By the time Harry had gathered enough of himself to open his eyes, Severus was already vanishing through the doors into Hogwarts' Entrance Hall. By the time he convinced his legs to move, Severus had disappeared into the bowels of the school. By the time he'd worked up the courage to go after the Potions Master, Harry was already in his dorm room.
He waited, the next morning, for over an hour at the locked front doors of the castle. Severus never came. When he left with his peers on the carriages that would carry him away from Hogwarts for the last time, Severus had still not appeared. He left the school without ever seeing the dark, imposing figure that now haunted his thoughts. By the time he reached King's Cross, and began his future with Master Ailin, he'd forced himself to forget the emotions that had swarmed in his chest when their lips had met. His friends would never have guessed, from the happiness he projected over his coming, adventure-filled summer, that inside the toned chest his heart was chipping away a piece at a time. When he allowed Neville to kiss him goodbye, promising to write letters he knew he never would, the final piece of his innocence shattered. Gone were his days of child-like belief that love was good, honest, and unerring. Love was cruel; it was a hidden monster buried in the hearts of man that ate up their souls and spat out darkness. And it was, in the end, such a small thing.
A/N: Bwahahaha! No, but seriously, I'm sorry for this ending. Fear not, there will be a sequel shortly. No later than…two weeks, give or take a day. Promise. It's already half-finished.
Update: Sequel is posted, entitled No Promises. Enjoy.