A/n: Here we go.
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3 months later.
Severus stood over the boiling caldron and looked at the silver liquid. He picked up the beaker, with the human hair in it.
Human hair.
The beaker was previously occupied with werewolf hair.
Until he added the potion.
He blinked hard. He even pinched himself.
This was it, he had found it. The cure to Lycanthropy.
He sat down on the stool behind him and idly swirled the human hair around the bottom of the beaker. This meant everything. He would tell Sophia, and then ask her to marry him as well.
The past three months had been action packed. Everyone wanted to talk to the Muggle who fought in the war. The daily prophet had played on the whole "muggles against Voldemort, Dumbledore's secret weapon – An actual muggle." He hadn't seen Sophia for more than an hour since the war.
He took out the box from his pocket. A few days after the war, he went to a jeweller who was an old friend. He knew he needed an old friend. Someone who wouldn't run to the Daily Prophet and tell them he wished to ask a lady's hand in marriage. The man was excited for Severus, showing him over 300 rings.
But Severus found the best one. It was at a modest price. Small, flat, with a few stones embedded into the gold. He knew Sophia didn't like rings that stuck out, because they got caught on everything. He was extremely pleased with the ring.
He took it out and pushed it around in circles on his finger. He would call Sophia and Remus into Albus's office. Then he would show them the cure. Sophia would probably kiss him with joy, which he was thoroughly looking forward to. And hopefully, Remus WOULDN'T kiss him.
Suddenly Severus stopped spinning the ring around. What if, once he gave the cure to Sophia, she left?
She had no reason to be here, other than being a werewolf, and needing him to brew wolfsbane every full moon.
She would just leave, once he gave her the potion. Once she was cured, she could go back to her old life. To her family. No doubt to her male admirers.
Albus would probably encourage her. He wouldn't want a muggle to be in the castle. That would be inviting EVERY muggle into the castle. And we can't have that. The Ministry would be horrified.
Sophia would leave him, and he couldn't go with her. He needed to stay with Albus. Albus needed him after the war.
Even if Sophia didn't want to leave. He knew, Albus would make her. He sighed loudly and stared at the Lycanthropy cure. He couldn't keep it from her, just to keep her here, could he?
Could he live with her, knowing that she went through excruciating pain every full moon, knowing REMUS went through that. He couldn't just give the cure to Remus. He would tell Sophia.
Severus pocketed the engagement ring and put the beaker in it's holder. He put his head on the desk and sighed loudly.
It was either give Sophia the cure, and have her kicked out of the school by the ministry, and never see her again. Or keep the cure to himself. At least until he knows Albus is ok, and he can leave Hogwarts with her.