Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter. Duh.

A.N.: Okay that took a while. More than that actually but hey… Real life seems to sabotage all my tries at writing. So, without further ado, I give you the promised and much awaited alternate ending of the story. Enjoy!

ALL I WANT

Serenity found herself walking towards the dungeons first thing in the morning. Again. Besides the difficulty of the situation she found herself smiling at that fact; she always seemed to run to the dungeons didn't she? She turned around the corners swiftly now that her mind was set; she knew she couldn't keep this going on any longer. As much as she wished to hurt neither Severus nor Draco she had to end this for both their sakes.

So she kept pushing forward as she went deeper and deeper in the dungeons, her feet moving almost on their own, finding their way to Severus's office. She had made up her mind to talk to him first before she had even managed to realize what her heart dictated her to do. And now that she knew… well, her opinion hadn't changed.

Her eyes felt moist as she stood in front of his door. For a fleeting moment she wondered if there could be a different way out of this. She could just turn away and run and never stop. She could leave the country and enroll in Bauxbatons for her last year and then find a job overseas and never look back.

She sighed again. No, she really couldn't do that. She was about to rip her heart out today and stomp on the heart of a great man in the process. And there was no way around it. Not really. The Thinking Cap had once said she possessed one of the greatest minds it had ever seen. Then why couldn't she find a better solution? For all that was worth, she was ready to exchange all her Ravenclaw cleverness and all her cunning wit, almost a Slytherin trait as Draco had once told her, for the brave heart of a Gryffindor.

'There really is no backing up now.' She repeated to herself. And finding that Gryffindor courage that did lay inside her as hard as she denied it, she steeled herself and knocked on Severus's door. He opened the door all too soon for her taste looking more than startled as his eyes took in her form; she couldn't wrong him on that one. She would have been startled too.

"Serenity what are you doing here?" he asked looking up and down the corridor to make sure it was empty, his years as a spy kicking in. The corridor was empty, Serenity had checked herself.

"Can I come in?" She asked allowing herself to look at his eyes. Severus was startled; she sounded tired, so much tired and mature. Her eyes held pain and even if that hurt him too, his own pain was set aside as his heart clenched in horror from the other emotion her gaze held; she had decided, he could tell. She had decided and had come to tell him. Because she was expecting an answer and for no other reason than that, he motioned for her to come in, feeling like a man in court, ready to hear the verdict.

"Of course, please come in." He murmured and ushered her through the door. She sighed again and moved inside. He thought she almost looked ethereal in her grief -because Severus could feel, practically taste she was grieving- as her feet barely seemed to touch the floor, making her look like she glided rather than walked towards Severus's desk. She turned around to face him and her eyes held otherworldly sorrow, making him realize he was right at his estimation. Right at that moment she was ethereal, like a sprite, a forest nymph of the old, trapped in this world, chained and forced to shed her soul out for the world to see.

"I need to talk to you Severus." She said and he gulped, noticing she hadn't sat down yet. So she decided to offer her a seat which she gracefully denied. "I'd rather stand thank you." She affirmed and offered him a soft smile that never reached her haunted eyes. "I promise this won't take long."

"You have decided haven't you?" Severus asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, I have." She said and sighed, wondering if she was so easy to tell. Then again, he could always read her so well. "You can always tell how I'm feeling can't you?" She asked not really waiting for an answer.

"Serenity I…" Severus began only to have her raise her hand to interrupt him.

"I really have to say this; please don't make it harder on me." She asked hoping she would comply. He nodded and she breathed in hard steeling herself for what was going to happen.

"Yesterday when I left you, I was still at loss; I strived to reach a conclusion, strived to put my thoughts into order, strived to clear my head. Only to realize that my head was just fine; my heart was the one that was suffering." Severus nodded, never interrupting her. He felt she had to let everything out and marveled to the transformation he was witnessing. The Serenity he was facing was so much different from the one he had seen yesterday. That woman in front of him, whether she was human or a spirit, was a woman who knew what she wanted; broken but whole, ready to give her life to the man she loved.

