Severus McGonagall
by Teddylonglong

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes!

Severus stood next to Lily in the Great Hall, waiting for Professor McGonagall to call his name. He followed Lily with obsidian eyes as she sat down at the Gryffindor table, pleading, 'I hope that we'll be able to remain friends, even if we're in different houses.'

Ten minutes later, he was sorted into Slytherin. He walked over to the Slytherin table, hesitantly greeting his house mates, feeling very alone in the huge hall full of students who all seemed to know each other. Severus did not feel hungry at all. The meal looked extremely appetizing, but ever since his father had caught him brewing a potion the day before and had angrily punished him, his ribs were sore and he did not feel well at all.

After a short house meeting with Professor Slughorn, their head of house, who was the Potions professor as Severus noticed with excitement, the first-years were sent to their dormitories. Severus was extremely grateful for the green curtains that surrounded the beds, so that he could change behind the curtain and did not have to fear that his roommates might discover the vast amount of bruises and welts covering most parts of his body.

HP

'I hope that I'll have a chance to speak with Lily today. Maybe we can meet in the library to study together,' he mused as he hesitantly entered the Transfiguration classroom on his first morning at Hogwarts. The spot next to Lily was vacant, and Severus happily slipped into the seat, glad when his sight caused a huge smile to appear on his friend's face.

The teacher was still nowhere to be seen, but suddenly the cat that had been sitting on the teacher's desk transformed back into the stern professor, who had greeted them the evening before.

The professor held a small monologue about the content of her classes, before she made them try to transfigure a match into a needle. One of the Gryffindors, James Potter, and Severus were the only students able to accomplish the transfiguration, and the Professor awarded Slytherin and Gryffindor five house points each, before she dismissed them.

HP

Just when Lily and Severus stood up from their seats, one of the Gryffindors, whose name Lily remembered was Sirius, came over to Severus, shoving him against the table, and hissed, "What are you doing here with a Gryffindor, little snake? You're supposed to sit with the slimy Slytherins."

Severus seemed overwhelmed by the pain shooting through his body, and Lily observed, terrified, how her friend doubled over in pain. She hurriedly called the professor, who gently led Severus into her office, motioning for Lily to follow them.

HP

"What exactly happened, Miss Evans, Mr. Snape?" McGonagall queried, while she made Severus lie down on a freshly conjured sofa.

"Sirius came and pushed him against the table, telling he was supposed to sit with the Slytherins and not with me," Lily told the teacher. "Severus and I are good friends, and we can sit together, can't we?"

"Of course you may sit together, my dear," McGonagall replied absentmindedly, observing the boy in concern. "Mr. Snape, where exactly does it hurt?"

"My ribs," Severus said in a small voice, holding his side.

"Your father?" Lily mouthed, causing Severus to give her an unobtrusive nod.

McGonagall noticed in concern that the boy's face was completely drained of colour except for his cheeks, which were deeply flushed, and beads of sweat were covering his forehead. She gently laid the back of her hand on his forehead, sighing. "You're burning up. I have to call Madam Pomfrey, our healer."

"No," Severus replied, horrified. 'The healer would notice all the bruises and welts all over my body. I can't have anyone know what happened,' he thought, casting the teacher a pleading look. "Please, Professor, I'll be fine..."

The teacher felt very sorry for the boy, but he seemed to be too ill and in too much pain to let him go. "I'm sorry, Mr. Snape, but since you seem clearly unwell, I must call Madam Pomfrey. Don't worry; she is a very nice woman." On her way to the fireplace, she registered that Severus began to shiver violently and mumbled to his friend in a very upset voice, while Lily gently caressed his flushed cheeks, speaking to him in a soothing voice.

Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey stepped out of the fireplace only an instant later. She bustled over to the sofa, casting her diagnostic spells on Severus. Frowning, she re-cast the spells, before she sat on the edge of the bed, giving him a piercing look, before she spoke in a soft voice.

"Severus, I believe that we have something to discuss in private. Don't you think so?"

Severus cast the Mediwitch a frightened look, before he replied, "Lily knows about it, and I don't mind Professor McGonagall knowing, provided that they keep it to themselves."

"They will," Poppy reassured him and explained, "You have several broken ribs, one of them is puncturing a lung. This causes your high fever. I'm going to heal your ribs and fix your lung; however, you may not move during the next twenty-four hours." She waved her wand, mumbling several healing spells, before she nodded contentedly and turned to the Gryffindor Head of House. "Minerva, I'm sorry, but you'll have company here in your office for at least twenty-four hours, before we can move Mr. Snape to the hospital wing."

"Is it so bad?" McGonagall asked in concern.

"Yes," Pomfrey replied, sighing. "His ribs and his lung are healed, but his ribs are not stable enough yet to move him and his lung is slightly infected. He needs absolute bed rest until his fever breaks." Turning to Severus, she enquired softly, "Mr. Snape, when exactly happened this?"

"The evening before yesterday," Severus replied in a hardly audible voice. "My father..." He slowly trailed off.

"Your father abuses you?" McGonagall asked, horrified.

"No," Severus hurried to assure her, but Lily beat him to it.

"Yes, Professor, his father often beats him, especially since his mother died two years ago," she explained in a firm voice.

"My father doesn't abuse me; here merely doesn't like it when I brew potions, which I like a lot, and he punishes me as he sees fit," Severus disagreed.

"Severus, we'll speak about the matter when you're feeling better," McGonagall told him in a soft voice. "You do not have to endure any pain at home because you like brewing potions."

