Just to say, this has always been a series of vignettes, so each chapter will always be on the short side.
Auror Gina Wareine's Flat. September 1998
He'd never stepped inside Gina's flat above Potage's shop. The extension charms were flawless and it was neat and precise with touches of softness in the furnishing. A velvet throw over the couch before the fire, the hint of vanilla in the candles, the warmth of red in the deep rugs. It was her…and Severus loathed that he had to hurt her.
He regretted —deeply— that he'd pulled her into his denial over Hermione. She did not deserve this. Not for a moment.
Gina stood in the doorway to her kitchen with two mugs of tea in her hand, her eyes sharp. She strode towards him. "This —whatever it's been— is over, isn't it?"
She handed him his mug and sipped quickly at her own. He felt like a complete shit at the tremor that ran through her hand.
"When I was fifteen, I made a potion." He put his mug on the mantle and shot his cuff, exposing the gleaming circle of gold at his wrist.
"You and tattoos, Severus…"
He snorted and shook his head. "Yes, exactly that. What I didn't know was that it was a slice of forward planning from Hogwarts."
Gina frowned at him. "The Castle?"
"To be specific, the wards. And their formation."
"I heard about a prophecy Professor Trelawny gave at dinner yesterday. Concerning golden circles. These circles?"
The speed of news around the wizarding world always caught him by surprise…and made his own life —the lies he had woven and kept secret for years— all the more remarkable. "Just so. I have two of them. Four are needed to complete the spell, to secure the wards for the school, and after—"
"Severus?"
Her hand was on his arm, the burn of it a quick and fierce fire through his flesh. He gritted his teeth, not wanting to jerk away. It was her concern, her worry that the foul magic seared under his skin. "I will be well. I will live." His mouth twitched upwards. "But…the other holder of the magic and I, we will be bound."
Her hands curled away, tightened into a fist that strained her knuckles. "You're already…"
He jerked a nod. "I had no idea what these circles meant till last night, Gina. I would not have approached you, if I had. I never wanted to hurt…" He pulled in a breath and the pain in his chest reminded him that she was a worthy woman. But that he was not worthy of her. "I know you can't forgive me—"
"Who says I can't?"
He blinked at her fierce tone. "I…"
"You have been nothing but kind and thoughtful to me, Severus Snape."
"No, some part of me knew—"
"Do you want me to hate you, Severus?"
He stared at her, the hollow bloom of her words catching his breath. She was the first friend he'd had in so very long and as always, he'd fucked it up. He couldn't meet her fierce gaze. "I would understand if you did."
Gina groaned and he looked up as she scrubbed her face. She sank into the deep softness of her couch. "Sit."
He retrieved his mug and sat.
"Did I want something more from you? Yes. Yes, I did. You may have been caught up in this," she waved her free hand at his wrist, "high and ancient magic, but you were good to me, Severus. Save for that after-Potter dinner —which you are entitled to rage about— you were always courteous and funny and clever."
She looked into her mug. "I would like, when we've both had enough time, to remain friends with you."
Severus closed his eyes. But for Hermione… Yes, his little witch was there. And he remembered the feel of her in his arms, her kiss, the fact that she had pushed him to come to her…rival and make right with Gina. He very likely deserved neither of them. "You are the first friend in a long…actually, my first friend." He winced at that admission for a man close to forty. "And yes, I would like that too."
Gina let out a long breath. "It's Hermione Granger, isn't it?"
Severus stared at her. "How…?"
Her lips pressed together and there was a pulse of pain that he wished he could soothe. But knew that he couldn't.
"She stood over you like a dragon the day she saved you. Bloodied and dirty and fierce. I believed that she knew the truth…and that had driven her…but…" She shrugged and gave him a tight, bittersweet smile. "You always have to carve yourself a hard road, don't you, Severus Snape?"
His laughter was soft. "I do, indeed."
Gina clinked her mug with his. "Then here's to a road made easier by friendship."
No, he truly did not deserve her.