Author's note:

Dear readers,

another update for you to enjoy. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting and/or following my story. Your positive responses have blown my mind and motivate me to update as often as I can. I aim to update this story once or twice weekly.

Have a nice day,

Vani12

Chapter 1 – Heartbreaks can be the window to a world full of love!

Master Bedroom, Prince Cottage, Cornwall, December 1978

Severus Prince embraced his naked Sleeping Beauty tightly. He couldn't fathom that he could call this intelligent, stunning, kind and funny woman in his arms his wife. It was as if Merlin had made all of his naïve, and ambitious boyhood dreams come true. He loved and was loved in return by the love of his life, Olivia Fawley, who turned the head of nearly every man with her long, slender, supermodel legs, honey-blonde, voluminous looks, captivating, chocolate brown eyes, and womanly curves, and was admired by nearly every woman for her caring nature, sweet personality and ambitious career goals. Playing with her soft curls, he couldn't believe that he had nearly thrown his happiness away, and let the love of his life slip through his fingers due to some unhealthy teenaged, obsession with his female ex-best friend.

He had been so silly at sixteen, devasted by the downfall of his oldest friendship, and the loss of his boyhood crush. Merlin, he had nearly thrown away his future by skipping classes, refusing to eat and drink probably, dueling the stupid Marauders one on four and joining a terroristic, inhuman racist group. In the first few weeks after the "Mudblood incident", he had been reduced to a depressed, desperate and angry teen that hadn't cared if the world went down tomorrow or if he died while stumbling through the Forbidden Forrest in a drunken stupor. He had put Lily on such a high pedestal, worshipped her walking ground and idealized her personality and beauty that he had been absolutely convinced that he wouldn't be able to survive without her in his life. Hell, in his desperate mindset, he had already fucked up his life, switched his light and joy out in a pool of darkness, and drowned his despair in the Dark Arts and Fire Whiskey. Only an intervention from his beautiful angel had saved his life.

She had confronted his drunken ass in an empty classroom in the Hogwarts dungeons. How she had managed to find him was still a mystery to him, for he had practically lived in the dungeons like a ghost. She must have searched every room for his sorry ass, desperate to save him from himself, and show him a way out of his dark, self-destructive downward spiral. He remembered the shocked look on her beautiful face clearly as she had found him hunched over a table, sobbing in despair, and using a newly developed Cutting Curse on his arms. She had stormed into the dusted classroom, disarmed his wand and rushed to his side, embracing him tightly and mumbling a Healing Spell. Her rosy cheeks had been pale, and her chocolate-brown eyes had shared his pain. At first, he had tried to escape her embrace, scolded her for her daring move and thrown her out of his security place. How dare she disarm him, see him at his most vulnerable moment and cuddle him like a teddy bear?

A menacing thought to cut her to the quick, insult her caring nature and make fun of her had raced through his mind. He had wanted to regain his self-control, save his face and erase this weak moment from his mind. An evil voice that had sounded suspiciously like his abusive, magic-hating and alcoholic bastard of a father, had screamed at him to stop his embarrassing sobs, reject her comfort and hurt her with some snarky remarks. But gazing in her honest brown eyes, basking in the warmth of her embrace and hearing her soothing words that everything would turn out all right, his snide comments had died on his tongue and he had tightened his grip around her. Staying in their close embrace for what felt like an eternity, he had felt that this beautiful, genius young woman could change his life for the better.

She had berated him for his self-destructive behavior and self-harm, called Lily a shallow mean girl for cutting him out of her life and not accepting his apology and had assured him that she would be his friend forever. She would help him battle his depression and self-confidence issues for she knew that he had a kind heart, and could conquer everything, kick him in his ass to attend classes and study hard for she knew that he had a mastermind that could change the world if he didn't drown it in alcohol, and talk about his fears and dreams for she knew that he needed to face them to get his life back on track, and see that his life wasn't already fucked up. She had promised him to never leave him or think the worst of him. And although Severus had agreed to her daily evening talks reluctantly because he didn't like to show his vulnerable side to anyone and talk about his feelings, he had noticed very fast that their daily chats lightened his heart, and brightened his soul. He had learned that it was okay to cry, lash out in anger or jump out of joy. And he had slowly realized that his broken friendship with Lily wasn't the end of his life.

Merlin, he had realized in their talks about love, friendship and happiness that he hadn't been in love with Lily, he had been obsessed with her. If Olivia hadn't opened up his eyes, he probably would have worshipped Lily from a distance, stalked her at Hogwarts and joined the Death Eaters to impress her. For he had envisioned in his hormone-riddled, obsessed mind that he could make Lily fall in love with him if he was powerful, respected/feared by his teenaged bullies and had many Galleons inside of his Gringotts account. Thankfully, Olivia had read out every newspaper article about the crimes and atrocities the Death Eater's had committed to him, asked him if he wanted to rip his soul with murder, torture, and rape and pointed out the consequences of Lord Voldemort's racist agenda to him. He would have ended up as a cruel soulless slave of a sadistic insane dictator who wasn't able to feel love, happiness, and joy if he hadn't had Olivia in his life. He would have been consumed by his darkness and become an evil dark wizard because he had been obsessed with a girl who could wash her hands off him easily and had been seduced by his hunger for love and power.