Pomfrey slid a wrist band over the boy's much too thin wrist, casting several spells on it that would alert her if his fever spiked or his breathing became agitated, before she spelled two potions into his system, causing Severus to drift off to sleep in the blink of an eye.

"Professor, he often comes to us after his father hurts him. His father is a Muggle, and he hates Severus because of being magical. He always beats him if he brews something. Yesterday, he brewed a Pepperup potion and a fever reducer for my sister, because she had a bad cold, and probably his father noticed it and punished him when he returned from our house," Lily quietly filled the teacher in.

"In that case, he won't have to go back to his father," Madam Pomfrey said firmly. "Considering his injuries, I have enough material for documentation to win a trial against his father if necessary, and I'm sure that we can find someone, who would be willing to take him in."

"One of us could try to gain the guardianship over him," McGonagall agreed with her friend. "However, now it's time for us to head to our classes. We're already late. What is your second class, Miss Evans?"

"Potions," Lily replied, "but I have no idea where the Potions classroom is."

McGonagall quickly pointed her wand at a piece of parchment, causing two sentences to appear written in her copperplate handwriting. "Please hand this to Professor Slughorn. Poppy, could you perhaps show Miss Evans the way?"

"Of course, I'll take you to the Potions classroom," Madam Pomfrey agreed gently and slowly led the girl to the dungeons. Noticing that Lily was extremely pale, she asked softly, "Are you feeling well, Miss Evans?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Lily replied in surprise. "I just have a bit of a headache."

"I'm asking because many muggleborn first-years have problems when they come to Hogwarts and are suddenly confronted with all the bugs and viruses of the magical world at once. If your headache doesn't clear up or you have any other problems, please come and see me at the hospital wing or tell your head of house so she can fetch me."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Lily replied gratefully, before she thanked the healer for showing her to the Potions classroom and entered the room.

HP

After her last afternoon class, Lily hesitantly knocked at the door to Professor McGonagall's office. "Excuse me for disturbing you, Professor," she apologized politely. "Might I perhaps visit Severus?"

"Of course, Miss Evans, come in," McGonagall replied gently, ushering the first-year into her office, where Severus was sleeping peacefully.

Lily spent the next hour gently bathing her friend's flushed face with a cold cloth the professor conjured for her. 'Sev is always very pale, but today he looks absolutely horrible. Well, I should better do my homework; he is asleep anyway,' she mused and was just about to stand up when Severus stirred.

"Lily," Severus smiled, grasping her hand in his own.

"How are you feeling, Sev?" Lily queried, adjusting the cool cloth to his forehead.

"My ribs don't hurt anymore," Severus realized, sighing in relief.

Seeing that Severus was awake, McGonagall stepped over to him and gave him a sharp look. "Madam Pomfrey placed a charm on you that prevents you from moving your body, just so you know why you can only move your head and your arms and legs. I trust you're feeling at least slightly better?" she asked, examining his wrist band.

"Much better. I'm sorry for intruding in your office," Severus replied, anxiously glancing at the professor.

"That's no problem, Mr. Snape," McGonagall said gently. "Would you like to eat something? You already missed lunch, and it's dinner time."

"No, thank you."

McGonagall sighed, looking at Lily. "Are you coming with me to the Great Hall for dinner, or would you like to eat something here and keep Mr. Snape company?"

"I'd like to stay here if I may. I'd like to keep Severus company," Lily replied in a small voice, making the professor nod in agreement.

"Malcolm," she called her personal house-elf. "Please bring something to eat for Ms. Evans and Mr. Snape."

When food popped up in front of the students, McGonagall excused herself, stating that she had to take dinner in the Great Hall.

HP

In the morning, Severus' condition was stable enough so that he could be moved to the hospital wing. Poppy shielded his bed with privacy screens, before she sat on the edge of his bed.

"Severus, I'd like to heal the bruises and welts that showed up on my diagnostic scan. Would you mind me applying an ointment to heal them?" she asked gently. Receiving Severus' consent, she stripped him down to his boxers and rubbed the healing salve onto his skin, shocked at the number of bruises covering his body. 'The poor boy; no child should have to endure such an abuse at home,' she thought as she gently dressed him into his pyjamas.

"Feels good," Severus mumbled gratefully. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now, Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore would like to speak with you about your father and the question if you'd like someone else to become your permanent guardian. Are you feeling well enough for that conversation?"

"Yes," Severus replied, throwing the Mediwitch a frightened look.

"Don't worry, Severus. They will help you. You're not alone with this," Madam Pomfrey said softly, gently patting his head, before she took the Floo into Minerva's quarters.

"Minerva," she addressed her friend, who was sitting at the table in her living room engrossed in some parchments, "could you please call Albus and visit Mr. Snape? He is ready to speak with both of you now."

"All right," McGonagall replied and hurried to the fireplace to call the headmaster.

HP

Five minutes later, McGonagall sat on the edge of Severus' bed, while the headmaster coaxed a chair to float next to the bed and made himself comfortable. Dumbledore offered Minerva and Severus a lemon drop, which both of them declined politely.

"Excuse me, Professors, but would it be possible that Lily joined us too?" Severus asked in a small voice, giving Minerva a pleading look. 'She already knows everything and could help me explain,' he mused, feeling very unsure with the professors, whom he hardly knew.

"Malcolm," the professor called her elf, instructing him to bring Lily to the hospital wing right away.

Five minutes later, the girl hesitantly sat on the edge of Severus' bed, looking at the teachers in clear expectation.

'Thank Merlin,' Severus thought, feeling very grateful towards his best friend.

tbc...