Severus often remembered that day in bittersweet fondness. It was the calm before the storm, the eve before the tempest. He had been so blissfully happy. That's what he was sitting in his office doing. A lone tear roamed down his cheek, ending at the stubble on his chin. The tear fell with a soft "plink" on the stone floor of the dungeon. The door creaked open slowly and Severus looked up to see Albus Dumbledore standing in the doorway. "Good evening Severus," the aged man said in a low voice.

"Good evening sir," Severus said in his usual stony voice.

"I'll cut right to the chase. Do you remember Fiona Umbridge?"

"Of course I remember Winn- I mean Fiona!" Severus said in a voice that was higher then usual.

"I thought you would. Now this is where you come in. I need your help. You've noticed that the DADA teacher this year is a bit, how shall we say, under par. You will also understand that now, above all other times, we need a good one." Severus nodded. "We need her Severus, I need you to go and find her. Now is the perfect time because she'll be able to start out at the beginning of the semester." Severus was balled over by this. How could he go and get her?

"Albus, you know why she had to leave don't you? You know why she can't ever come back!"

"Yes, I'm aware of the grounds of her flight, but Severus, Dolores Umbridge is no longer a threat."

~Flashback~

The two love birds made their way back up the steps to the Great Hall. The room was nearly void of all other students and the usual long, big house tables were replaced by a few small, circular ones scattered about the nucleolus of the room. The two of them settled themselves at the nearest table and the food popped up on the plates. They helped themselves to chicken and roasted potatoes followed by a delicious German Chocolate cake. "I was thinking last night," Severus began.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked, grinning up at him.

"About how much I loved you. I was thinking that if I could I'd run away with you right now. I love you so much Winnie, more then you could possibly imagine."

"I don't think you know how nice it feels to finally feel loved," she murmured. He caught her tear on his finger. "I love you more then anything Severus. Let's run away," she said this more as a plea then a statement. "I'm tired of it all Severus," she cried.

"Tired of what?"

"Of my mother," she choked out.

"What does she do?" Severus said this in a low, dangerous voice.

"Everything, she hits, she yells, she beats, she starves. I'm such a failure," the tears were falling steadily down her face. Her body was racked with sobs. She could barely draw breath. Severus was up in a second with his arms around her.

"You are not a failure! You are the most amazing person in the entire world and I won't let her hurt you anymore," he murmured into her hair. She cried and cried till all her tears were gone. "Sweet girl, sweet girl, darling, lovely, baby, everything, everything."

"Thank you Severus," she whispered. "Can you fly me away from this place?"

"We're so far away from her now Winnie, we've flown away. You see, she can't break love, we've flown." They spent the night in the Great Hall. They ended up curled up together in an armchair that had been placed next to the fire. He had his arm around her, protecting her from all that arms could keep out.

When he woke she was gone. A note lay in her place. "Severus, I've gone to Hogsmeade to buy your Christmas present. I'll be back by 10:00 or 10:30- Love Winnie." He looked down at his watch. He had over slept; it was already 10:45. He rose from his seat and went off toward the Ravenclaw Common Room. Karl Yoder was about to enter. He went up to him.

"Do you know if Fiona Umbridge is in there?"

"No, but I could check," Karl had always been a very nice person. The boy disappeared into the Common Room. A moment later he emerged. "I'm sorry, she's not in there Severus." Severus nodded, he was getting a little nervous.

"Thank you Karl." He hurried back to the Great Hall and collected his cloak. After what he had heard the night before he wasn't going to risk anything. He almost ran to Hogsmeade, hoping to find her somewhere. He scanned the road, it wasn't very busy but he heard a voice from a small alleyway. He rushed toward it. What he saw made is blood turn to ice. There was his Winnie and another woman was with her. The woman was short and toad-like. The toad woman that Severus assumed was Mrs. Umbridge was beating Winnie repeatedly with the back of her hand. Fiona's face was covered in blood and tears and she was crying, "Mum, please stop, please stop." Severus was on her like a duck on a junebug.

"You heard her, STOP!" he yelled, grabbing the woman's hand.

"You must be the Slytherin," she said in a sickly sweet voice. "Just be on your way, this is none of your concern."

"Like hell I will, you'll be lucky if I don't file charges," Severus said in a deadly whisper. "Now I'm going to let go of you and you're going to be gone by the time I count to three." He did but the moment he let go of her hands she lunged at Fiona. Severus hurried forward and knocked the woman out. "Come on Winnie, we've got to hurry." He grabbed Fiona's hand and hurried her to Hogwarts.

When they got there Severus rushed to his Common Room taking her with him. He grabbed his broomstick and the ring box from his room and handed them to her. "You've got to go Winnie, just fly, I'll put a camouflaging spell on you. Get as far away as you possibly can. Don't ever contact me again, don't ever come back." She was too stunned to say anything and he did the spell and pushed the broom into her hands. "Just know Winnie, this is killing me." She turned her teary eyes to him.

"Always Severus, always." They shared a brief kiss before he shoved her onto the broom and out the window. That was the night he died, the night he watched as the only good thing in his life flew away.

~End flashback~

"I can't risk her life Professor."

"I know but we have to. Here's her address, don't worry I did it on my own, not through the Ministry," he added when he saw Severus's face. "You'll need to leave immediately. You can floo from Hogsmeade. Tell her what we need of her and bring her back." Severus looked at the old face of his dear friend. He nodded and was off with his cloak in hand.

He walked through the snow and biting cold toward the outer gate. He passed through it and entered The Hog's Head. There he flooed to the address on the sheet. He entered a comfortable looking apartment. It was late and the fire in the grate was no longer on. Sparse Christmas decorations decorated the walls. The living room, (the room he was in), was painted yellow and it had soft, fluffy, white sofas and chairs. A figure was curled up on one of the sofas. On the coffee table in front of the figure was a ½ eaten box of Chinese food and the TV was showing an old movie (Miracle on 34th St.). He could barely believe his eyes, Winnie was on the couch, sleeping. He caught sight of her hand that was draped over her stomach. On it glittered an emerald ring, the one Severus had bought her so many years before. He saw a broom propped up in the corner.

He closed the distance between them finally. He laid a tentative hand on her arm. She shuttered a little before her eyes opened. She jumped up. "Who the hell are yo-" she stopped suddenly and looked into his eyes. "Severus?" her voice still had that sweet, honey tone that made his name sound warm and inviting. He could only nod. She flung her arms around his neck. "I've missed you so, so, so, so, so much!"

"Oh Winnie, you have no idea!"

"Why are you here, how'd you get me address?" she asked finally as they settled down on the sofa.

"Dumbledore gave it to me, he's done some research on his own. I came here to ask you to take the job of DADA teacher at Hogwarts. Don't worry," he began, seeing the fear in his eyes. "She's no longer a threat." Fiona collapsed in his arms. She was crying now.

"That's all I've dreamed of for all these years. I've wanted so badly to be with you again. You make me whole Severus."

"Winnie, I have another question. Will you marry me?"

"Always Severus, always."

A/N- I didn't get any reviews for that last chapter. I'm not complaining but that was my favorite chapter. Anyway, I hope you liked this one. R&R and read my other fic: After the Affair, I'm about to finish a new chapter.