For those who reviewed, many thanks. I know I've never put in a personal thank you note, but know they are greatly appreciated. For those who have stuck with the story nonetheless, we are nearing the end now so please be patient.

Shadow of the Jyuunishi : thank you for you  review, I hope you haven't died by now, I hope this next update meets your expectations.

Elvesmagic010: Hi there waves can't wait to begin the crossover, this story is almost done so I should be able to invest all my time in our new project. Make sure to update Last Chance soon.

For those who are interested, Elvesmagic and I are planning to create a crossover, intended as a sequel to her stories as well as this one. For those who haven't read Eyes of Grey, Soul of Steel yet, go do so now! It's a wonderfull RL/OC story.

For the love of Snape

Severus was working on a potion... for Lierin... Blast it! He had noticed how her leg was troubling her a lot lately and now he was busy making a new batch of Pain relieving potions. He was getting soft. He was getting old.

"By the way, I'd rather be with a three-legged man with pointy horns and a hairy tail before I'd even consider being with you!"

His lips twisted in anger when that memory briefly crossed his mind. He hated her for saying that... and yet he cared for her for a reason still unknown to him.

But he was planning for revenge. He didn't know how, he didn't know when... but the day would come he'd make her crystal clear that Severus Snape was not a person to toy with. And hadn't done Lierin anything else lately? Toy with him? Pushing him away, inviting him in, pushing him away again. It was time that little witch learnt a small lesson.

Then why was he cooking up new potions for her? He watched the stirring movements of his hand with a sour look on his face. Bash the potion up then? No, that was no option. He was too proud of his own expertise. Give it to Poppy? She would be grateful. No, that was no option either, for more than just a few reasons. Maybe he could keep it in his private stock?  No, no, that wouldn't do either. Snape gazed into the potion. Oh what the hell, he thought, just admit it. You want her to have the potion, you want her to know you did that for her. Unaware of the other presence in the dungeon, Severus silently kept working on the potion. His mind drifting to Lierin's mysterious words and the feeling that something curious was going on. He had pushed those thoughts aside the moment Lierin had been up and running again, plus his determination to join forces with Lupin to find out what for Merlin's sake was going on.

He kept staring at his potion with an awful pained expression in his eyes. Lierin watched him working, taking in every line of his face, watching his graceful motions, completely awed in the realisation that he was her future.

His defences were down and for a moment Lierin could see the man within.

A broken man haunted by his past, a past that never would leave him alone. Absentmindedly he pulled up the sleeve of his left hand and rubbed the lower part of his arm. Even from this distance, Lierin could see the sinister dark branded in his flesh but it didn't shock her as much as she had expected.

She didn't see a former Deatheater, a former servant of the Dark Lord. She only saw his loneliness, his desperation and his shattered soul, shattered by what he had done and witnessed so many years ago. Finally, with his guards down, Lierin understood that his sarcasm and his hate and his nasty demeanor had been his only means of surviving under the Dark Lord and he hadn't been able to act differently since.

Severus, she thought, there is so much about you that I still have to learn.

So many wounds, so many of them still open. But they belonged together, she knew and maybe if she'd love him enough, he would be able to heal. Someday. Lierin cleared her throat to get his attention. Snape's head snapped up and he quickly pulled his sleeve down. Too late, Lierin thought to herself with a wry smile.

"And what might you be doing here?" Snape asked with snarl.

Ah, so Snape was his usual lovely self again, Lierin thought amused. Well, I have a surprise for you mister; you don't fool me anymore.

"I've come to thank you for your wonderful present. She's lovely, simply beautiful."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're rambling about. Now, if you'll excuse me, unlike some of us I have work to do."

"You can quit the act, I'm not in the mood!" Lierin said sharply, "I never got around to thank you for Velvet since I've been a bit 'preoccupied' lately, but there it is. Thanks."

"Velvet?" Snape was obviously puzzling his mind what on earth she was rambling about now… exactly the distraction that Lierin needed to close the gap between them and to gently caress his face with her fingers. He quickly pulled away from her, sensing the change in her disposition and not feeling entirely comfortable about it.

