"Mr Longbottom , I understand what I am about to ask you may be a lot considering the circumstances, but my wife is heavy with our child and I would appreciate if you did your best not to lash out at her for what I am about to do"

"Severus" Hermione scolded but was stopped by Neville's hand squeezing hers. A quick look into those eyes and he smiled faintly even around the piece of leather Severus had put between his teeth and nodded to her and she just offered a watery smile back.

"I am sorry Neville" Severus spoke quietly, before raising the knife above his head.

Outside Hannah tearfully held on to Teddy as he spooked at the loud thunk sound of metal embedding into wood.

They were all thankful for Severus's medical training and strength then, and his trademark stoicism. There wasn't many people out there that could cut off a man's leg in one fell sweep without blinking, but Severus did. After a bloodcurdling scream, Neville had thankfully passed out cold, allowing Severus to work on the wound without worrying about the pain the man was in. He'd cut the limb at a slight downwards angle, to allow himself a flap of skin to stitch the wound shut better, and so far he was doing an admirable job.

"Will you not cauterise it?" Luna had asked conversationally,with her head tilted in interest, to which he shook his head in the negative.

"The shock from such a thing could kill him, in his weakened state his heart might give out, it's better to allow it to heal on its own" He'd used a small amount of wandless magic to stem the bleeding, but that was as far as he was willing to risk. Any more would bring screamers down on their door.

"It will be a long and painful process" He began, after casting the wandless spell "I wish I could use more magic, but with what I am willing to risk, this was the most logical choice of action. At least we know for certain he shall not bleed to death, we have that much grace at least which means we have no pressing concerns and only the long standing ones, where we can worry ourselves more with keeping the wound clean and managing Mr. Longbottom's pain the best we can."

Neville awoke a few hours later and Severus gave him some pain relief they had on hand.

"You did Admirably Mr. Longbottom" Severus spoke as he handed the tablets over "And I thank you for heeding my words in regards to my wife"

"You've got Morphine, why aren't you giving him that?" Hannah asked and her tone was on the borderline of being accusing. Both Hermione and Severus understood the implication though, and Severus's eyes narrowed but before he could speak, it was Luna who cut in once more.

"They're not holding it back for Hermione if that's what you think Hannah, Neville needs to eat to recover, and the Morphine makes you nauseous and delirious, I read it on the bottle. It's unlikely he'd be able to eat and if he could it would be doubtful he'd keep it down, people on morphine are usually fed on one of those arm bags after all, so it's better for him to be on the other painkillers so he can actually eat something and recover. There would be no point in him being pain free if he starved to death. But even if they wanted to save the good painkillers for when Hermione gives birth, I think that's their right anyway. After all, they did save us all, twice for you actually, gave us their food, water and spare clothes and fixed Neville's leg and as yet we haven't done anything for them other than slow them down and take their things."

Hannah had the good grace to look mortified at Luna's statement, but Hermione and Severus just chuckled it off.

"Precisely, as Ms Lovegood has stated. You need to eat Mr Longbottom, and Drink" He had a tin of peaches and a bottle of Coke, which he offered the boy who was now propped up in the bed.

"Your blood sugar will be extremely low, so I would like for you to consume as much of these as you feel you're able to. Though when and if you feel nauseous, tell me and we shall switch you out to something more bland"

Neville took the canned peaches with a grateful smile, canned food was a somewhat staple of ever survivors diet, but the pureblood eyed the bottle of Coke wearily. "I-is that safe? It doesn't look edible, it's black...maybe its gone bad?"

Hermione snorted out a laugh and even Severus chuckled. "It's supposed to be black Mr. Longbottom, and I assure you the way the Muggles made this substance, provided it isn't opened, it shall outlive us all"

Neville hardly looked reassured, but at the first taste his eyes widened and both Hermione and Severus were once again laughing at the boy's dumbfounded look, at his very first Coca Cola experience... especially when he passed the bottle to the two pureblood girls insisting that they both try it aswell and were met with similar bewildered yet pleased expressions.

"We've seen it before, but avoided It, I always thought it wasn't safe" He explained and Severus gave him a wry smile. "It is perhaps best that you had, it contains a lot of sugars and caffeine and in the short term may even dehydrate you more, however right now the sugars are essential for you and we have plenty of water on hand to negate any dehydration issues".

Smiling he toasted Severus with the bottle. "Mediwizard's orders" before drinking the rest of the sweet concoction.

oOo

Neville was asleep in the bedroom as Hermione, Severus, Luna and Hannah ate their meal around the dinner table downstairs. The experience of eating a meal at the dinner table, being far more novel to them all than it ever should have been.

"We ran into Seamus with a group. He said you were dead" Hermione broke the silence, without looking up from her meal.

Hannah snorted before answering. "He probably thought I was, no thanks to him. We turned a corner into a group of them, and I got grabbed. Thankfully it was the middle of winter and I was wearing a thick coat, the immune tried to bite me, and it didn't go through the fabric. By the time I got free they'd left, with our transport and our supplies. Prick. He didn't even try to help me and we outnumbered the biters at the time."

Hermione just shook her head while Severus scoffed in disgust.

"He left me too. Him and Dean, right near the beginning. Same thing, they took off with half our supplies in the middle of the night. Bumped into him about a year ago now, he was with a muggle group. They asked me to join them and I politely declined. Then they had two scouts try to follow us back to our safehouse, but we took the scenic route and lost them"

"The immune caught up to them though we think" Severus added, after a moment of quiet contemplation. "We killed an immune about a week later, that had been a member of their group"

"You're both so good at that" Hannah spoke, with a quiet tone of respect. "Killing them, I mean. We try to avoid them as much as we can, and you seem not to be afraid of fighting them at all."

"Only a fool wouldn't be afraid of them" Hermione said, "However, we have found at times it is better to kill them where you can, when it is safe to do so. They herd up on instinct, their presence draws others, so it's better to dispatch them, than leave them to become a part of a bigger problem."

Severus nodded before adding "The immune are stupid, mindless but unlike the screamers/howlers, whatever you want to call them.. they're quiet. It's easy to be taken by surprise by immune, and being suprised by a herd is the last thing you want. Better to dispatch them when you can."

"So you don't think...You're a potions master...you don't think there's a cure, or ever will be?" Her question was quiet, and they all heard the unspoken pain in her words. They all had someone close to them they'd lost to the immune. The lucky ones were dead in the ground. The unlucky ones were the dead living.

Severus looked upon her with eyes softened by pity, as he spoke in a sympathetic tone that the two witches hadn't ever heard from him. "Perhaps, in time...but even if there was a cure, it would be of no use to those already lost to the infected. You've seen the immune, the virus may keep them moving but their body is just a shell, a host for the virus to manipulate. But the brain and the flesh continues to rot like the corpses they are. The oldest ones are practically falling apart. To attempt to cure them would be to kill them. The body is long since decomposed and way passed the point of revival, without the virus, the body would die. I am sorry, but the immune, the screamers, they are just as dead as if they were in the ground, and the virus wears their face like a mask to torment us. There is nothing left of the person that came before, they have already moved on."

Hannah was visibly upset but it was Luna who spoke up for the first time. "I'm glad I think. That they're not there to witness it, that they're at peace. Because I don't think my Dad would ever get over the fact he tried to eat me."

Hermione barked out a laugh before covering her face an snickering behind her hands, but it was no use, once she began Severus chuckled and then Hannah soon followed. Luna just smiled serenely before Hermione wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

"Luna, don't ever change"