Chapter 37

The potion was complete.

It turned out that cooling the potion according to room temperature worked just as well as letting it simmer, there really was no difference. Severus glanced at his black clock on the mantelpiece and bottled up the last of the potion. He was nervous, so nervous that his stomach tangled and knotted into such a mess that he worried he might be sick. He glanced through his strands of stringy black hair towards the sitting blonde boy in the corner. Dark circles of purple underlined the child's exhausted blood shot eyes, and through his tired and worn out body he managed to glare hard at Severus. His mouth was bound tight as well as his wrist and his ankles; there was no way the boy was getting out any time soon.

Severus slipped the small vial into the small interior pocket of his robes. He then walked around the table and gently picked up a small black and silver box. He twirled it in his fingers gently before grasping it firmly and adding it to the vial in his inner pocket. He quickly turned around and tapped the fireplace with his wand. It sputtered and spit out smoke but the flames instantly turned on. He gazed at the swirling red flames and felt his nervousness return, was he sure about what he was about to do? He grasped a hand full of floo powder and threw it into the bright orange flames. They instantly turned green and swirled viciously in a torrent of heat. A moment or two later, just enough time to keep Severus on his toes, Albus walked out of the fireplace, pointy hat first.

"Yes Severus?" Albus asked his light blue eyes sparkling in the younger man's direction. Severus simply stared at the old man and did the one thing he hadn't done for a very, very long time. He let down his walls, and let the old man in. Albus' eyes betrayed his shock, but only for a moment before Severus' mentor and friend carefully pulled his conscious mind into Severus'.

Severus absent mindly twisted his fingers as memory after memory resurfaced. He saw himself at the Death Eater meeting bowing and scraping before the Dark Lord, he saw himself at the valentines dance and when he parted with Claire. Seeing these memories intensified the twisting in his stomach as he reanalyzed the scenes in front of him. He watched himself in his dining room, in that very room, preparing for their dinner when the locket around his neck trembled and spit out a horrified scream. He watched as he stumbled out onto Hogwarts grounds only to find Claire being swept away to the one place she should have never had to go.

He carefully analyzed his entrance, still aware of Albus watching as well, as he entered the Death Eater circle and bluntly refused to curse her. He watched as Samuel was brought into the room and was slightly put out when his memories went black from his lack of consciousness and then as they reappeared with him in a cell. He reviewed the past week with the Death Eaters and then viewed their escape with Potter and Longbottom. He watched as they arrived onto Hogwarts grounds and as he slipped away from the Hospital only to find Draco's wand pointed in his direction. Severus quickly took note of Albus' mental frown and continued viewing his memories. He watched as Potter intervened and then as he carried the boy back into the Hospital wing, one of the boys more permanent placings.

Severus watched as he finished his potion, then walked up to a small store in Diagon Alley, and picked up a tiny silver and black box…

Albus pulled gently and smoothly out of his mind and looked at Severus with a smile that could have split his face in half. Severus scowled at him and turned away but Albus caught his shoulder and spun him back around.



"Thank you Severus, for the privilege." Albus said kindly, referring to Severus' openness with his memories.

"What about the boy?" Severus asked, his voice hard. He didn't want to share his memories with the Headmaster but even though he hated to admit it, at the moment he needed a little encouragement.

"I will see to him." Albus frowned but it was replaced with a kind smile as he glanced upon the blonde boy bound in the corner.

"About, my potion…" Severus began uncertainly. Albus placed a gently hand on the younger man's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "It's the best idea of yours yet Severus." He quickly understood the double meaning behind the Headmaster's words as the old man glanced at his inner pocket and onto the small silver and black box as if Severus weren't wearing heavy black robes that shielded it.

"You best get going Severus, it's getting late, don't make her wait forever." Albus smiled kindly at him but his stomach still knotted and twisted with uncertainty. Severus snapped his cloak in place with the small studded bat Claire had given him for Christmas and left his rooms, leaving Draco with the Headmaster. He walked down the hallway but paused and leaned against a wall. Was this the right thing to do? What if the potion went wrong? What-what if she didn't like what she saw in front of her? Severus shoved down the early feelings of rejecting and sank down onto the floor. He permitted himself this luxury because all students were in bed sleeping at that hour, or atleast they should be…

"Severus, weren't you planning on meeting Claire tonight?" Satina slithered around his arm.

"None of your business, snake." Severus said to her mentally. He cradled his head in his hands and took a deep breath.

"She's getting impatient, by the way, I was just up to see her." Satina said, her cool voice like liquid ice on Severus's tired and burning brain.

