Dear Hermione,

surely you are wondering why I'm writing you a letter when only a few floors separate us. The reason is quite simple: I'm not as brave as you believe me to be. Yes, I fought in two wars, and yes, I have worked as a spy for nearly half of my life, but I did all that because after two years I couldn't stand seeing all those innocent people being tortured and then killed. And if I think that at first I loved seeing them suffer, beg for death...

But that's not why I decided to write you. It's just that I don't know how to tell you. Well, let's try again.

You know that my childhood was not really happy, you know that I had never truly felt loved. My parents always argued. You know that my father was a Muggle who hated magic and everything related to it. He was a drunk and he hit me repeatedly and my mother was too weak to defend me, but when she did, that bastard focused his rage on her.

So I spent as much time as possible in the park. That's where I first me Lily. She was the only one who cared about me, who wanted to become my friend. We went to school together but, regrettably, she was put in Gryffindor, while I joined the Slytherin table. I thought our friendship would finish then, but that didn't happen and she stuck with me through those years. But after a while I started feeling her slip away from me and into the arms of that imbecile Potter. However I thought that perhaps if I tried to spend more time with her, she would forget about him. I was really obsessed, but at that time I thought it was love. But then it happened: I called her a Mudblood in a moment of anger and she never forgave me for that. Completely heartbroken (or so I thought) I turned to the Dark Arts and closed myself behind those walls that you, my dear, managed to break.

I don't know why, but for some strange reason you care for me enough to become my friend, and for that I thank you. Your friendship is the best thing that has ever happened in my life. Maybe I don't show it enough, but I love spending my free time with you.

You know everything about my past, but the same cannot be said for my present. There's something I've just realized that I want to tell you. Don't worry, it's not something bad.

You see, there's this young woman who has captured my attention. Well, that's not completely true: I am madly in love with her. Every time I see her I just want to run to her and kiss her until we both remain breathless; whenever she walks into a room my heart skip a beat and whenever she smiles I remain breathless and find myself smiling back to her. She truly is the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. I really want her to know how I feel because she deserves to know that there's someone in this world who thinks she's wonderful.

So here I am, writing you this letter to tell you that every time I see you I want to hug you and kiss you, that whenever you walk into a room I feel my heart beating furiously, that I love your smile more than anything. I'm writing you to tell you that I am completely in love with you.

I just hope that you'll forgive me if you don't feel the same, but I had to take this weight from me. I needed you to know. Don't let our friendship be broken because of me, I need you in my life, even if you're going to be just a friend. I swear that I won't force myself or my feelings on you and I will never mention this letter, if that is what you want.

Just know that, whatever you think of me, my feelings for you will never change and I will love until the day I die.

With all my love,

Severus