Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people or places that belong to the wonderful world of Harry Potter, as they belong to J.K. Rowling. The OCs (Katherine, Septimus, Serenity, Helena, Christoph, Elisa, Henry, Nick and any name you don't recognize, and isn't from the HP universe) are entirely my own.


Chapter 28: Forgiveness Begins the Healing

Pain.

So much pain, that his body still felt like it was on fire. His muscles spasm under their own accord. Fingers clenched and unclenched; teeth ground against each other. His stomach rolled as nausea washed over him. He could feel the vile rising in his throat, and swallowed hard to force it back down. His chest throbbed; his heart thumping wildly within. His limbs felt heavy, and his head pounded.

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped.

Severus could feel his heart resume a steady beat; his breathing calmed and his muscles relaxed. He could feel a cool breeze wash over him. He could smell grass and fresh lake water. He frowned, for Severus knew that they were nowhere near a lake. And he couldn't smell the sunflowers either.

Cracking open his eyes, he found himself staring at a bright blue sky. But that shouldn't be, he thought. He remembered slumping forward, and Katherine's arms wrapping around his person.

"Katherine," Severus gasped, bolting upright into a sitting position. He looked around frantically; his eyes scanning the surround area quickly to find her. But she wasn't there.

No one was there.

No Christoph.

No Elisa.

No Serenity.

No Wakanda.

And no Katherine...

No Katherine at all.

Then Severus saw something that made his heart stop all together. A castle...a large castle with towers and turrets; sitting in a valley, with sloping lawns in front of it. Mountains surrounded the valley; a large lake sat to the south, and an eerie, dark forest extended around the west side of the fortress...Hogwarts.

"No," Severus whispered, as though the wind had been knocked out of him. His stomach rolled again; he knew it was too good to be true. Fate had been cruel to him once again; giving him a bit of happiness for almost a year, only to have it ripped away from him. Had it even been a year, he thought. Maybe only a couple of days...hours...or worse, minutes.

"No," Severus said a bit more loudly, as he ran his hands through his hair and gripped the strands tightly between his fingers. His breath was becoming ragged again, and his eyes scanned the area rapidly. "NO!"

His yell echoed through the valley. Severus quickly got to his feet, and reached for his wand, only to find it not on his person. Something wasn't right; he never went anywhere without his wand. He spun on his heels swiftly and noticed something else. There weren't any students or staff members walking about the grounds. Hagrid's hut was dark and the chimney smokeless; the Black Lake eerily still. Even the breeze had stopped.

There wasn't a sound to be heard, except for the beating of his, own heart. Severus closed his eyes as he felt the tears weld up in his obsidian orbs. The mere thought of never seeing his wife or children again, made his throat swell up and a straggled sob to leave his person.

Suddenly, the wind picked up again, blowing a cool breeze across his pale face. A faint pop sounded behind him, causing Severus to spin on his heels towards the noise. Shock was replaced with anger, as he stared at the sight before him.

Albus Dumbledore.

"Hello my boy," Albus said, his smile barely reaching his sparkling blue eyes. Severus found himself mentally cursing the old man, but physically was unable to speak or do so. There were so many things he wanted to say, no, yell at the former Headmaster, but he felt as though he had been hit with a tongue-tying hex. He thought he had finally lost it.

"Do not worry Severus," Albus continued, as he moved towards the dark haired wizard. "You are not going mad."

"Are you quite certain about that Headmaster?" Severus asked, finally finding his voice. The only reply he received from the old man was a chuckle. As Albus stopped before him, Severus noticed several things. For one, Albus' cursed hand was no longer blackened with the dark curse that had once plagued it. Another, the old man was missing his half-moon glasses, and for some reason he looked younger in years.

"Most certain Severus," Albus replied, as he rested a hand on Severus' left shoulder.

"Why am I here, Headmaster?" Severus asked. "Why have your brought me back here?"

"I was not I who brought you here," Albus chuckled. "And there is no need to be so formal with me, Severus. We are, after all, family now.

"You are looking well, my boy, "Albus continued, his smile still remaining. "I would have to say that family life has been good to you. As well as Katherine's cooking; you are looking well fed and less stressed by the pressures you were once under."

"How do you know Katherine and I married?" Severus asked.

"Just because I am dead Severus, it doesn't mean that I am not watching over you, my niece and your two children," the elder wizard implied. "And by the looks of it, your son is growing into a fine young man; and your daughter will be a very beautiful witch."

"Headmas...Albus," Severus swallowed thickly. "Am I...dead?"

"No Severus," Albus replied. "You are not dead."

"Is this even real then?" Severus snapped lightly. "Or is it rather some horrible nightmare happening inside my head?"

"Of course it is happening inside your head," said Albus, chuckling lightly. "But why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

"Enough of this," Severus said harshly. "Where is Katherine? Where is my wife?"

"She is closer than you think," Albus smirked. "She is always with you, and she always will be."

"I know," Severus said, as he lightly rubbed his chest where the pain, that he usually endured while she was hurting, subsided.

