Once the others had finally left her alone to go do whatever they were doing, Heather cast a furtive glance around to make sure Poppy wasn't around before calling for Dobby.
"Mistress Heather! You bes awake! Oh, Dobby was ever so worried when he heard you were injured!" The elf wrung his hands tightly, almost punishingly so.
She shook her head and loosened his fists. "There there, Dobby. I'm alright, as you can see. How are the other house elves? Did you all stay safe during the battle?"
Dobby bobbed his large head vigorously. "Oh yes, Mistress Heather! We did like yous asked and made sure students and elfs were safe inside castle!"
She sighed in relief. "Good, good." She'd already known from Hadrian that the students were alright, but having it confirmed again helped. "I actually called you for a favour."
"Anything for you, Mistress Heather!" Dobby bounced on his feet and widened his bulbous eyes.
Quirking a smile at his enthusiasm, she said, "I'm still a little under the weather, so I was wondering if you could help pop me over to the infirmary? I want to check in on Severus."
"Of course!" the elf agreed eagerly.
Bless his little heart for not questioning her. If Poppy had gotten to him first, no doubt Heather wouldn't be going anywhere until she was fully recovered. Which was really unnecessary. She was fine like this.
She took Dobby's outstretched hand and braced herself for the strange sensation that was house elf travel. It was kind of easier than floo, but still disorientating. At least she didn't fall over at the end of it.
They reappeared outside the doors of the hospital wing. Probably out of consideration for the people convalescing inside.
"Thanks Dobby," she whispered.
He beamed, ears flopping around in happiness. "Please summon me if yous have any other wishes!" With that, he popped away again.
She carefully cracked open the door, peering inside to see if Poppy was inside. Thankfully, no enraged mediwitch came swooping down on her for being out of her makeshift cot in the Great Hall. She stepped inside, shutting the door gently behind her.
The beds reserved for staff were towards the back of the infirmary to prevent curious students from disturbing their teachers when they were unwell. She made her way there, finding Severus easily in one of the single rooms.
The dim nightlight cast an eerie pallor over the man. For a moment, her heart leapt at the sight of him looking so corpse-like. She blinked away those errant thoughts and took a seat next to his bed.
There were stained bandages wrapped around his neck and he was clearly having a hard time breathing. She was still too drained to sense the spells on him now, but she assumed there was some sort of respiratory support in play.
She could still remember the torrential bleeding from his wound, feel the warm sticky liquid coating her hands. He'd lost so much blood. It was honestly a miracle he'd survived.
Were there enough Blood replenishers in stock?
Right, Slughorn was probably capable of supplying the necessary potions.
Heather reached for one of Severus' hands, frowning at how cold it felt. Feeling her magic, she winced. Well, no warming charm then. She went and got a few extra blankets, covering Severus and tucking the edges in carefully.
"You're going to be just fine," she whispered.
Honestly, the stupid man. Who jumped in front of the freaking hydra? And he'd done it, no hesitation at all. Otherwise, it would be her brother in this state now.
Stupid, stupid, brave man.
Quite frankly, she couldn't say she'd do any different had she been in his shoes.
"You'd better wake up soon," she murmured, stroking the ratty mess of his hair. "I expect a better confession than the one you left me with."
She fell asleep just like that. In that uncomfortable chair at Severus' bedside.
The heavily disappointed look on Poppy's face the next morning was entirely worth it.
~~~
The mediwitch eventually relented and set up a cot next to Severus so that Heather could at least get some rest. She didn't think she really needed it. Her injuries weren't serious, all she needed was a break from casting to let her magic replenish itself. Still, she wasn't complaining about having permission to keep watch over Severus.
The man still hadn't stirred yet, but Poppy had said it was his body's way of healing. He would wake up when he was ready. When, Poppy couldn't say, but she figured it wouldn't be more than a week.
After two days more of enforced bedrest, Heather was kicked out of the hospital wing by an exasperated matron and told to make herself useful instead of fretting pointlessly.
Heather meandered through the quiet hallways, hearing only the echoes of her footsteps as she descended into the dungeons. Classes had been suspended in light of recent events. Even if the fight hadn't involved the castle proper, Minerva had thought it best to send the students home while the messes of Riddle's brief reign were being sorted out. There were ongoing discussions with the goblins to also go through Hogwarts with a fine-toothed comb to make sure there were no leftover traces of Dark magic. If Riddle had managed to hide a horcrux in the school, who knew what else could be lying around?
