ONLY ONE CH. 3- ONLY ONE
AN- It might take a while for this one to be posted. As of right now (Aug. 30) I am not nearly done with it. But, I'll make it my top priority to finish it. After work, of course. Finally, I use the song that this story was named after. I love this song. It's so sweet… aw… I don't know if I said this yet but Voldemort has been defeated. There's still Death Eaters and stuff, but there's no Voldemort. And also, in the previous chapter I said that Billy's daughter was six. I changed it to 12.
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Broken this fragile thing now
And I can't, I can't pick up the pieces
And I've thrown my words all around
But I can't, I can't give you a reason
I feel so broken up (so broken up)
And I give up (I give up)
I just want to tell you so you know
Here I go, scream my lungs out and try to get to you
You are my only one
I let go, but there's just no one that gets me like you do
You are my only, my only one
Made my mistakes, let you down
And I can't, I can't hold on for too long
Ran my whole life in the ground
And I can't, I can't get up when you're gone
And something's breaking up (breaking up)
I feel like giving up (like giving up)
I won't walk out until you know
Here I go, scream my lungs out and try to get to you
You are my only one
I let go, but there's just no one that gets me like you do
You are my only my only one
Here I go so dishonestly
Leave a note for you my only one
And I know you can see right through me
So let me go and you will find someone
Here I go, scream my lungs out and try to get to you
You are my only one
I let go, but there's just no one, no one like you
You are my only, my only one
My only one
My only one
My only one
You are my only, my only one
"Only One" - Yellowcard
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It was about a week until school started and students had already begun to arrive. Out of the twenty or so that were settling back into life at Hogwarts, Roni found herself drawn to the "Golden Trio" as Severus mockingly called them. Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and the one and only Harry Potter. She had met them at breakfast one morning and spent the rest of the day with them at Hogsmeade before returning to the castle and assisting Severus with the potions.
"I can't believe you're growing fond of the Golden Trio," Severus muttered. "They are nothing but trouble."
"Oh, hush up. I'm young and I need friends too."
"So you befriend a few 7th year students?"
"They're Remus's friends, too!"
"So were James Potter and Sirius Black. I don't think Lupin has very good taste in friends."
"Says the man who spends time with Death Eaters." Her eyes widened in shock was she pulled her lover into a tight embrace. "Oh, God, Severus, I'm so sorry. That wasn't a good thing to say. I am so sorry."
"Get off of me, woman." He pulled away from her and gave her a half-serious, half-joking glare. "Think nothing of it."
"I am sorry." She added the eye of newt and then watched the potion boil. "Hey, Sev?"
"Hm?"
"I don't know that much about you."
"And that's the way I like it." He stalked to the cupboards and began to pry one open, but was stopped by Veronica, who was looking at him through soft eyes.
"I want to know more. I want you to be able to tell me everything."
He sighed, and whirled around, turning his back to her. "I really need to finish this potion."
"Fuck the potion! I am sick and tired of you running away from your problems! Now you're only running away from your past. Was it really that bad?" she asked in a whisper.
Severus stared, gaping at her, not quite believing a word she said. "Yes, it really was that bad.
"As a child, my father- who was also a Death Eater- abused me and my mother. He said that I was weak and didn't deserve to be the heir of one of Voldemort's most faithful servants. He blamed my mother for how I turned out and, in turn, beat her. The worst thing was… he would make me watch. He'd put me in a full body bind and then proceeded to pummel Mother as I watched. I was six years old, for Merlin's sake!
"School wasn't any better, with those bloody Marauders, so I drifted off into the Death Eaters. The biggest mistake I ever made was accepting Lucius Malfoy's invitation to a Death Eater's meeting. I quickly moved up the ranks and took my father's place beside Voldemort when he died. That was the worst bloody mistake. And yet, here I am, after Voldemort's fall, pretending to be a Death Eater." He laughed bitterly. "Bloody hell, that's all I am, isn't it? A mistake who pretends to belong." He turned to his lover, whose green eyes were brimming with tears.
"Is there anywhere I can actually belong?" he asked. "I can't fit in with the Death Eaters because that's just not who I am. And I don't belong on the 'Light Side' because everyone thinks I'm a greasy git. Where the fuck do I belong, Veronica?"
"With me!" she yelled back, her voice cracking. "You belong here with me! I love you, no matter what you are or where you belong! You are the only one for me, Severus, and you better get used to it, because I'm not going anywhere for a long time. I realize that you didn't have the best life so far, but I plan on changing that. I plan on making these next hundred or so years the best of your life. And I always do as planned."
