Chapter Text
The first time Severus feels the unusual pain in his knee, he is thirteen years old.
The sturdy limbs of a decade's old oak shade him from the summer sun as his and Lily's voices climb higher. Trivial arguments had become increasingly commonplace since they started at Hogwarts Academy, and the summer break had little effect.
The red headed girl had stood and stormed off in a huff, Severus eagerly following suit, when- between one moment and the next- he was on the ground again. The pain didn't register for a few merciful seconds.
In his memory, it's a blinding thing. Living, hungry, in the way it claws at his flesh. Stars burst in his knee. Streaks of bright, searing pain shoot down his calf and up his thigh. For a terrifying moment, Severus cannot move his left leg from where it has landed folded beneath him. Can only bend at the waist and clutch at the grass beneath his fingers. Missing from his memory is the sound he must have made to draw attention, because a scared looking Lily shakes at his shoulders.
It passed just as fast as it brought him down. Within the hour, it would be chalked up to a bad fall, and Lily's ever-kind mother will give him an ice pack to bring home. His own mother only tosses the pack before his father sees, no rest or relaxation to happen in the house of Snape.
It won't happen again for many months. Until it brings him down in the midst of mowing his neighbor's lawn. And again whilst pushing the trolley behind his mum. Keeling over in bed, awoken to the sudden onslaught of pain. Once, terribly, while relieving himself.
It's written off, of course. There was no weakness allowed under the scrutinizing eyes of his father. But with each event, happening at random and with seemingly no trigger, the pain takes longer to ebb away. What was at first a minute long pain became ten, twenty. He well and truly cried the first time it lasted an hour.
By age fourteen, it takes days after the eruption of symptoms to confidently say he feels okay.
By fifteen, the pain is near constant.
Now at sixteen grand years old, the pain has not left him in almost a year. It becomes a comrade of sorts. Always lingering in the back of his mind. Some days bring him toppling down, and the days or weeks in between the major flares are spent clutching walls and counters for support.
It all brings him here. 7:14 a.m. An overcast autumn day in his sixth year at Hogwarts Private Academy. He's been in the shared bathroom for longer than he should be, staring at his reflection. Long black hair combed as flat as it would allow. Hooked nose protruding from a dreary expression. Green uniform pressed along his lanky limbs.
And in his hand, a metal cane.
Two weeks ago, he went to stand up from his bed and fell right back down again. There was no excess pain, no tingly numb feeling. He simply could not move his leg. It lasted six minutes and thirty-seven seconds. It has happened twice more since then.
Someone bangs on the door.
“Snape! Hurry it up will you!”
Severus startles out of his thoughts. With one last self pitiful glare at the item in his hand he clicks it to the ground and spins, reaching across the short distance to open the door.
“Finally mate, been waiting ages.” Edmund Avery shoulders past him into the small bathroom consisting of only a sink and toilet. Severus hugs the wall to let him by, watching with idle wonder as the blonde begins messing with his hair- so perfect compared to his greasy locks.
Severus had been forced to give up regular showers when the pain got bad. Unwilling to request the handicapped stall in the boys shower hall for its chair and instead avoiding the act all together when he could.
In the room, his only other roommate, Bruce Mulciber, is stood next to the empty bed of the four available, mattress lifted up on his shoulder while he snags a fag from his stash underneath. Severus starts forward cautiously.
The curly haired boy glances up idly at the sound of the cane's steady click click across the hardwood. Turning back to his lighter before he suddenly looks up more forcefully. “Finally happening, huh?”
Severus makes no move to respond, leaning himself on the supports of his bed frame. Avery makes a questioning sound as he pops his head out the doorway to follow his friend's gaze.
“Shit, man.”
That about sums it up, Severus thinks. By year Five, it had been impossible to hide the strange pain from his roommates and tentative friends. He had eagerly hidden his limp from the whole of Hogwarts, and he'd been lucky enough that the sudden horrible spells and periods of paralysis had all happened out of the general public's eye. But he'd had to come clean the first time they found him on the floor of their room.
While he was still hesitant to admit they were friends, the boys had been kind enough about the whole thing. They'd toss him things just out of reach and keep him steady on his feet without any fanfare.