"I left you and returned to my room still undecided only to be met by a surprise." She said, her eyes losing the sparkle of life with every word she uttered. "I came back and there it was on my bed…" Her vitality that Severus loved so much was flowing out of her eyes, vanishing into the air. "…a single red rose…" Her eyes were dying "…and a letter…" her soul was leaving her and Severus could almost feel her falling downwards, disappearing, losing herself in a place of torture, a place of nothingness inside her head. His heart shivered and broke little by little as he remembered seeing such a look before; a long time ago, right after the first war, in a visit to Azkaban, witnessing some Death Eaters receiving the Dementors' kiss. "…a letter from Draco." Serenity concluded, looking completely empty as she spoke in a monotonous voice.

"He knows me so well. He knew I had lied to him yesterday. He said it was all right; I was entitled to my secrets. He was afraid something he had done hurt me. He apologized Severus." She said and tears spilled from her emotionless eyes; they just gathered and spilled over as she never blinked to get rid of them. "He said he loves me, no matter what he loves me. He just wants me to be happy, he said." And her soul was alight. Not with the glow Severus had seen in the past, no; she was burning this time. Burning and hurting and he found himself hopeless and unable to help her. And it hurt.

"What I did to him was unforgivable; I should burn in hell for it and I would gladly do so if it spared him, if it spared anyone the heartbreak I caused; the heartbreak I will cause again." She looked at him and he felt the fire that was consuming her flow from her eyes and gripping him tight, slowly reducing him into ashes.

"And here I am now, stupid as ever, trying to clear things up. Severus I love you." She still loved him, he realized and his heart leaped. "I've loved you for so long, I can't even remember when I realized what I felt for you was more than just respect. It might have even been before that stupid party two years ago; I honestly can't tell. When everyone thought you were a murderer I supported you for I knew you couldn't have been one. I've watched when you were too busy watching everybody else and I dare say I know you somehow better than most do; yes, you couldn't be a murderer." Severus was startled; she was watching him? All this time she did?

"And two days ago, when we came together it was like a dream." She spoke and she sounded just like that; a visage from a dream; distant, trembling. "We finally were a 'we' I could taste it, I could feel it everywhere. And I felt you, and I saw the future he could have together and it felt like heaven. You were a dream that came true." Her voice was failing her and her heart was breaking; she could feel all the emotions she had pent up trying to break out. And she could no longer stop them.

"And yesterday you said I had healed you. You said you were now ready to give yourself to me. You said that, all the time not knowing you had healed me too. I was afraid and lost in the past; I was holding onto the past even if my life was going forward, not wanting to let go of what could be, not wanting to lose hope. You freed me from that. No more would have beens, no more what ifs." She said her heart clenching. Severus stood and watched her unable to speak; his estimation was right wasn't it? She was whole, he could tell. Yet was it better for her to be whole in Hell than half lost in a dream?

"And now you're really healed and Severus… Severus I love you but you don't need me." She said making Severus snap;

"What do you mean I don't need you?" He asked his voice husky from the tears he was holding back. "I love you."

"And I love you too. And I know I'm hurting you; but Severus, I won't break you. I'm not the only one that has been freed from the past. You have too; you never realized but you told me yourself. You were dying Severus." She said and paled, as if the memory was physically hurting her. And as far as she was concerned she was hurting. She practically whished that damned snake the Dark Lord had used against Severus was there to attack her. "You were dying and it wasn't your past you thought of; it was a glimpse of the future. A possibility, something that could happen or something that wouldn't. You trusted the future Severus and it saved you. Now it's time I did the same." That wasn't how she had planned to tell him. But as she spoke she realized everything she had told him was true. And as he looked at him he saw his pain, and hurt; but she saw he was seeing the truth of her words.

"But I do love you." He said somehow resigned. "And even if you say I don't need you, I know I want you. And I promised myself to fight for you; to fight for my love this time." Tears were now threatening to fall from his eyes too as he looked at her; she shook her head negatively.