"Don't," said Snape, "You don't know what you are doing."

"I think I know exactly what I am doing," said Lierin, feeling the tension between them build. She grabbed his face with her two hands this time and forced him to look into her eyes.

Severus stared into those translucent eyes that she inherited from the entity Crejy and shivered at the familiarty of them. Her eyes were more enticing now than they had ever seemed as a familiar emotion swirled around in them. Long forgotten and forbidden parts of his mind and body reacted to her as a soft woven spell enticed them. Lierin found herself staring up into his beetle black eyes and witnessed how shadows of the past were ready to break through the surface. His eyes grew even darker, blacker than black, and suddenly he was there. Tyng Saccakhan.

Suddenly Snape pulled her hands away and tried to escape.

"No, you don't Lierin. No....wait. Lierin, please!" Snape cried out as Lierin pressed her lips against his, completely caught up in the moment. His resolve melted away as the being hidden deep inside him recognised his mate. Both entities awakened and, even if they had wanted to resist, they weren't able to do so. A part of Crejy still living inside Lierin was explainable, but Lierin vaguely wondered how on earth it was possible that Tyng Saccakhan resided in Severus, as he had never summoned the entity inside the Barrier. 

Soon however, there was no time and no want to think, just to act. Looking back on the events, Lierin couldn't remember how they had reached Snape's sleeping quarters, but suddenly they were there and it never mattered how they'd gotten there. Lierin's skin turned pale blue and her eyes grew from semi-translucent to completely translucent. She opened her eyes and only saw the unholy blackness of Tyng Saccakhan staring down at her. She shivered and knew that at this moment, Tyng wasn't looking at her, but at Crejy. A transition took place as passion was exchanged and ancient magic built around them. Garments were taken off but they never dropped on the ground, kisses were shared but never broken, they were there but at the same time they weren't there. They were trapped in eternity, trapped in another plane of existence solely understood by the two entities, while their hosts were left defenseless, bare and vulnerable. Tension built as the two entities got reaquainted with each other's physique until a tidalwave of emotions threatened to overwhelm them and their hosts. They tasted as much of each other as they possibly could, clinging to each other and holding on for dear life, until they both finally erupted in a massive scream of release, allowing Snape and Lierin to return to their normal states of mind.  

"I never experienced anything like that," Lierin whispered, "Thank you."

After what seamed forever, Lierin woke up from what she thought to be a heavenly dream. A bit dissappointed she tried to roll over but soon discovered she was trapped in a very warm and sensual embrace. Snape was clinging to her, even in his sleep and a warm smile lit up Lierin's face. She traced the lines of his face with her finger and she smiled happily to see the tranquil state of her lover.

They layed there for a long time, while enjoying the intimacy they now shared. He looked so peaceful lying there. There were no hard lines in his face, no coldness in his expression, no anger and no remorse. He looked so peaceful and gentle as he slumbered, in her eyes every inch of him was was beautiful. Finally, at long last, Lierin allowed herself to admit how much she really cared for him, how much she needed him and how important he was in her life as he always had been. As she looked down at his slumbering form, she thought how it was hardly comprehensable that years ago he was her tutor. Who would have guessed that once he would also be her lover? She also thought how it was even less comprehensable that in an entirely different time she had been above him. With Severus sleeping, she indulged herself and placed a delicate hand on his muscular chest and couldn't help but remembering that first evening, when he had pulled her up against his chest and had stirred such a riot of emotions in her. Tired but utterly satisfied, Lierin layed her head on his chest and she too drifted away in peaceful slumber.

 She didn't know for how long they remained that way, but suddenly Severus' eyes flew wide open and he nearly knocked her over when getting up quickly. One startled look in his eyes and Lierin could tell that the cold and harsh Severus Snape was back. Her hand flew to her throat and with dread she wondered what was about to happen and how much he would hurt her.

She watched him as he quickly got himself dressed and wondered what had gotten into him. He finally buttoned his wizard's robes and Lierin watched in disbelief as he headed to the door of his private tower. Was he going to leave her just like that?

Near the door he at last took the dignity to turn around and treat her with his coolest of stares yet.

