Always - Severus Snape (COMPLETE)

Sick

"He's not our son!" Mr Evans hissed. Lily was in the living room next door, holding Severus' hand and so they had to keep their voices down.

"He might die, Mark!" Rose cried. "He's got Pneumonia – it might be serious!"

"We're not his parents," Mark lowered his voice. "You know that it has to be family."

"He's a child, and he's dying," Rose pleaded. "His parents aren't here; who knows where they are? I won't sit around and watch him die. Not like_ like_"

Rose began to sob. Mark put his arms round her.

"Ssh, ssh, it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

"But there's something we can do this time," Rose whispered into her husband's chest.

Petunia appeared in the doorway and was taken aback to see her mother crying.

"I've rung the doctor," she said quietly to her father. "His breathing was getting worse; his lips were turning blue."

"Well done, Tuney," Mark murmured and he welcomed Petunia into their little circle. "You've been a very grown-up girl today."

Petunia huddled closer to her parents, annoyed though she was for being called a child. She was eleven, after all, closer to womanhood than childhood.

There was a short silence, then an outbreak of coughing and finally, retching.

Lily gave a panicked shout.

"Mum!"

*

Lily, Petunia and Mr and Mrs Evans sat in the doctor's waiting room. They'd been there an hour, tense and silent, as Severus had his chest X-rayed and his blood tested. Lily was on her mother's lap. She was squeamish about blood and hated hospitals, unlike Petunia, who wished to be a nurse like her mother. Lily was only there because of Severus.

A kindly-looking doctor came up to them.

"Are you Severus Snape's family?" He asked, looking inquisitively at their varying hair colours: red (Lily and Rose), brown (Petunia) and grey (Mark) and wondering how Severus was in any way related to them.

"Yes," Rose replied, before her husband could answer. He gave her a reproachful look.

"Is he going to be alright?" Lily questioned, concern clouding her large green eyes.

A crease appeared between his eyes.

"He will be, yes," said the doctor slowly, "in time. Severus has mycoplasma pneumoniae and will have to stay in hospital for a few days just to keep him stable. Mr and Mrs Snape, if I may have a word?"

"Of course," answered Mark, worried.

He led them into a smaller room. He began quietly and urgently.

"Look, I realise you're not his parents." Rose made to interrupt. "He's very clearly undernourished and I doubt his real parents would allow him to get treatment, considering his appearance." He paused. They exchanged startled glances. Did he mean something more? "But I'm very grateful that you got him here. He would, most likely, have died.

"He's had Pneumonia before. It's obvious; there's always a lot more at risk. He can't keep fluids or medicine down, and his skin has a blue tinge. We'll be using intravenous antibiotics to treat him and he may need respiratory therapy. I'm hopeful that he won't need to go to the intensive care unit but one can't be certain. You're welcome to visit – I trust he won't need more than three or four days here."

*

The doctor then excused himself and left Mr and Mrs Evans to go back to the waiting room. Petunia waited behind while Lily visited Severus with her parents.

He lay worryingly still, arm hooked up to an IV bag. He wore a hospital gown and looked uncharacteristically peaceful, deep in sleep. Lily went over to him and took his hand. She had her teddy bear with her, a worn but well-loved brown bear called Snuffles which she tucked under his arm.

"I hope you get better soon, Sev," she whispered. Her parents hovered uncertainly behind her. "I'll miss you if you don't come home."

Then, with an innocence Mr and Mrs Evans wished they still had, she moved forwards and kissed Severus on the forehead.

*****

A.N. A depressing chapter. I almost made myself cry, especially with all the foreshadowing I've included.

Unlike Severus, who understood what death meant when he was eight, Lily still doesn't understand where you go afterwards. She just knows that if he did die, he wouldn't come home.

Anybody notice the teddy bear's name? Snuffles anyone?

Are you surprised that I didn't portray Petunia in an unsavoury light? She's only eleven here, after all, and even she doesn't have the heart to insult someone who's on the brink of death. He has her to thank for his life.

I had to research Pneumonia thoroughly to write this and I hope I didn't get any facts wrong.

Thank you for reading!