Author's note: Here's another chapter in hopes that it can generate some interest. Also, I'd like to add a trigger warning; there are some pretty sensitive subjects covered in this chapter, such as suicidal thoughts. If these things cause you distress, I urge you to skip forward.

I would also like to point out that I know this story isn't a masterpiece or anything of that sort. I'm still trying to get back into writing and am extremely rusty. For that, I apologize. How ever, I feel as I write on it, the better and more descriptive I'm getting .I really wanted to put it up somewhere because I thought perhaps as long as I knew I had a couple of people who were enjoying the story, it would give the push to keep writing on it. So I would love to hear if you're enjoying. Again, I am self editing for the moment, so please forgive an occasional typo. I write on my phone rather than my PC (makes it harder for people to read over my shoulder, which when you have kids and you're writing smut, it's generally not a good idea to have it where it can be seen) and auto correct likes to be unhelpfully helpful.

This story, if finished, will have a sequel. In fact, I started the sequel first and when I went to write the prologue, it just sort of spiraled and became its own story.

Chapter 2

Over the course of the next several weeks, Tabitha managed to keep up with her school work, though she was finding herself having much more trouble with potions than she'd ever had before. She wasn't sure what the cause of it was. Perhaps it was the fact that their new teacher expected a lot more than Slughorn ever did, and purposely assigned them the most complicated potions with the most piddly instructions. Or maybe it was because Tabitha was terrified of Snape because of the way he sneered at her whenever he came into close proximity with her. Even her Transfiguration marks were a damn sight better than her potions. Tabitha was honestly scared she was going to end up failing out of potions.

However much difficulty she was having with potions, she was managing her other classes well. The new DADA professor, Dixon, was well versed in the subject and was a favorite because her homework assignments weren't terribly taxing. At least they had one teacher that was semi sympathetic toward the seventh year plight, but then again she was young and probably not long out of Hogwarts herself. Much like Professor Snape, though he didn't seem nearly as young, even though he couldn't have been more than twenty-five.

Then came Halloween. The news had came later on that evening that the Dark Lord had been defeated and it was due cause for celebration. It seemed like no matter where Tabitha went, there was a party. The Halloween feast was an extremely cheerful event but as more details began to emerge, there was also a quiet somberness to the celebrations, in honor of James and Lily Potter, both who had given up their lives.

Tabitha didn't do much celebrating that night. She wanted to study rather than party, even though she was rather elated by the news. She'd gone up to her dorm and placed a few silencing charms around to keep the party noises from seeping into the room while she buried herself in homework. She decided to first start with an essay assigned by Snape, hoping that it would achieve at least an A. Her last essay has earned her a P.

Before she had a chance to get started, she realized with horror that her potions book and notes were not in her book bag. The last place she could remember seeing them was in the potion's classroom. She must've forgotten to put them back in her bag when she turned in a phial of Dittany. She was always so eager to get out of the classroom, she was bound to forget something eventually. She couldn't help but be a bit angry at herself for not being more attentive with her belongings.

Tabitha had little choice but to trek down into the dungeons in search of her book and notes. Tabitha cursed under her breath when she tried the classroom door only find it locked, which meant she was going to have to find Snape and ask him to let her in. There was a very decent possibility that he'd tell her no and fail her for not being able to complete his assignment. But she had to give it a shot. If he rejected her request, she might be able to go above him to the Headmaster and force him to let her re-do her assignment, so she trudged down the drafty and musty corridor to Snape's private office, hoping beyond hope that's where he was because she didn't fancy searching the castle for him.

Much to her surprise, the door to his office was ever so slightly ajar. There was an odd sort of low whimpering noise emitting from the cracked door. Tabitha hesitated before knocking, wondering what on earth could be making that awful noise. Was he punishing a student in there? She held her breath and knocked a bit lightly, not wanting to disturb the door.

No answer came and after a few moments of hearing nothing except that strange noise, Tabitha couldn't help herself. She needed to find Snape. So she braved cracking the door wider and taking a peek inside. Snape was at his desk, his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Tabitha realized with numb horror that the sounds were coming from him. He was crying.

But then something else caught Tabitha's attention. In his hand was a bottle of dark red liquid that looked almost like blood. The previous school year, they had extensively studied antidotes. Tabitha had learned how to recognize most poisons as a result and what Professor Snape was holding was definitely a very volatile poison that would kill him almost immediately if he drank it, which Tabitha was sure was exactly what he was planning to do.

"Professor Snape?" Tabitha asked softly as she stepped into the office, quietly shutting the door behind herself so no one who happened by could witness the formidable professor in such distress. He'd made quite the name for himself as being the absolute most loathsome teacher in the school. While Tabitha would've liked nothing more than to see him knocked down a peg or two, this was serious.

Tabitha approached the desk with caution, not wanting to startle him but wanting to capture his attention. The poison was clutched tightly in his hand and Tabitha was tempted to pry it out.

"Professor?" She asked again. This time his head shot up. His face was streaked with tears, his eyes were puffy and his nose was running. His face immediately twisted into a hateful snarl when he realized exactly who it was that was bothering him.

"What?" He asked sharply. "Why aren't you celebrating with the rest of them?"

