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hp_shoreofangstTitle: in the dead of night
Author:hogwartstoalexandria
Rating: Mature
Prompt: Prompt#H01 (2019)
Pairing: Minerva McGonagall/Severus Snape
Era: pre-Final Battle (not canon compliant with HBP, aka Dumbledore lives!)
Word Count: 486 words
Content/Warning(s): Highlight to read*Double-Agent Snape, Injuries, Traumatic Death Eater Meetings, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationship.*
Summary: A night in the troubled times before the final battle is due to go down; a mere few months after Minerva's been treated to Severus' truth and decided to help him along, as best she could, and left her heart in his hands.
Author's Note: My first time writing or even thinking about this pairing ever, hope you'll enjoy this short story! Thank you to my darling Erja for looking it over!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
The sobs. That's what she'd always remember. The sobs and the soft hissing that came before that right before she found him that first time. That first night that changed everything, a million years ago, yesterday.
Minerva looked up from where she'd been staring at his hand, almost lifeless by his side above the white sheet. It looked too pale. She averted her gaze and chose the window instead. First, the patterns on the glass and Asklepios' snake almost bobbing its head at her as it spinned around its rod, then further, onto the snowy grounds of Hogwarts. The night wasn't young, she could already see hints of colors coming back to eat away at the darkness of the sky.
She sighed. Pushed her glasses further up her nose. Glanced back at Severus' face once again wishing she'd been faster.
Meetings were getting closer together, longer, too, and every time, he came back to her a little more scarred than he'd been before. Whether those scars were his own doing for not protecting himself as someone who valued their own life would or because the final battle was getting closer, she couldn't tell. All she could do for now was wait though. Which. She'd never been great at that part.
"I thought I knew you," she'd told him back that first night, angry, at him, at herself, at the world - pointing fingers was hard when the lines got so blurred even her distrust of Severus Snape found itself shaken.
His eyes. She'd always remember the look in his eyes too. Too tired, too desperate, too hurt to even attempt slipping his usual mask back on.
"Help me," he'd asked, a whisper she wouldn't have heard if she wasn't already on her knees at his side trying to locate the origin of his wounds. There had been blood everywhere around him, a small pool of it on the wet tiles of the once-flooded hallway that led to his quarters.
"I thought I knew myself," she'd thought, as she lied to Albus about the severity of Severus' injuries after he made her swear not to impede his ability to keep going.
"I have to do this, I need to do this." He'd gritted his teeth as she bandaged his midsection. "Whatever it takes." He'd once again whispered like he wasn't sure he wanted her to hear him.
Whatever it took now, whatever it'd take then, Minerva had resolved to not let this man die. Not now that she knew, not now that she could truly see him for who he was and what he was trying to achieve. She wouldn't let him down.
She would make it so they could get past this life mission of theirs, not unscathed, it was much too late for that, but so they could have peace once it was accomplished.
"Bite into this, hold my hand, Severus, this is going to hurt."
Read on AO3
Author:
hogwartstoalexandriaRating: Mature
Prompt: Prompt#H01 (2019)
Pairing: Minerva McGonagall/Severus Snape
Era: pre-Final Battle (not canon compliant with HBP, aka Dumbledore lives!)
Word Count: 486 words
Content/Warning(s): Highlight to read*Double-Agent Snape, Injuries, Traumatic Death Eater Meetings, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationship.*
Summary: A night in the troubled times before the final battle is due to go down; a mere few months after Minerva's been treated to Severus' truth and decided to help him along, as best she could, and left her heart in his hands.
Author's Note: My first time writing or even thinking about this pairing ever, hope you'll enjoy this short story! Thank you to my darling Erja for looking it over!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
The sobs. That's what she'd always remember. The sobs and the soft hissing that came before that right before she found him that first time. That first night that changed everything, a million years ago, yesterday.
Minerva looked up from where she'd been staring at his hand, almost lifeless by his side above the white sheet. It looked too pale. She averted her gaze and chose the window instead. First, the patterns on the glass and Asklepios' snake almost bobbing its head at her as it spinned around its rod, then further, onto the snowy grounds of Hogwarts. The night wasn't young, she could already see hints of colors coming back to eat away at the darkness of the sky.
She sighed. Pushed her glasses further up her nose. Glanced back at Severus' face once again wishing she'd been faster.
Meetings were getting closer together, longer, too, and every time, he came back to her a little more scarred than he'd been before. Whether those scars were his own doing for not protecting himself as someone who valued their own life would or because the final battle was getting closer, she couldn't tell. All she could do for now was wait though. Which. She'd never been great at that part.
"I thought I knew you," she'd told him back that first night, angry, at him, at herself, at the world - pointing fingers was hard when the lines got so blurred even her distrust of Severus Snape found itself shaken.
His eyes. She'd always remember the look in his eyes too. Too tired, too desperate, too hurt to even attempt slipping his usual mask back on.
"Help me," he'd asked, a whisper she wouldn't have heard if she wasn't already on her knees at his side trying to locate the origin of his wounds. There had been blood everywhere around him, a small pool of it on the wet tiles of the once-flooded hallway that led to his quarters.
"I thought I knew myself," she'd thought, as she lied to Albus about the severity of Severus' injuries after he made her swear not to impede his ability to keep going.
"I have to do this, I need to do this." He'd gritted his teeth as she bandaged his midsection. "Whatever it takes." He'd once again whispered like he wasn't sure he wanted her to hear him.
Whatever it took now, whatever it'd take then, Minerva had resolved to not let this man die. Not now that she knew, not now that she could truly see him for who he was and what he was trying to achieve. She wouldn't let him down.
She would make it so they could get past this life mission of theirs, not unscathed, it was much too late for that, but so they could have peace once it was accomplished.
"Bite into this, hold my hand, Severus, this is going to hurt."
Read on AO3
