Chapter 35 – The End, part 1
Ron and Ginny Weasley were both sleeping peacefully when he reached them. They were lying in beds next to each other in the otherwise empty Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen; he supposed she'd gone to sleep after taking care of her last patients.
Raising his wand, he said a soft incantation and watched the younger Weasley's body rise from the bed. He levitated her across the room, to a bed at the end of the ward that stood half hidden behind a screen. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he set to work.
"Legillimens" Ginny twitched a bit but didn't wake up. He carefully worked his way through her memories, sifting out the ones that related to the knowledge of him as Hermione's lover and the Pillar of Light. He found very little, only Harry's admission to Hermione's mysterious man and some conversations with Hermione herself which struck him as suspicious. Ginny didn't know anything really, but she suspected things and that was nearly as bad, considering the nosy and determined nature of the girl. He wasn't surprised that she was the one chosen to be the wonder boy's sacred Other, they were really infuriatingly alike…
"Obliviate," he whispered, concentrating on the memories he wanted to remove, modifying the ones around them to make each scene flow perfectly and without a trace of a crack. Ginny now only knew that Hermione had gone out with her brother and that there was some sort of problem there. Every reference to Hermione's and Harry's magical connection had been removed and there was nothing left to indicate that Hermione might be involved with someone other than Ron Weasley. He smiled at his success and walked back towards the more difficult case.
Ten minutes later, he had looked through the memories of the boy and was trying to decide what exactly to do with them. It was clear that the young Gryffindor was both a very jealous and very suspicious person, with both an over-developed ego and low self-esteem. He despised him for his many weaknesses and felt a strong urge to punish him for the way he'd treated Hermione. Certainly, the girl had been equally stupid and should have had the brains to realise that Ron Weasley would be a very ill match for her, but since her stupidity had led to the potion and the potion had led to many pleasurable moments for him, he didn't feel as strongly about punishing her as he did about the boy in front of him. Mr Weasley was undoubtedly going insane from suspicion and rejection as well, seeing how he'd spent an entire day outside in sub-zero temperatures without either food or warm clothes. He sighed, it would all have been so much simpler if the little bugger had just fallen victim to a winter storm…
He checked his watch. Dumbledore would probably keep Harry and Hermione out of his way for quite some time. He could do it, nobody would ever know… Raising his wand again, he levitated the sleeping student to a bed in a dark corner of the ward, tied his legs and arms to the iron-wrought bed with silvery ropes which came out of his wand and put a Silencing Charm as a bubble around the two of them. His hand steady, he moved his wand and the boy opened his eyes.
For a long time, they just stared at each other, loathing evident in both sets of eyes. Ron fought a little against his bonds and engaged in name-calling before finally running out of strength and slumping back against the pillows, hatred glowing in his eyes.
"What are you going to do to me?" he asked angrily and with some apprehension.
"Erase some of the more offending parts of your memory," was the calm reply. Ron visibly blanched.
"Th-that's illegal!" he exclaimed, taking up his fight against the ropes again.
"So? That's the beauty of Memory Charms, Mr Weasley: there is nobody to either accuse or bear witness of the crime." He smiled wickedly. "But now, Mr Weasley, I thought the stability of your brain would appreciate some answers before your memory is modified. And I must admit that I'm looking forward to seeing the look on your face when you learn the truth…"
"What truth?" Ron asked, worry in his voice now. "And why would I even consider believing something you tell me?" he added, trying to sound confident. Snape's eyes radiated anger and disdain.
"Because it relates to your darling Hermione. Only, she isn't exactly your darling, now is she?" he finished with an evil grin. Ron would have sat up in bed if he hadn't been tied down to it.
