Forever and Always Yours, SS [Book 3]

Chapter 23

Amilia stood in front of the fireplace, cutting up the vegetables and prepping the meat for the stew. The students who remained in Slytherin House would be gone before Christmas Eve, and she still wanted them to have their traditions. For now, it was quiet, besides the fire crackling and the soft sounds of a knife cutting through vegetables. Amilia breathed deeply and struggled not to eat the carrots before her. Her stomach protested loudly, and she shook her head. "You can wait until it is finished."

A loud crack sounded beside her, startling Amilia as she cut into a carrot, slicing her finger slightly. "Fuck!"

"My apologies Mistress, do you want the same beverages as before?"

Amilia's lips pressed thin as she wrapped her finger in a towel, "Yes." She said through gritted teeth. "We do not have that many staying so just one pitcher of each drink."

"Of course." The House-elf eyed her before disappearing.

Amilia held her hand to her chest and tossed the chunks of meat and the cut-up carrots into the pot before leaving the common room. She tightly griped the towel and worked her way up to the hospital wing.

Poppy changed sheets on the beds and looked up when Amilia walked in, "What brings you to see me today?"

Amilia held up her hand, "I cut myself."

Poppy scowled, "So you decided to come to me instead of handling it yourself?"

Amilia sat on the nearest bed, "I find myself rather distracted, and it is very painful. I would probably just botch it, and then you would give me an earful for not coming to you anyway."

Poppy sighed but grinned, "You are right. Let's see what we are working with." She unwrapped Amilia's hand and wiped away the blood. "Well, you got yourself pretty good with that knife. Why did you cut yourself?"

"Stupid House-elf dropped by." Amilia glowered.

Poppy rolled her eyes; it was not the first time someone had been hurt because the House-elves popped in whenever they wanted. "Good for you that this is an easy fix." Poppy retrieved her wand and waved it over the wound. The skin fused back together, Amilia visibly relaxed, and the pain was no longer there. "I think you should leave the chopping and cutting for someone else today."

Amilia rolled her eyes, "Severus is busy with making sure the students and parents are on the same page, along with dealing with Umbridge."

"And of course you don't trust the students to do the cooking."

Amilia laughed, "It is not that, the Prefects were the ones who would cook it when I was not here but they decided to go home. I do not blame them. Things have been rather...boring lately." Amilia looked down at her hands.

"Are you sure you are feeling well? You have not been eating much."

Amilia scoffed, "Of course I am well! I just...there is so much happening and I do not have much of an appetite during the day."

"I see." Poppy stood up and tossed the towel in a wastebasket, "Well, this is holiday break, maybe having time away from the castle will help you."

"Maybe." Amilia said to herself as she started for the door, "Thank you." She watched as Poppy waved her away.

Severus stood by the fireplace, noticing the little pool of blood on the cutting board when Amilia returned. "What happened here?" He asked.

"I cut myself."

Immediately Severus held out his hand, "Are you alirght?"

Amilia placed her hand in his as she rolled her eyes, "Yes, I am fine. Poppy took care of it." She glanced at the cutting board, "I need new carrots."