Darkest Desire

25. Lost Chances and Missed Opportunities (EDITED)

Aurora's eyes darted from the mark on her hip to the dark onyx eyes staring down at her.

Severus still had his arm wrapped firmly around her waist, and for that, she was grateful. As it was her legs could barely support her weight, and as she took a shaky breath, Aurora focused on remaining calm.

"Come on. I'm taking you to the Headmasters Office"  Severus said in a low voice, slowly starting to walk.

He was supporting the bulk of her weight, but Aurora managed to remain rooted to her spot as she shook her head.

"No" she brought out.

He looked down at her incredulously, his eyes boring into her own with a ferocity she couldn't quite place.

"What do you mean 'no'?" he managed, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he tried to pull her along.

"If anywhere, I'm going to the infirmary. We can always inform Albus later" Aurora said quietly, silently resisting Snape's attempt to get her to move along.

"And what, not get him involved?! You got poisoned inside this school! He has to know!" Severus exclaimed as he attempted yet again to lead the stubborn witch down the hallway.

Aurora groaned "He'll get my parents involved..."

"Because this is dangerous-! "  Severus bellowed before she cut him off.

"-and that's why it's a good thing you're here!" she managed.

"...what?" Severus asked, temporarily stopping his attempts to get her to start walking again. He'd known what the injection mark meant the moment he set eyes on it. Poisoned. The witch had managed to get herself poisoned. Immediately his mind went into overdrive as if trying to figure out a possible reason why anyone would want to poison a sixth-year student. He came up empty. Something wasn't sitting right with him, but he wouldn't let himself wonder on those thoughts. Right now Aurora needed to get medical attention. And fast.

"You...-" Aurora paused. How much could she tell him?  

"-If I got poisoned then we need to find out which poison was used in order to find an antidote. That makes you the best option to try and figure that out"

Severus looked at her as if he knew she had been about to say something else, but then thought better of it and shook his head. Truth was, Aurora hadn't been out looking for Severus, but when she had run into the man, she'd felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was unexpected, and confusing, but a part of her knew that she trusted him. Albus might have sent the taciturn man to look after her against the Potions Masters will, but Severus was an honorable man, and once he'd set his mind on something, he wasn't one to back down. Even in his capacity as a teacher he wouldn't endanger a student, and she felt she could rely on him with something as serious as the matter at hand.  Hell, given her circumstances, if she really had been poisoned, Severus Snape might very well be the one person she could trust to help her find a solution to her current situation. It wasn't because he was a Potions Master, although that was definitely an advantage, it was the fact that she knew that I could rely on him with something as serious as this. And that thought was scarier than anything.

Suddenly Severus took out his wand, and before her eyes, a patronus appeared. Silver light burst from his wand in smoky tendrils, the patronus charm landing on the ground before them. It looked like a deer, and as Severus waved his wand the incandesche blueish-white glow it spread seemed to brighten. It was a doe, Aurora realized as she watched the elegant and gentle creature spread an warm light.

"Go to Dumbledore. Tell him to meet me in my quarters. We have an emergency situation" he barked, wavding his wand dismissively.

With a burst of white and blue light the doe disappeard, leaving Aurora blinking against the sudden brightness.