A/N: Been a really long time since I touched this story. And I feel bad about that. So I tried to write something for it. It's not that long, but it gets a few things out.
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Avonlea moved through the halls of Hogwarts a few days later, noticing that once again, her fellow students seemed to be watching her. But this time, it felt different.
She saw them gossiping behind their hands and the look of disgust in their eyes. As if she had betrayed all of them somehow.
What the hell is going on?
Carissa came running over to her, looking like she was about to punch someone. "I don't know how…I don't know how it happened, Lea. I'm so sorry."
"What are you talking about?" Avonlea asked, pulling her friend to the side as a ghost flew by.
"They know," Carissa told her in a hushed voice. "All of them. Even the first years. All of them know about you and my dad."
Avonlea's face drained of color and she felt like her breath had been knocked out of her. They all know?! How the hell did that happen?! We were so careful!
Avonlea shook her head and lowered her gaze, clutching her books to her chest. "I don't know what to do, Rissa. I can't believe this happened…I don't want to."
Carissa sighed heavily. "It's already reached the parents of the school too, Lea. And they're none too pleased that a professor took advantage of a student."
Her blue eyes flashed onto her friend. "He didn't take advantage of me!"
The dark haired daughter of Snape put her hands up in surrender. "I'm just telling you what I heard from others. They're thinking that my dad took some control over you via potions or dark magic…and you liked it, so you kept coming back."
Avonlea shook her head and moved around her friend. "That – that is not what happened! And I don't care what everyone says. You know the truth…unlike them."
Avonlea didn't hear if her friend said anything else because she was walking away so fast that her feet almost didn't touch the ground. She had to find her mate. She had to make sure he was okay.
Something of dread filled her stomach when she entered the dungeons and found his door ajar. Peering into the room, she saw the trunks that lay open, items nestled inside them.
"Severus?" Avonlea asked, looking at her mate as he pulled more items from his collection.
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Snape turned when he heard his mate's voice and saw the girl leaning against the door frame like it was the only thing that was keeping her on her feet. It hurt to see her looking like that – tears and confusion in her eyes. He wanted to reach out to her and pull her into his arms, but he resisted the urge.
"Avonlea," he said in a soft voice.
"You're leaving?" she whispered, sounding like her world was crashing down upon her. "You're leaving because of…me…"
Snape shook his head and took a step towards her. "It's not your fault, Avonlea. The parents forced Minerva's hand. Because what else would they do with a 'predatory' professor teaching their children?"
"Predatory?" Avonlea squeaked. "Severus that is not true! You never preyed on me. You helped me. You love me!"
"A professor seeking the love and a relationship with a student barely old enough to make adult decisions? That would make any sensible parent uncomfortable."
"You never sought my love!" Avonlea protested, crossing into the room and slamming the door shut. "You wouldn't have fallen in love with me if I hadn't been your intended mate! If I had never had to find my mate to save me from turning into a vampire, you wouldn't have been sleeping with me."
"It's not your fault…"
"It's all my fault!" Avonlea cried, tears streaming down her face in pink rivers. "Because I couldn't stand the idea of becoming a vampire, I told you that I loved you. That you were my mate. All of it is my fault! And I still love you! I love you so much, Severus, but you can't leave because of me! You can't!"
"Unfortunately, it's already been decided, Avonlea."
"Then I'll leave with you!" Avonlea stated, her eyes burning. "I'll go wherever you go and –"
"No."
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Avonlea's blood turned to ice when he said 'no' with such firmness. "I – I don't understand. You don't want me to come with you?"
"Precisely," Snape said, putting his items in his trunk.
"But I thought you loved me?"
"I do love you, Avonlea, but I'm not going to let you make a mistake just for me." Snape's eyes turned towards her. "You're a couple months from graduating. I'm not about to let you miss out on that. Because if you do, they'll take your wand and you'll never be the true witch that I know you can be."
Avonlea shook her head and looked away from him. "I don't need a wand to be a witch…I want to be with you."
"You can be, after graduation."
The Veela-Halfling sniffed. "And if I don't want to wait that long?"
"Then I won't tell you where I'm going and I won't visit you."
"So you'll essentially break up with me," Avonlea guessed, frowning and refusing to look at him. "Over all of this…"
Snape said nothing and continued to pack. Avonlea shook her head again and crossed the room to him. She touched his face and turned it towards her.
"You better be sure about this," she whispered, staring him in the eye. "Because these next few months are going to kill me…I don't know how they'll be for you…but we will be together again."
She kissed him lightly and then turned, walking away with her heart cracking at each step that took her away from her mate…
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Snape looked back at the castle of Hogwarts an hour later, standing in the cold with Minerva at the gate. Somewhere in there, Avonlea was turning to ice. He could feel it through their bond. She was shutting down and going to turn herself into something that he hoped was reversible.
"You'll keep an eye on her?" Snape asked, though he already knew the answer.
"She's a strong girl, a brilliant witch," Minerva told him. "She hardly needs an eye on her, but I will, Severus."
Snape nodded and turned away from the castle. His eyes swept over the gates. Long ago memories swept across his mind at the sight of them. He quickly pushed them away.
"I should go," he said.
"There will always be a space here for you," Minerva said and he thought he heard the slightest hint of her heart not being in the words. "This is your home as much as it is any of ours."
The dark professor ducked his head. "Thank you Minerva."
He passed through the gates and disappeared into the night…
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A/N: Sorry about the length and the big time gaps between writing. I'll try to get back to the story soon. But I will tell you that I see the ending in the future. -Scarlet