But they were right in this; it was a long time coming.
Severus looks down at the cane, shiny black metal, hooked handle wrapped in foam. It was the cheapest option when he, after the first panic fueled round of being unable to move his leg, finally cracked and bought one online with the help of the head nurse, Madam Pomfrey.
One afternoon a few days ago was spent on the floor of the commons, smoking too many cigarettes while Avery, Mulciber and Charity went at the cane with stickers. Aurora only offered a consolatory pat on the back. Wilkes kept up a steady supply of lit fags.
Speaking of- he points the cane at Mulciber, who has since dropped the mattress, walked to the window, and flicked open his lighter. “Got any more of those?”
|||||
The bustling nature of the cafeteria shields him for the first few minutes.
Standing by Charity and Avery he could feel sweat building along his collar from nerves.
The very last thing he wanted to do was stand out. The Marauders as they so charmingly dubbed themselves already took any reason they could find to single him out.
And the only other cane user in the school, besides the old headmaster, was in that group. He wondered, would that make it better or worse?
It took until he was standing in line for food and grabbing an orange he would only pick at alongside some cereal he would hand off to Aurora for him to feel the ripple move through the seated kids. Severus Snape, poor, greasy, scholarship grant-kid was walking with a cane.
Balancing his tray in one hand and turning to find his table, the other students don't bother hiding their stares. He sees Potter, Black, and Pettigrew all talking with sly smirks and eager stares while Lupin looks on quietly.
At his table, Regulus, who sits nearby with his friends, slides slightly closer to him and glares at his brother. He and Reg hadn't spoken since they had ended their friends with benefits association in 5th year, when Severus got too insecure about his ability to perform with his leg in the state it was.
Nevertheless, the younger boy's presence is enough to ward off Black and his friends for the time being. Severus gives the boy a tight nod and is grateful when he only shrugs back.
“How long do you think this will last? The staring?” Everyone, sans Severus, winces at Mulciber's words.
|||||
The most annoying part of his block schedule is the start of his days, when he has to traverse the halls alone to his advanced courses.
He's heading to advanced chemistry when he's cornered.
“You're really stooping that low?” Pettigrew laughs out from his trio. The rest of the student body has already given them a wide berth where Sev stands against one wall.
The trio laughs. “Have to resort to faking like this for attention?” Black sneers. Severus refuses eye contact, looking around them for a magical way out. He would normally have a testy quip, something mean to say or do in the hopes of fending them off. Now, he only paces quickly to the right before being stopped by Potter.
“Look at him, he's walking just fine! He doesn't need that thing.” Other students are watching, some laughing, some pitiful. Severus is just weighing the merits of smacking them with the cane and running when he hears another clicking approach.
The amassing crowd parts for Remus Lupin; all 190 scarred centimeters of him. He looks thunderous, glaring solely at Potter whom he evidently heard.
“James.” All heads turn. Sirius opens his mouth with an eager smile before clicking it shut as he registers Lupin's expression. “Are you being serious right now?” No one has the heart to make the joke.
Severus takes the distraction for the chance that it is, walking down the hall towards his class and hiding amongst the crowd. He walks slowly, both for the purposes of getting used to his new three legged gait and to not look as panicky as he feels.
“What the fuck? How would you feel if someone who didn't know me said I didn't need this?” Silence. “Hell, he could have the same thing as me for all you know. Why would you think that's…” The rest of his well meaning, if embarrassingly heroic rant is washed away in the sound of moving bodies.
Chemistry, art, lunch, and then two more blocks to go. He could do this.
|||||
He couldn't do this.
The stares linger through all hours of the day, ranging from curious looks to judgmental sneers and pitiful glances. Everyone has something to say about it- about him- about this thing that he does not fully understand himself.
He wishes he could take it all back; hide the cane under his wardrobe like he had in the days leading up and just forget about the whole thing.
But the masses know about it now. If he stopped using it, then the rumor mill would have a grand time spinning his sad attempt at getting attention.
