The last weeks of the trainee program at St. Mungo's flew by and before I knew it it was time that I took up my new position on the third floor. I was the only one of the final three to be asked to stay. Henry was off at Ballycastle for an extended stay to be brought up to speed by the retiring Healer and to get to know the team. This made for a very lonely Susan who was, at this point, very pregnant.

With Henry away I was spending more time with Susan at home helping with Thomas and housework. Thomas was very mobile by now and needed constant watching. He was a climber and Susan nearly fainted when he had somehow managed to climb to the top of the refrigerator.

After one particularly bad hormonal meltdown by Susan I finally agreed to go on a date with Kingsley Shacklebolt. Her mood immediately changed after I said I would go and I've been increasingly skeptical that she faked the outburst just to get what she wanted. I thought she would forget about it once Henry returned but she didn't. She sent an owl to me on Thursday that the date had been set for Friday and that I would be getting ready at her house.

"You don't think this is a bit much?" I asked, trying to smooth the ruffles on the green dress Susan was making me wear.

"No, of course not." She assured me as she gave me a look over. "Kingsley likes the color green and ruffles are in right now…I think."

"We're just meeting at a cafe in Diagon Alley." I said, "I feel ridiculously overdressed. This is definitely something that my mom would have wanted me to wear if I had gone to a school formal."

"Nonsense," Said Susan, "This is a short, fun party dress. It says you're fun."

"Is that what it says?" I asked, "Because I think it's saying that I am trying to look like a lily pad."

I stretched out one of the ruffle layers and it perfectly mimicked the flat green leaf on top of water.

Susan lightly slapped my hands away from the fabric. "And what would you wear then?" She snapped.

I shrugged. "Jeans, a muggle band t-shirt."

"He's not going to know who The Cure is."

"Well, it will double as a conversation starter then."

She rolled her eyes before shoving me out of her bedroom and downstairs.

Henry was in the sitting room playing on the floor with Thomas.

"How does she look?" Susan asked as she presented me.

I picked up one of the ruffles with both hands and curtsied at him.

"Wow," He said, "If the date doesn't work out at least you can take up a post as a pine tree in the forbidden forest."

"Henry!" Susan scolded.

"I told you it was too much." I said.

"You can both be so infuriating." Susan whined, as she grabbed my coat and handed it to me. "You need to go, or you'll be late."

"What if Kingsley makes fun of the dress?" I asked in mock hesitation.

"He won't because HE is nice." She said as she shoved me to the door.

"Oh, my heart." I said, clutching my chest.

"Be nice and give him a chance." She said.

By the time I walked into the cafe Kingsley was already seated at a table and looking at a menu. There was a steaming cup of tea in front of him. He lifted his head at the sound of the door closing. His eyes found me and he smiled. He waved at me and signaled to the table to indicate that he was who I was supposed to be meeting as if Susan hadn't described him in vivid detail a hundred times.

"So you are the famous Ruby Winston." He said with an overly friendly smile. "I feel as though I'm meeting a celebrity with how much Susan has talked about you."

I forced an awkward smile that I prayed didn't look forced or awkward. "I have probably heard just as much about you. Susan says you're headed for Minister someday."

He laughed. It was a warm, full, deep laugh; it wasn't unpleasant. "Susan certainly has a penchant for exaggeration.

I realized I was still standing behind my chair hanging my coat on the back. I rushed to sit down.

"Did you do anything fun over Christmas or New Years?" He asked.

"I spent Christmas at my parent's house and New Years was spent at St. Mungo's." I answered, God, how I hate small talk. "You?"

"I depended on the kindness of friends for both holidays." He said. "My family went on an extended trip to Spain and I was unable to join them."

He spoke so formally. It made me feel as though I needed to improve my posture and that I should have taken those etiquette lessons my mother made me take before she decided it was a lost cause more seriously.

"Do you travel much?" He asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

My mind immediately went to a picnic in southern France and cave swimming in Brazil. My heart jolted and I felt sick. I shook my head no. My mouth was dry.

"I love to travel." He added as if I had had the decency to ask.

"Would you like a cup of tea, love?" A witch with silver hair asked as she stopped at our table.

"Earl Grey." I choked out.

"Have you had a chance to look at the menu?" She asked, "Will you be dining?"

"I'll have the stew." He said, "Sounds nice on a chilly day like this."

The witch turned her attention to me. "And you?"

I quickly scanned down the menu that I had ignored. "Fish and chips, thank you."

I felt so awkward. My arms were cold and every time the door opened my back was blasted with the January chill outside. Why did I let Susan dress me in this sleeveless monstrosity in the middle of winter, I'll never know.

