Severus Snape: My Half-Blood Prince

Realization, Romance, and Remus

As soon as their conversation had ended, I crossed the forest and ran back to the castle, fumbling as I tried to get to Dumbledore. Gasping for air, I managed to utter the password before falling to the floor.

"Ella," Dumbledore muttered, coming over to my side. "What happened?"

Through quick breaths I was able to explain myself, but the look on his face hadn't changed.

"Please, Dumbledore, I'm scared! Severus is still working for Voldemort!" I sobbed, wondering how this could've happened.

Without another word, Severus came walking into the room, and I almost fainted at the sight.

"You were saying?" Snape hissed, coming ever so close to me.

"Dumbledore, please, you have to believe me!" I begged, sliding across the floor to get away from him.

"Ella, I already know," Professor Dumbledore admitted, worriedly. It was obvious that he didn't want to tell me.

"You what?!" I panicked, crossing the room back to the door. "You knew!?"

"Ella, Severus has been working alongside Voldemort for quite some time now. I'm sorry to say that I can't tell you more, but I assure you that everything is fine." Dumbledore added, putting me in a need to know situation where apparently I did not need to know. "I'm afraid you know too much already, but I can promise you that you are safe." He continued, noticing my flustered appearance.

"How can I trust you?" I demanded, looking between him and Snape.

"Miss Dawn, I assure you that I am the same man you've been sneaking around with for the last month," Severus admitted as he rolled his eyes. Dumbledore made nothing of it, already having found us together once before. I noticed a smile forming on his lips, though, as he attempted to hide it from us both.

"Excuse me for asking," I laughed, shaking my head. "I'm not the one keeping secrets."

"I have nothing to hide," Severus admitted, calmly.

"Yeah, cause you're a real open book," I finished, throwing my hands in the air. Severus had more secrets than the Restricted Section of the library.

"Why did you follow me?" He asked, his eyes like daggers as they seemed to look right through me.

"I-I thought there was someone else," I whispered, hopelessly, coming to the realization that this was much worse.

His eyes grew twice their size, overflowing with confusion. "Ella," Severus started, coming to my side. His fingers brushed across my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "There will never be another."

My eyes became glassy as I tried to stop the tears from spilling over, but it was too late. I was wrapping my arms around his waist, pulling him closer to feel his warmth. As terrified as I was, he never made me feel anything but safe in his arms. It was the one place where I felt comfortable, and knew that I would always be welcome.

It hurt me to know how much he'd been through, and even worse to know there was more that he may never tell me. I felt nothing but pure love for this man, and I knew in my heart that I would love him forever. No matter the cost, whether it meant supporting him through this dark time. Because love knows no boundaries.

"You need to rest," Snape continued, panicking as he checked the time. "I'm afraid I'm late for my evening rounds."

"Filch will cover them, Severus, you may take her back to the Slytherin dormitories," Dumbledore beamed, giving us some time alone.