*Hello there again. Great to see you back so soon! Lol. It is my pleasure to see you once more. And might I just add that after this sequel is finished, I shall be working on another sequel with Snape/Lily then I shall return to another sequel with Snape/Harry. I do hope you're still with me then. If you're not then I hope you enjoyed this story so far!*

(xx) – indicates beginning and end of memories.

(Snape)

The pain was worse than the bite and as I lay there with my eyes closed, all I could think about was the love of my life: Harry. He had pushed aside all doubts about me without even sparing a second. And he had willingly allowed me the benefit of the doubt. Harry had instantly given me a chance, loving me purely as if I had done nothing and as if it was just yesterday that we were sharing most intimate moments at Grimmauld's Place.

Tears came to my eyes, stinging in their wake and I had to open my eyes to let them flow on. As they trailed down my cheek, I observed Ms. Granger who was sitting stooped on the floor beside me, her face creased with concern.

'Professor', she whispered when her eyes registered me stirring. 'Professor, someone will come to help you: just rest.'

'Harry', I moaned as the wave of nausea stirred inside my chest.

She looked at me, her brown eyes frightfully fearful. 'He's gone to get help.'

I didn't desire that of him. What came foremost was of him to get to the Pensieve to see my memories fast. It had to happen quickly for time was of the essence. And I knew that what I had observed was a correct estimation of Dumbledore's prediction. This was the time he had spoken of when Nagini appeared almost too close to the Dark Lord. The snake had been practically slithering around almost too close to him when he had accused me of lying to him. Little did he know that I wasn't the one to disarm Dumbledore. It was Draco.

'Harry, he really loves you', Granger was saying to me and my attention wavered to focus on her words. 'He really, really adores you Snape. Trust me; I have seen how his feeling for you has affected him. There hadn't been a night when we were on the move when he didn't cry before falling asleep over you.' And she held unto my hand, her eyes brimming with tears. 'If Harry can find it in him to love you so much, then anyone else can too, even I can.'

I felt as if my throat was closing up, my wind pipe was becoming too constricted from the poison or something else I didn't know. Maybe it was the very thought of Harry speaking good of me to her that made me feel this way. It was then that I really took time to consider my effect on him for before it had just been a boy loving me more than he should have. Now he had changed my thoughts completely after what he had done just minutes before when he bypassed all doubts to love me above everything else. This was no childish liking on his part. It was one that entailed sincerest love and trust.

The pain in his eyes that glimmered there when he demanded fiercely through his thoughts that I wait on him had held me in a trance. And now I could still see the rushes of compassion that had been exposed to me as he allowed himself to become vulnerable beneath my gaze. I had seen how strong his love held on for me and that had made me weaken inside. Yet it had strengthened me because I knew that I couldn't allow myself to slip away from here. I had to live to see him again. I just had to.

'I love...him', I managed to whisper, 'so much.'

'I know you do. I can see it in your eyes, Professor', and she brushed her fingers over my forehead, removing my hair. 'Just hold on and don't let go. He wants you to.'

And I did.

I did until there was the shuffling of footsteps from outside and barely looking up, my vision blurred, I observed a woman bending over me.

'Oh dear.' It was Madam Pompfrey and that was as much as I could have gathered for seconds after, my consciousness was stolen away as I fought for air. I was taken into a silent world; my last thoughts were of the boy with the scar who had managed to have my heart with him unto that minute.

(Harry)

The very first memories shocked me terribly after I saw that Snape had loved my mother. That sort of love that he had for her was something so pure and natural that it brought tears to my eyes. And after seeing how my father did treat him, I was left to think that he was a loser in school. He had even refused to allow my mother to invite Snape to their wedding just because Snape was a Death Eater. My mother had broken down crying, demanding that the man was her best friend and she needed him there with here. James Potter wanted to hear nothing of it.

And then there were the memories of the prophecy and him relating it to Voldemort. I watched in horror as he went to Dumbledore for help, pleading for him to protect my mother. But he had not asked for him to protect me. Then after witnessing Dumbledore trying to console a distraught Snape, a younger version of the man I had grown to love, I was thrown into not so long ago when he had first set eyes on me. Those piercing eyes trying to penetrate my soul as I stood there waiting to be sorted.

Lazy, Ignorant, Conceited...he's just like his father. He always seeks the opportunity to get into trouble.

And then the memory changed showing Snape standing in front of Lucius, his eyes wide with fear.

xx

'I don't know what you are implying', Snape said as he stepped back into a house. 'I don't know what you're talking about –'

'You love me', Lucius said softly, his eyes dancing with menace. 'I always figured you were a bit queer. You want me.'