"That is not what I am implying, Severus," Albus said, as he gently took Severus' hand and removed it from the young wizard's chest. "That tiny bit of her soul is no longer a part of you. I am referring to 'Animus materia.'"

"Animus materia?" Severus frowned, as Albus' allowed his hand to drop back to his side.

"Soul mates," Albus smiled again, as Severus rolled his eyes. "It is very true Severus, and you know it is. The day you both physically joined as one, you united not only your bodies, but your minds, hearts...and souls as well.

"You see Severus," Albus continued, gesturing to the sky above them. "Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When you're two balloons, and together your direction is up, chances are you've found the right person. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.

"They are the one who have the locks to fit our keys, and the keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for whom we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise."

"Does Katherine make you feel that way Severus?" Albus asked his sparkling blue eyes rested upon the dark haired wizard again.

"All of that, and much more," Severus said. "Where is she, Albus? I need to make sure she is alright."

"As I said before, my boy," Albus said, now gesturing to a large beech tree that rested along the lake front. "She is closer than you think." Severus looked from the tree back to the old wizard; as he began to open his mouth to ask another question, a soft noise made him stop. The two wizards turned back towards the tree, and the sound came again. Crying. Someone was crying under the shade of the tree.

"Go," Albus said, nudging Severus slightly forward in the direction of the tree. "Just remember Severus, forgiveness begins the healing."

"What are you...?" Severus began, but as he turned to face Albus once more, he discovered the old man had disappeared. Shaking his head, he turned back towards the beech tree, and slowly made his way down the sloping lawn.

The closer he got, the louder the sobbing became; and then within a few feet of the towering beech tree, he stopped. There, sitting at the base of the tree, was a woman. A young woman, with golden blonde hair and pale skin; wearing a Hogwarts' school uniform trimmed in green and silver.

"Katherine?" Severus whispered, causing the girl to start and jump to her feet. She was younger than Severus that was for sure, as he figured her to be about eighteen or so.

"Who are you?" younger Katherine spoke, as she reached into her robes for her wand. "What do you want?"

"Katherine," Severus said quietly. "It's me, Severus."

"Sev?" Katherine whispered, her ice blue eyes looking him over. "No it can't be. You're too old to be him."

"Katherine," Severus said softly, as he moved closer to her. "It is...me." His obsidian eyes locked with her ice ones, begging for recognition. He felt a slight pull at his mind, as Katherine's eyes bore into his.

"It is you," Katherine said, her eyes widening in shock. "How...how is that possible?"

"At the moment I am wondering the same," Severus snorted, rolling his eyes, causing Katherine to chuckle lightly.

"It really is you," she smirked, as she wiped her face with the sleeves of her robes.

"Katherine, why were you crying?" Severus asked, as he reached up to wipe away a stray tear that she had missed.

"I've failed you," Katherine implied, as tear began welding up in her eyes again.

"How have you failed me?"

"I failed to keep you safe," she stated, stifling slightly. "I failed to keep you away from the dark."

"Katherine, I'm not following you."

"I almost had you out, and Uncle Albus made me push you back into the dark," Katherine said, wiping her eyes furiously this time. Out of instinct, Severus moved closer to her, and gently took her in his arms. He felt Katherine stiffen at the contact, but soon relaxed into his embrace and buried her face into his robes.

"You've changed," Katherine mumbled into his chest.

"How so?"

"You are not usually the one to initiate hugs," she pointed out. "And you always stiffened when receiving one."

"True," Severus said, burying his nose into her golden locks. "But it was you that changed me."

"Me?" Katherine asked, backing up, but not breaking the embrace. "When?"

"When you said you loved me," he said, his eyes locking with hers once more. "Do you love me Katherine?"

"So much," Katherine breathed without hesitation. "Can you ever forgive me Severus?"

"For what?"

"For my greatest mistake," she stated. "For allowing you to fall into the dark. For allowing you to take his mark."

"There is nothing to forgive Katherine," Severus said, as he gently cupped her face in his hands. "It was not your fault; it was my decision, and my decision alone to follow Voldemort."

"No," Katherine said, shaking her head in his hands. "I pushed you into it. I could have kept you out. I regret taking that vow with Uncle Albus; I never should have done it."

"Katherine, listen to me," he said, lifting her chin to look her in the eyes again. "It is not your fault." Severus paused as something whispered in the back of his mind. Albus' words 'forgiveness begins the healing,' stuck out. That was it; Katherine's greatest regret was being unable to keep him out of Voldemort's ranks. The Katherine standing before him was the piece of soul that had been ripped from her body and settled into his. A moment of great regret had been the key to the spell that she had used, and only the forgiveness of the person who held that piece of soul could heal it.

"Katherine, I love you," Severus said gently, as his eye refocused back on the blonde haired witch before him.

"You do?" Katherine's eyes widened at his declaration.

"I do," Severus said, before leaning in, and gently brushed his lips across hers. "And...I forgive you."

Suddenly, all around them, the world began to disappear into a thick fog. Trees vanished...Hogwarts castle disappeared...the Black Lake evaporated...and then Katherine, herself, faded away as well. Then there was nothing, but blackness.


