A Light In The Dark

A Severus Love Story

Part Eight

A New Year

Snape POV

I sat in my room with Aurora curled up against my chest like a cat as we listened to the radio. She hummed the tune to the song on the radio and closed her eyes losing herself in the music. I couldn't help but smile down at her as I swept her bangs out of her eyes. I just loved the way that something as small as a song could make her so happy. Before I knew what I was doing I asked "How do you do it?"

Aurora slowly opened her eyes to look at me. She scanned me slowly as if searching for a hint of what I was talking about til she finally asked "How do I do what?" with a hint of curiosity in her voice. I found myself starting to blush and turned away not wanting to elaborate on my question. She then turned my face to look at her again and repeated "How do I do what?" I sighed, it was pretty obvious she wasn't going to let this go.

"I was just wondering how you manage to stay so happy. I mean I know what you have been through in the past, not that it matters, but it just it seems like it would make you more like me. You know dark against the world mostly but you never cease to amaze me with your positivity." I said and as I mentioned her dark past a her usually bright eyes seemed to cloud over. As if she was reliving all her painful memories while she was in the service of the death eaters.

She wiggled in my arms uncomfortably until she finally came to rest on my lap. She bit on her lip for a few thinking about the question. "Well … I haven't always been happy. Back in the dark days all I ever saw was despair, sometimes it was even me causing it. So after living through all that I tried to see the bright side of everything and after living so long in a dark place every little happy thing seemed to be ten times happier I suppose. It really is silly but if I didn't look at the world this way then I would be hopelessly depressed all the time." she said with a forced smile on her face.

She looked up at me with sad eyes but still managed to kiss me and ask if she answered my question. I nodded my head slowly and pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her protectively. I never knew that behind all those bright smiles and sparkling eyes was a scared sad girl that forced had to force all her true emotions down. After spending so much time with her this school year and especially after all the bonding we have done over the break it really made me feel horrible that I didn't know something so huge about her. It also made me feel helpless. I was so sure that I could protect her from everything but now I learned that I couldn't protect her from the thing that hurt her the most? I don't think she would ever accept me as a true boyfriend.

Aurora POV

I walked down the hall with Severus by my side and his hand in mine. Ever since Christmas day last week it seemed our relationship was finally moving forward though it still made me blush and giggle like a school school whenever he sneakily slid his hand into mine. Even now I found a blush making its way to my cheeks as he entwined his fingers in mine and ran his thumb against mine. Usually when we were like this he seemed happier, even if he didn't smile I could always tell by his eyes, but now his eyes were glazed over just like they always were when he was in deep thought.

"Severus is something wrong? Ever since last night you have seemed so distant, did I do something to upset you?" I asked slightly nervous as I sat down on one of the open windows, pulling him down beside me. I hadn't remembered doing anything that should have made him upset with me but it was really hard to tell with him. As hard as I try, I still hadn't gotten him to open up to much to me.

He knitted his eyebrows together then took both of my hands in his as he turned to look at me better, his dark sorrowful eyes meeting my own bright green ones. "I was just wondering … do you trust me? I mean I know you have told me so many things but do you trust me to protect you? Not just physically but I mean .. emotionally too." he asked with a pained look in his eyes.

I touched his face gently and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. His eyes seemed to be watering up more the longer I took to reply to him and I couldn't help but let out a low laugh. This made him pout a bit more but I couldn't help it, I thought it was funny that this is what was bothering him. "Severus don't look so down my darling. I trust you with my very life body and soul. I told you that I always try to see the bright side to everything. What you don't understand is that when I am with you, I don't have to force myself to find something to be happy about because just being around you, hearing your voice, feeling your hand in mine, everything is better for me. How could you not know that." I said and placed my forehead on his.

Severus closed the space between my lips and his in a quick second and gave me a kiss that sent a pleasurable shiver down my spine. With his lips brushing against mine he said "I think I know how I want to spend my new year." I nodded once, asking without words what it was he wanted to do. "I want to be with you, Aurora. We have been like this since Christmas but I want everyone to know how I feel about you … I love you Aurora Rose."

My eyes that had been half closed at the moment opened wide to stare at him. Had he really just said what I thought he said, or was my imagination running wild in a dream? I gave myself a quick pinch and feeling the pain wrapped my arms his neck and threw all my weight on top of him. Luckily we were on the ground level because as I did we rolled out of the open window into the powdery snow waiting below

As we rolled down the small hill I kept my lips planted on his the whole way until we finally came to a stop and he pulled away trying to catch his breath. "What the bloody hell! Are you crazy or just trying to kill us both? If we had been any higher could have seriously hurt both of us." Severus said trying desperately to shake the snow out of his hair and eyes. He sounded mad at first but the smile that was on his lips betrayed him.

"I don't care because if we had died I would have died happy because I love you too Severus Snape! I don't care what has happened in the past or what may happen in the future I know I will always want to be with you." I said pressing my nose against his. His smile grew wider and he flipped me so that he was on top of me and gave me another long kiss and I could taste the pure cold snow on his lips.

"I promise I will always protect you, Aurora. No matter what." he said running his hand through my hair and right their in the freezing snow, with the sun blaring in my eyes I don't think I could ever be happier.