A/N: Thanks to everyone for your support and love! I'm glad this story has been enjoyable thus far, and I hope this chapter lives up to expectations!

LadybugBlogger15: Loved your reaction! Curious to see what you think of this one. XD

J.J.88: You are right on! That is exactly what happens! Thanks for your feedback and look forward to seeing if you like this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. There is also a tiny movie reference in this chapter, (see if you can catch it), so I just wanted to mention I don't own that either. Duh.

Chapter 3 – Please

Claire sighed. "Minerva, I feel like a fool." She was seated in Minerva McGonagall's small, yet
comfortable lounge. The Headmistress had received the distressed young woman immediately, gave her a cup of tea, and proceeded to discuss the problem that was so evident in Claire's demeanor. To hopefully change her mind.

"A complete and utter idiot—"

"Claire Daniels, you are nothing of the sort," Minerva interrupted.

Claire looked up. "No?" she scoffed. "Minerva, I was never a Gryffindor. You know that. For me, as Ravenclaw as they come, to do something like this it's…it's…"

Minerva sighed as Claire rested her face on both hands. "I don't know," she continued with muffled voice. "What's wrong with me?"

The Headmistress rolled her eyes. "My goodness, woman, absolutely nothing!" Claire didn't answer, but her eyes trained on Minerva through a crack in her fingers. "Things like this happen. It's not the end of the world." One of the reasons Minerva liked Claire was because she could be frank with her.

Claire sat up and shook her head. "That's what I've been telling myself. I've tried, Minerva." The Headmistress held her next comment when she noticed the younger professor look down. She swallowed and blinked slightly quicker.

"It's been a month. I haven't seen him." She sighed, reconsidering. "Well, I've seen him….around. But not his eyes. He hasn't looked at me once."

Minerva was beginning to realize just how much Claire felt for the Potions Master. She had known about their meetings. Was quite happy about them, actually. Severus needed a friend. She somewhat naïvely assumed it would be nothing further than that. But when she noticed the distance occurring between them, Minerva thought that maybe it was better that way. Better for Claire or Severus she did not quite know. But now she was considering reconsidering.

The Headmistress folded her hands and weighed her words carefully. "Claire, you spoke as if you did something. Like you did him wrong." When Claire only returned her gaze uneasily, she asked, "Did you?"

Claire sighed. "Yes. That's one of the reasons I'm so sick over this." She shook her head. "I was so sure. I've never been surer about anything. I knew he felt the same way."

This was new information to Minerva. "Claire, you are quite the Legilimens, are you not?"

Claire shrugged. "I can read people's emotions, not their thoughts unless they have absolutely no Occlumency at their disposal. But Severus is very hard to read as you can imagine."

The Headmistress nodded. "Alright what did you do?"

"Minerva, you-you know how he is. I wasn't going to do anything unless he wanted me to. Now it's like I…like I forced myself on him."

Minerva frowned. "You didn't…seduce him….?"

Claire's eyes went wide. "Oh, Merlin no."

They sat there for a moment. Then Claire spoke up again. "No. Just…I suppose I forced my company on him. My…"

Minerva raised her brow in waiting.

Claire huffed. "I-I kissed him and…he never wanted any of those things from me."

It was now Minerva's turn to be surprised. Her wide eyes only made Claire turn a darker shade of crimson.

The younger woman scoffed and threw out her hand. "Now do you see why I'm miserable?"

Minerva thought about it. "Well, no. Giving Severus a kiss shouldn't hurt him." She shook her head. "Heaven knows the man could use a good kiss. I still don't see what you did that was so wrong."

Claire sighed. "I don't know, Minerva. All this time he was 'putting up with me.' If he would have only told me he didn't want me around I…"

This was going nowhere. "Claire. You said a minute ago that you were sure he felt the same way about you. What made you so sure if it wasn't Legilimency?"

The brunet thought about it. "Well, he seemed to like when I was around…"

Minerva shook her head. "But what did he do? Any small thing."

