Chapter 45

I stood up and organized the materials after analyzing the cases and coming up with more than two solutions. Just as I was thinking of taking a break, the door outside creaked open, and I heard, "Lie down on this bed over here."

Alright, time to get to work. I stepped out of the office.

"Hey! Sawyer," greeted the patient with a bit too much enthusiasm, wincing in pain.

Madam Pomfrey pressed him back down. "Stay still and don't move!"

As I walked closer, I recognized the person on the bed. "Roddy Aiboh? I didn't expect to see you here. You really need to be more careful. What happened this time?"

Roddy Aiboh, a sixth-year Hufflepuff and a Chaser on the Quidditch team, was a frequent visitor to the hospital wing this term. It seemed like he got a minor injury almost every time he trained, even once spraining his ankle while getting off his broom.

"Oh, thanks for your concern! Just some minor scrapes, nothing serious!" Aiboh said with a sheepish smile, trying to scratch his head but wincing from the pain in his shoulder.

"Sawyer, you treat him." Madam Pomfrey stepped back after a quick examination, leaving the patient to me, and returned to her office.

"Got it." I immediately switched into work mode.

Using a spell to examine the injury, I found a severe bruise on his right shoulder with some abrasions but no bone damage. I healed the external wounds with a spell and went to the potion cupboard to find some bruise-healing paste. The oral potion was out of stock, so I applied the ointment to the bruised area instead.

"You'll need to drink a potion later. I'll get it for you. Just rest for now."

After instructing Aiboh, I washed my hands and prepared to go to Professor Slughorn's office for more potions. On my way out of the ward, I noticed a familiar figure in the shadows.

"Severus? What are you doing here!" I said excitedly, stepping closer. "I thought I wouldn't see you until dinner."

He stepped out of the shadows, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I brought potions for Madam Pomfrey. She said the hospital wing needed them."

"Perfect timing, I was just about to make a trip." I found the bruise-healing potion among the bottles Severus was holding. "Take the rest to Madam Pomfrey's office."

I smiled at Severus and returned to the ward. After making Aiboh drink the potion, I told him he could leave after resting for a while.

When I entered the office, Severus was nowhere to be seen.

"He left. I told him to wait outside for you," Madam Pomfrey said, noticing my searching look and teasing me. "You're done for today. Young people need time for dates."

I shamelessly curtsied, "Thank you, beautiful and understanding Madam Pomfrey!"

Gathering my things, I dashed out of the hospital wing amid her teasing.

I found Severus standing by a tree on the lawn, looking out at the Black Lake. He turned as he heard me approaching. "So soon?"

"Madam Pomfrey let me off early." We walked slowly towards the lakeside together.

"Sawyer, about that boy in the hospital wing…" Severus began hesitantly.

"Roddy Aiboh? Do you know him?" I asked, unsure of what Severus was getting at.

"No, I just… I think he likes you," Severus said slowly, watching my reaction.

I hadn't noticed. "Really? I was just focused on treating his bruises. How could you tell?"

Severus looked for the right words. "The way he looked at you. I think he has feelings for you."

It took me a moment to process. "You mean, he likes me? Severus, are you jealous?" I teased, linking my arm with his.

Severus coughed lightly, trying to remain composed. "As your boyfriend, I think I have the right to be jealous when other men look at you like that."

Ignoring his attempt at seriousness, I nodded happily. "Of course, you do! I love it when you're jealous!"

Severus's pale face turned a shade of pink, and he awkwardly avoided my gaze.

"I don't know what Aiboh's intentions are, but for me, it's just work." I leaned closer to whisper in his ear, "I only have eyes for you. Everyone else is just passing by."

Severus trembled slightly and turned to look at me, his eyes like deep, dark whirlpools. A gentle smile appeared on his face.

"I understand."

I didn't dwell on what Severus said about Aiboh liking me. Maybe Severus was overthinking it. I forgot about it after a few days.

On Friday evening, I was heading to the Great Hall for dinner when a figure suddenly appeared in front of me. I was startled and took a step back.

"Sorry, Sawyer, I didn't mean to scare you. It's me, Roddy Aiboh." The boy from the hospital wing stood before me.

"Roddy, what's up? Are you injured again or feeling unwell? Come on in." I turned, thinking I could eat later. If dinner was over, I could always go to the kitchen.

"Wait, Sawyer! I'm not injured or sick…" He looked nervous and hesitant. I had a bad feeling about this.

"I came to see you because… I wanted to ask if you're free tomorrow morning to go to Hogsmeade. I have something to tell you."

Severus was right. This was exactly what he predicted. I tried to hide my emotions and smiled gently.

