A/N: I am SO sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been in two
shows and then I got sick, so, basically, no free time. Luckily, it
doesn't look like the next chapter will be such a long wait.
Chapter Seven: Decisions
Severus Snape's eyes flickered open. He caught sight of the redhead sleeping curled up in the chair next to his bed. He stretched out a trembling hand to lay against her cheek.
"Rayna?"
She sighed, and opened her eyes. "Hullo, Severus."
"How long have I been here?"
"About two an a half days."
There was nothing else to say. After noting the guilt in one another's eyes, the two lovers retreated back into silence. That night, Rayna Dumbledore made her decision.
*
A week later, Professor Snape was back in his dungeons and his bad temper. He hadn't seen Hermione outside of class in four days. As they had agreed, he passed her a slip of paper reading simply "tonight", before barking a "get out" at the class that had just melted two cauldrons.
Once the class had left, he heard a knock at the door. He didn't look up as it opened.
"I though you weren't coming until- Rayna! Wh-What are you doing here?"
"Don't seem so happy to see me, Severus." She held out two fingers clasping a black pearl, diamond and platinum engagement ring. "This belongs to you."
Snape's eyes were cold. "Have I missed something?"
"Honestly, Severus. My father trusts you now. There's no point to this marriage."
"So the love idea just disappeared?"
"Disappeared? Or never truly existed?"
"Apparently never existed."
"Let's not fool ourselves, Snape. We had a twelve-year engagement because we were waiting for this to happen. You never truly loved me." He took the ring. "Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you then."
As the door closed behind his former fiancée, Severus Snape realized what had happened. Padfoot was back.
*
"Headmaster?"
Professor Dumbledore's head poked out from around a corner. "Severus. Come in." he said kindly.
Snape sat in one of the two armchairs across from Dumbledore's desk. "She left."
"You expected it."
"That doesn't make it any easier."
"What about your Miss Granger?"
"Hermione? What about her?"
"Could she, er. help to ease the pain a bit?"
Amazingly, Snape flushed. "Perhaps."
"Then you should go. I suspect you'll find her waiting for you."
*
Just as Dumbledore had predicted, Snape opened the door to find Hermione sitting on his desk, waitng for him.
"Good evening," she said, sliding off desk. She caught his eyes. "Are you alright?" When he didn't answer, she came toward him and buried her hands in his hair. She drew his mouth down to hers and kissed him tenderly as he lifted her into his arms.
"Hermione?" He broke their kiss.
"Mm?"
"I love you."
"Somehow, love, I doubt that it what's bothering you."
"What is bothering me is what gives me the freedom to love you." Hermione pulled her head back from him. "What do you mean?"
Snape set her down and turned away. "Would you like a cup of tea?" He asked, taking down the pot.
"If you explain, Severus."
For the next few minutes, Hermione sat in silence as Snape made the tea. She watched him add a drop of Veritaserum to his cup, and looked up at him, puzzled.
"I won't be tempted to lie, and you'll believe me." He said chastely in response to the unspoken question. He placed the two steaming mugs on the table, and sat across from Hermione.
"You know, I suppose," he began, "that Professor Dumbledore has a daughter my age?"
Hermione nodded.
"Well, she was one of the best Aurors in the world during Voldemort's last few years. I had always been quite taken with her. Anyway, to make a long story short, she was the Auror who caught me. I was thrown into Azkaban. She was engaged to Sirius Black at the time. When he murdered Pettigrew, even though she's been advocating his innocence ever since, they broke the engagement. My trial was a week later."
He paused and took a long sip of his tea before continuing.
"At the trial, something came over me and I proposed. Every time we made wedding plans, they fell through. It seemed like she was waiting for Black to get out, like she knew he could. Obviously, she knew that Azkaban wasn't as severe for the innocent. Today, after class, she came her and broke off our engagement. Bluntly. It doesn't do much for one's self esteem to see his fiancée chose Sirius Black over him."
Hermione sat in silence for several minutes before placing a hand over his.
"Do you want me to stay?" she asked.