"As much as I'd love to, I'm suffocating under a mountain of homework. I left my book and notes in your classroom." Tabitha had almost forgotten about what she'd came down to the dungeons to do and it almost didn't matter anymore, after seeing Snape in such a state. "You're upset. What's the matter?"

"That is absolutely none of your business and you'd do well to forget about this," he said. He dug in his robe pocket and pulled out a key and tossed it to her. Luckily, she caught it in one hand. "Go get your notes and leave me be."

"I don't think I should leave," Tabitha said cautiously. She nodded toward the bottle of poison in his hand. He looked at it, almost surprised to see it, as though he hadn't realized what he was holding. "Not until I know you're not going to drink that."

"What's it to you if I do? You and the rest of the student body would love nothing more than to see me gone."

"That isn't true," Tabitha half-lied. She took a step closer, her endgame in mind, which was to get that bottle away from him. She'd had plenty of experience negotiating with her mum, who had threatened suicide more than once, especially when she couldn't get a fix. "Stop and think for a minute, Professor."

"I've nothing to live for, not any more," he muttered. "She's gone. I fucked everything up and now she's dead."

Tabitha was confused but she didn't let it show, though she had to wonder who he was talking about. But getting answers right then wasn't a priority.

"Is it really worth taking your life over?" Tabitha asked.

"It doesn't matter," he said miserably. "Nothing matters."

"But you matter," Tabitha told him. She stepped behind the desk and approached him, holding her hand out, hoping he'd give her the bottle. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes searching hers, looking confused. "If to no one else, you matter to me."

"You're a terrible liar," he told her, and glanced down at the bottle.

"No, honestly, you do. I care, I really do. You may not be exactly nice to me, but I think you're a pretty good teacher. You'd be depriving us all of a proper education if you drink that poison. That's your gift to the world, you know?"

Tabitha couldn't say she knew the man proper, but she was desperately hoping she would hit some sort of nerve, a nerve that would make him care enough to not do what he was thinking of doing.

"You're terrible at potions," he reminded her quietly, but sat the bottle down on his desk, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Tabitha breathed an inward sigh of relief. She snatched the bottle up and stuck it in her pocket.

"I did just fine last term," she told him. She was much too relieved to feel insulted. She made plans to stop by the toilet on the way back to her dorm, to dump the poison. But she wasn't ready to leave quite yet. Not until she knew for sure that Snape wasn't going to do something absolutely stupid. So, Tabitha found a chair and pulled it up to the side of his desk, sitting up straight with her ankles crossed.

"Care to explain?" She asked.

"No," he said sourly. "It's hardly any of your business."

"Like I'm going to tell anyone," Tabitha said, rolling her eyes heavenward. "I certainly have a few secrets that I've kept to myself involving you."

"I told you," he said with a scowl. "Don't bring it up."

"You can trust me, Professor. You should talk about it."

"I just wasn't thinking clearly. I wasn't going to actually do it," he groused. "You can leave."

"That isn't how it looked to me. You're upset about something. A woman?"

"It's none of your business," he repeated firmly.

But something clicked in Tabitha's mind and suddenly she understood almost perfectly clear what the picture was.

"You're upset about Lily Potter, aren't you?" She asked softly. Snape suddenly went rigid. "Did you know her well?"

"Leave," he commanded in a dangerous whisper, pointing fiercely at the door. But Tabitha stayed perfectly still, making no attempt to do as he said. She felt a surge of sympathy for him, knowing that if someone she cared about was brutally murdered, she'd be a mess too.

Tabitha stood finally, but instead of leaving, she stood before him and smoothed a strand of his hair out of his face, behind his ear. He flinched slightly at her touch but then he did the most peculiar thing of all; he wrapped his arms around her torso, pressing his cheek into her stomach, just below her breasts, his eyes closed, taking in shuddering breaths.

Tabitha stood still for the longest time, listening to him choke back tears as he clung on to her. It was really sort of pathetic but Tabitha didn't judge him. She couldn't stand to see another person suffering, which was both a blessing and a curse. Compassion made Tabitha feel good but at the same time, people had it within their capacity to take advantage of it. It had happened more than once. But this felt safe to her. She was doing nothing more than comforting a tormented soul.

Finally, after what seemed to be eons, Snape let go and looked down at the ground, clearly embarrassed.

"You may go now," he said quietly. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Tabitha asked, still feeling the weight of the bottle of poison in her pocket. Snape gave a short nod and turned away from her.

So, Tabitha left, but not before stopping by the classroom to retrieve her things; she slid the key back under Snape's office door when she was finished, leaving him undisturbed.

After dumping the contents of the poison down a toilet, Tabitha briefly wondered if she should tell someone about Professor Snape's suicidal behavior. Perhaps the Headmaster ought to know so that someone could keep an eye on him. Against her better judgement, she decided against it. She didn't want him to feel more humiliated than what he already did. She took him at his word when he said he would be okay and left it at that.

A week later, when Snape handed back her essay, she was surprised and delighted to see that he'd given her an A.

Author's note no. 2: If someone you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, I'd like to encourage you to seek help for you or that person. Please do not ignore warning signs. Telling someone could mean the difference between life and death so please speak out and never be embarrassed to seek help. I do not condone how I wrote Tabitha not seeking help. I just felt like that action was truer to the character I created.