I do not own Harry Potter or anything contained within those lovely, glorious books. J.K. Rowling does, not me.

Thanks for all my review, more notes on the end. This chapter is dedicated to Roker who had to listen and review and basically got ignored at times (not intentionally) while I was working on this chapter. To him this chapter goes our to. Without further ado, Ch 2.

Authors note- This chapter is now rewritten. New reviews are welcome.

Chapter 2

The world was on fire. As painful as every breath and minuscule movement was, it was good. It meant that he was alive. Severus slowly began regaining consciousness after what felt like an eternity in an endless void of nothingness, pain, and strangely an odd feeling of relief from all the mental stress he had been under lately. Slowly he opened his eyes, and looked around. Initially he was shocked that he wasn't outside in the field where he'd be tortured the night before. He didn't know who exposed him as a spy for the light, but whoever it was had convinced the Dark Lord well enough for him to order Severus' torture and death.

He began to look around the room. He was in a large very comfortable bed that seemed strangely familiar. It only took one look to his left for him to realize why. Right next to him was the only woman he could never forget and never stop loving other than Lily. "Maggie," he sighed at a barely audible whisper. That was all the voice he could muster. Almost as if she had heard him, or felt his need for her love she gently smiled in her sleep. She was still as beautiful as the day they had parted. No, he mentally chided himself more beautiful. She had lost her childish face and girlish that she had at seventeen for a more grown up and womanly features. The soft grey night shirt she wore showed him every curve without being too revealing. Her perfect porcelain face nearly glowed in the dim light in the room. Her long dark eye lashes and pale eye lids covered the deep and penetrating sapphire blue eyes, which he swore could look right into his very soul. Her hair was a bit shorter now than when they had parted ways. It hung just below her shoulder in long ebony waves. The soft smells of lavender and lilac from her soap drifted almost lazily in his nose, intoxicating his senses.

He sighed deeply, mentally reliving the last time they had seen each other and the last words that had passed between them. Why had he been so stupid? He could kick himself, had he been able to move and not been in near unbearable pain. He sighed deeply again, this time a little louder, which resulted in the sleeping beauty next to him to awaken.

"Oh, you're awake," stated Margaret with a smile that showed a mixture of relief and joy.

All he could do was nod, the little bit of voice he had betraying him and catching in his throat. He felt almost unworthy to speak to her. At one time she had been his world, his savior, his sanity, his everything. He had turned away from her and left her, and for what? Some stupid revenge for teasing and taunting from some immature git and his gang of friends! He had committed horrible atrocities, and she was the one who was there to hold him when he was sick afterwards. He had tortured people, and she had bandaged his wounds. He had murdered, and she had loved him. Somehow in the depths of his soul he knew that she still did love him.

She sleepily sat up and began to check the worst of his wounds. By the expression on her face he knew that she was taking a mental inventory of what she needed to treat them. She wore that expression often when brewing a particularity complex or difficult potion. He may have been the top of his class in potions, but she was a mere fraction behind. She seemed to finish checking his wounds and quickly got up.

"I need to get a few things, I'll be right back," stated Margaret.

He nodded. He was alive. She mentally began thanking every deity she could think of as she went downstairs to get burn ointment, blood replenishing potion, a pain reliever, and fresh bandages. She smiled as she began picking up the items she needed from her personal lab and headed back up stairs. He was safe, and was free of that damned cursed Dark Mark.

"I'll need to redress you wounds, so this may be a bit painful, I'm sorry in advance" she began in a rather matter of fact tone not unlike a certain insufferable know it all Gryffindor.

"I understand" he replied, barely above a whisper. Her heart soared at the sound of his voice. She mentally berated herself to stay calm and care for his wounds first before she turned into a willy-nilly love sick girl. She worked as quickly as possible, so she could focus getting done. She wanted speak more with him, but she also was trying and minimize his pain and discomfort.

"Thank you, for…everything," Severus quietly stated when she had finished.

"Oh, I just did my best. You are stable for now is there someone I can call for you?" Margaret asked blushing.

"You didn't have to. I don't deserve it. You should have left me for dead, everyone else would have," replied Severus.

"Well I guess that I'm not everyone else, am I?" She tossed her head back a bit as she said this. Margaret had always been one of those people who was proud of the fact that she was different. She didn't march to the beat of her own drummer, she was her own drummer. Her confidence, strong desire to succeed, and unshakable ambition were what made her a memorable Slytherin during her time at Hogwarts.

"I still don't deserve it after what I did, especially what I did to you," Severus states quietly while averting his gaze from her deep penetrating eyes.

"The past is done and over, we all made and continue to make our own daily mistake. What's left for us today is to pick up the good that is left and live today to its fullest," replied Margaret.

"Margaret, I…" he stammered

"It's Maggie for you," she bantered with a slight chuckle.

He looked lost for a second then closed his eyes in resignation that he would never be able to say what he really meant.

"Maggie, I…" he was cut of this time by her lips and she gently kissed him. This sweet, gentle kiss like so many they had shared as adolescents confirmed to him that she really did still love him and quelled all doubt that had prevented him from seeing this sooner and telling her so. The kiss lasted only for a brief second and ended, but left both adults blushing like teens caught having their first kiss.

"Maggie, I love you, I always have and always will," he blurted out quickly but resolutely, as if he had thought of nothing but that for the past sixteen years.

"Severus, I..." Maggie began and the floo downstairs alarmed alerting Maggie that someone was trying to contact her. This was going to be a long day.

A few notes:

First yes I am evil I love cliff hanger, again please feed the plot bunnies. Reviews make me write faster, then you can find out what happens.