"What do you know about it?" he snarled. "I swear to you, Snape, if you have hurt her in any way –"
"Tsh, tsh, such insolence," he said softly as he silenced the boy with a quick wave of his wand. "Typical Gryffindor behaviour." A sadistic smile spread on his lips as he prepared for the death blow. Moving closer, he leaned down so that his face was but inches from the boy's and said in a deadly whisper:
"I am Hermione's lover, Mr Weasley. It's me she's been with when she claimed to be studying or sleeping. I've touched her in ways you could only imagine in your most private dreams, and left her begging for more. I've made love to her so many times this past week that my entire body is sore from the exercise, yet should she come to me again right now, I wouldn't deny her. It appears that her feelings for me have lain dormant in her for quite some time, whereas her 'feelings' for you were more of a childish crush that she's now grown out of. She wants a man, Mr Weasley, not some immature boy who can't satisfy her. She's all fire and passion – not that you will ever be able to see it – and she's made her choice. She's chosen me, and I'm happy to oblige her," he finished with a wicked grin. Ron was looking quite green and was shaking his head in denial.
"You don't believe me? Well, why don't you see for yourself then?" He lifted his wand to his temple and a long, silvery strand clung to it as he took it away. Snape then placed the tip of his wand at Ron's temple and watched how the silver moved into his skull until no trace of it could be seen. Ron immediately started thrashing around, eyes wide, then clasped tightly shut, as if he tried to block out the images that were playing inside his head.
Severus lifted the Silencing Charm on the boy and enjoyed the performance. He knew this was cruel, but he didn't care. The boy wanted to know, well then he had to deal with the pain of the knowledge. After a while the thrashing and screaming stopped and Ron lay still, eyes wide and tears running down his cheeks. Snape figured he'd seen enough and swiftly removed the silver strand and put it back into his own head, smiling at the rush of memories.
"You've done something to her!" Ron exclaimed, anger rising in his chest again. "A potion or something! You're forcing her to love you! You're a pervert and a criminal, I'll –"
"Silence!" Snape spat, advancing on him in a menacing way. "You're utterly delusional if you could see what you just saw and think that that was the result of a potion or spell. Lust can be brewed, certainly, but True Love, like True Life (bringing people back from the dead), cannot be put in a bottle. And you ask yourself why she doesn't love you?" he said in his most sarcastic voice, shaking his head to further infuriate the boy.
"I'll talk to her, I'll make her see –"
"You will do no such thing," he replied coolly, "for the very simple reason that when you walk out of here tomorrow, you will have no memory of this conversation, nor any suspicion that Hermione is involved with anyone but yourself, though the memory of her dumping you will still be painfully intact." He smirked and nodded his head before he continued. "You ended up in the hospital wing because of a duel with Potter over his present relationship with your sister. You were never in Hermione's bedroom, you never overheard her conversation with Potter and you certainly never spent a full day up on a cold cliff that reasonably should have killed you. You will wake up tomorrow, feeling guilty about the way you treated both your friends, you will probably apologise and the Golden Trio will be back together by breakfast. Both your friends will know that your memory has been modified and why it was done. They will accept it and act as if it never happened. Life will go on. You'll still be lonely and lovesick, Potter will keep shagging your little sister and Hermione will keep coming to my bed at regular intervals. Really, memory loss will be a blissful thing for you."
And with a last smirk, he went to work, putting Ron in an unconscious state and modifying his memories exactly as he'd said he would. When he was done, he looked through his mind again, found nothing dangerous left, moved both Weasleys back to their original beds, removed every trace of his presence and walked silently up the stairs to the Headmaster's office.
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"Enter!" Dumbledore's voice came from inside his office. He braced himself for the conversation that would undoubtedly follow and pushed open the door.
"Severus," Dumbledore said in a quiet voice. "Please take a seat." He gestured towards a squishy armchair next to the one in which Hermione sat. He complied, but wasn't able to relax. One hand was in his pocket, holding his wand in a firm grip. You never knew what Potter might do…
"Did everything go alright?" the old man asked, pouring thick, hot chocolate into a fourth cup, which he handed him, despite Snape's refusal.