She shook her head. "I mean, he hugged me, and…well, put my hair behind my ear once but that was different!"

McGonagall was laughing! This was why Claire had thought twice before accepting this offer of…counseling!

"Claire, dear, I am about to clear up any doubts in your mind. He is smitten." She shook her head and mumbled. "Heavens, you both are."

Claire didn't know what exactly she was expecting…but it certainly was not that.

At the girl's befuddled expression, Minerva clarified. "Severus would never do any of those things if he wasn't in love with you. Goodness, most don't even think he's capable of such things." She chuckled. "Besides, the fact that he let you kiss him should speak for itself."

"Then why does he want nothing to do with me?"

"He certainly doesn't want nothing to do with you. He's probably afraid. Severus has never had anything like this happen to him. And if he loves you—which, he does—he thinks this is the best way to keep you from getting hurt."

Claire frowned, "So…I should go after him?" then shook her head. "I don't know…"

Minerva smiled. "Be patient with him, Claire. He honestly has a hard time with positive emotions. He clams up. Doesn't quite know what to do with them."

She nodded. "I'll try. Do you know where he is?"

The Headmistress smiled. "That man hasn't seen the light of day for a month. Been down in the dungeons whenever he doesn't have a class. The students have expressed their confusion on his change in attitude as well. Almost…melancholy." She feigned confusion. "I can't imagine why."

Claire raised her hands; a smile tugging at her lips. "Alright, I get it." She blew out a long puff of air. "Wish me luck."

Minerva chuckled. "Good luck, dear. But I don't think you'll need it."

Claire had been standing outside Severus's potions lab for probably five minutes now, trying to figure out how she should knock. If it was too soft, he might not hear it…but if it was too hard she could come across as being mad or something. Her fist hovered in front of the door.

"Come on," she told herself.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Enter."

Oh goodness. Part of her was almost hoping he wasn't in there.

Run! Run you fool!

It was tempting. But not tempting enough.

Claire opened the door and stepped in. It was dark, naturally. He was brewing a potion she could not identify from her current vantage point. And Severus was sitting in a chair. He set something on the desk behind him and turned.

She smiled softly. But it only grew when she saw him stand eagerly to his feet, eyes lighting ever so slightly.

"Claire," he greeted.

"Severus," she returned.

Then she noticed his attire. His typical black frock overcoat and cape were lying across a table. He now wore black slacks and a rather fitted button-down that accented his surprisingly toned figure. That would definitely be distracting.

Claire gawked for a minute, then spluttered, "You're…wearing a…" She gestured at his button-down, suddenly not able to remember the word. "shirt." Idiot.

She thought she saw a tinge of mirth in his eyes. "Very observant."

Claire shook her head. "No I…sorry." Breathe. "A white shirt."

Severus almost chuckled in spite of himself. "I always wear white, you just never see it."

"Well that's a pity." Idiot! Why would you say that?!

"Forgive me, but I assume you aren't here to discuss my choice of dress."

No, but Claire would have much preferred that subject.

"Did Minerva send you?" he continued.

Claire went pale. "Um… sort of?"

He tilted his head. "Are you not here for the potion?"

"Oh! No. No, no, no. I was just…talking with Minerva before I came and I thought that's what you meant."

That could have been very bad.

He nodded. "I see."

Okay, moment of truth.

"Is that what you're brewing then?" Alright…I guess we're stalling.

She walked over to look.

"Oh, no that's Pepper-up."

"It looks like Pepper-up."

They said in unison, then nodded at each other.

Then Claire frowned. "Is it for you?" She knew that the infirmary had just received a knew stock of the stuff.

"Yes."

She looked him over in concern. "Are you not feeling well? Do you want me to run a diagnostic?"

He shook his head. "No, I just…haven't been sleeping well lately."

She looked down. "Oh. Me neither."

Okay. This was getting ridiculous. She could not stand the tension and awkwardness any longer.

