Complications // Severus Snape

• Ch 27 Contentment •

"I believe you can be on your way, then."

"And get eaten alive by Madam Pomfrey? I don't think she'll let me out of the Hospital Wing ever again after today. So, maybe I could go outside once more...?" I said hopefully.

"It is unnecessary to ask my permission, as you would proceed to do so even if I told you 'no'." said Severus.

"I take it that's a 'yes', then." I said. "Would you care to join me on my last day of freedom?"

Snape wordlessly procured his wand from his pocket and conjured several layers of winter clothes, which he handed to me. "I suppose someone should accompany you, as to ensure you don't get frostbite again."

* * *

The storm had calmed, all that remained of it being a light snowfall in the night. I slowly walked, leaning on Severus for support, out of the castle and into the snow. I felt quite cozy in the winter clothes Severus had fashioned me, which, unsurprisingly, were all black. We marched into the snow, looking as though we were headed towards a funeral, and in a way, we were—a funeral for the lingering remnants of my freedom.

"I've always taken the beauty of nature for granted," I said. "Though, I suppose you don't truly appreciate something until you lose it."

"There's no need to be mournful; you'll be out of the Hospital Wing in a matter of days." said Severus.

We came to a stop under a leafless tree beside the Lake, upon which sat a thin layer of slush, but it was not quite frozen over. We sat down in the snow, and looked out onto the Lake, and up into the cloudy night sky.

I stuck out my tongue in an attempt to catch snowflakes, and Severus looked at me as though I had gone mad.

"Have you never caught snowflakes on your tongue before?" I asked, then smiled triumphantly as a snowflake landed on my tongue.

"Why on earth would I?" Severus asked.

"I dunno, it's fun. Since you're too grumpy to get enjoyment out of building a snowman or snow fort, or from a snowball fight, I'd think you might at least do something as noncommittal as catching snowflakes on your tongue."

"'Too grumpy'?" Severus repeated, quirking an eyebrow at me. "I suppose you don't recall the spaghetti incident of earlier this month, which, for the record, I won."

"You did not win!" I said, "You hit a poor first-year with spaghetti!"

"I suppose there's only one way to settle this, then," said Severus, positioning himself to rise.

"Oh, I don't think so. I have an unfair disadvantage; I'm not falling for that." I said.

"I see," said Severus, sitting back down, "You're afraid you'll lose."

"As if! We'll have a rematch as soon as I'm healed."

"That sounds fair enough." said Severus.

I was unable to suppress a grin from spreading across my face; it was times like these I would dearly miss once I graduated Hogwarts... To think, I had only a little over a year left in school. What would I do afterwards? What would become of Severus and me? What was I going to do with my life?