"Like a charm," he said dryly, which made Dumbledore's eyes give a little sparkle in all their seriousness. The corners of Hermione's mouth also twitched a little, but her eyes were big and sad, staring into her lap.
"I trust you, Severus," Dumbledore said, then looked at Harry and Hermione. "Now, the only thing remaining is what to do with the two of you…"
Hermione said nothing and moved her spoon around in her cup. Harry on the other hand was looking from Snape to Dumbledore with suspicion in his eyes.
"I want to know exactly what he has done," he said in a voice that was louder than usual. "I want to know what all this is about, and I'm sick and tired of the two of you talking over my head like I'm not even here."
Snape had a scathing comment on the tip of his tongue, but it was stopped by Hermione's soft voice coming from the chair to his left.
"He's been at the hospital wing, Harry, making sure that the secret of the light ritual is safe," she said, looking up at her friend. Harry just looked back at her, uncomprehendingly.
"Come on!" she snapped. "Do I really have to spell it out to you? Professor Dumbledore brought us here so that Professor Snape could modify Ron and Ginny's memories without us interfering! Professor Dumbledore has been dropping hints about it for the last 45 minutes, and it's not like it wasn't obvious his summons was a way to distract us from the start." She turned to her right and met Snape's black eyes calmly. "I even saw you retrieve the piece of parchment from the fire."
"You knew?!" Harry bellowed, making her head snap back to face him. "You knew this bastard was going to perform illegal and dangerous magic on Ron and Ginny and you didn't even try to stop him?! Bloody hell Hermione! I thought we were your friends! How can you betray us like that? For him?! It's disgusting! It's –" He broke off as Hermione let out a laugh, a tired, desperate laugh.
"You really don't understand, do you Harry? I kept silent for you, for Ron and Ginny, for the good of the wizarding world! I didn't tell you because I knew it had to be done and that you would refuse to accept it. And I too trust Severus," she added softly, looking up at Dumbledore, who gave her a sad but supportive smile.
"What Miss Granger is trying to point out," came Snape's low voice from under the window, "is that the Pila Lucis might very well be the only means for you to defeat the Dark Lord and that the knowledge of the ritual's existence and the identities of the Four must be kept from the Dark Lord at all costs. Mr and Miss Weasley are both too hot-headed and too weak to keep that knowledge safe, especially considering their personal emotions. Mr Weasley could never accept my position in the circle, and judging from what I saw when working on Miss Weasley just now, I would think her most opposed to the deep connection between you and Miss Granger as well. Your petty feelings are of no consequence in these matters, Mr Potter, as I believe I've told you on numerous occasions," he finished with a slight snarl. Harry just glared at him.
"Severus is right, Harry," Dumbledore continued, fixing the boy with his bluest gaze. "We cannot let this opportunity slip us by. We are in a war, and in war, there are always sacrifices. As much as I hated to do it, I considered the violation of Ron and Ginny's memories a rather humane one. They will be happier not knowing, and we will all be safer because of it. Can you honestly tell me that this was a decision I should not, under no circumstances, have made?" Harry sat mute in his chair, transfixed by the old man's gaze, but his body language telling them all that he didn't agree in the slightest. "Trust me Harry, it was the best thing to do."
Harry stared at him for a while longer until he finally resigned and slumped back in his chair. Hermione let out a small sigh, both in relief and apprehension.
"So, what about us?" she asked nervously, trying to keep her voice steady. Dumbledore looked at Snape for a moment and then turned to face her.
