Chapter 17
Snape sat in his chambers and cried for the first time in a long time, not just a few tears, but a cry that made his lungs hurt made his body shake and his heart tear. He did not know what he had done wrong and he could not compose himself enough to think things through properly. Things had worked out wonderfully for Draco and Zandra, during his graduation speech he had marched off the stage found Zandra in the crowd and got to him knee pulled out a ring and proposed to her right then and there, she was elated of course and so was Draco, he almost skipped out on the rest of the graduation. Snape should have known it would never work out for him though, there was no warning, he was so sure, but no. Severus hadn't done it quite so publicly though, maybe he should have maybe she would have said yes then with all the people watching, but he would never know. After the ceremony he took he aside right next to the lake, the most beautiful spot he could find, he went through the motions, he got on one knee, he told her how very dearly that he loved her and she looked at him with tear in her eyes and said no.
He live through it though, he didn't go off and cry, he live through the dance that followed the ceremony with out so much a breaking his typical sinister prowl. He even made it through having to watch her on the platform of the train, saying good-bye to the other teachers and even warmly kissing Hagrid's cheek. That sent a cold spasm up his back, he knew that he would never so much as get even a warm hug from her again. But he still did not shed a tear, no he would not he knew that this would happen from the beginning, that she would refuse him, that was what had made her so wonderfully beautiful to him in the first place, that she would never choose him, she was a challenge, and he though that he had beaten it, but apparently not.
Soon after word reached him that she and Victor Krum were apprenticing together under the same master. No he knew that he would loose out to someone younger then him, he knew that was how it was supposed to be, the void he felt where his heart should be ached but still no tears. It wasn't until now that he shed a tear for her, now after receiving this letter from her and knowing exactly what his response would be did he shed a tear. He read the letter only once, but now it looked like was ages old, he had shed most of his tears onto it, and her wrung it between his hands as though he wanted to rip it but never did. The letter had no more then nine words written on it, but those nine words put things into perspective for him.
Severus,
I still love you never forgive me?.
Hermione
How could he forgive her, yes he loved her, and yes he wanted to be with her now more then ever but it had been years since she so much as looked at him, twelve to be exact. She was a beautiful thirty year old, and he was now approaching his fifty-first birthday. How he would love to take her back but now it would only hurt the both of them. He would be gone in a few years, of a premature death from all the fumes he had endured from the potions that he had encounter in his lifetime he could feel it, and even though the healers said he was perfectly healthy he knew it would be soon, he looked nearly eighty now, and he moved like it too, he used a cane to walk just short distances and if he planned on going out fro linger the twenty minutes he had to use a wheelchair. That was not what she wanted no matter how much she thought she did, she had years ahead of her at least thirty more good ones, and he would be lucky to have five more years. He still made himself get up everyday to go to work at St. Mungo's where he now brewed potions for the sick, he worked alone which is what he wanted and the only contact he had from a coworker though out the day was with her, and it was barely contact, she came in to get the potions and left, that was it, she made sure not to look him in the eye as she did though. Severus knew why, she did not want his to see the love she still had for him. He only had one choice now, he still had claim to the island he had bough many years ago, he scrawled one word on a piece of paper, tied it to his owl and dissaperated to his island, he would not be disturbed again.
The owl landed with a thud on the window sill of Hermione's kitchen window. She had been waiting there for a response from Severus, she wanted him to take her back, and she wanted to be with him again. She quickly untied the note and looked down at the paper and began to sob. One word had never hit her so hard in her life. She fell to a heap on the floor letting the note slip from her hand. On the small piece of paper the in the slanty handwriting that could be mistaken for no one else's was the one word that positively ended Hermione,
NO
END FIN FINITO OTTA HERE GONE DONE SE YA!
A/N: Ok guys I hoped you like it, was not the ending I was expecting either but her what the heck they can't all live happily ever after. I cannot express how happy I am that this is done, but also how sad it is. Oh well, we shall meet again in some other universe I am sure of it. Thank you all who reviewed I wouldn't have finished without you guys!