Besides, much as he was loath to admit it, the cane was helping . Instead of hugging walls and leaning as casually as possible along tables, he was able to put his weight into the metal. His knee, while still hurting, had not spiked or given out so far that day. The hope was that he would not feel the terrible pain if he kept up its use, taking the pressure of the afflicted joint.
It made him angry- that he had to be different in another new way. And embarrassed that he would need to resort to a cane at sixteen. In his mind, it was not this bad- he had no answers, had not seen a doctor, what reason did he have to use it? Everyone at school knew of Lupin's reason for the cane, he was pleasant enough when anyone asked.
He had a diagnosis, an explanation. When his professors pulled him aside before every class, Severus could only shrug. He did not know what was wrong. He did not know why the pain came, what triggered it, how they could help.
He could only say that there was a before the pain, and there was during. That it had far surpassed what could reasonably be ignored. That the cane was an attempt at helping himself.
Every professor that checked in, McGonagall in particular, asked him pointedly if he had been to a doctor. Every time Severus could only hang his head. His father would see a doctor's visit as weakness. Money wasn’t even an excuse, they would likely not pay a thing, but the act of admitting to needing help was a near sin to his old man.
By lunch he had exhausted himself of polite answers. Even when people asked nicely what had happened, he could only muster a glare in their direction. When class ended, he waved off his little group to walk the grounds in search of less people and fresh air.
Hogwarts academy had impressive grounds, many large well-maintained buildings on one end, the dormitories on another, and endless land to explore. Severus keeps going until he finds a nice bench amongst some bushes situated near the lake on the property.
He sits and gets comfy; cane leant against the arm rest, he pulls from his bag a large blank notebook he had taken from the lost and found and used to doodle in to keep his mind off things. On his cracked old phone, Abba plays through his earbuds. Schoolwork and studying could wait after the day he had.
The general shape of the land around him is just coming into view under his guiding hand when he hears it. Step, step-thunk. Over and over, at a great distance. He knows instantly that it's Lupin approaching.
It takes a few minutes for the man to arrive. He doesn’t say anything as he rounds the bench, sitting on the opposite end and lounging back to take in the view, fiddling with the splint rings on his fingers. Severus carefully does not react, putting his focus into attempting to shade in a tree.
For a while, neither of them speak. The sound of birds chirping and pencil scratching fills the silence, and Severus’s hand twitches in anticipation. Lupin was the most agreeable of his cohort, but it’s hard to break a habit built on self preservation.
After an uncomfortably long length of time, Lupin turns to look at Severus. “I’m sorry about… the others. James and the lot. It wasn’t right.” Severus notes that he doesn’t say Sirius's name. The two had gone through quite the public breakup at the tail end of fifth year, but stayed friends for mysterious reasons.
“Don’t.” Is his first response. He stops his messy doodle, but keeps his eyes on the page and pulls his earbuds out to hear better. “You shouldn’t apologise for them.” He carries on scribbling out the general shape of some rocks. “Heard you ripped them a new one.” He tries to put no feeling into the statement. Word had gotten back to him that Remus had gone off at them for at least another five minutes after he'd left. Even being joined by Lily when she heard what was said.
Nice to know that she would still come to his aid, even when their friendship had fizzled out through the years.
“They deserved it.” Remus is still looking towards him. Severus hums. “Mines EDS.” Severus looks up at him in confusion.
“Ehlers Danlos syndrome. Makes my joints weak. And some scar tissue from a surgery fucked with my range of motion in here.” The brunette grabs his wooden cane and smacks his right leg with it. “Been that way since I was nine.”
Severus hums in acknowledgement, making no move to explain himself. Remus had a reason, a need for his, and Severus just-
“Of course I didn’t know that when I started using crutches. Scary, isn't it?” Severus glances at him once more, only to find the brunette already studying his expression.
Severus inwardly flounders. “What?”
“Having to use them for the first time. Don’t get me wrong, you get used to it, but it’s bloody terrifying the first go around.” Remus gives a bit of a half-smile, like they could bond over this.
Severus finds himself nodding the smallest amount, before he realises who this is and what he’s doing. He finds himself quickly re stuffing his bag and standing with only a slight wince, reaching for his cane. A hand around his wrist stops him short.