Hadrian was holed up somewhere with Cedric, she knew. They had a lot of catching up to do, she reckoned.
The Weasleys were probably all gathered up in the Burrow at Mrs Weasley's behest.
Hermione was in Australia, having taken the first portkey out there to inform her parents of the news of the war ending.
So basically, there was nothing to do to be 'useful'. Poppy had probably just gotten sick of seeing her moping at Severus' bedside.
First thing she did when she got back to her rooms was to take a long bath. The showers in the infirmary were perfectly serviceable, but they were nothing on the comforts of her own bathroom. Idly, she noted that she her hair needed a trim soon. She puttered about the place, straightening out her things, reorganising her notes. She thought about working on her new potion, but it reminded her too much of Severus. Then, she lounged about her living room, fidgeting restlessly for a while. It was ten minutes of trying – and failing – to read a book on Egyptian runes before groaned in frustration and gave up.
Poppy just sighed when she saw her and let her conjure a comfy chair next to Severus.
Reassured by the slow but steady rise and fall of his chest, Heather settled in to read her book aloud. Severus was probably bored out of his mind, just lying there.
~~~
"I thought I'd find you here."
Heather looked up from her book as her brother walked in. She smiled and used a piece of paper as a bookmark before putting it away. "Hey Rian, what's up? Where's Cedric?"
Her brother rolled his eyes. "We're not actually attached at the hip you know."
"Could've fooled me," she muttered.
"Right, like you're one to talk. When was the last time you left this place for more than an hour?"
She shrugged. "Hey, you don't see me denying the fact."
Hadrian shoved her lightly. "Whatever. How's he doing?"
"Still the same." She looked down, smoothing some errant hairs off Severus' face. He had regained some colour over his cheeks, at least. "Poppy thinks he'll wake within the week."
"That's great! Then you'll have one more person to scold you for doing nothing but sit here for the past few days."
She shook her head. "I'll take that any day. Better than how he is now."
The smile on Hadrian's face slid off at her sombre tone. He sat on the armrest of her chair and leaned his cheek over the top of her head, wrapping a warm arm around her. "Hey, don't be like that. Madam Pomfrey's already said he's gonna be alright."
"Yeah, I just can't help worrying, you know?"
"Mhmm," Hadrian hummed in agreement. "I'd be pretty torn up if that was Cedric laid up there."
She just sighed. Then the implication of his words hit her. "You-"
"Know all about this thing you have with the professor? Yeah. Duh. We all do. It's kinda obvious."
Sputtering, she straightened her back and leaned away slightly so she could get a better look at her brother's face. "What do you mean 'obvious'?" She frowned. "We didn't even really talk about things until right before the battle. How could you possibly have known?"
"Really, Heather? Really?"
The sheer incredulity on Rian's face made Heather feel like sticking her tongue out. "What?"
"I mean, anyone could see the pining from a mile away. And we all knew what a crush you had on the Half-Blood Prince anyway."
"There was no such thing!" she refuted.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that. And you said you weren't denying anything."
She huffed and turned away, face burning like coals. She couldn't believe she'd been so transparent about her feelings! And she called herself a sneaky Slytherin. "What did you come here for anyway?"
Hadrian sent her a knowing look, but let go of the subject easily. "Just wanted to check in on you two. I'd been hoping to thank him for saving me. I can't believe I just froze like that. Who knows what would have happened to me if the professor hadn't pushed me out of the way? I feel really awful that he's injured, because of me."
Heather made an annoyed grunt. "He'll be really mad if he hears you say that. He helped you because he chose to. And it wasn't your fault that he got injured. That's on no one but Riddle. If you were to get hurt helping, say, Ginny, from a DE, would you say it was because of her?"
"I know you're right," Hadrian said. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in odd directions. "I know, okay? It's just hard to accept it, sometimes. And I do want to thank him. I'm really grateful."
Her lips thinned, but she left it alone. She knew Hadrian just needed to work it out in his head. She was no stranger to misplaced guilt herself.
