Severus Snape stared at the hand that was glued to his chest with adoration. How he got lucky enough to survive two wars and get the girl, he wasn't sure, but the gods had spared him. Whatever he did to appease the gods, he would do it over and over again just to keep this life. After the Battle of Hogwarts, he wasn't sure how he was going to survive living alone with his thoughts. Minerva McGonagall had offered to let him stay at Hogwarts while they worked on repairs, but he refused. It didn't feel right yet, but he also didn't want to return Spinner's End alone. He had gone through too much and his mind needed healing. And like a firefly in the darkness, Iris Inkwell came. His old schoolmate had come along to fight alongside other aurors during the battle, and when she found him on his deathbed, she used her quick-thinking and saved him.
"Stay with me, Severus," she sobbed as she pressed her hand on his neck. "Stay, please, Severus. You need to stay with me."
He was losing blood quickly and his vision was beginning to fade. With the little energy he had, he placed his hand on her cheek. "Another flower to rescue me," was what he whispered before losing conscious. He was not sure how long he was gone, but he remembered dreaming. There was one particular dream where he found himself face to face with his old bullies and Lily Evans Potter.
"Severus..." Lily said. Her voice was near, yet also far away. "Thank you, Severus. You kept him safe." Tears glittered in her eyes as she spoke. In fact, the rest of them, Sirius, Remus, and James, all had tears in their eyes.
"Severus, I... I'm so sorry. For... for all the things we've done," James Potter said.
"I hope one day you can forgive all of us," Remus added, walking closer to him.
"We were... were stupid boys, Severus. I'm so sorry," Sirius said as he followed Remus's movements. "You were the true hero, Severus. You risked it to play double agent for the deadliest wizard in history. And you kept Harry safe. You helped him..."
Severus's lips parted. He wanted to say something, but what? "I-"
Remus raised a hand to stop him. "You don't need to say anything, Severus. We have done plenty of horrible things. All of us, except perhaps sweet Lily." He turned to smile at his friend. "It's time for all of us to rest... especially you, Severus."
"I don't know if I can..."
Remus placed a hand on Severus's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. Severus felt warm and cold all at once.
"You can and you will. There's someone out there waiting for you, you know. She's been taking great care of you, and I have a feeling you'll enjoy getting to know her."
Severus's heart skipped a beat. He finally remembered that he was still alive. Remus had not meant that he rest in his deathbed... he meant to rest in life. Remus could see the gears turning in Severus's head.
"Why don't you wake, Severus, and meet an old friend? And do us a favor? Tell her we said hello."
"What are you-"
Before Severus could ask the question, he woke with a gasp. His mouth was severely dry and his body was sore. He looked around and realized he was in his chambers at Hogwarts, but there was something different in the air. It was his home away from home, yes, but it felt less dreary. The air felt light and clean, and perhaps it was just his imagination, but there seemed to be a hint of lavender and citrus?
Then a crash. He looked towards the end of his bedroom to find Iris Inkwell standing in the doorway with her mouth ajar. She had dropped a plate of what looked like oatmeal, coffee, and some sort of bottled tincture.
"S-Severus...?" she asked in a hushed tone. "I'm not dreaming am I?"
"Er, I would hope not... What... What are you doing here, Iris?"
Iris pulled out her wand and began cleaning up the mess she had made. "Well, first lay back down and I'll tell you everything." Severus sighed, but obeyed.
"What do you remember, Severus?"
"The last thing I remember was bleeding to death and you begging me to stay."
Iris nodded, "Right. Anything after?" Severus shook his head. "Got it. Well, I was able to stop the bleeding enough to apparate us out of the boathouse. I took you to the Great Hall where Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout were healing as much as they can with the assistance of students. They nearly let you die before Harry came along..."
Snape's face lit up. "The boy... is he...?"
Iris smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "He's alive, Severus. Safe. He defeated him... I don't quite understand how. I wasn't there. I needed to stay with you in case anyone made an attempt on your life."
"Safe... Good... I'm not sure if I deserved your protection, but... thank you."