“Sorry!” Remus is suddenly up too, leaning into his space. He loosens his grip when Severus doesn’t try to flee, backing up slightly and rubbing his own arm nervously. “Sorry. I just- It sucked, being the only kid needing help like that. I wanted- well, if you-”
“Is needing a cane really all it takes to get on your good side?” Severus spits, frustrated. His cane is in hand and he leans into it, watching Lupin.
The boy in question grabs his own from between them and fiddles with a small keychain attached to one end of the flat handle.
“No.” He eventually gets out. “I’ve never agreed with the way they treated you…”
Severus scoffs. “It's not like I haven't done the same to them.” He defends, unwilling to feel like a victim.
Lupin backpedals. “No, of course. But…still. Three against one. I don't agree with what they do, when they get like that.”
“But you never stopped it.”
“No.” He agrees. “I didn’t.” He suddenly shakes his head to get himself back on track. “I was just wanting to say, I get it. The stares. People can be jerks about it.”
Severus puts his weight onto his good leg, eyes switching from the other boy to their surroundings. “And?”
“And… I’m here if you need anything, I guess.” He gets quiet at the end.
The boys lock eyes, Severus with his head tilted ever so slightly up to see him, sizing him up. Lupin looks apologetic still, but truthful. It makes his head spin, the one-eighty the boy has done within a single day. And though he won't admit it, part of the headrush is from their proximity. Lupin had always been easy on the eyes.
Severus backs up, right leg first, left supported by cane after. It makes a clicking sound that breaks the spell they were in, so unlike the deep thud of Remus’s own wooden one.
“Thanks, Lupin.” Severus settles on. If it keeps people at bay, then sure. He can stomach a bit of fake friendship for some relative peace.
The taller boy smiles. “Call me Remus.”
|||||
As it turns out, Severus had a lot of classes with Remus. Advanced English, world history, art, Calculus. For the rest of the week, Severus takes his seat in the back of each classroom, and within minutes of entering, Remus will march right past his friends and sit next to him. Never pushing conversation, but being a decent partner for work.
It goes this way for the rest of the week, the brunette even waves to him when they pass on the weekend. It makes him jumpy, and his friends are unsure of what to do when he invites himself around.
By the next Monday, Severus expects that, seeing as his friendship with Potter and Black is repairing itself, Remus would stop.
But he doesn’t. By that Wednesday, one full week of both using a cane and being associated with Lupin, Severus has to admit that the boy is growing on him.
He’s funny, in a subtle and dry way. They talk often of books and literature at large, and Remus listens with rapt attention whenever Severus rambles on about what have you- even if the brunette doesn’t compute half of it. Severus does the same for him, though it might just be an excuse to stare at the boy uninhibited. Sue him.
In that same week, Severus has one episode of mind numbing pain in his knee while studying with Charity at a picnic table. The girl rubs his back when he doubles over on the table, nails biting into the wood grain and teeth clenching tight enough to give him a headache.
After it's said and done, he feels a tightness along his back. The muscles tensed strangely for a few seconds before vanishing into an odd pressure along his spine. A new symptom, but not painful. This too does not go away.
On another occasion, his whole left leg does that peculiar thing where it stops listening to his brain. The pain in the knee is still present like always, but it wont move when he goes to step, resulting in a very close call in the shower stall where it occurred. It only lasted four minutes this time, wherein Severus very carefully kept his balance until he was sure he could move.
The cane continued to help, making walking any distance less of a chore. It still made him angry to think about too long, but he had been gifted a Queen sticker to add to it by Pandora. How the girl knew he liked them was beyond him, but from his time with Reg he understood that most people felt kind of lost around her.
He and Regulus had also spoken more in the past week than the past few months. It wasn’t awkward as it was never romantic between them, they just figured there was nothing left to their relationship. But the boy, who he only shared a few classes with, had begun chatting with him in passing again and sitting with him when he could.
It’s a lucky thing too. They are sitting besides each other in their Italian language class, listening idly to their professor instructing them to grab craft supplies from the back of the class to continue working on an informational poster.
Regulus is already up and ready to grab their stuff, but he turns just in time to see Severus awkwardly bend back into his chair.