"Well, my dear, as we discussed before, I want you both to study Occlumency, along with Mr and Miss Weasley I think. You, Hermione, will study with Professor Snape, and I trust you will make every effort to acquire the necessary skills quickly. I have a plan, one which would further our cause immensely, but for it to succeed, you need not only to master the art of Occlumency – you need to excel at it. You will need to reach Professor Snape's level, or even exceed it," Snape gave a small snort at this, "and you'll need to do this in an impossibly short time. I will personally test your abilities." He looked at her with a very serious face, but his expression softened as he continued: "I knew from the start that you would become exceptional. It's been a true pleasure to watch you grow in power and character during your years here. It's very unfortunate that you have been forced to grow up so quickly, and like Harry, you have shouldered burdens much too heavy for you far sooner than I would have liked you to. I can see in your eyes the love you harbour for my Potions Master and it touches me more deeply than you could ever know. What I have in mind for you is not fair, and not in any way what I would have wanted to give you, had I a choice. Your path is very dark and very dangerous, but I will allow you the choice to walk away from it. If you say no to my plan, you will wake up tomorrow morning with no memory of this past week, save your normal school activities. You will be told that you need Occlumency lessons as a precaution since you are so close to Harry. Your feelings for Professor Snape will be hidden in your subconscious, since they cannot be removed, and appear to you only through strange and somewhat unfocused dreams. You would be told of the ritual when the critical moment came for Harry to use it, and it should all work out as planned. It's a risk, I admit, but I feel you deserve the choice to choose your own path." He broke off and looked at her, a sad expression on his face.
She swallowed hard and looked at the three men around her, tearing her eyes away from Dumbledore's blue gaze to meet the emerald green of her best friend. He smiled at her, the same sad expression as Dumbledore wore, and she gave him a trembling smile back. He took her hand and caressed it gently, telling her wordlessly how important she was to him and urging her to take Dumbledore up on his offer of just walking away. His fear of seeing her hurt because of him was so painful it brought tears to her eyes. Finally, she turned away from him and met the eyes of the third man, knowing even before she looked up into his face what her answer must be. He read it in her eyes before she could even open her mouth and stood up, holding out his hand to her in invitation. With a nod to the Headmaster, who nodded back, his smile a mixture of sadness and pride, she took it, stood up and let Severus lead her out of the office and down the dark stairs.
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A/N: And the end of the story is very near... how will it end?
Ron and Ginny Weasley were both sleeping peacefully when he reached them. They were lying in beds next to each other in the otherwise empty Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen; he supposed she'd gone to sleep after taking care of her last patients.
Raising his wand, he said a soft incantation and watched the younger Weasley's body rise from the bed. He levitated her across the room, to a bed at the end of the ward that stood half hidden behind a screen. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he set to work.
"Legillimens" Ginny twitched a bit but didn't wake up. He carefully worked his way through her memories, sifting out the ones that related to the knowledge of him as Hermione's lover and the Pillar of Light. He found very little, only Harry's admission to Hermione's mysterious man and some conversations with Hermione herself which struck him as suspicious. Ginny didn't know anything really, but she suspected things and that was nearly as bad, considering the nosy and determined nature of the girl. He wasn't surprised that she was the one chosen to be the wonder boy's sacred Other, they were really infuriatingly alike…
"Obliviate," he whispered, concentrating on the memories he wanted to remove, modifying the ones around them to make each scene flow perfectly and without a trace of a crack. Ginny now only knew that Hermione had gone out with her brother and that there was some sort of problem there. Every reference to Hermione's and Harry's magical connection had been removed and there was nothing left to indicate that Hermione might be involved with someone other than Ron Weasley. He smiled at his success and walked back towards the more difficult case.
Ten minutes later, he had looked through the memories of the boy and was trying to decide what exactly to do with them. It was clear that the young Gryffindor was both a very jealous and very suspicious person, with both an over-developed ego and low self-esteem. He despised him for his many weaknesses and felt a strong urge to punish him for the way he'd treated Hermione. Certainly, the girl had been equally stupid and should have had the brains to realise that Ron Weasley would be a very ill match for her, but since her stupidity had led to the potion and the potion had led to many pleasurable moments for him, he didn't feel as strongly about punishing her as he did about the boy in front of him. Mr Weasley was undoubtedly going insane from suspicion and rejection as well, seeing how he'd spent an entire day outside in sub-zero temperatures without either food or warm clothes. He sighed, it would all have been so much simpler if the little bugger had just fallen victim to a winter storm…
He checked his watch. Dumbledore would probably keep Harry and Hermione out of his way for quite some time. He could do it, nobody would ever know… Raising his wand again, he levitated the sleeping student to a bed in a dark corner of the ward, tied his legs and arms to the iron-wrought bed with silvery ropes which came out of his wand and put a Silencing Charm as a bubble around the two of them. His hand steady, he moved his wand and the boy opened his eyes.
