"Oh great! What now? Why does everything like this always happen to me!" Snape paced back and forth across the small room.
"Calm down Severus! Screaming isn't going to help anything!" Lodessa cried, grabbing hold of his arm,
"Really? Well neither is kissing and making up! " Snape retaliated, " What am I supposed to do? Go, Oh well it too bad that Voldemort is back and has kidnapped my niece and I'm locked in a room with the most immoral woman in the world but i guess I should just forgive and forget! And you think I am supposed to just fall into your arms and stop worrying about the world!?" He threw her off and stormed across the room.
"Severus! Listen to me!" Lodessa pleaded, holding his face to hers and attempting to get him to look her in the eyes.
"No I will not! Lat time I trusted you I saw how wrong I was and I swore never to let that happen ever again!" he pushed her away and fled to the other corner of the room.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"Christmas holiday, 5th year. When you made a fool of me!"He crossed his arms and sat down with his back against the wall.
"What do you mean?" Lodessa looked at him so tenderly that had he met her eye he could not have doubted her, " How did I wrong you? All I remember is opening up to you and you rejecting me when everyone came back!"
Severus sprang to his feet and backed her towards the other corner, he was shaking with rage, "You used me! You whore! You made me believe you cared about me! When the whole time you were going out with Maximillian! You may have no morals, but how can you not realize that I do! I never was interested in snogging another fellow's girl! If I had known I never would have let you seduce me! But you tricked me! And I don't even understand why! Just for the power? So you could toss me away? were you bored? What did I ever do to deserve that? Oh I guess I was just a fool. I was wrong then, and I was wrong about James...and I was wrong about Remus...and I was wrong about Sirius...and I was wrong about Imogen, wrong about Lilah I was wrong about everything! but I will never let myself be fooled by you again. You are heartless! You did use me! I am right about that! You can't deny it! Can you! Oh why won't you leave me alone!"
"Oh my lord! Severus! You really have no idea do you?" Lodessa cried, " I never tricked you! I never wanted to break your heart! That holiday, when narcissa finally left me alone, that was the true me! I fell in love with you Severus! I still am in love with you! I have been in love with you for at least 23 years! I was weak and stupid as a girl I know! but does that deserve your hatred? I never was strong enough to stand up to narcissa and tell her that i cared for you and that she should stop setting me up with Max! I never cornered you and made you talk to me! and when I tried it was too late! But haven't i suffered enough. Desperately loving you for all these years, with only hard words for thanks! Severus! I never wronged you! I wasn't going out with max! I was ready to confront Narcissa and stand up for you and us! But you turned your back on me and I gave up and resigned myself to the phony life that Narcissa and Lucius had me leading with them! It took me years to get back out, but i still haven't recovered from your rejection! Oh God, Severus! How can you hate me so! I once thought you secretly cared for me! I thought that you..."
Severus clasped Lodessa tightly and looked her in the eyes, "I think you are going to have to repeat that." he said, "It is extremely hard for my mind to comprehend. " He looked incredibly pitiful and lost, especially in comparison to his wrath the moment before or even the sour expression he had worn for a quarter of a century.
"Severus, I love you!" Lodessa obviously had longed to say these words for a great while, " Why do you think I've been so persistent in trying to connect with you? Do you think I'm truly that I'm so heartless and cruel that I would pursue you for decades for no reason? I may have done many insincere things at school but all of them were to please Narcissa, and do you think that Narcissa approved? No! She always told me to shut up when I mentioned you! That was one of the sincere things I did. Oh and I don't fool around behind people's back, it is actually one of the only rules I have had since I was a girl, and I never snog anybody unless I would be willing to go out with them if they wanted to"
Tear's streamed down Severus's face. All of the tears he had not cried since he was old enough to understand that crying was not something befitting a boy of all of six years, at least when anyone at all was around. He clung to Lodessa as the last of the deceptions he had lived by fell away. First he had learned that James hadn't been involved in the prank and had truly saved his life; then remus had turned out not to be a spy for the dark side; then Sirius had been proved innocent; Peter had been the spy; It turned out that instead of protecting his sister he had driven her to run away. Now here was the woman he had hated since he was at school for playing with him and making him care for her so, telling him that she had not betrayed him and in fact loved him. All of his defenses fell away and he cried with complete abandon. They held each other tightly, their tears intermingling.
"I did care for you, I do in spite of myself." Snape confessed. The words displayed a changed man, for they were humble and open. He looked up and gazed into her face, and with tears still streaming down his face he smiled. Yes, Severus Snape smiled. The two of them, now approaching middle age, nevertheless looked like sixteen years olds in a fairy tale. Crying and smiling, he finally kissed her. Not the timid kiss of a fifteen year old. Much had happened since then. They were no questions left, just love. Neither cared to hide anything anymore, and neither felt compelled to. In fact, they had both forgotten about the battle in other parts of the house. While Voldemort was destroyed, they were busy making up for lost time, a lifetime of it.
Epilogue
Back at Hogwarts
" Professor Snape" Hermione inquired, "What is the final going to be on?"