Olivia had become his new light and best friend. She had encouraged him to intensify his studies in the Mind Arts, his knowledge in the Dark Arts and his experiments in Potions, to distance himself from his pureblood supremacist Slytherin housemates who wanted to use him as a tool on Voldemort's side and to dispel his anger and frustration in physical training. She had transformed a broken chair into a punching bag and two sponges into boxing gloves, goading him into letting his anger out on the Marauders in a healthy way and building up some muscles. In the Summer Hols, he had steeled his body due to boxing and running because he had needed to escape the constant shouting matches inside of his home and Tobias's toxic anger. He had noticed that he could free his mind from his heartbreak, sorrows, and self-doubts during his training, focus on new ideas for spells and potions and gain a sixpack in the process. He had felt more energized, happier and comfortable in his own skin. His self-confidence had gotten a boost and he hadn't felt so pessimistic about his future anymore.

Being alone in the despair and darkness of Spinner's End, Severus had only survived thanks to Olivia's Patronus messages and lengthy letters that he had needed to intercept carefully because Tobias had freaked out whenever an owl approached their house. Seeing her lovely snowl owl Patronus waiting for him every day by his bed had put a smile on his face and let him see positive in the future. They had corresponded via the Patronus messenger various times during the day to chat about their studies, daily adventures and plans for the future. Although he had needed to focus all of his positive memories to conjure his crow Patronus, he had realized with practice and time that he could cast it more easily when he focused on memories of his mother's embraces during his childhood as well as Olivia's tight hugs, happy laughs and encouraging talks in his most desperate times. He admired Olivia's positive spirit, her huge heart, and her fiery personality. If he had been totally honest with himself as a sixteen-years-old and acknowledged his feelings, he would have realized that he had fallen in love with this stunning, intelligent and kind young woman. He had lived for her Patronus messages, dreamed about a happy family life with her and some medical breakthroughs they could achieve in the Wizarding world. But he hadn't had the courage to confess his feelings to her because he couldn't imagine that this perfect English rose could fall in love with some self-destructive, poor loser.

Sure, he had improved his looks thanks to his workouts and his upgraded hygiene procedures, but he still was settled with his hooked nose and sourly sarcastic personality. How could an angel like Olivia ever fall in love with a penniless, moody fool like him? He had believed that she would fall in love with some wealthy studious Ravenclaw, spend all her time with him and forget about her best male friend. Although he had known that money wasn't important to her and that she wouldn't select her boyfriend based on his blood status or bank account, his internalized inferior complex had written him off as boyfriend material. He had never decoded the meaning behind her lingering looks, blushing cheeks or tight hugs. When she had kissed him on the cheek or snuggled closely on his chest, he had convinced himself that she was this affectionate with him to cheer him up and signal to him that she would always be there for him. She must have noticed his touches and love-starved body and decided to be his comfort board. Hell, even when she had invited him to Fawley Manor to spend their last two weeks of Summer Hols together, and go shopping with her in Diagon Alley, he had thought that she was only a generous friend who wanted to help him out because his mother couldn't go shopping with him without facing Tobias's wrath.

Naturally, Severus had been overjoyed to leave the despair of Spinner's End behind him for two weeks, albeit he had feared for the safety and health of his mum. Hence, he had cast several protection spells on a talisman and gifted it to her before his departure to keep her safe from Tobias's abusive hands. He loved his mum, wanted to protect her and wished that she would send her abusive, alcoholic and sadistic Muggle husband to the curbs. But thanks to a mix of fear, depression, hopelessness and old happy memories, she had refused to leave Tobias and to return to the Wizarding world. She had stated that Tobias loved her and that she couldn't survive without him. Besides that, Tobias had broken her wand to protect her from the dark forces of the Magical world, and she couldn't return to her parents due to her run-away scandal and the shame of being an abused woman. Severus had hoped that she would see reason soon and contact her parents because he feared that she wouldn't survive another year of Tobias's abuse.

Although he had accepted Olivia's kind offer, he had felt self-conscious, and nervous to meet her parents and spend two weeks in a huge ancient manor. What would her wealthy, cultured father, Robert Fawley, who owned a huge Wizarding law firm, think of an awkward teenaged boy dressed in tattered clothes, and with a fascination for the Dark Arts? What would her beautiful, kind-hearted mother Emilia Fawley, nèe Macmillian, who wrote a politics column in the Daily Prophet, think of a socially awkward, sarcastic, teenaged boy? He hadn't been able to sleep before his departure to Fawley Manor via Floo, plagued with awful nightmares about disgusted looks by Olivia's parents and the beaten body of his beloved mum. His mother had managed to install a secretive Floo connection in the fireplace at Spinner's End long before Tobias had been aware of the Magical world. His bastard of a father had never been aware of this transport option in the Wizarding world, therefore Severus could use their Floo connection in the early hours of a beautiful summer day. He had stepped into his fireplace dressed in his best slacks and a black t-shirt, carrying his old trunk packed with his favorite books, threadbare clothes and old potions set, and nearly dying with the anticipation of seeing his beautiful best friend again and meeting her parents.

