May I Ask?

(7) Blood was spilled

((A/N: Please do not read this chapter if you are sensitive to death, blood, or panic attacks. Stay safe. I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors, as per usual. Just ignore them, enjoy the story.))

Lemon scent hung heavy in the the cool afternoon air, accompanied by the singing of the radio. Severus' ears twitched as Micheal Bublé's voice filled the room, snickering at the muggle artist Harry seemed to like so much. His master had gone shopping with Teddy for new clothes, and an owl, which Severus had opted out of. Instead, the elf took that time to start cleaning the house again now that he wasn't so ill. The two had gotten over their fevers roughly a week ago, but had waited a bit before bringing Teddy back, just in case. Now that the little beast had free roam again, the house had once more fallen in to chaos, and it was his and Kreacher's job to clean the place up. Not that he minded, of course. In fact, he would never let Harry clean. That was his job; he would not let his Master waste his energy on such an inconsequential task.
Just as he finished wiping down the counters, his sleeves rolled back so the cleaning spray wouldn't stain his nice, white shirt, his ears picked up the rush of the floo beside him. Said ears bounced excitedly, causing him to clap his hands over them. They had started doing that recently, and it was unbelievably embarrassing. The elf thought he may just faint if his Master ever caught them move in such an undignified way.
"Hey Sev!" Harry chuckled as he walked around the couch, in to the kitchen, unaware the man was thanking Merlin for Harry's distractedness.
Turning to accept the kiss Harry always offered when they'd been apart, Severus smiled softly, sighing as his lover leaned against him.
"Miss me?" The elf chuckled in a deep voice, beginning to pet Harry's mane of a hair cut.
"Hmm, you know I always do," Potter sighed, leaning back as he looked up at Severus. Those beautiful eyes caused the elf's stomach to squirm with butterflies. Leaning a bit more of his weight against the counter to help with his now-weak knees, Severus smiled as Harry walked over to pick up Teddy.
The little boy had been standing proudly beside a brand new Great Grey owl's cage, admiring the beautiful creature, then collapsed in to giggled as Harry picked him up, peppering the little boy with kisses. He cuddled up against his godfather, tucking his head under the man's chin with a small yawn.
"You can't go to bed yet, Ted, we've gotta have dinner," Harry purred warmly, bouncing the child a bit as he walked him in to the living room, sitting him on the couch and starting up a show for him.
"I'm not tired anyway!" Teddy exclaimed, snuggling up comfortably against a throw pillow as Paw Patrol came on, eyes glittering with excitement. With a flick of Harry's wrist, the owl's cage opened, and it fluttered over to sit beside Teddy.
Severus watched them with amusement, smiling as Harry headed back over to him. It seemed it was his turn for attention. Placing an arm around Severus' waist, Harry placed a kiss to his elf's lips. Responding happily, Severus cupped Harry's face, holding back a worried hum at how cold his lover was. They'd just got back from outside, and it was growing a bit chilly. Of course his skin would be a bit cool. Surprisingly, Harry's hands were actually quite warm. Severus jumped a bit when Harry's hand came to push the hair out of his elf's face, his lips still cool against Severus' own, accidentally brushing over the elf's ears.
"Sorry," Harry apologized softly, pulling back a bit.
"They're just, er, sensitive," Severus explained, flushing.
"Did I hurt you?" His Master asked worriedly, eyes widening in distress, making the elf rush to assure.
"No! No, they're um... They're ticklish," Severus admitted, face so hot, he thought he may faint. Harry's expression went blank for a moment, before the man burst out laughing, gripping the countertop to keep from falling over in his mirth. Eyes wide, Severus began to chuckle too, heart hammering hard at the beautiful sound of his lover's laughter. He swore that no music on that muggle radio could ever compare to the beautiful sound that was Harry's laughter.
"Oh- Oh my Merlin," Harry wheezed, sitting a bit as he gripped his stomach. Suddenly, he'd drew his elf close again, peppering kisses all over his face and ears. "You are so, so adorable."
Though he was sure his face was a brilliant shade of scarlet, Severus smiled, capturing Harry's lips in a brief kiss.
"I need to get started on dinner," He murmured, disentangling himself from the younger man's arms, despite his pout. His Master could whine all he wanted, there was no way that Severus would allow him to go hungry. Besides, Teddy must have been hungry too.
Heading over to the stove, he set a pan atop it, setting it on a low heat and coating the bottom with butter. Chicken would be good for tonight, especially since it was one of the few meals Teddy would actually eat. Severus sighed. Children were so picky.
About half an hour later, dinner was served, much to the relief of Severus' hungry family.
"Thank you, Love," Harry purred in the elf's ear, kissing his cheek as he sat down beside him. Severus smiled.
"Thanks!" Teddy began to dig in to his meal with vigor, legs kicking happily under the table. Harry gently tapped his hand beside Teddy's plate to get the little boy's attention, smiling when Teddy paused, his one eye peering at Harry.
"Eat a bit slower, you'll make yourself sick," He warned the child, who pouted, but obeyed, taking a comically slow bite. Harry snickered, turning back to his own plate. Under the table, his leg pressed against Severus' own, comforting the elf in ways no words could explain.
