Snape was, if possible, even more loopy in his Potions classes that day. He actually managed to take fifteen points from Slytherin, distracted by his thoughts about Meg and him marrying. Everybody in the classroom seemed to be whispering about him, and he was wondering if he should've given Meg one of his Romance Charms. What if he died, and Meg wondered why she had been married to him for several years when she hated him? What if somebody found out? What if everything went good after their wedding, but he messed up those lines they made you say?

"Hey, you guys," said Snape rather hoarsely when Harry's class arrived. "How about instead of doing anything today, you can go out and…play outside? Have fun!"

Before anybody could say anything, Snape pushed them all out of the room and slammed his head down on his desk. Play outside? Was he going mad? He decided that the answer was yes, since he realized he had been doodling hearts and the letters Meg Snape all over Draco Malfoy's essay. He realized he had been drawing in red pen, and he had been pressing rather hard on the paper. His drawings were visible, and there was no doubt Malfoy would notice them when he got his essay back. Snape threw Malfoy's essay into the fire, and then thought he would just tell him to do it over.

Snape got up and looked out the window. Would he only be insane like this for the one week before his and Meg's wedding, or would he be insane for the rest of his life? He sat down at his desk and was preparing to take twenty points from Gryffindor to get his mind off things, but then he heard somebody knocking on the door to his dungeon classroom, very quickly.

"Come in," he groaned.

It was Albus Dumbledore. The door swung open as he entered, pocketing his wand. Snape figured he must have used the Alohamora Charm, the one that opened doors, including locked ones. Dumbledore smiled at Snape and pulled a chair from one of the tables. "Hello, Severus."

"Hi, Headmaster," said Snape, glad he had thrown Malfoy's paper into the fire. If anything, he definitely didn't want Dumbledore to see he was going insane. He might never see Meg again if he was thrown into the asylum or something. He wanted Dumbledore to think he had everything under control; he had always wanted to make it seem that way to everybody.

"You were hoping it was Meg, weren't you?" said Dumbledore, his smile wider.

"Well…a bit…I guess," Snape finished, holding up somebody's essay. The heat level in the room seemed to be rising, especially in his face. "How many points do you think that I should take off from this essay by Neville Longbottom because he was under the impression that a spoonful of sugar is a proper remedy for rattlesnake poison? Hmm, about twenty, maybe, perhaps thirty…"

"Don't take that many, please," said Dumbledore. "Only about five."

"Oh, more than that, surely," said Snape. "How about…fifteen? Yeah, he'll think he can get away with it if I don't take at least fifteen points from him. Here…wait…"

"Please, don't," said Dumbledore. "Why do you think I came here?"

"Because…I don't know," said Snape. He looked out the window and saw his class, Harry's class, sitting under the shade of trees and talking, or playing games. "If you're wondering, I sent them outside so they could have a day off." This wasn't the true answer, of course; he had just wanted to be alone and didn't think he could manage a class in his 'insane' state. "Oh, now what's Potter doing…?"

Truthfully, 'Potter' wasn't doing anything, just talking with his three best friends under the shade of an especially large tree. Hermione, as usual, had a book in her lap, but she was joining the conversation, too, like she always did. Ron was poking worms in the grass and laughing. Andrea was holding a worm up and examining it, and saying something, probably telling Ron to stop poking them. Ron laughed as a worm squiggled away from him fearfully. Andrea looked at him strangely.

"Harry is not doing anything wrong, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Don't try to take points from him just because you feel like it. It's disrespectful, you know."

"Why did you come here, anyway?" said Snape, to change the subject.

"I wanted to discuss your wedding with you," said Dumbledore. Snape put his head down, again, on his desk, and sighed heavily. He put it up again and looked tired.

"You know, I…I just can't think about that when I have all these papers to grade," Snape told the headmaster, being once again glad he had thrown Malfoy's paper into the fire. He hoped Dumbledore wouldn't see how nervous for the wedding he was. "I have so much work to do without being married. I like Meg, of course, but you know…I'm…I'm just too…well…"

"Say no more," said Dumbledore. "I suppose you don't need to think about it now, Severus, but I really think you should start your planning. It'll be better in the long run."