To his utter disbelief, Olivia had awaited him with a huge smile on her face, jumped into his arms and calmed down his buzzing nerves with gentle caresses. Embracing her tightly, breathing in her roses and vanilla scent and hearing her fast-beating heart, he felt as if he could conquer the world, and fulfill his dreams. She had intertwined their fingers, teased him about his Quidditch player body and guided him into her beautiful, classical decorated manor. She had introduced him to her mum, Emilia, a stunning brunette woman with almond eyes in her late thirties, who had welcomed him with a warm smile and praise for his extraordinary achievements in Potions. Seeing her honest, chocolate brown eyes and listening to her animated stories about her Hogwarts' adventures with her Ravenclaw friends, Severus had realized that she didn't judge him for his simple clothes or impoverished upbringing. She had treated him like an ordinary boy who was her daughter's best friend and peppered him with questions about his free time habits and potions experiments, until Olivia had freed him from her curious nature, rolling her eyes and reprimanding her mum for her inquisition methods, and had guided him to their guest room, a dark grey and forest green decorated room beside her bedroom that would be his place to stay.

She had apologized for her mum's questions, admitting that she had been curious to get to know her daughter's best male friend with a blush and had helped him to unpack his things. She had promised him to work on some Potions experiments together in their private lab, invent some new spells in their rose garden and go swimming in their lake. She had shown him around in her room, a girl's dream come true in lavender and cream with huge bookshelves, a reading corner, and a dancing area, and had invited him to lay down on her comfy four-poster bed, snuggling into his side with a beaming smile on her face. They had talked about their schoolwork, experiments, difficulties of being underaged magical teenagers and their home lives for hours until a young, sheepish-looking house-elf had called them to dinner. Walking into the spacious dining room joking with each other, Severus had been approached by the kind face and outstretched hand of Robert Fawley, a blonde-haired man in his late thirties with piercing blue eyes, who had welcomed him into his home, thanked him for balancing out the share of Slytherins and Ravenclaws in his house and asked him if Professor Slughorn still hosted his pompous Slug club parties. During the dinner, they had talked amicably, laughed about stories of their Hogwarts' adventures and Mr. Fawley's attempts at wooing his wife in their seventh year.

After their delicious dinner, Mr. Fawley had guided Severus into his private study under the pretext of showing him pictures of his time in Slytherin and valuable magical objects. Severus had been suspicious of his motives to talk with him alone, feared that he would get a typical protective dad speech of not getting romantically involved with his daughter and questioning his intentions, when Mr. Fawley had floored him with the news that he had been a good friend of his mum Eileen at Hogwarts and had been approached by his grandparents, Aurelius and Lucretia Prince, to search for her in the Muggle world. They wanted to reconnect with their daughter, get to know their grandson and finance his education. Severus had been shocked to hear that his mum had run away at nineteen to escape an arranged marriage with the widowed Abraxas Malfoy, hidden in the Muggle world and broken off all contact with her family. Mr. Fawley had reassured him that his grandparents searched desperately for her, welcomed her home with open arms and wanted to see her and their grandson live happy lives. He hadn't been able to track down Eileen in the Muggle world, because his owls had returned unanswered and he couldn't trace her magical signature anywhere.

Severus had explained to him with a heavy heart that his bastard of a father had broken Eileen's wand after he had learned of the Magical world thanks to his accidental magic, forbidden her to contact her parents and banned her from practicing the devil's art. He had confessed in a broken, tear-stricken voice that the Muggle bastard Tobias abused Eileen physically and verbally, reduced her to a desperate hopeless shell and bound her to him via empty love declarations and death threats. She couldn't escape her hellish life alone. Mr. Fawley had listened to his story with a troubled face, and a determined look in his sapphire eyes and promised him to help his mum. This Summer Holidays at the Fawleys' had changed his life for the better, for his mum had been encouraged by Mr. Fawley to leave her abusive husband, and reconnect with her family so that they had moved back into Prince Manor and obliviated Tobias's memories. And he had fallen more deeply in love with Olivia.

Being wrenched from his memories by the gentle kisses of his beautiful wife upon his chest, Severus pulled her up on his body, kissed her passionately on the lips and whispered into her ear, "Good morning, beautiful. I hope you hadn't any plans for today, because I want to make love to you the whole day long." Chuckling at her playful laugh and her lustful chocolate brown eyes, he flipped them and worshipped every centimeter of her skin with soft kisses, intoxicated by her sexy moans and the love shining in her eyes.