For a long time, they just stared at each other, loathing evident in both sets of eyes. Ron fought a little against his bonds and engaged in name-calling before finally running out of strength and slumping back against the pillows, hatred glowing in his eyes.
"What are you going to do to me?" he asked angrily and with some apprehension.
"Erase some of the more offending parts of your memory," was the calm reply. Ron visibly blanched.
"Th-that's illegal!" he exclaimed, taking up his fight against the ropes again.
"So? That's the beauty of Memory Charms, Mr Weasley: there is nobody to either accuse or bear witness of the crime." He smiled wickedly. "But now, Mr Weasley, I thought the stability of your brain would appreciate some answers before your memory is modified. And I must admit that I'm looking forward to seeing the look on your face when you learn the truth…"
"What truth?" Ron asked, worry in his voice now. "And why would I even consider believing something you tell me?" he added, trying to sound confident. Snape's eyes radiated anger and disdain.
"Because it relates to your darling Hermione. Only, she isn't exactly your darling, now is she?" he finished with an evil grin. Ron would have sat up in bed if he hadn't been tied down to it.
"What do you know about it?" he snarled. "I swear to you, Snape, if you have hurt her in any way –"
"Tsh, tsh, such insolence," he said softly as he silenced the boy with a quick wave of his wand. "Typical Gryffindor behaviour." A sadistic smile spread on his lips as he prepared for the death blow. Moving closer, he leaned down so that his face was but inches from the boy's and said in a deadly whisper:
"I am Hermione's lover, Mr Weasley. It's me she's been with when she claimed to be studying or sleeping. I've touched her in ways you could only imagine in your most private dreams, and left her begging for more. I've made love to her so many times this past week that my entire body is sore from the exercise, yet should she come to me again right now, I wouldn't deny her. It appears that her feelings for me have lain dormant in her for quite some time, whereas her 'feelings' for you were more of a childish crush that she's now grown out of. She wants a man, Mr Weasley, not some immature boy who can't satisfy her. She's all fire and passion – not that you will ever be able to see it – and she's made her choice. She's chosen me, and I'm happy to oblige her," he finished with a wicked grin. Ron was looking quite green and was shaking his head in denial.
"You don't believe me? Well, why don't you see for yourself then?" He lifted his wand to his temple and a long, silvery strand clung to it as he took it away. Snape then placed the tip of his wand at Ron's temple and watched how the silver moved into his skull until no trace of it could be seen. Ron immediately started thrashing around, eyes wide, then clasped tightly shut, as if he tried to block out the images that were playing inside his head.
Severus lifted the Silencing Charm on the boy and enjoyed the performance. He knew this was cruel, but he didn't care. The boy wanted to know, well then he had to deal with the pain of the knowledge. After a while the thrashing and screaming stopped and Ron lay still, eyes wide and tears running down his cheeks. Snape figured he'd seen enough and swiftly removed the silver strand and put it back into his own head, smiling at the rush of memories.
"You've done something to her!" Ron exclaimed, anger rising in his chest again. "A potion or something! You're forcing her to love you! You're a pervert and a criminal, I'll –"
"Silence!" Snape spat, advancing on him in a menacing way. "You're utterly delusional if you could see what you just saw and think that that was the result of a potion or spell. Lust can be brewed, certainly, but True Love, like True Life (bringing people back from the dead), cannot be put in a bottle. And you ask yourself why she doesn't love you?" he said in his most sarcastic voice, shaking his head to further infuriate the boy.