"I'm not telling you not to fight; fight! For all that is worth, get out there and live! You're one of the most amazing people I've met. You're a hero Severus and you have seen so many things that you shouldn't have in such a young age. And you are young Severus." She said when he tried to protest. "And it's time you start living. As for me…" She said a ghost of a smile creeping on her face "…I have found mine. And if he'll have me… well, we'll have to see about that. I sent him a letter this morning and I'll meet him in Hogsmeade so we can talk. I'll try to explain to him and I hope he won't hate me." She said and closed her eyes, praying to whoever was listening that she hadn't messed everything up. Suddenly, she felt Severus's hands around her. Surprised she opened her eyes to look at him. And really he was holding her.

"You really do love him, don't you?" He asked. Serenity was at loss. She didn't want to talk to Severus about what she felt for Draco. She didn't want to hurt him more than it was necessary. And there he was, asking her himself, holding her in his arms, comforting her. "No need to speak, I know you do." He pulled back to look at her. "If you love him go to him. And if he loves you he'll understand." She looked at him in disbelief and he smiled sadly at her. 'What about you?' her eyes asked. "I'll hurt. I am hurting. But you might just be right. I might have to fight for my future. But Serenity, I do love you. And if he hurts you, I'll be here; remember, always here." He traced her face softly and she sighed.

"No, you won't be here." She said and he tried to protest. "You shouldn't have to. And because I do know you Severus, eventually you won't be. And that's great." Severus couldn't believe her, not yet. Still he found himself hoping. Maybe she was right after all.

"Go to him Serenity. And be happy. You deserve to be. And I want you to." He said and bent down to kiss her goodbye. It was a chaste kiss on the lips, but it spoke volumes. It was a goodbye and a hello, a closure and a beginning.

"I don't know if I deserve it, but you do; have a great life Severus. I want you to." He smiled at her and left her embrace as she moved towards the door.

"That's not a goodbye. I'm expecting you in class. And you still have to finish accounting those potions." She half laughed and touched the door.

"I love you Severus." She said and looked at his eyes once more. Her eyes were still sad but alive once more.

"I love you too Serenity. And so does Draco. It'll turn out alright, you'll see." And with a last smile and a shared look, Serenity opened the door and left, leaving him to think what he had heard. Leaving him to live.

Serenity ran as fast as she could towards Hogwarts's gates, using for the first time her privilege as a Head Girl to leave the school for Hogsmeade every weekend. She flew through the gates of the school, ran through streets turning and ignoring the looks she was given, heading towards the Three Broomsticks where she was supposed to meet Draco. She loved him, she really did and she wanted to scream it from the rooftops. When she made the final turn towards the bar he saw him standing there, tall and lean, his hair shimmering gold in the sunlight. She called him, his name spoken reverently, just like a prayer. He turned around just before she launched herself in his arms.

And she held him and hang on. And she felt the world was right again. Maybe it was.

"Hey there love." He said as he tried to look at her eyes, a difficult feat as she had buried her head in his chest. "Are you okay? Your letter…" He asked and noticed the tears in her eyes. "Serenity, love talk to me, what happened?"

"Could we walk a little? I want to talk to you. Privately." Serenity suddenly realized that the crowded bar might not be the right place for the conversation that would follow. Draco was feeling more and more agitated every moment, but seeing her tears he couldn't do anything but comply. He would always do what her eyes commanded, he couldn't help it.

"Lead the way love." He said and held her hand as they moved. They walked through Hogsmeade in silence until they reached the Shrieking Hut. They stood there, watching the red leaves fall as autumn slowly took its toll upon the forests of Scotland.

"I love Severus." Draco thought he had heard wrong. He turned around to face her, only to find her watching the falling leaves, as if she was grieving for their fall. A wood nymph watching the death of her forest, he thought.

"What did you say love?" He asked hoping he had imagined what she had said. She turned to face him and her eyes were solemn.

"I love Severus." She repeated. And his world slipped away. Severus? As in Professor Severus Snape?

"But I thought… I hoped…" He whispered unable to continue. What could he say? What good could a few words do when everything fell apart?

"I always loved him, since I was a little girl. And somewhere along the way, I fell in love with him too. On Friday night he…" She stopped to gather her thoughts. "…He said he loved me too." Draco's mind was frozen; he didn't know what to think and even if he did, his brain wouldn't cooperate. And his heart was gone. Reduced to dust and gone on the soft September wind.