"Severus?" a soft woman's voice whispered. He could feel someone gently running their fingers through his hair, while an arm cradled him. "Sev, can you hear me?"

"I think he's coming round," another woman's voice said. "Severus?"

"Don't move," a man said; his accent distinctly American. "You're under arrest for attempted murder and for impersonating a government official." A soft whimper sounded next to him, causing the hand that was still stroking his hair, to pause.

"Shh...it's alright, sweet pea," the first woman's voice murmured quietly. "Come on Severus. Come back to us."

Severus tried to move, but his body felt like dead weight. A soft groan escaped his lips, before he attempted to open his eyes. Cracking them open slightly, he was temporarily blinded by bright sunlight that was until a shadow passed over him.

"Sev?" the woman's voice came again. Slowly, Severus opened his eyes a bit more; trying to focus them on the shadow from above. He found himself staring into a pair of ice blue eyes; ice blue eyes that had looked into only moments ago, but these ones were different. These eyes held wisdom and experience beyond their years; were as the others only held innocence.

"Katherine," Severus said hoarsely. His throat felt dry, and his mouth like sandpaper.

"I'm right here, love," Katherine said, as she resumed her meditation of caressing his black hair. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by the bloody Knight Bus," he replied, before swallowing hard, trying to bring moisture back to his mouth and throat. "Serenity?"

"She's right here with me, Severus," Elisa's said, finally coming into Severus' line of view. "She's just fine."

"Wakanda!" Christoph hollered from somewhere off to the side of them. "I warned you once, do not move!"

"Wakanda!" Severus' eyes flew open as he growled, causing both women to start. He quickly rolled himself out of Katherine's embrace, despite his muscles and joints' protests, and clambered as best as he could to his feet.

"Severus..." Katherine protested, but it was too late. Forgoing his wand all together, Severus rounded on the old witch who was being held at wand point by Christoph.

"You," Severus snarled his voice low and dangerous. His onyx eyes bore madly into the beady black ones of the aging witch, as he continued his pursuit on her. The air crackled around them with uncontrolled magic, as Severus clutched his tightly into fists.

"Severus..." Christoph said as calmly as he could, hoping to ease the dark haired wizard's anger down a bit. But Severus paid no heed, as he stopped within a foot of the dark skinned, gray haired woman. Wakanda quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand; but with over a mere flick of his wrist, Severus sent her willow wand flying off into the nearby sunflowers.

Wakanda's black eyes grew wide and she made to take a step back from the wizard; but Severus wouldn't have it. He reached out quickly, and snatched a hold of the witch's robes; pulling her closer to his person.

"Snape..." Wakanda sputtered, but Severus quickly cut her off.

"Are you amused yet?" Severus asked sinisterly. "Did you enjoy my pain back there?" The old witch began to tremble, and her eyes grew even wider.

"Do you think this is a game?" Severus continued, gripping her robes tighter in his fist. "Do you enjoying watching others suffer under your bloody curses?

"I say this now," Severus snarled; his black eyes shining dangerously. "Leave...leave and never bother my family and friends again. You got what you wanted out of me, and now it is finished.

"If you ever hurt anyone I have come to care for...," he paused, "...I will hunt you down...and torture you like you have me."

"You wouldn't," Wakanda muttered, still trembling in Severus' grasp.

"Wouldn't I?" he asked, smirking harshly. "I am an ex-Death Eater after all. I may have left that life behind me, but I still know every curse, every hex that I have ever use to inflict pain upon others. It would be all too simple..."

"Severus..." A small hand gently took a hold of his shoulder; bring Severus out of his trance. He turned his head slightly to the side, and the sight that greeted him caused his furrowed brow to soften. For there, standing beside him, was Katherine. Her ice blue eyes gazed up at him with worry and sadness.

"Sev," her voice was calm, though it betrayed her eyes. Severus' gripped loosened its' hold on the aging witch, which allowed her to slip out of his grasp completely and quickly Apparated away.

"It's alright Severus," Katherine said, as she moved to stand in front of him. "We're safe. The children are safe. My soul has been healed."

"Are you positive that you are alright?" Severus asked, as he gently reached out and took her in his arms.

"I am, now that you are," Katherine smiled lightly, as she placed her hand gently on his pale cheek. "You had us worried."

"I'm fine, love," he said, as he pulled her closed to him.

"Then let's head home..."


a/n: Hello! I know, bit of a short chapter, but this chapter was just the ending to the cliffhanger from Chapter 27. Chapter 29 will be longer! Septimus will return home for the Easter holidays and bring about some interesting decisions!

A big thank you to xxxMadameMysteryxxx, AdaYuki, Tara Cytherea, Mira Severus Sirius Black-Snape, PMhteHBP fan, Missyick & xxyangxx2006 for the wonderful reviews!

I am aiming for another chapter within a month, or soon, seeing as I am finally getting some days off at the beginning of July! Thanks again to all of those who have added 'Forever Yours' to the favs and/or follow list!