"Speaking of which, have you heard that there's been talk of handing out Order of Merlins? The Ministry just announced at that a banquet is being held to commemorate Riddle's defeat."
She scoffed. "Trust the Ministry to get their priorities mixed up. Aren't they still in the midst of settling things with the DEs and sympathisers?"
"The people need to be reassured that the threat is officially neutralised," Hadrian said mockingly, obviously repeating what someone else had said to him.
"You know what this means," Heather said slyly, "We need dress robes!"
Her brother groaned dramatically. "Can't we just wear our old ones? The Yule Ball ones are still fine!"
"They definitely won't fit anymore. And resizing charms leave the worst marks on fine cloth. Can't have our esteemed Man-Who-Conquered turn up to the event in – gasp – ill-fitting robes!" She swiftly ducked under Hadrian's swipe. "What, am I wrong? You are the guest of honour, aren't you?"
A mutinous scowl wrinkled up Hadrian's face. "Ugh, got it in one. I think this is all ridiculous. Lots of people helped with the battle. I wasn't even the one who struck the finishing blow!"
"You did kill that hydra thing, though," she pointed out, "So you kind of ended the whole battle."
"Whatever," he grumbled. "I'll just buy the first thing that fits. I have better things to do than shop for a Ministry event."
"No way! Daphne would never let me go anywhere near mass produced dress robes. I bet there's already an owl coming my way for an invitation to a Gladrags fitting. And if I have to suffer through hours of that, then you're going down with me."
"Leave me out of it! That's what you get for making friends with the upper crust."
Tapping a finger idly against her chin, she pondered aloud, "You know, I think the others will need dress robes too..."
Hadrian's eyes narrowed in consideration.
"Daphne simply loves dressing people up, didn't you know? She'd be ecstatic to have so many models to experiment with."
"Okay, fine," Hadrian relented, "But they're not going to find out what's going on until we shove them into that shop. I want photos as the realisation hits them."
Grinning like a cat who'd gotten into the cream, Heather shook hands with her brother. "Of course, who do you take me for? Leave it all to me."
Hadrian only laughed. "You've been such a bad influence on me. I'm supposed to be a Gryffindor."
"Oh please," Heather retorted, "You-" She trailed off as a slight movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention. She immediately turned to Severus, wondering if she'd been seeing things.
"Heather? What is it?"
She stared at the unconscious man intently, alert for the smallest of changes. "Thought I saw him move for a moment." Moments passed without any result. "But I guess I was mistaken." With a heavy sigh, she fussed with Severus' blanket, making sure it was tucked in.
"No, look, Heather!" Hadrian murmured, "His eyes, they're moving!"
She tried to quell the rush of hope that swept through her, having been disappointed before. But when she found that her brother was right, a wide smiled stretched across her face.
"Severus?" she whispered. Leaning closer, she grasped one of his hands and held onto it fervently. "Severus, can you hear me? You're alright, we did it, Riddle's gone forever! Come on, open your eyes."
With bated breath, she watched as his eyes finally fluttered open. She immediately dimmed the lights when she noticed him squinting harshly.
"Severus, Severus." She could do nothing but say his name over and over again, so thankful that he'd finally woken.
In the background, Hadrian said that he'd go get Poppy, but for the life of her she could tear her attention away from the man in the bed.
When pale lips parted to speak, she quickly hushed him. "Don't talk. Severus, your throat was badly injured in the fight. For now, blink once for yes and twice for no, alright? Blink thrice if you understand what I just said."
Ever so slowly. Once, twice, thrice.
"Okay," she breathed. She gave him a shaky smile. "Do you need water?"
One blink.
She held a glass of lukewarm water to his lips. "Sip. Slowly now."
That was when Poppy came bustling in. Heather didn't interrupt the mediwitch while she checked Severus over, though she never strayed too far.
"Everything looks good, Severus." Poppy said after reading from her diagnostic report. "You should refrain from using your voice until I give the go ahead. Other than that, all you need is more rest and fluids. Normally, I'd advise my patients to stay for the rest of the day to recuperate after waking from a long period of unconsciousness, but I presume you would much rather return to your quarters. You can be discharged if you agree to rest in bed for a few more days, at least. I'll be expecting you for a follow up next week. Any questions? No? Well, then you're good to go." Then, Poppy turned to Heather with a stern look. "And I'm sure you'll be taking care of him? Make sure he follows my instructions."