Severus didn't reply, he was on the verge of simply leaving the castle, never to be seen again. But, he wasn't a coward, all of those years facing the Dark Lord and he couldn't face up to a woman?

How ridiculous.

"She's waiting." Satina voiced one more time before slithering away.

"Pest." Severus muttered under his breath and sat up once again. He wasn't full of confidence but he supposed he had already made the decision, he couldn't back down now.

He continued down the hallway, his black heels clicking against the stone floor. He glanced out the nearest window and noticed with a small amount of satisfaction that the sky revealed the clearest midnight blue and the moon was full. Good, it was perfect.

He finally reached the Hospital Wing and pushed open the door with a quick and silent movement. No one stirred, not even Poppy. He quickly walked over towards Claire's bed, only to find it empty. Where had she gone? Panic struck him as he looked around desperately for her. It was extremely quiet in the dark room. Who was there, or who had been there? The panic mixing with the anxiety he had already didn't bode too well for the potions master. Severus swayed slightly and tried to regain his balance. Suddenly he noticed a dark shape near the back of the Wing. He spun around, wand in hand and aimed straight for the huddled figure.



"Severus! Come here." Relief filed his heart instantly when he heard Claire's hushed voice. He stalked over to her with a scowl in place, who was she to scare him like that? She was huddled over her father and her head was pressed to his chest.

"He was awake a second ago." Claire whispered as she listened to her father's soft breathing. The soft smile on her pale face made Severus' lip twitch unwillingly. Seeing her so happy made him lightheaded, how did one girl hold so much joy, and keep enough for him?

"Are you ready to leave?" He asked silkily in her ear. He smiled in satisfaction as she shivered and turned to meet his waiting hands. She clasped her hands around his tightly and he led her gently out of the Wing. Claire giggled as his tangled black hair swept across her neck.

"Wait!" Claire whispered fiercely. Severus paused and turned back to look at her, he stared into her eyes and his nervousness returned full blast.

"What?" He asked, his tone brisk and harsh.

"Severus, don't use that tone with me! Last time I left with someone I thought was you, I ended up with a Malfoy!" Claire informed him and glared back. Suddenly Severus felt very foolish, of course she would want to reassure herself that it was really him.

"Okay, ask me something only I would know." Severus murmured in her ear. He could tell she wished she hadn't said anything so they could be on their way but he was glad she was taking such precautions.

"Uh, no, the Death Eaters know everything about you. That wouldn't work." Severus watched in amusement as Claire made a face and scratched her head. The silly faces she was making were irritating as well as amusing him, he wanted to curse them off her face, or kiss them off.

"I know." Claire whispered and pushed her hands onto his chest; Severus was mildly shocked but kept his expressions to himself. She ran her fingers along his chest until they reached the collar of his neck and then pulled out the locket.

"Okay, let's go." Claire said confidently.

"You twit, anyone could have stolen that off my body." Severus said coyly, twirling her hair between his fingers.

"Well then it would have to be your dead body wouldn't it?" Claire said softly and pulled a lock of Severus' black hair.

"Absolutely." He whispered in her ear and he felt her cheeks warm against his own. "Let's go." He said and clasped her hand in his once again.

"Where are we going?" Claire asked as they walked through hallways together, Claire's eyes searching around blankly.

"You'll see." Severus replied mildly and continued pulling her along.

"I can't, remember?" Claire said, a weak attempt at humour.

"You shall see, my dear." Severus said in a low voice and opened the giant oak doors to the entrance Hall.



He held the door open for her and watched her slim form walk in front of him onto the grounds. Severus tried to relax, how could a woman make him so weak at the knees? She turned to look at him with large blue eyes and smiled gently.

"Quit staring you insufferable woman." He teased her.

"You technically can't be told to stop staring if you can't even see." Claire retorted and laughed when he walked next to her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Yes, but you are still an insufferable woman." He scowled against her neck.

"And you are a grumpy prick." Claire said through her giggles.

"Watch your mouth witch." Severus growled and tickled her waist.

"M-make m-me!" Claire laughed and tried to brush his hands away.

"That was mature." Severus drawled and rolled his eyes. He suddenly lifted Claire up and over his shoulder. Claire screamed loud enough to wake the castle but continued laughing until her sides ached.

"P-put me down!" Claire screeched and slapped his shoulders repeatedly. Severus ignored her until they reached their tree and he flopped her down on her rear.

"Ouch! Softer landing next time." Claire laughed and snuggled up to him as he sat down beside her.