“What is it?”
Severus, clutching at the handle of his cane, gives a bone deep sigh. “I can’t move my leg.”
“What? What do you mean-”
“I mean exactly what I just said Regulus. I can't-” He tries to stand again, but it's like moving with one limb composed of sand. Stuck in whatever position it fell in. “I can’t stand.”
He refuses to look up, so Regulus doesn’t feel bad about the worry clear on his face. The professor takes this time to slide over to them.
In crisp Italian she asks, “ Why have we not gotten our things? ”
Regulus responds smoothly for him. “ He can’t move right now, with his leg. ”
She peers down at him, at the pinched expression on his face. “ Okay. Regulus, you go get your things. ”
As he walks away, the woman squats down to be in better view of Severus. In quiet accented English, she asks, “Do you need to see the nurse?”
“No.”
“Okay. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No.” He repeats. He's stressed and annoyed, but can easily read the concern on her face. “It should be fine again in a few minutes.”
She purses her lips but nods.
Except it doesn't get better in a few minutes. As he methodically writes on the poster board, every few seconds he tries to tap his foot or wiggle his toes. Each attempt it met with zero movement.
He steps on his own foot to be sure and, yep, he can still feel it.
Severus begins to worry when ten minutes pass and the strange situation hasn’t fixed itself. His lip is bitten raw by twenty. By thirty he has abandoned his writing and picks at his cuticles while giving the occasional instructions to Reg.
When fifty minutes has passed and the class packs up to leave, he tries to stand once more. Nothing. He kicks his right leg out in front of him, staring down at the offending other leg as panic begins to seep through his veins.
Regulus sees it all, gathering the teacher, putting his things up slowly while the other kids file out.
It's the last class of the day so the room is empty in no time. Severus cannot bear to look up and meet either person's eyes.
“Severus? How can we help you?”
Severus just shrugs. This is the longest it had ever lasted by far. He didn't know what to do, what the procedure for this sort of thing was.
His breaths come out shakily. His good foot taps the ground. “Can you get Lupin?”
The professor makes a confused sound. Regulus speaks. “Remus Lupin, another student. I'll get him.” And the boy darts from the room.
The professor sits next to him, occasionally opening her mouth but shutting it before any words come out. Severus pinches the meat of his thigh and winces as the pain comes sharp and clear. He hits his shoe along his calf and presses his heel into the top of his toes. Every sensation is there.
He tries once more to lift his leg. It stays right where it is.
Remus’s arrival is marked with the now familiar step, step-thunk . Severus keeps his head down even as the other boy's shoes come into view.
“Severus?”
“I don’t know what to do.” He admits, throat tightening around the words as it sets in that this is really the truth of it. He’s got no clue where to go from here. “It hasn’t gone away.”
“What hasn’t gone away?” Severus opens his mouth to answer but only snaps it shut when his breath hitches embarrassingly loud in the tense quiet of the classroom. “Are you in pain? Is that why you can't move?”
Severus says, “No.” and shifts in his chair, trying once more for any amount of movement. “It won’t move.”
“Sorry?”
Louder, “It won’t move. My leg. I can’t move it.”
Remus turns to the professor, speaking in quiet and fast words. The woman stands and disappears.
No one tries speaking to him again. Remus settles himself into the chair Regulus once occupied and strikes up pointless conversation with the younger boy who had been hovering nervously at the edges of the group.
Severus lets the sounds of conversation wash over him as he tries to calm down. He can hear kids laughing from below the open second story window. A minute later, the Professor slips out of the room.
A short time later, when his breathing is steadier and his leg is still stuck, the classroom door swings open. Severus hears Madam Pomfrey before he sees her. But he only looks up when she says his name.
She's pushing a wheelchair.
“Hello Severus. Professor Lynn says you can’t move your leg, is that correct?”
Severus glances at Remus, his expression one of pure exasperation. “Yes.”
“Alright.” Pomfrey settles the wheelchair next to him and flicks some locks into place. “So what we’re going to do is get you into this chair, and we’ll roll you down to the hospital wing.”
