Tori didn’t sleep that night; she kept tossing and turning, analyzing her feelings for Severus. She never should have questioned him. Maybe Ginny Weasley had been right: his dark and gloomy personality was one of his more captivating features. Without that sarcasm and everlasting rivalry with Gryffindor, he would be just another man, not worth the trouble. She saw him now as the unique individual he was: a wonderful, complex man. Life would never be boring with him! So what if they argued? As long as they loved and respected each other, those arguments couldn’t harm them. That’s where it had gone wrong, she had shown a lack of respect towards him by criticizing his teaching methods and that was why he had reacted so fiercely. Could she blame him? What if the only person she loved would make clear to her that he loathed a part of her? Would she say: “Oh, thanks for letting me know, I’ll change.” No way!

Now she only needed to go to him, throw herself at his feet and hope he would take her back.

Harry and Ron left the next morning, after being assured by Tori that she would have that talk the very same day.

She was incredibly nervous and jumpy the whole day. She didn’t see him around and couldn’t find the right moment to go and talk to him. It would have to wait until after dinner. She checked the message board in the staff room and saw that there were no detentions for Potions this evening. Very unusual, but a stroke of luck never the less, for it meant he would be alone.

When she stood in front of his door that night, she took a deep breath and knocked. He opened it and they locked eyes.

“Ahem, I…err…I came to…” Suddenly she didn’t know how to begin.

“You came to see your cat?” He asked and let her in.

She walked towards a chair by the fire, sat down and patted Crookshanks who was lying at her feet.

“Actually, I came here to talk to you.” She raised her head and looked into his eyes again. The cold blackness couldn’t hide his pain from her and she shivered when she realized the agony she caused him, that she had caused both of them.

“Go ahead.” Only a slight tremble gave away he wasn’t as much in control of his emotions as he wanted her to believe. It was enough to give her the courage to continue.

“I know you think that I don’t respect you.” His eyes flashed and she continued: “But I do, very much so. The time we’ve spent apart was horrible and it made me think that maybe I was wrong in judging you like that.”

He didn’t say a thing and only the sound of his breath would convince anyone witnessing this scene that he wasn’t a wax statue. Tori took another deep breath and prepared for the most important part of her speech.

“What I wanted to say is that I was wrong in wanting you to change. Not only is it inappropriate to ask someone to change for you, but most of all, I’ve come to realize I don’t even want you to.”

Now his eyes grew bigger.

“I know now, as I should have known all along, that everything about you makes me love you and if a part of you were to change, even if I would think at first that it’s for the better…it just wouldn’t be you and in the end you wouldn’t be the man that I love.” She talked faster and faster and in the end she was almost rattling. Judging by the look on his face he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, or was it something else she saw there?

“Umm, am I making sense?”

He waited a while before he spoke, and Tori died a thousand deaths in the meantime.

“I’m quite overwhelmed here. Am I right in understanding that you want to give it another go?”

She nodded, not able to say anything.

In a split second, his whole appearance had changed from a cold and distant pillar of salt into a warm and caring human being. He took her into his arms and she seemed to melt against his body, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace.

“I love you Tori and I’d do anything for you, just don’t ever leave me again.” He buried his head in her hair and she whispered through her tears of joy:

“I love you too and you’ll never ever get rid of me. I’m here to stay.”

They kissed, hesitant at first, but soon passion took over and they lost themselves completely.

Crookshanks squeezed himself between them and when they finally noticed something was tripping on their feet, they looked down and smiled.

“He knew all along, didn’t he?”

“Hmm, that cat of yours deserves a treat and he’s not going to let us forget that.”

Both of them laughed and Crookshanks purred, brushing between their legs.

“Does this mean that you’re moving back in?”

“If you’ll have me…” She looked up at him with a spark in her eyes; happy to see his eyes participate in her joy...

“Shall we get your things now?”

She chuckled. “That can wait until tomorrow.”

They went to sit on the sofa, his arms still wrapped around her like he was afraid that he had been imagining things and that she would disappear again if he loosened his grip. Soon it felt like the last weeks had merely been a bad dream and Tori had never heard him say so many lovely things to her. Finally they started kissing again and their need for each other was growing by the minute. After a while, he stood up from the sofa, scooped her up into his arms and carried her into ‘their’ room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day was a Saturday and they didn’t feel like leaving the room. They would face the school some other day, preferably not until Monday!

It was the first time they spent this much time together without arguing. They talked and talked, Snape assuring her that he would not be so quick to raise his temper and she almost begged him not to. Never did they have so much fun like that day, sneaking out like schoolchildren to try and get her stuff without being seen, eyes glowing with excitement and laughing their heads off when they succeeded.

Sunday was spent in much the same way as Saturday, long talks alternating with even longer sessions of snogging.

