Hope
It had been eight months. Eight months since you’d found Severus’s body in the boathouse, since you had found the faintest traces of life still clinging to him. Eight months since the healers at St Mungo’s had declared that he was in a deep coma, from which they couldn’t wake him.
You had visited him every day, many times falling asleep in the chair by his bed in the middle of the night. The healers had long since become used to your presence. They didn’t ask you to leave anymore when visiting hours were over.
Those times when you were away from his side, you were helping Harry to clear his name. It had not been easy. While few were willing to argue with the young hero of the Wizarding world, making them truly believe that Severus Snape was truly a hero took some pushing. But you had done it.
December 19th. Over eight months. The hour was late, and you were by his bedside as always. You had put some holly garlands up around the room. It was believed that holly offered protection against dark magic. You had even whispered to the holly as you set some on the table by his bed, “Please bring him back to me.”
You were sat in a char besides his bed, as you were every night, reading out loud from another book. You knew Severus had a secret liking for muggle classics, it was something you shared.
You heard the door open quietly and turned to see Zelah, one of the healers, enter the room with a cup in her hands.
“Thought you could benefit from some tea, dear.” She said, setting the cup on the bedside table. You smiled, tiredly, and thanked her. You and Zelah had built a friendship over the months, “How are you fairing?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” You answered, rubbing at your tired eyes, “I’m scared.” You couldn’t voice your deepest fears, that he wouldn’t ever wake up, saying that out loud felt like manifesting it into existence. Just the thought of it made your insides churn and heart ache with pain so sharp you wanted to scream.
Zelah put her hand on your shoulder, “You have to hold onto hope. We still don’t know how he survived. Something’s keeping him holding onto life. You can’t loose hope. I know he can feel you here and something tells me it’s helping.” She gave your shoulder a squeeze, “I have to do my rounds. I’ll check in later.”
“Thank you, Zelah.”
After she left, you put the book down, eyes too tired to read anymore. Leaning forward, you took Severus’s hand in yours, pressing a kiss to his fingers before settling your joined hands back on the bed. “I will never give up on you, Severus.” You said, your voice cracking with gathering tears, “And you have fought so hard. But I need you to win one more fight. I need you to wake up. I need you to come back to me. We’re finally free, Sev. We can make a life now, we can go home. And I’m not going home without you. So you have to wake up.” Tears were slipping down your face. Things would not end like this. Not after everything he’d been through, after everything you’d been through together.
You laid your head down next to his hand, your eyes drooping. Almost asleep when you felt it.
Severus’s fingers tightening around yours.