When I finally awoke again and pulled back my curtains the room was flooded with sunshine and the other beds were empty.

I showered, dressed and walked down the stairs. The common room was almost painfully silent, but for the sound of turning pages and the occasional distant shriek floating through the windows with the breeze, there was not a sound. I stopped for a moment and took a seat near an open window. I stared at the sun drenched grounds. A breeze wafted in, carrying with it the distinct smell of summer. My final days at Hogwarts. The thought hit me with sudden panic.

What was I going to do with myself? I mean, I knew what I would do, if all went well I was headed for training at St. Mungo's to become a healer. I was headed for a future of potion making, spell casting, and, at first, cleaning up gory, slimy, odorous messes. I had never really allowed myself to really think about the reality that I would someday leave Hogwarts and never come back.

I noticed something moving at the edge of the forest. I stared at the spot waiting for something to emerge.

A slender figure dressed in billowing black robes with black hair and a distinctly hooked nose pushed his way through the foliage.

My heart leapt into my throat and my stomach erupted with butterflies. Severus. What was the future hold for him? For us?

If I was to believe Dumbledore, and honestly he'd never given me a reason not to, Severus was planning to leave Hogwarts. I watched him move, almost as if he were floating across the grounds, a pouch filled with some rare treasure I imagine. He was far too happy here to leave. He was allotted everything he needed and found many of the things he wanted in the forest. He got along with his fellow professors and seemed to enjoy the position of power he held over his students. Dumbledore couldn't possibly know what he was talking about.

I felt a surge of embarrassment at the memory of how I had reacted in front of the Headmaster. I was certain any letter of recommendation I could have gotten from him was now gone, unless I wanted him to tell St. Mungo's about how temperamental and irrational I behave. I shook my head and returned my attention to the grounds. Severus was no longer visible.

I pulled myself up from my seat and walked to the door to the hall. I walked downstairs and through hallways until I found myself standing in front of the door to Severus' dungeon. I swiftly descended the steps. I stood in front of the classroom door holding my breath before I entered. I let all the air held in my lungs escape in one relieved blow. I had almost expected things to be missing, packed up, ready to go on the new adventure that Dumbledore had been so warning about.

I crossed over to the door leading to his office where I found him dumping a handful of what looked like black beetles into a bubbling cauldron. All of his jars and vials still in their places, even his books looked to be scattered around in their usual haphazard manner.

"Well, you look quite settled." I said, crossing the room to the bowl of fruit he kept on the table.

He started and whipped his head around to look at me. "What?"

"Nothing." I said, taking a bite of an apple. "It just looks like you aren't planning on going anywhere soon."

He stared at me for a moment, eyes squinting, brow furrowed, and mouth slightly agape, trying to decipher my words as though I was speaking in code. "Are you alright?"

"Couldn't be better." I said taking another bite.

He looked at me as though trying to find a crack. "What happened?"

"Nothing." I said defensively. "I was making an observation."

His eyes continued searching my face looking for clues as to what was going in my head. He broke his stare and returned his attention to the potion that was bubbling away.

I flopped down into one of the chairs around the table and took another bite of my apple. I watched him as his eyes watched the potion as though he were hypnotized.

"How was your last exam?" He asked suddenly without looking at me.

I shrugged and sat up straighter in the chair. "I'm not really sure. I didn't have as much time to study as I'd have liked."

He turned his head quickly to look at me, concern in his eyes, as though he thought I was cross with him about something.

I stopped mid-chew as I realized how it might have sounded. "Not that it wasn't worth it, because it was. In fact, er, I think it helped me…stress relief…I think I did fine. Thanks."

I continued chewing the bite of apple that I had tucked against my cheek to speak. Severus returned his attention to his potion which was slowly changing from grey to purple.

"So now what?" He asked.

I knew this question would come. He was going to ask me what our next step was, he was going to ask me about us. He was going to confirm everything Dumbledore had told me days prior. "I'm not sure. What do you think?"

He looked over in confusion. "They're your last days of Hogwarts. What are you going to do with them?"

Realization washed over me. "Oh…that. Of course. I really don't know. I'm already going crazy from lack of work to do."

"You could spend it in the library." He suggested. "You might not have homework anymore but Madam Pince could direct you to some good volumes on healing. Your training at St. Mungo's is going to begin sooner than you realize."

"If I make it." I said, throwing my apple core at the waste basket, where it bounced off the rim and onto the floor.

"Shut up." Severus said as he removed his wand from his pocket. "You're going to be one of the best Healers that has graced the Earth."

He flicked his wand and my apple core floated off the floor and into the rubbish bin.

"Why are you confident in me?" I asked, still staring at the spot on the floor where my apple core had been seconds before.

