Title: The Will Of Love
Part: 5/7
Author: Jmaria
Rating: FR-18
Disclaimers: Mine? I think not. I'll return them as good as new. (Or in even better condition than their real owners left them.)
Spoilers: Season Five: A Hole in the World for Angel, OotP for Harry
Summary: The girl in question - both past and present
A/N: o_O. No other words even needed.

Part Five

Wesley couldn't believe that Caro was gone, that her fifteen year old daughter stood across from him at James Potter's son's bedside. Everyone he'd been close to in his few, precious Hogwarts days were gone, save Severus and Poppy. And now, here he was with the woman he loved, praying for any miracle. He pulled Fred's hand to his lips and tenderly kissed it.

"Hello," Luna Lovegood said coming to stand beside her bed.

"Hi," Fred said weakly, tears in her eyes from Wesley's story and her own growing pain of the demon inside of her.

"Harry was just telling me that you knew my mother," Luna turned her gaze to Wesleys face. "When you were in school?"

"Yes, its very hard to forget a woman like your mother," Wesley said shakily.

"Mother made that impression on everyone," Luna's own smile got a bit wobbly. "She mentioned you, I think. In one of her stories about her school days."

Wesley felt Fred's hand tighten on his. Caro had been the final, devastating reason for the breach between the brothers. And she had remembered both boys for the rest of her short life.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. She didn't name you, but she mentioned two brothers who wooed her. One she tutored, and one who tutored her. She was never sad when she thought of you - of either of you. I didn't know it was Professor Snape who was the other boy, however, until today."

"Ah, well, it might be better if you kept that knowledge to yourself," Wesley said quietly, partially wishing he hadn't had to come disturb his brothers life yet again.

"It simply clarifies what I've always believed to be true about Professor Snape," Luna's eyes flickered to the doorway, leading both Wesley's and Fred's gaze there.

A tall, dark robed man stood outside the door. A potion clutched tightly in his hands as his gaze settled first on Potter and his friends, then Poppy's anxious face, to Luna's understanding face, and finally to his own brothers. Wesley caught something in his brother's eyes that struck him as odd.

Severus ignored them as he strode into the room, making a bee-line for Caro's daughter. A harsh sneer crossed his face as he looked down at the blonde Ravenclaw.

"Come to bother Madame Pomfrey again, Miss Lovegood?" Snape sneered, but there was a distinct lack of bite in his tone as he glanced down at the pair of socks clutched in her hands. "Fifteen points from Ravenclaw."

"Yes, I see," Luna nodded, her young eyes peering curiously at the Potions master. She smiled dreamily at Wesley. "It was nice to meet an alumni of Hogwarts."

Before Wesley could respond, Luna nodded her head and made her way over to the three Gryffindors who looked both gob-smacked and angry. Poppy puffed up a bit, leveling her gaze at Severus. A brow quirked up at her, as if pressing for information he wouldn't dare ask aloud for. Poppy made great show of rearranging the prep-table beside Fred's bed before she spoke quietly to him

"The Edgecombe girl, again. She's still bitter about that D.A. nonsense from last term, and since she and Chang can't retaliate on the Golden Trio, her and Longbottom get the brunt of it. Mainly her. Flitwick's useless as usual," Poppy said bitterly.

"Some heads of house are not so lenient," Severus said noncommittally. Poppy snorted at that.

"McGonagall'll just be happy it's not her house you're taking points from."

Wesley watched as a look - one he recognized often in his own mirror passed between the two staff members. He'd had the same one when Fred had been someone else's girl. Memories seemed to come back at a flash then, of Poppy always being around when Caro was busy with Snape. House loyalties had been harder to cross back then, with the smell of war in the air. Slytherins didn't mess about with Hufflepuffs for anything other than carnal relations if necessary, and didn't touch Gryffindors at all.

And Poppy had stood back, being older than them all. She'd stood back and watched the train wreck. But what was their excuse now? War was in the air...and Voldemort had risen in power again.

Wesley didn't have long to dwell on those thoughts, however, because he soon found himself under his brother's dark gaze.

"Severus," Wesley nodded to the older man. Part of him - that scared little eleven year-old self - wanted to rush to his brother's side and pull him into a hug. But he knew that whatever tender feelings the two had had for each other were now long dead.

"Wesley. You do have a way of getting yourself into unmanageable scrapes, don't you?" Severus said coolly, not giving away anything.

"Yes. Always have, I'm afraid."

"I'm Fred," Fred interrupted, looking curiously between the two of them.

"Miss Burkle, Professor Dumbledore did tell me your name," Severus studied her intensely, his head cocking to the side before he turned to address Poppy. "She'll have to be moved immediately. The potion needs another five minutes to settle. We'll need a clear path for the old one to traverse. Can you manage the -"

"Severus, I've been hustling injured schoolchildren around these halls for over twenty years, I think I can manage getting Miss Burkle into place in the tower," Poppy huffed, her eyes flicking over to the four students who were trying - and failing - to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Good. We need to speak," Severus glanced at his brother then, making eye contact. "Privately."

"My office is free."

"How kind, Madame," Severus said with a fake sneer.

Fred nodded to him, and Wesley quickly unfolded himself from her side. The office wasn't far, and he pulled the door shut behind him. Neither spoke for several tense moments.

"I wanted to thank you, Severus," Wesley started, pausing only when his brother held up a hand to stop him.

"I did as Dumbledore requested, as I would have done had he asked it for any other than yourself," Severus hurried on before Wesley could protest it. "And you should be preparing yourself for the worst. We must draw the Old One out of her, and send it back to the Deeper Well. That is why we need the highest tower Hogwarts has. The old one, the God King, will claw into every soul between here and there to keep from going back to its prison."

"No," Wesley gasped, not even thinking of the repercussions that might befall them should this not go according to plan. "The children..."

"Will be safely below in the dungeons, Dumbledore is gathering them all as we speak," Severus gave him a look. "But there are no guarantees that this will work. Be prepared to say your goodbyes."

Severus turned to leave the room when Wesley spoke.

"Did you love her, or was it always Poppy for you? Because Caro loved you, I'm sure of it," Wesley asked quietly.

"Caroline Weston was...I cared for her, but I'm not sure if I just cared for the hero worship or the girl herself," Severus said after a long pause. "Poppy...Madame Pomfrey is a colleague. Pray, do not read more into it than there is."

"Don't keep it to yourself if it's more, Sev," Wesley said quietly, meeting his brothers eyes. "Don't miss out on any of the chances it could bring."

Severus gave a terse nod and quickly strode back out into the infirmary. After sharp instructions to the three Gryffindors and Luna, he turned and spoke briefly to Poppy. Wesley watched them, the simple touch of a finger to her elbow, the way her whole body turned to listen to him. She nodded with whatever it was that he said and looked up at him, almost fearfully.

Wes was so caught up in non-display his brother and the nurse were making, he barely noticed the girl at his own elbow until she tugged on his shirtsleeve. Luna smiled up at him.

"Thank you, for bringing them together," Luna murmured. "I had wondered when someone else would see it."

Luna smiled at him and soon followed the Gryffindors out of the hospital wing. Fred slipped her hand in his and squeezed weakly.