"He said he loved me and that he wanted to be with me. It was a dream come true; I told him I loved him too." The colors faded to grey around him. The world stopped turning. He should be dead. "I met him again today. Just this morning; he said he wanted to spend his life with me." She was crying again and she hated it. She hated herself for being weak and most of all for breaking his heart.

"And do you want to stay with him?" Draco asked. He was close to tears himself but he wouldn't let her see it. She was in pain he could see. And he had sworn to make her laugh. "Serenity, I love you; I would do anything for you. Fight and die, go to the depths of Hell and back if you asked me so. And I would live for you; I do live for you." He gently touched her face and tilted it upwards so she would look straight in his eyes. "But if it's Professor Snape, if it's Severus you want, I'll step back. I just want you to be happy."

"I don't deserve your love. I don't deserve either of you. But I want your love Draco." He just stood and looked at her, not daring to hope. Hadn't she just said she loved Severus?

"If you say that just because you feel sorry for me, please, I beg of you…"

"No!" She cried and took his hands in hers, bringing them close to her heart, looking at him pleadingly. "Don't beg for anything! And never think I feel sorry for you Draco. How could I? Severus was a dream; a piece of my life that was missing, a piece of my past. I loved him before I met you and he will always have a special place in my heart but…" She stopped and looked at the falling leaves again, trying to find the words, trying to make him see…

"But?" Draco asked softly waiting for her to speak.

"But he's not you Draco. When I met you I was a child; I still didn't know anything for the darkness the world holds, for the pain hidden in the hearts of seemingly happy people. And I never knew what it truly feels to be in love. To love someone so passionately and completely you would go to extremes to make them happy. And I didn't know myself." He looked back in his eyes and she was glowing again. Just like she did the first time she had told him she loved him. "You let me look into your heart Draco and I saw a great man, trying to make a difference. And I saw love and hope and pain. And I saw myself. I found myself in you and now I can't let you go. Because you might not need me, you might hate me after what I said to you. But I need you Draco. I need you like the oxygen I breathe. I love you. No matter how much I care about Severus, I will always love you more. It took me his confession to find out, but I did. Sorry I was so late. I love you." She concluded and lowered her eyes waiting for his response. The moments passed and all she heard was the wind, whooshing through the trees of the forest.

"When I was on my third year," Draco started "just before Spring holidays, I had come to this place with Crabbe and Goile. We ran into Potter and his friends and I made a complete fool of myself." Serenity looked at him surprised, his words nothing close to what she had expected. Draco realized he was confusing her and smiled. That surprised her even more. "It's a part of my past Serenity. I was a jerk back then, but it's a part of my past and a part of the road that lead to who I am today. I was a jerk but I won't take it back, because that road, dreadful as it was, was the road that lead me to you. I love you Serenity." He said and the colors were alive again. The bright red leaves, the brown branches of the trees, her dark brown hair, her doe like eyes, her wine colored lips.

"You do?" She asked, afraid to trust her ears and eyes. But she did trust his eyes; grey and bright and full of love. For her. "You don't hate me?" He laughed out loud at her stance.

"Serenity, you didn't start your life the day you met me. You were there before I came along; I was just too stupid to notice you sooner." He softly caressed her cheek as his smile grew. "I don't care what happened with Severus. As long as you love me and want to be with me I'm yours. So, do you really want to stay with me?" He looked in her eyes for an answer but found it on her lips instead. They kissed among the falling leaves for a moment, an hour, a lifetime. And when they came apart it still didn't feel enough.

"Yes Draco, yes my love; I love you and if you take me… If you take me, I'm yours." Draco smiled and scooped her up, twirling her around as the both laughed, like they had no care in the world.

"Then you're mine. Forever." He stated cockishly holding her closer.

"Forever Draco?" She asked with hope.

"What can I say? I'm persistent."

"And addictive." She added playfully, even if she spoke the truth.

"Look who's talking." He said and kissed her again, signaling the start of their forever.