He looked up, guiltily, and met her gaze. He nodded and stood up, walking around to her side of the table, then catching her once again in a tender embrace.
TBC
Chapter Seven: Decisions
Severus Snape's eyes flickered open. He caught sight of the redhead sleeping curled up in the chair next to his bed. He stretched out a trembling hand to lay against her cheek.
"Rayna?"
She sighed, and opened her eyes. "Hullo, Severus."
"How long have I been here?"
"About two an a half days."
There was nothing else to say. After noting the guilt in one another's eyes, the two lovers retreated back into silence. That night, Rayna Dumbledore made her decision.
*
A week later, Professor Snape was back in his dungeons and his bad temper. He hadn't seen Hermione outside of class in four days. As they had agreed, he passed her a slip of paper reading simply "tonight", before barking a "get out" at the class that had just melted two cauldrons.
Once the class had left, he heard a knock at the door. He didn't look up as it opened.
"I though you weren't coming until- Rayna! Wh-What are you doing here?"
"Don't seem so happy to see me, Severus." She held out two fingers clasping a black pearl, diamond and platinum engagement ring. "This belongs to you."
Snape's eyes were cold. "Have I missed something?"
"Honestly, Severus. My father trusts you now. There's no point to this marriage."
"So the love idea just disappeared?"
"Disappeared? Or never truly existed?"
"Apparently never existed."
"Let's not fool ourselves, Snape. We had a twelve-year engagement because we were waiting for this to happen. You never truly loved me." He took the ring. "Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you then."
As the door closed behind his former fiancée, Severus Snape realized what had happened. Padfoot was back.
*
"Headmaster?"
Professor Dumbledore's head poked out from around a corner. "Severus. Come in." he said kindly.
Snape sat in one of the two armchairs across from Dumbledore's desk. "She left."
"You expected it."
"That doesn't make it any easier."
"What about your Miss Granger?"
"Hermione? What about her?"
"Could she, er. help to ease the pain a bit?"
Amazingly, Snape flushed. "Perhaps."
"Then you should go. I suspect you'll find her waiting for you."
*
Just as Dumbledore had predicted, Snape opened the door to find Hermione sitting on his desk, waitng for him.
"Good evening," she said, sliding off desk. She caught his eyes. "Are you alright?" When he didn't answer, she came toward him and buried her hands in his hair. She drew his mouth down to hers and kissed him tenderly as he lifted her into his arms.
"Hermione?" He broke their kiss.
"Mm?"
"I love you."
"Somehow, love, I doubt that it what's bothering you."
"What is bothering me is what gives me the freedom to love you." Hermione pulled her head back from him. "What do you mean?"
Snape set her down and turned away. "Would you like a cup of tea?" He asked, taking down the pot.
"If you explain, Severus."
For the next few minutes, Hermione sat in silence as Snape made the tea. She watched him add a drop of Veritaserum to his cup, and looked up at him, puzzled.
"I won't be tempted to lie, and you'll believe me." He said chastely in response to the unspoken question. He placed the two steaming mugs on the table, and sat across from Hermione.
"You know, I suppose," he began, "that Professor Dumbledore has a daughter my age?"
Hermione nodded.
"Well, she was one of the best Aurors in the world during Voldemort's last few years. I had always been quite taken with her. Anyway, to make a long story short, she was the Auror who caught me. I was thrown into Azkaban. She was engaged to Sirius Black at the time. When he murdered Pettigrew, even though she's been advocating his innocence ever since, they broke the engagement. My trial was a week later."
He paused and took a long sip of his tea before continuing.
"At the trial, something came over me and I proposed. Every time we made wedding plans, they fell through. It seemed like she was waiting for Black to get out, like she knew he could. Obviously, she knew that Azkaban wasn't as severe for the innocent. Today, after class, she came her and broke off our engagement. Bluntly. It doesn't do much for one's self esteem to see his fiancée chose Sirius Black over him."
Hermione sat in silence for several minutes before placing a hand over his.
"Do you want me to stay?" she asked.
He looked up, guiltily, and met her gaze. He nodded and stood up, walking around to her side of the table, then catching her once again in a tender embrace.
TBC