The Healer // Severus Snape Love Story

17

My body aches as I begin to wake up from my sleep. I roll over in bed and slowly pry my eyes open expecting to see my sunlit bedroom and a small owl perched on the window sill to my right. But instead I open my eyes to a dimly lit and slightly chilly bedroom as I lay across a bed with silky green sheets.

Where am I?

Suddenly my memories flood back to me and hit me like a tonne of bricks. The siren. The cold water. Severus.

My eyes still foggy from just waking up. I reach to my right where the potions master had lay down beside me last night only to find and empty space of bunched up sheets.

I sit up and squint, allowing my eyes to finally adjust to the room. It doesn't help there are no windows in the dungeons to let any natural light in. The only amount light is emanating from the crackling fire place. My eyes linger from the fireplace to the green sofa in front of it where someone sits with their back to me. all I can see is their silk black hair and broad shoulders. Severus.

I pull the covers off my body and swing my legs to the floor. Sitting on the side of the bed, I hug myself as I feel a chill run through my body from the cold dungeon air. I see a black robe resting on a chair next to the bed so I grab it and wrap it around myself. The garment is definitely too big for me as the sleeves go past my hands but the fabric is soft and warm on my skin and smells intoxicatingly like the man.

Before I can even stand up he breaks the silence, "you got me a gift?" He asks in a confused yet strangely soft tone. Almost as if he was more shocked than questioning.

"Of course" I smile as I slowly stand to my feet. My legs protest but I fight through the pain and shuffle carefully to the couch. The dark clad wizard sits on the sofa with his fingers playing with the feather of the new quill. The letter I had attached to his gift sits opened on the coffee table.

"Why?"

"Because.." I bring myself to sit down next to him but I can't help but wince as I let my body gently down on the sofa, "I would consider you a friend. And that's what I do for my friends on Christmas." I smile at the man.

He looks at me with an expressionless face for a moment.

"'Friends' is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" He replies.

I snicker at his comment. Of course he would say such a thing. The man constantly denies any sort of affection from anyone.

"You did also save my life.." I reply, more serious and heartfelt, "Thank you.. I don't think I will ever be able to repay you for something like that"

He stares at me for a moment as his dark eyes gaze along my body wrapped in the black fabric, "I see you've made yourself comfortable.."

"It's not my fault it's freezing down here"

I chuckle as I look down to my hands for a moment before speaking up again, "Can I ask you something?"

He looks at me with an eyebrow raised.

"A couple things actually," I let out a shaky breath. Time to try and figure things out.. "for starters.. the night I came to you for a sleeping potion was because I was having horrible nightmares. So bad I couldn't sleep. So after you gave me the potion, everything was fine." I continue as I furrow my brows, "but since then I started having other dreams.. more real, but confusing instead of frightening."

I pause momentarily thinking about the vision of the handsome yet eerie boy in my dreams. Severus watches me with sort of a 'get to the point' look.

"There was this boy in my dream.. Tom, he called himself." Severus tenses at the name as a flicker of shock crosses his eyes as I speak, "And I know I've never seen him before, but he wore Slytherin robes so I was wondering if you maybe knew him. He just had a certain dark aura.. he kept saying that I had powers he wanted. Powers I didn't even know.."