A/N Hi everyone and welcome to my very first piece of fanfiction. I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read it and please feel free to review. This is just one of a few of my short stories that I've written while I work on my larger main story. So I hope you like it. The pairing is SS/HG two of my favourite characters. I love HP but I am not a fan of LE/P. I don't have a beta although I do try hard to edit my work before posting. HP is not mine and belongs to J.K Rowling. So here goes…

After all this time

Triumphant roars and claps of celebration sounded from all around me, as I stood trying to control my breathing, after the physical exertion of fighting so vigorously. Looking all around me I saw death and destruction outside in the grounds of Hogwarts. The survivors of the battle were either hugging each other with relief or sitting crumpled on the ground in grief and shock. Harry Potter the-boy-who-lived had done it. Voldermort was dead, gone forever, never to return and darken the Wizzarding world again. At last I was a free man.

At that realization I looked around frantically for her. Where was she? Was she safe? Fear gripped me as my thoughts lingered. But thankfully it wasn't for long.

"Severus." Her angelic, nervous voice called out to me from behind. The fear that had only gripped me seconds ago was now replaced with relief and joy at hearing that one word, her voice.

Turning, my eyes instantly found her and when they did I swear I stopped breathing. She was breathtakingly beautiful, an angel amongst the darkness. My angel, to my darkness. Her clothes were torn and smeared with dirt and blood. Her curly brown hair was wilder and frizzier than I had ever seen it. And her eyes. Well her eyes were the windows to her soul. So expressive and bright and currently they were full of happiness, wariness, as she wondered how I would react to her now that the War was finally over. But most of all I saw unguarded love. Love that she held for me. Me, the greasy git and dungeon bat.

We had never expressed the words of love to each other yet, but we both knew. I wanted to wait until after the War, when we could be together properly and not in secret. When I could tell her finally that I loved her, while I got down on one knee and ask her to become my wife and the mother of my children.

She had become my whole world, my second chance at a life I never thought I would ever have. Yes I loved one person before. But that was nothing compared to how I felt about her. She saw through my bitterness and my façade, reaching beyond to the man behind the scowl. She saw the real me and not only did she see him, but she sought him out, when others turned their backs. She turned my world of darkness into a world of light. And she loved me unconditionally.

Looking at me now she smiled holding out her hands to me, causing my heart to leap with joy. Returning her smile I stepped towards her only for my world to come to a sudden stop all around me. A rogue Death Eater came out from the shadows and all that could be seen was the green flash of the Avada Kedavra curse hitting the chest right where the heart was.

They say your life flashes before you when you are about to die and in that moment, my life with her flashed before me.

I saw the way her hair frizzed as she bent over a steaming cauldron. The way she bit her bottom lip when she was nervous. The smile and laugh she kept only for me. I remembered the feel of her soft full lips against mine. Her warm naked body against my burning flesh when we made love. The way she cradled me and held me; like I was the most important thing to her in the world. Finally I remembered her expressive honey coloured eyes that spoke more to me than words ever could.

Looking at her now my heart shattered, as I saw the smile slip from her perfect mouth. Watching helplessly as her small body crumpled to the ground.

A piercing scream tore from my chest as I ran to her, hoping beyond hope that she had only been stunned, while someone else tackled the rogue Death Eater. But when I reached her and saw her eyes I knew. Gone was the love. Gone was every expression I had ever seen. They were empty, cold and glazed.

Sinking to my knees unbearable pain engulfed every part of my body; as I pulled her onto my lap. Her head gently resting against my own still beating heart.

"No. No. No. No. No. Please. Hermione. Please. Wake. Up. Please." I sobbed, trying to rock life back into her too still body. "Please. Hermione. Please. Don't. Leave. Me." Burying my nose in her soft curls I breathed in her intoxicating smell. Her pale skin was so soft and warm against my own and she looked as if she was sleeping peacefully. But I didn't want her sleeping. I wanted her awake and smiling. I wanted to see the light in her eyes. "Please." I begged. "Please. Hermione. I. Need. You." Her face and hair were wet with my tears, but I didn't care. Nothing mattered to me anymore. She was gone. "I. Love. You." I smelled her hair again, trying to burn it to my memory as I knew it would be for the last time. Then I kissed her forehead. "I. Love. You. I. Love. You."

"Severus." A sad voice said from above me. But it was not her voice. Her voice was gone. She was gone. My Hermione was gone.

Opening my eyes I gazed up at to the owner of the voice, my vision blurred and starting to sting with the light of the sun against my unshed tears. I was met with the pale sad face of Albus Dumbledore. Even the twinkle in his baby blue eyes was gone. I did not see the group of people surrounding me, watching with their looks of shock and sadness.

"Severus you need to let her go." Albus whispered.

I shook my head and clung to her small lifeless body tight against my own.

"No. Never. I. Wont. No."

"Severus, I am so sorry my boy. I really am." I did not see Albus pull out his wand. I did not feel it pressed to my head. And I did not hear the softly spoken word.

"Obliviate."

Blinking twice I looked around not knowing how I had gotten here. What had happened? Then I felt a small weight in my arms. Looking down I saw the lifeless body of my student Miss Granger. Gently I lay her down on the ground and stood up to speak to my friend and mentor.

"You tried to save her Severus but it was too late." He whispered sadly, not meeting my gaze.

"It's such a waste Albus she had so much potential." Looking around I saw the devastation left by the battle. "Is it over?" I asked quietly.

Albus nodded yes to my question and for the first time in years I felt free. With a bow of my head I excused myself and sauntered back to the castle to see if I could help with the injured. I did not give a second glance to my ex-student, leaving my mentor to deal with her body. I just simply walked away. Nor did I hear the whispers as I passed the grieving.

My thoughts were consumed by one thing. One person. My love. The reason for my existence. I had kept my promise to her. Everything I had done throughout the War was for her, and her alone. Because of my unrequited love for her. Lily. My Lily. My love. My everything. After all this time.

Always.