"Of course you did, Severus. I'm not sure what it was, really... Perhaps it was an auror's instinct, but I had a strong feeling that you had a story to tell. Even if it ended with me taking you in for Azkaban, I knew you needed protection. And, as usual-" Iris leaned back in her chair smugly, "-I was right! Harry told us everything, Severus. You're a hero."
Severus stared at the ceiling. He's never been called a hero before. "A hero... I'm not sure if-"
"Shut it, Severus. You are a hero. I just can't believe all the things you've done! A double agent?! Merlin's beard, Severus. I don't know if I could have done what you did. It must have been difficult. However, enough of this chatter. You need your bathing and you're still rather weak, so stay put."
"Wait, Iris, you didn't- you haven't-"
Iris smirked, "Oh don't be a prude! Besides, no I have not seen you naked. I made sure to be respectful and covered you. I let magic do the work."
"Ah. How long have you been here?"
"Hm," Iris tapped her chin, "let's see... I think about a month? More or less."
Severus had been out for a month?!
"But why are you still here, Iris? Don't you have business with the ministry to take care of?"
Iris's cheeks turned bright red as she looked down at her hands. "Yes, but I've volunteered to help with repairs, and... I dunno, I felt like perhaps you'd like someone to take care of you in the privacy of your own chambers, and not be gawked at by students in the infirmary." She looked up and smiled at Severus, then placed a hand on his chest. "Besides, I don't mind. You were kind to me then, Severus. When we were children, I mean. I was a year behind, and I will never forget you defending me when Lucius called me a mudblood."
"You were always the good one, Iris. You were the only good one in Slytherin."
She smiled and moved her hand to his cheek.
"Not anymore."
Their routine went on like this for another few weeks: Iris would feed Severus breakfast at eight o'clock, then head to do repairs around the castle, lunch with Severus at twelve thirty, more repairs, then dinner at seven thirty. She would enchant a sponge to clean him, take the used sponge and water back into the bathroom, bid Severus goodnight, until finally, she headed off to her own room which was conveniently located next to his. For two weeks Iris told Severus the things he missed while he was unconscious and would update him with the repairs. At first Severus hated that he was never alone, but when he did find himself without company, he found that he felt hollow and his heart heavy. He began to look forward to every meal with Iris. He felt lighter around her, and on multiple occasions, he even began noticing that they would flirt with one another.
One particular lunch time, Iris was complaining about one of the repairs team member that the ministry had sent to Hogwarts. "He's so obnoxious, Severus! He stares at me the whole time, and he keeps on bragging about how many death eaters he battled. He wasn't even here for the battle! Ridiculous..."
Severus chuckled. Iris paused and stared at him. "Did you just...?"
"Chuckle? Yes, Iris, I know how. Besides, could you blame him? A talented witch like you... well, I-" Severus blushed.
"Yes?"
"I... I admit I've found myself admiring your beauty."
This time it was Iris's turn to blush. She cleared her throat and checked her watch. "Er- well, I best be going I think..."
"Iris, I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Severus didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. Iris placed a gentle kiss on his lips before planting one on his forehead.
"I hope you do mean it, Severus. I'll see you for dinner."
Severus was paralyzed until she left. Did she just kiss him? He touched his lips. He prayed to Merlin that this was real and that he truly was alive.
That evening, the two had a quieter dinner. There was a change of dynamic between them, and they could feel the electricity in the air. They would glance at one another, shyly smiling as they ate. Severus thanked the gods that he was able to move now, because if he couldn't, then Iris would still be feeding him his dinner, and he was not sure how much his heart could take at the moment. Eventually, Iris began to talk and update him like she usually does. She shared that the Weasley twin that survived had donated plenty of money for the rebuild. To his surprise, he felt rather sad for the Weasley boy. In fact, he felt sad for the many students who lost their lives. Despite his cold demeanor, Severus Snape had loved his job as a teacher. He cared for his students in his own way, and he did nearly die for the sake of his students. He was simply lucky that Iris had found him. Once they finished their plates of shepherd's pie, the usual house elf arrived to take care of the dishes. Iris thanked her before she disappeared back to the kitchens.
"Well, I suppose this is goodnight," Iris said softly. Her body language screamed that she didn't want to leave yet, but she fought the thoughts and stood.
"Before you leave, Iris, I-"
Knock, knock, knock.
