Don't Save Me

Chapter 43: Lovebirds

This summer was a particularly painful one. My uncle had heard I was still hanging out with the Slytherins and decided to punish me for it. I tried explaining that we had a falling out but he would hear none of it. By the time summer ended I had healed more broken ribs than I could count. Bruises and scars littered my body because I knew if I tried to heal those, my uncle would only punish me worse. Broken ribs were easy to fix because you couldn't see the damage so he had no idea I was healing them. The bruises and scars on the other hand... were a different story. I left them, knowing that I would be able to fix them once he left. I was thankful I didn't have to bother the Malfoys this year as they had taught me the spells and I was able to do them on my own.

Like usual, my uncle left for work and I packed my trunk and healed my wounds, making sure to put on a sweater so he wouldn't notice they were healed. That night I slept peacefully, knowing I would be going home in the morning.

...

When I arrived at King's Cross Station, joy was radiating from every bone in my body, though I made sure to control my emotions in front of my uncle. We crossed the threshold to Platform 9 ¾ and he turned away from me, returning to the muggle world. I boarded the train and found an empty compartment, waiting for my friends, though I honestly wasn't sure which friends I wanted to see more. I rested my head against the window, waiting for someone to join me in the compartment.

A few moments later, Severus walked down the aisle. He passed my compartment but stopped abruptly and turned around before entering my compartment and taking a seat next to me.

"Severus?"

"Y/n," he breathed, relief crossing his features as I said his name. He moved closer to me and took my hand. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Severus," I replied.

"I'm so sorry about last year, Y/n... I- I promise I will never do that again. I don't want to lose you... please... Can you please forgive me?" I brought my hand to his cheek before moving closer to him, pressing my body against his. He wrapped his arms around my body and pulled me closer to him. My head rested on his chest as he rubbed my cheek with his thumb, his other hand resting on the small of my back. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes, Severus... I forgive you."

He breathed a sigh of relief as his hand gently caressed my back. A few moments later Rodolphus and Regulus entered the compartment.

"Yay! The lovebirds are back together!" Regulus exclaimed.

Severus and I separated only slightly and began laughing as they took a seat across from us. They smiled as I snuggled into Severus and allowed my body to fully relax, falling into a deep sleep before the train arrived at Hogwarts.