\\\\\

Claire listened to the sound of Severus' heart as she lay against him. When was the last time they had done this? She exhaled slowly and rubbed his chest. She felt waves of nervousness coming off of him but she couldn't imagine what it could be. He cleared his throat and rested his head on top of hers.

"I-I have a gift for you." Severus said quietly, the teasing gone from his voice.

"Really?" Claire asked against his chest.

"Really." Severus said and pulled something out of his robes. He plopped it in her hands and she quietly played with it between her fingers.

"A vial." Claire said softly still fingering the small object. "Your new potion?" She asked him carefully and felt the excitement start to build in her chest.

"Yes, but I must warn you, it hasn't been tested on anything so if you feel uneasy you must tell me, understood?" Severus said sternly. Claire nodded against him and still felt his uneasiness.

"Well, what does it do?" She asked him as she uncorked it. She felt his breath catch in his throat but he seemed alright in a moment.

"Drink it." Severus said quietly and suddenly Claire was nervous as well.

"Alright." She said and pressed the vial to her lips and drank down the foul tasting potion. Several moments passed and nothing happened. Claire waited and started to feel slightly disappointed when nothing spectacular occurred.



"Severus," Claire said softly. "I don't think it's work—"She was cut off when her eyes started to burn.

"Ow! Severus, what…?" But she couldn't finish her sentence because her eyes started to burn more fiercely. She felt tears of pain slide down her cheeks and she tried to rub them away. She started batting her eyes vigorously but Severus covered her eyes with his cool fingers and pried hers away from her face.

"Severus." She moaned and clawed at the cool hands covering eyes like bandages.

"Shh, it's ok." He whispered into her ear and continued whispering sweet nothings until she ceased clawing at his fingers. Claire continued to whimper in pain until finally after several agonizing minutes the pain stopped.

"Okay?" Severus asked her when her cries of pain ceased. She could tell it broke his heart to see that but she supposed that if he was willing to put her through something like that then the end product must have been worth it. He carefully pulled his fingers away from her eyes but she kept them tight shut, reassuring herself that the pain was over.

"Open your eyes." He whispered to her. Claire slowly opened each eye but gasped in shock and shut them quickly.

"Severus! There's something wrong with them! There's something wrong with my eyes!" Claire cried frantically trying to push off of him. He chuckled in her ear and held her still against him.

'How dare he think it's funny!' She thought in outrage.

"Think again Claire, It's not that there's something wrong with them, it's that there is no longer something wrong with them." Severus whispered to her calmly. Claire froze and stopped fidgeting. No longer something wrong with them? Was he serious? She took a deep breath and opened her eyes slowly.

She looked around, their was a..a..a lake, her brain supplied and it sparkled….blue! That's what blue was! How she knew this she had no idea.

"It's your mind, you brain is now generating pictures and recognizing colour, as if that part of your brain where a new born child." Severus explained. Suddenly Claire's heart almost jumped out and into her mouth… was it possible? She was going to see the love of her life? She looked around carefully, burning every detail into her mind. She looked down…grass and it was…it was…it was green.

Green, another colour.

She looked down at her self and was amazed, when she saw her hands. She brought them up to eye level and examined them, they were…pale…a pale, peach colour. The detail of her hands amazed her to no end. Happiness filled her heart so much she thought she might explode. Tears of joy started to form in her eyes, blurring her vision, she hated it because now that she could see she didn't want anything to be obscured.

"Claire?" Severus asked, his voice panicked.

"No!" Claire cried and covered her eyes, "Don't come into my line of sight! I'm saving you for last." She said through her muffled sobs. She felt his chest bob up and down as he chuckled silently.



"You are being childish." He told her but she ignored him. She opened her eyes once again and looked around her. The trees…they were beautiful. Long flowing braches of…brown. And more green leaves. She looked straight up and gasped as she gazed upon millions and millions if beautiful twinkling stars.

"Quite the sight is it not?" Severus whispered into her ear. She continued to gaze around the sky until she saw a white glowing orb.

"The moon." He whispered to her once again. Her eyes started to swell with tears once more but she brushed them away harshly.

"I don't think I can handle this." Claire whispered, she was feeling overwhelmed and light headed.

"You're fine; take your time with it." Severus comforted, he placed his hand on her arm and rubbed her gently.

Claire looked over at her arm and watched the pale hand stroke it. She analysed the long delicate fingers and recalled how many times she had imagined them… her imagination couldn't compare. She stared greedily at his hand for what felt like hours and he didn't noticed.

