Don't Save Me

Chapter 51: Bring Me Home

 The term passed quickly. I stayed at Hogwarts during the Christmas Holiday and Spring Break, growing closer with Severus and Minerva. It was the last few weeks of the year when Minerva knocked on the door to the room Severus and I had begun to call our own. I looked up from the homework I was working on before telling her to come in. The door opened and she stepped inside.

"Hello, dears," she said, taking a seat on the bed.

"Hi, Minnie," I replied, putting the final touches on my homework before placing the quill down. I turned to look at her. She had an expression that I couldn't quite place written on her face. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Albus-... well, Professor Dumbledore... and I would like to speak with you. Would you come with me for a moment?"

"Minnie?" I asked, concern lacing my voice.

"Nothing's wrong, dear. We just want to talk about where you'll be staying for the summer."

"Oh." I breathed a sigh of relief as I stood up from the desk. Severus stood from his own desk, moving next to me.

"Did you want to go alone or did you want me there?" he asked me, lightly rubbing my back.

"No, I want you there," I replied, smiling up at him. He nodded and Minerva stood, leading us to the door before we headed to the Headmaster's office.

...

Minerva led us inside the Headmaster's office. Professor Dumbledore was seated behind his desk writing on a bit of parchment, spectacles sitting on his nose as he looked up at us. Minerva moved to take a seat behind the desk, next to Professor Dumbledore and he gestured for us to sit down.

"There's only one chair," I said, looking at Minerva, curiously.

"I'm sure you two don't mind," she replied, smirking as she looked between Severus and I.

"Minnie!"

"Hey, I mean... she has a point," Severus replied, moving to stand next to me. He moved to the chair and took a seat, tapping his thighs, gesturing for me to take a seat.

"You two are insufferable, you know that?" I replied as I took a seat on his lap. His arms held my waist protectively as I waited for Minerva to tell us why I was here.

"So... Professor, why are we here?" I asked, looking at the headmaster. "Where will I be staying for the summer?" I watched as the headmaster's eyes flicked to Minerva quickly before returning to me.

"Well, considering you are already on a first name basis with Minerva, here, I don't think this will too much of a hardship for you. Minerva has agreed to let you stay with her this summer." I looked over to Minerva, realizing that I would be living with her. Tears filled my eyes and I turned to face Severus. He lifted his hand to my cheek, gently rubbing it. He wiped away a single tear that had slipped down my cheek. I moved my hand to cover his and his eyes searched mine.

"Y/n?" he asked me, waiting for my response. I turned toward Minerva, letting my hand slip from Severus's as his hand slipped from my face. I could see tears in Minerva's eyes as her and Professor Dumbledore stared at me.

"Y/n?" Minerva began. "Are you okay with this?" I quickly jumped off Severus's lap and moved behind the desk jumping into her arms. She let out a squeal of surprise before wrapping her arms around me. Her hand rested on top of my head before we pulled away.

"I'm more than okay with this," I replied, smiling up at her. She pushed a strand of hair behind my ear before her smile faltered slightly and she continued. "Now... there are a few things we should discuss." I felt a pit form in my stomach as I nodded. "I imagine you'll want to get some things from your h-," she cleared her throat before continuing. "From your uncle's home."

"Oh, uhm... right, yeah. There's not really much there," I laughed. "I mean... yeah I guess there are a few of my aunt's things there but... that's about it."

"I can go with to retrieve anything you would like to bring with you," Minerva says. Instantly, I thought of returning to the house that held so much pain and fear rushed through my body.

"No... No... I can't go back there. I can't," I said, stumbling backwards. I stepped backwards on the stairs that led to the headmaster's desk, stumbling as my foot slipped off the edge. Severus quickly got up and ran toward me, catching me as my head fell against his chest. I turned around, placing my hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around my body. "Severus... I can't go back there..." He looked down at me, lifting my chin with his fingers.

"Y/n... everything is going to be okay. Your uncle isn't there anymore." I looked away from him but he gripped my chin, not too hard, but enough to force my face back to him. "Darling, look at me. I promise you... everything is going to be okay now. You are going to live with Minerva. You're going to leave that bastard behind. He no longer has any hold on you, Y/n... you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have something to remember your aunt by. You deserve those good memories, Y/n... I can go with you... if you want... if we went during a weekend... before the summer starts..." I buried my face in the crook of his neck, no longer able to look at him. "Y/n," he soothed, trying to pull my shoulders, gently, but I didn't budge.

"No."

"Y/n, darling, look at me..."

"No," I whined, pressing myself closer to him.

"Y/n, you don't have to go. I just want you to look at me and fully think this through." I slowly pulled away from his neck, my hair falling in my face as I looked down. "Good job, that's a start, darling. Now all you have to do is look up," Severus said, chuckling, as he gently lifted my face toward his, moving the hair out of my face. I slowly looked up, my eyes meeting his and he rubbed my cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I just want to make sure you've fully thought this through, Y/n. Even just to get some of your aunt's things... or even just to say goodbye, Y/n... I don't want you to have any regrets."

"Severus... I can't go back to that house alone and you... can't go during the summer."

"We could go before the summer ends. I'm sure Minerva would be willing to take you sooner. We could go on a weekend. You would have both of us with you. You don't have to do any of this alone."

"We could actually go this weekend... if you'd like, Y/n," Minerva said, softly. Severus twirled a lock of my hair between his fingers as he carefully watched me, waiting for my response. I nodded slowly, before sighing deeply, letting out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, let's do it," I replied, turning to Minerva. "Let's... bring me h-... Let's bring me there." I no longer know what to call the place that so much suffering had taken place in. It hadn't felt like my home in years and, yet, it wasn't my uncle's home anymore either. Once I removed my stuff from the premises the ministry would take it over because he was in Azkaban and our lives there would cease to exist.