"Severus? Iris? May I come in?" Minerva McGonagall's muffled voice came through the door. "It'll only be a moment."
"Yes, come in, Minerva."
Iris headed to the door to let the professor in.
"Good evening to the both of you. I just wanted to have a chat with Severus, if that's alright?"
"Of course, Minerva. I'll be in my room."
"Nonsense, Iris. Stay. Please."
Minerva raised a brow and looked at Severus with curiosity.
"Alright then, Severus. I wanted to ask whether you would like to continue staying at Hogwarts for the time being? Iris has told me that you have recovered quite nicely, however we are beginning to do repairs in the dungeon starting tomorrow, and I think it would still be best if you stayed here. Although, you may want to go home as well. It's all your choice."
"Ah, I see. Well, as much as I'd like to stay, I think home may be a better option... but..." Severus looked at Iris. "I'm not sure, Minerva. I don't particularly want to be alone." This was a statement filled with hopes and wishes, and to his surprise, his luck was quite high that night.
"I'll go with you, Severus," Iris chimed, stepping closer to his bed. "You need me." She smirked and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Iris, I... "
Minerva's eyes moved between Severus and Iris. It almost felt as if she was interrupting something between them.
"Iris, are you sure? You haven't been home all month, and-"
"Severus, really it's alright. I'd be happy to." Iris sat down on the chair beside his bed.
"Well, it's settled then. Let me know when we can begin repairs here, and we will make sure you are safe in your home before then. Good night, Severus. Iris," she said with a knowing smile.
"Iris, if... if I may..."
"Yes."
"I haven't asked anything yet, Iris."
"Oh right, my auror instinct is telling me the answer is yes, but do go on."
"Thank you. You're quite insufferable, you know," Severus said with a chuckle. "If I may... Iris Inkwell, would you, er... I-"
"Go on, Severus, the clock is ticking," Iris sneered, tapping her watch.
"Oh alright! Would you be my girlfriend?"
"Severus, you know the answer to that." Iris nearly jumped on top of him, but reminded herself that he was still injured, so she opted to give him a passionate kiss. Her hands found themselves on both sides of his head while his hand wrapped around the nape of her neck. She pulled away slightly, and asked, "If I may be so bold, may I stay tonight?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
The two spent the entire evening snogging, chatting, and snuggling in his bed (though they still had to be careful), and early in the morning, Iris began packing Severus's belongings. Thankfully, Severus was now able to walk a little (it was more like a shuffle), and he helped Iris finding the important items. During breakfast, Minerva, along with other professors had breakfast in Severus's room. It felt like a small celebratory party. Minerva expressed her disdain towards him and his excellent secret keeping while Pomona Sprout kept saying, "Incredible... just incredible!" After breakfast, Iris went on to finish repairs in the Great Hall before returning to Severus. At lunch, Severus had a different kind of visitor: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley. Iris attempted to excuse herself from the room, but Severus insisted for her to stay.
"My girlfriend will not be leaving me with these children. Stay, please, my love?"
The three teenagers looked at one another with great surprise on their face.
"My love? Professor, is she...?"
"Yes, Mr. Weasley, your dear old Professor Snape does indeed have a girlfriend."
"An auror at that... Well done, professor," Harry teased, sticking out his hand to shake his.
"I suppose I'll allow one little handshake, Potter..."
Iris burst into a fit of laughter. It was so strange to see their dynamic, and frankly, she couldn't wait to plan little tea times with the three teens.
Dinner that evening was roasted chicken, peas, mashed potatoes, and gravy with two buttery dinner rolls. It was a lovely dinner in fact; the children talked to Severus about what happened with the horcruxes, how Neville defeated Nagini, and other fantastical stories that happened during the battle. After the dinner was long gone did the trio decide to head back to their tent that they placed on the castle grounds next to Hagrid's Hut.
"Good night, professor and Ms. Inkwell," Hermione said, hugging Iris tightly.
"We'll make sure to invite you three to Spinner's End once we've settled down, alright?"
"Yes, that would be lovely," Harry responded. "Good night, both of you."
With that, the trio left the room and Severus let out a sigh.
"Tea time with those three? Merlin's beard, Iris, I'm sensing an interesting life with you."