"Of course," Heather said seriously. She was pretty sure the usually implacable matron was allowing Severus to leave mostly because she knew quite a bit of medimagic herself. And also because she was an even worse fusspot than Poppy herself.
It was as Poppy was leaving that Heather noticed Hadrian standing at a corner of the room, looking rather out of place.
"I think I'll just go for now," he said awkwardly.
"You don't have to, didn't you want to say something?" Heather looked at her brother in bemusement.
He held both hands up. "Nah, that can wait. I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on. Need any help getting back to the dungeons?" Heather shook her head. "Well, then I'll head off first."
Before Heather could reply, her brother had disappeared out the door.
She shook her head lightly at Rian's escape. Really, she got that he was trying to be considerate, but it really hadn't been necessary. She didn't linger on the subject for long, once more focussing on Severus.
"I'm really glad you're awake. You were out for six whole days."
My apologies for worrying you.
She blinked at the words Severus had written on a notepad and giggled. "What for? It's certainly not your fault Riddle somehow managed to summon a legendary snake leviathan in his last moments. In fact, I should really be thanking you. You saved Hadrian. Though I can't say I'm happy about you risking yourself to do so, I know I'd probably have done the same, so it would be hypocritical of me to judge."
What did I miss?
Severus was never one to take appreciation gracefully. She smiled at his attempt to sidestep the topic. "The hydra creature was destroyed by Hadrian in his animagus form and Riddle's body was decimated. Kingsley Shacklebolt is the Interim Minister. Most of the remaining Deatheaters have been arrested and proper trials are being arranged for them. I'm not sure what they're going to do with the Marked who are still underaged, but I expect they will be more lenient to those who took the Mark under coercion from their families. Kingsley is aware that you were a double agent. You will still need to stand trial, but only as a formality and you won't be taken into custody. School has been suspended pending investigations to rid the school of remaining corrupted magic."
Heather pursed her lips, wracking her brain for anything she might have missed.
Any casualties?
She almost smacked her head at the question. It should probably have been the first thing she'd said. "None, which is quite a miracle. The worst of our injured was you. The students in the castle were unaffected by the battle."
Owing to the strategy you and your cohorts created.
"The elves are the ones who really deserve the praise. They worked hard to keep the students in line."
Severus visibly hesitated before writing the next sentence. How is Draco faring?
The last Heather had seen of Draco, he was being taken away by aurors from school grounds. "He's been arrested, along with the other DEs who were students. Minerva made sure that they were kept out of Azkaban. As far as I know, they're in rather decent holding cells in the Ministry and aren't being treated poorly. I've submitted some evidence that will reduce his sentence. He sent a message before the Hogwarts takeover. Without him, I'm certain we would have suffered more losses. I believe that he will get off lightly. His mother as well – since she wasn't officially a DE – though Lucius Malfoy will certainly be facing many years in prison."
I am glad. He had joined Riddle only under duress. As far as I am aware, he never carried out any crimes under the banner other than aiding the entry of Deatheaters during the invasion.
"If you'd like, you can testify at his trial," Heather suggested.
I believe I shall, provided I am allowed.
"Of course you will!" Heather insisted, "As I said, people – well, not the public in general, but the higher ups at least – know of your role in the war. Your trial is only needed as a matter of official documentation. Otherwise, you are considered a war hero, same as the rest of us." She scrunched her face at the label. She and the others had only done what they had to, what the rest of Wizarding Britain had refused to. And to put on a pedestal and worshipped after the fact? It left a bitter taste in her mouth.
And judging from Severus' expression, he had much the same opinion.
They fell into a lull in the conversation. She took the time to trace her eyes over Severus' features. For all that she had barely left the man's bedside, she had missed him while he was unconscious. She tried to imprint the image of him now, washing away the unnatural stillness that he had fallen into the past week.
"Would you like to return to your quarters now?" she asked softly.
Severus blinked once in acquiesce.
"Shall I call for your house elf then, Wimbly, he was? Is he keyed into your wards?"