He shifted closer to his master, enjoying the warmth radiating off of the man as he ate his meal. Nearby, Teddy's new owl hooted, flying on to the table to peck at Harry's plate.
"Cannibal," Severus huffed, shooing the dusty thing away from his master's meal, frowning as Harry scratched at its feathers. "Don't encourage him, he'll think it's okay."
"He can have some of my meal, just as long as it's not bird," Harry hummed, stroking the top of the beasts head as it happily cooed. "Hedwig always ate off my plate at Hogwarts."
"If you insist," Severus sighed in annoyance, picking at his own plate.
"I'm really happy we got Thunder, he's gonna be my best friend, you know," Teddy explained, giggling happily as the bird hopped closer to him, nibbling at his hair.
"Thunder?" Severus repeated, amused.
"He said he looked like a thunder cloud," Harry explained to him softly, leaning his head on Severus' shoulder. Relaxing at the affectionate touch, the elf leaned against Harry as well, watching Teddy play with his owl.
After cleaning up everyone's dishes, a task Harry insisted he helped Severus and Kreacher complete, they tucked in Teddy for bed, and headed in to the living room to enjoy the fire.
"Your tea," Harry purred in a bad imitation of a butler, offering a cup of steaming tea to Severus as he sat beside the elf. Taking it from his master's warm hands, Severus sipped at it carefully, enjoying the scalding liquid as it ran down his throat. As Harry wrapped his arm around him, summoning a blanket to lay over their shoulders, Severus questioned how in the world he had ended up with someone so kind. "We should clink."
"Clink?" Severus raised a brow at him.
"Yeah like—" Harry raised his tea cup, as if giving a toast.
"You... mean we should toast?" Severus tried not to laugh, astonished at Harry's limited vocabulary. But, he could not hold back his snickers as a faint flush spread across his master's cheeks.
"Yeah, uh, that," Harry agreed, raising his cup. Smiling, Severus' tapped his own against Harry's, listening to the faint tap of the ceramic. "To us," Harry hummed.
"To us." Severus took a sip, blood buzzing in his veins as he drank from his cup. Oh, he was lost. He was head over heels in love with the goofy, sympathetic man beside him. Faintly, he questioned how he survived before knowing Harry's love, his affection, and his warmth.
But as Severus relaxed against Harry, the floo blazed to life, its eerily green light surrounding them both. With a frown, his master crept closer, kneeling to answer whoever called.
Kingsley's face appeared in the fire, looking stricken and tired. Severus' watched the tension rise in Harry's shoulders, felt the dread fill the air.
"Harry, It's Neville. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time-"
"Where is he?"
Harry's voice was deathly calm, a commanding tone to it that sent shivers of fear down Severus' spine. He had witnessed what Harry could do when angered. Oh, he knew all too well the power that hid beneath those forest green eyes. And soon, he knew, someone would meet that power head on, and pay for what they had done to Harry's family.
"Hogwarts," came Kingsley's saddened reply, eyes widening as Harry stood.
"Severus."
"Yes?" The elf was on his feet in a second, ears perked, ready to do whatever it is his master required. He would do anything, absolutely anything to ease the pain.
"Take Teddy to Narcissa, then meet me at Hogwarts. Kingsley, I'm coming through." Harry's voice was low, and dark, even causing Kingsley to scramble out of the way to let Harry in. The elf did not wait for his master to go through the flames; he had a task. Rushing up the stairs on less then steady feet, Severus headed to Teddy's bedside.
Gently, he shook the young boy's shoulders, huffing at the boy grumbled.
"Teddy, you have to get up now. I'm taking you to Aunt Narcissa's, alright?"
Teddy frowned up at him blearily. "Hm? Why do I have to go there?"
"Your Godfather will explain later, up now," He ushered the child, picking him up and heading back down the stairs, sighing at the small arms that wrapped around his neck.
"What about Thunder?" Teddy whined, worried for his new pet.
"Owl!" Severus shouted. He did not have time for this, but it would not do well for him to have Teddy throw a tantrum. Thunder came soaring in, landing on Severus' shoulder as the elf finally stepped through the floo.
Narcissa took Teddy without question, though her eyes portrayed her worry. Severus promised her that he'd explain once everything was over, before rushing back through the floo, and in to the medical wind of Hogwarts.
What he was faced with made his stomach roll. Blood; there was so much blood. Young Neville was being cradled by his Master, the young professor's hands tangled in Harry's shirt, drenched in his own life's blood. It dripped from his mouth, and nose, rolling out of his ripped stomach, like a gutted fish.
"I'm sorry," Harry was whispering, voice quivering as grief threatened to overtake him. "Neville I am so, so sorry."
"Don't— Please don't be," Neville croaked, a soft smile on his lips, causing more scarlet droplets to slip down his chin. Reaching up a quivering hand to wipe Harry's tears, the man continued to smile, and at that moment Severus realized just how strong his former student was. He was smiling. He knew he was dying, and he was smiling.
"I love you, Nev, I'm—"
"Don't apologize Harry, I owe you everything..."
This made his master pause.
"I don't... I don't understand."
"If it weren't for you Harry, I never would've-" He coughed, spluttering and wheezing. "I never would have believed in myself at all. I never would have tried to be better but... Harry, you changed me.... You made me feel brave."
And like that, the light from the man's eyes was gone. His hand fell from Harry's face, and his limbs went limp, never to stir again. Neville was dead.