As soon as the caller had hung up, Snape stomped out of the Hog's Head and Apparated all the way back to Hogwarts. He was getting a bit worried about Meg. He hadn't known Romance Charms had side effects, but he wanted to ask Dumbledore, who would probably know, what they could do to you if you weren't careful. Maybe that was why she was so upset earlier that day.

"Hello, Severus," said Dumbledore, when Snape walked in.

"Hey, Albus," said Snape. "Okay…I just wanted to ask you something. Have you ever heard of this thing called a Romance Charm? Because I have, and I was just wondering…"

"Yes, I have," said Dumbledore. "They almost have the same effects of a Love Potion. They never wear off, though. The only way you can get rid of a Romance Charm is if the caster lifts it, or dies, or, on rare occasions, if the receiver of the Charm sees her true love's face, the spell will be lifted. Love Potions, however, only last for three days maximum and they are banned at Hogwarts, too. When most people want somebody to love them, they usually just choose the Romance Charm."

"What are the side effects of it?" said Snape, who already knew all of what Dumbledore said.

"If the receiver wasn't hit hard enough by the spell," said Dumbledore, "they can flicker between love and indifference, but if they were hit too hard, it can lead to an obsession. The receivers sometimes are happy, then sad, then happy again, especially teenagers, but only if they're under a lot of stress…It's a very manipulative spell that can just make you act like you normally wouldn't."

"Thanks, Albus…" said Snape. "Also, you know my wedding's in three days."

"Of course I do," said Dumbledore. "Meg was in here yesterday. She says she can't wait for the wedding, and that you really are a great kisser, no matter what you say."

"Did she?" said Snape quietly.

"Yes, she did," said Dumbledore, smiling. "You're very lucky to have somebody like her loving you that much, Severus. She didn't even care she was fired from her job because she couldn't stop thinking about you and wasn't being a good teacher…I mean, good assistant, actually."

Snape just couldn't speak. It was a Romance Charm. WHY am I so guilty about what I did? She's much happier this way…isn't she? And I'M happier. I'll probably live longer.

"Severus?" said Dumbledore softly.

"I'm okay," Snape told him. "I've got to go, though…Need to see Meg…Bye, I'll be seeing you around, Albus…now I've got to go to Meg's office, right now…"

Snape ran to Meg's office, so hurried he forgot to just Apparate there. He banged the door open as soon as he got to it. Meg was at her desk. She looked up at Snape as he walked in. She got up and walked very close to him. She tossed her hair and laughed happily.

"Severus!" she said. "Oh, I just can't wait! Three days until our wedding!"

"I know, only three," said Snape, feeling slightly queasy again, and throwing his arms around his fiancée, who hugged him tight and kissed him passionately on his cheek.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Me too," said Snape, putting his cheek beside Meg's. I have to lift the Charm NOW…I can't, though…I'm going to miss her so much…Nothing will ever be the same…

"Severus, are you all right?" said Meg.

"I'm okay," said Snape, who wasn't okay, his throat constricted by emotion. "I love you…It's all over now…Just kiss me one more time before you start hating me again…"

"What are you talking about, Severus?" said Meg. "I'll never hate you. I can't."

"You think so?" said Snape, now knowing that these would be the last words he said to Meg before he lifted the Charm, if he was able to talk enough to say the incantation. "You have to listen. You don't really love me; you hate me like you always did. Don't deny it."

"Stop talking nonsense," said Meg, rather sharply, looking up into Snape's eyes. "Are you sure you haven't gone mad? I love you, Severus. I don't hate you at all."

"I can't stay here," said Snape. "I'm so sorry…but you don't understand, you can't. I can't make you believe me. Nobody can do that but you. And if you don't want to believe me, I can't take it how you love me, it's too much to handle, I want to marry you but you don't want to marry me. I'm always so guilty when you're holding me, when we're together, I just can't take it anymore!"

"Don't leave!" said Meg. She wasn't crying; she actually looked angry. "I promise to believe you if you'll just, for once, tell me exactly what you're talking about!"

"I tried to tell you before," said Snape. "It's…it's a Romance Charm."

"Stop lying!" Meg exclaimed, her angry expression leaving her face, replaced by an utterly nonplussed kind of look. "Why are you lying? Tell me what it really is."

"That's exactly it, see?" Snape almost yelled at her. "You'll never believe me, never. All of these times where I've tried to tell you, you won't ever listen to what I'm saying."

"I don't believe it," said Meg simply.

"Well, then, I'm lying," Snape told her. "I guess you'll never believe me. Then I'll have to just act like you really love me and it's not a Charm…but I'm all right with that, I guess." He hugged Meg and they just held each other, lips not touching, tears coming out of Meg's eyes and soaking Snape's robes, which were black again, not red-and-gold. Finally, she pulled away from him.

"Have you stopped loving me?" Meg said after a long silence.

"I haven't," said Snape, knowing it was true. "I love you like I've never loved anybody before in my life, and our wedding's in three days. I have a question for you, too."

"What is it?" said Meg, all trace of her tears gone, replaced by curiosity.

"I'm just wondering, who was that guy you were talking about to Dobby? You said you've always liked him, and when you asked him out he said no, he didn't want a girlfriend because he was too busy with trying to stay out of trouble…You said nobody knew where he was."

Meg's face looked confused. "He doesn't matter now. He won't be coming to our wedding. I don't care about him with you around. I think you're a lot better than he is. You hardly ever get into any trouble, and you never did when we were going to school together, either. He's just always trying to stay out of trouble, even now…I really think you're right to hate him, you know."

"H-hate him?" said Snape, taken by surprise. "I know him?"

"Yes," said Meg mysteriously. "You went to school with him. Even today you two dreadfully hate each other. I'll definitely tell you who he is someday, but for now, he doesn't matter anymore. I just love you." And she kissed him on the lips again, eyes closed, happy once more.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

That night was extremely fun in the Gryffindor common room. Fred and George Weasley had brought in some pizza, drinks, and dessert with no apparent reason until Andrea asked them. They said it was because they had finally gotten their joke shop started. Andrea laughed.

"I'm sure glad," she told them. "This food is delicious."

"Yeah, it is," said Ron, chomping off a huge bite of pizza and stuffing his mouth with it. After that, he swallowed tremendously and then spoke. "Where did you get all this good food, anyway? I bet you got it from the house-elves down in the Hogwarts kitchen, didn't you, guys?"

"Yeah, they don't give it to you easily," said Fred.

"They do too," said Hermione. "We've been down there a few times. You know, you shouldn't have taken advantage of them like that, the poor little slaves…"

"They like working for us, Hermione," said Harry. "As soon as somebody enters the kitchen, they run up to you with platters of food before you even have to ask."

"Well…that's what they've been trained to do," said Hermione. "What if they don't like it? What if they're just doing that because they think we'll be mean to them or something if they don't? Those poor little house-elves don't even get paid, they just slave away, always…"

"Hermione," said Ron. "Dumbledore offered to give Dobby a day off every other day and paying with ten Galleons per day, but he refused it. They're not treated badly."

"Yes, well, I still think they'd be better off if they could just be free altogether," Hermione told her friends, taking a sip of soda. "Maybe they're pretending to like working."

"You're obsessed with house-elves," said Ron, but only so Harry could hear it.

Andrea sat down in one of the puffy common room chairs and took another bite of pizza. "I'm just glad the house-elves give us all this food. Like I said before, it's excellent."