"What is it that you do at St. Mungo's again?" Kingsley asked, "I know you're a Healer but what do you specialize in?"

I cleared my throat. "I work on the third floor."

"Ah, potions and plant poisons." He said, "Is it as fascinating as I imagine?"

"Depends on how fascinating you imagine it is." I said without thinking.

The smile on his face faded and he nodded at me.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "It is interesting and can sometimes be a challenge."

The witch returned with my cup of tea, a small dish of sugar cubes, and a little pitcher of milk. She placed them on the table. I'm sure she could feel the awkward tension at the table and gave me a small smile.

"What about being an Auror?" I asked. "Is that as fascinating as I imagine?"

I already knew it wasn't. Susan complains constantly about the amount of paperwork versus the exciting pursuits. When there is something exciting going on so much time has to be spent doing research and planning things out.

"I have a strong sense of justice." He said, "I enjoy catching bad wizards and making them pay for their crimes."

I put a lump of sugar in my tea and stirred it silently.

"Um, Susan says you're a muggleborn." He said, grasping. "What was that like?"

I shrugged. "I don't have anything to compare it to. I've never been a pure-blood so I don't know…there was less magic than your upbringing I suppose. I grew up learning maths and history and even French for a short while thinking that I would go to university and work like my parents. Then I found out that there was another option for me and that was…strange. Eleven years old and you find out that magic does exist and not only that but for some reason I get to be one of the lucky ones that can control it."

I could tell he didn't know how to respond to what I had just said. I think he expected me to have a short answer like "great" or "boring".

The witch came back with our food and the rest of the evening was spent eating, mostly in silence, with a few odd ends of small talk. Kingsley seemed nice but I wasn't eager to see him again. Most of his questions had to do with work and when I asked them back his answers were much longer and detailed than my own. I could feel that he would rather be back in the office than out with me. This realization didn't hurt me, I didn't want to be here either.

"Would you like another cup of tea?" Kingsley asked, after we had finished our meals.

I shook my head. "I really should be going."

I started rifling through my bag to pay for my meal.

"No," he said with a smile. "I've got dinner covered."

"I insist." I said placing a Galleon on the table.

He placed his own money on the table as I stood up to put my coat on.

"It was nice meeting you." I told him.

"I had a nice time." He replied.

I made my way to the door, but he picked up pace to be able to open it for me. I felt sort of bad that I had already made up my mind not to see him again. He seemed to really be trying.

The icy blast from the January air hit my face and I stepped out into Diagon Alley. I took a couple steps into the street and was struck from the side. The unexpected impact caused me to stumble sideways, but I was stopped from falling completely when Kingsley caught my arm.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he steadied me on my feet.

The person I had crashed with was picking up a bag they had dropped from The Apothecary.

"I'm so sorry." I said as I reached for another bag on the ground from Flourish and Blotts.

We both stood up at the same time. I held out the bag to see Severus Snape looking back at me. There was a moment when he looked at me, a look of surprised recognition on his face. His eyes flicked from me to Kingsley, whose hand was still on my arm. The surprise on his face turned to disappointment as he snatched the bag from my hand and pushed past me to continue on in the way he had been headed.

"Hey!" I shouted after him. "Wait!"

Everything felt so wrong. Why was I following him? What would I even say?

I caught up with him and placed my hand on his arm to stop him. He turned to face me and I felt my heart stop.

"I'm sorry." I said, "It isn't what it looked like."

His eyebrows lifted and an almost imperceptible smirk tugged at his lips. I desperately wanted him to wrap me in his arms and kiss me. I wanted to feel his body against mine, to feel his heartbeat against my chest, to hold him and never let go.

"I can't imagine why you think I would care if you decided to date a goody goody like Kingsley Shacklebolt." He said, "I think you might have hit your head when you ran into me. You should go get a real Healer to check that out."

He scowled at me as he continued on his way. His words snapped me back to the reality that he didn't care about me. All he could remember was how obnoxious of a student I was and how accident prone I am as an adult. I remembered the dark corridor where I held his hand. I had been an idiot to think he could have remembered me. Severus Snape hated me, and I could confidently say that he always would. Unfortunately, it wasn't for the reason that he should hate me. I had taken memories from him, good memories, the best memories. Memories that I still held on to. Suddenly I felt jealous of him. He couldn't remember me, but I remembered every piece of him. Pieces that I was just now realizing that I could never have again. I was still in love with this man that would never love me back. I had felt that taking all that we had away from him was the worst that I could do, but in fulfilling Dumbledore's wishes I had unwittingly punished myself worst of all.