A one time thing {Severus Snape}

Chapter 14: Enlightened

Snape sat quietly by her bed, his arms resting on the back of the chair he was straddling; his chin propped on his arms as he watched her sleeping. He'd taken off his robes earlier, now he sat with just his black coat on, still buttoned to the neck despite the warmth in the infirmary.

Meg lay flat on her back, a black and purple bruise decorating her right temple, under it was a nasty gash; closed now but still looking sore and angry. Her lip had split and although Poppy had cleared off the blood that had dried there, it was still very sore looking and slightly swollen. Her eyes were closed, the lashes lying against pale skin. There was no hint of colour in her face, just a very light smattering of freckles standing out across her nose.

Snape didn't move, didn't take his black eyes off her; and he no intentions of doing so until she woke and told him what the hell she'd been playing at.

She'd been found by some first years that had immediately panicked and starting screaming that she was dead.

At first it had looked as if she was dead, she had been lying on her front, her face half turned in a pool of blood that had seeped from the gash. Her leg had broken as was bent under her at an awkward angle.

The first years had screamed enough to alert Mr. Filch who had come quickly; and it had taken him only seconds to call the Mediwitch

Snape had been the last to hear. He hadn't known anything till he'd gone down to the staff room after the last class of the day, two hours after she'd been found.

Remus was there, Hillary and Sally Sprout; they were talking quietly, with none of the usual laughter or cheerfulness that could be found in the staff room. Hillary had looked up when he'd come in and asked him how she was.

"How is who?" he'd replied, frowning in puzzlement.

"Meg. She fell down some stairs..." Remus started to speak, but at the registering of the name Meg and falling he'd turned and left the room without another word.

He'd come straight up and listened to Poppy telling him exactly what had happened, how she'd been found and that she was still unconscious. He'd moved across to sit silently by her bed, and he was still here now several hours later.

He knew every aspect of her face, knew the outline of her lips, the feel of her skin under his fingers. He had seen her so angry she'd looked capable of self-combustion. He'd seen her sad and crying. He'd seen her laughing and joking. He'd seen her spitting sharp witty retorts back at his own sarcasm. He'd seen her acting childishly and spoilt. He'd seen her when she was mean and crabby; but he had never seen her this silent. Even when she was quiet, she wasn't this silent; if she were marking she'd hum her way through the scrolls. If she was eating, little sighs of satisfaction could be heard; but he had never seen her this quiet and it unnerved him.

Snape was a solitary man. He disliked invasions of his privacy but most of the time she'd seem to know when he needed to be alone and she'd take herself off to the library or for a walk. Or else she'd kidnap Longbottom and whisk him off to the kitchens telling him she needed him to cook for her.

That was something he couldn't understand; the relationship she'd built up with Longbottom was completely beyond him. He'd asked her once what she got from being Longbottom's friend, she'd joked at first, saying that when he owned a string of restaurants she'd never have to worry about where to eat again. But then she'd just smiled sadly at him and stroking his cheek she'd said; "I'm not his friend for what I can get out of it, friendship doesn't work like that, Severus, I'm his friend because I enjoy his company. Neville has friends, but he has no one who can understand..." she'd closed up then and he'd known there was more, but she'd refused to carry on, instead she'd very neatly distracted him by nibbling on his ear.