"Uh-huh…right," said Snape.

"You know, Meg came into my office today," Dumbledore continued. "She loves you with every bit of her heart, Severus. You don't know anything about it."

"What did she say?" said Snape, in spite of himself.

"She said she wanted me to tell you she dreams about you every night," Dumbledore said. "She wanted me to tell you she can't focus on anything anymore, especially when you're together. And, mostly, she wanted me to say…" Dumbledore's voice sounded strangely constricted. "That you'll always have this special place…in her heart…and that your love is the strongest bond two people can have." He sniffed. "It was really nice of her, Severus…her love for you is tremendous."

Snape felt like his throat had clogged up. "I-I love her, too, Headmaster…"

"Of course," said Dumbledore gently, putting his hand on Snape's shoulder. "And that's exactly why you should go and see her, Severus. Come on, follow me…"

They walked slowly down the halls. Snape found himself talking, talking about how he had been going insane. Normally, he explained, hearing that he had a special place in somebody's heart didn't really affect him very much, and even though he knew he had never loved anybody more than Meg, she was really loopy for him, how he was loopy for her. He finally decided he should confess about how he had drawn all over Malfoy's paper and then threw it into the fire right afterwards. He even told a little bit about how he got this strange feeling in his stomach whenever he thought about the wedding.

"About the paper, Severus," said Dumbledore, "you could have used the Scourgify Charm."

"I know, exactly," said Snape. "That's why I'm going mad, you see. Since when have I drawn hearts all over somebody's paper and-and my fiancée's married name on it? I've been wearing those robes, you know, the red-and-gold ones, only for Meg, because I love her."

"You're not going mad," said Dumbledore calmly.

"Then what am I?" said Snape. "Insane? I think so, you know, because I can't get her out of my head, you know, it's like…I was drawing hearts, Headmaster. I've gone mad."

"You just love her, is all," said Dumbledore. "You really love her, as much as she loves you, and that's all it is. You might ask Mr. Malfoy to redo his essay, but I think I have a way of getting it out of the fire, you know? A special Repairing Charm…no harm done, Severus. And anyway, you're probably not used to being in love, since you never have been before. This is all new to you."

Snape chose to say no more; whatever Dumbledore told him, he knew he was going mad.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Andrea were sitting outside and talking about the only thing that seemed to really interest them, Margaret and Snape's wedding.

"I can't believe he'd do that to her," said Ron. "I mean, isn't he guilty about it?"

"Oh, of course he's not guilty about it," Harry told them. "He probably just thinks he's really good at stirring up Love Potions. And he's got to be, too. It's lasting so long…"

"I know," said Andrea. "No wonder they made that git our Potions teacher. He actually thinks he can have a good relationship with Winston by giving her a Love Potion. And now she's going to actually marry him…gosh, what a weirdo. I always thought he was really stupid."

"I still think it's a bit romantic," said Hermione. "I don't like Snape, but remember, Harry, in our first year, he was trying to save you when Quirrell was messing up your broom? You told me he said he didn't like you, but he never wanted you to be dead? And now, he's trying to get Winston to like him. I just think if he acted a bit nicer, and washed his hair, and wore better robes…"

"And got a nose job," said Andrea, laughing.

"Yeah, but you're right, Hermione," said Ron, putting his hand on Andrea's shoulder so he would stay upright and not topple onto the floor with laughter. "He should always give us free time, like he did today, and wash his hair, but those red-and-gold robes look ridiculous on him! What's he playing at? I bet he thinks he looks…attractive!" He, Andrea, and Harry collapsed in gales of laughter.

"It's really not funny, you guys," said Hermione, but she was smiling, too.

"Good one about the nose job, Andrea," Harry laughed. "Since when has Snape's nose not been ridiculous, and since when has he washed his hair? You're right, Hermione…"

"I didn't mean it that way," said Hermione, who was also laughing now.

"Then how did you mean it?" said Ron. "You're not saying we should give Snape a makeover or anything, do you? Because I don't think that would be such a good idea, you know?"

"Sounds pretty fun to me," said Andrea, "but I have a better idea."