Severus makes an aborted little shake of his head, and says, sighing, “I’d rather just go to my dorm-”
“Severus. I let the cane business go, it’s not anyone's place to dictate who needs mobility aids. But if you physically cannot move your leg, that is a serious problem that requires attention.”
She looks down at him with a pinched expression. It was true, when he came to her for help in getting a cane delivered to the school, he managed to get her calmed down enough about the why of it all by focusing on the strange pain, and insisting that it was not something that needed to be seen to. The two continue to stare at each other, neither backing down from what they believe is best.
“I'll go with you.” All eyes turn to Remus. “Well, I've been through similar things before. You won’t be alone, at least.”
He looks at Severus so earnestly, with such genuine support, that Severus cracks and nods. He’ll never admit it, but having someone there would be helpful- has been helpful.
He liked having him around, it made everything less daunting.
In the back of his mind, his father hisses about weakness.
|||||
The wheelchair itself is the kind designed for other people to push you about, with wheels small and low to the ground. In short, Severus is not even granted the dignity of rolling himself to the hospital wing.
On the way there, he keeps his head down and pretends to not feel as humiliated as does. He’s sure he passes plenty of people he knows, all staring and whispering and judging. The only one he takes notice of is Charity, whose golden blonde hair sweeps into view as she hugs him and pecks the side of his head, insisting that they will meet up later.
For the first time he is forced to use one of the school's many accessibility elevators. It's a smooth and quiet ride, but Severus mentally acknowledges that maybe, just maybe, he should begin using it more when his leg hurts. The whole school knew about the cane now, so he feels a bit less like a fraud.
The hospital wing is just as it was a few weeks ago when he stopped in to inquire about a cane. Cold and clean and entirely empty.
Remus goes and plops himself onto a well-made bed which Severus is parked next to a few seconds later. Curtains are drawn, and Madam Pomfrey returns with a full clipboard after a few minutes of nervous silence between the boys.
“Alright Severus. I need you to be honest with me so that I can help you. Does that sound agreeable?”
Severus nods his head, fiddling with his tie.
“Okay.” She nods and clicks a pen. “What sorts of symptoms are you having?”
Both spectators watch him bite his inner cheek, still refusing to look up.
“I can leave for this bit, if you’d like.” Remus says.
“No. No, it’s okay, just-” He taps the offending leg. “It hurts all the time. Sometimes it flares up and gets really bad for a few minutes before fading. And now- it just won't move. Like, I'm telling my foot to tap and nothing happens. It’s never lasted this long.”
Pomfrey writes quickly as he speaks. Finally, she asks, “And how long has this been happening?”
“The pain started when I was thirteen. It didn't hurt all the time at first, just when it would flare up. But the- I dunno, the paralysis I guess- started just a few weeks ago.” He struggles to find the words.
He doesn’t even realise how worked up he's gotten again until Remus’s hand lands on his shoulder and squeezes. Severus glances at him and then quickly down again, suddenly aware of the tears building in his eyes.
It’s one thing to live with it, and another to verbalize it. He’s just so damn tired.
Pomfrey hums understandingly, voice a pitch softer than before. “Am I right in thinking that this paralysis is what urged you to request a cane?”
Severus nods.
Pomfrey asks a few more questions, most of which he answers with a nod or shake of his head. He has to take off his shoe as she prods at his leg up and down with a little metal tool to see if he can feel the sensation at all. She purses her lips when he is able to identify the sharp and dull end correctly every time.
“And is there anything else going on that is not connected to your leg? Anything at all?”
He nods, picking at the foam handle of his cane as Remus re-ties his shoe for him. “Uhm, my back’s a bit stiff lately.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” She takes the paper she had been scribbling on off her clipboard and hands the whole thing to him. The very top page is something he doesn't recognize- covered in questions. Until he sees it. Princeton Medical, the closest hospital to the school.
“I would like for you to see a doctor. The fact that your experiencing pain is bad enough, but losing motor function is very concerning. The school has an agreement with this hospital since it’s the one students must visit if anything happens. These are intake forms,” she taps the page, “You can fill them out now and we can send them in, so they are ready for your appointment.”