Veronica stood in front of Severus, anger laboring her breathing. She had never said anything that meant half as much to her than those words. She loved Severus Snape and she was willing to stand by her man no matter what.
Then he broke down. He started crying, something he hadn't done since he was a child. As the tears flowed down his face, he walked into Roni's waiting arms. The love and comfort her embrace gave him was unimaginable. No one could ever make him feel the way he did when he was around her. Absolutely no one.
"I love you," she whispered.
"And I love you."
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The next day found Veronica by Madame Pomfrey's side as she tried to heal Ron Weasley's broken leg. He had fallen off of his broom while he and Harry were practicing Quidditch and landed on his leg in an unnatural position.
"It'll heal before Quidditch season starts, right?" he asked anxiously.
"Mr. Weasley, I mean this in the nicest of ways, but do please shut up." Roni laughed softly at Madame Pomfrey's words.
"So, Professor Jamison, you also work with Snape, yes?" Harry flipped unenthusiastically through his potions textbook.
"Yes, I do."
"Is he as awful out of class as he is in class?"
"Oh, no." She paused. "He's much worse."
Ron shot her a terrified look, his face paling. "Bloody hell, you have no idea how much I feel for you."
"I'm kidding, Ron. He's actually a really great guy."
Hermione, who had previously been entranced in Hogwarts: A History, rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ronald, you should believe her. She spends every day with Professor Snape, so she obviously has gotten to know him." She turned to Veronica, who was cautiously bending Ron's healed leg. "What's he like?"
"You mean, his personality?"
"Yes, of course."
"He's a very hard worker. I'm used to working for an hour or so and then going out with my mates. With Severus, it's different. It's hours of work and then lots of incessant whining before he decides to take a break."
She stopped, thinking of some positive qualities her lover possessed, since the kids already knew the negatives. "Believe it or not, he actually has a great sense of humor." The boys snorted derisively. "No, I'm not joking! It's a very dry, sort of sarcastic humor."
"Is he romantic?" Hermione asked, much to the horror of her friends.
Veronica smiled at the girl's fairy tale sense of love. "He's not a knight in shining armor, if that's what you're hoping for. And he's not much of a 'public displays of affection' guy, either. But he does have a way with words. Every time he tells me he loves me, I die. He's able to completely bare his soul to me through words, and I think he really likes that because he hasn't been able to do that with anyone else."
"That's sweet." Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and Ron, who looked utterly surprised.
"So Snape is actually a nice guy?" Ron asked.
"Yep."
"Then why does he hate me?" Harry piped up, his green eyes showing a mixture of confusion and annoyance.
"Because of who you are," Veronica answered cryptically.
"Who am I?"
"James Potter's son, the boy-who-lived, everything Severus is not. Harry, Sev's life has been shite until now, and you have the same upbringing as him. Crappy childhoods and immense pressure forced upon you at a young age by Voldemort. He's trying, Harry. He's honestly trying to be a nicer person."
"Who is?"
Veronica inwardly rolled her eyes. Madame Pomfrey always chose the best time to waddle in. she told the three kids she'd speak with them later and then headed outside to her favorite place in the world: the lake.
As she waded in the water of the main lake, she realized just how alike- and yet how completely different- Harry Potter and Severus Snape were. Harry was the light side of the equation and Severus was the dark. As children, they were shut off from the world and slaves to their superiors. At young ages, they both met the Dark Lord; though Severus joined him and Harry defeated him.
It's so weird because the two loathed each other. But what Veronica said was true. Since Voldemort's fall, Severus has been trying to redeem himself worthy on the "Light Side". He's been polite, though in such a way that it was almost chivalrous. He's tried to- as cliché as it might sound- "treat others as he wished to be treated".
She continued on to the other side of the castle, to the lagoon where she and Severus first kissed. Smiling at the memory, she sat at the edge, resting her forearms on her knees. She didn't even look up to acknowledge the presence of Remus Lupin.
"Not many people know of this place," he stated, squatting down next to her. "I'm surprised you found it."
"I found it back when I was in school. I spent all of my time out of classes here." She turned to him. "How'd you find me here?"
"Werewolf instincts." His amber eyes twinkled, much like Dumbledore's. "You smell like apples. Is it your lotion?"
She giggled. "Shampoo. I've used it for years."
They were silent for a while, each finding the other's presence comforting. Veronica looked at her new friend and felt pity towards him. The scars stretching from his left temple all the way across his face were probably only two of the many scars covering his body, each received from his monthly transformations.