"I'll talk to her, I'll make her see –"
"You will do no such thing," he replied coolly, "for the very simple reason that when you walk out of here tomorrow, you will have no memory of this conversation, nor any suspicion that Hermione is involved with anyone but yourself, though the memory of her dumping you will still be painfully intact." He smirked and nodded his head before he continued. "You ended up in the hospital wing because of a duel with Potter over his present relationship with your sister. You were never in Hermione's bedroom, you never overheard her conversation with Potter and you certainly never spent a full day up on a cold cliff that reasonably should have killed you. You will wake up tomorrow, feeling guilty about the way you treated both your friends, you will probably apologise and the Golden Trio will be back together by breakfast. Both your friends will know that your memory has been modified and why it was done. They will accept it and act as if it never happened. Life will go on. You'll still be lonely and lovesick, Potter will keep shagging your little sister and Hermione will keep coming to my bed at regular intervals. Really, memory loss will be a blissful thing for you."
And with a last smirk, he went to work, putting Ron in an unconscious state and modifying his memories exactly as he'd said he would. When he was done, he looked through his mind again, found nothing dangerous left, moved both Weasleys back to their original beds, removed every trace of his presence and walked silently up the stairs to the Headmaster's office.
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"Enter!" Dumbledore's voice came from inside his office. He braced himself for the conversation that would undoubtedly follow and pushed open the door.
"Severus," Dumbledore said in a quiet voice. "Please take a seat." He gestured towards a squishy armchair next to the one in which Hermione sat. He complied, but wasn't able to relax. One hand was in his pocket, holding his wand in a firm grip. You never knew what Potter might do…
"Did everything go alright?" the old man asked, pouring thick, hot chocolate into a fourth cup, which he handed him, despite Snape's refusal.
"Like a charm," he said dryly, which made Dumbledore's eyes give a little sparkle in all their seriousness. The corners of Hermione's mouth also twitched a little, but her eyes were big and sad, staring into her lap.
"I trust you, Severus," Dumbledore said, then looked at Harry and Hermione. "Now, the only thing remaining is what to do with the two of you…"
Hermione said nothing and moved her spoon around in her cup. Harry on the other hand was looking from Snape to Dumbledore with suspicion in his eyes.
"I want to know exactly what he has done," he said in a voice that was louder than usual. "I want to know what all this is about, and I'm sick and tired of the two of you talking over my head like I'm not even here."
Snape had a scathing comment on the tip of his tongue, but it was stopped by Hermione's soft voice coming from the chair to his left.
"He's been at the hospital wing, Harry, making sure that the secret of the light ritual is safe," she said, looking up at her friend. Harry just looked back at her, uncomprehendingly.
"Come on!" she snapped. "Do I really have to spell it out to you? Professor Dumbledore brought us here so that Professor Snape could modify Ron and Ginny's memories without us interfering! Professor Dumbledore has been dropping hints about it for the last 45 minutes, and it's not like it wasn't obvious his summons was a way to distract us from the start." She turned to her right and met Snape's black eyes calmly. "I even saw you retrieve the piece of parchment from the fire."
"You knew?!" Harry bellowed, making her head snap back to face him. "You knew this bastard was going to perform illegal and dangerous magic on Ron and Ginny and you didn't even try to stop him?! Bloody hell Hermione! I thought we were your friends! How can you betray us like that? For him?! It's disgusting! It's –" He broke off as Hermione let out a laugh, a tired, desperate laugh.
"You really don't understand, do you Harry? I kept silent for you, for Ron and Ginny, for the good of the wizarding world! I didn't tell you because I knew it had to be done and that you would refuse to accept it. And I too trust Severus," she added softly, looking up at Dumbledore, who gave her a sad but supportive smile.