Severus flounders, looking from her to the papers and back. “I really shouldn’t. My parents…”
“If they have any reason to be against you seeing a doctor, I can say that I am going above you to make an appointment possible. You are old enough to make your own medical decisions, but the visit will have to be reported by the school to your guardians.”
Sev looks down at the page again. “Will you have to tell them why?”
She shakes her head. “No. That will be up to you.”
He nods, seeing no way out of this. As she walks away to begin making the appointment, Remus leans over from his seat on the bed. “If it’s any consolation, Everyone who works there is very nice. You’ll be in good hands.”
Severus says nothing in response, but does angle himself and the clipboard closer to start filling out the paperwork with the other boy's help. Why so many questions?
When the papers are done, and with Pomfrey still not back, Severus pulls his phone from his pocket, swiping across the cracked screen to his contacts. Choosing to ignore Remus besides him, he hits call.
“ Hello? ” Her voice buzzes into being over top of the flow of conversation and clanking of dishes from one of her waitressing gigs.
“Hey, mum.”
“ Oh Severus! Hi dear, hold on .” He can hear some shuffling and the sounds of conversation get quieter until abruptly cutting off. “ Sorry, I'm at work. Had to shut myself in the freezer. Why are you calling? Shouldn’t you be in clas s?”
“No, class ended a while ago. Listen, have you gotten called by the school yet?”
“ No? Why? ”
“My, uhm, my legs gotten worse.” He cuts himself off with a huff. Remus splays one large hand over his knee, rubbing his thumb back and forth. Severus has half a mind to shake him off. “I can’t move it at all right now. They want me to see a doctor.”
“ Oh, Sev… ”
“I know.”
“ Okay, and the school will call ?”
“Yea, I just wanted to tell you so you would know why.”
“ Okay- Okay. The school has our home number so, I’ll see if I can beat your father home and get the answering machine before he can. He doesn’t have to know. ” Her voice gets an edge at the end. It’s comforting to hear her react how he expected. No excess worry for him, just going into damage control against his father.
Severus nods even though she can’t see. “Sounds good.”
“ Alright. You call when you get answers, okay ?”
“Yes, I will.”
“ Good .” Her voice gets fainter. “ I have to get back to work. Love you .”
“Love you too, mum.”
“ Goodbye .”
Severus pulls the phone away from his ear. Remus has removed his hand and is looking at him funny. “Your dad doesn’t have to know?” He parrots.
Sev doesn’t look up, pocketing his phone and picking at the cane handle once more. “He thinks needing a doctor makes you weak.” He says shortly.
Remus nods in the corner of his eye but smartly drops it.
And then, out of the absolute blue, “Would you like me to go find your girlfriend?”
Severus does a full body turn towards him, as much as he can in the wheelchair, and stares. “My what?”
Remus stutters, a blush rising onto his freckled cheeks. Severus thinks it makes him look cute, in a bashful sort of way. Remus likewise is blushing not just from mild embarrassment, but from the way Severus’s eyebrows pinch and nose wrinkles in confusion.
“Your- the girl. From the hallway.” He says, nodding in the general direction of the door. “She kissed your head, so I just thought…”
“Oh!” Severus begins to laugh in earnest, emotions already running high. “Charity. No, she's way too good for me. And I'm not interested anyway. “
Remus laughs the slightest bit too, distracted by the smile lines on the other boy's face.
“Okay, okay. My mistake.” He looks down at his hands. “No one special in your life then?”
Severus’s laughter tapers off. “No.” He says, looking at Remus strangely. He goes to add something when the curtain is pulled back again to reveal Pomfrey. Both boys straighten up from where they’ve started to curl towards each other.
“Severus, you have an appointment with a general physician at 9:30 tomorrow morning. You will be excused from class for the duration of your time out of school.”
Severus’s expression pinches. “So soon?”
She only nods. “You can't move your leg for extended periods of time and are experiencing unusual and severe pain. They found it prudent that you be seen as soon as possible.”
Remus turns to him then, expression tentatively hopeful. “Can you move it now?”
All three look down as, when Severus tries for the first time in a while, his toes wiggle, his foot bounces, and he lifts his whole leg in the air.