A/N: Here it is! Behold, the last chapter! After this, I will be absent for about a month as I have exams coming up and I have to study really hard. But I will be back by the end of February, hopefully with a new story! So, let me know what you think of this, even if you don't like it, just be polite! See you in a month! :)
If Time Could Stop
Chapter 12-Epilogue
The invitation to the Granger- Weasley wedding had been sitting on the desk for several weeks. It was a funny piece of paper; funny, because Severus thought it shouldn't exist but nothing could be done to invalidate its existence. He had opened and read it once, ever the masochist and afterwards, he hadn't been able to even throw it away. He had left it there, glaring at it, reminding himself why it was that he and Granger couldn't be. At first, he'd cursed her -a million times- for daring to write his name on the envelope but deep inside, he knew she had hated every moment of it too. Every letter must have been a stab to her tender heart and that gave him some kind of pleasure, mixed with pain. He had decided that he would not attend. Of course he wouldn't! Had she really expected that of him? If she had, she was crazy, to say the least. He had sent a very unemotional letter to reply that, no, he wasn't going to make it and that was that. No congratulations, no wishes for a good life. Nothing.
And now, the night before her wedding, he was lying in bed, sleeping soundly. He had hoped for dreamless sleep but that was rather optimistic. He hadn't stopped dreaming about her all this time and he had woken up, more than once, feeling the dream had been real. This time, however, he was certain he was dreaming, not just because Granger was leaning carelessly against his body, in a public place, no less, but also because she was telling him of how she'd left Weasley, that useless git. Hermione Granger, the real Hermione Granger, would have never referred to Weasley as a git. Even if she had ever decided to leave him. So, she was there, talking about one thing or another, stealing kisses in between phrases and he was happy. Too happy, if such a thing could happen. And although Severus wasn't the cuddling type, in his dream he could be. With her. Only with her.
"Kiss me again!"the Hermione of his dream ordered and he complied. "We'll run away, Severus!"she said passionately. "We'll leave and nobody will be able to stop us! Just the two of us! The way it's supposed to be!"she exclaimed.
"Anything you want."he replied.
"We will never be apart again! Right?"she asked him.
"Right you are, Granger."he told her and then, she pulled out her wand, turned to him and... he woke up, startled.
Severus looked around the room frantically. She was nowhere to be seen, of course, how silly of him to believe that she might be connected to him somehow, that she'd felt his anguish and ran to him. No, that would never happen. Never. His eyes fell on a book resting lazily on a shelf. Moste Potente Potions. First edition. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do. He smiled, pleased with himself.
"I'm sure you won't be expecting that, Granger."he whispered.
Hermione looked at her reflection in the mirror. She huffed once or twice and then she frowned. The dress wasn't all that bad. It was actually very pretty. It simply wasn't the perfect dress. Very close to perfect, true, but not perfect. She couldn't make any last minute changes to it though; Ginny had warned her that she'd be watching.
"Alright!"Ginny exclaimed behind Hermione's back. "Don't you look lovely?"she said, admiring her choice.
"Yes, lovely."Hermione said. "Is Ron ready yet?"
"Of course he's ready! He's been ready for about an hour now! He's so nervous, it's hilarious, Hermione!"Ginny laughed.
"Great! Can I have fifteen more minutes, then?"she asked. "Fifteen minutes and then we can start." She couldn't wait to take her place next to Ron.
"I'll go tell him."her friend said and before she left the room, she added "You look great, Hermione! Really!"
Hermione smiled. She had been smiling quite a lot. She started checking her hair and her shoes and her jewelery when the crack of Apparition, announced someone standing right behind her. She looked into the mirror, only to find, alongside her own reflection, the one of Severus Snape. She turned and looked at him, her expression a mixture of excitement and awe... His face was emotionless.
"Granger."he said with a small bow of his head.
"Snape."she replied with yet another smile, mimicking his motion. "I thought you weren't coming."
"I don't plan on staying for the ceremony but...Not attending is hardly an excuse for not presenting you with a wedding gift, is it?"he said and handed her the book.
Hermione took it from him with a trembling hand.
"Moste Potente Potions? First edition? Oh my! You shouldn't have done that! It must be extremely valuable!"she exclaimed.
"I have read this book too many times. You might as well have it. I know of your love of books."
"Are you sure? I'm sure you've had it for many years-"
"Spare me the drama, Granger."he interrupted. "It's a gift. Simply, thank me and let's get it over with. Or don't thank me. It matters very little."
"Well, in that case, thank you very much! It means a lot to me!"she said and hugged the book tightly for a second, before placing it on a small coffee table and making sure it would be safe there. Then, she spun around and asked him "So? What do you think?".
"It's acceptable."he said strictly, feeling his heart ache.
"Really? Isn't it too much? I think I look like a big, fluffy, white cake!"
"The dress is fine, Granger. Leave it be." The dress was more than fine, of course. Severus couldn't tell her just how fine it was though.
"If you say so..."she replied, still smiling but then her face became serious. "It must be very hard for you. To be here, I mean."
"I'll be fine."he assured her but he was already feeling the first traces of pain threatening to tear him apart.
"I hope so." She paused and looked at him, noting down every detail of his face, for future reference. "You know I won't run away with you."she said after a short time.
He nodded once. "And you know I would never ask you to."
He wondered if that was even true but in his heart he knew it was. He wouldn't. Ever.
"You're a good man, Severus Snape."Hermione told him.
"Yes, yes, certainly."he said sarcastically.
"No, you are! Stop joking about it! You are a good and decent man. And I will always keep you in my heart."
"Let your heart be occupied by someone else, Granger. We've been through this."he said and walked to the window. He caught a glimpse of Ron's back, somewhere beyond the crowd and felt a stab of jealousy. "How long?"he asked.
"What do you mean?"Hermione asked back.
"How long until you have to go out there." He looked at her and pointed carelessly out the window.
Hermione looked at the clock. "About five minutes."she told him.
"There's always too little time, right, Granger?"
"If only we could stop it."she replied.
What would she have done, if time could be stopped at that very moment? What would he have done? He was too old to believe in fairy tales. This... relationship was doomed from the start. It wouldn't do him any good to think about the "what ifs" and the "maybes". It was over. She was going to marry the redheaded idiot and he was going to be left alone.
"Let me tell you this, then, before we run out of time."he said and held her hand firmly in his, as if they were old friends, meeting again after many years. "You will make that Weasley a very happy man. I have no doubt he will do the same for you. And it's my deepest and more sincere wish that you become happy, Granger. You deserve it."he concluded and released her hand.
"I wish the same to you."she told him and caressed his cheek.
She didn't feel burning at the touch. She knew she was making the right choice, for all of them. After all, one can love many people but only give away their heart to one person. And for her, that person was Ron Weasley.
"Aren't we admirable, behaving like adults?"Hermione said and pulled away because her eyes were watering.
"Finally."Severus commented.
"Better late than never, I guess."
"Your five minutes are up, Granger."he said, nodding towards the clock.
"I'd better get going."she she was at the door, she stopped and looked at him, one last time. "Severus..."
Severus bowed his head. "No words need be said."And with that, she left.
But he couldn't leave just yet, he thought. He followed her with his gaze. He would Disapparate, in a moment. He simply had to torture himself a little while longer. He watched as Hermione made her way to Ronald Weasley, that lucky bastard. He watched her walk gracefully and stand by his side, a wide smile on her beautiful face. Weasley touched her hand briefly and her whole face lit up. The pain cut through Severus like a knife as he thought that she didn't look like a big, fluffy, white cake at all. No. To him, she looked more like a swan...
THE END
