Fighting for love - Severus Snape fanfiction (BOOK TWO of A Magical Muggle)

Chapter 6

Two months after Harry & Ginny's wedding

(Warning: some mature content at the end. Tried not to be too explicit - tried :) )

"Ana, it's 3 A.M.! Were you working late again?" Severus' gruff voice echoed through their silent chambers. Ana was trying to be as quiet as possible as she walked in, waking up Severus being the last thing she wanted. However, Severus can never sleep if she works late, which has been happening a lot for the past couple of weeks.

Apparently, Malik, the poor kid that died a month ago, was the first of a strange disease that has been spreading in silence. It starts as a common headache and nausea, something bearable. Then the infected start coughing and throwing up every time they eat something. Then they start coughing blood and that's when everything else starts to fail.

At the moment, there were hundreds of infected in St. Mungus. They actually created a special area for those who are infected and those who might be infected. But it seems like it doesn't spread human-to-human, which was good, but, on the other hand, no doctor, healer, investigator, potion master, or any other professional was aware of its means of propagation, nor its origin. It was completely new and it was killing people slowly.

Ana, obviously, had volunteered along with her investigation team to help the search for a cure, but, as she continues to go back to her chambers sad and devastated, they had no success.

She looked at Severus, who was sitting on the couch, waiting for her -as usual.

"I told you not to wait for me when I arrive late, Sev," he could feel the tiredness behind her voice.

Severus was proud of Ana and how far she had achieved, but he was watching her every day working hard and late, only to come back home with her head down - and that broke his heart.

She sat on the couch and sank into the cushion, exhaling deeply.

"I hate to see you like this," Severus said. "You barely sleep, barely eat a proper meal... it's no good for you."

"I feel that I have to help them, Sev... it's complicated --"

"Hey, I understand you. I do." Severus interrupted her and grabbed her hands. "But how can you help if you get sick and walk around tired all the time? You have to get some proper rest and eat your meals, Ana. I can bet that your diner was either a piece of fruit or a sandwich."

The guilty look on Ana's face said it all. And she hates it when he's right.

"You're right... I'll try to take care," she said.

"Really?" He asked with his deep velvety voice.

"Yes. In fact, tomorrow I will have diner with you. We can go somewhere nice and then come back to the chambers and you can make me relax. How does that sound?"

"Ana, you know this is not about you not being hom--"

"-- I know. I know... I just need you, that's all... I miss you."

"Me too."

***

"Good morning," Ana said as she walked into the laboratory.

Alba and Johnny were already there, as usual, and they were performing a few tests on a new concept of medicine for the new disease. They were investigating the applicability of remarkable herbs on the blood cells, but not even the most advanced potions were able to do anything, not even help the body to fight against that unknown condition on its own. It seemed like that disease's aim was life itself...