Chapter 1 An Unexpected Reaction

Six Months Later

He kisses her and gently allows his fingers to caress the side of her face before pulling away.

"You're alright?" he demands.

"Yes, of course." She assures him, "It wasn't that bad, Severus. One of the cauldrons exploded and I had the misfortune of being to close, that's all."

"I'll kill Longbottom," He sneers.

"Oh no you won't! He's a student, and I won't have a lover who is in Azkaban for attacking someone under my care!" She objects.

"I told you not to get too close to him! He can't follow the simplest of directions!" He pushes.

"And I told you I could handle it!" She counters, "Severus, I'm a qualified potions mistress!"

"You don't have enough experience! With Longbottom in that class-"

She cuts him off angrily, "Stop bad mouthing my students, Severus Snape! What you're doing is questioning my intelligence and my abilities to do something that I love to do. If you think that negatively about me, then maybe you should reconsider this relationship."

She storms out of the dungeons and then out of Hogwarts completely. It was raining hard and she could hear thunder in the distance, but she paid no mind to the weather as she ran across Hogwarts grounds. He had thrown her capabilities into question for the last time. As much as she had grown to love him, she couldn't handle everything that came with it. She needed a break…time away from him.

A sharp pain shot through her body before she reached the gates. She froze, clutching her chest as it happened again…and again. She grabs her head as the world spins around her, and it slows a bit. She can hear Severus shouting her name, but it seemed so far away. She turns back towards the castle in a panic, desperate for help.

"Diana!" He shouts, running towards her, instinctively knowing something wasn't right.

"Severus," She whimpers, collapsing.

"Expecto Patronum!" Severus sends his patronus to Madam Pomfrey, dropping to his knees next to her, "Hold on…Diana, stay with me…please…I love you."

Severus stares in shock at the familiar form of the woman lying motionlessly one of the beds in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. That couldn't possibly be the some woman he'd kissed less than an hour ago…the same woman who had fought against him in defense of one of her students. It couldn't possibly be the lifeless body of the only woman he'd loved since…

"She's not dead," he told himself sternly, attempting to convince himself that the mediwitch was wrong. She had to be wrong.

'You of all people should be able to recognize the signs of death. Her skin has never been that pale.' A voice in his head pointed out logically.

"No!" He snarls desperately, fighting back the chilling sensation of his soul being ripped in half.

"I'm so sorry, Severus," Madam Pomfrey says, sending him a sympathetic look. She had never seen him this…broken. It almost frightened her. "The potion that exploded had a lethal reaction with the rain. There's nothing more I can do."

Minerva sobs into the handkerchief that Diana had given her for her last birthday.

"St. Mungo's," Snape insists.

"It wouldn't do any good. Not even they can bring back the de-"

"She's not dead!" He yells, storming out of the room. He makes it out into the empty hallway, holding onto the wall for support but still falling to his knees, covering his face with his free hand, "Dead…I wish…I wish I were dead…"

White daisies decorated the top of a black marble casket. Severus Snape stood in the shade of a tree a good distance from the crowd surrounding Diana's final resting place. He surveys the people who had come to pay their last respects towards a woman who shouldn't have needed them. Neville Longbottom had had the nerve to show up. Severus had been angry at his daring until the boy had collapsed into a fit of tears at the sight of him. The students had known about his relationship with the woman. How could they not…even if Minerva hadn't spouted off about it to everyone. Diana wasn't one to restrain her affections. She had never gone out of her way with public displays of affection, but she hadn't bothered to lie about it either. It was one of the more annoying things that he had loved about her. He valued his privacy, but at the same time, it inflated his ego to know that she didn't mind being seen with him…didn't care who knew. Luckily his reputation had kept them from whispering…at least where he could hear them.

As the speaker finished, people formed a line and walked past the casket, placing flowers in a neat pile on top of it. Most of them left after saying a final goodbye, but a few of them, such as Minerva, remained, struggling to regain their composure. As the crowd thinned, he slowly made his way to the coffin and forced himself to keep breathing, refusing to break down. There were things he needed her to know. Merlin, let her hear what he had to say…

"I was going to give this to you that night…I wanted to ask you to be my wife. Diana, I didn't mean what I said the way you thought I did. I am fully aware of just how brilliant of a witch you are. I promise you that I will never even come close to implying otherwise again…I'll give you your space…If you just come back to me…Diana, please…"

It wasn't the first time he had ever pleaded for the life of a woman he cherished more than his own, but it cut through him deeper than it ever had before.

Get Up! He willed her silently. I love you! Come back to me!

He closes his eyes. It was pointless. He knew it was before he had ever made an appearance here today…he didn't want to be here. He didn't want to exist at all.

He looks down at the ring in his hand and takes a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to face Minerva. He turns around and starts towards her, but Longbottom cuts him off.

"I-I'm s-sorry I k-killed your wife," He stutters, tears in his eyes.

Severus fought the urge to snap at the boy. He knew Diana wouldn't have appreciated it, so he did what he knew she would have wanted.

"It wasn't your fault." He choked out forcefully, "It was an accident. Now you realize why I was so stern with you when I taught the subject."

Severus forced himself to take another breath and sigh, studying the boy. Glancing past him, he caught sight of Minerva watching him curiously. Turning his attention back to Longbottom, he realized he had already started back towards his grandmother.

"Longbottom!" Severus snaps quickly, stopping him.

Neville reluctantly turned back towards his professor.

"She wasn't my wife." He corrects him.

"But you were with her. Everyone says so," Neville points out.

Severus rolls his eyes. "With her? Yes. Love her? Completely. Married to her? No." He answers softly. "Thank you for paying your respects. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do that standing here attempting to explain myself to you."

Severus quickly moves around him.

"Minerva," He says in greeting.

"Are you alright, Severus?" She asks worriedly.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He counters.

She looks away.

"I believe," he continues, "As her next of kin, this belongs to you."

He holds his hand out to her. In his palm was the white gold engagement ring. She takes it and studies it carefully. The stone was a sapphire set in onyx.

"I don't remember her having a ring like this. Are you sure it was hers?" She asks.

"Read the inscription," He replies, refusing to answer her directly.

"Always yours-SS," She reads out loud. "Oh, Severus…"

"Her birthstone is a sapphire, is it not? The stone is perfectly crafted. She always insisted that my eyes were onyx colored rather that simply black." He explains softly.

"She was perfect in your eyes?" Minerva questions, piecing together his explanation.

"Hardly. No one is perfect. However, it was a nice thought, wasn't it? An engagement ring…"He answers uncomfortably.

"Did she know about this?" Minerva asks hesitantly.

"No…I meant to ask her that night. I never had the chance." He answers.

"She would have said yes," Minerva attempts to comfort him.

"Don't be naïve." He snaps, "She ran out into the storm because we had gotten into another argument. She would never have accepted me if she had…I believe I'll be taking that vacation you offered me."

"What are you planning, Severus?" Minerva frowns worriedly.

"Getting over her," He answers half honestly.

"There are still people here that care about you. You know that, don't you?" Minerva asks.

"Of course. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll retire for the day." He sneers.

"Spinners end?" She prods.

"That's where I live, last I checked." He answers sarcastically.

Minerva nods, ignoring his tone of voice.

Severus disapperates before she could say anything else.