"Severus, I miss you." Okay, a little more forward than she was planning…but whatever.

Surprise flashed across his features for a moment. Claire knew that he most likely wouldn't know how to answer that, so she continued.

"I miss spending time with you. Your advice, your comments, your voice." She chuckled. "The funny comments you make to the students when you grade." She reveled in the look that earned her. "And your smile," she added fondly. "I've only got to see it once." She smirked and indicated the corner of her lips. "Of course…that's not counting the little tiny ones."

Snape pursed his lips and shook his head. "I don't know what to say."

"The truth," Claire responded. "That's all I ask."

He looked away. "Professor—"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't call me that."

She watched him meet her gaze. Saw the pain flicker across his eyes.

"Claire." The way he said her name made her stomach lurch. It was soft, sorrow filled. "I can't. I can't make you happy. I'm a Death Eater…you don't know the things I've seen, what I've done."

Claire shook her head. "You don't know what I've done! We've all done things we regret terribly. It's how we move on from them…how we let them affect us. Sometimes, we don't have a choice in that area. You and I do! We have a chance to not live in solitude after the war!"

The next words hopped out of her mouth before she could catch them. "I love you. I don't want to leave you. But I will if you don't feel the same way. I just want to know how you feel about me." She shook her head. "That's all."

Claire watched as his expression shifted. It went from surprise at her confession—which, she still could not believe that always caught him off-guard—to pain mixed with determination.

"Claire, please leave."

The soft plea lashed out and knocked the wind out of her. She never should have come. She should've gone with plan A and left without a backwards glance.

She nodded. "I am. My things are being packed as we speak."

Even in her concentration to not start balling, Claire noticed him frown slightly.

She shook her head. "I love Hogwarts…but I can't stay here. I feel like an idiot for saying this, but I've become far too attached to you, and I regret it and I'm sorry." She gasped slightly as a few tears with minds of their own streamed down her cheeks. "I…I wish I never would have…I was happy being your colleague, your friend." She took a step toward him. "Please, is there any way we could have…what we had?"

His cold exterior broke her heart. "No. It's better this way." He struggled to organize his thoughts. She was leaving? "But you don't have to leave. The-the students love you, and need you."

"Do they?" She sighed wryly. "They'll get over me. But you can take pride in the fact that I don't think I'll ever get over you." She searched his cavernous eyes, trying to find an ounce of the life she used to revel in seeing. There was none. "I'm haunted by the kiss I never should have given you. But the thing is, I would do it again! I don't regret anything, and yet I do! I just—" After searching the room for the right words, she locked her pleading gaze with his inscrutable one. "If you're hurting as badly as I am, please tell me."

He winced away from her stare. "Claire, please leave me alone."

Claire gasped, trying to keep it together. "I am! I'm leaving tomorrow, Severus! For good. Do you feel nothing?! How can you be so two-faced? I thought better of you! I trusted you." She took his face tenderly in her hands, trying to catch his eye. "I loved you…I still love you. Please."

Snape took her hands down and this time did not linger. If Claire wasn't so distressed, she might have noticed his hands trembling. "No." He was emotionless. Claire could read nothing. "I can't."

She shook her head slowly, not believing how much he seemingly had changed. "Goodbye, Severus. I can't wish you ill. There will always be a place in my heart for you. I hope you find joy."

Then she left. She didn't look back. Couldn't. Claire never thought it could hurt this bad after a month of not seeing him. She ached all over. Felt sick. The only reason she could go up the long stairway was because of how many times she had made the same trek in the past. She was angry that she had let him affect her so.

She passed Minerva in the halls who looked as if she were about to inquire about their meeting. Claire didn't have to say anything. The Headmistress knew. At this point, Claire didn't care who knew. She was leaving. She was done.

A/N: Yeah, you can all yell at Severus now. XD This was originally going to be the last chapter…but the way things turned out we definitely need another. I was also thinking about ending it here, just to make you all hate me. But obviously I love you all too much to do that. XD