Re: Al, Severus, Lily / Jamie
Someone touched him - Severus - and Severus' lips were moving and Al looked up, facing Severus' searching stare. Open as a book, as always.
But this time, past the green of his irises and inside his mind, Al was afraid. Terrified, in fact. His mind wasn't pushing the fear back, or bottling it into absolute numbness, just embracing it like a Dementor's chill until it spread outwards through his limbs.
Breathing in. Breathing out.
Mum's back. She's here.
A grip against Al's elbow. 'That's nice, but...' spoken in his mother's voice. His mother's peas on a plate... Dinner with his family...
Al took a breath. Those thoughts hurt and he shoved at them in a different way than usual; instead of numbing himself to their effect, he summoned other thoughts, more of them, and concentrated on fleeting visuals that didn't hurt.
Yes! Dinner with family. Peas on a plate. Green and round. Fish and chips. Grandmother Lily's apple cobbler... The images of more recent dinner fought with the impression left from the dinner prior.
Peas. Fish and chips. Apple cobbler. There, better. Al pictured the taste of it and laughter on his tongue, Expecto Patronum was on his mind, even though there were no dementors nearby but the ones conjured by his own brain.
He drew himself up. "Mum's back," he whispered, coarse, unsure if his throat emitted any sound at all. "I'll need to go see her."