"Well Miss Granger, I do believe that there isn't going to be a final" Everyone looked up in surprise. Who on earth was this person pretending to be their teacher? Snape not giving a final seemed to them like Voldemort marrying a muggle girl and having a happy little family. They were only slightly reassured when he justified this decision, "After all, many of you have faced darker arts than I could set before you. Class dismissed"
"Calm down Severus! Screaming isn't going to help anything!" Lodessa cried, grabbing hold of his arm,
"Really? Well neither is kissing and making up! " Snape retaliated, " What am I supposed to do? Go, Oh well it too bad that Voldemort is back and has kidnapped my niece and I'm locked in a room with the most immoral woman in the world but i guess I should just forgive and forget! And you think I am supposed to just fall into your arms and stop worrying about the world!?" He threw her off and stormed across the room.
"Severus! Listen to me!" Lodessa pleaded, holding his face to hers and attempting to get him to look her in the eyes.
"No I will not! Lat time I trusted you I saw how wrong I was and I swore never to let that happen ever again!" he pushed her away and fled to the other corner of the room.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"Christmas holiday, 5th year. When you made a fool of me!"He crossed his arms and sat down with his back against the wall.
"What do you mean?" Lodessa looked at him so tenderly that had he met her eye he could not have doubted her, " How did I wrong you? All I remember is opening up to you and you rejecting me when everyone came back!"
Severus sprang to his feet and backed her towards the other corner, he was shaking with rage, "You used me! You whore! You made me believe you cared about me! When the whole time you were going out with Maximillian! You may have no morals, but how can you not realize that I do! I never was interested in snogging another fellow's girl! If I had known I never would have let you seduce me! But you tricked me! And I don't even understand why! Just for the power? So you could toss me away? were you bored? What did I ever do to deserve that? Oh I guess I was just a fool. I was wrong then, and I was wrong about James...and I was wrong about Remus...and I was wrong about Sirius...and I was wrong about Imogen, wrong about Lilah I was wrong about everything! but I will never let myself be fooled by you again. You are heartless! You did use me! I am right about that! You can't deny it! Can you! Oh why won't you leave me alone!"
"Oh my lord! Severus! You really have no idea do you?" Lodessa cried, " I never tricked you! I never wanted to break your heart! That holiday, when narcissa finally left me alone, that was the true me! I fell in love with you Severus! I still am in love with you! I have been in love with you for at least 23 years! I was weak and stupid as a girl I know! but does that deserve your hatred? I never was strong enough to stand up to narcissa and tell her that i cared for you and that she should stop setting me up with Max! I never cornered you and made you talk to me! and when I tried it was too late! But haven't i suffered enough. Desperately loving you for all these years, with only hard words for thanks! Severus! I never wronged you! I wasn't going out with max! I was ready to confront Narcissa and stand up for you and us! But you turned your back on me and I gave up and resigned myself to the phony life that Narcissa and Lucius had me leading with them! It took me years to get back out, but i still haven't recovered from your rejection! Oh God, Severus! How can you hate me so! I once thought you secretly cared for me! I thought that you..."
Severus clasped Lodessa tightly and looked her in the eyes, "I think you are going to have to repeat that." he said, "It is extremely hard for my mind to comprehend. " He looked incredibly pitiful and lost, especially in comparison to his wrath the moment before or even the sour expression he had worn for a quarter of a century.
"Severus, I love you!" Lodessa obviously had longed to say these words for a great while, " Why do you think I've been so persistent in trying to connect with you? Do you think I'm truly that I'm so heartless and cruel that I would pursue you for decades for no reason? I may have done many insincere things at school but all of them were to please Narcissa, and do you think that Narcissa approved? No! She always told me to shut up when I mentioned you! That was one of the sincere things I did. Oh and I don't fool around behind people's back, it is actually one of the only rules I have had since I was a girl, and I never snog anybody unless I would be willing to go out with them if they wanted to"
Tear's streamed down Severus's face. All of the tears he had not cried since he was old enough to understand that crying was not something befitting a boy of all of six years, at least when anyone at all was around. He clung to Lodessa as the last of the deceptions he had lived by fell away. First he had learned that James hadn't been involved in the prank and had truly saved his life; then remus had turned out not to be a spy for the dark side; then Sirius had been proved innocent; Peter had been the spy; It turned out that instead of protecting his sister he had driven her to run away. Now here was the woman he had hated since he was at school for playing with him and making him care for her so, telling him that she had not betrayed him and in fact loved him. All of his defenses fell away and he cried with complete abandon. They held each other tightly, their tears intermingling.
"I did care for you, I do in spite of myself." Snape confessed. The words displayed a changed man, for they were humble and open. He looked up and gazed into her face, and with tears still streaming down his face he smiled. Yes, Severus Snape smiled. The two of them, now approaching middle age, nevertheless looked like sixteen years olds in a fairy tale. Crying and smiling, he finally kissed her. Not the timid kiss of a fifteen year old. Much had happened since then. They were no questions left, just love. Neither cared to hide anything anymore, and neither felt compelled to. In fact, they had both forgotten about the battle in other parts of the house. While Voldemort was destroyed, they were busy making up for lost time, a lifetime of it.
Epilogue
Back at Hogwarts
" Professor Snape" Hermione inquired, "What is the final going to be on?"
"Well Miss Granger, I do believe that there isn't going to be a final" Everyone looked up in surprise. Who on earth was this person pretending to be their teacher? Snape not giving a final seemed to them like Voldemort marrying a muggle girl and having a happy little family. They were only slightly reassured when he justified this decision, "After all, many of you have faced darker arts than I could set before you. Class dismissed"