In the evening, Tori curled up to him in front of the fireplace. The warmth coming from the fire created a warm cocoon for them and for a while they sat in silence.

Then he sat up straight, cleared his throat and began hesitantly:

“Tori, there eh, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Hmmmm, what?” She was still a bit fuzzy and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

“Well, err…I was wondering if…err…if you’d come to the reception with me?” Damn, he chickened out, realizing it was too soon, but cursing himself for not going through with it.

At once her mind was clear.

“Why, yes of course, we are both invited so I think it would be only natural if we went together.” She looked at him and saw the state he was in. “Umm, somehow I don’t think that’s what you wanted to ask.”

“Oh, never mind, it just wasn’t the right time, that’s all.” He tried to avoid the subject, but Tori could never resist a mystery and certainly not one that had to do with her.

“Come on…ask me…I promise I won’t bite, well, unless you want me to that is.” She gave him a teasing look, not really knowing what to expect, she sure hoped he wasn’t going to ask if she had been seeing Sirius again!

“Ok, here it goes…Tori, I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of becoming my wife.” He talked fast and had sunk to one knee while holding her right hand.

Tori was shocked. He had proposed to her! She was totally baffled and at a loss for words. Seeing her confusion, he elaborated:

“Not that I expect an answer right now or that we’d get married very soon, I mean…maybe I’m jumping the gun here…”

Noticing his embarrassment and only now coming back to reality she answered with a firm “YES”.

He was so concerned with trying to explain himself that he didn’t hear her at first.

“Wait…what did you say??”

“I said yes. Yes, I would love to marry you.”

Now it was his turn to look shocked. He’d never expected her to accept his proposal this fast, not after their recent break up!

“I don’t know what to say…I mean…that’s wonderful…you’ve made me so very happy.”

They both smiled at each other, Tori brushing away a tear from his cheek. The next moment they were in each other’s arms, sealing the engagement with a tender kiss. When they finally broke off the kiss, he looked at her with a solemn expression on his face.

“Tori, you ARE sure, aren’t you?”

“I couldn’t be more sure of anything.”

“It’s just that…will you be able to put up with me?”

She laughed: “I thought that we’ve covered that enough this weekend, but if you need reassurance: yes, I will put up with all of your little peculiarities; if you’re willing to accept mine.”

He wouldn’t stop his lecture though. “You do know a marriage between wizards is nothing like the ‘until death do us part’ in muggle tradition? Marriage for wizards goes beyond the boundaries of life and death; it’s like an unbreakable bond for eternity. Are you ready for that?”

Tori’s eyes grew bigger. “That sounds so…romantic! But I understand what you’re getting at. And my answer stays the same: yes! I do want you for eternity.”

Totally reassured, his lips claimed hers again.

Their kisses led to a whole night of fun and when the morning came, they woke up into an entire new world, or at least, that’s how it felt for them. Both of them wanted to keep the news to themselves for a while, enjoying this lovers’ secret. Of course they told Crookshanks, whether he understood or not was unclear, but he did look happier than ever.

Tori didn’t want an engagement ring. “A wedding ring will do just fine,” she said.

So now it was Monday and they had to get back to the outside world. Both were reluctant, but they knew that they had to do it sooner or later.

When they were about to leave, he took her in his arms for one last time. She closed her eyes to receive his kiss, but when she opened them again, she felt strange. He noticed her body leaning towards him, getting heavier by the minute and looked at her, worried.

“What’s wrong?”

She sounded far away when she answered in a faint voice: “I don’t know…I feel funny…the room is spinning.” Then she passed out and he caught her in his arms.

She’d only been out for a few seconds when she regained consciousness and tried to tell him she was all right, but he wouldn’t listen. He scooped her up, kicking the door open and rushing her to the infirmary, leaving the students open mouthed when they saw their Potions teacher carrying their Charms teacher. Soon they started talking about what they had seen and word spread fast that the romance was apparently back on.

Poppy Pomfrey looked disapprovingly at Snape when he carried Tori in.

“No, no,” he said. “She’s been eating properly and I haven’t drawn her blood, do don’t go blaming me.”

“Please don’t fuss; it’s just the emotions of the past days, that’s all.” Tori tried to say, but both wizards wouldn’t let her stand up from the hospital bed.

Pomfrey asked Snape to leave and he only obeyed because of the menacing look she gave him.

“Now dear, tell me, what happened exactly.”

Tori thought hard, which wasn’t easy since her head was still spinning. Actually she did have an idea that had been lingering in the back of her mind for a while, but that was so ridiculous! Although…she couldn’t ignore the signs any longer…oh no, it couldn’t be, could it? But that was impossible!

All those emotions reflected on her face and Pomfrey was still waiting for an answer.

“I think I know what’s wrong with me.” Tori sighed.