Visions in the Night Sky
Chapter 6: Every Breath, Every Step
The end of the week sneaked up on Merewen. Before she knew it, she was looking at the end of her experience. In just twenty-four hours she would be leaving Hogwarts. Every day for a month, Merewen had been scanning the Daily Prophet and pestering the other Professors for news of Severus. Nothing ever came. It seemed no one, not even Professor Dumbledore knew where he was. Either that or no one was telling her. This thought made Merewen angry. She didn't want to think the worst, but to think the best seemed like wishful thinking. Merewen cried quietly as she packed her things, carefully replaced the books she had borrowed from Severus, played the piano in her room one last time and then placed Meriwether in his basket. It was time for her to go. There was a pain in her heart that she couldn't seem to shake off. Severus wasn't there. He wasn't there to congratulate her, to hold her, to kiss her, to see her off back to London to graduate and move on.
Move on. The words stung at Merewen's being. She stood in the doorway of her quarters and stiffened her lip, willing the quivering to stop and the tears to go away. She heard a voice calling to her from the top of the stairs. Merewen's Slytherin students were waiting to carry her things for her. Merewen allowed them to do so, taking Meriwether's basket herself. She felt like she was in slow motion as she walked through the castle. She was leaving again. She remembered being a bit sad when she graduated from Hogwarts, but this was different. There was something else left unfinished here that would never be fulfilled. She was leaving without saying something to someone and that hurt more than anything she had ever felt.
Merewen approached the large wooden doors of the school and felt profoundly sad. She couldn't believe she was actually going to have to leave. She stood at the front drive that led directly to the front door and watched as the boys who had carried her things loaded them into the carriage for her. Merewen embraced both headmaster and deputy headmistress and then stood and looked out across the English countryside as if looking for the last time. In truth, she was waiting for something to happen. A miracle. She imagined that just as she was getting into the carriage that she would hear a voice calling to her and she would turn to see who it was.
"Merewen!"
Merewen's heart skipped a beat. That voice. It was the one from her dream. It was the one that both admonished and admired her, the voice that she thought she would never hear again. Merewen set Meriwether's basket in the carriage and turned around. She didn't bother to stop the tears this time. There would have been no stopping them anyway.
"Severus!" Merewen cried, running back toward the school and throwing herself into the arms of the man she loved who swung her in a circle in his arms before setting her back on the ground and kissing her soundly on the lips. Severus Snape, renewed by his stay at St. Mungo's, stood there in the Saturday sun, holding his student teacher and love against him with almost bruising strength. He kissed her again before he spoke.
"You wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, would you?" he murmured.
"Severus, I wanted so much to…I mean I…I thought I'd never…Oh, Severus I love you so much!" Merewen stammered, finding herself pressing her lips to his again. Severus felt as if he'd skipped from cloud 1 to 9 in a single leap. It felt so good to be home in her arms.
The school year was over soon after and Severus accompanied Albus and Minerva to Merewen's graduation. She was a professor now and a bright career as a potions mistress lay before her.
"You know, headmaster," Severus commented as he, Dumbledore and McGonagall left the stands to catch up with Merewen. "I believe I've become accustomed to having her professional help. Perhaps there is room for more than one potions professor at Hogwarts." Dumbledore and McGonagall smiled at one another.
"I know precisely the woman for the job," Dumbledore said, playing along with Severus' plea. He knew well what Severus was planning to do after the ceremony.
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Merewen accepted the new position at Hogwarts a heartbeat after Severus offered it to her. At dinner that night, at a fancy restaurant in London, Severus looked up from his dinner and watched as Merewen opened her graduation gifts one by one. Most had simply sent a card, but a few had sent a sensible object such as a roll of expensive parchment, a set of quill nibs, or something of that sort. Professor Dumbledore presented her with the quill he had charmed to correct her papers for her that night shortly after Severus disappeared. Professor McGonagall gave her a tin of ginger newts with a very familiar tartan pattern. When she had finished and the laughter and chatter had died down a bit, Severus pulled a soft velvet pouch from his pocket. He had saved his own gift to Merewen for last.
Merewen turned the pouch over in her hands before opening it and reaching her fingers inside. She drew back and pulled out a stunning ring decorated with a small diamond surrounded by flecks of emeralds.
"Severus!" Merewen whispered breathlessly. Severus smiled. He took Merewen's hand in his own and looked her in the eyes. Shining love was bright in her eyes. Severus could see his life in them. He could see joy.
"Merewen Euphemia Capenum, will you marry me?" Severus asked. Across the table, Minerva squeezed Albus' hand beneath the table in sheer delight. The look on Merewen's face gave her answer away.
"It would be my highest honor to call myself your wife," Merewen replied. Severus let a tear slip down his cheek as he slid the ring onto Merewen's hand and kissed her.
Minerva dabbed her eyes with her lace handkerchief and smiled radiantly at Albus and then at Severus and Merewen. There would be a wedding at Hogwarts to plan now. None of them wanted the night to end.
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