Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Happy Ending by Mika.
A/N: So I'm rereading Deathly Hallows and I'm all "Oh my goodness, there's a story right here!" when I read about Charity Burbage's death. And here it is.
Warnings: DH spoilers obviously, language, sexual scenes, violence, character death.
Summary: It may have seemed as if Severus Snape did not care about the death of Muggle Studies teacher Charity Burbage, but like so much else concerning Severus Snape, it's not as it seems. DH spoilers, etc.
Never Meant To Be
This is the hardest story, that I've ever told, no hope or love or glory, happy ending's gone forevermore …
"Okay!" Charity Burbage raised her voice, but in a kind manner as she waved her hands to gather her third year students around her "Step closer everybody, don't be shy. Now, who wants to plug this bad-boy in?" she cheerfully looked around at the eager, yet cautious faces of students staring at her all of them crowded around her wooden desk.
Finally Oscar Spinnet, a favourite student of Charity though she never let it show, raised his hand and thoroughly enjoyed the proud look his teacher was giving him as she reached him the thick, black cord and he fearless strode to the wall closest to the desk and looked for a socket.
Charity amusedly watched Oscar plug in it with extreme carefulness as they'd spent most of today's class learning about electricity and how dangerous it can be. Charity knew she might've scared the children that weren't muggleborn a little, but what she'd planned for the end of their lesson required electricity and some of the kids had never learned not to stick their fingers in a light socket.
Finally Oscar had pushed the cord all the way in, and was hurrying back to his space pressed up against the front of the desk, but he jumped startled on his way as a beep sound broke the excited silence of the classroom and several other students joined Oscar in the startled jumping.
However before Charity could explain the cause of The Beep, a door in the far end of the classroom was pushed open, interrupting her, and a dark figure entered the now again silent room. Several students made surprised and, especially, displeased faces at each other as Severus Snape, the dreaded Potions master, dramatically strode across the room his black robes flickering bat-like behind him.
Snape didn't find the students worthy for as much as a glare as his silky voice declared "I need to talk to you Professor Burbage."
"Well as you can see professor Snape, I'm teaching a class." Charity responded with a hint of annoyance and she raised her hands towards her group of students in case Snape didn't actually believe her. Some of the brave children snickered as a look of displeasure flickered across Snape's usually impassive face. Now he glared at them.
"So I see, but it should be finished shortly should it not? I'll sit here and wait." Snape made it sound as if he was doing everyone else present in the room a favour as he sat down on a chair behind Charity.
The students noticed Charity's fidgeting movements when she placed two pieces of bread in the toaster that Oscar had plugged in and pushed the button, and she seemed distant as she explained the use of the toaster.
Charity could constantly feel Snape's dark eyes on her back and as the two pieces of bread popped back up again, suddenly and loudly, she even gasped out loud in shock and burned her fingers on the bread. Snape's lips curled ever so slightly as he watched Charity's nervous behaviour.
"Professor are you okay?" a blonde girl asked concerned as Charity had finished the lesson, but forgotten to give out any homework.
"Yes Suzie, I'm fine. Now hurry, you don't want to be late for your next class, do you?" she asked, her cheery tone was back, but Suzie Fawcett made a face and sighed "Well I have Divination next." and Charity couldn't hold back a chuckle "I'm sure you'll do great Suzie." she patted the girls head and started packing away the toaster and everything else she'd used that lesson, Snape's presence almost forgotten.
"I guess" whined Suzie "But she always predicts my death." Charity didn't see Suzie's pouty expression as Oscar pulled her out of the classroom so they wouldn't be late.
Charity continued to walk around the classroom; every now and then she would bend over and pick up a crumbled together piece of parchment, carelessly tossed on the floor during the class. Snape knew she was ignoring him, but he didn't let it bother him.
"You know you should get your students to do that during detention." He suggested, that's what he did himself when some of the dunderheads he taught decided to use his precious Potions classroom as a trashcan.
Charity shrugged her shoulders, her large, purple scarf almost sliding of her, "They're just children, and they hardly ever do anything to deserve detention." She had patrolled the entire classroom and was back at her desk, close to Snape.
As she stood right there the sunlight that poured through the many windows of the room made Charity's red hair shine golden, and right now she reminded Snape so much of Lily. He sighed, earning him a wondering stare from Charity.
She was wondering. Wondering why Severus always seemed to get that far-off look in his eyes, when he stared at her for a longer period of time. She wanted it gone; his eyes didn't seem like his eyes when they were clouded by some unknown, painful memory. Or memories, she didn't know for sure.
"You know Severus, my students are going to be wondering why you keep showing up at the end of my class." she said, to pull him away from whatever he was thinking about.
"No they won't." Severus's eyes were black again and he seemed to be really seeing Charity now, his voice was confident.
"That is so typical of you!" Charity had raised her voice again and this time it was less kind "To just assume because there's a lot of muggleborns in my class, a class that happens to sympathize with muggles as does everyone who takes it, that they're stupid!"
Severus didn't seem the least bit concerned about her accusation and that only infuriated Charity even more until he said "You're the one who's assuming Charity, I only mean they won't notice because yesterday I came in during your class with 5th years and today it was the 3rd years." he actually smiled.
Charity stepped closer to Severus and finally she gave him a little smile back and she even managed to giggle as Severus's long, pale fingers gripped her hips and pulled Charity down so she straddled his lap. She dipped her head forward, her long red hair spilling out from behind her ears and hiding their faces from the world like a curtain as Severus's lips caught hers in the briefest of kisses before he placed his mouth on her neck, concentrating on the feather light kisses he was trailing across her hot skin.
As always he fought to ignore the pang of disappointment when he realised that she didn't smell like Lily had, a spice he'd never been able to pinpoint exactly. No matter how much Charity Burbage could remind him of Lily Evans, the hair, the love for muggleborns, Severus was trying to accept that she could never be Lily. It filled him with regret.
Charity was reaching inside Severus's robes, one hand playing with the buttons of his black shirt, and the other one dealing impatiently with his pants and suddenly Severus didn't care. When skin met skin, sex met sex and body met body neither past, presence nor future seemed important to any of them.
A/N: I know it's short, but if I put all I want to write in a oneshot, it would be, well, long. So I'm dividing it up, in what I think will be three chapters. I should warn you this is very light compared to what will come. Please, please, please review and let me know what you think, if I should even update. I would put up the rest of the story right now, but it's 4:30 AM right now and I haven't slept since Thursday. Anyways, reviews make me happy!
X X X LolaCherryColaGirl
