Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. The only claim I've got is to the character Rosemary Vector and the plot line apart from that everything else is J.K's.
The story is third person and italics indicate a flash back.
Follow Me
Chapter One : Love and Marriage.
"How do I look?" She asked her red headed companion.
"Beautiful." The younger woman answered as she smoothed out the back of Hermione's ivory wedding dress.
Hermione Granger was getting married to long time friend Ron Weasley. It was the obvious thing to do she told herself. It was expected of her. Ron was the easy option, a way out for a simple life. A simple life, that was certainly what she was going to have! Ron expected her to give up her job and settle into Motherhood. Hermione didn't want children, at least not right now and she loved teaching she didn't want to give that up either. She supposed after the wedding she would feel differently, or at least that's what Harry had said when she told him. She sighed. Her heart wasn't in it, her heart was miles away in a dark dungeon with a gloomy potions professor. She was drawn from her melancholy thoughts by a sharp knock on the door.
"Ginny could you get that?"
"Sure."
She was staring at herself in the mirror when she noticed it reflected another person, a tall darkly clothed person.
"Severus." She said coldly. Her eyes watching his reflection.
"Hermione." He said with a nod.
"Ginny, could you give us a moment?"
"I suppose so. You're due at the church in half hour Hermione." Ginny said as she eyed Snape warily.
"I know." Hermione said as Ginny left the room.
She was still looking at him through the mirror. She was afraid in case he was merely a reflection, what if she turned around and he was gone? She knitted her brow and slowly turned to face him. He was there solid and steady as he always was. The relief she felt must have shown as he crossed the room and put his arms round her waist.
"Severus what are you doing?"
"I had to come here to tell you that I love you." She searched his onyx eyes for proof. She saw the love he felt and was angry because of it.
"Where did that come from Severus? For Gods sake, why couldn't you have told me this six months ago?" She asked fiercely. Her brown curls were pinned up on top of her head and were threatening to escape as she raged.
*
She was in fowl mood. He just looked at her the anger building up in his eyes. Why wouldn't he listen? Why wouldn't he let her in?
"I love you Severus." She said as she wrapped her hands around him.
"I know you do Hermione." He answered softly.
"You can't say it back can you?"
"Hermione I" He said as he cupped her face.
"What Severus? You like me? You lust after me? But you can never love me is that it?" She asked the emotion welling up inside her. She released herself from his grip and turned away.
"Damn it Hermione! I'm no good at this, relationships are beyond me. I haven't felt this way in a long time and I don't know how to deal with it. You have no idea how hard it is for me to open up to you in the slightest." He yelled at her. She looked at him tears forming in her eyes, she angrily brushed them away.
"Why don't you tell me?" She asked softly her chocolate curls framing her face.
"I can't."
She slumped herself in his chair and let the tears fall. She tasted salt as she chewed on her lip. She grabbed handfuls of her green robe and twisted the velvet fabric in frustration. She couldn't understand why it was so hard for him to open up. She knew she had to take it slowly with him, but she'd been doing that for ages now and getting nowhere. She felt as she were taking one step forward and three steps back.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me." She demanded.
Black met with brown as she stood to face him. A nerve in his temple was throbbing, she guessed he was beginning to get a head ache, but for once she didn't care.
"Hermione I " He broke eye contact. She had won, he couldn't do it. Her victory was bittersweet as she then said.
"Tell me you love me."
"That I cannot do." He said softly as her eyes delved into his seeking out the feeling she wanted.
"Then I cannot stay."
*
She smoothed down the front of her dress in an attempt to avoid the eyes that were boring into her. He began to pace the room stopping every now and then to look at her as if were going to say something. She had never see him this inarticulate. She gazed at him in amazement. He hadn't spoken to her in months then on her wedding day of all days he shows up professing his love for her. That got her thinking, how did she feel about him? She shook her head trying to block out the conflicting thoughts causing a few curls to stray from their pins.
"Are you okay?" He asked her a frown formed on his brow.
"Yes. No, no I'm not. What do you want me to do Severus?"
"I want you to leave now with me. Follow me back to Hogwarts, back to your life. Weasley will break you up, tear you down and fade you away. Your intelligence will be wasted, your life spent being the dutiful wife and mother is that really what you want?"
She flung herself at him pounding his chest with her fists. She couldn't bear to hear the words he'd spoken, he knew her too well. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her closer. She was inches away from him. The smell of sandalwood intoxicating her, before she knew it he was leaning into her. His lips brushed against hers as he released her wrists. His hands began to trace small circles on her back. She felt herself blush when she thought about what those hands could do to her. She tangled her own hands in his hair and began kissing him furiously. She knew she should stop, but she knew he'd been right. He suddenly pulled away.
"My past will do nothing but taint you, but I love you and I feel it is time I told you about Rose."
She looked at him gravely, she knew his past was dark and complicated. She gently cupped is pallid cheek. He leant down and kissed her forehead. She never expected him to open up on her wedding day of all days, but since he was finally willing to tell she was willing to listen.
"Please tell me." She said softly her hand interwoven with his.
Snape sat down on her high-backed chair and motioned for her to sit also. He look several deep breaths his resolve was waning. He stared at her in the ivory dress, her hair beginning to fall out. Her rose coloured lips stood out from her pale face and her cinnamon eyes reflected the worry she felt. He knew he had to tell her, it was now or never. He didn't want to lose another person he loved.
"Rosemary Vector was in the same year as me at school. She wasn't classically beautiful, but she had stunning eyes. She and I fell in love in our sixth year, but she was Gryffindor so you can guess we met with disapproval. It didn't matter though we had each other."
*
He walked through the castle to the greenhouses, he knew he'd find her there, he always did. He watched her as she watered the plants her blond hair in ragged curls. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand. He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Severus!" She said happily.
She smiled at him, her green eyes peering at him from behind her glasses. He reached up to wipe the mud stain off her pale forehead. She sighed and kissed him softly.
"I love you Rose." He said to her.
"I love you too." She answered.
*
"Of course when I took the dark mark I expected her to be safe, she was a pure blood. She was the younger sister of Penelope Vector, she should have been safe, but I hadn't suspected Malfoy was planing something. To test my loyalty she was kidnapped and brought to a Death Eater meeting with about ten other Hogwarts students." He told her.
Hermione had knelt down beside him her dress beginning to crumple. She was resting her head on his knee. Even though her couldn't see her face he knew she was crying.
*
He watched them bring out the 'sport' for the meeting. His eyes grew wide when he saw her. Her uniform had blood stains on and she had a cut to her forehead. When she saw him he melted in shame. She adjusted her glasses as if to check she was seeing things correctly. Her green eyes began to fill with water. He wanted to comfort her take her away from the meeting. The horrified look on her face was enough to make him feel sick.
"You monster!" She yelled at him before she was pinned down by Lucius Malfoy. He watched him take away her innocence and he hated myself for it.
When she was beaten and broken he found her in Malfoy's dungeons. He cradled her head in his lap and stroked her matted hair softly.
"Severus, please kill me." She begged, her eyes empty. The love of his life had become nothing more than a shell. He caressed her pale skin and kissed her bruised lips.
He knew she would be killed eventually after they had tortured her more. He knew he was going to see Dumbledore as he cast the killing curse on the fragile body of his abused first love.
*
"I have never been able to tell anyone, since I poured my soul out to Albus, about her death. I have never even had the guts to tell Penelope. After Rose, I pushed people away. I pushed you away because I was so scared of the way I felt about you. Which leads me to the question is there anyway I can pull you back?"
Authors Notes: Please tell me what you think Reviews would be greatly appreciated.
Snape's Faery