severusloveslilyâ:
- - -
âThatâs a good way of putting it,â Severus said softly. âEverything was good until it wasnât.â
She was completely right though. Things had just been hard for him. There were some things he went through that she didnât even know about, both at Hogwarts and with his parents. He had been overwhelmed and ashamed. And she always felt so upset when heâd get hurt, he hadnât wanted to hurt her. He had dealt with a lot on his own, and that was a mistake. He should have asked for help. It had been too late when he finally did.Â
âThank you for today,â he said before they walked inside. âIt has been a highlight in what feels like an eternity of darkness,â he sighed. âI hope you and Harry have a good rest of your day. I have to do some work,â he said. âBut this was the respite I needed for a brief moment,â he added.Â
She had put it perfectly. How had they ended up here?
- - -
Severus stiffly walked to the shared washing machine, which was charmed to do things a bit faster due to all the occupants in the house. He usually cleaned his clothes magically, but he just needed to properly wash them this time. He wanted every remnant of his week expunged.Â
âOh, hey,â Dorcas smiled as she looked at him. âI was just moving my stuff over to the dryer. You need the washer?â
âYes,â Severus said tensely. He hesitated, not wanting to do this in front of her. âIâll wait until youâre finished or I can come back in a few minutes.â
âNonsense,â Dorcas laughed, waving her hand dismissively. âYou have to get in when you can. Itâs like a bloodbath over here,â she said lightheartedly. âHere, I can do it for you, if you want? I donât mind.â
âItâs alright,â Severus said. He was still waiting, his arm protectively over his hamper.Â
Dorcas gestured to the washer. âOkay. Then by all means.â
Severus shifted uncomfortably, before he just dumped his clothes in there, hoping for the best. However, Dorcas, with her annoying eagle eye, frowned and reached into the bin. She pulled out a shirt that was stained dark with patches of blood. She pulled out another that was the same, and another. She slowly looked at him, horrified, and then concerned. âSeverus? Are youâŠ?â
âIâm fine,â he said. âOccupational hazard,â he muttered. âDonât you bleed?â
âYes, butâŠâ she trailed off, feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness. âOh, Severus,â she whispered. âI just want to give you a hug.â
âDonât,â he whispered quickly, his expression pained. âPlease donât.â
Dorcas frowned deeper and her eyes roamed over his chest, toward his back. âDo you need any help? Can you reach the wounds? Iâm trained in healing. You donât have to do it by yourself.â
âItâs fine,â Severus said, not keeping eye contact with her. âItâs dark magic anyway,â he mumbled. Much harder to deal with. He grabbed some detergent and put it in, before starting up the washer. He didnât say another word as he slowly retreated back to his room. He would just have to stick to washing things magically. He hated that encounter and did not want to repeat it. He just wanted a long shower and to go to bed.Â
- - -Â
âIt was a lot.â
Lily stared at Doe intently over the rim of her glass of wine, âWhere was it?â
âThe back of his shirt.â
She was thankful that Doe had decided to speak to her about this whilst they were alone. That wasnât something that the others needed to hear about it, because theyâd undoubtedly find a way to use it against him. She knew that she was behaving favourably towards him, but that didnât mean that sheâd truly forgiven him for everything. She had just become tired of living in a toxic environment. That and, well, she wanted to trust that Dumbledore had good reason to trust him.
âDid he appear to be in pain?â
Doe shrugged, âIâm not sure that Iâd be able to tell when it comes to him, Lil.â
Hesitantly, she moved to put her glass down. âI should go and see if he...â
âThatâs probably not the best idea.â Doe reached out, taking hold of her arm, âHe made it clear to me that it was fine.â She widened her eyes slightly, clearly trying to pass on that her going to help him may not be the best idea. Everyone was there, her absence would probably be noticed. Yet, she didnât find herself caring.Â
âIâd do the same for anyone here,â she finally responded, whilst gently tugging her arm away from Doe. âIf I annoy him, then so be it.âÂ
She moved to walk out of the room, headed over to the stairs, hesitating for a short moment. She then glanced towards the busy kitchen, hearing the quiet hum of chatter. She watched as Doe emerged from the lounge, arching a brow at her. She knew, that Doe knew, that he was most likely just going to either ignore her knocking or reject her help too. However, she was going to try. She didnât like the thought of someone being hurt, and having to hide it.
Heâd done enough of that over the years. Heâd suffered in silence for such a long time when they were kids, only she had truly known of the horrors of that house heâd grown up in. No tweleve year old child should have to defend their Mother from being beaten up, or their best friend from nearly being assaulted. He had lived through trauma that not one person at that table downstairs could claim. She knew that it was the root of why heâd become what heâd become, but perhaps, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps, he truly was seeing clearly now.Â
It wasnât long before she was stood outside of his door, knocking, wondering if heâd respond. âSeverus?â She took a small step back and waited for a few moments, before then knocking again. âItâs Lily.â As if he didnât know. He was probably wondering what the hell she was doing knocking on his bedroom door at this time. To be honest, she was wondering a little, as to what she was doing here and why. She wasnât just going to play the good samaritan for the sake of it. It felt important. As much as she wished that it would be easy for her to ice him out of her life again, it wouldnât be. She had been a somewhat immature, serious grudge-holding kid when theyâd first fallen out. Heâd deserved it, yes, but a small part of her couldnât help but feel guilt for the outcome of his life thus far.
The door opened, which startled her, âOh! I just came to see if you were okay.â She paused for a second, before then clarifying her intentions for being there, âDoe mentioned that something... She seemed concerned that something had happened. If you need help, I can help.â