"Well, well, well. So far for your three-legged, pointy eared, hairy tailed monster theory."

"My what?"

"What, you don't remember your own words? Tssk, you should know better, my dear. Watch what you are saying, it might be held against you."

Realising something had gone horribly wrong, Lierin tried to fight back her tears, knowing she needed to convince Severus they belonged to each other.

"Severus, I have know idea what you are talking about. If I ever said anything in the past that caused you grief, I apologise from the bottom of my heart but please believe me..."

"Believe you? Sure. Of course. With pleasure. Why not? You have always been a very trustworthy and reliable person, haven't you?"

"Please, listen to me. Current events have led me to believe that..."

"Current events have led you to believe? Since when do you let yourself be guided by current events? Ah yes, you always do. I forgot. That of course proves why one time you're romancing the camp wolf and why the next you're offering yourself to me. By Merlin, how many men have you had?"

"Is that your grief? Remus? That silly poem he recited? Severus, he was just kidding around. We found a poem that wasn't complete and Remus decided to recreate it into his own little version. We are not lovers, he's my..."

"Perhaps, but that's not what I wanted to prove, now is it? I wanted to prove something else, I wanted to prove you wrong, and your clothes on the floor and the tears in your eyes prove me right."

"Prove you right? What do you mean?" Lierin almost started to cry. Why couldn't she find the words to make him understand?

"You once told me you'd rather be with a three-legged man with pointy horns and a hairy tail than with me. Like I said, your lack of garments and the tears in your eyes prove otherwise."

"Come on, I was angry! Don't you ever say something you don't mean when you're angry?"

"I once told you before and I'll say it again. I never lie."

"Please, don't do this to us. We belong to each other. It's predicted, don't you remember Trelawney?"

"There is no us. And when will you get it through you're thick skull that the world doesn't revolve around you!"

"Excuse me, but at the moment I do believe it revolves around me! That's what I'm trying to tell you, I once made a mistake but I've been given a chance to redeem myself"

"Ah, of course," snarled Snape and his thin mouth curled into a horrible smile.

"The entire universe has given you a chance to redeem yourself. Why couldn't

I just think of that? Then again, you always have been exceedingly arrogant.

A small amount of talent on the Quidditch pitch and you think you are cut above the rest of us, strutting around this place with Weaselboy!"

"Strutting around? What... on... earth are you talking about!" asked Lierin, nearly choking on the words and her eyes filling with tears at his crualty.

Snape stopped to catch his breath; his jaw had gone rigid with anger.

"When I return, I want you out of my room and I suggest you stay out of my way in the future! How's that for your redemption!" He spat and he walked out of his room.

Lierin was stunned and didn't notice the large tears staining her face. His words drifted back to her.

"Perhaps, but that's not what I wanted to prove, now is it? I wanted to prove something else, I wanted to prove you wrong, and your clothes on the floor and the tears in your eyes prove me right."

The exact words as in her vision! Dear Merlin! The man and woman from her vision had been themselves! Lierin started to cry as she realised the full meaning of her visions. Snape leaving her, the murder of Remus, Voldemort getting the Goblet of Might, Voldemort killing Snape. It all happened before and history was about to repeat itself. And it all had happened because of jealousy; Snape's jealousy. The reason what destroyed their relationship back then and the reason why there wouldn't be a relationship now.

Why couldn't he believe that there was nothing going on between her and Remus? Why couldn't he believe that Remus was not trying to seperate them?

And why had he killed Remus for something as insignificant as that? Lierin remembered her vision and how crual her beloved brother had been slaughtered by the man she had once loved. And the worst part, it wasn't just a vision, it had happened and it could happen again!

Soon shattered sobs racked her slender body and tears poured from her eyes as she cried even harder. She forced herself to get up from the bed and she dressed herself as quickly as possible. One last glance over her shoulder and she fled away to her own safe private tower. She knew she couldn't go on. She couldn't, she wouldn't solve the mystery of Hogwarts, not if that meant losing Remus over Snape. She would probably lose him anyway, but if the mystery remained unsolved, the Clouds of Time would dissappear, and at least then, Snape would be dead too...