Miss Granger,
Like so many I fear I never found the right words to say how much I truly loved watching you blossom from a bookish child into a most talented and compassionate witch. I suppose I always thought there would be time in which to explain my actions and to tell you that despite all you have witnessed here there is still hope for a future in which you could find that happiness you so desperately seek. In presenting to you the position of deputy headmistress, I feel that I have also opened another door, the likes of which could grant you those deepest desires which you have so well hidden from the rest of the world.
Severus Snape is my one and only choice as a successor. Therefore, my death will open to him a new door as well. Whether my dear pupil chooses to forget that which he cannot change, and find himself at home within the confines of this headmastership is, as it has always been, his decision. I have presented to Severus a chance at a new life, and perhaps as I have often dreamed, the man will find love within these walls. Who is to say that Severus Snape, especially in his present state, could not bear to part with a few of his extremities and become a somewhat desirable mate.
All this I have often wondered in silence. Tonight as I write this I lay dying, and I fear that all the nudging in the world could not have brought Severus to the point necessary for true happiness. As such I have left to you Miss Granger a difficult, although I hope you find it will be, but most rewarding task. As a condition of becoming headmaster and deputy headmistress I have arranged for Severus and yourself to share lodgings.
I can only imagine the shock and indignation of having to work and live beside a man such as Severus, but I assure you Miss Granger if you look beyond the surface you may find an almost agreeable man. Severus is cunning, cautious, and at times stubborn, but I have always thought of him as a man that has been broken and knows nothing but the coldness of his dungeons and the bitterness of his childhood. Severus is one in whom I have always placed my trust, and if you can accept him for what he is then Hogwarts, and I, will be eternally grateful.
With Love, and best of wishes,
Albus Dumbledore