"What are you looking at?" Severus asked suddenly, his hand frozen on the spot. When Claire didn't answer he pulled his hand away and she chased it but stopped when she saw his black chest. She watched in amazement as his chest rose and fell, the black material of his robes rising and falling with it. She placed her hands gently on the soft material and fingered every button on it. He wasn't talking anymore, simply breathing. Claire was exceedingly anxious, she wanted to see him so badly but she wanted to draw out the moment, to stretch it out until she couldn't take one more moment of agony. She was torturing herself but it was so sweet.

She reached up farther and the excitement pooled itself in her stomach, she saw a patch of pale skin as she reached his neck and felt an inexplicable yearning to touch it. So she lifted her hands and felt his Adams apple. It moved as he gulped and she couldn't hold back a smile. She lifted herself higher and felt the rough skin around his chin and his jaw. The skin was still just as pale as ever but she loved it, it reminded her of…a cream colour. She noticed that her hands were a few shades darker than his skin tone but the colour contrast was interesting. She noticed that his breathing was coming quicker then before, so that's why he was so nervous, she knew he had issues with his appearance but how many times did she have to tell him he was beautiful? She reached his thin pink lips and the huge grin that graced her face was to hard to repress. She traced them carefully and then kissed them gently.

"Smile please." She asked him. But she frowned when his lips pressed tight in a thin line.

"Smile you grumpy prick." Claire laughed when she saw the corners of his mouth twitch but her own laugh set him off. He smiled at her joy and she couldn't keep from staring.

"You rotten liar! You don't have crooked teeth!" In fact they were immaculate. Claire smiled her care free smile and kissed him again. She felt his cheeks warm and she kissed those as well. She looked past his jaw and played with his black hair. She admired the way the moonlight shined off of it. She cupped his ears and rubbed them softly, she never imagined how ears could look so complex…

She moved her eyes up to his nose and giggled. She felt him become uncomfortable right away and she traced the contours of it.



"It's perfect." She laughed, "It just suits you so well." She continued to laugh. She felt the tension ease form his body but it was quickly replaced with irritation.

"You and your comments. He muttered. Claire smiled and then finally, after agonizing minutes she lifted her eyes to meet his. Deep pools of black stared at her. Long curly black lashes greeted her but the power of his eyes surprised her. They were so dark and engulfed her in seconds. She could drown in his eyes, they were so intense…

"God you're gorgeous." She murmured and then blushed when she realized what she had said. What surprised her was a dark colour of ..p…pink that graced his cheeks. HE was blushing! Before she could stop it the waterworks started up again and she sobbed into his shirt.

"I can't be that overwhelming." Severus snarled but placed his hand over her head all the same.

"You have no idea Severus. I just wish you could see yourself through my eyes." Claire continued to sob.

"I've tried to see myself through your eyes, it doesn't work for me." Severus admitted softly and continued to rub her hair. Claire continued to cry on his shoulder, pure tears of joy, how could she ever repay him for such an honour?

"T-thank you s-so much." She cried into his shirt, he gingerly patted her on the back and held her close. It was too good to be true and she knew it.

"You deserve it more than any other." Severus whispered to her.

"I l-love you so much." She whispered and couldn't let him go. He had given her the greatest gift she could have ever asked for. He simply held her for a while.

"If I made you cry, you'll faint when you see the castle." He whispered to her. His small joke made Claire giggle through her tears.

They sat together for hours; he walked her around the grounds and let her explore all the new sights. As he had predicted, Claire had almost fainted when she saw the castle. They had made their way over to the forest and walked around Hagrids hut. She had cried several more times before becoming accustomed to seeing everything around her. They finally settled down against the giant Willow tree in front of the lake and simply enjoyed each others company. Claire simply could not stop kissing him, her heart was overjoyed and her smile was brighter then she could imagine.

"You haven't seen yourself yet." Severus reminded her and conjured a mirror. Claire analyzed her facial features and returned the mirror.

"What, no waterworks?" Severus asked and she nudged him. Claire wasn't as enthused with her appearance as she was with everything else around her. She didn't know why everyone made such a fuss, she looked…well, she didn't look like anything extraordinary with long dark brown hair, sharp features and deep blue eye's. Although she did like her eyes.

"I'm not that much of a big deal." She told him after he continued to badger her about her lack of enthusiasm.

"You have extremely odd taste if you believe my looks to be anything compared to yours. Besides, you haven't seen other men or women so you don't have anyone to compare me or yourself to." Severus 

said uneasily as if the thought of her not finding him as attractive as other wizards would wound him greatly.

