Entry for "Defence Against The Dark Arts" at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)"
Task: For your task, I want you to write about protecting someone from a dangerous or difficult situation - this can be protecting themselves, a loved one, or even an enemy.
Entry for Sophie's 2015 New Years Millionaire Competition
- Your OTP breaking up!
This one was a hard one to write, so I took the best reason I could find for them breaking up.
Severus Snape slowly walked over the snowy grounds of Hogwarts, his long black cloak leaving behind a thin trail in the thick snow.
His face was a unmoving mask, as always, and no one except for himself knew what he was hiding behind it.
In fact, the thoughts he had at the moment were heavy ones, ones that had been swirling around in his head for some time and had prevented him from sleeping much in the last days.
He had made some hard decisions in his life, but this one was one of the hardest, even though it was going to be a good one in the end, at least he hoped that.
The snow made crunching sounds under his nearly automatic steps as he continued to make his way towards the Forbidden Forest, not allowing himself to think any further about what he was going to do.
There was no way he could allow himself to change his opinion on the final metres.
It was too dangerous.
Severus stopped as he reached the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest and saw the person he had wanted to meet here leaning against a tree.
His heart started to beat faster as he saw Rolanda Hooch standing there, wearing a beautiful knitted dress to her heavy brown winter boots, her blonde hair for once flowing freely over her shoulders.
He took a moment to admire the sight of her before she turned around and saw him too.
"Severus!" Rolanda exclaimed, a wide smile on her face as she slung her arms around his neck and rose to the tips of her toes to kiss his temple and for a short moment, Severus allowed himself to bury his nose in her blonde curls, breathing in their fresh, flowery scent.
He wanted to do this quick, like ripping off a sticking plaster, so the pain for both of them would be short, but as he held her in his arms he started to doubt that he would be able to do this, that he would be able to fulfil the plan he had made all by himself because he had found it necessary.
It always made him feel good when he was with her, he felt loved because one look into Rolanda's golden eyes convinced him again and again that she truly loved him and he could not deny that he loved her nearly as much as he had loved Lily.
Rolanda had been the first person since Albus Dumbledore who had not been taken back by his harsh, unfriendly shell that he had built to protect himself and she had overwhelmed him with the friendly puns she made. She had surprised him by being so untiring in her tries to become his friend and somehow... somehow Rolanda had found a way into his heavily guarded heart.
They shared some treats, like their sense for dry and sarcastic humour, but if you looked closely, they were strikingly different – Rolanda had always been a popular person due to Quidditch while Severus had never had any real friends beside Lily.
Severus liked to read a good book or try out new potions while Rolanda could barely be found inside of the castle – her favourite place was, of course, the Quidditch pitch.
Rolanda was a shining, happy person who was smiling a lot throughout the day while Severus was dark and barely had a twitch in the corner of his mouth.
He was much less reckless than her, less impulsive... and how much more passion could break out of her was revealed just in this moment as she looked from one side to the other before she suddenly grabbed him by the front of his black robes and pulled him behind a huge oak tree, kissing him passionately and with such energy that it nearly swept him off his feet.
And once again, he allowed himself a short moment to drown in her, returning her kiss in a nearly desperate manner, wrapping his arms tightly around her body, pressing her up against him, feeling her body heat against the cold of the winter around them.
He tried to savour every second of it, her taste, her scent, the feeling of her lips, the way his stomach felt light when their tongues battled for dominance...
It was going to be their last kiss.
Knowing that gave this moment a totally different importance for him, one that Rolanda was oblivious about – but not for a long time.
Rolanda's hands gliding down to his belt pulled Severus out of the slight mist that had spread comfortably in his head as he had allowed himself to be enchanted by her and he broke the kiss, ignoring her moaned protest.
A shiver ran down his spine as he saw her eyes, darkened in passion and desire and he nervously licked his lips.
"Is something wrong, Severus?" Rolanda asked in a hoarse voice that nearly drove him over the edge and he had to clear his throat and collect his thoughts before he could say anything.
"We need to talk, Rolanda."
She bit her lips and winked, whispering:"So this is how you call it now, Professor:"
"Rolanda," Severus hurried to back off, feeling a bit helpless in this situation. Rolanda Hooch truly was the only person who was able to overwhelm him several times within a few minutes.
His serious and urgent tone seemed to make her realise that he had not come to play any games and the smile faded slightly from her beautiful face.
"We cannot be together any more."
Severus gulped as the words finally came over his lips and only seconds later he did regret that he had ever made this plan, hating himself for hurting her so much.
"You... you are joking, right?" Rolanda breathed, grabbing his hand and he could feel how she started to shiver, her eyes wide in surprise.
"No, Rolanda. I... This is the end of our relationship. It has to happen. The sooner the better, for both of us," he answered stiffly, is innards clenching painfully.
"I... I don't understand... Why?" She asked, her voice getting weaker with every word she spoke and tears started to fill her eyes while she was holding on to his hand as if her life depended on it.
"I can't tell you, Rolanda. It... it is only for your best if we are not together any more, please believe me."
"Severus, how am I supposed to believe that it will do me good if you break my heart?!" Rolanda raised her voice, tears streaming down her face and Severus had to work hard to maintain his unmoved expression, the one that did hide all of his thoughts and his own pain so well.
"Please, say something, Severus! Explain it to me! I beg you, don't leave me in the dark like this! Are you afraid the students could find out?!"
"Rolanda, please, stop asking. You have to forget what we had. You have to forget me," Severus said, his voice as cold as the air around them and he literally felt his heart shattering, alongside with Rolanda's.
"You... you want me to forget the best time of my life?"
"Yes."
"I... I c-can't..."
Rolanda's voice was not even a whisper any more, barely audible by now and her body was shaking under silent sobs being released from her chest.
"You can and you will," Severus demanded harshly, freeing his hand from her desperate grip and she stumbled backwards a bit.
Regret flooded him as he saw how all the signs of the strong, feisty Rolanda Hooch were suddenly gone, leaving a helpless, broken witch behind.
"Go now. And don't look back."
Rolanda looked at him for another moment, her eyes seeming to beg for him to rethink, to change his mind, but Severus did not allow himself to consider this, not even for a second, even though he was hurting just as much as she did.
She seemed to realise this too and slowly, nearly hesitatingly, as if she still inwardly hoped for him to reconsider in the last minute, she turned around and slowly made her way towards the castle.
Severus looked after as she walked away, seeing how she wrapped her arms around herself after the first steps, shivering in the cold air and he released a shaky breath before he closed his eyes and leaned against the oak they had been kissing under just minutes ago.
The place where they had kissed so many times.
The place where they had shared their first kiss.
And the place where he had ended the happiest time of his life.
Would she ever learn that he had done this to protect her from the worst things that could happen in the dark future that was approaching them?
Would she ever know that he had done this because he loved her so much that he was sure that he would not survive to also loose his second love?
He had sworn himself that he would protect her, even if it meant to cause pain for her and for him equally.
Shortly after he had realised that he had truly fallen in love with the Quidditch mistress, something he had never dared to imagine after seeing Lily, his soul mate, die, he had started to think about the future.
The Dark Lord had been on the rise already and it had been clear to him that this love could be dangerous for both of them.
That Voldemort could use Rolanda to force him to do things by threatening her if he would find out.
He had done this fault once by begging for Lily's life, and still after all these years he felt like it was his responsibility that she died.
Rolanda was definitely safer without him, even though she was not believing that yet.
He hoped that one day she would learn that it had been necessary to break her heart to protect her.
And Severus hoped that he could be the one to put the pieces back together.
But for now, he had to keep her safe.
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