Always

Chapter 9: Rarest of Roses (Part 2)

As he ate his meals in there, he realized that this negative attitude was not going to help anyone. It surely was not going to help Beth either. He held her hand with both hands and he looked at her. "I will not lose you Elizabeth.....just listen to my voice and bring yourself back to me. I know you have a bright spirit and it was something I once hated. Now, I could not live without it." He said as he kissed her hand. He wanted so badly to kiss her hand and to hear her little giggles of happiness when he did it. He wanted to give her everything she wanted and more. He just wanted to see her smile again and hear her cheerful and happy voice. He just wanted.....her. He looked around before he sighed. "Elizabeth, I will have to let go of your hand. I need to go do something. Continue to fight, and I shall return." He said as he kissed her forehead softly and he walked out of the Hospital Wing.

He knew everyone was in the Great Hall for lunch so he would have time to sneak out of there without anyone knowing. He walked out to the castle grounds and he apparated himself to Hogsmeade. He arrived and he fixed his hair with the thin comb he keeps in his pocket, and he straightened out his robes. He walked swiftly to a flower shop and the male clerk was surprised to see Severus. He hardly came out of the castle so to see him was the shock of the year for him.

"Severus! I am amazed at seeing your presence here. What brings you to my shop?" He asked gently as he stroked his black beard and watched him. Severus crossed his arms. "Amusing. I am here for some roses, but not just some roses." He spoke gravely as he threw down a lot of coins onto the counter and looked him right in the eyes. "I want all of them. All of the roses that you own." He said in a low and firm tone. The man looked at him and laughed loudly, and some of his customers looked at him. "You?! Flowers? For who?" He asked as he laughed at him. "The great Severus Snape is getting flowers? For a special someone? That woman must be crazy to have changed your dark and poisoned heart!" He laughed as Severus growled and grabbed his collar quickly and the man gasped. "THAT woman is dying. I do not know how much longer I have, but I have to do something. That woman is not just a woman. She is someone whom I have grown to love, and if you do not give me these god forbidden roses in 3 seconds, you're going to have your small head shoved into a bouquet of roses. I will be sure to suffocate you nice....and...slow." He growled as his hands were shaking. He was thinking to himself what he was saying. He was protecting her and being.....defensive? He knew that he was changing into a different person because of Beth, but this was a little freaky even for him. "Okay, okay! You win! I will give you the roses!" The man whimpered as Severus smirked and dropped him. "The red ones, if you please." He said as the man put all of the roses in a magical bag so they would all fit and he threw it at him. "Good." He said as he walked out of the shop and the customers were shocked out of their minds. Severus Snape? In love? The thought of it was just so uncanny.

He apparated back to Hogwarts with the large bag and he looked around making sure no one saw him. He walked back into the castle and a deep voice was right behind him. "Snape! Good old' Snape! How ye' doing? Is Beth doin' okay?" The voice asked and Severus knew it was Hagrid from that accent and the loudness. He turned around very slowly with a deep exhale, holding the bag tightly with his hands on the top. "What's in the bag there, Snape?" He asked smiling. "Are you not supposed to be in the Great Hall, Hagrid?" He asked slowly and firmly as he looked up at him. "Uh, yeah, but uh....lunch is over." He said as Snape rolled his eyes. "Never mind then." He said as he walked away from him and made sure he did not follow him. He went to the Hospital Wing where Miss Pomfrey was caring for Beth. She looked up seeing Severus and he said roughly "You are going to have to move aside. I have work to do." She smirked. "What? To hold her hand again endlessly for hours?" She joked as he walked up to her and grabbed her arm, moving her out of the room. He pushed her out as he said "And stay out. I will call you if you are needed. Right now, you are not needed." He then slammed the two doors and locked it. She huffed annoyed at him. "Some things will never change about you Severus." She sighed as she walked away to tell Minerva some statistics about Beth's vitals.

He made sure no one could get in, and he looked at Beth. He did have work to do. He started humming deeply, the same song he taught her in the butterfly garden. He walked over and took out some of the roses from the brown bag and he looked at around her small bed. He then looked at one single rose and ripped it off of the stem. He then went to near her feet and sprinkled the petals around them. One by one, as he hummed and walked around her, he placed the rose petals around her bed in a swirly type of design. He wanted her to be surprised when she woke up. He surrounded the whole Hospital Wing with the rose petals and her bed was the one that was mostly surrounded by the petals. He made sure every single part of the floor was covered with them and he then kneeled down to her. "Elizabeth......please, I beg of you...I just want to see your beautiful smile and hear your voice...." He sighed deeply as he held her hand tightly. "I cannot live a life without you in it." He added as he couldn't believe how emotional he was getting. He held her hand so tight and he was shaking a little. He had never been so scared, not since Lily Potter died. He then had forgotten one thing. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand and he used his wand and created small candles around her bed. He exhaled as he looked at her with the roses around her and her beautiful hair. He kissed her forehead softly and there was a loud knocking on the door. "Severus! Open this door at once! You can not have it locked forever!" Minerva's strict voice said as he walked over slowly to the doors and he unlocked it. They all looked confused as to why he locked the doors. Then, they knew why. Most of the staff was there and they walked into the room a little seeing all of the roses that were there. "Severus.....you did all this?" Hooch asked as she scratched her head amazed at his doing. "Why Severus.....you did all of this for Elizabeth? I am thoroughly impressed." Flitwick spoke up as Snape faced him with his head. He ran through his hair as he said softly to him, "Why of course Filius....after all, it is for Elizabeth Washington, the rarest of roses."