"Severus has changed a lot since your arrival." The werewolf smiled. "It's a good change though."
"He's trying to be nicer, Remus. And I honestly think he's doing a good job."
"As do I. He's trying his damnedest and I think people are slowly warming up to him. Though many of the staff already felt some sort of love towards him. Albus and Minerva feel like his adopted parents and Poppy loves him like a son, also. And now, the lucky bugger has you to love him." He paused. "You do love him, don't you?"
"Yes." She hesitated, glancing at Remus before picking at the frayed cuffs of her blue jeans. "Um, Remus, may I tell you something?"
"Of course. Anything."
"I think Severus… he may be the one for me, you know? I believe that everyone has that one person who is meant for them. Some people find them early in life and some later, but I think I found my 'one'."
"Severus."
"Yes. I think we'll be together forever. I know I'll love him forever, whether or not that's how long we'll last. I really love him. I love him with all my heart and soul."
"You're lucky. I don't think I've found my 'one'. Most people don't accept me because of my… condition." A smile lit his scarred face. "But I just met this wonderful girl the other day. Her name's Laura…"
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The first day of school had finally arrived and students had begun to swarm into the Great Hall. Severus requested that Veronica sit between him and Remus and Dumbledore happily allowed it. Throughout the Sorting and Dumbledore's speech, Severus could not take his eyes off of the beautiful woman seated beside him. Her wavy auburn hair was let down and rested right above her shoulders. She was clad in dark emerald robes, which made her green eyes stand out, glimmering in mirth.
"One last announcement," Dumbledore said, making Severus tear his eyes away from Veronica. "The Yule Ball will be held in two weeks." The Hall erupted into applause. "I hope everyone attends. Staff as well," he added, eyeing the Potions Master.
"Smite me, O Mighty Smiter," Severus grumbled. He calmed down a bit when Veronica placed his hand on his under the table.
"And now, let the feast begin!"
As the kids began to dig into the food which graced their tables, Remus turned to Veronica, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.
"I'm meeting Laura in Hogsmeade this weekend and I was wondering if you and Severus wanted to accompany me. It can be something like a double date."
Without even consulting Severus, Roni nodded enthusiastically. "Of course we will, Remus. I'd love to meet your new lady friend," she added with a smirk.
Turning back to her food, she acknowledge Severus's glare with an innocent smile.
"Yes, dear?"
"What if I did not want to go to Hogsmeade and meet this girl?"
"Oh, come on, Sev. It's good for you to get out and meet people. You're always cooped up-"
She was interrupted as a tawny owl landed gracefully in front of her, impatiently sticking out its leg awaiting the removal of its parcel. Veronica quickly took the letter off of the owls leg and handed it a piece of her roll. She recognized the handwriting to be that of her widowed sister-in-law's.
Dear Veronica,
I have been accepted into a very prestigious social group which leaves me with little time to spend with my daughter. I wish for her to have the best life possible, but I don't think she can live that life with me. It is with a heavy heart that I ask you to become Annaliese's guardian. I have enclosed the Ministry's adoption papers and all you are asked to do is sign them. Annaliese shall arrive promptly at noon tomorrow. Sorry for such short notice.
Juliette Wiggins
Veronica gaped, dumbfounded. She was intent on sending Annaliese over whether Roni wanted her or not. Of course Roni would take Anna under her wing. It's not like she had any choice. But what about school? As of now, Anna's attending Durmstrang. She'd have to transfer to Hogwarts and be sorted all over again.
"Veronica?" Severus was careful to have his mask firmly in place, but the concern showed in his eyes. "What is it?"
"Do you remember that picture of Billy's daughter, Annaliese?"
"Yes."
"Well, her mother is asking- no, telling me that I'm adopting her."
"Are those the papers?" He nodded towards a few parchments sitting next to her plate.
"Yes, they are."
"You don't have to sign them."
"Yes, I do, because Annaliese is arriving tomorrow."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Nodding, she sighed. "Poor kid. Her own mother is abandoning her." She felt tears stinging her eyes, but quickly blinked them away and excused herself from the table. Severus started after her but was stopped by Remus. He sat back down, not even hungry anymore. He noticed that the Golden Trio had followed Veronica out of the Hall and felt a little reassured. He'd never thought that those three kids would actually be good for something.
"Bugger all," he mutter, causing Remus to laugh out loud.
AN- School started today so updates will probably be a little slower. Stupid school. Review, por favor.