"What Miss Granger is trying to point out," came Snape's low voice from under the window, "is that the Pila Lucis might very well be the only means for you to defeat the Dark Lord and that the knowledge of the ritual's existence and the identities of the Four must be kept from the Dark Lord at all costs. Mr and Miss Weasley are both too hot-headed and too weak to keep that knowledge safe, especially considering their personal emotions. Mr Weasley could never accept my position in the circle, and judging from what I saw when working on Miss Weasley just now, I would think her most opposed to the deep connection between you and Miss Granger as well. Your petty feelings are of no consequence in these matters, Mr Potter, as I believe I've told you on numerous occasions," he finished with a slight snarl. Harry just glared at him.
"Severus is right, Harry," Dumbledore continued, fixing the boy with his bluest gaze. "We cannot let this opportunity slip us by. We are in a war, and in war, there are always sacrifices. As much as I hated to do it, I considered the violation of Ron and Ginny's memories a rather humane one. They will be happier not knowing, and we will all be safer because of it. Can you honestly tell me that this was a decision I should not, under no circumstances, have made?" Harry sat mute in his chair, transfixed by the old man's gaze, but his body language telling them all that he didn't agree in the slightest. "Trust me Harry, it was the best thing to do."
Harry stared at him for a while longer until he finally resigned and slumped back in his chair. Hermione let out a small sigh, both in relief and apprehension.
"So, what about us?" she asked nervously, trying to keep her voice steady. Dumbledore looked at Snape for a moment and then turned to face her.
"Well, my dear, as we discussed before, I want you both to study Occlumency, along with Mr and Miss Weasley I think. You, Hermione, will study with Professor Snape, and I trust you will make every effort to acquire the necessary skills quickly. I have a plan, one which would further our cause immensely, but for it to succeed, you need not only to master the art of Occlumency – you need to excel at it. You will need to reach Professor Snape's level, or even exceed it," Snape gave a small snort at this, "and you'll need to do this in an impossibly short time. I will personally test your abilities." He looked at her with a very serious face, but his expression softened as he continued: "I knew from the start that you would become exceptional. It's been a true pleasure to watch you grow in power and character during your years here. It's very unfortunate that you have been forced to grow up so quickly, and like Harry, you have shouldered burdens much too heavy for you far sooner than I would have liked you to. I can see in your eyes the love you harbour for my Potions Master and it touches me more deeply than you could ever know. What I have in mind for you is not fair, and not in any way what I would have wanted to give you, had I a choice. Your path is very dark and very dangerous, but I will allow you the choice to walk away from it. If you say no to my plan, you will wake up tomorrow morning with no memory of this past week, save your normal school activities. You will be told that you need Occlumency lessons as a precaution since you are so close to Harry. Your feelings for Professor Snape will be hidden in your subconscious, since they cannot be removed, and appear to you only through strange and somewhat unfocused dreams. You would be told of the ritual when the critical moment came for Harry to use it, and it should all work out as planned. It's a risk, I admit, but I feel you deserve the choice to choose your own path." He broke off and looked at her, a sad expression on his face.
She swallowed hard and looked at the three men around her, tearing her eyes away from Dumbledore's blue gaze to meet the emerald green of her best friend. He smiled at her, the same sad expression as Dumbledore wore, and she gave him a trembling smile back. He took her hand and caressed it gently, telling her wordlessly how important she was to him and urging her to take Dumbledore up on his offer of just walking away. His fear of seeing her hurt because of him was so painful it brought tears to her eyes. Finally, she turned away from him and met the eyes of the third man, knowing even before she looked up into his face what her answer must be. He read it in her eyes before she could even open her mouth and stood up, holding out his hand to her in invitation. With a nod to the Headmaster, who nodded back, his smile a mixture of sadness and pride, she took it, stood up and let Severus lead her out of the office and down the dark stairs.
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A/N: And the end of the story is very near... how will it end?