder to pull apart.", Dumbledore said, causing Snape to fall silent once again.

The only sounds that filled the room was the soft bubbling sound of a potion boiling and the breaths that passed through both men's lungs. The words that the older man kept bouncing around in the younger man's head, and he thought only for a brief second if it was really worth all of the trouble and the pain. But when a smiling, glowing, face appeared in the younger man's mind all thoughts of giving up and running away faded.

"I will talk to her once she is up and feeling better. I don't want to put to much on her while she is recovering.", Severus finally said after a long while.

The older man nodded and poured one of the last two potions I to some vials and capped them, "I will leave you to finish up and send a house elf to come clean up in exchange for a weekend off. Take the potions to Poppy and check on Jasmine."

"I will.", Severus called after the form of the head master as he walked out of the room.

Severus started to put the vials of potions into a box as the last potion finished boiling. When the potion was done he carefully poured the heated liquid into vials, capping them, then putting them in the box after he was done.

Snape proceeded to pick up and put all the ingredients back into their rightful spots, there was no way that the house elf would know which ingredient went where. He then wiped his hands on a cloth before grabbing the box and heading back towards the hospital wing.

He carefully avoided students on the stairs and, at one point, almost gave a student detention for trying to jump down a whole flight of stairs. By the time Severus had gotten to the hospital wing he was grumpy and really didn't want to deal with any of the chaos that was in the wing just hours earlier.

Snape walked through the open door and was shocked when everything had calmed down. Students sat talking quietly amongst themselves waiting on the okay that they needed to leave. It only took a second for Poppy to walk out of her office and to rush over to where Severus was.

"You were done way quicker thank thought you would be! But that is great. I can now get all these students out of here.", she said as she started passing out the vials to the students that needed them.

When all of the students had received their vial of potion and had drank it, they were able to leave. As the last student ran out of the room Severus put the box down and grabbed the last potion that was in the box.

"That one is for Jasmine I presume.", Poppy said as she put the box in a corner.

"Yes.", was all she got in return as he slipped through the curtains surrounding the bed.

Jasmine laid peacefully, the way that he had left her, with her hair sticking to her face and her head turned to the side with a clean piece of gauze at the nape of her neck. Severus frowned some when he saw her chest just barely rising and falling.

He gently moved the hair that was sticking to her face and sat at the side of the bed. He lifted her head enough to get his knee to set under her shoulders so she was propped up enough for him to give her the potion. The cap got popped off of the vial and it was pressed to Jasmine's lips.

Severus gently rubbed her throat with his free hand to help her get the potion down. As the last bit of the bright red potion slid down her throat he pressed his lips against hers. When he pulled back to set the vial on the small table by the bed I heard a soft groan.

He looked down to see Jasmine staring at him with a confused look on her face, "Why are we in the hospital wing? I was getting ready to go for our walk.."

Severus smiled slightly ," Looks like you have some catching up to do."

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A.N.

Yay!!! Another chapter over 1,000 words.
I am so happy I am getting back into the groove. Anyways leave a like and a comment please. The reviews and what you thought about the chapter would be amazing. And tell me how I can improve my writing!!!