"Actually, I'm going to Hogsmeade tomorrow morning, but I'm going with someone. We could go together."

Aiboh looked visibly disappointed. "You have company? Will it be alright if I join?"

"It won't be a problem. I'm going with my… my boyfriend to buy some things. It's not a date. We can all go together."

Aiboh's eyes widened in surprise. "You have a boyfriend?" He quickly apologized. "Sorry, I didn't know. Of course, you can have a boyfriend. You're so kind and wonderful! Any guy would be lucky to have you."

I interrupted his flustered rambling. "Thank you for the compliment! I thought you knew. He was just at the hospital wing the other day bringing potions… although he didn't enter the ward. You've probably seen us around school. He's Severus Snape, a Slytherin. We've been friends since childhood."

Aiboh looked even more surprised. "I thought you two were just friends…"

"We were, until last term when he confessed to me before exams." I made a playful face. "I didn't want to lose him to someone else, so I made my move first!"

Aiboh looked deflated, realizing the truth. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow at 9 AM at the entrance to Hogsmeade."

I was about to leave when he suddenly changed his mind. "Actually, I just remembered I have something important to do tomorrow. I'll have to cancel."

"Didn't you have something to tell me? Should we reschedule?" I feigned ignorance.

"No, it's nothing. Forget about it. I'll be going now." He turned and left, looking somewhat defeated.

I sighed in relief. Fortunately, he was an honest Hufflepuff. If he had been as persistent as a Gryffindor like Potter, it wouldn't have been this easy.

I jogged back to the common room, forgetting to stop by the kitchen. Severus and Lily were doing homework, and there was food on a small table next to them.

Lily looked up as I entered. "Why so late? Haven't eaten yet, right?" She gestured to the food. "Your dear Severus got it for you from the kitchen."

Severus coughed lightly, continuing to write.

I bent down and kissed Severus on the cheek before grabbing some food, ignoring Lily's teasing noises.

"I knew Severus was the best. This is my favorite corn chowder!"

After eating, I joined them in tackling the mountain of homework.

"Severus, let's go to Hogsmeade together tomorrow," I suggested while working on my Muggle Studies essay.

"Didn't you get tired of that place already?" Severus asked.

"This time is different! We're not just wandering around; it's a date!" I punctuated my sentence with a dot, glaring at him. "And don't tell me a walk from the castle to the lake counts as a date."

Lily laughed loudly and quickly covered her mouth, looking at us apologetically.

"Alright, we'll go to Hogsmeade for our date tomorrow," Severus concluded, as if assigning us homework.

"Good. I accept your invitation," I replied, satisfied.

Walking to Hogsmeade, everything felt the same as usual. There wasn't any sense of romance.

"Why doesn't it feel like a date?" I wondered. Maybe it was because we grew up together and were used to it?

"Why the sudden desire to go on a date? I thought our usual way of spending time together was fine," Severus questioned.

"We're fine, but others don't know that." I felt a bit down. "Roddy Aiboh asked me out yesterday, not knowing you're my boyfriend! I bet hardly anyone at Hogwarts knows about us."

Severus's temperature dropped, and he let out a cold snort. "That Aiboh has ulterior motives. He gets minor injuries frequently? I bet it's on purpose."

I was speechless. It did seem odd that he was so frequently injured.

"If he's injuring himself to visit the hospital wing, that's a stupid strategy." I rolled my eyes. "And quite a naive one. Plus, he got lucky I was there most of the time."

I linked arms with Severus. "No matter what, we're going on a date. Severus, cheer up! Smile a bit!"

Severus awkwardly tugged at his lips and let me drag him towards our destination.

We visited almost every store, buying parchment, ink, and some candy. Severus wasn't enthusiastic about shopping unless it involved potion ingredients. But gradually, my excitement rubbed off on him, and he softened, sometimes looking at me with a tender expression.

Whatever the reason, this trip was worth it.

Later, Lily ran over to us, sharing gossip from her patrol. "They say that gloomy, dark bat Severus Snape has fallen in love! Someone swears they saw him holding hands with a Gryffindor girl, looking at her with such deep affection."

I laughed. It seemed people were observant after all.

Rumors spread among the girls that Severus's deep, restrained love was the most profound, and whoever he loved must be the happiest. Wherever Severus went, shy and curious girls watched him.

I felt a mix of pride and jealousy. Knowing Severus loved me, I couldn't help but be possessive.

Eventually, Lily confronted Severus about my feelings, and he looked at me with a knowing smile, as if to say, "Who's jealous now?"

Under Severus's intense presence, the girls finally backed off.

I felt a bit smug. Anyone wanting to get close to Severus had to endure his cold and intimidating demeanor.