'I don't know-' Snape's words were silenced as Lucius rushed over and crushed his lips on him, his hands entangling into Snape's hair. 'Lucius...'

xx

The scenes changed as Lucius forced himself onto Snape or that was what it looked like. And then Snape was sitting on a chair in that same house with his hands on his face. He was crying, shaking as he did and whispering something over and over again. I went forward to hear what it was.

xx

'I'm messed up, I'm not gay, I don't know what happened, I can't do this, I'm messed up, I don't love him, he hurts me...'

xx

The scene changed and what I saw made me jealous almost completely. Snape and Lucius were sitting on a deck overlooking an ocean, probably somewhere in the far west. And they were both laughing. Snape had his hands in Lucius' blond hair as he leant over to lock him in a kiss. Malfoy seemed almost too unreal for he looked quite relaxed and happy. Something was dancing in his eyes as he allowed himself to be petted by Snape.

And then we were back in a room of some sort, the draperies pulled close as Lucius made love to Snape.

xx

'You're...hurting me', Snape moaned. 'Stop...please.'

'Relax', Lucius pleaded as he ripped open Snape's jeans, then in a flash he was making love to Snape but it wasn't really love. There was extreme pain and it was obvious on Snape's face that he wanted nothing more than for Lucius to stop. 'Nothing is easy', Lucius declared. 'Love isn't easy, Severus.'

'Stop.'

'I can't', Lucius said.

xx

And then I was there as Snape argued with Malfoy.

xx

'I don't want an affair; I don't want to be shared with someone else –'

'You're not being shared!' Lucius shouted, 'Narcissa doesn't mean anything to me!'

'She's your wife! And this isn't love. Love doesn't hurt this way. That much I know.'

'You don't know a thing about love, Severus, admit it. All you have ever known is how it feels to not be loved and that's why you need me. You need me –'

'Get out!' Snape shouted pointing to the door. 'I don't ever want to see your fucking face again in here.'

'We're not over', Lucius begged, 'please –'

'We are over. We were never something. Get out.'

Lucius picked up his coat that was the shade of midnight purple from a chair. And after throwing a glance at Snape, he made his way out the house.

xx

And I watched as Snape lay in his bed, his eyes red as he cried like I had never seen him do before. He was shaking, his face pale and his hands trembling.

xx

'Why can't I find someone who loves me back the way I do?' he whispered hoarsely. 'I want someone who loves me back without trying, who loves me warmly and sincerely. I don't want it to hurt when we're together. I want someone who desires me without thinking of loving me painfully. Is that all to ask?'

xx

Then in a flash I was standing in Grimmauld's Place. There Snape stood among Tonks, Sirius and Lupin and then he quickly glanced up and I did as well only to see myself standing two landings above where we stood. I was chatting with Ron about something that I couldn't exactly remember. And then he cast his eyes down again only to look back up almost in a flash. It was then that my eyes had met with his and the weird thing was, from below by his side, I could see his eyelashes flutter as he blinked several times too many. He flexed his fingers as well and then after holding his gaze with mine, Snape looked away. It was as if some wave of emotion had rushed over him.

That was the exact moment when we had fallen in love with each other and it wasn't me alone. Snape had fallen for me too just then.

xx

'So you're going to leave my question hanging then?'

'What question was that again?'

'Are you gay?' I asked.

I watched now as we stood facing each other and of course I remembered this exact memory. I was now though that I scrutinised his face, his expression to try to see if I could see something more. I only saw him hold his gaze then he stepped back.

'Goodbye, Potter', and then he disapparated.

xx

And now I was sitting across from him, my hands resting on the table before me as he sat opposite. Snape was observing me from the other side as I spoke, his face calm and nothing like the Snape I had known prior to that.

xx

'I care about you', I said.

'I am quite flattered that you do care for me, Potter. Thank you very much. That is an addition of one to the very few of my admirers.'

'Is Malfoy's father one of your admirers?'

'Harry, please don't do this to me.'

xx

And from here now, as my head had been bent when I sat there that day, I had missed the look on Snape's face. His complexion turned from looking almost healthy to a shade of pasty white. And then the scene that followed that was extremely sad for me as I watched myself stand behind him. I could see his face now that I couldn't see before. And tears came to my eyes when I noted how he closed his eyes briefly, his lips slightly parted as he felt me behind him. I went forward only to see Snape's fingers flex as he probably had wanted to reach back to touch me as well.

Stupid me! All the signs were there since that day that he had loved me. He had always felt the same way for me as I had been feeling for him. And I was so stupid to not notice it. The thing is I was afraid of becoming too paranoid over it all, so I had forced myself to not believe that he had feelings for me. You know how you'd feel when you thought something was too good to be true so you forced yourself to brush it off? That was what I did because with how I was feeling, I didn't believe that Snape had been in it too. It was all on me, and I was the only one being so stupid and clumsy at allowing my feelings to get the most out of me.