When she received Severus' agreement, she called the house elf.
Wimbly appeared in an instant. His attention went straight to his master, eyes widening when he saw Severus awake and fairly well. "Master!" Wimbly exclaimed tearfully. However, the elf seemed to collect himself before he burst into tears. Giving a low bow, Wimbly went on to say, "Wimbly is very pleased Master is okay. What does Master wish of Wimbly?"
Heather was rather impressed the house elf's restraint. Had that been Dobby, he would have been bawling his eyes out.
"Wimbly, Severus cannot speak as his throat is still recovering," Heather explained.
The poor elf looked rather distressed at the mention that Severus was injured. He nodded his head decisively and clicked his fingers. A tiny golden bell appeared in his hand, which he handed over to Severus. "Master may ring for Wimbly!"
She smiled at the thoughtful gesture, though she wondered if Wimbly could read. Severus quickly answered her question when he handed Wimbly a list of tasks.
"Shall Wimbly pop Master now? Miss Heather too?" Wimbly asked after a quick scan over the parchment.
Glancing at the man, she saw no objection. "That would be appreciated, Wimbly."
The house elf smiled and took their hands. In the blink of an eye, they were in Severus' bedroom. Wimbly, bless him, had transported Severus nicely into his own bed. She'd be surprised if he'd been jostled at all during the move.
"Wimbly shall bring dinner!" And with that, he disappeared.
Left alone in the bedroom, Heather was abruptly reminded of the last conversation they'd had before the battle. She fidgeted awkwardly as she stood beside the bed. What was she to do now?
"I should leave you to rest," she blurted out, taking a quick step away.
Severus jerked his head, hands writing some words before shoving them at her.
No, stay.
She paused. "Is there anything I can get you? Another blanket? More pain potion?"
No. Just your presence, unless you would rather leave.
Something like relief bloomed in her chest. Carefully, she perched herself on the edge of the bed. "There's nowhere I'd rather be," she admitted, feeling a hint of warmth settle in her cheeks.
A cool hand brushed along her face, where she was sure was glowing redder by the second. She leant into the touch, sighing. "Severus?" His other hand came up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, then cradled the back of her neck. She wasn't sure whether it was him pulling her forward or her pushing into him, but she found herself half-lying across him on the bed, their faces a scant inch from each other.
Staring deeply into his dark eyes, it suddenly hit her all at once. Her next exhalation came out stuttering, more a sob than not. Her hands flew to his shoulders, anchoring herself. "I missed you. So, so much. When you fell, I-" Her breath hitched. She blinked furiously, trying to dry her eyes. "There was so much- I tried over and over- the blood just kept on-" She buried her face in his chest. Without the feeling of his arms around her, the steady beating of his chest, she was sure she'd fall to pieces.
She soaked in his warmth, letting the broad palm sweeping down her back drive away her fear and anxiety. He was here and alive and not bleeding out on the grass, gaping hole in his neck-
Forcing herself to take a deep, shuddering breath, she willed her racing heart to slow. Suddenly, she needed to see him. She drew back, eyes snapping to his face, hands already reaching out.
"I love you." The words came pouring out. "I love you." Overfilling her heart. "I love you." She couldn't stop, didn't want to stop. "I love you. I love you. IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou-"
She belatedly became aware of a soft sensation on the back of her hand. Her eyes drifted over, watching him run a finger over her skin, slow and deliberate.
ILOVEYOU
Her hands trembled.
ILOVEYOU
She turned back to Severus to find the man staring straight into her eyes, the motions of his finger never stopping, never hesitating.
Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she imprinted the moment in her mind. The trails Severus' finger left along her skin lit up like fire, and she how she wanted his touch to leave a permanent mark.
When she opened her eyes again, Severus hadn't looked away, almost like he couldn't. Leaning in to kiss him felt as natural as anything.
It was nothing like the kiss they'd shared before this. That one had been full of worry and desperation, of 'please be safe' and 'don't leave me'. It had hints of a last kiss.
But now, now they just touched lips, breathing each other in. There was no hurry in their movements, each slide of skin soft and slow and searching. The seconds slipped by, but they didn't hasten. There were no war strategies, no dark lords to kill.
They had all the time they needed. They had the rest of their lives together.