Not Mine. JK Rowlings.

May

As the months passed, Kyla slowly started to be more civil with Dumbledore. Severus had a talk with her one night explaining that the old man only had a couple more months and that she shouldn't be angry with him in his final months. She had agreed with his point and had made a very good effort to be friendly with the Headmaster. This was working just fine, but Severus was not fine. He was having a very hard time with the whole thing. Voldemort was calling him more frequently and Dumbledore was growing weaker. Severus was also getting very frustrated. He felt that Dumbledore had more faith and trust in Harry than in Severus himself. Kyla could understand his frustration for she shared his frustration.

She also currently shared his fears. Voldemort had, in the last couple of weeks, picked his new headmaster. Severus was to succeed Dumbledore as headmaster, and while this made Dumbledore happy, it infuriated Kyla beyond belief. She claimed that he was just being sent to where people hated him and that he also had to play ringmaster to brother and sister death eaters all while helping Harry, keeping the students safe, and keeping his own secrets. Dumbledore's only response to that was Severus knows what he's doing. The bastard.

What really made her angry was one night in the middle of May. She was studying for her O.W.L.s when her ring pulsed telling her to hide in the Headmaster's office. She did so and listened to the conversation between Severus and Dumbledore. Severus was furious. He kept telling Dumbledore that he didn't trust him and he may not wish to perform his task anymore. It was then that Dumbledore dropped the biggest bombshell: Harry was a Horcrux and needed to die to destroy it, but only Voldemort could do it. Kyla immediately realized that there must be something else going on, for even Dumbledore could not be that cruel, but right now, all she was feeling was Severus's anger and hurt feelings. He was furious that he had risked his life for his true love's son when he was only meant to die in the end. She watched as he claimed to always love Lily and he shot off his doe patronus. Something in her broke a little, and she really wasn't sure what it was. She watched as he stormed out of the office, back down to his dungeons. She quickly followed him.

She was able to swiftly make her way down to the dungeons and into his quarters. The minute she closed the door, she heard the sound of glass breaking, a reparo spell being performed, then it breaking again. As she walked into his sitting room, she caught the glass before it hit the wall and she heard Severus curse. She smiled before turning around and throwing it against the wall herself. Severus let out a "hmph" before he deposited himself in an armchair. He looked at her before saying, "What the hell Kyla? I mean, I have done all he has asked of me for the last seventeen years all for Lily and to keep her son safe. Now, he is telling me all that all that was for nothing."

"I wouldn't say so. You have been helping the Order bring down Voldemort. All of your work is for something. It will help bring that bastard down."
He put his face in his face in his hands and muttered, "I did all this for her and now it feels as if I failed her. She would be ashamed of me."

Normally, Kyla could listen to him talk about Lily. In the beginning, she even admired this about him. A man putting his life on the line for his dead love. It was a truly heroic thing. But, tonight however, she didn't want to hear it. She was angry that he had mentioned Lily, and she was going to let him know it. "Enough!" she shouted, causing him to jump slightly. "I don't want to hear any more about your precious Lily. Yes, you loved her. Maybe you still do, but here's the thing Severus, she is dead. She has been gone for fifteen years now Severus. There are plenty of other people that care about you. Yes, you can fight in her memory, but let her go. Just let her go."

When her rant was over, she quickly put her hands over her mouth. She could not believe that she had just said that. She had just destroyed her entire relationship with the one person she actually cared about and trusted. She turned and was almost to the door when she heard him softly say, "I know, you know."
She stopped dead in her tracts. What was he talking about? He couldn't have known…but how could he not. He must know about the potion and the rings betrayed all emotion. "What do you know?" she asked just as quietly. She heard him stand and within seconds he was standing behind her and he slowly turned her around so he could look her in the eye.

"I know you have feelings for me. That you care deeply for me."

She couldn't believe that this was happening. How did he know? "How long?" she asked quietly.

"How long have I known?" she nodded. "Since the beginning of the year. Well, that was when it had finally clicked with me."

"Slughorn told you?"
"Yes. He was boasting about your superior skill in the lounge after your first lesson. Of course, the man is too dense to figure out the underlying message, but I knew."

"Why didn't you say anything before this? If you knew for so long, why didn't you say anything?"

"I had already lost one woman I cared about. How could I risk losing another?"
Kyla was shocked. He had the same feelings for her. "How long have you felt that way about me?"

He brought his hands up and ran them through her hair and stopped them on the sides of her face. He quietly whispered, "Since your stay in Azkaban. I was so afraid that I had lost you, I wanted nothing more than to kill the minister and Dumbledore myself. I had to see you right away, but I had to be cautious. I didn't want people to get suspicious. The fact that I was able to provide you with the comfort you needed thrilled me. Ever since then, I have been waiting for you to make the first move, for I feared rejection. I didn't need that."

That was all she needed to hear. She slowly leaned forward until their lips met. A warm feeling flowed through her as Severus deepened the kiss. After several minutes, they broke apart and Severus rested his forehead on hers. She then had to ask, "Do you think you love me."

Severus closed his eyes before answering. "You are not Lily…"

"No, I'm not, but that doesn't mean you can't love me."

He shook his head, "I don't know. I know I care for you. I just don't know if I can."

She smiled. "Then I'll consider this your challenge."

He smirked. "And what would that be?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."