The Beauty and the Beast Effect
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING; I MERELY ENTERTAIN MYSELF IN J.K. ROWLING'S WORLD.
A/N I edited this chapter a little. Hermione still tries suicide, but she decides not to go through with it though. This time it's slightly different.
Chapter Twenty-One
Cling to the Memories
Severus finally left the room of requirement five in the morning. He stumbled out of the room in a daze. He unknowingly crashed into the walls several times as he made his way to the headmistress's office.
"Severus," Minerva exclaimed when he burst through the door, "Why! You're still human!"
"The spell was broken," Severus said in a clipped voice.
"Congratulations!" Dumbledore said happily from his portrait.
"Albus," Minerva warned, "I hope for your sake, that I don't need to tell you last night events again,"
"Oh, no of course not," Dumbledore added hastily, "Severus need not worry, Hermione will come around eventually."
"Doubtful," Severus snorted, "Highly doubtful,"
Albus said nothing as he eyed his friend curiously. He still had the snarky streak hidden inside.
"Severus, would you like to resume teaching?" McGonagall asked changing the subject.
"No," he answered turning to look at the falling snow through the window, "My place is no longer as her teacher. I would like to be sorted tomorrow. I will not, however, continue under the pretense of Sev Smith. I will be sorted as Severus Snape. No one but those I trust will be told the complete truth."
"Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked him hesitantly
"Quite," he replied sarcastically, "Now if you'll excuse me, I will go to my old room to gather the remainder of my things."
"Very well Severus," Minerva said slowly, "But I fear you might be in for more heart ache."
"I once chose to love someone despite all the complications. I am to far gone to change my decision. It is enough for me to even be near her. I may have lost Hermione, but she will never lose me," Sev told her as he began down the spiral staircase.
McGonagall sighed. Severus was headed down a road where he would only know anger pain. It would be much like Lily again. Except this time, there would be no other girl to heal his heart. His love for Hermione was to strong and to pure to be replaced as his love for Lily was. There was no going back.
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Severus sat down on the bed in his quarters. He was certainly going to miss this place. He started at the closet. He left everything he didn't need or want. The rest he shrank and put in a small suitcase.
He was nearly finished packing when he came to some pictures on his dresser. A few were taken with a muggle camera. They mostly pictured Lily giggling at something or another, while Severus smiled. In one such picture there was seen a scowling Petunia trying to avoid being caught in the same picture as the other two.
Severus smiled at the memories. In the summers after school, he had been given muggle lessons by Lily. During those years he had come to appreciate many muggle things. He loved their musicals, and many of their movies. He had even come to like some of their books.
Underneath the muggle photos there were more of him and Lily with a wizarding camera. It wasn't any of these pictures that made the tears spring unbidden to his eyes. No it was a different set of pictures all together.
One showed Hermione winning a card game, with a smile lighting up both her face and Sev's. It was a very good picture. Luna certainly had a knack for it. Rosmerta had taken a fairly goof one of them drinking at the Three Broomsticks. He wasn't sure how someone had gotten the next one, but it showed him and Hermione dancing in the common room. There were several others of them holding hands and laughing.
The last few must have been dropped off because it was events from last night. In one picture, Hermione ran down the stairs into Severus's open arms. He spun her around and her dress flew out around them. The next picture was taken directly after that. His lips were on hers in a fiery kiss. The very last picture depicted them dancing across the hall. She was gazing with adoration at his face, and he looked down at her with loving devotion.
Severus's tears flooded down his cheeks. Why did things have to change?
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Hermione continued to sob wretchedly. She wished Sev was there to comfort her, but Sev did not exist. He was a figment of her imagination that she had conjured out of the slimy Professor Snape.
No, Sev had been real. She wouldn't let Snape ruin her memories. She clung tightly to every good time she had ever had with Sev. Her mind clutched at every kiss, and every touch they had ever shared. Sev was from the past though. Snape was the present and future. Sev would never return to her.
Hermione's heart clenched tightly at the thought. All she wanted to do was lose herself in Sev's gorgeous green eyes, and his long passionate kisses. To never be held by his arms again was more than she could handle.
A wild light glinted in Hermione's eyes. Sev was her life. Now that he was gone she could not go on. She hurriedly stood and made her way out to the grounds. She walked to the edge of the lake. Pulling her wand from her packer, she waded to waist deep water.
"I LOVED YOU SEV," Hermione yelled into the darkness, "But you never loved me,"
She took a deep breath, before holding the wand to her head. Her hand shook pathetically. She tired to hold it steady, but it was no use.
"I'll stay; I'll stay for Harry, Ron, Ginny and my parents; all the people who really love me," Hermione's teeth chattered from the cold as she spoke; her whole body shook as the biting wind and rain, combined with the freezing lake water registered in her brain.
A branch snapped behind her. It startled her, and as Hermione turned somehow a spell was released from the wand.
Hermione lost consciousness, and her body fell into the water. Perhaps a minute later, pale hands of a young man grasped frantically at her. Those same hands managed to pull her head out of the water. He lifted her limp body into his arms fearing all the while for her life.
He brought her to dry land, and brushed her hair from her face.
"Please no," he whimpered.
He listened closely and let out the breath he had been holding as he heard her feeble pulse, and faint breathing.
"Don't you dare die, Hermione," he pleaded as he pulled his wand out and muttered multiple spells trying to revive her.
Hermione's eyes slowly fluttered open. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw her rescuer.
"Draco!"
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
A/N I like this revised chapter better! It doesn't seem so morbid. Well, I hope you all continue with your wonderful reviewing!!