-a fine line- part two/ sequal

Chapter 7- Mystery

Y/N turned the page of her book and settled more comfortable on the armchair. Her legs were swinging over the armrest and she briefly averted her gaze towards the kitchen. She couldn't see much except for the half open door and Severus' back.

Four days had gone by after Lucius Malfoy's visit. Y/N chewed on her lip and tried to concentrate on her book but found out she just couldn't. To say the least, she was concerned. Severus had been acting more strange over the days and refused every inch of help she offered.

She knew that five years of his memory was erased and it made her think about whether he would fall back in old habits. Surely not? But it would explain his strange behaviour and it wouldn't surprise her to be honest. It would make perfect sense. He still feels like it's five years earlier so that also means he must be in the same state of mind. But how did Y/N know what kind of mindstate that was? Perhaps she was being overdramatic and everything was fine. But the nagging feeling deep in her stomach didn't go away by saying it countless times in her head. In fact, it only warned her that her theory might be completely wrong. Just when she wanted to turn another page, without reading it, she heard a thump in the kitchen.

Y/N jumped on her feet and let the book fall on the ground, not caring she would lose where she was and practically rushed to the kitchen.

Upon arrival, her heart stopped and she blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing it right. Blood rushed through her ears and her hand flew to her mouth in order to stop the scream threatening to come out of her throat. Severus had probably fallen or something close to that but that wasn't the thing she was worried about most because he wasn't just laying there unconscious. His whole body was shaking violently on the floor. It twisted, squirmed and twitched. His legs were practically kicking the air and his fingers almost cracked from the positions they twisted in.

His eyes were rolled back in his head and those gorgeous onyx eyes she had stared in so many times were replaced with white and red lines. Y/N fell down to her knees to support his head. Dumbledore had given her some directions in what to do in different situations when thinking fast, but said it probably wasn't needed because his condition was fairly well. Turns out he was wrong.

She held both of her hands under his head to keep him from banging it against the wooden floor.

All her thoughts disappeared as she looked at him. Her legs gave up supporting her body and it felt like they were stuck on the floor. Y/N looked at Severus' brow furrowing in pain and his lips curled into a cruel sneer from pain. His eyelids started fluttering and it took all Y/N's willpower to keep herself from shaking him up from whatever the fuck was happening. His body was still shaking but it was a bit less and a tear fell down his cheek.

"Severus. Please, I don't know what to do. Wake up!" She shouted. Her own tears started to dwell in the corner of her eyes but she refused to cry before him waking up. Her veins were so hot it was almost burning but she couldn't reach it. She couldn't scratch open her skin to get rid of that awful creeping ache deep within her.

"Come on." His body stopped shaking but there were some occasional twitches in his limbs. Y/N laughed from relief and scrambled up on her feet, almost losing her grip and falling as she made her way to the sink. A quick cloth was pulled out of a drawer and she wetted it with water.

Severus had stopped moving and his eyelids were now closed. A wet tear was still clinging to his chin, going slowly down from his jaw and falling on the floor. Y/N could almost hear the sound it would make when hitting it and falling apart.

She kneeled next to Severus and wiped the cloth over his forehead which was burning.

"Oh, please open your eyes," She whispered and placed two fingers on his wrist, searching around for a heartbeat that was most definitely there. She sighed and wiped another tear away on his soaken cheeks.

Y/N saw his eyes open slowly and they darted across the room to scan it. They fell on her face and his mouth fell open as if he was trying to say something but it came out as a soft groan.

"It's okay. Don't talk. I'm going to bring you to bed, alright? And then I'll get Poppy to take a look at you." Severus didn't say anything, not even a nod, when Y/N helped him get up. His strength was slowly returning after that strange attack so it wasn't too hard to walk him to the bedroom.

"Lay down," She said with a soft voice. He was seated on the edge of his bed, still fully clothed but she couldn't worry about that right now because he needed to rest.....and she needed Poppy.

"No, wait," His groggy voice said, panic clearly evident which wasn't like him. "I- a girl. She's....get the girl." Y/N narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Wha- girl? No, Severus the war is over. There is no one who needs to be saved." Severus fiercely shook his head as she took his hands in hers to keep him from hurting himself. He was obviously confused and lost, from the looks of it.

"No- the Dark Lord," He almost shouted. She swallowed thickly and her breathing quickened upon hearing his name. That maniac who made him like this. What had he seen to make him so frantic and lost?

"He's gone." While saying those words, she eased him on his back under the covers and tucked him in. There was a coat of sweat on his forehead that made it shiny in the candlelight and his eyes were still full in panic mode. He whined softly and squeezed his eyes shut while kicking the covers away.

"No shh. It's alright. You can sleep." Severus didn't stop with his kicking and he yanked his hands away from hers to lower the covers and started to get up. His head moved lolly with every movement like the muscles in his neck couldn't support the weight. Y/N pushed him on the mattress again, a bit more forceful and perhaps a bit too violent but he wasn't allowed to get up. Who knew what might happen if he did in this state.

She summoned a calming draught and uncorked it. Her left hand was moved under his head to tilt it up slightly so he wouldn't choke on the liquid while the right hand held the vial to his sweated, thin lips. They obediently opened but he let out another desperate whine like he didn't actually want this.

"It's okay. I'm here when you wake up." She lifted the vial and Severus drank the content of it. His whole body immediately relaxed and the panic in his eyes disappeared. Y/N smiled sadly when the eyes finally closed and he drifted off to a hopefully peaceful sleep. She was so worried. She didn't know what to do in this situation and only hoped it wasn't the wrong thing to do.

He didn't deserve to go through this....through all this pain even after the war. No one did. He had sacrificed his entire life to be a double spy. He knew his faith and didn't resist it as he knew it would help them win the war. No one deserved a life like this and she was determined to show him the light he needed in his life, even if that meant she couldn't be a part of it.