Summary : Snape realized he shouldn’t consume a candy, especially made from lemon. But he didn’t care. He was better, only felt slightly nauseous from the residue of the medicines he had previously taken. “Yes, please.” For Yes To Lemon Drops challenge by RhiannanT in Potions and Snitches and for Snape Day 2014 in Infantrum.

Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

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Snape hated medicines.

Well, he didn’t resent those capsules or tablets. He only loathed them when he was sick and had to consume them. He could just throw them away, but then, how could he heal? Taking a bed rest sometimes wasn’t enough.

When he had been young, bitter medicines had made him vomit. He couldn’t just swallow them, with water or else. Being sick was annoying, but the real torture was when it’s time for those capsules or tablets to go through his throat. He had ever asked for potions as the substitute but the healer he frequented said that potions for certain sickness had limitations. Snape had surrendered and braced himself every time he had to take the medicines. Until now, fighting dragons still looked more appealing than fighting medicines.

So, Snape tried his best not to get sick. He might be thin but he had some muscles. When he had a chance, he exercised. He did everything to stay healthy.

Unfortunately, right after the celebration of his birthday party, the twenty four year old man fell ill. Snape suffered dysentery. It must have been from something he had eaten. He had adamantly refused Dumbledore’s offer to celebrate the special day, but the old man had been persistent. After having adjusted their robes into Muggle clothing, all the Hogwarts staff had gone to a Muggle restaurant and had eaten there. Everyone was fine the next day, except Snape.

Pomfrey panicked because her young patient kept vomiting the medicines. Snape even pitied her, and embarrassed too because she had to help him to go to the bathroom.

“You’re getting worse,” Dumbledore said. He quietly sat beside Snape’s bed. The twinkle in his eyes was gone. The man’s face was lined with worry, especially when he looked at a magical IV connected to Snape’s hand.

Snape hoarsely answered, “I think so.” Even talking exerted his energy. He felt totally drained.

“A trip to St. Mungo is in order if he still vomits and the bathroom visit is still this bad,” Pomfrey told his employer.

Snape opened his eyes, shaking his head. The world was spinning worse than before. “No! Not St. Mungo.” Although people knew he was not a Death Eater anymore, he was still treated badly, no matter where.

“You can barely speak, you can’t stand and you’re shaking,” Pomfrey put her cool hand on Snape’s forehead.

Snape was sure he had caught another illness. It’s like a combination of dysentery, flu, fever, cold and other things Snape had difficulty to mention at the moment.

Dumbledore patted Snape’s back softly when the Potions Master vomited again.

Pomfrey gave him another medicine when one of the pills couldn’t make it past his throat.

“It’s not a curse, isn’t it?” Dumbledore whispered.

Pomfrey shook her head. “No, Sir. His immune is dropping. It’s like he’s been healthy for a long time and then caught many illness in a sudden.”

When Snape opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a very long beard and the first sound in his ears was a soft snore. “Headmaster?”

Dumbledore didn’t wake up. He stayed still in his conjured sofa.

It brought a smile to Snape. He knew it was already night, yet this annoying old man didn’t leave his side. He felt like a small boy being waited by his father. Something his own father had never done.

Snape’s scratching his pale hand that woke Dumbledore.

“Severus? Do you need something?” was the headmaster’s first words.

“No, I don’t need anything.”

Dumbledore examined him and then smiled. “How are you, my boy?”

It’s hard not to smile back to Dumbledore. “I feel better.”

Dumbledore gave him a glass of water, which Snape was very thankful. After saying thank you, he noticed several wrappings next to Dumbledore’s book.

The other wizard knew it. “Lemon Drop?”

Snape realized he shouldn’t consume a candy, especially made from lemon. But he didn’t care. He was better, only felt slightly nausea from the residue of the medicines he had previously taken. “Yes, please.” He refused Dumbledore’s offer to open the wrapping.

Miraculously the bitterness in his mouth was gone, replaced with sweet and sour taste.

“Why are you frowning?”

“It’s good!”

Dumbledore chuckled. Trust Snape to have a nice facial expression, and you’d be mostly disappointed.

“Now I see why you like them so much.”

“Ah. Lemon Drops are the best thing that could happen in Wizarding World,” Dumbledore humbly said.

Snape believed that he recovered pretty quickly because Dumbledore and Pomfrey kept him company. It was bad to be bedridden, but not so miserable when he had regular visitors, even though one of them was a healer.

After being discharged from the infirmary, Snape ordered packs of Lemon Drops, all variants, for his kind employer.

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