Then there were the memories of him prying into my mind, having a look at my most personal memories. And then I was storming out the door. I watched when I left how he sank to the floor and cried and at that moment, my hands flew up to my face as I couldn't control it all. I felt completely distraught over what I had done to him.

And now I was standing in Dumbledore's office as Snape glared back at him standing behind the desk.

xx

'Dearest Merlin, a Death Eater has fallen in love with Harry Potter. Shall I continue?' 'Go on.'

'A Death Eater who happens to be his teacher, who constantly laments on his arrogance and conceited behaviour: one of your least favourite students. I shall use the phrase those hippies use on television and say that 'you have gotten yourself in a bit of a fix'. It has to stop now.'

'I know it has to stop', Snape said. 'It isn't that easy –'

'And you should have known that before you allowed that to happen, Severus'. It is principle here that a teacher cannot be with a student. I'm surprised that you'd allow your feelings to wander off so freely.'

'You think it's easy to control your feelings when it comes to love?' Snape asked angrily. 'You sit there and tell me that I should have done better? Do you even know what shit I'm in right now? I don't know how it even happened!'

'Well make it stop now', Dumbledore said calmly and he yawned. 'Love is for the young and free spirited and dear Severus, you are by all means anything but free spirited. I don't want to lose a most treasured Professor at Hogwarts.'

'You can't fire me', Snape said with a shocked look on his face, 'I'm your spy. That would be ludicrous –'

'You are most indeed correct. I cannot fire you. But what I can do is make you give up your post as teacher of Potions and just keep you under my wing here...under disguise.'

'I'm sorry, Severus but that is the way it will have to be if you don't put a stop to it. I cannot allow one of my Professors to be with a student. If Voldemort knew of this, you'd be dealt with accordingly. Harry would be in grave danger and everything we've fought for, planned and worked for would crumble. And that would be just because of love.'

'What am I to do then?'

'Make a choice, Severus. It is either Harry or your job. You either choose to be with Harry and jeopardise all I've been doing for him, to protect him just like you wanted or you can forgo your feelings for him and keep your job as being his protector and our spy.'

'I shall get back to my job', Snape said and Dumbledore nodded then smiled.

'I know you were sensible enough, Severus. You can love him but just control it. When all this is over, you'll be free to shower whoever you want with love.'

'If I'm alive and Harry still is', Snape muttered and turned around then walked out the door.

xx

Even before I could sink to the floor because my knees had become jelly like, the scene changed. I was left thinking of Dumbledore's words, how Snape had admitted that he loved me. The other memories were all about me. The time when I had tried to move around him as he stood blocking my way in class, the when I had made him touch me in Grimmauld's Place, the visit Lupin paid him and what he said...everything was there for me to see. And then came the time when Dumbledore explained as much as he could have told Snape about what happened the night when Voldemort killed my mother.

And I just had to relive that one last time when he had kissed me roughly. I couldn't feel how it felt then as I relived the memory but my lips still tingled as I watched. He had wanted me so bad that it had pained him to not be able to have me there and then. It all made sense now and I could see it in a different light all of a sudden. And I had been upsetting his life all this time. It was me who he cared about so much and when I saw what Lucius did with my letter, I became so angry. I watched the parchment being thrown into the flames only to see it disappear with a pop as Snape stared after it. My eyes moved to his hand in his pocket as they probably closed around the letter containing my feelings for him. He had saved it.

I couldn't breathe properly without him. After seeing all of this I couldn't take it anymore.

And that one last kiss that he gave me before he killed Dumbledore. It all made sense now because he knew that he wouldn't be seeing me for a long time after. Fuck, he didn't even know if he would see me again after that.

After it all, I stood over the Pensieve with my cheeks wet with tears of anguish and fear. I had to give myself in to die. If I had known this before, I would have taken every opportunity I had to show Snape how I loved him. I would have dedicated every minute spent with him to shower him with all my love and tell him exactly how I felt. Now I was to die and Snape probably would die. Or would he survive as I died and went on? It would kill him as much as it was killing me now.

'I loved you so much', I whispered as I sat down on the office floor. 'I loved him soo much and I have to die now.'

'Such is life you know', a man in one of the portraits assured me. 'You can't win all of them.'

Oh God.

Getting up, I braced myself and went forward, ready to face my death.

Writer's Note: I believe you have reached thus far and you are wondering where is the rest huh? This chapter was so short! But don't worry. The ones to come will make up for those short ones. I hope you're enjoying my story! Please feel free to tell me if you are.