"Don't worry about it, no one will compare to you." She laughed and got up to stretch.

"Come on Severus. Let's go inside so I can explore!" Claire said eagerly already starting on her way.

"Patience love, I have…another surprise." Severus said getting to his feet as well.

"Severus, I don't think I can handle your kind of surprises." Claire laughed but her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Her stomach pooled with excitement once again as he came up to her and clasped her hands tightly. She gazed into his black eyes and still couldn't believe she was actually seeing.

Then suddenly Severus knelt down on one knee and Claire felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She was gasping for breath silently as black pools shone up at her with uncertainty. She watched as he pulled out a shiny black and silver box from his inner pocket and opened it, revealing a gorgeous ring with studded diamonds. Severus cleared his throat.

"Claire Laurel, will you marry me?" Severus' deep silky voiced asked from where he knelt but Claire couldn't speak. After several moments of gazing into each others eyes it seemed as though Severus was loosing confidence. And then… she screamed. Claire screamed out in pure joy and knelt down beside him, hugging him around the waist.

"Yes! Of course!" She squealed and he laughed. Severus laughed, a full blown laugh from deep inside him. Claire was going to faint, she couldn't breath and her mind was racing a million miles an hour.

"Breath woman!" Severus laughed at her. Claire sucked in a breath of air and kissed him deeply. She let go just as quickly and danced around in a circle. She continued to laugh until her sides hurt.

"I-I can't believe this is happening!"She screamed into the night. Severus came up behind her quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Let's go inside before you wake the beasts of the forest who wish to feed on young witches who can't keep their mouths shut." Severus sneered playfully. Claire exhaled slowly but held her grin. The couple walked back inside the castle where Severus calmly placed the ring on her finger. Claire stared at it until she almost walked into a wall.

"Watch where you're going, you have new eyes, use them." Severus rolled his eyes and pushed her in the right direction.

"Are we sleeping in your place or mine?" Claire asked trying to keep her cool but her voice betrayed her excitement.

"Whichever one."

"Your place, I can see mine anytime." Claire said and then moved on towards the dungeon. Once they had settled down and Claire had had her time to explore they climbed into bed. Claire snuggled up against him and they didn't speak for several minutes.

"Claire?" Severus asked quietly.

"Yeah?"



"Why don't you go to sleep?" Severus asked as he stroked her hair gently. Claire took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"Because I'm afraid it'll be gone in the morning, all of it. My sight and…and you." Claire whispered with sadness to her voice that made him uncomfortable.

"You will still be able to see, I promise. As for me, I'm not going anywhere."

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It had been several weeks since Severus had proposed, naturally the entire school found out in a matter of days. Teachers including Albus, Minerva, Sprout and the rest of the staff celebrated the happy news, both the engagement and her new found sight. Claire was beyond excited about her sight and found it even more exciting to teach her classes. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville had come up to her expressly to congratulate her. The students had been in shock for several weeks when they found out that their potions professor and their defence teacher were engaged but got over it quickly. As another sort of celebration, Albus had declared all end of the year exams to be terminated, as Ron had put it one evening. Samuel was getting better every week but still remained in the hospital wing, much to his dismay. As for Draco, the child services had found him a home away from his original family due to their parenting being seen as unfit to serve the needs of a child.

He was doing much better.

It had been a long day and Claire's classes had been finalized She wanted to go and see her fiancé before the supper so she snuck into his chambers.

"Severus? Are you in here?" She called out but received no answer.

She tiptoed in to his quarters and admired them once again. She had planed on sitting on his bed waiting for him once he arrived but a small golden box on his bedside table caught her eye. She knew she shouldn't but the temptation was just too much. She crawled across his beautiful bed and opened up the smooth golden jewellery box. Inside was his necklace, why he had taken it off she didn't know but she fingered the golden chain with a moon on it. Curiosity killed the cat but what the hell. She turned it over and read what he had inscribed on the back.

It read: "A promise, to see myself through her eyes."

The End.

SEQUEL?

A/N- Hey guys! That's it that's all! It's finished, yay! Now comes the part where you guys (yes all of you) review and tell me what you think. And when I say all, I mean even if you just clicked on my story because you thought it was something else and decided (what the hell, I'll read it) you have to review to…got it? Thanks guys let me know now whether you think a sequel is a good idea, I promise not to be offended if you don't,

Thanks guys, for all the support and encouragement, you guys made this completion possible.