My question was met with silence. I looked up to see Severus had moved from his place in front of the cauldron and was now taking a seat in front of me. He placed his hand over mine which were resting in my lap. A sweet smirk tugged at his lips. He leaned forward so that his mouth was level with my ear.

"Because I love you." He whispered.

I felt the jolt of electricity surge through my body, I felt my hair stand on end, and I visibly quivered. Before I could collect myself enough to fight it, a smile had flickered across my face. Looking into his eyes, the color black had never felt warmer. A rogue piece of his hair slipped into his face. I broke eye contact for just a second to shake my head.

"What ever will I do with you?" I asked, looking back up at him.

He hesitated, pulling in his bottom lip, chewing on it as if stopping the words he wanted to say. Ultimately he released his lip. "Meet me. Outside the castle, ten o'clock."

"I can't possibly stay out all night with you again." I said. "Susan would have my head."

"Well, I don't want that." He said. "Your head is home to a few of my favorite features of yours. I promise to have you back before it gets too late."

"What on Earth do you have planned?" I asked.

"Can't say." He said. "Don't know."

I let out an airy laugh. "Are you sure you'll have it figured out by ten? Should we perhaps push it back an hour."

"No, no." He said, returning a smile. "We mustn't keep you out too late. We both know Susan keeps a stricter curfew than Filch. I'll make it my number one priority to plan."

I spent the remainder of the day in the library with Susan. Henry joined us some time after lunch. Madam Pince directed me to a very helpful section full of information about St. Mungo's and healers. I sat and read about what to do if a patient sprouts a second head while Susan seemingly forgot I was there. She and Henry were whispering back and forth about something despite the scathing looks from the librarian.

I looked up at the clock sometime after dinner to see the clock move to 9:43. I gathered a few books and walked away to put them back on the shelves. I couldn't tell if Susan noticed my absence or not. I walked through the halls freely, thanks to extended curfew for Seventh years to allow extra time for study. I soon found myself walking through double doors out into the slightly humid summer air.

The sun had set but I could still feel heat rising from the grass as I walked, realizing that Severus hadn't exactly given me a location to meet him. Outside the castle wasn't exactly specific. I wandered erratically around the grounds hoping to either see him standing in wait or for him to find me.

I glanced at my watch; 10:07. I stopped wandering to take a glance around but as soon as I did a hand clasped in my own and pulled me down the sloping grounds at a speedy pace. He held my hand tightly as he led the way to a secret destination. He didn't speak, not a word. I needed to almost run in order to keep up with him.

Suddenly, he turned to walk down the road that led to Hogsmeade.

"You can't honestly be taking me to Hogsmeade." I said. "We'll be seen."

Not a word.

"Severus." I said again.

Silence.

"Severus." I said, this time attempting to plant my feet and make him stop, but his momentum was too much and his grip was too tight. I merely stumbled for a few strides.

He let go of my hand and turned off the road and walked into an open field. I stopped for a second to watch him before I followed him.

I caught up to him a few seconds later after he stopped.

"Surprise." He said, lifting his arms as though presenting me with the open air.

"Oh." I said, glancing around at the nothingness. "You shouldn't have."

"You don't remember, do you?" He asked.

"Remember what?" I said, still looking for some sort of landmark.

"It was a Hogsmeade weekend. You had just bought those horrible star gloves you love and I was only there to buy ingredients. You ran into me and invited me to walk with you back to the castle. It started to snow and you ran off the road into a field. This field. You made me follow you and lay and watch the snow with you. You began talking about everything. It was as though if you stopped talking for even a moment you would run out of oxygen and die. And that was it."

"What was it?" I asked, embarrassment washing over me as I recollected the memory.

"The moment I realized I was falling in love with you." He said.

My heart skipped. "All the way back then?"

"All the way back then." He said as he nodded his head. "Care to re-live the moment?"

I tilted my head to the side in a questioning manner.

"You made me lay next to you on the wet, cold ground as it snowed. While there might not be any snow, the sky does seem particularly starry tonight and you won't get frostbite from laying down." He said as he arranged his robes to sit before uncurling onto his back.

I lay on the ground a few feet away from him and looked up at the sky.

"What do you see?" He asked.

"Are you teaching Divination now?" I asked.

"I suppose if I were I would have to make a prediction about your death…which, of course, will be happening very soon and will be undoubtedly tragic and painful." He said.

I smiled and pulled my attention from the sky to the man next to me. I could see the starlight reflected in his dark eyes. The moonlight illuminated the slight smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. His hand rested on the ground at his side.

I stretched out my fingers and reached towards him.

I am certain that when you leave Hogwarts, Severus will go with you. Dumbledore's words replayed in my head. I pulled back my hand and curled my fingers into a fist.

"Is something wrong, Ruby?" He asked.

I shook my head of Dumbledore and his concerns and rolled onto my side to face Severus.

"No." I lied. "Everything is fine."

I reached out and placed my hand on top of his.