Three Little Words.
by Tycho
PG-13
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns it all.
Summary: The lives of Severus Snape and Hermione Granger will be forever changed by three little words.
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Like a petulant child, Severus Snape slammed the door to his chambers. With a crash it rebounded off the jam. Severus turned, glared at the offending assemblage of timber. He stalked back and slammed it close with another resounding bang. And then, because that simple ritual of violence felt so damn good, he did it again. And again. And again. Each time he wrenched it open again, he wrenched another word out of the raging fires of his mind.
"How." Slam.
"Could." Slam.
"I." Slam.
"Have." Slam.
"Been." Slam.
"So." Slam.
"Stupid!" Slam.
He went to pull it open again, but the lock had fouled against the jam, and now the door was wedged tightly within its frame. Severus grit his teeth and glared harder at it. Pulling his wand he pointed it at the door and muttered a single word. The resulting explosion of splinters knocked him off his feet and sent his wand flying to the other side of the room.
Severus stood and marched over to his desk, leaving his wand where it was. He picked up the inkwell and hefted it in his hand. It shattered against the opposing wall. He watched the ink run down the stone wall and made a decision. Magic might be more effective and efficient, but there was nothing like sheer physical violence when it came to satisfying rage.
The remaining contents of his desk followed the fate of his inkwell. Followed by his night stand, dresser, bed clothes and anything else he could lay his hands on. Thought ceased and there was only rage. At some point, the Bloody Baron flew in to see what the ruckus was. He quickly retreated after the madman within threw several objects through him and threatened to curse him into oblivion. As the ghost floated down the corridor, he could be heard to shout, "The Headmaster will hear of this!"
A quarter hour later, Severus no longer cared. He slumped in exhaustion amidst the destruction of everything he owned. The rage had finally dissipated, and only shame and regret remained. He fought desperately to keep the memories at bay, to think of anything but his humiliation that morning, but to no avail.
It was her face that dominated his thoughts. It filled his mind's eye with her beauty, showing him the myriad human emotions he'd seen there. Happiness, with her friends. Anger, at Draco Malfoy's bullying. Grief, at the death of one of her classmates. Worry, over Potter and Weasely. Surprise, at seeing him on her doorstep that very morning. Revulsion, when he'd opened his heart to her.
How could he have been so stupid? How could he have believed in his wildest delusions that she could ever hold even the smallest amount of affection for him? He should have known it could never be. After all she was the epitome of the perfect witch. Beautiful, intelligent, talented, powerful. And he?
He was Snape. What more needed saying? He knew what every one said about him. The names. The jokes at his expense. Not even his colleagues sought his company. After nearly forty years of ridicule and ostracism, he no longer had any doubts. He had no friends, no family. Nobody needed him. Well that was just fine.
"I don't need you either!" He shouted and threw the nearest available object at the wall.
It missed, and hit his book case instead, the sole piece of furniture that had been spared from destruction. A single book fell from the shelves and landed on its side to lean against the tomes on the bottom shelf. The title leapt out at him, Most Potente Potions. He had received it from Her for Christmas last year.
Severus hung his head and whispered, "God, I'm so tired of being alone."
He spied his wand lying less than a foot away. A moment later it was within his grasp, and he was examining it from a most peculiar angle. Such a small thing, even smaller when one had it pointed at one's own eye, and yet capable of so much. He opened his mouth to whisper the curse, his final spell, but all that came out was "I love you. Why can't you love me?"
He closed his eyes and opened his mouth to say those two fatal words.
But they wouldn't come. He tried again, but still nothing. The wand dropped to the floor. Salt water fell to the floor. "I'm such a fucking coward."
"I'm so very disappointed in you, Severus."
Severus' head shot up to look at the intruder, "Albus, I..." He stopped. In front of him was a conundrum. The Headmaster of Hogwart's had his wand out and pointed at Severus.
"I'm very sorry dear boy, but I need you to die."
Then Severus knew nothing but darkness.